…

Come on, don’t say that. You gotta have faith in something, right?

Might as well be a damn cat.

THE GUARDIAN

“WELCOME TO PARADISE!”

Eva gripped the chrome handrail and stood, bare feet balancing on the boat’s laminate floor. Their bronze, shirtless guide eased them into a cove and the small island—which had appeared as nothing more than a thatch of dense palm trees ten minutes ago—took on more dimension and character.

The edges of the cove extended into the ocean like rocky arms sprung with saplings. At the center of its embrace lay a strip of sand that grew as the boat cruised ever closer.

A beach, Eva noted with pleasure.

When they’d decided to give into the local man’s sales pitch of taking them to a secluded, uninhabited beach for the afternoon, she had been worried about being ripped off, or worse, but it seemed the guy wasn’t pulling their leg after all.

Looks amazing, she thought, and turned excitedly toward Bryce, who now stood beside her. His face showed his own surprise and delight. “Pretty cool, huh?” she said, and he nodded in return. She noticed with a stab of lust how much the vacation agreed with him—his blue eyes bright chips of ice in his tanned face, his russet hair mussed by saltwater wind, his smile white as the frothy wave tips they were cutting through.

Privately, Eva hoped this would be the trip, when he’d finally sneak a ring into his pocket to spring on her at the apex of a breathtaking hike, or during an after-dinner stroll along a night-soaked beach.

Now that they’d been here a week, she found it hard to believe she hadn’t been initially sold on a vacation in Bora Bora. When Bryce brought the destination up on Google, she’d physically sickened at the idea of being stuck in the middle of a vast ocean on a pinprick of island, hundreds of miles from any major land mass—and that’s if you counted New Zealand or Hawaii, both glorified islands themselves.

But when they finally arrived, and she’d seen the row of thatched cabanas along the thin strip of beach that would be their home for the next two weeks, she’d squealed in delight, already eager to dive into the emerald-green, crystal-clear water.

She turned around and looked past their guide to the two couples seated in the rear, roughly shaded by a makeshift canvas canopy. The quartet looked as tanned and eager as Bryce, and she wondered if her own features shared that healthy sheen, that fervent energy.

It had thrown her at first, the other couples. When the handsome young man, who introduced himself as Manu, first pitched she and Bryce on the trip, he’d made it sound exclusive. But when they arrived that morning, her stomach sank at the sight of two other couples waiting on the dock. She felt better when one of the men looked at the group and, as if reading her mind, as if reading all their minds, turned up his palms and flashed an easygoing smile. “Hey, we’ve paid already, right? So, let’s just hope this is all of us. And look at the bright side,” he said, lightly kicking a cheap Styrofoam cooler at his feet, “you can all share the twelve-pack we already have on ice.”

They all relaxed then, exchanging names and starting to compare their unique invitations when Manu approached, golden-muscled and smiling, his thick dark hair pulled back in a rough ponytail. He wore nothing but a lime-green sarong around his waist and a split-seashell ornament, that looked to Eva like an arts-and-crafts angel, strung to a choker of brown beads at his throat.

“My friends!” he said, the Polynesian accent warm and rough beneath the words. “Thank you for coming!” He gripped every person’s hand between his own while making eye contact, his smile never wavering.

Such a salesman, Eva thought, looking into his hazel eyes. But a hot salesman, at least.

After they boarded the boat, and the purring motor had pushed them away from the dock, the six passengers settled in for the 45-minute ride to the mysterious beach that was even more beautiful (allegedly) than the one they’d been basking upon all week.

Manu assured them for the hundredth time, “It’s completely virgin. Very exclusive! Only my family can go there. Only we have the right. Few people have ever seen it, very few.”

Eva didn’t care about exclusivity. What she craved was adventure. Lying around on a beautiful beach, eating, and drinking and screwing and dancing, is all well and good, but after a week of gorging on luxury she felt cagey and in need of some stimulation that involved more than tourist-trap boat tours or lazy hiking trails.

And now, as the boat pulled deep into the harbor—and the strip of beach became more pronounced—she hoped this little trip would be just the trick.

Fifty feet from sand, Manu killed the engine and released an iron-clawed anchor, knotted to a heavy frayed rope, over the side. “From here you must swim,” he said. “The beach is beautiful and deep. You can see interesting rock formations, and the water is very good for snorkeling, many turtles and exotic fish.

“One rule, please. Do not go into the trees. There are animals and many snakes. The forest is dense and without proper clothes you could get hurt. Or lost. Remember, there are no homes here. No people. All private.”

He smiled widely at this, obviously proud of his access.

“But the beach itself? Very safe. If you happen to see a wild pig, please do not approach it. Let me know and I will take care of it.”

“What will you do?” The tight-lipped woman, who had introduced herself on the dock as Karyn (“with a Y” she’d explained, as if it mattered).

In answer, Manu reached into a cutout shelf next to the wheel and pulled out a four-foot wooden spear with an iron tip so whetted that it filled with fire when the sun caught its surface. “Kill it, clean it, and bring it back for a luau!” He laughed, and the passengers chuckled along. “You are all invited,” he said, too loudly, and Eva had the sudden urge to get away from Manu and the others.

“Is it okay if we …” she said, sharply enough that every set of eyes locked onto her. She felt a moment of discomfort, but then Bryce took her hand, and she went on. “Can we go?”

Manu opened his arms expansively. “Yes! Please, go! Have fun! Remember what I tell you. Trees off limits. I will stay here, get boat ready for return. You may leave any belongings you wish. I will not leave, I promise.”

Eva didn’t think any of the group were stupid enough to leave anything valuable behind. She and Bryce only brought the clothes on their backs and a waterproof bag filled with bottled waters, an apple, a couple paperbacks, towels, and a tube of coral-friendly sunscreen. Mike, the handsome fella who settled all their nerves back at the dock, snatched up his Styrofoam cooler. “Remember, you can all share. I have a dozen cans in here, so two for each of us.”

There was an assorted chorus of affirmations and then they were bustling—grabbing packs and clothes, snorkel masks and whatever else would make its way landward for an afternoon in the sun.

There was a splash and a whoop, and all heads turned to see Terry, a lawyer from New Jersey, poking his head up through the water. “Warm!” he yelled, as if they’d thought it would be anything but. Karyn, who was Terry the lawyer’s wife, tossed him their own waterproof bag, then stepped off the edge of the boat and dropped into the clear aqua sea. Eva and Bryce went next, both jumping off the front like children.

When she hit the water, Eva knew why Terry had exclaimed about the temperature. It was more than warm, it was bathwater. “Lovely!” she gasped when coming up for air. Water splashed the side of her face and she twisted to see Bryce kicking away from her, swimming gracefully, excitedly, for the beach.

THE BEACH WAS HOT.

The bright sun reflected off the pale sand like new-fallen snow.

The three couples had spread themselves out along the strip of beach, giving each other plenty of room. Bryce had laid down towels side-by-side. Eva, wet and warmed by the quick swim, stripped off her soggy t-shirt, shorts and sandals, revealing a white two-piece bikini and sun-browned skin, before settling down on hers. They’d made camp near the tree line, where the sun was gently broken by the tall palm fronds overhead. There was a light breeze, giving the shadows a relaxing motion on the sand. She stared at the harbor, picturesque with the weathered boat anchored amidst the flat greenish-blue water, the darker blue of the open ocean beyond.

For a moment, she got that creepy feeling again, the same one she’d had when Bryce pulled up the satellite image of Bora Bora. That feeling of being a speck in the middle of an impossible vastness, beyond the reach of society. She imagined it similar to being in outer space, an astronaut floating amidst an impossible void.

Beautiful, yes. But terrifying.

“Sorry to bother,” a voice said, and she broke from her thoughts and looked up at Mike, who stood in front of them, shirtless and smiling, holding two cans of beer. “Stacy and I are gonna snorkel, so thought I’d offer the first of your rations while stranded on this horrible island.”

Bryce stood quickly and reached for the perspiring cans. “Thanks, man, very kind.”

Mike nodded and gave them a wave. “Won’t bother you guys again. If you want the other round, just come on over. If we’re in the water, feel free to grab ‘em out of the cooler.”

“Thank you,” Eva said.

As Mike walked off Bryce handed her the cold can, which she immediately popped open, taking two large swallows. “Ah!” she said, the alcohol fuzzing her brain and raising goosebumps on her arms and legs. “That’s good stuff.”

Bryce drank his own, belched, then nodded. “Hell yes. This, my dear, is heaven.”