by Pepper Pace
She watched him as he recited the poem. Her pussy began to once again swell. What if that happened every time he spoke? She was so ruined…
He turned and kissed her. “I’m sorry that I had no condoms in order to protect you.”
She allowed a beat to pass before responding. “I’m still on the pill—but I guess there is more to protect one’s self from than just a baby.”
He lightly kissed the tip of her nose. “It is true, Sidney. I will be better prepared should there be a next time.”
She grinned and lightly bit her lower lip. He politely did not wait for a response but sat up in bed.
“You have missed dinner and it is late.”
She sat up quickly. “Are you leaving?”
“Do you want me to leave?” He asked.
“No.”
“Then maybe we should think of dinner. The café is still open and there is also the pizza parlor, or if you prefer, room service.”
Sidney thought about her disheveled appearance and then she thought about hanging out on the ship with Gio. Would he want to hang out with her? A booty call was one thing but…
“Do you want to go to the café?” She asked tentatively.
“Yes,” he replied. He leaned in and gave her another brief kiss before standing. “Excuse me one moment. I must wash you off my face.”
“Oh yeah,” she blushed. “By the wet spot on this bed, there might be a lot of me to wash away.”
“Beautiful Sydney, that is a lovely thing.” He went into the bathroom and she hurried to find something to slip into. When he returned, he looked like he was heading for a photo shoot…a naked photo shoot for a porn magazine. Good God…would she ever get used to his perfection?
“I’m going to freshen up,” she said while carrying her things into the bathroom. He didn’t speak but his eyes moved with desire from her dark eyes, down her body and then back up to her eyes again. She saw his dick twitch and her inner sex goddess beamed in delight.
When she returned from the bathroom, Gio was dressed in dark slacks and a fresh, baby blue polo shirt, and she thought about the pack that he carried. He carried a change of clothes—but no condoms.
She had slipped on stretch jeans and another t-shirt MELANIN BLESSED written across the front. She wore a cap and was able to fix her make-up without starting the entire process over again.
She felt shy when she went downstairs to see him standing there drinking bottled water, while he waited for her.
“Hello beautiful Sidney.”
She shook her head. “I am far from beautiful right now with my cap and janky make-up.”
A frown flashed across his face. “There is nothing more beautiful than a confident woman.” He handed her a bottled water. “Let’s go. There is a late-night comedy show. If we get to the café now, then we can take our food with us and make it to the show.”
Her eyes brightened but she didn’t admit how excited she was about the prospect of eating with Gio and catching a show. This was an actual date.
Gio was in Nicco’s office at eight am on the dot the next morning. He was tired but wouldn’t change one second of the activities that had made him that way. After the show the night before, he and Sidney had returned to the suite. Of course, the bed had been refreshed, thanks to a discreet call to housekeeping while Sidney was in the bathroom.
They laughed, ate and then returned to her suite where he was all prepared to leave her. Instead she kissed him and before he knew it, they were messing up her bed again.
“Giacomo, why didn’t you answer my pages last night?” Nicco asked while leaning back in his chair behind his little desk. Gio was standing because he refused to sit. He wasn’t interested in pretending to get comfortable. He wanted this over and to be on his way.
“Because I was busy looking after a guest that had been physically harassed by another traveler.”
Nicco sat up straight in his chair. “Harassed?! I mean…is she going to file charges?”
“Well he did grab her. That’s actually assault. But she said nothing about filing charges.”
“Shit. This is not good. I want you to have her sign a waiver-”
Gio suppressed his laughter. “No. I’m not going to do that.”
“What?! But it’s in the best interest of the ship.”
Gio’s brow dipped. “What about what’s in the best interest of her? What if that waiver gives him license to hurt her? Do you think that will protect this ship--or you?”
“Me?! What do I have to do with any of it?”
“Have you had security speak to him, or even her?” Gio’s eyes became hooded in feigned uninterest. “Never mind, Nicco. Give me the form and I’ll be sure to let Miss Wyatt know that she should sign it at the suggestion of the HEAD Superior Genie.”
Nicco threw his hands up, but his expression was more nervous than exasperated. “This is fucking crazy. I want this buried! Do you think she’s going to pursue anything?”
Gio shrugged. “I don’t know. The real question is whether the other guest is going to continue harassing her.”
Nicco dismissed him giving Gio enough time to head for the ship’s galley for the items that he had ordered the day before.
Sidney woke up with a smile on her face. She heard the soft music from the speaker system. She checked the time. It was just after eight thirty a.m. Was Gio here already? He had left her room sometime after one a.m.
She jumped up and quickly showered. Her beach waves still looked good with just a few touch-ups and then she applied her most artful make-up. Today they were supposed to dock in France, and she was excited for a land tour of Marseilles. She was equally excited to see Gio.
He was talking to a maid and both turned to look at her as she walked down the stairs.
“Good morning, Sidney,” he said while he took in every inch of her from the top of her head to the sneakers on her feet.
“Good morning, Gio.”
He turned to the maid, dismissing her and they both waited until she left the room before he closed the space between them and kissed her lightly on her lips.
“Did you sleep well?” He asked.
She kissed him again, lingering into it before responding.
“Divinely…thanks to you. That round two last night wore me out.”
“Really?” he smirked. “I was just getting started. But I had to give you a pass because you have such a busy day today.”
She chuckled. “Oh? You gave me a pass? You just don’t know, Gio.”
He knew that, in actuality, he was putty in her hands. He gestured to the dining room table, which was already set for her. There was also a large arrangement of flowers.
“Your breakfast menu.”
She leaned forward to sniff the flowers. “Oh, these are beautiful. I swear you guys do everything so elegantly.” He nodded at her compliment. She picked up the menu and studied it hungrily. She had built up quite the appetite last night.
“Pancakes sound good, but that might make me too bloated when we go to Marseille. I think I’d like scrambled eggs and bacon and maybe some fried potatoes.”
“I can cook that.”
“No. Not this morning. This morning I want…something else from you.” She bit her lower lip and saw his eyes darken.
“Is it my dick that you want?” he asked openly.
Her eyes became hooded. “Yes.”
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a sleeve of condoms. “Then you might want to see what I’ve brought you.”
“Oooo!” She grinned.
His brow moved down playfully. “But you’re already dressed for Marseilles.”
“What? This old thing? Nah, Gio, this is just my walking around the ship clothes.” She ran her hands up his shirt. He was dressed in what she was beginning to understand was his ‘informal’ uniform, black slacks, black shoes, and a white shirt beneath a black jacket.
“You have a change of clothes stashed around here for when we take excursions.” She said
and he nodded in confirmation. “What time do we need to leave the ship?”
“Well that depends, beautiful Sidney,” but he didn’t continue.
“What does it depend on?”
“Whether or not you want to attend the official excursion, or whether you want to go on a more…private one.”
“And does the private one include access to your dick?”
He nodded. “Yes, it does.”
Hell yeah! “I vote for the private excursion.”
Breakfast came while they stood on the balcony looking out at what she could see of France. He wheeled the cart onto the balcony and quickly set the table for her.
She gave him a curious look when he only placed one setting before her. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I’ve had my breakfast.” He saw the disappointment on her face as he placed her food before her.
“No worries. We can have lunch together.” She nodded happily.
“One moment. I have a surprise for you.” Curiously she watched him leave. When he returned he was holding a bottle.
“Peach nectar. I had it delivered once we docked this morning.”
She blinked in surprise as he poured her a glass of the chilled juice.
“You did this for me?”
“Of course,” he replied. He didn’t seem to think it was a big deal, but she was appreciative that he’d remembered such a small thing and had made sure to have the juice she liked available this morning.
“Thank you, Gio.”
“My pleasure. This vacation is all for your complete enjoyment.”
“Even the dick?” she asked seriously.
He met her eyes. “That is not one of the services that is included in my job description.” She nodded but he continued. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“You haven’t?” She stared at him. “But you’re so…” she sighed, not sure how to compliment him without sounding like a desperate shipboard fling.
He sat down and took her hand. “I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been offered. I’ve even been offered money. But I’m no client’s whore. I sleep with who I want and when I want.”
“Gio, I didn’t mean-”
He kissed her hand. “Maybe I would, if my guests didn’t seem to think they were entitled to it. But now I’ll never know. This year is my last season on the ship. I’m retiring.”
“Retiring? But you can’t even be forty.”
“I’m thirty-four. And my retirement is not permanent. I’ll be leaving cruise ships, but after I take a little break, I intend to work as a private butler.”
She leaned back and appraised him. “So, you like being a butler? I mean, you do it very well.”
“Thank you. And I do enjoy it. My job is to serve, but a good butler is more than just a servant. A good butler also leads. I must be able to make things happen. A butler must have connections and we have more power than most people understand. It’s prestigious but a powerful position.”
Her brow gathered as she wondered what that meant. He just winked at her.
“I’m curious about you. What do you do? How did you meet that man from yesterday?” he asked, changing the subject from him.
“I’m not that interesting,” she said shyly. He waited for her to continue. “I work in collections for a credit card company. I have a tiny apartment, and…once upon a time I fell in love with a man that swept me off my feet like a whirlwind.” She fiddled with her fork and peeked at him.
He was watching her with interest so she continued.
“Wesley is a successful cosmetic surgeon. He lives a good life, he’s attractive, he understood my culture despite growing up as a privileged white American. And when we were together, he treated me like a queen. It was everything I always wanted in a relationship. When I was a teen I had a boyfriend and we got along really well—until I met his mother who said that I was too dark and that if we had kids it would ruin the bloodline.”
Gio frowned. “What an idiot.”
“Right,” she agreed. “But even though we had talked about a anyways that. I’d never before felt that my color was anything short of glorious,” Gio smiled in agreement, “But after that I began to develop some insecurities. My mother is Sudanese and my father is African American. I grew up with beautiful dark-skinned women so I never had an identity crisis about my color even when some kids cracked on me for being darker, because I always knew that I was a beautiful person.
“But in America, there are still some people that don’t see me—they only see a color. When I met Wes, he seemed to see the beauty in me—but now I wonder if he saw anything beneath what is on the surface. I mean he cheated. And I’m the type of person that when I say ‘I love you’, I don’t even want to be with anyone else. I could never cheat.”
Gio reached out and gently squeezed her hand. “You sound as if you don’t like your place in life right now.”
“I don’t.”
“What would you do to change it?”
“I’m not sure.” She replied honestly. “I could get another job, but I don’t know where I’d really like to work. Work is work.”
“Well what do you like to do—not work, just things that you enjoy?”
She didn’t have to think long. “Well, I like cooking, but I wouldn’t want to do it for a living. I’m starting to realize that I love traveling. I like make-up and fashion. I watch a lot of YouTube,” she laughed. “There are a few darker skinned YouTubers that helped me learn how to properly apply my make-up. I even thought about making a few videos.”
“People have made a living by becoming YouTube Influencers,” he said. “If you did something like that for a living then you’d have to commit to it. It couldn’t be just a hobby. You’d have to treat it like a job.”
Sidney gave him a surprised look. “You think I could become an Influencer on YouTube?”
He nodded. “You’re beautiful. I don’t say it lightly. I can barely tell that you wear make-up. You are art. I think others would be interested in seeing you. I’ve seen people pay good money to buy a beautiful piece of art just to look at it. Why wouldn’t they look at you for free?”
She leaned over the table and kissed him. “Thank you.”
Chapter Ten
“Nicco, I need to change my excursion today.”
“Jesus Christ…” Gio heard him reply through the cellphone. “Don’t call me anymore with changes to excursions, just handle it.” He hung up and Gio chuckled.
“Stressed much?” He continued packing his bag for the private excursion when his cellphone began to ring again. He assumed it was Nicco.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“Gio, how is your guest?” It was Paolo.
“Hey, Paolo. She’s fine but she was pretty distraught last night.”
“Damn,” Paolo replied. “I’m sorry to hear that. My client’s been asking about her. I think he’s going to try to see her. He knows all of her excursions. Man, it’s creepy. How would he know that?”
“Shit,” Gio’s jaw clenched. “He would know because they know each other from the States. Look, we’re going off course today but don’t let him know that.”
“Another private excursion?” Paolo asked. “You’re not getting any downtime if she’s not taking the excursions. How are you standing up straight?”
Gio smiled. “I’m managing.”
“I see…is that why you weren’t in your room when I came by last night?” Gio shuffled uncomfortably trying to find an excuse.
“Good for you, man. It’s about damn time you had some fun. I have a cousin that has a Haussmannian flat in Marseilles. He’s on holiday. Take her there. It’s a nice place and Jean doesn’t care as long as you change the sheets after-”
“Paolo, no. I’m not-”
“Hey! Do you think it’s romantic to fuck on the side of the road among the grape vines? No. It only sounds romantic. Take my word for it. Use the flat. I’ll leave the key and address at the excursion desk. Y
ou have condoms, right?” Gio was tongue-tied. His friend gave him no opportunity to deny anything he was saying so all he did was just say yes. “Good boy. Have fun.”
Gio hung up the phone and then opened his pack and removed the blanket that he had planned to spread out on the grass in a private area during the drive to Marseilles. But Paolo was probably right. The flat would be more practical.
As he drove them to the city Centre Gio glanced at Sidney as she sat in excitement, taking in all the sights. He enjoyed her questions, many of them peppered with inquiries about him.
“What is Marseilles most known for?”
“It’s the oldest city in France dating back to 600 BC. But it still has a festive atmosphere. Some of its notable areas are Le Vieux Port, the Canebière, the Town Hall, the Bourse Centre, and the rue de la République.” He spun the words so quickly and eloquently that she stared at him in admiration.
“How many languages do you speak?”
“Five, including English. I am fluent in Italian, English and Spanish and I speak some passable French.”
“That’s impressive,” she replied.
“It’s different here in Europe when there are so many languages spoken within a relatively short distance.
“Have you ever been to the States?”
“Yes, we cruise out of Florida when the ship does the Caribbean tour. I’ve also been to many of the Caribbean countries and Mexico but in the U.S. I’ve been to Los Angeles California, I’ve visited Arizona and Texas and I’ve been to Las Vegas Nevada.”
“Have you ever been up north?”
“No, but I have wanted to visit New York City. The big apple?” He asked her for confirmation of the nickname.
She smiled. “Yeah. The big apple.”
“What city are you from?” He asked.
“Cincinnati Ohio, born and bred.”
“Is that the Midwest?”