Its' a tie.

The deejay read from the paper. "Third place goes to... contestant number five, Kimmi!" Rounds of approving applause greeted the Hawaiian beauty as she stepped forward to collect her check. She smiled sweetly and waved to the crowd as Emma and Robyn clapped for her, looking at each other with anxious glances.

As Kimmi took her place back in the lineup, the announcer resumed. "This is most extraordinary, folks. We have a tie for first place. And those two are..." He theatrically let the suspense build among the competitors and audience both for a few seconds. "Number Six, Emma and Number Nine, Robyn, our West Australian ladies!"

Emma and Robyn both looked at each other with wide eyes before the deejay stepped back to escort them both to the front of the stage. The crowd went wild at the opportunity to ogle the Aussie beauties once again.

"Now we can't have the contest end in a tie, can we folks?" the paunchy man asked the audience.

There didn't seem to be too much concern among the crowd by the stage. They were busy snapping pictures and continuing to run their camcorders. The deejay proceeded anyhow.

"Okay, folks, the judges have left it to you, the audience!" the man said, pointing his microphone to the crowd. The lust and lager filled crowd went crazy.

Emma and Robyn just stood by each other, Emma's left hand clenched with Robyn's right as they supported each other. The blue sun-block six painted on the brunette's dark upper thigh rubbed close to the nine scrawled on Robyn's somewhat lighter limb.

"By crowd response, who is the winner of Toohey's Beach Bash Bikini Blowout?" he asked, the crowd more raucous than ever. "Number Six, Emma?" he asked as he paraded her along the stage edge. The sun made Em's oil glisten as she strode before them in her abbreviated version of a wetsuit. The announcer replaced the brunette and took Robyn's hand. "Or Number Nine, Robyn?" The deejay took Robyn around the stage edge as well. Still bouncing kittenishly on the balls of her feet, the tomboyish blonde twirled her little shorts in her hand as she strolled past, still in only her extreme low-rider thong bikini.

The announcer shook his head lightly, not being able to tell the difference in crowd response. He tried again, walking behind each girl and putting his hand above first one, then the other's head to better gauge the applause. It was to no avail. He looked over to the judges for some help. They all just shrugged their shoulders, equally at a loss for an answer. He then just grabbed each beauty's hand and held both up in the air.

The deejay smiled almost as broadly as the two friends at the positive reaction from the audience. As he walked over to the sponsors' table, he wondered why the clamor continued to elevate. He turned to see both ladies locked in a passionate embrace. He could have sworn he saw tongues dart past the lips of the girls as they kissed passionately, clenching each other's bare butt cheeks as they did so.

As the deejay strode back to center stage to approach them with their prize envelopes, the friends stood side by side again. "The good folks at Toohey's have decided, rather than split the first and second prize money between the two of you, that you will BOTH get a thousand dollars!"

Tears trickled down their cheeks as they accepted their winnings. After the obligatory photos with the rest of the contestants and the sponsors, Robyn and Emma prepared to step down from the stage.

"Can you believe it, Ems! Did you ever in your wildest dreams think?" Robyn bubbled to her friend, disbelieving that they walked away with two thousand dollars.

"If you want to win another two grand, you better hurry!" Emma interrupted. "The amateur competition is before the pros. Ladies' is lining up now!"

Robyn looked back to the surf, seeing women paddling out. Emma saw the look of longing in her friends' eyes as she realized the waves were the best of the day.

"But I'm not signed up! And even so, the wagon with our boards is parked clear across..." Emma grabbed the babbling blonde's shoulders and pointed her in the direction of an open space by the side of the stage. Natalie stood there, waving papers in one hand and holding the blonde's freshly waxed board with the other.

Robyn's mouth opened and her eyes widened as she turned back to her friend. "Oh, Ems! You really are the best friend! I don't know why you put up with me sometimes!" the blonde gushed, pulling her friend close.

"I don't know why either!" Emma laughed, grabbing the girl's shorts from her hand.

"But don't you think the suit's rather much for a surf comp?" Robyn asked, looking at the clingy spandex scraps that adorned her chiseled body.

"Rather little, I'd say!" laughed the brunette. "Now, go! Make us proud!" Emma said, swatting Robyn on her bare right ass cheek to get her moving.

Emma smiled, already proud, as she watched her buff little surf buddy run through the sand to the breakers.