Filed to story: Young Girls Forbidden Love Series: My Best Friend’s Daddy
“I’ll make sure I get some good pictures,” I responded with a small smile. I would love the opportunity to speak to him again and that would be the perfect excuse.
Our conversation continued as more members of the group finally turned up. When we finished our meal, Michael excused himself and headed to his private office on the yacht.
I was sad to see him go but fought the urge to watch him walk away. Instead, I focused my eyes on the ocean, imaging what it would be like to see a dolphin leap out of the water.
Lauren was the last to arrive at breakfast, wearing another glamorous bikini with a matching sheer coverup.
She spent a few minutes sitting near Megan chatting away while she ate. Then, she said the words I’d been waiting for. “The catamaran is waiting!” Lauren squealed, lifting her mimosa into the air.
With a smile, I hopped up, finally eager to take part in one of the activities.
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A man dressed in a light blue polo handed me a glass of champagne as we boarded the catamaran. As the captain set sail, I quickly found a spot next to the railing.
Lauren and Todd immediately found the net forming a hammock between the two hulls and claimed it for themselves. I drained my glass of champagne and turned my eyes to the ocean, constantly scanning for any movement.
The party continued on around me, and Lauren and Todd were getting more and more handsy as the cruise continued. The crew members had turned on music, and the group was dancing, drinking, and enjoying themselves.
I kept my focus on the water and tried my best to ignore my ex with his tongue down my friend’s throat. I grabbed another glass of champagne as one of the servers walked by and sampled some of the hors d’oeuvres until I accidentally ate a dip that turned out to be caviar. I was not a fan.
After a while, I noticed that we’d turned around and were on a reef not far from the yacht. My heart sank as the captain stopped the boat. Hudson and Todd jumped into the water and tried to get the girls to jump in.
“Excuse me,” I said to get the attention of the man in the blue polo.
“Yes, miss? Can I get you another glass of champagne?” he answered.
“No, I’m fine, thank you. I was just wondering if you could let me know when we will start looking for the dolphin pod again?” I asked.
“I am sorry, but Miss Lauren was getting bored of looking for the dolphins and ordered the captain to stop so everyone could do some snorkeling and swimming. We can’t resume our tour until Miss Lauren gives us the go-ahead. This area is great for snorkeling, though; you can see a lot of wildlife swimming in the coral,” he said with a sympathetic smile.
“I see. Thank you,” I said, turning away from the man, trying to keep the tears of disappointment from welling up in my eyes.
I had been so close, and the thought of leaving without seeing a single dolphin was heartbreaking.
I heard screams of excitement behind me, and I headed to the swim deck and dangled my feet in the water. Todd had convinced Lauren to jump in the water, and he was now kissing her while they were both treading water.
He’d never been that romantic when he was dating me; I guess he was too busy cheating on me to show me that kind of attention.
I knew I probably should have given up on my hope of seeing a dolphin, but I continued to scan the surrounding water. I noticed a jet ski in the distance, and it came closer and closer to the catamaran.
As the rider got closer, I realized it was Michael. He pulled his jet ski next to me.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, we couldn’t find the dolphins, though,” I tried but failed to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
“Really?” Michael said, watching me closely.
“No, everyone was getting bored of looking, so Lauren had the captain stop so we could snorkel over the reef,” I said while I watched my feet kick back and forth in the water.
I looked over at the group all swimming on the reef and noticed Todd watching our interaction closely.
“I bet we could find them. There’s a cove not far from here that I know the dolphins have been spotted in before. We could ride over there together.”
I looked up at him with a bit of hope in my eyes. “Are you sure?” I asked, shocked at his offer.
“Shelby, I don’t want you to miss out on seeing the dolphins. Come with me,” Michael said, holding out his hand to me.
So, I reached out and grabbed his hand with a smile on my face.
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Shelby POV
Michael held out his hand to me, and I took it. He helped me off of the swim deck and onto the back of the jet ski.
“Let’s go find those dolphins,” he said.
We took off, and I had to grab around his waist to stay on the jet ski. I nearly jumped when his skin met mine.
It was only then that I realized that Michael was shirtless. I instinctually wanted to slide closer to him, to press my body against his muscular back.
I constantly had to work to fight that urge.
‘He is your friend’s dad!’ I screamed at myself internally. I switched my attention back to the water. The water was crystal clear and calm.
Looking off the side of the jet ski, I could see to the bottom in some places. We passed over colorful sea life that was so captivating that it almost took my mind off of Michael’s muscular back.
Almost.
“There is a cove just up here where the dolphins are known to spend time. A boat would have a hard time getting back there, especially one the size of the catamaran, but this jet ski will be a perfect fit,” Michael yelled over the sound of the running jet ski.
“I can’t thank you enough for trying to help me. It really means a lot.”
We continued at a fast pace in the direction of the cove until we got close enough that I could see the narrow inlet.
Michael slowed the jet ski, and we coasted into the cove. The circular cove was surrounded on all sides by beaches that eased into cliff faces.
The cove was completely cut off from everything; I understood why the dolphins would find this place appealing.
Michael cut the engine, and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore took over.
“I have never seen anything like this,” I said, staring around. “The water is so blue.”
“I stumbled upon it when I was a teenager. My dad was teaching me how to sail. He thought the best way for me to learn was to figure it out by myself.” Michael chuckled under his breath.
“He sent me out on a small sailboat all alone, and I got caught in a current and pushed in here,” Michael said, a bit more seriously.
“That must have been terrifying,” I said.
“It was. I sat on the boat for a long time, using every curse word I knew, and aimed them all at my father.”
“After that, my anger started to turn to panic; I had no idea how I was going to get back or if anyone would be able to find me in this cove. Then I noticed the water rippling next to me,” he said.