I glanced over and saw that the snack bar was fully stocked with everything from potato chips to ice cream to bottles of wine. I suddenly realized how hungry I was. My stomach actually growled while I was examining the choices.
"We also have four pools, including an infinity pool on the roof that provides spectacular views of the rainforest, especially during the sunset. And then we have activities every day. You can sign up on that board over there, but just to whet your appetite, we have tours of the rainforest, zip lining through the canopy, ropes courses, and more." Javier pointed to impressive pictures in the pamphlet of happy people zip lining through the trees.
"Wow, that looks awesome," Alina said.
"Yes, the zip lining is one of our most popular activities. Just make sure you sign up for it soon so that you don't miss out. The spots go very quickly."
"We'll definitely do that," Kristen said and leaned against the counter. "Is there dancing in the restaurants in the evening?"
Javier pointed down a hallway to our left. "The Jaguar's Den is right down there. They have excellent steak and even better dance music."
"Perfect."
"I don't want to keep you much longer, but the last thing I have to tell you about is our bracelet game. Are you familiar with it?"
The four of us looked at each other and we all shook our heads.
"No problem," said Javier as he pulled out four beautiful gold bracelets and fastened one to each of our wrists. "These will be yours for the week."
It made the other bracelet on my wrist look a little dingy. I tried to unhook the bracelet Javier had just given me, but there didn't seem to be any visible clasp. Maybe it was broken. I didn't need a new bracelet. The one I had was the only one I wanted. "Do we have to wear them?" I asked. "I think mine might be broken."
Javier laughed and pulled out some sort of credit card. "Every woman who stays with us gets one of these bracelets that they must put on each morning. And every man gets one of these cards. While you're wearing the bracelet, any guy can come up to you and ask you to follow the directions on his card. Once you've done so, he can wave his card over your bracelet to activate the RFID chip and allow you to take the bracelet off."
"What sorts of directions do the cards have on them?" I asked.
"A wide variety of things." Javier flipped the card over he was holding. "Give a massage."
Alina laughed. "That's not too bad. For a second, I thought they were going to be sexual things."
Javier didn't laugh. He simply shrugged his shoulders. His reaction gave me an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"What if we don't want to play the bracelet game?" I asked.
"Stop being lame, Momma Bear," Kristen said. "It'll be fun. They're just silly little tasks. It's perfect for a bachelorette party."
I guess.
Javier nodded. "Yes indeed, Ms. Dwyer."
Maybe Kristen was right. The example Javier had given seemed pretty harmless. Giving a massage to a stranger would be awkward, but not horrible. Before I could ask any more questions about the game, Javier handed us each a keycard.
"You'll be staying in room 510. Just take those elevators and then go left when you get to the fifth floor. Is there anything else I can help you with today?"
"In the instance of the massage, how long would I have to give the massage? Does it have a specified time?" I asked.
Kristen grabbed my arm. "Nope, there's nothing else you can help us with."
Javier smiled at me. "Very well. I hope you enjoy your stay. If you need anything, I'll be here at the front desk."
Chapter 5
Daphne
I collapsed on the queen bed as soon as we entered our room. It was so plush and comfortable. It felt like I was in heaven.
Layla plopped down next to me. "This is the most comfortable bed I've ever lain in."
"Me too," I said through a huge yawn.
"Get up, you two. We're going out!" Kristen was already rummaging through her suitcase. She pulled out a short blue dress and started changing.
I groaned. "Kristen, it's 10 o'clock back home. And we've been traveling all day. Aren't you exhausted? Maybe we could rent a movie or something?" I looked over at Alina. She was usually on board with renting movies and staying in.
"Don't look at me," she said. "I want to go exploring."
Layla sat up. "Just so we're all on the same page, if I'm not in bed by midnight I'll probably turn into a pumpkin." She slid off the bed and opened up her suitcase.
Maybe I'd be able to get her on my side later to stage a coup. But right now, I was really hungry. I sat up and stretched. Everyone else was changing into skintight dresses and heels. I think I had packed a few sundresses. One of those would have to do. I grabbed the first one I found and pulled it on.
"What the hell is that?"
I looked over at Kristen staring at me.
"A sundress. I just bought it. It's the perfect combination of cute and sophisticated, don't you think?"
"You're a grown ass woman. You have no business dressing cute. Fortunately, I packed way too many clothes, knowing you were going to be lame." She tossed me a dress from her suitcase.
I had feared she was going to do exactly that. All throughout college Kristen had insisted on dressing me. I thought I was finally free of her tyrannical fashion advice. The only positive was that Kristen was so much taller than me that the dresses that were super inappropriate on her weren't so bad on me. They'd probably go down to mid-thigh instead of right below my ass. And it wasn't worth fighting her on this. I just wanted food in my mouth immediately.
I pulled on the dress and grabbed the only pair of heels I brought. They were fancy sandals that worked with everything. Kristen seemed to agree because she didn't say anything. I sat down on the edge of the bed while they finished getting ready. Last minute touches of makeup and hair primping. Not that they needed it. My friends were basically all models. Alina looked like a perfect blonde Barbie doll, except short. Layla looked like a younger Sofia Vergara. Actually, Alina and Layla had both done some modeling after their scandalous TV appearances. And Kristen fit right in with them. She had dark hair and was super tall like a model, but not sickly skinny. She was thin but somehow still had big breasts and a great ass. I'm surprised a modeling agency hadn't picked her up.
And me? I looked down at the dress I was wearing. I wasn't tall and I wasn't short. I had mousy brown hair. I was so average. Not that I was complaining. I liked being average. I liked that when guys liked me they got to know my personality first. It was important to me. Kristen had said that cute wasn't something I should be aiming for. But that's what I always ended up looking like. I had one of those baby faces that made me look a lot younger than I was. And I was used to wearing sophisticated clothes to work, trying hard not to accentuate my breasts or ass. I never aimed for cute, but that's what I tended to look like every day. And I thought it was a good look for a teacher. I liked it. No one ever called me sexy. That wasn't me. That was a word reserved for my friends.
I pulled the neckline of my dress up. I had forgotten the fact that it would be a little lower due to Kristen's height. I stood up and looked in the mirror. My hair didn't seem to agree with the Costa Rican humidity. I ran my palms over it, trying to get rid of some of the frizz.