Cancun: Bad Boys on the Beach: A Standalone Romance Novel

by Kimberly Fox

  “When did this happen?” she asks. Her hands are clenched into fists under the water.

  “Monday,” I whisper.

  “MONDAY?!? I’m going to kill that bitch.” I haven’t seen her look like this since Cindy MacMillan stole my recorder and broke it on the jungle gym in the sixth grade.

  “Please don’t make a scene,” I say, holding her back. “It should have been over between me and Aaron a long time ago. I’m happy that it happened because it made me realize that at least.”

  Her face softens from anger to sadness. “I’m so sorry Tanya,” she says, rubbing her forehead. “I’ve been so busy with the wedding and entertaining Lucas’ family. I didn’t realize what you were going through. I’ve been a shitty friend.”

  “No, you haven’t,” I say, feeling bad. “It’s your wedding week. Of course, you’re going to be busy. I just didn’t want to ruin it for you.”

  “You?” she asks. “It’s not your fault. At all.” She turns and glares at Stephanie. “It’s that bitch.”

  Stephanie is rubbing a dolphin’s belly in a very sensual way. She’s wearing a big white t-shirt and an enormous, flopping sun hat. Her skin is still way to sunburnt to be exposed to the sun.

  Megan looks pissed. “Look at her,” she says. “Is she going to give it a blowjob? I can’t stand that girl anymore.”

  “Then why is she the maid of honor?” I ask. It just blurts out of me before I can stop it.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she says, looking down. “She helped me so much at work with the magazine. I really didn’t know anything and she’s taken me under her wing and really helped me out. She’s Lucas’ sister and she paid for the honeymoon.” She shakes her head and sighs. “And I never really asked her. She just kind of claimed the role. I asked her to be a bridesmaid and she said that she’d love to be the maid of honor. She just kept talking about it and I didn’t have the heart to tell her no.”

  My best friend looks like she feels really bad. I think it’s time to let her off the hook for this.

  “It’s okay,” I say, trying to let it go. “I don’t want to cause any strife or stress for you this week. I’m fine being a bridesmaid. Really I am. I’m just happy to be up there when you get married.”

  Megan bites her lip as she thinks. “That’s why it should be you.”

  Silence hovers between us.

  “Don’t you see Maximus?” I say, quoting one of our favorite movies. “That is why it must be you!”

  “Oh Russel Crow,” Megan says, clasping her hands together. “Who would have thought that an Austrian gladiator could be so dreamy?”

  “Australian,” I correct.

  “That’s what I said.”

  “You said Austrian.”

  Megan looks confused. “What’s the difference?”

  “Does Lucas know how absolutely clueless you are when it comes to geography?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “I’m waiting to tell him after the wedding.”

  “Smart move. Lock him down first.”

  “That way he can’t go anywhere.”

  “Or he can move to Austria and you’ll never be able to find him.”

  Megan crushes her hand into a fist. “I’ll find him. Even if I have to cross the whole outback looking for him.”

  I shake my head and laugh. “I’m returning the toaster I got you and getting you an atlas for your wedding gift.”

  “A toaster?” Megan says, perking up. “How many toasting levels?”

  “Forty-nine.”

  Her smile drops into a frown. “I guess that will do.”

  We both laugh and all seems to be forgiven. It feels good to be joking around with my best friend again. I’ve missed her. A lot.

  “So Ethan?” she asks. “What is going on with that?” Are you two…”

  I tell her everything that happened. Everything. It’s nice to finally tell her and the shocked look on her face is priceless.

  “Wow!” she says, when I’m finished. “That’s crazy.”

  “Here comes Ursula now,” I say, motioning behind her with my eyes.

  “Hey, bestie!” Stephanie says, swimming over with her gigantic hat blowing in the wind.

  Megan has a look in her eye straight out of the Terminator movies. I place my hand on her arm. “It’s okay,” I whisper. “Just let it go. I have.” Not really.

  “Not right now, Stephanie,” Megan snaps. “I’m talking with my best friend. Tanya.”

  Stephanie glares at me with an evil look. I just smirk at her. That’s right bitch. I’m the best friend.

  “Whatever,” Stephanie says, rolling her eyes. “The dolphins over there are cooler anyway.”

  “You pronounced hornier wrong,” I say.

  “Ugh,” she snorts as she swims away to the sound of Megan and I laughing.

  Megan hooks her arm around mine and we swim around the enclosure with the dolphins racing past us. “I’m sorry again, Tanya. I feel really shitty.”

  “It’s okay,” I say, really meaning it this time. “Let’s just let it go because you’re getting married tomorrow!”

  Lucas is in the water with thick, white suntan lotion all over his nose. He high fives a dolphin and then squeals in delight.

  Megan is watching him with a big smile on her face. “He’s such a nerd.”

  “That’s okay,” I say with a laugh. “So are you.”

  She squeezes my hand under the water. “I know. We’re perfect for each other.”

  They are and I can see why they gel so easily together. Ethan and I are anything but the same. I glance over to where he’s sitting in a chair, leaning back into the sun with his eyes closed. He’s looking as hot and buff as ever. Are we perfect for each other?

  I take a deep, heavy breath as I contemplate the answer.

  I really can’t tell.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tanya

  Day Five

  I walk to the rehearsal dinner feeling like I’m walking on a cloud. We got home from the dolphin excursion around two o’clock and Ethan and I fucked for three hours, napped for twenty minutes, I took a quick, ten-minute shower and then we left.

  Only the wedding party was invited tonight so Ethan made plans to eat dinner with his aunt and uncle. He’s been ignoring them all week to be with me and he feels bad.

  The private dinner is set up on the beach. Just a few tables in the sand with some music playing, drinks and food. This is where the reception will be tomorrow and Megan just wants to go over everything and have a little party afterward.

  Mr. and Mrs. Carson are the first ones I see when I walk over. “Excited for the wedding?” I ask them.

  “Oh yes,” Megan’s dad says. “You two were always so close that we thought you’d marry each other.”

  Her mom slaps her dad. “Frank!” she says. “Don’t say that.”

  “What?” he asks, with his palms out. “You thought that too.”

  Her mother looks at me and smiles. “He’s kidding dear.”

  Mr. Carson shakes his head. “No, I’m not.”

  “Well,” I say, “we did have over a hundred pretend weddings where we married each other.”

  “I thought you two were lesbians for sure,” he says.

  “Frank!” Mrs. Carson says, grabbing her husband’s arms and pulling him away. “Leave the poor girl alone.”

  “What?” he says with a shrug. “I love lesbians.”

  “Frank!”

  Cynthia and Julia come over looking as hot as ever. They skipped the dolphin excursion today to work on their tans for the wedding. And they look great.

  “New dress?” I ask Julia.

  “Of course,” Cynthia says, answering for her.

  Julia thrusts her chin in the air. “It was on sale for your information.”

  “How much?” Cynthia asks.

  “Only four hundred,” Julia says with pride.

  “Only?” Cynthia asks.

  “It was ten dollars off,” Julia answers.


  “What a deal,” I say, nodding.

  She looks at me and smiles. “Thanks.”

  My sarcasm flew right over her head.

  “So what are we supposed to be doing tonight?” I ask, looking around. Lucas, Aaron and two of Lucas’ other friends are by the bar with Stephanie. Megan is talking with the wedding coordinator. She’s moving her hands around like crazy like she always does when she’s really excited.

  “We’re supposed to stand beside that bitch Stephanie and smile,” Cynthia says.

  “Here comes the bride,” Julia says.

  “You girls look gorgeous!” Megan says as she rushes over. She takes a minute to look each one of us up and down, throwing out compliments about our hair, figures, outfits and makeup like a Gatling gun. She looks so happy. I’m so excited for her.

  I can see Aaron out of the corner of my eye, watching us. He was friends with Lucas in high school and they became close again when Aaron and I started dating again. I think it was Megan who convinced Lucas to ask him to be a groomsman so that my boyfriend would be in the wedding party. Talk about a backfire.

  “I love your hair,” Julia says, touching Megan’s curls.

  “Thanks,” she says with a beaming smile.

  Aaron is walking over with a beer in one hand and a strawberry daiquiri in the other. Shit.

  “I got you this,” he says, handing me the pink slushy drink.

  “She’s not thirsty Aaron,” Cynthia snaps.

  “Yeah, why don’t you give it to Stephanie?” Megan says, glaring at him.

  “Or pour it over your head,” Julia adds.

  He looks around the circle of lionesses and gulps. “Can I talk to you for a second?” he asks me in a tiny whisper.

  “Fine,” I say, walking away from the group of snarling women. “What is it?”

  He tries to hand me the drink again. “Strawberry daiquiri. Your favorite.”

  I cross my arms over my chest, leaving the cold drink melting in his hand. “You’re five days late,” I say coldly. “I asked you for that when we first got here. Remember? You ditched me in line and went to the bar instead.”

  “Look, Tanya,” he says, hunching his shoulders. “I fucked up.”

  “Big time.”

  “Can you give me a second chance?”

  I almost laugh until I see that he’s not joking. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes,” he says, his chin dropping to his chest.

  “Why do you want to get back together?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. “Because you see me with Ethan and you’re jealous?”

  “No,” he says, sighing heavily. “I love you. I’ve made a mistake.”

  I’m not buying it. He only acted interested when Ethan came sniffing around. Before that, he acted like he hated me.

  “You know when we started dating you were fun and cool,” I say. “In high school, it was exciting being with a guy in a band. You had so much passion and drive. That was back when you liked me.”

  “I still like you,” he says.

  “No, you don’t. We were just together over the last year because I was lonely and you needed someone to take care of you. I think we stopped liking each other a long time ago. I don’t know why I kept trying to make it work. It’s so clear now that we are all wrong for each other.”

  He looks at me with sad eyes. “You really believe that?”

  I nod. “Aaron, you were fun in high school. But you’ve become miserable and depressed. I think you hate yourself because you didn’t make it big as a rock star. And the worst part is that you probably could have if you put some actual effort into it. You’re really talented but your laziness outweighs your talent. I think you’re depressed Aaron and I’m done letting you take it out on me.”

  He pulls a little blue box out of his pocket. “But I bought a ring.”

  “Oh Aaron,” I say, shaking my head. “Good luck with everything.”

  I leave him staring at the ring that he bought in the resort jewelry store. I hope for his sake that they have a good return policy but if I were him I wouldn’t hold my breath.

  My three lionesses are watching me as I walk back to them. “That was fun.”

  Right on cue, Stephanie walks over. “Hi bestie!” she says.

  Megan turns her back to her and grits her teeth.

  Stephanie doesn’t take the hint and grabs Megan’s arm. “Come dance with me,” she says, pulling her.

  Megan yanks her arm back. “I’m talking to my friends,” she snaps.

  “Okay,” Stephanie says, shrugging it off. “I saved you a seat beside me at dinner.”

  Megan slides her arm around mine. “Actually,” she says, turning to Stephanie, “I’m going to sit with Tanya at dinner.”

  “With Yawn-ya?” she asks, rolling her eyes. “Boooorrrriiinng. I want to talk to you about how I’m doing my hair tomorrow. I’m thinking up.” She grabs two handfuls of her blond hair and holds it up over her head.

  “Yeah, whatever,” Megan says, turning away. She’s never been one who could hide her anger and right now it’s coming through loud and clear. Stephanie gives me the stink eye and storms off back to the bar.

  We eat dinner and I have a great time sitting beside Megan with Julia and Cynthia on my opposite side. At one point Megan makes me laugh so hard that I almost snort wine out of my nose. It’s like we’re back to how we were before and all of the tension that’s been weighing me down for the past few weeks has been released. I feel so light that I’m almost giddy.

  Stephanie keeps eying us angrily from the other table. This isn’t even about Megan anymore. I can tell. She just doesn’t like to lose.

  Lucas gives a corny but sweet speech that has Megan beaming and after that, the music starts playing. After talking to the DJ, Megan grabs Julia, Cynthia and me and drags us to the sandy dance floor.

  Stephanie jumps up and joins us. “What are we doing?” she asks.

  Megan waves her away. “You don’t know the dance. Go sit down.”

  She lines us up in front of the two tables and smiles at her husband to be as Stephanie sits back down, sulking.

  Cynthia, Julia and I aren’t in on the secret but we can guess what’s about to play over the speakers. In grade seven we did a synchronized dance to Everybody by The Backstreet Boys in the school talent show. I think we’re about to recreate it here. I’m just happy that Ethan isn’t here to see me embarrass myself.

  “When I was a teenager I was sure I was going to marry Brian Littrell from the Backstreet Boys,” Megan says to Lucas. “Well, Brian doesn’t have a thing on my man.” She turns and points to the DJ. “Hit it Mr. DJ.”

  He’s talking on the phone, not paying attention.

  “Hellooooooo?” she says, waving at him. “Mr. DJ!”

  He glances over at us standing awkwardly in front of everyone watching, talks for another ten seconds and then hits the play button.

  The music comes on and we all take our places, dancing and moving even more clumsy and awkward than when we were going through puberty. The sand isn’t helping and we all take turns falling on our ass at one or more points in the song. Cynthia wins at four slips and eight falls.

  When the song finally finishes the tables are cheering and clapping. Lucas stands on his chair and whistles, never taking his eyes off his sweating and heavily breathing bride.

  Stephanie is on her phone ignoring us the whole time.

  It was a little too hot to do that in the Caribbean and I’m worried that I’m going to be a little too sweaty for Ethan later. I walk down to the water to get some of that nice ocean breeze to cool me off.

  “Shit,” I mutter when I see Stephanie walking over. “When will you just admit that you lost?” she asks, crossing her arms in front of me. “I stole your best friend and your man. Why don’t you just go swim away in the ocean and drown?”

  I step up to her with my chin in the air. I’m done taking her shit.

  “You did me a favor by sleeping with Aaron,” I say, getting in
her face. “It showed me what a shitty piece of shit that he really is. So thank you. As for Megan,” I say, squeezing my hands into fists. “She is my best friend. She has always been my best friend. And she will always be my best friend no matter how many self-centered, stuck up, attention whoring bitches try to wedge their slutty, disgusting bodies between us.”

  We’re nose to nose.

  Stephanie steps back and she drops her eyes to the sand. She does what any bully does when they’re confronted: she backs off.

  “Whatever,” she says, shrugging as she walks away. “She’s getting boring anyway and she’s dorkier than I thought. I mean look at you nerds and that ridiculous choreographed song.”

  Megan comes rushing over when she sees us together. “What’s going on over here?”

  “Well,” Stephanie says, crossing her arms. “Your friend just threatened me.”

  “Oh yeah?” Megan says. She steps up to Stephanie with the same fire that was in her eyes when she first found out about the cheating this afternoon. “Well let me add something to that. If you ever treat my best friend like that again I’ll break your nose.”

  She seriously looks like she’s going to hit her. I step forward ready to hold her back.

  “And,” Megan continues, “I’m giving you the money back for the honeymoon.”

  “Why?” Stephanie asks, looking insulted.

  “Because nothing is worth not having Tanya by my side at my wedding. She is my bestie. Not you.”

  Stephanie rolls her eyes and turns away. “Whatever.”

  But Megan isn’t done. “You slept with her boyfriend and you’ve been shitty to her all week.”

  Stephanie points at me. “She started it.”

  “If you weren’t my fiancee’s sister than I would have you kicked off the resort,” she says, walking back to me and grabbing my arm. “She’s going to be my maid of honor. It should have been her from the start.”

  I squeeze her arm, feeling so happy at finally hearing those words.

  Stephanie stares at us with cold, hard eyes. “It’s better this way anyway. No one wants a maid of honor who is prettier than them.”

  Megan’s jaw tightens. “That just got you downgraded to the last row.”

  “What?” Stephanie asks.