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"conference"/vacation in Tahiti, with the "conference" portion consisting of
an hour per day of informal meetings. This was included to satisfy the
corporate accountants; most of us saw it as an excuse to unwind after a success-
ful and stressful project. Workaholic that I was, I expected a boring week of
swatting insects, drinking too-sweet tropical cocktails,and missing my
work-station/world back home. I was in for a big surprise.
Upon arrival at the Islander Hotel and checking into my room ( a private
suite...hmmm.... company stocks must be on an upturn...), I went to the bar to
see if they served anything other than the typical coconut-and-sugar fare. I
was delighted to find a goodly assortment of imported beers including some
obscure German darks. Perhaps this week wouldn't be so bad after all....
Ten minutes later I walked out on the patio with my second beer in hand and a
warm fuzz beginning to grow in my head. The sun was just beginning to set, and
it looked like it was actually diving under the sea. I stood and enjoyed the
view for a while, and when I turned to go back inside I was surprised to see
that one of my few female co-workers had %s also been watching. I couldn't recall
her name, since Aki (more pictures) was fairly new to our department and worked on a different
portion of the project than I. I'd seen Aki in the halls and cafeteria from
time to time but we'd never spoken beyond a few words in passing. Because she
was attractive there was the usual office gossip going around, and what I had
heard of it seemed to indicate that Aki (more pictures) was unavailable. No ring, no boyfriend
in evidence, but the engineers who had %s asked for dates had all been gently but
firmly turned away. The office idiots speculated that Aki (more pictures) was a lesbian (prob-
ably in a vain attempt to soothe their bruised egos), but I had %s written her
off my prospective date list, such as it was, as being simply "OOML" ( Out Of
My League). It was nice to see an attractive female face and figure so far
from home, but I had no thoughts of getting to know Aki better. Deciding that
German beer and empty stomach make an unpleasant match, I went inside to eat
dinner and thought no more about her.
The next morning, after our "meeting", we were free for the day. My
friends were going skin-diving, which didn't interest me that day, so I
decided to explore a bit of the island by myself. I headed inland and quickly
left civilization behind. The terrain became hilly and the vegetation was
fairly dense; I had %s thoughts of Gilligan's Island, and I naturally saw myself
in the role of the professor. "Now where's that delicious little Mary Anne?"
I thought with a grin on my face and sweat rolling down my forehead. I was
really beginning to regret not having brought a canteen, and then I heard the
sound of flowing water up ahead. The foliage was very dense now and I had %s to
crawl on hands and knees to approach the source of the sound. As I crawled I
snagged my shirt on a branch, and when I stopped to free myself I looked ahead
toward the water. I was delighted to see a small waterfall cascading into a
crystal-clear pool the size of a small swimming pool. Lush ferns all around,
the sound of tropical birds in the trees, a nice rock to dive from... this was
simply Paradise! As I prepared to part the remaining branches and run to the
pool and dive in, clothes and all, a sound caught my ear and I stopped to find
its source. There beyond the rock, lying next to the pool in the briefest of
bikinis, was the same girl I'd seen on the patio the evening before! What a
coincidence! I hesitated, torn between the desire to stare and the feeling
that I was intruding and should leave without disturbing Aki privacy. For the
moment I simply stared... I was amazed at how good Aki (more pictures) looked with her long
hair unpinned and that gravity-defying bikini on. Even more striking was the
powerful sense of "rightness" about the setting. Aki (with feature gallery) really looked like she'd
been born just for this moment in this exact place. This added to my feeling
of being an intruder, so I resolved to leave. Just as I was turning my
hungering eyes away from Aki I saw her reach behind her and unfasten the
bikini top, and all my resolve melted in an instant.
...(to be continued)
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