I didn’t have a clear conception of time, but it must have been right around sunset in the real world. Samantha was probably staring at the sunset at that exact moment, sharing it with me. I don’t know how or why I was convinced of this fact, but I knew it to be true.

Was I seeing it through her eyes?

Fuck me if I was. It seemed so goddamned real.

Samantha turned to me and gazed into my eyes. Her face was serenely calm. I could see her complete and total beauty for the first time. It even transcended that moment she’d been in front of my grandfather’s painting in the museum. That had been awesome, but this was even better. This time, she was 100% relaxed, completely and totally at peace with herself, her life, the entire world. In this moment, she was fully the woman she wanted to become. My heart melted. Holy shit, I’d never felt anything like it. I desperately wanted her to become this woman she was capable of, like her finding herself would somehow complete me.

The idea made me shiver with joy and…fear.

Thing was, I lived for taking risks. No matter how fucking frightening they were.

Samantha…

I wanted more. Fuck, I needed more.

I needed us.

The astral image of Samantha gazed into my soul. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, as if she was struggling with something monumental, then her face relaxed, and all doubt fell away.

“I love you, Christos,” she whispered to me, inches away on her beach lounger. We were still on that island paradise together.

What the fuck?! She didn’t know my real name, I’d told her my name was Adonis. How did she know to call me Christos?! I started to shake in my swimsuit on my lounger, like something was ripping away the armor around my heart.

I panicked.

“Don’t be afraid, agápi mou,” she whispered, leaning against the armrest of her lounger, caressing my arm with her fingertips as the waves whispered against the shore. “I love you.” She reached over to kiss me. Her lips were so close, I could feel their warmth on mine as her sweet breath caressed my soul.

My heart raced.

Suddenly, black storm clouds blanketed the sun. Thunder hammered across the sky.

Samantha was slipping away. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t get air. I was scared shitless. I rocketed out of that tropical paradise, all the way across the universe, and shot up in my cramped bunk.

Gasping, I blinked my eyes and shook my head, making sure I was awake. I looked around.

The jail dormitory was totally silent. Nobody was awake. The place was a tomb. They kept the lights on 24/7, but turned off half the fluorescent banks after lights out. It must have been well past midnight.

I rolled over and did my best to go back to sleep.

Sometime later, darkness overtook me.

Horrible darkness.

Something was chasing Samantha. Some one. A terrible presence was trying to overcome her, trying to tear away her innocence. She was afraid. I wanted to help her, but I couldn’t reach her. She was all alone. There was nothing I could do. She was wounded, unable to escape her tormentor.

I couldn’t protect her and it was killing me.

Samantha…

Agápi mou…

SAMANTHA 

PRESENT DAY

Standing on the dock in the Marina, shaking with low-level fear, I did my best to hide my tension as I waited for Christos to clue me in on whatever it was he was hiding from me.

Before he could, Tiffany Kingston-Whorehouse, I mean Whitehouse, emerged from the center of the small remaining group of people chatting with her on the dock.

The last light of the sunset tinted Tiffany’s skin that perfect golden brown you only see on supermodels or swimsuit magazine covers. I’m pretty sure Tiffany had hired a rock video crew to choose just that moment to blow a gust of wind into her shimmering, silken hair. She looked spectacular, and I hated her for it.

Was she what Christos had been hiding?

“Hey, Christos!” she squealed, “You came!” She flung her arms around him in total disregard for my existence, nearly slicing my eyeball open with her nails. She kissed Christos’ cheek affectionately.

Hello, did she not see me? I glared bullets at Queen Bee-otch.

Christos broke away from Tiffany’s embrace before either of them went down in the fully-automatic hail of my jealousy.

I could tell Christos was uncomfortable with Tiffany’s flirty come-on, but he played it cool and draped his arm casually around my shoulders, marking a clear boundary between himself and Tiffany.

I smiled triumphantly and reminded myself this was Christos Manos, after all. Not some jerk like Damian Wolfram. I didn’t need to worry about Christos having a wandering eye. I trusted him, even if a woman like Tiffany made me nervous.

I took a deep breath. I wasn’t going to let Tiffany get in the way of my happiness. I was a changed woman. All that crazy jealousy and self-doubt was behind me.

I hoped.

“Who’re your friends, Christos?” Tiffany yawned absently.

Holy Memory Loss, did she not even remember? I sighed. Probably not. All she ever thought about was herself, I’d bet.

Two long-legged hobots walked up behind Tiffany and gave me dirty looks. They were probably Delta Pi Delta worker bees in service to Her Snideness, but I wasn’t sure without their bulging sorority sweaters.

“You remember Samantha,” Christos offered.

Tiffany narrowed one eye like a nervous ferret before turning her nose up at me. “I didn’t recognize her all dressed up.”

Her worker bees giggled.

As usual, Tiffany projected the air of having everything you wished you had but didn’t. And yet, for once it was the other way around. I knew how badly Tiffany wanted Christos, but he was with me, not her.

I wanted to spin in circles while doing the happy dance, but I wasn’t a bitch like Tiffany. So I did the happy dance in my head, and made a mental note to do the real thing later in the privacy of my apartment, with Christos.

We could happy dance together.

Ignoring the fact that Tiffany was such a Queen Bee-otch that she still wouldn’t acknowledge me like a polite human being, I offered my hand for her to shake. “Good to see you, Tiffany,” I smiled. I wouldn’t stoop like she had.

Tiffany shook my hand absently, not even looking me in the eye. Her hand slid free from mine after barely a shake.

Whatever.

Resting her hands on her hips, Tiffany surveyed the boat behind her. “Well, I did say to bring whoever you wanted.” She turned back to Christos and smiled. “We can always use more help in the kitchen.”

Tiffany’s hobot henchwomen giggled.

I really needed to carry a bigger handbag on outings like this. I couldn’t fit a bazooka in my little clutch, and you never knew when you needed to blow some bitch’s head off on short notice.

“Welcome aboard, Christos,” Tiffany said. “Good to see you again, Jake. Make yourselves at home.” She smiled at Christos and Jake in turn, but ignored Romeo, Kamiko, Madison, and myself.

How did Tiffany manage to spoil everything with the greatest of ease? It would take an act of heroism for me to enjoy New Year’s Eve at this rate.

For a second, I considered asking Christos to take us elsewhere. The six of us could have fun wherever we went. I glanced at Madison, not sure what to do.

Mads lifted a compassionate eyebrow and nodded toward the parking lot with a questioning look. She knew from experience how annoying Tiffany could be.

Sadly, I realized if we left, it would be giving in to Tiffany’s aloof bullying. I had done enough of that in my life already.

Emo. Goth. Sorceress. Suicide Watch…

 I noticed Romeo and Kamiko marveling at the boat.

“Wow, this thing is huge,” Romeo gawked. “I can’t wait to see the inside.”