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| Joel |
“This is it!”, Nicole crowed happily.
“Fuck, Nic! You weren’t lying!”, Aleesha responded.
Aleesha looked absolutely thrilled. We were both in the backseat. She turned to me and grabbed my arm.
“Can you believe this? This is where we’re staying!”
I smiled.
“Joel!”
“It looks amazing!” I said.
Nicole’s boyfriend Chase turned onto the driveway and the villa looked magical. It was two floors, a private yard including swimming pool, and just somewhere rich people would stay.
We got out of the car and walked towards this luxury villa we were going to call home for the next two weeks. And at first it felt like I didn’t belong. I was just some guy from New Jersey and now I was here in Preveza, Greece.
To explain how I got here, I have to go back in time. I’d always had a passion for fitness training. I worked in a gym during college and when I wasn’t good enough at football to make it into my career, I moved to New York and worked at a gym there. Around 2016, it was my co-worker Aleesha who convinced me to get an Instagram-account.
Aleesha herself was a trainer, just like me. But on the side she would sometimes do some modeling work. Some photo shoots here and there. Nothing weird, she promised. But according to her, it was the only way to get anywhere as a Black model. She said I would love it. And even though at first I didn’t see the attraction of taking photos of myself, soon my account grew and photographers were approaching me as well.
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| Joel |
I would never have called myself an influencer, but Aleesha was accepting some sponsor deals here and there and her account grew much quicker than mine. She was even making influencer friends and posting photos with them. I wasn’t taking it quite as seriously, being a trainer remained my main source of income. I did enjoy the side hustle though.
Only a month ago, Aleesha approached me at work. She told me about her friend Nicole, whom she’d met through Instagram. Nicole had invited her to go on holiday to Greece.
“Do you wanna come too?”
“But… I don’t know this Nicole at all.”
“I’ll set up lunch!”
I was skeptical for a while. I found this Nicole’s profile and did my research. Most of her photos showed her in some luxurious locations, often abroad. Sometimes she would feature her handsome boyfriend Chase or some influencer friends, including a few photos with Aleesha. It was clear that this girl was very wealthy.
Aleesha set up a lunch with Nicole, Chase, herself and me. They seemed nice enough. Nicole explained her parents have a villa in Greece, which wasn’t particularly relatable for me. She also said, she’d rather not take the jet – for the environment – but she could get discounted seats on a commercial flight so everything would be affordable.
As if it were a business meeting, she also explained her plans for cross-posting on each other’s profiles and the type of content we would all shoot there.
“Do you have an OnlyFans?”, she suddenly asked me.
“N-no.”
“OK. Chase does. But I only let him do stuff with guys. If you’re interested, it’s a great location to shoot that type of content too.”
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| Chase |
When it came to the Greece trip itself however, Aleesha finally convinced me with the words, ‘you’ll be in Greece for two weeks, what’s the worst thing that could happen?’
And I was certainly glad I had agreed when I walked into that villa. There were three bedrooms, which was perfect. There was a cute sitting area and a beautiful kitchen, and even the fridge was left stocked just for us. But outside was the main draw. The green of the trees and the blue of the pool. The slight breeze was just what was needed for the 86 degree (30 Celsius) weather.
“Chase, honey, get some champagne and meet us on the patio”, Nicole told him.
He obediently did as he was told.
Aleesha and I walked out to the patio with Nicole and Chase soon followed. As Chase popped the cork and poured four glasses, Nicole was setting up her phone with a holder at just the right angle for the first group selfie.
We all had a glass and posed when Nicole set the timer. Her phone immediately took twenty shots so she could choose the best one to post. We all got sent the best one, but before I had finished my glass she had already tagged me in it. Both Nicole and Chase had followed me after the lunch a month ago, which already got me more followers, but now my phone really blew up.
I had been worried that Aleesha, Nicole and Chase would all be on their phone all the time. But no, the photo was posted and we sat down, drank, and talked. It had been a long trip and there had been a lot of time to get to know both Nicole and Chase better.
Nicole struck me as a businesswoman. She was young, but she knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. From what I could tel, it was a trait that ran in her family. The two of us had very different upbringings but in a way I admired her.
Chase turned out to just be calm and soft-spoken, but a smart and sexy man. His blond hair was styled to perfection throughout our long trip and his full beard definitely got him some looks. He told me he only started caring about his physique during college, using modelling to help pay for med school.
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| Chase |
“Fuck man, you look great! Let’s get the girls to take some photos of us. My followers would love it.”
“Do you usually wear speedos?”, I asked, out of interest.
“Took me a while, but both Nicole and my followers convinced me it looks best on me.”
I could not disagree. He looked great.
Nicole took a few shots of Chase and me before we went into the pool. Then she took a few more of us horsing around before we just calmly floated in the water. Aleesha came down looking absolutely perfect. Nicole took photos of her as well. I liked how Nicole’s profile was clearly the most successful but how she was also helping us make content without us even asking. On the other hand, I was glad to see her join us in the pool and taking the time to relax.
After a few hours of relaxing in and around the pool, we each got dressed to go to dinner. Nicole knew just the spot. I sat in the passenger’s seat while Chase drove.
“This is the way into town, might be good for you to know”, he said, presuming I would also drive at some point. “I was here with Nic’s parents last year. It’s a beautiful town.”
From the backseat Nicole told us about the restaurant she already made reservations for back home in New York.
“It’s a small place, but the food is so good. We’ve gone there so much, the owner Sotiris knows us now. Makes sure we get the best table. I thought it would be a good way to start our trip. If you like it, I’m sure we’ll be back at some point.”
We had started the drive from the opposite direction from which we came. I saw some other villas down the street. It was clearly a popular spot for the rich, I thought. Close but not too far from the town. Peace and quiet, and enough space for big yards with swimming pools.
At the end of the street, Chase turned right. It was another gravelly road that brought us back to a regular road. It brought us straight into town. I saw grocery stores and many hotels. The road got narrower the older the town looked. We passed a square with a beautiful church.
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| Chase |
“You know I’m not the sight-seeing type of girl”, Aleesha said. “Pool, beach, dinner and drinks, that’s what I call a holiday.”
I laughed.
“I kind of saw most of it last year, but I can join you if you want?”, Chase offered.
“I might take you up on that”, I said.
I honestly didn’t mind going alone either, but not every time. Just laying around by the pool and on the beach for two weeks straight I knew I would grow tired of. So it was nice to have Chase as a possible companion.
At the intersection, Chase took a left and this is where the town got really lively. More cars on the road, more businesses. Chase took a right into a quieter street. It was so narrow, and clearly a very old part of town.
Chase drove slowly. He took a left and with people walking on the narrow road it took some time. And there was the parking lot. We got out and Nicole wanted to show us the sea. We walked downhill on another narrow road, many little cafés and restaurants with a few tables outside. I smiled. I was amazed that I was here.
I understood why we parked because these streets were too narrow for any car. We crossed a street filled with shops and everyone just casually walked, much like us. And then I saw the sea in the distance.
We ended up by a little marina, a few boats docked. But there was sea far and wide. Some land in the distance as well. It was beautiful. I smelled the salty water and felt the breeze on my face. Nicole asked a passer-by to take our photo. We did all look great and the backdrop would definitely make for a great photo.
Nicole and Chase then walked us to the restaurant. We walked along the water. On the other side there were palm trees and extensive terraces full with people having drinks or food.
“So, no judgment, these places are fine but very aimed at tourists. Menus in English, photos of the food, you know the deal.”
I, in fact, did not know the deal. Nicole was very travelled and it showed. I trusted her instinct.
“The food is often fine though, but tonight had to be special. Authentic”, she said.
Finally we took a right into such a narrow street, the four of us couldn’t walk side by side. There were somehow tables and chairs outside on each side of the street, a path through them wide enough for one person.
“That’s the one!”
“A table for four, it’s Nicole Stevens.”
The waitress immediately pointed to a table. We each sat in a rickety wooden chair with a seat made of wicker. The table was small. Chase sat next to me and our shoulders touched. It wasn’t very comfortable, but for some reason, I truly felt like I was in Greece now.
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| Sotiris |
A cheerful voice with a thick accent called her name. She got up. I looked back. She hugged him. A beautiful man. Fit and hairy. He wrapped his muscular arms around her.
“Welcome back!”, he said.
Nicole walked back to the table and gestured to Chase. The man tried to pronounce his name, they hugged as well. Nicole introduced Aleesha and me, we got a handshake.
“Jo-el”, he said, emphasizing the latter syllable.
He looked into my eyes as we shook hands and it was immediately intense.
He turned to the entire table.
“Welcome to Greece, welcome to Preveza! And welcome to Taverna Aparadektoi!”
His accent was gorgeous. I was in awe of this built man. He had broad shoulders like a classic, Greek statue. His hair was short but wavey, his facial hair perfectly kept.
“Thank you”, I said and he looked back at me again.
“This is Sotiris, he is the owner.”
Sotiris offered us all a drink on the house and walked back into the tavern. His ass was like it was out of this world. I watched him walk inside until I could no longer see him.
“Joel is liking this Sotiris fella!”
Aleesha could always tell.
The waitress then brought us the free drinks we had ordered, along with the menu. I couldn’t read any of it.
“Don’t worry about it”, Nicole said.
Sotiris soon returned.
“What you like to eat? You?”, he turned to Aleesha.
“I don’t know”, she said, “I can’t read it.”
Sotiris laughed.
“I mean, what you like? What food you like? Any food you no have?”
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| Sotiris |
“And you, Jo-el?”
“I don’t eat meat or fish”, I said.
“No animal. But animal product is OK?”
I nodded.
“And what you like?”
“Something traditionally Greek would be great.”
“I make you vegetarian moussaka. Eggplant and cheese, yes?”
Sotiris leaned down and pointed at a line on the menu that I again could not read. I smelled his smell. Manly, kind of sweaty. I looked up at him and noticed he was looking at me.
“Awesome”, I said.
He smiled and took the menu from my hands.
“Wine?”
Nicole offered to drive home but she insisted we all try Greek wine. Sotiris suggested which one that would go with our meals. Without writing down anything, he walked away and this time I stared at his ass unapologetically.
“Well, the chemistry is definitely there”, Nicole said, smiling.
I blushed.
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