Little White Lies

by R. C. Matthews

  This felt like making love.

  Running her hands down along his back, she paused at his bottom, cupping it in her hands. She squeezed and pulled him deeply into her again and again. Their breathing quickened and she pushed her bottom off the bed to meet each thrust over and over, until finally they exploded, finding their release together.

  Royce rolled over, pulling her with him, and caressed her back while his lips brushed softly over hers. A small, satisfied grin spread across her face and she purred, wondering if this was what it felt like to be a cat.

  “Are you ready for a nap before dinner?” she asked.

  “As you wish,” Royce sighed with his eyes still closed, and within seconds she heard his gentle snore. She lay there with a stupid grin plastered across her face, and then pulled the covers up over them before snuggling to his side. Within minutes she fell into a deep and restful sleep.

  • • •

  Madalyn woke up forty-five minutes before dinner, still snuggled up to Royce. “Wake up, sleepy head.”

  “I could use some help waking up,” he said with his eyes still closed, finding her hand and guiding it below the sheets. He was hard as a rock.

  She giggled, but jumped quickly out of bed. “Can’t baby. No time. Dinner starts in forty-five minutes and I’m starving.”

  He threw out his pouty lower lip.

  She leaned over to kiss it. “I’ll make you a deal. We can skip the ship’s entertainment tonight. I’ll provide your own personal show. The best the ship has to offer,” Madalyn said with her eyes trained on his face.

  “Deal!”

  He laughed and popped out of bed, running over to the shower before she could change her mind. After drying her hair, Madalyn put on a light blue wrap around dress with her silver shoes. She loved how versatile her shoes were and congratulated herself on such a great, practical find. Liz might have an amazing shoe collection, but the price tags must burn a hole through her wallet. It seemed such a waste of hard-earned money.

  Heading over to the safe, Madalyn searched for the engagement ring among all of her valuables. She slid the ring over her knuckle into place and felt a familiar tightness in her chest. It was breathtaking!

  Royce walked through the adjoining door, dressed in his charcoal pants and a crisp white shirt. He looked fabulous, as always. He was quite a catch. Why did she have to meet him the day after she dumped her fiancé at the altar? Why did he have to be the rebound man when her heart told her he could be so much more?

  “A penny for your thoughts?” he said, walking over and pulling her into his arms for a hug. He buried his face in her hair and nuzzled her while breathing in her scent.

  I think I’m falling in love with you?

  “I was just marveling at how something so simple can be so exquisite,” she replied instead, looking up at him and wishing she could share her true feelings. “It’s a beautiful ring, Royce.”

  He pecked her on the lips. “It looks beautiful on your finger.” His grin turned mischievous. “I’m a wonderful husband for buying you such an exquisite ring.”

  She laughed at his playful mood and decided to follow suit. “You’re the best husband; I couldn’t ask for more. I’m just sorry you got stuck with such a shrew for a wife.”

  “You may be a shrew … but you sure can suck some mean … ” His words trailed off, allowing her to fill in the blank.

  Madalyn’s mouth fell open with a gasp and he jumped quickly out of the way to avoid her slap on his butt. His dirty talk was still so shocking. Of course she knew what he was implying. Was she supposed to thank him for the comment? A familiar heat crept up her cheeks.

  “Come, baby,” he soothed, holding out his hand. “Let’s go eat. I’m starving!”

  Taking his hand she gave him her best pout. “You were supposed to say I’m not a shrew.”

  “You’re not a shrew,” he said, opening the stateroom door and they stepped out into the hallway. She looked up and gave him a dazzling smile. The heat in her cheeks receded and her curiosity got the best of her.

  “Do I really … um … ” she leaned up to whisper in his ear, “… suck a mean you-know-what?” She wanted to know if he had meant it.

  He smiled down at her nodding, “Umm hmm.”

  “Oh,” she said. Why hadn’t anyone ever told her that? She was floating on a cloud, two feet off the floor, grinning like an idiot.

  “What about me?” he asked with lifted brow.

  “How should I know if you suck a mean ... ”

  Royce grinned from ear to ear and his shoulders shook from his laughter. “I swear, Madalyn,” he said, trying to catch his breath. “Why do you take everything so literally?”

  Her cloud dissipated and she crashed to the floor. She crinkled her eyebrows in disdain and folded her arms over her chest, stopping and looking anywhere but at him. She was more than a little offended. What was so funny?

  He grabbed her chin so she was forced to look into his eyes. “Why would I ask you if I can suck good you-know-what?”

  “Well, when you put it that way … ” she conceded.

  “What I’m asking is if I’m any good at spinning the bean,” he said in a husky voice.

  “What the hell is spinning the bean?” she asked as a couple passed by in the hallway. The man turned and gawked at her, unable to contain his snort of laughter.

  “Why is he laughing?” she asked, looking back at Royce.

  Royce was cracking up too, but trying desperately to contain it. The look on her face must have been too much to bear, because despite his best efforts, Royce exploded into loud guffaws.

  “I’m glad you find me so entertaining,” Madalyn said in a clipped tone. “Guess that means I won’t need to provide entertainment after dinner!”

  He sobered immediately. “Wait a minute. That’s not fair! Maybe we shouldn’t have this conversation out here,” he said, but then reconsidered when she glared at him, arms still folded over her chest in protest. She wasn’t budging until he told her what it meant.

  “Alright, but remember you asked for it.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Can you think of any part of your anatomy that might look like a bean, Madalyn?”

  Nothing registered in her brain.

  “And I use my tongue to spin around it—bringing you great pleasure?”

  Her imagination kicked in and red-hot flames crept up her neck, licking at her cheeks. Holy cow! How was she expected to respond to that? She rolled her eyes at him, feigning a calmness she hadn’t internally mastered.

  “Seriously, Royce,” she said, walking away aloof. “Who thinks up this shit?”

  He strode up next to her, still chuckling, and placed his arm around her shoulder for a little squeeze. “Don’t you watch late night comedy?”

  “No. That’s just so wrong!” she said in a perturbed voice.

  “Ok, little Miss Black and White,” he said, rubbing his hands in anticipation. “Then you’re in for a real treat.” He wore a devilish grin. “I’ll find out when they have the adult comedy show on board. Can’t wait to enlighten you some more!”

  She shook her head at him but had to smile back. How could she resist when he was smiling at her like that? They reached the corner past the elevators and started toward the dining room when Madalyn heard her name called. Turning her head, she saw Susie rushing over.

  “Hey,” Susie said, grabbing Madalyn’s hands in hers. “I forgot to ask what you two are doing tomorrow.” She paused to look down at Madalyn’s ring. “Whoa. What. Is. This?”

  Crapola!

  Madalyn looked at Royce, but he had taken sudden interest in a painting on the wall. Guess she was on her own. She was at a sudden loss for words. Her head was already spinning with all of the horrible things Susie would be thinking about her in another moment.

  “Spill it,” Susie demanded.

  Madalyn covered her face with her hands. “Promise you won’t judge me.”

  “Madalyn, just tell me!”

 
Madalyn decided to get it over quickly, like ripping off an old band-aide. "This was supposed to be my honeymoon cruise," she began and then cringed when Susie's eyes bugged out of her head. After rushing through the rest of the explanation, she stared at Susie to gauge her reaction.

  Susie laughed and waved her finger at Madalyn. “You are a very naughty girl! Are you crazy? What if the people you’re sitting with find out?”

  “Well they won’t find out if you don’t tell them,” she said in exasperation. “They don’t know us and Royce is very convincing.”

  “Do you think the ring is real?” Susie asked, taking another long look at it.

  “Yes, I think so. Our secret?” Madalyn asked, pleading with her eyes.

  “I’m not opposed to a good bribe.”

  Madalyn smiled at her. “Our next night out, the evening of drinks are on me!”

  “My lips are sealed,” Susie said, “except Liz and the guys, of course. Now, back to what I came for. Do you guys want to head to Coki beach with us tomorrow?”

  “Ummm,” Madalyn paused, looking over to Royce and smiling. “Royce is taking me on another excursion tomorrow.”

  “Just the two of you?”

  Madalyn nodded with a silly grin on her face.

  “Maybe that ring isn’t intended to be on loan?” Susie said over her shoulder, sashaying toward her dining room. “See you later, Royce!” she called out, waving her hand behind her.

  “Well?” Royce asked, wrapping his arms around Madalyn’s waist from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder. She spun around so they were face to face and laid her cheek on his chest.

  “The cat’s out of the bag,” she confessed. “I promised her a night of free drinks to keep quiet.”

  “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to negotiate with terrorists?”

  “We deserve it,” Madalyn said, looking up to meet his eyes. “We’re probably going to hell for what we’re doing. I was a goody two-shoes before I met you, Royce. You’re a very bad influence on me,” she said and lightened the blow with a soft kiss on his lips. “Jeanine will be so proud.”

  “Will she now?” he said, smiling at her.

  “Umm hmm. She told me to stop caring about what other people think and just live a little,” she admitted. “If only she could see me now!”

  “Lying to a bunch of strangers by pretending to be something you’re not,” he began, “bribing people you barely know to keep your secret, and sleeping with a man you just met three days ago, albeit a completely sexy and irresistible man. Yep, you’re definitely going to h-e-double-hockey-stick, Madalyn.”

  She smacked him on the butt. “At least you’re going with me.”

  He grabbed her hand and started toward the dining room. “Well, if we’re going to hell, then let’s go gorge ourselves on some heavenly food.” He looked down on her and his eyes lit up. “It’s ‘A Night in Paris’ baby. I can’t wait to see the menu.”

  • • •

  When they arrived at the table, Dale was already taking the drink order. Madalyn giggled at his feeble attempt to sound French with his strong Australian accent. His curly fake mustache twitched whenever he spoke, causing him to swat at it periodically. She was tempted to reach over and peel it off for him. Royce ordered a bottle of Chateau Pontoise Cabarrus 2005. While they perused the menu for the evening, everyone shared little tidbits of their excursions in St. Croix. It wasn’t surprising to hear that Ben and Jennie spent the day out on the beach, drinking beer and eating burgers, while the other two couples spent the day snorkeling off the beach and shopping in town together.

  “I’m going to have the Chateaubriand,” Madalyn declared after a quick browse of the menu.

  “Me too, baby,” Royce said. “Let’s try the fresh cheese and fruit platter for dessert. It will go well with our red Bordeaux wine.”

  “Yum,” she said, smiling up at him. “Cheese is one of my favorite foods.”

  Madalyn felt silly. She knew Royce intimately, yet she had no idea what he loved to eat or even his favorite color. She was suddenly greedy to learn everything she could about him.

  “What’s your favorite food, Royce?” she asked quietly. His wife should probably know this.

  “My mom’s homemade beef stroganoff,” he said, peeking at her from over the top of his menu. “Are you an overall bad cook?”

  “What makes you think I’m a bad cook?” she laughed, feeling a bit offended.

  “You told me you didn’t inherit the baking gene.”

  “Oh, right. You were listening,” she said softly in his ear. “Impressive.”

  He cupped her chin in his hand to stare into her eyes. “I’m hooked on your every word.”

  Her stomach fluttered. How did he do that? She couldn’t resist him when he was in such a playful mood—which was always. “You’re forgiven. I can cook very well. I just can’t bake all the fancy stuff that requires artistry—frosting with piping and decorative flowers—that kind of stuff.”

  “If I didn’t know any better,” Andrea said, looking over at the two of them, “I’d say you two had just met. You’re always gazing at each other and whispering. Are you two always like this?”

  “We’ve only known each other six months,” Royce said, winking at Madalyn. “And we’re not afraid of a little PDA. It’s good for the soul.”

  “Speaking of meeting,” Andrea said, pursing her lips, “it’s my turn to pick the topic of the night and I want to hear about how each of the guys proposed!”

  Madalyn smiled and winked at Royce. Showtime! She couldn’t wait to hear what he’d come up with.

  “But I want to hear it from the women,” Andrea said. “And you’re first Madalyn.”

  No! A ten-ton weight dropped on her stomach. She wasn’t prepared for this! Madalyn’s mind was racing, trying to come up with the perfect proposal. She needed time.

  “Hey, wait a minute!” Royce protested. “I did the proposing. I should get to tell the story.”

  Madalyn smiled weakly at him for trying to get her out of this mess. Royce tried the old Puss in Boots pout on Andrea and for a minute Madalyn thought he might have changed her mind.

  “No way! The guys embellish too much,” Jordan said, jumping in unexpectedly. “Andrea’s right. It should come from the women. Then we can better judge how good it was.”

  “Well if we’re going to be placing bets on whose proposal was the best,” Ben said, “then my twenty bucks is on Royce. Judging by the way they met, I‘m sure he came up with something sappy enough to have you all crying. That is, if his story isn’t full of shit!” he said, winking at Madalyn.

  Royce grinned and shrugged his shoulders. He looked to Madalyn and lifted his eyebrows in anticipation. “Don’t let them down, Madalyn,” he said, poking her leg under the table. “I want my twenty bucks.”

  Madalyn turned to Royce and cupped his cheek in her right hand. “It was an incredibly sweet proposal—worth more than twenty bucks.”

  “More like $5,000,” Royce chuckled, pulling up her hand and pointing to her engagement ring.

  It took all of Madalyn’s willpower to contain her gasp. Had the ring actually cost that much or was Royce spinning a tale to stall for more time? She feared both to be true.

  “Don’t I know it,” Ben said and the other men nodded in agreement.

  Jennie threw Ben a sour look and chimed in, “Twenty bucks from each couple to the best story!”

  Madalyn heeded Royce’s earlier advice and stuck to what she knew best.

  “Royce took me to my favorite little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant exactly four months from the day we met,” Madalyn said, making up the story as she went along.

  “Yawn. It’s so cliché,” Paul said. “With this start, I have a shot at the cash.”

  Madalyn smirked at him and carried on. “So after rich, meaty lasagna with a crusty baguette, I’m stuffed and ready to go. But Royce insists we stay and order dessert. I keep objecting, insisting I’m not hungry,” she said, looking
over at him with a grin. “But the man can be damned persistent.”

  “So we ordered Crème Brûlée, but instead, the waiter sets a miniature cake in front of me. It was designed to resemble a beautiful green pasture and sitting on top of the cake was a hand crafted wishing well made of fondant. It was adorable.” Madalyn’s eyes welled with tears thinking about it.

  “Why a wishing well?” Jordan asked confused.

  “I wondered that as well,” Madalyn said, turning to Jordan. “But then I noticed an engraved message on the side of the well. ‘Every penny in my wishing well is for you. Make all my wishes come true. Say you’ll marry me.’”

  Royce squeezed Madalyn’s leg under the table and she turned to him to catch his wink.

  “Oh, shut up! He did not do that,” Ben challenged, slamming his hand down on the table. “You over the top, sappy bastard!”

  Jennie was fanning her face again, looking as though she might faint.

  Madalyn nodded her head. “Yes, he did. And resting in the miniature bucket of the wishing well was my engagement ring.” She held out her hand to let everyone see it clearly for the first time. She felt like the blushing bride. Her cheeks flushed at the thought of such a proposal.

  JT threw his twenty bucks at Royce. Ben and Paul followed suit, each handing over an Andrew Jackson.

  “Don’t bother, Jennie,” Ben said. “My proposal was pathetic in comparison. Royce puts me to shame.”

  But Jennie wasn’t having it.

  “Sugar, hold your tongue! I was blown away by your proposal,” she said, looking over at Madalyn. “Bennie proposed on Valentine’s Day with a box of chocolates. My ring was in the center of the box surrounded by all of my favorite candies, coconut cream, butter rum, and cherry.”

  “That sounds lovely,” Madalyn said, smiling at Jennie.

  “When I opened the box he said, ‘I’ve never had anything in my life sweeter than you. Marry me, sugar!’”

  “That is so sweet,” Andrea said. “I didn’t know you had it in you, Bennie!”

  Everyone laughed, and Bennie blushed crimson. Jennie held out her hand to show off her princess cut diamond ring. The center stone was at least one carat with a smaller princess cut stone on each side and round brilliant cut access diamonds along the band. It suited Jennie well.