Voyage To Submission

by Mlyn Hurn

  “It’s nearly noon.”

  “Noon! Oh shit…crap. Sorry. I had things I wanted to do this morning.”

  “Did Madam use all of the liqueur on her ice cream after we left?”

  “Not all, but enough to make this unpleasant. Did I apologize for last night? I don’t know why my friends all showed up like that.”

  “Your friend, Miss—”

  “Gayle.”

  “Yes, she kept talking about a slumber party, but your male friends didn’t seem in the party mood.”

  “I noticed that, too. Thanks for shepherding everyone to the elevator.”

  “I sensed they wouldn’t leave until I did.”

  Andy sat up and pushed the hair out of her face. “Yeah, well they aren’t sophisticated like I am and used to having a butler about the place.” She waited to see if Henderson responded to her little joke, but he was in perfect form.

  “Shall I run a bath for madam?”

  Andy drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around them. “Okay, and I’ll sip the tea. I must skip breakfast because I have to get to work.” Seeing the frown of disapproval on her butler’s face, she smiled. “I’ll explain later. Thanks.”

  * * * * *

  Dressed casually, Andy watched as Jack came towards her. After her bath, she’d called his stateroom. The phone was answered on the second ring. She recognized the voice on the other end immediately.

  “Hi, Danny, it’s Andy. Is Jack around?”

  “Good afternoon, Andy! We missed you at breakfast. Ruthie visited the purser this morning and got us all these cool pagers. We can message each other and stay in touch, make plans and stuff.”

  Danny was ever the techno-geek, same as Ruthie. If it was new, electronic and promised bells and whistles, either Danny or Ruthie would have it first. Hearing the excitement in his voice was no surprise.

  “She passed them out at breakfast. Jack has yours because he said you both were attending something at two today.”

  Andy breathed a sigh of relief. She really wanted to explore the whole BDSM scene after listening to the lecture…partly for research and the other because it did excite her somewhat, maybe even a little more than what she wanted to admit. After last night, she was feeling off-center, and hopefully, once she saw Jack again, everything could go back to normal. Of course, defining just what normal constituted at this point was the problem.

  Standing opposite the elevators just outside the Queen’s Grill on deck seven, she’d waited nervously for Jack to show up. Watching him as he walked off the elevator, she felt a shiver of desire travel through her body. She was worried her behavior last night, in the effort to maintain her dignity, might have damaged his. She had pretty much kicked him out of her bed. And truthfully, she believed he’d mainly wanted to talk. But their emotions had gotten out of hand. For her, she’d waited too many years.

  “Hi, Jack, thanks for meeting me,” she spoke quickly, greeting him with a half-smile.

  “I was looking forward to learning a little more myself. Oh, here’s your beeper.” He pulled it from his pocket, passing it to her. “Between your PDA and this, you’re wired for contact.”

  Andy smiled because it was expected, but she felt the coolness in his reception. As he turned to start for the Queen’s Grill, she grabbed his arm. “Jack, about last night—”

  Jack smiled and pressed his finger against her lips. “Shh, sweetheart, we’ll talk later. No interruptions or getting off-track this time.”

  He reached and took her hand.

  With a sigh, she followed him.

  Andy knew her mouth kept dropping open as she listened to Ethan Williams and Jack talk. Occasionally, Margrit spoke but she never initiated conversation. Unsure whether she felt more surprised at learning the Williams had a 24/7 Master/submissive relationship, or the fact Jack might not be as much of a novice as she certainly was, all she could do was listen. On many topics, Jack discussed the subject intelligently and asked succinct questions.

  “As today progresses, you should begin to see more people appearing in their clothing of choice. The first night is usually quiet. Tonight is the first Dungeon Party. It should be interesting from what I saw scheduled before we sailed.”

  “Like what?” Andy asked, unable to keep the excitement from her voice.

  Ethan smiled. “As usual with the first party, there will be a lot of demonstrations going on. Normally, there would be role-playing going on at the assigned stations and rooms, but since they anticipated a large number of first-timers, I expect mostly demos tonight.”

  “People walk around and watch?” she asked.

  “Yes, and once the role-playing games begin, you’ll find people signing up in advance and often just volunteering when something catches their eye. The organizational committee arranged to have a number of devices available also.”

  Andy could feel Jack watching her, but she didn’t dare meet his gaze. She had little doubt that if she did, what she saw there would have her blushing until tomorrow. “What kind of devices?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as naïve as she was.

  “Chairs, torture and bondage devices. Some are serious and others are just for play.”

  “Do people get hurt?”

  Jack’s hand covered hers where it rested on the table between them. “There is always a safe word, Andy, which stops everything the second it is said. Trust is foremost in situations like these.”

  Andy looked into Jack’s eyes. She trusted Jack, in spite of what she’d told him last night. The thought of playing a sexual game, or scene as Ethan referred to it, was exciting her, especially if she played it with Jack.

  “I was thinking Andy might enjoy spending some time with Margrit this afternoon. I know Margrit made double appointments at the spa, just in case.” Ethan smiled, looking from his wife to Andy.

  Andy looked at the quiet woman, who had nodded her head, smiling back at her. “All right, that sounds like fun.”

  * * * * *

  Fun didn’t cover what happened that afternoon Andy decided much later, as she dressed for the party. The spa provided quite a few services. She got massaged, wrapped like a package and lastly she splurged.

  Following the massage and moisture wrap, she sat, watching as Margrit finished her treatment when she noticed the tattoo the other woman had. “I like your tat,” she said, enjoying the intricate design at the base of the other woman’s spine.

  “Thank you. Do you have one?”

  Andy shook her head. “I’ve never had the courage…well, that’s not completely true.”

  Margrit turned to look at her. “What keeps stopping you? To me, it’s not a sign of protest or exhibitionism. Ethan kept telling me I was beautiful all over, so one day I said what if I had a tattoo?”

  Andy smiled. “What did he say?”

  Margrit thanked the woman who’d just finished and wrapped the thick towel around her trunk. “Well, we had not known one another too long, perhaps a little over a year, and I assumed that he would forbid it or beg me not to do it. We weren’t living the lifestyle 24/7, but I had been aware of his interest.”

  “Did he do it?”

  “No, he surprised me. He offered to make me an appointment and go with me. I was more than a little shocked because I had been speaking offhand, uhm…testing the waters, so to speak.”

  Andy grinned, knowing exactly what the beautiful woman meant.

  “I was startled and still sure he kidded and teased me. That’s when I said I’d have it done on my breast, for all the world to see.” She paused and gestured to the upper curve. “As if he could read my mind, he tells me get it on my ass. I came back with it two inches above my butt crack because Ethan liked it when I wore low, backless gowns. I took the unspoken dare, half-sure he’d reject me afterwards. Instead, he spent all night and the next day kissing it, doing all the necessary aftercare and applying ice.”

  “Wow.”

  “Why don’t you get one? They do it here, you know.”

  A
ndy shook her head. “I don’t like to draw attention—”

  “My stuffed-shirt, snobbish uncle would reply all women love drawing attention to themselves.” Margrit laughed lightly.

  “I was quite a bit overweight for most of my life. I didn’t need a tattoo to draw more attention to my body.”

  Margrit shrugged. “That was then, and this is now. Think of it this way. What one part of your body do you consider most improved? With diet and exercise.”

  “I never thought of it like that. My butt is what I concentrated on after I lost the weight.”

  “Then maybe accent one cheek with a small, sassy statement, something that says ‘this is one damned fine ass!’ You could even just do your initials, like an artist who has made a beautiful work of art. God gave you a body, and you sculpted it.”

  “I’ll chicken out by the time we get back home.”

  Margrit had hopped up and grabbed her hand. “Maybe not.”

  Thinking back about it now, things had happened pretty quickly. The big surprise had been that she could get small tattoos and even piercing, if she wanted. Margrit had helped her pick out a design and even squeezed her hand while it was done. But twisting around to see it now, she did wonder if she’d done the right thing or not. She acknowledged no matter how long she stared at it in the mirror, it was not going away.

  The doorbell ringing made her turn from the three-way mirror, pulling closed her white terrycloth robe. Henderson was off on an errand, so she ran down the curved stairs. Without thinking, she yanked open the door rather than glance through the peephole.

  “Well, hello to you, too,” Jack told her as he walked past her into the suite.

  Andy closed her mouth and the door, in that order. She saw him set down a bag he’d been carrying and was now standing behind the bar. “I didn’t think I’d see you until it was time for dinner,” she told him, folding her arms across her chest.

  “You wouldn’t, except Ethan and I ran into Margrit. She dragged us back to their suite for me to bring you something to wear tonight.” Jack opened the can of soda and drank several long swallows.

  Andy could see he’d not yet showered after his planned afternoon of working out with Ethan. As she continued watching him, he pressed the can to his forehead. When he saw her looking, he shrugged. “I know Ethan is at least ten years older than I am, but that guy must work out all the fucking time! We ran into Tony and Danny.” He paused to take a couple more swallows.

  Andy nodded, easing onto one of the padded barstools. “That would have been enlightening.”

  Jack gave her a funny look, but went on. “We decided to play some basketball and drew straws. I drew Tony and he shot me one of his ‘this is in the bag’ looks, you know.”

  “Oh, yeah, he’d always give you guys that look when he was sure a girl was his for the taking. Once we started keeping track, I ran a statistical analysis—”

  “You did what? Who kept track of what?” Jack sputtered on the last swallow of his pop.

  “I shouldn’t have interrupted you, Jack, please go on,” she told him in a placating tone.

  Jack frowned in her direction as he reached for another soda, easily popping the tab.

  “You should probably drink water rather than soda. If he wore you out this much, you’ll be dehydrated and the soda—” Andy spoke again.

  “He didn’t wear me out, damn it!” Jack said tersely.

  Andy held up her hands, palms towards Jack in a conciliatory manner. Obviously, his masculinity had taken a hit this afternoon. Undoubtedly, so had Tony and Danny, she just hoped they weren’t in this sort of mood when they all met later. After dinner with Ethan and Margrit, they were all attending the Dungeon Party together. Ethan had suggested it over lunch, and while the two men played with the electronic pager, they slowly received everyone’s agreement.

  Standing, Andy walked over and eased down onto the sofa, stretching out to lie on her side. Once she was comfortable, she glanced back and saw Jack drinking some water rather quickly. He then turned to offer her a soda.

  “No, thank you, Jack. Henderson is bringing me fresh iced tea when he returns.”

  Jack walked towards her. “I thought you’d switched to calling him Rick.”

  Andy couldn’t resist teasing him, in spite of the little voice in charge of her wiser judgment. “We decided to keep it professional, except for the wild sex orgies.”

  The glare she received was deflected because the private elevator doors slid open. Turning her head, she was sure Rick’s step faltered for a split second under Jack’s look. Still he kept on walking, carrying the tray over to the coffee table. She’d definitely award him points for bravery.

  “Your tea, miss, and your ice bag.”

  Andy reached for the ice first without realizing she’d not yet told Jack about her little adventure.

  “Do you need help applying the ice, miss?”

  Bad timing was how she’d describe the fact that she placed the ice on her ass just as Rick offered. She couldn’t say for sure, but it sounded like Jack actually growled. Quickly, she replied, “No, thanks, Henderson.”

  “Would you like me to put your shopping bag upstairs, Ms. Bond?”

  Andy still tried to hide her smile at Jack’s bulldog attitude, so she just nodded. Once the butler was upstairs, she teased Jack a little more. She knew it was a little foolish to tempt a stubborn dog who guarded his bone. The fact she was the bone was something she refused to think about just yet. “I didn’t need Henderson’s help because he’d already given it his visual inspection for correct placement of the ice.”

  Jack moved so fast that Andy barely managed to grab a fistful of his shirt to stop him. Her thoughtless hold onto his t-shirt caused her to be pulled partly off the sofa, spreading the edges of her terrycloth robe. She spoke quickly, knowing her hand wouldn’t restrain him for long.

  “I’m teasing, Jack. I am sorry, but I couldn’t resist. You’ve been in a pissy mood ever since you almost knocked down my door. I’m sorry for antagonizing you.”

  Jack looked down at Andy, taking in the disheveled appearance she now presented on the sofa. He hadn’t realized she was naked beneath the soft material, but the naked breast, which in his opinion cried out for his hand, was proof enough. As he took a step towards her, he heard footfalls on the stairs. His reaction was instinctive, he told himself later, not protective. Being protective towards her was emotion he wasn’t quite ready to deal with just yet. He’d felt like that once before with Andy, and this time he wanted to play it smarter. With one naked tit, and two long thighs revealed, he covered it all as best he could…with his body.

  One of them moved and their mouths came together. Immediately, he knew it was the kiss that should have happened last night. The kiss was sweet, hot and passionate, all at the same time. He sought her tongue as he heard the elevator doors swish closed. Releasing her lips, he shifted their bodies slightly on the sofa, which positioned him between her now widespread thighs and further parted the top of her robe. Looking down, his gaze caught upon her breasts.

  “What little sleep I got last night was filled with dreams about making love to you. Seeing you half-naked…and I get hard and want to be inside of you.”

  Andy’s gasp didn’t stop him.

  He pulled back to look into her eyes. “Are you hurt? Do you feel good enough to sit up?” When she shook her head, he eased to the floor even as he brought her to a sitting position. Straightening, Jack kneeled between her legs. He saw her hands had been busy trying to conceal her body. Pausing in his plan, still foggy in his brain due to his growing lust, he pulled free the tie for her robe.

  “Andy?” He waited until she met his gaze before he went on. “Do you trust me, based on what you know of me? I mean who we were, and I swear I never intentionally did anything at all to hurt you.”

  She didn’t do anything at first, but finally she nodded.

  Jack took each of her hands and placed it at her side. He took the edges of the robe and s
lowly pulled apart the sides to reveal her body. The scent of soap, lotion and female musk filled his nostrils as he inhaled deeply. “You are beautiful, Andy.”

  “Stretch marks—”

  “Shh, give me your hands,” he asked and then he lightly wrapped the tie around her wrists. “Do you think you can keep them behind your head? Okay. If there is anything I do that you don’t like, just say…uh, I know—Bridget.”

  “Your mother’s name?”

  “Yeah, that should cool my jets,” he shrugged. Then he noticed the small smile curving her lips. “Is something funny?”

  “No, but I’ll tell you later.”

  Jack decided not to press her. Instead, he leaned towards her, bringing his hand to cup the side of her face. Using one thumb, he rubbed it back and forth along her lower lip. “You have sexy lips. Do you ever wear deep red lipstick?”

  Andy shook her head. “With the dress yesterday, that’s the darkest color I’ve ever owned. It was brand-new and I wasn’t sure—”

  Jack’s thumb pressed against her lips, stopping her. “You were the quintessential femme fatale in that dress, Andy. All evening long, I kept thinking about how to unfasten it and what you might be wearing under it.”

  “A lot of my clothes are new, for the cruise, like the dress and the lingerie, too.”

  “Andy?”

  “What?”

  “Tell me how to touch you. What ways of kissing or positions do you like the best? Shall I praise your breasts, which overflow my eager hands? Full, firm and luscious boobs with lovely long nipples.”

  Jack rubbed his thumbs around the taut nubs that poked outwards three-fourths of an inch. “They are a pretty soft pink in color, but hard, too. Do you like having your nipples sucked?”

  Jack paused to look into her eyes, all the while moving his thumbs, taunting her budding points until the surrounding flesh wrinkled tightly. Holding her gaze, he kissed her mouth lightly. “I dreamed about sucking your nipples last night. At first, I wondered if I should suckle you like a baby does, and tug your tit as deeply inside my mouth as possible. Ray, ever the doctor, said the nerves in a woman’s nipple are connected through some neural pathway to her womb. The harder the sucking, more stimuli to her womanly flesh—”