Brought to His Knees-Tough Guys Laid Low By Love
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“Collar?” A man in a suit walked up to us with a mass of black ribbons around his arm.
“Excuse me?” I asked
“It’s a collar, Andi. Like in the book.” KK was already tying a jaunty bow around her neck.
“You wear one to show that you’re willing to play,” the man explained.
“What if I don’t take one?” I asked.
“Then you’re a voyeur.”
“Voyeur,” I decided. “For now.”
Within minutes I learned the attendees in collars would have all the fun. KK was offered free drinks and invited to dance. I was avoided as if I’d carried some sort of plague onto the boat. At first I was too uncomfortable to do anything more than stand off to the side, arms crossed over my chest, and watch the proceedings. It seemed that nearly everyone here was new to this kind of scene and experimenting for the first time. This was no professional BDSM club. This was a bunch of soon–to–be housewives having an adventure.
When it was clear that I was to be ignored, I relaxed enough to find a free lounge chair and observe the proceedings. KK sat nearby on the deck at the feet of a handsome man in a suit. Trust her to find the hottest man here within minutes. And make no mistake, she might be the one pretending to be submissive and sitting at his feet, but it was a game. KK would top from the bottom and have this guy begging for more. More time with her, more sex with her, more pieces of her. Which she might give. If he earned it.
Things were getting pretty frisky for the first hours of the cruise. I would’ve estimated that nudity would happen by night two or three, but, whoops there went another bikini top, and the sun was still bright overhead. The woman had a ring through each nipple and I stared, fascinated. That had to hurt and feel good in a really painful way. I hoped she’d applied sunscreen liberally. The man with the now–topless woman removed his jacket and tie. The tie wrapped around her neck over her collar and the silk flowed down her cleavage.
Off to my left a woman in a sarong fed the man who’d crawled by earlier in his tiny bathing suit. Both wore matching wedding bands. It was kind of sweet to see a married couple get into this kind of role playing.
“Drink?” A shadow fell across me and I squinted up to see a man in a normal looking bathing suit holding something pretty and pink with a matching paper umbrella.
“Yes please.” I held out my hand for the drink then snatched it back.
“No?” His voice was deep.
“Single girl safety rule number one: never accept drinks in open containers from strangers.”
He sat at the foot of my lounge chair without permission. “I’m Todd. Now I’m not a stranger.”
“You’re here, aren’t you? That’s pretty strange.”
“You’re here too.” He took a big slurp of the pink drink.
“Touché,” I said and reached for the glass. “This, however, was a total surprise. My former best friend brought me on a cruise.” I pointed to KK. “But neglected to mention it was a Whipped theme cruise.”
“Ouch,” Todd said. “I came with my boyfriend.” He pointed to a handsome man in a suit then chuckled at the weird look I threw him. “Yes. We’re gay, but he loved Whipped so much, he couldn’t resist showing up at the cruise.”
“You’re a nicer boyfriend than I am,” I said. “If I’d known, I would’ve said hell to the no. But I guess that’s why KK surprised me.”
“No interest in bondage play?” he asked, leaning back on his hands.
“Um…” My cheeks felt hot, and it wasn’t from the sun, but honestly, I’d just met the dude. Did he really expect me to confess my sexual desires? Sure, when I’d read Whipped, I’d been intrigued by the couple’s bedroom play–who hadn’t?–but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be tied up and spanked. Maybe if the right guy came along, and so far no one at this little role playing fantasy looked right. Todd went off to play with his boyfriend, leaving me alone in my voyeur state.
I spent the rest of the day poolside reading and pretending all was well in my life, but the truth was I was unhappy and had been for a while. The unhappiness had crept up so quietly I couldn’t pinpoint a start date. I was phoning it in at work, and I couldn’t remember the last second date I’d been on. My blah romantic life could be excused if work was going well, but both aspects of my life kind of sucked right now. I had five more days to shake off the blahs and devise a game plan to get back into the swing of things. I wondered if KK suspected I was having these issues and that was the reason behind the cruise invitation.
As the sun disappeared behind the tall center stack of the ship, I gathered up my stuff and made my way to our small cabin to shower. I’d given up on KK around five and hoped my roommate would show up at dinner so I didn’t have to eat solo. The cruise ship was huge. Surely only a handful of guests were part of this Whipped fantasy. The Whipped crowd had exclusive use of one pool, one bar, and one outside deck. I had no idea what the dining situation was. Please lord, make it normal. I might lose my appetite or choke from the giggles if I had to eat watching naked people kneeling on the floor.
Not sure what the dress code was, I opted for a royal blue tank dress that came to a halt a few inches below the curve of my rear and displayed a nice amount of cleavage. If I went dancing, I’d need to wear cute underwear in the event of energetic spin moves. Grabbing up a denim jacket in case of an over–zealous air conditioning system, I studied the printed itinerary that listed our dining plans for the evening.
KK had underlined all the vegetarian options so I wouldn’t have to study the menu too hard. All this prep, and somehow the idiot had “forgotten” to tell me it was a themed cruise. If KK wasn’t at dinner, I’d have to go find the captain and have him institute a ship–wide search for her.
But when I entered the large dining room, I found KK immediately, seated at a round table set for ten. There was one empty spot at the table, presumably mine. I waved off the hostess and walked over to the table. “KK, you totally ditched me.”
KK waved a half–filled glass of wine in my direction. “Andi, there you are.”
I slid into the empty seat at the table. “Here I am? You left me. I sat by the pool all afternoon waiting for you to stop playing slave.”
“I was having fun,” KK said, a slight slur to the ’s’. Was she drunk?
“I’m so glad.” God, I sounded like a bitter shrew but, honestly, five more days of hanging solo on the boat and I’d be nutso.
“Stop whining,” she said, “Tonight, you’re going to have fun. I promise. I have a surprise.”
“No more surprises, KK.” I inwardly groaned, terrified of what more she could possibly spring on me.
“You’ll thank me later.”
“Sure I will.” She’d lost her mind. What was my best friend thinking? “Where’s lover boy?” I asked.
“Who? Oh, you mean Christopher?”
“Was that his name?”
She ignored my sarcasm to take another sip of her drink.
I smiled around the table at the other diners seated with us. Everyone looked relatively normal and, more importantly, dressed for dinner. Other than a few of them wearing black ribbons around their necks, I wouldn’t recognize them as the same hedonists from this afternoon. “When do we get to eat? I’m starving.” All the occupants of the surrounding tables seemed to be digging into plates piled high with delicacies.
A cheerful waitress dressed in smart white from head to toe smiled at the table. “Table thirty–two, you may head to the buffet now.”
I’d never seen a table of people move as fast, except once at my nephew’s sixth birthday party when my sister–in–law announced it was time for cake. KK and I ambled behind the rest of the table toward the longest, most elaborate spread I’d seen.
“Whoa, this is better than Vegas,” KK said with wide eyes. She was right. Platter upon platter of salads followed by pastas and a carving station was laid out as our feast. Nearby was an equal sized buffet of decadent desserts. I didn’t know where to start.
It took two trips to the dinner buffet and another two to the desserts before we declared ourselves too full to possibly eat ever again.
The dinner conversation was interesting too. I was surprised at the normalcy of our fellow diners. There was a lawyer, a teacher, a librarian and one recently divorced soccer mom, here on her celebratory I’m single trip.
As soon as dinner was over, we pushed back from the table, sure we’d never eat another bite. I was happy with my dress selection. It was not a tight waistband kind of night. I turned to KK. “What now?”
“I think there’s dancing by the pool and then a demonstration of rope tying.”
“Rope tying?” I repeated, not sure if that sounded intriguing.
“Yep.” She stood and tugged me to my feet. “Come on. You never know when that skill might come in handy.”
I laughed and followed her out of the dining room. “You never know. Like maybe a wild boar gets loose in downtown D.C. and I’ll need to subdue it.”
“Exactly.” KK snorted.
Given that I had no other options for the evening, I let her drag me back out on deck. When KK shivered, I wordlessly handed her my jacket.
“Thanks,” she said, shrugging it on over her black leather mini dress. She looked like a biker’s wet dream, and I wondered at her choice of wearing the collar. It looked more like she should be the one holding the whip.
We joined the rest of the crowd, all similarly stuffed from dinner and gathered around a makeshift stage, which was really an empty space of deck surrounded by a semi–circle of mesh deck chairs. KK pulled me right to a front center one. I glanced around, hoping to scoot to a less conspicuous place in the back, but too late. The chairs were occupado and we were stuck.
The “show” started, and I put the word in quotes because it was like no other show I’d ever been to. It was more of a demonstration, but since the couple demonstrating was totally gorgeous, I watched with interest. Shallow of me, I know, but there you have it. I like pretty. Who doesn’t? The blond guy in a three piece suit demonstrated how to flog his submissive. A woman in a bikini knelt on all fours in front of him and every so often glanced back at him with adoration, until he chastised her, whipped off his tie and blindfolded her with the red silk strip.
I shifted in my seat, compelled by the drama unfolding in front of me. The only noise was the dull roar of the ship’s engine, the subtle shush of the wind slapping the sides of the boat cutting through the ocean waves, and the in–drawn breaths of my fellow voyeurs.
“Hot,” KK muttered next to me, and I agreed.
For the woman on the floor, the audience wasn’t there. The only thing important to her was the man holding the leather whip, or flogger as he’d called it. The handle was about a foot long, with equal length black leather straps hanging from one end. I couldn’t see the submissive’s eyes, thanks to the blindfold, but I knew what we’d see if we unwrapped it from her head. Bliss. Total and utter bliss.
“Does anyone want to give it a try?” The dominant stopped his beating and turned to us. There was silence and then several hands shot into the air, KK’s included. She wasn’t picked. Instead a shorter, rather pudgy man from the back row made his way to the front, pink–cheeked and muttering apologies as he stumbled over people’s chairs and legs.
He and the expert conversed for a quiet moment and then the volunteer took the flogger in hand, and gave it a few experimental flicks. The audience cheered for him, and the guy took it the applause to heart and started to put on a show for us, dancing around with the flogger and flourishing it wildly. Suddenly he was inches from KK and me in our front row seats. I scooted back, but not fast enough. Distantly I heard myself shriek. My right boob felt like it was on fire, and I looked up to see a wall of concerned faces.
“What happened?” I asked confusedly. “Did he whip me?”
“I’m so sorry. It slipped. I was excited and my hands were sweaty…” The portly man who’d volunteered to flog the woman was in front of me, practically crying.
With calm efficiency, KK stepped in front of him and looked me in the eye. “Andi, honey, you’re bleeding. I’m going to take you to the ship’s doctor.”
“I’m fine.” I rubbed at the stinging pain and blinked when my hand came away red. Shouldn’t have worn the cleavage–revealing dress. A little fabric might’ve protected my boob.
“Here.” The beautiful man in the suit, the one who’d been the original leader, thrust a towel into KK’s hands. She patted me gently with it and saved my dress from blood stains.
“I’m fine. I don’t need a doctor.” I tried to stand but got a little dizzy. KK grabbed me and held me upright.
“She’s fine,” KK announced loudly. “Go back to the show.” We took a few shaky steps out of the semi–circle of chairs and I started to feel better when I got moving.
“I think it’s a shallow cut. I probably just need a Band–Aid.” I pulled the towel away from my breast to inspect, but KK pushed it back on.
“No, you definitely need to see a doctor.”
“For a tiny cut? Don’t be ridiculous.” She had a tight hold on my arm so I had no choice but to follow her lead.
“We’re out on the open ocean. What if this sea air infects the cut or something? You don’t want to lose your boob due to infection.”
I shook with laughter. Or rather, I started to, but my giggles made the bleeding start up again and the cut sting, so I had to hold it in. “You’re crazy, KK.”
“It’s why you love me,” she said cheerfully. She flagged down a staff member to get directions and we hobbled down a deck to the other side of the ship to the medical wing. This vacation was starting to turn into one of those party conversations you have when competing for telling the best horror story.
At least the ship had nice medical facilities. It looked like a clinic on dry land. We went through the glass doors to the waiting room and I collapsed into a chair while KK went to find assistance.
Pretty soon a nurse came out and announced she could see me. “No,” KK insisted. “She needs the doctor. Definitely the doctor, not a nurse.”
“KK,” I hissed. “I’ll see whoever is available.” I was starting to get embarrassed at wasting the doctor’s time when I really only needed a wet cloth and a bandage.
The nurse gave KK a stare of death but pursed her lips then said, “Fine. I’ll bring you back to the doctor in a few minutes.”
It took about seven minutes of waiting, but finally a door at the back opened and a man pushing a walker in front of him came out from the doctor’s examination room. A man in a white nautical uniform followed behind him, smiling and waving his patient on his way.
“The doctor can see you now,” the nurse said, not all that nicely, but I barely heard her because the rush of blood to my ears was suddenly as loud as if I’d found myself in the ship’s engine room. I was in shock, because the doctor had turned away from his elderly patient and was now scanning the waiting room for his next client. Us. And I knew him. The doctor, not the elderly patient.
“KK,” I whispered, tugging at her arm. “Look who it is. It’s Jonah!”
My friend sat straighter and turned to me with a triumphant grin on her face. “Surprise.”
Chapter Two
“Andi?” The doctor, AKA my high school boyfriend, walked into the waiting area, stunned surprise on his face. “Andi, is that you?” The next thing I knew I was wrapped in a bear hug for a long minute before I came to my senses enough to reciprocate.
“Ow!”
“Oh, sorry.” He stepped back and narrowed his eyes at the blood–stained towel on my boob.
“Jonah, I can’t believe it’s you,” I murmured, staring at his chest; a torso that was wider and more muscular than I remembered. The last time I’d hugged him was the summer before our senior year, at the airport where his family was boarding a plane bound for California. Three thousand miles away from our east coast suburb. I turned to KK, who was grinning widely at us. “Did you know?�
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“Know what?” She had a look of pure triumph on her face, which she flashed at me as Jonah grabbed her for a quick hug. “Know that Jonah works on this ship? Guilty.” She winked and stepped back from him. “And now I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted while I go back to the party.”
Before I could protest, she was out the door, leaving me alone with the boy my seventeen–year old self was sure I’d marry. First she’d sprung the Whipped theme on me, and now this? She was definitely going overboard later.
“You and KK, still together,” Jonah said, looking inscrutable.
“Yep.” I was having trouble with normal bodily functions, like breathing. The shock of seeing him after more than twelve years was, well, shocking. He looked the same as I remembered; tall, with uber–straight brown hair and brown eyes that were as warm as the summer sun. I gestured to the clinic. “So, you’re a doctor?”
He nodded and took my arm in his strong grip and angled me toward the back of the waiting room. “Let’s take a look at what’s going on under that towel.” We walked to the exam room and I hopped up on the high, padded exam table. “What happened?” The towel was gently pulled away and he peered down at my chest, which was flushed as pink as my lips at this point. “Andi, lose the…” He gestured to the straps of my blue dress, which luckily seemed free of any stains. Blood stains didn’t come out easily. At least that’s what I’d learned from my many watched episodes of Law and Order.
“Oh. Sure.” I slipped one blue strap over my shoulder, revealing the swell of my breast jutting out from my black lace push–up bra. Jonah froze for a minute, his eyelids lowered, and I remembered the last time he’d seen my breasts. It was the night before his family had moved. Once we’d learned we were never going to have a homecoming dance or senior prom together, we decided we both wanted to lose our virginities to each other. So we’d sped up the sexual side of our relationship, which had only included heavy petting and serious make–out sessions–no condom required.