“So are you guys regulars? Do you vacation here often?” Pete asked. “We’ve covered the pool, but what about the rest? How are the restaurants? What about the island in general?”

“The restaurants are all killer,” Harry said. “The main one, The Chalet, serves five-course dinners. The Mayfair is a cross between a seafood restaurant and sports bar. I know, it’s weird, but it works. They have TVs with sports on and HGTV for the ladies.” He winked. “At The Mayfair, you can get a lobster roll or a burger. Both restaurants are on the other side of the resort, facing west. One is down by area A, and the other is by area B.”

“The resort is divided into areas, then?” Pete asked.

“Didn’t look at your maps, huh? The resort is basically divided in two by where we’re sitting now. Area A is that way”—he gestured toward where Pete and Emma’s villa was located—“then you’ve got your area B over this way.” Pete prayed that Harry and Jen were in area B. “The Mayfair is in area A. The Chalet is in area B.”

“Can you see the sunset from both restaurants?” Emma asked.

Before Harry could respond, Jennifer replied, “Yes. The Chalet has a huge glass wall and chairs on the balcony where you can have drinks and watch the sun set. The Mayfair has a deck as well. Most of the guests try to hit at least one of those places for sunset.”

“Thanks for letting us know,” Emma said. “We’re going to have to find our map. We were just too excited to get out and explore once we got here.”

“Understandable,” Harry agreed jovially. “Once you get settled, you’re going to have to take a golf cart out.”

“What’s the best place to go first?” Pete asked.

“There are a lot of nooks and crannies on this island where you can steal away with no prying eyes. Hit us up tomorrow. We’d be happy to show them to you,” he guffawed. “We know them all.” He winked.

“Thanks for the offer,” Pete said, “but we made a promise not to have any set plans for the first few days. We’re just going to see where the mood takes us day by day.”

“I saw that a mile away,” Harry said. “You two look like a couple of free spirits if I ever saw any.”

* * *

Emma began to fidget after Harry insisted on ordering them another drink. She knew Pete wanted to go as badly as she did, but Harry kept talking, filling them in on the resort. Jennifer had added a few things here and there, but otherwise had remained quiet.

“So there are nightly events?” Pete asked, taking his second Heineken in hand.

“A few. They’re having a big pool party on Saturday. They do it once a month. Some of the couples host events, but they aren’t formally organized by the resort,” Harry told them. “The owners take a very low-key approach. If someone is hosting something, it’s a word-of-mouth kind of thing.”

Emma set her hand on Pete’s arm, letting him know she was ready to leave. In response, Pete draped his arm around her shoulders. “Well, I think it’s time for us to head out. Thanks so much for the drinks.” Pete held up his beer. “Emma and I are going to take a stroll around the pool to see the waterfall, and then head back to our room. We’re starving and will probably be asleep before ten.”

“You can put an order for food in with Paul right now,” Jennifer said. “By the time you get to your room, it should be there. We do that a lot.”

“That’s perfect.” Emma smiled at her. “We’ll do that.” She waved the bartender over. “Hi, Paul, do you have a room-service menu we can look at?”

“Of course,” he said, setting a leather-bound menu in front of her. “The first items are from The Mayfair, the next are from The Chalet. You can order from either,” he told them. “There is a chef on duty twenty-four hours a day here. If you order a full meal from The Chalet, they ask for thirty minutes. The Mayfair, which is mostly burgers and sandwiches, runs about ten to fifteen.”

Emma nodded as she opened the menu. “Wow, everything looks delicious.”

“It is, believe me.” Paul grinned at her. He was about twenty-five, if that, with short brown hair and a pair of cute dimples. He was obviously from the States. “We are a full five-star resort, with benefits. You shouldn’t want for anything while you’re here. Just wave me over when you’re ready.”

Emma blushed as she glanced over the menu, wondering if the staff shared the same lifestyle preferences. She decided what she wanted and handed the menu to Pete, who had been reading it over her shoulder. Once he was done deciding, Emma waved the bartender back.

“I’m going to have the crab cake appetizer from The Mayfair,” Emma told him, “along with the spinach and goat cheese salad.”

“Excellent choices,” Paul said. “And for you, sir?”

“I’ll have the lobster roll with a side of sweet potato fries,” Pete said. “Thanks.”

“Anything for dessert?” he asked. “The mixed-berry torte is exceptional, as is the raspberry chocolate cake. We also have a variety of chocolate-covered fruit, which goes nicely with the bottle of champagne already in your room. It’s a great way to start off your holiday.”

“Yep, you gotta try that fruit. I’d never had a chocolate-covered kiwi before,” Harry said. “But it’s something outta this world.” He took a draw of his beer. “Honestly, at this point, it’s what can’t they do here, you know?”

“That sounds lovely,” Emma said. “We’ll take the chocolate-covered fruit.”

Once they were done ordering, Emma and Pete made their good-byes and headed toward the pool. They passed a few couples, most of them dressed like Harry and Jennifer, having just come from the pool for a drink. The women were topless, and the guys wore something small, a few of them wrapped only in a beach towel. They all seemed comfortable and happy. Emma didn’t want to seem rude and stare too long, but they all nodded as she and Pete passed by.

Once they were out of earshot, Pete grabbed her around the waist and murmured in her ear, “Hot damn! I thought that guy would never shut up. He was beyond annoying.”

“He was annoying, but he was nice. Jennifer was sweet. I think they must be a Dom relationship of some kind. She barely spoke, and when she did, her voice never rose above a whisper.”

“Good, then that’s how we can avoid them in the future. We’ll tell them BDSM is not our thing.”

Emma was going to respond, but they emerged from the walkway into a breathtaking sight. It was right out of a fantasy. The backdrop behind the pool was more trees and flowers, but the pool itself was what you’d expect to see someplace in real life while out for a hike. It had what looked to be real boulders around the edges. The main area was shaped organically with several curves, so it resembled an amoeba. At the far end from where they were standing was the waterfall Harry and Jen had mentioned. It was about fifteen feet high with cool water tumbling over the top in a rush. As they began to walk around the pool, they could see there were more pools situated behind the waterfall, one on the right and one on the left.

They walked around the pool. The first small pool was open. It was a good size, round, with a small ledge running underwater, presumably so people could sit and relax with a drink. The path led them around to the second pool, but they couldn’t see it from the walkway. There was too much vegetation blocking the view. It was meant to be private. “If you sat in there, it would feel like you were someplace out in the wild,” Emma said. “That’s incredible.”

They heard splashing, followed by laughter.

“People are in there,” Pete said. “I wonder what they’re doing.” He chuckled. They both knew what they were doing. “Let’s keep going. Maybe we can get a glimpse from the other side.”

Emma held on to his arm for a moment, holding him back. “I don’t want to interrupt. That would be invasive. This pool is supposed to be private.”