Twelve Years

by S. L. Adams

  “Can I ask how you ended up with someone so much older?”

  “Look who’s breaking bread and playing nice,” Gretchen says, walking over to our table with Blake and Bart trailing behind her.

  “Good morning,” Shelby says.

  “So you guys are ok?” she asks glancing at Shelby.

  “We’re good,” Shelby replies.

  “Definitely,” I reiterate.

  “Thank God. There’s only room for one drama queen in my wedding. Speaking of Claire, has anyone seen her this morning?”

  “I saw her,” Bart chuckles. “When she woke up in my bed.”

  “Really, Bart?” Blake sighs, wrinkling his nose.

  “What?” He throws up his arms. “She threw herself at me. What was I supposed to do? Say no?”

  “Yes,” Gretchen says petulantly.

  “Well, I don’t imagine it will happen again. She was kind of pissed at me this morning.”

  “What did you do?” Blake asks, rolling his eyes.

  “I might have sorta told her that she was my second choice,” he says, winking at Shelby and tousling her hair.

  I feel my face turning red. Jealousy courses through my veins. There’s no fucking way that little punk is getting anywhere near Shelby.

  “Okay. Let’s leave these two alone and get some breakfast.” Gretchen claps her hands and grabs Bart by the arm, dragging him to their table.

  “That guy needs to take it down a notch,” I growl.

  “He’s harmless,” she laughs. “He likes to flirt, that’s all.”

  Chapter 18

  Shelby

  I stare out the window of the stretch limousine. The short drive from the Ritz Carlton down to the pier isn't a particularly scenic one. Narrow streets and high rises are about all there is to see. No cable cars or big hills or The Golden Gate Bridge. I could have flown in a couple days early if I wanted to. That’s what Gretchen and Blake did, as well as Lester and Leslie. I can’t figure out for the life of me, how Blake and Lester are friends. They have nothing in common. But apparently they’ve been buddies since the first grade.

  The back of the limo is crowded, with barely enough room for ten people. I’m wedged between Alex and Bart. Alex was pissed when Bart practically sat on top of Joanna, shoving her over so he could squeeze in next to me. He smells as if he bathed in pine scented cologne.

  “Hello there, darlin,” Bart says, squeezing my knee.

  I lift his hand up and place it back on his lap. “Keep your hands to yourself.”

  “Oh relax, gorgeous. I’m a pretty nice guy. Just give me a chance.”

  Alex slips his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him, our thighs rubbing together and sending pulses of excitement down to my groin. The intoxicating combination of his musky aftershave mixed with his natural male scent elicits a throbbing ache between my legs. I’m super horny, and one of two things needs to happen. I either need to get away from Alex or fuck him. The former isn’t really possible on a boat in the middle of the Pacific, so I guess it will be the latter.

  “What are you smiling about, baby doll?” Alex whispers, his lips grazing my ear. And now my panties are wet.

  “Nothing,” I giggle.

  “Oh, c’mon. Share.”

  “Later,” I whisper, giving him a sultry stare as I rub my hand down his thigh, just missing the edge of his balls.

  “I’m looking forward to it,” he says, his voice husky as his eyes burn into mine, smouldering with desire.

  Gretchen and Blake booked seven luxury aft cabins. The dividers between the balconies have been removed, resulting in one large balcony that spans across all seven cabins. The bride and groom have a large two room suite in the middle, complete with a private hot tub on the balcony.

  “This must have been crazy expensive,” I comment as I stand at the railing and gaze down at the water hugging the back of the ship several stories below. We’ll have an amazing view of the wake when we’re at sea. The San Francisco coastline is stunning from this vantage point.

  “We wanted to go all out for our wedding,” Gretchen says, joining me at the edge of the balcony.

  “Well, thanks for including me.” I hug my friend tightly.

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad you came.” She pulls back, a sly smile crossing her lips. “And we’re going to have a private chat as soon as we get a chance. I’m not blind. You and Alex were pretty touchy-feely in the limo.”

  I laugh. “Ok, Mom. Should I be expecting a lecture about safe sex?”

  Before she can answer, Blake comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “What are you girls whispering about?”

  “Girl stuff,” Gretchen whispers.

  “Oh yeah? How about we go inside and I show you some boy stuff?”

  “Okay,” she laughs, taking his hand and dragging him inside their cabin.

  “You guys aren’t married yet,” I call after them. “You’re supposed to wait until your wedding night.”

  I wander into my cabin, a wave of sadness washing over me. Fitz is supposed to be here. The king-sized bed, the huge shower with dual heads, the two person soaker tub. The room was designed for lovers.

  Flopping onto the bed, I stare at the ceiling and sigh. I miss Fitz. Hell, I was with the man for five years. I loved him. Maybe not in an all consuming, love of my life, can’t live without him type love. But in a comfortable way, like you do with someone who will do anything for you. Someone who you feel safe with. That’s what I had with Fitz. A safe relationship. And that was what I needed at a time in my life when I was young and vulnerable.

  If I’m being completely honest with myself, I have to admit I had become restless over the past year. Fitz was starting to slow down a bit. He didn’t want to go out as much as he used to. He was still an animal in the bedroom, but he required a long recovery time. And the nights of two or three fucks were a distant memory. He was getting old, and he knew it.

  The clouds move out, making way for blue sunny skies. By early afternoon, the temperature has reached seventy-five degrees, an unusual high for late March in San Francisco.

  I packed four bathing suits, all bikinis. Why not? I have the body for it. I choose a modest one, sporting blue and white horizontal stripes. As I pull on my lace crochet cover up, I study my reflection in the mirror. Thirty is the new twenty. That’s what I need to keep telling myself or I will get really depressed about my age.

  Tossing a book and some sunscreen in my beach bag, I grab a towel from the bathroom and slip on my pink flip-flops before heading out the door. Alex is just coming out of his cabin. Our rooms are located on either side of Gretchen and Blake’s suite. He’s wearing a grey tank top and blue swimming shorts, sunglasses propped on his head.

  “Hel-lo,” he says, whistling as he walks toward me. “Looking good, baby doll.”

  “Thanks.” My nipples tingle and harden as he devours me with a hungry once over.

  Just before he reaches me, the door opens and Gretchen steps out with Blake right behind her. “Oh good. You guys are ready. We just have to wait for Claire and Bart. Nobody else wanted to come.”

  Claire emerges from her cabin sporting a red, string bikini top that barely contains her large breasts and a sheer cover up skirt wrapped around her tiny waist. She brushes past Alex, fluttering her eyelashes at him as she makes contact with him. He doesn’t even look at her. His eyes are still fixated on me. I dislike Gretchen’s friend very much. Does she have to flirt with every single guy around? She strikes me as someone who is very insecure.

  “Should we wait for Bart?” Gretchen asks.

  “I’ll go see if he’s ready,” Blake says, heading down the hall and tapping on his brother’s cabin door. “Hey, Bart are you coming?” He scowls, shaking his head at Bart’s muffled response. “He’ll catch up.”

  “We’ll never find chairs,” I moan, scouring the crowded deck.

  “No worries, Shelby. I reserved four chairs. That’s the maximum allowed. But they’re our
s for the whole cruise.”

  “You reserved chairs?” I stare at Gretchen incredulously. “Who are you? I didn’t know you could do that.”

  “It’s a perk of booking an Owner’s Suite.” She leads us to an area near the pool where four loungers sit unoccupied with reserved signs on them.

  “If you put sunscreen on my back, I’ll share my chair with you,” I say to Alex, holding out the bottle.

  He grins widely, taking the bottle from me, his fingers grazing mine. “Sure thing, baby doll.”

  I slip out of my cover up and lower myself onto the lounger, lying on my stomach with my head turned so I can see him. He perches on the edge of the chair and squirts some lotion in his hands, rubbing them together. I tremble when he brings his hands to my shoulders, gently massaging my soft skin, kneading his fingers into my flesh. He works his way down, sliding his fingers under the straps of my bathing suit, taking care to cover every inch of my back.

  When he reaches the waistband of my bikini bottoms, he slides his fingers underneath the fabric, caressing the skin just above my butt crack. I bury my face in the chair, biting my lip to suppress the moan that’s threatening to escape my throat.

  He leans over me, bringing his lips next to my ear. “I didn’t want your sexy ass to get burned,” he whispers, his hot breath leaving a trail of moisture down my neck and a clenching throb between my legs.

  He squirts more lotion into his hands. Holy smokes. He isn’t finished with me. I’m going to have an orgasm right here on the pool deck of the Grand Countess. He rubs the cream in, working his way up and down the sides of my rib cage, his long fingers grazing the sides of my breasts. I bite my lip, my nipples hardening and begging to be fondled. When I feel his thumb graze the underside of my boob, I flip over. I don’t want him to stop, but we’re in public with our friends watching.

  “Okay, I think that’s enough,” I say, swatting him away and grabbing the bottle of sunscreen.

  He chuckles, throwing his towel over his lap. But not before I see the huge bulge in his shorts. I clear my throat, feeling my cheeks flush. When I look up, he winks at me. Oh! I’m so getting laid tonight.

  I glance up to find Claire glaring at me. Then she smiles sweetly at Alex. “Alex, you wouldn’t mind putting some suntan lotion on my back, would you honey?” She holds out her tube of lotion.

  “Um. Not right now, Claire. Maybe one of the girls will do it for you.”

  She bristles at his rejection. “I’m going to the hot tub,” she declares, sauntering off with her wrap skirt dragging behind her.

  “Hey, Alex?” Blake clears his throat, a knowing smirk on his face. “Wanna go for a swim and cool down?”

  “Uh, yeah. Maybe in a minute.”

  After the guys leave, it’s just Gretchen and I. I turn on my side to face her. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” she replies, sitting up and rubbing lotion into her legs.

  “What’s Claire’s damage?”

  She sighs. “I don’t know. She’s really insecure, and she feels like she always needs a man to be happy.”

  “Could you ask her to stop hitting on Alex?”

  “Sure.” She nods slowly, narrowing her eyes at me. “What’s going on with you two? You were pissed at him last night, and now you guys are all over each other.”

  “I don’t know. We’re just fooling around. Nothing serious.”

  “He molested you right there on that lounger, with everyone watching,” she points out, arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

  “Molested?! What kind of word is that?” I laugh. “He’s not a pedophile.”

  “Sorry. Wrong choice of word. He fondled you. Is that better?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, are you going to sleep with him?”

  “I don’t know. Probably. What’s the big deal?”

  She studies me thoughtfully, concern etched on her face. “Just be careful. This isn’t some random guy that you’re hooking up with. It’s Alex. You guys have a history.”

  “If I do sleep with him, it will be nothing more than casual sex with an old friend. That’s it. I’m not looking for a boyfriend right now. Fuck, I just got out of a five-year relationship, Gretchen.”

  “What if he wants more than that?”

  “I will be very clear with him. Besides, he just got divorced. I’m sure he’s not looking for anything serious right now either.”

  “I’m not sure. They’ve been separated for about six months.”

  “Do you know why they got divorced?”

  “Probably something to do with the fact that she’s a miserable bitch.”

  “You met her?”

  “Yes. I went with Blake to their ten-year college reunion last year. We stayed at their condo.”

  “How come you never told me about that?”

  She sighs, running her hands through her golden locks. “I didn’t think you would want to know. You were with Fitz and living your life in New York. I thought it was painful for you to talk about Alex, so I didn’t bring him up.”

  “So, you didn’t like his wife then?”

  “No. But please don’t tell him that.”

  “I won’t,” I promise. “What did she do?”

  Gretchen glances toward the pool, making sure the guys are still out of earshot. “She was a control freak, for one thing. Their condo was spotless. Like, I mean, you could eat off the floor. She made us take our shoes off outside and put them in a garbage bag. Then we had to put on crocheted slippers. We couldn’t walk around in our sock feet. And definitely not in bare feet.”

  “Oh my God,” I laugh, my hand flying to my mouth.

  “Oh, there’s more. She's a strict vegan. There was no food in their house, other than items on her vegan diet. Which, if you know anything about vegans, doesn’t leave a whole lot to eat. No meat, eggs or dairy.”

  “What? Holy. What did poor Alex eat?” Why on earth would he marry someone like that?

  “I think he went to his mother’s house for lunch every day. She would make a big, home cooked meal for him.”

  “That’s terrible. No wonder he divorced her.”

  “Yeah. It was obvious that their marriage was in trouble even back then.”

  “Shh. Here they come.”

  I watch Alex walk towards me. God, he’s sexy. Broad shoulders, rock hard abs and that well-defined v pointing down to his treasure trail, disappearing into the waistband of his shorts. And I know what's inside those shorts. The memories of my time with Alex have never faded. I’ve been with other guys, but none came with a cock as big as Alex’s, not even Fitz.

  “How was your swim?” I ask.

  He flashes me a devilish grin before he glances sideways at Blake. Gretchen isn’t paying attention, but I catch their conspiring exchange.

  “Oh no you don’t!” I yell when he lunges toward me, throwing me over his shoulder. I see Blake grabbing Gretchen as she screams bloody murder, spewing all kinds of vicious threats.

  I pound on Alex’s back. “Put me down! Don’t you dare do what I think you’re going to do.”

  “I feel like tiny mosquitos are biting my back,” he chuckles.

  “Alex! Please don’t do it. I have to get in gradually. It’s freezing in there! I stuck my toe in earlier. Alex!”

  He ignores me, walks right to the edge of the pool, and tosses me in. I flail my arms as if I can stop myself from falling. The water delivers a forceful slap to my body before sucking me into it’s cold depths. I pull myself up, coughing and sputtering as I push my wet hair out of my face. Gretchen pops up beside me.

  “You’re dead,” she growls, swimming to the ladder where Blake and Alex stand, laughing their asses off like a couple teenage boys.

  “Very mature,” I say, scowling at Alex as I grab my towel, wrapping it around myself. I sit down on the lounger, shivering uncontrollably.

  “It was Blake’s idea,” he says, wrapping his arm around me and rubbing my arm vigorously. “I’ll warm you up, baby doll.”<
br />
  “I think you just blew any chance you might have had at warming me up.”

  “I know you don’t mean that. I’m irresistible.”

  “We need to get dressed before they call us for the muster drill,” Gretchen says, glancing at her watch. “I better go find Claire.”

  I grab my stuff and head inside with Alex. When he reaches down to take my hand, lacing our fingers together, it feels like old times. We’re back at Remington’s. Young and carefree with our whole lives ahead of us. I smile up at him as we wait for the elevator.

  Chapter 19

  Alex

  “Did I mention how hot you look, tonight?” I ask as we slide into a large round booth in the corner of the nightclub.

  “Yes, you did. In the hall, the elevator and now here,” Shelby laughs, looking down at her green halter top sundress. “The Boho pattern is kind of Hawaiian. I think anyway. Do you think it’s too short?”

  “Definitely not,” I whisper, slipping my tongue in her ear and swirling it around.

  She shivers and crosses her legs.

  “In fact, the length is my favourite part,” I say, running my hand up her bare thigh.

  She smiles and shakes her head. “You’re such a perv, Alex.”

  “No, I’m not. If I was a pervert, I’d be staring at Claire all night.” I roll my eyes. “There is such a thing as boobs being too big, and sometimes it’s ok to tuck them away and leave something to the imagination.”

  “Hey!” Gretchen slips in next to Shelby. “Ready to boogie?”

  “No. I need a drink first.”

  “I’ll get you one, baby doll. What are you in the mood for?”

  “Hmm. How about a Sex on the Beach?” She wiggles her eyebrows.

  I rub my chin, chuckling. “You got it.”

  When Blake and I return with the drinks, Sally and Joanna have joined the girls. Twelve empty shot glasses line the table in front of three giggling girls. Sally shakes her head. “We got a bunch of light weights here, boys.”

  Shelby downs her Sex on the Beach before grabbing Gretchen. “Ready to boogie, baby?”