Lost and Found: A Stranded in Paradise Romance

Spying on the Neighbors

For the next couple of days, I lay around the hotel swimming pool itching to call Jenny, but I didn't want to scare her away by smothering her before she was ready. She'd told me I could see her next week, and I tried to distract myself by working out in the gym and swimming laps in the pool. But the turquoise-colored water only reminded me of the lagoon, and before long I was pacing the hallways, wondering what she was doing. The longer I left her in the clutches of her husband, the more I worried that she'd find a way to patch things up and distance herself from me. By the third day, it had become unbearable, and I decided to check up on her with a little clandestine reconnaissance. I desperately needed to see her, if only from a distance to calm my fears.

After failing to find her home address online, I decided to camp out near her office to see if I could catch her driving to work. The Google parking lot was gated with heavy security checking everyone's credentials, so I parked my car on a nearby street, wearing a hoodie and a baseball cap to conceal my identity. I felt like a stalker spying on her this way, but as long as I didn't push the envelope any further, I felt that she'd understand. We'd have a good laugh about it the following week after I enticed her back into my arms and we made love in my hotel. I'd have to upgrade my living arrangements if she agreed to return, but I'd worry about that later.

Shortly after dawn, I squinted through my windshield watching all the cars entering the campus, looking for any sign of Jenny's familiar facial features. But from my position with the sun positioned behind me, most of the drivers were wearing sunglasses, making it difficult to discern their identities in the reflecting light. Around seven-forty-five, I saw a white Audi stop at the entrance gate, and while the scanner checked her license plate, I leaned forward, catching my heart in my throat. I wasn't a hundred percent sure if it was her, but I made a note of her license plate, then I slouched down in my seat, waiting for her car to exit the lot later in the day.

It wasn't until six-thirty that I saw the same Audi leaving the compound, but this time, with the sun shining on her window from the side, I recognized her immediately. I started up my car and followed a few vehicles behind, trying to avoid looking suspicious.

Jesus, I thought, feeling like a criminal. What kind of way is this for any self-respecting suitor to woo the girl of his dreams back into his arms?

I suspected she wouldn't be too thrilled about me spying on her like this, but as long as I kept out of sight, it would soon be over. I just needed to catch a glimpse of her again and try to uncover any sign of a romantic connection with her husband.

"Right," I nodded to myself. "That doesn't sound creepy at all."

I followed her car to the upscale neighborhood of Mountain View, then I parked my vehicle under a shady tree at the side of the street when she turned into a driveway. I was relieved to see her brake lights flash on and off when she stopped in front of the garage, then her car door opened and she stepped out, carrying a leather attaché case. Somehow, dressed in an elegant business suit, she looked even more beautiful than she did stark naked, and I felt my pants tighten around my crotch while I followed her ass as she walked up the cobblestone pathway toward her front door.

Her house lay on an immaculately groomed estate with a large Georgian-inspired house, decorated with tasteful flower gardens and soaring, mature trees. On the front lawn, not too far from the entrance, lay a beautiful magnolia tree in full bloom. The perfect setting for the perfect family, I thought.

I couldn't see any sign of activity within the house after she closed the door with the curtains drawn to shield the sun, and for a brief moment, I considered sneaking around the other side of the house to peer in through the rear windows. But I thought that would be crossing the line, and I decided to respect her privacy by watching from a distance. After the sun began to set and long shadows stretched over the street, I saw a few lights flash on the lower level, and I imagined she was sitting down for dinner with her husband and her two children.

I wondered if she still talked about her adventure on the tropical island and the handsome stranger who taught her how to make a fire, catch fish, and build a house in the trees. Her husband must have been intrigued to know how she'd spent her time on the island all those weeks and what we did to keep ourselves amused. Had she told him about our torrid affair and apologized to him for her infidelity? Had she fallen back into his arms and picked up where they left off, having boring sex in the missionary position on their kingsize bed with six-hundred-thread count sheets? It must have seemed a far cry from the passionate lovemaking we'd had on our steamy island.

Even though I couldn't see anything through the covered windows, I waited patiently at the side of the road until later in the night, when I saw some lights flicker in the upstairs windows. I wasn't sure which rooms belonged to her children and which belonged to the master bedroom, but when I saw the lights on the front of the house turn off, I glanced at a side window, noticing some shadows moving in the room facing the backyard.

That must be them, I thought as my stomach began to tighten. Are they getting ready for bed, watching each other brush their teeth and sharing knowing glances while they prepare to slip under the covers? Does Jenny sleep in the nude like she did on the island, or was that just because she didn't have anything else to wear? Does he sleep in the raw too? What does he look like? Is his cock as thick and hard as–

"Stop it, man!" I chided myself, shaking my head while gripping the steering wheel tightly. "It's not doing you any good brooding over what might be going on in her matrimonial home and comparing yourself to him. He's had the benefit of sharing most of their adult lives together. Of course, it would be difficult for her to extricate herself from her comfortable, suburban lifestyle. Why would she want to give all of that up to shack up with a mining engineer at a cheap hotel? Or go back to our sheltered island and abandon all of these luxuries she's become accustomed to?

After a few minutes, the light in her bedroom went out, and listened to the sound of the crickets chirping loudly on the freshly mowed lawns of the surrounding estates, trying not to imagine what they were doing under the covers. After a half hour of tapping the top of my steering wheel trying to distract myself from unthinkable thoughts, I finally fell asleep, resting my head against the side window.

* * *

In the morning, I woke up to the sound of a car swooshing past me and I flared my eyes open, glancing in the direction of Jenny's house. Her car was still parked in the driveway, and I peered at my watch, noticing it was approaching seven-thirty. Her front door suddenly opened, and I saw two figures standing in the threshold, drawing their bodies together as they embraced in the entranceway. Jenny was dressed in a different-colored suit, but her husband was still wearing a robe, and they lingered for a moment while he cradled her head and kissed her a long goodbye before she headed off to work. I watched Jenny's body language to detect any sign of resistance, but she raised her head to his lips, curling her arm around his waist while they held each other closely.

"That's one way of smoothing things out," I grunted, gnashing my teeth together angrily. "It doesn't look like she missed a beat slipping back into his arms. She's obviously gotten over me and decided to settle for a more comfortable life. I guess that settles it. It's time for me to move on. Exactly where, I have no idea. But I'm sure as hell not going to hang around here any longer, yearning for someone who's already decided to pass the torch."

I watched Jenny get into her car and back out of her driveway, then she turned her vehicle in my direction and sped past me while I tilted my head down, pretending to start my car. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest again, but I wasn't sure if it was because I'd gotten so close to her again or because I was angry about the way she'd left me. Either way, it was time for me to head in another direction. I started up my car and screeched out of the neighborhood, rushing toward my hotel. I knew there was only one place I could go now to drown my sorrows. Somewhere without any loud cars or fancy houses or overbearing bosses. Somewhere I could be alone and forget about my troubles.

Suddenly, I felt a new calmness wash over me while I peered out at San Francisco Bay, past the Golden Gate Bridge toward the open sea with its whitecaps sparkling in the morning sunlight.