The moment my feet hit the marble tile of the grand entrance of the resort, the sounds of authentic rock music filter through the lobby. The grand entrance is spacious, decadent, and over-the-top indulgent. Chairs with beautiful floral prints are spaced throughout the area making the entryway breathtaking.

“Welcome to The Hard Rock Café Punta Cana.” A gentleman extends his arm out, balancing a tray of drinks with umbrellas and wedges of fruit on the glasses.

“Why, thank you.” I nod my head and take a drink from him. All the girls do the same and we walk toward the counter to check in.

We approach the counter and a handsome man with short black hair and skin like caramel speaks as we approach the desk. “Welcome, my name is Miguel. How can I help you?” I love his accent. His English is great, but I can tell it’s not his native language.

“Hello, Miguel. My friends and I just got here. We’d like to check in,” Morgan replies.

“Your name, please,” Miguel asks.

“The reservation is under Morgan Kennedy.”

Miguel hits the keys on his keyboard. “Awe, here you are. Let's get you ladies checked in and I will have you escorted to your suite.”

A few minutes pass and a bell hop arrives.

“You will be staying in our Signature Presidential Suite. It comes with everything,” the bell hop explains as he places our luggage on a golf cart.

“What’s your name?” Karsen asks our bellman.

“My name is Carlos,” he responds with an accent.

He navigates down a few walkways.

“Please, do not leave the resort. It is not safe outside of here,” his voice is filled with concern.

“Thank you, Carlos. Our travel agent explained that to me when I booked the trip,” Morgan responds.

We stop outside of a gorgeous building and exit the golf cart. Carlos opens the door to our suite and allows us to enter.

The four of us walk inside and check the suite out, stopping at the amazing view that greets us as we walk inside.

Carlos places our bags near the front door, briefly telling us what amenities we have at our disposal.

“Here ya go, gracias,’ Karsen says as she tips Carlos.

“De nada.” He nods his head.

Inside the suite there is a spacious living room and a dining room. Pop art decorates the walls creating a hip ambiance.

“The suite has two bedrooms. The room over to the right has a king-size bed, I figured you and I could share that. The other room has two double beds,” Morgan states.

I grab my luggage and pull it into my room. “Whatever you girls want to do, I am good with.”

“Come here, check this out.” I pull the sliding doors open and I inhale the fresh smell of the ocean. An expansive terrace sits outside of our living room.

A hot breeze rushes through my hair, as I stand there. I can taste the salt from the ocean in the air. The sea is a jewel-blue. Seagulls swoop overhead. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore is a song that soothes me. I’m glad to get away from the hurly-burly and stresses of life.

I see dolphins flipping in and out of the heavy waves of the sea. Their bodies flash in steel-grey. It is a skin-tingling experience to witness them frolicking in the sea.

“Look at that spectacular view,” I say.

“We can lounge out there or even dine on the terrace,” Morgan states. “We even have our very own in-house personal assistant, as well.”

I flop myself down on our bed and pick up the brochure that is on the nightstand. The resort has thirteen luxurious pools with swim-up bars and water slides. There are nine restaurants that are perfectly suited for every taste.

“We have a ton of options for meals. We can grab a quick bite at the deli for lunch. There's an ice cream parlor, too. I can foresee me gaining at least five pounds on this trip, ladies,” I say as I browse the brochure, deciding on where we can eat.

Lindsey appears in the doorway. “Morgan, you made the reservations for dinners already, right?”

“Yeah, each night is one of the restaurants we picked. Tonight, is the one I selected, Italian. Tomorrow night, we’re doing the Asian cuisine you picked.”

“Does that mean sushi?” I ask excitedly.

“Yes, since we know your obsession with it,” Lindsey laughs.

Morgan lays on the bed next to me, head on my lap. I take a piece of her loose hair and twirl it around my finger. “Karsen picked where we eat on Sunday and she opted for the steak and seafood. That leaves Monday, and I figured we could go back to one of those restaurants or we can do the brick-oven pizza place. We have several options, whatever you want to do, Cami.”

“You girls have this trip totally under control. I’m starving now, do you just want to order room service, then head to the pool?”

“Sounds good to me. I’m going to go change into my bathing suit,” Lindsey says.

Morgan gets up and walks out to the living room. She returns with her luggage in tow. “Don’t bother unpacking yet, just change into your bathing suit. There’s no time to waste so we’ll do that when we get back from the pool.”

* * *

A tall, slim figure blocks the sun. I lift my head from the lounge chair by the pool where I’ve been sunbathing and relaxing for the past three hours, drinking Presidente beer. I pull my ear bud from my ear. “Would you like another drink?” A waiter stands next to me with a tray in his hand.

“Yes, please. I’m going to try something different. Can I get a Dirty Monkey?”

The waiter raises a questioning brow at me.

“I didn’t see it on the menu, but it is ah-mazing.” I lift my fingers to my lips and kiss the tip of my thumb and pointer finger. “It is almost as good as an orgasm from my amazing fiancé.”

The waiter’s chin dips down. He makes eye contact with me and exchanges a smile. He shakes his head. When he speaks, he stutters. “Yes, yes, ma’am. Would you like anything else?”

“No, that should be all.”

The delicious concoction is made in a blender with ice, vodka or rum, banana liqueur, Kahlúa, cream, and half a banana. Let’s not mention that the glass is decorated with chocolate syrup!

Morgan forgot to tell us that she hired a butler to wait on us. He informed us that he will do his best to provide us with the best experience possible while staying at the resort. He will provide drinks and food to us while we are at the pool or on the beach. It’s amazing. I don’t have to leave the comfort of my chair to have a Dirty Monkey and a platter of nachos.

My eyes bounce around the pool trying to find the girls. I notice Karsen on the other side by the edge of the pool talking to some guy. He towers over her small frame. His shoulders are a yard wide and molded bronze. His muscular arms are covered in colorful tattoos, reminding me of Jamie’s. His stance emphasizes the force of his thighs and the slimness of his hips where his swim trunks hang low and I can see the top of that magical V beginning.

Karsen laughs at whatever he said. He places his hand on the low of her back. I wonder how long the two of them have been talking because it’s obvious they are already on very friendly terms.

“Cami,” Morgan yells from the pool. “Come in, we’re getting ready to play volleyball. We need more players.”

I slide my sunglasses down my nose and shake my head. “I think I’ll pass.”

“Get your ass in the pool now,” Morgan stands with her hands on her hips.

“You’re crazy. Just play the game and when you’re done, come hang with me,” I yell back at her and slide my sunglasses back in place.

“You’re going to regret not coming in,” she hollers back.

A screech leaves my throat. “What the hell!” I scream.

Strong arms scoop me up. My body is off the chair before I even know what the hell is happening. His arms are under my legs and are wrapped securely around my back. He runs and jumps in the deep end of the pool with me still tightly against his chest.

We hit the water. I am still being held tightly by this stranger. I struggle to get out of his arms. I kick my feet, feeling contact against this body. I push away and swim toward the surface.

“My top,” I scream at Morgan. My arms instinctively cover my chest. My hands ball into fists. I am going to kill this guy. Who the hell is he? Why would he pick me up and jump in the pool?

“Oh, shit.” She laughs. “You don’t have to worry about drowning. Those things are natural buoys.”

Through gritted teeth, “I am going to kill you. I swear.”

My bikini top floats away from me. Morgan swims over and hands me my top. “Here, turn around, I’ll tie it.” Quickly and as discreetly as possible, she puts my top back on.

Morgan wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. “Just think, Jamie jumped in the pool naked at your birthday when you were a kid. It was your turn to cannonball naked in the pool.”

I splash water in her face. “Very funny.”

A guy swims over and stands. He’s tall, rawboned, and beardless, with an appealing face. His chest is broad and muscular. He holds his hands in the air. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I’m really sorry.” His tone is apologetic.

My eyes bounce from the guy to Morgan.

Morgan shrugs her shoulders and makes an apologetic face. She slides her sunglasses on her head. “Camryn knows you didn’t mean it. It’s my fault I asked you to toss her in the pool.”

I take a deep breath. “Apology accepted. I know you didn’t mean for my top to come off.”

He extends his hand out, “Friends?”

I nod and take his hand in mine and shake it. “Friends.”

Morgan claps her hands together. “Great, now let's play some volleyball.”

This is not how I intended my girls’ weekend to start off.

I expected to relax.

I expected lots of drinks with umbrellas.

I expected to soak up the sun while listening to music.

I just wanted to relax.

I hope this isn’t a preview of what the rest of the trip is going to be like.

With Morgan Kennedy as my best friend, you never know what to expect.

* * *

“Have you seen Morgan?” I ask Karsen who is sitting next to me in the VIP section Morgan reserved.

“I haven’t seen her in a while, now that I think of it. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere.”

“Oh. My. God,” Lindsey screeches and points to the dance floor. “How did she pull that off?” she asks.

Karsen and I both stand and walk over to the balcony and follow where Lindsey is pointing. We stand there, surprised at what we see. The shock of discovery hits me full force. What the hell is she doing? Has she lost her mind?

Karsen’s mouth drops open.

Morgan is so unpredictable. We never know what she will get herself into, but she’s always been the life of a party. Loud mouth, funny, full of life. She definitely knows how to have a good time.

My eyes meet Karsen’s, shock causes words to wedge in my throat.

“I can’t believe she's in there,” Karsen says pointing to Morgan.

Our lovely, vibrant friend is swaying her hips, while she's dancing inside a cage that hangs from the ceiling. The damn ceiling.

“One Dance” by Drake ft. Wizkid, Kyla blare through the speakers. Colored lights flicker throughout the club pulsing to the beat of the song. Black lights capture Morgan as she swings her hips to the beat, the light highlighting the white strapless dress with bright flowers.

The cage appears to be invisible as if she is dancing on a platform in the middle of thin air.

The song changes to “Not Myself Tonight” by Christina Aguilera. Morgan bends over trailing her hand from her ankle slowly, seductively up her leg. She leans her head back, running her fingers through her hair while still dancing to the beat.

A spotlight appears on Morgan and the crowd on the dance floor seems to notice her in the cage, as well. Our girl is putting on quite the little show for the club tonight.

“I’ve got to send this to Jamie.” I grab my phone from my purse and snap a few pictures and take a short video.

“Put your phone away. What happens in Punta Cana, stays in Punta Cana!” Lindsey yells over the music.

I ignore Lindsey and record Morgan’s little performance. I attach a few pictures and load the video to Jamie with the caption. ‘Things just got quite interesting. Love ya, hope you’re having a blast in Vegas.’

I slip my phone back into my clutch. Morgan continues to dance seductively, her hips never missing a beat. The racier she dances, the more the crowd reacts. They are egging her on. The louder they cheer, the more provocative she dances. She has always been a great dancer. But this is something else. If she was down on the floor, I’d bet people would toss dollars at her.

When the song ends, the spotlight that was on the cage goes out. In the distance, I can see the cage lowering to a nearby platform.

Morgan exits and makes her way through the crowd on the dance floor, people stopping her along the way talking to her. When she joins us, we all fire off questions.

“What the hell was that about?” I yell.

“Are you crazy?” Karsen asks.

“What?” she responds innocently.

“Don’t give us that act. You know exactly what we’re talking about,” Karsen screams over the music.

Morgan simply shrugs her shoulder and laughs. The bitch laughs in our faces.

She turns and points to the empty cage. “That, my friends, is me having one hell of a fucking time.”

My tongue is tied. I am momentarily speechless.