Caribbean Passion Ch 13

It was nearly seven thirty the next morning and Lucia was at the gangway with about thirty passengers and John Boston. The ship was docked at Freeport Harbour, the sun was shining and Lucia felt better. There had been a lot of stress lately, so she was glad to get off the ship into the Bahamian sunshine.

John Boston smiled at her. "Ready for Port Lucaya?" he asked.

"Sure," Lucia smiled. Her hair was slicked back, her olive-skinned Hispanic face flawlessly made up. She wore a swimsuit, but this time she had tied a sweater's arms lazily around her shoulders, plus sported a low-slung pair of beach shorts. Her long, long, smooth legs ended at socked feet and white sneakers.

The passengers talked excitedly as they waited for the gangway guard to let them out.

Just then, Pablo arrived. His short hair was also slicked back, his chiselled jawline freshly shaven, his broad shoulders and muscled arms filling out a T-shirt that didn't do much to hide the outline of his pecs and the six-pack that lie beneath. He had a pair of beach shorts, under which, invisible from the outside, he had packed some swimming trunks. His toned legs similarly led to black socks and grey sneakers. "Hey," he said, looking at Lucia.

"Hi," smiled Lucia. "John, can Pablo come with us today?"

"Sure," said John. "You don't have any duties, right?" he asked Pablo.

"No, sir," replied Pablo. "I'm a dancer. I do evenings."

"Right. Well, come along for the ride!"

Presently, the "gangway manager", as the Pursers liked to call the Indonesian guard, was given the all-clear by port staff on the harbour and the passengers filed out down the slope. A waiting bus, its engine idling, was waiting. The doors opened with a whoosh and the passengers got on.

Once everyone was onboard, John Boston addressed the crowd. "All right, people, this is the Port Lucaya Snorkelling Tour. We'll be heading first to Port Lucaya to explore the harbour and boats there, then make our way after that to the beach, where they'll be a barbecue and beach tour. After that, we'll sail out on a catamaran to do some snorkelling, meet some dolphins and dive down to a coral reef. After an hour and a half of that, we'll go back to the bus and travel over to the International Bazaar back in Freeport to do some shopping, before making our way back to the ship late afternoon.

"All right!" said one man, excitedly. "Let's do it!"

Boston turned to the driver. "Let's go."

The driver closed the doors, the bus rumbled away and off they all went.

Lucia enjoyed the ride, looking out the window, watching the Bahamian countryside and scenery whiz by. Even better, this time she was with Pablo, who sat next to her.

"This is my first time in the Bahamas -- well, off the ship."

"This is my second. I came with John a few cruises ago."

"Oh, yeah? Was it good?"

"Yeah, fine, although I got reported."

"HUH? For doing what?"

Lucia turned to him. "For being sexy." She gave him her fifty-thousand megawatt smile.

Pablo was up for it. "Well, I can report that, too, if you want."

"I was hoping you would." She slipped her hand in his. "I'm glad you showed up."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"What -- watching me get in trouble?"

"Sure -- if that's the crime."

"Ha!" Lucia turned back to the window, grinning. She thought for a few moments.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Pablo.

She turned her head back to him. "You know, we don't have to go snorkelling with the passengers. We could just hang back for a while."

"Will John be OK about it?"

"I should think so. He's introducing me slowly to all the tours. I'll just tell him I want to focus on the beach excursion this time."

"OK."

"John!" yelled Lucia.

John Boston, who had been talking to the bus driver, turned back to face Lucia. "What?"

"Do you mind if I skip the snorkelling and check out the beach a little more today?"

Boston checked out Lucia and Pablo. Aha! So they needed some alone time? Huh, he wasn't born yesterday. Well, it wouldn't matter this once. "Yeah, sure, go ahead," he smirked.

"OK, thanks!" replied Lucia, brightly. "There!" she announced to Pablo.

"We're set," said Pablo.

The bus arrived at Port Lucaya. This area was more built-up than the place Lucia had seen before, complete with an area for yachts and boats and some souvenir shops and a few pretty little cafes and restaurants. "Wow," she remarked, as she got off the bus with Pablo. "This place is better."

"It sure is," said Pablo.

John Boston led Lucia, Pablo and the crowd of passengers across the pier and promenade. Various members of the group took photos with their cameras, posed for selfies or rubbernecked around, looking at the sights. For the time being, Pablo had to more or less act the same way, while John Boston spoke to Lucia about what sights there were, information about them and occasionally addressed the crowd to point out things of interest.

Lucia was glad to get out. The sun was shining and she felt good, plus Pablo's presence made the trip even better.

After half an hour to forty-five minutes of this, with numerous passengers popping into cute little shops bedecked with souvenirs, young Black women offering hair braid at a dollar a braid and a range of other locals hawking a range of goods, John Boston called them all together and led them towards the beach. There a barbecue, live band playing Caribbean hits and calypso tunes and an area full of tables and chairs was laid out.

"Great," said one female passenger. "I'm half-starved!"

The passengers got their plates and lined up for the buffet, while helping themselves to the barbecued meats. Lucia was beginning to realise that this was the most laid-back part of each tour. John Boston basically conducted the Beach Tour with a number of tourists, while others hung out with Lucia at the dining area. Everything was very casual. Lucia smiled as John went about his work. Lucia could see that this is where John was free to be the boss, away from Dave Richards' watchful eye and away from the drama of ship life or the politics of the shoreside office. "Having a good time, John?" asked Lucia with a twinkle in her eye, as she watched him standing at the buffet and looking at the scenery. "You seem to enjoy your work."

"Yeah, well," he replied. "What's the point of being on a cruise ship travelling around the world, if you spend all your time on it and never get to see the places you visit? I've got the best job on the ship!" he smiled.

Lucia and John supervised the passengers. Once the majority seemed to have eaten and settled down for a bit, John turned to Lucia. "I'll go and talk to the harbourmaster to get the boat ready for snorkelling. Take your time -- now's your chance to kick back and relax, since they'll be more to do later."

Lucia didn't need telling twice -- she loaded up a plate and went down to sit with Pablo at a table, who had already started eating.

"Yo," he said, as she sat down opposite him.

"Hi." Lucia plonked herself down, grabbed a fork and dived in.

"Hungry, huh?"

"Just a little," she replied.

"So tell me," began Pablo. "What made you come on this ship? I know dancing is your passion. You love it. It gives you meaning. It brings you life; and it turns you on."

Lucia looked up as she was eating, smirked but said nothing.

"So what's the deal with your being the Social Hostess? Why didn't you choose to be a dancer onboard, like me?"

Lucia gazed at his handsome face, chiselled jaw and concerned expression. She felt safe with him. "I wanted a new start," she replied, finally.

"What's wrong with dancing?"

"Nothing. I love it."

"So does that mean Carmen's basically got nothing to worry about? Personally, I think she overreacted. There was no reason for her to be concerned about you ever being a challenge to her position as a dancer."

"Hmmm." Lucia thought about this. "Her situation is completely different. She dances for money."

"So do I."

"You're the man, though."

"So what? I don't have to dance with her. I could dance with Estella -- or you."

"She isn't jealous about you. She's jealous about me."

"Lucia -- Estella told me some stuff about her. She's had a hard life so far, that Carmen. She's grown up on the wrong side of the tracks. She's been down some hard roads."

"I guessed as much. So have you, though. You don't behave as she has done."

"I'm different."

Lucia raised her eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? How?"

Pablo looked at her steadily. "I want to get out. I want something better."

"Well, then, you and I are the same. That's what I want, too."

Pablo looked quizzical. "No, something's not right. Carmen and I started out pretty rough. We're from the favelas. We grew up poor."

Now it was Lucia's turn to look him in the eye. "And?"

"Well...you didn't. At least, I don't think you did."

"I see." Lucia bit into a piece of watermelon, chewed and swallowed. "So because my dad's got a reasonable job in Rio, that makes everything different."

Pablo frowned. "Not necessarily. Yet dancing for money is a way out of that life I've had. I want something better. So does she. I don't like the way she goes about trying to get it. I can understand it, though, because my background is the same." Pablo's eyes pierced Lucia's. "What intrigues me is what YOU are escaping from, if it isn't poverty."

Lucia wasn't sure how to react. The fact was, she had been avoiding that question, flying by the seat of her pants, since she arrived. "I'm not sure," she said.

"I'm interested as to why you're the Social Hostess and not a dancer."

Lucia paused to think, then opened her mouth. "I've been dancing for a long time -- since I was about twelve. I love it. It's my passion. It charges me up. It...makes me alive; and you're right," she smiled at him, sheepishly. "It turns me on. I love the buzz, the excitement, the thrill. It's like I lose control, get in flow, move with the music. It gets me."

Pablo loved watching her as she described her passion. She was animated, electric, and thrillingly alive. She looked and sounded amazing. "And?"

"There was a guy -- Jorge. He was my dancing partner. We'd been friends since school. We always danced together. He was hot. Good-looking." She looked at Pablo.

"I see. Go on."

"Anyway, we finished high school but I didn't go to college. Neither did he. We just kept on dancing. Now I'm twenty. I should be in university. We won prizes for dancing -- trophies, plus money."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. So when I say I didn't dance for money -- well, it wasn't a job, just a competition. The cash prize came in handy."

"Right."

Lucia frowned. "I don't know -- I guess I felt I was missing out. No college, just dancing."

"And Jorge."

"I felt like maybe there was more to life. When I heard about the cruise line, I applied. I went for Social Hostess. I wanted to travel. Jorge understood. I think he kind of wanted to find out if he was missing out on something else, too. So we agreed to split up, at least for a while. So I ended up here doing this."

Pablo leaned back. "Quite a story," he remarked. "Don't you miss the passion of dancing?"

"I do, but I've already danced a little with Ramon. He got me worked up."

"Well, ha," said Pablo, smiling. "So I've heard. Well, OK, so you and I are both looking for better life, something new."

"Yep," smiled Lucia.

John Boston's voice suddenly interrupted their tete-a-tete. "RIGHT, FOLKS! This way for the Snorkelling!"

A cheer went up from the tables, as the passengers dotted around the meal area got to their feet. John Boston blew a whistle on a string around his neck to assemble the remaining passengers still on the beach. Lucia and Pablo got up, too, and walked over to John. Leading the crowd onto the pier, the crowd made their way over to a gleaming, white catamaran, whose engine was idling in the water. The Bahamian sunshine glanced off the hull.

"Wow, look at that," said one of the women.

"Yeah!" said the man next to her, probably her husband. "Come on, let's go!"

John Boston turned to Lucia and Pablo. "You guys can do what you want for an hour and a half but make sure you're back here on time. We can't wait for you. If you're late, head back to the bus."

"Right," said Lucia.

"Yes, sir," said Pablo.

The two of them watched as John Boston herded the passengers on. A Black man in a captain's hat, T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops appeared. Ushering the passengers to sit down, there was a couple of minutes delay before the engines finally revved up and the catamaran eased away from the pier.

Pablo and Lucia waved them off.

"They're not coming?" said one man. "Now that's a pity!"

His wife looked at him, annoyed, slapping his hand off her thigh.

Pablo and Lucia walked back to the promenade, then down some steps to the sandy beach below. They walked past tourists sunbathing, some kids playing on the beach and some women in bikinis.

That reminded Lucia. "I don't think I need these any more," she said, stopping. "It's hot, and there's no shade here."

Pablo watched as Lucia removed the sweater tied around her shoulders, then the shorts. Slinging them over her arm, she then bent down to remove her socks and sneakers.

"Let me carry them," offered Pablo.

Lucia smiled. "Wow, thanks. What a gentleman!"

"I can be when I want to be," he grinned.

"Like, now?" asked Lucia.

"Yeah."

"Ha!" She felt the sand between her toes. Now she stood upright in her swimsuit, her luscious olive skin on display, her full breasts filling out the top of her swimsuit, the Lycra accentuating every curve of her taut body.

Pablo admired her tight abdomen and the long, creamy, toned, dancer's legs that completed the gorgeous package before him. Wow. Lucia was some woman, he thought.

Sweat beaded on Lucia's face, her exquisite Hispanic features glistening in the sunlight. "Let's go," she said, with a smile.

They walked along, gradually approaching some rocks further away.

"So," said Pablo. "I think I understand you."

"Oh, yeah?" said Lucia, turning her head to smile at him.

"I know what you want. You want to know what else is passionate here -- besides dancing. You want to know if there's another way."

Lucia felt surprised. That was astute, she thought. Yeah, maybe that WAS it. "Hmmm, maybe you're right."

Pablo continued to press his thought. "What else has passion in life; can you get the same passion doing something other than dancing?"

"Yeah."

They arrived at the rocks and turned the corner they formed. Pablo and Lucia discovered a rock pool. Climbing up, they found it was deep. Lucia sat down, dangling her legs in the water. Easing herself in, she found that the water was halfway up her thighs. She bent down and sat on the bottom, her legs stretched out. She smiled up at Pablo, who was still standing high up on the rock edge.

"Come in," she said. "It's great!"

Pablo looked around behind him. The beach where they were seemed deserted, although there was an elderly couple some ways off in the distance, walking away from them. The rest of the people on the beach seemed to be on the other side of the rocks. Pablo knelt down, took off his sneakers and socks, then stood up to remove his shorts.

Lucia felt emboldened, deliberately turning her head to gaze at Pablo. His swimming trunks were tight against his hips. Her eyes drank in the satisfyingly full bulge that revealed itself, pronounced against the toned plain of his lower abs. She watched as Pablo looked up and matched her gaze with his eyes. Then he wrapped his arms around his waist and, in one movement, ripped off his T-shirt. His muscled pecs, ripped six-pack and the strong, thick biceps on his arms took her breath away. He's gorgeous, she thought. She watched as Pablo sank down into the water, kneeling beneath the surface, so that the water came up over his shoulders. Then he stood again, rivulets of water cascading down his chest. Then he moved towards her. His arms encircled her waist underwater, and she looked up into his face. His handsome features, chiselled jaw and smouldering eyes filled her mind.

"I'm looking for passion, too," he said, quietly. He looked at her beautiful, expressive features and her gorgeous, pouting lips. "I think I've found it." He bent his head forward, turning it slightly.

Lucia closed her eyes as his lips met hers. Their lips parted, Lucia opening her eyes to see his gorgeous face again. Suddenly enflamed, she raised her hands and, placing them behind his head, pulled him in as his hands around her waist pulled her closer. This time his lips melted into hers.

Pablo felt the velvety softness of her lips. He, too, held the back of her head as he drank in her kiss, the passion building, the kiss becoming deeper and deeper. Was this what he had hoped for, the different life he had longed to experience? His lips opened, slightly, his tongue exploring her upper lip, before briefly darting between her teeth to meet her tongue. He raked his fingers through her wet, slick hair.

Lucia murmured as his hands moved lower, down her neck, caressing her hair and down her back. Her hands also fell, feeling his broad shoulders, his muscled back, his hard torso. Suddenly his arms tightened as he picked her up bodily. She squealed, making him laugh as he moved forward through the water. She felt her back make contact gently with the rock behind her. Then suddenly, he kissed her, devouring her mouth, his intensity surprising her. Her body acquiesced, surrendering to his embrace. Pablo seemed to draw her in even more, and her nails raked down his back. Then she felt the firm muscles in his back, then drew her hands around his sides. The feel of his masculine body aroused her, and she kissed him passionately back.

Then his hands were on her shoulders, pulling at the shoulder straps. Yes, she thought, as he pulled one strap down her arms, then the other, her breasts straining against the soaked material. Finally, he pulled down and her breasts were free, the salty sea air hardening her already-taut nipples. His big hand cupped the breast, marvelling at its fullness. His thumb grazed her nipple, forcing a moan from Lucia's lips. Her hips undulated, wanting him, her hands feeling his hard body. She heard him suddenly growl, his voice heavy with desire. She looked down as his fingers drew back the flimsy, narrow strip of Lycra covering her enflamed pussy. The movement of the material aside teased her darkened labia, the wetness of the material providing no friction. Pablo used the pads of his fingers, stroking up and down, awakening the bud of her clitoris, expanding her arousal. He inserted one finger inside. Lucia's hips bucked, her need for him rising quickly. She rode his finger, her juices lubricating the digit as it moved in and out. The sensation burned through her, a tight knot of arousal bursting into flame within her. She needed friction, as she felt the tension rising higher and higher. Trembling, her hands pulled the drawstrings of his trunks. Her eyes widened at the thick, hard, length beneath the material. Hastily, her hands grabbed at the top of the material, pulling it down in one movement. His hard, engorged cock sprang out. Pablo gasped with need, the hardness almost bursting, the skin stretched taut along his eight-inch length, aching to feel her, tingling for her touch. Lucia smiled as her fingertips made contact with his shaft.

She knew enough to know that her featherlight touch would ignite his desire. It did. Pablo felt an uncontrollable desire to be inside her, and she spread her legs, her labia parted, inviting him. She held his shaft, moving it up and down, the large, swollen head parting her labia. She arched her head back, enjoying the sensation. Pablo waited, wanting her to enjoy herself with him. After a few seconds, her head moved forward as she placed the tip of his straining cock at the entrance to her pussy. "Take me," she said.