“May I sit here?”
She looked up to see a man, probably her own age, and with a nice face and smile standing next to the empty chair opposite her own. “Yes, please.”
“I’m Lily.”
‘I’m Jack.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
The waiter appeared and he asked for breakfast, to her delight, it was the same thing she had ordered. She asked the waiter to hold her breakfast until his as done and he smiled. “Most people have forgotten manners.”
“I love people with good manners. “
“I do too.” He gave her a long look before saying, “I see you when we were boarding and I just wanted to say hello. I hope you don’t think I am forward.”
“No, not at all. Are you enjoying your stay?”
“I am.” His grin was impish. “I have to admit it is everything I thought it would be. It is almost frightening the way they seem to know exactly what it is I really want.”
“It is a little scary isn’t it? But it is very exciting too.”
Incredibly exciting.”
They finished their meals and Jack asked, “Are you almost ready to go ashore?”
“Oh, I forgot we had to! Isn’t that silly?” She laughed and he said, “I would like to go with you if you don’t mind.”
“Oh no, I don’t mind at all.”
They set off together. They were met with a limo driver and they headed off to see the ruins that they had both heard so much about. Lily found that Jack was interesting to talk to. He knew everything there was to know about the Mayan jungle and he also knew about the things that interested her.
They chatted about art and music. They had both attended a concert the past month, though in different cities, and they had both seen the same artist. That triggered a loud sing off and before it was over they were howling laughter.
The day passed much like the one before had. It went by with laughter, sun and a little too much champagne. When they got back on the ship jack was taken in one direction while she was led in another to await the arrival of Natasha.
When the lovely concierge finally arrived she was smiling and wearing a brightly colored sarong over an eye popping black bikini.
“How was your day?”
‘It was amazing thank you.”
“I have something to ask.”
“Yes?” Natasha smiled. “Would you like the solo cruiser cabin you had this morning or would you like the opportunity to connect with a fellow guest?”
“Do you mean jack?”
Natasha nodded. “He asked if that would be acceptable and of course I said only if you consented.”
Lily pondered that for a moment. He wanted her! It was so unusual, so many men wanting her. But she shook her head, “Honestly I think tonight I should rest.”
“As you wish,” Natasha’s smile stayed in place. “I will escort you back to your cabin now so you can rest before dinner if you like.”
“I would love that, thank you.”
In her cabin she took a long shower and put on a robe before stretching out on the bed. She closed her eyes and opened them again, the memory of the night before surfacing. A little grin crossed her face.
She began to wonder if it would be possible to buy a fucking machine. She was sure it was, and she was also sure she wanted one. She definitely wanted one.
Lily lay awake, looking at the ceiling. The cruise would end tomorrow and she had to go home. She was not sure she wanted to, she would have loved to stay on the ship and spend time having a little more fun but she had a feeling that that was impossible, she had a job after all, and things to do.
Oh, but she never had any fun at home! Back there she was just the timid little schoolteacher who never even went to the bar or out with guys, unless it was ones she met through blind dates.
Most of them were dull as dishwater too, and she knew that that was not what she wanted, not at all. She wanted excitement, and pleasure, and fun. She wanted to go somewhere and dance like she had danced in the bar that first night aboard the ship.
She wanted a lot of things. But how could she have them if she returned home? What was there for her?
Maybe Bill, that sexy English teacher who had the big brown eyes, and the nice butt. True he was not nearly as handsome as Alex or the Captain but who was? Nobody she had ever seen before. They were almost too handsome, so good looking that they seemed almost unreal.
Her eyes drifted shut and she yawned then rolled over onto her belly. Her limbs stretched and she yawned again. Bill, he was a nice guy and he always seemed like he wanted to say something to her but he never did and she had always been too shy to speak to him first.
She had always been afraid he might have a girlfriend or that he would reject her. But now she was not so sure he would. Maybe when she got home she would ask him out. Laughing a little at her thoughts Lily finally gave in and went to sleep.
***
Natasha said, “Lily, if you would like to stay, say, as an occupant of one of our cabins, the Nyx would be happy to have you. You could stay for as long as you like, of course, and not a moment more. I am sure you will find that the pay is far more than what you will earn as a teacher…of the type you currently are.”
“Do you mean it?”
Natasha nodded. “I do. You seem to have exactly what the Nyx is looking for.”
“I do?” Lily grinned. “If you mean I might be a little bit of a nymphomaniac you’re right. Do you know I had not even realized it myself until I took this cruise.”
“What do you say Lily? What do you really desire?”
She thought about it and a huge smile crossed her lips. I would love to but I think the answer is going to have to be no. I don’t really know what I want yet but I think what I might want is to go pick up this guy I have had a crush on for years and see if he is as into me as I am into him. I think that maybe the only thing that has been holding me back from all the other things I want out of life is me, and my being so shy I think I am really over that shyness now, and I have you and this cruise to thank for that.”
Natasha smiled broadly. “If that is your decision I will absolutely honor it but I have to tell you, I will regret not having you onboard with us. You are one girl who knows how to have fun.”
“I am,” she giggled and then took a step back. “Maybe I will see you again.”
“I don’t know that you will ever need to but hopefully we will meet again.”
Natasha waved as Lily turned away and headed for the limo that was waiting to take her to the airport.
Lucas asked, “Are you sorry you didn’t speak sooner?”
She turned to face him, her eyes glowing with laughter as she took in his disheveled black hair and green eyes. “Oh darling I think I could have taken lessons from that one but she had somewhere else to be.
“I think what she really wanted the most was to find a way to accept that sexual part of herself and she definitely did that. Don’t you think?”
“I do.” He smiled at her and ran a finger down her face. “Now I think you have a little time off…and the Captain would like to see you.”
Natasha sketched a quick salute, “Aye, aye sir,” she said smartly, chuckling when his hand hit her pert bottom and he gathered her into his arms.
The End
Book Three
The Glitz & Glam Suite
“Welcome to the Nyx!”
Jennifer smiled as flowers were handed to her. No, not flowers: lilies. Exotic and boldly striped tiger lilies mingled with orchids. She loved orchids and she did not bother dipping her nose closer to smell them. Orchids had no scent while the scent of the lilies rose headily in the air.
The beefy young man who had carried her luggage aboard bowed. She had a sudden vision of him tearing off his clothing, Chippendale style, and her running her fingers all over his taut little ass and washboard abs.
“I’m Natasha, your concierge, if there is anything we can do to make your cruise more spectac
ular do not hesitate to tell us. It is our true pleasure to serve you.”
Jennifer took a long breath. Her eyes tracked across the woman standing in front of her: long auburn hair, a terrific figure in a knockout dress, slender feet encased in devastatingly expensive stilettos. This must be the life, riding around on the high seas in a boat designed for everyone to get laid by their fantasy.
Where do I sign up?
The thought came and went. She had a life she loved but sometimes, well sometime sit could be a bit tedious and boring. So she had signed up for a cruise on the Nyx, and a little excitement, but not too little she hoped. The ribald thought made her grin even wider as she said, “Thank you for having me. I am really looking forward to this.”
Natasha smiled and her face held nothing but a sheer radiant joy. Jennifer had to wonder what cabins she tended to frequent.
“If you will follow me.”
Jennifer held her breath and let it out slowly. Her eyes wandered along crystal columns and deep carpets, gorgeous cut flowers in tall blown glass vases and discreet doorways that hid below fantastical archways.
This ship was amazing. She had been on commercial cruises and this was not like that at all. The atmosphere here practically screamed luxury. There were no harried, hurried employees trying to get impatient droves of people down and up gangways and through lines. There were no bored and anxious kids screaming or milling impatient people trying to work a deal for a free drinks package into their tickets.
This was soothing and calming but there was an air of excitement hovering over everything. The air practically hummed with it. Her belly fluttered when she thought about the reason she had come, would she get what she really wanted? God she hoped so!
Natasha opened the door to a cabin with a flourish and said, “We arranged everything just as you wanted it. Please feel free to freshen up and enjoy your view.”
‘I am sure I will.” Her belly fluttered again, butterflies exploding into flight down there.
The suite was grand. Magnificent, even. The bed took up a large portion of the room that was located behind the delicate embroidery and silk of the folding partition. In the main section was a sofa, a large dressing table complete with a lighted mirror, and a small backless chair.
The bathroom was marble and the balcony large and wide. The ocean churned below the boat, deep indigo blue and turquoise waters frothing along merrily while seagulls wheeled overhead.
Fresh flowers stood everywhere and she added the blooms that Natasha had handed her to a vase, arranging them neatly before going to the closet. Her clothes were already there, neatly hung. She smiled and closed the closet door. This was just what she had wanted, pampering that did not stop at just her getting her largest wish granted.
She caught a peek of herself in the mirror. She was slightly overweight, in her 40’s and her short brown hair ended right at her delicate jawbone. Her clothes, slightly plain too, bespoke her practical nature.
Oh but this was anything but practical! She danced around the room just a bit, letting her excitement take her into a small fit of happiness.
When she finally calmed down a bit she went back to the closet and carefully perused its contents. There was the dress she had bought for this special occasion, three of them actually. She reached for the scarlet colored dress and hesitated. Was it too bold?
No, it wasn’t. She quickly shimmied out of her clothes and neatly stowed the, She slid on the pretty panty and bra set that she had bought at Victoria’s Secret and stared at herself in the mirror, sucking her belly in slightly and turning to one side to admire the way the panties neatly sculpted her lower body. To her delight the bra lifted her breasts upward, thrust them out until they were almost tumbling free of the flimsy restraint.
The dress went over her head and she carefully checked for white marks. None. Good. She brushed her hair carefully, wondering if she should have gotten highlights after all but then she decided she was better off without them. Her hair, a rich chestnut brown, would have been less pretty with streaky lighter hues running through it.
Her hands went to the cosmetic case as she sat at the opulent little table but then they stilled. She could not really mean to do this, could she? It sounded amazing and it was going to be but now that she was here she found that she had lost her nerve somewhere.
Another look in the mirror. Some slight wrinkling on her forehead and around her eyes and mouth. She might as well have CPA stamped on her forehead, she looked as nervous and average as her profession.
Irritation at herself surfaced. She was here to do something different, to be daring. Why was she so afraid?
She took out the mineral powder. It went on smoothly, giving her face a pore-less and shimmering appearance. She dusted a bit of bronzer over it, not a lot; she was too pale for a lot of it. Next she carefully applied a mere flick of eye shadow; just enough to make her dark brown eyes look deeper, more mysterious. The false eyelashes gave her a bit of trouble. She had practiced at home but his was different, her hands shook and she had to start over twice before she finally got them in place.
The lashes really set her eyes off. They widened her eyes and gave her a more sophisticated look. She nodded her approval and then plucked the lipstick out of the box. Again she hesitated.
Dragon Girl red. The color of bright berries: red and glowing. Could she really wear that color? The magazines all said every woman could wear red, it was universally perfect. But was it? Her fingers dabbed the color from the lipstick’s tip onto her mouth. Too bright!
She wiped her finger son the napkin and stared at the box, suddenly worried. What if she looked old and cheap in that lipstick? Well, there was only one way to find out. She carefully drew her lips in with a pencil just like the magazines said, outlining them exactly, not exaggerating the upper one although she considered it. Her lisps were thin and flat, hardly any curve at all, she thought as she stared at them. The rim of red around them gave her courage though and she began to swipe the lipstick across her mouth.
She blotted carefully and then brushed a little translucent powder over the tissue as it lay against her mouth to set the color thankful she had found that tip. It would not do at all to smile and have lipstick all over her teeth after all.
The red was perfect. Jennifer could not believe how perfect it was. It shimmered and shone and her mouth looked plump, inviting, sexy even.
She took a long breath and stood. She shot a long squirt of her perfume into the air, misting it and then she walked below it. The tiny droplets fell on her bare shoulders, into her hair and along her skin, sinking in quickly.
***
Her heart hammered wildly as she opened her cabin door. The policy onboard was that nobody wore any identification. Nobody knew who was an employee and who was a cruiser. Who was fantasy and who was there to make their fantasies come true?
Wouldn’t it be funny if someone thought I was someone’s fantasy?
Yes, very funny. Her feet, in the shoes she was not used to wearing, felt pinched and she considered going back and trying to find a more sensible alternative but she didn’t. She kept her back straight as she headed toward the bar, her eyes searching the faces of those she passed as she wondered who was fantasy, and who was there for their fantasy.
The bar was dimly lit. Small tables filled by couples or trios, even a few foursomes sat in small discreet dimly lighted corners. That made all sorts of thoughts dance through her head, and she grinned inwardly as she hurried along toward the end of the bar.
The bartender appeared. He was a hunk with rippling muscles and long black hair pulled back tightly. If he had been the star of those Twilight movies she would have developed a love for vampires. He spoke in a deep and sexy undertone, “What can I get for you tonight?”
“Champagne.” Of course. It had to be champagne, at least right now. Her nerves had settled somewhat and she managed to sit on the stool like she had done it a thousand times before. She had been in bars, certainly, but usually
it was for a girl’s night out thing and they always took a table.
“Mind if I join you?”
Oh God her eyes shot to the man lounging against the bar. Brad Pitt! Okay, not Brad Pitt but close enough that there was no way anyone would have been faulted for thinking so. Not the brad Pitt of today either, he of the happy marriage and packs of children. No, this was Brad Pitt as he had first appeared: Thelma and Louise era Brad Pitt.
Bad boy charisma just oozed off him. His dark blonde hair hung across his cheek sand his jeans were too tight, ripped at one knee. His elbows lay on the bar and his pelvis arched up. Her eyes went there to see a definite chubby outline under the denim that encased his thighs.
She couldn’t speak. Her mind went blank. She had to swallow hard to get the words out. “Sure, why not?”
He slid onto the stool easily. He had a natural athletic grace that sent her butterfly laden belly into spasms and her panties grew damp and sticky. His eyes probed hers and that devastating dimple appeared in his cheek. “Nice dress, I love that color.”
“Are you trying to flatter me?” She smiled, and then giggled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound…”
“Like you don’t get nearly the compliments you deserve?”
Her breath sucked in. Her face colored. “Thank you, I mean…” she fell silent.
Brad turned to the bartender. “Can we get more champagne please?”
A brief nod and the bartender walked away. For a moment she toyed with a delicious fantasy, the two of them fighting over her. Brad winning, of course.
“What brings you here?”
She knew he knew that answer but he didn’t know the whole answer. “I’m on an adventure.”
“Are you?” His smile showed pearly white teeth. “Adventure is good.”
“It’s amazing,” she blurted out. “I’m an accountant at a credit finance company. It’s boring and I am bored. I never thought I would take a chance like this, show up here I mean.”
50 Waves of Passion - the Complete Series: Box Set Page 3
