Page 25 of Total Assist (For Puck’s Sake #13)

DASAN

There’s a fine line between being ridiculous and cautious. We’re going on this vacation together, but doing so is tricky. We don’t drive to the airport together because anyone leaving or coming could recognize us and take note.

We don’t sit together, though we sit close. Shively’s seat is in front of mine, and we act surprised to be on the same plane. It’s stupid and frustrating and amusing at the same time, especially when I tease him and he gives me a warning look.

I’d love to say I had Shively travel in style with a dick collar or cock cage, but I didn’t want him to be mortified going through security. A silicone cock ring on the other hand…

No. I don’t want to hurt his trust, and I don’t want to put him in a spot where he’s upset. Ever. Not like that.

We acted even more surprised that we were on the same connecting plane in L.A. to fly to Kala. We never once mentioned our destination, but since the entire plane is going to Kala, it’s not a secret.

It’s not an enormous plane. There are a hundred and nine seats, I think. This time, Shively is behind me, and I don’t stop peeking at him from around my seat. He smirks, his cheeks turning pink. I tease him via text for the entire flight right up until the resort comes into view.

It’s a very unique experience because I’ve never seen islands being built.

Truly, they’re being built. There are barges with dirt and whatever at various places around the already established islands.

I’m not even sure which ones are real. Or…

natural, I suppose. Obviously the one with the volcano is real.

Either way, it’s enchanting. Gorgeous. It’s filled with green trees, white sandy beaches, black lava rock, and blue water. The sun glistens off the water all around the islands and many landlocked lakes on the islands.

The largest island is Anapos, which is where the airport is. As the plane swings around to align with the runway, I see the cabanas over the sea, boats of all kinds moving between the islands, and an enormous bonfire on the beach.

I start to reach for Shively, almost forgetting that we're not home free yet. My hand brushes his just as someone bumps into me, reminding me where we are, and I pull my hand back. For now. Not for long but for right this second.

We’re escorted off the plane and onto the runway.

This isn’t the kind of airport with bridge walks or whatever they’re called.

The airport itself looks big enough to house three planes.

That’s it. We pause long enough at the first checkpoint to examine our passports and make sure our names are on the guest list, then we’re led through the airport.

Without our bags. Apparently, they’re delivered directly to our rooms after inspection for electronics of any kind. I’m not even sad about it. In fact, I’m kind of excited to unplug for a while.

The room we’re delivered into is the size of a small bedroom.

It’s comfortably furnished with chairs, a couch, and a small fridge with a window showing us beverages.

What has me most intrigued is all the gay art surrounding us.

There are a couple sculptures—one of a massive cock carved out of granite that advertises the dick museum—but mostly we’re looking at art on the walls.

I’m not talking just sexy naked people, either. They’re almost all in various acts of… sensual activity. There’s one of a blow job that I can’t stop staring at. They look so real, like I could just reach out and touch him.

“This is weirdly hypnotic,” Shively says as he steps up beside me and stares at the image.

I nod. “I feel like I could reach in and my hand would go through some magic barrier to touch them.”

“Like a movie.”

“Yeah.” We stare for a minute longer before I turn my attention to him. “Last chance to check in.” Once we leave this room, all electronics are confiscated.

Shively shakes his head. “I’ve already given a phone number to Reno in case of an emergency. The one that’s on the website.”

“That you found while writing your paper.”

He bows his head to hide his smile. “Yes, Alpha,” he whispers.

A thrill runs through me like a shiver. We’re in a place with security cameras watching us, yet he called me alpha. Fuck. Yes. I can’t wait to get to our room.

“Good afternoon.”

We turn at the voice. A man in maybe his mid-fifties enters the room with a single large lockbox. Another follows with our suitcases and sets them inside the door before leaving.

“Hello,” I return.

“This box is to store all your technology, including but not limited to laptops, phones, tablets, cameras, beepers, and any other recording devices, be it audio, visual, or otherwise. Did you have a chance to read the releases?” he asks.

“We did,” I confirm. I turn my phone off before placing it in the box. Shively follows.

“Then you know we will need to conduct a search of your belongings. This is for the protection of all of our guests who wish to remain anonymous. Do you have any questions before I begin?”

“No,” I answer.

We watch as he pulls gloves on and motions for us to set our backpacks on the table.

The man nods at the pile of books to the side.

“Please feel free to take one of our island guidebooks. You’ll find a thorough list of excursions, activities, restaurants, landmarks, events, adventures, shops, beaches, and anything else you can think of.

Have a look while you wait, if you like. ”

I nod toward it, and Shively picks one up. We take a seat beside each other and begin flipping through the pages. There are more than two hundred pages.

“You’ll find that the island chain is under construction, so some of the water-based activities are put on hold for now.”

“We read online that you’re building new islands?” I ask.

He flashes us a smile. “Correct. There are two complete now—one for the guests, Nyoka, and one for residents, Sonder.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but why did the resort decide to build more islands?” Shively asks.

He grins as he picks up my suitcase and opens it.

“There’s only so far you can expand on an island chain.

The owners didn’t want to cut down any more trees or fill in the lakes or the land between the islands.

The two islands for residents have been at capacity for years, so it’s difficult to facilitate a full staff when there isn’t enough housing to accommodate them. This was the only way to expand.”

“The drawings look really cool,” I say.

He nods, still smiling. “We’re incredibly excited.

As a resident, we get to tour the new islands before they’re opened to the public.

Nyoka is amazing. Probably one of my favorite places for privacy.

All the cabins and a couple restaurants are built and furnished, ready for guests, but other sites and attractions are still underway. ”

“I think if I were to build islands like this, I’d build one at a time until completion,” I note as we continue to thumb through the guidebook. There’s far more available in the book than online. It’s almost overwhelming.

“That was debated, but as you can imagine, building islands isn’t cheap. We needed to counterbalance the money going out with more coming in. Thus, we’re doing it in stages.”

“Ah,” I say, nodding. “That makes sense.”

“Alright,” he says, setting our suitcases on the floor. “Let’s program the box. I’m going to need your fingerprints.”

Shively keeps our guidebook in hand as we go through the motion of programming the bio-lock box that contains only our cell phones.

He takes a few minutes to show us that he can’t open the box with his thumbprint but tells us that there is an emergency override should something happen to us and our personal belongings need to be sent home without us.

Shively and I exchange a look. That’s not haunting at all.

He tags our bags then motions for us to follow. We take our backpacks and fall into step behind him.

The area we walk into is the actual lobby of the reception building, and it’s just as gorgeous as the room we left. More sexy gay art everywhere. I’m in love. This is my new décor.

“I’m realizing how hot two men together are,” Shively murmurs beside me. We pass a painting of two women next, and he shakes his head. “Okay, so are two women. Who even am I?”

I laugh. “I think we can just say that people are hot, right?”

He sighs. “Yeah. I’m good with that assessment.”

My gaze snags on the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows that span three floors.

While we didn’t climb any stairs, we’re somehow on the middle floor.

This floor and the one above doesn’t reach the windows.

Instead, maybe twenty or thirty feet back is an enormous staircase separating the floors from the window.

“The view,” I murmur.

We’re looking at the ocean, and it’s stunning.

“This was a good choice of destination,” Shively says quietly. I grin and take his hand in mind. “Alpha,” he adds quietly.

Grinning, we turn away and continue to follow the man who drops us off at reception.

They have check-in down to a science with minimal waiting.

It isn’t more than three or four minutes before we’re led outside and into a small eight-seater golf cart.

There’s already a couple waiting when we join them.

We’re barely seated before the last couple climbs in and the cart drives down the paved path.

I’m not sure where to look. There are buildings and lounge chairs and people with drinks everywhere. I’m staring right up until I catch Shively and the wonder on his face as he looks around. The island is still stunning, but it’s no longer the most beautiful thing I’ve seen. The man beside me is.

From the cart, we’re loaded onto a ferry. It’s not only the six of us who just checked in but the ferry where other resort guests load on to move between the islands. The driver hands Shively and I over to another employee for guidance to our accommodations.

It’s strange being surrounded by people with not a single one of them on their phones. No one has headphones or earbuds. There isn’t someone with a tablet or an e-reader.

And no one seems like they’re missing their technology either. Everyone is chatting, admiring the view, holding each other. Is this what life was like before technology overtook us?

I wrap my arm around Shively and pull him into my side as the ferry takes off from the dock. His hand rests on my stomach, and I smile. As much as he says he likes my thighs, and I don’t doubt he does, he also loves my stomach. He loves to trace my abdominal muscles.

“It’s hot without being gross,” Shively says.

I nod. “I imagine that we’ll stay somewhat comfortable since we’ll be right on the water and there’s probably always going to be a breeze of some kind.”

“It’s going to be strange not having to drive everywhere.”

“Very true. I’m marveling over this glimpse of a society where no one has any kind of electronic device on them at all. Look at all the smiles.”

“It’s pretty cool,” he agrees.

Definitely cool.

The ferry stops at Etsumi, Keone Reef, Bane, Sonder, then it’s our turn to get off. The man who leads us from the ferry explains that there’s a ferry every fifteen minutes from every island. That must mean there are a lot of ferries that are in constant circulation.

“Your cottage is relatively close to this dock, but there are little skiff boats that run the length of Nyoka since it’s so long.” He points to a couple waiting at the dock we were just dropped off at. There are drivers waiting there as well.

“This is pretty cool,” I say. “I’ve never seen an island like this.”

He smiles. “It’s cool, definitely. It was wild to watch it be built.”

“You live here? I guess everyone lives here.”

He chuckles. “Yes. If you work here, you live here. Commuting from any place off Kala would be far more than we make in a year, even the owners. So yes, I watched the islands being built. It’s incredible technology.

I’m really excited to see our small chain of six islands more than double to thirteen. ”

“We’ll have to return when it’s finished,” I comment.

Shively grins.

“Definitely. You think our guidebook is long now,” he says, nodding to the book in Shively’s hand.

“Just wait until we add four more islands filled with things to do. Just a few years ago, that book was maybe eighty pages. It’s already more than doubled with the addition of just one more island, which is remarkable since only three percent of the plans for this island have been completed. ”

“I honestly can’t imagine.”

“Here we are,” he says and leads us along a small path through thick foliage.

“The way the beach winds in connection with the strategically placed foliage was designed to provide privacy for all the cottages facing this side of the island. As you can imagine, the plants need to grow, so there are some holes that will be filled in as time moves. However, no one should be walking across this expanse of beach. It’s all yours.

Any kind of room service or concierge will be delivered through the back. ”

He opens the door, and it’s honestly adorable as fuck.

Just one area with no walls. A kitchenette at one end.

A bathroom, primarily open except for the water closet, on the other.

The suitcases we left back in the electronic removal room are sitting at the end of the large bed.

Our escort shows us how the bank of glass windows folds away at the touch of a button to open the space up.

Alternately, there are blackout shades that come down, also at the push of a button.

We receive a brief overview of features in the cabin, but he tells us to explore for ourselves to find all the secrets and hidden gems. He leaves us with the directive that if we have any questions, the phone connects to the concierge only.

Then we’re alone. Completely and utterly alone. I set my bag down and take Shively’s from his back. “Clothes off,” I instruct.

His eyes flicker to the wide-open wall, but he immediately begins to strip down. He doesn’t wait for me to tell him to grab a pillow. He swipes one from a chair and drops it to the floor where he gets down on his knees, hands behind his back, and looks up at me with stunning blue eyes.

We’re going to have a lot of fun.