Doggy Style at the Beach

Hayami stood at the edge of the cool water, feeling the ocean waves lapping against her bare feet and the warm, early-afternoon sun kissing her cheeks. She inhaled the salty, coastal air before exhaling deeply.

She couldn’t actively remember the last time she went to the beach. Actually, she could recall, because it was a hit on a North Bay surfer who had gotten too close to one of the family's smuggling operations. The way his blood stained the sand and how it mixed with the sea foam still hung in the back of her mind.

But that had been work. Hayami couldn’t remember the last time she spent a day off at the beach, which meant it had to have been before the accident. Faint memories of smiles and her mother’s silver hair illuminated her thoughts like the moon shining through a dense cloud cover.

A wave splashed against her feet, reaching up her calves and wetting the hem of her skirt. Opening her eyes, she looked out over the water, noticing the distant yacht they had arrived on and, closer to the shore yet still hundreds of metres out, various other smaller boats. Even from her distance, she could see paparazzi—actual paparazzi—with their telephoto lenses trained on the private beach. Above, a swarm of drones skirted the area, keeping their range from the restricted airspace.

Oto had explained as they approached the shore that the island wasn’t technically private. In fact, it had a town and a luxury resort that his father owned in its entirety. But the section of the island where they would be staying had been reserved for the summer for Oto to do with as he wished. And while there would still be people elsewhere—mostly the rich and famous, as well as paparazzi and wealthy fans there to mingle—their beach would remain theirs alone.

At least, now back on dry land—land that was definitely NOT floating—Hayami felt more in control than she did on the open water. While she was still displeased with the situation and not entirely on board with the ever-present eyes, there were at least places for her to flee to that weren't bound to a single vehicle—no matter how big Oto said it was.

“You’d swear that idiot was compensating,” She muttered to herself softly as she thought of the large yacht, grand villa, and massive pipe organ. “Except…”

Hayami blushed, remembering what she had briefly seen in the sauna and felt while fleeing on horseback. Her face burned as she held a hand to her lips, hiding the bashful smirk from the distant photographers.

“No, Hayami, don’t,” She could imagine Oto saying in that moment. “Make love to the camera. Show them every side of you. Let them see your beautiful smile and—”

“Idiot.” She cursed softly, shunning the barrage of intrusive thoughts.

Glancing up, Hayami looked at the distant cameramen with a grimace. Extending both hands, she flipped them off, sticking out her tongue.

“Here’s your stupid photo, assholes.”

She held the pose long enough for them to get their money shots in before growing tired of posing. Ready for a swim, she gripped the sides of her dress and lifted it over her head, revealing the bathing suit she had put on before arriving.

It was as though she could hear the distant shutters opening and closing fast enough to break lesser cameras. Beneath her dress was a stylish one-piece swimsuit. A similar white as the dress overtop, the plunging halter neckline of the swimwear managed to contain her breasts beneath the quality fabric that reached her midriff. It stopped just above her belly button, where it met a wide wrap-style sash around the waist that tied to her side and draped down to the knees. There, the high cut of the swimsuit bottom elongated her already long legs, giving her minimal swimwear look a glamorous, refined, fashion-forward appearance.

Hayami held the dress above her head, where the coastal breeze gently took it. She could feel it whipping in the air before, finally freeing it from her grasp. With one step forward into the ocean, she heard it behind her.

“Gyah—pfft-yah, Hayami!” Oto cried out.

Turning, she stared at her dress flapping in the breeze as though it was caught in the branches of a tree. Oto’s arms flailed, reaching up and freeing the fabric before releasing it behind.

He now stood before her, his body all but nude, aside from the sporty white and blue swim bottoms. The lightweight, athletic swimwear was short—very short—with a high-cut on the thighs for additional freedom of movement. Yet again, the clothes he had chosen to wear left little to her imagination.

Hayami found herself warming up once more as she took in Oto’s flawless physique. Her eyes lingered on the front of the shorts, instinctively ogling him before turning away.

“Gah!—put th—what are you wearing?” She stammered, awkwardly. “P-put some damn clothes on!”

“What?” He replied. “Why? We’re at the beach! This is fun, right?”

“I—I guess, sure. Whatever. It’s dumb. I’m going swimming!”

“Oh…” Oto replied, his words tinged with sadness. “Umm, sure, okay. Have fun. I’ll—I’ll enjoy from here.”

Stopping her drive into the sea as a wave splashed against her thighs, Hayami turned to look back at Oto, who had stopped where the water could only nip at his ankles. He wore a smile and posed beautifully for the paparazzi, but deep down, she knew what that look meant. While they had only been together for a few weeks, she already understood which of his smiles were fake and which were genuine. She could see the hint of sadness in his eyes that, no matter how hard he smouldered for the distant cameras, couldn't be hidden. 

At least from her.

Goddamn it. She thought to herself as the strange feeling she only ever felt around him settled in her chest once again.

With a determined march, she moved from the ocean towards the boy and swiped at his hand. Taking it into her own hands, she began to move back towards the gently breaking waves.

“What’s the point of coming to the beach if you’re not going to swim?” She insisted.

Oto followed for several steps before stopping firmly in place.

“N-No, I-I’m fine. Y-You go and enjoy, Hayami. I-I can just watch.”

“What?” She turned back to him, inspecting the timid expression on his face. “Why? You’re the one who was all excited about this. What’s the point of going to the beach if you don’t go for a swim?”

“Well, you see,” Oto explained, looking back to the shoreline. “Every other year, when I brought my friends—well, they would all have fun and swim and—well…”

His sad expression shifted as though he finally realized the emotion he had been conveying. The fake, pained smile came back.

“You see, they always enjoyed this. So I always made it a point to be sure they got that chance. Even if I…even if I—”

“Spit it out, Oto!”

“I can’t swim! Okay!”

Hayami released her grip from him and stepped away as she processed this information.

“Wait,” She finally spoke. “You—you brought people here for them to have fun even though you could never join in with them?”

“Well, yes. They all seemed to be having such a good time. It felt nice to give that to them. I felt a sense of joy by watching them, so it wasn’t just work posing for the camera all day.”

Oto took a cautious step back towards the beach, holding up his hands. The smile on his face was forced, and Hayami could see his nerves presenting themselves in his gaze.

“So,” He finally said, positioning himself several feet away from her. “Why don’t you go have fun swimming. I’ll just sit and wait until you’ve had your fill.”

That feeling in her chest grew and changed as she suddenly felt sorry for the rich idiot. It was yet another example he had provided of his old friends using him for the rich idiot he was. And while technically she was still waiting for the ten million that Giles had yet to deliver, she had at least been giving in to some of his whims out of respect for his generosity. Or, at least, that was what she had been telling herself.

Still, even she caught herself off guard as she stepped forward through the water and took his hand once more.

“Oto, wait,” Hayami insisted, their eyes locking. “Do…Do you want me to teach you to swim?”

Shock, not excitement, washed over Oto’s face.

“Wait,” He gasped, stepping closer to her. “You can learn to swim?”

Hayami was without words as she stared at him in disbelief. She could feel her face moving to speak, but there was nothing she could say that would have been constructive or helpful. So instead, she laughed.

“Of course you can, Oto!” She responded between her hearty laughs. “Did no one ever tell you that?”

“No!” He whined, taking both of her hands as tears formed in his eyes. “They-they told me you had to be born with it. Hayami, you could seriously teach me to swim? You’re not having a go at me?”

With a sigh, she bridged the final distance between them. Freeing her hands, she reached up and wiped the tears from the sides of his eyes.

“Of course, it’s the least I could do, Oto. Now, no tears. The cameras are always watching, remember?”

Sniffling, he nodded softly, replying, “You’re right. But between you and me, this is quite the perfect shot. The drone to our left is probably getting some good photos.”

Hayami glanced to their side, noticing a drone that she had initially missed. She smiled, adding to the moment as she leaned in and placed her forehead to his.

“Good. Now, let’s give them some more as I teach you to doggy paddle.”

“Is that,” Oto sniffled again. “You making fun of me?”

“No," She chuckled. "It’s a style of swimming for beginners. Let me show you.”

Taking him out to where the water was waist-deep, she knelt in the silky sand and had him do the same. She guided him along, first helping the boy into a floating position while being sure to protect him as the waves broke around them.

It wasn’t long before she was holding him up in the water by his firm abs, watching his hands and feet flail against the surface.

“Oto, try not to splash so much,” Hayami growled, shielding her face from the salty spray.

“I can’t. I’m blind. This water burns my eyes and tastes awful!”

“Close your eyes and don’t drink the water!” She hissed. “Just-Just flutter your legs—gently, okay? And underwater. And remember, you scoop with your hands, which moves you along. Scoop, Oto. Scoop!”

“I’m trying!” He gasped, choking on water.

“Head above water! Above! That means where the air is.”

“I know what above means!”

And then, to Hayami’s surprise, Oto listened. His body began to move, and within a few minutes, she needed less strength to hold him afloat.

“You’re doing it, Oto!” She said gleefully, guiding him in circles as he swam. “You’re swimming!”

“I’m doing it?!” He replied excitedly, his eyes closed as he continued to swim parallel with the beach. “I’m doing it! Hayami, are you still there?”

“I’m right beside you, you’re doing great. Just keep swimming, okay?”

“Okay!” Oto exclaimed as he moved the water beneath him with bigger strokes. “I can’t believe I’m doing it. Hayami, thank you! I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”

“How about another million dollars?” She joked.

“I’ll make it five! Now, swim with me, Hayami.”

“I already am,” She laughed, shaking her head at the prospect of a five-million-dollar swimming lesson. “If you open your eyes now, you’d see that.”

Oto did as he was told, squinting his eyes open and looking to Hayami. A smile crossed his face. Not a forced one either, but one of pure joy met her passionate gaze as they paddled through the shallow water together.

“Look at us!” Oto exclaimed happily. “Out here, doing it doggy style together.”

“Oto…” Her mood quickly shifted. “No.”

“What? It’s so fun doing it doggy style with you. Let’s do it doggy style all day and then—tomorrow—let’s do it doggy style again!”

“Stop calling it doggy style!” Hayami snapped. “It’s paddle. Doggy paddle.”

“Doggy…paddle? That doesn’t make any sense. I prefer doggy style! I’m going to make it a thing. I’ll tag the photos taken of us today with it. I’ll make our doggy-style trend!”

“I’m out.” Hayami sighed, stopping her paddle and standing up in the water. “Until you stop calling it doggy style, I’ll be on the beach.”

“Wait, Hayami, no! Come back! Come—wait, Hayami! Is it one of those dirty things? Is doggy style a dirty thing? Like rim jobs?!”

But the girl was no longer listening as she trudged through the water back to shore.