I could tell Gage was having trouble grasping the concept, he wasn’t speaking, he was as white as a sheet, he had that deer in the headlights look and if I didn’t know better I’d tighten my grip on him in case he tried to jump overboard.
He was fighting back more tears and sniffed several times, “I’ll love you till the end of time Tandy, I promise you. We’ll get through this together. I’ll be there every step of the way.”
“I love you too, but you need to think this through. Are you sure you want to deal with this much shit? At the end of the cruise you can just walk away. Hell you can walk away now. Aren’t you scared of what might happen if you get too close?”
“There is no too close with you. If anything I can’t get close enough. If I could crawl inside your skin to get closer I would. I’m worried for you and what you have to go through but I’m not scared. I love you,” he ran his thumb lovingly across my cheek, “the only part of all that you told me, that truly scares the shit out of me? Is that you might…”
“I might what?” I asked at his hesitancy.
He drew in a deep breath, “Forget me.”
“I’ll never forget you. My heart will never forget you, even if my brain does.”
“Promise you’ll always remember me and that I’m yours and you’re mine?” Gage pleaded, pulling me onto his lap.
“I Promise.”
***
Gage made sweet passionate love to me well into the early morning hours, so gentle and adoring. He brought me to orgasm so many times it was like riding an out of control rollercoaster for hours on end. It was as beautiful as it had been our first time but I felt like he was holding back. The rough, controlling Gage was on hiatus and I was happy to give him that, I was also not going to let him treat me like a china doll for much longer.
He was sound asleep when I slipped under the covers, that was until I circled my tongue around the head of his cock and he let out a guttural moan as his manhood sprang to life, becoming harder with each stroke of my hand and lick of my tongue.
Burying his hands in my hair, he tilted his hips trying to gain entry past my lips. “Good fucking morning to you!” he growled his pleasure. I narrowed my eyes and pulled just out of reach, so he was well aware that I was annoyed with him.
“It can be and it will be. That is if you stop treating me like I’m going to shatter if you squeeze too tight. I’m not breakable Gage.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, baby, I want to cherish you,” he admitted, propping up on his elbow looking down at me and weaving a wisp of hair around his finger.
“Yeah, I know and I love that you do, but I also love it when you fuck me hard and don’t hold anything back. You’re holding back on me.” Smiling, I licked the bead of his essence from the tip of his cock.
He bit into his lower lip and crossed his finger over his heart. “I promise I won’t hold back…if you suck me off like you mean it?” he joked, fisting my hair with a gentle tug.
I licked my tongue up his length. “Better?” I asked.
His head fell back and his mouth sat open as I took him as far as I could manage and sucked for all I was worth and he called out my name over and over.
Nothing was as erotic as Gage crying out my name, except when he followed it with that filthy mouth of his. “Oh fucking hell, Tandy… that’s it…let me fuck that sweet mouth,”
Yep that filthy mouth.
After a short time he pulled back his hips and gave me that release that tug and I contemplated the idea of going for it, letting him get off in my mouth, tasting all of him. But when his eyes opened and he scowled, I pulled away with a popping sound and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
“Fuck, I thought you were…”
“I was thinking about it but I just couldn’t, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t ever be sorry. You’ll do it if and when you’re ready, besides I want to be deep inside you when I cum.”
Gage had me up at the headboard and pinned to the mattress before I knew what end was up and I giggled with excitement. His tongue traced my jawline, moved down my neck and across my collarbone and then to my ear. “Stay right there,” he whispered, and jumped from the bed.
“Remember this?” he asked, holding up the tiny black bag that he bought a while back, with a cheeky look.
“I remember. What is it?”
He reached in and pulled out a black satiny rope and smiled, “I don’t know about that…” he shushed me and then pulled out a matching blind fold and I raised my brows with a smile.
“Tell me you don’t want to play, but know this…there’s one more surprise in the bag.”
“Oh?”
“Not without the blindfold and your hands tied. Trust me?”
“Okay,” I said, without hesitation and was blessed with that dimpled smile and a lick across my lips before he wrapped the rope around both my wrists and then tied it to the headboard.
He leaned over me and licked across my lips again and smiled. I was plunged into darkness when he slipped the blindfold over my eyes, “You still trust me?”
“With my life.”
“You’re gonna like this, sweetheart” I heard the bag rustle and a low seductive chuckle, the bed dipped and Gage spread my legs. I could feel his breath between my thighs and then is lips kissed against my moist lips, I jumped at the touch. His tongue darted inside and circled around my open swollen lips and then I heard a click and a soft quiet hum.
“What’s that?”
“Relax.” He used his thumb and index finger to expose my clit and gave it a kiss, then placed the humming item against it sending shockwaves pulsing as it vibrated gently and the sensation had me breathless.
“Oh…fuck!!!” I roared, as his tongue lapped my swollen lips, I so desperately wanted to bury my hands in his hair and hold his face tight to me, but being tied made that impossible as every muscle tightened for the mother of all orgasms. It came fast and furious but went on and on and on.
And when he lifted the vibrating device from my clit, he exhaled noisily as he forced his cock into me, I cried out and begged him to untie me, “It’s too soon baby, I’m not finished with you.”
“I want to touch you,” I said.
“Not until I’m done touching you,” he said, as he leisurely slid in and out and I heard the recognizable hum again, he started drawing circles around my clit and my thighs tightened and convulsed against his rocking hips.
“You like that, sweetheart?”
“Mind-blowing,” I said, gasping for air and grinding to meet each of his accelerating thrusts. I already found it near impossible to speak during sex and now I was having trouble breathing and was losing all control over my mind. Another wave of sparks ignited and I felt a hot flood of liquid rage and the sheet soak beneath me.
“Oh yeah, that’s it. Squeeze my cock tight, baby…I’m gonna cum!” Gage roared, releasing his seed deeper with each thrust until he was drained and collapsed beside me.
It took time to recover and regain a proper pattern of speech or at least it did for me. As I lay there in total darkness I had to wonder if my sex god had fallen asleep and left me quite literally hanging.
“Uh, Gage? Would you like to help me out here?” I laughed.
Gage laughed and slipped the blind fold off and went about the task of untying me, “What the hell did you do to me?”
“I made you squirt baby, you like it?” he asked, with pride, puffing out his chest like the star player that scored the winning goal. He was ridiculously cute.
“Not at all,” I laughed sarcastically and stared at the purple toy he handed me, no bigger than my finger but so powerful.
Day 18
Athens, Greece
After trailing through the Museums and ruins galore and doing our fair share of souvenir shopping, making sure to add to the Greek economy, we made our way up to the Acropolis just to say we did. My feet were killing me even after choosing the best walking shoes I had, I was tired and hungry as w
as Gage.
I have to say I was so not impressed, if you’ve seen one crumpled building you’ve seen them all. I sat on a large block and drank down the last of my water, Gage scooted me over some to join me, “Sweetheart, I’ve had enough,” he puffed out.
“Me too, let’s get outta here,” I said, pulling Gage to his feet.
Standing amongst the ruins Gage’s phone suddenly went off startling us both. “What the hell?” Gage said, pulling it from his pocket. He eyed the screen and then me with an acid look, “It’s your father.”
I thought for a moment and then shrugged, “Don’t answer it.”
Gage shook his head, “I can’t not answer he’ll go nuts,” he said, and putting it to his ear, “hello?”
He stood listening. I heard my father’s rage coming through the phone as Gage stood and listened answering in bits and pieces. “Yes sir…Yes, sorry sir…yes she is in my sight…yes…no sir…I do understand…I didn’t mean…yes sir…Goodbye.” Gage contemplated the clouds up in the sky to clear his anger away and blew out a deep breath before pocketing the phone.
I waited for several seconds and then wove my fingers into his, “What was that about?”
“I didn’t check in last night,” he said, grinning and pulling me close, “I was busy, remember?”
“Guess that means you’re on his shit list?” I stroked the stubble on his chin. “Been there, done that. My poor baby. Is Daddy not happy with your performance?”
“As long as you’re happy with it, screw your father,” he said, as we moved on with the tour. “Seriously though, I better make sure I check in more. Man he’s pissed at me, ripped me a new one.”
I reached back and slid my index finger up the crack of his ass. “Right about here?” I asked and he squirmed away from my invasion glaring.
“Hey! Stay outta there,” he scolded, “there are parts of this bod you don’t get to play with unless I say-so, those are the rules.”
I leaned in until I was close to his ear, “Rules are meant to be broken, darling,” I whispered, with a leering smile. “I hear that if a certain interior gland is stimulated it can give a man a mind-blowing orgasm.”
He leaned in and whispered, “All’s fair baby.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning you go there,” he challenged, “I go there.” He raised his brows and we continued on, a devious smile crossing my lips.
***
“See that park over there?” I pointed. “Let’s get lunch and spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing.”
He looked around, “Sure why not? Nothing sounds perfect to me. Let’s find food and come back.”
At a tiny bakery just down the street we ordered Tiropita, a breaded cheese that kind of looked like a cheese pie, bottled water and baklava of course, we had to give that a whirl. We sat in the shade of a cypress enjoying our meal.
I lay back with my fingers woven with Gages’ looked up into the tree and thought about a life without him and drew a blank. How was I going to go on if he wasn’t in my life? I couldn’t fathom the idea. My heart shattered in my chest with sharp piercing jabs, knowing I would soon find out. I could only hope that he may find happiness in someone else’s arms, one day.
Bringing me out of my thoughts Gage asked, “Did you know that the cypress tree is a symbol of Artemis?” I shook my head no. “She’s the Greek goddess of the hunt, young girls and the moon.”
“How did you get to be so smart?” I asked, trying to remove myself from the funk I was under.
Gage rolled into his side. “I read. When I was in prison that’s basically all I did.” He rolled back onto his back. “I studied and I read everything I could get my hands on.”
“Is prison as horrible as I imagine?” I asked, staring at the sky as did he.
“Worse.”
“Were you scared?”
“Scared? Not really. I got along pretty well with everyone, kept to myself most times.” He sat up and wrapped his arms around his knees. “At night it was hard. I’d have to say it was unnerving at night, too quiet. No one slept, you kept one eye open. Things happened at night, guys were there at lights out and gone the next morning.”
“Oh my God,” I sat up to look at him, “it must have been hell for you.”
He put his arm over my shoulder. “Let’s read your dirty book,” Gage laughed, he was done with the need for dredging up the past and I was glad to move on.
“How do know I have it with me?” I asked, as he opened my backpack, reached in pulling it out.
“Do you go anywhere without it?” he asked, a devious look in his eye.
I swatted at his arm, “Nope.”
He looked at the book’s cover. “Jasinda Wilder eh? She sounds hot.”
“She a hot little red head,” I told him. “A very married hot little red head,” I added.
“That’s too bad, I like red heads,” he teased and then looked at my not so amused face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that, I was just kidding.”
I nudged his shoulder with mine and smiled, “Calm your shit Romeo. I know what you were getting at.”
With our backpacks acting as pillows we lay back and Gage started to read. “By the way,” I spanned through the book, “the good parts are highlighted.” And Gage grinned.
***
The air was thick with smog, it was so busy and the traffic worked so hard against us. Once we left the pedestrian only areas, we didn’t dare try to cross the street without a designated crossing.
We weren’t too far from the appointed meet spot to catch our bus back to the ship when I saw a familiar face through the crowd. “Gage, isn’t that John?” I pointed ahead.
He peered past the bus, a head taller than most, his view unimpeded. “I’m not sure, what the hell would he be doing in Greece?” Gage wondered and I shrugged my shoulders.
“I lost sight of him, can you still see?” I asked, on tip toe.
Surely my mind was playing tricks with me, he should be in jail I thought. Even if he wasn’t arrested, he should still be in the States. I had such mixed feelings, such mistrust. Could he explain himself back into my graces? I worried my lip as I thought hoping I wouldn’t see him again and this was all a case of mistaken identity. They say that everyone has a twin out there, maybe I just saw John’s.
Gage shook his head, “Lost him,” he tightened his grip on my hand as we barged on, “maybe we’re seeing things, the smog is pretty heavy,” Gage laughed.
We sat on the packed bus and waited, fanning ourselves, while last minute passengers boarded and got settled. I was looking out the window at the throngs of people bustling along the streets and there he was again. This time I had no doubt it was him when he turned in my direction and waved once he spotted me.
I waved back and faked a happy to see you smile. I wasn’t sure whether I should be leery or delighted to see my former friend. After all it was still unclear as to his part in the thefts. “He’s coming this way,” I said, looking to the front of the bus as he emerged.
“Oh shit,” I said, as John got closer.
“I ratted out his brother. Don’t you think he’ll be pissed?” Gage asked, standing as John closed in. “John, how are you?”
He shook Gage’s hand and leaned over to give me a hug. “I’m good Gage. Honey, it’s great to see you.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked, rather rude, my mixed emotions getting the better of me. “Sorry that didn’t come out very nice, I’m just surprised to see you.”
“Sit.” Gage said, and John squeezed into the seat between us.
“This is cozy,” John said, trying to compress his body to fit better. “I came back to the ship this morning when it docked. I missed the tour group so I’ve been wandering around alone.”
“But I thought you,” I didn’t want to say it but it was the elephant in the room, certainly a moot point. “Weren’t you arrested?”
John turned to both of us with a woeful expression. “My brother was arrested, not me.
I swear I had nothing to do with what happened.” He took my hand in his and held it to his chest. “If I had known Jack was carrying on with women and robbing them…well, the truth is I don’t know what I would have done. But I wasn’t involved.”
Gage gripped his shoulder in one of those manly caveman ways and said, “We believe you man.” John smiled. I wasn’t convinced and felt somewhat guilty for being skeptical. I gazed at my mother’s ring and John’s hand enfolded around mine, the tip of his finger touching the gold band.
“I appreciate that, Gage,” he continued, as I turned away looking out the window as the bus pulled into the busy traffic and proceeded to the docks. “I should have known something wasn’t right. Jack is a bit of a slut and he does have a past with women and getting into trouble. With the new novel getting so close to deadline I was convinced he had turned his life around.” He shrugged his shoulders. “It just goes to show, you never know.”
“No John, you never know, especially when it comes to family,” I said, never tearing my gaze from the view out the window. What my father had done still stung and John’s situation only dredged up the memory. I could see Gage’s reflection in the window. His large hand clasped onto the nape of my neck reassuringly and my heart fluttered. He loved me but was still riddled with remorse.
John squeezed my hand and talked softly. “I’m so sorry for what my brother did to you, I’ll make it up somehow, make things right,” John offered.
I shook my head. “No John. There are some things that can be fixed easily and others that cannot. This I’m afraid is one of those blurred lines. Believe me when I say you owe me nothing.”
“But honey.”
I cut him off with the wave of my hand as I pulled it free from his grasp. “Let it go John. Okay?” I said.
“So you’re continuing on with the cruise then?” Gage said, taking over the conversation. “Any plans for dinner?”
John shook his head and I swung my head around to glare at Gage. What the fuck was he thinking, asking before he even considered that I may not wish to share my evening. “I have no plans.”
If Not For You Page 31