by Mlyn Hurn
Jack moved around her walking into the room, looking around. “Did you see the bathroom?”
“Just as far as the sink.” Andy moved the rest of the way in. “Calling this a master bathroom doesn’t give it credit. Two sinks, two toilets—”
“Shower big enough for two,” Jack said.
Andy walked over towards the circular tub. Her breath caught when she saw the walls around the tub were glass. “Jack? Look at this.”
The night was clear beyond the glass wall and easily gave the impression of bathing outdoors. She’d never imagined something like this, and she should have! It was so romantic and sexy. She would have to use this in one of her stories, she was thinking. Then she realized Jack stood behind her, leaning close to look over her shoulder.
“This makes me think about champagne, bubbling water and the night sky, the perfect combination for romance.”
Andy felt the butterflies go wild in her stomach and forced her breathing to slow down. “You forgot something,” she whispered. For a moment, she thought she dreamed it, but it was real. Jack’s hand moved gently around her waist, until he pressed his palm flat to her stomach, pulling her back. She felt his heat immediately. Suddenly, it felt as if her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest.
Jack’s voice stirred the hair beside her cheek as he replied. “Hmm. I thought I had everything. Champagne should be chilling, and the tub can easily be turned on…and the sky has graciously been provided. I wish I had roses to give you—”
He hadn’t said it straight out she was the one he wanted in the tub. The logical corner of her brain quickly pointed out it was her tub, after all. Usually she made jokes to shrug these things off. She opened her mouth, hoping something clever would come out. The words never materialized, and then she felt his fingers moving her hair. She knew in her erotic books, the hero always did this so he could kiss heroine’s neck.
“Andy, I don’t want to pressure you. The only reason I agreed to come on this reunion cruise was after I found out you had promised to join the trip.”
She gasped in surprise and his hand tightened at her waist, keeping her close. Almost immediately warmth swelled, buried deep inside the place she held most secret and protected. She knew she should say something.
Jack tightened his hand once again. “Nothing I can think of would make me happier than to join you for a nice, long soak, sip champagne and share kisses in this tub. Drying off, we’d go in and sample your incredible bed.”
Andy closed her eyes, but was still compelled to ask. “You mean, like we used to do with me under the covers and you on top when the others were sharing beds.”
“No, Andrea. I want you naked, with me, under the covers. Neither sleep, nor conversation, are my number-one priority, honey.”
Andy started to say something when she felt Jack’s fingers on the back zipper of the dress. He pulled it down a few inches very slowly and when she didn’t stop him, he pulled it all the way to the bottom. As he began pushing the dress forward, Andy panicked and spun to face him. She had to lift one hand to maintain her decency in the brightly lit bathroom.
“Could we go into the bedroom with the lights out?” she asked quietly, not quite meeting his normally intense and too all-seeing gaze.
“Sure, Andy,” he replied, stepping aside to allow her into the bedroom first.
Andy moved quickly, turning off the lights as she went to the bed. When she turned so her back was towards the bed, Jack was already coming towards her. She gasped to see he’d removed his clothes so quickly without mishap. Then she allowed herself to really look at him, the way she used to do when she was sure no one was watching her at the beach. His shoulders seemed a little broader, but his waist was still flat. And lowering her gaze…oh yeah! Things were just as she remembered the one and only time—
She stopped thinking as Jack’s hands came up to her shoulders. The only light was coming from the bathroom and with it being behind him, Andy relaxed because she was sure Jack’s ability to see her would be diminished. Lowering her hands, she let the dress fall to the floor at her feet. Suddenly she wondered what he was thinking as he saw her. Nervousness forced her to speak.
“I should imagine I look a lot different from the other time.” Immediately, she thought how needy and insecure her words must sound.
Jack slowly looked up from the amazing display her red bra made of her breasts. Pushed up and together, he was tempted to pull those straps down now. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head to look directly at her. “I wasn’t thinking that, Andy. If I was thinking at all, it was about how beautiful your skin looks, or how much I want to hold your breasts.”
Her hands lifted and released the bra’s clasp. It sprang open and she caught the red silky garment with one hand pressed to her chest.
Jack lifted his hands to her shoulders, shaking his head. “Allow me, sweetheart.” He slid the narrow straps down her shoulders. When he moved his hands to hover above the silken cups, Andy dropped her hand. He watched as the sexy bra fell to the floor. He heard Andy’s breath catching, but he was more concerned with his ability to keep air flowing in and out of his lungs. Now would not be a good time to pass out! A second later, either his hands moved forward or Andy leaned towards him because he was holding her full breasts. “God, honey, you feel so wonderful.”
Jack was careful as he held her breasts, feeling hard nipples pressing into his palms. He looked down at her high-cut red silk panties, topped with a red and black garter belt holding up her stockings. There was a good chance if he didn’t hurry things along, he could end up embarrassing himself. His hands slid down and began tugging at her underwear. He released it to fall to the floor once he reached her knees.
“Let’s get horizontal, Andy.” Resting his knee on the bed, he gently eased their bodies back. “You look beautiful, honey,” he added and lowered his mouth to press kisses across her chest. With his hand pushing beneath one breast, he slid her taut nipple inside the wet heat, wanting to suckle her.
“Oh God, Jack!”
Continuing to pull and tug on her nipple, he slipped his hand down her tummy. He paused when he didn’t feel the lush pussy fur which he’d only had the pleasure of running his fingers through just once before. This time, her pussy was smooth as his fingers eased down. Her thighs fell apart even as he felt the wetness flowing forth to welcome him. Damn! He got hotter with each passing second. Easily he found her clit, and the clever dance his finger performed with the bud of flesh was powerful.
Andy cried out again, and then her body jerked against his spasmodically.
Jack lifted his mouth from her breast and reached his hand out to grab the packet he’d tossed onto the bed.
The tear of foil sounded like thunder cracking in her ears. It brought home what truly was about to happen. She’d wanted Jack for twelve years and other than the senior year spring break when they came so close—
She shifted her legs, watching his face. There were no doubts in her head. This had to happen…it went beyond fate, kismet or destiny. He was the man she dreamed about. Only his face had ever filled her sexual fantasies, and too many times to count he had served as the hero for a story.
Andy tilted her hips, moved her hands and pulled him towards her. It was all the encouragement Jack needed and he started to move when the phone started ringing beside the bed. Neither of them moved for a few seconds as their gazes met, both just listening to the phone ring.
Finally, Jack rolled away, grabbing the receiver off the phone’s cradle as he came to his feet. A second later, he growled into the mouthpiece impatiently. “Yeah?”
The phone was then held out towards her and Jack walked towards the bathroom. Lifting the receiver to her ear, Andy spoke softly, “Hello.” She couldn’t see what Jack was doing as she came to sit on the side of the bed.
“Andy! Come and join us in the bar. Bring Jack with you.”
Taking a deep breath first, Andy still tried to decide if the phone call interrupting t
hem was a good thing or not. Everything had certainly spiraled way beyond her control. Ten seconds later and she would have been…her mind rebelled at the words. Her stomach clamped down painfully in response. Was she upset because they’d stopped, and now she could reconsider?
“Where are you?” she asked instead.
“Ray says to tell Jack it is The Golden Lion Pub. He will remember where it is, according to Ray anyway. Hurry up, sweetie, you don’t want to sleep this cruise away.”
The receiver went dead as Gayle hung up. A noise caused her to turn her head as she reached over to replace the phone to the cradle. Jack stood in the doorway and he had replaced his trousers. Immediately she knew he had realized they had almost made a huge mistake. She jerked one of the pillows forward, holding it the long way on her lap. Her arms came up to clasp it tightly in place.
“That was Gayle, and the others. They want us to join them. Uhm, Ray said you’d know the way…a place called The Golden Lion Pub.” Nervously she shifted her hands, freeing one to push the hair back off her face. “I think you should join them, Jack. I don’t want to get all dressed up again. I’ll just go on to bed.”
Andy held her breath, waiting and half-scared as to what Jack would decide. She wanted him to go, right? What had almost happened would have been a mistake, so it was good Gayle had interrupted them. Anyone and everyone would agree. Obviously, Jack thought so, too, or he wouldn’t have started to redress. Looking around the room to avoid meeting his gaze, she saw her negligee had been laid out across the stool which stretched almost the full width at the foot of the bed. Without thinking first, she leaned sideways to grab the robe. Only as she fell onto the bed did she realize how silly she would look. Now she was stuck in this position unless she released the pillow and wiggled around to stretch the last few inches.
Her opinion was confirmed when she heard Jack clear his throat before he spoke and it sounded like he was covering a laugh. “Need some help?”
“I wouldn’t want to delay you if you are in a hurry,” she added, thinking if he left now, she might still keep some level of dignity.
Jack grinned and walked around the foot of the bed. He didn’t have to be hit over the head to know the mood had been lost for tonight. While he’d prefer staying here with Andy, even if they sat on the sofa downstairs and watched television, it was obvious she would prefer to be alone. He wasn’t a fool and he wasn’t going to press forward too soon, hoping to God he had not just screwed up everything. Picking up the filmy soft negligee, he carried it back around to the side of the bed.
It took him a moment to realize Andy wasn’t reaching for the negligee or sitting back up. Watching her lying on her side with the one arm stretched above her, he wondered if she was comfortable. Still, something about her didn’t look like she was relaxed.
“Is there a problem, Andy?” he asked finally, still holding the negligee.
“Uhm, sort of, I can’t get back up.”
“Okay, just give me your hands—”
The shaking of her head told him his suggestion was useless. The fact she was being modest seemed beyond logical since he was the kind of guy who felt comfortable walking around in his underwear or less, if need be.
“If you just let go of the pillow—”
Once again the negative movements of her head told him this idea was equally useless. “Andy, I’d like to help you, but I think the only way is for you to let go of the pillow. I could pull the bottom of the blankets up for you to hold instead.”
As if she realized she was being unreasonable, she pushed the pillow away and lifted her hand towards him. Easily, Jack pulled her upright, holding out the negligee. He argued for a moment a gentleman would turn away, but he still looked. In the dim light, he could easily see her upper body. As she pulled on the thin, multi-layered garment, Jack enjoyed the bouncing movements of her breasts since she hurried. Regretfully, he saw her close the robe, tying the belt to hold it closed. Turning, he walked back to the bathroom, picking up the clothes he’d dropped earlier.
When he exited a few minutes later, completely dressed, he was surprised to find the bedroom empty. He wasn’t sure leaving was a good idea. Maybe he should insist on staying to iron out some issues between them. Considering how skittish Andy still seemed to be, despite their history, plus what had just happened, would he find himself back at the starting point? As he descended the stairs, he saw Andy behind the bar. The clattering and clinking of glass against crystal forewarned her activities.
* * * * *
Part of her wished he’d leave so she could write this off as closure and nothing else. Doing it and planning in advance to have sex with Jack were two completely different beasts she was discovering. She wanted to lock away her emotions—
“Look at the time!” she said, deliberately forcing a bright tone to her voice. “You could probably still meet the others in the casino if you want, if they’ve left the pub already.”
Moving about behind the bar, Andy busied herself with moving glasses and looking everywhere but at Jack. Gratefully, she found the bottle and started looking for a glass. She knew there had to be another one like the one Henderson had served it in earlier. Aware that Jack watched her, she suddenly became all thumbs.
“Does it matter what kind of glass?” she asked, breathlessly a few seconds after she knocked over a second glass.
“Forget the drink, Andy.”
Setting down the bottle, she came from behind the bar. Since Jack had not yet taken a seat, she figured she could sit on the sofa. But he surprised her by grabbing her wrist and stopping her. Looking over her shoulder, she was intently aware of how attractive Jack was. If only circumstances could be different. Quickly, she spoke, her nerves becoming more intense with each passing moment. “The casino is on deck two.”
“Yeah, I remember. Why are you in such an all-fired hurry to get rid of me?”
“I’m not in a hurry…I did offer you a drink,” she reminded him, lifting her chin.
“True,” Jack told her as he pulled on her wrist, turning her to face him. His hands lifted to catch her upper arms. “But usually when two people almost make love then some conversation is called for. I think we should talk about this tonight.”
“Uhm, normally I would defer to your greater experience with situations like this. But I figured you’d want to get back with your friends and have a good time.” It wasn’t easy, but Andy kept the tears from breaking forth and choking her words. She was torn, but still felt obligated to point out the barriers between them.
“They are our friends, damn it! I don’t want to argue over this, Andy.” He released her arms. “I wanted us to talk, sweetheart. I really didn’t plan on any of this happening.”
Andy wasn’t sure if he was saying sleeping with her…not that there’d been any sleeping involved as of yet, but the fact he considered sleeping with her the furthest thing from his mind when they started could mean something. Was he thinking this had been a mistake? Undoubtedly, he regretted his impetuous behavior.
“You don’t need to apologize, Jack.”
“Apologize! Of course, I’m not going to say I’m sorry. I have no reason to apologize. Maybe it’s you who feels a need to do so,” he shot back.
Andy felt her chin drop in surprise. “What? Do you regret what happened?”
“I didn’t say that, Andy. Look, all I wanted to do was get the chance to talk with you in private. But having you prance up those stairs, wiggling your cute ass and then showing me your bed, I made the natural assumption you wanted to have sex.”
Andy was hurt and angry. Pushing away the pain, she let the anger bubble up. The heartache she’d deal with later. “If I wanted to have sex, I would say so. I was merely being friendly, considering the way you’d glommed onto me from the moment you saw me.”
A second later, she saw the fire blaze up in Jack’s eyes. The stiffening of his body followed the glare darkening his face. She bit her lower lip and knew she shouldn’t have used the word “gl
ommed”. It sounded as if he was something nasty she’d discovered on her shoe. He turned away and stomped several steps towards the door. She saw his shoulders lift and fall and she guessed he took some deep breaths. Reluctantly, she acknowledged she should have taken a few seconds to calm herself before she’d answered.
It had not been an accurate description. He had been polite and attentive from the first moment. Not once had he done anything she had not wanted…even longed for, so why had she accused him? Her heart told her to speak up and tell him what she desired…him.
Jack turned and nodded his head once. “I’ll go for now, Andy. We can talk at breakfast.” He walked to the double doors. Opening one side, he stopped in the doorway. “Don’t forget to lock up, even though you’re in the high-rent district. I’ll stand out here until I hear the bolt click.”
Andy stared at the closed doors. Feeling as if she carried the world on her shoulders, she crossed to the entryway. For a moment, she leaned against the heavy doors, pressing her cheek to cool wood. Nothing was going as she’d fantasized and hoped for in her daydreams. Lifting her hand, she slowly turned the latch for the deadbolt. She listened closely, knowing she couldn’t really hear Jack walking away. Only silence both inside and out.
Then she remembered the peephole. Quickly, she rose on tiptoe, looking through the tiny magnifying glass. She could see Jack had reached the elevators and was pressing the button. If only this was one of her books, she could be the heroine who threw open the double doors and ran down the hall, crying out her lover’s name. He’d turn, see her and open his arms. Pressing against him, their lips would meet to kiss passionately. And when their lips finally parted, driven only by the desperate need to breathe, he’d tell her, “I love you.” Then he would make the grand gesture and sweep her into his arms, carrying her back to bed for a night of wild and erotic lovemaking.
Andy straightened and moved away from the door. A half smile curving her lips, she lifted her hand to brush back her hair. She was surprised to feel the tears on her cheeks. Using both hands, she rubbed away the tears. For some time, she wandered about the first level of the suite, picking up little knickknacks, checking them out. Three different times, she walked out onto the deck before trudging back inside. Suddenly, she decided she needed something she’d not had in a very, very long time. Looking around, she saw the panel on the wall to ring for Henderson. It didn’t seem fair to drag him out this late so she went to the phone and found the number for room service.