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The Love Boat

By: panama trick



This story is collaboration between Myself and My loving collared submissive fireinnereyes. It is a story, but the feelings and the emotions are very real to U/us. W/we hope you enjoy reading it as much as W/we enjoyed the back and forth that created it. Blessed be to all O/our F/friends and to those new O/ones that W/we meet together all the time. 

"My first vacation in years and I'm going to enjoy it completely." He walked up the gangplank to the ship, looked back at the busy port and smiled, thinking to Himself, He had big plans for this trip. He was going to relax, swim, maybe shoot a little onboard skeet, eat good food, gamble a bit, and scuba in the Caymans. Mostly, he wanted just to get His head clear and enjoy some down time. 

He walked to His stateroom, noticed His luggage was already there and then went up on deck for the mandatory lifeboat drill. He casually watched His fellow passengers. There was quite a mix of people: blue hairs, newlyweds, jet setters, young professionals, and families. There were some attractive women, but He expected most of them were married or 10 years older than Him. 

"Good thing I'm not on the prowl," he thought, "it is going to be thin pickings on this trip." The ship set sail and He returned to His stateroom for a quick nap before dinner. He rose about 7 p.m. and headed down to the dining area to His table. Four were already seated at His six-person table: a couple in their 60's, and two newlyweds. She was cute as a button; he was dashing and attentive. They whispered to each other and touched a lot. 

He sat down and looked at the menu. 

"Fish or beef?" He wondered, when a sudden wave of delicious perfume swept behind Him. In a flurry of colorful skirt and blouse, she sat down next to Him. He pretended to look at the menu while glancing at her from the sides of His eyes. 

"Hi I'm fire," she said to Him. She introduced herself to everyone at the table individually. He paused a moment, then let His eyes travel up her body, appraising her openly to her face. 

"fire. That's an interesting name for an interesting woman. . My name is Tantrick." The slightly bemused smile on her face let Him know that she had seen His scan of her, but her face went a little flush when He had spoken. Her face told Him that she enjoyed being flirted with.

"That's an odd name for an interesting Man," she giggled as she looked at Him from under her long lashes, obviously sizing Him up. Her eyes locked to His and He was stunned by the appearance of flames in them ... His green eyes bright and watchful; her eyes dazzling and like a candle to a moth. Her voice was slightly husky, at times almost breathless, and her expression made others feel as if they were the only one to whom she was talking. The time passed much too quickly. 

He excused Himself and headed down to His stateroom to sleep. Sleep eluded Him as He thought about that beautiful woman... fire. 

"What's her story? Why is a woman like that alone on a cruise?" Giving up on sleep, He rose and headed for the casino, as He passed one of the small bar areas He noticed her sitting at the bar talking with the bartender and walked over to her. 

"Do you mind if I join you?" He asked. She waved her hand at the stool next to her. 

"Not at all. It would be nice to have some company. So Tantrick, where are You from?" 

She glanced at Him with a flirtatious smile as she brought her drink to her sensuous lips and licked the salt from the rim of the glass before taking a sip. 

"Oops," she giggled as the slice of lime that was perched on the rim accidentally fell down the front of her sundress landing deep in her cleavage. She retrieved it from between her breasts and lifted it to her mouth, sucking the juices from the bittersweet fruit, winking as she did. She took another sip, tossing her hair over her shoulder and batting her long, dark lashes as her eyes shined into His. She had such playfulness about her and He was captivated by her warm, smiling eyes.

"I'm from all over, fire. Born in Rhode Island, grew up in Panama, lived in Kansas, Washington, DC, Texas, and now I live in Florida ... I think you mentioned something about Pittsburgh at dinner when you were talking to that young bride at the table," He replied, smiling at her obvious flirtation and hoping she wasn't drunk

"So tell Me," he said glancing at her ring finger, "where's your husband? Is he ill? Or did he let you come on this cruise alone? I know that I wouldn't let a woman like you out of My sight for very long." 

"Do you dance?" He grinned at her and spoke with a sexy tone in His voice. He looked up at the few people dancing under the dim lights.

He stepped forward and slid a hand around her waist and took her hand, spinning her out onto the floor. He held her close but not too tight. Her hips swayed with the Latin beat of Santana and He danced like He had when He was young in the salsa joints of Panama. 

"Ok folks, last call and last dance." They laughed and twirled the time away until suddenly the DJ spoke. 

He held her close and danced to an old blues standard, their bodies touching and pressing, and her breath fragrant in His face and her aroma warm and provocative. As the dance came to a close, He bent and kissed her softly on the lips. Her lips parted and pressed against His and He deepened the contact, His tongue slipping into her mouth and tipping against her tongue. A little moan escaped her lips. As the lights came up, she realized what had happened. A blush covered her beautiful face and she apologized to Him. 

"For what?" He asked.

"Well, I am a married woman, Sir, and I wouldn't want to lead you on", she stammered.

Smiling at her obvious attempt to gather herself.

"I accept your apology under one condition". 

"What's that?" 

"Let Me escort you back to your stateroom. You never know who's running around these ships this time of the morning."

"Oh no, I really don't think that is necessary, but thank You very much for offering." 

Just as she said these words to Him, her eyes fluttered, her body telling her to go for it. Her heart was beating so rapidly, she hoped He didn't hear it pounding out of her chest Her voice shook as she tried to walk confidently and strong across the floor to grab her purse. Her legs felt like rubber after that kiss. 

"Thank you for your company, I had fun dancing and spending time with you Tantrick. I'll see You at breakfast. Good night, and thanks again " She turned quickly trying to disguise her obvious attraction to Him. She was too scared to take it any further, knowing she was drawn to Him but not wanting to admit it. 

"Oh, my God," she thought to herself. "What would my husband say if he knew?"

As she turned away He stepped closer and took her arm.

"No fire, I insist. I'm serious about the people who walk around on these boats at this time of the morning and I want to make sure you get back to your room safely. I won't take no for an answer. Now, either I can follow you there, lurking in the halls behind you, or W/we can walk together and enjoy each other's company. Besides, it is a condition for Me to accept your apology—not that one was necessary—and I'm not the kind of Man who takes that kind of thing lightly. So fire, what'll it be? Do I shadow you back to your room or do W/we spend a few more moments together? You are delightful company by the way." 

"What is your room number?" Without another word He took her elbow and led her out into the passageway. 

"I'm in 203. Balcony level." She looked at Him fearfully for a second, but He looked so handsome and so serious she said. 

"Nice room. If you get the chance I'll show you what the suites look like." 

"Really Tantrick, I'll be alright. I can make it the rest of the way myself. Have a good evening, okay? And thanks again for a lovely evening." Sensing a bit of danger she glanced over at Him, her pulse raced as He gripped her elbow tighter. 

"So, did I tell You that I've been married for 16 years...faithfully?" she said nervously. 

Disregarding her protest, He continued to walk with her His hand on her elbow. As they rounded the corner to the ship elevator, a drunk staggered out of an adjoining passageway.

"Hey, Baby, why don't you get rid of that bum and let's go party in my stateroom. I got a full bar." The drunk glared at Tantrick thru bloodshot, bleary eyes and bucked up like he was looking for a fight.

"Back off asshole. The lady isn't looking for a party; she's looking for her room." Tantrick stepped between fire and the drunk and said in low voice with a touch of a feral growl.

The drunk shot forward in a spastic lurch and Tantrick grabbed Him by the throat with one big hand, closing it around his windpipe as he repeated the warning. The drunk turned blue and clawed at the powerful arm that held him pinned to the bulkhead. 

"Listen buddy, just go back to your room get some sleep and don't come out again tonight. If I see you again tonight you're going to have a long swim and I'm going to wait till morning to tell the captain I saw someone fall overboard." Tantrick took fire's arm. Her eyes grew large and excited at the display of strength and the manner in which He had disposed of the problem. 

"You see fire, that's exactly the kind of thing I was hoping you'd avoid by allowing Me to escort you. So I hope you'll reconsider." He looked at her with a bit of a twisted smile. His lips uncurled and returned to their former condition.

"I'm sorry Tantrick. You were right. I guess it is a bit dangerous. I had no idea. Thank you for taking care of that man for me. I appreciate You protecting me from that monster." Smiling with a bit of embarrassment as the blush filled her cheeks, she cast her eyes to the floor then slowly raised them to meet His.

She wrapped her arm around His arm tight, feeling as if He was now her knight in shining armor after that display. A soft smile graced her lovely face as they continued their walk to her stateroom. She was thinking silently to herself: What a Man So honorable and noble, gallant and so dreamy, too She was so turned on by His actions to protect her, so charmed by His manners. "Mmm, such a Gentleman," she thought. Her heart was going pitter-patter, and she felt a familiar tingling between her legs. 

He glanced at her and smiled as He noticed her nipples were peeking through her dress

The adrenaline from the confrontation still rushed through His veins as T/they reached her stateroom. She pulled out her key pass and handed it to Him. He ran it through the door lock and opened the door. 

Turning to her, He said, "Well fire, here you are. I'm a couple of decks up. Before I leave is there anything you need?" 

She looked at Him with a glint in her eyes, her heart jumping out of her chest. "What do I need? Oh my lord, if you only knew what I need," she thought. 

"I believe I'll be alright, Sir. Will I see you at breakfast in the morning?" she said smiling up at Him.

"Well, fire, I'm not certain, I have some business in Kingston and then I was going to stop out at the Falls before returning to the ship, but I'll probably grab a quick cup of coffee in town and a meat pie or something," He replied.

She looked at Him with sad eyes. She had been so looking forward to spending more time with Him. There was a feeling when she was with Him. Just thinking about it made her wet with anticipation and her nipples hardened even more, a slight blush crossing her face at the thoughts of what she wanted this powerful Man to do to her... 

He reached out to shake her hand good night and something made her—something deep inside...a force, kismet, who could tell—made her say, Oh Tantrick, don't be silly. She reached up to draw His face down to hers for a quick sweet kiss.

As their lips touched for the second time that night, He pulled her tight against Him and prolonged it, his lips warm and sensuous against her soft and yielding ones. His tongue slipped past her lips and danced off of hers... Her body melted against Him as years of deprivation disappeared in that one single kiss and embrace. A little moan escaped her lips. He walked her backwards into her stateroom and kicked the door closed behind them.

He spun her around and kissed her up against the inside of the door. His hands lightly searched, but His lips burned against hers like a branding iron. He wanted this woman, and He could tell by her reaction that she wanted Him. He grabbed her buttocks in a soft squeeze and pulled her against Him as He finished the kiss. Looking down in her eyes, He saw the need, the hunger, the desire and the fear—the fear of giving in. She had made a point of mentioning her marriage, but He knew at this moment, and probably long before this moment, that she had dreamt of a situation like this: a time when her lust and longing would be answered by a Man who was willing to take her, to make her His if only for the moment. 

"fire, are you okay?" He whispered.

She looked into His eyes and he saw the answer to her unspoken question. He wanted her, and He would have her whether she sought it or not. She was powerless before His gaze and His passion. Quietly she responded.

Suddenly, she fainted, losing consciousness, collapsing in His arms. The emotions that He evoked within her were so overwhelming and the blood rushed from her brain so fast she blacked out. He chuckled to Himself knowing that this was more than she had possibly ever dreamt of. He picked her limp body and with great ease placed her gently on the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed with a smile that relayed how charming and sweet she was...along with how much fun He was going to have with this little one once she came to. He didn't realize the effect He had on her until she actually fainted in His arms. 

"Oh my," He thought to Himself. "It has been a long time, hasn't it you sweet thing?"

He stroked the hair from her eyes then, rising slowly, He went into the bathroom and got her a glass of water and a cold hand cloth to place on her face.

As he returned from the bathroom, He noticed the silk scarves on her dresser. A small smile twisted His lip as He picked up one, then the second. He returned to her bedside and looped the silk scarf loosely through her wrists with a knot carefully prepared that could be closed quickly to secure her wrists together. He placed her hands slightly above her head and then took the other scarf and looped it through the space between the wrists then secured it to the bed's headboard. With that, He began dabbing at her face with the wet cloth. 

"fire? fire? Are you okay, fire?"

Her eyes fluttered, then burst open, a blush filling her face.

"Tantrick, what happened?"

"Where I come from you would say you had swooned." He smiled softly into her eyes.

He quickly pulled the knot tight on her wrists and pulled the other scarf taut through the bed frame, securing her arms above her head. 

"I hope W/we aren't going to have anymore of that, it really takes away from the time W/we are going to be spending together."

A wild glint in His eye made her shudder clear through to her pussy and she gasped at the knowledge that she was tied and helpless. He looked down at her.

"Am I going to have to gag you, or are you going to be smart and not scream?" 

The reality of what was about to happen rushed through her like a lightening bolt striking her mind and firing up her body. Her mind began reeling.

"Oh my God what am I going to do?" She cried out deep inside of herself. "I shouldn't have let Him walk me to my room. I knew something like this would happen. I should've known better than to trust and think that I could resist this Man I want Him but this is wrong. I'm married for Christ's sake " 

"Please Tantrick. You're very handsome and I'm extremely attracted to You, Sir, but we can't do this. I'm married I'm married " She snapped at Him defiantly, struggling to be faithful, to remain monogamous, to keep the vows she recited before God at the altar to her husband. Her voice filled with fear as she tried to deny the need for Him that was screaming loud within her soul—the need that hasn't been fulfilled by her husband...the wanton lust and desire that she craved and yearned for demonstrated in this Man who has tied her to her bed making her wet. Squeezing her thighs together tight to try and relieve the ache, she turned her head away in embarrassment at her arousal. She hoped her expressive eyes wouldn't reveal her efforts to do what was right struggling to defeat her need to have Him 

"Please untie me. Please. Please."

He noticed her scent and grinned. He knew her words were not in sync with what her body was telling Him. She bit her lip nervously.

"So little one, you wish to be set free? To just forget this ever happened? To deny the lust that is coursing through your veins and wetting your cunt right now?"

He reached out and ran His hand up her thigh to her sopped panties. She struggled a bit but her body reacted naturally to His touch and her legs spread enough for Him to run His hand over her. His fingers made her cry out in pleasure, when He slid His finger under her panty leg and into her wetness she sobbed with lust and abandon. 

"Tantrick, please, please stop. You don't know what You are doing. You don't mean those terrible things You're saying."

He pulled His finger from her and held it up before her eyes. Her honey was obvious on his long lean finger. Lifting it to His lips as His eyes bored into hers He sucked the fragrant dew from His finger. She turned her head away and blushed.

Oh my God, look at this Man. He's an animal. 

He grabbed her cheeks and turned her head back to Him. 

"You're delicious slut, so tasty, so fresh. He leaded down and kissed her passionately, the flavor of her cunt on His tongue and lips."

She melted.

She moaned softly into His kiss, and then heard herself gasp as He sucked the air from her lungs. In a last ditch effort to resist, she bit His lip. He pulled away and grinned at her and slapped her tits roughly. 

"Bad girl " he said, licking the blood from His lip and wiping it with His sleeve. His eyes turned from hazel to blue.

"Please let me go, Tantrick. You can't You can't." Fire kicked her legs struggling to free herself from the knotted scarves, her body twisting and turning as she thrashed upon the bed. Her pleading and struggling served only to arouse Him more.

He enjoyed a feisty girl and she didn't realize that her resistance was only serving to fuel His fire. He relished the moment and how she squirmed so delightfully on the bed before Him. Taming this little filly would be so enjoyable. He teased and taunted her. 

"Aww, come on My pet. You can struggle harder than that, can't You sweetheart?" He grabbed her pussy hard in His hand and squeezed it tight. Then, He looked deep into her eyes and exclaimed, 

"You will be Mine This pussy will belong to Me." His voice was thick with lust and determination. She never heard a Man talk to her like this before. Slowly, she began to give into the primal urges within. She knew she needed this but was fighting to maintain her ladylike composure. She knew she was losing the battle as she felt her juices seeping out of her starving cunt.

"HAHAHAHAHA," He roared with laughter. "Release you? Let you go? I've just started." 

With a wicked grin, He reached up and grabbed her blouse, His fingers scooping right through to the middle of her bra. He reared back and tore the clothing from her, her breasts bounding into the light with a slight sheen from the emotions clouding her mind. Her nipples were stiff, erect, swollen—crying out for touch. Her face was red with embarrassment. No Man had seen her breasts but her husband since she was a young thing. He savored the view. He reached out and caressed her nipple, feeling her press against Him even though she was still protesting He gripped her nipple between thumb and forefinger and twisted till she cried out in a mixture of pain and lust. He noticed that her hips rose each time He tweaked her nipple. He alternated between the two until they were cherry red from His sweet torture.


The Love Boat



"Cast off all lines!" The Officer of the Deck called over the 7MC to the line handlers, telling them that they were to relieve their ship of its tethers to the pier. They were pulling out of port, on their way to the Mediterranean for a six-month deployment. This was the first time a United States Navy submarine had gotten underway with women on board. The logistics, not to mention the politics, were a nightmare. Forget about the press coverage; that didn't bother the commanding officer, Captain Billy Taggert, half as much as the microscope he was under from the Navy's top brass. As they left port, Captain Taggert prayed quietly to himself, hoping nothing would happen that would cost him his command or his career. Now that the USS Texas was underway, she would sail out just past the coast, conduct a shakedown, and then be on her way to the Med. 

The crew of the USS Texas had been together for more than two years, and was as tight as any family could be. For most of the crew, this would be their second deployment on the Texas, but everyone's first deployment with female sailors. Just like with every submarine in the Navy, new crewmembers had to get qualified, and the Texas was no different. Each person had to go around the ship and learn the location each valve in each compartment, as well as the systems for which each division is responsible, from the propulsion plant to the sanitary systems, and the easiest way to get it done was to partner up with another non-qual, and study.

Steve and Jamie had been friends since they started at the US Navy's Submarine Education Center over a year ago and, as fate would have it, they would share a similar training pipeline and end up with orders to the same ship. They reported aboard a couple of days apart, and linked up almost immediately. Since they were both non-quals, they would be able to spend time studying together. Steve would help Jamie with mechanical systems, and she would help him with nuclear theory and navigation. The first few days underway were spent with the administrative shuffle that is common for all newcomers. Then they would be assigned to mess decks to work as food service attendants while they studied their qualification materials and prepared for the qualification board; usually held within the first year aboard.

Steve and Jamie had just finished cleaning up after the noon meal, and were headed to the Torpedo Room for some study time; tonight, it was ventilation. In forward compartment, lower level, the Torpedo Room was quiet, and they could study together. They broke out the volume of the Ship Systems Manual covering ventilation, and began reading. Every now and then, Steve would look up from the book at Jamie, just to see if she was looking back. She was a very attractive young woman; too attractive for the Navy Steve thought, but he was happy she wanted to spend what little free time they had studying with him. Jamie pretended not to notice when Steve looked at her. She would not admit it, but she liked him too; maybe even more than she should.

"I think we need to get into the fan room to check this stuff out. The schematics don't make sense to me, I need to look at it so I understand it," said Jamie.

"You're right. I mean, I understand it, but it would be helpful to see it too."

Up in the control room, Steve got permission from the Chief of the Watch to enter the fan room, a requirement while the ship was underway. Once the Chief of the Watch informed the Officer of the Deck, they were given permission to open the fan room door and go inside for qualification purposes.

The fan room contained all the fans that provided the circulation of air for the entire ship, and was loud enough that it required hearing protection at all times. Steve and Jamie each grabbed a set of Mickey-Mouse ears (a nickname for the type of hearing protection that covers the entire ear), opened the fan room door, and stepped inside, closing the door behind them. The space was tight. The room was small, and completely filled with fans and ventilation ducts. Steve and Jamie made their way through the room slowly, climbing over items that were stowed for sea, finally making it to the back of the room. "Look here, I found fan twelve, the one that supplies the engine room!" Steve was yelling at the top of his lungs so he could be heard over the noise of the fans.

Jamie didn't bother answering, she just made her way to where Steve was to take a look. On her way to him, she stumbled over something, and fell against him. He caught her, and that's when it happened. Their eyes met and suddenly, there was electricity between them. Neither could explain it, but they both new it was there. Jamie turned away first, almost like an embarrassed schoolgirl. When she did, Steve touched her cheek, and moved her face back to his. As soon as their eyes met again, he kissed her gently on her lips; he was surprised at how soft they were. Jamie was stunned; she didn't know what to do. She kissed him back. Steve pulled away from her, he wanted to see the look in her eyes...to see if she felt what he did. Just then, Jamie pulled herself up to him, and kissed him passionately, this time slipping her tongue into Steve's mouth. Steve's cock began to swell in his pants. He began to caress Jamie's legs, hips, and ass, squeezing her firm cheeks with one hand, holding her with the other. Jamie reached up and pulled Steve closer to her, kissing him deeper.

Jamie stood up and looked back, surveying their line of sight to the fan room door. Satisfied that ventilation ducts blocked it, she turned back to Steve and began to unbutton her uniform shirt. She let it fall open, exposing her perfectly shaped 34B breasts, still restricted by a pink lace bra. Steve was almost frozen in place with surprise...this couldn't be happening, certainly not to him. She leaned forward-a devilish grin on her face-and began to unbuckle Steve's belt. His cock was starting to ache, throbbing, yearning to be set free. She rubbed it through his pants, admiring the thickness. She unzipped his pants. Steve raised his hips so she could slide them down to his feet. His cock flopped up and stood erect; all eight inches. Jamie got a big smile on her face and her mouth started to water at the sight of Steve's cock standing tall, waiting to be sucked. She knelt down in front of him, grabbed his shaft of with one hand, cupped his balls in the other, and slid his cock as far into her mouth as she could. Jamie started to bob her head up and down, sliding Steve's cock in and out of her mouth, and pumping the shaft at the same time. Steve began to moan, but there was no way she could hear him in the noisy fan room. 

Steve let his head fall back, lost in the ecstasy of Jamie's expert sucking. His balls started to tighten and, at that moment, Jamie pulled his shaft from her mouth. Still kneeling in front of him, she looked up and smiled, still slowly stroking his cock. Steve looked back at her, still feeling as if he were dreaming. Jamie reached down and unclasped her bra, exposing her perfect tits. She leaned forward, wrapped her tits around Steve's throbbing cock and began to move them up and down on the shaft, sliding the head in her mouth every time she slid down. Steve's balls began to tighten again. "I think I'm gonna cum," he told her, practically yelling over the sound of the fans. Luckily she heard him, and shoved his cock into her mouth, swallowing the length. Steve's hot juice pumped into her mouth as fast as she could drink it. When she felt his dick stop pulsating, she slid it out of her mouth, making sure to lick the last drop of cum that seeped from the head.

Jamie got up and turned around, bending over one of the ventilation ducts, she turned to Steve and said, "Do you wanna fuck my tight little ass?" Steve didn't even answer her. He stood up, his cock in his hand, and went to her. Jamie rested her weight on the duct, reached back and spread her ass cheeks apart, relaxing her pink knot so Steve's cock could slide inside. He pushed the head of his dick against her tight rosebud, easing it slowly into Jamie's ass as she relaxed it. The head of his cock slipped inside. He paused for a second, then continued to push slowly until the entire shaft was buried deep inside her. He began to slide his cock in and out of her ass, faster and faster. Soon he was pounding his shaft into her. She was starting to cum, Steve could hear her moans over the whirl of the fans.

"Do you like my cock in your ass?" He had to yell for her to hear.

"YES!!! FUCK MY ASS WITH YOUR BIG COCK!!!" Jamie reached down and began to rub her swollen clit. He slammed into her even harder, his hips smacking into her ass, his balls crashing into her middle and index fingers as they rubbed her stiff button. "OH, FUCK ME!!!" Jamie yelled out as her ass continued to get cocked.

"I gonna cum again!" Steve gave her a warning, although not much of one.

"Shoot your thick cum into my ass!" She didn't even finish the command, and her ass began to be pumped full of hot cum from Steve's pulsing dick. As soon as she felt the first squirt of cum, she pushed her ass against him. He met her with a thrust forward. Steve could feel her ass tighten around his cock as the juices from her orgasm ran down between her fingers. He leaned over, grabbed her around the waist, and held her close to him, his cock slowly shrinking and starting to slide out of her ass. 

Steve stood up and put his pants back on and Jamie got dressed as well. It turns out that it was just in time...CS1 Roberts had just opened the fan room door. "Where the hell have you two been? I've been looking all over the place for you! Get your asses back down to the mess decks! Chow is in thirty minutes, and you still have to clean up! MOVE!"

Steve and Jamie left the fan room for the mess decks as fast as they could. "Sorry CS1, we were working on quals," Steve tried to explain.

Jamie broke in, "Ventilation...we were studying ventilation."

"I don't give a FUCK what you were doing! You were supposed to be down here getting ready for chow an hour ago! You two better get your asses in gear; you got twenty-five minutes to get this place ready to serve."

Steve and Jamie did as they were told, and went to work. Jamie started cleaning the deck while Steve started on the dishes. There was a huge mess left over from the after-watch crew. They always came down and watched movies after the meal. Jamie was just finishing the floor when the meal started. Now that the mess decks were running at full swing, Steve and Jamie could settle into the routine and not be hurried. They took turns doing dishes and serving drinks, exchanging smiles whenever they could without someone noticing.

After the meal was over, they cleaned up the mess decks and got ready for the next one. The cycle of cleaning studying and serving never seemed to end, and now they were in the study phase once more. They needed to continue working on ventilation since the last study session ended with Jamie's ass full of cum, and nothing new learned about the ventilation system except that someone could fuck in the fan room without being heard. They adjourned to the torpedo room once again; this time they would study and not be distracted. The books were open, and they were reading, quizzing each other.

"Where is fan nine?", Steve asked.

"Is that the one in the back of the Torpedo Room?"

"Yep. What is it for?"

"The battery compartment."

"Why does the battery compartment need its own fan?"

"For the same reason your cock was in my ass earlier; because I like it!" Steve sensed the lust in Jamie's voice, even though it was barely a whisper. The thought of his cock in her ass made it begin to swell in his pants.

They laughed for a moment as if they were somewhere else, then came back to reality. "No, really...why does the battery need its own fan?"

"Fine...be that way. It has its own fan to remove the hydrogen gas that gathers above the battery during a charge. It's a special fan...blah, blah, blah. I know it already. The problem is, that I can't think about ventilation right now. The only thing I can think about is what your cock would feel like fucking my pussy instead of my ass. THAT'S the only thing I want to learn right now."

Steve's cock was really starting to strain the fabric of his pants. "We can't. We have to study." Jamie could hear the disappointment in Steve's voice...she stepped closer to him, biting her bottom lip and smiling devilishly. She reached out her hands and touched Steve on his chest, and stepped toward him, leaving just enough room to look innocent if someone happened to come into the room.

"Wouldn't you rather study my pussy with your cock?"

"You know I would, but we can't go back into the fan room... We were just in there a few hours ago; it'll look suspicious."

"Don't worry, I have another idea... What do you think of the missile vent space? There is a spot all the way forward where no one will be able to see us."

"What about the Torpedoman of the Watch?"

"Why, do you want to fuck her too?"

"No! I meant what if she hears us?"

"Don't worry, Liz is a friend of mine. I asked her to stand lookout for us."

"Why would she do that? What's in it for her?"

"I told her about your cock, and mentioned that I might be willing to share you."

"You WHAT?!?"

"I told her about your cock and how it filled up my ass and how good it felt, she practically started masturbating in front of me. When I told her that I might need a favor sometime when she's on watch, she agreed...but said it would cost me. When I asked what she wanted, she just looked at me and said 'you know what I want'. So I agreed."

"I'm not some fucking piece of meat that you can pass among your friends, you know. What if I don't want to fuck her?"

"Do you like fucking me?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll fuck her... You only have to do it once." 

Steve peaked around her to get a look at Liz. She was an average looking girl, not beautiful, but not ugly either; nowhere near as pretty as Jamie...a little thicker in the ass too.

"On one condition... The only way I am going to fuck her is if we all do a three-some when we pull into port. But I still get to fuck you while we are underway, deal?"

"Let me talk to Liz, I don't know if she'll go for it."

Jamie walked to the front of the torpedo room and was back in a few minutes, Steve watching her the entire time. As Jamie walked back to where he was standing, he could see Liz smiling like a Cheshire cat; he knew the answer was "yes".

"She agreed then?"

Jamie turned back and looked at Liz. "Look at her, what do you think? She said that she would play lookout for us for the rest of the deployment if we invited her to a three-some! Now, are you going to fuck me with that huge cock of yours or what?"

Jamie grabbed Steve by the shirt and walked backward toward the front of the torpedo room, pulling him along the way. They walked around the front of the supply shack, and worked their way as far forward as they could. 

In the front of the Torpedo Room is the missile vent space, and there is just enough room for two people to have a good time, as long as no one was nearby. The only problem with this particular location is there is no background noise to muffle noises that may attract unwanted attention; Steve and Jamie would have to be quiet.

Jamie pulled Steve close, and began to kiss him passionately. She was in control now and she wanted there to be no doubt in Steve's mind that she was running the show. As she kissed him, she reached down and rubbed his throbbing cock through his pants. She could feel it straining at the cloth, wanting to be released. She would make him wait a little longer. Every time Steve tried to reach up and caress her beautiful tits, she would stop rubbing his dick, and make him put his hands back at his sides. He complied with her silent commands, but the desire to fondle her tits was almost more than he could handle. Steve tried again to unbutton her shirt. Each time she would force his hands back to his sides.

"If you want me to fuck you, you're going to have to stop. Let me do this my way," she told him.

"I can't help it... You're driving me fuckin' CRAZY!"

Jamie started kissing him again, this time grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him around so his back was to the bench-locker. Still kissing him, she began to undo his pants, letting them fall to the floor. With less clothing holding back his thick cock, his bulge was much more pronounced. Next, she reached down, tucked her thumbs into the waistband of his boxer-briefs, and started to push them down to his knees, his cock springing up to attention now that it was free. 

She pushed him back onto the bench, and was now standing in front of him. She reached up and began to unbutton her shirt, revealing her succulent tits stuffed into a dark red, lacy bra. Steve couldn't resist... He reached up to cup them with his hands, only to have one of them slapped. "No touching," she commanded. She reached up between her lovely globes, and unclasped the bra, setting them free. Steve's mouth began watering at the sight... He loved to suck on tits, and these were some of the best he had ever seen.

"Do you want to suck on them?" she said, smiling down at him.

Steve could barely mutter a "Yes." He was excited enough that he was afraid that he might yell it out, and their game would be over.

"Then suck them...but don't touch. You can't use your hands."

Again, Steve did as he was told. Jamie bent over slightly, dangling her breasts in front of Steve's face just close enough for him to suck a nipple into his mouth and flick it with his tongue. Just as he did, Jamie put her head back and let out a sigh. She loved to have her tits sucked, nothing made her pussy wet faster than her tits getting a good tongue-lashing. She moved her tits back and forth in front of Steve's wanting mouth, giving each nipple its turn. Her pussy was starting to drip with the anticipation of being filled with Steve's hard cock.

She pulled her tit from Steve's mouth, pushed him down on the bench, and took off her pants. She stepped toward him and straddled his large cock. She reached down and guided his throbbing shaft into her soaking wet pussy, slowly sinking down on it until her hot cunt enveloped it. She began to move her hips in a circle, tickling her cervix with the head of his dick while grinding her clit against his pubic hair. She leaned back, put her hands on his knees, and raised her hips up and down on his shaft, forcing the head of his dick to push against her g-spot; it was already beginning to drive her wild. She started to bounce faster onto his cock, trying to force it deeper each time she came down. She started not to care if anyone heard them.

"Fuck my pussy, you fucking non-qual! Fuck me good!" She tried to be as quiet as she could.

"You like riding this dick, don't you. You like the way my thick cock fills you up!"

"I want you to cum in my mouth. I want to taste my pussy juices mixed with your salty cum." It was more of a command than a desire.

"I hope you are ready for it soon, I can't hold it much longer."

Jamie could feel his balls begin to tighten each time her ass landed on them, and his cock was starting to swell, the head now more firm, as it rubbed on her g-spot; it was driving her crazy. She quickly rose off his cock and knelt in front of him, cupped his tight balls with her left hand and the base of his shaft with her right. Her timing was perfect... Just as the head of his dick slipped past her lips, he began to shoot his hot cum into her mouth. His cock jerked each time cum shot from the head. Jamie savored each drop and continued to swallow until his balls were dry.

"My God, that was fucking great!" Steve said with a sound of fulfillment in his voice.




The Love Boat



"Oh, you're not done yet," Jamie informed him.

She stood up and turned around. Exposing her ass to him, she bent over and, once again, lowered her cunt onto his still hard cock. Once he was inside her, she put her hands on his knees and began to bounce on his shaft, this time her clit crashed onto his balls with each bounce, his cock even deeper in her cunt than before. She only slammed down on his cock five or six more times, and then it happened... Jamie's whole body became very tense, then started to convulse, all the muscles in her body jerking at once. Her legs clamped together on his, and she began to whimper, obviously holding in the scream she do desperately wanted to set free. As Jamie's pussy tightened on Steve's cock, he could feel her orgasm drip from her cunt, down his balls, and onto the floor.

"FUCK that was good." Steve was satisfied with their session.

Jamie rose off him and stood there looking between her legs at Steve's dick, glistening with her juices. She couldn't resist. She bent over and licked her juices from his cock, starting from his balls, and working her way to the tip of his cock, then slid the length into her mouth and back out again. Then, with a huge smile on her face, she put her clothes back on and walked away leaving him there on the bench. She went back into the Torpedo Room to wait for him.

Steve got dressed and walked back into the Torpedo Room about two minutes behind Jamie. When he came around the corner, he saw Jamie standing close to Liz and whispering to her. When they saw him, they stopped talking and stared at him.

"What?" he asked them, not really expecting an answer.

"Nothing," Liz answered, "Jamie was just telling me how your cock filled her perfectly, that's all." Both of the girls giggled.

"C'mon, we have to get back to the mess decks. CS1 will be wondering where we are, if he hasn't started looking for us already."

They went back up to middle level to the mess decks to clean up for the day. Their twelve-hour shift was almost over, and it would be time to get some sleep before they had to get up and start over again. Every day for the next six months would be pretty much the same except when they pulled into port. Then, Steve, Jamie, and Liz, had the day off for liberty. They rented a hotel room so Steve could make good on his promise for a threesome with Jamie and Liz.



The Love Boat



Author's note: This one's a little less dark than the last two. I guess we're too close to the holidays to be depressed. As usual I'd like to thank all of you for taking your valuable time reading this story. I'd also like to thank Mikothebaby for editing it. Originally we were going to use the names of the crew on the love boat TV series. We didn't because we figured that if we did, like our Transformers story, it would end up getting posted in celebrities and no one would see it. 

* * * * * * 

Even as I pulled into the long term parking structure near the dock, my mind wandered. Why the fuck was I going on a God damned cruise? I hated boats. Well it wasn't actually hate it was more a healthy dislike. Okay, we're friends of a sort. I mean I'm telling you my story and you're listening to it, so I can be honest. I'm fucking scared of being out in the ocean. No matter how big the boat is, I'm afraid. In fact if I had to be out in the ocean, I'd rather be in a small boat. There's actually less chance of you drowning in a small boat. You're closer to the water. Since you're going to end up in the water any way, it makes more sense to be closer to it.

Maybe it's all of those fucking boat movies too. Have you ever noticed that every fucking movie about a boat ends up with or begins with the boat sinking? Think about it, the Poseidon Adventure, Gilligan's Island and especially Titanic, in every one of them the fucking boat sinks. 

So here I was on what should have been the happiest day of my life so far. Today I married the dream girl. We're only 2 hours into our marriage and here I was about to get on a fucking boat. The whole idea just filled me with dread. The thrumming of my Mustang's extremely powerful engine was the only calming influence on me. As I looked out of the parking structure's windows all I could see was the boat.

Jeezus, that thing was huge. I'd been reading the specs on this thing since we'd booked our honeymoon on it. The numbers simply didn't do it justice. This thing was a floating city. I mean I knew it was big, but this thing was fucking BIG! 

When you read things like 1,181 feet long, you think, okay it's long. But let's put this in real world terms. This boat is almost as long as four football fields placed end to end. It was very close to being a quarter of a mile long. So this fucking boat is longer than the street you live on.

It weighs 225,000 tons roughly. Okay folks do the math, that's about 450 million pounds. I have no words for that. All I can think about that is that it would hurt like hell if somebody dropped this boat on your foot. I don't think the incredible Hulk could pick this boat up without getting a hernia.

This boat is 272 feet tall at its highest point so even if you jumped off of it in a storm wearing your life jacket or not, you'd be fucking dead as disco hitting the water at that speed. I do not want to get on this fucking boat. I know for a fact that my life will never be the same. So why am I doing it?

I'm doing it for the same reasons that all men do anything. Yep, there's a woman involved. In my case it's Danielle Mason, aka Danni. She's my ex fiancé and current wife. Danni is beautiful, there's no other way to describe her. She's tall with long blonde hair and giant green eyes. She worked for one of my friends as a secretary and I fell for her hard from the first time I met her.

My name is Caleb Storm. Hey, it really isn't my fault. My mother was extremely religious. Unfortunately she died when I was very young. I never had the chance to even get to know her. I do know that it may have been a good thing because I gave up on church almost immediately. Neither my father nor either set of my grandparents could ever convince me to go.

Anyway, back to the present. Danni and I got our bags from the taxi that had followed us from the hotel where we'd slipped out during our reception. There was no way all of those bags would fit in my Mustang's trunk. Well mine would, like most guys I travel light. But Danni seemed to have packed a fucking beauty shop into all of her suitcases. She pulled out her blackberry and texted her best friend Emma, who was also going on the cruise. And yes, I paid for Emma to come too. 

The two of them had been roommates until now. And Emma had also just broken up with her latest boyfriend. It had been an emotional double whammy for poor Emma so Danni thought she should come with us. After all, it was only going to be the two of us from now on. So why not have one last adventure with old Emma, to put a cap on their time together? She acted like she and Emma would no longer be friends after this. I didn't understand it myself.

Danni tried to explain it to me by telling me that since we were married now, she couldn't hang out with people like Emma. She had to hang out with people like us.

Oh shit, I forgot to tell you, I'm kind of rich. Well, I'm not really rich, but my family is. I went to great schools, majored in finance and got a job as an investment banker. I have a pretty decent salary and I'm frugal, but I don't mind splurging occasionally. So I guess in Danni's mind, WE have to hang out with a certain kind of people and Emma no longer fits the bill.

I'm hoping she gets over that kind of thinking soon, but I married her so I'll let her play "queen for a day," until she gets it out of her system.

Emma was still at our reception, it turns out. She'd be here before the ship left in an hour. I wanted to get here early so I could spend some time getting used to being on the thing before it started moving.

This boat has 16 passenger decks. There are bars, dance clubs, shops, a casino, a gym and even a running track. It's like a floating city. 

We checked in, with Danni holding onto my arm the entire way. She was so beautiful. Our cabin was also beautiful. It had a bed with a lace canopy that hung from the ceiling. Danni ran all over the room checking things out. I sat on the edge of the bed and just watched her. Her joy and enthusiasm made me feel great to be able to share this with her. 

Suddenly, without looking at me, she dove for the bed, bowling me over. She showered me with kisses and told me she loved me several times. Before I realized it her skirt was on the floor and she was tugging my pants down. She began the consummation with the best blowjob I'd ever had. It made even her previous efforts pale in comparison.

As I looked at Danni sitting there between my legs licking my dick like it was the best tasting ice cream cone she'd ever had, I felt funny. I don't know how to explain it exactly but it was like emptiness. My dad and my grandfathers on both sides always told me that when you find the right person, you'll know it. Danni and I had been together for nearly a year and I guess I was comfortable with her and I wanted to marry her, but I hadn't felt any of that shit. 

She looked at me puzzled. "What's wrong Cal?" she asked. Without realizing it, I'd simply zoned out and lost my erection while she was sucking it.

"Sorry sweetheart," I said. "I just noticed that the boat is moving.

"Oh shit," she said. "I have to text Emma and make sure she got on board. Damn it, I wanted to take some pictures of us leaving the dock. See what you did. You dragged me down here to seduce my virtue away."

"Uhm, Danni," I said. "We didn't actually do anything yet."

"But wait until you see what I'm going to do to you later," she smirked. "And what we're gonna do for the rest of your life. But right now I really need to go on deck and see what it's like. I've never been on a ship before. I'm so excited."

Like a whirlwind she dressed and grabbed her camera. "Come on, Honey," she whined. I pulled my pants up and followed her. As we walked towards the deck, I retreated back into my thoughts. 

I knew that I liked Danni. She was very attractive. She had all of the things that men like in a woman superficially. She had big boobs, although she hadn't been born with them. You know what I mean. No woman is born with huge boobs. Some grow them, others buy them. Danni's were the second kind. It didn't bother me and she was honest about it. She'd also had her nose fixed. She had collagen in her lips. She'd had her tummy tucked once and I believe her hair was enhanced too. Her hair had been colored and she had extensions. 

Danni called it evening things out. In her explanation, if I didn't mind her getting rid of all of her hair down below, then I shouldn't mind her adding some on top.

She was also extremely sexual. I had never needed to drag Danni to bed. I never needed to work very hard to convince her either. All she needed was a hint and her panties hit the floor. In some cases it didn't matter where we were or what we were doing.

All of my friends thought that Danni was the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen and that I'd be a fool to let her go. As I said, I really liked her. Maybe the whole magic thing was a fairy tale. After all, I'd been in relationships before and I'd never felt anything then either. And I did like Danni more than anyone else I'd ever dated.

So I followed her out onto the main deck. We got a place against the rail and watched as the shoreline slowly receded in the distance. I was okay as long as I didn't look down. God damn it was a long way down. And there was also a lot of fucking water between me and land. I felt just a bit sick to my stomach. I'd barely gotten control of myself when I realized that Danni was talking to me.

She wanted me to take a picture of her standing near the railing. She handed me the camera and I tried to focus on her. Just when I had it, a hand passed in front of the camera. I tried to focus again. This time someone bumped me. I turned and looked into the smiling face of Emma, Danni's best friend. "Hey sailor, why don't you and I go back to my cabin," she gushed at me.

"My Gawd," she exclaimed theatrically. "You're married. Please tell me you're not married to that old hag standing in front of the railing."

"I'm afraid so," I laughed. Danni came over and joined us. The two of them launched into an animated conversation that I was no longer required for. 

"Hey?" asked Emma, suddenly. "Shouldn't you guys be locked in your cabin fucking away the first three or four days of the cruise? How the hell are you going to make a gang of babies if you don't get any practice?"

"That was my thought exactly," I said. "But your friend insisted that we come out here because she's never been on a ship before."

"Hey," said Danni. "We have the whole cruise and the rest of our lives for that. I'm gonna fuck the shit out of him when we go to bed tonight, but I'm excited. Everything is different. I'm a married woman and I'm at sea. It's all new to me. Besides Cal has already done everything to my body that is possible. He's been inside every orifice I have at least several times."

"Uhm, thanks for sharing, Danni," said Emma. "And Cal, thanks for letting me come with you guys. It was a really nice thing to do for someone you barely know."

"Don't mention it," I said. "You're practically family Emma. You're my wife's best friend."

It was strange that Emma seemed to appreciate the trip more than Danni did. Perhaps it was simply the fact that Danni and I were used to each other by now, so she thought that because of our money things like this were her due.

"Honey, Emma and I are going to go off and explore the ship. Maybe we'll do a bit of shopping," said Danni. "I know that you want to go and find the gym and check out the running track." She looked at me with a gleam in her eyes. Then she stepped up and kissed me full on the mouth.

"Just like with other women," she said to me sternly. "You can look, but don't touch. Do not lift one God damned weight. Do not run one fucking step. I want you to leave every iota of energy you have in ME tonight, not on the floor of some gym, understood?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Seriously, Cal," she said. "It really isn't too early for us to think about starting our family. The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. The only reason I can think of that I'm not pregnant by this time next year would be that I've already had our first and we're working on another one."

She kissed me again and this time she grabbed me by the cheeks of my ass and pulled me into her so that my rapidly hardening dick nestled right into her stomach.

"That's what I wanted to feel," she smirked. "Make sure it's ready for me." Then she and Emma walked saucily away.

I went back to our cabin after that. Being out on the deck and seeing all that fucking water did nothing to make me feel better. I grabbed the map of the ship that we'd been given and looked for the gym. I went to check out the gym and looked over their selection of exercise machines and weights. 

It wasn't like I was a body builder or anything like that. Actually at 5'9" and 170, I'm on the smaller side of the equation. But I'd worked out and pursued a variety of sports for my entire life. Working out regularly was one of the ways I got rid of the stress that my high pressure job created.

After leaving the gym, I checked the map and found to my dismay that the running track was on one of the upper decks. That made no fucking sense to me. I guess this is a good time to mention that besides my phobia about boats, I'm also afraid of heights. 

It seemed stupid to me to have the track on a higher deck. Since each successive deck had less surface area, the track could be larger and more stable if it was on a lower deck. I tried explaining that to one of the crew members who helped me find the track and he just laughed.

"Most of the people on the ship are here to relax and have fun," he said. "The areas around the main and larger decks get a lot of foot traffic at all hours of the day and a large chunk of the night time hours too. You'd have a lot of problems trying to walk or jog with all of those people around. So we isolate it to prevent accidents and give you a clearer path." It did seem to make sense.

"If you're not comfortable there you can always run on one of the treadmills in the health club," he suggested. "Besides, very few people actually use the track. Maybe they do a lap or two if they feel they've overeaten but most people just put their exercise habits on hold, or take a vacation from them while they're onboard."

His cheerful expression and confidence in what he was saying made me believe that he thought that I'd probably do the same thing. I don't think he realized how compulsive I was about running.

For the next hour or so, I practiced walking around the ship and not feeling like I was going to barf every time I went to the railing. After a while, I was able to go right up to the rail and even look down at the churning water near the rear and sides of the ship.

You really could barely feel the movement of the ship through the water. It was almost as if we were still docked.

I walked the ship from one end of it to the other trying to acclimatize myself. It really was beautiful there with the sun just starting to go down. Everywhere you looked, there were happy, smiling people trying to have as much fun as they could for the duration of their time on the ship.

There were people of all ages and races. There were families and singles. The one thing that we all had in common though was that none of us lived here, we were all on vacation. I got into watching people and eavesdropping on chunks of their conversations. It was like the things I did at the office to try and get a leg up on my clients. If I heard them telling each other about problems in their businesses that might impact their ability to pay us back our loans, it was a plus for me.

There had been several times that I'd left clients in my waiting room and listened to them speaking and preparing their presentations. They'd often go over what they should and shouldn't disclose during our meetings. I'd heard one client remind his assistant not to mention any word of the fact that they expected to file for bankruptcy in under a month. I was very kind to them and served them the best coffee and refreshments the bank had to offer before I turned them down.

My boss was livid until I explained to him what I'd heard. Sure enough one of our rival banks did give them a loan and a large one. Less than one month to the day, the company filed bankruptcy. My boss and I laughed out asses off. The owner of the company had obviously sought a big loan so he could give himself a golden parachute to cushion himself from falling on his ass when his company went under.

So there on the ship, I wandered around listening in on people telling each other how much fun they were having and their plans for the evening and the next day. I heard people saying things like how the trip had possibly saved their marriages and how much they loved each other. 

I also heard something that shook me to my core. I was just coming around a corner when I heard two familiar voices.

"You're so lucky, Danni. Cal is a great guy," said the first voice.

"Yeah he's alright," said the other. I was shocked. After months of hearing Danni declare her undying love for me, hearing that I was alright hurt. For some reason I started recording their conversation on my iPhone. That way if we ever got into an argument I could play it for her.

"What do you mean alright? He's the nicest guy that either of us has ever met. He's good looking too and he's not the kind of guy who's ever going to beat you or steal from you. I thought you loved him."

"Yeah I guess," said Danni.

"If you don't love the guy, what was all of that talk about having his kids?" asked Emma.

"Jeezus, Emma, are you stupid or something. I had to sign a pre-nup, to prove that I wasn't just after his money. The one way around that pre-nup is if I give the bastard a kid. Then I can get a nice settlement whether I stay with him or not." They were silent after that.

"Emma, why are you looking at me like that?" asked Danni. "Shit, it's not my fault. I've gone out with so many guys who were only after getting what they could get from me that it just seemed like it was time that I got what I could too."

"But Danni, he's really a nice guy," said Emma.

"He's getting something out of it," said Danni. "I give him all the pussy he wants. Sometimes I give him more than he wants."

"Which is probably why, you haven't stopped sleeping with other guys huh?" said Emma.

"What I do when he isn't around isn't his business," said Danni. "Besides, just watch, in a few years he'll be screwing his secretary and ignoring me."

"I don't think he's that kind of guy," said Emma.

"Well shit Emma," said Danni. "When I get done with him, I'll try to arrange it so you can have him. I just want to be able to live my life and have fun. I just want to have the things that I want and not have to work like a God damned slave to get them. I'm tired of having to get under a desk and suck some 50 year old guy's wrinkled dick to earn a bonus. I saw my shot and I'm taking it."

"It's just wrong, though," said Emma. "He loves you. He isn't the one making you do things you don't want to do. But you're making him pay for the things the guys who used you did. That's not right."

"Emma, all men are the same. If you've had one, you've had them all. If you give them the chance they'll all fuck you over. The only differences between them are the sizes of their dicks and the numbers in their bank accounts," said Danni.

I backed away and went back to our cabin. When I got there I changed into something I could wear for the evening. About an hour later my iPhone chirped that I had a text. There was no cell phone service on the ship, but we did have internet access and my phone used the internet for text messages and email.

I looked at the message. "Where are you Sweetheart?" It was from Danni. I didn't bother responding to it. I was hurt. Okay, I think it's a bit hypocritical to pretend that my heart was broken. After all I'd been trying to figure out whether or not I actually loved her too. I guess in my case I liked her a lot, but was unsure what love was supposed to feel like. I couldn't actually say that I did love her but I also couldn't say unequivocally that I didn't.




The Love Boat



I guess I'd never really been in love so I didn't know what I was supposed to feel. But I'd never cheated on her and I'd been faithful and true to her in every way since we'd met. She couldn't say the same in either case. She'd been screwing around on me the whole time apparently and she'd come into the relationship with mercenary intentions. She was only in this for the cash. 

I decided that I'd simply let this be a very expensive lesson. As soon as we got back I'd file for an annulment. I wouldn't even need a divorce because she'd been dishonest the whole time and the marriage would last less than a week.

By the terms of our pre-nup, if the marriage lasted less than 3 years and there were no children, she got nothing any way.

I spent the evening wandering around the ship, watching people and trying to fill the hole in my heart. At around midnight, I went back to our cabin. Danni was there with a couple of crew members and Emma.

"Caleb, where the fuck have you been?" she screamed. There were tears running down her cheeks. The security men from the crew who had been about to organize a quiet search for me smiled and began backing out of the room.

"Sorry, I was at the clinic," I said. "I guess I should have told you that I don't like ships or boats or whatever this is. I got really sick. They gave me something to settle my stomach and I guess it put me right out. I still feel queasy."

The security men laughed. "Told ya," said one. "Usually about ten percent of the passengers get sick in the first two days. About half of them end up flying home."

"Honey, why didn't you tell me about this?" asked Danni. Her fake concern was really convincing. "We could have flown or done something else."

"Because, I love you Danni," I said. Shit if she could lie, so the fuck could I. "You wanted to go on a cruise so badly. I'd do anything for you, so getting used to a boat is nothing."

"Awww," cried Emma. She looked evilly at Danni and shook her head.

"I'm going to go and lie down," I said. Danni just nodded.

"I'll be right in sweetheart," she said. As soon as the door closed, I strained my ears trying to hear them.

"Danni, you're a bitch," hissed Emma. "You don't deserve him. I hope this all comes back to bite you on your ass. That way it'll hurt."

"Uhm Emma, don't forget your place sweetie," hissed Danni right back. "If it wasn't for me you'd be back at that little shit hole of an apartment of ours crying in your beer because yet another loser has dumped you. And it hurts to get bitten anywhere."

"Yeah, but your ass is the only thing on you that hasn't been tucked or implanted," smirked Emma. "It's the only real thing on you, so it would hurt more."

A few minutes later Danni breezed into our cabin's bedroom. She started taking off her clothes and leaned over me. Her breasts squeezed their way tantalizingly out of her top and hung over me like two ripe melons waiting to be plucked.

"Come and get it sweetie," she crooned. To be honest, I intended to spend the rest of the trip fucking her. I don't mean gently and passionately making love to her either. I meant fucking her. I was going to have every hole on her body and try my God damnedest to make some new ones. I intended to do every foul, disgusting and humiliating thing to her I could think of for the duration of the trip. That would be her way of paying me back for the cost of the trip. Whether she knew it or not I intended to do things to her that would make a crack whore blush. 

I figured that she deserved it after what she was trying to do to me. After all why should I have to go without sex? Until we got home, we were married. I saw no reason for my sex life to suffer because the woman I thought loved me, turned out to simply be a high priced whore.

When you got down to it, that's what she really was. She basically sold herself to me. She got a good life and not having to bust her ass anymore, I got sex. It was a business deal, no more, no less. The only thing wrong with the deal was the fact that both parties weren't aware of the parameters of the deal. From now on, I intended to treat it as such. But that night, I was too hurt to do anything other than lay there in that bed and wonder what I'd done to deserve it.

For my entire life I'd been the good guy. I'd never forced myself on a woman. I'd never taken anything that wasn't mine. I helped out when I could, whoever I could. And I'd spent my entire life working very hard at both my education and my career. 

Just because I'd been fortunate enough to end up in a position where that hard work had paid off financially didn't make me a bad guy or a target. Fuck her.

"Danni, I'm sorry," I said. "But I really don't feel good."

"Oh Honey," she said sadly. "Don't worry about it."

She took off the rest of her clothes and got under the covers with me. I amazed myself. I was in bed with that body and I showed no signs of a reaction at all. 

The next morning, I was up before the sun came up. I looked across the bed at the woman I thought that I'd be spending the rest of my life with. I wondered what it was about her that had drawn me in the first place. I can't say that I didn't sleep that night, because I did. But throughout the night I woke several times and wondered, "Why me?"

I wasn't exactly broken hearted, but I was upset. I was pissed by her betrayal on multiple levels. On one level, she'd always professed her undying love for me. She'd been the one to say it first. I remember her looking across the table at me, weepy eyed after one of our little arguments. It had only been one of those stupid misunderstandings that all couples go through. But she was crying like her dog had died or she'd blown a head gasket. I couldn't understand it.

"Why are you so upset, Danni," I'd asked her. "It's over, we're fine."

"You just don't understand," she'd told me. "I love you. I can't be without you." Those three little words, though I didn't understand what she felt and I truly can't say that I felt it, still rocked my world.

There are guys out there who won't understand this. Love fucks everything up. I know that you're thinking, "Okay, she loves you", so what. You can get more out of her. Or that's cool; you get all of the benefits without having any of the weaknesses yourself.

They imagined me as being some lucky guy who would be able to simply break up with her whenever I got bored without being hurt myself. On paper, that all sounds great, the reality is, however, very different. I was born with this terrible thing they call a conscience. Immediately upon hearing those three terrible little words it went into over drive.

I immediately felt weird. There was this amazing feeling running through me as if just having the knowledge that someone, another living, breathing human being loved me. I became a completely different person in that second that it took for her to utter those three words. I became responsible for her health and well-being. It was like being a gardener, when you never wanted to be. 

You leave your house to go out and cut down the unsightly weeds so you can pour concrete. Once you get there you discover a rare and beautiful flower. You didn't plant it and you didn't want it, but since it's there you feel compelled to take care of it. What you really should do to make your life the way you planned is to just cut the fucking thing down, but you can't. So you start watering it and keeping it trimmed and feeding it. Before too long, regardless of what you planned, you're a gardener.

I started taking the relationship with her far more seriously after that. After all, my choices were limited. If I did anything to piss her off or to fuck up the relationship, I went back to being just another shlub. As long as her love survived, I was special, I was LOVED. Things got really worse after a while because it wasn't enough for her to tell me that she loved me. She started expecting me to tell it back to her. It was really fucking hard at first. My mouth didn't know how to make that sound. That word is really fucking hard to say, especially if you're not sure you mean it.

I finally forced myself to say it, expecting lightning to strike me at any second for the lie. After I said it, I felt at first that I'd violated the rules of some cosmic game. I had said the "L" word untruthfully. But then I saw the power that small word has. After I clumsily uttered, "Luv ya tu," her face just exploded in the biggest smile I'd ever seen. She pounced on me in the middle of the street. I was sure she was going to strip down and fuck me right there on the sidewalk.

Anyway, I wasn't heart broken, but I was upset at the betrayal and the lies. Not only because she'd been the one to use the "L" word untruthfully, but because she'd lied. She increased my self esteem so much by the usage of that word. She conned me into doing things for her that I never would have done. And all the time, she was also betraying me by fucking other guys. Who knew what kind of diseases I could have even now?

Thinking about that possibility brought my anger to the forefront. I rolled over away from her. Danni was in the habit of draping her arms and legs all over me while we slept. I used to think that it was cute. She said it was because even in sleep she liked us to be touching each other. I now realized that it wasn't cute at all. She just wanted to keep tabs on me, even in her sleep.

I debated my next action. On one hand I wanted to get my first shipboard run in. That way I could decide where I'd be running for the remainder of the trip. On the other I was thinking about fucking her. No romance, no foreplay, just pull her legs apart and take her without warning. It would serve her ass right. For the rest of this trip I was using her for sex alone and as soon as we got back to port I was filing for an annulment. Sometime during the trip I'd alert my lawyer and have the papers waiting for us when the ship hit port. In the best case scenario, I could have my annulment before the bitch got the sea air out of her cheating nostrils.

I looked at her beautiful smiling face and those big fake titties and decided to go for the run. Seeing her reminded me of a song. Everything reminds me of music but this line from the song was particularly poignant. "A plastic girl with a plastic heart, can never love you, it's true. She's got me going, got me falling apart. So tell me, what can I do?"

The line was from the funniest God damned rock and roll song I'd ever heard. It was a song called, "Ugly Girls" by an unknown band from Michigan called Mark Flash. I'd seen one of their concerts at a park while I was in college. The band never made it big but boy were they explosive. They had the typical cutesy boy singer that all of the bands had. Their lead guitarist was a black guy who was a cross between Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. His fiendish and off the wall riffing was probably 90% of their sound. He also wrote all of their original songs. Their bass player was a beautiful Costa Rican woman. Every time I saw them play they had a different drummer. They had all of the pieces to really make it big, but their offstage behavior was as explosive as their music. They disappeared, swallowed up by internal and external forces. I always wished I had a tape of one of their concerts.

I decided to go for the run. I dressed in the darkness so I wouldn't awaken Danni, although that really wasn't a possibility. Danni could probably sleep through a stampede.

I left the cabin and made my way out onto the deck. I went up to the upper deck near the top of the ship where the track was. I saw very few crew members out this early in the morning. I guess at this time of day only a skeleton crew ran the ship. The view of the ocean and sky was awe inspiring, with the sun rising over the ocean. There was just enough light for visibility. The soft pinkish hues of daylight had yet to turn to an angrier, bright yellowish white. 

The rubberized running surface that formed a perfect oval around the deck beckoned to me. I made it wait though as I started my iPod and stretched first. I always ran with an iPod shuffle, it was the tiniest and cheapest of the iPods, but it's perfect for runners.

As I got ready for those first few exploratory strides on the rubber track I felt it before I heard it. It was a very light and steady clip clopping sound. By the time I looked up, she'd already run past me. I smiled as I strained my eyes to see her. This would make things interesting. I enjoyed competition on any level. Now, instead of just aimlessly running laps, I had a target.

I took off slowly, allowing myself to get use to the surface I was running on. It felt different from running on pavement or dirt. I was sure that the rubberized surface covered the same carpet that floored the rest of the ship and beneath that was a metal deck.

Over the first few yards I gauged my pace based on her position and the distance between us. I started running relatively easily and noticed that I wasn't decreasing the distance. So, I upped my pace just a notch. I still wasn't running as fast as I normally would but I was gaining. As I got closer to her, I began to make out her features and details, at least from the back.

The first thing that struck me was how tiny she was. She was barely 5' tall, if that. She had very short pixie-like hair. Her legs were curvy and perfectly proportioned to the rest of her. It was strange. Before now I'd thought that Danni had beautiful legs, but after seeing these, I realized that Danni's legs were just thin. It's amazing how most of us men see a woman with long thin legs, like the fashion models and just go crazy. 

This woman had legs that were nowhere near as long or as thin as Danni's. In fact they were just on that border between perfect and muscular. There wasn't a gram of fat anywhere on those legs. Both her calves and her thighs got my salmon swimming upstream. 

Then like the cherry on top of a perfect sundae, he ass rested atop those legs. Thinking about her ass causes me to get light headed. Looking at her that first day made me wonder who the hell gives women's clothing items their names. She was running in what they call boy-shorts. Who the fuck would call them that? Those half-moons of perfect ass cheek that stuck out beneath them announced to anyone who saw them that there was no way she could be a boy.

The motion of that ass as she ran was hypnotic. I completely gave up trying to pass her and just settled in at her pace, staying a few yards behind her. To this day I'm not sure how I was able to run without tripping over my tongue. 

After a couple of lockstep laps around the deck, I noticed that she was slowing down. To keep the distance between us constant, I slowed down as well. Finally she just stopped. She did it so quickly that I almost ran over her.

I was barely able to arrest my forward momentum in time to prevent a collision. As it was I ended up stopping mere inches from her smiling face. And what a face it was. She had the biggest smile and the bluest eyes I've ever seen. Everything about that face was beautiful. She was very tan, but it was a healthy tan. It was like she'd been lightly toasted by the sun, instead of that bizarre orange color that you get from tanning salons.

Her hair, though short, was incredible. It was thick and wavy. She had wild bangs that kept falling over her eyes but the rest was very short and brushed back over her ears. What I'd originally thought were places that the sun had glinted off of the inky blackness of her hair, were actually highlights. She had locks and strands of blue feathered through her black hair. 

She wore no makeup not even lipstick. Everything about her was real and genuine, including that awesome smile.

From her bee-sting breasts to that incredible ass, every single fucking thing on this woman was natural. I was floored. So floored in fact that I couldn't make out a word she was saying. I looked at her as she tried to point both of her index fingers at the sides of her head. I wondered what she was trying to tell me. Why didn't she just say it? Then suddenly it dawned on me that she was trying to tell me to take my ear buds out so I could hear her.

"Hi," she said. There was definitely a southern twang to her speech pattern. She had that way that Southerners stretch every word out so that even single syllable words take three days to hear. I've always been partial to southern accents. I think that of all of the American regional accents, it's the sexiest. In her case it was on top of a voice that was like honey dripping from a magnolia tree. Okay, I know that Magnolia trees don't produce honey, but shit that's what it sounded like.

Have you ever listened to someone talk and thought that you instantly knew what they did for a living. I have several friends like that. My friend, Dave, speaks in so clipped and efficient a manner that you can tell just by listening to him talk that he's an engineer. Carl peppers every sentence he utters and describes everything by its value, so you know he's a banker. 

Just from the tone of this woman's voice I was sure she had to be a phone sex operator.

"Do you have any idea of how far we've run so far?" she asked. 

I just stood there, taking her all in. She looked amused as I ran my eyes up and down her, examining her every feature and dimension. It took me a while to realize that I was being rude.

"Uhm, sorry," I said. "What was that again?"

She laughed and it wasn't one of those fake girly laughs. It was a robust and full bodied laugh, the kind of laugh that comes from a person who has nothing to hide and nothing to pretend. It spoke volumes about both her personality and her character.

"I asked if you knew how far we'd run," she said. As she spoke she curled an errant lock of hair back around the ear it had escaped from. "How far is each lap?" she asked. "We've done three laps and a half."

"I have no idea," I laughed. Just like that, we'd bonded over our mutual ignorance of how far we had to run or for how long. 

"Well, then," she said. "We seem to be running at about the same pace. Let's just run until we feel like going to breakfast."

"That's the best offer I've had in ages," I said. We started out running and it was weird. There are so many things that I never hear when I run. I don't hear my breathing. I don't hear people near me. I don't even hear my own footfalls because I simply never run without music. 

That first run together was a joyous occasion. I reveled in all of the things I'd never heard before. It was like suddenly being able to hear a complete new set of sounds. The most incredible of all of those sounds though was the sound of her voice.

We had our share of moments during that first run that were pure magic. Our names were a source of amusement. When she told me that her name was Skah, I was puzzled. I wondered who'd name a woman this beautiful something that crazy. What the fuck was a Skah?

"Skah," I said uncertainly. "Uhm that's unusual." 

"Not Skaa," she laughed. "Skah." I just looked at her as if she was the prettiest girl in the nuthouse beauty pageant.

"ESS, KAY, Whah," she said. "Skah." Suddenly in a blast of recognition I understood.

"Oh, Sky," I said laughing. "It must be a Southern thing."

"What's your name funny man," she asked.

"Caleb, but everyone calls me Cal," I said. 

"Caleb," she smirked. The way she said it stretched it out and made it completely different. "Now that's a Southern Baptist name. Wasn't there a guy in that movie "Deliverance" named Caleb? And let me guess. From the sound of your voice you're from California. And you call yourself Cal."

Even Cal was stretched out to twice its normal number of syllables when she said it. I have no idea how far we ran that morning or for how long. I only know that I'd never had a better time. I completely forgot about all of my problems and everything going on in my life. We went to breakfast and got there just as they were bringing out the first and freshest of the food. We sat at a small table and just chatted about whatever came to mind.




The Love Boat



"Oh!" she said suddenly. "You almost made me miss my class. Will I see you on the track tomorrow?"

"Count on it, Skah," I laughed. 

"Okay, Cayall," she said. As she turned to leave she rubbed her hand across the side of my face, lightly brushing my ear. It was incredible. I had never felt anything like that before in my entire life. It was as if electricity passed between us. And the gesture itself, I don't know how to describe it. Though seemingly casual, it was the most intimate touch I'd ever felt. It was at least ten times more intimate than any kiss I'd ever felt and it projected more emotion. I felt more intimacy from her touching the side of my face than I got from thrusting my tongue down Danni's throat while I fucked her. For a long moment after she left I sat there holding my cheek where she'd touched me. 

I understood how those schoolgirls on TV felt after their dream man has kissed them. "I'm never going to wash my face again," I thought.

I went back to our cabin to find Danni applying her makeup. Her hair was up in hot curlers and she had her voluminous makeup case open and went through product after product. It amazed me how much she had to do in order to make her face look normal. All of the things she used were designed to look like she wasn't wearing any makeup. I shook my head thinking about how stupid it was.

It usually took over an hour for Danni to get ready for even the most casual date.

"Hi Cal," she said as she applied some kind of goop under her eyes.

"Hello," I said.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," she said. "Give me twenty minutes and I'll be ready to go to breakfast. Cal, I have to go shopping. It's an emergency."

"Danni, I've already had breakfast," I said. "What kind of emergency is there that you can solve by shopping?"

"We've been invited to sit at the Captain's table for dinner tonight," she gushed. "It's semi-formal. You have to wear a suit. You've got lots of suits, but I have to find just the right dress. Now that I'm your wife, I have to project the right image. Everything I do or wear reflects on you, you know."

I didn't know whether she seriously thought that or if she just wanted the chance to go out and spend more of my money on clothes. If this had been the previous night, I'd have said "No," emphatically. I'd already decided to spend the rest of the trip fucking her and then dumping her cheating ass as soon as we docked. It was my intention to leave her ass at the dock without as much as a ride home. But since this morning, I guess my priorities had changed. Meeting Sky had told me that there were nice people in the world still. I just needed to get out and find one.

"Okay Honey, whatever you say," I told her.

"You can go and check out the gym," she said. "But remember; don't tire yourself out too much. We still have business to take care of."

I intended to take care of some business myself. There was a knock at our door. And Emma came in. "Are you guys decent?" she asked.

"I am," I smirked. "Have a good time Emma. Danni, make sure you get something nice for Emma to wear too."

I didn't mind spending money on Emma. I actually felt better about buying something for her than I did about spending money on Danni. At least Emma had tried to stick up for me.

I took a long hot shower and dressed in jeans and a casual shirt. I grabbed my iPad from the table and logged into my email account. I sent an email to John Forsythe, my attorney. He was the one who'd set up my pre-nup with Danni. I quickly summarized the situation and asked him to start the ball rolling for an annulment. If the situation didn't merit the annulment, I asked him to start divorce proceedings immediately. I told him that it would be best to send me details by email since there was no cell reception onboard the ship. I also told him that at our first port of call or whenever I could I'd look into getting a sat phone.

I spent the afternoon making arrangements. I emailed my assistant and told her the situation as well. I gave her the job of getting the locks changed on my condo. Even though it wasn't necessary I intended to give Danni a few dollars to just go away. Before we'd gotten married Danni had shared an apartment with Emma. If Emma didn't have a new roommate yet she could go back there, I didn't care. It was actually a good thing that she hadn't had a chance to move all of her things in yet. It would give her fewer things to move back.

I checked my bank account. As yet Danni only had one of my bank cards and one of my credit cards. She could access my checking account but not my savings account. Since most of my money was in savings or investments or other banks accounts I was relatively safe. 

I went to the gym and got a good workout in. The gym had a good selection of machines and I had no trouble finding the things I needed for my regular workout. After my workout, I had lunch in a little cafe on one of the upper decks. I looked out at the sea and all of the happy people on the ship and felt better about myself. As I sat there I noticed that a few women looked at me. I'd have no trouble getting back in the dating scene after this was all over, but I intended to do this in a very classy way. I wouldn't spend the cruise looking for someone to replace Danni or doing anything to call attention to my situation.

Shortly after lunch, I got a text from Danni. Her text said that she loved me. That means that she's spent a lot of my money.

She wanted me back at the cabin by no later than four p.m. Dinner was at 6 promptly and she wanted us to have a quickie before we dressed.

I spent the afternoon wandering the ship. It really was a fascinating vessel. There were so many things to see and do that it would take weeks to try everything. At four thirty I got a text from Danni. She was pissed and wanted me back at the cabin immediately. I headed for our cabin and took my time getting there.

"Where were you?" pouted Danni as soon as I walked in.

"Sorry, Danni," I said. "I lost track of time and I got lost too. This is a pretty big boat."

"It's after five," she said. "I have to start getting ready for dinner. Emma is sitting at a table with one of the other important crew members. She'll be in the room but she won't be sitting with us."

"Emma is a really pretty girl," I said. "She'll be fine, trust me."

"You make it sound as if you'd rather be with her," snapped Danni.

"Danielle, there's no need to act silly," I said. "I barely know Emma. You're the woman I married."

Just under an hour later we were ushered into the main dining room and introduced to the Captain and the people sitting at his table. Danni was wearing a beautiful dress in a pale shade of yellow that left very little to the imagination. Every man in the room turned to look at her as we walked into the room.

The dress was cut so low in the front that you could see most of her boobs. She accented the dress with several pieces of gold jewelry and even her shoes were a matching shade of gold. Most of the men at our table couldn't take their eyes off of her and she knew it. The other couples at our table ranged from newlyweds who were even younger than Danni and I, to retired senior citizens who'd been married for longer than I'd been alive. Most of the people at the table were very friendly and we had a lively conversation the whole way. 

During dinner, I noticed that a man at one of the other tables spent most of his time looking at Danni. He was sitting with two other men and he wore a suit that cost at least a couple of thousand dollars. I knew because I had that suit at home and I wore it to close my bigger deals. In the back of my mind, I wondered what he'd be closing on tonight.

After we'd eaten, there was dancing. I got up and danced with Danni. She was extremely happy about the ship, the cruise, our honeymoon and dinner in general, but she was still a little miffed at me. When we went back to our table, I noticed that one of the older ladies was tapping her foot in time to the music. Her husband walked with a cane and had a very pronounced limp. 

I walked over in front of him and asked him very politely if he'd do me the honor of allowing me to dance with his wife. They both smiled and he nodded.

I danced with the woman whose name was Sally McBride. The name was familiar to me somehow but I couldn't place it. As I sat down, I noticed that Danni was gone. I looked around and saw that she was heading to the dance floor with the asshole in the suit. He had his arms all over her and had pulled her a lot closer than was appropriate and she was letting him. Maybe it was her way of getting back at me for being late, but it was really embarrassing. 

I watched them for a few moments and then got up to go and get her before things got any worse. I noticed the asshole reach down and grab a big handful of Danni's ass and she did nothing to stop him. Asshole looked over her shoulder and smirked at me. The look on his face told me that he knew exactly what he was doing. It was one of those smart ass little grins that you'd give to the guy whose wife you were planning on fucking. Before I got to them, his two friends stepped between us.

"Back off buddy," one of them said. He put his hand on my chest as if he was trying to hold me back. That was the end of it.

"Get your hand off of me," I said nicely. His friend stepped in beside him. I grabbed the hand on my chest and rotated it so the elbow faced downwards. Then I drove my other hand upwards breaking the arm at the elbow. The crack was heard all over the room. The man's high pitched scream was even louder though. I raised my knee and stomped down on his buddy's foot as hard as I could and as he tried to reflexively reach for his foot, I brought my knee up to meet his descending chin. He was out quicker than a light switch.

Asshole in the suit turned to look at me with shock and horror written all over his face. He knew I was coming for him and he started to back pedal. Danni stood next to him and her eyes were as big as saucers.

Luckily for both of them before I could get to him, three of the ship's security men tackled me and took me to the brig.

You can learn a lot about people by the way they react when you're in trouble. When the security men picked me up so I could walk and tried to restrain my arms, Emma came over and tried to explain that I wasn't a very violent person and something had to have happened to trigger my reaction. Danni just stood there and then left the room with asshole, while Emma tried to plead my case.

The people at my table also tried to defend me. But it was all for nothing. Ten minutes later, I was in the bowels of the ship in a room with a locked door. It was a very small room with only a table, a chair and a bed. 

About a half hour after I was put in there, the security man who was assigned to watch me came into the room. "You have a visitor," he said. He watched me intently as if he expected me to try something at any second.

I was ready to rip Danielle a new asshole. As the person entered the room I was shocked. It wasn't her. It was Emma.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I nodded. 

"I tried to tell them that this is all some kind of mistake, but they really aren't listening. You hurt those two men pretty badly," she said. "I saw the way Danni was acting. I don't know why she does the things she does sometimes."

"Don't worry about it," I said. 

"As soon as I find her, I'll tell her where you are so she can come and see you," she told me.

"Emma, don't bother," I said. "I don't want to see her."

"You don't mean that," she said. "You're just angry right now." I just looked at her. I liked Emma but I didn't think that telling her I knew more about Danni than she thought would be a good idea.

"Do you want me to bring you anything?" she asked.

"I'd love to have my iPad," I said. "And if you could bring its charger too that would be great. The iPad is on the table next to our bed and the charger is plugged into the wall outlet."

I sat on the bed wondering exactly how I'd gotten into the fix I was in. After all I didn't really give a fuck about Danni. Yesterday had killed our marriage. I'd already started my lawyer looking into an annulment. I guess it was pride. Having some gorilla pawing your wife in front of you and in public demands a response even if you can't stand the cheating bitch.

A short time later, Emma came back with my iPad. The guy who was watching me let her in again. "I'm really not sure I'm supposed to let you have this," he said. "So if it comes up, I'd appreciate you not mentioning that I did."

I nodded and noticed that he seemed to be staring at Emma a lot.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" he asked. 

"I've studied a lot of different styles of martial arts since I was young," I told him. He nodded and went back into the room outside.

I lay down on the small uncomfortable bed and tried to go to sleep. I figured that when Danni decided that she felt like coming to see me, they could wake me up. She didn't come that night at all.

I woke up in the middle of the night. According to my watch it was four a.m. Normally, I'd have been waking up to run in about two hours. As I thought about running, I remembered Sky. I knocked on the door of the room I was in and heard a bored voice. "It's open," he said.

I opened the door and looked out to see another of the security men. "I need to ask you something," I said. 

"Through that door," he said. 

I looked puzzled. "The bathroom is through that door," he said.

"Uhm thanks but that's not it," I told him. "I need to get a message to someone."

"Look buddy, I was there," he said. "I've also watched the security footage. Those guys were trying to prevent you from going to your wife to stop her from making a God damned spectacle of her-self. Most of my colleagues are on your side. We only stopped you because A, it's our job and B we didn't want you to kill that bastard. I hate to tell you this but he spent most of the night in some of the dance clubs with your wife. Both of them got drunk as a skunk."

"So could you get the message out for me?" I asked.

He nodded and I quickly wrote down a short note for Sky telling her that I really hadn't wanted to miss our run, but there was no way I could make it.

The security guy promised me that he'd deliver it. All I had to do was to tell him which cabin she was in. I explained to him that I didn't know but if he took it to the running track at six a.m. he'd find her. Then I went back to sleep.

I woke up a couple of hours later when someone knocked on my door. The first security guy was back. He looked in and told me I had a visitor. "Is it..." I began.

"It's not the woman from last night," he said. 

"Tell her I don't want to see her," I said. He nodded and went back outside. A few minutes later he came back inside. "She says she doesn't care," he said.

Before he could think of anything else to say Sky had squeezed between him and door. "Why don't you want to see me?" she asked. "I didn't do anything to you."

"Sorry, Sky," I said. "I thought you were someone else." I shrugged my shoulder and the security guy left.

 "So who'd you think I was?" she asked. "It seems kind of weird that you wouldn't want to see someone when you're stuck in here."

I just looked at her and shrugged my shoulders. 

"Oh, her," she said. "I guess I can understand that."

"Can you really?" I asked playfully. Seeing her had done a lot for my mood. 

"Shouldn't you be up on deck running?"

"I decided to take the day off," she smiled. "I have a friend who needs me."

"Really?" I said. "Who?"

"You stupid," she smirked. "So what are we going to do with our early morning hours before breakfast? You do know that the entire ship is talking about your situation. Even the crew talks about it. More than half of everyone thinks that you got a totally raw deal. The rest are afraid of you."

"Why would anyone be afraid of me?" I asked.

"Well duh, you put two big guys in the hospital quicker than a cat can lick its ass. It was so fast that the security people who are trained to recognize and deal with things like that had no idea of what was going to happen. The guy whose arm you broke had to be flown out to an orthopedic specialist. The doctor on board the ship couldn't deal with the severity of the break. You broke his arm at the elbow. He may never be able to regain total usage of his arm again."

"The other guy is pretty bad too. They had to wire his jaw shut so it can heal. You also broke three of the bones in the top of his foot." She just shook her head and smiled. I wasn't sure whether she got off on violence or if she was just smiling to cover up her unease at the situation.

"And everyone on the ship is totally disgusted with your wife. She was out clubbing with that asshole almost all night. Most of the passengers don't want to have anything to do with either of them. I'm included in that bunch so when she comes to visit you, I'll leave and come back later."

"You won't have to leave then," I said. "I won't be seeing her."

"Oh, you're just pissed at her right now," said Sky. "Come on, you two are newlyweds. There are always things that happen on a honeymoon. It's really the time when two people have to get used to the idea of being together forever. Living together instead of just dating takes some time to get used to."

"Sky, my marriage was over before this ever happened," I said. "For the past few days I've been analyzing our relationship and I guess I noticed that something was missing in it. I've always heard about how great it is to be in love and all of that bullshit, but the problem is that I just hadn't felt any of that. Sure Danielle is pretty in that obvious sort of way that most guys find attractive, but I just don't feel a strong emotional connection with her. I guess you're wondering why I married her, aren't you." 

Sky folded her arms across my chest and nodded her head but she didn't say anything.

"To tell you the truth, it was a mistake. It was piss poor timing. It was fate or serendipity or whatever the hell you want to call it. We'd been dating for a long time, over a year. All of my friends, at least my male friends told me not to let her get away. She was always telling me that she loved me. So I guess I started telling her that because, it just seemed like the thing to do." Sky's mouth dropped open.

"Okay, stop, don't say anything let me finish," I said. "Sky, I didn't know what I was supposed to feel like. I've never been in love, so shit, how was I supposed to know what it felt like? I actually believed that it might come up later, or that maybe I was just immune to it. At any case I intended to spend the rest of our lives together taking care of her. Hell, I even came on this fucking cruise for our honeymoon because it was what she wanted. I've spent the past year doing a lot of shit that I don't want or like because she wanted it."

"Why didn't you want to come on the cruise?" asked Sky.

"Because I hate boats," I said. "I'm deathly afraid of drowning when this thing goes under. I'm also afraid of heights, so being on a boat this big is..."

"A double whammy," she finished for me. "And you did this for a woman that you really didn't love?" I nodded.

"So how do you know that you don't love her now?" she asked. "Maybe you do love her but since you don't know what love feels like, you don't recognize it for what it is."

"Unh uh," I said. "I'm a hundred percent sure that I not only don't love her, but I never did."

"How do you..." began Sky. This woman really did like to beat a dead horse.

"Let's save that discussion for later," I said. "Besides, it doesn't matter whether or not I loved her. She never loved me. She was just using me to improve her lifestyle. I overheard her and her best friend talking about it yesterday before any of this happened. It really sucks ass to hear the woman you married telling her friend that she only married you so she wouldn't have to work. She also told her that she needed to get pregnant as quickly as possible."




The Love Boat



"Why the hell would she want to have a baby if she doesn't love you?" asked Sky.

"We have a pre-nup," I said. "My lawyer insisted on it. If we get divorced in less than a reasonable period of time she gets nothing. On the other hand, if she got pregnant, I'd be legally required to support my child, which would give Danielle a link to me financially."

"She really is a sick bitch," said Sky. "I still can't figure out why she hasn't come to see you yet."

"It's the way Danielle handles every argument we've ever had," I said. "She gets pissed and then runs off and we don't see each other for a few days. If she thinks she's right, then she expects me to make the first move and call her. If she knows she's wrong then she'll come crawling back crying and sniffling and begging me to forgive her. Usually it doesn't matter who's wrong, the makeup sex is phenomenal."

"Too much information," said Sky. "So what are you going to do when she does show up?"

"It won't matter," I said. "I'm done with her. I already have my lawyer looking into an annulment. If I can't get the annulment, he'll start the divorce process."

"How can you get an annulment if you've already had sex?" asked Sky.

"Easy, the rules for annulments have been updated in our state to fit modern relationships. Since most couples have already had sex long before they're married, annulments are given for a variety of reasons. One of them is if a marriage is terminated within a certain, very short, time period. In my case I had my lawyer start barely 24 hours after the ceremony. Another reason is if the marriage was under false pretenses. I now know that Danielle only married me for my money. I'm very sure that I'll get the annulment."

"Okay, I hate to keep asking you question after question," said Sky. "But if you don't love her and you're kicking her ass to the curb, why'd you get so upset about her letting that asshole grab her ass?"

"Sky, it was embarrassing. It was a pride thing. I wouldn't care if she met up with the guy later and fucked his brains out, as long as she did it discreetly. But to just let some guy feel her up in public, while I was there, was beyond insulting. You have to know Danielle to understand her motivations. She did this for one reason. She was angry at me because I didn't come back to our cabin to have sex with her before we had dinner at the Captain's table. It was her way of showing me that if I didn't watch my step, she could easily find someone else."

"She's pretty conniving isn't she?" asked Sky. I just smiled and nodded my head.

"Okay, enough talk about your wife's crap," she said. "What do you do for fun around here?"

"Uhm, Sky, I'm in jail," I said.

"No, Honey," she said. "We're in jail." From the first moment that I'd met Sky I knew that there was something different about her. I just felt weird around her. It was kind of like she just belonged in my life. When she said, "We're in jail," and she called me, "Honey," I didn't know how to feel. I just felt like smiling. But it wasn't the kind of smile where you move your mouth to show happiness. It was the kind of smile that comes from the inside and just explodes out through your mouth because you really are that fucking happy.

"So what kinds of games do you like," I asked.

"What have you got?" she replied. We started out playing Monopoly on my iPad. Believe me it wasn't my idea. I didn't want to take advantage of her. I am a professional financial advisor after all. Or at least that's what I thought until she beat me. She was still laughing about it a couple of hours later when the security guy came in and told me I had another visitor.

Sky and I just looked at each other. 

"It's not HER," said the security guy. "I did remember that you don't want to see her. Not that she'd tried to see you anyway. It's the lady from last night, the really pretty one, who was your first visitor."

"He's talking about Emma," I said to Sky. "She's Danielle's best friend. She's the one I overheard Danni spilling her guts to. She's a nice person."

"Do you think she's here on your wife's behalf?" asked Sky. "I'll go and get us some breakfast while you talk to her."

I nodded and the security guy let Emma into the room. She and Sky looked at each other curiously in passing.

"Who's your friend?" asked Emma.

"I met her yesterday while I was running," I said.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" asked Emma. "I could go and get you something. I'm not sure of what they'll let you have but I can find out."

"Sky is going to bring us breakfast," I said. "That's where she's going now."

"Cal, I spoke to the Captain," said Emma. "He's really torn. Most of the people on the ship think you got a raw deal but there's a small group of people who want you to stay locked up. The captain also has the problem that there've been some thefts aboard the ship and some other crimes. I think they're trying to link you to all of it."

"Don't worry Emma," I smiled. "I'm fine."

"What did Danni, say when you spoke to her?" she asked.

"Emma, I haven't spoken to Danni since dinner last night," I said. Emma looked alarmed. 

"What's wrong, Emma," I asked.

"Well, nothing," she said. 

"Emma you may as well tell me. As far as I'm concerned nothing you say is going to shock me."

"No it's really nothing," said Emma. "I just thought that she was down here with you. I'm going to go and find her right now."

"Emma, don't bother on my account. I'm so pissed at her right now that her staying away from me is probably a good thing," I said.

"But Cal, you know how she gets when she's angry. This whole honeymoon has been one problem after another. And she blames herself. First, you guys couldn't Uhm...you know on your wedding night. She blames herself because she really didn't know that you'd get seasick. Then yesterday, Cal you should have seen her. She got all dolled up in her best lingerie and waited for you all afternoon. So she was already pissed when you guys went to dinner. She thinks that you've already gotten bored with her. So I really think she was just trying to get you interested in her again and it just got out of hand."

I looked at her ruefully. "Would you have done that, Emma?" I asked.

"No," she said. "I'd have dragged you down to our cabin and had it out with you and then fucked your brains out."

"Most reasonable women would have," I said.

"But Cal, you know that Danni isn't most reasonable women. She's...well I'm her best friend and I love her, but even I have to admit she's a bit spoiled. But you're partially responsible for that. Cal, you buy her anything she asks for and you do anything she wants. So if she's become a bit spoiled, you're at least partially responsible. You're the best thing to ever happen to her. Maybe she was feeling a bit threatened. She doesn't want to lose you" said Emma. "There's also something else you don't know about. Danni told me something before we ever left for the cruise. While we were putting our dresses on before the wedding she told me not to plan on seeing a lot of you guys. She came on this boat with one thing in mind. You guys were going to have a lot of sex because she wanted to be pregnant before you got back. She said you guys had talked about having kids and she wanted to give you one before you'd been married a year."

"She had this whole thing planned out. She wants three kids and she thinks you should have them early on in your marriage. That way by the time your career really takes off, you can retire early and the two of you can travel and just enjoy each other while you're still relatively young."

I wondered whether Emma really believed all of that, especially after hearing Danni talk the previous afternoon. I looked into her eyes and I got the idea that what Emma was talking about was Emma's dream not Danni's. Danni had just told Emma what she wanted to hear, to keep her friend from thinking that Danni was just using me.

"Okay Emma," I said softly. "I guess I just need a few days to get over this. I'm really pissed at Danielle right now, so the two of us seeing each other wouldn't be a good thing."

"Everyone's talking about her like she's some kind of whore," said Emma. "I actually think that it would be better for the two of you to make up sooner rather than later. This isn't really the kind of thing that's going to make her feel any better."

"I'm just too pissed at her to even talk to her now, though," I said.

"But Cal, you're better than that. That's just anger talking. You're hurt from what she did. Trust me, I know all about being hurt. I know what you're feeling now. Remember why I'm on this cruise with you two. But in the end your situation is better than mine. At least you have the chance to still be with her."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said. "Emma, go have some fun yourself. If you need any money or anything let me know. Someone may as well have a good time here. And that security guy out there really likes you."

Emma's eyes got bigger. Before she could say anything, Sky knocked on the door and then rolled a tray into the room.

"I'll come back and speak to you later," smiled Emma. I noticed that she looked over Sky yet again and shook her head.

"Okay, I heard the end of that," said Sky as she spread out our breakfast. "Tim," she called loudly. He poked his head in the door. "We need another chair."

She continued to set things up on the little table. A few moments later Tim was back with another cheap folding chair. She smiled at him as he set it down. Then she stepped back and looked at everything she'd set up.

"Okay, let's eat," she said. As I started in on my toast, Sky started talking. 

"Emma really seems to be concerned for both you and your wife," she said. "It just goes to show you, even a horse thief like your wife can have people who believe in them."

"I wish you'd stop saying that," I said.

"Okay, I'm sorry I called her a horse thief," she said. "In the old days the worst thing you could imagine a person doing was stealing your horse."

"Not the horse thief part," I said. "You keep calling her my wife."

"Ooh somebody's hurt is starting to show a little bit," said Sky. "I know just how you feel. Believe me, I've been there."

"God, I wish everyone would stop saying that," I said.

"Honey, love is a universal concept," she said. "Almost all of us can sympathize with you because we've all had someone that we loved and had it not work out. I know that right now you think that you're the only one going through this but trust me, you're not."

"Cal, why do you think I'm on this cruise?" she asked.

"Maybe you're on a vacation," I said.

"Cal, this isn't a singles cruise. In case you haven't noticed there are very few single people here. This is a couples cruise for honeymoons and snuggle time."

I thought about that for a second and realized that she was right. I knew of only a few people who were here alone. Emma was one of them. The asshole and his friends were also singles and there were a few couples where one of the spouses had died before they took the cruise and were taking it alone either to avoid wasting the money or to spend the time trying to get over the loss of their partner in a new setting.

"This was supposed to be my honeymoon too," she said. "My parents had a party for my twentieth birthday. That was four years ago if you're keeping track. One of the guests at the party was Marcus Clark. From the time he stepped into my house, I never saw anyone else there. For the next four years we dated. That man became my life. Everything we did was because he wanted to do it. Every penny I made at my job was for us. I'd often thought about moving away to a bigger city to start my life, but Marcus wanted to stay there. He had all of his friends and he kept teasing me with little things like, "After we're married, we need to be in a place that we can bring our kids up the right way."

"Every time that bastard said something like that I folded and got all gushy inside. Unfortunately, I never found out what a horse's ass he was until the day before our fucking wedding. There were only three things in life that were important to Marcus, pussy, beer and his Dodge Charger. I came in somewhere around fourth. I think I only placed that high because I supplied all of the beer he drank, most of the pussy he got and made the payments on his Charger."

"At the time I thought that I was supplying all of the pussy he was getting. I came home early from work so I could pick up my dress for our wedding. I wanted to see how it looked in the church. I didn't know how the little glass beads that were sewn all over it would reflect when they took pictures of it. I didn't want to have my wedding pictures ruined by glare from my dress."

She looked at me as if that was supposed to make a difference to me. I really don't understand how women think about things like that so I just nodded so she could get back to the story.

"Anyway, I heard him before I even got to our bedroom. He was wheezing and puffing and blowing like he was the little engine that could, trying to make it up a hill. Then I heard what he was saying in between breaths. "

"He said, 'Damn Susie, you've got the best pussy in town.' And then I heard my cousin Sue, ask him, 'Then why are you marrying Sky'?"

"He told her that he'd gotten stuck marrying me because he'd met me first. She was better than I was in every way he could think of. In real world terms she isn't, but in the way that you guys think, I suppose she probably is to him. She has long hair and big tits. She also isn't very particular about who she spreads her legs for. In case you haven't noticed it yet, I'm a little small on top."

I pretended to be surprised and she laughed.

"So I left the house mad as hell. The next day, the day we were supposed to get married, I went and found his car. That car was his pride and joy. A bright orange 2009 Dodge Charger painted up like the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard. I broke every piece of glass on that car. I shattered every window, every light and every signal indicator both inside and out. I slashed his tires and took a sledge hammer to his chrome rims. I poured a five pound bag of sugar in his gas tank and then took a screw driver to the paint job. Finally I got inside the car and like a dog marking its territory I pissed on all of his leather seats. I just pulled my skirt up and pulled my panties down and peed on every seat in the back and in the front. If I'd cut them, they could have stitched the leather back up. But after that car sat out in the hot sun, without even any windows to shield it from the heat, they'll never get the smell of piss out of that car. I left him a note telling him that since I was the one paying for his car I should have taken it. But it was in his name so Susie could continue making the payments for him. Of course, she'd have to get a job first."

"While he sat there at the church with all of our friends and family waiting for me, I left town. I really didn't know where to go. I'd paid for this cruise so I just cashed his ticket in, I took a big penalty for the last minute cancellation but it was worth it. I used the money to extend the length of my trip and here I am."

I was shocked hearing about what she'd been through.

"I have no idea of what I'll do, when this trip is over," she smiled. "But I wanted to let you know that I really do know what you're going through."

For the rest of breakfast neither of us wanted to talk about anything that was overly serious. We did find out a lot about each other and that we had a lot in common. Both of us loved a variety of types of music. We both loved old 80's hits. We spent a lot of time that morning playing a game that we made up. It was kind of like trivial pursuit but different. We took turns naming well known or obscure bands from the 80's and 90's. Whenever one of us named a band, the other person had to name one of their songs. If she came up with a band and I couldn't name one of their songs, she got a point. If I could name one of their songs, I got the point.

If there was doubt over the existence of the band or the song, we used my iPad and looked them up on the internet.

By early afternoon I was making up for the ass kicking she gave me at Monopoly. We'd had several challenges. One was when I named the band Lion. Sky got them confused with White Lion and quickly named "Wait," as one of their songs. When I told her that it wasn't the right band, she challenged me. We Googled them to prove they existed. We even saw the video for their song, "Power Love." After that we were too busy laughing to play anymore. We were also hungry.

I felt my phone chirp before we started talking about lunch. It was a text from my bank. It let me know that one of my checking accounts was out of cash. I could add more to the account by transferring money from savings. I also had another checking account that I could transfer money from. The first checking account was the one I called the household account. It was the one that Danielle had access to. I just smiled. If she was out of money, it was no longer my problem. I did wonder how she'd managed to go through five thousand dollars in only a couple of days, but it was the last money she'd ever get from me and as divorces go that was pretty cheap.

A few minutes later Emma arrived again. "Do you need something for lunch?" she asked. She seemed really surprised to see Sky still there. 

"We're fine, but thanks for asking," said Sky, before I could do anything. Then she curled up her lips and smiled. "I have an idea," she said.

"Tim," she yelled. A few minutes later Tim hustled into the room. We couldn't tell whether he came so quickly because Sky had bellowed for him or because Emma was there. Both of them were looking at each other and then looking away. It was cute.

"We're hungry," said Sky, interrupting the teenager like love fest.

"What can I get you?" asked Tim. 

"I was thinking that maybe you should go out to lunch with Emma and the two of you could bring us something back," said Sky.

Tim obviously liked that idea. Emma apparently didn't find the idea repugnant either. So after a brief conversation on where they should eat the two of them left. They hadn't even closed the door.

A few seconds later Tim stuck his head back in the doorway. "Cal, I asked earlier and the Captain did say it was okay for you to go to the bathroom or to take care of your daily needs. We're on a ship so there isn't any place for you to escape to. So why don't the two of you just go to lunch. Stay away from the upper decks near the bridge and I don't think you'll run into any problems. If someone does ask you something, just tell them you went to take a shower."

Then he and Emma were gone.

Sky held out her hand and we went to find something to eat. We did run into Tim and Emma and I asked her if she could stop by my cabin and bring me a few changes of clothing.

Emma agreed to do it, but she thought that I was going to have to see Danielle sooner or later. Avoiding it wouldn't help. She also looked at Sky very curiously. It was as if she was having trouble seeing where Sky fit into this whole puzzle. I could understand that very easily. As humans, our brains work even when we don't want them to, trying to fit things into place. Even when we sleep they constantly sift through the information we've fed them. They always attempt to find a proper place and classification for everything and everyone. Right now, Emma's brain was trying to determine where Sky belonged and whether she was friend or foe.

We settled in and had a great lunch at a small bistro like restaurant that overlooked the ship's rear deck. There were plenty of things for us to look at including the zip line and the climbing wall. The funny thing was that we were so immersed in watching each other that we somehow missed them.




The Love Boat



After lunch, we took a leisurely stroll back to the security room. There was no one there. Tim was still out to lunch with Emma. And the night shift guy hadn't reported in yet. On a ship of this size the rest of the security crew was busy watching the rest of the ship.

"I've had a wonderful day," said Sky. "But..."

"But you need to go out and see some of the ship yourself," I said. "I totally understand. I appreciate the time you've spent with me so far. You've gone above and beyond the call of duty. You've spent more time with me than that thing I married has. Thank..."

"You're just going to keep sticking your foot further and further into your mouth aren't you?" she asked smiling. "Can I finish my thought or are you having too much fun finishing it for me?"

I smiled and pretended that I was zipping my lips closed.

"I was going to say that I've had a wonderful day and I was looking forward to spending the evening with you too, but I wanted to go back to my cabin and change out of my running shorts and top," she said. "You know, your night security guy seems nice too. He might let us go out for dinner and a walk on the deck. I don't think we'll be sitting at the Captain's table, but there are so many places to eat here."

I just looked at her, smiling. She smiled back.

"Well are you going to say anything?" she asked. In the past roughly ten hours since she'd showed up this morning, I'd spent more of my time smiling than I ever remembered in my entire life.

"Oh, I can talk now?" I asked.

"Yep, jump right in whenever you feel like it," she said. Before I had a chance to leap in with any of my witty repartee, the night security man stepped into the room.

"Did you know the doors are all open," he asked. 

"Yep," Sky and I said at the same time.

"Oh, okay," he said. "I guess there really isn't anywhere for you to go." 

Sky just looked at me and I got the impression that she was expecting something. After a couple of minutes of really strange awkwardness, she turned and left, vowing to quickly return. The security guy stood there looking at me too.

"She's a cutie," he said. "I saw the two of you eating lunch a while ago."

"I escaped while the other security guy wasn't looking," I said.

"You mean while he was having lunch with that woman that visited you yesterday?" he asked. "Good excuse. If you decided to go out later and someone else catches you, tell them that about me too."

I just looked puzzled at him. He went back into the outer room to watch TV. I realized that I'd been so busy with Sky for most of the day that I hadn't checked my email. I logged onto my email account and found a couple of different messages from my attorney. He was sure that I could get the annulment. He'd have papers waiting to serve Danielle as soon as we docked. My assistant was taking care of the things I'd asked for her to handle. The locks on my condo had been changed. And all of Danielle's belongings that had been moved into my condo had been placed in storage. We'd paid for a month in the storage facility for her after which her property would be sold.

I was in the middle of writing another message when the security guy came back in. "You've got a visitor," he said. I could tell from the look on his face that I wasn't going to like it. "It's her," he said.

"Tell her that I don't want to see her and send her away," I told him. He nodded and went back into the outer room. I heard a lot of yelling and screaming and a couple of thumps. 

"God damn it, Cal. This is not going to fix things between us," she screamed from the other room. "You fucked up. I got mad. I fucked up too, but we have a problem."

He stuck his head back in the room and looked at me. I shook my head. He smiled and the next thing I heard was more screaming from Danielle. "I'm going to the Captain," she spat. "This is an emergency. I have the right to speak to my own husband."

A few minutes later, he stuck his head back in. "What a piece of work," he said. "So what actually happened between the two of you? When you first got here, you were a typical lovey dovey pair of newlyweds."

"Yes, I'd like to hear that as well," said the Captain, from behind him. "Right now we have more than one problem and I think they all involve you."

I gave them the short version of my relationship with Danielle. I quickly went over the conversation I'd overheard between her and Emma. Then I explained to them what had happened at the dinner to cause my reaction. The Captain nodded his head. 

"We reviewed the security tapes and spoke to a lot of the passengers that you've come into contact with," he said. "A great many of them think that I should let you go. But a small, but vocal few think you should stay locked up."

"Captain, are there any available cabins on the ship?" I asked.

"No, but you and your wife are already booked in one of the best cabins we have," he said.

"Then we don't really have a problem," I said. "I have no problem staying here. There's no way I want to share a cabin with Danielle. I'd appreciate it if someone could get the rest of my clothes out of that cabin though."

"I'll have someone bring them down to you while your wife is out," he said. "She wants to have a meeting with me. I'm heading up to my office now. I'll keep her there for as long as I can. But I need to ask you a favor too."

"What can I do?" I asked.

"You could call off your friends," he said. "Apparently your lawyer called in a few favors from some friends of his, they called in a favor as well and I got to have a long conversation about you with the director of the entire cruise line. Apparently some very important people like you, so I'm supposed to tread very carefully where you're concerned."

"I'll see what I can do," I said.

About ten minutes after the Captain left. The security guy came back into the room. "Jeezus, I'm starting to feel more like I'm your receptionist or something," he said. "You do know that the captain told us you're free to go," he said. 

"Well it's something like that," I told him. "I'm supposed to keep a low profile to avoid angering any of the few people who think I'm an axe murderer."

"You have another visitor," he said. "I think I'd better stay in the room for this one."

"I already told you I don't want to see her," I said.

"It's not her," he smirked. "I need you to stay calm. It's the asshole."

"Why the hell would he want to see me?" I asked. 

"The easiest way for you to find out would probably be to ask him," he said.

I nodded and he waved the man in. As soon as I looked at the bastard standing there smugly, I wanted to kill him.

"We need privacy for what we're about to talk about," he said to the security man.

"No we don't," I snapped. "He's here for your protection. You know, just in case I decided to finish what your friends prevented me from doing last night." He gulped and paled.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "And I have no friends aboard the ship. Are you referring to those two men you had the fight with last night? If you are speaking of them, I don't know them. I came here to discuss a business proposition that is of a very personal nature. Your wife has run up a tab with me that you and I should discuss."

"My wife's bills are of no interest to me," I said. "When she texted me earlier, I ignored it. When she tried to visit me earlier today I refused to see her. Whatever is going on between the two of you is of no concern to me." I pulled out my iPhone and pretended to show him the text. As I was doing it I took a picture of him.

"I would suggest that you speak to your wife," he said. "I'll come back to visit you tomorrow at this time. It would be better for everyone concerned for us to resolve this matter before it becomes ugly." Then he turned and left the room.

I emailed the picture of him to my attorney. I told him that he was guy that Danielle went out clubbing with. I figured that the guy might prove important if I needed a divorce instead of the annulment.

A couple of crewmen arrived then with my suitcases and the rest of my belongings. I stowed things away as efficiently as I could in the small security room. I picked out an outfit to wear for the evening and went into the other room to get ready. The bathroom I'd been using simply wouldn't do. There was no tub or shower. I got the security man to show me to one of the locker rooms that the crew used. I took a nice hot shower and dressed. When I went back to the security room, Emma was waiting there for me.

"Cal, wow, you look good," she said. 

"Thanks Emma, did you enjoy your lunch?" She turned red immediately. 

"Oh boy, Emma," I laughed. "You'd better slow down girl. You know that sailors have a reputation. Make him wait for a while before you give up the goods." She got even redder in the face.

"Cal, we're not here to talk about my love life," she said. "Danielle is in your cabin crying her eyes out. None of this is working out the way she intended and she has a really big problem. You're probably the only person who can help her with it."

"Then she's fucked," I said. Emma looked around the room and noticed all of my suitcases.

"Cal, I only brought you some clothes and underwear. Where did the rest of this stuff come from?" she asked. "Forget about it. Won't you please just go and talk to her?"

"Why should I?" I asked. "She embarrassed me in front of the whole God damned ship by acting like a slut less than forty-eight hours after our wedding. I ended up getting thrown in here and spent the fucking night in jail while she was off spending my money with the bastard she let feel her up. Besides that, Emma, I know."

"You know what?" Emma asked. My brain kicked in and I realized that it would be far better for me not to let Emma or Danielle know that I'd heard their conversation. Danielle wasn't totally stupid. If she knew I was going after an annulment or a divorce she'd try to block it. I'd rather just have her served as soon as she stepped foot back on land."

"I know that Danielle didn't go back to our cabin the whole fucking night," I said. 

"It wasn't her fault," said Emma. "You really do need to go and talk to her."

"Nope, I really don't," I said. "If this type of childish behavior is what I can expect from her. I'm better off without her."

Sky picked that moment to show back up. "Where are our security people?" she smiled.

"Oh they're around here somewhere," I said. "We may have to fire them. They let just about anybody in."

Sky had on a white blouse with a lacey front. She wore a very tight black leather skirt that molded itself to her curves leaving no aspect of her ass to the imagination. Her legs were bare and she tucked her feet into very tiny high heeled boots. Her hair was arranged so the blue highlights blended in with the black and just added tone to her hair. She looked really great.

"So your wife is back in your cabin sinking into a depression and you're going out on a date?" asked Emma.

"Works for me," I said. Emma looked shocked. "Emma, again I spent last night in jail while she went out dancing and drinking and I paid for it. I'm not doing anything that she didn't do first."   "But Cal, you're a better person than she is," said Emma.

"Alright Emma," I said. "I'm doing this for you, not for her. Tell her I'll meet with her after breakfast tomorrow."

"Thanks Cal," said Emma smiling. And she turned to leave. She looked at Sky again.

"Emma," I said just as she got to the door. "Stay away from those sailors." She turned red all over again.

"So, ya got a lot of stuff in here now," said Sky.

"Ya think?" I replied.

"I have ways of making you talk," she said right back to me. "But for now, I'm starving. Feed me. Get one of the security guys to go and get us food. I could go if they're not coming back soon enough." 

I took her hand. "Or we could just go ourselves," I said. "I'm sprung."

She looked down at the front of my pants. "Not yet," she said. "But the night is young."

It turned out to be the best night of the cruise so far. More than that, it was the best night of my life so far. We grabbed a bite at a restaurant that was a bit more upscale than any we'd been to before then. There were several people looking at us as we ate. A large number of them gave me the thumbs up sign, but there were one or two who just hid behind their menus and stared.

After that we just waked around the ship and I know this sounds really hokey but when Sky grabbed my hand while we walked, it was the most erotic thing I'd ever felt in my life.

"God damn it," I said.

"What now?" she smirked.

"My timing sucks," I said.

"Nope it goes beyond that," she said. "It's like serendipity. We just fell into this. Think about it. I met an asshole. I put up with him for four years. I bought him beer and paid for his stupid car and got engaged to him. I did all of that so I could run off and leave him at the altar and come on this cruise alone to meet you. You met and dated a gold digger for two years just so you could marry her and come on this cruise, so you could meet me. You're from California, I'm from Arkansas. If it hadn't been for a very strange set of circumstances, we'd never have met."

For the rest of the evening everything was perfect. We strolled along the decks and stopped in at few smaller, quieter clubs. For the first time in my life, I knew what all of the bullshit was about. I felt closer to Sky than I had to any other human being I'd ever known. 

We ended the night in deck chairs staring at the nighttime stars and talking about our hopes and dreams. I walked her to her cabin and as I turned to go, she grabbed my arm and pulled me in for my first ever real kiss. 

Kissing Sky made everything I'd ever done with anyone else feel like a waste of time. This was far more special than just rubbing my lips against some woman's mouth. It was like fire, like electricity, like everything I needed to survive all rolled into one action. 

The only thing I could think of to say was, "Jimi fucking Hendricks."

"Huh?" said Sky. "Wait a minute, you told me you hated Jimi Hendricks."

"Not anymore," I said. "He sings my theme song."

"Okay, what's your theme song?" she laughed.

"Scuse me while I kiss this Sky," I said.

"That's not the name of the song," she said. "It's called P..."

I interrupted her by pressing my mouth against hers again. This time the kiss was longer and even hotter.

"I love that song," she said when we came up for air.

I floated back to the security office. The guy at the desk looked up when I came in. "You look like you had a good time," he said.

"Oh yeah," I said. I told my iPhone to wake me up at 5:45 and went to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt great. Even though I'd had less than six hours of sleep, I felt like I was ready to take on the world. I did notice a little stiffness in my back. The bed I'd slept on wasn't anywhere near comfortable. I guess that was to be expected since it was just a cot in the security office and not a real bed.

I searched through my suitcases and found my running shoes, shorts and a singlet. I ran out into the hallway and then back into the room. I'd forgotten socks and my iPod. 

I jogged my way up a few decks until I got to the track. I looked around and didn't see Sky anywhere. I thought about it and realized that we'd gotten less than six hours of sleep. Yesterday had also been an emotional roller coaster for us. I had begun the day at my lowest emotional point ever. I was locked up in a security room. My wife had apparently been out clubbing with another guy while I was there. And that was on top of finding out the previous day that she was only after me for financial security.

By the end of that day, however, I was sure that I was in love for real, for the first time. So maybe I felt like I could fly, but that didn't mean that Sky did. She was probably still asleep in her bed.

I clipped my iPod to the waistband of my shorts and inserted the ear buds into my ears. I was just about to start running when I felt something tap me on the shoulder.

I looked into Sky's beaming face. 

Seeing her again floored me. "So you weren't going to wait for me at all, huh?" she asked smiling.

"I didn't think you'd want to wake up this early," I said. 

"I didn't," she said. "But, um rll wned cyu," she mumbled.

"Huh?" I said. "I didn't get that last part." I was having trouble looking at her. She really was beautiful. And the thing about it that was weird was that it was six a.m. and she was already this pretty. She had just rolled out of bed and thrown on some clothes and was already this pretty. Danielle needed at least an hour to make her face and hair presentable. Sky was very low maintenance.

"Can we just run?" she asked.

"Nope," I smiled. "What did you say? I have ways of making you talk too."

"Like what?" she asked. I held my hands up menacingly towards her. 

"I could tickle you into telling me," I said.

"That would of course require you to be able to catch me," she said.

"Are you assuming that I can't," I asked.

"Yep," she said. "I am. I get a one minute head start. You can't change direction and we swap iPods. You have to listen to my music and I have to listen to yours."

"Are you sure about this?" I asked. "I mean listening to each other's music is a big step. It's almost like you know going together or something."

She laughed and held out her hand. I gave her my iPod shuffle and she gave me her iPod Nano.

"I'll be watching you to make sure you don't start early," she smirked.

"Wait a minute," I said. "If I win you have to tell me what you said. What do you get if you win?"

"You have to kiss me like you did last night again and whenever I ask you," she said. Then she took off running. As I watched her run away from me, I seriously considered losing on purpose.

After about a minute I started after her. At first I thought that I could just sprint around the track and catch up to her. But by the time I got close she started running faster too and I wasn't a sprinter, so I was tiring faster than I was catching her. I backed off on my pace and she relaxed too. I did think that I caught a glimpse of her smiling as she ran. I started to slowly reel her in. Every time I got closer to her she upped her pace though. After about four laps I was only about twenty feet behind her. But every time I started to sprint, she did too. We seemed to be evenly matched. Another lap and I was only ten feet behind her. I checked my watch, we'd done about six laps and we were at close to seven minutes so I knew that we'd run about a mile. That let me know that the track we were on was a bit smaller than the average high school track. My usual daily run was about 5 miles but we had a lot of adrenalin going through us. 

Sky seemed to be running a bit slower. I think the sprints that we'd done earlier had gassed her. I was so busy thinking and trying to calculate how long it would take me to catch her that I ran into her.

She had simply stopped running. I plowed into her and we went down together in a tangle of arms and legs. "Sorry, "I said. I rolled off of her. She just smiled and looked at me. Both of us lying down on the rubberized surface as the sun came up. 

"Kiss me," she said. Without hesitating, I complied. The connection was instantly back. Like two magnets we pulled towards each other and locked in. Sky's lips tasted like strawberries and fresh peaches. She pulled me in insistently. I truly believe that we'd still be there locked in that embrace if some fat guy hadn't come huffing and puffing around the track. 

"How many laps do I have to do to get that?" he asked. "Does she kiss everyone who knocks her down?" Then he walked on but he turned back to look at us.