“Dean,” Ellen said with exasperation “Stop beating around the bush, what job are you offering and why all this subterfuge and secrecy?”
“Oh, I was thinking of a new business development role in yacht chartering. The reason being is I know you wouldn’t fall apart dealing with high profile celebrities, and dealing with millions of dollars. There would be lots of international travel. You would be travelling with me a lot of the time and you would need to be based here. You could stay with me until you found your own place, that’s if you decided you wanted your own place.”
“Dean, I don’t even work in the same industry, I have said that before. Why me?”
“Because I trust you, know you.” ‘And I love you...’ his mind whispered.
“It’s really kind of you Dean but this really isn’t my cup of tea. I don’t mind helping you out, until such time that you find the right person though. It would have to fit around my normal role, and I would want a consultancy rate, it is only temporary though. Can we go outside at all? It’s awfully hot in here and I am feeling a little dizzy.” She fell back in to her seat just as a wave hit the portside causing her to lose her balance. “Oh I almost forgot; we are on your yacht. If this had happened on land, I would have thought I was tipsy.”
She stood up and Dean held out his hand to steady her. The boat lurched again and she was forced into his arms. She looked up and laughed just as he bent down to kiss her. His lips touched hers, sending tingles through his whole body. He inhaled her scent. She made him feel like a real man. As though he could go out, conquer the world, hunt their food, protect her from everything, and in her eyes, he was her god. Together they would rule the world. He wanted to crush her against his chest and ravage her with a desire and passion that would drain his very body of its essence, and yet, he didn’t know how to tell her. He kissed her with every ounce of love in his body. He felt her knees give way and he caught her whilst still kissing her. It was all he could think about. His kisses, which started off as tender and slow, soon became hungry and passionate. He parted her lips with his tongue, playfully teasing her with his own. He started to move her backwards to where he could see the round bed. Slowly he began edging her backward without releasing his strong grip on her, without slowing his fervent kisses. She was responding, as he had hoped she would. She was giving in to his kisses with a desire that felt equal to his. He pulled her closer to him whilst still moving her towards the bed. As the bed touched the backs of her legs they folded, and he gently laid her back and moved his own body alongside her, their lips not separating once. He breathed her in and tasted her. His hands now, no longer needing to support her, explored her neck, her shoulders, gently touching and stroking her, caressing her through the silky material of her dress.
He heard her moan and he deepened his kiss, and as he did so, his hand brushed against her breast and expertly undid a button near it. She moaned again, just as his hand slipped under the material and softly moved along the edge of the lace. Slowly his fingers circled her hardening nipple. He lowered his head and freed her nipple from the confines of her bra, just in time for his mouth to arrive to kiss her breast until the nub was in his mouth. He felt her back arching as he tongued it. His hand caressed further down, until he reached her thigh and he gently caressed the skin through the material, close enough so that she knew he would soon be touching her, feeling the heat from her, and close enough to know that she would not be able to resist him. His hand slipped through the split in the dress and touched the bare skin just above her lace topped hold ups. As he felt her bare skin, she jumped; she had felt the same electricity that he had.
His groin was throbbing with a full erection and he longed to free his penis from the straining material of his trousers, but he knew that it was too soon. As he kissed her, he tried to stop thinking about her taking him in her mouth and giving him a blow job until he climaxed. Instead, he was thinking only of her pleasure. His fingers moved closer and closer to her mound. He was just about to slip his fingers inside the lace edging of her panties when she suddenly shouted out, causing him to jump in surprise.
“NO! What are you doing? What are we doing?” She sat up and pushed him away. She put her hand against her head. “We can’t do this!” Her voice was shrill and there was a touch of fear.
“Why not?” He asked in surprise.
“We cant! You are my oldest friend, It’s not right!”
“But I love you, Ellie. Of course, it’s right!” She looked at him in shock.
“I didn’t know you felt this way!”
“Neither did I, until yesterday.” He was being totally honest with her.
“Then don’t you think it’s all rather sudden?” She pulled her clothes together and looked at him indignantly. She stood up. “I can’t handle this.” She walked out of the cabin, up the stairs and on to the main deck.
Moments later, Dean followed behind her, his erection slowly subsiding. She was facing away from him, the sun shining on her hair. He wanted to take her in his arms and yet he stopped himself. He could still smell her, even now, the sweet smell of heady desire. His erection strained once more against his trousers. He cleared his throat to warn her he was behind her and she jumped at the sudden nearness of his voice. When she turned around, he saw the sadness in her eyes. A sadness that tore his heart to shreds, right there, at that moment. Despite her beauty, despite the love he had for her, he knew in that moment, that he had blown it. He had ruined everything between them, and his heart felt as heavy as lead sinking to the bottom of the ocean.
“Is that why you brought me out here?” She gestured to the open horizon with her hands “... to seduce me?” She made the words sound ugly. He shook his head and looked away.
“No, it just happened. I thought the moment perfect.”
“Perfect?”
“Yes. That’s all.”
She nodded and turned away from him again. She looked into the horizon and back at the distant land.
“Please take me back...”
Dean started the engine as Ellen returned inside. A cloud went across the sun, blocking the last rays of the day, and the sky darkened behind them as distant storm clouds gathered.
Chapter Three – Veronique
Veronique opened the letter on the desk, it was from Matt; he had missed her and wanted to see her in Nice as he was over on business. He would pick her up when the ship docked. She put it aside and looked up, striding towards her was the ship’s captain. He walked straight in without knocking.
“Morning Nico,” she said sweetly. He smiled, showing his white teeth, which appeared to be whiter due to his sun-darkened skin.
“Hello my darling,” he replied in Greek. Veronique ignored this fact, and continued to speak in English.
“And what can I do for you?” He walked over to the corner of her desk and leant over on both hands. He looked down her blouse. Veronique was busy writing and unaware of his gaze.
“We have a problem in the engine room, which means that we have to delay our departure. A couple of hours, no more.”
His voice was low, and if anybody had been passing the door, it would have appeared as though they were having a secret meeting. She looked up at him as his words registered.
“What could be that bad that we have to delay our departure?”
“Oh a sudden interest in engineering? Very encouraging!”
“I am not interested, but I need to tell the passengers something...”
“Simply speaking...” She bristled at his words. “A bearing has gone in the alternator. We don’t have a spare, and so the part is being freighted in from the U.S. as we speak. I pre- arranged it, so it will be there waiting for us when we arrive in Nice. The fitting is going to be the biggest problem. We think about twelve hours in all.”
“That is NOT a few hours! I will have to reschedule the entire day’s events.” She looked in horror at her desk; already covered in piles of papers, of work, still to do that day.
“I
know,” he shrugged “Not my problem. I don’t ask you to sort my engineering problems, do I?”
Veronique leant back in her chair meaning his view down her blouse was lost. Beads of perspiration that had been trickling down her spine were now absorbed into her blouse at the back. She had a few hours before they got to Nice. She would have to inform all the travel agents, the airport, the hotels...to notify all the people that could be affected, basically everyone; both her embarking and disembarking passengers. On top of that, she would have to change her own plans too. She looked up to find the captain’s eyes staring fixedly at her nipples through her blouse. Her hand went up to her collar and obstructed his view. He looked up at her. Her eyes were a steely sapphire blue, and furious. “Anything else, Captain?”
“No, no.” He turned around to walk away and then turned back and spoke to her in Greek again. “Oh yes, I am having a small gathering of VIPs in my cabin, plus a few senior personnel. It is personal invitation only. Of course, I expect you to attend.”
“I don’t see this in my schedule.”
“No, a last minute decision. Don’t discuss it with anyone, it’s for a select few only.”
“Of course, I understand.”
“What time?”
“Eight.”
“Okay. Noted.” He left and she watched his immaculate white uniform disappear into the distance.
***
At the moment, the ship was quiet due to the fact that the majority of passengers had gone ashore. Veronique flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder and quickly began to change the onboard schedules. If there were a delay of any sort, it would have a knock on effect if the captain couldn’t make up the extra twelve hours somewhere. On the next onward cruise, they would either have to cut their stay short a few hours every day in other locations or speed up the sailing speed, meaning more fuel consumption and costs. Either way she would have to cut some of the programme for the following week so that people wouldn’t suspect anything. She wouldn’t tell Matt of the delay. The least amount of time she could spend in his presence, the better. The most recent letter told her that they would be staying at their family villa in the hills. Veronique looked at the letter on her desk. She picked it up, tore it in half, crumpled it up and threw it across the room and into her bin.
Outside in the main reception, one of the musicians was chatting up a young girl. Her laughter was annoying and so Veronique got up and went to shut the door to cut out the sound of their conversation. She returned and instead of sitting in her chair, sat on the edge of her desk; her legs stretched out in front of her, her arms folded across her chest. Strands of hair fell across her face as she looked down, deep in thought.
Her thoughts were on Marie, the ship’s shop manageress. Lately she had been behaving strangely. The two had been lovers for the last two years and had no problems with petty jealousy or arguments, but lately, it seemed as if any time one of them went to say something, the other lost her temper. All relationships went through bad patches, but she had no idea what was the cause of their latest unrest.
Their relationship had started by accident. Neither of them considered themselves to be a lesbian, yet they both needed love and comfort, one that they hadn’t found in men. It had happened one night after they had been drinking. One bottle of wine had led to another, and another, and through the alcohol they had made a pact to exclude men from their lives. They both had their reasons, but neither of them was able to tell the other. They just accepted each other as they were and asked no questions. To seal their pact they had kissed, Veronique mentally replayed that moment.
She had shut her eyes at the same time as Marie. Both of them in their alcoholic stupor had leant forward to kiss, neither of them had intended to kiss the other’s lips. It had just happened. Veronique had expected to feel shocked, but was surprised to find no difference. The feeling was the same as when she was kissed by a man. Her lips felt the same, only gentler. The pressure was soothing and tender. The sensation was very pleasant and inflamed by the alcohol running through her veins. She had lifted her hand and traced the outline of Marie’s face with her fingers. Their eyes were level with each other’s and from that moment onwards they felt an enormous kinship.
***
That evening, as the rapturous applause died down and the stage curtains closed, Veronique moved around to the back stage area and smiled as she passed through the hanging costumes; the show had been a complete success. She had arranged the two different crew shows and talented members from all departments of the ship took part. The passengers always loved seeing the personnel out of their normal work roles and thrust into another. Many of the crew were aspiring actors, singers and entertainers and they used the ship’s show as a way to work around the world and hone their skills. It was not a place where talent was normally spotted. Some were doing it solely for pleasure. They had no intention of becoming performers and so they enjoyed their weekly stardom on board. Veronique saw something from the corner of her eye and turned to see whom it was. One of Peters puppets swung on its hanger as the ship moved with the roll of the sea. Everyone had already left and it was her responsibility to ensure that the backstage wardrobe was locked. She started towards the door. The flickering light from a sparkling sequin caught her eye. She looked down at the long red sequined gown lying over a wicker basket. It belonged to one of the croupiers and she wore it in her singing act. It was such a glamorous gown. She held it up to herself, pausing, she went to replace the gown, but then decided that no one would know if she were to just try it on. She went over to the door and locked it. Now no one could enter. She left her key in the door so that it could not be opened from outside. Around her, hundreds of gowns in various colours and sizes were hanging on the rails. Boxes from the magicians act were stacked in the corner. She undid her own gown and let it fall to the floor. She stepped out and lifted it up and draped it over the rail. She felt a momentary chill and as she looked around, she shivered. It was as though she was being watched. She felt her skin crawl.
Picking up Louise’s dress, she slipped it slowly over her head and let it fall about her body. The silk lining was cool against her skin. She struggled with the zip and eventually managed to fasten it. Letting her hair down she looked at herself in the full-length mirror.
“Mmm, not bad...maybe I should get myself a gown like this...”
“Yes. You should.”
Veronique froze as she heard a male voice from behind her.
“Who is it?” She moved back as she saw a rail of clothes move.
“Captain!” He smiled sheepishly.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to you about tomorrow night. I was curious when you proceeded to lock the door. I thought it best you didn’t know I was here. In fact, had you not locked the door, I had intended to leave...so you see, I was rather forced into staying.” He put his head to one side and looked at her appreciatively “and I must say, the view was well worth waiting for.”
“Huh?” Veronique was outraged “you...you!” She shook her head. “I can’t even find the words to describe what I think of you at this moment in time. You are despicable, absolutely detestable!”
“Thank you. Those are the nicest things that you have ever said to me.” He moved closer. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” She stepped back. “And you really should wear this sort of thing more often. It's most becoming.” He unlocked the door and before leaving he winked. The door shut just as a shoe flew through the air hitting the back of the door and falling to the floor. Veronique stood trembling with rage.
All that night, she tossed and turned. Every time she fell asleep, she dreamt of the captain. He was everywhere and she couldn’t escape him. She was running, running on the spot and he was gaining on her. She would look behind her to see his eyes fixed on hers, his eyes told her exactly what would happen if he caught her. Running around a corner she flattened her back against the wall, her heart hammering, her breath rasping, then
when he had run passed she would double back. A few paces later, he would turn back to chase her again. One minute, it was the captain, the next, it was her brother Matt. She would try to run faster and faster, and the faster she tried to run, the heavier her legs would become, until she could hardly move. As he lunged out to catch her, she would awaken. It would take her a while to calm down, and then she would fall asleep, and it would all start over again. She would awaken again with the fear, the dread, the running, and the chase. It was exhausting.
The next morning, when the alarm clock went off, she was shattered. Her sleep had been disturbed by the dream, several times, during the night. Her limbs felt heavy and tired. Getting up, she went through to her bathroom and showered. The day went extremely slowly, she was so tempted to close her door and take a nap in her office, but she knew it was impossible. She was dreading having to attend the captain’s soiree later that evening. In fact, the whole business was starting to really annoy her. Her life was literally going around in circles, never stopping, but at the same time, never really getting anywhere. Maybe she was feeling this way because she was tired. She was normally so alert and focused on her work.
She was relieved at the end of the day and locked her office door to go prepare for the evening’s events. All the passenger problems had been sorted. The social director was now on duty and would cover her for this evening. All she had to do now was prepare for the soiree then, as soon as that was over, she could go to bed and sleep. The thought of sleeping made her groan. If only she could go straight to bed now. She yawned and shut her eyes momentarily. Looking down at her watch, she realized she had an hour to have something to eat and get ready. She would stop off at the kitchens on the way to her cabin and grab a bite to eat, that she could eat in her cabin as she got ready.
Looking through her wardrobe was easy. She had a dozen dresses, several blouses, a few pairs of trousers and skirts and the rest was all her uniforms. The clothes were all for the evenings when she was required to dress up. Taking out a simple peach silk dress, she laid it carefully on the bed, and then went to shower and wash her hair. The water was so beautiful and so relaxing. She could have lived in her shower it was so lovely. She soaped herself and rinsed off quickly. Stepping out of the steamy shower she walked over to her dressing table and sat down. Looking in her mirror, she checked her face for blemishes, none; wrinkles, none. She smiled and started to apply her makeup, next she dried her hair, put on her thong and slipped the dress over her head.
To Murder Matt Page 5
