“Relax, Fun Guy. It’ll be fine.” She turned to Magellan. “We’re in,” she said, holding out her hand.
“You’re very brave.” Somberly, Magellan shook her hand.
“Hang on,” Matt said. He whipped off his shirt and put it around Candy’s shoulders. “Now we’re in.”
The crowd booed.
“That’s all well and good, my man. Quite heroic of you. However, if I guess correctly about you, you’ll be in the altogether.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Matt said, crossing his arms over his bare chest. Oooh, he looked good. Candy sighed.
“Suit yourself,” Magellan said. “Or un-suit yourself, as the case may be. What do we think about that, ladies?” He directed the microphone at the crowd, where women shrieked their approval of the possibility of Matt losing his swimsuit.
“You okay with this?” Matt asked her.
“If you are,” she said, impressed by his boldness. Should Magellan stumble onto a real secret, he could deny it, of course. She was sure that not even a double Tsunami for Two could convince Matt to strip in public.
“Now, if I could have a moment of silence while I contact my spirit guides,” Magellan said. The crowd dutifully quieted and the fortune teller made a big show of closing his eyes, placing his fingers to his temples, then putting his palms together at his heart level. Instantly, mystical music swelled around them. He’d tapped a remote, no doubt, or had an assistant backstage.
After a few seconds, Magellan opened his eyes, gave them each a Buddha-worthy smile, put a hand on each of their shoulders and lowered his head again. The music swelled and Candy felt a curious warmth pass through her body, head to toe. Had to be the power of suggestion.
After a bit, Magellan’s head jerked up and the music stopped dead. He leveled his gaze at each of them in turn.
“First, I am prompted to point out that nothing at this festival can compete with what you two have in mind for each other.” He grinned, then turned to the audience, which had grown substantially. “Am I right?”
The crowd hooted its pleasure.
Matt went red under his tan. Candy managed a smile. The guy knew how to work a crowd.
“Now, for my official reading.” Magellan turned to her, meeting her gaze full on. “Here’s what my guides tell me.” He paused. “You, Candy, want something from Matt that you’re afraid to ask for.”
She thought immediately about the promotion, but it could be a million things. The secret to fortune telling was making ambiguous guesses.
“You don’t really want that, by the way,” Magellan added quietly, an odd light in his eye. She felt caught short. “So, am I right?” he said more loudly so the crowd could hear. “Will it be Truth?” Long pause. “Or Bare?”
The crowd roared.
No way could she admit the truth. Matt would want to know what it was. She had no choice but to lie. “Sorry. You are incorrect,” she said.
“Really?” Magellan seemed to read her fib. “Sometimes I’m wrong,” he said, making a big show of giving her a strip of tickets and, from another pocket, a voucher for points. He slanted Candy a last glance, inviting her to confess, then shrugged and turned to Matt. “Let’s see now, Matt.” He paused. “You, Matt, have let Candy believe a falsehood for her own good.” He leaned closer to Matt and whispered, “The truth will set you free, my friend.”
He spoke into the microphone. “So…am I correct? Will you trade in your swimsuit for your birthday suit, Matt?”
There was a moment of silence. Matt swallowed, looking painfully uncomfortable. “Sorry, but you’re wrong,” Matt said in a way that made Candy think he was lying, too. Come on, she scolded herself. No way was Magellan psychic. He was working the crowd, making likely guesses.
“Looks like the spirits are failing me today,” Magellan said. He shook his fist heavenward in mock anger, then hung his head in pretend sorrow.
The audience clapped and shouted while he handed over Matt’s winnings.
Magellan shook their hands, then spoke into the microphone. “I predict a private game of Truth or Bare in your future.” He winked. “Your very near future. Good luck to you both.”
The crowd roared at the sexual implication of his words, but Candy had the feeling that Magellan wished them luck with more than the sex he was assuming they’d have.
Matt helped her off the platform and they walked into the crowd, which moved onward. “That was mortifying,” he said.
“I know,” she said. “You want your shirt?” She started to shrug it off.
“Keep it,” he said, eyeing her body. “It’s safer that way.”
“For you maybe.” She looked at his bare chest, wanting it against her, electricity zinging through her. Matt’s eyes crackled with a matching reaction. Neither of them was safe and they both knew it. Magellan was right. Nothing out here could compare with the pleasure they’d enjoy together.
She watched him, holding her breath.
“Maybe we should call it a night,” he said, as if he’d sensed the danger, too. “Just forget the festival for now.”
“We can’t. I promised Ellie and Sara we’d do the scavenger hunt. We’re strong enough to handle this, aren’t we?”
“I guess we’re going to find out,” he said with a sigh, taking her by the arm and moving forward.
10
CANDY SPOTTED THE Hot Shot Scavenger Hunt right away. The stage held three movie screens and was flanked by two huge inflated cell phones marked with the brand name of the sponsoring mobile-phone company.
The emcee announced that the list of Hot Shot photos would appear on the screen and also be available via text message in five minutes. All entry shots had to be sent to the contest’s cell number before midnight. From the teams whose entries met the requirements, the winner would be selected based on the quality of the photos, their originality and how fast they were turned in.
Candy and Matt located Ellie and Sara standing with two men-Bill and Drew, she assumed. Just as they’d finished introducing themselves to each other, a shout rose from the crowd. They looked up to see a list of bulleted items on all three screens.
Candy scanned the list: a guy in pink boxer briefs, a woman in a plain white bra, three women in descending cup sizes-double points if they were topless-naked female backsides with and without tan lines, a male butt cheek with a beauty or birth mark, innie and outie navels, a sexy tattoo, a woman’s thong with something provocative written on it, a Day-Glo condom and more. Twenty items in all. It was dizzying.
“This is worse than I thought,” Matt said, looking at her. “Pink briefs?”
“Okay, quick. Innie or outie?” Ellie asked the group, undaunted by the challenge. In seconds, Drew’s and Sara’s navels had been photographed-he was innie, she was outie-and Candy and her friends had divvied up the rest of the shots.
Matt waited, nervous as hell, Candy could see.
“We got the easy stuff, don’t sweat it,” she told him. The scavenger hunt crowd had dissipated in search of photographic victims, so Candy dragged Matt over to a group of easygoing-looking guys she hoped to convince to be their Three Moons Over Malibu shot.
The guys were happy to oblige. Matt looked stunned while she captured the picture.
Next, she led him to five women drinking from novelty glasses-a clue they were in get-drunk-go-crazy mode. In no time at all, Candy had three of them lined up in cup order-D, C, A.
“Now, when I say flash, lift your tops,” she said.
Matt looked away politely when the girls did as she’d asked, and Candy took their picture.
Afterward, they gave her a cell number so she could send them the photo.
“I can’t believe how easily you talk people out of their clothes,” Matt said, sounding honestly awed.
“What can I say? It’s a gift.”
She sent the shots to Ellie’s and Sara’s phones, saw what they’d snapped, then grinned at Matt. “We’re on target. The rest of our shots are easy. We’ll grab glow-in-the-dark condoms at Walgreens, you’ve got the ass with a beauty mark and I’ve got the sexy thong. Come on.” She took his arm.