the beach was not deserted. People strolled in group or couples.
Ashley scowled as she focused on the vacationers. Was she seeing correctly? She removed the binoculars and fixed her attention on a couple holding hands. “No way,” she gasped and then stared again through the magnifying lenses.
Stefano chuckled.
She swirled toward him. “They’re naked. I mean completely.”
“It’s a nudist beach,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Oh,” she muttered. Staring again through the binoculars, she scanned the sand curiously and swallowed. “Oh,” she repeated, not knowing what else to say as she examined a couple occupied in stroking each other’s chests. The man’s hand slid between the woman’s thighs and she grabbed her lover’s cock.
“Gosh.” Still staring through the binoculars, she fanned her face, then realized what she was doing, and snatched the magnifying lenses away. “Please, move the boat.”
Stefano burst out laughing. “There are many nudist beaches along the coast. Some people like to go there. But we won’t linger here of course.”
“Of course.” She blinked several times to erase the image of the couple frolicking on the sand and resolutely turned away from the coast to concentrate on her companion.
Having maneuvered the yacht away from the offensive bay, Stefano accelerated the speed. They were now too far from the coast for her to differentiate between the various beaches and the degree of nudity on the sand.
She glanced back at the shore. The indelible image of the couple on the beach still seared her memory. Except that in her mind, the man on the sand had Stefano’s features and she was the woman he held.
After a moment, Stefano checked his watch and brought the yacht closer to land. “We’ll go back to pick up Mikhali. Are you hungry? We can have dinner as soon as he comes back.”
“Yes, let’s have dinner, please.” She forced the words through the lump clogging her throat. Food would provide a welcome interlude and a break from her lascivious thoughts.
Stefano watched her quietly and his eyes shone with a new intensity. “I’ll cut the engine and let the boat drift for a short while. Come, Ashley.”
He led her to the upper deck and the dinette. She grabbed the binoculars that he’d just put on the table. As she surveyed the shore to assess the location of the ship, she recognized the area, the beach where she’d lounged in the morning and her grandfather’s Pink Villa. That was exactly what she needed to clear her thoughts.
“I’m going to the galleys to fetch our trays,” Stefano announced.
“Can I help?” she casually offered, not really eager to go to a confined space with her handsome host.
“ Efkharisto . Thank you, but no. I’d rather you stay and enjoy the view,” he said and disappeared down the stairwell.
Ashley pulled her cellular phone from her pocket. Zooming on the Pink Villa, she clicked a few pictures and sent them to her grandfather. Two minutes later, the phone rang.
“Ashley, my little one, how are things going?” Grandpa asked with concern.
“Great. Everything is going smoothly. I visited your villa and took a lot of pictures from land and sea,” she explained, her gaze riveted on the Pink Villa.
“Good, good,” Grandpa answered with a jovial voice that reassured her about his physical and emotional health. The dear old man had been quite restless in the few days before her departure from Boston, but it was understandable considering his recent heart problems and the stress due to the old house. All because of that sleazeball by the name of Kostapoulos.
“I met the opposition lawyer, Ted Pastroudis. Imagine the guy was with me at Harvard.”
“So he’s a better lawyer than we thought?”
“Maybe. But don’t worry, Grandpa. I’m well prepared. I haven’t seen our lawyer. Anton Benatis is coming tonight from Athens. He’ll pick me up tomorrow to go to court.”
Silence filled the line for a brief moment.