Chapter 3

They ended up cruising down to Galveston, top down, wind whipping through their hair, tunes cranked way up. They were on the way to do some serious babe watching (this was Tom’s idea), but Sean didn’t argue. He had a new car and his college was paid for, which meant the money he earned from his job was his to use as needed. With the pressure of how he was going to pay for his education alleviated, Sean was feeling a little bit reckless. They arrived at the beach and were ready for an afternoon in the sun. Tom got his boogie board and full body suit out of the trunk. Then headed for the water at a full run. Sean just watched him go.

“Stupid, Stupid, Stupid”, was all he could think.

He raised the top, locked the doors, and set the alarm, before leaving the car parked in the parking lot. It was a warm day for the second of January; the thermometer read 75 degrees Fahrenheit. There were others, out body surfing in the Gulf of Mexico.

One of them caught Tom’s eye immediately; she was blond and about 5’ 4 and slender maybe 115 pounds. She was a mean body surfer as well; she handled the waves like a pro. Tom went over to her and introduced himself.

“Hi my name is Thomas, but all my friends call me ‘Tom’, you’re pretty good on the board. I’ve been watching you for a while and I am impressed. Would you like to take on a couple of waves with me?” Tom asked hoping he didn’t seem forward.

“My name is Candice, but everyone calls me ‘Candi’, and by my being ‘pretty good’ didn’t you forget for a girl?” She asked defensively.

“No I really mean it you’re good, great would be a better word, girl or no girl, honest!”

“Well I accept your apology, and I’ll take you up on your offer, but we have to hurry the tide is going out in a couple of hours.”

Tom and Candi spent the rest of the afternoon surfing. Meanwhile Sean decided to look at some of the little shops on the sea wall, all the while wondering why he let Tom talk him into coming here anyway. He, unlike Tom didn’t like to body surf in the cold waters of the gulf in January, in august sure, but then the water was 77 degrees or warmer, not in the mid sixties. As he walked, thinking to himself, he accidentally bumped in to a young woman.

“Oh! I’m sorry; I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” Sean stammered. She was a goddess, 5’ 6” tall, she was a redhead, and her hair cascaded down below her shoulders, and extended to the middle of her back. It framed an oval face, and accented a pair of sparkling emerald green eyes. She had a little nose that was slightly upturned, and skin that was creamy white, and smooth. Unlike most redheads, she did not have any freckles readily visible. She was slim and trim, you could tell she kept in shape she was athletic. She looked like she weighed about 120 pounds, and she wore tight fitting jeans and an over sized Houston University Sweatshirt.

She gracefully accepted Sean’s apology. Then she impulsively introduced herself. “You can call me Brooke.” She stated rather formally, trying to make up for her abruptness. She was normally reserved around men, she wasn’t one of those types that needed a man to feel complete, but this person in front of her nearly made her lose her composure.

“I am Sean Mallory.” He said trying to keep from speaking too fast.

He asked her what had brought her to Galveston in the middle of winter, all the while thinking what a dumb question it was because he was here in the middle of winter too.

She informed him that a friend of hers wanted to go body surfing, but she wanted to do some shopping, so they compromised and came here where they could do both. Then she asked him how he came to be here, and he told her about his getting a new car and about Tom wanting to take for a spin. That led to her wanting to see his car.

“This is a beautiful machine you have here Sean.” Brooke said, as she looked under the hood, and peered into the engine bay. Which was completely filled by the 7.5-liter turbo charged V-8 engine that lived there.

Brooke was a closet car enthusiast, and any time she got the chance to increase her knowledge of motors she did so. This one has to be custom built, she thought.

“So what do you think, pretty nice car isn’t it” Sean said rather proudly.

“Yes it is who did you steal it from.” She asked teasing him; she wanted a ride so bad she would have begged for one. Luckily Sean volunteered. She accepted the offer on the spot. They drove down the main drag, cruising the streets.

Meanwhile, Tom and Candi had decided to call it a day. They got out of the water and started to change into warmer clothes, when Tom suggested that he would give her a little privacy. He started to turn around, to walk further down the beach, at that moment; Candi stopped him dead in his tracks. Candi unzipped Tom’s wet suit, took his Speedo swimsuit in her hands, and pulled it off. Tom not wanting to miss a golden opportunity, pulled her closer to him, unzipped her wet suit, and then they quickly began to make out.

Tom laid her on the beach, and to protect them from the breeze that was coming in off the gulf, he covered them with a blanket. With the sun setting, and the purple sky above, and the roar of the sea it made a brilliant backdrop for an interlude on the beach. It was a bit of a rush, thinking that at any moment they could get caught; it only heightened their shared excitement. Tom thrust into her, and she let out a squeal of delight, so he decided to go deeper and faster, then an uncontrollable wave of passion washed over them, it happened all to soon for each of them.

“That was fantastic!” Exclaimed Candi.

“I know! That was incredible, want another go at it?”

“Sure, but not here, I want to be in a warm bed, if I do it again.”

It started to get dark, and Brook mentioned that she was supposed to meet her friend, Candi, at the Boardwalk Cafe. So they started towards the cafe. Then without warning, Sean stopped the car and honked the horn. Tom turned around; ready to shout an obscenity, but stopping short when he recognized the car and called out to them. Sean stopped the car and Tom and Candi put their gear in the trunk. Once situated, they all introduced themselves to each other. Then they got into the tiny back seats, which were really not designed for comfort, or prolonged use by anyone taller than a child. This seemed to be fine with Tom and Candi. Who, were acting as if they had been seeing each other for weeks instead of the short time that had elapsed.

Sean asked where they wanted to go. Candi replied that they needed to get to her car, which was parked next to the Boardwalk Cafe. So they continued to the cafe as originally planned.

Within minutes they arrived at their destination. Once there everyone disembarked, so that Tom and Candi could get out of the car. Candi got her gear out of Sean’s trunk, and stowed it in her car. Next Candi pulled Brooke aside and explained the problem, and apologized for not being able to take her back to Houston, unless she wanted to find a single room for the night.

Brooke said “No that’s all right I’ll find a way back, don’t worry, I’ll be fine. And bring protection; you don’t know this guy from Adam. Be careful.” Sean was getting the same story from Tom, and was trying to give the same advice, but Tom interrupted him saying, “I will, don’t worry I’m a big boy. Bye...”