Diesel Chronicles Ch 11

Saturday dawned a clear and beautiful day. Perfect for traveling.

The clock showed that it was 7:30. Vin was already up and dressed, and I found him in the living room playing with Melkor.

“So, what do you think about my new friend?” I ask, sitting on the couch with them.

“He’s not too bad. I like his name.”

“I remembered you saying something about Melkor being the name of your Dungeons and Dragons character, so that’s what I named him.”

“I can’t believe you remembered that.”

“Well, I did. And as long as he doesn’t go around casting spells or killing everything in sight, we’ll get along just fine.”

Vin started to laugh. “Only you would think of something like that. Actually, I think it’s cool that you remembered. Who’s going to take care of him while you’re gone this week?”

“Jenn, of course.”

“Of course.” Looking at the clock he asks, “How long is it going to take you to get ready to go?”

“Not long. I’ve got to shower and pack, so give me about 30 minutes.”

“Will do. Melkor will keep me entertained. Male bonding and all that,” Vin replies, picking up one of the kitten’s toys.

“Just play nice, boys.” I said, disappearing into the bathroom.

About ten minutes later, I come out of the bathroom to find Vin making up the bed. “Need some help?” I offer.

“No thanks. I’m almost done.”

“Thanks for doing that. You know you don’t have to.”

“I know.” He says, dropping a quick kiss on my lips.

“Ok, all male’s out of the bedroom,” I say, picking Melkor up off of the bed and handing him to Vin. “I need to get dressed and packed, and I can’t do that with you here.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve got a surprise for you and I don’t want you to see it yet.”

He pulls me against him. “Hmmmm, what kind of surprise?”

“Did you not hear what I just said? I don’t want you to see it yet.”

“Alright.” To Melkor, he says, “Come on, buddy, I know when we’re not wanted.” He carries Melkor into the living room, closing the door behind them.

I hurry and get dressed, then pack my bag. I put Vin’s gift in a secret compartment in the bottom of my bag so he won’t see it.

Coming out of the bedroom he asks, “Why all the secrecy?”

“Now you know how I feel with your secrets and surprises. Ok, I’m packed and ready to go.”

Vin grabs the keys off of the table and locks the door behind us.

We get into the truck and head to the airport. “Would you please stop somewhere so I can get something to eat. I’m starved and I need my morning shot of caffeine.”

“Ok, just tell me where.”

We pull into a bakery and get some croissants and my morning shot of Dr. Pepper to take on the plane with us. Then it’s on to the airport.

Vin parks the truck by the hangar and grabs our bags from the backseat, taking them onto the plane. Tony has everything ready to go. As soon as we get settled, he taxis out onto the runway and gets the green-light from the tower for us to take off.

Vin pulls me down onto the couch with him. “No questions about where we’re going?”

“No. You’ll tell me when you want me to know.”

We take off and head south over the Gulf of Mexico. Hmmm, many destinations south of the border, but exactly where, I don’t know. I grab a book out of my bag and get comfortable, losing myself in the story. Vin grabs his laptop and plays games.

A couple of hours later, Tony announces that we’re almost there. I look out and see beautiful blue water. Shortly thereafter, he lands the plane at an airport, where a jeep is waiting to take us to our hotel. Vin says to Tony, “Be back next Saturday around noon to pick us up.”

“No problem. See you guys next weekend.”

Grinning, Vin looks over at me and asks, “Still no questions?”

“Nope.”

Vin puts our bags in the back of the jeep and we’re off. The ride takes about twenty minutes and before I know it, we pull up to a massive hotel. Vin gets our bags out and we head to the front desk to check in. Obviously the receptionist is used to stars coming to the hotel because seeing him doesn’t even faze her. Either that or she’s really good at hiding it. He had booked the room under an assumed name so people wouldn’t find him once they heard that he was in the area. Just another quirk tied to his fame. She called over a bellboy to get our bags and show us where our room was.

We climbed into a golf cart and the bellboy drove us around to the end of the hotel, and then down a winding path covered with trees.

The room, as it turned out, was a private sea-side cottage set apart from the hotel. The hotel has several of these cottages specifically for people like Vin. The bellboy opened the door and carried our bags through the living room into the bedroom, with Vin and myself following.

The cottage is precious. It’s divided into two separate areas, one with the kitchen, dining, and living area and the other with the bedroom and bathroom. Each of the two rooms has patio doors that open onto the porch that spans the length of the cottage, overlooking the beach and ocean. The windows and patio doors have already been opened, letting the sea breeze drift in. A small wicker table with two chairs and a swing are on the porch, while a couple of lounge chairs, a small table and umbrella are on the beach area in front of our cottage, and a double-size hammock is hanging between two palm trees. A small portion of the porch has been sectioned off by lattice where an outside shower has been installed so you can rinse off after you swim.

Vin tipped the boy as he left and I wandered out onto the porch, where he joins me, pulling me into his arms. “Welcome to Cozumel.”

“It’s beautiful."

“Just wait until sunset.”

Turning in his arms, I look up at him and ask, “Why are you so good to me? What have I done to deserve this, to deserve you?”

“You’ve been a very good girl and Santa is rewarding you early.” he jokingly replies.

“Remind me to give Santa a proper thank you later.” “Oh, I don’t think he’ll forget,” he says as he slowly lowers his lips to mine.

The kiss is unhurried and filled with passion. Tongues circle each other as if dancing together. Without breaking the kiss, Vin backs up and leans against the porch railing, settling me against him.

I reach up and caress his cheek. “Thank you for all of this. For everything you’ve done.”

He turns and kisses the palm of my hand. “You’re welcome.”

Pulling away from him, I walk back into the bedroom and begin to unpack, leaving his gift hidden in my bag. Vin follows me in and unpacks his things as I walk into the bathroom and find a huge Jacuzzi tub and shower. No expense spared here.

I’m walking back into the bedroom when Vin asks, “So, what do you want to do first?” He hands me a list of activities that are available through the hotel. Anything you could possibly want to do is listed. jet skiing, sailing, windsurfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, complete gym and day-spa, water skiing, swimming pools, tennis, volleyball.

“I have no idea where to even begin.”

“I have a suggestion,” Vin comments with a sly grin on his face.

“Does it involve the bed?”

“Surprisingly, not this time. Why don’t you change into your bathing suit and we’ll go lounge on the beach. I seem to remember a conversation we had where you mentioned the fact that you would love to just lie around on a beach somewhere and forget about the world. Well, here you can do that.” Swatting my butt, he adds, “Go get your suit on.“

I walk over to the drawer and pull out a yellow bikini, one of several new suits I bought for the trip. Turning to Vin I ask, “Do you think you can control those manly urges of yours while I change out here, or should I play it safe and change in the bathroom?”

“Bathroom, definitely.”

I start laughing as I walk into the bathroom to change. Grabbing the suntan oil as I walk out, I find that Vin has changed into his shorts and is ready to go. He looks up as I walk out of the bathroom.

“What’s wrong?” I ask. “You don’t like it?”

“I love it.” Grabbing my hand, he pulls me towards the porch. “Let’s go before I change my mind and decide to keep you here.”

We walk the short distance from the porch out onto the beach. Rows of palm trees run between the cottages and beach, offering shade if you need it. A small hut is situated a little farther down the beach, serving food and beverages to those staying in the cottages. The beach area in front of the cottages is private, while the beach area in front of the hotel is open to everyone.

We stop at the chairs and turning to Vin, I ask, “Will you please put some oil on my back? I don’t want to get burned on the first day and be miserable the rest of the trip.”

Taking the bottle from me, he comments, “If we stay in bed all week you won’t have to worry about getting burned.”

“Just like a man, thinking with your dick again.”

“What, and you don’t?” he asks, applying oil to my upper back.

“Just in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have one.”

“Oh, I’ve noticed alright. And I’m not the only one.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Gwen, look around.”

I turn to scan the beach and sure enough, there are several people looking our way. “Yeah, like I believe they’re looking at me. You, my dear, are who they are looking at.”

“No, I don’t think so. You missed the couple that walked by a few minutes ago. The woman was practically pulling the guy she was with down the beach because he couldn’t take his eyes off of you.”

Taking the oil from him, I poured some into my hand, rubbing it into my skin. “Well, just so there’s no misconceptions, I’m here with you and with you I’ll stay. Want some?” I ask, holding the bottle of oil up.

“Sure.”

I poured a little bit out and rubbed it on his shoulders, back, and chest, loving the feel of his muscles beneath my touch.

“Uh, Gwen?”

“Huh?”

“I said that’s enough.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

“Then you tell me what’s wrong.” I challenge.

“You want to go back to the cottage and go to bed.”

“Damn, I hate it when you do that.”

“What, read your mind?”

“Yep.”

“So?”

“As much as I’d love to have my way with you, I’m going to tough it out and stay here in the sun.” I lay down, while Vin settles in his chair beside me.

The sound of the wind in the palm trees and the waves crashing near the shore is relaxing. We lay there for a little while watching the surfers.

Taking my hand and pulling me up from the chair, he says, “Let’s take a walk down the beach.”

We walk down the beach a little ways, enjoying the atmosphere. He takes my hand in his, brings it to his lips, and presses a kiss to the back of it. The next thing I know, he drags me out into the water with him. The water is so clear that you can see the fish as they swim around.

“We’ll go snorkeling sometime this week. There’s a reef a little farther out where you can see some beautiful fish.”

“That sounds like fun.”

We play around in the water for awhile, and then head towards the little hut to get something to eat. Both the atmosphere and the meal are wonderful.

“Just wait until dinner. The hotel has a huge buffet or you can order from the menu. The food is great, no matter what you order.”

“Like I need to gain weight.” I comment.

Leaning across the table, he whispers, “I know of a good way to burn it off.”

“Later.”

He links his fingers with mine on the table and asks, “So, which place do you like more? Here or the mountain cabin?”

“That’s a hard one. They’re both beautiful places in their own way. I’d love to have a place like your cabin and live there for six months and then have a place like this to live the other six months. I’d have the best of both worlds.”

“Any places that you would like to see if you had the chance?”

“I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland and Australia.”

“Both are very nice places, although I prefer Scotland.”

“I can understand why. With your D&D obsession, it just seems to me that Middle Earth would be like Scotland was centuries ago. I want to go to Australia on a safari and then visit the beaches. See, there I go again. Wide open spaces and the beach. Hawaii would be nice to visit too.”

“I have some friends that live in Hawaii and I’ve been there several times. Each time it’s more beautiful than the last time I visited. Cozumel has nothing on Hawaii, though.”

“I didn’t think it would.”

The waiter brings over our ticket for Vin to sign. Once that’s done, he takes my hand and we leave the little hut, walking back towards the cottage. A few of the people we pass recognize Vin, and surprisingly, they leave him alone. This is a place where they can come and be themselves. No shutter-bugs waiting to pounce on you.

Thinking about this, I ask Vin, “Why did you get us the cottage instead of one of the penthouses, not that I’m complaining or anything. I love our little cottage.”

“If we would have stayed at the hotel, we would have had more encounters with people who want to stop and talk, or get pictures or autographs. There will come a time when we have to do that, but until then, I want you all to myself. Everyone is entitled to a life off of the camera, but some people choose to broadcast their private lives as well as their public image. Me, I try to keep them separate. Sometimes they blend together, but for the most part, my private life is my business and not for the public’s eye.”

We get to the lounge chairs and grab our stuff, taking it back to the cottage.

“I think I’m going to lounge in the hammock for a while. Care to join me?” I ask Vin.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

He walks over to the hammock and gently sits in it, then reclines back a little. I sit on the edge, swinging my legs up and over the side, then lie back with him.

The combination of the hammock gently rocking back and forth, the cool breeze and sounds of the ocean lull me to sleep.