“Yes, they certainly are…” Stefan and Trevor stared into one another’s eyes, one smiling, one not.
“But, that’s them. And this is us.” Stefan raised a glass. “I want to thank you all for coming out and being our guinea pigs this week. Here’s to getting out of NYC. Cheers.”
Trevor worked around the fish, enjoying the steamed vegetables as best as one can enjoy steamed vegetables. There was a barbecue sauce drizzle that ran over the edge of the fish that he dipped his carrots in. It was sweet and smoky and would have been nice on some chicken or pork.
Looking around the quiet room, everyone’s mouths chewing, he realized that this wasn’t the trip he had imagined so far. Stefan’s eyes kept flicking different directions, his mouth moving oddly, and then his jaw stiffened. Trevor then saw why. Around the edge of the table, he spotted a foot moving up and down over the crotch of his jeans, Skye reaching underneath the small table. Ashton didn’t take notice as he was too busy mowing through his plate of food.
Trevor wasn’t at all surprised by Skye’s advances. He just assumed the attempt would have been made behind the scenes, not at the dinner table. But that was Skye. He didn’t have enough fingers to count the times she had hit on him. And now, in the middle of an over-the-jeans foot job, he couldn’t help but fixate on her chest. Her small breasts were half exposed. Her body was bronzed, carved out of granite.
A grin crossed Stefan’s face as he examined each person at the table. He cleared his throat, shuffled in his chair, and spoke. “I think we should get drunk tonight.”
Skye removed her foot and cheered out, “Owww!”
Stefan continued, “But before we do, I have a special surprise to announce, and I want to do this while heads are clear… This trip, this island, is going to be more than just a pretty place with a nice beach for lazy, drunk bums. We will be working throughout the next four days. And by work, I mean solving a mystery. It’s up to you guys to figure it out as a team, and it’s not going to be easy. Have you guys ever done an escape room?” They all nodded except for Trevor. He had heard of them before but hadn’t found time for haunted houses. “Well, it’s sort of like that—”
Ashton interjected, “We trying to escape the island?”
Stefan flicked his eyebrows up. “Maybe… or maybe you just have to solve the mystery.”
“And what do we get if we solve it?” Skye said seductively.
“First off, I will reimburse you all for your flights. And second, you’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Come on, give us a hint,” Skye said.
“The reward is something more important to each of you individually than you could even fathom.”
Trevor watched Erin’s intrigued face carve out a smile.
Stefan carried on, “We will begin tomorrow at noon. Each day the game will run from twelve to twelve—”
“That’s a little excessive, don’t you think?” said Trevor.
Stefan’s grin was rueful. He was satisfied with himself. “My island, my rules.”
Trevor’s grip tightened around his fork.
“I’m hopeful that the events laid out will be exciting for all of you. When orchestrating this whole thing, I tried my best not to be corny with it, but it’s difficult to avoid at times. Embrace the cheesy… The rules listed along the way are there for a reason, so please following them strictly, and please take the game seriously. In fact, it should not be called a game. Let’s call it a case.”
“How exciting! Are we detectives?” asked Skye.
“That’s exactly what you are.”
Skye clapped her hands together and Ashton laughed and kissed her, quickly moving to her neck.
“And what are we solving?” asked Trevor with no intrigue.
“Well, you will be trying to solve why you aren’t able to loosen up, cousin.”
Skye laughed. Trevor smiled dryly.
“I’m kidding. You will be solving a murder,” he said, like he was telling a prepubescent ghost story. “That’s all I can tell you. The rest will take place tomorrow when you are good and hungover… But remember, the rules are to be followed, no questions asked.”
Skye was still draped over Ashton. “Maybe I’ve got some rules for you.” she said to him, stroking his arm.
“Or maybe I’ve got some for you,” he answered.
“Or maybe I’ll vomit on both of you,” Trevor said.
“So, this hangover… You got something better than wine to get us there?” asked Erin.
What had gotten into her?
The rest of the night consisted of drinking games, Skye’s sexual advances on everyone (including Erin), and also an inorganic new side to Erin that was flourishing.
Stefan took them all into the basement to show them his theater room. Trevor had reached his limit of watching Stefan show off his riches to the group. He asked if they wanted to do karaoke, and thankfully they all opted for a flick instead.
I Know What You Did Last Summer played, and Erin sat next to Trevor, not saying a word. She was starting to nod off but didn’t rest her head on his shoulder. She always used to. “Erin.” She was out. “Erin.” He touched her shoulder when his own shoulder was grabbed by Stefan.
“Cousin. Have a beer with me. I wanna chat.”
Trevor followed Stefan outside the room. He walked into another room that was very much like an interrogation room. It was exactly like he’d seen in the movies—pane of glass, steel table, and all. Stefan sat on one side and slid a beer across. “Take a load off.”
He sat.
“I know what you’re thinking. What the fuck, right?” He laughed and cracked his beer. He took a big gulp and wiped his mouth as some had leaked over. Trevor didn’t crack his.
“So…”
“So…”
Stefan took another chug from his beer.
“It’s good to see you, man.”
“Yeah, you too.”
“So what do you think?”
There’s the multi-million-dollar question. Looking for that elusive validation? “I think it’s a nice place.”
Stefan crushed his beer and crumpled it before belching. His eyes were heavily glazed. Running his hand through his hair, Stefan laughed and exhaled. “I’m crazy, right? Straight loony.”
“Yeah, maybe… but you can afford to be anything you want to be.”
Stefan leaned forward on the table, upper body stiff as a board, pupils dilated.
“Something wrong?” asked Trevor.
“No, no. You’re right. Doesn’t much matter if this whole resort plan comes crashing down. I can always sell it. I can do anything I want really, thanks to Dad’s success.”
“That’s awesome.”
“I guess…” Stefan drumrolled his fingers on the table. “Listen, I need you to take this seriously tomorrow, okay?”
“What, this game thing you made up?”
“Yes, the game thing. You might just have some fun if you play it the right way.”
“How am I supposed to know the right way to play it?”
“You’ll know. Or you won’t.”
Trevor laughed awkwardly and cracked his beer. “I’ve got a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Why not just pay for an island full of bikini girls to live out here with you? You could run a month-to-month rotation. Just fly them in and out. Cost wouldn’t be that outrageous. Bilzerian wouldn’t hold a candle to you. You’d be living every man’s fantasy.”
“Is that your fantasy?”
“I don’t know. Sure.”
“That’s interesting.”
“I think it’s interesting you’re rejecting this idea.” Trevor attempted to keep the mood light, but Stefan still looked dead serious.
His stare was still cold. Trevor took a gulp from his lukewarm beer.
“Better call it a night. What do you got on the agenda tomorrow for us?”