Mistake Time?

After putting Amy to bed - my bed, specifically - the rest of us call it a night. I climb onto the top bunk, still in my bikini because a certain someone is currently snoring on my pyjamas, as thoughts race through my head. No prizes for guessing what I'm thinking about, by the way.

Head swimming with **** and sexual tension, I bite my lip and let my hand slide down to my bikini bottoms. It slides inside, and I picture myself back in Jack's room, naked and hypnotized, as I start to massage my clit. I stifle a moan at the pleasure. God, why does this whole thing turn me on so much?

I've never been one to let my emotions rule my head. Sure, I've dated one or two assholes, but I didn't know they were trouble until later. The red flags weren't staring me in the face before I started. Unlike with Jack. But that feeling of being completely entranced is so relaxing, so enticing ...

And worse, the knowledge that I'm utterly at his mercy does something to my body that I've never experienced before. The powerlessness is like a ****. I know it's bad for me, but it feels so good, and I can't get enough of it.

The fantasy pulls me in. I picture him snapping his fingers, and my body trembles as a shudder of pleasure runs through me. I imagine him ordering me onto my knees, looming over me, completely in control as I do whatever he asks. Then I rip the covers off because I know it's not enough.

I need the real thing.

Sliding out of bed and down the bunk's ladder, I strip off my bikini and replace it with the same underwear I wore last night. I even quickly apply my lipstick, although I don't bother with any other makeup. I've got bigger fish to fry.

With Amy still snoring loudly, I quietly open the door and pad along the hallway to Jack's room and tap it twice with a fingernail. No response. Biting my lip, I eye the door. Is this really a good idea? No.

Is this really what I want, though? Right now, fuck yes.

I open Jack's door.

The lamp on his bedside illuminates the whole room in soft, warm light. His suitcase looks like it's barfed out a load of clothes onto the floor, as well as a couple of books. Jack is already in his pyjamas, propped up against a couple of pillows with his headphones on and his phone in his lap. His pyjama pants - a cute square-patterned maroon pair - are pulled down to around his thighs, and his hand is around his erect cock.

He looks at me, an expression of pure terror on his face. "Alicia?" He quickly yanks the covers over himself and takes off his headphones.

I shut the door on instinct. From inside his room, I hear mutters and a couple of scrapes, then footsteps approaching the door. By the time Jack opens it, the covers around his waist and trailing behind him, I'm doubled over and silently laughing my head off.

"I did knock," I manage to squeeze out between laughs.

Jack still looks like he's seen a ghost. He quickly pokes his head out and checks the hall is empty, then rounds on me again. "What the hell are you doing?" he hisses.

"What does it look like? I'm making a very big but very fun mistake," I say, still laughing but at least managing to stand up straight. I can't help glancing at his crotch, and he shifts back awkwardly. "Well, at least now we're square."

He manages to blush and glower at the same time. Grabbing my arm, he pulls me into the room and shuts the door behind us, then lets go.

"Soo, what were you watching?" I ask as I wander over to the bed, scoop up his phone and tap it awake. It's locked. Damn.

Jack snatches it off me. "None of your business."

I tease my bra strap off my shoulder and tilt my head coquettishly. "Can it be my business if I show you my tits again?" I say sweetly, biting my lip.

He narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

I roll my eyes. "Jesus christ, dude. The girl you like is basically begging you to fuck her right now. What's the damn problem? I'm drunk, and horny, and I want to fuck. Okay? That good enough for you?" He glances down at my chest, still unconvinced. "Oh my god, dude. Hypnotize me already!"

Jack shakes his head. "You're drunk. You don't actually want this."

What. The. Fuck. "You've got to be the weirdest guy I've ever met. I am literally telling you I do want this. Right now." I stab my finger into his chest. "Besides, you didn't seem to have a problem with that last night."

He looks at his feet. "Yeah, well, you only gave me that speech today," he mumbles.

I look at the ceiling. Why. Just ... Why? Name me one other college guy who would turn down his crush in her underwear, and I'll give you a grand.

"Fine," I sigh. I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Fine. Okay. Enjoy jerking off to whatever mystery porn you were watching. I'm gonna go back to bed and sober up, I guess."

"Alicia," he says as I open the door.

I wave him off. "No, it's okay, I get it." I slip out into the hall before he can say anything else and shut the door, leaving me in the almost-black of the hallway. Putting my back against the door, I let out a silent groan.

Fuck's sake.

Cold seawater splashes me in the face and snaps me out of my thoughts. Amy bobs on her paddleboard a few feet away, staring at me. "Yo, Earth to Alicia? You coming or what?"

"Yeah, my arms are just tired," I grumble. I wipe the water off my sunglasses, lift my own oar and begin paddling after her, bobbing on the swell. Sunlight glints off the waves between us and the tiny island we're heading for, broken only by three specks on the water. Damn, the others have made good progress - they're already a few hundred feet away.

"Whoa, look at that!" Amy points into the distance with her oar. I squint, shielding my face from the sun with my hand, and just about make out the sleek forms of a pod of dolphins heading up the coast. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah," I smile, watching in awe as one leaps out of the water. "I wanted to be a mermaid when I grew up. Although then again, I was six at the time."

"You're so basic," Amy laughs.

"Oh yeah? What did you want to be, then?"

"An astronaut."

I shrug. "Boring. Honestly, you gotta dream big, Amy."

She splashes me with water again. "Reaching for the stars is objectively more interesting than reaching for the water. Like, I'm sorry, but it just is. Therefore, I win. I mean, are you seriously telling me you'd rather be a mermaid than an astronaut? For real?"

"Right now, I'd definitely take mermaid because then I could stop paddling," I grin.

Amy laughs. "Okay, you make a good point. By the way, was I a complete menace last night?"

"I mean, you did squeeze my boob, and it was definitely not an accident, so yeah, kinda," I chuckle.

"Oh god, I am so sorry," she groans.

"Eh, I'm used to it," I grin. "Although yeah, next time, maybe trim down on the molestation a bit please?"

She salutes, laughing. "Aye aye, captain."

Yeahhh, that's definitely gonna work.

We finally make it to the island and pull our boards up the beach above the tideline, to where the others are sitting in the shade of one of the only palm trees. My arms ache, and when Elijah offers me a bottle of water, I splash some on my face before guzzling the rest.

Dani laughs and raises an eyebrow. "You know we've only got four more of those, right?"

"Sorry," I gasp. "I was thirsty."

I happen to catch Jack's eye at that, and he sniggers into his hand. I ignore him. "So, what's the plan?"

"I want to just tan for a bit," says Dani.

"Babe, you're latina. You do not need to tan," Amy says. "I, on the other hand, absolutely do, so goodnight, suckers." She pulls her hat over her face and lays down on the sand. Dani pulls a book out of one of the waterproof bags and lays down next to her.

Elijah shrugs. "I'm gonna go walk around the island, see how big it is."

"Nice! I'll come too." I ignore the puppy eyes Jack is trying to give me and fall into step next to Elijah.

The sand is hot from the sun, and it creeps into our flip flops as we trudge along the beach. The rustle of palm trees, the wash of the ocean, and the calls of seabirds are the only sounds beyond our own footsteps. Elijah wears a contented smile. Like Amy, I'm not sure I've ever seen him upset for longer than five minutes, and on this vacation he seems happier than ever. Probably because he gets to sleep with his girlfriend every night.

"Soo, how're you finding the trip?" I ask.

He smiles and glances back at Dani, a tender look on his face. "Yeah, good. Hey, thanks for driving us out here, by the way. And sorry if Amy and I were chewing your ear off."

I beam at him. "It's okay. As long as you don't do it on the way home."

He nods. "How about you? You seemed a bit rough at breakfast this morning."

"Not as rough as Amy," I smirk. "Yeah, I'm enjoying it. It's nice to get away from college for a bit. I just wish we'd done this last year, too, it would have been lovely. And Freddie could have actually come for the whole time."

"Yeah," he nods. "But you were still with Desmond then, so that would have ruined the mood a bit."

I blush. I forgot how much Elijah hated my ex. To be fair, he did turn out to be a complete asshat. "True that. Yeah, good thing we waited until this year, then."

We pick our way around the rest of the island. It barely takes more than twenty minutes, but we're covered in sweat by the time we spot our little camp of paddleboards under the tree. Dani is still lying where we left her, nose in book, but Jack and Amy are bobbing in the waves just off the shore. Laughter and splashes echo off the water.

A stab of jealousy prickles my chest.