Adam became the local eye candy for the beach.  Everywhere he went, girls' heads turned to follow his every move.  And who wouldn't?  With his wavy blond hair tossed by the breeze off the ocean, and his eyes the color of the cloudless sky, not to mention his perfectly tanned skin, and a body any girl would die to embrace, he was the ne plus ultra of all men, except maybe Neil, who looked more or less like a Greek god.

So today, when the model-quality, capricious hunk was walking on the beach in orange swim trunks and sunglasses, everyone, and I mean everyone (yes, everyone includes me), turned to stare.  He smiled at a few girls, gave is hair a sexy toss, and pushed his sunglasses up.  He stood there looking like a particularly attractive statue, until Tiberius and Genghis Khan, the sheep, raced up to him, jumping and kicking and making the occasional bathroom stop.  

At that instant, the girls lost interest.  

I chuckled to myself and turned over, trying to dry myself in the sun, and hoped that he didn't see me.  

"Ethan, what are you doing here?"

Just ignore it, and maybe it will go away.  I reminded myself.  

"Ethan."

I can't hear you.

I realized that the ignoring thing only works when the person you're ignoring is smaller and weaker than you.  Adam picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and carried me to the water.  I kicked and pounded his back the whole way, until he dumped me underwater and I had to worry about not swallowing salt water.  

Adam stood triumphantly over me, smiling.  He tsk-ed, shaking his head.  "You can't beat me, little Ethan."  He said.  "Just give up."

"Why would I do something stupid like that?"  I asked innocently.  

Adam splashed me with his foot.  "Neil will be at his Florida villa next week.  He asked that I tell you to visit him."  He snapped his fingers, and a man in a suit and dark sunglasses hurried to his side, handed him a slip of paper, and left.  "This is the address."  Adam explained.  "Be there around eleven and you might be gone a while."

"What do you mean?" I asked.  

Adam just grinned.  "His father's crazy, you know.  A genius, but absolutely insane."