“Oh, Ellie… We must be a bit careful,” Luciano whispered. “The captain and chief engineer are near to my cabin, and they would be very unhappy with me for being here with you. I am really on duty again tonight, to supervise some maintenance in the engine room…” He chuckled, looking a bit guilty. “But the guys down there know what they are doing. They really do not need me… But you… You need me…down here.”
I hesitated for a moment at the familiar phrase. Seth had warned me that Justin didn’t want his team sleeping together. I thought everyone was lackadaisical on ships, and yet these guys were apparently quite worried about being seen with me…
My thoughts were interrupted by Luciano tugging more urgently on my skirt. I heard an unmistakable ripping sound in the zipper region. Shit, my theory of going with a slightly-too tight skirt because I’d lose weight had backfired. Still, I had done a fair bit of sewing back in senior school, so I’d be able to fix it with a few carefully placed stitches… I caught myself mid-thought; was I seriously thinking about Home Economics at a time like this?
My top came off next and joined my skirt in a heap on the floor. Then Luciano flicked off the cabin light from a switch near the bed, turned on the lamp, and pulled a condom out of the bedside table all in one, fluid movement. He was an impressive man.
“Ellie, I have been waiting for this,” he said, already breathless. “It’s so wonderful we found each other.”
The cynic in me knew it was just his pillow talk, but the romantic in me sighed in happiness, unable to get the grin off my face.
Without warning, he caught up both of my wrists in one hand and pinned them to the pillows over my head. His unexpected aggression sent a bolt of heat through my body, heat that only intensified as I realised that with my arms caught and my legs pinned beneath his weight, I could barely move. It should have frightened me, but instead I felt more turned on than ever before. Was this what I’d been missing?
Luciano breathed heavily into my ear as he concentrated on drawing little circles around my neck with his tongue. He traced a line up to my mouth and sucked on my bottom lip. With my head thrown back, I could feel my pulse pounding through my neck, down into my chest, where my heart was beating furiously. I squirmed as he kissed down my neck again, and arched beneath him as his free hand trailed along my neck and down to my breasts. He caught one of my nipples between his fingers and twisted, and I writhed in pleasure, wrapping my legs around him to feel closer. I could feel him, hard against my stomach, and pressed up against him, trying to convey the urgency I felt.
“Not like this, Ellie,” he said, his voice hoarse. He released my wrists and slid to the side. “Turn over.”
His words momentarily broke the spell. I silently hoped he wasn’t going to try and go up my arse; I might be keen on sexual exploration, but I was definitely drawing the line there. Dan and I had only ever tried that once, plied with alcohol, and it had ended in embarrassing disaster. “It’s like trying to shove a marshmallow into a letterbox,” he’d moaned, destroying any shred of fun or romance there may have been left in the moment. No, it was definitely not something I wanted to try again.
“Ummmmm… I’m not really sure I want to do that,” I said, snapping back into the present. I tried to sound casual and light, rather than boring or frightened; the last thing I wanted was for him to decide I wasn’t exciting enough!
“No problem, bella,” he said, clearly unperturbed. “There are many things I can do back here.”
Somewhat reassured, I rolled over onto my stomach. Luciano caught my hips and drew them upwards, until I was kneeling, and then captured my wrists again, pressing them against the bed. In this position, I was completely vulnerable, and yet I still felt safe. I also felt like I was doing some sort of weird yoga pose, albeit an R-rated, nude yoga.
Gone was the sensitive soul I’d written off as preferring men. Confident, masculine, rough, shooting more than once glance at himself in the narrow mirror beside the bathroom. He held me still beneath him, his free hand busy at my breasts. I buried my face in his bed, trying not to make any noise; I was mostly successful, though a few stray moans slipped out.
The experience was easily the best sex I’d ever had. By comparison, Dan had been totally vanilla; I’d no idea what I’d been thinking all those years. And while Seth was skilled, I realised, as Luciano was making me squirm, he’d been much more interested in himself than in me. No one had ever brought me anywhere close to the heaven Luciano did.
I finally collapsed, Luciano just a moment behind me. I was just cosying up for a snuggle, looking forward to relaxing, when Luciano’s beeper started buzzing and vibrating on the bedside table. He grabbed it and we could both see the message, which said #911. He punched the air and cursed loudly. “Vaffanculo!”
This was clearly my cue to exit. From what he’d said, I knew we’d have many more nights on this contract. I grabbed my uniform off the floor and tried to step into it as I stumbled towards the door.
Luciano was rifling through his wardrobe. He looked up and said, “Ellie, I’m sorry. Please let me find a way to make you happy later.”
Even happier than he’d already made me? Sold. I raced over and kissed his cheek. He grabbed my face between his hands and snogged me passionately. Despite the fact that my skirt wouldn’t stay up and my unbuttoned polo was exposing my matronly comfort-bra, I felt sexy and desirable. Hooray! I returned his kiss with enthusiasm, and reached around to squeeze his very tight arse. Then I pulled away and kissed his nose quickly, hoping for a light, sexy exit. I could sort myself out back at my cabin.
I gently closed his door behind me and took a couple of steps down the hall, clutching at my skirt to keep it from hitting the floor. I heard male voices, and as I turned the corner, I smacked straight into someone coming in the other direction. I was looking down and saw two pairs of shiny black shoes and trousers. I looked up just in time to see two older men in white shirts staring at me, and I noticed their four stripes on either shoulder. Shit.
“Good evening, Captain. Good evening, Chief,” I said, bobbing my head in respect and flashing them a brilliant smile. I wondered what the odds were they wouldn’t notice I wasn’t exactly perfectly put together, or if they did, what the odds were that they wouldn’t connect me to the Senior Engineer’s cabin.
“It would seem Luciano is in his quarters,” the Captain said, curling his lip in disapproval.
Bollocks. So much for no one noticing. I really hoped Luciano wouldn’t be in trouble. Trust me to go running half naked into the hall at the wrong time and bump into exactly the people I needed to avoid. I’d give him a call in the morning and see if everything was okay.
Back in the cabin, Caitlin was already asleep, which was highly unusual, but possibly a good thing. I wasn’t sure if I should tell anyone about Luciano yet.
I knew that she and Nick wouldn’t judge…well, I was confident Caitlin wouldn’t judge, but it did feel a bit weird to have slept with two guys in one week, especially two that also happened to be friends, so there was a small chance that Nick would have a field day with any potential future fallout. It was just that Luciano had been so lovely. He knew I’d been with Seth, and had been upset that Seth had got to me first, knowing that Seth wasn’t good for me. He hadn’t pushed me; the things he’d said had felt really good and really natural, and I was suddenly looking forward to the rest of the contract again. With Luciano to play around with, I was sure to have a fabulous time…and even get a chance to explore the more exciting side of sex. I’d known coming aboard that I wasn’t likely to find my soulmate. Didn’t mean I couldn’t dream, but I knew it would happen when it was the right time—no doubt far in the future. At the moment, having a good time was more important. I deserved it after so many years of boredom with Dan.
Although Luciano had been extravagant with his compliments, there was no pretence about a future relationship. I knew this was going to be a contract-length romance, pure and simple. When our vacations came, we’d smi
le and go our separate ways. No misunderstandings, no hard feelings. I wasn’t going to make another mistake like Seth.
Chapter Seven
I smiled as soon as my eyes opened the next morning. After a shaky start, things had finally fallen into place for me on board ‘The Lust Boat’. It might not develop into anything truly meaningful, but I was okay with things being short-term and drama-free.
I needed someone to share the sordid details with. And really, for me they were sordid…though I expected that Caitlin, at least, would still think the experience was pretty tame. From the darkness of my bunk I whispered, “Roomie…” No response. “Roomie… Roomie?” I flicked on my reading light and poked my head up to the top bunk. It was empty.
I jumped up to check the roster on the desk and saw that Caitlin was shooting gangway that morning. Damn, just when I had some fresh gory details—her favourite part!
A jiggling of the door handle interrupted the vivid images flooding my mind. She was back already? I’d thought she’d be gone at least another hour. A timid knock followed.
“Lost your key, roomie?!” I called out, laughing.
“No, bella, I do not have your key card…yet.”
Shit, Luciano. I looked down at the comfy old lady pyjamas I was wearing; Mum had stealthily hidden them in my suitcase, and while they were my favourite go-to bedwear, I wasn’t sure I really wanted Luciano to see me wearing them. I grabbed Caitlin’s robe off the back of the door and slipped it on as I opened the door.
A moment of confusion washed over me when the doorway was empty…until a beautiful red rose was thrust under my nose. Luciano stepped in and gave me a long, gentle, probing kiss that made my toes curl under in excitement and anticipation. I hoped he didn’t mind morning breath.
“Ellie, I couldn’t stop thinking about you all night,” he murmured. “I had to come and see you straight away.” He threw the rose aside and grasped my hands, pulling me closer. The moment I got close enough, I could feel exactly why he was in such a desperate hurry. I resisted the urge to start singing Oasis’s ‘What’s the Story, Morning Glory?’ and focussed on the serious business of surreptitiously trying to slip out of my unflattering pjs without attracting any attention to them.
Turned out I needn’t have bothered. Luciano wouldn’t have noticed if I was wearing a Halloween costume—he was a man on a mission. It was unlike the marathon session of the previous night—about five minutes of sweaty, grunting shagging on the edge of the rather flimsy desk easily resulted in a mutual, shuddering climax.
“Give me a minute and I want to give you more,” he said, breathless. We clung onto each other for a moment before Luciano practically collapsed on the floor. I tried to pick him up, laughing; the laughter died abruptly as the doorknob rattled.
“Roomie!” yelled Caitlin as she opened the door.
I jumped over Luciano’s languishing body and dashed to the door.
“Noooooo!” I screamed, pushing the door closed and basically slamming it in her face. “Just give me a minute… I’m just…cleaning up.” I flicked the lock, preventing her from opening it with her key card.
“Ellie, what the fuck is going on?” Caitlin asked through the door. “Let me in. I’ve seen the cabin, dude—it’s fine.”
Luciano was already on his feet, pulling on his clothes; I struggled back into my pjs and robe, mortified, my heart pounding uncontrollably.
His clothes more or less back where they had been, Luciano casually flicked open the door, announcing, “Caitlin, how are you?” He leaned over to kiss her on both cheeks. Cool as a cucumber.
A huge smile spread across Caitlin’s face. “Well, hello, you two lovers.” She nudged Luciano in the ribs. “I heard whispers about a beautiful woman leaving your cabin last night, you sly dog.” Smiling, she pushed past him and walked into the cabin. My cheeks were still burning with embarrassment. I’d forgotten how fast word travelled on a ship.
Without acknowledging Caitlin’s jibe, Luciano brushed a kiss against my cheek and headed out the door. “Bella, I’ll see you later, my darling,” he called over his shoulder.
Luciano was barely gone before Caitlin was on the phone to Nick. “Get over here,” she said excitedly. “Ellie slept with Luciano and we need details!” I could hear Nick’s squeal from two yards away. I rolled my eyes in mock disgust and headed for the shower.
By the time I got out, Caitlin and Nick were sitting on my bed, eager-eyed, cups of tea in hand. When I got to the part about Luciano turning me around and bending me over, Nick squealed again, “Oh, I love straight men. They’re so dirty!”
Caitlin giggled, and then looked at me seriously. “I don’t want to be a buzz-kill, dude, I totally don’t…but just remember to be careful. Luciano is just like all other men on this ship. Don’t have any expectations, and you won’t get hurt.” I knew she wasn’t being a pessimist, she was just being kind.
“I know,” I said, picking up the steaming cup of tea they’d made for me. “He’s just the fun I need right now. Nothing serious.” They both appeared relieved.
“Well, I for one am so sick of cruise ship boys,” Nick said, fluttering his eyelashes. “I can’t wait to get to New York. There’s so many more beautiful men to choose from in the Big Apple.”
Caitlin reached over and poked Nick in the arm playfully. “You better not bring a whole bunch of hot men back to our apartment every week. I’ll be way too jealous!”
I looked at them both, momentarily lost. Then I remembered they both had Big Apple ambitions. “Are you two going to live together in New York?” I asked.
“Of course, lovey,” Nick said, smiling and flicking his feather boa. “And I can’t wait to get there and leave all this shit behind.” Caitlin nodded in agreement.
From there, the conversation quickly steered off to men with questionable sexuality thanks to Caitlin teasing me for thinking Luciano was gay, and from there to the kinds of men Caitlin and Nick were likely to meet in the Big Apple. They were both so excited about living together and following their dreams that I felt a bit wistful, wondering if maybe I should rethink my dreams and go to New York, too.
At work that night, I felt myself falling asleep on multiple occasions, but a quick visit to Luciano’s cabin that night definitely woke me up. His schedule that week sometimes made it tricky to hook up, but when I was willing and able for a passionate rendezvous, I paged him. We met up in his cabin, storage rooms, my cabin when Caitlin was working… Luciano was very energetic and liked to talk dirty. Sex with Luciano was fun and freeing, and as he introduced me to new ways of enjoying myself, I began to realise what I’d been missing. When we had more than a few minutes, he’d play with me, blindfolding me so that every sensation was heightened; his fingers would dance along my body, his breath sweeping across my skin. The first time he tied my wrists together—gently, with a silk scarf I could get out of at any time—and went down on me, it felt like my world exploded into millions of fireworks. And it only got better from there.
I developed a newfound respect for the Italian way—boundless passion, enviable energy, and a fascination with the female form. Luciano constantly praised and admired every inch of my feminine and fabulous body. I was still wary after Seth, but I certainly enjoyed Luciano trying to convince me.
After a particularly exhausting session, I rolled over to grab a tissue. In the soft glow of the bedside lamp, I spied a photo of a woman and two children conspicuously in the place he normally kept his pager and badges. My heart skipped a beat as I picked it up, hoping it was his sister and nephews.
“Who’s this?” I was proud that my voice didn’t betray how hard my heart was pounding.
“Oh, that’s my wife and children,” he answered, tucking his hands behind his head. “They’re coming on board next week.”
“Are you serious?” I spluttered. He had to be kidding. This was ridiculous. Confusion and anger and shock and betrayal crowded into my mind, each clamouring for my attention. “You gave me that big speech abou
t how Seth didn’t appreciate me and I deserved better!” This seriously couldn’t be happening. Was anybody on board this ship capable of telling the truth? Of being genuine? Furious, I started gathering my clothes, desperate to get out of the cabin and away from Luciano as fast as possible.
“Ellie, bambina,” he said, completely unmoved, “surely you know how it works on the ships… Everybody has fun, nobody talks about real life, everybody is happy.”
Again he sounded like a Seth-clone. Did they practice this shit? Worse than that, it was possibly the most horrible description of life I’d ever heard. Life on board was happy because everyone lied. Truth was a rare and apparently not very valuable commodity.
“I do like you,” he added. “Very much. But we’re not married, and we’re both here to have fun. The other girls don’t have a problem with this.”
This brought me up short, and I paused with one shoe in hand. “The other girls? Are you fucking kidding me?” Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse. At least Seth had apparently only been sleeping with me. I clutched my shoe to my chest in a protective stance and said, “You’re sleeping with other girls? For fuck’s sake, how many others?”
“Five,” he said with a little shrug, “or maybe six. You never asked me, so I thought you didn’t mind what I did when we’re not together.” He sat up and rolled off the bed, grabbing his top from where it had been draped over his chair.
I was fuming, but Luciano seemed completely unflustered by my anger. How could I have been so stupid? Again? Luciano hadn’t thought I deserved a better man—he’d just wanted to shag me! It was a desperately humiliating realisation, especially coming on the heels of the Seth debacle.
“Ellie,” he said calmly, “I am happy to have fun whenever you want. I’ll be here for you, we’ll have sex; we’ll have good times, hey?” He actually had the nerve to smile suggestively, and I considered clobbering him to death with my shoe. “If you’re not okay with that, it’s okay, I understand. You just leave now and we’ll just be friends, okay?” He smiled, obviously pleased with ending things so calmly. “But please follow the rules, Ellie, and don’t say anything to my wife next week. She doesn’t need to know all this information. It’s much better for her to not know how the ships work. I send her money. Everybody’s happy.”
Sex, Lies, and Cruising Page 11