Ten Days in Paradise

Day Two

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Mike told me that we would be at sea all day, swimming and island hopping. So I took out the only bikini that I brought from the States and went down to the wharf, where he would be, wearing only that.

I found him with a young guy, the same youth who was with Yna at the counter on the first night. They were checking out a speedboat which was docked nearby. Judging from the positive looks on their faces, the boat seemed fine. And I was positive that the vessel was the one we would ride.

"Mike!" I called out to him even before I got near. I was actually excited.

Both Mike and the youth turned to look at me. The youth's smile upon seeing me was quick, but Mike's reaction was epic. A three-second stare, with an expression that was more like being shocked, followed by a frown, and then he began shaking his head. "No," he said. "Too skimpy."

I glared at him. "Skimpy? It's a bikini, Mike. We're going to swim, right?"

He ignored my glare and my protest, and whispered something to the youth who was with him. At that time, the youth was actually staring at my body and was wearing a grin.

I was actually flattered by that stare.

But the youth eventually forced his eyes away from me, nodded at Mike, and then darted away.

"Now what was that all about?" I asked Mike, stepping right in front of him and returning his frown.

At that time, he had a large towel hanging over his shoulder. Before he answered my question, he took it off and draped it around me, effectively covering my body. "I asked Eric to get a rash guard and diving shorts for you," he then said.

I found his gesture sweet, but I scowled at what he said. "A rash guard? Are you serious?"

A rash guard, of course, would completely cover my body, something that I didn't like. Let's just say I used to be one of those western women who believed in the saying that 'if you have it, flaunt it.' So covering my skin while on the beach under the sun was a big no-no to me.

"Yes, a rash guard," Mike replied. "And I'm serious. You don't wear a bikini here if you're gonna be at sea all day. Not in these tropics. The sun will burn your skin."

Of course, I disagreed. "Burn my skin? So what's the use of a suntan then? Besides, I would love to have a tan now that I'm in the tropics!"

He just shook his head. "Not the whole day. We'll be out at sea and under the sun all day, remember? I swear, it'll burn you. And besides, seeing you in a bikini won't be good for the guys around here. They don't always see sexy women in bikinis. They'll stare. Your sexy body would wake up their perverted side and they'll have those nasty boners bulging out. So you better tuck it in and avoid teasing them."

At his mention of boners, I couldn't help but smile. Is that so? I asked myself. I didn't know guys in the Philippines could be like that. And I didn't know that Mike was the conservative type.

Of course, I've always liked conservative guys. But I would be really flattered if my body could attract boners, just like Mike was talking about.

Was I attracting his? He mentioned the word 'sexy' twice, didn't he?

Without thinking, my eyes went down to his crotch. But I was disappointed that there was no bulge down there.

I sighed. "Well, at least the guys around here can appreciate the beauty of the female body better than you."

I guess he saw where I was looking at, and he got my message too. He smirked, a little bit bitterly, and sighed. "Let's just say I've seen enough of sexy women."