A few women in the crowd chuckled and even more turned to look at Mike. He felt his face turning red. Danica’s taunting, as juvenile and pathetic as it may have been, was getting under his skin.
“I don’t want to be here,” he said. “Go bother someone else.”
Danica flicked a few strands of hair out of her face and set her hands on her hips.
“Just so you know, I’m going to tell everyone at school about this when we get back.” Danica smirked at him with evil lips. “Hope you enjoy your vacation!”
She turned away and walked off. Mike sighed and tried to ignore the glances and whispered conversations of the women around him.
“I think she likes you, sweetie.” Laura poked him in the ribs and smiled.
“She’s a…” Mike stopped himself before saying the word bitch, not wanting to swear in front of his mother. “She’s one of the reasons why people don’t take me seriously at school.”
“Oh, don’t worry about stuff like that!” His mom ruffled his hair, and then planted a kiss on his cheek, her lips drawing dangerously close to the corner of his mouth.
And you’re the other reason, mom.
CHAPTER 2
A few minutes went by, and then finally, an employee stepped down the gangway and began allowing passengers onto the cruise ship. Mike was still reeling from Danica and her insults. He tried not to notice the women that were still staring at him as he approached the edge of the dock.
Laura handed the employee their tickets when their turn finally arrived. The female employee looked at them, and then back at Mike and his mom, and then back at the tickets. She coughed.
“Uh, how old are you, again?” The employee’s voice was full of uncomfortable skepticism.
“He’s 18,” said Laura, before Mike could answer. “The cruise ship allows for children 18 and under to board with their parents, regardless of gender.”
“I’m pretty sure the policy applied to children under 18,” said the employee. “With 17 as the cutoff.”
Mike decided to seize the opportunity that had presented itself.
“Oh, whoops, our mistake!” He grabbed his bag and moved to step out of line. “I’ll see you in a week, mom!”
“Not so fast!” Laura grabbed him and pulled him against her in a motherly embrace, cradling his head against her bosom. “This is my son! He’s coming with me.”
Mike blushed. His mom’s breasts were soft, and her body was bodacious.
I can’t think like that. She’s my mother, for crying out loud.
“Fine.” The employee waved them through, apparently not wanting to hold up the line for any longer than she already had. “Just keep him out of trouble.”
Laura linked her arm through Mike’s and began leading him up the connecting bridge triumphantly.
“Why are you so dead set on having me with you?” asked Mike. The two of them stepped onto the ship’s immaculately polished wooden deck. The ship was gigantic, with each of the upper levels taking up at least as much space as a city block.
“We’ve already been over this, sweetie,” said Laura. “I can’t just leave you home alone.”
“You could have Alice check in on me.” Mike folded his arms. “That’s worked plenty of times in the past.”
Alice was their kind, elderly neighbor. Mike had been mowing her lawn, raking up leaves, and shoveling her driveway since he was ten. She’d always rewarded him with homemade cookies and a small stipend for his effort.
“Mike…” Laura looked over at him with loving eyes. “Fine. I could have done that, yes. But I didn’t. Because I thought you’d end up enjoying yourself.”
Mike shook his head.
“I told you I didn’t want to go,” he said.
“Your classmate is here, too,” said Laura. “There’s probably at least a dozen other girls your age running around. Who knows, you could find romance on the high seas?”
Mike tried not to let his frustration with her show.
Why does she say things like that? It’s like she enjoys making me feel uncomfortable.
“Whatever, Mom.” Mike increased his pace, pulling in front of her as he followed the other passengers toward the front entrance to the main deck.
“Mike!” Laura had to jog to keep up with his pace. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I wanted you to come with me because… I love you.”
Mike sighed and slowed so she could keep up more easily. He turned to look at his mom and saw the honest emotions in her eyes.
She really cares about me.
It was a little hard for him to meet her gaze. He could see the way she felt about him in it. It was loving, protective, and soft. It made Mike feel a strange, uncomfortable mixture of emotions.
“I love you too, Mom,” he finally said. “I’ll try to enjoy myself, I guess.”
Laura stepped up to her tip toes and pulled his head down so she could give him a kiss on his forehead.
“That’s all I ask,” she said.
They headed through the double doors leading into the lobby of the main deck. The space was huge. A large chandelier hung from the high ceiling overhead, vaguely reminding Mike of pictures he’d seen of the Titanic.
He and his mom came to a stop behind several other passengers, all of whom were staring up at the top of a luxury staircase leading up to the second level. A podium had been set up on the edge of it, and two women in pressed uniforms stood on either side.
Mike suddenly realized that he hadn’t seen any men, even male employees, since arriving at the dock. He glanced around. Several women nearby had been staring at him, and they nervously glanced away as his eyes met theirs. He still didn’t see any other men.
Am I seriously the only guy on this cruise ship? There must be at least a few others, maybe a ship engineer, or the captain, or something…
As if in response to his silent question, a woman in a captain’s uniform made her way over to the podium from a door behind the stairs. She looked to be in her early forties and had a serious look on her attractive face. Her eyes scanned the crowd. Mike winced, feeling suddenly nervous. Luckily, the captain didn’t appear to notice him.
“Welcome, ladies.” The captain spoke into the microphone on the podium, her voice radiating through the lobby. “My name is Captain Michelle. This is the 47th voyage of Goddess Cruise Lines. I’m happy to have all of you on my ship.”
The women around Mike, including his mother, cheered in response. The feminine energy in the lobby was almost intoxicating. He could smell a mixture of perfumes in the air.
“Basic ground rules apply, of course,” said Captain Michelle. “You’ve already agreed to them upon purchasing your tickets, but as a general reminder, it’s expected that you treat your fellow passengers and the staff with respect.”
Captain Michelle continued on, going down the list of rules and expectations in a serious, authoritative voice. Mike felt more out of place than he had back on the docks, and hoped that she wouldn’t notice him among the crowd.
She seems like the kind of woman that wouldn’t hesitate to kick me off the ship, just to prove a point.
“Finally,” said Captain Michelle. “Everything that happens on Goddess Cruise Lines, stays on Goddess Cruise Lines. It’s expected that you will not share photos of other passengers, or start rumors about their behavior. This cruise ship is a safe space.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. It seemed like a strange rule to have as official policy, and he wondered about the implications of it. Laura reached her arm over and put it around his waist, a gesture that was almost a little too intimate for a mother and son.
“This is going to be fun, sweetie,” she whispered.
Mike didn’t say anything. She looked amazingly sexy and seductive in her sun dress. He pulled away from her side embrace, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.
A number of women were still watching Mike, some of them around his age or just a bit older. It felt different from how it had before. It wasn’t because
Danica had drawn attention to him, or out of curiosity. The eyes of the women were sizing him up, appraising him. Mike was tall and broad shouldered, and it made him look older than most 18 year olds.
I’m not just a kid that got dragged along by his mom, and I’ll prove it if I get the chance.
Goddess Cruise Lines by Anya Merchant
MILF: Too Close For Comfort (Taboo Erotica) Page 3
