Chapter 1
The international shipping line's smallest vessel, Sea Discovery, with 366 cabins, left Southampton on a 7-day mini-cruise at 8 am, gliding through a lingering mist in a busy harbour with fog-horns sounding mournfully, those conditions subduing the excitement of passengers a little.
But the complimentary bottle of chilled Champagne in each cabin, or a cup of tea from the offering of seven different blends, served to lift spirits when the mainly first-time cruisers retreated to their cabins.
Sea Discovery was used by the company to hopefully indoctrinate citizens sailing from a popular cruise sailing port in Europe, America, Asia, South African and Australia in a circuit set by the company's Director of Cruising to entice triallists to catch 'the bug' and sign up with the company for further cruises over their lifetime.
The only sea journey most novice passengers had experienced was chugging across a harbour on a passenger ferry.
* * *
Lillian Salt was a typical newcomer to cruising, and was excited to be on board and sailing to adventure, at least that was what the glossy brochure had promised, enticing her to sign up.
As a teen, she'd often sailed in a dinghy with her older brother during seaside holidays with her family at such places as Brighton, and had travelled on four return ferry trips across the channel between Britain and France. That limited experience plus earning a big salary as a single woman. earning a living as a hair stylish in a salon serving Londoners wealthy enough to pamper their bodies, had brought her to the point of sampling 'memorable cruising on the High Seas'.
Providing she experienced a favourable outcome from this shakedown mini-voyage, she intended to take an annual cruise each year to far away places offering exotic adventure and to perhaps sample romance aboard ship, preferably hot romance.
Lily, as Lillian preferred to be called, was in cabin 2028 on deck two.
Above her on deck 3, cabin 3034 was Alan Childs, a corporate computer systems forensic engineer (with a concentration in cybersecurity) early in building real-life experience in that science.
Those two would tangle romantically to passionately enjoy the otherwise incident-free smooth cruise.
* * *
Alan Childs has been sailing single-handed in a dinghy since the age of seven until in his late teens and these days raced his small keeled yacht competitively with a crew of two pals (fellow young men) and his long-time girlfriend Susie. The two families of Alan and Susie expected those two to marry because they were inseparable and Susie shared that belief, as did her girlfriends.
Occasionally after sex, Susie would say dreamily they should think about marriage soon and Alan would dismay her by replying negatively, perhaps grunting 'Perhaps' or saying 'Why spoil it by marrying when we have it all now?'
The truth was Alan (31) was hooked on the concept of marrying the perfect wife. Susie looked okay but she had the body of her mother that would pile on fat as she got older, and Susie tended to nag. He'd failed to break her away from that habit, and she frequently didn't want to have sex when he did, much too frequently in fact. But above all, like her mother, she was a lousy cook whereas he abhorred factory-processed meals.
In comparison, his slim mum could still fit into her wedding dress and she cooked like a champion.
Alan entered a lift, heading for the bar topside, and the only other occupant when it arrived was a female, aged about 28. He licked his lips, thinking what a great-looking bird (slag for a comely woman).
He said nothing and stared at the far corner when she said "Hi."
He grunted hi and didn't know what else to say. He was surprised that such a good-looker had said anything to a guy she didn't know.
"First time on a cruise?"
He nodded and glanced furtively at her tits. Oh boy!"
She said he didn't say much and he blurted, "I didn't expect you to talk to me."
She replied calmly, "Andy why not? It was only me being friendly. It was not as if I was attempting to hit on you."
"What?" he almost whimpered.
The door of the lift (elevator) opened at the top level.
"After you," he said, with a sweep of his arm.
"Why, do you want to check out my arse?" she laughed.
Alan was shocked.
He shot out of the lift, sped past her and followed the signs to the Seafarer's Bar. Shakily, he ordered a larger beer.
The lift encountered female arrived immediately behind him and sat two stools away.
He'd stabilized from his uncertainty and offered to buy her a drink.
"Omigod, you can talk without being prompted? A gin and tonic please, no ice."
The bemused female bar tender nodded to Alan that she'd heard the request and went off to pour their drinks.
Alan and Lily sat quietly studying each other in the mirror behind the bar.
Their drinks arrived and his accidental off-sider said in surprise, "How on earth did you order my drink?"
"The bartender heard you say gin and tonic, no ice, and looked at me and I nodded to her, signifying to proceed with that order."
"Is that true," the gin and tonic beneficiary asked the bartender.
The older woman said, "Yes dearie, many males are men of few words. Females gain experience in filling in most of the missing links. You two should sit at a table and get acquainted because other passengers will pour in here during the next few minutes to be indoctrinated at this bar as seafarers.
Alan pulled out a chair for the woman, and she smiled as if thinking, 'Ah, here's a chap who's been taught good manners by his mother'.
They sat and introduced themselves and Alan said his mother almost called his youngest sister at birth Lily but settled for Lillian.
They engaged in conversation over that.
A lull in conversation followed until Lily asked, "Are you looking for romance on this cruise?"
"I don't know."
Surprised, she asked how could he not know.
He said, "I've been going with my best girlfriend for thirteen years."
"Omigod, I didn't intend to pry. Will you marry her?"
He said slyly wasn't that prying and she laughed and told him to answer the question.
"It's difficult to say."
"Come on, say it!"
"I... um, I... no."
"There, you've said it and you've got that difficulty out of the way. I was attracted to you as soon as I saw you and thought Omigod, he's dishy."
"Me?" Alan said, disbelievingly.
"Yes, compared with some of the lads that I've dated. You are blonde with plenty of hair, muscular with wide and square shoulders, a flat belly and you are tall with an almost heart-melting smile as if you mean it."
"You are a strange woman," he said, shaking his head. "I'm just one of the lads."
Shrugging, Lily said, "What have you noticed about me?"
He said naively, "Your tits."
She giggled and without requesting him to use a more acceptable word than tits, said, "And?"
He hesitated and said, "You show no belly and have an attractive curve to shape your small butt and, now don't get mad, you have very kissable-looking lips, great-looks and one hell of a shapely haircut."
"You mean hair styling."
"Do I?"
She sighed and said his description made her sound quite appealing.
"Quite appealing? You're a stunner and that's why I initially had difficulty talking to you."
"Are you likely to kiss my kissable lips?"
He felt empowered by the intimacy of the conversation and said, "Yeah, probably."
"And what about your girlfriend of 13 long years?"
"She's not here and anyway she's on the way out. You've made me realize I'm holding her back from finding a guy who'll marry her."
Lily nodded and appeared ready to stun him.
"Does that mean we are likely to have sex?"
Alan, who was taking a big sip of larger, spluttered into his beer.
Wiping his lips with the back of his hand he said, "Lily you can't say that to a guy you've just met."
She smiled sweetly and said she just did.
The bar was filling and a couple in their mid-thirties approached their table. The woman introduced them as Duncan and Debora, and asked could they join their table. Lily said "Yes, and welcome" while her companion just frowned.
"God, you two appear made for each other," Debora gushed, touching her wedding and engagement rings. "How long have you been together?"
"Ages," Lily responded.
"We first met twenty minutes ago."
The other three eyed Alan coolly and he squirmed.
"Sorry," he apologized to Lily who laughed and said it was fine, it seemed they had some adjusting to do.
Debora said sternly, "Alan, it's not the gentlemanly thing to contradict a lady?"
He bit back what he was about to say but Debora goaded him to say it.
"I have no intention of lowering my standards for anyone, male or female."
His listeners nodded in agreement and Lily lifted up Alan's hand and squeezed it, and leaned across. and kissed his cheek.
He murmured, "God, your lips are soft."
Debora urged, "Go on you two, have a proper kiss and make that first kiss a memorable one."
Their first kiss lingered, and Alan broke away and said romantically, "That was s-o c-o-o-l, Lily,"
Debora said, sounding aroused, "That's because you're so dishy, Alan. Probably you should start dinner tonight with a lashing of oysters."
The females and Duncan sniggered and Alan sat embarrassed.
The others were unaware Alan had an issue.
He believed he shouldn't play around with another woman until he'd severely ties at as face-to-face meeting with Susie.
He sighed, thinking he was bound to that convention and as delectable as Lily was, he'd would comply with that convention.