Manhattan Beach Novels & Stories

I watch Benny’s thick, tattooed arms and back streak through the water, his lead over the three younger men almost embarrassing. If I were them, I would go straight past the buoy and keep swimming. They’ve barely left shore and he’s already touched it, begun his return to the beach. And the closer he gets to me, the more intensely my womb begins to tingle and throb. I’m breathing hard, my fingers itching to play with my nipples. I’m going to burst into flames right here on this Hamptons beach, aren’t I?

If he wouldn’t or couldn’t pay it, then we’d have to eat that cost and hope that at some point in the future he’d resurrect the project and we could collect. We walked across Fifteenth Street to Washington Avenue. A couple of teenaged girls in bare midriff tops lounged in front of a bodega, reggaetón blasting from the inside of the market. A T-shirt store advertised the lowest prices on board shorts on the Beach, with cheesy sixties mannequins in the window. Next to it was a jewelry store with a diamond Rolex in the window. That’s one of the many things I love about the Beach, the mix of tacky and luxurious, movie stars on one block and on the next a clutch of suburban teenagers desperate to

But ever since my fiasco with Ted, Brynne has been avoiding me with a vengeance. “Yes. These billionaires need a new flavor every week,” said Carla. “How will she face him at work?” snickered Davina. “Let’s forget them, guys. So, where do you want to go next?” asked Eric. “Let’s head to the east end. It’s the hub of recreational beaches fronting a coral basin with lots of Manatees, sting rays, and numerous tropical fish. We can snorkel on an up-close and personal experience,” said Adrian, turning his attention to me.

I finally stopped at the Copacabana beachfront to feel the sea breeze for a while. I needed this time alone to think about the things around me. The hours went by and when I looked at my cell phone it was already late. Soon my cell phone rang. - Hello? - I answered when I saw that it was my mother - Calm down mom...it's ok...mom...- I rolled my eyes - I just lost track of time. - Do you realize how worried I was? - She was shouting from the other side, "I thought someone had kidnapped you! Or that something had happened.

The coastline was adorned with several inlets and bays, as well as beautiful beaches with fine sand, tree branches swaying in the light wind, and a boundless expanse of sky-blue water that seemed to go on forever. "When will we arrive at Manhattan Beach?" "Roughly forty minutes, give or take with traffic." A road leading to a grand, two-story house with an ocean view was swung into view by David shortly after noon. As he showed her around the lower level rooms, she felt a wave of disbelief wash over her since it was very different from her beach house fantasies. Its exquisite furnishings made it nearly as grand as the mansion at Pasadena. With the beach just a

Susan said, taking a deep breath of the ocean air. "Is this place as stuffy as Grand Cayman with the no nudity laws?" Krista asked. "I'm afraid that it is," the bellhop replied, "but if you really want to be topless or whatever on the beach, you can go to Spot Bay on the northeast corner of the island, after the end of road. There's a really nice beach there, Long Beach, and everyone knows that it's a nude beach at the far end where the bluffs begin, but nobody bothers about it because nobody causes any trouble. Now, there are gangs of local young men that hang out there hoping to meet a tourist who might be looking for a bit of excitement, so if you go there, don't be surprised if you're ap

Because something about the morning had the quality of something that needed to arrive rather than be planned toward, and asking would have been trying to plan toward it. We drove through Carroll Gardens and Red Hook and over the Verrazzano and onto the Staten Island Expressway and I watched New York give itself over to the highway the way it always did, the specific transition from city to something slightly less city, and then the Garden State Parkway heading south and I understood. "The Shore," I said. "Long Beach Island," he said. "There's a place I know." "A resort?" I said. "A house," he said. "A friend's house. He offered it months ago. I've been holding onto the offer." He glanced at

Manuela owned her own company, but she couldn't afford such an expensive car. Uno drove off, and Manuela did nothing but admire the beautiful scenery. She even raised her arms, which Uno, focused on driving, ignored. They soon arrived at Waikiki Beach. Manuela quickly got out and ran to the sand, marveling at the ocean. "Wow! I know Boracay is beautiful, but this is gorgeous too!" Manuela exclaimed, turning to Uno, who stood a short distance away, hands in his pockets. "Uno!" Manuela ran towards Uno with a wide smile.

MARIE The beach house looked like something out of a magazine, quiet and perfect in a way that made me feel even more trapped. It sat low behind a grove of palms, its white walls glowing softly under the sun, a wide veranda wrapping around its sides. There were no neighbors at all, no cars passing, nothing but the sound of waves and the wind pushing through the trees. At first, I told myself I could live here for a while. It was safe, secluded, far from the chaos of the city and everything that had happened.

I hoped she'd used protection, he'd looked a little greasy, but I guessed a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do when pickings are slim. Traffic was light, and I was singing Dire Straits' Romeo and Juliet out loud as I crested the pass and started the winding descent on the far side. The beach was almost deserted; which suited me fine. I love my body, but it draws the wrong sort of attention, and the bay's seafront is not the most upmarket of places - definitely not a place I enjoy wandering around solo in skin-tight paddling shorts, a sports bra and a neoprene rash vest, especially not when handling my surf-ski. It makes a certain kind of man come up and offer to "help" me. The beach has