by DRAYER, GINA
"Palo?" Hearing her talk about another man filled him with unexpected jealousy, not that she owed him any explanation.
"He's someone I met on the ship. He works for the cruise line," she said and gave him a once over. "I'm sure he could find something better for you to wear next time. That is if you want to come to the next theme night. Personally, I'm going to skip the country western night, but I'll definitely be back for punk night."
"Theme nights?" He was beginning to feel like he'd walked into the middle of a movie and everyone but him knew what was going on.
"Yes, theme nights. Didn't you read any of the cruise information in your room?"
No, he hadn't. But then again, he had planned on working when his family didn't have some group thing planned, so he didn't see the need. Matt looked around the room one more time and was about to ask Beth exactly what they'd be doing tonight when the golden clad girl took center stage.
"All right my groovy cats. My name's Crystal and I'll be your host tonight. We've dialed things back to the seventies. Now let's get ready for some fun and start the night off with a little game of Name That Tune. You'll hear a few notes from a popular seventies song and the first team to buzz in with the correct answer wins a point. I just need a few volunteers to act as team captains."
Great a stupid trivia game. He'd spent the last few days avoiding this kind of annoying cruise activity, and he didn't feel like starting now. If they left before the game started, maybe they could catch a late show or even better, head back to his cabin.
"Why don't we go someplace quieter?"
Before he could even make the suggestion, Beth had jumped up and volunteered to be a team captain.
Matt was adorable. He was fidgeting like a virgin on prom night. He kept pulling on the polyester jacket and eyeing the exit as if he were ready to bolt any minute. His obvious discomfort was almost charming, and Beth thought about leaving to give him a reprieve.
But after what happened at the reception and their talk that afternoon, she realized that, while a week of pretend and some hot sex was just what she was looking for, getting too wrapped up in his in his life could be dangerous. She was on vacation, and that meant fun and relaxation. If he wanted to see more of her, then he would have to do it on her terms.
Sure, maybe she could have warned him about the theme night, but it would have given him an excuse to skip the whole thing. She wanted him to be able to see the real her and not the pretend woman she'd been these last few days. She just needed to have a little fun with him that didn't involve pretending.
"We're Team Six. Cheryl and Frank are going to be on our team." She waved at the middle aged couple sitting at the table behind them. "Are you guys ready for this?"
"I didn't realize this was a whole event. I thought we were coming here to have drinks," Matt said.
"Crap you're right. You need a drink." Standing up, she flagged down the waiter who'd brought her drink earlier, pointed to the now empty cup and held up two fingers. "Now that that's taken care of, let's talk strategy. I'm killer at music trivia. My strategy is going to be to buzz in right away. If you know the answer, shout it out. Music was about the only modern convenience we had growing up, and my dad was a huge fan of the seventies. I probably know every song written in that decade, so I'm pretty sure we've got this."
"I can help if you get stuck," Frank said. "I'm a bit of a music buff myself."
"I'm terrible with names, especially music, so I won't be any help," Cheryl said. "You go ahead and answer all the questions. I'll just sit back and enjoy my drink."
"Cher here was a wild child back then. I'd be surprised if she even remembered the seventies."
"Frank!" The older woman smacked her husband's arm.
He just grinned and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm not complaining. I'm sure it was the only reason I was able to talk you into marrying me."
Cheryl melted against her husband, a warm smile lighting up her face. It was cute how in love they seemed after years of marriage. They reminded her of Matt's parents. Beth turned back to the table only to find him scowling. But when she caught his eye, he smoothed his features. Nope, not having fun.
"What about you?" she asked, trying to pull him out of his shell. "Any good with music trivia?"
"Not really," he said.
The sour look returned and lines etched his mouth as it pulled down in a frown, making his boyish face look stern. Instead of being put off, that disapproving look made her think all kinds of naughty thoughts, and she wondered if Matt was up to a little role playing. She could definitely play the naughty school girl to his stern principal.
"Well then, it's a good thing you're on my team. I love games and am very competitive." She leaned in and whispered against his ear, "I like to play all kinds of games. I was just thinking about a game I wanted to try with you tonight."
That brought a smile to his face, but before he could respond, Crystal was back.
"All right, everyone. The first team to ten points wins. Let's get this party started. DJ Ross, can we have the first song?"
A few notes of the song filled the hushed club and Beth pushed the buzzer. "'American Woman' by The Guess Who"
"First point goes to Team Six."
Cheryl and Frank cheered behind her, but Matt returned to his silent sulking. Oh, well. She wasn't about to let his sour mood ruin her fun.
She managed to buzz in first for two more songs: "The Man Who Sold the World" and "Dancing Queen." They pick such iconic songs, it was almost as if they were handing the win to her. When the other teams realized Beth wasn't going to go easy on them, they started to put on the heat, and the next few songs went to the competition.
Game on. After some back and forth with Team Two, everything came down to one song.
"Okay, are we ready for the next song?" Crystal asked. "This one could be for the win."
Cheryl and Frank clapped wildly behind her. Even though she'd taken over the game completely, they were behind her all the way. Matt even seemed to be on the edge of his seat. The moving lights turned on again, signaling the start on the next song, and with just a few notes in Beth pressed the buzzer.
She'd beat out Team Two. Unfortunately, she didn't have a clue as to the song. It was just a few repeating guitar chords.
"Team Six?" Crystal prompted when she didn't immediately blurt out the answer.
Beth looked at her team. They were all watching her expectantly. She shrugged, hoping that Frank could come to her rescue. He frowned and shook his head slowly. Crap. They were going to lose a point and the other team would get a chance to guess. It was all over now.
"I need your answer," Crystal said.
"I don't—"
"'Amie' by Pure Prairie League," Matt shouted out from beside her.
"That's right!" Crystal smiled and clapped. "Team Six wins!"
Beth jumped up and threw herself into Matt's lap, kissing him hard on the lips. She couldn't believe he'd done it. Mister tall, dark, and broody, had saved the day. She kissed him again. This time putting a little more appreciation behind it. Later she'd have to give him a proper thanks. It was the least he deserved for saving the day.
"So Team Six," Crystal said, interrupting Beth's kiss. "Marcus will be handing out your gift cards to the spa and you get to pick the first song for tonight's disco party. Team captain, come on up here."
Beth really wanted to dance, but she didn't think Matt would come to the dance floor willingly. Maybe all he needed was a little enticement. Making her way to the chipper Crystal, Beth came up with a devious plan to tempt him into a dance. He'd been a good sport the whole time; even keeping on that ridiculous fake mustache. And she could have put him out of his misery and left now that the game was over, but she wanted to see the man loosen up. After a few dances they could leave, but for now, she'd give him a show.
Beth talked to the DJ and went to the middle of the dance floor. Only a few other people joined her, so Matt had an unobstructed view. It was perfect. The light
s went down and first few lines of "Use Me" by Bill Withers filled the club. Matt, still sitting at their table, raised a brow. Beth just smiled and started to rock her hips along with the music.
He was transfixed. Matt stopped mid-drink and just watched; his gaze never leaving her body. His gaze was like a physical touch and she broke out in gooseflesh, thinking about how good his hands and mouth felt last night. The music was slow and rhythmic, perfect for the erotic roll of her hips. As she danced, the beat pulsed through her chest and moved lower until it felt like her whole body vibrated.
She was dancing for him alone now. Beth tipped her head back, letting her eyes slide shut, and stretched her arms up, rocking her hips to the beat. The hem of her all too short dress started to inch up, but she didn't care. She wanted him to see. The rest of the club didn't matter. In that moment, it was just her, the music, and Matt.
Beth couldn't remember the last time she felt this alive. For those few minutes when she danced for Matt, she was free from doubts. Free from worries. Free from all the baggage that normally weighed her down. Maybe Withers was right. If it feels this good to be used, she wanted Matt to just keep on using her.
The song ended, switching to the fast tempo of "Le Freak." Beth opened her eyes and grinned, feeling like they just engaged it a heated foreplay session. He hadn't moved a muscle. She'd planned on staying for a few more songs, but that hungry look in his eyes had her wanting him right now. Fuck the plan.
"I'm ready to go," she said.
She'd barely had the words out before he grabbed her hand and pushed his way through the crowd. Once in the hallway he pulled her back into a dark corner and pinned her against the wall.
"What are we doing here, Beth?"
"I… uhm." She licked her lips. The words caught in her throat and she didn't know what to say. The only thing she knew right that second was she wanted his mouth on hers.
"You didn't strike me as the type of girl who enjoyed playing games. What the fuck was tonight all about? Were you trying to prove a point? You didn't have to put on a show. I already knew every guy in that club wanted you." he said. There was a sharp edge in his voice and Beth wasn't sure what to make of it. He sounded almost angry.
"What?" she asked, her head spinning from the sharp turn in the conversation.
Matt stepped closer, eliminating the distance between them causing his masculine scent to engulf her. Shifting slightly, he brushed his lips against her cheek. It was just a soft caress, but it caused every nerve in her body to light up.
"I don't like games, Beth," he whispered. "If you're not interested in spending time with me, just say so. Don't drag me to a club, ignore me, and then make me sit there while every guy in the club eye-fucks you."
"You know what the difference is between you and all the rest of the guys in that club? I don't give a fuck about them. You were the one I was dancing for."
He pulled away and looked down at her, knitting his brows together in confusion. She could feel her own anger rising. Did he really think she was being a cock tease?
This conversation needed to end before one of them said something they'd regret. "You're the one I want touching me."
Beth pushed up and caught his lips. He was still stiff with anger beneath her touch, and that just wouldn't do. With lips parted, she teased her tongue inside his mouth, eliciting the response from him she needed. The tension finally broke, and Matt crushed her against the wall.
The heat from his mouth and the tickle from that stupid fake mustache had her wet and aching. Maybe he'd keep it on for the rest of the night. Imagining the abrasive feel against her nipples, she couldn't stop the soft moan from escaping her as her lips crushed against his. God, she wanted him.
She pressed back against his hard body, kissing him deeper, wrapping her hand around his neck, biting his lips. It was as if they couldn't get close enough. And in all honesty they couldn't, not with all these clothes in the way. She needed to feel his skin against hers.
As if sensing her desire, his hands slid under her skirt, and she gasped in appreciation when they meet the bare flesh of her ass (thank the fashion gods for thongs). But that still wasn't enough, Beth pulled at the hem of his shirt, desperate to feel more of him.
Just then voices sounded in the hall behind them, bringing Beth out of her lust filled fog. Matt, the consummate gentleman, moved his body to shield her from the group passing by. Although, his hands remained on her ass, kneading and teasing, as female laughter filled the silence. The group passed without noticing them, but the public nature of their current situation was now glaringly obvious to her.
"We need to get out of this hallway. Do you want to come back to my room?" he asked.
She had to bite back a laugh. They were dry humping in the hall with his hands up her skirt and he still felt the need to ask. "Only if going back to your room means we can get naked."
Once again they made a mad dash through the ship. Why was the nightclub area so far away from his room? The elevator doors slid open. He took her hand and pulled her inside, pressing her against the back wall in another kiss after the doors closed.
At the next floor, they were joined by an elderly couple, and Matt let her go. The wife looked between them and frowned. "Maybe we should take the next elevator."
"Just get in. I'm tired," the older man said. "Now what floor are we on again?"
The woman let out a long suffering sigh and pushed the button for their floor. She shot Beth a disapproving look, as if she knew exactly what they'd been doing in the hallway just moments ago. And perhaps she did, they certainly looked the part.
She'd lost the headband somewhere in the hall and her hair was a mess. Reaching up to touch her swollen lips, Beth could feel the whisker burn forming down the side of her face from the bristly faux mustache. She looked over to Matt. His hair was equally mussed and there was a rather obvious bulge in his pants.
The older woman's judgmental stare reflected in the mirrored elevator doors caused Beth to lose it. She burst into a full body laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.
Chapter 10
Modern Girl Tip #19: Keep a Hard-And-Fast Expiration Date—Make sure you let your guy know there's an expiration date on your affair. Why bother? If you both go in knowing there's an end date, there's less chance anyone will get hurt and a better chance you'll both have a laid-back time.
Beth was laughing and looking all kinds of guilty, as if they were two teens caught necking in the hall. Hell, he felt like a randy teen after that make out session in the hall, ready to crawl out of his skin. Not touching her right then was the hardest things he'd done all night. She looked incredible with the embarrassed flush high on her cheeks as she tried to tidy her smeared lipstick.
Shame. It just made him want to muss it up all over again.
When they'd reached his floor, Matt stepped around the couple to join Beth in the hall and couldn't resist the urge any longer. He pulled her against him and ravished newly touched-up mouth. Fuck, why was the room so far away, because she needed to be naked and he needed to be buried deep inside her, and not necessarily in that order. But those boots would have to stay. Maybe he'd even talk her into repeating that dance once they were alone, but this time just wearing those boots.
That image alone had his already stiff cock going painfully hard. Thank God they'd finally made it to his room. He swiped his keycard and opened the door, practically shoving her into the room. He stepped in and by the time the door closed behind him, Matt had her pressed against the wall.
Her soft gasp of surprise morphed into lusty moans, as he deepened their kiss. She pulled away and had the dress over her head and on the floor before he even knew what was happening.
Matt lifted her up to straddle his hips and cupped her fantastic ass. Responding with equal fervor, she wrapped her legs around his waist and rocked against his erection, urgent and demanding. Fuck. If he didn't slow things down, he'd have to have her right there against the door.
It w
asn't like him to lose himself so completely. Even when he was that horny teen with no control, Matt had still been acutely aware of public image and the family name. But when he was with Beth, he simply lost himself.
However, despite his growing need to have her, Matt knew she deserved better than a hard fuck against the wall. But if he didn't get her to stop rocking her hips, that was exactly what was going to happen.
Taking a deep breath and every ounce of control he could muster, Matt broke their kiss. "To the bed," he finally managed to say.
"In a minute," she said. Pulling on the hem of his shirt, she tried to free it from under her legs. "You need to lose some of these clothes."
"To the bed." He started to put her down, but Beth tightened her grip around his waist.
"I like it right here," she said.
Before he could argue his case, she captured his lips with hers and started sucking and biting. Holy Shit. This woman was going to be the death of him.
Realizing she wasn't going to come willingly, Matt tightened his arms around her waist and carried her across the dark room to the bed. He needed a little distance between himself and the wall before he lost all control and fucked her right there.
When he plopped her on the bed, she let out a high squeal and shifted to the middle. He'd just gotten out of his shirt, when her bra hit him square in the chest.
"Leave the boots on," he said in a low growl before stepping away from the bed in search of some light. There was no way he was going to miss seeing her spread out on his bed in her underwear and those go-go boots.
"Yes, sir." A soft chuckle came from the bed and he could hear her shifting. "What's taking you so long? Do you know how turned on I got dancing for you. I'm practically dripping," she said, purring, and the thong when whizzing past. There was a soft moan, and Matt imagined her sliding a hand between her legs to verify her claim.
Deciding he could skip the light, he tore off the remainder of his clothes. The rhythmic sound of the ocean coming from the open veranda, coupled with the purr of the zipper and their combined heavy panting, filled the room like their own personal erotic soundtrack.