He had been alone longer than most people could tolerate if forced, but for him, he relished the quiet and the solitude he had found sailing the Pacific Ocean alone. He had set out over 3 months ago, and had been traveling from this small island to that, with no real destination or plan in mind. He had reached his late 30’s with more money than anyone needed to live reasonably, and he had no wife, or children to tie him down. So when he had seen a documentary about a man sailing around the world, it had somehow stuck a keen nerve deep inside of him. And thus he had begun immersing himself in all his spare time in learning how to sail, and all he possibly learn about sailing in the South Pacific. He had started with a dinghy, and worked his way up through catamarans, until he was sailing in races and regattas, all governed by the International Yacht Racing Union. He earned both his American Sailing Association and US Sailing certifications and accreditation. He had met all the sailing standards and qualifications for basic to offshore sailing levels, up through the bareboat certification.
And so, having honed his sailing skills over 8 years, he decided to take a risk. He left his high-powered, 6-figure income, and bought himself and 82 foot Pilothouse, and set sail through the islands that dotted the southern Pacific Ocean. He had been on the boat for 3 months, stopping at islands with odd sounding names, sometimes staying a few days, sometimes a week. He had visited the peaceful islands one by one. One of his favorite had been the Ha’apai Islands, Kingdom of Tonga. In the clear calm turquoise waters of the Solomon Islands, where countless fish laze over undisturbed coral beds, Tavanipupu is a private island that is the premier jewel in a precious clasp of magnificent islands. He soon had come to agree that Tavanipupu is probably the most unspoiled paradise on earth.
He had met the owners, and had gotten permission to anchor on the far side of the island, away from the private resort there. And here he was today. Alone in the world, or so it had seemed. He had enjoyed fishing, swimming in the buff, sunning in the nude. Life at its most natural he had decided. He had gotten a deep tan enjoying these leisurely activities. He knew he could stay for as long as he wanted now. He had become friends with the owners, and had enjoyed a number of dinners with them, gladly helping to supply fresh fish.
He was lying on the deck now, having recently come from his early morning swim. The day was young, the sun not yet at its zenith in the sky. The turquoise waters around him sparkled with diamonds galore. And then he heard a sound, a splash, which didn’t sound as if it had been made by a fish. He shot upwards, moving to the edge of the deck. And then he saw something swimming. It appeared to be swimming in circles at first, about 20 yards out from his boat, which was a very far way out for any person to be swimming. He was more than a bit peeved at having his privacy invaded. God, he thought, maybe he was turning into a hermit.
The ‘thing’ came to the surface for but a split second and dove again. He strained his eyes against the glare coming off the water, but he still couldn’t make much out. He waited, and the second the object surfaced, he yelled at it. The startled object stopped in its next dive, and turned towards the sound. He saw long reddish hair floating atop the turquoise waves. Damn, he thought, it was a woman. Just what he didn’t need? He was not a misogynist in any way; he just wanted to keep his privacy. She paused for the longest time in the water. He realized that she wasn’t sure she wanted to come over to the boat. Now that surprised him, and of course, it peeked his interest. So, he signaled with his hand for her to come over. He decided he would offer her a drink.
Still she hesitated. Finally, after several minutes, she started to swim over to him. She swam more effortlessly than he had ever seen anyone do before. He wondered if she were a professional swimmer or something. He walked to the aft, and when she reached the ladder there, he reached down to pull her upwards. He had forgotten his own nudity, since he was alone so much of the time. She hesitated again, then reached up to him and let him pull her aboard. He watched as her body rose from the sea. The water sluiced off her soft, white skin. She wasn’t in the least bit tanned, which was very unusual for this part of the world. And she was as naked as he was.
When she gained her feet next to him on the deck, his eyes couldn’t help but travel over her even, lovely-featured face, her full lips. Her auburn hair was waist length, and she unconsciously raised her hands to scrape it back from her face. The movement of her very lovely, full, round breasts drew his eyes. Her nipples were peaked and hard. Her hips were slender, and to his complete surprise, she had no pubic hair. Her legs were long, muscular, and slender. He had a momentary overwhelming vision of those long legs wrapped around his hips, as he thrust deeply inside her body. She seemed completely unselfconscious standing there, both of them nude, strangers. He finally held out his hand, introducing himself.
She smiled softly, and took his hand in hers. The coolness of the water still on her skin felt instantly hot to him. He thought a bolt of lightening shot up his arm for a minute, and then he regained his senses. Her voice was soft as she spoke.
“Hello Thomas, my name is Mera.”
“I’ve never seen you around here before,” he said. Then he realized how stupid that sound. Good Lord, he was acting like a nervous teenager around the prettiest girl in school all of sudden.
She smiled slowly. “I’ve been watching you for a long time. Practically since the day you arrived.”
He frowned. How in the world could she have been watching him, and yet he never saw her. This was weird. He asked her if she would like something to drink. She agreed, and asked for just water. When he returned, he had wrapped a towel around his waist. He offered her a towel, when he invited her to sit down in one of the deck chairs. She refused and drank her water down in several deep swallows. She turned her gaze back to him as she set her glass on the table.
“I don’t understand. Where have you been? I haven’t seen you, and there isn’t anywhere around here where a person could hide.”
“You are wrong, Thomas. There are many places that I have hidden and watched you fishing, and swimming. I’ve seen you going off for dinner, then returning several hours later.” She turned away from him, gazing out over the water. She seemed completely unselfconscious about her nakedness. Her pale skin seemed to gleam in the bright sunlight. Her hair was drying in the sun and soft winds, into soft spirals of curls. Her eyes had been the closest shade to the turquoise of the sea he had ever seen before. He wondered if she had a pair of those strange colored contact lenses in or not.
“Are you friends with the owners? Where are you staying, at the hotel?” he asked her. He watched her head as she nodded, but she still continued to gaze outwards towards the ocean. “Which, Mera? Are you at the hotel?”
She turned back to him then; a smile on her coral colored lips. “No, I don’t stay at the hotel. I have wondered why you have been here so long? There once was another sailor that stayed here in the cove, but only for a day or two.”
He frowned. He had never referred to himself as a ‘sailor’ before, though technically it was true. He loved to sail, and that is all he had been doing for nearly 3 months now. He offered her some more water and she nodded yes. He was surprised to find that a moment or two later, she had followed down the cabin’s steps into the ship’s galley. It was spacious in comparison to most galleys, but that still didn’t make it exactly roomy. He realized she was behind him, only when he turned abruptly from the small sink and bumped right into her soft, naked body. His hands reached out to steady them both, grabbing hold of her upper arms. Her long hair shifted forward, over one shoulder. With just one breast concealed by her hair, it made her look unbelievably sexy.
Her voice was soft as she thanked him. “I was curious to see what the boat looked like. Would you please show me around?”
He argued with his better judgment for a few seconds. How many times in a man’s life does he encounter a beautiful, naked maiden from the sea? Let alone one is so beautiful and so comfortable with her nakedness that she had made no effort to hide herself from him. He thought it was almost as if she were the original ‘Eve’ so easy was she with her body.
He agreed and told her to follow him. He took her aft, and showed her the small dining area on the way, and the guestroom, with its small head and shower stall. He then showed her the stateroom. He had had it modified when he purchased the large yacht, and the master stateroom was much larger than expected. He watched as she wandered around the paneled room this or that, opening the head, and remarking on its size. He thought he heard her say ‘shower for two,’ but he couldn’t swear to it. Then she had gone over to the bed, and sat down on it. She had actually bounced up and down once or twice, which had definitely raised his temperature a few notches. He watched as her fingers smoothed over the silken blue-green cover on the bed. She seemed to truly enjoy touching things.
Finally, when he thought that his semi-erection had to be becoming more and more obvious the longer she sat there on his bed. And she seemed completely unaware of him, as a man, he thought. She rose and walked past him, going back to the galley. There he watched her open the refrigerator and peer inside. To his surprise, she pulled out the pitcher of lemonade he had made earlier; to enjoy when the afternoon got it’s hottest. In silence, she poured herself a glass, drank it straight down, and then refilled her glass. She then turned and said she was ready to go back up if he was. He quickly poured himself lemonade, and followed her back up to the deck. Mistake number two he quickly realized, as he watched her shapely backside gently sway to and fro with the ships gentle movements with the waves. Her long hair seemed to have a life of its own, as it swished back and forth, teasing him, he thought, deliberately.
She seated herself, once again gazing back out to the ocean, as if looking for something. He couldn’t resist probing her for more answers. She seemed vague, but not necessarily evasive he thought. “I’m confused as to where you are living, Mera? I’ve not seen any houses near here. Do you live on the island?”
She laughed. “I’m sorry if I have seemed mysterious Thomas. I am much to use to my solitude I guess. You get used to not answering to anyone. Sometimes I think being alone too much is bad, and yet, my work demands it.”
“Just what is your work then, Mera?”
She turned then to gaze at him for several long moments. He thought she seemed to be deliberating whether she should tell him anything or not. “You haven’t seen where I live because it is well hidden, we did that on purpose. I am an oceanographist. I came here to study the coral reefs in the area.”
She stopped not volunteering anything more. He thought that there was a lot more that she hadn’t said in those few brief sentences, but he decided to wait before he probed any deeper. “Would you be interested in joining for dinner tonight? I’ll be serving steak for a change.”
She laughed at his jest. Out here everyone was used to eating fish, red meat was a rarity. She wondered if he was using the ‘steak’ as an added inducement. Finally she nodded in agreement, and they settled on 7pm for her to return to the boat. He volunteered to row to shore to fetch her, but she said no, she would love the swim again. Of course, that set his mind to wondering if she would be dining in the nude?
She stood then and offered her hand in goodbye to him. He thought an electric shock travelled up his arm when he touched the skin of her palm. But then she moved away. He watched in amazement as she poised on the decks edge, and then cleanly dove back into the turquoise sea. He watched as she swam to shore. He watched her walk across the white sand and disappear into the brilliant green foliage at the forest edge.
When the sun began to set, he had spent the entire day, since Mera had left getting ready for the evening ahead. He had cleaned from forward to aft, starboard to port. Today he had played role of ‘swabby sailor’ to a tee. He had put a bottle of fine red wine to chill, and set about planning and preparing a simple dinner. He did know how to cook. He had had to learn living alone, or spend all his time eating out, which had been forced to do more than enough of with business dinners and lunches.
When 7pm came, he was dressed in a creased and pressed pair of linen shorts, and cotton dress T-shirt. He was looking forward to the woman’s return more than he wanted to admit. He certainly was physically attracted to her, but there was something about her, that was different. He wasn’t sure what it was yet, just that she was different from women he had met in the past, and in his travels through the various islands in the South Pacific. By ten minutes past seven, he was pacing his deck. He still had plenty of time, dinner wouldn’t be ruined, but he was beginning to wonder if he had been ‘stood up.’ That would be a first for him. He was not vain, but he knew that he was attractive to women.
He was tall, 6 foot, broad chested, and firmly muscled from working the boat on his sailing expeditions. He was very tan, and he had never had any complaints from any of his partners over the years. A woman before had never, ever stood him up. And thus it was with a degree of relief, that he didn’t want to admit to himself, that he was grateful to hear the splashing of a swimmer coming nearer. Then he saw her in the dimming light of the setting sun. He reached down and again helped her aboard his boat. He saw she had a small plastic pouch with her this time. She asked if she could use his bathroom to get dressed real quick. He watched her head down the stairs a bit sad. He would have enjoyed having dinner with a naked woman he thought. It might have encouraged him to do so also. He was becoming more comfortable with nudity. He had never been a nudist until he started on his cruise, but he was feeling more natural all the time. He still had a few misgivings when others were around. But this woman was so natural with his own, that he was sure that he would not have any misgivings around her.
Several minutes later, after hearing the shower run for a minute or two, Mera reappeared on deck. She was wearing a silk pareu, knotted simply between her breasts. She smiled and accepted the glass of wine he held out to her. Before he really knew what he was saying, he admitted that he had thought she had stood him up. She laughed softly, causing a flush to appear on his cheeks. She apologized quickly, saying that something had come up at the last minute, and delayed her. He accepted her apology. He drew her attention then to the beautiful sunset painting the sky before them.
They chatted about the sunset, how beautiful they were here. She said they felt more ‘real’ here, than anywhere else. Actually, she confided that everything seemed more intense here, even though they were so far departed from the rest of the world. The pace of living was so much easier, and yet, she said that she seemed to feel things so much more keenly here than ever before. Tom agreed with her that he had noticed the same thing. He found himself looking at simple things much more intently than he had before. He said that he had not noticed this though until he had come to the island of Tavanipupu.
Mera nodded slowly, and said that she had noticed the same thing. Here she had found a part of herself she had never known existed until she had come to this quiet paradise. He refilled their glasses as they continued to talk. He finally suggested once the sun had completely left the sky, and darkness was rapidly overtaking the sky, that they go down to the galley and get their dinner ready. She followed him downstairs, and together, they laughingly prepared a salad, toasted bread, and their steaks. They dined back on the deck to candlelight, which was dimmed by the beauty of the rapidly rising moon. Afterwards, they affably worked together to clean the galley.
Back on the deck, they watched the moon light the sky, which was filled with beautiful faraway stars. Tom suggested that he lay down a blanket and they could lie on their backs, which would make it easier to see the stars. Mera helped him move the small table and chairs away, and then spread the soft blanket. She took Tom’s hand and lowered herself onto the blanket next to him. She lay down next to him, where he was pillowing his head with his folded hands.
Soon, there was no sound except the gentle slap of the water against the sides of the boat. Mera whispered that she loved nights like this. It was so easy to just go to sleep with a blanket of stars, and moon serving as her night-light. Tom laughed, and agreed with her. Mera fell into a peaceful silence. She had come here tonight to see if she still felt the intense physical attraction that she had felt this afternoon. She had never before been this attracted to someone, so easily, so quickly. It scared her, and it excited her. She had no reason not to follow her impulses. She was not married, or in any kind of committed relationship. Actually, it had been quite a few years since she had been with any man. She had come to relish her isolation and saw no reason to seek anyone out. She had spent some friendly dinners with her hosts, the island’s owners. They had graciously allowed her to stay in a long ago deserted house, and conduct her studies in peace and quiet. They had helped her clean it up and do a few repairs.
She had returned their gracious kindness by joining them every now and then by serving as a guest of honor for their hotel guests to meet. It was funny how some people loved meeting someone they considered a celebrity. She didn’t consider herself one, but many others did. But one could only stand so much loneliness. And then, well, she was a woman, and she had needs, she admitted to herself. Finally, she turned on her side to look at the man at her side. She had learned growing up in such a vagabond fashion, her parents constantly on the move, from island to island, that honesty, and being straight forward, was the only way to survive, in this world. In the ‘civilized’ world, well, she had learned that such things were not appreciated, and rarely understood.
“Thomas?” She said his name softly.
Tom slowly turned his head to look at her. He felt a rush of intense desire yet again, as he looked at her. He had thought a few times, during the evening, that he had perceived she had similar feelings, but he wasn’t sure. “Yes.”
“Dinner was really delicious. Thanks for inviting me. It is funny, I had gotten so used to being alone, that I hadn’t realized how much…” Her voice trailed away under his intense gaze.
He smiled. “I had been feeling the same. I’m glad that you came to dinner tonight.” And then he leaned over and kissed her softly parted lips.
Amazing, how such a light touch can ignite such feverish emotions. But within a split second they felt the same fire, and he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. He met her tongue with his own, testing, touching, and playing with each other. His hand moved from her waist, upwards. Her breath caught as his hand moved between her full, round breasts instead of touching them. He yanked on the knot, and it gave away with one tug. He moved back, and slowly parted her silk covering. His hand then cupped her full breast, holding her tenderly, sweetly, yet passionately. His fingers began toying with her rapidly peaking nipple. He moved his mouth down and captured that eager nipple. He suckled her deeply inside his hot mouth, his tongue teasing her nipple. When she cried out in passion, he would stop and soothe her with soft, gentle caresses. Finally, his hand moved down to between her easily spread thighs. He eagerly caressed her hairless pussy. He whispered how sexy he thought it was, and how much it turned him on to see her like this. He wanted her, but he paused for her acquiescence.
In the moonlight, she reached up and touched his face, his lips, and then leaned upwards to kiss him. Her whispered words were all he needed to hear. “I want you.”
He pulled his own clothes off quickly, not seeing where they landed on the deck. He kissed her and caressed in the moonlight. His mouth and lips possessed her breasts and nipples eagerly. He ran his hands gently over her soft tummy, and moved his body down. He finally rested between her spread thighs. He held her gently, and then worshipped her with his mouth and tongue. When his tongue stroked her sensitive, hairless lips, she squirmed and squeaked with her uncontrollable desire. She cried her desire out to him, when he caught her clitoris with his teeth and toyed with her gently. Her passion juices flowed freely as he moved back up her body. He paused above her, until she opened her eyes. Looking deeply into her eyes, he thrust into her soft, womanly flesh. She welcomed eagerly, keenly. She met his thrusts with her own excited and passionate thrusting of her hips. He slid a finger down between their bodies, and touching her clit, he took her to her climactic finish and then thrust to his own climax deep within her soft body. The moonlight bathed their cooling bodies with its soft rays of comforting light. And they both drifted into a light sleep.
