The Partner Cruise Crises!

This is a stand-alone story. Some erotic sparks, but also slow-burn.

This story is fiction, and you are welcome to imagine the characters as you wish, but all characters are 18 years old or older. Events, nautical and geographical descriptions are as accurate as possible within the constraints of the story, so please don't flame us on that account.

This was written in conjunction with AlexFourways for a writing competition elsewhere. See closing notes for comments on that partnership and links to her stories on this site.

The Partner Cruise Crises!

Chapter 1: The Bump in the Night

"It's two in the morning!" Paula moaned, clutching two pillows over her ears. "Are they going to argue all night?"

Jim rolled onto his back, the uncomfortably lumpy mattress pressing against him, and sighed in resignation. "I don't know." He had already regretted accepting the offer for a week-long cruise aboard Gordon's yacht, a friend of Paula's. Jim, not a fan of sailing, boats, or anything water-related, had only agreed to this so-called "holiday adventure" because he knew that Paula loved boating and he had become desperate to try and save their failing marriage. But if this dreadful mini cruise was any sign, perhaps their relationship truly was beyond repair. He listened to Gordon and Belinda yelling in the next cabin - something about the boat and the autopilot. Jim wondered if this trip could possibly get any worse.

And then it got worse.

Much worse.

First, there was a deep thump that they could feel more than hear, and an instant later, a terrifying crunch that shook the entire cabin, throwing them both to the floor. There was a slow, drawn-out grinding amidst the shaking chaos, and then silence. The only sound was the quiet hum of the onboard generator.

And then the tiny nightlight that illuminated the cabin flickered and both the nightlight and the generator died.

Engulfed in silence and near-darkness, the only light cast by the meager crescent moon shining through the cabin's porthole, Jim and Paula looked at each other over opposite sides of the skewed bed and then, with a creaking groan, the entire room began to roll to one side.

They frantically grasped at anything to secure themselves as their world finally settled back into silence - crazily tilted silence. Paula shouted a single panicked word. "Jim!" But before Jim could even think to answer, they both heard the sound of cascading water on the upper deck. And then cold seawater began to seep under the door to their small cabin.

Jim picked himself up, staggered to help Paula stand, and they both scrambled to the door.

"Wait!" Jim shouted.

But Paula ignored him, dashed along the narrow corridor, and climbed the slanted ladder out of the lower deck.

Jim shook his head. Always the sensible one, he turned back to the far wall of the cabin, opened a cabinet drawer, pulled out a life jacket, and put it on. He grabbed a second one, hesitating slightly but quickly deciding that this wasn't the time to teach Paula a lesson. His reluctant virtue was rewarded when he saw the red emergency kit bag underneath. He grabbed that, too, then went to find his wife.

As he emerged from the lower deck, he heard voices at the back of the boat. Carefully, holding onto the lifejacket and emergency kit in one hand and clutching the railing with his other, he made his way to the back end of the boat. Usually calm and soft-spoken, Jim, now frightened and confused, was rapidly losing control of his temper. "What happened?" he shouted at Gordon.

"She hit a rock," Gordon replied, struggling with some sort of small generator.

"Who hit a rock?"

"Penny."

Jim realized that the "she" was Gordon's private yacht. The stupidly named "Penny-Farthing" - whatever the hell that meant. "So, you didn't think to check on us in your haste to get out of the downstairs?"

Paula corrected him. "The lower deck."

He glanced at her, then continued with Gordon. "We all could've been killed!"

"Well, we're safe now." Gordon glanced over the railing at the water and rocks immediately below them. "Relatively speaking, of course."

"So, what now?"

Gordon grabbed the lifejacket from Jim. "While you just stand there like a daft wanker, I'll take that." Gordon tore the lifejacket from Jim's hand. "Probably hoping Paula would drown. Save you some money on the divorce," he mumbled as he proceeded to put the jacket on Paula as if it were something far beyond her skillset, despite her vast boating experience.

Shocked, Jim looked at Paula, but her back was to him. He then looked over at Belinda, Gordon's current conquest, who was holding onto a rail off to the side. She just sadly shook her head.

"Now, if you'll all be so kind, please let me get this emergency generator started and we can sort things out," Gordon announced.

Jim peered ahead of them and could just make out an island silhouetted by the shape it was carving out of the starry sky.

"I thought you said we were going well east of the islands before turning south in the morning," Paula snarled at Gordon.

Gordon snapped back, "Well, the tiller control must have malfunctioned. Or the wind or the currents or something took us off course."

"Some ship captain you are." Paula crossed her arms and turned away from Gordon.

Something about the familiar ease between them caught Jim's ear. So, Gordon had known about the divorce discussions that Jim had thought were private between him and his wife. He wondered what else they may have discussed between them. He glared at Paula, thinking about this "once in a lifetime experience" - how she had sold it to him - which now seemed to be turning into an "end of a lifetime experience."

The generator coughed into life, and a small handful of safety lights illuminated the deck of the boat.

"Okay, now we can run the winch to get the dinghy down to the water," Gordon announced.

"Onto the rocks?" Belinda asked, pointing down.

Gordon looked over the railing. "Shit."

"The tide should be rising," Paula said. "When it's high enough, maybe we can put the dinghy down then." She looked over the railing and, in the gloom, could just make out the outline of the rock. "At this angle, we could probably lower the dinghy and just miss the rock. What's the draft?"

".9 meters," Gordon replied.

"Here, take a look. I think it will work."

Gordon stood next to Paula and looked down to where she was pointing. Both Jim and Belinda noticed that he stood a lot closer than acquaintances normally would. And then he put his arm around her in a small hug. "I think it will work," he stated. "You're a genius."

"I hate to break up... whatever this is," Jim interrupted, "but what do we do now?" He wiped his face as spray hit him from a wave crashing against the front of the boat. "Shouldn't we be getting into the lifeboat?"

"First, this is nothing," Paula insisted, pushing Gordon's arm off of her. "Second, inflatable rafts are not intended for this close to shore and would be torn to shreds if they hit anything like this rock."

Jim was puzzled. "Inflatable? But this is... fiberglass or something? We used this to get aboard."

Gordon sneered, but Paula kept her cool. "That's the dinghy. The life raft is in the barrel beside it, it self-inflates." Jim was about to say something, but Paula continued. "The dinghy is not a good idea in the dark and with the rocks, but at this point, it looks like it may be our only hope. Even with a draft of three feet, we can't get very close to land." She turned to Gordon, "Gordon, we'll use the sails to see if we can control where we are headed and try to run aground on that island."

Gordon looked startled. "Run aground? Are you mad? I don't want to lose Penny, Jr., as well!"

She replied, "Gordon, we don't know how long we're going to remain safe here. The engine's dead, and that hole in the hull looks bad. I mean, water's coming in. If we take the dinghy, we can save ourselves. And maybe even salvage some of the supplies off of the Penny-Farthing."

"Ohhh," Gordon moaned as he pre-mourned the loss of his beloved yacht.

"If we can get to that island, there's still a chance we can be rescued," Paula continued. "At least we'll be on dry land." Paula looked around noticing the darkness had begun to lift. "It's going to be light soon, so we'll be able to see better. The wind is pushing towards the island, so better that we have some control over where we go. We need to move now."

Gordon shrugged. "I suppose you're right."

Before Paula could reply, Jim said, "Great. What do you want me to do?"

Belinda chimed in with, "And me?"

"Why are you all asking her?" Gordon grudgingly asked. "I'm the captain. Not her."

But Paula didn't flinch. "Gordon, get in the cockpit and start assembling supplies that we might need, dry food from the galley and such. And grab some flashlights. Belinda, go with him and take the brightest flashlight and go to the bow rail. Look out as far as you can see for whitecaps. That will show if there are any waves breaking on any other rocks. Jim, you'll give me a hand with the winches. They're electric, but the dinghy is at a crazy angle and I don't know how long the generator will last."

No one, not even Gordon, argued. They seemed to be relieved that someone was assuming control.

When Jim was alone with Paula at the winches, he took her hand and looked at her. "What's going on between you and Gordon?"

"What?" she asked incredulously. "Me and him? Nothing. He'd like something to happen between us, but nothing has."

"You told him we were discussing divorce."

Paula looked away. "We talk. He's a friend." Paula chuckled. "Why do you think I gave him the least important job? He's nice, but he's a moron. Gather supplies? What supplies? You have the emergency kit, the dinghy has a toolbox and other survival basics. All we have onboard here that the dinghy doesn't have is food. And how long will that..." Her voice trailed off.

"How long what?"

Taking a deep breath, Paula looked at her husband. Her possible future ex-husband. "How long will fruit, crackers, and summer sausage last us?"

Jim frowned and nodded. They needed to get to that island. And the sooner the better.

It was a hectic and tiring couple of hours, but they got what they could into the Penny-Farthing, Jr., then got themselves onto it, and had set sail towards the island, now clearly seen in the early pre-sunrise light.

With the mayhem behind them, figuratively as well as literally, they began their way towards land.

"Well, Paula, you did it," Jim said with a smile. Paula smiled back and they both looked towards the beautiful island ahead.

"I think -" Gordon started, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by a lurching crunch. All four turned to watch as an ocean swell upheaved the Penny-Farthing from its fatal mooring. They watched as Gordon's yacht first listed to one side, and then slowly sank into the briny depths.

Gordon stood up and saluted, rocking the small boat.

Jim looked at Gordon and thought, 'What an asshole - or arsehole, as he would probably say.'

Gordon sat back down.

"Okay. I guess we're not going to go back for any more supplies," Paula said, then turned her focus back to the dinghy's small sails. Jim watched in awe as his wife reduced and increased the amount of sail in a game of judgment between the danger of running into any submerged rocks and the need to get to land before the wind ran out. The dinghy's outboard motor had only run for ten minutes because Gordon the idiot had not checked the fuel level before departing, so sailing was the only way for them to go.

As the island got closer, Paula increased her check-ins with Belinda who was at the bow watching for any waves that looked suspicious, and made course corrections as Belinda indicated.

Unfortunately, Belinda had no training in what to watch for.

"Hold on!" Paula cried as the boat hit something hard. Tilting to the side, there was a horrific moment as the sailboat paused, threatening to capsize, but Paula's skill with the mainsail won out and the boat righted itself.

"I'm sorry!" Belinda moaned.

Paula had a much more pressing issue than to assure Belinda that it wasn't her fault. "I have no idea how much damage that caused, but we need to get to land now!"

Frantically scanning the shoreline, noting the surf, Paula aimed the Penny-Farthing, Jr. for where it seemed the quietest, hoping for a sloping sandy beach on which to run the boat aground. She called out to Gordon to help her fully raise the sails so that they could run aground as fast and as high up the beach as possible.

"Don't run Little Penny aground!" Gordon pleaded.

"We have no other option!" Paula argued back, resisting to add "you moron" at the end of her sentence.

Finally, a little luck was on their side, and a gust of wind filled the sails, and the boat picked up speed. Waiting for the inevitable, all four braced themselves as the island rose in front of them. And then there was the sound of grinding and scraping as the boat hit the shallow ocean floor, ran up the beach, and came to a shuddering halt. With a slow creak, the Penny-Farthing, Jr. settled with a list to the port, far enough up from the gentle incoming waves, Paula hoped, that it wouldn't be carried back out to sea at high tide.

Once they regathered their wits, Paula told Gordon and Jim to jump ashore. She then threw them ropes and told them to find somewhere to secure the boat. Gordon chose a large rock outcrop and Jim a palm tree near the shore.

Paula and Belinda then went into the tiny storage compartment below the fore deck and gathered up various bits of essential equipment for their night on the beach. Wet and exhausted, the women threw the minimal supplies to the men, then were helped down off of the boat by Jim.

"Thank you," Paula said and gave him a tender kiss on his cheek.

As Paula plodded her way towards the tree line, Belinda took Jim's hand. She quickly looked over at Gordon, who was busy bemoaning the loss of another boat. "I'm glad that at least someone is a gentleman." She placed a softly lingering kiss on his other cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, then followed Paula up the beach.

Chapter 2: Decisions of the Damned

A curious bird landed on Jim's ear, causing him to awake with a start. He could feel the late afternoon sun against his face. Without opening his eyes, he lifted his arm to brush at his ear, then dropped it back around the warm woman he had been spooning, and finding her breast again, he squeezed it gently. The events of last night drifted murkily through his thoughts, but quickly dissipated from his exhausted mind.

At least he and his wife were safe.

For now.

Then there was a sharp slap on his shoulder, and behind him Paula said, "Jim, stop that."

He opened his eyes and turned his head to look over his shoulder, confused to see his wife, Paula, lying behind him with daggers in her eyes. He turned back to see that he had been cuddling - and groping - Belinda! He quickly pulled his arm off of her and rolled onto his back. "Sorry. I didn't mean... I was asleep... I didn't..." He realized he was babbling and stopped as Paula grinned, taking some measure of enjoyment at his discomfort.

"Oh, Paula, you spoilsport," Belinda murmured dreamily. "I was enjoying that." Then she giggled lightly.

And then the trio heard a low growling sound like that of a wild animal.

They had been much too tired to have set someone up as a watch, so fearing that it might be some wild animal approaching, the three all sat up and looked around nervously. But there was no threat. It was just Gordon sleeping on his back, snoring, his arms spread wide, at peace with the world. Paula, still upset with Jim, decided to teach him a lesson. She moved over to where Gordon was lying and leaned down as if to kiss him. But recoiling when she smelled his breath, she simply prodded him awake.

He sat up, rubbing his face. "What? Huh?"

"You were snoring," Paula informed him. "I thought you were an angry wild boar."

Gordon licked his dry lips and grimaced. He blinked and looked at where his Penny-Farthing, Jr. was beached and then further out to where half the mast and sails of the yacht were showing above the waves. He scratched his armpit, then groaned and lamented, "My poor boats!"

Paula shook her head. "Never mind your boats, you dick. Daddy will just buy you a new one, I'm sure. If we ever get off this island!" She looked up and down the deserted beach. "I'm more concerned about this mess you got us into. Did you at least mayday anyone when we first crashed?"

Gordon looked sheepish. "I tried to, but nobody picked up."

Belinda now waded in. "I won't try to guess. What, actually, did you do?"

"Er, well, I picked up the microphone and called out 'mayday, mayday,' then listened for a reply while I got the things Paula had asked for. But nobody called back."

Paula rolled her eyes. "So you didn't say who we were or what was happening? As is proper protocol."

"No. But I didn't hear a reply."

"Did you try to call again?"

"I was going to, and then you said we had to leave."

"Did you take the radio?"

Gordon chewed his lower lip. "No."

Paula sighed, "What a mess!" She looked at the heap of stuff on the beach. "Okay. Let's see what we do have and decide what to do now. Do we stay on this beach or try to go around the island to the side that faces the mainland coastline? We were traveling east, so west would be..." She looked at the sun and then at the trees behind them, "that way. We might be able to signal with the flares in the emergency kit that Jim got."

There was a blank look from Jim. "Oh, for fuck's sake!" Paula cried. "Don't tell me that was left on the Penny!"

Jim replied. "I'm not sure. I put it down when we were loading up the supplies. You know, you could have grabbed it, too."

"I was a bit busy trying to keep us all from drowning!" Paula answered.

And then, for once, Gordon actually said something useful, "Well, there should be some flares on Little Penny."

Without another word, Paula got up and marched over to the dinghy to search for the flares, not completely convinced that they would even be there. Jim went to the pile of things they had gotten out of the dinghy last night to look for the emergency kit. As he started laying things out on the sand, Belinda joined him, and then, reluctantly, so did Gordon.

"Found them!" Paula called from the Penny-Farthing, Jr. She noted that they were past their expiration date, but hoped that wouldn't be a problem. She saw what the others were doing and decided to give the dinghy a further search. As well as finding things in the compartment that they had missed this morning, she collected a couple of lengths of rope, as they might come in handy. Better to have them and not need them than the other way around.

When Paula got back to the others, carrying what she had found, Jim had gotten them to lay out the supplies in different categories: food, clothing, medical, and so on. That sort of methodical behavior of an accountant that had oftentimes grated with her more artistic, freewheeling nature - especially as of late - sometimes came in handy. She added her haul to the things laid out on the beach.

Reviewing options for breakfast, they made do with the barest minimum, trying to ration for their uncertain future. Even Gordon restrained himself from grabbing a second cereal box.

After a quick meal, they attacked the matter of what they were going to do next. Sit tight and hope for rescue, or attempt to circumnavigate the island looking for help?

"I think we should just stay here and wait for a ship or a plane. Or something," Gordon suggested. He was reluctant to leave even his Little Penny and didn't like the thought of having to hike around through the unknown terrain.

"We need to get to the other side of the island," Paula insisted. "We'd be more likely to see a boat or plane on the side facing the mainland." She looked down both sides of the beach and, pointing, said, "This way looks like it might be easier."

"It might be faster to just go inland," Jim suggested.

Annoyed, Paula stated, "We don't know what's inland. We may get lost in the jungle. Besides we're going to need fresh water and any rivers on this island will be bigger near the coast." She turned to Gordon. "Do we have any charts? Anything at all?" Gordon looking out at the sunken Big Penny was all the answer that she needed. "Shit," she mumbled.

Gordon, still hesitant about any type of physical labor, pointed out that once they left their makeshift camp, they would only have what they could carry and would quickly run out of food.

"We'll run out of food - and water - if we stay here." Paula began to gather what she felt they would need. "We're going. If you want to stay here, Gordon, be my guest."

"We have no idea if we can even safely get off this stretch of beach," Jim said.

Paula coldly looked at her husband. "Then you can stay here with Gordon."

"Wait. Wait," Belinda stepped between the couple. "He's right. How do we know which way is going to be easier? Safer?"

Even though the side that she had suggested looked to be the better way, Paula had to begrudgingly admit that Jim may be right. "Okay. Fine. Belinda, let's go this way and you two go that way."

Jim and Gordon looked at each other as if they were mortal enemies. "Why not go as couples?" Gordon asked, hoping for maybe a little "alone time" with Belinda.

"You go with him," insisted Paula, taking Belinda's hand.

Gordon looked at Jim, and Jim just shrugged. He knew better than to argue with Paula when she was in this type of mood.

They agreed to meet back in about an hour, and both pairs set off.

Less than half an hour later, the beach had run out for Gordon and Jim. They looked at the sheer cliffs jutting out of the sea. "I think it's high tide - or near that," Gordon stated. He tried to see where the bare rock ended, but was unable to. "We won't be able to pass now, and if we wait until low tide, we may end up only halfway through when the tide does come back in." He frowned. "That would not be good."

"No. It wouldn't," Jim agreed. "I guess we go back."

They decided to walk up closer to the tree line and as they started to make their way to camp, they came upon a couple of palms with ripe coconuts on the ground around them. Jim used a large knife to hack the fibrous hull off one and then cut one end off, finding the milk and sweet meat inside. He handed that to Gordon, then opened one for himself.

"Thank you," Gordon replied after taking a long drink.

"Sure."

"You know that I didn't intend for this to happen."

"I know," sighed Jim. "Paula and I are just... frustrated."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gordon offered.

Jim shook his head.

Gordon nodded and finished his coconut milk.

In silence, they collected as many of the coconuts as they could carry and headed back to the camp.

At the other end of the beach, Paula and Belinda didn't have to go far before they found a stream running into the bay, which they easily crossed, then climbed up a gentle slope and in a few minutes were at the top of a ridge. From this vantage point, they could see a long way up the coast, and it seemed to be a similar pattern of bays and small headlands.

Belinda looked at her watch and realized she had forgotten to wind it. "Paula, what's the time? My watch has stopped."

"No idea," Paula shrugged, looking around them. "It looks like this may be the way to go. Unless, of course, the boys have had even more luck." They looked back and could just about make out the dinghy as the shoreline curved inwards.

Belinda asked, "Do we go on a bit more, or do we return and wait for the guys?"

"Oh, I don't think it's worth going on. It looks easy enough this way. We'll go back and see what Jim and Gordon have found on the other side. And on the way, we should check out that stream as we'll need more water." They turned around and went back until they got to the small stream, then headed inland a little until they found a pool, surrounded by soft grass and a few small trees. Some flat rocks formed a lip along one side of the pool. With the sunlight warming the rocks, this seemed like a pleasant place to sit and rest for a few minutes.

Belinda looked at Paula. "Since the guys aren't here, why don't we take the opportunity to bathe? I know that I could do with a little freshening up. The salt water has made my skin awfully itchy."

Looking at the crystal clear water, Paula scratched the dry skin on her arm, and nodded. "I think that's a great idea."

As Belinda kicked off her shoes, she said, "I really don't know you that well, but you seem to be the free-spirited one of us, so..." Belinda started to unbutton her shorts and, in one motion, had stripped her shorts and panties down to her ankles. Stepping out of them, she added, "I've never skinny-dipped, but I don't see any other option."

Paula watched as Belinda pulled the shirt over her head and unfastened her bra, tossing that on top of the small pile of clothing by her feet. The dappled afternoon sunlight danced on her honey-olive-toned skin. Belinda closed her eyes, ruffled her fingers through her black hair, then arched her back and stretched towards the sky. As free-spirited as Paula may have been, she had never "experimented" outside of heterosexual relationships - not even in the very liberal circle of friends that she had made in college - but her eyes were immediately drawn to Belinda's pert breasts and tiny coffee-colored nipples.

As Paula's gaze traveled down Belinda's lithe torso to the sparse patch of hair between her legs, Belinda asked, "So, are you going to join me or are you just going to stand there and admire my body?"

"What?" Paula blushed. "I wasn't -"

"It's okay. I'm used to it. Tall, thin, exotic Asian heritage." Belinda dipped a toe into the cool water. "Oooh! This feels nice!" She turned to Paula. "Come on. We probably have close to an hour before the guys will be back. Gordon is slow and never on time for anything!"

Paula took a deep breath and began to undress, but feeling a little self-conscious, she turned away from Belinda. She unbuttoned her blouse and shrugged it off. As it fell away, she felt Belinda behind her undoing the bra hooks. She felt Belinda's nipples brush against her upper back as Belinda slid the straps down Paula's goose-pimpled arms.

"You're very beautiful," Belinda commented. "I don't understand why Jim doesn't pay more attention to you."

Embarrassed, confused, and conflicted, Paula said nothing as Belinda gently urged her to turn back around. The taller girl reached down and began to unfasten the belt around Paula's waist, let the cargo pants fall, and then stood back up. Their eyes met, Belinda's wide dark eyes piercing into Paula's sky-blue ones. "Can you handle the rest or do you want me to help?"

Breathlessly, Paula replied. "I... can do it."

"Okay. But hurry up!" Belinda giggled as she made her way into the glassy water. Waist-deep in the refreshing water, she turned to Paula. "Come on! It's wonderful!"

Now fully undressed, Paula gave a slight shrug and stepped into the pool. She dove below the water, resurfacing in the middle of the small pool and turned to face Belinda with only the tops of her lightly tanned breasts showing and her brown hair plastered around her shoulders.

Belinda followed suit and surfaced right in front of Paula, so close that their breasts were almost touching.

And then they were touching.

Paula gasped as she felt one of Belinda's hands wrap around her lower back. Frozen in shock, Paula's open mouth was quickly filled with Belinda's tongue as their lips met. Still stunned as Belinda broke their kiss, Paula allowed herself to be led out of the water and back onto the grass beside the pool.

Paula's heart pounded over the soothing sound of the water as Belinda laid her upon the soft grass. She looked up at Belinda smiling down at her. "Should we be doing this?" Paula whispered and then, despite her natural inclination, decided to embrace Belinda's intimacy. She put an arm around the taller girl's waist, pulling her down. She felt Belinda's hand slide up her leg, fingers gingerly separating her petals and within moments, Paula was seeking out Belinda's pussy, inviting and warm against her cool skin.

Kissing and fingering, both women lost in each other's embrace, rapidly moaning to their individual orgasms, the jungle stayed silent as their soft moans of pleasure grew.

Finally, Belinda rolled onto her back and reached for one of Paula's hands.

"I didn't realize how much I needed that," Paula gasped. "It's been so long."

Belinda just gently squeezed Paula's hand.

After a few relaxing minutes drying in the sun, both girls were just beginning to doze when they suddenly heard a voice calling their names. They jumped up, quickly dressed, and headed down the stream to meet Jim at the beach.

"Hey Jim!" Called Paula. "We were just up at a small pool getting a little cleaned up. This side looks like an easy hike. What did you guys find?"

Jim looked at Paula. She seemed somehow happier than she'd looked in a long time. He smiled as if rediscovering the woman that he had first fallen in love with. "We found going that way would be impossible. Cliffs and rocks. But we did find some coconuts. We brought some back to camp for you girls."

"Oh! I'm starved," Paula exclaimed. "Let's hurry back."

As they walked along the shoreline, Jim jerked his thumb over his shoulder and asked, "So, this way looks like the way to go?"

Belinda replied before Paula could. "There is a bit of a rise around the corner, but from there we could see a couple more small bays with beaches. And the headlands between them look to be no real barrier. So the way that Paula had originally suggested looks like the way to go." Jim noticed that Belinda gave Paula an odd glance when she added, "You should listen to your wife more often. She's quite amazing."

Back at camp, they began to sort out how they were going to carry the essential supplies. As they only had two backpacks and a couple of small shoulder bags, and without any map, they had no idea how long it was going to take to get around to the far side of the island. But the coconuts had given them hope that, against their limited food supply, they might find more things to eat along the way.

After another quick meal, the foursome set off south. Belinda nudged Paula with her elbow when they reached the stream that they had been to earlier and Paula smiled. And blushed a little.

They had crossed the ridge where the girls had stopped and descended down to the next bay. They were making good progress across several bays, when the last of the daylight began to rapidly fade.

"We may as well set up camp for the night," Jim announced, indicating another small stream. "At least we'll have fresh water."

Chapter 3: Counting the Bays

"It gets dark here quickly," Jim commented as they were setting up their temporary camp.

"We sailed quite a ways south before... you know..." Paula started to explain. "As we get closer to the equator, the day length only varies by an hour or two on either side of twelve, but at sunset, it gets dark quickly. Sunrise happens quickly, too.

"Well, then, we'd better hurry," Jim stated. Then he stood up from unpacking his bag. "How are we going to start a fire?"

Everyone looked blankly at each other. Paula then asked what seemed an odd question. "How many flares have we got?"

Jim replied, "There are those from the emergency kit and the ones you found in the dinghy, but what's that got to do with it?"

"Just go get them," she replied, shaking her head.

Belinda watched the exchange, noticing the lack of rapport between the couple.

Gordon just sat there while Jim emptied the entire contents of his backpack to retrieve the flares. He brought them over, and Paula took them. Her only response was to reprimand him. "When you pack the flares again, have them right on top. What if we saw a plane and needed to grab them quickly?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry," Jim apologized.

Paula opened the packs and sorted them into two piles. "Okay. We have six parachutes and four handhelds."

Before a frustrated-looking Jim could say anything, Belinda asked the silly question for him. "Why are there parachute flares on a boat?"

That made Paula smile, then laugh a bit as she put a hand on Belinda's bare thigh. "Those ones launch like a rocket, explode, and then the chute keeps it airborne for a long time. The others you hold so people can find you once you have their attention."

Belinda nodded. She also noted Paula's hand.

"But the handheld ones could also light a fire," Paula added. Selecting one, Paula said, "This one will do." She then turned to Gordon and called out, "I hate to bother you while you're taking a nap, Gordon, but do you think you could go and gather up some dry leaves so I can start a fire?"

Gordon stood up, a bit embarrassed. "Right. Dry leaves."

"And any dry sticks or branches, but first the leaves and any small twigs you can find." Paula looked at Jim. "Can you go with him? We'll need quite a stockpile to get through the night. Belinda and I will see what we have for dinner."

Jobs allocated, the men wandered up the beach towards the tree line, then began to hurry, and then started to race each other. The women shook their heads at the competitive macho behavior as they set about their task of finding what food and drink they would be preparing from the less than impressive rations that had been in the Penny-Farthing, Jr..

They also gathered some stones to make a ring to contain the fire and were all set when Jim and Gordon returned with a variety of bits of wood, including three long straight pieces of green wood that Jim was struggling to carry on his shoulder. When she saw him, she snapped, "What are those for?"

"Well, I thought these poles could make a tripod to hang things over the fire."

"Very clever, if we had a large caldron to hang from it, which we don't." She looked at Belinda and shook her head, "Men, watch a cowboy film and think they know it all."

Belinda just smiled and said to Jim. "Nice idea, but we may be able to find another use for them. Paula is just worried about running out of food."

Realizing she was being a little snippy - and not exactly thrilled to be upstaged, however slightly, by the other woman in the group - Paula changed tack. "Great job, guys. Thank you. Now, let's put the leaves and grassy stuff in the fire pit, then some of that dry bark with the bigger bits on top. I just hope this will light it. We don't really have any flares to waste."

While the men were piling the tinder up and snapping and chopping dry branches, the women went and collected some fresh water.

When they came back, Jim had already started the fire with the flare. Despite Gordon's usual bravado, he had made no attempt to be the person to hold the flare, leaving that task to Jim. Paula bristled a little when Belinda touched Jim's arm while effusively applauding his good work.

By this time, the light was failing, so they had to finish making and eating their meal by the light of the fire. Fortunately, the men, in competing against each other, had gathered plenty of fuel for the fire. Eventually, they settled down for the night, just as the moon came over the top of the island.

The next morning, Jim awoke with his arm around Paula - he made sure not to make the same mistake that he had the night before. In the soft glow of the fire's dying embers, he was surprised to see that Paula had an arm wrapped around Belinda! As he sat up, Paula woke.

"How did you sleep?" Jim asked.

"As well as can be expected."

Jim frowned, and with a nod, replied, "Mm-hmm." The night was beginning to yield to the daylight as Jim looked around their makeshift camp. "I'm going to wash up in that stream. Want to join me?"

"Yeah." Paula stretched and yawned, then stood up.

"I'll go too," Belinda mumbled as she sat up.

The talking woke Gordon. "Hey, keep the noise down. Some of us are trying to sleep."

Belinda kicked him. "Get up. We need to get going if we're ever going to get off this island you wrecked us on."

"Give me another minute," Gordon sighed as he rolled over onto his other side.

When Jim, Paula, and Belinda reached the stream, Belinda suggested they go upstream a bit. "Paula and I had found a small pool at that other stream," she told Jim, then gave Paula a coy smile. Unfortunately, all they found were rocks and a few rivulets feeding into the main stream.

Washed as well as they could, they headed back to camp. When they got there, they were surprised to find Gordon in the ocean, knee-deep and bent down scooping up water to wash his face. The others looked on, amazed that he hadn't gone to the stream. Then Gordon shouted, "Hey, there are fish here!" He bent lower and thrashed his arms around before straightening up. "Pity, there's no way I can catch them without a line or net."

The other three wandered closer to where Gordon was still splashing about. Gordon nearly managed to pull a fish out before it slipped away. On seeing its size, Paula commented, "What we need is a spear."

"How about those saplings that I brought back?" Jim suggested.

Paula looked at him in a way that she hadn't in a long time. Admiration. She smiled. "Great idea, Jim."

As Jim went to retrieve the poles, Paula and Belinda continued to watch Gordon's antics in case he was successful. And because it was funny to watch. When Jim came back, he handed one to Paula.

Paula examined the smaller end. "Hmm, they are a bit heavy. But... possibly. Jim, can you grab one of those big knives, please? I'll see if I can cut a point and a barb."

Belinda looked over Paula's shoulder. "How do you know about doing that?"

"I did a survival course one summer when I had ideas of going off-grid. I never followed through, but I learned lots in the class. Including how to gut and fillet a fish. If we get one, that is."

Jim returned and offered the knife to Paula. She then sat down, cross-legged, and used the blade to work on one pole and then the other. Meanwhile, Gordon had decided that grabbing fish was a lost cause, had come out of the water, and wandered into the bushes to relieve himself.

Jim and Belinda, standing almost shoulder to shoulder, watched as Paula deftly whittled a point and barb into the end of the saplings. Gordon returned and pushed the other spectators apart to see what Paula was up to. "Cool. I could use those to spear some fish for my breakfast!"

Paula looked up with a scowl. "Thanks for volunteering, Gordon. You and I will go and see if we can get some fish with these spears while Jim and Belinda get the fire going again." With that, she started to sit up, and Jim offered a hand to help her, which she accepted. After brushing the wood shavings off of her, she handed one of the spears to Gordon, then tested the feel and balance of the spear. "I think these will work perfectly."

Unbidden, Belinda had gone back to the camp and, turning out her shoulder bag onto a blanket, returned and offered it to Paula. "You can use this to carry any fishes you catch."

Paula took it and examined the waterproof outside and the cloth inside, then turned it inside out. "Good idea, Belinda. And inside out, you can still use it again when we set off. All right. Let's go get some 'fishes,' Gordon."

Gordon looked at the other two, hoping that someone would come to his rescue and offer to take his spear and join Paula in the hunt, but they had already turned back up the beach towards the dying fire.

From time to time, Jim and Belinda glanced out to sea where Gordon was wildly jabbing at the waves. Paula, on the other hand, stood a bit further out, spear raised, like a statue, then struck down and held this new pose for a moment before slowly raising the spear with a fish impaled on it.

While they watched as it was transferred to the bag, Belinda quietly asked, "Jim, what's the problem between you two. You are both wonderful people."

He shrugged. "It was too much of a love match. Purely physical. We got caught up in... all of that and then just rushed into marriage. But we've drifted. My career in accounting has gotten into my soul. Everything that I do is planned and meticulous. I practically evaluate every breath I take. And Paula's carefree attitude, taking life as it comes... I think we're just too different." Jim sat back as the fire began to resume its life. "And I'm a bit jealous of her casual and relaxed attitude towards life." He looked at Belinda, frowned, then looked away. "And I sometimes... worry about her glamor photography."

"Glamor photography?" Belinda asked.

"She does a lot of freelance work, and people hire her for all kinds of things." Jim frowned again and shrugged. "Sometimes her subject matter can be a bit... risqué."

Belinda was surprised. "What? She poses for sexy pictures?"

That made Jim genuinely laugh. This was the first time that Belinda had heard him laugh, and she thought it was nice to hear. "No. No," he explained. "She's the photographer. But when she shoots nudes, I sometimes wonder if things happen. She assures me that nothing ever does - it stays strictly professional - but I still wonder."

"Is that why I heard mention of divorce? Your concerns about her work?"

Jim was silent for a while and then took a deep breath. "No. I suggested that we should be thinking about starting a family, but Paula's not so sure." He paused again. What he was about to say, he had never said out loud. "I really, really want to have children. I know that sounds silly from a man. It's usually the woman begging for a child." Jim sighed. "Paula enjoys her career and her free lifestyle too much, I guess. A child would tie her down."

Belinda reached for his hand. "It's more common than you probably know. The cases that come into the law office where I work," she said. "But how would getting a divorce help?"

Jim sighed again. He looked at Belinda, and she saw a man who seemed as if the world had completely flattened him. "I don't know," he admitted. "She would be free. And maybe I could find someone who wants a family before I'm too old." He looked away. "Every time I bring the topic up, she just says that she's too young to get tied down. The irony is that we're the same age and I feel that I'm getting too old to not be tied down."

"Hmm. That is a bit of a 'sticky wicket,' as Gordon might say," Belinda giggled.

The sound of her laughter made Jim smile. Then he continued, "I don't know. I don't want a divorce because I do honestly love her, but... I think our marriage has reached an impasse."

"Well, Paula would be a fool to let a man like you get away."

Jim, oblivious to the curious look in Belinda's eyes, said, "That's nice of you to say, but I bet she would prefer the likes of Gordon and his boats."

Now it was Belinda's turn to sound a bit depressed as she began to stroke Jim's arm. "Men like Gordon just want an heir, with no strings attached - though I don't think Gordon is into that yet. He just wants the practice." She gave his arm a light squeeze, realizing that he was the type of man that she had been looking for all along.

"Hey, I got a big one!" Gordon called out, as he came up the beach.

Belinda took her hand off Jim and stood up.

"I got four," Paula stated. "So, five should be plenty. I'll fillet them. Belinda, could you get some fresh water? Jim and Gordon, we'll need a little more wood for the fire. Hurry up, though. Time's a-wasting. We don't know how much further we'll have to go to get to the other side."

Paula was in charge again, and the others did as they were told.

As they set off, Gordon insisted that he have his spear attached to the back of his backpack, and told Jim to do the same, despite Paula saying it would be just as easy to make some new ones. It was a long morning hike with Gordon constantly telling them how big his fish was, how much it had struggled, and how great his fish had tasted.

Out of the five fish caught, it had been the second smallest one.

Paula, walking beside Jim, muttered, "By the time we get home - if we get home - he'll be telling the world it was six-feet long and that it was the finest fish he had ever tasted."

Jim chuckled. "But I think you are wrong about one thing." Paula stared at him. "What I mean is, with you here, we will get home," Jim told her. "But about the fish? I'm sure you're right about that."

After a couple of short breaks and five more bays, they reached the next outcrop which was, as it appeared from the distance, very steep-sided. Not quite a cliff, but possibly still too steep to climb. Paula scanned the waterline ahead of them and behind them, then said, "I think we've turned the corner and might be getting to the other side of the island. But we should go back to that stream, set up camp, and get firewood while it's still light."

Selecting a location up from the shore, at the edge of the tree line, Paula and Belinda started assembling their temporary camp while the men set off to gather kindling and wood for a fire. Rooting through Jim's backpack, Paula complained, "Where did he put the flares? I told him they have to be at the top of the pack in case we need them urgently."

Belinda tried to soothe her. "I'm sure Jim knew exactly where they were." Then she took a risk. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but have you and Jim ever thought about having kids?"

Paula turned to look at Belinda. "I'm not sure it's your business, but I'm guessing that Jim mentioned it to you?"

"He did," admitted Paula.

"I'm sure I will someday, but I don't know. It would change everything. But someday. I know Jim wants to start a family, but we haven't really talked too much about it." She paused and sadly looked out at the water. "But the way things are going, I don't think our marriage will last long enough for us to have children together."

Belinda thought about letting Jim and Paula's marriage fall apart, with the chance of netting Jim, but she liked them both too much to see either one suffer. Also, if the couple divorced, Gordon would certainly home in on Paula, and she deserved better than that. She took a deep breath. "I think you need to seriously talk to Jim about having a family. It might make or break your marriage, but you need a chat with him when we're out of this whole mess."

Paula looked at Belinda, amazed that she would poke her nose into their marriage problems, but didn't get a chance to challenge her because, at that moment, the men returned. Paula noticed that Jim was carrying another two straight poles. When they got closer, she saw that they were thinner than the other ones, so they would be better for being made into fishing spears. She smiled at his practicality. Paula looked at him and promised herself that when she gets the chance, she would have the chat that Belinda had suggested.

They tossed the spears that Gordon had insisted on dragging along for the entire day and used the new ones to catch more fish. As they were enjoying their evening meal, Paula looked at Jim, the orange light of the campfire flickering across his face, and wondered how two opposites like them could ever raise children.

Chapter 4: Changes in Landscapes

Sitting around and talking by firelight, the four soon ran out of things to say. Belinda met Gordon as a result of the legal work she did for his father's firm. She had taken some contracts to be signed and had mistaken Gordon for an employee rather than the owner's son. Paula had known him from sailing. Jim was Paula's husband and hadn't really known the other two very well, but already knew all that he cared to. So, little more than an hour later, they decided to settle down for the night.

For most of them, sleep came surprisingly quickly, but it eluded Paula as thoughts about what Jim might have said to Belinda haunted her. The idea of children was really the main source of the friction within their marriage, but up until that point, they had only discussed - and argued - the topic between themselves.

Also, Paula's thoughts about Belinda and the intimacy they had shared kept pushing their way into her mind. There was so much that she liked about Belinda, but she feared that, knowing the difficulties they were having, Belinda might want to steal Jim from her. The very same Jim that she was thinking of leaving, but couldn't bear the thought of losing to another woman.

Or, perhaps, losing at all.

It was late when she finally made up her mind. They really needed a proper chat about where things had gone wrong with their love. And should she speak to Belinda about... their relationship? Was it even a relationship? Paula's mind was a mess! She wondered whether to just give up on the idea of divorce and work on repairing her marriage. Then decided, yet again, to tell Jim it was all over so that she could get on with her own life. But the uncertain thoughts started all over again for the umpteenth time!

Her thoughts were disturbed when she heard movement and looked to see the silhouette of a man's legs against the fire. It was Jim. He dropped a small log onto the embers, sending a spiral of sparks swirling upwards, before sitting in the sand, gazing into the revived flames. Paula quietly got up and sat next to him. Jim turned his head and leaned in for a quick kiss.

Paula took a deep breath. "Jim, we need to have a chat. A serious talk about us and our future." Jim opened his mouth to say something, but Paula put a finger to it. "Not here. Not now. But soon. Before it's too late to talk."

She noticed the sad frown on Jim's face. She knew that this was all on her and could barely bear it. She decided it would be best to go back to the blanket and try to sleep, but as she was about to get up, she noticed the moon rising above the ridge.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she whispered.

Jim whispered in reply, "Not as beautiful as you."

This brought tears to her eyes. Jim didn't deserve any of this. She turned to stand up, but felt his hand gently on hers. Unable to look at her husband, Paula looked into the trees beyond the camp. Without saying anything, she took his hand, and they both stood up. He understood, and they quietly walked away from the camp, seeking a quiet spot to talk.

Jim and Paula walked hand in hand until they felt they were far enough away and found a place to sit on some soft, dry grass. They sat cross-legged, holding hands and facing each other in silence until Paula asked, "What were you thinking about while you were staring at the fire?"

Jim replied, "I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about you. Us. How we used to be. And how we've come to this impasse."

"I was awake, wondering the same things." Hesitant to discuss the real issue, Paula looked out at the water and asked, "What do you think of Belinda?"

Confused that this was what she wanted to talk about, Jim shook his head, trying to get his mind to work. "Er, she's quite intelligent and well-spoken. Doesn't deserve Gordon. Or rather, he doesn't deserve her."

"Do you find her attractive?"

He sensed what was worrying Paula, but knew better than to lie to her. Despite their differences, they knew each other much too well. "She's very pretty. Her intelligence is more attractive." He took a breath. "But she would take second place to you in any competition for my attention."

Paula seemed to have a sad smile, but it was difficult to read in the moonlight. "Did you talk to her about us?"

"Yes. She asked."

"Did you tell her about... our issues?"

"Yes," Jim answered with a heavy heart. "I said I was worried about being too old to be a father." He sighed. "I've never put that into words before."

Paula laughed. A dry laugh, but it was still music to his ears. She squeezed his hands. "You are so silly sometimes. You could be a father in your Fifties. Sixties even! It's not like it is with women."

He looked at his lap. "But I want to be a father with you." Paula started to say something, but Jim continued. "And it's more than that. I could be a father in my sixties, but I couldn't go for a day's hiking or a week's camping trip before they go off to college. I might never walk a daughter down the aisle or hold a grandchild." His voice hitched. "And I wanted to share those things with you."

Paula was stunned. This was the lovely emotional man that she had married before his career built a wall of sensibility around his heart. "Where have you been hiding for these last ten years, not to tell me these things?" She reached out, lifting his face, and leaned in for a kiss. A kiss that started as a brush of the lips, but quickly accelerated to one full of passion.

Paula wrapped her arms around Jim's shoulders and pulled him onto her as she rolled backwards. She wanted to give herself to him. To the man she had married.

She reached down to pull his polo shirt over his head. He removed her top, leaned forward and suckled on Paula's breasts. Realizing how much he had missed them - had missed her - he tore her clothes off and attacked her with a ravenousness that surprised - and delighted - them both.

Jim spread her legs and reached down, fingers seeking in the shadows cast by the silver moonlight. Finding what he wanted, he tenderly caressed her. Petals opened, eager for his touch.

Moistened fingertips carefully stroked the tiny button of her clitoris.

Unable to wait, Jim placed the head of his throbbing cock against her opening.

Paula moaned as she felt it slide into her.

Pressing deeper, Jim pushed her knees up as Paula's hands searched for his strong arms. His shoulders. His back. She held him tightly against her body as he stroked in and out of her, pleasure coursing through both of their bodies.

Quiet moans mixed with the tranquil sound of waves on the sand creating a melody that brought back the initial feelings of love that Paula thought had been lost forever.

Feelings that were now back within her reach.

If only she desired to grasp them.

She felt Jim passionately fill her with his cum.

She let him go as he pulled her up further, settling his knees just under her. From this position, he began to rub small, slow circles around her clit. With him still inside her, his thumb working her the way she always loved it, she sighed and closed her eyes, eagerly waiting for the inevitable.

Under techniques that had been honed over years, Paula could feel her orgasm rising. The tingling deep in her belly warmed and spread. Running her fingers through her hair, she squirmed as her pleasure mounted.

"Yes," she told him.

"Yes."

"Yes."

Louder with each repetition.

She could feel his dick, solid within her, pulsing once again.

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Faster."

"Ungh -" she began, but a strong hand covered her mouth, muffling the roar to a muted rumble deep inside her as she came. Her pussy convulsing around Jim's spurting cock, sending a second load of sperm deep into her.

When she finally settled down, Jim replaced his hand with his mouth, and the two lovers became one once again.

Eventually rolling off of - and out of - Paula, Jim stared at the stars in the sky. Tiny pinholes of hope in an endless sea. "Will we be able to work this all out?" he asked the universe.

Its simple reply was Paula tenderly reaching and holding his hand.

Back at the makeshift camp, the fire had died back to orange embers. Jim and Paula lay down and soon fell asleep in each other's arms.

Hours later, Belinda was the first to wake. Still dark apart from the setting moon, she saw Jim and Paula together, still in an embrace, and was pleased for them to the same extent that she was sad for herself.

While she tended to the fire and got some things organized for the morning, she thought about her life.

Gordon had seemed such a good catch when he was chasing her, but as soon as she left her shared apartment and moved in with him, everything changed. He expected her to look after him in each and every way. Complaining, if anything wasn't just how he wanted it - from his morning coffee to evening sex.

But she felt trapped with him.

She didn't really have the money for an apartment of her own. And if she was being completely honest with herself, she was afraid to move out and live alone. Staying with him seemed like her only choice.

In the back of her mind, barely a solid thought, the idea that if Jim and Paula had split appealed to her. Possibly she could have moved in with Paula. As this idea became more tangible, Belinda cursed herself for having such evil thoughts. Staring into the fire, she didn't hear Paula come up behind her and she jumped as she felt hands on her shoulders.

"Thank you, Belinda," Paula whispered, then kissed Belinda's neck. The feel of her lips sent shivers through Belinda. Shivers that ended between her legs.

"Wh - what for?" She stuttered, turning to see Paula smiling brightly at her.

"I just had a talk with Jim. We had been at cross purposes - I'm not even sure if we can figure everything out - but then we had some wonderful -" Paula was about to say "sex," but changed it to, "We had a little 'alone time' and... I think we're back on the right track. Maybe." She sat next to Belinda and sighed. "We need to get off this damn island!"

Belinda looked at Paula and burst into tears.

Wrapping her arms around her, Paula asked, "What's wrong?"

Between sniffles, Belinda confessed. "I'm so happy for you, but my life is a mess. Gordon takes me for granted, and this trip has confirmed just how useless he is. But I'm trapped. I can't move out, financially. And even if I did, this can affect my career."

Paula just held her and listened.

"I feel like he's just using me as a servant and someone to have sex with."

"Belinda, you may have been too trusting and hopeful with Gordon, but it's nothing to be ashamed about."

"I just don't know what to do."

"When we get out of here... if we get out of here, we'll figure this out," Paula assured Belinda. "Together."

"Thank you," Belinda said, wiping her eyes.

"Even if you have to move in with us during the interim."

Belinda's eyes widened.

"Not like that," Paula smiled. "In our spare guest bedroom." Then, thinking of what had happened between them at the pool, she wasn't so sure herself. "Er, I'll just have a chat with Jim to tell him what is happening. Assuming, of course, that we survive all of this."

Belinda nodded in agreement. And relief.

Jim had been awake and could hear snippets of their conversation - between Gordon's snoring, of course - and between the memory of last night with Paula and the semi-erection in his shorts, he mulled over the idea of Belinda moving in with them. Even if just temporarily.

In the brief time that he had gotten to know Belinda, he had become somewhat fond of her. But he wondered how he would react to seeing her around all the time. She had an unabashed sexuality about her that any man would find irresistible. Jim would be able to resist, but he imagined that it would be trying.

Belinda was attractive.

Very attractive.

As the sun rose, Paula and Gordon went down to the sea to fish, this time only catching three between them. As Gordon put it. Paula caught all three herself, as the truth put it. They had their breakfast, packed the camp, and set off inland looking for a point where they could ascend the ridge and continue their journey.

Chapter 5: Days of Despair

Their trek inland seemed never-ending, and it was only their ascent and the slackening of the slope up to the ridge that kept them going. The beach had also narrowed to something more like a thin valley.

Paula looked at the land ahead of them, with its increasingly dense vegetation. With a sigh, she said, "Well, I think it's now or never. These trees might give us some handholds to help us get up that slope, but soon they will block any further progress."

The party stopped, and everyone looked around, with Gordon shrugging off his backpack and sitting down to take a break. Jim saw that and, with a stern look on his face, replied, "I agree, Paula. You haven't led us wrong so far." And with that, he tightened his backpack straps and started up the slope. Paula and Belinda exchanged a bemused look and smiled at each other before following Jim's direct assault on the slope.

As they disappeared into the jungle, Gordon, who had already taken off his shoes, shouted after them, "Hey, wait up!" The others didn't even look back, so, grumbling, he put his footwear back on, shouldered his pack, and stumbled after them before they got too far ahead.

As their journey staggered on, they gained height, but were constantly frustrated in making progress. Diversions around dense vegetation slowed them down to a crawl. There was a stony ravine that was too deep to get down into and out of safely that forced them further inland, and then another rocky outcropping that pushed them back out towards the coast again.

They eventually made it back to the water, but instead of an easily traversable beach, they were standing at the tops of some dangerous-looking cliffs with a sheer drop down to the sea.

"Well, we're still heading in the right direction," Paula stated, pointing to the mainland off in the distance.

Gordon threw off his backpack. It landed on the ground with a thump. "I don't see any vessels that we can try to signal yet."

Ignoring him, Paula suggested taking a short break. They ate the last of the granola bars, and Jim gathered some more coconuts for them.

"I'm sick of coconuts," grumbled Gordon.

"Then don't have any," Belinda snapped at him.

Gordon harumphed and turned to look out at the water.

The other three just shook their heads and ate and drank in relative silence.

And as the day was slipping away, they resumed their journey. The landscape almost immediately herded them inland again. And just as quickly, back out! They felt they were spending more time zig-zagging than making any forward progress.

Eventually emerging from a large stand of trees, they noted that the sun was getting close to the horizon, so they agreed to make camp near the cliff top. The men went to find wood while the women did their best to create a hearth and sort out the remaining food for their evening meal.

Paula got the flares out and left one of the remaining two handheld flares near the hearth, leaving the parachute flares on the ground next to Jim's backpack. She had read somewhere that you could, at some risk, use a parachute flare to light a fire, but she certainly didn't want to experiment with that unnecessarily.

When the men returned, Jim set up the fire and was about to reach for the flare when Gordon grabbed it. "My turn for some fun with these!"

As Paula and Jim both shouted, "STOP!" He pulled the ignition ring without pointing it into the kindling!

As the flare ignited, smoke billowed into Gordon's face. In a panic, he threw the lit flare away from himself. It landed on the ground facing the pile of dead grass and leaves that the girls had pushed away from the fire for safety reasons, quickly igniting the flammable tinder.

"Fucking moron!" Jim shouted as he ran to grab the flare and try to stomp out the rapidly growing fire. He had just enough flare left that he was able to start their campfire.

In anger, Jim threw the dead flare at Gordon, calling him a moron again.

Belinda, with a damp cloth, helped Jim wipe the cinders off his hand and arm and quietly said, "Thank you. Well done." She smiled at him. "Let me check your arms and legs for any burns."

Knowing that they didn't have a lot of flares remaining, Paula tended the fire.

Everyone ignored Gordon, which upset him as he couldn't defend himself from their implied disgust and from his own self-doubts, so he sat away from the fire and just stared out at the sea. Behind him, the other three were quietly talking. Gordon even heard them laughing about something as they prepared the food.

Everything seemed to be against him.

He had thought that Belinda would be less demanding, but she was turning out just like all of his previous girlfriends. Not satisfied with a roof over their head and a handsome partner. With Paula, he had a different dynamic, but this cruise had put that possibility to rest. And when he planned this little adventure, he certainly did not plan on Paula's soon-to-be-divorced husband joining them. And then on top of that, she and her husband seemed to be getting along much better than Gordon had assumed.

And on top of the failed romantic angle, he had lost his precious boat to some silly autopilot error... or chart... or whatever had happened. And then with Paula's beaching of the Little Penny, he had lost them both! He might lose it all here, on this God-forsaken island in the presence of an accountant, a legal clerk, and a hack photographer!

The fire?

He had only wanted to help and was now being treated like an idiot and a pariah!

Gordon stood up and wandered into the bushes to relieve himself before thinking about trying to get some sleep, as he felt so tired.

Despite the tone of their conversation, the other three were discussing serious issues, like the lack of food and, more importantly, water. They were also concerned about Gordon, who had suddenly closed himself off. Even allowing for his bullish attitude towards life, the incident with the flare seemed rather extreme. Even for him. They noticed him wandering off, and just before Jim decided to go check on him, he wandered back.

"Are you all right, Gordon?" Jim called out. "Come over and have something to eat." All Jim got in response was a grunt as Gordon lay back down with his back to the fire, looking out to sea.

Jim looked at the girls and shrugged. There wasn't much any of them could do.

Utterly exhausted, they all quickly fell asleep as the moon slowly rose above them.

The next morning, they were up before dawn. All except for Gordon, who remained huddled in a fetal position while the others attended to personal needs. They stoked the fire almost out of habit, but had nothing to cook on it. The warmth and color helped cheer them up a bit.

They had sorted out their meager cold breakfast rations, and just as the sun came up, they roused a very groggy and barely responsive Gordon, who stood up slowly and wandered off into the trees to relieve himself.

A few minutes later, he stumbled back to them, half-heartedly accepting his portion of the remaining food.

Concerned, Paula whispered to Jim, "Unless he puts up a fight, I'll carry his backpack."

Jim looked at her and nodded. "I think that would be a good idea."

Belinda added. "I can carry both of the shoulder bags."

After breakfast, though Gordon didn't even eat all of his, they prepared to set off. Paula went over and picked up Gordon's backpack, and he just smiled weakly and then turned aimlessly around as if looking for something.

They hadn't gotten far before Belinda noticed that Gordon was not following but simply gazing after them, waving weakly. For a moment, the thought crossed her mind to just leave him there, but she knew he would never survive without someone taking care of him, so she went back and took his unresisting hand. He smiled at her and let himself be led to catch up with the others, occasionally mumbling nonsense to himself.

After a couple of hours or so, they took a rest but Belinda kept an eye on Gordon. When they resumed their trek, she and Paula rotated between the backpack, shoulder bags, and Gordon duties for the rest of the day.

In addition to the stresses caused by Gordon's behavior, the others were losing hope of surviving. The situation regarding food and water was about to become a crisis. There were no streams on this high ground, and they hadn't seen any fruits that looked edible. Although they tried to keep close to the clifftop overlooking the water, the landscape and vegetation often drove them inland and then forced them to find their way back out again.

They were near the cliff edge when they decided that it was time to set up camp. If it wasn't for the ever-increasing amount of the mainland that they could see, they wouldn't have felt that they had made much progress at all during the day. It also seemed that they were closer to the sea level, but with the random path that their hike had taken them, they hadn't gotten a sense of having descended, so they had no idea how tall the cliff was and certainly didn't want to risk getting too close to the edge to look.

Paula, aided by Belinda, started setting up camp and clearing a hearth for the fire, and Jim was just about to head into the nearby stand of trees and shrubs to get some firewood when Belinda suddenly yelled.

Concerned, Jim ran back. "What?"

"Ships!" Belinda pointed over the water and out into the distance.

Paula scurried to one of the backpacks laying on the ground. "Flares! Flares!"

Belinda began waving her arms wildly in the air and running towards the cliff edge.

"Belinda! Stay back," Jim warned. "Besides, they won't be able to see you that far away. We'll use the flares."

With all of the excitement and commotion, Jim, Paula, and Belinda had completely forgotten about Gordon.

"Jim..." Paula started.

Interrupting her, Jim insisted, "Where are the flares?"

Paula shook her head. "The ships are too far away. They are near the mainland." She sighed. "And even if they actually saw the flare this far away, they may not even think it's anything. Just a tiny speck of light at the top of a cliff on the edge of a deserted island. What would they do?"

Regretfully nodding, Jim supposed that Paula was right and that using one of their last remaining flares would be hopeless.

Hopeless like their situation now truly seemed to be.

Then Jim noticed Gordon.

"Gordon!" Jim shouted as he ran. "Come away from the cliff edge! It's not safe!"

Gordon turned, stumbled for a moment, and then fell.

Jim grabbed his arm just as Gordon's knees hit the ground. Terrified, Jim heard the clatter of falling rocks just behind Gordon. "Don't move," Jim hissed. "Carefully - but quickly - crawl towards me. Now."

Thankfully, Gordon did exactly as he was told. When they were both a few feet from the edge, Jim pulled Gordon to his feet. "Did you hear that? The cliff might have collapsed with you on it."

Gordon barely shrugged.

As they walked back to the women, Paula ran to Jim, hugged him, and gave him a kiss with more passion than either one of them had felt from the other in quite a long time.

"I thought I was going to lose you," she sobbed against his chest.

When Paula finally released him, it was Belinda's turn to give him a brief hug and kiss - this one just on the side of his stubbly cheek. "That was brave," she whispered as she felt a tingling between her legs.

Jim thought the women were overreacting, but he certainly liked the attention.

Gordon noticed that neither Belinda nor Paula had been worried about him. Maybe they wouldn't have cared if the cliff had collapsed and taken him with it. They wouldn't even miss him. All he was doing was trying to signal the ships for help. If he had signaled them, then he would have been the hero instead of Jim. Why not try the flares? The ships would see it. They would know something wasn't right. They would come and save them. At this point, the flares were really their only hope. Despite Paula not wanting to use the flares, Gordon knew the flares would save them.

And Gordon would be the hero.

Nodding to himself, Gordon sat on a small rock and stared out at the little boats nearly on the horizon. He dreamed that one of them was the Penny. Waiting for him. He knew that if only he could call to her, she would come to save him and take him home.

Home as a hero.

Home where he belonged.

Carefully, Gordon pulled the flare out from under his shirt. The girls were so busy fawning all over Jim - and Jim happily enjoying every second of it - that no one saw him grab it from beside the fire pit.

He looked up at the rapidly darkening sky.

Won't they all be surprised to find out that he was the actual hero?

No one saw Gordon stand up.

No one saw him take a few steps towards the cliff's edge.

No one saw him hold the flare above his head, aimed at the sky.

They all heard the bang and the whoosh of the parachute flare going off.

"Penny! Penny! Penny! Come and save me! Take me! Take me home!" Gordon screamed at the sea as he took another step towards the edge of the cliff.

Towards his salvation.

One more step.

Like a shot, Jim ran to him, grabbing one of his outstretched arms.

Gordon spun around, surprised that someone was trying to keep him from signaling for help, and saw that it was Jim.

Jim trying to keep him from being the hero.

Gordon tried to pull his arm free, and in the brief struggle, both men fell to the ground.

"Jim!" Paula shouted as she ran to the two men.

Belinda leaped to her feet. "Paula!"

But Paula had already stopped dead in her tracks.

Both women stared at the edge of the cliff where only one man could be seen lying at the grassy edge.

Chapter 6: Rescues and Redemption

Belinda watched as Jim carefully eased himself backwards away from the cliff and then stood up. He paused for a moment, looking at the edge where a large chunk of grass, and Gordon, had been just seconds before.

He slowly turned and looked at Paula.

And then he looked at Belinda.

The only sound was that of the waves crashing against the rocks many yards below them.

Waves that had crashed for an eternity.

Waves that would continue to crash for another eternity.

Over the distant thunder, there was a feeble grunt.

Jim turned back to face the sea.

Then a cough.

The waves faded into the background.

"Help..."

"Gordon?" Jim called.

"I... don't know how much longer... I can hang on."

"Gordon?" Jim repeated. By now, he was flanked by Paula on one side and Belinda on the other. All three trying desperately to peer over the edge. Desperate to help the man who seemed to have cheated death. Yet, hesitant to even move.

They watched, helplessly, as the fingers of one hand clawed at the earth, doing nothing but pulling dirt, grass, and small rocks down over the edge. The tips of fingers again, reaching up, two sets of fingers. Then fall away along with another clump of safety.

Gordon's voice rang out. The call of a wretched and lonely soul. "Help. Please."

"We're here!" Belinda replied. "We'll rescue you!"

Paula looked at Belinda and then back at the edge. "Okay. Gordon. Are you... safe?"

"I'm a bit scratched up, but no bones broken."

Paula shook her head at his misunderstanding. "Are you... holding something? Standing on something?"

"A bit of a ledge. A tree root. About fifteen feet up from the... rocks." There was a pause. "Don't let me die," Gordon moaned. "I was trying to help."

"We're going to save you, Gordon," Jim answered, trying his best to sound confident. A confidence that none of the four held. "I can crawl to the edge and reach down," Jim suggested, quietly, to Paula and Belinda.

The women glared at him.

"Don't you dare!" Paula said. "I can't risk losing you again."

Jim looked at the edge of the cliff and sadly could not disagree.

"How else can we pull him up?" Belinda asked.

"There's a rope in my backpack," Gordon called out weakly. "Get the rope."

"The rope!" Paula cried, already running back to the bags. In a flash, she was back, handing the rope to Jim.

"Gordon, we're going to toss the rope down," Jim said, coiling half of the rope into a few loose circles. "Ready?"

"Yes," replied Gordon weakly. "Hurry."

Without looking up, Gordon felt the rope slap against his back. Carefully, with one hand, he reached behind him, desperately grasping an old root with his other hand. "Do you have your end?" he hollered up to Jim.

"Yes."

"Okay." Gordon released his grip on the root, now holding onto the rope for dear life. His footing felt unsteady beneath him. "Pull me up! Pull me up!"

With the help of both Paula and Belinda, Jim began to pull on his end of the rope.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Gordon screamed, and the trio immediately froze.

"What?" Paula asked, her frantic mind racing through a multitude of scenarios. None of which ended well for Gordon.

"I can't get a proper grip on the rope."

Hopefully, Belinda asked, "Can you fasten it around your waist?"

Gordon grabbed the root again - it seemed to shift disturbingly in his fist - and hastily began to thread the rope through the belt loops around his waist. When he got it to the front again, he was unable to tie it. He had a critical decision to make. "Do you all have the rope tight?"

"Yes," all three shouted down, renewing their pull on the rope.

Tenuously, holding one end of the rope in his right hand, Gordon willed himself to let go of the root.

Jim, Paula, and Belinda felt a sudden tug at their end.

"Gordon?" Jim shouted.

"I'm okay. I just... have to tie..." Four dreadful seconds ticked away, and then Gordon yelled, "Pull! Pull me up!"

Everyone slowly but steadily pulled on the rope, while Gordon tried his best to climb the crumbling cliff face with his free hand - unwilling to take both hands off of the thin lifeline wrapped around his waist. As the three backed away from the cliff's edge, they saw fingers scrabbling at the deteriorating earth.

Pulling harder, they soon saw Gordon's face.

Then his shoulders

And then his entire upper body was lying on the grass at the top of the cliff.

Finally feeling safe enough, Gordon let go of the makeshift belt and scrambled towards safety.

Gordon staggered to his feet, and as the two women rushed towards him, he gingerly limped towards them.

"Are you okay?" Belinda asked, wrapping an arm around his waist while Paula took his other side.

Wincing in pain. "My ankle," was all Gordon was able to say.

With the help of his friends, he made his way to their camp, where Paula set about cleaning and dressing his wounds as Jim cut off the makeshift harness.

Finally, Gordon spoke again. "Sorry about that. I don't know what got into me. Maybe dehydrated. But I was just trying to help." A shallow breath hissed into him as Paula checked his already swelling ankle. "I don't know. I don't think I can continue on with this."

"Do you think it's broken?" Belinda asked.

"I don't think so," Paula answered. "But I don't know."

"Shit," Belinda muttered, standing back up. She looked at the rocky trail ahead of them, brightly lit by the moon above them, then turned to look at the dense forest heading inland.

"I can't walk on this, and we've run out of food," Gordon fretted behind her. "And water."

Suddenly, Belinda asked, "What's that?"

Jim stood next to her, looking into the dark trees. "What's what?"

Belinda pointed down into a valley.

For a moment, Jim saw nothing, but then a soft breeze shifted some leaves, and he saw a glint of light. He walked to the left and right a bit and then in towards the trees. "It almost looks like... solar panels? A tin roof? It's certainly something." Excitedly, he stated, "I'll go and look." And started walking straight into the inky dark of the jungle.

"Oh, no you don't!" shouted Paula, standing up. "We're sticking together in case anyone gets in trouble again. We'll all go."

Jim looked back, and the expression on Paula's face told him not to argue.

Within minutes, they were gingerly making their way down the steep slope, through the trees and brush, towards the sliver of hope that Belinda had seen in the distance. With the adrenaline of possible salvation, Gordon was able to weave his way downwards, leaning on Jim and using a hastily improvised tree branch as a crutch.

When they passed through the line of trees, the first thing they could see was a small bay and a pier with a boathouse at the shoreline. There was also the roof of a building, covered on one side with solar panels, a water tower, and some smaller outbuildings.

Carefully hurrying down the side of the valley, the four finally made it to the bottom. They could see that the main building was a small house, but no one answered the door when they repeatedly knocked. As Jim and the girls were debating how to gain access - and whether, given their circumstances, they should break in and deal with the consequences later - Gordon said, "You sort that out. I'm going to look at the boathouse," and he hobbled off.

Jim and Paula walked a second loop around the house, looking for any open windows, but when they got back to the front door, Belinda was gone! They were just about to call her name when the front door opened, and Belinda smiled and beckoned them in. "I thought I would just try the door, and it was unlocked. It looks currently lived in. There's even food in the kitchen!"

Jim and Paula stood there for a moment, open-mouthed, then they started laughing, and Jim said between gasps, "For once, things have gone right for us.... I hope the owners won't mind."

"Won't mind what?" asked Gordon from behind them. "You three having broken in?"

Paula turned to him. "We didn't break in. They left the door unlocked. There's also food. Hopefully, they won't mind us eating some of it."

"Well, we can pay them later. One thing is for certain, we won't be borrowing their boat to sail to the mainland."

"Why's that?" Asked Belinda.

"'Cause it's simply not there!" laughed Gordon. "Let's see this place then, lead the way." The others were relieved that Gordon's mood had brightened somewhat.

They went into the house and found that despite the large kitchen, separate dining room with a table for eight, large living room, and luxury bathroom, there was only one bedroom with a single king-sized bed. They decided the ladies would share the bedroom and Jim would sleep on the couch. Despite objections - and frankly concerns for his well-being - Gordon insisted that he would sleep down in the boathouse. There were some bunks. Besides, he told them, he wanted to be near the calming sound of the sea.

Having found that there was plenty of propane to heat the water, and despite their hunger, the first thing they did was take turns getting cleaned up.

"Ohhhh!" Paula sighed. "A hot shower!"

"Save some hot water for the rest of us," Jim jokingly admonished from the hallway.

"Then why don't you come in and join me?" Paula called back. "We can conserve water that way!"

Wide-eyed, Jim looked at Belinda, who had been standing with him in the hallway.

"Go on," Belinda nudged him.

Ten minutes later, a clean - and very happy couple - turned the bathroom over to a smiling Belinda. After she was done, Gordon took his turn.

As the women were now wearing a couple of robes they had found and the men had towels wrapped around them, Belinda gathered all of their clothing, and finding no washing machine, simply washed and rinsed them all in the kitchen sink and hung them on the back porch to dry.

The others checked out the food supplies in the kitchen and started to prepare dinner. Despite being hungry, they were not greedy with the food in the house, and Jim kept a record of exactly what they took. They reckoned that there was enough food to feed themselves for a week, although they all hoped that the owners would return well before then.

"Besides, my father will be looking for me," Gordon told them as they sat down to eat. "He knew where we were going and how long we were planning to be out." Then Gordon's eyes clouded. "Well, he knew where we had planned on going. Until we drifted off course, that is."

"Well, I think that our best bet is just to wait here. Something has to happen," Paula stated. "Someone will come back here. Someone will find us. Something..."

"Down at the boathouse, I found a flag and hung it at half-mast," Gordon said. "Maybe someone sailing past the bay will see it as a distress signal."

Jim, Paula, and Belinda looked at Gordon in awe of his ingenuity.

"What?" Gordon asked. "I'm not an idiot. And I want to get out of here, too, you know."

By the time they finished dinner, it was starting to get dark, and the four were exhausted, so they decided to just go to sleep. Anyone coming to rescue them could certainly wake them up for that!

"The clothes are still damp," Belinda reported after checking the porch.

"Robes and towels it is, then," Jim replied.

Paula shrugged. "Unless you want to wear some of the owners' clothing?"

None of them did. They were already invading a stranger's privacy enough.

They still could not convince Gordon to stay in the house, so Belinda ducked into the bathroom, traded her robe for an oversized towel, and gave the robe to Gordon. They also gave him a flashlight, water, and some snacks, and wished each other a good night's sleep.

Jim said goodnight to Paula and Belinda and headed for the couch while the girls went into the bedroom.

As even their undergarments were still damp - the girls climbed into bed and, remembering that first morning after the beaching, soon they were in an embrace, hands tracing each other's bodies as they kissed. Paula broke off the kiss and asked Belinda the question she had been wondering about. A question that Belinda didn't want to confess to.

"Belinda, honestly, what do you think of Jim?"

Belinda rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "What do you mean?"

"Just what I'm asking. What do you think of Jim?"

Belinda said nothing.

"Honestly," implored Paula.

Closing her eyes, Belinda started, "I'm sorry, Paula. I think Jim is so caring and intelligent and quite handsome. Someone who could be a better partner than most other men. I was hoping that Gordon would be the... right man to have a... But Jim..." She started to cry. "Oh, I feel so guilty for thinking such things."

Paula reached out and took one of Belinda's hands. "Gordon would be the right man to have what?"

"It's silly," Belinda mumbled. "I... I'm in no financial position to have..."

"To have a child? Is that what you wanted?"

Both women just stared at the ceiling until Belinda broke the silence. "Does... does this mean I can't move in with you?"

"Quite the opposite," Paula replied with a dry chuckle. "It means that Jim will be a very happy man to have two women in his life."

Belinda looked over at Paula. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't want a child, but Jim desperately wants to start a family."

Mouth agape, Belinda just stared at Paula in the dusky light.

"It may be unconventional, but... if it works for us... Is that something that we could talk about?"

Paula watched as Belinda processed what had been said. Then Belinda smiled shyly and nodded. That was all it took for Paula to pull Belinda back to her for a sensual kiss, their breasts mashing together in hopeful joy. When they finally came up for air, Belinda breathlessly asked, "What do we do now?"

Paula smiled. "I think we go out into the living room and bring our man to bed."

The girls slid out of bed, and crept out of the bedroom.

"Shhh," warned Belinda after Paula stepped on a creaky board.

'Sorry,' Paula mouthed back with a shrug.

As they peered into the living room, they could see Jim lying on the couch, a thin sheet over his lower body.

And a small tent over his groin.

Belinda giggled as quietly as she could.

"Hey," Paula whispered. The rest of what she said was for Belinda's ear only.

Paula and Belinda slinked across the room and stood by the couch. Looking down at her husband, Paula gently asked, "Jim?"

"Hmm?" was his groggy response.

Paula placed her hand over his eyes. "I have a surprise for you. Keep your eyes closed."

Bemused and a little confused, Jim agreed. "Okay."

With her other hand, Paula motioned for Belinda.

Belinda peeled the sheet back, exposing Jim's erection.

"Hmmm!" Jim expectantly sighed.

His sigh morphed into a low groan as he felt warm lips wrap around the head of his cock. "Ohhh..." He felt delicate fingers begin to explore his testicles as the lips worked their way down his shaft. A tongue played with the underside of his dick as fingers lightly swirled their way through his pubic hair.

The sexy dream that he had been having had exploded into an erotic reality.

With a passion that had been missing from their marriage for a long time, the blowjob continued.

"Oh, Paula. That feels sooo gooood," he moaned.

With her hand still over his eyes, Paula bent down to kiss him.

In growing ecstasy, Jim grabbed the back of her head and practically mauled her mouth with his tongue as the blowjob escalated to a roaring climax.

And then Jim opened his eyes.

He was staring into the smiling eyes of his wife while he unleashed a load of cum deep into... someone's throat.

"What's..." he murmured against Paula's lips.

"It's Belinda," Paula whispered. "If we're going to live together, we may as well make the most of it."

Blinking, his orgasm receding, Jim didn't know what to say.

Paula did the talking for him. "You want a child. I don't. She does. This solves everything," she stated. "Unless, of course, you have an objection."

This time, Belinda spoke up for him. "If his still-throbbing dick is any indication, I don't believe he has any objection at all."

Jim did not.

Paula stood back up, displaying her naked body to her husband, and said, "This couch can't be very comfortable. Come to bed."

Jim was more than happy to do as he was told.

All three in the bedroom, Paula and Belinda forced Jim to lie on his back where they each took turns reviving Jim's cock to full hardness, while his hands explored and pleasured both women's bodies. Paula straddled Jim's hips in cowgirl style, while Belinda not only looked on, but helped Jim penetrate his wife.

As soon as Paula settled in and began to ride Jim, Belinda moved to get her pussy over Jim's mouth. Using his tongue and fingers to pleasure her, Jim smiled at this sudden reversal of fortune regarding he and his wife's sex life.

Above him, Belinda reached out to Paula.

"Kiss me," she purred.

Leaning forward, Paula grabbed Belinda, and they were soon engaged in a passionate embrace, hands groping breasts, sliding along smooth curves, tenderly stroking turgid nipples, both women exploding with lust and desire.

Turned on by each other's arousal, Belinda and Paula orgasmed together.

Just as Jim was about to join them - and much to his utter disappointment - the women climbed off of him.

"Look at how sad he is," Paula teased. "Don't worry, we're just swapping places."

Jim stared at Paula as he entered another woman for the first time since he and Paula had met. Paula simply smiled and lowered herself to his eagerly waiting mouth.

A few minutes later, the three of them climaxed together, Jim filling Belinda's womb with his seed for the first time.

---

Down at the boathouse, Gordon had had an amazing, and well-needed, night of sleep, but the sound of a diesel engine and then the doors of the boathouse opening, flooding the inside with light, brought him out of it. Through blurry, sleep-filled eyes, he thought he saw the Penny, Jr. being brought in, and his eyes began to mist.

Blinking back tears, he swung his legs off the bunk, but to his dismay, he saw that it was a much bigger boat. Gordon stood up and shuffled forward. A tanned, sturdy-looking man with greying hair, who was standing on the deck of the boat, saw him. "And who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Gordon Chandler. We shipwrecked on the other side of the island and -"

The man cried out with a musical, rhythmic, and slightly nasal accent. "Thank the Saints and St. Christopher! One of you has survived!"

A petite woman joined the man on the deck, looking of a similar age, and in an even more musical voice, she said, "Praise the Lord and Jesus, your father will be so pleased. He will reward us well, won't he, meu marido."

"Please catch," the man said to Gordon, then threw him the mooring rope. Gordon hitched it to the bollard.

As he was doing this, the woman spoke again. "I'm Valentina, and this is my marido, or how you say, husband, Heitor, but why you no sleep in the casinha?"

"Sir, I saw the flag. Who has died?" Heitor asked.

"Nobody. I did that to signal distress."

"Have the women survived as well?" asked Valentina.

"And the outro homem? He, as well?" added Heitor.

Nodding, Gordon answered, "We all did. They are at the house."

A graceful younger woman joined them, looking like the older woman but even prettier. She smiled at Gordon, and he heard the voice of an angel speak. "Bom dia, senhor. I am Gabriela. Did you say the women are in the little house?"

Gordon, in love already, gulped and replied, "Yes, they are."

Gabriella hopped off of the boat, skipped up to Gordon, and gave him a kiss on each stubbly cheek. "Such a valiant gentleman to sleep here and let the others have the luxury we left should you find us. Let us find them." And she looped her hand through his arm and led the way to the house.

Gordon winced as he hobbled.

"Are you okay?" Gabriella asked, full of concern.

"Oh, it's nothing," Gordon stated, putting on a brave face.

Gabriella held him close. "Such a brave, noble hombre. When we get to the house, I will take extra special care of you."

Back at the house, Paula and Belinda were preparing breakfast. "Go and fetch Gordon," Paula told Jim. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

Not one to argue, especially after their experiences last night and what he had been told his life would now entail, Jim opened the front door, but just stood on the threshold.

Belinda looked over and jokingly said, "What's the matter, stud? Lost the ability to walk?"

"Um..." was all Jim could muster. Gordon was making his way towards the house with a woman by his side and two others right behind them.

Paula came to the door. She grabbed Jim. "We're saved!" She squealed.

Jim laughed. "I would say so. And they all seem happy, so I don't think we are in too much trouble."

Over breakfast, they gave the Ferreira family the full account of the disaster and their trek around the island. The family was impressed by their survival skills, and Gabriella was shocked to hear that Gordon had nearly fallen to his death.

"You are so brave!" she exclaimed, warmly hugging his right arm.

When they had finished eating, Paula apologized for eating their food. Valentina laughed. "Senhora, do not apologize. We stocked it all up for you. We knew that we would find you." Her gaze fell to the floor. "We knew that we would find you. Our prayers were answered."

"The Lord sent a bright star to lead us to you," Gabriella added.

"The flare?" Jim mumbled, and Jim, Paula, and Belinda all stared at Gordon.

"The flare you set off saved us!" Belinda cried.

"You are a hero, mi amor!" Gabriella screamed, hugging Gordon even tighter.

When breakfast was finished, the four women started clearing up and Heitor took the men outside and, speaking privately to Gordon, said, "And now senhor Gordon, we need to discuss your abandoned and floundered barcos."

Gordon seemed confused. "What is there to discuss? They are lost." He said with a hint of sadness.

Heitor laughed, such a change of tone. "We recovered your barco menor from the beach, as instructed by your father, and now you are safe; we have permission to salvage your iate, unless there was someone on it that we didn't know?"

Gordon could hardly believe his ears. "What? Junior is safe?" He smiled. "And you can salvage Penny?"

Now Heitor was confused. "Who is this Penny you speak of? A pet? As you said nobody was on board when it foundered."

Gordon laughed, "No. It's what I call the boat. Its real name is the Penny-Farthing. Actually a joke for the pair of boats. A British term for a high-wheeler bicycle that had a big and little wheel."

Heitor dutifully laughed, not understanding Gordon's humor.

"And now we need to contact your father to tell him the good news. But to do that, we need to go back to the Descoberta to radio him." So the pair went down to the boathouse, leaving Jim to return to the house.

During the rest of the morning, they discussed getting the party back to the mainland and then arranging for Jim, Paula and Belinda to get back home, for some reason not mentioning Gordon's plans. Then the women set about preparing dinner while Gordon and Jim helped Heitor with a few things around the place.

After dinner, Belinda caught Gordon's attention, and they both stepped out onto the porch. They both looked at each other in the growing gloom. "Gordon," Belinda quietly started, "we both know things haven't been right between us, and this... this little adventure of ours has confirmed that. But... when we get back home... I think I need to move out." She looked into his eyes. "I see that you aren't very upset."

"No. You're right. This," he motioned between them, "wasn't working out."

"Gabriella seems very taken with you."

Gordon blushed. "Maybe..."

"She's very pretty."

Changing the subject, Gordon confirmed that he would not be flying home with them. "Heitor told me that they have already salvaged the Penny, Jr. - and maybe would even be able to salvage the Penny-Farthing - so, I will stay here to help with that."

"You'll be no help at all," Belinda joked, giving him a light jab in his arm. "You just want to stay here with Gabriella."

Gordon shrugged, but his face was beaming.

---

Three months later, Gordon sailed the salvaged Penny-Farthing back home, though now renamed Ressurgida, with junior renamed Salvadora. He had radioed ahead, and Jim, Paula, and Belinda met him at the dock as the yacht came in. Gordon was standing on deck to throw the lines ashore so they knew someone was piloting the boat.

Gordon stepped on the dock and greeted them all.

"It's good to see you," Belinda told him as they hugged hello.

Gordon smiled. "It's good to see you, too." He looked at Belinda at arm's length. "You look wonderful. You're absolutely glowing."

Belinda smiled back at him. "I'm pregnant."

At that moment, Gabriella stepped up behind Gordon and put her arm around him, prompting him to say, "Well, I, we, have news as well. Everyone, meet the soon-to-be Mrs Chandler!"

With that, Gabriella extended her left hand and waved her fingers, displaying an impressive engagement ring. Paula and Belinda moved closer to Gabriella to get a better look and to congratulate her, before the three women headed off to the restaurant chatting animatedly. Jim and Gordon, exchanged looks and a handshake before they followed the ladies and started talking about the latest Sports news!

Terminar

------

This story was written as a partnership between Alex Fourways and me.

It didn't follow the normal chain-story format.

Instead, we discussed basic ideas for the chapters, and then Alex wrote the first chapter. I then exercised my particular skills in adding and subtracting. Alex did some technical edits based on internet research.

Then he wrote the next chapter, back to me, and so on.

I likened our roles to that of Alex as Screenwriter and me as Director.

If you want more of Alex's saucy writing, and you should, start your journey with The Life Changing Challenge. The rest of his works are here at Alex's Stories! Enjoy!