The next day I woke up slowly. Before I opened my eyes I thought of last night's adventure. My eyes closed, still in a pre-awoken, free-thought stage, I began to relive it: Being confused about where I was, a seduction, being pushed against the rails and entered from behind, the sounds of love pounding me blending with the sounds of the sea pounding the ship itself... oh, this life with delicious pleasure.... this pleasure, is it wrong?.. how can it be wrong? .. where does Geoffrey fit in this picture, if anywhere? ... Oh, the hell with Geoffrey, at least now... I am wet, I want to taste my juices and maybe taste the leftovers of last night...
"Good morning, Jessica, you okay?"
"Whoa there!" boy that made me jump!! My now widely open eyes saw Geoffrey at the foot of our bed, showered, in swimming trunks and a t-shirt, looking at me and ready to go. "Whew, that scared me! Sorry. Good morning to you too, I guess." it took me a few moments to recover. "Geoffrey, could you open the curtains?"
The sun was up, and there IT was, the ocean rolling by, or rather, allowing us to roll by IT in this huge ship, a guest to its immensity. I stayed in bed, covered up, looking at it hypnotized. I did not want to get out of bed, show myself to Geoffrey and thereby suggest I was open to sex. But, to my surprise, Geoffrey, who was all desperate for sex last night, did not make a move. When I turned to him I saw that he, too, was looking at the blue horizon like a scout.
"What's up? You okay?" I asked.
"I was waiting for you last night, and it didn't happen."
"Don't pin that on me, Geoff, it was not me who drank too much!"
"No, no, you're right, and I was not being reproachful. I just thought..."
"Reproachful? You think you have the right to be reproachful after what you did?" A panther will have a certain look when it looks at its enemy before a fight, and I knew I had the same look right now. This was dangerous territory for Geoffrey.
"No, this is coming out all wrong, sorry, that is not what I meant." He was showing his palms to me in peace. "All I meant was, I came to this cruise to be with you, and I stupidly missed it. And missed you."
Some moments passed and my fury subsided a bit, or perhaps just ducked under the surface. If he missed me, assuming that was true, did I miss him? Not sure, not now. Still under the safety of covers, I asked him the question to which I never got a satisfactory answer. "Why did you bang that bimbo, Geoffrey?"
Most of the time Geoffrey denied she was a bimbo, that what happened was the product of affection, etc., etc., all of which pissed me off. Today he didn't try that. "It was too strong, Jessica. My desire for her was so strong it felt important, I felt like there was no getting around it except by facing it, and that meant doing it. But I did not mean to hurt you, Jess, you should know that after all these years."
"No, Geoffrey, I do not know that, I don't know that we know each other anymore. No, I don't know much anymore.."
He stood there, silent, and finally I said, "But you know what -I don't think we are going to fix this mess just now, and this is a damned great cruise, so why don't we postpone this discussion and go for breakfast."
"Amen to that," he said, probably relieved. I gathered myself up and sprinted to the shower, picking clothes along the way, so I could dress privately in the bathroom, not willing to give a sneak preview or anything.
Breakfast was muted, not quite normal or right, and it didn't take long for us to finish and make it to the pool. The sky outside was perfect, cloudless, inviting. We picked a spot not far from where a band would set up later. I set my purse on the floor and took off my cover tunic slowly, gyrating to our neighbors, knowing that Geoffrey would go crazy thinking this show was not for him, especially when he saw the bikini! It was a slim, white number that I got over the net from Wicked Weasel. The lower front was the bare minimum triangle, leaving no doubt that I had shaved completely, I mean completely!, and was a sexual woman ready for a good lick. On the back side, a G-string thong allowed me to prominently and teasingly display the butt cheeks that I worked so hard to shape. Finally, the bra consisted of two thin, independent triangles, dauntingly hanging from neck straps. My strawberry and chocolate breasts, that is my full white breasts capped with black aureolas (courtesy of the hot doctor who gave me a great boob job - read the prior installment of this story) strained the triangles, with my "chocolates" suggesting themselves right through the fabric, a prize for anyone looked close enough. The waiter apparently did, judging from the noise of glasses and bottles falling from a dropped tray.
The day went on. Geoffrey was by me like a hawk, protecting me from the certain offers I would receive if he were to be absent. Me, I was just offering my skin to the sun and if others looked at it also, no problem. But then the band began to play. Geoffrey could not keep me from dancing, and as it was a crowded group dance, there was no way to avoid the proximity, and the occasional intentional or innocent rub, of other men. I got a few furtive "you're hot!" or "baby!" comments, but enjoyed a chuckle when a guy whispered in my ear that he would fight the sharks of the ocean out there if he could untie my straps. Funny things that guys do and say after a few drinks in the presence of a woman. But Geoffrey ensured nothing got out of hand.
Towards the late afternoon and a couple of margaritas later, I suggested to Geoffrey that we check out the hospitality desk a few decks below, to see whether there were any interesting day tours tomorrow, when we would touch port in San Juan. I got a shock, however, when we exited the elevator and I saw that the person manning the desk was an attractive black man in his thirties. He was tall, and had an erect upper body with strong but not ridiculously over-developed arms. His name plate read "Nicco." Nicco was focused, efficient and seemed to be a relatively senior manager, as when we arrived he was instructing staff about something or other that needed to be done. Why did that shock me? The shock came from realizing, as I saw him, that I was interested. Was it because I had never been with a man who was not white? Or that I was now open to other partners? Or that I was willing to do to Geoffrey what he did to me? What the hell? Play this cool, Jess, I told myself.
We went over different options for tours and all. Nicco, was very knowledgeable and helpful. When I decided I liked him, and not before, I sat at a chair and unbuttoned my tunic while looking at his eyes. Oh yes, it was there, the flash, nano-second glance checking me out, safely nested in an innocent observation about restaurants in San Juan. I made up my mind and turned to him and asked, "Is there a place around here where we could get a cup of coffee?"
"Yes, ma'am, on the deck immediately above, at the other end of the ship, after all the shops, there is a 24-hour coffee shop where you can get an excellent expresso." Nicco was all smiles. He didn't know the smile he would have shortly.
"Geoff, would you mind terribly much bringing me a cappuccino from the coffee shop while I take a look at this?" I innocently gestured at the maps spread before me.
"Sure, honey!" Geoffrey said. I often enjoyed a coffee in the afternoons. He was off.
"How much time?"
"Excuse me, ma'am?"
