I was surrounded by bikini-clad beauties in what seemed like their hundreds, their bodies lithe and golden and glistening with oil, glossy hair pulled up high in ponytails on their heads or casually hidden underneath super-trendy Stetsons or floppy Sixties straw sunhats. I suddenly felt small and insignificant and nothing like I had done back at the apartment, even after Ellie’s unprecedented compliment. The smell of expensive suntan lotion filled the air, making it fragrant and sweet as everyone frantically began to stake their claims on the best sunbeds on the top deck. Needless to say, the first thing Ellie did upon boarding was bag us each a well-positioned lounger. ‘Girls,’ announced Charlotte, as she provocatively undid her white sarong, allowing it to slip to the floor and expose her bronzed curves, ‘let the sunbathing commence!’ Ellie and Narinda wandered off to check out the rest of the boat and get some drinks and left Louisa, Charlotte and me to settle down for an afternoon of catching rays.
