Not long after my divorce, I treated myself to one of the kinkiest and most decadent experiences of my life on a little getaway I've never told you about. Does the sound of that turn you on?
I got an email with a round-up of last-minute cruise deals. Normally, I'd delete it with barely a glance, but this time, I was in the mood to indulge myself. I spotted an incredible deal: a week-long cruise from Honolulu to Seattle for under $600 per person. Airfare to Hawaii wasn't included, but as it happened, I'd accumulated some MileagePlus points that were about to expire, and this was the perfect opportunity. The price was ridiculously low because it was a repositioning cruise. The vessel was the ultra-luxurious Celebrity Silhouette, and I'd be picking up the cruise on the second leg. The first half was eight days from Tokyo to Honolulu.
I thought about inviting my friends Irene and Natasha to join me, but I had some very specific ideas of what I wanted to happen on this little adventure, and I wasn't sure they'd be the right fit. Then it hit me. Erin.
She was a professor at the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Washington, tall, curvy, no bullshit, in her early 40's. Fashion-forward glasses, long dark shoulder-length hair, lips that looked as soft as her mouth was sharp with slack students. We'd met originally at a health care conference in Austin, where we were presenting on different panels. I'd since gone hiking with her at Mount Baker and dropped in to her Wednesday night book club at her Queen Anne home, where we'd mulled the merits of Margaret Atwood and D.H. Lawrence over glasses of Merlot. I couldn't tell if Erin was bi or not, but she certainly seemed like-minded, and we'd gotten on like a house on fire every time we met. So...why not?
We met for coffee on Westlake Avenue and I told her about my plan.
"Wow, that is a great deal," Erin said, adjusting her glasses. "And I can see the allure of avoiding the single supplement."
I smiled at her. "I've reserved a room with an outside view and a veranda. It looks right over the swimming pool. I'm excited."
"Oh, then, it might be a little noisy at night," Erin said. "Not that this would bother me. I'd love to go with you."
I was wearing an emerald pendant that I'd picked up on a recent trip to Santa Barbara. It hung deep in my cleavage. Did I spot Erin checking me out?
"I'm glad to hear it," I said, shifting in my seat. "Frankly, I don't plan to get a lot of sleep on this trip. I figured the timing might work for you since it falls over spring break."
Erin put her hand on mine. "I like the way you think. I'll have a stack of term papers to mark, but if I hunker down, I can clear off my desk before we leave."
"Perfect. This will be a little different from my usual vacations. Normally, I like to stop, explore, visit local galleries, check out some restaurants, go hiking or paddling. This one will be all at sea."
"I know what you're saying," Erin said with a wink. She'd gotten divorced a couple of years ago herself, and had told me about a wild weekend she'd spent at the Tulalip Casino this past summer with an old boyfriend visiting from out of town. The possibilities here were endless.
"So you're in?" I asked.
"Oh, believe me, I'm more than in," Erin said. "I'm excited about getting to know you better."
As I finished off my coffee, I was so turned on. When we hugged goodbye, both of us held on a little longer than necessary.
There were a couple of other details that I hadn't divulged to Erin. As you know, I love the elements of surprise and shock.
We flew out separately to Honolulu, with me arriving first. Our cruise left at night, and she couldn't come till the morning-of. I went to the spa at my beachfront hotel, dined on mahi mahi with sliced pineapple, and napped outside underneath a big red umbrella in my new swimsuit. I didn't masturbate even though I was overflowing with sexual energy in anticipation of the cruise.
Erin's flight was delayed, but thankfully she made it on time. We met at the cruise terminal, our embrace even more spirited than last time in Seattle. I liked that when she wore heels, we were eye to eye.
As we handed off our big suitcases to the porters and began rolling our carry-ons up the gangway, Erin glanced around. "Wow, there are a lot of tall, good-looking men on this cruise. Not to mention the Amazon queens like us."
"That's no accident," I said. "I called a friend of mine in Bellingham who runs a travel agency. She did a little digging and found they've booked a Meet-Up group on this cruise called Singles over Six Feet. Americans, Canadians, Aussies, Germans, Spaniards, you name it."
"Gosh, that's a pleasant surprise," Erin said. "But are we OK? We're not six feet."
"Oh, but we bring a whole lot more to the party than inches," I said with a wicked smile.
We caught a lot of admiring glances from men and women alike as we headed down a long corridor on Deck Four to Cabin 4804. Erin produced her key card and opened the door. "After you, Mademoiselle."
It was beyond spacious. A huge, curtained window overlooked the king-sized bed with red silk sheets and sumptuous pillows, with a black leather couch to one side. A bowl of grapes, strawberries, and kiwis sat atop the well-stocked mini-bar. An ice bucket with a bottle of Moet awaited on the coffee table. The bathroom, laden with marble fixtures, was nearly as big as the main cabin.
