Forbidden Fruit

“Are you looking at the man or the woman?”

Eileen glanced at her Mom, Abbey, and said, “They’re both pretty nice.”

She looked back down the beach at the man sitting on a towel, with his hands behind him for support. His female companion lay on her back, the curves of her perfect body obvious to Eileen even from thirty yards away.

Abbey smiled as she watched her daughter stare at the couple, seemingly unable to take her eyes off them. A moment later, the woman rolled onto her stomach. She reached behind her and untied her bikini. Providing only a fleeting glimpse of her full breasts, she pulled the bikini aside and put her head down on her towel.

“If you could be either one of them, which would it be?” Abbey asked.

“Mom! You’re awful,” Eileen said. After a short hesitation, she added, “I have to choose?”

“Ooooooh,” Abbey sighed. “So you want them both. I would have never expected that from you.”

“I don’t want them both,” Eileen said emphatically.

“It’s OK to fantasize, hon.”

“Quit putting words in my mouth,” Eileen said.

“And thoughts in your head?”

Eileen frowned. “You’ve been watching them, too. Don’t make it sound like I’m the perverted one.”

Abbey waited, and then said, “She must be shy. There are plenty of women on this beach without tops on. Of course, none of them SHOULD be topless. And the one with the body to do it is too shy. It’s a shame.”

“OK, I’ve been watching him, not her. So there. I didn’t even know he was with anybody,” Eileen said with sufficient sarcasm.

Abbey took her water bottle and sprayed her daughter on the back with it. Eileen shrieked, but appreciated the cold water on her scorched back.

They sat on a beach in St. Maarten, a popular stop for cruise ships in the Caribbean; although Eileen, Abbey, and their husbands were there on a private vacation. It was wickedly hot and sunny, perfect for sunbathing and watching sunbathers.

In fact, Eileen and Abbey themselves may have been the subject of a similar conversation by others on the beach. Eileen was twenty one and attractive, with long brown hair that curled onto her neck and a body custom made for a bikini.

It was Abbey, at forty one, that may have earned a second look from more men. She had the same curves in the same places as her daughter, but on a more mature frame. Her hair was just as brown and wavy, but shorter than Eileen’s. Overall, she was the type of woman any man over thirty would love to be with.

Together, they were a striking pair. But that didn’t prevent them from ogling the equally impressive couple on the towels. Eileen, and most likely every man in the vicinity, was now looking at the woman’s delicious ass, the cheeks barely covered by a tiny bikini bottom. Below that, there wasn’t an ounce of fat on her smooth thighs or tight calves.

Out of the corner of her eye, Eileen saw her mother lean back and lay down. She did the same, closing her eyes and feeling the heat of the summer sun on her body.

Half an hour later, Eileen awoke and turned onto her side, facing in the direction of the beautiful couple. But the woman was not on her towel and Eileen assumed she was swimming. A minute later, fully awake and hungry from several hours in the sun, Eileen rose to her feet and adjusted her bikini.

Abbey appeared to still be sleeping, so Eileen grabbed the beach bag containing her purse and headed for the refreshment stand. The sand was hot as she walked around people on towels and blankets on the beach. It was only when she reached the palm trees surrounding the food stand did the sand begin to cool.

Eileen strode up the three steps leading to a wooden patio containing picnic tables and dozens of vacationers. Kids ran past with inflatable animals on their arms, apparently oblivious to anything but their next destination. Eventually, Eileen found herself third in line to order.

She began to scan the menu hanging behind the counter.

“Hot today, isn’t it?”

The female voice behind Eileen made her instantly turn her head.

“Yeah,” she began to say. But the word almost caught in her throat when she realized she was face-to-face with the beautiful woman on the towel.

The woman’s golden hair and blue eyes initially captured all of Eileen’s attention. But then she detected the tan face, the small upturned nose, and the full lips with their enticing curve in the middle.

“Have you been here before?” the woman asked.

“Yes,” Eileen said. “Once. Now it’s my favorite island.”

The woman smiled. “Ours too. My name’s Kate, by the way.”

“Hi. I’m Eileen.”

They moved up one place in line, but Eileen wasn’t too concerned about ordering…yet. While Kate looked up at the menu, Eileen stole a glance at the body she’d admired from afar on the beach. As she suspected, Kate’s breasts were near perfect even in the confinement of a bikini. Her waist and hips were firm and well proportioned. The tiny bikini bottom clung to her without being obscene.

Eileen guessed she was thirty years old, give or take two years.

“What are you getting?” Kate asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. Just a burger, probably. How about you?”

“That’s what I recommend. They’re fresh and very good,” Kate said with enthusiasm.

Eileen ordered and before she gave up her spot in line, Kate said, “Want to eat with me? You don’t have to, if you don’t…”

“Sure,” Eileen responded quickly. “It’s no problem. I’ll get us a table, OK?”

Eileen found a spot in the corner of the patio. While listening for her name to be called for pick-up, she couldn’t help but gaze some more at her new friend. At the same time, deep in the back of her brain, she was wondering WHY she was so enthralled by Kate.

Certainly, Eileen’s relationship with her husband Tom was not in trouble. They loved each other and had done so since meeting in high school. But in the last year or two, Eileen had noticed an increased interest in women, especially pretty women. She’d never acted upon it, nor even came to close to acting upon it. But the continued curiosity troubled her a little bit.

What Eileen was least likely to confront was the fact she even found her youthful looking mother to be attractive. They had always been close, and when Eileen married at such a young age—just like her Mom—it gave them even more in common. But the physical appeal was a whole new ballgame.

Eileen was brought out of her trance by Kate arriving to sit across the table from her. Soon after that, they heard their names being called and they picked up their food. Once back at the table, they settled down to eat.

Chit-chat got them through the first few minutes. But then Kate said, “Eileen, I have a question for you.”

“Sure,” Eileen said. “What is it?”

“My husband and I noticed you, and your companion, right after you arrived this morning,” Kate said.

Eileen took the opportunity during a short pause to say, “That’s my Mom.”

“Really? She looks so young,” Kate said. “Of course, you do too.”

Eileen smiled. “Thank you.”

“Adam and I both commented on you and we wanted to ask you if you would care to join us for drinks or dinner sometime soon?”

The direction of the conversation caught Eileen by surprise. She’d never been approached by total strangers in this way. Would it be rude to reject the invitation? Did she, in fact, want to reject the invitation? Was it really for drinks or a meal?

“Gee, I don’t know, Kate,” Eileen stammered. “I’d, I’d have to think about it.”

“Don’t be scared, Eileen. We’re just normal people. Really,” Kate assured her.

“I’m sure you are. It’s just that, well, nobody’s ever asked me to, you know, do anything like that.”

“Nobody’s ever asked you to eat or drink with them?” Kate said with wide eyes.

Eileen almost laughed, knowing that she’d been caught inadvertently stating what she was thinking—that this might be more than it appeared. She stabbed at her French fries with a plastic fork.

“Can I think about it and let you know?”

Kate smiled and said, “Sure. We’ll be on the beach every day for the rest of the week. Come down and see us if you want. If I don’t hear from you, that’s an answer, too.”

“That’s fair,” Eileen said.

The rest of the meal was spent talking about hometowns and hobbies and families. In the end, they separated just as quickly as they came together.