“We’ll get you something scandalous at the gift shop, and we’ll arrange for dinner to be served in your room.” She named off a menu of finger food items, things easy for lovers to feed each other. “Do you think you can get Ryan to come to your room?”
“I think so. I’ll ask him to escort me to dinner, and when he arrives I’ll tell him dinner is served.”
Fallon clapped her hands and laughed. “This is so much fun! I haven’t done anything this exciting in years.”
“Thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it. When the dancing thing fell through, I didn’t think I would be able to pull it off.”
“There, all done.”
Candace sat up on her elbows and looked at her new body art in the hand held mirror. It did look cute, all sparkly, and feminine.
“I love it and I’m sure Ryan will too.”
“He will,” Fallon assured her. “Now get your sarong on-- no panties, right?” she asked the technician.
“Right. The glue sets quick, but to be on the safe side, don’t wear anything too fitting for a couple of hours. The glue should hold for a week or more.”
Fallon knew her way around the lingerie store. In the blink of an eye, she pulled several different bra and panty sets for Candace to choose from. In the end, it was an easy decision. She wanted something classic and simple. The last thing she wanted was to look like a whore. She didn’t think Ryan would appreciate that look either, so she went with the black lace boy-shorts panty and matching demi-cup bra. The panty would cover her new tattoo, hinting at the sparkle beneath the delicate lace. Now she had to make it through lunch and the rest of the afternoon with Ryan, without wearing any panties. For the millionth time she wished the daytime sarong issued by the ship was longer.
* * * *
Ryan went through the backlog of paperwork with practiced efficiency. For the most part, the ship’s business varied little week to week. The email conversation with his and Richard’s corporate lawyers took more time than the stack of paperwork, and as usual, the business of making money sent adrenalin rushing through his veins. He loved the challenge of running the corporation, deciding which investments to make, when to buy or sell. When they embarked on their cruise ship venture, he and Richard had turned over most of their other investments to a wealth management team. So far, they didn’t have any reason to complain about their rate of return. Even in the rocky economy, their wealth had held steady for the most part. Neither one of them would ever have to work again as long as they held onto their original capital, but Ryan knew sitting on his ass wasn’t for him.
Two years of doing it was enough. He wanted to get back to the real world, where he could be more hands on with the corporation. Their charitable foundation could use a more personal touch as well. He’d have to speak with Richard about it, but he thought his partner was the right man to spearhead a new fundraising campaign that would allow them to expand their charitable giving. They weren’t in Bill Gates’s league, but they could do better than they were.
Ryan glanced at his watch. If he didn’t get a move on, he’d be late for lunch with Candace. A few keystrokes gave him the information he needed for the afternoon he had planned. He tidied his desk and went in search of his date.
Candace met him in the main lobby. “Hi, stranger.”
“I missed you.” Ryan pulled her close and kissed her as if they’d been apart for months instead of hours.
“I missed you too.” She stood on tiptoe and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Now what’s for lunch? I’m starved.”
“I thought we’d go to Andromeda. The menu is fabulous and the theme goes with the afternoon I have planned.”
* * * *
The first thing Candace noticed was the woman chained to a large rock in the center of the restaurant. She wore a classic Greek toga and nothing else.
“Don’t worry. Perseus comes around every hour and sets her free.”
Candace stared at the woman. “I take it she’s Andromeda?”
“Yes. Poor girl, sacrificed to the sea monster to appease the gods, but Perseus will save her and marry her.”
“I see,” Candace said, turning her attention to Ryan. “What do you have planned for the afternoon and how does poor Andromeda fit in?”
“We’re going on a tour of the specialized rooms on the Atlantis deck. They’re available by reservation only and all but one of them is open this afternoon, so I booked them all for us to explore.”
A tingle of excitement raced along her spine and out to her fingers and toes. Their waitress, dressed as Andromeda with cuffs at her wrists from which hung a length of chain, took their order. “I’m not sure I’m ready to try anything too kinky.”
“We won’t. I’ll let you restrain me if you want to.” Ryan wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I might like it.”
Candace laughed as he intended her too. She changed the subject. “So what do you do for a living?”
“I’m in wealth management.”
“What, exactly, is that?”
“I take someone’s money and see to it that they make more of it.”
“Oh. Are you good at it?”
“I think so. I have two clients, and neither one of them will ever have to work again, if they don’t want to.”
“Because of you?”
“Not entirely, but I like to think I had a lot to do with it. Enough about me; do you enjoy teaching?”
“I do. Most people think teaching hormonal crazed teenagers is the worst possible thing they can think of, but I enjoy the challenge. The trick is to get them engaged in the material.” Candace went on about her students and the successes as well as the disappointments. “I strive to reach as many as I can, but the reality is, most of them won’t remember me, or what I’m trying to teach them.”
“They’ll remember you, especially the boys. I bet you have them eating out of your hand.”
Candace smiled. “A few.” An image of Ryan eating out of her hand flashed through her mind. If all went as planned, they’d be feeding each other dinner in bed.
She found Ryan easy to talk to and he kept her entertained with stories from his and Richard’s college days. They’d been assigned roomies and had been friends ever since. She told him about her college roommate, still one of her best friends, and one of the people who’d urged her to take this cruise. By the time they’d finished lunch, she’d all but forgotten her apprehension about touring the bondage rooms.
The room looked like any other stateroom onboard, until you took a closer look. Ryan pointed out the restraints built into the headboard and footboard of the bed, as well as the closet filled with blindfolds, gags, and spanking devices. “You can order most of this stuff off the room service menu, but this room is soundproofed, so you don’t have to worry about disturbing your neighbors, or have them appear at your door and ask to join you.”
“I enjoyed our role-playing yesterday; more than I ever would have thought possible, but I don’t know if I would like to be restrained in a soundproof room with someone who wanted to use these on me.” She picked up one of the studded paddles and ran her finger over the business end.
“You’d have to really trust the other person.”
“And be prepared for a lot of pain. I bet this hurts a lot more than your hand.”
The next room resembled a gym more than anything else. There were padded mats on the floor and several chains and ropes hung from the ceiling. “Some people take the bondage further.” Ryan picked up what appeared to be a large animal harness, and held it out in front of him. “Here, try this on.”
“No way. What do they do with it?”
“See those ropes and chains?” He indicated the ones she’d all ready noticed. “They bind their partner and suspend them with those.” Ryan opened a cabinet and withdrew a riding crop. “Then they inflict punishment.” The small whip snapped as it cut through the air.
“Youch! I know I wouldn’t like that.” Candace studied the implements in the cabinet. “Gags, masks, cuffs. People get turned on by this stuff?”
“Some do. I think most of the people who use this room just want to try it out, see if it turns them on. It’s easier to do that here than it would be to find out at home. There isn’t anyone to see them going in to that certain club, or worse, see them there. Here, if they don’t enjoy it, no one ever has to know they tried it, and if they do enjoy it, when they get home they can seek out like-minded people.”
“Well, don’t get any ideas.”
“Not unless you want me to,” he assured.
The last room appeared smaller. It took Candace a few minutes to adjust her eyes to the dim light. “It looks like a medieval dungeon.”
“It does, and it has much in common with one.” Ryan pointed out the wall restraints of various kinds. “This one is called St. Andrew’s Cross. Here, I’ll let you restrain me.” He put his back to the large wooden X and spread his arms and legs wide. “Lock my wrists first, then my ankles.”
“Are you sure?”
“Go ahead. I trust you to let me loose once you’ve had your wicked way with me.”
“If you’re sure…,” A thrill rushed through her at the thought of Ryan totally at her mercy. She had to use the nearby footstool to reach his wrists. Once they were securely fastened, she knelt and shackled his ankles to the cross. She stood back to admire her captive.
“How does that feel?”
He tested the restraints, squirming against them to no avail. “I have to admit it’s scary.”
“But you’re aroused.”
“I am. I can’t help but wonder what you plan to do to me, now that you’ve got me here. Makes me horny as all get out.”
Candace studied him. With her arms crossed over her middle and one finger tapping against her bottom lip, she considered her options. “Let me see.” She turned to the storage cabinet on the wall behind her. “I bet there’s a gag in here someplace.” She pretended to look, though the gags were right in front.
“You wouldn’t, would you?”
She turned. A black leather bar with chains to fit around the head draped off her index finger. “How about this one? It looks sturdy.” She tested the chains.
“Oh God.”
Candace advanced on him, running the chains through her fingers in a seductive caress. “How well do you trust me?”
His eyes met hers and his expression hardened. “I trust you with my life.”
“Oh look. There’s a neck restraint too.” She brought the stool over and fastened the metal band around Ryan’s neck, forcing him to look straight ahead, or at the ceiling. She pulled his chin down with her thumb and wedged the leather bar into his mouth. “That’s a good boy,” she said as she fastened the chain behind his head.
Candace stepped back. “Still alright?”
Ryan grunted in a tone that assured her he wasn’t experiencing too much discomfort.
“I don’t think you need this.” She pulled his loin wrap off to reveal his erection. His cock leapt at her perusal. He groaned again and clenched his hands into fists.
“My, my. Look what we have here. Little Ryan wants to play, I see.” She weighed his balls in her hand, rolling them in her palm. Ryan’s breath became ragged and he jerked against the restraints. Candace wrapped her free hand around his engorged penis and squeezed. “Since we can’t use our usual code word, we’ll have to come up with something else. How about a certain kind of groan? Try saying Ice.”
Ryan complied. It came out more like aye, but it would do. “That’s good. If you want me to stop just say ice.” Ryan grunted his approval and Candace continued her exploration of his genitals. “My, you’re large.” She tugged on his cock. “I think we need lubrication, don’t you?”
Candace took his grunt for a yes and went to the supply cabinet to return with a tube of lubricant. “This is probably going to be cold.” She squeezed a generous glob in her hand and rubbed her hands together to warm it, all the time keeping her eyes on Ryan’s face. He rolled his eyes and tried to get a good look at her, but the neck restraint prohibited his looking down at her. When she wrapped her hand around his cock again, the cold gel sent a shiver through his body.
“What a good boy you are, Ryan. Look at your penis, all swollen and hard. I bet it would feel wonderful inside me.” She continued to stroke him, up and down, until he began to buck his hips along with her rhythm. “Do you want to put your hard penis inside me Ryan?” He grunted something that might have been a yes and his hips bucked again. “I want that, too. Shall I tell you what I want?” This time she didn’t wait for his answer, but continued her sensual, slow massage of his cock. “I want you to strip me naked. I want you to lie with me in bed. I want you to shove your cock inside me, over and over again, until neither one of us can stand it any longer. I want to feel you inside me. I want to squeeze your cock when I come. I want to feel your semen filling me when you come.”