A Hotwife in Paradise - Part 1

Hazel leaned over, nudged Harper's arm, and said, "We're fifteen minutes away from paradise. Shouldn't you look happier?"

Harper forced a smile as she turned to her friend. She caught a glimpse of the impossibly blue Caribbean water out of the plane's window and her smile turned from forced to genuine. Hazel was right. They were about to spend a week at a tropical resort. A week free of any of life's obligations. A week designed to relieve the ever-increasing stresses that had led to the intense anxiety attack that had landed Harper in the hospital for a night.

"Wait, was that a real smile?" Hazel asked playfully. "Did I just see your shoulders drop a little? Did you actually just relax a little?"

Hazel was Harper's best friend. They'd been assigned as roommates freshman year at Georgetown and they became such good friends that they lived together all four years, including an off-campus apartment their senior year. Hazel had been the maid of honor at Harper's wedding to Owen. Hazel had been the second person - after Owen - to rush into her room at the hospital. Her face had been so full of concern as she'd rushed into the room and the hug that followed had been so tight it nearly drove the air out of Harper's lungs.

"Yes, that's a real smile, and yes, I'm pretty sure I just relaxed a little bit for the first time in months."

"Years is more like it," Hazel said as she took Harper's hand. "Please, please, please try and maintain that feeling. The whole point of this trip is to relax. You don't need to worry about anything at home. Owen can take care of everything for a week. You don't have to worry about Jake and Emma. You know that Owen is more capable father than most."

The plane began its descent and Harper lifted her tray table and locked it into position. She made sure her seat belt was tight across her lap and turned her attention to the window once more. This time she saw a long stretch of white sand along with the beautiful blue water of the Caribbean.

"I know," she said. "I'm not worried about Owen. I'm not worried about Jake or Emma. They'll be fine. My parents are ready to come over at any time if they're needed for some reason, but they won't be."

The doctor at the hospital had been quite clear that Harper needed to find a better way to manage the stress of her life. He'd said, in fact, that she would find herself in an early grave if she didn't manage to do so.

The vacation with Hazel had been Owen's idea. At first Harper resisted. She didn't want to be away from her family. Owen insisted, though, and he correctly pointed out that it was hard to relax with the whole family as Jake and Emma were at an age where they were bursting with energy and tended to be a bit dramatic, which meant that a family trip would be more about managing them than relaxing.

So, Owen set Hazel to the task of finding a luxurious resort in the Caribbean where the two friends could spend a week relaxing and the plane was now mere minutes away from touching down and marking the true beginning of their vacation.

"So, I'm thinking that we check in, dump our stuff in the room, put our bikinis on, and get right down to the business of relaxing by the pool," Hazel said as Harper watched the ground rapidly approach the plane.

"That sounds great."

"I'm also thinking that we order drinks. A strong mai tai, perhaps? Maybe something tropical and blended?"

Harper wasn't a big drinker, though that was because she didn't like the floaty, fuzzy feeling that a drink almost always produced in her. That was probably a feeling worth pursuing while on vacation, though, especially since she wasn't with her family.

"I like the sound of sunshine, a pool, and a strong drink. I like it very much."

Hazel took her hand and squeezed it tight. Harper saw the genuine worry on her friend's face. A hospital stay for what everyone thought was a heart attack - that turned out to be an anxiety attack - will create a great deal of worry in people, though.

"I'm lucky to have a friend like you," Harper said.

Hazel smiled. "Yes, you are. You're lucky to have a husband like Owen, too. Not many men would be willing to stay at home while their wife goes off to a Caribbean resort to hang out in a bikini, drink cocktails, and relax all day."

She was right. Harper was lucky to have Owen. They'd fought after her hospital stay. She'd resisted the idea of taking it easy at work, of taking a vacation to try and relax. She'd said some things she regretted. She'd apologized profusely and he’d forgiven her, but she still felt bad about it.

"Oh, and no phones," Hazel announced. "Your phone stays in the room at all times."

It wasn't the first time Harper had been given that particular instruction. Owen had been quite clear about it too. "Yes, yes, no phones. I understand."

The plane touched down with a thud and Harper felt her body relax a little more. The stress of worrying about a fiery crash was now gone and she could concentrate on fulfilling the purpose of her vacation.

---

"I have two mai tais for you."

Harper opened her eyes and saw a handsome young man in a collared shirt and a tight pair of khaki shorts standing in front of her. The pool seemed to sparkle behind him and for a moment Harper wondered if she was in a dream.

Hazel sat up and plucked their drinks from the waiter's tray. "Thank you very much."

"Shall I keep a tab open for you?" he asked.

"That would be lovely, thank you."

He walked away and Harper noticed her friend openly staring at the young man's ass. It was, admittedly, a nice ass, but Hazel was being rather obvious about it.

"What?" Hazel asked as she handed Harper her drink.

"He's not a piece of meat."

"I beg to differ. He's an exceptionally fine piece of meat, in fact."

Harper laughed and sipped her drink, which was stronger than expected. Clearly the bartender wasn't shy about a heavy pour. It was good, though, and Harper tried to recall the last time she'd had a tropical drink. It was probably at a friend's wedding, though the last time she had one by a pool was probably the second anniversary trip she'd taken with Owen. She'd gotten pregnant soon after that trip and her days of sipping cocktails by the pool had largely come to an end.

"Men don't mind if you stare," Hazel said. "It's not threatening when a woman stares. It's flattering."

Harper laughed. "Any plans on doing more than staring?"

Hazel's lips grasped the little red straw in her drink and she sucked in hard, swallowing a good volume of her mai tai before flashing a smile at Harper. "I'm newly single, still in the prime of my life, and we're in paradise with all sorts of hot guys all around us. It would be irresponsible of me not to take advantage of the opportunity I've been presented with."

For just a moment Harper felt judgmental of her friend. That was the kind of thing the stressed out version of her would feel, though, so she let it float by. Then she raised her drink and said, "A toast to taking advantage of great opportunities."

"I'll drink to that."

---

Hazel did plenty of ogling - and a little bit of flirting - with the poolside waiter, but as it turned out that had merely been a warm up.

The real action happened after dinner when Hazel and Harper wandered down to the hotel's open-air beachside bar. They ordered drinks, sat at a high top table, and watched people dance to a playlist of tropical-sounding songs.

"I'm impressed, you know," Hazel said as she leaned over.

Harper could smell the alcohol on her friend's breath and she suspected the same would be true of her, as she'd had just as many drinks as Hazel. She could feel the effect of those drinks, too, and she quite liked it. It turned out that the fuzzy, floaty feeling was delightful if you weren't concerned about your brain being as sharp as possible.

"Impressed with what?" she asked.

Hazel leaned back and looked Harper over, causing a few moments of self-consciousness. "With you," she said. "You look really good. I thought maybe you'd just throw your hair in a ponytail and put on jeans and a t-shirt. Instead, you're in this cute tropical dress. You're flashing a little bit of cleavage. Your legs look fucking incredible after the tan you got today. I didn't even think you'd pack a dress."

Harper was surprised at how flattered she felt by Hazel's compliment and she could feel the involuntary smile spread across her face. She leaned in and said, "Want to know the truth?"

Hazel nodded.

"I wasn't going to pack a dress. I wasn't even going to pack a bikini." She sipped her drink - a tropical concoction that tasted strongly of coconut and pineapple - and said, "Owen bought the dress. He bought several of them, in fact. He bought me a few bikinis, too. He told me I needed to embrace being on vacation, that I'd enjoy myself more if I stepped outside of my comfort zone, if I dressed the part of a woman trying to relax and have fun with her friend."

"You married a good one, Harper. Don't ever let him go."

Harper felt a sudden rush of guilt as she wondered if she'd been a bad wife. She'd let herself get so stressed out that she ended up in the hospital. Did that mean that she hadn't given her marriage enough time? Did Owen encourage her to go on vacation so that she'd get back in touch with the woman he married?

"Hey?"

Harper snapped back to the bar.

"Where did you go?"

"Sorry," she said. "I just had a little self-inflicted guilt trip."

"About what?"

Harper stared out at the ocean and watched the moon's reflection dance on the waves. She kept staring as she said, "About whether or not I've been a crappy wife these past few years."

Hazel didn't say a word and Harper looked over at her friend.

"You probably have," she said. "He's probably having an affair, actually. That's probably why he sent you on this vacation, so he could spend a week fucking some pretty little slut that he's going to divorce you for."

Harper's jaw dropped and Hazel burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry. I'm just fucking with you. Owen's not cheating on you. A man who's cheating on his wife does not look as utterly devastated as Owen looked in that hospital room. He does not go above and beyond to make sure you have a good vacation. He does not buy you beautiful dresses and swimsuits to make sure you have as good a time as possible. Are you crazy? Owen is madly in love with you, Harper. If you trust one thing in the world, trust that."

"You're right. I do." She sipped her drink. "You're a bitch for fucking with me like that, though. Jesus Christ, Hazel. You really had me going there."

Hazel laughed again. "I know. You should have seen the look on your face. At least you know that you still love Owen, too. I mean, you wouldn't have cared nearly as much if you didn't."

Harper was about to reply when a pair of guys came over and set their drinks on the table. One clearly had eyes for Hazel and the other looked a little uncomfortable, like he'd been dragged into coming over to their table.

"Do you mind if we sit?"

Harper was about to make a polite excuse when Hazel said, "Of course not. We're more than happy to be joined by two handsome men."

She was right. They were handsome. They looked to be in their early thirties and Harper guessed that they too were on vacation.

"I'm Josh," the guy who clearly wanted Hazel announced. "And this is Graham."

Harper noticed Graham glance at her wedding ring. She expected a look of disappointment on his face, but he seemed to relax a little as he pulled out the bar stool and sat.

Hazel introduced herself and Harper and took the lead in the conversation, quickly discovering that Josh and Graham worked at a D.C. law firm and were at the hotel for the firm's yearly retreat. Josh made sure to mention that only the associates on the partner track were invited to the retreat and Hazel made sure to act as impressed as Josh wanted her to be.

Unsurprisingly, it wasn't long before the two of them had moved to the dance floor, leaving Harper alone with Graham.

"You're a good friend," she said.

"How do you mean?"

Harper couldn't tell if his smile meant he knew exactly what she meant or if he was actually confused. "Well, you're wing manning with a married woman. That's quite a sacrifice, isn't it?"

"Oh, you're married? I hadn't noticed the rather large rock on your finger."

She laughed and Graham joined in. Harper found herself staring at his smile and feeling a gentle fluttering in her stomach. She chalked it up to the alcohol, though.

"How does a married woman end up at a resort without her husband?" he asked.

Harper took a sip of her drink and noticed Graham glance at her breasts. She felt that gentle fluttering in her stomach again. "It's kind of a long story. The short version, though, is that I had a massive anxiety attack as a result of having way too much stress in my life. I ended up in the hospital, actually. My doctor ordered me to relax and my husband decided that the best way for me to do so - to start, at least - was to go on a vacation with my best friend. A vacation where I could be completely free of any of life's responsibilities."

"He sounds like a good man."

"He is," she replied. "So tell me, how did you get roped into wing manning? You seemed a little uncomfortable when you first came over. Did you clock the ring from across the room or am I just not your type?"

Harper was flirting. It had been a long time since she'd done it, but she was, in a way, flirting. She was appalled with herself, and yet that same fluttering happened her stomach as Graham smiled.

"You're everyone's type, Harper," he said.

The fluttering moved a little lower and Harper felt an instant sense of guilt. She had no control over what was happening in her body, though.

"Was I wrong about you being uncomfortable with coming over to our table?"

He shook his head. "No, you weren't wrong. I'm impressed that you noticed, actually."

"I negotiate for a living. Reading people is a big part of that."

He swirled his drink in its glass and Harper took a long sip of hers. She thought back to her college years where she'd worked to perfect the art of maintaining her buzz without ever getting full-on drunk.

"We were here last night," Graham said. "I struck out hard. Multiple times." He sipped his drink. "And when I say hard, I mean hard. I was confident. Cocky, even. I was absolutely certain that I'd at least get to dance with someone. Full rejection all night long, though."

It could have been bullshit. There was a very real chance it was. Harper saw no signs that he was lying, though. If anything, he seemed overwhelmingly vulnerable, like every word he'd uttered was true and he wasn't entirely comfortable with confessing to his failures from the night before.

"How would you feel about dancing with a married woman?" Harper asked.

Graham smiled and that fluttering returned. This time, though, it was centered in her loins.

"I'd love to dance with a married woman. Is there another one around here?"

She smacked his arm.

"Oh, you meant you? Were you asking me to dance?"

Harper stood and took his hand. He squeezed her fingers gently as she led him onto the dance floor. The fluttering got stronger. She let his hand go, spun around, and began to move her hips in time with the tropical beat.

Graham stepped closer and moved in time with her. Some men can't dance and some aren't willing to commit to surrendering to the music. Graham was not one of those men. He moved to the beat with ease.

Harper moved closer and said, "You're a good dancer."

Graham's hands found her hips and the fluttering got so strong that Harper's legs trembled for a moment. He leaned in and his cheek brushed against hers for a moment before he said, "Not as good as you, Harper. You're irresistible."

Harper's brain told her to step back. Graham was too close. His hands were still on her hips. His body was nearly pressed against hers.

She felt good, though. She felt relaxed. She felt happy. The fluttering was nonstop at that point and it was incredible. So she stayed close to Graham. They stayed that way as one song ended and another began.

He spun her around and his hands found her hips again. She expected that he'd pull her close, but he kept a respectful distance. The fluttering in her loins overwhelmed Harper's brain and she found herself moving back until Graham's body was pressed against hers. Until his crotch was pressed against her ass.

She felt his breath on her neck. His hands moved from her hips to her stomach. He pulled her closer like she wanted. Harper felt his desire for her. She felt it press into her ass. He wasn't fully tumescent, but he was on his way there.

The song ended and something much slower came on. There was only one way to dance to a song that slow.

Harper spun around and looked at Graham. He smiled. The fluttering propelled her into his arms. Their bodies moved in unison to the slow song.

Harper leaned in and rested her head against his neck. She closed her eyes and the fluttering spread, encompassing her loins and stomach and working its way up her spine.

Graham brushed her hair aside. She felt his breath on her neck before his lips followed. It was a soft, quick kiss. The fluttering now filled Harper's body.

She looked at him. He rested his hand on her cheek. She tilted her head. He did the same. His lips neared hers.

Harper stepped back. "I'm sorry. I have to go to the bathroom. I'm sorry."

She turned and rushed away from the dance floor. She hurried out of the bar and made her way to the women's bathroom she'd seen on the way in. Harper locked herself in a stall, sat down, and held her head in her hands.

"What the fuck was that?" she asked. "What the fuck are you doing, Harper?"

She closed her eyes and saw Graham. She felt his hand on her cheek. She felt his lips on her neck. She felt his desire for her against her ass.

Harper's eyes shot open and she stood and took a deep breath.

"Get a hold of yourself," she said. "You're a married woman."

Harper walked out of the bathroom and Graham was standing just a handful of steps away with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have done any of that."

Harper walked towards him.

"I know you're married. That was inappropriate. I'm so sorry."

She kept walking. She stepped into his arms. She kissed him. The fluttering returned. It filled her body. From head to toe. It was everywhere. It was beautiful.

Graham looked stunned as the kiss ended. Harper was stunned, too. She'd just kissed another man on the vacation her husband had sent her on.

"Wow," he said.

"Yeah, wow." Harper wanted to kiss him again. Her body was practically screaming at her to kiss him again. Her brain was quite insisted that she refrain from doing so, though. "Can we...can we just go back to the bar? Back to talking?"

Graham nodded. "I'd like that."

They made their way back to the bar and took their seats at the high top. They talked, though Harper kept thinking about kissing him, about how good his lips had felt against hers, about the little hint of tongue he'd offered, about how she wanted more. She wondered if Graham felt the same way or if he hadn't actually enjoyed the kiss.

The conversation was good, though. Graham was funny and charming, if a little bit shy. He didn't like talking about his job - Harper got the sense he didn't enjoy it much - but he was more than happy to talk about his love of playing guitar, his dorky hobby - he'd labeled it dorky, not her - of collecting obscure action figures, and his desire to someday move back to his hometown of Portland, Oregon.

Harper, for her part, steered clear of talking about her marriage and family and instead focused on relating to Graham. She talked of her endless piano lessons when she was younger, her utter lack of hobbies, and the fact that her hometown wasn't all that far from Portland, Maine.

"Can I get us another round of drinks?" Graham asked once their glasses were empty.

Harper nodded. It wasn't entirely wise, but she wanted to spend more time with him.

It was while Graham was at the bar that Hazel rushed over. Harper was immediately paranoid that her friend had witnessed her mild infidelity, but it quickly became clear that Hazel hadn't seen a thing. 

"Okay, so, I'm going back to Josh's room," she said.

Harper smiled.

"I know, I know. Save your judgment, though. I deserve this. It's been months and he's cute and he's actually a really nice guy."

"No judgment at all. Have fun. And you're right, you deserve this. I have a room key so I'll be fine."

Hazel grabbed her drink, threw back what remained of it, and headed for the bar's exit, where Josh was waiting with a giddy smile on his face. He was about to get laid, though, so of course he was a happy man.

Graham returned with the drinks in hand and Harper took hers and gestured towards the exit. "Looks like Josh is getting lucky."

"Really?"

"He left with Hazel. She says he seems like a good guy. Is that true?"

Graham nodded. "He comes on strong. He's a bit insecure so he counters that with cockiness. He's a good guy, though. Honestly, he's mostly a relationship guy. He broke up with a girl a few months ago and I think he was hoping that this vacation would help him get over it."

"Well, then Josh and Hazel might be perfect for each other."

Harper sipped her drink and Graham did the same. There was silence between them afterwards, though it didn't strike her as especially uncomfortable.

"Do you wish that Josh had picked a different woman?" she finally asked. "That the woman he'd picked wasn't with a married friend?"

Graham smiled at her - and Harper felt the fluttering - and shook his head. He scooted his stool closer and then leaned over and said, "That kiss was better than any I've had in a long, long time. Even if that's all that happens between us, I'm glad that Josh zeroed in on Hazel because it meant that I got to kiss you."

Harper wanted so badly to kiss him again. She couldn't help but stare at his lips. She wanted to feel them against hers again. She looked away and took a very long sip of her drink.

"You know, it's a little loud in here," Graham said. "I mean, I like the music and all, but why don't we walk down the beach a little. They leave some of those white lounge chairs out at night."

Harper nodded and Graham grabbed his drink and her hand. They walked out of the bar and into the sand. She saw the lounge chairs he was talking about. There were only a handful of them left - those that were in no danger of being taken out by the tide, she guessed - but they were empty.

Graham let her hand go as they reached the chairs and pulled two of them together. He pressed his glass into the sand and sat and Harper did the same with her glass and sat next to him.

"This is better," he said.

There was just a hint of the music coming from the bar, but otherwise the only sound was that of the waves crashing on the beach and the occasional breeze blowing through the palm fronds above them.

"It is," she replied. "Quieter."

Graham's hand moved towards hers. His pinky brushed against her ring finger. She felt the fluttering in her stomach. She wanted more than a pink, so she took his hand in hers.

"More romantic," Harper said.

Graham looked at her and she met his gaze. "You're so beautiful, Harper. Just...stunning."

He leaned towards her and hesitated like he was waiting for her to stop him. Harper didn't, though. She couldn't. The fluttering was too strong. It was everywhere, though it was most potent between her legs. She couldn't deny it.

Graham kissed her. His hand moved to the side of her face. His touch was gentle and self assured. She opened her mouth. The kiss escalated. The fluttering shifted to full blown desire. Harper felt it between her legs. She felt it roiling in her panties.

Graham's hand moved from her face to her arm. It moved from her arm to her side. It traveled towards her breasts. He cupped one of them.

Harper moaned into his mouth as she felt a spectacular burst of desire at his touch. She turned her body towards him, inching as close as she could. The arm rests of the lounge chairs stood between them, preventing the kind of closeness she craved in that moment.

Harper solved that problem by climbing on top of him. His hand found her breast once more as their tongues entwined. She dropped her crotch against his and began to move her hips back and forth. He reached down to adjust himself and she felt the hardness of his desire press into her.

Graham's hands moved down her back. He gathered her dress and pulled it up. She felt the cool evening air against the backs of her thighs and then her ass. That lasted for only a moment before he grabbed two handfuls of her backside and squeezed.

Harper was lost in her desire for this man she'd met just a few hours before. Some part of her brain thought of Owen, of her family. Even that part of her brain didn't argue too loudly, though, as the intensity of her desire in that moment meant that Harper felt not one ounce of stress. It was gone. Every bit of it was gone.

Graham's hands traveled up her body and he managed to grasp both of her breasts as they kissed. He was strong, though he seemed to understand exactly how aggressive he could be in playing with her tits.

It made Harper want him even more. She sat up and his hands fell to his sides. He looked worried, like he was certain he'd gone too far and ruined the mood.

Harper pushed the straps off her dress from her shoulders. She rolled it down and revealed her bare breasts. The dress didn't work with a bra. Graham's eyes lit up and he unleashed a giddy smile. It made Harper feel like she was in college again. She liked that feeling.

Graham took her breasts in his hands. She leaned down and kissed him. She ground her crotch into his. She felt a very distinct kind of pleasure building. The kind of pleasure she usually felt with a man inside her or while holding a vibrator against her clit.

The moment Graham released his grasp on her breasts, Harper adjusted her body so her tits were in his face. He took the hint and grasped one of her nipples between his lips. His tongue danced over the rock hard, insanely sensitive flesh and just like that, Harper was moments away from cumming.

"Graham...oh...fuck," she said. "Oh my god, I'm cumming."

Harper came with her panties on for the first time in a long, long time. She came while dry humping someone for the first time since her freshman year of college. She came so hard she couldn't see straight for a few seconds as the orgasm tore through her body. Graham slowed his tongue, though he continued to pleasure her nipple and massage her ass all the way through Harper's orgasm, a fact she appreciated very much as it unquestionably improved her climax.

Eventually Harper's lips found their way to his and she treated Graham to the deepest, longest kiss she could ever remember sharing with a man. While they kissed, Harper managed to get his zipper down and free his cock. Her fingers encircled it and she stroked him.

"You made me cum, so it's only fair that I do the same for you," she said.

"Fuck...that feels...I really appreciate that," he replied with a smile and a series of moans.

Harper could have given him a handjob, but she was in an especially generous mood - no doubt thanks to the elation she felt after her orgasm - so she slid back and took him in her mouth.

The blowjob was quick. He seemed just as turned on as Harper had been. She used her mouth and her hand in concert and soon enough Graham's grunts and groans were filling the night air as he came in her mouth.

Harper swallowed, kissed his cock for fun, and then tucked him back into his pants. Then she crawled forward, kissed him on the cheek, and laid her body on top of his.

"Thank you for tonight, Graham," she said. "I needed this. I needed exactly what you gave me tonight."

"Believe me, it was my pleasure."

She smiled. The guilt was already making itself known, but it was nowhere near as strong as she'd expected.

It would be worse in the sobering light of day. Harper was sure of that. She'd deal with that moment when it came, though. Until then, she was going to enjoy a little more time in the brief fantasy she'd created with Graham. Then she could go back to reality.