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

by Skye Michaels

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The Golden Dolphin—Manaus, Brazil on the Amazon River, October 16, 2013—Wednesday 9:00 a.m., Day Eleven of the Cruise

  The ship had made its stately passage up the Amazon, stopping Wednesday morning for a short visit to Boca da Valeria, a small Indian village on the tributary Valeria River. The wooden houses and the thick tropical flora of the rainforest on the hillside above the southern bank of the river provided a colorful backdrop as the local inhabitants paddled canoes out to the ship anchored offshore to sell their native crafts. Ivorie and Jenni were delighted to finally have the opportunity to purchase the hand-loomed blankets and lace that they had been searching for in the Santarém market. The raucous calls of the local wildlife, including monkeys and parrots, provided a noisy backdrop for the good-natured bargaining.

  “I like this so much better than the market in Santarém. Obvious reasons aside! This is definitely the work of the local people, and I like being able to support that local industry.” Ivorie ran her hand over the yards of intricate, handmade cotton lace. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do with it, but it was so beautiful she couldn’t resist it.

  “These blankets are exactly what I was looking for,” Jenni replied. “The boys will love them.” Ivorie saw Drew and Chris looking on indulgently as they bargained for the local wares. The Indians in the various canoes bickered loudly for their business.

  The Golden Dolphin left the Indian village in the afternoon and continued upriver to the small inland city of Manaus, arriving early on Thursday morning. They were surprised to see a modern city with high-rise buildings, an international airport, and a busy port set in the middle of the rainforest. The juxtaposition was startling. Ivorie and Drew watched the docking process with interest from the upper deck railing while they waited for the Turners to make their appearance for a shore excursion to explore the city.

  “I’m sure the captain will be relieved to turn Eugenia over to her father. I had a text from John Cartwright that he had arrived late yesterday in Manaus with a nurse to take Eugenia home where he’s arranged for her to enter a treatment facility. We can go ashore as soon as I speak with him and make sure he’s taken control of the situation. I know I could leave it in Con’s capable hands, but I can’t do that and just walk away.”

  Ivorie could see that Drew was conflicted but relieved to be able to turn the responsibility for Eugenia over to her father. He must have had feelings for her at one time. It gave Ivorie a poignant tug in the region of her heart to realize that Drew had loved Eugenia. She hoped with all her heart that he didn’t still have feelings for her regardless of his protestations to the contrary. “What about Frank Conklin? Is the captain just going to turn him loose?”

  “Didn’t ask, don’t want to know,” Drew answered succinctly. “I can’t say I’ll be unhappy to have both of them off the ship.”

  “Me either. I guess Frank is a big boy and can make his way home on his own.”

  “Ah, there’s John getting out of that taxi at the dock. It looks like he has a male nurse with him. I don’t envy him the conversation he’s about to have with Eugenia. Will you wait for me here while I go down for a few minutes?” Ivorie just nodded her assent. They watched as the tall, gray-haired man with the uniformed nurse at his side was greeted at the gangplank by Captain Cortelis and Gregory Dempsey. They disappeared into the ship. She had no desire for a final confrontation with Eugenia and Frank.

  A half hour later, Ivorie watched from the top deck as Captain Cortelis, Greg Dempsey, and Drew escorted John Cartwright and what appeared to be a heavily sedated Eugenia off the ship. The nurse helped Eugenia into the waiting taxi while John Cartwright and Drew shook hands. Mr. Cartwright shook his head, embraced Drew, and followed his daughter and the nurse into the taxi, which promptly pulled away from the dock. A few moments later, Frank Conklin, looking somewhat the worse for wear, was escorted off the ship. The ABs on duty at the gangplank said something to him which Ivorie could not hear, and he quickly got into a second taxi and left the dock.

  * * * *

  Drew rejoined Ivorie on the top deck. “That wasn’t pretty. I hope they can help her. She’s still insisting we can straighten out our problems and live happily ever after. She can’t be dealing from a full deck.” Drew could see that Ivorie heartily agreed although she didn’t voice her opinion.

  “Have you decided if you’ll go with me to Casa da Agua Azul upriver? Greg and Natasha are going. He’ll be taking the Riva and a couple of ABs for security on the trip. It will be perfectly safe. I hope you’ve decided to go.” Ivorie looked pensive, and Drew was afraid she was going to say no. “Jamie tells me the house is absolutely gorgeous and shouldn’t be missed. It was built by a German rubber baron in the late 1800s—Wolf Schulz’s great-great-grandfather or something like that. It’s in the middle of a working rubber plantation. It should be an interesting experience all around.” Drew looked at her anxiously.

  “I’ve thought about trying the D/s thing, and I would like to see a real rubber plantation. I’d feel better about it if the Turners were going, too.” He could see by the hopeful expression in her eyes that she wanted to go, but she was still a little uneasy, and he knew she would feel more comfortable if Jenni were there.

  When Jenni and Chris joined them on deck, he said, “Can I interest you guys in spending the night at a rubber plantation upriver? It’s a high-protocol D/s event at the home of Wolfgang Schultz, a member of Jamie Devereau’s club in New Orleans. It’s by invitation only, so I have to clear it with Greg Dempsey first. He and Natasha have also been invited. I don’t think it will be a problem to stretch the invitation to include another couple.” Drew explained that there would be a formal dinner followed by a Dominant/submissive event in the house’s private dungeon.

  Jenni and Chris looked at each other in delight before they simultaneously answered, “Yes!” Ivorie and Jenni immediately fell into a discussion of what clothes to bring and then rushed down to their cabins to pack for the overnight trip.

  Chris looked thrilled and said, “Danke, mein Herr. I’ll really owe you for this one,” Chris said in his patented heavy German accent.

  “You’ll need your tux. It should be an interesting evening, to say the least.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Casa da Agua Azul, outside Manaus, Brazil on the Amazon River, October 17, 2013—Thursday 10:30 a.m.

  Ivorie and Drew, Jenni and Chris, and Natasha and Greg were speeding upriver in the Riva, accompanied by two ABs, toward the offshoot tributary that would take them to the Schultz Rubber Plantation and Casa da Agua Azul. Ivorie was apprehensive about the trip. She was still a little afraid to be away from the Golden Dolphin after her experience at the hands of Eugenia and Frank. She was also a little apprehensive about having a Dominant/submissive experience with Drew. She was relieved that at least Jenni would be there if she had any questions. She had watched a couple of Con Cortelis’s training sessions for the new subs on board the Dolphin and had found them fascinating. The subs, although most were quite new to the lifestyle, had a certain dignity and grace that she had not expected. Although she had only observed and had not actively participated in the training sessions, she now had a good idea of what was expected of the sub in a D/s relationship. She also knew that most couples did not engage in the lifestyle full time and that there were varying degrees of intensity in most relationships.

  The Riva traveled for an hour upriver before turning north onto a tributary of the Amazon. The cries of the howler monkeys and other wildlife could be heard over the thrum of the Riva’s engine. Ivorie delighted in the pink river dolphins and the beautiful white egrets along the bank of the river as they passed. The wall of rainforest closed in as they traveled another half hour up the winding river into the interior before the view opened up again, and they could see the rows of rubber trees that comprised only a small portion of the thousands of acres that made up the plantation. Finally, they pulled in and tied the Riva to a sturdy do
ck and boathouse that jutted out from the river bank. They were met by uniformed native porters who carried their luggage up to the imposing house, which sat on a high rise above the riverbank, well above the high-water plain.

  The pale peach-colored mansion was enormous. Arched entries graced the ground floor while the upper floor was decorated with cream-colored columns and balconies. The grounds were extensively landscaped with native Brazilian wildflowers and shrubs. Ivorie had not been expecting to find this elegant jewel of a house in the middle of the Brazilian rainforest. She wondered what other unexpected things she would experience here.

  The front door was opened, and they were greeted by Wolfgang Schultz, the owner of the famed Schultz Rubber Plantation. “Welcome, my friends. I was thrilled when Jamie Devereau called to let me know friends would be visiting Manaus while Petra and I were in residence.” The tall, well-built man with ice-blue eyes and long, white-blond hair pulled back in a ponytail was smiling broadly as his guests mounted the front steps to the impressive entryway.

  Gregory Dempsey stepped forward and heartily shook the man’s hand before he was clasped in a rough hug. He turned to the others and said, “This is Wolfgang Schultz. Call him Wolf. I’ve known him from the club in New Orleans for years.” Greetings were exchanged all around.

  A willowy, blonde woman wearing a short, silk shift with obviously nothing underneath stood just behind his right shoulder, smiling tentatively at the newcomers. “Petra, greet our guests and show the ladies to their rooms, please. When they have had a chance to settle in and relax for a while, we’ll have lunch. Gentlemen, join me in the library for a brandy? Or perhaps some good, cold German beer?” The men started to follow Wolf into the house.

  “Guten Tag, Fräuleins,” she said tentatively.

  “Petra, English please.” He frowned at her sternly, and Ivorie could see her flinch slightly.

  “So sorry, ladies. English is not easy language for me. Follow me please.” The stunning woman bowed to the tall, imposing German, kissed his hand, and then gestured to Ivorie, Jenni, and Natasha to follow her into the house. “The porters will bring your luggage.”

  Ivorie and Jenni exchanged a glance and raised their eyebrows. Natasha, who also knew Wolf and Petra from New Orleans, did not appear to be surprised at their interaction. “Wolf will probably punish her for that lapse,” Natasha whispered to the other two as they followed Petra into the house, through the marble and mahogany-wainscoted foyer lit by several glittering crystal chandeliers, and up the curved staircase to the second floor. “Petra is his slave, not just a submissive.”

  Ivorie and Jenni shared another stunned look. Slave? Ivorie had read about the different levels of submission, but she had never expected to meet an actual slave—and certainly not one who was a slave by choice and not misfortune. This promised to be really interesting.

  Petra opened a paneled mahogany door and showed Ivorie into the large, elaborate bedroom. It was furnished in Louis Quinze, heavily gold-leaf embellished furnishings. “The furniture in the guest bedrooms was imported from France by Wolf’s great-great-grandfather who built La Casa da Agua Azul in the late 1800s. The Carrara marble and chandeliers come from Italy.” She walked to the bedside tables and turned on the lamps. “We have generator and solar panels for electricity.” She then ushered Jenni and Natasha to similar rooms across the hall before taking her leave of the guests.

  Jenni rushed across the hall into Ivorie and Drew’s room. “Wow! This place is gorgeous,” Jenni gushed. “I’ve never seen anything like it except at the Biltmore Estate. And I didn’t get to sleep there!” Ivorie nodded. She knew neither of them had expected anything like this in the Amazonian jungle. What other surprises are in store for us? She had to wonder if maybe this trip, as fabulous as it seemed to be, had been a mistake. She hoped not. She took a deep breath and decided to buck up and enjoy the ambiance and any new experiences that came her way. After all, this entire trip had turned out to be a totally new experience, especially her new and improved relationship with Mr. Blessingame.

  Luncheon was served in the glass-enclosed atrium overlooking a river vista. After eating, the visitors piled into two four-wheel-drive jeeps for a tour of the rubber plantation which bordered the river. They stopped along the river road, and Wolf pointed out the rows of Hevea trees which were cultivated for natural rubber and had cocoa and banana trees planted in between.

  “Those buildings over there are used for the basic processing of the milky latex sap that is collected by the tappers. The horticulturalists employed by the plantation are working in conjunction with several universities and major corporations on breeding and research programs to develop disease and parasite resistant varieties of rubber trees as well as a sustainable agricultural program for the benefit of the local farmers and tappers who work on the plantation.” They could see the tappers working on the collection of sap after their midday break.

  Wolf continued to explain that an effort was also being made to combat the threat of deforestation of the original tropical forest. “The forest is now only about ten percent of its original size. At one time it extended along the entire Brazilian coastline.” They were also attempting to preserve the local ecosystem with a program of reforestation and protection of the local flora and fauna by reintroducing endangered species.

  Ivorie was impressed. “I can see that these programs are a source of great pride and importance to you, Wolf.”

  “It is my duty to maintain the viability of the plantation, which provides a living for hundreds of local workers, while maintaining the local ecology as well. It is a big job.”

  * * * *

  The tour lasted several hours, and when Drew and Ivorie returned to their room, they were tired and sweaty. There was no breeze, and the rainforest humidity had definitely taken a toll.

  “That was really interesting, Drew. I’m so glad we were invited to visit here. I would have missed so much if I hadn’t come.”

  “That’s usually the case. That’s what travel is all about—new experiences. I haven’t done anything but work myself for too long. I know you were a little anxious about leaving the ship after all that happened, but I think it was a good decision.” Drew pulled her into his arms for a kiss. “How about a bath? That claw-footed tub in the bathroom is the size of a small swimming pool.” He pulled her into the opulent bathroom and turned on the gold faucets to fill the inviting tub.

  Ivorie reached over to the marble shelf behind the tub and dropped a measure of wonderful-smelling bath salts into the water, which immediately erupted into mounds of fragrant bubbles. “Last one in is a rotten egg.” She laughed as she threw off her walking shorts and T-shirt and jumped into the tub.

  Drew, who dropped his clothes on top of hers, scrambled in after her, settled back against the side of the tub, sighed, and said, “I guess I’m the rotten egg.”

  She giggled. “What’s new about that? I always knew you were a rotten…” She gulped as he dunked her under the water. When she surfaced with fluffy white bubbles decorating her entire head, he pulled her back against his chest and brushed the foam off her face.

  “Be nice. I’m bigger than you are.” He sighed as she relaxed back against his chest. He just loved holding her like this, loved playing with her, and loved making love with her. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he just plain loved her. He was shocked at his wayward thoughts. He had been trying not to go in this direction, but it seemed his heart had a destination of its own in mind.

  “That’s so not fair,” she sputtered and then laughed as she put her hand under the bubbles and groped for the erect member she could feel in the small of her back. He had to admit she had her ways of getting even.

  After they had played in the tub for an hour, the water had cooled, and they got out. They dried each other off. “Let’s take a nap before we have to dress for dinner and the evening’s festivities. Dinner is formal, and I have to dust off my monkey suit.”

  “Oh, poor you. I think i
t will be fun.”

  Drew hoped so, he really did. From what Greg had told him privately, Wolf was a little on the more extreme side of the lifestyle.

  * * * *

  Ivorie and Drew entered the formal drawing room on the first floor of the mansion at 7:00 p.m. She was extremely excited and didn’t want to be late. She knew she looked sleek and sexy in the clinging, black, knit halter dress that swept the floor around her strappy black heels. She had pulled her hair back into a bun that emphasized her long neck, and she wore her new black-pearl necklace. The other couples were already having cocktails while a uniformed waiter passed around a tray of canapés. Ivorie was hungry and eagerly took a tempting morsel from the tray. She slipped it into her mouth and sighed in evident delight as she crunched down on the crispy strip.

  Wolf smiled at her and said, “I’m glad you like it. Some people object to fried anaconda. I thought you all would enjoy trying some of the native specialties.”

  Ivorie forced back the gag reflex and made herself swallow the food in her mouth before she smiled and said, “It’s delicious. How unusual. What are the other items on the tray?”

  “Cheese balls with ants and roasted grubs. The indigenous people don’t typically spice the grubs the way my housekeeper does. They usually just roast them over an open fire.”

  Ivorie gulped and tried to smile as she reached for a sample of the cheese balls with ants—it seemed the lesser of the evils. She didn’t want to be rude, but she was not known to be a particularly adventurous eater. She followed her tentative nibble with a healthy swallow of her mango mojito. She saw Drew grinning at her and was tempted to step on his toes. “Delicious! Thank you, Wolf, for this wonderful new experience. Today has really been fabulous.”