by Audrey Drake
They chatted about art and music. They had both attended a concert the past month, though in different cities, and they had both seen the same artist. That triggered a loud sing off and before it was over they were howling laughter.
The day passed much like the one before had. It went by with laughter, sun and a little too much champagne. When they got back on the ship jack was taken in one direction while she was led in another to await the arrival of Natasha.
When the lovely concierge finally arrived she was smiling and wearing a brightly colored sarong over an eye popping black bikini.
“How was your day?”
‘It was amazing thank you.”
“I have something to ask.”
“Yes?” Natasha smiled. “Would you like the solo cruiser cabin you had this morning or would you like the opportunity to connect with a fellow guest?”
“Do you mean jack?”
Natasha nodded. “He asked if that would be acceptable and of course I said only if you consented.”
Lily pondered that for a moment. He wanted her! It was so unusual, so many men wanting her. But she shook her head, “Honestly I think tonight I should rest.”
“As you wish,” Natasha’s smile stayed in place. “I will escort you back to your cabin now so you can rest before dinner if you like.”
“I would love that, thank you.”
In her cabin she took a long shower and put on a robe before stretching out on the bed. She closed her eyes and opened them again, the memory of the night before surfacing. A little grin crossed her face.
She began to wonder if it would be possible to buy a fucking machine. She was sure it was, and she was also sure she wanted one. She definitely wanted one.
Lily lay awake, looking at the ceiling. The cruise would end tomorrow and she had to go home. She was not sure she wanted to, she would have loved to stay on the ship and spend time having a little more fun but she had a feeling that that was impossible, she had a job after all, and things to do.
Oh, but she never had any fun at home! Back there she was just the timid little schoolteacher who never even went to the bar or out with guys, unless it was ones she met through blind dates.
Most of them were dull as dishwater too, and she knew that that was not what she wanted, not at all. She wanted excitement, and pleasure, and fun. She wanted to go somewhere and dance like she had danced in the bar that first night aboard the ship.
She wanted a lot of things. But how could she have them if she returned home? What was there for her?
Maybe Bill, that sexy English teacher who had the big brown eyes, and the nice butt. True he was not nearly as handsome as Alex or the Captain but who was? Nobody she had ever seen before. They were almost too handsome, so good looking that they seemed almost unreal.
Her eyes drifted shut and she yawned then rolled over onto her belly. Her limbs stretched and she yawned again. Bill, he was a nice guy and he always seemed like he wanted to say something to her but he never did and she had always been too shy to speak to him first.
She had always been afraid he might have a girlfriend or that he would reject her. But now she was not so sure he would. Maybe when she got home she would ask him out. Laughing a little at her thoughts Lily finally gave in and went to sleep.
Chapter Three
Natasha said, “Lily, if you would like to stay, say, as an occupant of one of our cabins, the Nyx would be happy to have you. You could stay for as long as you like, of course, and not a moment more. I am sure you will find that the pay is far more than what you will earn as a teacher…of the type you currently are.”
“Do you mean it?”
Natasha nodded. “I do. You seem to have exactly what the Nyx is looking for.”
“I do?” Lily grinned. “If you mean I might be a little bit of a nymphomaniac you’re right. Do you know I had not even realized it myself until I took this cruise.”
“What do you say Lily? What do you really desire?”
She thought about it and a huge smile crossed her lips. I would love to but I think the answer is going to have to be no. I don’t really know what I want yet but I think what I might want is to go pick up this guy I have had a crush on for years and see if he is as into me as I am into him. I think that maybe the only thing that has been holding me back from all the other things I want out of life is me, and my being so shy I think I am really over that shyness now, and I have you and this cruise to thank for that.”
Natasha smiled broadly. “If that is your decision I will absolutely honor it but I have to tell you, I will regret not having you onboard with us. You are one girl who knows how to have fun.”
“I am,” she giggled and then took a step back. “Maybe I will see you again.”
“I don’t know that you will ever need to but hopefully we will meet again.”
Natasha waved as Lily turned away and headed for the limo that was waiting to take her to the airport.
Lucas asked, “Are you sorry you didn’t speak sooner?”
She turned to face him, her eyes glowing with laughter as she took in his disheveled black hair and green eyes. “Oh darling I think I could have taken lessons from that one but she had somewhere else to be.
“I think what she really wanted the most was to find a way to accept that sexual part of herself and she definitely did that. Don’t you think?”
“I do.” He smiled at her and ran a finger down her face. “Now I think you have a little time off…and the Captain would like to see you.”
Natasha sketched a quick salute, “Aye, aye sir,” she said smartly, chuckling when his hand hit her pert bottom and he gathered her into his arms.
To be continued…
Fifty Waves Of Passion The Complete Series
Loving A Star - Book One
Chapter One
“Are we supposed to have sex with these guys?” I muttered to my friend Rachel, who had turned me on to this job.
Rachel giggled. “I think it is sort of a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell policy.’ We are definitely not required to, but it is most certainly not frowned upon. Anything to make them feel like royalty, I suppose.”
Upon graduating with a degree in History last December from California State, I knew it would be tough to find a job without a qualification to teach. But, I did not want to be a teacher, I wanted to work in a Museum. My dream was to study historical textbooks, and just prance around the marble floors of an esteemed museum, looking down my nose at the peasants who did not know half of what I knew about American history. Maybe I was naïve, or maybe I was just stupid. Regardless, I coasted through the past six months of life waiting tables at Red Lobster, and being rejected by every job I applied for. After four and a half years of school, and 45 thousand dollars in student loans, I was 23 years old and making about $500 a week. This would not cut it, and my anxiety was through the roof. Meetings were made with advisors, and I had begun to consider going back to school to take the necessary courses to become a teacher. Then, Rachel came to me about a position she had been made aware of, for pretty girls like us having a hard time finding a job.
“Alright, Olivia. Are you ready for this?” Rachel asked, as we approached the door to the football departments offices, located below the 50,000 capacity stadium.
Rachel’s story was different from mine. This frustrated me in a sense, to be honest. Not because I resented her for getting the same job as her, when I had a degree and she only had about three years of college credit to her name. I love Rachel. We have been best friends since meeting in Mrs. Sween’s class in seventh grade. My frustration ate at me because I was down all this money in loan debt, had spent countless all night study sessions ensuring that my grade point average stayed well above a 3.0, when I could have been enjoying the last few years of my life partying and living freely only to end up in the same boat.
That is what Rachel did. She dropped out halfway through the first semester of our junior year after a bad breakup. Her speech class got cancelled
one Thursday, and she went to her boyfriend’s fraternity house to surprise him with Chik-Fil-A from the Student Center. She walked into his room to find a blonde riding him like Seabiscuit, boobs flopping up and down as she screamed his name. That was it for Rachel’s relationship, and her college career.
So, there I was. Only a few months had passed since I had finally escaped that school, and now I would be working some sketchy job for the athletic department. The two of us entered the head coach’s office to find three other girls already sitting in leather backed seats facing his desk. They could not have been any older than we were, but I did not recognize them. They sat silently nervous and only smiled in our general direction, and looked back down at the floor. There were also four men standing at the back of the large room, who introduced themselves to us as assistant coaches. They may have thrown their official title in the greeting, but I did not care enough, or know enough about football to comprehend anything more than “assistant.”
Bobby Lindell, or “Coach Bub” as his players called him, sat perched behind his deep oak brown desk thumbing through paperwork. When we found the remaining two open seats and situated ourselves, he finally looked up and smiled.
“Well, now that we are all here, how about we just jump right into it.” Coach Bub said. “You five girls have been selected to chaperone a few of our incoming freshmen this year. Since this program is new to our University, you are the first to ever hold a position like this. You will receive one player each. They will not arrive on campus until August, so you have a little more than a month to acquaint yourselves with them. Add the boys on Facebook, exchange numbers, and make sure that their transition to the college environment is as seamless as possible. At that point, you will continue to be of service to them throughout their career here at Cal-State, or until otherwise noted. Then, assuming that you did your job well, we will assign you to another high school graduate important to our future. Your duties include: a tour of the campus, walking them to class whenever they request it, grocery shopping, tutoring or acquiring tutors, and providing them with old tests from the football test bank. You will also need to be on call every weekend, in case your player needs a designated driver. In essence, anything that he needs, you will provide. We also require that you each sign a document that we have prepared, stating that you will keep a tight lipped discretion and never tell a soul what your true job is here.”
“Then, like, what should we tell people that we do for a living?” The redhead sitting on the other side of Rachel interrupted.
“You work in the athletic department. It is that straight forward. You file paperwork and assist in the improvement of the football program.”
She looked back down and nodded her head.
“Does anyone else have a question they would like to get off their chest?”
I took this opportunity and spoke up. “What is the pay?”
Coach Bub looked at me and smiled. “See my secretary on the way out. She will have the documents that you need to sign, and your first paycheck. Your annual salary will be 70,000 dollars flat. When you purchase the previously mentioned things for your player, save the receipts and we will reimburse you every penny. If you drive them anywhere, log your miles and a gas compensation will be added to the next check.”
I tried to hide my excitement. “Sounds good.” I said nonchalantly.
“If there are no other concerns, then I would like to move on and reveal the player each of you are lucky enough to represent.”
The five of us shook our heads anxiously.
“Wonderful! Rebecca (who turned out to be the redhead), you will have Christopher Hogue. He is a wide receiver from Conway, Arkansas. Usually we would not reach as far as Arkansas, but this guy is special, hence your presence here. Actually, I guess I should reiterate that all of these young men are special, just like you. We had 24 signees this year, resulting in a top five recruiting class for the 3rd straight year. These guys are the best of those 24.” He handed her Christopher’s file, and quickly moved on. “Rachel, you will be taking care of Lorenzo Booker; linebacker from Utah.”
He spouted off the names and files for the other two girls, and asked them to report to his secretary to sign the documents and get their first payment, without revealing my player yet. A bit nervous, I looked at Coach Bub and was about to question this when he raised his right index finger to his lip, and shook his head.
Rachel was the last of the four to leave. She looked back at me on her way out. “I’ll wait for you in the lobby!”
One of the assistants shut the door, and returned to his spot, arms crossed at the back of the room.
“Olivia.” My attention returned to Coach Bub. “Your player is Latrelle McKay. I held you back because, he is the most vital to the next few years here at Cal-State. I am not sure how much you know about our program, but last year we finished with an 11-1 record, and won the Rose Bowl. As great a finish as that was, we need a National Championship. Latrelle is from here in California, Los Angeles to be exact. He was the number one rated Quarterback by Rivals, and exactly what we need. Devin McDaniel, our previous Quarterback and team captain, left early for the NFL draft last year following his Junior Season. This came as a bit of a surprise to us, so we did not have a contingency plan. Latrelle has to be ready to be our starter this year, and I need your help with that. Take care of his every need, try to keep him grounded in his transition, and do your best to keep him out of trouble. Being the number one rated high school quarterback and coming in to start at a program as established as ours can result in a big head. Make sure this does not happen to Mr. McKay.”
“But, how do I… What do I…”
“Whatever he needs, Ms. Burke. We have studied you carefully. You are different from most people your age. According to social media, you have never had a boyfriend, and your post history is tight. No rambunctious photos were found in your Facebook gallery, you graduated with a good GPA. We want you to rub off on Latrelle.”
“Is he a problem?”
“Not on your watch, Ms. Burke.”
With that, he gave me Latrelle McKay’s paperwork, and I exited his office.
70,000 dollars. That was all I needed to hear. It sounded pretty straight up and down, and no thoughts of what would happen in the future when I grew too old to provide services for football players dawned on me. The only thing that my mind repeated over and over as I signed the non-disclosure agreement, snatched my first check, and almost skipped out the door with Rachel was that salary. It was more money than I had ever dreamed to make since graduating and experiencing the fickle American job market.
“What was all that about?” Rachel asked as we walked to her car together.
“Oh, nothing. He basically just said that my guy was a quarterback and I needed to take extra good care of him. All that matters is that we got paid girl!”
We both laughed and had a nostalgic jam to N-Sync all the way back to our small, two bedroom apartment.
“It’s Friday night, and I ju-ju-ju-ju-just got paid!”
Once I searched his name on Facebook, and pressed the “Add Friend” button reality finally set in. Coach Bub was right when he said that I had never had a boyfriend. The truth was, members of the opposite sex always intimidated me. I was more of an introvert, not the social butterfly that Rachel was. Sure, there had been weekends when the weekly stress got the best of me, and my inebriated state made questionable decisions with guys. But, it was only a handful of times and never went anywhere. Once they found out that my “sober self” was not as fun as it had been the night before, they left. This was fine with me. Relationships led to heartbreak, and Rachel and I’s friendship only had room for one broken-hearted female.
Latrelle seemed nice enough. We talked about what I would do for him, and then after a few weeks that turned into our interests. Then finally, the week before school was scheduled to start, the “What are you doing?” texts started fabricating from both of us. We were talking everyday by the fi
rst day of fall semester.
Chapter Two
“Will you walk me to my classes tomorrow?” The text from Latrelle came through right as I was getting ready for bed. We had talked all day, and had just said goodnight to one another. The fact that he was thinking of me enough to text me after we had said our goodbyes for the night made my stomach jump.
“Of course! That is what I am here for.” I sent back a few minutes later, struggling with what was the ‘perfect reply’ in my mind. Feeling foolish, I snapped my phone to the charger and laid on my bed, eyes to the ceiling, trying to compose myself. I was 23 years old, and this kid was 18 and about to start experiencing the college life. A life that I put behind me last December. Not to mention this was my job! I could not be having any feelings towards him. That would be unprofessional. So, I talked myself off of the ledge and just rationed that this was just the lonely part of me coming out, since I had not talked to a guy this much in my life.
I walked Latrelle to school the following day, the next, and the one after that. Before long, I treated his school schedule as my own and began to look forward to our strolls across campus. The athletic department had housed him up in an apartment about a mile from campus, so on some mornings I would even pick him up. Paying careful attention to my gas mileage, as a constant reminder that this was a job. I also kept a close eye on his refrigerator, and stocked it once a week.
After spending quite a bit of time together, I grew to learn a lot about Latrelle. His beautifully handsome demeanor made it hard for my mind to keep from wandering to things that I was too embarrassed to admit to anyone, even Rachel. He stood a solid 6’2”; skin a silky mix between caramel and milk chocolate. His mouth was a neatly filled trove of pearly white teeth. All straight, placed perfectly beside one another as if by the hand of God himself. A smile that old ladies may conclude, “would get you in trouble one day.” He spoke well for a young man his age, which I found out was due to his father’s strict household run with a motto of, “school first, fun later.” When he spoke of his dad, a change in his persona resulted. I could tell that he feared this man. He had raised him right, I concluded. Regardless, his well and soft spoken tone combined with his muscular physique made him that much more attractive, and not just to me. Female attention was quickly growing, campus wide.