Tidal Wave (30 page)

“I have to say one thing, Nicholas. You certainly have planned a perfect evening. Tell me, are there any rules about our night?” Arabella asked.

“Well, let me think,” said Nicholas. “Yes, there should always be some rules. How about anything and everything our hearts desire as long as our bodies can stand it?”

“Ah,” she said teasingly, with a raised eyebrow, “this is going to be some night!”

“You’re damned right!” he agreed. “The first night of our new life together.”

Over the lobster they tried to talk about the future, what they would do, where they would go, the people and things they would share together, where they would live. But it became difficult, trying to be practical. The sexual tension and overwhelming desire to explore each other physically and emotionally overpowered everything else. They lapsed into such romantic, sweet, and profound silences. At one point Arabella picked up her dinner plate, placed it next to his, and shared the large wing chair with him, sitting half on his lap. With her plate in her hand, resting against Nicholas’s chest, Arabella finished her dinner.

It was between the lobster and the dessert — luscious peeled oranges from Seville caramelized with lemon and raspberry — that Arabella began to assert her feelings for Nicholas. Lying snugly in his arms, half on his thigh, half on the chair, she unclasped the buckle of his belt and slowly drew down the zipper of his fly.

“The waiters won’t just suddenly appear, will they?” she whispered in his ear.

“No,” he replied, “not unless I ring for them.”

“And the harpsichordist?”

Nicholas laughed. “We’re safe unless the music stops.”

Arabella thrilled to the touch of him. Released, his semi-erect penis and heavy, luscious rounded testicles lying against the gray pinstripe of his suit made her sigh with admiration.

“Oh, Nicholas, you’re so handsome, so alive! You have such perfect genitals — the sort Greek gods were supposed to have, that Rodin would have sculptured in bronze and labeled
Man
. I love your cock, Nicholas.”

Her words were enough to bring him fully erect. He sighed and said, “I don’t believe I’ve ever had a woman
who felt that way about me, let alone enjoyed me as you do.”

Arabella fondled him tenderly, with a delicacy that made Nicholas tingle all over. The full, throbbing erection cried out to be made love to. Arabella stroked him lovingly, first with one hand, then the other, again and again as she lay in his arms.

He closed his eyes in a state of rapturous ecstasy. She whispered in his ear, “Nicholas, keep your eyes closed. Don’t look at me, just enjoy me. There are things I haven’t said to you yet that I want to say now. I’ve wanted to all evening. If you look at me, I’ll lose myself in you and your love for me and I won’t be able to express myself.”

With eyes still closed, Nicholas turned his head and found her lips with his. Their lips parted and they kissed; their tongues explored the moist warmth of their mouths and fired a stronger, more passionate fondling of him. Slowly their kiss melted away. Nicholas, eyes still closed, raised his hand. Fingers trembling with emotion, he traced his lips, pressed them lightly as if not to let the kiss go.

Arabella lay in his arms and toyed lovingly with his cock as she said, “Nicholas, I love you. I love you more than any man I’ve ever known. I’ve never felt as completely alive, as full of love as I do now when I’m with you. I’ve never felt the oneness with any other human being that I do when we’re together, nor have I ever felt the strength of my very own self until now. You know, the strength of the self without all the ego.

“I know how much you want me and it’s important that you understand I want you just as much. Our love is in balance. Sometimes, when you touch me, even look at me from across a room, I want to turn myself inside out for you, become totally exposed. There are times when we’re making love that I feel as if my flesh has been seared, branded by you.

“These are things a woman dreams she would like to feel with a man; never daring to hope she might, she buries even the dream deep in her subconscious. You’ve taken me to
the heights of exquisite pleasure and I will never take that or you for granted.”

She raised herself a little from the chair and kissed Nicholas, tears of emotion in her eyes. He put his arms around her and pulled her on top of him; with eyes still closed, he kissed her. Then he opened his eyes and said, “I will never, ever forget one word you have just said to me. I love you with all my heart now and forever.” He bent forward and buried his face in her breasts, then he kissed her and they were quiet together, allowing the peace and love between them to flourish and his cock to relax.

Nicholas looked at his watch. “It’s half-past ten. How about another glass of champagne and our dessert?”

Arabella returned to her chair as the waiters arrived and cleared the table. They were served the dessert and then the waiters left, rolling the service table away between them.

The oranges were sublime, yet another taste to tantalize the tongue. The erotic passion between them had subsided. Nicholas had adjusted himself, straightened his tie and shirt, was relaxed, content, and happy.

“You don’t think I’m going to wake up and find this is all a dream, do you?”

Nicholas, all smiles, bent forward and pinched her as hard as he could on the arm.

“Ouch!” she exclaimed.

He said, “That should tell you!” Then he kissed away the pain teasingly. “I did it as hard as I could so you wouldn’t forget the pain. It will serve as a reminder that you need never ask yourself that question again. Maybe you had better pinch
me
!”

She did and hard. He pulled back and said, “Now neither one of us need ever ask that question again.”

“I want the whole world to know we are a couple,” she said.

“I know, Arabella. So do I. Let’s go and shout it out.”

“No, don’t get carried away, darling! If we do, we’ll be sorry. This is our moment, our night, and I want us to have it as much as possible to ourselves. Let’s shout it out quietly,
like, tell anyone who gives us the least chance to spill the news!”

They both laughed and Nicholas said, “Okay. But if any celebrations are offered, we decline — except for brief ones.”

That innocent childishness of wanting to tell all and yet keep it a secret added still another dimension to their happiness.

Nicholas went on. “Right. Let’s try our subtle approach in the Vanya Bar. We might find Marv there. He knew I was going to ask you and made me promise to call when you said yes.”

“Marvin, M. Gerard … who else knew you were going to ask?”

“Well, all the porters who helped get the room together, the chef, the waiters, the musician, the captain — he helped arrange for us to have the room to ourselves.”

“Good grief! What if I had said no?”

“It doesn’t bear thinking about!”

“You mean, they’re all waiting to hear if I’ve said yes or not?”

“I suppose so.”

“Xu?” she asked. “And Missy?”

“Yes,” Nicholas paused. “I needed their help on the ring size. Xu seemed pleased, or as pleased as Xu would show, and wished me well. Missy looked apprehensive, worried. I told her not to feel she was betraying you by keeping my secret and if she was thinking about your suitor, Quartermaine, she was not to worry: the best man would win out and we would all know who that was by morning.”

Anthony’s name on Nicholas’s lips shocked Arabella, and while she wondered just how much he knew, she was too happy to pursue it.

“You are amazing,” Arabella said, with a good deal of respect and admiration for the sureness the man had of their love for each other. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. He pulled her tight to him and fondled her breasts through the silk, then kissed her again and ran his hands over her bottom.

“Oh,” she said, in a sexy, husky voice, “you’re wonderful! I want to make love to you right now.”

He said, “Keep that thought,” kissing her on the tip of her nose. “One drink in the Vanya Bar, tell a few people, and then you can take me to bed and have your way with me!”

Chapter Twenty

There were about thirty people in the Vanya Bar, most of whom the engaged couple knew and liked. Mike Mackay was settling his bar bill and tipping overlavishly in the process. He was the first to greet them.

“Ah’m sure glad ah bumped into you two. There’re no last farewells for us tomarra mornin’. Ah’m hookin’ a ride back with the pilot boat. Marcia’s furious ’cause ah won’t wait for all the hoohah of this floatin’ hotel’s first dockin’ in the States. Tell ya the truth, ah had a great time but I sure can’t wait to get into a little oil tradin’!

“Did this here rogue pop the question, Miss Belle?”

“How did you know he was going to?”

“Not hard to guess, gal! If he’s goin’ to be Governor he can’t be stupid, and if he’s aimin’ where we know he’s aimin’, he sure as hell can’t be stupid! An’ that’s what he would’ve been had he not grabbed you ’fore this ship anchored.

“By her face and that hunk of ice danglin’ off her finger, ah take it she said yes, Nick?”

“Yes, she did,” answered a happy Nicholas.

“Ah said she was a damn clevah girl.”

Mike Mackay picked up Arabella’s hand to kiss it and let out a low soft whistle, saying “He’s done yah proud, girl!”

The big gregarious teddy-bear Texan called for snifters of the best Napoleon brandy, and the three moved to a table. Arabella and Nicholas sat next to each other on a seat, Nicholas with his arm around Arabella.

“Here’s lookin’ at you. You be happy, ya hear?” toasted Mike.

“You’re a fascinatin’ couple and you’re gonna make an awful lot of people miserable. Ah sure as hell am glad ah’m not runnin’ against you for governor. That poor sucker hasn’t a chance. Nick, when you run for President, if your programs and policies are as good as your intentions and your appearance, there’s no man alive who’s gonna have a chance against ya! Here’s to you both!”

The three clicked glasses and drank.

Marcia and Weston Warfield were the first to approach the table. The two men stood up, and Marcia knew immediately from Arabella’s face what had happened. The two women kissed and Marcia hugged Nicholas. Suddenly it seemed to be a party. Warfield called for champagne, and Marcia invited Arabella to join her for lunch at the Plaza before her return to Texas. Captain Hamilton arrived then with Millie Merton on his arm and toasted the engaged couple. Missy, looking very pretty, arrived holding hands with Pete, who seemed very taken with her. Nicholas asked them to join their table.

The group drank and drifted across two tables, more champagne arrived, and laughter rocked them all. Pete Peters excused himself. Arabella followed, wandering from the table after whispering in Nicholas’s ear, “I’d like to go and see those people at Xu’s table. I’ll be right back.”

“Why don’t I get a bottle of champagne and join you?”

“Oh, lovely, Nicholas. I’d really like that. I want to talk to a new friend, Isador Katz. I know you’ll like him. Also Xu must hear our news from us.”

Arabella walked across the room to Isador’s table. Xu, who was a guest of the Katzes that evening, stood up and drew a chair over for her. Libby Katz, Mrs. Tillman, and Mrs. Davis were delighted to have her join them, and shortly after that Nicholas arrived with a waiter carrying two bottles of Dom Perignon.

The couple announced their news. The West Hartford ladies were enchanted and thrilled at a shipboard romance with a happy ending. Xu looked so pleased that Nicholas
could see just how devoted he was to Arabella. Isador was sincerely happy for them both.

Nicholas excused himself when he saw Marvin, Cotille, and Booker St. John come into the bar and went to greet them. By the time Pete returned everyone was table-hopping, drinking champagne, and enjoying being part of the great love story.

Several waiters were shifting tables toward the walls and one corner near the piano was cleared. The next thing the Vanya Bar’s guests knew Miss Margaret MacNab and her Edinburgh All Girls Orchestra fluttered through the door like a flock of black ostriches flapping their feathery wings. They were an assortment of women, tall and short, fat and thin, with hair piled high or fluffed out in varying shades of gray and white, except for the band leader, Miss MacNab, whose hair was rinsed a watery navy blue.

They had several other features in common besides being musicians — all wore black chiffon evening dresses to the ankle and pointed black satin shoes with a medium-height heel. All wore corsages of deep-red roses and lots of spider-web green fern held together with a silver ribbon. They sprouted out of the ladies’ shoulders, except for the violinist — hers looked as if it replaced a bosom — and the bass player’s looked as if it had erupted from her waist.

Their average age was sixty-six. They were all elegantly frumpy, and each carried in her right hand a musical instrument. They flounced, fluttered, and chattered, trying to arrange themselves decoratively. The corner they were allotted appeared to be spilling over with black chiffon.

Nicholas whispered to Arabella, biting his lip as he spoke to prevent himself from laughing, “Don’t you dare get the giggles. I’ve a feeling this has been done for our benefit.”

“It’s not going to be easy! Wherever did he find them?”

Missy and Pete joined them just then and, overhearing Arabella’s question, the purser answered, “Down in second class in the tea dance room. Come along, I must introduce you.”

They approached the ladies and Pete managed to make
himself heard after several seconds. Miss MacNab swung around in a cloud of black chiffon and dangerously long ropes of yellowish pearls, a pair of pince nez clamped on the bridge of her nose, the black silk cord dangling down in a loop.

She said, in a thick Scottish brogue, heavily trilling her
r
’s, “Aye, a happy event. My congratulations, my dears,” before they had even been introduced. She then swung around and used her ivory baton loudly and sharply on top of a table close by. All went quiet in the room.

Then came the opening bars of the Rodgers and Hart song, “My Funny Valentine.” Nicholas and Arabella discovered something else about each other. They both loved the sentimental ballads from the big band days of the forties. Simultaneously they said, “They’re playing our song!” They attempted to be serious as they gazed into each other’s eyes and sang the familiar words. The others at the table joined them in song, and then everyone burst into applause and joined in toasting the happy couple.

Miss Margaret MacNab and her Edinburgh All Girls Orchestra followed with “Just in Time,” the perky Styne, Compton, and Green tune. Then they hit on the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers music, “Isn’t This a Lovely Day,” “Cheek to Cheek,” and so on.

Arabella and Nicholas danced. Xu and Libby Katz danced and the Mackays took the floor. It was the best band Arabella had ever danced to. The orchestrations of “You Can’t Take That Away from Me” and “The Way You Look Tonight” were pure Hollywood. By the time the orchestra played “Night and Day,” Arabella and Nicholas were lost in each other yet again.

Arabella whispered in his ear, “You’re a wonderful dancer. Nicholas, ask me again, the way you had planned it.”

The music stopped at that moment and the dancers stopped. Then the music began again. It swung into a slow, sensual rendition of “Body and Soul.” Nicholas took Arabella back in his arms and they moved with the music. He whispered in her ear, “Arabella Crawford, I fell in love with
you from afar and every minute I am with you and know you I love you more. Make my life complete and marry me.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, just like this song, with my body and soul.”

They stopped, forgetting where they were, and kissed passionately, their bodies melting into each other.

Arabella whispered, “Take me. Oh, I want you so much to take me.”

“Soon,” he whispered, “soon.”

They kissed again and the party applauded them loudly, taking the two of them out of themselves. Arabella felt weak-kneed with desire but managed to walk tall and beautiful, hand in hand with Nicholas to the bar. They decided it was time to make their exit so went to thank Pete, then Miss MacNab.

Finally the couple discreetly slipped out of the Vanya Bar.

They were in the passageway to Arabella’s suite. It was deserted, empty and quiet except for the muffled churning from way below in the engine room. Arabella gave Nicholas the key to her suite. He put the key in the lock, opened the door, and gave Arabella a decidedly lustful look. He picked her up in his arms and, holding on to her tightly, kissed her eagerly as he walked into the room and kicked the door shut.

Arabella could feel his heart pounding as he devoured her with his warm, urgent kisses. She swung her legs up and wrapped them around his waist. He lifted her skirt free up around her middle and fondled her naked bottom as he walked with her through the darkened rooms.

Arabella’s bedroom was lit by a beam from the moon. It shone across the waves through the porthole. They were transported into the sensuous, romantic atmosphere generated by a secluded cabin on a ship on the high seas.

They collapsed together onto the bed into the soft peach satin eiderdown. He tousled her hair, pulled the earrings gently from her ears and placed them on the night table next
to the bed. Pushing her long silky hair away, he sucked on her earlobe, nibbled and bit her.

“You’re wicked and wonderful, wanton and wonderful!” Nicholas said. Still clinging together, they rolled over until she lay on top of him. She sat up and straddled him. With her knees pressing into the bed she asked, “And what about you?” as she loosened his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it out from the top of his trousers.

“Tell me that’s not lust and desire I see in your eyes.” She slipped her hand under his shirt and caressed him. It was like an electric shock for Nicholas. He pulled himself up into a sitting position against the pillows, still pinned down by her, and pulled at his tie until the knot came undone. He tore off his jacket and threw it and the tie across the room.

They were looking into each other’s eyes and souls as he unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and stripped that off. She leaned forward and with splayed fingers ran through the thick, curly golden hair on his muscular chest.

As he ran his fingers lightly across her back she felt a wave of sexual electricity charging between them. The anticipation was thrilling. With a feathery touch he stroked her exposed thigh with the palm of his hand. Their caresses and kisses were soft and tender, masking the passion that was building in each of them.

Nicholas placed his watch on the table and switched on the lamp. Arabella slowly slid her evening dress from her shoulders, all the while looking directly in Nicholas’s eyes. She slipped the sleeves down off her arms, pushed the top down around her waist, and ran her hands over her luscious breasts, caressing them and lifting them in the palms of her hands, flicking her thumbs across her nipples.

Nicholas watched and even the silence between them reeked of passion. Arabella bent forward and Nicholas kissed her nipples, first gently, then stronger. Then he sucked them, watched them grow erect. He took them between his teeth and nipped at them, then licked, then nipped them
again. He lay back and watched her arch her back and move her hips erotically back and forth along his bulging trousers.

“You’re playing with a raging fire, Arabella.”

“Mmmm,” she moaned, still moving on him. “I don’t want to put the fire out too quickly,” she said and swung around with her back to him, bent forward between his legs and began to untie and remove his shoes and socks. She looked over her shoulder at him and said in a playful tone, “Do you want me to get the present Marvin gave me before?”

She pulled off one shoe and twirled it up above her head, then dropped it on the floor. She took off his socks slowly, sexily. He couldn’t believe the ways she knew of arousing him. “Yes, but not just yet.”

Nicholas caressed her voluptuous behind, the curve of her hips, and pulled her back roughly into a sitting position on top of him. He sat up and bit her through her hair on the back of her neck. She said, “Ouch!” and raised her hand to cover the bite.

“Okay. Why don’t you go and get the present.” He gave her a gentle push forward, a smack on her bottom, and she scampered off the bed. As she walked out of the room, she looked back over her shoulder and said with a smile, “I never knew love could be so much fun.”

When Arabella returned, Nicholas was standing in the middle of the room admiring the ocean under the moonlight as it rushed past the porthole. He was an extremely handsome man with a civilized animal quality that Arabella couldn’t help but respond to.

She watched him eating her alive with his eyes as she walked toward him, naked now but for black high-heeled shoes, black stockings worn high up on her thighs and held in place by a pair of black-and-white frilly garters.

She also wore the diamond bracelet and a diamond and ruby necklace, with matching huge Cabuchon Burmese ruby earrings encircled with a double row of diamonds. On her hands she wore only her engagement and wedding rings. She had perfumed her body under her breasts, between her legs, and along the side of her neck. She had made herself
as sexy and seductive as possible, hoping to trigger every sexual fantasy he had into a reality to be practiced on her.

He said nothing but the lust in his eyes spoke. She watched him unbuckle his belt and slide it out slowly through the loops on his trousers.

As if reading his mind she said, “Oh, yes, I want to give myself to you as if I were every woman in the world. I want you to take me like you would all of them.”

“Yes,” he said. “Let’s be generous with our flesh and our spirit as men and women should be who want each other as much as we do.

“Arabella, I don’t know how you understand me so completely. I also want our flesh to speak, to cry out and have nothing to do with propriety, ownership, jealousy. I want to penetrate you, tame you, and I want to be tamed by you. I want my flesh to speak to you freely.”

The belt still held in one hand, he opened his zipper with his other.