The Beach House

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*Closed thread. Please enjoy. Comments welcome via PM*

Bill Rand
Age: 45
Height: 5' 10"
Hair: Dark, loosely curly
Build: Athletic

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It was another good day.

Bill had little to complain about as he walked along "his" beach - a short stretch of Italy's Amalfi Coast that he had fallen in love with on vacation, coming back twice before finally returning to stay some three years previously.

He loved the crystalline, see-to-the-bottom blue of the water, the weather that stayed so warm for so much of the year, especially compared to his native New Hampshire, USA, and the laid back lifestyle; so different from the harried culture of 80-hour workweeks, insipid cocktail parties and 55-inch plasma TV's that he'd left behind.

He'd even learned to enjoy the fact that the coastline was more often rocky than sandy. Rocks were good to lie on, at least the flatter ones; they didn't seep into your swim trunks, and secluded cuts in the craggy coast sometimes hid wonderful, secluded grottoes just waiting to be discovered by boat.

Just as he approached the edge of the beach, where sand gave way to rocks, he noticed a girl in a bikini, carefuly picking her way among those rocks as she followed the water's edge.

Rather a young girl, he realized. Was she even 20? And rather a small bikini.

But that was alright. That was just fine, in fact.

A moment later, he realized that he'd let his gaze become alittle too steady: The girl had noticed him looking.

Not wishing to make her uncomfortable or appear as though he'd been having lecherous thoughts about a girl less than half his age (which was exactly what he'd been doing), he waved just a bit too hurriedly and called out a greeting: "Buon giorno, signorina!"

 

[AmyGirl20]

Alison Cooper
Age: 18
Height: 5' 3"
Hair: Dark, shoulder-length
Build: Slender

Alison was walking along some of the most beautiful coastline in Europe, but she wasn't happy. She was 18 years old and her parents still treated her like a little kid. She'd wanted to go to Spain with Emily and Donna, her best friends, but her parents were worried she'd get mixed up with boys and drugs and get into all sorts of trouble, so they'd put their foot down and insisted she accompany them to Italy instead. She'd tried to argue, but she'd never been able to stand up to her father.

They'd only been here just over a day, staying at Uncle Frank's villa on the coast, and already Alison wished she was home. Her parents had gone to a local market, but Alison had faked a stomach upset to get out of it. As soon as they were out the door, Alison had changed into her new bikini. She'd bought in back in Leeds, and she knew her parents wouldn't approve. It was much skimpier than anything she'd ever worn before, but Emily and Donna had dared her to buy it. Of course, that was when there was still a chance of her wearing it to Spain. She was only wearing it now because it made her feel more of a grown-up and because she was in a rebellious mood.

Alison looked up and saw the man looking at her. Yes, he was definitely looking at her. She couldn't blame him, of course. She was practically naked, after all. What else did she expect, walking around like this? It made her smile to herself. She'd always been a little shy, but she liked the idea of men looking at her, especially older men. The man spoke to her and waved, but her knowledge of Italian was very limited, so she just smiled and waved back. The man was a local, she assumed, but she thought he was rather handsome.

 

[Blase]

There was really no reason not to let it go at that. The girl was a complete stranger, and she hadn't even said good morning in reply.

Although she had waved.

And that apparently was all the encouragement needed to override common sense, because a moment later Bill found his feet following his eyes as a few long strides quickly closed the distance between himself and the waif-like girl who stood silhouetted against the sea.

She was obviously a tourist, he realized. He already knew that he'd never seen her before, and the local girls didn't wear bikinis like that.

Like that.

It took a very conscious effort on Bill's part to keep his eyes more or less on her face and damp down his interest at least enough so that it didn't wind up distending his swim trunks. But even then, his peripheral vision eagerly noted just how little there was to her bathing suit, with the hips cut away to nothing, what there was of a bottom hugging her bottom, and the bra skimpy enough that you could see a lot of the area where her breasts began to swell from her chest. And she must have had to shave.

Tourists came in a variety of flavors there, and it was difficult to peg someone's origins with a glance, but after three years in Amalfi, Bill was starting to develope the kind of intuition that went along with living in a resort area. Going with a hunch, he smiled as he came up to her and switched to English. "Good morning", he greeted her again. "I hope I'm not disturbing your walk, but you seemed to be having alittle trouble with all the rocks. I thought you might like to know that the beach does get sandier just ahead."

 

[AmyGirl20]

Alison realised that the man was an American. As he came closer, Alison was aware of his eyes moving up and down her body, checking her out. She felt almost naked, but fought the urge to cross her arms across her chest. She tried to look at ease, like the bikini models she saw in magazines, but being so exposed in front of a man like this made her nervous.

"Hello," she said, deliberately keeping her hands down by her sides.

Close up, the man reminded Alison of Mr Bracewell, her old History teacher. Alison had had a major crush on Mr Bracewell, much to the amusement of her friends. Looking at the man's tanned, athletic body, she doubted that Mr Bracewell had looked this good under his stuffy grey suits.. Alison blushed as she realised that she had been staring at the man's body, even as he had been staring at her's. She quickly looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

 

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"Uh, hi," Bill stammered automatically in response to the girl's shy hello.

Remorse hit him all at once as she averted her gaze from him. He saw himself as he doubtless appeared in her mind; a man old enough to be her father approaching her on the beach with just the flimsiest excuse: the quintessential dirty old man.

"Pardon me," he went on, striving to keep his voice even. "I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy. Please enjoy the day and the beach. This place has been a special favorite of mine for a long time now."

With that, he looked past her, toward the water, ready to walk away before the situation became even more awkward.

 

[AmyGirl20]

"I'm Alison," she said suddenly, and more loudly than she'd intended.

She wasn't sure why, but she didn't want this man to leave. Maybe it was simply because he was the first person she'd spoken to all morning that spoke English. Most of the tourists she'd seen at the beach seemed to be German. She had to admit, too, that she'd liked the way the man had looked at her.

 

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"Oh. Bill," he said, surprised that she'd offered her name. Then, more warmly, he added, "Nice to meet you, Allison."

He took a moment to try to think of some scintillating conversation opener, but nothing especially scintillating came to mind and the silence was rapidly becoming too long, so he settled for, "Is this your first time in Amalfi?"

 

[AmyGirl20]

"Yes, I'm here with my... friends."

Alison wasn't sure why she lied. For some reason she didn't want this man to think she was a little kid, going on holiday with her parents. The way the man looked at her made her feel like a grown up, and she liked the feeling. She knew her parents would freak out if they knew she was talking to strange men, especially if they could see her in her skimpy bikini, but she didn't care.

 

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"I moved here three years ago, myself," Bill replied. "Sometimes I still can't get over the color of the water or the beauty and variety of the coastline."

"Have you had a chance to do much exploring yet?"

 

[AmyGirl20]

"No, we only flew in yesterday. I'm still finding my way around."

Alison looked out at the ocean. It really was beautiful here. The last time she'd been to the coast was a day trip to Bridlington with her friends, and it was nothing like this. Bridlington, like many resorts in the area, looked like it was stuck in a time-warp in the fifties. This was like paradise.

"It must be so nice, living out here."

 

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"Well, there's nothing like having the beach essentially at your doorstep," Bill answered.

He looked at Alison again. She obviously had just come down to the beach; Her hair and her bikini looked perfectly dry. Bill was sure that it would be quite interesting to see that barely-there suit when it was wet.

"Have you even been in the water yet?" he asked,

 

[AmyGirl20]

"No, not yet. We had a dip in the pool at the villa, but I haven't been in the ocean yet. It looks really beautiful."

In the distance, Alison saw some people on jet-skis. They were just little dots bouncing along on the water. She wondered what time her parents would be back.

 

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"Well, nothing like plunging in." Bill cast a look seaward.

"Care to join me in a dip?"

 

[AmyGirl20]

"Uh, sure," Alison said, a little surprised at the abruptness of the invitation.

The water did look inviting. She followed Bill down the rocks towards the sandy beach. It was such a lovely beach but small and practically deserted, being a fair way from the tourist hotels and time share villas further along the shore.

 

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" I never could do this back where I came from in the States," Bill commented as they stepped into the water and quickly waded out until it was waist-deep. "The water's always cold there and it would take me forever to get used to it. That's just one thing that I love about being here."

He looked outward, toward deeper water, then back at the girl.

"Are you a strong swimmer, Alison?"

 

[AmyGirl20]

"Well, I'm okay," she told him, smiling.

At school, she'd been part of the swim team but had dropped out because she'd hated the
early morning training. She still liked to swim, but did it only for fun now. She looked back at the beach, at her things piled next to Bill's, and was surprised at how far out they were.

 

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Once he saw that Alison was willing to follow him, Bill leaned into the water and began to swim, heading almost straight out. The water was so clear that you could see the bottom even when it was 20 feet deep or better; nothing like where he'd grown up.

You could get pretty far out in just a couple minutes or so if you swam steadily. Bill finally turned back toward the shore and began treading water. The distance wasn't enough to make him worry about cramps or fatigue, but they were definitely way over their heads, suspended between earth and sky.

"From here, you can see the top of my house," he told Alison, pointing to a house that had been hidden by the curve of the coastline and the rising of the land when they'd been on shore.

His house wasn't actually on the beach; a path that began between two pomegranite trees lead to it after a short walk. From their waterborne vantage point, Bill and Alison could see the house's top story, including the deck where Bill often stood, looking out at the ocean. White stucco walls and terra cotta roof tiles were typical off the local architecture and suited the dry, often hot climate.

 

[AmyGirl20]

Bill was a powerful swimmer and Alison had trouble keeping up, but she managed it. It had been ages since she'd given her lungs such a work-out. She turned in the water to see the house Bill was indicating, and the view of the Italian coastline all but took her breath away. It was so beautiful, like something out of a movie. For the first time since she'd landed, she felt truly happy to be here. She envied Bill for having this on his doorstep, and wondered what it would be like, swimming in the clear blue ocean every morning.

"It's so... beautiful," Alison told him, unable to find the words to do justice to the landscape before her.

 

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"There's alot more of it, too," Bill told her.

He pointed shoreward, but to the right of the beach. "Just beyond that point is the town pier; that's where I keep my boat. After three years here I'm still exploring and still finding new places."

He turned back to Alison. "How are you holding up?" he asked. "You look like you're doing fine. I just hope I'm not boring you or anything."

 

[AmyGirl20]

"Oh no," Alison told him. "I love it."

It was true. For some reason she felt at ease with this man she'd only just met. She was normally shy, and wary of strangers, especially men, but Bill was different. She wondered if it was just because of his resemblance to Mr Bracewell, her old History teacher, but knew it was more than that.

She wondered if Bill was married. He hadn't mentioned a wife, and he didn't wear a wedding ring, but that didn't mean anything. He was certainly handsome and charming, and probably wealthy, and Alison doubted he would be short of female company. Not that it was any of her business, of course.

"Race you back to the shore," she shouted, getting a good head start on Bill.

 

[Blase]

Bill probably could have caught and passed Alison, given his height and strength advantage, but he opted to go a more chivalrous route, managing to get to the beach just behind her.

"You're pretty quick," he told her as they both walked from the water, noting as he spoke that the water and the excitement of their little race had had quite an interesting effect; the wet, clinging fabric of Alison's suit now showed her nipples rather clearly.

"Here, let me get your towel," he said, although he was really no closer to it than she was. He picked it up anyway and, stepping behind her, draped it over her shoulders, rubbing them and her arms just a bit throught the cloth of the towel to help her start drying before he let his hands drop away.

 

[AmyGirl20]

Alison knew that Bill wasn't really trying to beat her back to the shore, but she still had to swim her best to keep ahead of him. Despite his age, he clearly kept himself in good physical condition. As he dried her shoulders and upper arms, Alison smiled to herself, liking the way Bill was acting around her. She dried her hair quickly, but left the rest to the warm summer sun. If she knew that the thin material of her bikini was almost transparent when wet, she didn't show it.

"I beat you, so I guess that means you have to buy me lunch," she said, giving Bill a cheeky smile. "But don't feel bad about it. You didn't do bad for a man of your age. I might even give you a chance of a re-match tomorrow."

Alison knew she might be crossing a line, but there was something about Bill that made her feel comfortable around him.

 

[Blase]

She wanted to have lunch with him.

Bill found that sudden revelation just as interesting as the newly clarified revelation of Allison's nipples, but fortunately he managed to confine his comments to the first matter.

"Well," he offered, "I can either buy you lunch or I can make you lunch. It depends on whether you'd prefer to see one of the local cafes or get a tour of the 'estate'."

He smiled and spread his hands in a palms-up gesture indicating uncertainty. "You're the winner, it's up to you."

 

[AmyGirl20]

"I'd love to see the house," Alison said, smiling.

She put the towel in her bag. She'd packed a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, just in case, but she decided she liked the way Bill looked at her in the bikini, and didn't want to cover herself up. Even as she thought it, she straightened up and caught Bill's eyes moving up and down her body, checking her out. Alison pretended not to notice as she brushed back her hair, closing her eyes against the sun, knowing she was allowing Bill a better look at her young body.

"Lead the way," she said, smiling to herself as she caught him looking again. Then, as she picked up her things, she teased him by adding, "Let's just hope you're a better cook than you are a swimmer."

 

[Blase]

"Well, I wasn't expecting company for lunch today but I'm sure I can...improvise something," Bill responded.

The path leading from the beach up to his house was easy to miss, except that it began between two pomegranite trees that were currently in full bloom. There was no missing two trees covered with orange flowers.

The rough path lead through more trees, upwards and away from the beach, but it was only a couple minute's walk until you arrived at Bill's house.

The land around the house was typical of the area; an open area of mostly hard-packed earth, gravel and rocks; nothing like the lush green lawns that Bill remembered from the US, but he'd learned to enjoy the rugged simplicity of the terrain and the tough Mediterranean plants that grew there.

The house itself was stucco over stone and brick, with a flagstone patio just outside the main door. Since the climate encouraged being outdoors a good deal, Bil had an oval, tempered glass and metal table in the yard, along with a few chairs. There was even an outdoor shower on one side of the patio, not actually enclosed because it was most often used while still clothed when one was just up from the beach - and because the property itself provided privacy, with the house being set well back from the road that lead into town.

Bill and Alison chatted as he ushered her inside and briefly showed her the first floor of his home; kitchen, bathroom and living room; not bothering about the upstairs just then.

Back in the kitchen, he started pulling things out of cabinets and drawers while she looked around.

"I'll need about 15 minutes," he told her, reaching up over his head to retrieve a cast iron pan. "You're welcome to use the shower outside if you'd like to wash the salt off yourself and change. I'll be in here and no one can see from the road."