This was written for Bradley Ramsey’s Flash February. This was for the Day 6 Prompt.
I was determined to be the first to step on uncharted land. The idea that I might be the first human to see a piece of the world raised goosebumps on my arms and left me breathless.
But I was just one among the many scientists on a large expedition. So on the night before landfall, I snuck into an RIB and headed for the island by myself.
They’d be angry. I might even be fired. But once I’d claimed the honor of being first, it wasn’t like they could take it back.
It was smooth sailing as I steered the RIB up to the beach, then dragged it up onto the sand.
It was a beautiful beach with nothing that stood out, except the lack of any obvious signs of civilization. The white sand stretched to either side, greeting and releasing the clear water, and the bright green of the trees contrasted sharply.
It was peaceful, like some AI-generated photo — too clean, too perfect. Uncomfortably so.
I gathered my backpack and pulled out my phone. I needed to document everything from here on in. I was a scientist, after all, despite my wildly out of character decision to break the rules and come alone.
I strode up the beach toward the treeline, intending to just have a quick peek into the jungle to see if I could spot any unfamiliar flora or fauna — the Galapagos turtles kept running crawling through my mind.
The idea of being the first to discover a new species kept me walking further into the trees than I should’ve gone. I knew it, but I kept spotting unfamiliar ferns, moss and flowers. I just knew there’d be undiscovered fauna or insects here if I kept looking. If I found it, I could name it.
My only warning was a light rustling behind me, but before I could even finish my turn to check over my shoulder, a wave of blackness washed over me.
When I woke, I found myself sprawled on the most comfortable bed I’d ever felt. The sheets felt like 300 thread count Egyptian cotton. The pillow was just the right height to support my neck. And the blankets were soft and warm without being stifling.
All of that might’ve kept me lying in that bed a long time, but none of it registered for more than a few seconds, because there were… distractions.
Leaning over me was an instantly familiar ruggedly handsome face. As I stared wide-eyed, the tip of a dreadlock tickled my cheek before being tucked casually back over his brawny shoulder.
“Jason… Momoa?” I asked, sure that I must be dreaming.
“Hello,” he smiled, his teeth perfect and white against his beard. I felt my heart flutter in my chest. Damn…
“Is this… heaven?”
He laughed, a deep baritone boom so filled with joy that I couldn’t help but chuckle a little myself. It probably was a ridiculous question.
But what the hell was Jason Momoa doing on an uncharted island in the Pacific?
Before I could ask, another hulking form appeared behind the smiling Samoan, and I recognized him, too. Hell, anyone would’ve recognized him — he had to have one of the most recognizable faces in the world.
“Wait, is this some secret movie star hideaway? It’s not uncharted at all, is it?” I asked, not quite able to hide my disappointment.
“Something like that,” answered Chris Hemsworth — the new arrival — with his smooth Aussie accent. “How are you feeling?”
I touched the back of my head gingerly, feeling a small knot near the nape of my neck. “Did someone attack me? A security guard or something?” I hurried to add, “I didn’t mean to trespass! We thought the island was uninhabited.”
The two godlike men exchanged amused grins before turning their megawatt star gazes on me. The flutter moved to my belly, and I felt the heat rising in my cheeks. Why did it have to be these two? They were the two most beautiful men in the world, to my way of thinking. Add Henry Cavill, and I could probably die happy.
“No one hit you. I’m afraid you fell afoul of a falling coconut.”
The pink in my cheeks got brighter. So much for my dreams of being a great explorer — felled in the first fifteen minutes by a coconut.
“Was there a swallow involved?” I muttered.
That got no response, and I wondered idly if they were both unfamiliar with Monty Python. Or maybe it was just a crappy joke…
“Do you feel like you could sit up?” Jason asked.
I nodded and began, feeling the throbbing at the back of my head increase. His large arm moved to my back to help me, and I caught a faint whiff of something… metallic. But then it was gone, and all I could smell was hot, musky male.
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
They led me to a small table next to large doors open to the beach. We sat and admired the incredible view, and both were incredibly solicitous, offering me fruit juice or water and fresh fruit to eat.
“How do you keep this place secret?” I asked, curiously. “I mean, is it hidden by satellites or something?”
“Something like that,” Chris answered. “I don’t really know the details.”
They wouldn’t, I supposed. “Where are all your… entourage people?”
“It’s just us and a few others like us,” Jason replied as he plucked a fresh piece of pineapple from a bowl and began to offer it to me. Was he… feeding me? By hand?
What the actual fuck was happening here.
I’m a decent looking woman with a great figure. But these guys were around the most beautiful women in the world on a regular basis. And I was pretty sure at least one of them was married.
The butterflies in my stomach began to morph into those swallows I’d mentioned earlier. Something seemed… off. But I couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
But as the morning sun crested the horizon — an incredible site we watched through the open doors — they remained charming, kind, and funny. And so down to earth. Not at all what I would’ve expected from such big stars.
They laughed at my jokes and made their own. We exchanged snippets from our lives — though I realized later I’d shared far more than either of them. But I knew the expedition would be landing soon, if they hadn’t already, and I needed to get back to the beach to greet them.
“This has been amazing,” I said with a genuine smile. “And I want to thank you both for taking such good care of me after the… coconut incident. But I should really get back—”
Chris cut me off, “But you haven’t met the others yet.”
“Others?”
As if summoned by some unseen signal, Henry Cavill, Chris Evans, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Idris Elba entered the room from the beach.
Where did they even come from?
I’m only human. I was left speechless by the glorious plethora of male pulchritude on display. Hell, they were all shirtless…
Yum.
I blinked and swallowed. “Um… wow.”
Yes. I am a brilliant conversationalist.
“Would you like to dance?” Hugh asked with a courtly bow. I noticed strange ridges across the back of his hand as he reached out to help me from my seat.
Wait… did he have adamantium claws in his hands?
Even as I had the thought, he turned his hand again, and the ridges were gone. Trick of the light, maybe?
As I slid effortlessly into Hugh’s muscled arms, the crooning voice of Marvin Gaye filled the room, though I hadn’t seen any speakers.
As we swayed in a perfect waltz, I realized the other hunky men were all just standing in a circle around us — watching. And there was a disturbing amount of hunger in their gazes.
“Um… this has been great, but I should really get back. The others will be looking for me,” I blurted, trying to pull away from Hugh.
He released me reluctantly, his arms dropping to his sides. “Please stay,” he said quietly.
“You’re not Hugh Jackman,” I accused. “None of you are who you look like.”
Jason stepped forward — how did they know he was the one I liked the best? “Not exactly, but we could be. For you.”
“So what are you?”
“Lonely,” answered Idris.
“Bored,” responded Ryan.
“Horny,” said Chris Evans.
“Sad,” replied Henry.
“Hopeful,” came the final reply from Chris Hemsworth. “That you’ll stay.”
They each had an answer, and I’d felt each of those emotions everyday.
“So… you’re asking me to stay on hot guy island? For how long?”
“Forever,” they answered in unison. That was a little creepy, if I’m being honest. But an island full of mega-hot men that all wanted me? Forever? I mean, that wasn’t exactly a hardship.
“Let me just go let the expedition know that I’ll be staying—” I began.
“You don’t understand,” answered Jason. “You have to choose to stay now. And you can never leave. No one will ever know what happened to you.”
I thought of my dreams of being a world-famous explorer. Of the unique flora I’d seen in my short time on the island. I could be famous if I went back. I’d have living things named after me. My name would be in history books.
But I’d probably never get to have sex with Jason Momoa…
Trade-offs.
I sighed. In the end, it was thinking of my mom that made the decision. I couldn’t leave her wondering what had happened to me. Never knowing would break her heart.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t stay.”
The sadness on their stunning faces broke my heart. They all stepped in for a hug, and as I felt their warm, manly arms close around me, the blackness washed over me again.
When I woke, I was on the beach with a knot on the back of my head, a sunburn, and a very angry expedition leader screaming at me.
There was no sign of my dreamy hunks, and no one believed my story. They all assumed I’d had some kind of dream or hallucination after being conked on the head by a coconut.
But my mom was glad to see me. And my name is in the history books.
But sometimes I still feel the tingle of a phantom dreadlock on my cheek.
—
‼️ If you liked this, you may want to check out some of my other fiction.
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Cute... but what of Keanu Reeve during his SPEED days? Or Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr STRANGE? (though I am not much into facial hair, but DAMN it looked good on him).
Both are handsome guys, unless you seek beefcakes instead?
Hahahaha! Oh yeah, umm… if it were me, I’m sure my mum would get over it. Eventually.