"So, will we see you at lunch too?" Amanda VanClief, eyes batting in a perfectly made-up blonde model's face, still staying ahead of the elements at sixty, cooed to the young French-Brazilian waiter, Emil Alencar, aboard the
Triumph II
. The river cruise ship was tied up to the Quebec City Corridor du Littoral. The other three women, appreciably older than Amanda wasâpurposely on Amanda's partâwho were at her table in the ship's Coastal Dining Room were eagerly attentive to Emil's response.
The waiter, slender; dancer poised; self-confident; dark, sultry, and sexy; lustrous black hair pulled back in a tight bun except for one wisp dangling to a cheek, concentrated, as always, on the still-beautiful, elegantly dressed Amanda VanClief. She was his focus on this St. Lawrence Seaway cruise from Detroit to Quebec City and back to Montreal on this mid-October running of the
Triumph II
just as he had become her focus. The work on the cruise ship was seasonal. For the winter months, he had either to retreat to Las Vegas to waiter there and dance in male reviews as work became available or find some well-heeled matronâor masterâto cuddle with him over the winter. It didn't matter much to him if it were a woman or a man; Emil's focus was on Emil, and to Emil, sex was sex was sex if it provided comfort for him. Amanda VanClief, of Bocca Raton, Florida, booked in one of the two owners suites on the
Triumph II
and who would be staying on for the return cruise to Detroit, fit the bill to a T.
Emil could see the signal from out of the corner of his eye from the jet-black, tall, and very thin headwaiter from the Congo, Jacques Odia, telling Emil that he was spending too much of his time at this table, but Emil ignored the gesture. The season's cruises were about completed and Emil had to be all about securing his off-season accommodations.
"No, Mrs. VanClief, I'm afraid I'm not on the lunch service today. I have free time to enjoy going into the city."
"We have a tour of the city ourselves today," Amanda cooed. "I'm sure I could arrange for you to accompany us. I'll bet you've stopped here in Quebec City many times this year and have yet to see it as a passenger on the cruise does." The other ladies at the table bobbed their gray heads and twittered their agreement.
No doubt she could arrange it, Emil thought. She obviously ruled the roast on the cruise ship, which was all to the good for his longer-term plans, but not, alas, for today. Saying yes, though, would, he thought, enable him to pin down a winter sheltering opportunity. Weekly romps in the bed, he thought, would be all that was required for a cushy Florida vacationâand the woman, though probably thirty-five years his senior, looked like she knew how to fuck still. She seemed savvy enough too, that he would have to be the one to suggest low, soft lighting while they did it. He'd lived with worse off-season situations in his last four years of waitering on cruise ships and Las Vegas.
"Alas, the crew members aren't permitted such delightful opportunities," he answered, with a tone of regret topped by a dazzling smile. "But I'll be right back here for the dinner service."
Amanda, who, along with her contrasting gaggle of temporary girlfriends would also be sure to be right back here at Emil's service table for dinner, simmered at his rich baritone voice and handsome, lean, dancer's Brazilian body beautiful, trembled at the prospect. Jacques Odia came close and touched Emil on the elbow, and Emil, getting the signal clearly now, gave the women a dazzling smile and moved off to spread his heavenly attention to other tables.
An hour later, after fully contributing to the breakfast cleanup under the watchful eye of the headwaiter, a duty Emil often pranced away from as beneath him, choosing instead to stand near the exit of the dining room and pattering with the guests, Emil returned to his shared interior cubbyhole of a cabin on Deck Two. He pulled the small box with his accumulated stash of cash from the bottom drawer of his nightstand. As he'd done so many times before, he reviewed his bank books and recounted his accumulation of earnings and tips to determine where he stood now in relationship to his eventual life's goalâto join his French mother, Monique, in running her small perfume and toiletries shop in the Saara shopping district of Rio de Janeiro when his youthful beauty to women and men alike had waned. She was barely making it now, even with him sending some of his tip money off to her now and again. His dream was to return someday with enough capital to upgrade their holdings and do so while he still had the looks and charisma to attract well-heeled customers. Of his Brazilian father, Emil thought little, as there was almost nothing he knew of the man, other than that he must have been a handsome devil. Emil too was handsome, but his looks were more androgynously reflective of his mother.
As he was counting his money, the first call reached him on his cellphone, a call he could not ignore and one that determined where he would initially go upon leaving the ship for his late morning and afternoon of port leave. As he was preparing to leave, the second call came inâthe one he'd been chasing down for days, the one that would bring him profit that would get him significantly closer to a return to Rio de Janeiro. He responded, finding, luckily, that this arrangement was possible in the afternoon.
It would be a juggling of time and quite demanding on him to make both of these appointments, but it could not be helped. There was no end to the balls he had to keep in the air in the limited time he was at the peak of his desirability and hence the availability of opportunities.