Testing The Waters

Two young women take a tropical vacation without their boyfriends. The guys are pushing them to get married, but first they need to find out what they want from love and life. An adults-only resort, with a reputation for wild parties, seems like the place to find out. Between the locals and a couple of beach bums who understand what uninhibited means, they have a wild week of research.



~~~~~ Excerpt ~~~~~



The view from the airplane amazed Shelly and in a wonderful way. The island she saw below them was exactly like the picture  the delicious tropical paradise the brochure had promised. 



As the plane descended, she sighed at emerald green water surrounding the island. They flew over the small town where cruise ships came, but their destination was the other side of the island. A private area where there were no buildings except for the resort. Even that was hard to see, as it blended in with the palms beautifully.



"As advertised," she said breathlessly and with a certain amount of relief. In the next seat, Diane, her girlfriend, flashed her a smile. She'd been worried that the trip might be a rip-off too. They'd sweated blood to save for what was a wild extravagance. 



A shuttle bus, driven by a smiling local man brought them from the airport. As they checked into their room, their excitement grew. They'd picked this resort carefully. It had been advertised as a place where young people met and partied. It was adults only, yet it deliberated left out some of the amenities that attracted older travelers. There were no fancy restaurants or relaxing bars with bands playing soft jazz.



No, this was a place that warned guests that there would be noisy parties and fun without hassles.



And so far, that seemed to be exactly what it was. Loud rock boomed from the poolside where they could see dozens of young and fit people crowding around. Many of the girls were topless, wearing only thongs, and there were fit-looking guys in speedos. 



It filled them with the hope they'd have the vacation they wanted and had saved for.



In their room they quickly shed their travel clothes, dragging out new thongs and sandals from their suitcases. "Did you see all those buff guys in skimpy swimsuits?" Shelly said happily. "I just love the way they advertise their equipment."



"Did I see? Are you kidding? I was staring at the meat out by the pool when the bellman brought us to the room. And I think I fell in love at least three times walking through the lobby," Diane said.



"That's lust, not love," Shelly teased. She held up a finger. "Please remember that we are here on the catch and release program."



"A fishing metaphor? Please."



"Why not?" She pointed to her thong. "We brought bait and we are going to see what we can reel in. I'm not looking to take any of these guys home... although I might take back an email address or two if the catch measures up. But while I am here, I intend to focus on variety."



"Well, there seems to be plenty of variety here." Diane grinned nervously. "It's exciting and all, but now that we are here, and given our plan, I admit to experiencing a little tingle of guilt."



"Guilt?"



"Yeah. Telling our boyfriends that we were taking a cruise that was to study the culture..."



"I intend to study the local culture intimately," Shelly said.