Page 11 of Love on Ice

“You are going to have the best time. It’s going to be exactly what the doctor ordered getting over your breakup. Better than hooking up with puck bunnies who are either going to try to trap you with a baby or sell the story to the highest bidder.”

She’s right. This place is a hell of a lot safer. We continue walking through the tropical jungle, listening to the weird bird sounds echoing through the treetops.

“Have we ever met before? Sorry, totally random. I was just thinking because you’re good friends with Issy. We must have bumped into each other at some point over the years?”

“I don’t think so. I hung out with your brother a lot, and by the time you had moved in with Issy’s father, I would have been out at college. There’s an age difference, right?” she asks.

“If you’re the same age as my brother, then yeah, there’s seven years.”

“That’s what I thought. Maybe we met in passing, but I don’t remember. Sorry.”

“That’s what I was thinking, too. Because I sure as hell would have remembered meeting you.” I smirk.

“Sweet. But I wouldn’t have been checking out a sixteen-year-old when I was twenty-three.” She chuckles.

“What about now?”

Harper smirks. “You know you’re hot. You don’t need me telling you that.”

“Maybe I do.”

“There are hundreds of other women on the island and some men that would gladly stroke your ego. I’m not one of them,” she tells me matter-of-factly.

“Because of Issy?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“And if you weren’t friends with Issy?” I question her.

Harper gives me a bright smile. “Then I would have fucked you the moment I stepped onto the boat.”

I stare at her in surprise not expecting honesty from her, but I appreciate it. “What happens in Paradise, stays in Paradise,” I tell her.

“You’re trouble. I’m going to have to watch myself around you.” She chuckles as she points a manicured nail at me. “Looks like we’re here.” I tear my eyes away from her to see we’ve arrived at the elegant pool front restaurant.

“The food here is amazing,I’m stuffed.” I groan, rubbing my flat stomach. Harper and I had a great dinner, she is so easy to talk to and is hilarious. I don’t understand how in the hell her ex and others cheated on this woman.

“Me too. They never disappoint, plus the show in the pool was a highlight.” She smirks, taking a sip of her wine. Our table overlooked one of the many pools dotted around the island and in the distance, there was a group of people openly indulging in some aquatic fun.

“It’s going to be weird going back to the normal world and not seeing a group of people having sex while you have dinner,” I joke.

“Honestly, going home is hard. All the restrictions of life and decorum are there, and you can’t be this free spirit you are on the island,” she explains.

“You’re not like this at home?” I ask her.

“No. I’m this open at home. It’s just not as well received as it is here,” she explains.

“I think it’s great. I know what I get with you and where I stand. It’s refreshing.”

“Most people enjoy it at the start, but the shine wears off it quickly,” she says quietly, and I realize I’ve touched on a tender subject.

“Did you say there were clubs around the world?” I ask, changing the subject.

Harper’s face lights up. “Yes. They are in all the amazing cities, from Paris, London, Rome, and of course, New York, LA, and so on. But nothing like this. This is unique. There are plans to create more on secluded islands around the world. Thecompany has been trialing this superyacht that is moored off Monaco and it’s so much fun, especially during the F1.”

“Sounds like I’ve been missing out.” An entire new world has just opened before me.

“Now that you know, you never have to worry about missing out again.” She grins as we continue to walk back to our bungalows.

---