Ivorie's Surprise [Golden Dolphin] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Skye Michaels

  “Okay. I think we can try again. I think it’s certainly worth a try, but you are right about one thing. It got too intense too quickly. Let’s take a little time to sort it out.”

  “Did we just have our first fight? Does that mean I don’t get any makeup sex?” he asked with a grin as she punched him in the arm.

  “Yes, we did, and that’s exactly what it means!” She pushed against his chest and got off the lounge. She walked to the office door and opened it before she turned back to him. “You really are a piece of work, Mr. Blessingame.”

  “Call me Drew.” He laughed and followed her back into the office.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The ship departed Tobago on schedule at four o’clock. Ivorie and Drew sat on his deck, had a glass of wine, and watched the sun go down. Afterward they dressed for dinner. Ivorie changed into a short, low-cut, sparkly red cocktail dress and red high-heeled pumps. She needed all the confidence she could garner to face the crowd in the lounge on the top deck. Drew wore another pair of his favored well-tailored black slacks and a loose white linen shirt.

  When she came out of the bathroom after donning her red dress, Drew was waiting for her in the sitting room of the suite. He gestured for her to come and sit in his lap. When she did, he turned her facing away from him and kissed the back of her neck. She felt something cool come around her neck as he fumbled with a catch under her hair. What is he up to? She tried to turn toward him, but he held her still.

  “This is something I got for you in St. Bart’s before all the problems. I want you to have it, and I don’t want any arguments.”

  “What is it?” She put her hand up to her throat and felt round beads that spun and moved on her neck but that were not smooth like pearls. They were interspersed with rough disks. She was intrigued. When she got up to look in the mirror, she gasped. A necklace of large black pearls, separated by pavé diamond spacers, was around her neck. When she looked closer, she saw that the pearls were not smooth but were carved with intricate designs, and each one had a different pattern on it. “Drew? What are these? I can’t accept this necklace.”

  “Ivorie, I told you no arguments. They are a gift, and that’s nonnegotiable. To answer your question, they’re carved black Tahitian pearls by Galatea. I hope you like them.”

  She ran back into the living room and threw herself into his lap, laughing. She flung her arms around his neck and said, “I love them. They are just absolutely gorgeous. I’m sure they are far too expensive for me to accept, but I don’t care! I’ve never seen anything like them. Thank you.” She kissed him hard. Every girl has the right to change her mind.

  “And you won’t. Each pearl is unique, and no two in the necklace have the same design. I chose each pearl for the necklace individually for its pattern and luster. I went back to the store while you were trying on clothes at that boutique. I had them deliver it to the ship while we were having lunch. And then the shit hit the fan.”

  She had to laugh at that. The shit had certainly hit the fan. She ran her fingers over the pearls again. They were definitely the most beautiful piece of jewelry she owned. She had her white pearls from high school graduation, a diamond pendant from her grandparents for her twenty-first birthday, diamond stud earrings, and other miscellaneous pieces, but none of them held a candle to these. They were a lustrous dark gray with peacock green and aubergine overtones. The light danced off the surface of the pearls and sparkled off the diamond spacers in between.

  “Let’s go upstairs and celebrate. I know everyone is anxious to see you. They’ve all been worried.”

  When they came through the door onto the deck, there was a spontaneous burst of applause from all of the passengers gathered there.

  Ivorie turned a bright shade of pink. Jenni hugged her tightly and said, “I knew you’d figure it out and come to your senses. I’m not saying you should cut him too much slack, but he deserves another chance. And I love the pearls by the way.”

  “You’re right. But he’s going to have to work for it. I think that’s the only thing he respects,” Ivorie said softly so as not to be overheard.

  “Possibly. But I think he’s learned something from this.”

  “Did you know about the pearls?”

  “He told me about them in St. Bart’s while you were in the ladies’ room. He was excited and couldn’t wait to give them to you. I knew you’d love them. They are very special.” Jenni turned in time to see her husband give Drew a hearty slap on the back before he leaned in to say something private to Drew and grinned. She turned to her husband and said, “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him not to fuck it up again.” Chris grinned at his wife. Chris ordered a bottle of champagne and shoved Drew down onto a chair. Ivorie could see that Drew was too relieved that things seemed to be working out to be embarrassed by all of the attention they were getting. He pulled Ivorie down onto his lap and held her close to his chest while he whispered in her ear. “Can you see all of these people giving a damn about Eugenia?”

  “No. You’re right about that. She certainly doesn’t engender a warm fuzzy feeling in anyone.”

  After dinner and an evening of dancing and drinking in the lounge, the excitement of receiving her pearl necklace, and all the turmoil of the last two days, Ivorie was exhausted.

  Ivorie had every intention of sleeping in her own bed that night. She knew that Drew, of course, had other plans. She could see the plot to change her mind forming as though in a bubble above his head, and she thought she would cut him off at the pass. “No. I’m sleeping in my own cabin. I’ll see you for breakfast in the morning. We have a couple of days at sea to spend together. Remember, we were going to try and take it a little slower?”

  “Please, baby? I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since Tuesday. I just want to feel you cuddled up next to me. I can behave if I have to.” He gave her the sad puppy dog look, and she was lost. There was no way she could hold out against the look in his eyes.

  “Just sleep? I’m really tired, Drew. All of this turmoil has worn me out emotionally and physically.”

  “I promise. No fooling around tonight. I make no promises about tomorrow morning though,” he said. That unrepentant bad-boy grin was more than she could resist, and she followed him back to the Master Suite.

  They settled down on the sofa in the sitting room of the suite. They were both too tired to talk, and after another half glass of wine for Ivorie and a short brandy for Drew, they went to bed. True to his word, Drew pulled her into his arms, threw his leg over hers, and fell into a deep and apparently dreamless sleep. Ivorie sighed deeply and relaxed back against his chest. This was where she wanted to be more than anywhere else. She knew she loved him. She just didn’t know if that would be enough to surmount the challenges she saw ahead. But she surely wanted to try. A happy life with Drew was a prize worth fighting for. A happy life for Drew was her fondest wish. She just hoped she could help him get there. Ivorie, too, fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, happy and secure for the moment. Yesterday, she never would have thought it possible.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The Golden Dolphin—International Waters off South America, October 12, 2013—Saturday Morning, Day Seven of the Cruise

  Drew had recently gotten into the habit of getting up early and watching the sun rise over the ocean. The sunlight sparkled off the wave caps and shimmered on the walls and ceilings of the opulent Master Suite like diamond dust. Saturday morning he rolled over and saw that Ivorie was still fast asleep, one rosy, naked buttock uncovered. Her hair was a tangled golden mass on his pillow. He allowed himself the luxury of pulling her up tight against his chest, cupping one of her breasts in his hand, and going back to sleep. Last night he had enjoyed the best night’s sleep he’d had in days, and he knew it was because Ivorie was beside him. He realized he didn’t want her to be anywhere else. She belonged with him. Now he just had to convince her of that, and he knew he had his work cut out for him. He had a lot of harsh words a
nd unhappy memories to overwrite.

  When he awakened again a few hours later, he felt his rampant morning erection nudging her bottom. They hadn’t made love in days, and his body was aching for her. He nibbled on the back of her neck and blew gently into her ear. She shook her head as though chasing away a pesky mosquito. He continued the torture until her eyes blinked open, and she looked over her shoulder at him and said sleepily, “You’re dangerous in the morning and far too frisky.”

  He nipped her naked shoulder and ran his hand down the curve of her hip as he pulled her in against the steel hardness of his shaft until it nestled against her butt. Her body arched back against him and a surge of electricity raced down his spine.

  * * * *

  Ivorie turned her head, her lips seeking his, her body seeking his heat. He raised her leg and slid into her from behind. Her body welcomed him as the heat of his skin burned into her back, and a flare of desire shot through her system. She moaned as he began to stroke her long and slow, and the strength of his erection pulsed inside her. She cried out, begging for release as her inner flesh melted around him. Although she urged him on, meeting his thrusts with movements of her own, he refused to increase his speed. He continued his slow, easy pace. Finally, her desperate moans encouraged him to pick up the pace, and he began to pound into her with a strong and powerful rhythm. The walls of her vagina clenched as she cried out her pleasure, and her orgasm crashed through her like waves on the shore. She felt him follow her over the edge as a searing orgasm jolted through him. Ivorie felt a moment of apprehension when she realized it was the first time they had not used a condom. They lay sandwiched together as the shockwaves of feeling continued to wash over them.

  * * * *

  When they had risen and showered, Drew ordered coffee and breakfast to be served on the deck. The sun was glancing off the waves in a blinding show as the ship continued south along the coast of what he knew was South America although they were too far off shore to see the jungle. He watched his trusty GPS as they made their way south toward the mouth of the Amazon River where they would turn inland and follow the river some nine hundred miles into the interior. He thought it might be a good time to broach a sensitive subject with Ivorie.

  “Babe, when we get to Manaus, I’ve been invited to spend the night at a working rubber plantation upriver. It’s owned by a friend of Jamie Devereau, Wolfgang Schultz. He’s a member of Jamie’s club in New Orleans, Le Club Beaudelaire. Jamie tells me it’s a very interesting old house and has a fabulous dungeon. A few people from the ship are going.” Drew looked at her nervously to gage her reaction before continuing. “I have to warn you though, it will be a high-protocol D/s occasion. Jamie went to a lot of trouble arranging the invitation, so it would be rude of me not to go. I really hope you’ll want to go with me and be my sub. If you don’t want to go, I’ll understand, but I think it would be a good opportunity for you to try out the D/s thing and also to see some of the Brazilian interior.” He waited anxiously for her response.

  “Let me think about it. It sounds like it would be really interesting, but I’m still not sure about the Dominant/submissive thing.” He could see that she was hesitant but hoped she would trust him enough to take the chance by the time they arrived in Manaus in several more days.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Santarém, Brazil, October 12, 2013, Saturday Morning

  On Thursday morning, after the debacle on the dock at St. Bart’s, Eugenia and Frank had been fortunate to catch a private flight from St. Bart’s to Santarém, Brazil, the first Brazilian port of call for the Golden Dolphin. When they arrived, they had to locate a guide and transportation into the interior. They were again waiting for the Golden Dolphin to catch up to them.

  Eugenia thought they should check out some locations away from the city to set up a base of operations. They couldn’t very well detain Ivorie in the middle of the city while Eugenia made her attempt to board the Golden Dolphin and reconnect with Drew. She had given it a lot of thought, and she planned to tell Drew that Ivorie had tired of the journey and decided to return to New York.

  Eugenia and Frank had been able to rent a vacation villa of sorts a short distance outside of the city. It was not luxurious, but it was on the river, quiet, and secluded. The jungle closed in around the bungalow, and the heat and humidity were oppressive. They had also been able to retain the services of a local guide who owned a beat-up old Jeep and a river boat. They, of course, had not told him anything about their plans, but he didn’t seem to be the type to object too strenuously as long as there was money in it for him.

  Eugenia could see that Frank was becoming less and less enamored of the whole plan. She hoped she didn’t have to sweeten the pot with additional money or personal favors in order to keep him on board.

  If they were unable to get a good opportunity to catch Ivorie alone and snatch her in Santarém, they would have to follow the Golden Dolphin up the Amazon River to the other inland ports of Boca da Valeria and Manaus and possibly back down the river to the coast until they saw their opportunity. Eugenia was hoping it would be sooner rather than later. She was not enjoying the sojourn in the jungle. It might have been okay aboard the luxurious ship, but on land she found she did not appreciate the stifling humidity, muddy water, and the thick, impenetrable jungle with its bugs of every description and the threat of wild animals thrown in for good measure—as if the bugs weren’t enough. This plan had better succeed with all the effort and sweat I’m putting into it.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The Golden Dolphin—International Waters off South America, October 13, 2013—Sunday Afternoon, Day Eight of the Cruise

  Ivorie and Drew, as well as the other passengers, were enjoying a leisurely cruise down the South American coast. The passengers all ate, drank, slept, made love, swam in the pool, read their Kindles, and played in the various theme rooms and the dungeon, and then they ate, drank, and slept some more. Ivorie and Drew paid another visit to the Medieval Bedchamber but still had not visited the dungeon. The food on board was five star, and the accommodations were beyond luxurious. Evenings were spent on deck enjoying the magical array of stars and the moonlight on the water, or in the lounge drinking and dancing. It was a very affluent, relaxed, and congenial group of people who all enjoyed the D/s lifestyle and so had a lot in common.

  Ivorie and Drew had just had lunch on deck with the Turners and then returned to the Master Suite to spend some time in the hot tub on their private deck. Ivorie had changed into the skimpy white bikini she was still a little reluctant to wear up on the main deck. The deck off the Master Suite was private enough to sunbathe in the nude while they were out in open waters, but this close to shore there was a lot more boat traffic, and she felt uncomfortable being nude. She had not been into the office since Friday afternoon, although she had kept up with e-mail on her iPad.

  “Don’t you think maybe you should check in at the office?” Drew asked with a cocked eyebrow.

  “Why? It’s Sunday and nothing is going to be going on. I’ve been checking for e-mail on my iPad.”

  “Oh, I just think we should pay the office a visit.”

  “What do you have up your sleeve, Mr. Blessingame?” Ivorie was suspicious. He just looked like he had a plan. Drew with a plan was a dangerous thing, but then she gave in with a shrug. “All right, if you insist. I’ll run down there and then be right back. I’ll just throw a skirt over my bikini. I’ll see you in a few…”

  “I’ll come with you.” He had that gleam in his eyes. She didn’t trust him for a minute, but it was his office after all.

  Ivorie looked over at him in surprise. So that was it! The realization of Drew’s intentions finally dawned on her. She should have known. A frisson of excitement went down her spine as she thought of her office fantasies.

  * * * *

  When they were in the office, Drew sat in his desk chair and cleared the surface of his desk while Ivorie checked the computer for e-mail they both knew was not the
re.

  “Why don’t you come over here and sit in my lap, Ms. James? Maybe I’ll dictate a letter.” He grinned at her.

  “That is so cheesy, Mr. Blessingame.”

  “I’m a cheesy guy, Ms. James. Now get over here.”

  She cautiously approached his chair, and he had her in his lap before she knew what hit her. He crushed his lips down on hers in a stunning kiss. Drew sank luxuriously into her mouth, exploring at a leisurely pace. She was as sweet as candy, and her mouth surrendered to his assault. He ran his hands down over her pert breasts. I do love these breasts, but I love this gorgeous butt even more. She was every man’s fantasy—beautiful, smart, sweet, and loyal. She was a hell of a woman wrapped up in one stunning package.

  “You know, Ms. James, this letter you left on my desk has a typo in it.” They both looked at the sheet of white paper that was suspiciously blank.

  “Oh, no, sir! I’m so sorry. It was completely my fault.”

  “Well, I’m afraid I’m going to have to punish you for your carelessness, Ms. James.” Drew laughed to himself. He’d had this exact fantasy at the office on a couple of occasions when Ivorie had let a typo slip by her. He had never imagined he would actually get to implement it. He yanked her quickly over his lap, pushed her short, white denim skirt out of the way, and pulled her bikini bottom down to her knees. She struggled and tried to get off his lap, but he placed his big hand in the small of her back and held her firmly. He reached down and kissed the adorable twin dimples at the base of her spine.

  * * * *

  Ivorie gasped as the first stinging slap landed square on her upturned bottom. She hadn’t thought he would really do it, but she realized now that she was about to get her first spanking! She struggled to get off his lap, but his leg was now across her calves, and she was helpless. A second smack landed on her defenseless bottom, and she squealed. By the time the third smack made contact, a tingle of desire had migrated down from her stinging butt to her pussy. She couldn’t believe what she was feeling. Two more smacks that were sharply stinging, but not really painful, landed on her bottom. He rubbed his hand soothingly over her hot flesh before he leaned down and planted a light kiss on each cheek. He slipped his expert fingers down between the cheeks she knew had to be red until they grazed over her slick center. She was embarrassed to realize that she’d had a very strong reaction to the spanking. She squirmed as he played with her needy pussy. He slipped two fingers into her sheath, and she clenched around them.