8
Day 20 - Juliet
The sound of water falling flowed behind me as I soaked in the pond. Nature’s lullaby surrounded me with the chorus of birds and the rustle of a breeze. Lillian had warned me the fresh water would be cold, but emptying my mind would change the temperature.
“Become one with nature. Free yourself,” she told me after she first brought me to the island. “The power to change lies within you.”
On her most recent visit, she mentioned that I’d lost weight. She looked concerned, but I assured her I was fine. I wasn’t giving up on the experiment. I wasn’t ready to return home. I had more to learn about the island and myself. I don’t know why, but I didn’t mention my island neighbor.
Have you experienced anything unusual on the island?
I should have told her, so when she appeared one visit and I was dead, she’d know who’d done it. Cupping water in my hands, I poured it over my head, hoping to rid my thoughts of him. He had stared at me with venom in those eyes. I’d had the strength to kill once before, but I lost my willpower the night I hoped to take him. Kill me. His tone reeked with a hint of desire for the deed to be done. Something in his stance expressed his hope to be finished. But finished from what?
I suspected a boat came for him, and I was surprised he hadn’t left. Maybe he was in the same social experiment as me, but I doubted he’d volunteered. I knew of him only from the club. Some billionaire playboy—Daddy’s protégé—entitlement and money. Things I didn’t care one lick about in the grand scheme of life, but I couldn’t keep my eyes from him then. I only wanted a fresh start for myself and had every intention of fulfilling that goal until that night.
I closed my eyes as I settled into the cool liquid. I would not think of such things as that night, Rick Fontaine, or Tack Corbin. While his eyes haunted me behind my lids, I emptied my mind of all other things related to him. I would not think of his firm thighs. I refused to give into the pressure of his hands that lingered on my hips. I rejected the hungry taste of his lips.
My body eased into the watery haven as I inhaled deeply and released slowly. Letting my arms drift caused subtle ripples and I willed the tension of my body to dissipate. My arms floated before falling to dead weights and coming to rest next to my sides. I sat on a natural ledge within the pond and my legs flexed before unknotting the tension in them. I became one with my surroundings and aware of my breathing.
Not certain how long I stayed in this state, my mind flipped through memories like a picture book. Each negative thought turned over like an unread page. A snapshot of my parent’s two caskets. An image of the sinister smile on my uncle’s face. A photograph of Rick’s body draining of blood. A video of me withering from the intrusion of his body. I did not wish to review my life. I just wanted to sit. I longed for peace.
I might have dozed. And then I felt a presence—the weight of being watched. My lids lazily opened, revealing my predator on the rocky cliff above me. He stood as he had the first time I saw him, but this time I did not scream. The coldness of the water rushed over me as the connection with nature was broken, but I did not flinch in the chilly pond.
The power rests in me, I told myself.
He didn’t speak, only stared, our eyes connecting over the valley of space. The rush of water from the fall behind me softened, slowly slipping away. The brightness of the day heightened, illuminating him. My body felt so tranquil, even his domineering stance would not rouse me from my calm. I stood slowly, letting the water cascade down my shoulders and over my breasts, dripping off the sharp, cold peaks. As I stood, he lowered to a crouch. He appeared perched to pounce, but I reminded myself I was in control. His eyes remained on me. I told myself he was bowing to a queen.
My hands rose to swipe back my damp hair, the movement accentuating my breasts, forcing them forward. More water rippled off of them and his eyes didn’t leave the display. I slipped my fingers across my chest, reaching for each opposite shoulder in preparation to cover myself and then decided against it. He would not control me. A sense of empowerment flooded through me, and I lowered my palms, allowing each to caress a breast. Cupping myself, the weight of heavy globes filled with achy need, peaked by the heated desire in his eyes. The subtle roll of his throat alerted me to his struggle. He hungered for me.
After pinching each nipple, my hands skated down my sides, dipping below the water line that covered the tip of curly, black hairs. I left him no doubt where those fingers traveled, and I focused on him as I stroked over tenderly bruised skin. I’d worked my own flesh too often lately, but I couldn’t give up the strength I felt watching him, watching me.
The pressure built slowly as each finger took a turn combing over deep folds. The cold water was a new sensation as I concentrated on it, like a refreshing breeze between my thighs or a soft rush of breath from a lover. I’d never experienced love before, but I imagined gentle touches would be part of it. I didn’t want to look away from him, but the intensity of the green eyes narrowed on me forced my eyes to close. The spell wasn’t broken. Circular brushes and the ripple of water between my thighs increased the slow build-up. The crawl of pleasure took its time, fluttering down my belly and licking up my legs before releasing from me. One hand reached forward for the rocky backing to this natural ledge. Steadying myself, my fingers continued to separate me as I took sharp, short breaths with each clench. Finally subsiding, a sense of peace came over me. My legs quaked. Slowly, I lifted my head.
He sat in a relaxed position, perched on one hand, looking down at me. His expression stoic, his eyes danced, sparkling in the reflection of the sunshine. I bit the corner of my lip, refusing to give him the smile fighting to curve my mouth and hint at my satisfaction. Empowerment reigned over me. My fingers retreated from between my thighs, and I turned for the water’s edge opposite him. Climbing out of the pond, I did nothing to hide my naked body. I bent at the waist, giving him a full view of my backside as I picked up my clothing. Then, I walked away from him.