by Roz Lee
She’d never seen it dock from this angle. The process fascinated her. Long before the passenger gangway was in place, the crew began unloading from the lower deck access doors. Blocks of compacted trash and recycling were deposited on the dock to be hauled away later by forklifts. The yellow machinery scurried around like ants on a mission, removing the discarded pallets and replacing them with new ones containing everything the ship would need for the next cruise, scheduled to leave in a few short hours.
It was a well-oiled machine. The sun heated her shoulders and she became aware of how long she’d been there, mesmerized by the activity. She stood to leave when the couple spotted her. Thor headed straight for her. Her running shoes felt like anchors. She couldn’t very well turn and run now, not with the Norse giant making a beeline toward her, dragging a woman behind him.
Not just any woman, she realized, as the couple got closer. It was the same woman she’d seen locking lips with Richard a few weeks ago. What was she doing here now? Moreover, why was she with Thor, the big grinning idiot? She’d known Thor for two years and never seen him smile as he was now. He looked like a big, overgrown puppy that had just been sprung from the dog pound by a pixie with a ponytail.
“Fallon, great to see you! What are you doing here?”
“I was out running.” She looked down at her sweat soaked shirt and worn running shoes in explanation. Thor interrupted her before she could come up with a logical excuse for her presence on the dock.
“That’s great. I mean, it’s great that you’re here. I didn’t get a chance to tell you my, I mean, our good news.” He tugged the woman with him closer to his side and looked down at her upturned face. Up until then Fallon hadn’t paid the woman any attention, she’d been blinded by the intensity of Thor’s smile. Now she turned her gaze on the woman and her head swam. The woman was squashed against Thor’s side, looking at him as if he commanded the sun to rise.
Fallon’s jaw worked, but no sound escaped. Thor spoke and her gaze instinctively turned toward the speaker. “We’re married.” He said the words as if trying them out for the first time. His eyes never left the woman in his arms. “We’re going on our honeymoon.”
Fallon had the distinct impression that she’d become invisible. “Congratulations, I think.” Thor and his bride both turned and stared at her as if she had snakes growing out of her head. “I’m a little confused.” She turned her eyes on the new Mrs. Thor, whatever-his-name-was. “I thought you were with Richard.”
She didn’t think Thor could hold the woman any tighter without squashing her, but he did. “What are you talking about? Charlotte hasn’t been out of my sight since the day we met.”
“But I thought. . . ” Could she have been wrong? “I saw her. . . she kissed him.” Her mind reeled as she tried to make sense of what she’d seen that night with what she saw before her today.
“You saw that? Is that why you left the ship?” He brushed a kiss across Charlotte’s temple. “That was a thank you kiss. Richard introduced us, or rather, he sent Charlotte to me. She won’t be kissing anybody but me from now on.”
Charlotte turned her face up to Thor. The woman looked at him as if he provided the oxygen she breathed. “But. . . .”
A taxi turned the corner and slowed as it neared them. Thor waved to the driver.
“Here’s our ride. It was good to see you again. I don’t know what’s up with you and Richard, but he needs you. That stuff with the crazy stalker lady, the one that was setting all the fires, really threw him for a loop. Maybe you should cut him some slack.”
Thor and Charlotte disappeared into the back seat. As the cab drove away Fallon saw the lovers embrace. She blinked and closed her mouth when she realized it was hanging open. Richard wasn’t with Charlotte. He needs you. Crazy stalker lady. She glanced up at the bridge and her heart sank like a stone. What have I done?
She forced her feet to move, needing to get far away from the Lothario. How could she think when Richard was so close? Even from this distance, she felt his presence, felt him drawing her to him like a magnet. The hell of it was, the further she ran, the stronger the pull. He needs you. Thor’s words echoed with every footfall on the concrete. She needed him more.
She knew what she had to do. Every step brought her closer to her hotel and another step closer to getting Richard back, that is, if he would have her. She’d been an idiot, walking away from the only man who could make her happy. What if he didn’t want her back? What if Thor and what’s-her-name had been wrong?
Fallon refused to think about it. She had one last chance to get Richard back. She couldn’t screw it up.
* * * * *
Richard watched Miami gradually change from a tiny flickering dot on the horizon to a jagged cardboard cutout against a gray background, to a distinct urban skyline bathed in golden light. Once this weekly visit had held a promise of a new adventure, as one shipload of passengers was replaced with a fresh new batch. Behind him, the Executive Crew went about their business, competently steering the ship into port. He didn’t need to be on the Bridge, he served no purpose, but it was the one place on the ship he could watch where no one would bother him.
Fallon was out there somewhere. She hadn’t sent for the rest of the ensemble, and as far as he knew, she hadn’t contacted anyone on the ship since the day he put her in the taxi. For two years he’d bided his time, waiting for her to drop her damnably admirable professional ethics. She never had. Instead, he’d forced her to be his sex slave. He’d even convinced himself she liked what they did together. Stupid. God damned, stupid idiot. She’d run as soon as the ship docked.
He registered the unnatural calm beneath his feet as the ship powered down. Below him, the crew would already be hard at work organizing, dispatching passengers, off-loading the trash and recycling that wasn’t dumped at sea, taking on fresh provisions, and in a few hours, 2,500 new passengers. The dock was beginning to come alive with forklifts and shuttle vans. A solitary figure caught his attention. A woman out for her morning run. Probably one of the rich, pampered, women from one of the luxury downtown high-rises. Something about her drew him. Maybe it was the color of her hair, or the slim length of her long legs. Then he knew.
Fallon. His body responded instantly. He adjusted his turquoise shorts, cursing the confines of the docking uniform. She stopped and looked up. It was absurd, but for a moment, he thought she saw him and his wounded heart skipped a beat. Could he get to her before she left? If he ran now, if the gangway was in place, and if she stayed there, maybe he could catch up to her. A couple crossed the street and stopped in front of her. Had she come to meet someone? Reason took over and he recognized Thor and Charlotte. He’d offered them the company jet for their honeymoon and they were leaving this morning. In a rush, they’d exited through one of the cargo portals. Of course, Thor would stop and talk to Fallon.
Richard broke into a run, praying with each step that Thor would keep Fallon talking until he got there. He’d dismiss any employee who behaved this way, but right now, he didn’t care. What could they do? He owned the damned ship. He pushed and shoved his way through the crowds of passengers waiting to get off and leapt onto the gangway before it was fully secured, earning him a curse from the crew. He didn’t care. He had to get to her before she left.
A tour bus obscured his view as he exited the terminal. He dodged it, scanning the taxi stands for Fallon. In a stuttered heartbeat, he knew he was too late. She was gone. Again. He sank to his haunches and buried his head in his hands. Passengers began to file past him, haling cabs, searching the swelling sea of shuttle vans for the one they wanted. There were things he needed to do, responsibilities he couldn’t ignore, not with Ryan still playing house with Candace.
Richard scanned the now crowded dock as he returned to the ship. How was he supposed to find her in Miami? He didn’t have a clue, but he was going to do it, or die trying.
* * * * *
Fallon slowed as she entered the lobby of her downtown hotel. S
he knew what she had to do. In her room, she pulled an envelope with the hotel’s logo on it from the desk drawer and a sheet of stationary. Her note was short, but to the point. There was no way Richard would misunderstand. When she was done, she opened the locks on the rope ensemble, and then dropped the key in the envelope, sealing it with a swipe of her tongue and a kiss. She penned Richard’s name on the front and called for a bellhop.
The young man who came to her room was happy to earn the sizable tip for delivering the envelope to the Lothario.
“Deliver this to Richard Wolfe and no one else. If anyone gives you any trouble, tell them your orders are from Ryan Callahan. That should get you to Richard.” She scribbled her cell phone number on a notepad next to the phone and handed it to the bellhop. “Call me if you have any trouble, and call me as soon as you’ve delivered it.”
“Yes ma’am.” He left and Fallon headed for the shower. The way she figured it, she had about an hour before Richard arrived. If he arrived.
Two hours later Fallon sat on the foot of the bed wearing nothing but the rope ensemble. Her body vividly remembered every incredible moment with Richard. The labia ropes spread her open and made her ache for Richard’s touch. Her pussy wept with need as a kernel of doubt crept into her mind. The note had been delivered. Richard would come, wouldn’t he? Had she misjudged the situation? Had Thor’s comment been wishful thinking on his part, or had he known what he was talking about? Did Richard need her?
Every minute felt like an eternity. Minutes stretched to hours. Morning melted into afternoon, and still Richard did not come. Had she paid too high a price for her pride?
His fingers brushed mine as I handed him a warmed washcloth. The brief contact almost sent me to my knees. I was already unsteady. Any movement of the ship would have toppled me. He took the cloth from my hand and wiped her glistening juices from his face before pressing the cloth to her crotch. Even though his eyes were still on me, caressing me in the aftermath of the most intense orgasm I’d ever had, he touched her with tenderness, pressing the warmed cloth over her swollen genitals. He cleansed her as gently as if she meant something to him. I ached to have him touch me with such care, but that couldn’t happen. I could not succumb to sex with my employer, not if I wanted to protect my professional reputation, as well as my research.
From the file labeled, 'Subject M5, Richard Wolfe'
Chapter Fifteen
Richard eyed the hotel logo on the envelope. Besides her handwriting on the outside, he knew it was from Fallon. Had she seen him this morning? Is that why she left before he could get to her? Maybe she had come to see Thor and Charlotte before they left. He tipped the bellhop and sent him on his way, folding and pocketing the envelope as his assistant approached with a new stack of problems. Whatever Fallon had to say, it would have to wait.
More than once over the last few hours Richard wished Ryan was onboard. Sean, Ryan’s brother, did a good job of filling in, but Sean had his hands full with the ongoing unsolved incidents that continued to plague the Lothario. Richard hadn’t had any idea just how much of the day to day decisions Ryan had taken care of. The envelope remained in his back pocket, out of sight, but not forgotten. The new crop of passengers were streaming across the gangway when he went to his cabin and drew the envelope from his pocket.
He slid an index finger under the flap and tore the heavy paper. It held a note and one small gold key. He tilted the envelope on end and the key dropped into his palm. His cock went instantly hard. The key to the rope ensemble. His heart hammered in his chest as he stared at the small gold key. The note. He had to read the note. His fingers closed around the key and he flipped the note open with his thumb.
Richard,
I’m sorry. I was wrong to leave the way I did. I’m sending you the key. You can throw it overboard, or use it to set me free. Either way I am bound to you forever.
Love,
Fallon
He read it again. And again. Convinced it said what he thought it did, he checked the time. Still time to do what had to be done before the Lothario sailed, but just in case he called Sean and instructed him to delay the sailing as long as possible. Fallon had slipped from his grasp once, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. A few minutes later, he hailed a cab on the dock. Room #1201. He hoped it was suitable for what he had in mind.
The hotel was only a few blocks from the dock in the busy downtown area, but since it was Sunday, traffic was non-existent. It suited Richard just fine. He’d had three weeks to think about what he would do if she contacted him. Three weeks to think about the way they parted. He still didn’t know exactly what had gone wrong and probably never would, but he had one more chance to get it right. He prayed he wouldn’t fuck it up.
The elevator doors opened on her floor and Richard stepped out. This was it, the moment he’d hoped for. He took a cleansing breath and knocked on the door.
Fallon opened the door and he had to remind himself to breathe. Her exquisite body was criss-crossed with the gold ropes, her nipples clamped to stiff peaks.
“You came.” She stepped back, holding the door open for him. His feet moved of their own accord, propelling him inside. The door closed behind him.
“You knew I would.” He scanned the room, taking in the small seating area in one corner near the window, the low built-in dresser, and flat-screen television facing the king-size bed centered on the opposite wall. The short comforter exposed the legs of the bed frame. Twin wall lamps on either side of the headboard would serve his purpose well. He could make it work. He turned to her.
“I hoped. . . . ”
The vulnerability in her voice got to him, and for a second he considered reaching for her, holding her against him the way his body insisted he do, but sanity prevailed. He’d endured her walking away from him once. He couldn’t do it again.
“Why did you leave?”
“I was stupid.” Her voice cracked and she seemed to be studying her red-tipped toenails. “I jumped to conclusions without having the facts. I assumed the worst.”
“What changed?”
She looked at him then, her eyes reflecting the effort it took to admit she’d been wrong. Again, he fought the urge to kiss her senseless, to pluck the nipple clamps off and draw her engorged nipples into his mouth, to devour every inch of her.
“I saw Thor and Charlotte. They got married.”
“Yes, I know. Captain Whittier performed the ceremony. I was Eric’s best man. What does that have to do with you leaving?”
He listened to her explanation, hating that she’d been hurt by what she saw, but hurt she hadn’t given him the benefit of the doubt. Her voice broke more than once as she related the events of that night, seeing Charlotte throw herself at him, in gratitude he knew for introducing her to the ship’s masseur. The object of Charlotte’s affection had been off to the side watching indulgently as Charlotte thanked him. He supposed to someone across the room the scene could have been misconstrued. That didn’t diminish the hurt she’d caused him by leaving without explanation. She was coming back with him, today, but not before he made sure she understood his love was binding. Now and Forever.
“I made a mistake, Richard. I’m sorry.”
“That was it? You left because of that?”
“Not exactly.” Richard listened while she told him about seeing Crystal in the holding cell, and how, on top of seeing Charlotte kissing him, she’d jumped to conclusions. If only he’d insisted she tell him this weeks ago, they could have been together all this time. He understood how she could have misinterpreted the events, and he could forgive her for leaving, but he had to know where they stood now, how much of a commitment she was looking for. He knew what he wanted.
“What do you want from me?” He knew what he wanted from her, a lifetime together, but maybe she had something else in mind.
“I need you.”
“Lie on the bed, on your back.”
“Yes, Richard.”
She strode
past him and he allowed himself to look at her. It was all he could do to not grab her, and shove her against the nearest flat surface and fuck her. It would satisfy both their needs, but wouldn’t be the reminder he knew she needed. Before he bound her to him for life, he needed to show her once again the freedom she would have if she chose to wear his ropes.
She read his mind, spreading her arms and legs wide for him. For a moment, he stood at the end of the bed staring at her. The labia ropes parted her folds, revealing the dampness of her arousal. She was wet for him. Her clamped breasts rose and fell with each labored breath. Her nipples puckered underneath. He knew the sound she would make when he removed the clamps and replaced them with his mouth. Knew how she would arch her back, offering herself to him.
He licked his lips and forced his eyes away from the candy on display. Soon. Soon he would taste her, every inch of her. Once she was free to express herself without hotel security banging on the door he would satisfy his cravings, and take her to the heights of passion as he did so.
He drew a hank of nylon rope from the small bag he brought with him. A tentative smile came to her lips and her eyes closed on a sigh. It was all the permission he needed. In a few minutes, he had her limbs secured. Her hips rose off the bed, an invitation he had every intention of accepting, soon. He placed one knee on the bed and braced his hands on either side of her head. Leaning down, he took her mouth in a possessive kiss. His tongue broke past her lips. He swept his tongue over hers and thrust deep. Soon she would close her soft lips around him. He knew what she could do with her tongue, and the thought made his erection turn from wood to stone.