by Lexi Sinner
Although she was intrigued by men, she never pursued relationships and did not allow herself to become complacent. She didn’t want to be dependent on anyone.
Her whole life she had to be cared for by her mother and grandmother. She saw how hard they worked to provide the life that she had and she didn’t want to be a burden on anyone any longer. She wanted to care for herself and have the freedom to do whatever it was that she wanted.
Rhea wanted to be respected and thought of fondly, but most of all, she wanted to earn that respect; for herself and for her family.
On top of that though, she wanted to have new experiences that she couldn’t otherwise have if she had followed the path that she was taking. She wanted to see the world while she introduced herself to it and worked her way into a life that she could be proud of.
In that life, there was no room for commitment and there certainly was no room for being or having a dependent. Therefore, she was strict with herself and forwent many opportunities that even she could have had, in favor of having the kind of life that she imagined for herself.
Therefore, the day she marched into the recruiting office, right after her high school graduation was a day that she had looked forward to for a very long time. She had done her research long ago and worked towards this goal every day of her life, all throughout high school.
She was a part of the ROTC program and allowed school to be her stability.
Joining the military was a way for her, she thought, to continue that stability that she had grown comfortable with, in addition to having the experiences that she sought.
No longer was she about to make her life a series of uncertainty. She was going to have a basis and a foundation for her life that she could truly build from.
After her tour was over, depending on how far she was able to take her opportunities, she did intend to return to the states and go to school. She probably wouldn’t go home, though, since her home wasn’t any place that she wanted to be. She figured she would build her life somewhere of her choosing and work from there. Perhaps, she thought, she would even take care of her mother, imploring her to sell her grandmother’s house and move in with her.
However, none of that would be possible for her, since her dedication was an asset that the military liked. Her attitude was right for becoming a soldier and her thoughts very seldom wavered from anything other than her mission; even in her downtime and that helped her to rise through the ranks quickly.
Eventually, Rhea ended up becoming a function of special operations unit that was based out of Sri Lanka, protecting the US Ambassador, as well as continuing to maintain the United States’ relations with the Republic of Maldives.
The mission was copasetic, and exceedingly manageable, but it was also extremely important. If for nothing else, the United States didn’t need any more enemies, especially in this part of the world.
Still, despite that, Rhea took her job very seriously.The feel of the island began to rub off on her and in her downtime, she actually began to enjoy herself.
The islands that she was able to visit frequently were beautiful and the epitome of exotic. For a good portion of the time she was stationed there, Rhea had the ability to wake up and lookout her window to see glowing white sands and pale-blue, opaque waters which hardly ever looked distressed.
With such a view and so much opportunity, it was actually difficult for her not to take time, even if it was only for a moment of breathlessness, for herself.
No matter where she was, though, she knew that she was a long way from home and instead of missing her landlocked state, she was pleased to know how far she had come and how much experience she had put between herself and the point on the map where she had started.
She began to feel as though, if she could make it here, she could literally make it anywhere and that was exactly what she planned.
***
Her team, comprised of all men, supplied a very different atmosphere for Rhea. However, she really enjoyed it. They didn’t seem to treat her any different, once she proved herself, but they were far easier to deal with then her mother and grandmother were, so it seemed to work well.
They were strapping men with coursing muscles that were built for tenacity, speed and results. At first, Rhea would have been lying if she had said she wasn’t a little bit intimidated by them.
After all, her petite frame and short stature was strange when she thought of herself being paired with these strapping men, but they had definitely made it work to their advantage.
This team was elite and therefore, they found a way to use everything they had at their disposal to be as accurate and as on-point as possible. Therefore, once they trusted Rhea, everything seemed to fall into place and they found plenty of jobs for her on the task force.
Then, one day, while two of her teammates and herself were off for the day, one of them met the other three in the common room and exclaimed, “Who wants to learn how to SCUBA dive?”
They stared at him at first, as though he had lost his mind. The last thing they wanted to do while they weren’t on patrol was learn something; especially today.
While Rhea still managed to be mostly a loner in her downtime, she had heard that the men had decided to go hang out on the beach and pick up women later on that day, so she didn’t believe they would be interested in doing anything besides that.
Rhea on the other hand was also just looking forward to a relaxing beach day, separate though from her teammates.
Every once in awhile, she agreed to accompany them somewhere, but that was only so that she could prove her worthiness to the team. It wasn’t actually because she had any interest in actually being a part of them. She liked the guys well enough, but years of being told that all men did was break women’s hearts had caused her to rethink any kind of friendship, never mind a relationship with them.
Therefore, she continued to try to keep her distance. Rhea had always thought that it would be safer that way and therefore, she was happy when it ended up working well for her.
She was friendly, but not overly so and the guys seemed to respect that; at least for the time being.
However, even though the other guys immediately swatted their hands and told the first man, Jay, that they had other plans, he insisted, telling them, “Oh…Come on, guys! I know the instructor out here and he said that he could get us some exclusive access.”
The other men looked at one another as though no one wanted to be the first and so, Jay looked at Rhea and said, “You are welcome…and encouraged to come too!”
Flattered, she smiled sweetly, but answered, “No thank you. I don’t know how and besides, you don’t want me tagging along.”
Jay, who was known for being something of a lady’s man, caused his eyes to glisten as he answered, “Actually, I think it would be an unforgettable experience, if you came. I think you would really enjoy it.”
Rhea shook her head as the force of habit sunk in, “I don’t think so.” Even though she also could not ignore the words that he told her, which plowed through her mind; an unforgettable experience. She thought. Hmm…I have never gone SCUBA diving before. Maybe he has a point.
It didn’t take long for Rhea to figure out that the guys were using her as a way out when Randal, the leader in the group explained, “I’ll go if Rhea goes.”
The other men followed suit and she could only imagine that they truly believed she wasn’t going to do it.
However, she also didn’t doubt that any bluff would be called if she said that she would go. The men seemed to enjoy her company and they respected her boundaries, even just with personal matters. They didn’t ask about her life outside of the army and she didn’t ask about theirs. If they wanted to offer bits of information, she was always there to listen, but she never pried, since she never really wanted to talk about where she came from. That was a rule of hers that she truly decided to utilize.
Since she wasn’t the woman that had left that landlocked, one-horse town
in pursuit of a future that was not available to her there and therefore, she didn’t see the merit in rehashing the little that she missed about it.
Rhea did realize that there were other people, with other situations, who were using the military to aid the lives that they had already built ‘back home’ however for Rhea, this was her home and this was her life. The army was the only success she had ever had the opportunity to build and so if she was going to try to talk about things that had happened in her past, she knew that she would only be fooling herself; moving backwards instead of forwards and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
The military had shown her what she wanted out of life. It had given her clear rules and goals for success. She followed them faithfully and enjoyed the opportunity to serve.
That was what she wanted and she certainly didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that, but with all of the eyes of her teammates staring at her, waiting for her to make the final decision, she wondered if this wasn’t one of those times where she had to go along with them, so that she could prove her comradery.
It took a long moment. Rhea stared around at the eyes that looked to her for the final decision. Finally, she laughed and teased, “Why are you all staring at me? You men have your own minds. Make them up yourselves…”
“We have,” Randal answered her back, speaking for the rest of the men, “We decided that it would be worth it to see you enjoy life a little and get that aggravating bug up out of your ass.”
The rest of the men laughed in agreement and she glowered at them.
“Ha! Ha!” She answered with a coy smile. She wanted to slap Randal for being so common with her, but in a way, she also supposed that she deserved it. No matter what, she had provoked him. There was no way of getting around that. So, she finally realized, with dismay, that slapping him would have been a little too hostile…and probably a little too personal for her tastes.
You are happy that they treat you for the most part as one of the guys… Rhea reminded herself before raising her eyes and staring at them all again.
Finally, she answered them, “Okay. Fine. I’ll go.”
“Really?” Billy asked, the other man who was invited, almost as though he had never expected that she would ever say yes.
“What’s the matter, Bill? Can’t you swim?” She teased him, reacting to his utter shock at her agreement.
“Of course I can…” He answered coldly, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Well then, let’s see it!” Randal egged, following Rhea’s lead and standing up, as though there wasn’t a moment to waste.
Even though he didn’t actually say anything, Rhea had a feeling that Randal was just as surprised that she had said yes as Billy had expressed.
I guess they have to forego their hot American blondes enjoying the beach day and settle for their smelly teammates. Rhea thought as she stood up and made her way out of the common room, wondering if she had made a mistake or if she was truly going to have a good time as Jay had suggested.
As the group made their way over to the island from their base, however, Rhea began to feel a sense of uneasiness. She had never done this before and while she was a strong swimmer, despite growing up where she had, she still managed to have her reservations.
Still, the experience that she was promised was something that, for her, greatly outweighed the concern she had of being alone with these men. After all, they were her team and she did trust them.
Thus, she allowed her trust to be her guide as they made their way towards the meeting place, where they were going to find the instructor and begin their experience.
***
It did not take them long to find the man and he was very professional, as well as knowledgeable.
“This island is surrounded by a vast, magnificent barrier reef that is sure to take your breath away,” He assured the team as they suited up.
Since the team wasn’t going to venture down very far, there was no need for a wetsuit, so the team, as well as the instructor only wore a bathing suit.
Sure, there was also weights and tanks, along with a mouthpiece for the air supply and goggles to help crystallize their vision, but other than that, there was hardly anything between Rhea and her male team members.
All of the men were extremely handsome. The instructor was a little older then the three other men, but with his dark skin and rippling physique, his body still seemed to be made for attraction and fitness.
Still, Rhea worked hard to push those thoughts from her mind. There was no reason that she should be concentrating on this part of her teammates, or her instructor. She was a professional after all…and a virgin at that. She didn’t need any complications with her current team, or the pursuance of her military career. She was doing well and just because she stopped to have fun did not mean she could throw everything she had worked so hard for away, just for her desire.
Of course, she knew that she could still look, but to keep from staring at the decadent bodies that were practically naked before her, she focused on the sand and the water; anything to get the truly terrible thoughts from intruding her mind.
Still, as they got on the boat and began to make their way deeper into the water, she could not help but realize sensually what she was going to be doing; out on the water, just for fun, as the only woman accompanying four men. She was not too naive to realize that things could escalate fast, especially with the thoughts and feelings that she was already having.
However, she knew that no matter how lean their bodies were, how broad their chests, or how much her body screamed to have their big, manly arms surrounding her, she must resist the temptation.
At that time, she was sure that no good could come from going through with any of the fantasies that were playing out inside of her mind.
Then again, she thought with a smile creeping onto her lips, you never know until you try.
When they made it out to the appropriate location for them to dive out, she was instructed by Graham, the instructor, to sit on the edge of the boat, place her mouthpiece between her lips, hold onto it and fall backwards into the clear water, which called to her from below.
She nodded as she prepared herself, but before she dived backwards, she took a moment to enjoy the sight that was before her.
With the island off in the distance, she saw the horizon beyond the thin white strip of sand and became almost mesmerized by the careful flow of the ocean as it coursed back and forth with the tide.
Rhea had always liked the ocean. It had always brought her a sense of peace, even before she had ever had the opportunity to see it for herself. When she was little, she would collect postcards of different beaches and when she did see the beach for the first time in person, she had almost cried; feeling almost a kindred connection to it, but this time, she was struck by the amazing, sensational beauty that she beheld.
With the sun glistening off of the water and the picture-perfect, cloudless sky formed overhead, she could not envision a more perfect day.
She smiled then, took her last breath of fresh, tank-less air before submerging into the water, pressed the mouthpiece to her lips, closed her eyes and leaned her head backwards.
Rhea felt the sensation of the water pressure against her body before she even stopped moving in the water. Feeling the weightlessness overtake her, even though she knew that the belt was making her heavier, she kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the calming motion of the water.
In a moment, she felt the vibrations of other bodies following her, but the sound that the grown men made entering the water was nothing compared to what it would have sounded like while she was still on the boat.
When she finally opened her eyes though, she still saw the tiny bubbles that were made from her and her team disrupting the water.
Eventually though, that disruption cleared and when she could find herself right side up again, completely submerged in the water, she was amazed at what she saw.
The clear aqua water allowed
enough light into her surroundings to illuminate not only the sand, but also the colorful coral reef that surrounded her.
Her eyes grew large as she began to pick out different sea creatures that until now, she could only imagine.
She had spent a good portion of her life wondering what it would be like to be down here, amidst the fish and the amazing aquatic life, but with all of the wonder that she had imagined, nothing compared to this.
Rhea swam towards the coral carefully, trying to move slowly as to not disrupt the habitat and natural state of the reef, but even though she tried her best, she still watched as the animals scurried back into the holes and crevices that the untrained eye would not be able to see, even if they knew where to look.