Masquerade

An adult stories – Masquerade by Gumbo25,Gumbo25 Once again a long story. I understand that short stories can be preferable. This is just how my stories play out. Not much sex so if that’s what you are after, there are many good authors that can provide that.

One other thing, if you are the type of reader who says, ‘that could never happen’ or ‘this person would never do that’, you may not want to read this story.

If you do read it, I hope you like it. I enjoyed writing it.

Masquerade

Even fifteen minutes ago if someone had told me that my wife Mei was having some type of affair, I would have laughed. At that moment, ever so shortly ago, I had 100% faith in my wife’s fidelity. In fact I don’t believe I’ve ever even considered any type of unfaithful scenario..

But, after hearing what I just did suddenly I was feeling brand new emotions. Doubt, mistrust, and anger.

It was truly a coincidence. If I hadn’t just happened to see Don Masters at Sea Tac my world would have been blissfully and ignorantly normal.

But that’s not what happened.

The Master’s lived next door to us in Bellevue when we moved in after we were first married. We bought our house, and soon found out that Don and Caroline Masters were our next door neighbors. They were about ten years older than us and had two grade school aged children.

For the two years they lived next door we became friendly, if not outright friends. They eventually moved to Kirkland and for the most part we lost track of them other than a random Christmas card every year or so.

When I saw him at the luggage carousel I immediately recognized Don and greeted him. We stood for a minute gathering our social equilibrium. Don told me he was coming back from a business trip to California.

I asked about Caroline and the kids and he said all was normal, everyone was doing well, and that the two boys were in high school.

“So,” he began, “are you single now?”

“Single?” I asked surprised, “no Mei and I just celebrated our sixth anniversary. Why did you think I was single?”

I saw a strange look pass over him. He stared at me, at a loss for words.

“Don, what!?” I asked, responding to his silence.

“Look,” he began, “I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure I saw Mei a few months ago in LA. It was a coincidence just like this.”

“Okay?” I asked, still confused. “But why would that make you think we weren’t together?”

He stared at me with a strange expression on his face. Finally he replied.

“Maybe it’s nothing, but,” he said, “I saw her at Il Mangiare with her arms around some guy. I was there with clients and they were in the bar.”

I knew Mei traveled to Southern California some times, that was where the office of Trans-Pacific Financial was located. Her father’s company. She was a Vice President at the Seattle branch. She flew down every month or two.

“Are you sure it was Mei?” I asked, wondering if this was all some mistake.

“Pretty sure it was her, in fact as she walked by we made eye contact and she kind of waved at me. It was definitely Mei.”

I thought for a moment.

“Can you describe the guy?” I asked.

“Yeah, I got a good look at him, Asian guy. Tall, actually quite tall. Slim, dressed in a nice suit. He looked professional.”

Immediately I knew who it was. David Chan. He worked at Trans Pac too. Chan was her father’s golden boy. In fact if things had gone her father’s way, he’d be the one Mei was with. Not me.

I thought for a minute about her father, Long Pham. He’d never liked me. Though he never said so, the fact that Mei married me bothered him. That was ironic because Mei’s mother seemed to like me.

I continued lost in thought after hearing all this.

“Well anyway,” Masters interrupted my thoughts, “there’s my bag, better go.” And then with a last concerned look on his face he clapped me on the shoulders and told me to take care.

After fighting the normal, terrible, Puget Sound traffic I finally got home a little before seven PM.

I walked in the house and I saw Mei on her phone, headset on, pacing the living room. She gave me a smile and a small wave of her hand and then motioned toward the headset. Solving some type of business woe.

My office was on the main floor near the entry. I was a residential building contractor. I normally built two or three custom homes a year and made reasonably good money. I sat at my desk and for the moment, compartmentalized the information from Don Masters.

I had a large plat map on my desk for a new community I was developing called Samish Meadows. This was most definitely a bigger project than I’d ever tackled before. There were 40 homesites. I’ve invested all my resources in this and I still needed help on the project.

Surprisingly the financing came from Trans Pac, and Mei’s father, Long Pham. I’d hoped that a business relationship would strengthen our personal relationship.

It hadn’t.

Eventually Mei got off the phone. She kissed me as I entered the kitchen. She noticed my lack of enthusiasm in responding to her.

“Bad day?” She asked.

All the way home my thoughts had churned. Do I ignore what Masters had said? Do I hire some sort of investigator to get proof? Or, do I just confront her, maybe there was some type of logical explanation.

I sat down on a stool, turned and faced her. I took option 3.

“I ran into Don Masters at Sea Tac,” I said and watched her.

She did a good job holding it together but I saw the slight flash of panic on her face. No reply from Mei.

“So is it David Chan?” I asked.

Once again she paused. Finally subdued, she took a deep breath and answered.

“Devin,” she said to me, “it’s nothing. David has been a family friend for a long time. I love you. You are my husband. Anything with David is unimportant.”

I felt my heart beginning to break. I look at Mei. Beautiful, intelligent, fun to be with, and about ninety minutes ago I would have added trustworthy. It was hard to say that now.

“Devin please!” She begged. “It’s nothing. I’ll break things off with David. Please let’s get past all this. It doesn’t matter.”

“I need to think,” I somberly told her, “I’m going to sleep down here tonight,” nodding toward my office.

“Devin, no! Please come to bed with me! Please!” She begged

— — — — — — — — — —

I met Mei at a party thrown by a friend of a friend. She had recently moved to Seattle from Southern California. I had always been attracted to women of her type. She was of mixed ethnicity. Later she explained her father was Vietnamese and her mother’s family were French.

Her father was in the financial business and they were establishing a presence in the Puget Sound area. That’s what brought her to Seattle, she was opening a branch here. She complained about the weather, but also noted the beauty of the mountains and the water.

That night I invited her out on my boat for the following day. She accepted. We hit it off and soon began dating regularly. I remember the first time I met her parents.

It was her mother’s birthday and her father had requested Mei to fly down to California to help celebrate. We met her father, Long, and her mother Sophia, at The Capital Grille.

I had not been informed that my accompaniment was a surprise. At least to her father. When I introduced myself I was met with a stony look and a limp hand. This greeting set the stage for our relationship moving forward.

He never liked me.

I never understood if he felt I was not good enough for his daughter, or whether it was our differences he didn’t care for, or possibly just a general distaste. I never completely knew.

When I asked her about his less than welcoming attitude, Mei just laughed it off.

“That’s just my Dad.” She smiled and told me, “he gets grouchy sometimes.” She explained.

I knew grouchy and that was not what I was getting from Long. I’d put it far closer to hatred.

We eventually got married and though her father paid a lot of the expenses for the wedding, any kindness on his part was 100% focused on Mei. There was no change in his attitude toward me after we were married.

Mei’s mother was always polite and treated me nicely, but there was no doubt who the dominant one was within the family. Long ran the show.

Years later when I had the opportunity to buy the acreage that would become Salish Meadows the financing came from Long and Trans Pacific Financial.

Mei had suggested talking to her father about the opportunity and during the months we put the deal together Long was better. We actually had conversations about the project and it felt like there was a greater acceptance of me on his part.

This did not translate into any type of long term bonding between us, but there was a small thaw. I’d grown to accept the nature of our relationship and tried not to let it bother me much.

— — — — — — — — — —

That night I slept little. It had nothing to do with the uncomfortable couch. One of the main pillars of our relationship had fractured. Trust. I tried to imagine forgiveness, and somehow I felt I could muster up enough emotion to grant this.

What I didn’t think I’d be able to gain back is the trust. I imagined my angst every time she had to travel to California. Would I be wondering if she’d end up in bed with David Chan? Or someone else?

Somehow in my deep swirling thoughts I began to blame her father. I could imagine him trying to engineer the intrusion of Chan into our marriage. One thing that didn’t change was my trust in Long. I never trusted him in the first place.

Finally after a long night of tossing and turning I decided not to make a decision just yet. Divorce was certainly a viable option. But I wanted to see if I had the ability to forgive her and trust her again.

For the next few weeks we tried to function as a married couple. We discussed her affair with Chan until finally I said to her one night, “I don’t want to talk about that guy anymore.”

It was a strained and unnatural few weeks. We made love a few times but absent was the depth of affection we normally had. I wasn’t sure if we were making any progress.

One night she came home with a more somber look on her face. The tension in our home, which had been high anyway, was worse tonight. Finally she told me what was going on.

“I have to go to California next week. I’ll be gone four days,” she told me, eyes cast downward not making contact with me.

I sat there for a moment absorbing and processing this news.

“Will Chan be there?” I asked calmly. I watched her.

Still not looking at me, she gave me a barely perceptible nod, confirming his presence.

The strain in our household the few days leading up to her trip if possible increased. She would beg my forgiveness and I would rarely answer. It was becoming unsustainable.

It was a quiet morning the day she left. She insisted on Uber’ing to the airport. I was relieved. I wanted to avoid another hour of uncomfortable conversation in the car.

Partway through her trip I decided that we could not go on like this. After replaying all my options, sadly I realized, divorce was the only solution. My trust in her was completely fractured.

Through a bit of networking I found a divorce lawyer. I wasn’t after some blood thirsty shark. I was just looking for a quiet and fair split. And actually with the prenuptial her father insisted upon, there would be little doubt about the division of assets.

She returned that Thursday night and I had the certificate of dissolution of marriage documents on the dining room table. I told her we needed to file with the circuit court at the county courthouse.

She begged and wept and pledged her love to me. I wasn’t heartless and there were times I held her and apologized.

“Devin please,” she said, tears on her cheeks, “let’s not decide anything immediately. Let’s try for a bit. I think we can get over all this.”

The following day I received a call. A phone call I’d never expected to get.

It was her father, Long Pham.

“My daughter Mei is unhappy.” He stated. “You need to let things go.” He continued. “I need you to forget about any divorce. Make Mei happy.”

“Long, I mean Mr Pham,” I began, “this is a problem between Mei and I. I appreciate your concern, but this is something we need to work out together. I hope you understand?”

“Concern!” He nearly shouted into the phone, “I have no concern for you. I just need daughter happy and wife happy. For some reason that I do not know, she wants to stay married. I expect you to accept this.”

And with not so much as a goodbye, the conversation had ended. It was obvious Long was used to getting his way.

We had two or three more tearful discussions, but in the end the trust issue was one I could not see myself getting over. After we had that final conversation she retreated to her room and I thought I heard a long hushed phone conversation.

I was pretty sure I knew who she was talking to.

By the weekend we were addressing the practical matters of our failed marriage. Who would live where and who was getting what piece of furniture. Gone was the loving attitude that just weeks ago symbolized our marriage.

No, I was seeing a new side of Mei. And it seemed an awful lot like her father.

Two weeks later and I was in a small condo in Renton, Mei kept the house. I was involved with my development. Once this came together I was poised to make a lot of money. At least this was one positive thing going on in my life I thought.

That morning I received a call from the office of Maple Wood Road and Paving, the contractor that was putting in the roadways at Samish Meadows.

“We need our next installment,” the accounts receivable clerk told me. Huh, I thought. There was supposed to be an automatic payment. Why hadn’t the payment transferred over to them?

I told them there must be a slight mistake. Not to worry, I’d take care of it. I called the finance company and asked them to expedite the payment to Maple Wood. There was a pause, and I was put on hold. When the representative came back on line she referred me to a phone number in California.

At this point I wasn’t worried. More annoyed with the runaround.

I called the California number for Trans Pacific. I asked about the scheduled funding for my project. Once again, I was put on hold. And then several minutes later a new voice came on the phone.

“David Chan, how may I help you?”

Chan? For a minute I froze not replying to him.

“Hello?” He questioned.

“Yes, this is Devin Baxter,” I began. “I have a scheduled transfer on my loan that didn’t get administered. I’d like that expedited for vendor payments.”

“Devin,” he began, “we’d met a few times.”Yes, let me bring your file up.”

I heard the clacking of his keyboard as he searched the files. Finally he came back on the line.

“Okay,” he slowly said as if he was reading the document. “Have you talked to Long, Mr Pham about this lately?”

I told him I hadn’t and I asked why. He told me that the loan had been suspended but there was no specifics given. Just that Long Pham, my ex-father in law, had stopped the funding of the project.

When I asked if he was in, Chan told me that he was in Asia for the week and not expected back until a week from Monday. I quickly and quietly disengaged. Something close to panic was spreading across my chest. Would that asshole really do this to me?

I sat and thought. I had invested everything I had in acreage that was to be Samish Meadows. Nearly $400,000. My loan from Trans Pac for the balance was secured by the land. I needed the Trans Pac funding to develop the land and turn it into cash flow. With the loan suspended I could not move forward.

I called Mei three times before she finally returned my call.

“Mei,” I began, “your father had pulled the funding for the Samish Meadows project. I can’t move forward without it. I need your help!” I told her trying to tamp down the desperation and the panic.

She listened and didn’t say much. Finally she said she’d speak to her father but currently he was out of the country. I tried to convey a sense of urgency about the matter. She seemed dispassionate about my situation. As if she didn’t care. This was the same woman who begged me not to divorce her just a few weeks ago.

I got off and re-studied the original loan documents. I still had a deeded financial interest in a portion of the property. But that equity wasn’t liquid. Mei’s father had the entire development under his control.

I considered talking to another lender, but as I read through the agreement Trans Pac had the majority shares and could tie things up as long as they wanted. I was a single individual with extremely limited assets. How could I fight against a large global financial institution with unlimited resources?

After multiple calls to Mei, begging her to have her father call me, finally, Friday afternoon I received a call from Long Pham.

“Mr. Baxter, this is Long Pham, how can I help you?” He began. The formality of his greeting had me on edge immediately.

I calmly talked through the situation with the Samish Meadows development. The agreed upon plan for payments, and the need to keep the project moving to stay on schedule.

After I laid out the logic behind my request there was a pause. Finally he replied.

“We are putting a hold on all residential investments for now. This, and several other projects we will wait on until later in the year, reevaluate then.” He informed me.

Even though he and I had never been near what you may call close, I’d been married to his daughter! I was being treated as dispassionately as a common stranger.

I quickly began to review the numbers on Samish Meadows, finally asking what would be the problem with keeping the loan available.

“As I explained,” an edge to his voice, “we are suspending these loans for the immediate future. Unfortunately I have another meeting I need to attend. Good day.” He said and the phone disconnected.

I tried to continue to appeal through Mei, but after a while she quit answering my calls too.

I considered legal action, but then I thought of the practical nature of my current financial situation. I was concerned about coming up with rent money at the end of the month. I certainly did not have the money for a lawyer.

I was truly fucked. Fucked by Mei’s father, and my own misplaced trust in him. And trust, I reflected, if Mei hadn’t violated my trust and we had stayed married, I had no doubt that my residential project would not have been suspended.

I am not going to go into great depth about the next two months. Just suffice it to say I reached bottom.

I turned to alcohol to numb the pain of my professional and financial failures. Not to mention the failure of my marriage. Despite her infidelity I still had feelings for Mei. She, on the other hand, seemed to be able to compartmentalize any emotion toward me.

That’s a skill I’m sure she learned from her father.

I tried to find construction employment to be able to at least keep from being evicted from my small apartment. My erratic mental state combined with the overindulgence in alcohol precluded any work opportunities.

I was on the edge. I had tapped out loans from any friends or relatives. My one asset, my share of the Samish Meadows land was completely under the control of Trans Pac. And Long Pham.

I was facing eviction in the next week. I’d sold my truck and any other personal belongings that had even the smallest value. My boat had been sold when I first put funds together on the development. My mind went to dark places as I contemplated my future.

And then, out of the blue, that night I received a strange email. It was from someone calling themself L.Kanakis. He owned a business called SSI.

I read through the rather long email as I sipped the last of my cheap whiskey.

SSI was the parent company of some type of health club, an elite spa on a Greek Island called Santos in the Aegean Sea. From what I gathered, they catered to the wealthy. They offered exercise, yoga, pilates, and nutritional guidance featuring healthy food. In addition there were lifestyle classes on longevity, psychology, and a number of personal improvement classes.

I quickly did a search and found it was a legitimate business. They had an impressive, professional website. I scrolled through the pictures of the beautiful whitewashed buildings. The different classes. The spectacular blue of the sea and the sun drenched grounds of the facility.

At the end of the email Kanakis indicated he wanted to speak to me about the caretaker’s position. Their current caretaker was retiring and moving back to the mainland.

I read the final sentence.

‘If you are interested I would like to speak with you by Zoom tomorrow at 9:30 AM PST. If you are not interested please provide me the courtesy of declining’

And then there were instructions for the Zoom call. That was it. How in the world did he know anything about me?

Fortunately there was not enough booze to get me drunk. I stared out at the bleak climate of Western Washington in early Spring. And then I went back to the website for Santos Spa. It was like a fantasy land. The comparison between the two environments was stark. I found my interest growing.

I decided there would be no harm in hearing more about this opportunity. At the moment, it was the only option I had.

The next day at 9:30 sharp I connected with Mr Leonidas Kanakis via Zoom.

“Good morning Mr Baxter,” he began. “By way of introduction I am Leonidas Kanakis.” His English was accented as if he’d gone to school somewhere in Western Europe.

“Perhaps you have done some research on our facility on Santos? It is a very special place and there is great demand for our services. There is a current waiting list of nearly two years. Because of all the activity, there is a constant need for repair. This is where we would need your skills.”

He went on to talk about the normal duties associated with the caretaker’s role. He then told me a little more about the facility and touched on the compensation. A small apartment and free access to the dining facilities were all part of the package.”

As I listened to him he had a charming nature and I found myself beginning to like him. He seemed pleasant and friendly. I could use some pleasant and friendly things happening in my life about now.

“So,” he began, “I must ask you about your level of interest in this proposal?”

He caught me off guard and I stuttered my reply saying it all sounded interesting and that I would need to think about it.

“Mr Baxter,” he addressed me, his face suddenly quite serious, “Gus, my current caretaker will be gone within the week. I need to find someone quickly. You are at the top of my list. But if this does not appeal to you, I must move on to the next.”

I thought for a minute. It really did sound wonderful, and in reality I didn’t have many options. And there was absolutely nothing tying me here anymore.

“No, Mr Kanakis, I am quite interested. This has just taken me by surprise.”

“Good, good,” suddenly the charming smile reappeared, “I will email you the contract today. It will have all your travel accommodations detailed.”

He talked a little more and said we would be in touch. Just as he was preparing to terminate the Zoom call, I asked him a question.

“Mr Kanakis,” I asked, “where did you get my name?”

“Ah, Mr Baxter, may I call you Devin?” He asked, “that is a little bit of a story. We can talk about it once you arrive.”

And with that the Zoom call was done.

— — — — — — — — — —

Two weeks later I found myself on a British Airways flight to Athens. From Athens I’d take a small commuter flight east and then a ferry ride to the island of Santos.

The package provided a modest monthly salary, a small apartment and access to the resort’s dining facility. Despite the relatively low income, I realized I’d have almost no expenses.

Right before I left I emailed Mei explaining that I would be leaving the area and I provided her with a PO Box in the small town of Marnasis where the ferry docked. Her reply was silence. That chapter of my life appeared to be completely over.

When I finally disembarked from the ferry I’d been traveling for over 24 hours. We docked at the town called Parisis. There were several boats unloading material at the docks. I had read that the Island of Santos had a small fishing industry, but the main source of commerce is tourism.

There was a growing vacation home development on the southern tip of the island. The Santos Spa, my new home and employer, was on the north end.

I heard a horn honk from an open topped SUV. A large figure beckoned me to the parking area.

“Mr Devin Baxter,” more of a statement than a question, from the big man driving the vehicle.

I thrust out my hand to shake. He looked at my hand a moment and then gave the briefest of shakes.

“I’m Devin,” I said good naturedly, “and you are?” I asked.

He hesitated and then said, “Emir”. Still no warmth whatsoever.

I studied Emir, a big man, 3 or 4 inches taller than my 6′, and he must have weighed 250 pounds. Not much of it fat. He had a middle eastern appearance, perhaps Turkish. He was not talkative and we drove in silence the twenty minutes to the spa.

The Santos Resort and Spa was terraced up a hillside from a white crescent of sand beach in front of the calm blue-green sea. On the east end of the beach was a small dock and a single boat. It looked like a Sea Ray cabin cruiser.

From the beach the facility had five terraced levels. The first was where Emir deposited me and looked like the employees’ housing, it was the smallest. There were storage areas for equipment and supplies. There was a small shop with various tools and equipment.

My apartment was simple. A single room and a small attached bathroom. There was a closet and not much else. I could tell it had once been part of a smaller 2 or 3 room home. The rooms beyond my living space were neglected and in need of repair. It looked like random storage of unused debris.

I soon learned that the second and third levels were where the guests’ accommodations were and where most of the activities took place. The fourth level was the dining hall, the classrooms, and a few offices.

The fifth and top level was the home of the owner Leonidas Kanakis. All the structures were painted a brilliant white, something I imagined needed a great deal of maintenance in the salty marine air.

I received a message from Mr Kanakis inviting me to dine with him that evening at nine PM. The rest of the day I explored the facility, met several people, and then took a short nap before the dinner meeting.

Kanakis’s house was the same whitewashed stucco as the other buildings at Santos Spa. But there was a more luxurious detail evident in his home. I knocked on the front door and I was met silently by the hulking Emir. I’d yet to see a smile on his face.

He ushered me to a side terrace and under the archways a small dining table was set for two. Emir nodded toward the table and I took that as an invitation to sit. Emir then moved off into the shadow of one of the archways.

Several minutes later I heard someone walking across the stone terrace. It was a woman, dressed mostly in black. Initially she looked about 50 years old, but she could have been anywhere from her mid forties to sixty.

“I am Lydia,” she said, her hands clasped together, no move to greet, “I am Leonidas’… Mr Kanakis’s, uh, assistant. He will join you shortly.“

She had an accent, Greek I guessed. It was hard to call her attractive. She was plain looking and businesslike.

“Each day at 8 AM we shall meet one level below in the dining area, my office is in the back. The expectation is that you will work until 6 PM daily. I will provide you each day with a list of duties. Do you have any questions?”

Before I had a chance to answer I heard the sound of someone striding across the flagstone floor. I recognized Kanakis from our Zoom call. His hand was stretched out and there was a big warm smile on his face.

“Mr Baxter, Devin,” he corrected himself, “so very good to see you made it to our island of Santos.” As he said this his arms spread out in a warm all encompassing welcome.

“Ah,” he sighed, “if you could have seen Santos even ten years ago,” he shook his head with a somber expression, “you would have seen the true local environment mostly unchanged for decades. It has become a vacation destination for Europe. Many changes.”

“But,” he clapped his hands and his mood became positive, “all the publicity around Santos now is quite good for our business.” He smiled and told me.

I looked at him tall, 2 or 3 inches taller than me. Lean, in good shape, and tanned. A Mediterranean complexion. I put him in his late 40’s. A handsome man with curly dark hair turning gray.

We sat and discussed my travels and the overview of Santos Spa. A silent waitress brought us a delicious meal and a bottle of chilled Santorini white wine. As we talked I got the slightest impression he was far less interested in what I was saying and much more engrossed in his own dialogue.

Finally after a very nice dinner and a mostly enjoyable conversation, abruptly Kanakis stood.

“Unfortunately I will need to be away on business for several days. If you have any questions, please check with Lydia.”

With a firm clasp on my shoulder, he pivoted and walked away and I heard an unseen doorway open, then close.. For a moment I just stood there. Eventually I made it to my apartment and jet lagged, I fell into a deep sleep.

I was up early, my body adjusting to the time zone, and I met Lydia in the dining area. I noticed the guests. I quickly estimated it was ⅔ female. Though they were of all ages the majority I would guess were fifty years old or greater. They also looked wealthy. My observation was the Santos Spa was certainly in the category of luxury.

Today Lydia was not as brusque as she was last night. We began with a tour of the facilities. She then produced a long list of things that needed immediate attention.

“If you have questions and you cannot reach me, check with Gregos.”

I’d met him and it sounded like he was kind of the main janitor. A short, round, pleasant older man that lived in the village at Parisis.

“One other thing, Mr Baxter,” suddenly Lydia was all business again, “do NOT fraternize with our guests.”

She said it with such emphasis it sounded like this may have been a problem at one time. I nodded my acknowledgment.

For the most part the work I was assigned was technically not challenging. It just seemed like there was a never ending supply of things that needed some type of repair.

By my second month I had eased into a bit of a routine. The work was not difficult. The weather was wonderful. And the environment was spectacular. I worked Monday through Friday and was on call over the weekend.

The new environment was helping me forget about my marriage and business disaster.

The closest I came to a friend was the happy janitor Gregos. He was very pleasant and always had a big smile on his face. If I had basic questions on how things worked at Santos Spa I normally just checked with Gregos. Lydia was pleasant but she made me feel uncomfortable.

It was a Friday, perhaps my eighth week on island and Gregos asked me what I had plans for on my day off. I told him I really didn’t know.

“Young man, like you,” he said and nodded to me, “meet other people on island. Go to Tavena Parisis! Lots of people. Pretty girl!” He said to me and laughed.

I hadn’t really begun exploring beyond the spa but I’d thought about it. It was about a half mile walk into the town. It sounded interesting.

That Friday evening I made the walk and entered the Taverna. It was nearly full of what looked like 100% locals. I saw Gina, one of the housekeeping people at the spa. She waved me over.

Gina was sitting with a group of people I’d guess in their 20’s or early 30’s. She introduced me all around, saying names that I didn’t remember. She had me sit next to an attractive shapely woman named Maria.

Maria and I chatted with her broken English and my slight understanding of a few Greek words. We had several drinks over the next few hours and I had to admit I was having a good time.

I studied Maria, shapely figure, not exactly a hard body, but not fat either. Wavy dark hair with somewhat domestic features. Not unattractive, just plain.

As the evening continued the conversation seemed to become more one on one between Maria and I. There were the briefest of touches as we talked. My mind started thinking about next steps with Maria. Whether tonight or at a future date.

I excused myself to use the restroom. The Greek toilet had no toilet seat and there were signs indicating toilet paper was to go in the trash bin. I successfully performed the function and began walking back to my spot with Maria.

Exiting the toualeta I scanned the crowd at the Taverna. The room had filled up, I noticed. I was nearly to my seat when I first saw her. I literally froze in my tracks. Through my slightly inebriated eyes, for the briefest of moments, I thought it was Mei.

Same dark hair, same slim build. And then she turned.

Not the Asian features Mei had, something completely different, but every bit as attractive. If not more so. A beautiful Mediterranean face. Big dark eyes, and a full, sensuous mouth. A younger Penelope Cruz. But slimmer.

The astonishing resemblance to Mei, from the back, was what at first caught my attention, but her beauty froze me. Eventually she noticed my paralyzed staring and looked at me. Confused, wary, and then she turned back to the people she was with.

I stood there in the center of the Taverna, not moving. Finally an inadvertent bump brought me out of my reverie. Eyes still on her I slowly walked back to my original table where Maria sat.

I was just about to sit down still glancing at the woman when I saw her turn my way and look at me with a slight smile.

Maria began talking and briefly touching me, picking up where we were before my trip to the toualeta. But I found I no longer had the energy for this. I looked at the warm, pleasant woman, Maria, and though as I said not an unattractive person, physically she was not the beauty of the woman I had seen.

She may have sensed the change in my attitude. To her credit she tried. She leaned in kissed my cheek and whispered an invitation to walk her home. Of course I knew what that meant.

And though my physical longing was high, emotionally I found myself uninterested. As I, as kindly as possible, turned her down, Maria’s attitude shifted from surprise to anger.

I felt bad. Here was this nice, common girl, offering herself to me and I had rejected her. Abruptly she stood and several of the others stood too and they all left, I received a sharp angry look from Gina, my co-worker, on her way out.

It was time for me to go too, but I had this overwhelming need to meet the beautiful woman I had seen. I stood, surveyed the Taverna and once again saw her with a small group of people at a table on the far side.

With no plan I walked over to the group with my eyes on the woman. I arrived at their table and for a moment their conversation continued not acknowledging my presence. Finally a bearded man at the table, probably in his early forties, ten years older than me, noticed me and nodded.

I nodded back and then reached a hand toward the woman. She looked at my hand, then at me, and then took my hand briefly.

I introduced myself.

“Hello, I’m Devin Baxter, I work at the Santos Spa.” I said to her.

“Gabrielle,” she quietly said her eyes making contact with mine and then turning away.

The bearded man slid over and offered me a chair and I sat. I received a smile from an older woman who I assumed was John’s wife. The group continued the conversation they were having before my intrusion. Mostly in Greek. I sat there just content for the moment to be in Gabrielle’s presence. I tried not to stare at her, but it was difficult. Several times she caught me and would smile.

A little while later the tone of the conversation changed and the group stood up. Not knowing what else to do, I stood too. The bearded man, John, raised a hand as if to say goodbye. Quickly I moved closer to Gabrielle.

“It was good to meet you Gabrielle,” I said to her.

She paused and said, “good bye Devin,” she said and turned to leave.

“Gabrielle,” I said, and she turned back, “Will you be here next week?”

“Perhaps” she paused and told me, then she was gone.

That week at work my thoughts were consumed by the beautiful Gabrielle. As the week went on I decided I needed to find out what I could about her. Gina was no longer talking to me after I rejected her friend Maria. But I had another source.

Gregos knew who I meant when I asked him about her.

“Her father, Tsufos (pronounced su – fuss) is the green grocer on the mainland.” He told me.

Gregos told me she ferried over fresh vegetables for the spa and the small village grocery store. She normally came once a week. He was not aware of any boyfriends or fiancées. He said she delivered the fruit and vegetables on Fridays, often spent the night and returned to the mainland on Saturday.

That Friday night I was at the Taverna again, this time sitting at the bar.. As a gesture of friendship I ordered a round of drinks for Gina and Maria’s table. I got a couple of raised glass and gestures in thanks. No smiles, but no outright hostility either.

It must have been nine o’clock when suddenly I saw her with John, the bearded man, his wife, and several others. Once they sat I sent a round to this group too. Once the waiter brought the drinks and had a short conversation with John, he turned to me, smiled, and waved me over.

We sat and once again the conversation swirled around me in a language I didn’t really understand. A short period of time later Gabrielle turned toward me.

“How do you like Santos Isle?” She asked.

Soon we were in our own private conversation as the others talked among themselves. I learned about the produce business her family had and that, as Gregos told me, Friday’s were her normal delivery day to Santo.

I asked where she stayed on Santos on Friday nights and she gave me an evasive answer. At one point she got up to use the touelta and John turned to me.

“Be careful with Gabriella,” he stated.

I asked him to explain his warning and all I got out of him was that she was ‘fragile’. I sensed that. Like a fine sculpture, beautiful, but great care needed to be taken in handling.

Once again the group simultaneously stood to leave. I gently grasped Gabrielle by the forearm. It surprised her and she gave a quick inhalation of breath at my touch. She then faced me with a look somewhere between fright and surprise.

“Can I walk you home?” I asked, not knowing where her home for the night might be.

Silently she nodded yes. John, his wife, and the others walked down the rocky path to the village. Gabrielle and I walked slowly behind them.

Part way down I felt her small warm hand grasp mine. It was like an electric jolt where we touched. I’d heard of getting hit with the lightning bolt, but I always thought that was just melodrama. But no, this was real. I also sensed that she felt the sensation too.

Slowly my thumb caressed the top of her hand. Not aggressively, just sensually feeling the connection between the two of us. As we walked down the path in the faint moonlight I felt we were the only two people on earth.

Eventually John and Eva (I’d learned his wife’s name), stopped at a doorway at one of the many cottages near the village. John turned and said something to Gabrielle in Greek that I did not understand.

She replied briefly. John and Eva went into the cottage while the rest of the party walked on. The door was part way open and Gabrielle slowed and then stopped at the doorway. She turned toward me and looked me in the eye.

“Efharisto Devin,” she said to me quietly, not quite a whisper and then she leaned toward me and gave me the briefest of kisses on the cheek.

I couldn’t help myself. As she was turning to enter the cottage I put my arms around her and pulled her into a full embrace. I felt her soft feminine body as I held her close feeling the swell of her breast against my chest and she must have felt my solid erection pushing at her groin.

Our lips met and we kissed for several moments, and then, abruptly, she disengaged. She moved quickly to the door to the cottage, as if in a hurry.

Surprised, I stood there and watched her enter. Had I offended her? Gone too far? But, just as she was closing the door she turned and looked at me with a smile that let me know that all was okay.

I walked the pathway back to my small apartment lost in thought. Since the disaster with Mei I’d not really been interested in any type of relationship. The scars of my marriage and financial failure had weighed me down.

Now suddenly, my feelings were changing. I felt positive about life. I began to quit second guessing the path my life was on. Certainly the magical island of Santos had helped douse the fire of my divorce and financial ruin.

But it was more than that. I know it was way too soon to be thinking this way but I couldn’t help it. I was falling in love with Gabrielle.

These thoughts kept me awake until finally physical exhaustion brought me to slumber.

The following day was Saturday and I was somewhat surprised to find I had an invitation to dinner with Leonidas Kanakis. The note said 9 PM on the North Veranda.

I felt buoyancy on this sunny Saturday. The gloom of the more recent episodes of my life were receding. I felt positive and optimistic. I was looking forward to my dinner with Kanakis certainly, but mostly my spirits were lifted because of my growing friendship with Gabrielle.

With this new found energy I decided to explore. I started out walking down to the small beach in front of the Spa. Several guests were swimming and I waved to them. After a short path I found the dock where Kanakis’ boat was moored.

It was a 40′ Sea Ray. It had room for a small group of people and was a beautiful boat. I thought of my experience with boats in my life and the boats I had owned. I loved boating and hoped one day to get a ride on this one. I saw he had named it Hermes V.

In front of the boat on the dock was a weathered Yamaha jet ski. It looked beat up. I hadn’t seen any of this type of watercraft on the water. Sometimes these type of things are banned.

I inspected the boat and noticed that it could use a little maintenance. Not bad, just as if it were not taken care of as much as it required. One thing was for sure I thought as I studied the Hermes V, it would be a much quicker trip back to the mainland than the ferry.

Beyond the dock, past the jet ski, I noticed the beach got rocky and I saw a small trail that jogged inward away from the water through some scrubby vegetation. As I followed the trail it looked like it ended. There was about a four foot drop off to a small spit of sand.

I nearly turned back, but I saw some exposed roots from the gnarled trees. I grabbed one and then the next and dropped the last two feet onto the soft sand. Beyond the spit it looked like the trail picked up again.

I followed the faint trail and climbed over a rocky outcropping. When I emerged on the other side I was surprised at what I had found.

A beautiful crescent of sand and beyond that the deepest blue-green calm lagoon I had ever seen. It was like a beautiful little gem. And not a soul on the beach. So close but hidden.

I climbed down, removed my shoes, and folded my pants leg up. The warm water was refreshing on my bare feet. I turned my back to the sea and looked at the landscape. Because of the steepness of the coast I could only see the highest parts of Kanakis’ house. The Spa was not visible from this remote cove..

Tired, I removed my shirt and sat on the fine white sand.. The heat and the exertion made me drowsy and I fell into a light sleep. Eventually I pulled myself up and quickly surveyed the area. Seeing no one I stripped off the rest of my clothes and dove into the clear water.

Something about the water on my skin was just so sensuous the feeling was like nothing I’d ever known. I felt buoyant as if there were tiny hands holding me afloat effortlessly. I enjoyed the water and the sensation of floating in the sea. Eventually I got out, dried in the warm sun, dressed and headed back.

I felt compelled to tell someone about my discovery of this private cove. But on second thought, I selfishly wanted to keep it as my own secret. Walking I realized I did want to share this discovery with someone and it did not take me long to realize who that was.

Gabrielle.

That evening I arrived at Kanakis’ home slightly before nine o clock. I turned under the archway and saw Emir silently standing in the shadow. I greeted him good naturedly and in response I received a brief nod with no expression from his brooding face.

Kanakis’, in contrast, strode across the stone floor smiling and with great energy.

“Devin, my friend,” he greeted me grasping my outstretched hands in both of his, “welcome, welcome, how are you finding life on Santos?” He gushed.

I explained that everything was good and I was enjoying the experience so far. He nodded enthusiastically. A happy man, happy with life.

I told him I’d seen his boat the Hermes V today and I complimented him on it.

“Are you familiar with boats?” He asked.

I told him I was and he asked me if I had worked on boats before. I told him I grew up boating and until recently I’d had my own boat. I then said that I’d done all the maintenance on my own boats.

“I’ve been having some engine trouble with the Hermes,” he told me, “would you mind taking a look at it?” He asked.

I told him I’d be glad to look at it the following day. Just then the same silent waitress arrived with the platters of our dinner and for a few moments we were quiet as we began eating.

“I have a deep respect for the water, the beautiful Mediterranean Sea,” Kanakis said, glancing at his magnificent view.

He then told me a story.

Years ago he’d been in a small boat heading back to the mainland alone. The boat began to take on water and eventually Kanakis had to abandon it and use the small inflatable as the boat sank.

“Devin,” he said to me, “I don’t know how many days I was adrift in the sea. Any water I had was soon gone and I had no food. The sun was unrelenting, slowly cooking me to death. I have never known such discomfort.”

He said that there came to a point that the agony he was enduring was too much.

“I was prepared to climb overboard and end my life by sinking into the sea. I told myself I wanted to just see one last sunset before I died. As I looked westward to view the beauty of the end of my last day, I could not believe what I saw. A ship was coming directly for me.”

“I tried to yell to get their attention, but I had no voice. It did not matter. They saw me and rescued me. I was so grateful. But Devin,” he said looking me in the eye.”I realized at that moment I was no longer afraid of death and I understood that at some point in all of our lives there will be times when death becomes preferable to the agony of life.”

I sat reflecting on his story and his thoughts on death, and life. I wondered what the point of this story was supposed to be.

Eventually the evening took its normal course and we quietly and comfortably sipped Ouzo at the end of our meal. Again, throughout the evening, I had the impression that whatever I said, however I contributed to the conversation his interest in my words were minimal.

“An enjoyable evening my friend,” Kanakis stated, “there is one thing, though.” He continued, a more serious expression on his face. “It has come to my attention that you have met Gabrielle Tsufos, the daughter of my good friend Ambrose Tsufos.”

I nodded silently wondering how he knew about this.

“Please, I ask you as a friend,” he said to me seriously, “be careful with her. She is a beautiful but inexperienced young woman. There are things you do not know about her. I would hate to see Gabrielle become hurt in any way.”

I sat at the table processing this. Things I did not know? What things? Several questions for Kanakis about this subject came to mind. But before I could ask anything he stood, bid me a good night, and with the same energy he had as he entered, he was quickly gone.

I continued sitting, absorbing the strange evening and I may have sat there longer but I saw the hulking shadowed shape of Emir inch out to the veranda where I sat. The message was quite clear. It was time to go.

The following day, Sunday, Lydia dropped off the keys to Kanakis’s boat the Hermes V. Along with the keys were maintenance instructions. I was surprised and slightly put off. Now apparently my job description included taking care of his boat.

I thought about the strange but not unpleasant evening with Kanakis. The story of his survival at sea and then the comments about Gabrielle. How was he aware of my ‘friendship’, if that’s what it’s called at this point, with her?

I did not know Kanakis very well yet, but I was beginning to get an idea.

These were the thoughts that swirled through my head as I approached his boat, the Hermes V.

I did an inspection and just as I’d observed previously it was in need of some light maintenance. I made a list of what parts and supplies I may need. I examined the engine and this too was in need of general maintenance.

I inspected the cooling system. The internal wiring showed signs of deterioration. I also saw on the engine the beginning indications of heat damage. No wonder the boat was not running well. It was a fire trap waiting to happen.

I took the Hermes out for a short ride and I could feel the mechanical problem that Kanakis had tried to describe. Back on the dock I re-inspected the engine. Definitely getting overheated. I identified the parts I would need to fix the heating problem.

Later I gave Lydia my list to get from the mainland. As I walked away I realized I’d forgotten to tell her to limit use of the Hermes until I could do the repairs. Oh well I thought, they don’t seem to use the boat much anyway. It should be okay.

The week once again went fast. I had a never ending list of things to attend to. Lydia would prioritize the projects based on importance. One thing that changed, I was now expected to maintain the Hermes V too. Tuesday morning I saw one of my objectives was to polish the brass on the boat.

Suddenly it was Friday. I was looking forward to seeing Gabrielle at the Taverna. This has become the highlight of my week. My wariness and negativity toward the opposite sex was being washed away by my time with Gabrielle.

But it was more than that. The months since Mei and I had divorced I wore like a dark cloak pulling me downward into a negative hole. I had trusted Mei and then she’d betrayed me with David Chan. And then to compound things her father had betrayed me on our business deal. I had reasons to be negative.

And all of a sudden I met Gabrielle. Like a bright shining light, our brief interactions had guided me out of that dark hole. Was I getting ahead of myself? After all, I’d really only seen her a few times. Take it easy, I told myself. But then I recalled our kiss outside the cottage door. I felt something and I know she did too.

I cleaned up after work on Friday and arrived at the Taverna earlier than normal. I was in a good mood, happy, and it seemed like others were too. Even Maria, who I’d rejected a few weeks ago, smiled at me and gave me a brief wave.

Almost like clockwork, John, Eva and a couple of others entered the Taverna with Gabrielle. I saw her glance around the Taverna and then she saw me, smiled, and walked over to where I sat at the bar.

“Devin,” she said and kissed me on the cheek. Once again I felt the electricity when her lips touched me. “Come sit with me.”

I was greeted warmly by the group as we sat. At first it was a general discussion but eventually Gabrielle and I became more focused on our own conversation. As it got later the Taverna became louder.

“It’s getting a bit hard to talk, would you like to go for a walk?” I asked Gabrielle.

Immediately she looked at me with an almost alarmed expression. Before answering she leaned over to Eva, held her hand up to Eva’s ear and had a short conversation. Eva listened and then her hand went up, whispering back to Gabrielle. I saw Gabrielle nodding as Eva spoke to her. At one point her eyes flashed to me.

Finally their private conversation was over and Gabrielle stood. Apparently I’d passed some type of qualification. Funny, I briefly thought, Gabrielle had to be at least in her mid-20’s, why would she seemingly need permission to walk with me?

We strolled the rocky path back toward the Santos Spa. I thought it would be too soon to invite her to my little apartment. Furthermore, my small home was far from impressive.

We ended up at Santos beach. It was dark and I saw a few of the guests enjoying the moonlight and the sea. Gabrielle clutched my hand and her touch still had that sensuous magic feel unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.

I had a desire to show her the secret cove I’d found but that would be far too rough a pathway to navigate at night. We walked to the end of the beach to where the rocky outcropping transitioned into the dock, where the Hermes V was moored.

We turned and I put my arms around Gabrielle. She turned toward me. I held her close. I could feel the warm mounds of her breasts pressed into my chest and I kissed her. It was the same sensation that I’d felt the first time.

I don’t know how long we stood in that dark corner of the beach kissing. Our bodies were tight together. I was fully erect and though we weren’t humping, there was a rhythm where our bodies touched.

I could feel no bra strap as I caressed her back. With one hand I fondled her breast through her thin shirt. As I touched her and felt her nipple tighten, she took a sharp inhalation of breath.

And then her hand drifted down and lightly, as if lacking experience, squeezed my erect cock. I gasped at her touch and I’m not sure if that startled her but she immediately stopped her exploration and disengaged.

“We should return,” she said, her eyes cast downward shyly.

“Gabrielle,” I said, and she looked up, “it’s okay. I care about you. You are important to me. I’ll be patient with you, it’s just,” I said to her, “you are so beautiful. I desire you.”

This brought a smile to her face.

“Devin,” she paused and quietly said to me as we walked back up the beach, “I desire you too.”

Once again she looked at me, turned and kissed my cheek and giggled.

I recalled my first high school experiences. Fumbling with the mysteries of sex and the female body. But there were also the new emotional experiences that were tied to the physical ones.

This felt like that. To use a nautical analogy, I was piloting a ship into unknown waters with Gabrielle. Certainly from a sexual experience level, these things were nothing new to me. I’d been married. But because of Gabrielle’s innocence I felt like I was navigating through these experiences as if they were new to me too.

Part way back I asked her about Kanakis. How well did she know him and what she thought of him?

“I’ve known Leon my whole life.” She said, “He has done business with our family for many years. He employs many people on Santos and does a lot of good things for the islanders that live here.

I digested what she had said. What Gabrielle said was consistent with what I’d observed, but the questions I really wanted answers to, I didn’t know how to ask her.

What had Kanakis meant when he said ‘there were things I didn’t know about Gabrielle’?

“Has he told you about the Masquerade?” She asked, smiling.

I told her no. I had not heard about a Masquerade, what was it, I asked. She told me it was a big annual party at Kanakis’s home. A masquerade party. She talked about it a bit more and said that it was coming up soon.

As we approached the Taverna, I stopped before we got there.

“Gabrielle,” I began, “next week, would you be able to spend the day with me on Saturday?”

“I would like to,” she said and smiled at me. “I’ll ask Papa.”

Just then John, Eva, and the others emerged from the Taverna. Gabrielle turned and gave me a warm but brief kiss on the lips.

“Good bye Devin,” she whispered to me, “I will see you next week.”

My thoughts that week revolved around seeing Gabrielle and spending the day with her next Saturday. Meanwhile I had my regular duties maintaining the Santos Spa.

On Wednesday Lydia brought me the parts I had requested for the Hermes V. I dedicated the entire afternoon to change out the fuel governor in the engine compartment. I took out the old and I saw the erosion on it. This was faulty to the point of being dangerous.

After two hours trying to put the new harness in, I came to the conclusion Lydia had ordered the wrong part. I put up a precautionary sign saying to limit use until repairs were completed. That’s what I’d always done while working on boats.

Now there was no governor on the fuel line. I tried to explain this to Lydia and then gave her the exact part to order.

Friday evening I walked to the Taverna. I got there a little early hoping that Gabrielle would be there sooner than normal. She wasn’t, but that wasn’t unusual. She, John, Eva, and that group didn’t normally get there until after eight o’clock.

By nine thirty my curiosity at their absence was changing to disappointment with a touch of anger. At ten o’clock I left and walked down to the village of Parisis. I wasn’t exactly sure which cottage was John and Eva’s, where I’d walked Gabrielle once before.

I felt foolish knocking on a door at this time at night particularly since I was unclear if I was even at the right place. I rapped softly. Silence. I tried once again. There was no reply.

I stood there for a moment wondering what to do next. I quickly came to the conclusion that I really didn’t have much of a choice. Walking home thoughts of my disappointment and my desire to see Gabrielle bothered me.

Could something have happened? Was there some type of logical explanation? Why hadn’t she somehow contacted me? I came to the conclusion that she couldn’t contact me for the same reason I hadn’t contacted her. We didn’t have each other’s phone numbers.

I decided I would walk back to Parisis in the morning and try to find John and Eva. I would then ask for Gabrielle’s contact information. Good, I thought. I at least had a plan.

That Saturday morning I walked the pathway to Parisis. I wandered through the small town center and past the cluster of cottages where I believed John and Eva lived. I even went to the small grocery store. I was wondering if their vegetable shipment had been late. But, no, the produce looked fresh.

As I was preparing to leave all of a sudden I heard a voice call out to me. It was Gregos, the janitor from Santos Spa.

We talked and as always Gregos was happy, a broad smile on his face. For a moment or two we discussed the weather, work, and several very general subjects. Finally I brought up the subject of Gabrielle.

“Do you know Gabrielle Tsufos.” I began, “the woman that delivers the fruits and vegetables.”

He studied me for a moment processing my question.

“Nai, Nai (Yes), very pretty girl,” he said. His smile got wider.

“Have you seen her lately?” I asked.

Gregos paused, his eyes looking skyward, his thumb and forefinger stroking his chin in contemplation, processing my question. All,of a sudden he snapped his fingers and said Nai, he had seen her yesterday.

“Where!?” I asked him a sense of urgency in my question.

He told me he had seen Gabrielle walking up the stairs to Kanakis’s house Friday afternoon. I must have been working on the boat and had not seen her. I asked several follow up questions to Gregos, but he had no other details.

I thanked him and headed back to the Spa.

On my way back I decided I would try to talk to Kanakis. My excuse was that I wanted to alert him to the status of the Hermes V. I would then figure out how to bring up the subject of Gabrielle.

I passed the guests performing yoga, stretching, doing calisthenics, and then past the dining area and up the stairs to the top floor where Kanakis lived.

I felt a little uncomfortable arriving here uninvited but I needed to find out about Gabrielle. I knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked again.

I stood silently waiting and I was about to leave when the door suddenly opened. It was Emir. If anything the aggressively negative look was even more pronounced. I asked to speak to Kanakis. Without a reply he closed the door just short of a slam.

I stood there unsure if he understood what I’d asked. He’d said nothing. A few minutes later the door opened, once again by Emir. Glowering he nodded toward the veranda and pointed to a small table overlooking the sea.

I sat down waiting. And I did wait. It was probably close to thirty minutes later when Kanakis appeared. Same energetic greeting but his expression was not quite as warm as previous meetings. After minimal pleasantries he spoke.

“Devin,” he began, “what is it that you wish to talk about today? On a Saturday?” He asked.

I began to tell him about the problems with the Hermes V and what I was doing to repair it.

He seemed bored, impatient with my explanation of the engine problems, he glanced at his phone several times clearly uninterested in the details. I was pretty sure he hadn’t digested much, if anything I had said.

“Is that it?” He asked, his good natured expression clearly slipped.

I nodded.

“In the future,” he began, “matters like this can be addressed with Lydia.” He told me and stood.

I stood up too.

“One other thing,” I said as he was turning away, “I was curious if you’d seen Gabrielle in the past day or two?”

He stared at me. For a full minute he looked at me, not speaking. Nothing approaching friendliness in his expression.

“I told you before, she is fragile and inexperienced. Please remember that.” He said, and quickly exited.

He never answered my question and I nearly followed Kanakis into the house, but before I did I saw Emir watching me, alert, ready for action. Reluctantly I turned and headed back to my quarters, angry and confused.

My buoyant mood from the previous weeks had evaporated. I had let my feelings get away from me with thoughts of Gabrielle and now I was unclear of her feelings. She had told me she desired me. But I wondered what had happened to her last week. The fact that Gregos saw her near Kanakis’s house proved she’d been on island.

On Tuesday I had two projects on my list relative to the boat. The first one was to oil the main deck and then to launder the life jacket covers. While I was oiling the deck, out of the blue Kanakis appeared.

“Devin!” He greeted me. The smiling pleasant version of himself. “The Hermes looks wonderful, almost brand new” he said clasping my shoulder.

“Just remember,” I began, “I still need to replace the governor harness,”. He nodded half paying attention to what I was saying.

“Devin, one other thing,” he said to me changing subjects, “the Spa’s masquerade party is coming soon. We want the grounds to be in top condition for the event. Lydia will keep you informed on the details.”

I nodded as he began walking away.

“And Devin, of course my friend, without question your attendance is expected,” he told me, smiling. “I believe you will enjoy our annual masquerade.”

The balance of the week passed slowly with the mundane daily chores. Often I used my construction skills to repair things but then at times I felt like a glorified janitor. Today was an example, taking the life jackets to the laundry room.

Finally it was Friday. I really needed to see Gabrielle and I wondered if I’d be disappointed once again. By eight o’clock I was at the Taverna. Early for her to arrive. I once again sent a round of drinks to Maria, Gina, and their friends. The hard feelings seem to be lessening.

And then out of the blue Gabrielle was at my side alone. No John or Eva, just her with an anxious expression on her face. She ordered a glass of wine.

“Devin, I am so sorry about last week,” she said to me with urgency. “I really tried to come and I wanted to spend Saturday with you. I apologize.”

She was gripping my forearm and the electric sensation of her touch was as strong as ever. I was glad she was here but I thought I deserved some kind of explanation of her whereabouts last Friday.

I asked her what happened, I knew she’d been on Santos, Gregos had seen her. Where had she gone, what had she done?

“Oh Devin,” she began, “let’s not talk about that now. I am just so glad we are together,” and she clutched my arm to her.

And then before I had a chance to pursue any questions she drank up the last of her wine and stood.

“Devin let’s go outside and walk.”

It was light out and the air temperature was still warm in the 80’s. Our route took us away from Parisis back toward the Spa. We walked to the Spa beach and Gabrielle took off her sandals and waded ankle deep in the warm sea.

“Oh Devin, the water feels so good,”. She told me smiling.

I was happy to see her happy. It was just a beautiful evening. There were several of the Spa guests also on the beach enjoying the environment. Just then I had a thought. Yes, it was still light enough, I thought.

“Come on,” I said to her, “put your sandals on.”

“Where….?” She began.

I grasped her hand and we climbed over the outcrop. We then took the sparsely used trail to the point that we needed to jump down to the sand and then finally back over the rock ledge.

“Where are we going?” She asked.

I just told her she’d see and guided her along the path. As we climbed over the last barrier we were there. The secret little cove. The sun was beginning to set but there was still enough light to take in the beauty of our surroundings.

I looked at Gabrielle and she was smiling. She hugged me as her eyes surveyed our surroundings.

“”Devin, it is beautiful here!” She exclaimed.

We walked to the water and once again Gabrielle took off her sandals and waded.

“The water here,” she began, “it feels different, warmer, but more than that…. I can’t explain it. The sea just feels wonderful!”

These were all the feelings that I felt when I first discovered the cove.

We were alone on the beach, the sunlight fading, but the warmth of the day was still present. Without thinking I took off my shirt, kicked off my shoes and removed my pants.

In my underwear I ran into the sea and dove in. It was that same magical feeling, sensuous and refreshing. I swam and floated just enjoying the sensation.

I turned toward the beach and was surprised and happy at what I saw. It was Gabrielle, fully nude, walking into the sea.

Her beauty took my breath away. Her compact breasts were firm and white offset by her tanned skin. My eyes drifted to her groin and the shadowed lighter skin of her pubic area.

“You’re staring at me!” She said, smiled and pretending to cover herself.

Wordlessly I stood and walked toward her. The sight of her had made me fully erect, the material of my underwear stretched. Once the water shallowed my sexual excitement was evident. Gabrielle’s eyes flicked lower and saw my condition.

In knee deep water we hugged, her body pressed tight to mine. We swam for a bit and floated. And then Gabrielle turned away from the shore and with efficient strong strokes quickly was quite deep in the water. I was shocked at how fast she swam.

“Wow!” I said when she returned.

She laughed and told me that she had been on her town’s swim club.

“I was third runner up as a national champion.” She told me with pride.

I was impressed. Slowly, but I hoped surely, I was beginning to know Gabrielle better.

After a while we emerged from the water. The warm air felt wonderful on our naked skin. I turned and kissed and her arms pulled me close. Our genitalia were pushed snugly together.

She began to tremble but not because of the air temperature. My lips went to the side of her neck and I heard her inhale at the sensation. Her hands trailed down to my buttocks, caressed me and urging our groins tighter together.

My lips found her nipples and it was an audible gasp this time. And then her hand fondled my erection. She rubbed and squeezed it as if she was exploring the male organ for the first time.

I dropped to my knees and my tongue now explored her vaginal area. When I touched her clitoris, this time it was a moan. I pulled her down to the coarse sand and spread her legs. My oral probing continued and soon she was writhing, her hands pulled at my hair.

She gasped in a quivering climax, shaking and then spent. There was enough light to see this beautiful naked woman, legs partly spread, eyes closed, apparently sexually satisfied.

I pulled my underwear off and then slowly crawled up between her spread legs. I probed the moisture at her opening and nudged my erection in. Slowly I pushed and with a last effort I plunged in completely.

I kissed her as we began to make love and then all of a sudden she gasped as if awakened. Another orgasm already at first I thought? But no. Her eyes now opened and she pulled away from our kiss.

“Devin, no!” she protested, squirming away, disengaging from our intercourse. She struggled up and then found her clothes and began quickly dressing.

“Gabrielle, what’s wrong?” I asked her. I saw silent tears on her cheeks.

She just shook her head not speaking, continuing to dress. I stood near her, naked, unclear what had happened. One moment we were making love, the next she abruptly ended our sex and seemed upset.

Finally, slowly I pulled my clothes on.

“Do you want to go back?” I softly asked her, she nodded in response.

Silently we left the small cove, climbed up the trail, and back to the Spa beach. Halfway across the beach her hand found mine. I glanced toward her, but her eyes were cast down.

We were back on the path to the Taverna when I told her I was sorry. She didn’t reply. I told her that I hope she didn’t feel like I forced her into doing something she wasn’t comfortable with.

Finally she spoke.

“Devin,” she began, “I care about you, but I’m scared.” She said in a near whisper. “I’m not used to…. ” and then she trailed off, offering no other explanation.

As we walked I think I understood her unspoken feelings. I knew that she’d lived a sheltered life, I had heard about this from Kanakis and others. She’s a beautiful woman who likely has attracted men in her life. Perhaps she’d had some unwelcome experiences that made her hesitant.

I believed she had feelings for me. But her sexual inexperience was something that I would have to approach slowly. Even though my lust for her was strong, I was willing to sacrifice my physical longing for a more important emotional relationship.

Eventually we arrived at the Taverna. Gabrielle turned to me.

“I must go now. I will find John and Eva.” She said, “but I will see you soon,” she softly said.

She then put her arms around me and gave me a deep kiss. I held her close not wanting to let go. Slowly she disengaged, gave me an embarrassed smile and entered the Taverna.

Though I’d not been physically satisfied I believe that Gabrielle and I had crossed an emotional threshold. This young, beautiful, inexperienced girl had shared her naked body with me. I wished it had been longer and more complete but I also felt like I now understood her more, and that had satisfied me in a different way.

One thought did occur though. She never explained what had happened the previous weekend?

It was with these thoughts I performed my duties at Santos Spa during the week. My concentration level was mixed and several times Lydia had to address me more directly to get my attention.

“I said,” Lydia repeated, “the boat parts will be on the ferry. Also the Masquerade Party will be a week from Saturday. We have much to do before then.” She told me.

On Friday evening I was anxious to see Gabrielle. I was at the Taverna a little after eight o’clock. It was crowded. Even in the short period of time I’d been on Santos I’d observed the growing influx of European tourists, many of them buying and fixing up the small cottages throughout the island.

It was approximately nine o’clock when I saw Gabrielle, John, and Eva arrive at the Taverna. They sat and settled themselves. I got up to join them. It wasn’t until I was at their table that Gabrielle or any of them acknowledged me.

I greeted the group and John made room for me to sit. This was not the greeting I’d expected. Last weekend there’d been a physical and emotional intimacy in Gabrielle and my relationship. I wasn’t feeling that same closeness tonight, at least not yet. She smiled at me and was certainly friendly, just nothing felt intimate.

We chatted about normal things and one of the topics was the Masquerade Party. They all seemed excited and looking forward to the event. I had not paid much attention to the talk of the party. What I was really hoping for was to be alone with Gabrielle.

At a quiet moment I asked her if she wanted to take a walk. I said it quietly, but Eva heard me. She said something to Gabrielle quickly and softly in Greek. I couldn’t understand.

Instead of answering me she placed her hand atop mine. I felt that same electricity of her touch. She held it there for a moment, patted my hand twice, and then removed it. Something was off tonight, I just didn’t know what it was.

Eventually they stood as a group to leave. I told Gabrielle I would walk her back. She smiled encouragingly at me and took my hand. We walked behind the others, some of the intimacy from a week ago returning.

All too soon we were at the door of John and Eva’s. Gabrielle turned to me and gave me a warm kiss on the lips. As my arms reached to hold her closer she gave me a last quick kiss and scurried inside.

“I will see you at the masquerade,” she said as she stood in the doorway. “It will be an exciting night.” She gave me one last smile and then vanished within the cottage.

I was confused as I walked back. There were moments when our connection was there but I never got the full closeness we had experienced the week before. I resolved to be more straightforward in this relationship. Starting at this masquerade party that everyone seems to be making such a big deal about.

The work week was busy. Lydia had a long list of things that needed to be attended to throughout the spa. I noticed a large truck with several workers at Kanakis’ house, likely prepping and decorating for the party.

“Leonidas asked that the boat be fixed by the weekend,” Lydia told me. “I’ll bring you the material this afternoon.”

When did I become the marine mechanic I wondered with irritation? The guy certainly had enough money to bring over a mechanic from the mainland. Oh well, I thought. I’d get to the boat soon enough along with the long list of other things I had to accomplish.

By late afternoon I had finally gotten a good majority of my objectives completed and I was upside down in the engine compartment of the Hermes V trying to install the governor. It was turning out to be harder than I originally thought. The installation was straight forward, the part I needed to install was just in an inconvenient spot.

I heard someone walking on the deck of the boat as I lay there hanging in the compartment I heard my name called. It was Gregos looking for me.

“Devin,” he began, “message from the mainland for you. Back at your apartment.”

Huh, I thought? I wonder what that was all about? I decided to take a break from my engine work and look into this unexpected message.

As I returned to my apartment I saw a document taped on to my door. It must have come over on the ferry, and then someone must have hand delivered it. Strange, I thought. That’s a lot of effort.

I read the document, it was from DHL Air Express. All it said was I had a registered document delivered to the PO Box I had been instructed to set up on the Greek mainland in Marnasas. I read through the brief document and it did not provide any information on what it was or who sent it.

As I sat in my small kitchen trying to ponder this strange document Gregos poked his head in.

“Laundry all done,” he smiled and told me, “Lydia looking for you too.”

Laundry? What laundry, I wondered?

And then it came to me, the life jacket covers. I’d need to at some point take them to the Hermes I thought. One more thing to try to get done. I walked out of my apartment and I saw Lydia coming in a near run to me.

“Devin,” she began slightly out of breath, “pipe is leaking in women’s showers outside the yoga studio on the second level. This is an emergency.”

I turned around and went to the building adjacent to mine that I’d set up as a shop. I grabbed my tool belt, a couple of extra wrenches, and some sealant. Lydia led the way to the plumbing problem.

It turned out the fix was fairly easy, but time consuming. I had to turn off the main water valve to work on the leak. Once I saw the problem I had to fix it and then rebuild the tile wall that I had opened to get access.

The only positive thing was the three women who didn’t see the ‘out of service’ sign and walked into the shower room nude. I got a fairly good view of some nice looking tits.

By the time I finished it was getting dark. I met with Lydia. The masquerade was tomorrow and we still had a long list of things to get done before the event. Lydia and I prioritized the projects. All of them were on the third level where the guests would walk through.

Even though I was exhausted I walked down to the Taverna that night hoping to see Gabrielle. There were moments that I felt happy and confident in our growing relationship. But, there were other times when her mysterious behavior had me questioning where her true feelings lay.

I sat at the bar, waved to Maria, Gina and some of their friends. Gabrielle, Eva, and John were not there yet. I knew this needed to be an early evening for me. A lot to do tomorrow before the big party. I still was hopeful I’d see Gabrielle.

A little after nine o’clock I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned quickly thinking it would be Gabrielle. No, it was Eva

“Devin,” she smiled and greeted me.

I glanced around expecting to see Gabrielle with her, but she was alone.

“Gabrielle could not make it tonight, but she wanted me to give you a message.”

I was disappointed but I kept those feelings masked. I just nodded to Eva, wanting to hear the message from Gabrielle.

“She wants to make sure you will be at the masquerade ball tomorrow night.” Eva told me. “She said to look for her. She will be wearing a red fox costume.”

Eva then smiled, nodded once, gave me a brief hug and left.

I sat there with a mixture of emotions. Excited about the message from Gabrielle and the thought of spending extended time with her at the party. But I was also confused. Why did Eva have to deliver the message? Still getting mixed signals from her and I was beginning to get annoyed by this whole masquerade business.

Everyone seemed to be making a big deal about it. And without question Lydia was stressing me out with all the ‘to-do’s’ preparing for the big party. And was I supposed to wear a costume? The closest thing I had was a welding mask.

Later, walking home, one of my questions became answered. Sitting on my doorstep was a cardboard box tied with string. Printed on the box was my name in black ink.

Once inside I opened it. It was a purple colored satin costume with a black mask, the type Zorro wore designed to cover the eyes and nose. There was also some type of cap with points and bells.

The whole thing was kind of weird I thought. But I was exhausted and I had a big day tomorrow before the event. I didn’t spend much more time thinking about the costume.

The following day, Saturday, Lydia and I huddled up and created our list of projects to be accomplished. There was a lot of activity around the spa with different vendors, preparing for the grand event.

Finally close to five o’clock Lydia announced we were done for the day.

“Go home, get some rest, but be here by seven o’clock. That’s when Leonidas will speak.” She told me.

I took a shower and a nap. Shortly before seven o’clock I began putting on the costume. It was ridiculous looking but it seemed to fit me. Large puffy sleeves and ballooning pant legs. The black mask and the cap with multiple pointed ends and a bell on each point.

I’d seen something like it in books I thought, I just didn’t know what the costume was supposed to characterize.

There were many people in elaborate costumes at the event. There was food set up on the third level along with multiple bars. There was also wait-staff circulating through the crowds with glasses of wine and champagne on trays. I grabbed one.

There was a stream of people coming up and down the broad stone staircase up to Kanakis’s home on the fourth level. I’d had dinner there several times but I’d never ventured very far into the manor proper. I was curious.

But most of all I was looking for Gabrielle. A red fox costume. I searched for something that looked like that. I also scanned the crowd to see if I could see her long dark hair.

And then Kanakis, dressed as a bright red devil, began his speech.

“Good evening everyone,” he began, “welcome to my home. I am so glad to see so many friends and neighbors at our annual event. I am your host, but I also take responsibility beyond just my hosting duties for tonight.”

“I am the caretaker of this property,” and he spread his arms in an all encompassing gesture, “this is not mine. Currently I live here, but, one day there will be others in my place. I thank you all for the opportunity to be together with so many and to be your host.”

“Tonight will be a night of excitement and mystery. Enjoy the masquerade!” He said once again with an open arm gesture urging the guests to experience the evening.

Suddenly it was as if the level of sound increased. All around there was talk and laughter. Thirsty, I grabbed another wine from the waiter. I stood among the crowd scanning the figures for a petite woman in a fox costume.

I saw a familiar long flow of dark hair. That had to be her, but no, they were in some type of green costume with a cape. Not a red colored fox.

Standing there in the main hall gazing across the costumed party goers I was beginning to get frustrated. All I really wanted to do was find Gabrielle, and so far, I had not been successful. I was also probably drinking too much. I told myself to slow down.

All of a sudden I felt a tug on the large billowing sleeve of my absurd costume. I turned, and there she was. Beautiful in a reddish-orange tight body hugging suit. The same kind of eye mask that I had, but in bright red. And finally two pointed canine ears.

She was smiling up at me, her mouth exposed. I couldn’t help it, I kissed her, lip to lip. A deep kiss showing my longing for her and she kissed me back with equal enthusiasm.

“Oh, Devin,” she smiled and said to me, “I like your costume. You are the jester! How appropriate.”

I barely heard her. I was so consumed with just looking at her. I grinned at her nodding and glanced down at her costume, as I said it was tight, her body defined by the outfit and with pronounced impressions of her nipples on the snug material. I deduced she was wearing no bra.

I was trying to think of some way to be alone with her somewhere throughout the property grounds. As I was considering that she grabbed my arm.

“Come on Devin,” she nearly shouted at me over the noise of the costumed guests.

We went to an area set up with a 70’s rock and roll band. People were dancing and that was what Gabrielle wanted to do too.

They played three fast songs and then a slower one. During the slow dance we were pressed tightly together, my erection was nearly uncomfortable. My condition was obvious to Gabrielle and she pressed back at my groin. At this point I stepped up my effort to find any type of privacy.

“Let’s get a drink,” she breathed into my ear and we found one of the many bars. “Here, try this!”

The bartenders gave us a wide mouthed glass almost like a jar, I could tell the liquor was cold. I thought it was a white wine. I took a big thirsty chug and immediately began coughing.

Gabrielle and the bartender began to laugh.

“What is that!?” I asked. It was like wine but with a much stronger flavor, almost like turpentine.

Gabrielle explained it was a Greek drink called retsina. It was wine fortified with pine resin and was popular throughout the Greek islands.

After a while I began to actually kind of like it. The coldness of it was refreshing and the more I drank the less harsh it tasted. But I began to get a little impaired. I’d had two or three wines before I met up with Gabrielle and now the retsina. I had to be careful.

We walked amongst the people at the party, Gabrielle holding my arm tight to her body. I felt her soft untethered breasts against me and the sensation kept me aroused.

Finally I saw a dark alcove beyond the dance floor and the band. I began to maneuver Gabrielle in that direction. As we got near the dance floor she insisted on dancing. My movements on the dance floor, never great in the first place, were being affected by my alcohol consumption. I must have looked ridiculous staggering around in this stupid costume trying to dance.

Eventually a slow song began. I held her close and the grinding increased. I whispered to her that we needed to find a place to be alone.

“Where?” She asked.

“Follow me.” I told her.

Unfortunately we passed the retsina bar and the bartender, along with Gabrielle’s encouragement served us another cold glass of the pungent drink.

Finally we left the bar and walked in the shadows to the private alcove I’d noticed earlier. I had to really be careful, I was on the verge of being drunk. But I was so happy spending time with Gabrielle that my inebriation and the party atmosphere took me to a different consciousness level.

We slipped around the corner into the abandoned spot outside the boundaries of the party. I kissed her and she kissed me back. I began to take her mask off and she protested.

“No, please, leave it on. It’s a masquerade.” She smiled and said.

We continued to kiss and my hands felt her soft breasts and erect nipples through the thin material. If possible my erection became even more inflamed.

Her hand reached down and stroked me through the surface of the velvet costume. I blearily recalled how I put the silly costume on in the first place. It was a series of zippers and latches. Trying to disrobe this close to the party didn’t seem like a good idea even in my near drunken and sexually aroused state.

I tried to find the openings within her fox costume and my fumblings found no access.

Finally Gabrielle took a step back.

“Devin, later, we will have time later.”

“But I want you now!” I urged her.

“Sometimes in life, we don’t always get what we want, when we want it.” She said, adding, “it is one of life’s lessons.”

With a sigh I accepted the situation with the knowledge that we would be together at the end of the evening.

We joined the large group in the central courtyard where the entertainment was happening. There was a magician doing various tricks on a small stage. In one corner it looked like a fortune teller. Beyond that there was a juggler in a clown’s suit.

At one point Gabrielle whispered to me, she would be right back. Several minutes later a rough arm was thrown over my shoulder. I was nearly knocked over in my compromised condition.

It was Kanakis.

“Devin, my good man!” He boomed. “How are you doing? Are you enjoying yourself? How do you like our masquerade?”

He asked me these rapid fire questions not really looking for answers.

“Come my friend, I want to show you something.” He said to me.

When I mildly protested, not wanting to abandon Gabrielle, he told me we’d just be gone a short time. I agreed, actually curious about what he wanted me to see.

Kanakis, his hand gripping my elbow, led me inside the large villa. There were costumed attendees within the spacious entry but as we walked deeper into the estate the amount of people dwindled.

We came to a wide timbered door. Standing on either side of the door were two young men. Muscled and bare chested with metal cylinders at their wrists. Each held, preposterously, a spear. Even in my inebriated state this seemed a ridiculous affectation. A blank look on their faces, all business. They was either security or part of the props for the party.

Kanakis smiled and opened the doorway. Immediately there were a set of stone steps winding steeply downward into a lower level of the building. At the bottom of the stairs there was another wooden door that opened into a medium size room with several rows of chairs facing a broad theatrical curtain. The air was slightly cooler in this subterranean room.

Kanakis ushered me to a seat directly in front of the center of the curtain. He beckoned me to sit and just as I did, a dark complected attractive young woman in a Cleopatra-esq costume brought a silver tray with glasses and an unlabeled bottle of a greenish clear liquid.

“Devin,” Kanakis began acting as the benevolent host, “I want to share with you several things. This is my small gallery.” And as he said that the curtain parted showing a stage but darkened. I couldn’t make out the objects behind the curtain.

I heard people behind me entering the room and populating the rows of chairs.

“First though, a toast to the evening.”

Kanakis poured two small glasses of the liquor the young woman had brought. He handed me one, raised his glass and drank the full glass. He shuddered as he swallowed and then looked at me.

I knew I was on the verge of being drunk but his hospitality was hard to refuse.

I drank it.

At first the bitter sensation of the drink made me nearly regurgitate it, but then the warmth of the liquid spread to my arms, legs and head. It was like a drug high. Even though I was intoxicated my senses seemed sharper. I turned to Kanakis to ask him what it was, but I found, I could not talk.

“Good? Yes, my friend? This is liquor from the wormwood. It is called absinthe, but we also call it the ‘Green Fairy’.”

It was hard to describe why, but I was thoroughly enjoying the effects of the ‘Green Fairy.’

“Now Devin, the show shall begin.”

I heard a faint rustle behind me and glanced back to see the two bare chested guards behind me.

Just then a spotlight illuminated a sculpture on the stage in front of me. It was a classic nude female. The head was missing and one of the hands was gone. Kanakis told me this was done in the seventh century by a Greek sculptor named Papadakalis..

Several more valuable looking works of art were soon shown on the stage. I had never been a great art enthusiast but somehow, perhaps because of the absinthe, I was fascinated by the show.

Just then the curtains closed and backlights were illuminated.

“Another toast.” My host urged and we both drank more of the ‘Green Fairy’.

Slowly the curtain opened again. I could sense movement on the stage, but it was dark at first I couldn’t tell what was happening. The drink had me hyper-aware and alert combined with a pleasant physical lethargy.

Soon slowly the figures on the stage were illuminated. It was very clear now what they were doing. They were having sex. Fucking.

The woman receiving the fucking was the dark complected girl who’d brought us the absinthe. She was on a small square platform. Her wrists and ankles were secured to the platform and she was spread eagle. She squirmed as if the act were without her consent.

I watched in fascination at their intercourse the unknown male’s muscular ass pushed in and out in a slow rhythm. I could see the jiggle of the girl’s breasts with his movement. Her head shook side to side, her eyes closed as if in protest. Unclear whether it was pleasure or pain that she was experiencing.

Soon the background lights slowly illuminated more of the area. The back of the stage was lined with people. They were in various states of costume or undress. Even though I was fascinated by the live sex I watched as the lights brightened and the people in back became visible.

“Watch Devin,” I heard Kanakis say to me.

I did. And I observed the small group of people behind the copulating couple. All of a sudden I saw Gabrielle, no longer in her masquerade costume standing with the group. She was in a sheer nearly transparent gown, the stage lights illuminating her body. Visually she was nude.

I began to get up and felt Kanakis’s strong grip on my forearm. I also noticed the two muscular guards, with their spears, flanking me. I had no choice but to sit and watch the show.

I tried to make eye contact with Gabrielle, to somehow communicate with her. What was going on? Was she being forced to be here? I wanted to protect her. Certainly her inexperience sexually was being shocked by the display. She looked at me, her expression blank.

The pleasant absinthe induced stupor was now gone. I was agitated, worried about the safety of Gabrielle. I felt my heart racing.

I watched her, needing somehow to get through to her. And then one side of her gown, detached, falling away away exposing her naked breast. The same breast I had fondled no more than an hour ago.

And then a hand reached up to grasp it. I looked at the person next to her, caressing her. To my shock I recognized him.

It was the disgusting Emir.

I then saw a small smile appear on her face as if to encourage his ministrations. And then I saw her hand reach out and caress his crotch. Fairly quickly his erection became visible. Her hand stroked it up and down. I couldn’t believe my beautiful, innocent Gabrielle was the same person I saw on the stage. It was obscene.

All at once the stage darkened and the curtains were drawn. I tried to stand up but all energy had left me.

“One more act Devin, and then this little show is over. Would you care for a last taste of the ‘Green Fairy’?”

Kanakis poured us both a glass and for some reason I drank it. I then began to get up, to leave, to see if I could find Gabrielle.

But as I stood both guards moved toward me, menacing with the sharp spears..

“It would be better that you stay seated for the final part,” Kanakis calmly told me.

What choice did I have?

As we sat in the dark I heard more people enter the dark room.. For a moment I must have blanked out. Small wonder. The combination of wine, retsina, and the ‘Green Fairy’ would certainly intoxicate anyone. The absinthe alone would do it.

I was brought awake by a comradely clap on my back from Kanakis.

“Devin,” he began in his normal magnanimous tone, “pay attention, you don’t want to miss the final act!”

I opened my eyes to the same dark curtain, it slowly opened. Ay first, I could see nothing more than shadowed movements, but gradually strategic lights were illuminated. And then I saw her.

Not more than a dozen feet in front of me was Gabrielle. At first I only saw her face, illuminated, staring expressionless at me. Then as the light expanded I could see she was on her hands and knees, her naked breasts slightly swaying. There was a gentle rhythmic movement to her head and body. As the light expanded I saw the cause of the movement.

She was being fucked from behind. The fucker was in costume. It was some type of canine mask. Probably a wolf. The entire scene depicted beastiality, an animal and a human having sex. It was made all the more obscene by the fact that Gabrielle was the recipient of the fucking.

She continued to stare at me as the assault continued. Her face was expressionless. None of the emotion we had shared less than an hour ago.

Why was this happening? What in the world was going on? This entire scenario must have taken an uncommon amount of planning. And how in the world did they persuade Gabrielle to participate? Participate sexually!?

My intoxicated brain had no chance of establishing any type of cornerstone of logic to what I was seeing.

As these thoughts swirled through my impaired brain all at once Gabrielle had a shuddering climax. Her eyes closed and her head dropped. The lights then dimmed and the curtain closed and for a moment I sat uncomprehending. My world, as I knew it, had just tilted fairly severely..

“One last drink Devin?” Kanakis, my benevolent host offered.

I don’t know why but I accepted it. Perhaps if I prolong my inebriation the pain of what I had been subjected to would be temporarily anesthetized.

I sat in semi consciousness wondering what was next and then suddenly the curtain opened and the lights illuminated the entire stage. There in chairs facing the audience were the performers.

“And now it is time for us to meet the participants of tonight’s performance,” Kanakis stood and addressed me and the others sitting behind me.

Through a brain fogged haze I heard Kanakis introduce each of the players in this ridiculous affair.

First there were the two bare chested bodyguards. I had to look left and right to verify that I was no longer a prisoner. And then there was ‘Isis’ the dark complected woman that was first getting fucked. Her partner was a smiling fellow called Marcelo.

He introduced several others including the hulking Emir. My attention was waning, all,the alcohol was raking its toll…

“And of course, you know the star of our play, Gabrielle Tsufas.” Smiling, he unnecessarily introduced her.

And then Gabrielle, in her sheer gown stood unembarrassed, smiled at me and those behind us, and then bowed toward the audience. A playful amused expression on her face.

“Oh and Devin, I have one final surprise, actually two,” and then Kanakis turned toward the people on stage and with his arm he motioned toward the wolf-costumed individual on the right hand side.

The wolf took several steps forward and to the center of the stage. And with that he removed the head-piece part of the costume. When I saw who it was I literally shook my head in bewilderment. This was impossible.

If you’ve ever come across someone in a totally different place than you normally expect them it’s a terribly confusing situation. Multiply those feelings times one hundred. That is what I was experiencing.

It wasn’t possible that this was who was, moments ago, fucking Gabrielle.

It was my ex-father in law Long Pham!

I tried to stand but fell into a group of chairs. The combination of my panic and total inebriation made me stagger without the ability to be upright.

“Devin, Devin, please sit,” Kanakis said to me with false good nature, ‘there are several things I need to explain to you. Here take a deep breath, no more ‘Green Fairy’ for you,” he then chuckled.

“You see Devin, Long is an old friend of mine. I made my money in finance in Southeast Asia. Long and I have known each other for years.”

“As you may know, Long is totally devoted to his family, particularly his daughter, your ex wife, Mei.” At that moment Kanakis nodded toward the back of the stage again and there stood a familiar shape in a green costume with long dark hair.

It was Mei. Mei, my ex wife, was watching me at my lowest moment, embarrassed and confused. At least Mei had the small amount of decency to avert her eyes not seeming to rejoice in my being so tragically ridiculed.

“And when you elected to divorce Long’s daughter, it made him quite unhappy. Unhappy because you, an outsider, had interrupted the harmony in his family. Long felt it would be appropriate to teach you a bit of a lesson. You upset Mei terribly and that affected their entire household.”

“Long knew I often put on our own little, shall we say performances here, and he asked for my help. I was glad to offer assistance and I recruited the tantalizing Gabrielle. An amateur actress, Gabrielle was willing to help.”

Gabrielle stood up once more and curtsied. A big smile on her amused face.

“So Devin, you became part of the entertainment too. Perhaps you’ve wondered about your costume, you wore it well. You, my friend, are the fool. With your stumbling attempts at seduction! Gabrielle and I had many laughs at your expense.”

“At this point, the performance tonight is over. The masquerade has ended. I have but one more piece of advice for you Devin.”

“There are times in our lives when we realize we are not in control of our own destiny. At that moment it is best to accept our fate and not waste energy on what was not to be.”

Kanakis then stood, and there was more movement from others as well as the performers. The show had concluded.

“Devin, please take your time before you leave. It is a steep walk back down to your quarters.” And with that, he was gone.

— — — — — — — — — —

Darkness. Intense pain in my head. Confusion. Where was I?

.

Slowly, quite slowly, consciousness crept into my brain. Through lidded eyes I discovered I was in my small apartment at the Spa. Gingerly I moved, my head throbbing and pain behind my eyeballs. My stomach didn’t feel that well either.

I rolled over and something hard pressed into my back. This was the least of my discomforts at this point.

Eventually, yet remarkably clearly, I began to recall the events of the previous night. Foremost and stuck in my brain was the image of my ex father in law fucking Gabrielle from behind. And then, and I nearly vomited with this thought, the look in her eyes as the sex brought her pleasure.

For a moment I drifted back to our nude night time swim on that secluded beach. Was it possible they could have been spying on me the whole time?

My head was spinning with incomprehension. Different images and thoughts would lodge in my consciousness like the blade of a knife wounding me psychologically.

I replayed the early evening with what seemed like normal activities I would have at a party with a girlfriend. And then Gabrielle claimed she’d be right back and Kanakis engaged me.

Everything had seemed normal with Gabrielle. And now, now that I see it was all some vengeful game I felt like an idiot. I slumped back down on my bed. Never had I felt this bad. This was worse than when I had lost Samish Meadows.

I lay there wallowing in my own crushed world. I began questioning a lot of things in my life. Suddenly a wave of fatigue overcame me and I slumped back onto the mattress. The hard object I’d noticed earlier was now poking me square in the back.

I rolled to the side and reached back to remove the object. And then I saw it. What was THIS doing here in my bed!? I picked it up cautiously and examined it.

It was a gun. A revolver actually. I knew enough about guns to know that much. I could see it was loaded. But how was it here? or maybe a better question, why was it here?

I lay in the bed, still in the ridiculous fools costume, thinking about the turn my life had taken. And then I thought about the gun. It would certainly be a quick and easy way to get rid of the pain and embarrassment.

And then I thought about a dinner I’d had with Kanakis shortly after I arrived on Santos. I recall his story of being lost at sea, and I remember something he told me.

This probably isn’t exact, but it’s close enough::

‘I realized at that moment I wasn’t afraid of death and I thought that at some point in all of our lives there will be times when death becomes preferable to life itself.’

I thought about my life. All my grand plans. My failed marriage to a person I really cared about. My business failure. And then my new found love with Gabrielle. Obviously that was some crazy widespread joke. And I was the fool.

I looked at the gun. I lay there for a while and thought. Was death preferable to life for me? It would be painless, and it would take so much pain away.

I started thinking of the logistics, put it in my mouth, against my temple? I began exploring the most efficient ways to get this done.

In the midst of this I became aware of noises outside. It sounded like a group of people talking. Maybe they’d hear the gun shot and be the ones to find me, I thought.

I lay there in my misery contemplating that scenario. Would there be a way I could do this to cause minimum clean up problems. My mind flashed to Gregos, the smiling pleasant janitor. Perhaps my only true friend on Santos.

I lay there, right hand clutching the revolver. The thought of the betrayal by Gabrielle was foremost and the most painful to comprehend.

Just as I was lifting the revolver toward my head, I heard a noise. It froze me. In my fogged brain I knew something was not quite right, but it took me a few minutes to understand what alarmed me.

The noise I heard was a boat starting up, and just from the sound I knew it was the Hermes V. I had warned Lydia and Kanakis that the boat was not fit to run. And in fact it would be dangerous for it to even go a short distance.

Slowly I rose, my head throbbed. I was unsteady as I shuffled to my window. It was a ways away but I saw them. Four of them. Kanakis, Long Pham, my ex wife Mei, and lastly Gabrielle.

It was clear what was going on. Long likely did not want to wait for the ferry. After he’d had his ultimate revenge at my expense it was back to reality. He needed to get back to running Trans Pacific. Mei and Gabrielle were taking the quickest way off Santos too.

I moved quickly to the door, or at least as quick as I could in my current condition. I needed to warn them. But then I stopped. Where was my obligation? I’d already warned Kanakis about the problem. And then I thought of those people on the boat. What did I owe them?

I had an image of myself shuffling down the dock in the fool’s costume, yelling and waving as they laughed at me and took off for the mainland. That thought froze me. I stood looking out the window in a daze, my moral judgment at a crossroads with my anger at all four of them.

And then the boat accelerated away from the dock. I stood there with that same moral conundrum. Could I have stopped them? Did I want to stop them?

I looked around the small apartment and the first thing I did was get out of the ridiculous costume. I may still be a fool, but at least I was no longer dressed that way.

I glanced at the bed and there was the gun. It pointed at me obscenely. I went to the bed, opened the chamber and emptied the bullets. I then opened the door and threw the gun toward the water. I heard it splash.

I had a thought. I recalled seeing a binocular case in the shop next door. I stumbled over and found them in an old brown leather case. I walked outside to a high spot with a bit of a view. I stared out at the sea.

At first there was nothing. I suppose there was a chance that the Hermes V could make it to the mainland without a problem, but in reality, that was unlikely..

I was about to go in and rummage through my stuff for some aspirin when I saw it. It would not have been visible without the binoculars. But there it was.

A small wift of smoke, a black smoke, and just possibly I saw the flash of flame.

My instincts kicked in overpowering some other emotions. I knew the unpredictable and short handed Greek Hellenic Coast Guard would not be the solution on a Sunday morning.

I remembered one other alarming thing. There were no life jackets on the boat. They were in the laundry. This thought triggered me to action. I needed to do something.

I looked around and suddenly I thought of a potential solution. The jet ski. Did it run? Could it get me there? With my help could we extinguish the fire?

I ran as best I could down to the dock. I checked. The jet ski had a full tank. The keys were in the ignition. I tried to start it and it shuddered and died. I messed with it a bit and tried it again. This time it ran a little longer but didn’t catch. I fiddled with a couple more things and gave it a try. This time it fired up.

I untied the jet ski and with the binoculars around my neck I headed for the smoke. Several times I had to stop and use the binoculars to get back on course.

The chop of the sea enhanced my nausea but did not slow me down. I had a mental image of getting to the Hermes and the five of us putting out the fire. I would stay with them on the jet ski while they waited for the eventual tow in from the coast guard.

For the moment anger and need for revenge took a back seat. These people needed help.

But that’s not what happened.

I was now in visual proximity to the Hermes. It was worse than I expected. Visible flames had engulfed the back of the boat. The fire extinguisher was near the engine compartment. They’d had no opportunity to get it.

I saw Mei and Long clinging to the high side of the boat. Kanakis was sitting on the angled bow. Gabrielle was next to the Hermes, treading water. The only thing stopping the entire boat to be completely engulfed in flame was that the burning back half was sinking into the sea.

Once they saw me they all started waving. Quickly I made an assessment. There was no chance of saving the boat or for it to be any sort of floating salvation for the four of them.

The mechanically erratic jet ski would at best carry two people. And I wasn’t noble enough, or dumb enough to sacrifice myself for any of them. Now we had a conundrum.

Which of the four would be saved?

“Devin help!” They all shouted to me.

Immediately Long had the loudest and most vocal voice.

“You need to save me. We send help for others. I demand it!” Long shouted.

I noticed Mei, silently looking at her father as he commanded my help. It did not take much analysis to understand he’d just sentenced his daughter to death to save himself.

“Devin, my friend, I need your help here.” Kanakis shouted at me. “Please, I am begging.” He added his voice cracking.

The boat shifted and Mei’s grip on the edge broke free. She was now treading water.

“Please,” was all Gabrielle said to me. She stared at me with those beautiful eyes, the eyes that I’d loved. I hesitated, a day ago I would have given my own life to save Gabrielle. And then the image of her being fucked by the wolf, Long Pham in costume, flashed in my brain.

With a quick acceleration I reached Mei, extended an arm and hauled her up on the jet ski.

Kanakas broke down and begged that I leave Mei and take him to safety.

I saw him desperately clinging to the bow of the Hermes and I thought of the way he’s manipulated me, for his own amusement..

“You know Kanakis” I said, “someone once gave me some advice, it went something like this:

‘There are times in our lives when we realize we are not in control of our own destiny. At that moment it is best to accept our fate and not waste energy on what was not to be.’

With that statement I turned quickly and accelerated back to Santos with Mei, unsure if the jet ski would make it with the added weight. The cries of the others on the boat receded as we headed away.

— — — — — — — — — —

It took several days to talk to the local police and the Greek Hellenic Coast Guard. At first I was viewed as a potential suspect but as details trickled out that sentiment shifted and many thought of me as a hero. Saving at least one person.

I explained to them I was woken by the noise of the boat leaving the dock. I had no way to communicate with them so I watched through the binoculars. When I saw the first sign of a fire I tracked them down in the jet ski. My hope was to aid them to extinguish the engine fire.

By the time I got there any chance of salvaging the Hermes V had literally gone up in flames. Unfortunately, I quickly realized I needed to get one other person to safety.

A few days later the news spread to Santos that Gabrielle, miraculously, had swam to the mainland. A distance of nearly five miles. I recalled how she told me of her success in competitive swimming. The lies and the truth co-mingled the more I learned about Gabrielle.

I never had an opportunity to speak to Mei. We were separated by the authorities relating our own knowledge of the circumstances leading to the disastrous burning of the Hermes V and the death of Long and Kanakis.

Fortunately both Lydia and Gregos corroborated the information about my warning of the dangers of the un-repaired boat. All my actions had been validated by the Coast Guard and the local authorities. There were no criminal accusations. It was just considered a tragedy.

— — — — — — — — — —

many months later….

I couldn’t believe it. So much had happened, some of it bad. But this news was different. It was so good.

I was going to be a father. My wife was pregnant. Finally my life seemed to be heading in the right direction and now this news. I was ecstatic.

But I suppose I should back up. There were some details to fill in on this story.

The following Monday, after the tragedy on the Hermes V, Lydia called a meeting of the spa staff. That included me.

I hadn’t really planned what the next step in my life would be. I just assumed I’d be relieved of my duties at the Spa. Despite the humiliation and negative experiences I’d absorbed on Santos, following deep consideration, I found I liked living here and I really didn’t want to leave.

At the meeting Lydia’s message to the staff was: regardless of the circumstances that befell Mr Kanakis, it was business as usual until we hear differently.

As our regular routine continued I would still meet with Lydia in the morning, as usual, and do whatever projects needed to be done that particular day. I continued to get my small paycheck directly deposited into my bank account.

All of a sudden, in the midst of a repair I was doing at the spa, I recalled the message that I had a registered letter from the mainland. I was curious as to what that might possibly be.

I arranged with Lydia to take Friday afternoon off. I took the noon ferry from Santos to the Marnasas on the mainland.

We arrived about two PM. I made my way to the postal store. I opened my locked mailbox and there was just one item in there. A registered letter with a return address. Trans Pacific Financial.

As I opened the envelope I began to realize what this likely was. And I was right, it was a check. A big check. They must have sold the Samish Meadows property and here was my share.

$533,854.00.

Suddenly I had a few more options.

Life returned to something that might be called normal on Santos. Slowly I started going back to the Taverna on the weekend. Strangely, I never saw John or Eva there. They seemed such a normal part of customers, but other than them it was all the same people. I found some comfort in the familiarity.

Eventually I noticed business started slowing at the Spa. Fewer people, less activity required of Gregos and I. Rumors began to circulate. Was the Spa in danger of closing?

I considered my options. Though I’d grown to love living on Santos I didn’t really have any long term career here. I began to think of returning to the US. I even started researching different franchises to purchase.This was the equivalent of buying myself a job.

Some looked interesting and I certainly had the money to do it. I just was not yet prepared to leave this beautiful island.

Business continued to slow at the Spa. Beyond Lydia there was no leadership. Some of the Spa staff began to leave. There were fewer guests and there was far less to do.

One afternoon I was in the shop doing absolutely nothing. Gregos walked in.

“Devin,” he began, “you help my aunt with broken door?”

After a moment I said sure. Gregos and I took the old shop truck to the village and went to his elderly aunt’s house. She showed me the problem. The hinges were sagging and the door wouldn’t latch properly. It took a little work and with Gregos’ help we fixed it and the door ended up latching correctly.

Aunt Lina gave me a pie as compensation. I told her no, I didn’t need it, but she insisted. The pie was delicious.

It started slowly at first, but I continued to get more requests. First from the local inhabitants of Santos, but then gradually from the wealthy European vacationers who owned second homes on Santos.

One day after repairing something on a vacation home Gregos said to me,

“Devin, rich people from Europe have lots of money. You need charge more!”

Quickly I realized the economics of the situation. Locals were kind of a pay what you can, but tourists, they paid full price and didn’t seem to mind.

Pretty soon Gregos and I had a small side business.

And it was good we did. Business at the Spa was drying up. For Gregos and I we’d do what needed to be done at the Spa, but most of our days were doing side work.

One morning I met with Lydia and she told me the Spa was closing and at the end of the week she was moving back to Athens.

“Does that mean I need to move out of the apartment?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Lydia said to me, “probably not immediately.”

By now, Gregos and I were making more on our side job doing repairs than we were making at the Spa. I had, at least temporarily, a place to live, and I had money in the bank.

The following day I had notice of another registered letter at the PO Box in Marnasas. That afternoon I took the ferry to the mainland. When I got there it was another letter from Trans Pacific. I half expected some sort of demand to return their original check.

It wasn’t. This time it was another check for $328,212.00. It was marked final compensation. Huh? Final compensation for what I wondered? Wow I thought as I left the bank, I’m almost a millionaire!

On the ferry ride back I read the English language version of the local paper. All fairly boring and then I saw something that caught my eye. Santos Spa Foreclosure Auction. It then listed the property attached to the Spa.

With all the European tourists buying vacation homes on Santos the Spa would sell for millions I thought. I noticed the auction was scheduled for next Saturday at noon and then there was a listed address in Marnasas.

I suppose I’d need to start figuring out what I was going to do and get prepared to move.

That Friday evening I went to the Taverna. I sat with a group of locals and the conversation shifted to the auction of the Spa.

“The auction is tomorrow at the town hall, 12:00 o’clock,” one of the men said.

“No,” I said, “it’s on the mainland.”

“No, town hall.” The man said, shaking his head side to side, “my wife’s cousin’s husband works there, it’s in the town.”

Huh, I thought, as I walked home, the information in the local newspaper must have been wrong or they changed things. Typical Greek fumbling. I decided to walk into town tomorrow and check out the auction.

The next day at the town square, I expected a huge clamoring crowd of attendees for the auction. That wasn’t what was there. Instead just a small cluster of people meandering around one corner of the town square. The majority of people were probably at the mainland address.

When I examined the auction information I saw that they had parceled the property out. They had Kanakis’ grand villa as the featured property. The Spa area itself listed as a hotel/restaurant opportunity, several other small plots of land, and then I saw it.