A Fresh Start by Martha Dlugoss

A Fresh Start
     
    Published by Martha Dlugoss at Smashwords
     
    Copyright 2011 Martha Dlugoss
     
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    So you’re forty, newly divorced, and
unemployed. Just enjoy your vacation and think about the rest
later. She sighed, adjusting the chaise lounge, and turned the
page of the lusty novel she was halfway through. She looked up and
smiled as the cabana boy set her drink on the table by her side.
Some boy. He’s probably thirty and he’s hot as hell. He smiled back
and asked her, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
    “No thanks,” Samantha said.
    “If there’s anything else you need from me,
just call the front desk any time. My name is Luke.” With a wink
and a flash of dimples in his tanned face, he headed to the bar to
pick up his next order.
    Samantha sighed again. If only. She really
didn’t want complications in her life right now.
    ****
     
    The next day, Samantha woke late. The sun was
brilliant in the clear blue sky. She stood in her tank top and
panties in front of the patio door of her hotel room on the fifth
floor and spotted Luke waiting on a table full of young women by
the pool. Figures, Samantha thought. He probably services
ALL the women here. She snorted. As though able to hear her,
Luke looked up—directly at her. Her breath caught in her throat,
and she stepped back from the door to head for the shower.
    After showering, she dressed in a light
sundress, strappy sandals, and a wide hat. Time for shopping.
Maybe that will make me stop thinking, she thought dryly. She
grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the mini fridge and her purse
and headed out.
    She headed for the main shopping district on
foot, since it was only a few blocks from the hotel. She spent a
few hours walking through the open marketplace, haggling for a
beautiful sarong in bright pink. She blushed slightly as she walked
away from the vendor when he said, “Wear it for your man. He will
like.”
    Back in her hotel room, she changed into her
brief white bikini—the one she hadn’t worn because her ex-husband
had told her she was too old to wear it. Screw him , she
thought, looking in the mirror. Then she wound the sarong around
herself and headed down to the beach.
    She sat in a chaise lounge and opened her
book. A few minutes later, Luke’s smooth, deep voice murmured near
her ear, “How can I be of service today?”
    Samantha started, nearly dropping her book,
and looked back at him. “Oh, uh, how about a seared tuna salad and
a virgin strawberry daiquiri?”
    Luke smiled roguishly, his white teeth
gleaming. “You don’t look like the virgin type.”
    Samantha blushed, then said, “Maybe something
stronger later.”
    Luke laughed, a rumble low in his chest, and
left to get her lunch.
    Samantha relaxed again and went back to her
book.
    When Luke returned with her food, he sat on
the chaise next to her and said, “Why are you all covered up?”
    “Oh, no reason,” Samantha said, “just not
ready to take off my sarong yet.”
    “Take it off. I’ll put lotion on your back,”
Luke purred.
    What the hell. I’ve wanted his hands on me
all week , she thought, and stood to remove her sarong as Luke
watched, feeling wicked as she hadn’t in a very long time.
    Luke whistled. “Nice.”
    “Thanks,” said Samantha, “but I probably
shouldn’t wear something like this at my age.”
    “Are you kidding? You can’t be a day over
thirty. Besides, with a body like yours, you should be out here
topless.”
    Samantha laughed breathlessly. “Thank you,
but I’ll keep my