<<< IPE-20.txt >>>
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"Island Paradise: Eternity" - Chapter 20 of ??
--> M/F, F/F and just about everything else
--> Author: HighlanderJM@hotmail.com
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Perhaps two hours later, I was in the middle of the
absolute lowest point of my life. Seated upon the ground
against a huge boulder in the forest, I had both knees up
and my arms curled around them, my head hung low. Even
though I was alone, I did not want to cry. But it was
difficult to resist. More difficult than I could convey.
Yes, I felt even lower than I did on July 9, 1993. That
was the day Victoria, my ex-fiancee, left me standing at the
altar for another woman. That still ranked as the single
most humiliating moment of my life, but it was no longer the
lowest. This was the lowest. Right here, right now.
How could I have talked to Devon and disregarded her in
such a cruel fashion? How could I have walked away from
her the way I did? What possessed me to yell at Lindsay and
Amy? I was upset, yes, but that was certainly no excuse to
talk down to them in the manner I did. Lindsay professed
her love for me for the first time and then I yell at her?
Was that the way for me to react to a confession of love?
I felt as if my entire universe was cracking. I really
could not take much more of this. It all started with
Gabrielle, and the problems she caused during her short
stint on the island. She got Lindsay drunk that one night
and then took advantage of her. Devon and Amy had been
crying more than they smiled this past month. Kristanna
had a cast on her right arm. Do you know how much it hurt
me EVERY SINGLE TIME I saw that nasty cast? There was
nothing good about it. It was a constant reminder of the
pain and suffering Kristanna was having to endure.
The little episode with Pamela hurt me, too. I don't
know why, but it did. I should be over her. I should have
been over her long ago. But I still loved her. And I still
wanted to be with her. Pamela, however, could not co-exist
with Devon and Kristanna also in our lives. Well, that was
that. No one - not even Pamela - interfered in my marriage.
But that still doesn't preclude me from loving Pamela...
What was happening at the mansion right now? I really
did not care. Oh, I shouldn't say that. I did care. Had
Trish met up with Lindsay yet? Probably. Did Trish try to
convince Lindsay that she - and no one else - was the right
person for her? That no one could love Lindsay more than
Trish herself? Oh yes. If given the chance, yes.
What about Devon and Amy? Were they arguing back and
forth about who the slut really was? Had Sarah snapped and
used her martial arts skills on an unsuspecting woman?
Nothing would surprise me anymore. Was Britney, who seemed
so friendly and cheerful all the time, in the spirit of
things now too? Maybe Britney and Stephanie were in a
classic hair-pulling match. Nothing would surprise me.
Why should it? Look at everything else which happened...
Yes, my world was falling apart. No matter how hard I
tried, things never worked. I had been on a long odyssey,
so to speak, in trying to get Amy to stay here on the island
for seven months. Of course, I have known her seven months.
I had always wanted Amy to stay on the island as a permanent
resident. I finally got her to agree, too.
Then, Devon destroyed everything I had built up and
worked on. Amy was mad at me now. And after how I had
just treated her, she may hate me altogether. How could
I have yelled at Lindsay and Amy that way? I point back
to Lindsay. She did absolutely nothing wrong. But look
at the way I treated her. I was scum. Pond-scum.
* * *
The rustling of nearby branches caused me to look up.
When I did, I frowned. For as terrible as I felt right now,
and how very regretful I was of the things I said, I still
wanted to be left alone. I needed some time to myself.
"Go away," I sniped, hiding my face.
Nonetheless, Kristanna slowly made her way over and stood
directly beside me. I caught a glimpse of her legs. God,
they were beautiful. So long and sleek, and firm... hmmmmm.
But I still wanted to be left alone.
"Go away," I reiterated.
"I'm not your wife now," Kristanna murmured, taking a
seat next to me. Of course, those words caused me to look
at her. She wasn't my wife? "I'm your friend."
Oh, that. I still wanted to be left alone. Thus, I hid
my face once again. I felt so terrible.
"Do you remember when we first met, Jeremy?" Kristanna
asked. "We were friends. After we got to know each other
a little bit, we would sit up and talk at night. Actually,
you did most of the talking. You told me all about your
problems. My English wasn't all that good then, but I
understood most of everything you said. You just LOVED to
talk, Jeremy. Let's do it again. Tell me what's wrong."
"Leave me alone, please..."
"Friends don't let friends drive drunk," she responded.
"You're not drunk, Jeremy, but you get the point. I'm not
going to leave you alone. You need a friend. Me."
I said nothing to her.
"The weather is nice, yes," Kristanna nodded, glancing
about. "Look at those blue skies. And the tide is..."
"Look, Kristanna. I don't want to talk. You ever feel
like you need some time by yourself? That's what I need."
Suddenly, the Norwegian's voice dropped several octaves.
"I heard about everything that happened. You know what
Devon told me? Devon said when you first told her you were
leaving, she thought you were going to Baltimore."
"Baltimore?" I exclaimed, looking at her again.
"To be with Pamela," Kristanna nodded. I shook my head
and sighed in exasperation. There was a playful tint in
Kristanna's voice as she added, "Of course, I would never
let you leave us like that. You'd have to get through me
to leave this island, Jeremy. I wouldn't let you." Ahh
yes, the karate Mistress. At least she was being playful.
I think.
"Devon, I will never leave you," I said, looking in the
general direction of the hidden camera here in the forest.
I knew that she was watching us right now. I turned toward
Kristanna and vowed, "I won't leave you, either. I love you
too much. You and Devon. It's... it's been a bad day." I
frowned and asked, "What's going on in the mansion now?"
Kristanna shrugged her shoulders and responded, "Imagine
my shock when I open the front door and see both Lindsay
and Trish talking together on the sofa. I didn't even know
that Trish was back. They were peaceful, Jeremy. They were
having a talk. About what I don't know, but they were
talking. I didn't feel the need to stay and listen in."
"Amy was upset and did not want to talk about whatever
was troubling her," Kristanna continued. "Britney and Sarah
were asking who the `new girl' is. Trish, you know. So I
sought out Devon and she made sense of everything for me.
Told me everything that happened. And showed me, too. I
saw you on tape, Jeremy. I didn't know you could get that
mad. Things must have been building up inside of you. You
covered a wide range of things with your tirade."
"Where was Stephanie?"
"She was tied up in bed," Kristanna chirped. "I don't
think she even has a clue as to what is going on. 'Steph
said Amy tied her up and whipped her, then left her there.
I found you with the voyeur room, Jeremy." Kristanna patted
the huge boulder behind us and smiled, "Does this 'ol thing
bring back any memories for you? It sure does for me."
"You and I had sex here once," I nodded. "Not long after
we first met. Your English was terrible but it did not
matter. I bent you over this rock and hammered you good. I
was in love with you, Kristanna, from the very moment I saw
you. But I kept it bottled up inside of me because you
always left me quicker than you returned to me. I missed
you so much each time you left me."
"Do you love Lindsay now? There is no reason for you to
keep your feelings for her bottled up anymore since she has
professed her feelings for you." I shook my head as the
23-year-old added, "I know you, Jeremy. I know you too
well. If someone is nice to you, you fall in love. You
are like a hungry animal that way. If someone feeds you,
you always come back to them."
Kristanna frowned and added, "It's because you spent all
those years in isolation here. You were so lonely." A tear
streaked down her face. "More often than not, I felt guilty.
I wondered how I could leave you alone each time the way I
did. I loved my family and wanted to be with them, yes. I
hated leaving you alone each time, Jeremy. I hated it."
"All of that is in the past now," I told her. "There is
no need to think about it, sweetheart. I never blamed you
for leaving me. You needed your family. You still do."
"You're my family now," she said. "You and Devon. You
are more important to me than my first family. That is why
I chose to stay on the island with you and Devon." The
blonde paused and asked again, "Do you love Lindsay now?"
When I failed to answer her, Kristanna said, "It's okay
if you do, Jeremy. As I said, I know you. I know you
better than you know yourself. And thus, I know what to
expect from you. I knew who I was marrying when I married
you. You're in love with Lindsay... aren't you?"
"I'm in love with all of the girls," I confessed. "In a
way, at least. Even Sarah, despite the fact she and I have
not had much time together. I love her. I love them all."
"Because they are nice to you," Kristanna nodded. "And
most of them love you in return. That's a good match. I
think Devon is that way too, but not quite as bad as you.
Tell me something... do you want Lindsay to stay with us?"
I hesitated for a moment, then laughed and shook my head
in a miserable manner. "I don't know what I want. I... I
want everyone to stay with us. But without the fighting.
I... I can't stand the fighting. Even you, Kristanna. You
refuse to even try to get along with Lindsay."
"I don't know about that," Kristanna murmured, shrugging
her shoulders. "Lindsay isn't so bad, I guess. I will say
that she has matured a lot since last year. I remember how
angry and mad she made me last year. But since her return
four weeks ago, Lindsay has been perfectly nice and sweet."
"So you like her now?" I asked, surprised.
"I don't know, but maybe I should give her a chance,"
Kristanna responded. "Lindsay is in love with both you and
Devon. You love her. And though she does not want to admit
it, I think Devon loves Lindsay, too. It's the same thing I
said earlier, Jeremy. Devon is a lot like you. Be nice to
her and she falls in love. Devon has led a bad life, too.
Her parents shut her out of their lives completely. I can
give Lindsay a chance. She IS a little honey..."
"What about Amy?"
"What about her?" Kristanna responded. "Devon took all
the offense to what Amy said about everyone being a slut.
On a purely personal level, I don't have a problem with Amy
calling me a slut. It doesn't bother me, Jeremy. I think
it is Amy just being Amy. I understand her really good."
"What about Devon?" I sighed. "I do not know what she
has been thinking these past few days. Devon went off on
Amy because she called her a slut. You know the rules,
Kristanna. Devon heard Amy say that from the voyeur room
and then confronted her about it. And as a result, Amy
thinks I snitched about her behind her back. Kristanna,
I did nothing wrong. Yet Amy yelled at me about it."
"Devon took a lot of offense to Amy saying that about all
of us," my wife countered. "I think she took more offense
to it than you or I even know, Jeremy. I do agree that Devon
should not have broke your voyeur room silence rule, but she
had her reasons. I also believe that Devon did not think
that Amy would fly off the handle at you, Jeremy. If she
did, she would have kept quiet. Devon would never do a thing
to hurt or upset you on purpose, Jeremy. She loves you."
"What about Devon showing Trish the voyeur room?" I asked.
"There was no reason for her to do that. I don't care if she
wanted to hide Trish from Lindsay or not. For all I know,
Trish could be telling everyone about it right now. Do you
remember how Devon reacted to it for the first time last
year, Kristanna? She wanted to leave me. All of the other
girls may hate me now..."
Kristanna patted my knee and smiled. "I don't think you
have anything to worry about, dear Jeremy. Devon did say
that she explained the voyeur room and what it is about to
Trish. She stressed to Trish that it is a little kink for
you, but you keep all of the tapes and discs private. No
one else sees them. Devon also got Trish to promise that
she would keep it a secret from everyone else."
"That's a relief..." I sighed.
"Trish is a little kitten," Kristanna mused. "Unless her
feelings for Lindsay are involved, Trish will not cause any
trouble whatsoever. She is not the type. Devon even said
Trish told her that she liked the idea of being watched."
"Really?" I asked, surprised.
"Really," Kristanna confirmed.
"What about the way Devon treated me, though?" I wondered.
"That may be the worst thing of all. She did not ask - she
TOLD me to send Lindsay home. Several times, in fact. Each
time I said no, she would ask again. And again. And again."
"That is the one thing I cannot defend her about," the
Norwegian answered. "Maybe she was not thinking straight,
Jeremy. You know Devon can get a little hyper at times.
Having Trish back, without warning, was a surprise for her.
It set her off. But you know what? There is one thing I
can tell you about Devon."
"What?"
"She meant nothing wrong with it. Devon is human, Jeremy.
Just like you and me, and everyone else in this crazy world.
People make mistakes and say things they do not mean. Devon
loves you, Jeremy." Kristanna placed an arm around my
shoulder and nudged herself against me closely. "Devon loves
you with all of her heart. She would never do a single thing
to intentionally hurt you. It was a mistake. A mistake."
"How did Amy know you got hurt?"
Kristanna nodded her head and offered, "My best guess is
that Amy overheard a conversation between us one day. That
is the only way she could have learned about me punching the
wall because I got mad Devon was with Lindsay. You did not
tell her, Jeremy, and neither did me or Devon. We made a
promise to each other to keep that information to ourselves."
"But now, everyone knows about it," Kristanna continued.
"When I saw her talking with Trish, Lindsay stopped and she
must have apologized to me four or five times. I think she
blames herself now that I got hurt, and needed surgery."
"What do I do about Lindsay and Amy?" I asked her. "Look
at the way I yelled at them. Amy was snapping at me, so I
guess a little of what I did with her was justified. But
what about Lindsay? What did she do wrong? I absolutely
unloaded on her. She tells me that she loves me for the
first time... and then, a minute later, I YELL at her to
get out. I hope... I hope she doesn't hate me for it."
"Instead of sitting here and worrying about it, Jeremy...
why not go back to the mansion and find out for yourself?"
Kristanna suggested. "Just apologize. That's all you can
do. I don't know about Lindsay, but Amy probably liked you
yelling at her. You talked down to Amy like she was your
submissive. And she wants to be your submissive. So, she
probably enjoyed it. Lindsay? Apologize to her. You have
to apologize to Amy too. But apologize to Lindsay. Tell
her the truth. You were having a bad day and lost control
of your temper. Everyone has done at one time or another."
Kristanna paused, then stood up and extended her left
hand to me. "C'mon, Jeremy. Let's go back to the mansion.
All you did by running off into the woods like this is make
me and Devon worried sick." She motioned with her head and
mused, "Come on, Jeremy. Let's go home."
I nodded my head and accepted her hand. Kristanna helped
pull me up to my feet, then I offered her a warm embrace and
loving kiss. She slipped her arm around my lower back and
then the two of us began a very slow, leisurely walk home.
* * *
Once Kristanna and I returned to the mansion, we found
Lindsay and Trish seated together on the sofa in the front
room. Considering how Kristanna said that she saw both of
them here an hour ago, I figured that Lindsay and Trish had
been talking non-stop ever since. Things seemed peaceful.
When they noticed our presence, Trish turned and flashed
that million-dollar smile of hers. Lindsay, though, frowned
and eyed me with a look of trepidation. Obviously, she did
not care for the way I screamed at her earlier.
"Lindsay and Trish... I want to apologize to both of you
for the way I acted a couple of hours ago. It... It wasn't
me. I pride myself in being very level-headed and friendly.
I... I've been under a lot of stress lately. I know that is
no excuse, but it's the best explanation I can offer. I'm
sorry for yelling at you, Lindsay. And Trish? I'm sorry
that you were in the middle of everything."
"Apology accepted," Trish chirped, perhaps happier than I
had ever saw her before. What had she and Lindsay been
talking about? Was there some sort of reconciliation?
"No one has ever yelled at me like that before," Lindsay
murmured, still appearing timid and scared as she looked at
me. I sighed and shook my head in agreement before she
added, "I tell you how I feel. I open myself up to you. I
never did that for anyone before. Then you scream at me."
"I'm sorry," I reiterated. "I... I appreciate you telling
me how you feel about me. I really do. It was not directed
at you, Lindsay. It was a lot of things. My senses... they
all blew up at once. That's the best way to describe it.
You did nothing wrong. Nothing at all."
Lindsay took a deep breath and moaned, then slowly nodded
her head. "I'll try to understand, Jeremy." Kristanna, who
was standing beside me, patted my wrist and smiled. "I just
never seen anyone that MAD before. It was something new."
"I'll never treat any of you that way again," I told her.
"I promise. You have my word on it."
Again, she nodded her head. "Good."
I turned my focus back to Trish, who seemed to be glowing
with an aura of happiness. I then motioned toward Lindsay
and asked her, "Is everything okay, Trish?"
"Everything is fine," the 27-year-old beamed. "Lindsay
and I are gonna be friends. We're gonna start there and see
if it leads to something more between us."
As Lindsay nodded her head in agreement, I smiled at both
ladies. "Wow... this is a pleasant surprise."
"After I went home and had time to think about it last
summer, I felt really guilty because of the way I treated
Trish," Lindsay offered. "I felt real guilty because I got
her into trouble with you, Jeremy. I think that I could have
handled everything a bit differently."
"I also thought... maybe someone being in love with me was
not such a bad thing after all," she added. "I... I'm glad
that Trish came back so we could clear the air, and start
over. No one ever treated me any better than Trish did last
year, though I was too afraid to admit it to myself."
"What about me?" I asked, being playful. "Trish treats
you better than I do?"
Lindsay held her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart
and waved them at me. "You're behind this much."
"Have you had a talk with Devon yet?"
"Not yet," Lindsay frowned. She glanced at Kristanna's
arm cast for a moment and added, "Maybe it's best that I
don't talk to her. Amy said Devon is avoiding me. I... I
almost destroyed your three-way marriage."
"That's nonsense," Kristanna told her. "No one is ever
going to destroy our marriage. To tell you the truth, I
was just a little mad because Devon was spending most of
her time with you. _I_ lost my temper and _I_ punched the
wall. Not you. It's not your fault I hurt myself. But
that is all said and buried now. It's in the past."
"Then why does Devon still avoid me?"
"We're gonna get everything back to normal," I promised
her. "Devon thinks Kristanna got a lot more jealous than
she actually did. Both of us have told her several times
since then that it's okay if she spends time with you. But
Devon is too afraid of making Kristanna jealous again."
"We'll get it back to normal," Kristanna also promised.
"There is no need for anyone on this island to avoid or
hide away each other. We're all like a big family. We
may have fights and disagreements, but we're a family.
Devon will be back with you before too long, Lindsay. In
fact, I am going to talk to her tonight about you."
"Right now, I want to get to know Trish more," Lindsay
commented. "I want to give her a real chance this time."
"Things are going to be different from this point on,"
Kristanna nodded. "We're all going to get along. For you
and the other girls, this will probably turn out to be the
best period of your lives. What could be better than living
in a dream, exotic paradise like this? Why ruin it with
complaints and petty fights? We're going to fix it. All of
us are going to get along from this point forward."
"It is good to see you again, Trish," I told her, stepping
forward and embracing her with both arms. "I am very happy
that you decided to come back to the island." Trish answered
with a warm and thoughtful hug of her own, then I leaned over
and pecked Lindsay's cheek with a kiss. "Again, I'm sorry.
I was out of line with the way I screamed at you earlier. I
hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
As a way to emphasize her point that yes, things would be
different from now on, not only did Kristanna offer Trish a
hug, but she did the same for Lindsay. It was a sight that,
after last year, I surely thought I would never see again.
Kristanna actually hugged Lindsay? Unbelievable!
After we bid farewell to Lindsay and Trish (strictly for
the time being, of course), Kristanna and I entered the
adjacent hallway and were met by a figure from the shadows.
Devon literally appeared out of nowhere and threw her
arms around me in a fierce, tight hug. She quickly buried
her face upon my chest and whined, "I never meant to hurt
you, Jeremy! Not once! Never meant to take advantage of
you, or disrespect you in any single way!" Devon squeezed
even tighter and proclaimed, "I love you, Jeremy! I never
ask for anything from you except that I get to be with you!"
"Shhhhh," I whispered, sliding my own arms around her for
a gentle embrace. Kristanna smiled faintly and ran her long,
slender fingers throughout Devon's silky-smooth blonde hair
as I added, "It's okay, princess. It's okay. Everything
you did, I forgive you for it. You're my wife and I love
you." I pulled Devon's tear-soaked face away from my chest
and looked deep into those blue eyes of hers. "I only hope
that you can forgive me. I was way too loud with you."
"It's okay!" Devon huffed, nodding her head. "I... I
deserved to be yelled at for the way I have been acting as
of late, and the things I have said and done. I'm so sorry,
Jeremy! You... you're the best thing that ever happened to
me. You and Kristanna! I'll... do better, from now on."
"Did you talk with Amy like I said?" Kristanna asked.
Devon wiped away her tears and answered, "Yes, I did. I
was just talking to her a few minutes ago. Amy and I made
up. Everything is okay between us now. What she said about
all of us... I took it the wrong way."
"Well now... you ARE a slut," Kristanna reminded Devon,
but in a playful manner. She did it, quite obviously, as a
way to inject some humor into the discussion. "How many
times have I told you that you are a slut, Devon? And how
many times have you agreed with me?"
"That's only because I have no other choice!" Devon said,
also being playful. She wiped away some more tears and coyly
added, "You usually won't stop spanking me until I admit that
I deserve it... because I'm a naughty girl."
"A slut, Devon," Kristanna admonished. "A naughty SLUT."
When Devon reached out and squeezed Kristanna's right
breast, pinching it sharply, both ladies giggled and then
shared their own warm, loving embrace. With Devon's back to
me, I stepped forward and hugged both ladies at the same
time. Squeezed tightly between us, Devon grunted like she
was suddenly short of breath. But she was just being silly.
"It has been a long and emotional day, but hopefully it
will end on a positive note," Kristanna grinned, as she and
I released Devon from our clutches. "And what better way to
ensure that than with some lutefisk and lefse for dinner?"
Suddenly, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop
here in the hallway.
"You got Britney to fix some of those crazy Norwegian
dishes?" Devon asked, both shocked and amused.
"No, I am doing the cooking tonight!" Kristanna chirped.
"Britney has the night off!"
"Oh God..." Devon chuckled, slapping her own forehead.
"You won't BELIEVE the buffet I have in store for us
tonight!" Kristanna continued. She then tilted her head
back-and-forth, being her comical self, with the naming of
each dish. "Lutefisk, lefse, fiskboller, fiskesuppe and
fiskesalat! Then for dessert... fyrstekake! And if you are
really, REALLY nice to me... I'll fix some smultringer too!"
"Smultringer?" I asked, my eyebrows raised.
"Uhh... I just lost my will to eat!" Devon laughed. "If
you think I am eating a soup or salad that has a fish in it,
you're insane! Absolutely insane!"
"Then I'll fix some fiskepudding el fiskefarce, instead."
"No pudding with fish, either!" Devon exclaimed.
"How about some fish porridge?"
"AHHHHH!" Devon screamed, before running off.
Giggling, Kristanna turned toward me. "See, Jeremy? I
said things would be different from now on. Devon was
crying two minutes ago because of the way she treated you.
But I got her to laugh. It will be that way for the next
six weeks while the others are here. After they leave, it
will continue to be that way - for the rest of our lives.
Me, you and Devon are going to grow old and HAPPY together."
I smiled at her, though I felt somewhat hesitant. As she
slipped her left arm around my shoulder, Kristanna and I
resumed our jaunt down the corridor. "You WERE saying all
those things just to make Devon laugh, right?" I wondered, a
bit worried. "I mean, you really didn't give Britney the
night off... did you? You're not fixing all of that food?"
The tall, leggy goddess laughed and spoke in a deep tone,
"Tonight, all of us are going to eat right for a change!
Just call me Chef Kristanna - Mistress... of the Kitchen!"
Now _I_ felt like running off!
Instead, I embraced Kristanna with both arms and held her
tightly. She was priceless! "I love you, sweetheart..."
<<<- End of Part 20 ->>>
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