by Mlyn Hurn
Andy shook her head. “No, we’ve been up almost since dawn.”
Gayle stared in disbelief at the two slow-witted men across the table when Ray winked at Andy.
“Early morning calisthenics, huh?” Ray’s suggestive wink said it all.
Gayle’s roll bounced off the side of his head.
Jack broke out laughing when Ray looked affronted and confused.
Andy hoped no one could see her chagrin as everyone started talking once more. Many mornings in college she had listened as they joked similarly about the others, but this was a first for her.
Ruthie, who was seated across the table with Mark, smiled with encouragement. “We were trying to decide what we all wanted to do today,” she told them quickly. “Have you made any plans, Andy?”
Andy glanced at Jack. She realized she didn’t have any plans for the day, after all. Shaking her head, she turned from Jack and looked at Ruthie, and then down the table at Gayle. “No, I haven’t. What were you guys thinking about?”
Tony had an opened paper beside his plate. “Here is a program I think Ray and Gayle need to attend.”
Ray and Mark both asked what it was.
Grinning, Tony read from the paper. “The Dominant Woman and the submissive man in today’s world—Fun in the home with everyday household items.”
Everyone but Ray laughed.
Gayle quickly asked, “What time does it start?”
“Very funny, Tony.” Ray glared at him. He grabbed the paper and started reading.
“I’ll sign Tony up for this one—Humiliation, Objectification and Degradation. Or perhaps you could find a date at The Spanking Group. They are presenting ‘The Slow, Sensual Spank’. Maybe you could find a big Swedish girl there who would handle you.”
“A tall, buxom blonde? Now that sounds good,” Tony joked with his friend.
Jack asked Ray, “What else is listed?”
“‘Dominant Men and submissive women—Why ask why?’ Also, under the same heading is ‘Lustful Letters, Wistful Wishes and Festive Fantasies’. In other words, how to perk up your boring holidays. Is that what you and Andy are looking into?”
Before Jack could answer, Gayle leaned across the table and shoved a roll into Ray’s mouth. Silence followed her action for a moment.
Then Andy spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “Actually, I need to attend the lecture about S and M throughout the Middle Ages.”
Everyone stopped talking and eating to look at her. Immediately, she flushed in embarrassment. She wasn’t used to having everyone’s attention all at once.
“Well, that sounds like fun,” Danny commented a few long moments later, breaking the silence.
Ruthie shook her head. “It’s for work, right?” As soon as she said the words, she covered her mouth with her hand. She added, “Oops.”
Andy wished she’d taken the time to tell Jack sooner, but she didn’t think there was any way to backpedal from this faux pas. Quickly, she looked at Jack, not surprised to see the confused look on his face.
“Work?” he asked her softly.
Silently, she mouthed the words I’m sorry, and then turned to look at the others. “When my publisher heard about the cruise, they wanted me to use this opportunity to research a new book. They were partially responsible for the suite upgrade, so I could work. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t done much work at all.”
“Book? Is this your first?” Mark asked quickly.
“Uhm, no. I’ve had several books come out already.”
Danny looked from Ruthie to Andy. “How come Ruthie knew? Did anyone else know?”
“I did,” Jack replied quietly. “But I was waiting for Andy to decide when to tell the group.”
Andy jerked her head towards him, but he continued to look at Danny. She suddenly felt cold and couldn’t stop the shiver that went through her.
Gayle held her hand up, and then started to speak. “I only found out fairly recently.”
Andy saw Liz looking from Ruthie, to Gayle and finally towards at her. She wasn’t sure what to say, and then she felt Jack’s hand cover her knee, squeezing it gently. Her breath rushed out and she was stunned to discover she’d been holding it. Warmth rushed through her and tears welled up. She blinked quickly.
“Oh, Andy, it’s okay,” Liz spoke reassuringly, smiling at her friend.
Ruthie spoke before Andy could open her mouth to reply. “The only reason I know is because Andy needed an attorney when the second book involved a movie deal.”
Like déjà vu, everyone turned from Ruthie to Andy once more.
Tony broke the silence. “Do you publish under your name, Andy? What are the names of the books you’ve written?”
Ray leaned over. “More importantly, what was the movie?”
Might as well tell them her pseudonym, and go on from there. “My nom de plume is Emeraude.”
“Wait a minute!” Danny pointed at Andy across the table. “My mom has all her books. They’re all over the house. Holy Cow! Mom will just shit when I tell her.”
Andy smiled. “If you’ll give me her home address, I’ll send her a signed copy of the new release due out next month.”
“I’m in love!” Danny announced. “Oops, sorry, honey.” He winked at Ruthie.
Tony interrupted. “Yeah, but what’s the movie?”
Andy felt her cheeks flooding with color, hoping they had forgotten. Sometimes she still felt like the fat girl who hated being the center of attention. “Blood Dream,” she answered them, her voice catching.
“The vampire movie, with the twist,” Liz added, smiling. “I liked it. Didn’t I just read about another one?”
“Two more, actually,” Ruthie put in promptly. “As her attorney, I am very happy.”
Andy laughed nervously, staring down at her plate. This wasn’t how she would have done this, but she was glad the subject of her writing was out in the open. She took a deep breath, which changed abruptly as she felt Jack’s hand moving up her thigh. Quickly, she covered his hand with hers, stopping him. Sexual tension, along with her already scattered emotions, seemed too much suddenly.
He met her gaze with a bland smile. He spoke softly. “Since this is a buffet, perhaps we should get started. Keep eating everyone. We’ll be back in a minute.” Jack stood and pulled Andy’s chair out for her to stand. With his hand lightly gripping her elbow, he started towards the hot foods first. When they reached the long warming table, he handed her a plate.
“I’m sorry, Jack,” she spoke quickly as he took a plate. “I started to tell you a couple of times, but I couldn’t think of how to bring it up. I mean once I didn’t let you know right away, it seemed to get harder each time I thought about it.”
Jack pointed for her to precede him in the procession.
Reluctantly, she started down the line. She stopped at the eggs, turning to face him. “I mean there were a few times that would have been good, but I wasn’t sure what you would think.”
Jack put eggs on his plate and then gently pushed it at Andy.
She took the dish and let him take her plate in exchange.
“Move along, honey.” He filled that plate with some eggs.
Andy was stopped at the meats. “You know at first I wasn’t going to tell anyone and that is probably what colored my thoughts the first few days.”
“Uh-huh.” Jack handed her his plate that now contained an assortment of bacon, sausage links and ham. Again, he took her plate and duplicated the procedure. “This looks good,” Jack said and added some hash browns to the plate. “Let’s go over here, this looks interesting.” He gently steered her to the table with rolls, coffee cake and muffins. He put one of each on the plate he held and then exchanged dishes with Andy again.
“I know you are angry with me, Jack, and I don’t blame you. I should have told you as soon as I saw things were getting…uhm—”
“Involved? Serious?” Jack offered as he walked to the juice area.
Andy trailed behind him, fr
ustrated at his placid attitude. Surely he should be getting upset. “Well, yes. But I wasn’t prepared for things to…to…uhm—”
Jack handed Andy a glass of orange juice. “Escalate? Skyrocket? Turn volcanic?”
Andy laughed. “Yeah.” She turned and started back to the table. She had set her food down and was just sitting as Jack returned.
“Wow, Andy! That’s quite an appetite you have there, girl!”
Silence followed his words until Jack added, “I filled both plates so I wouldn’t have to go back for seconds.”
“Yeah, that’s what Gayle always says in the buffet line about her plate,” Ray added with a grin at the woman across the table from him.
Laughter followed and soon they were all chatting back and forth once more. Andy was struck by how much it resembled their days on campus. She suddenly turned to look at Jack and found he watched her. Slowly, he smiled and once again she found breathing difficult.
As if he knew, he winked, but kept on eating.
A thought kept running around the back of her brain, every time he looked at her in a special way. But she wasn’t ready to face it just yet.
* * * * *
The next two days were idyllic. Andy spent time with her girlfriends, the whole group together, and Jack. Margrit joined them for “girl-time” and they all had fun. The morning of the anniversary party, Andy went to Ethan and Margrit’s suite to get the older woman for their spa date.
Amalie opened the door after the second time she knocked.
“Oh no, Amalie!” Andy cried out seeing tears on the other woman’s cheeks. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”
From deeper in the suite Andy heard Margrit call out. “Is that Andy?”
“Yes, it’s me, Margrit. Are you all right?”
Margrit appeared a few seconds later and she was crying, as well.
Andy looked from one teary woman to the other. “Did you peel an onion?”
“No,” Margrit laughed while Amalie shook her head. “I wanted to wait and tell Ethan, but I can’t. It’s his fault for getting up early to meet Jack and the guys for racquetball, this morning of all the others.”
“What’s going on?” Andy stomped her foot.
Margrit slowly lifted a white stick.
Andy immediately saw the blue in the middle. She pointed towards it as she spoke. “You’ve been trying?”
Margrit nodded. “Almost since we got married. We did the testing, everything was normal, and we just needed to relax.”
Andy laughed. “Maybe you can get a discount on your next sailing to be used as advertising.”
Margrit joined in the laughter. “I can just see me, swollen belly, posing sideways for photos.”
“Too tense?” Andy volunteered. “Cruise us.”
Amalie clapped her hands. “Can I steal that? I’ll turn it in to the cruise line.”
Andy shrugged, but gestured to Margrit.
Margrit nodded. “Sure. I’m cheap enough to go for the discount but Ethan hates publicity.”
“Maybe they’ll give you something special for Rick and your honeymoon,” Andy suggested.
Amalie held up her hands. “Not so fast!”
“Okay, okay. Now what?” Andy asked.
“Well, the steam room and the hot tub are off my spa list,” Margrit told her. “Let me get my purse and we can go.”
Margrit tried keeping her news a secret, but it came out when Gayle confided that as soon as she and Ray were married, she wanted to get pregnant.
Andy looked at Margrit and she giggled.
The happy news just spilled out, and hugs, laughter and tears followed.
Andy reached out and pulled Margrit aside finally. “It’s none of my business, but before the whole ship finds out—”
“You’re right. I better go find my husband.”
“We can help with that.” Andy turned around, looking at her friends. “Who has their beeper?”
Ruthie held her hand up sheepishly. While all the guys carried theirs everywhere, it seemed easy for each woman to forget hers. Everyone except Ruthie, who was as much a techno-geek as the men.
“Page Jack and we’ll see where they are.”
The men were having a drink at the Regatta Bar on deck thirteen. Without revealing their intention, the women decided they would meet the men. Hopefully, the fact that Margrit pulled Ethan aside would be less obvious amidst the mingling of the eleven people. As they walked to the bar, Margrit spoke softly, “This sounds like a good plan.”
As they rode the elevator to the upper deck, they were all quiet. Andy couldn’t help but think about babies. That led her to remember the one time she and Jack had made love without the condom. Would she feel the same unbridled joy as Margrit if she were to discover she was suddenly pregnant? At least one thing was sure…she could afford to raise a child alone. This didn’t mean she wanted to—
The doors swished open and they all trailed out, looking around.
Ruthie pointed out, “The sign says we have to circle back around past the sports center.”
It was easy to spot the men, but they were unprepared to be suddenly deluged with women.
“Hey! What’s going on?” Ray asked, who saw the women first.
All the men stood. Andy hung back for a moment, as everyone started talking. She was anxious to see how Ethan reacted to the news. But even more important, she wanted to see how Jack responded when the couple revealed their news to everyone else.
Ethan left the table and came over to where Margrit stood, which was next to Andy. “Hello, sweetheart. What a nice surprise!” Ethan kissed his wife’s cheek.
Andy thought Margrit looked a little stiff, especially in the smile she gave her husband.
Before Margrit could reply, Ethan was speaking again. “Why don’t you join us, if you can stand all these sweaty men?”
Liz overheard him. “We love testosterone.”
“Sometimes,” Gayle pointed out.
Soon they were all seated around three round tables, shoved hastily together.
Andy wasn’t surprised to find herself seated beside Jack, and Margrit on her other side. Talk was lively and nonstop for at least half an hour as drinks were ordered or replenished. Andy kept looking at Margrit, even though she tried not to. It got worse when she saw Gayle, Liz and Ruthie also looking over at Margrit. No doubt, she wasn’t sure how to get him away from the table now that everyone was seated and having such a good time. Andy gave the older woman a questioning look.
Margrit shrugged and appeared as if she was at a loss.
Andy winked and cleared her throat. “Ethan?” When he looked her way, she went on. “Could I speak to you privately for a moment?”
The surprise on his face was obvious, but he was the perfect gentleman as he nodded. “Of course, Andy. We can step over there.”
“Perfect,” Andy murmured. She made a show of picking up her purse, pulling something out, and then setting it in Margrit’s lap. “Count to ten and then come over with a frown on your face. The men will think you are jealous.”
Andy walked with Ethan a short distance away where they now stood at the railing.
“What’s on your mind, Andy? Is there something I could help you with?”
Andy nodded, silently counting in her head. Nine, ten…eleven…twelve…thirteen… fourteen…damn it! Where is she?
“Andy, are you all right?”
Andy looked up at Ethan. She hadn’t considered what she could say if Margrit got delayed. Confused, she scratched the top of her head. Honesty was usually the best policy. “Well, I had a plan.”
“A plan. Now that sounds interesting.” Ethan grinned, leaning against the rail with one hip.
“Yeah, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans.” Andy shrugged, realizing that any plan would have been better than having Margrit just count. Perhaps someone at the table had held her up.
Ethan shook his head. “Possibly, but I would have to say it depends upon what conditi
ons one tries to put the plan into action.”
Andy started to say something and then stopped, considering her words. “That’s true. You can’t control everything.”
“Are you trying to control something?” Ethan lifted one eyebrow in query.
“I’m here.” Margrit rushed up, bumping into Andy and breathless.
Andy saw the odd look Ethan gave his wife. Still, her relief was so great she didn’t care. She winked at the older woman and thanked Ethan before walking back to the table. With relief she sat down, fanning herself.
“Is something wrong?” Jack asked her softly.
“Oh, no, everything is fine.” She leaned over and picked up her glass to sip her tea.
“Good. Margrit was acting strange. I tried to talk to her after you left, but she seemed agitated and I swear she was counting on her fingers.”
Andy couldn’t help it. She laughed, choked and sprayed tea. Everyone offered her napkins.
“Hurray!”
Andy twisted in her chair and saw Ethan lifting Margrit in his arms, swinging her around in a circle. The moment was so romantic, in spite of her initial bungling. She grinned as she turned back towards the table and found Jack staring at her. The look on his face revealed his curiosity.
Before she could say anything, Ethan and Margrit returned to the table. As if he were born to be a proud papa, Ethan made the announcement. “We’re having a baby!”
The rest of the morning was spent celebrating, with juice only for the mother-to-be!
Chapter Ten
Andy spent some intensive time researching the topic she’d been sent here to learn about. One of the things she heard during different sessions had to deal with training of a slave, or a submissive. The course teacher had stated.
“The first step in training the sensual submissive, or slave, is to understand what triggers passion, and desire in you.”
He talked about the importance of knowing yourself, and studying your own fantasies, to find the common thread that runs through them all.
In the end, Andy knew some things were hitting a little too close to home for her to be entirely comfortable. When she did her self-discovery while losing weight, her sexuality had not really been a topic for discussion. Now it was unavoidable. She was uncomfortable with some of the things she saw and often how they made her feel.
