To Ocean's End (19 page)

Since they had some free time before their appointment, they explored the resort. They discovered an outdoor stage with a pair of salsa dancers performing to intense Spanish music. Mido and Jessie watched on from the back of the audience as the couple danced through a flashy, high-energy, and sexy performance. The audience cheered and clapped at intervals, then gave them a standing ovation once the song concluded. The two clapped as well.

Mido said, “Now I wish I knew how to salsa.”

“I could teach you a little.”

“You know how?”

“Everyone on Cyprus is taught nowadays. I just haven’t danced in a few years.” They headed back inside ahead of the throng.

“Well this seems like a fair trade. I teach you how to cook and you teach me how to salsa.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They smelled the spa before they saw it. The distinct aroma of jasmine candles greeted them right before the employees did, who all had dreamy gazes like they’d been massaged recently. The spa had classical music playing over the sound of water bubbling over pebbles, and it was one huge, vaulted room with Chinese paper walls partitioning off tables. Ample sunlight poured in through the glass walls. The whole spa was bright and serene, minus a few sections where blinds had been drawn.

Jessie and Mido were led to a changing room to swap into bathrobes with nothing but underwear underneath. No bras allowed to stay on. Jessie decided on not letting her fear of being so exposed around strangers ruin her afternoon. The spa was too relaxed an atmosphere to disrupt.

She and Mido were placed side-by-side on their bellies and both assigned female masseuses who went to work the moment they settled down. Jessie warned her masseuse about her bruises but told them she’d fallen on the ship, instead of the truth. She wanted to forget about that for now.

Between the jasmine, the music, and the deeply relaxing massage, Jessie started falling asleep. It was like Mido’s presence had created a spa-sized bubble of security, and everyone inside had joined in to protect and coax her to relax and feel safe. And right as she was about to nod off, her masseuse asked her to switch to lying on her back. The daydream bubble popped, but her sense of security didn’t. Jessie rolled over with a yawn while the lady held her towel over her for privacy, then she settled back down.

“Enjoying yourself?” Mido asked, lying on his back as well.

“Very much. I almost fell asleep.”

“In a public place full of strangers? Wow, I’m impressed.”

“I’m too relaxed to care.”

“I’m happy for you. Very happy. You’ve come a long way.”

They exchanged contented smiles and Jessie blew him a kiss. He pretended to catch it, kissed his fist, then blew one back. She inadvertently flashed him a glimpse of her chest as she pretended to catch his.

Mido’s masseuse raised her hands and backed away from him, chuckling. Mido went wide-eyed and covered the tent in his towel. Jessie tried not to smile but couldn’t help it as she fixed her own towel. Mido apologized to the three of them and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. His masseuse said, “Oh, don’t worry. You’re far from the first to do that while I’m working. I’m aiding your blood flow for crying out loud.” Once Mido returned his hands to his sides, both ladies went back to work and Jessie closed her eyes and resumed napping.

*     *     *

One amazing hour later, Jessie and Mido wandered back to their room, still in their bathrobes and regular clothes in a cloth bag. The cleaning people would collect the robes during their rounds. Both of them felt dreamy and totally relaxed. They hung the “Please do not Disturb” sign on the door handle and locked the door behind them.

“Want to catch some sun on the patio?” Mido asked.

“Sure.” More relaxing time with the only man in the world who made her feel safe. So long as they were together, she didn’t care where they went. They crossed to the glass doors, Mido slid them open, then guided her into his arms. Jessie slipped her arms under his.

“Thank you for letting me treat you to lunch and everything else today. And thank you for coming back.” He leaned in to kiss her forehead but she rose onto the balls of her feet and their lips met. One sweet, gentle kiss. Mido licked his lips and held her in a magnetic gaze. Jessie felt an even greater dreaminess wash over her. She pressed her lips to his and they kissed again. Just a gentle one. And then another, and another. Their hands began to wander and the kisses grew longer and deeper. His skin was so warm and soft, his muscles firm and solid, his arms so big and strong. They inhaled each other’s scent, opened their mouths, and tasted each other for the first time. Mido snuck a hand inside her bathrobe and began playing with her breasts. Jessie kissed him harder.

And then she felt his arousal dig into her abdomen.

Jessie gasped and broke away. All her nightmares flooded her mind and the men who’d raped her came at her, one after the other, all of them sporting a hard-on before forcing her into submission. Even Tethys. Someone grabbed her wrists. She ripped her arms free and backed away.

Not again. Just not again. She couldn’t take another bout of ravaging ever again.

A big, strong pair of hands gently cupped her cheeks and lips kissed her forehead before she could push her aggressor. She stopped backing away. No rapist had ever kissed her before. What was going on?

Jessie blinked a few times, then saw Mido standing before her. Just Mido; not a rapist. She teared up and he pulled her into a hug.

“Thank goodness that worked. It’d taken me a few minutes to brew some coffee.”

She buried her face in his shoulder. All those lovely, sensual feelings had left her body. She wanted them back but the memories held them at bay. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He kissed her head. “What happened? What set you off?”

She sniffed and wiped her tears. “It was when I felt you.” She slid a hand to his hip and pulled at him without bring them together. “Your... suddenly a bunch of horrible memories replayed in my head.” Her eyes stung. “I wish they hadn’t. I want you so badly.”

“I want you, too.” He lifted her chin and kissed her gently. “I think I can get around that.” He guided her to the bed. “Lie down. I can make you feel good without entering you.”

“But that’s not fair to you.” Her heart began to race as she envisioned ways he’d try to pleasure her. Despite how unfair that sounded, she
wanted
Mido to make her feel good. She felt herself gravitating towards the bed but held her ground.

“Are you kidding? Any man worth his stuff gets real satisfaction out of pleasing a beautiful woman like you. It’s not just about being inside you. It’s about making you feel really good.”

Jessie couldn’t think of a flaw in his logic. “You sound like you know your way around women.”

Mido popped a mischievous smile. “It’s because I don’t let him do all the thinking for me.” He pointed to the tent in his bathrobe.

Jessie smiled back, then initiated another round of kissing that swiftly grew in intensity. She was careful to keep her hips at bay, even though she wanted all of her pressed against all of him. She gripped his hips and dug her fingers into his flesh. He slipped both hands in her bathrobe at the shoulder and slowly pushed it aside. Once he lowered it to her elbows, she pulled her arms out, then interlaced her hands behind his neck. He let the robe fall to the floor.

He looked into her eyes. “Everything still good?”

“Mhm.”

He nuzzled his forehead against hers and locked her in his blue-eyed gaze as his hands caressed her skin all the way down to her hips, resting them on her panties. “Still good?”

“Mhm.” His touch gave her goosebumps and her lips parted, ready for more kisses.

He kissed her behind her ear, down her neck, each breast, then slid her panties off and picked her up in his strong arms. They kissed again, and then he lay her on the bed. “Time for a different kind of massage. I’ll make it a magic one so your bruises go away faster.” He disrobed, then crawled onto the foot of the bed and drew up to her and between her legs, stopping with his face between her upraised knees. “Still good?”

Jessie could only nod as her heart raced and blood pounded. His arms were as big as her legs. Mido lowered his face. Jessie tilted her head back and arched her spine as his mouth, tongue, and hands began their magical massage.

Chapter 18

A Change of Course

I woke to the sight of a woman sleeping with her head on my chest and the sheets drawn up to just below her soft breasts. Her red curls splayed over her back and shoulders, and she had a hand resting on my sternum. I rubbed my eyes and yawned, then grabbed a stray pillow and stuffed it behind my head. I’d get up after she woke. It’s not like I had a rigid shipping schedule. Heck, I’d stretched our vacation to five days. Two hadn’t cut it. Don’t know what I’d been thinking when I said two in the first place.

Oh, I know: let’s just get our business done, and hurry up and get our side trip to Cyprus over with.

Screw that.

I dozed on and off until Delilah stirred some time later. She yawned and stretched, then tilted her head and smiled at me. I ran a hand through her luscious hair and stroked a cheek, making her let out a contented hum.

“Good morning, Captain.”

“Good morning, Delilah. Sleep well?” It was close to eleven, according to the wall clock in the hotel room. Even though I’d procured Delilah from a brothel, I refused to use the rooms in any such place. Hotels were cleaner and ordering breakfast in bed always got more brownie points.

“Only because of you.” She slid a hand towards my groin, sending a pleasant shiver up and down my spine.

That hand placed tantalizingly close, coupled with her hair tickling my chest and the soft touch of her breasts pressed against me was enough to turn me back on. I impressed myself right then, being able to get it up after spending most of my vacation with her. I hadn’t exactly paced myself for five days. I threw the covers off us, which relieved my rising body temperature.

Delilah raised her brows in approval. “Again? Where do you find all that energy?”

“Just a side effect of spending quality time with a beautiful woman like you.” My free hand wandered to her breasts and started enjoying itself. Delilah wasn’t the brightest prostitute I’d met but boy did she make up for it with her prowess in bed, along with her looks and playful personality. “Do you think you’ll remember me next time? I’ll be gone for about a year but I try to leave a lasting impression.”

I respected women but I wasn’t loyal to any one of them anymore; just had a few favorites around the globe. After getting cursed, going through several divorces, and then finally outliving the one that wanted to be with me unto death do us part, monogamy lost its appeal. Being promiscuous saved me from falling in love ever again, at least not with a mortal soul. Delilah, though, had become my number one favorite in just five short days. She
did
have the same hair and smile as Rhode, two traits that had rushed me into picking her over all the other beautiful women at Summer Lotus.

She rolled over and straddle my thighs. “After these last few days, I’ll never forget you, Captain Dyne Lavere. That I promise.” She leaned her curvaceous body forward and planted a kiss on my lips.

My hands broadened their exploration and she sat on my legs. “Good. I have to head back out today.”

She pouted. “Already? Are you sure you can’t stay one more day?”

I massaged her thighs. Her head tilted back ever so slightly as her lips parted. I loved the sight of that. “Duty calls, sadly. I have a reputation to maintain.”

“Which one?” she asked as she pointedly stared at my hard-on.

Two could play at that game. I reached for her inner thighs and started massaging. She spread her legs a little wider and let out a heavy sigh. “My professional one; not my pleasuring one.”

“The other girls at the brothel got so jealous when you picked me over everyone else. Do you know the things people say about you?” She scooted higher up my thighs and began caressing my arms.

I’d picked her because she was the only one with red hair. Just a personal favorite. That and it was just as wavy as Rhode’s. I knew she was avoiding my full mast, just to be delightfully teasing. I switched to using both hands and got another sigh out of her. I also knew about the rumors surrounding me outside the bedroom. How could I not know? Still, I decided to play dumb just to hear the latest tall tales that had been spun. “And what do they say about me?”

“They say that you’re a cursed sailor,” she said, then paused, I guessed, to see if I’d scoff or anything. I kept quiet and just looked into her eyes. “You’ve been around for hundreds of years, have lived to see the end of the world and watched humanity rebuild itself. They also say that danger always seems to find you. Because of this, you go through a crew a year. You use black magic to trick sailors into working for you, then drown them in the sea to please whatever gods are out there.”

That was far enough away from the truth to not care. I smirked. “Is that right?”

She shrugged, making her curls fall behind her shoulders. “I don’t believe any of it. If anything, your libido is your curse. How do you survive such long periods at sea without a woman to keep you warm?”

“Fond thoughts of women like you.” If I wasn’t cursed with longevity, I could have easily fell for her. I was already daydreaming of spending endless days away from my ship just to make sweet love with her, but then I pictured myself still stuck in my forties while she was on her deathbed. Humans needed companionship, romance. It’d been over a hundred years since the last time I’d outlived a wonderful woman. I wanted to believe I had it in me to do that again, but I wasn’t in a hurry to find out.

“Then I shall give you a parting gift, Captain.”

She started to go down on me but I grabbed her butt cheeks and threw her onto the mattress with my legs still between hers. Her bouncing breasts called to my hands. I obliged. And I’ll be damned if I ever let a woman please me before I pleased her. That had subtle repercussions. “Ladies first.”

“Oh, Captain,” she said in a throaty voice.

Another perk of living too long: becoming a sex guru. Made for fun conversation between shipping deliveries when the boys wanted advice. And pleasing women helped curb the pain and yearning for the woman I couldn’t have.

*     *     *

The only downside to vacations was that they ended. All good things came and went. Jessie woke around midmorning, lying naked in the same bed as Mido, she on one side and he on the other. There was a little space between them so she could sleep peacefully.

They hadn’t been able to go all the way over the past few days. They’d tried one more time last night but one good blow to Mido’s temple, which almost knocked him out, and they decided to slow things down. To Jessie’s relief, she was able to reciprocate pleasuring him with her hands. Any other way propelled her into terrible flashbacks. A couple of men had made her choke.

Mido didn’t mind taking things slower. He coached her through many techniques and tricks that he best responded to, and she was rewarded with his satisfied smile and him needing to catch his breath between bouts. And of course lots of kisses and hugs, some chocolates, another trip to the spa, and hours of peaceful time together.

Jessie rolled over to find Mido watching her rest, a contented smile on his face. He hadn’t stopped smiling since their first time in bed together--well, the blow to his head made him stop for a bit, but they’d laughed at that in retrospect. She leaned in and gave him a morning kiss, which turned into multiple kisses. Their behavior would be restrained on the ship, so they had to spend every last bit of energy today. Jessie didn’t want the whole crew to know what they were doing every time they disappeared, so it would be in both their interest to not want to partake in such adult behavior while out to sea. Their kissing turned into heavy breathing and a full make out.

Ah, the joys of the bunny stage. She was going to miss this back on the ship.

They mutually stopped kissing to catch their breath. Mido threw off the sheet. “Shower time.” Before Jessie could so much as nod, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her off into the bathroom. Once the water was running, they hopped in and worked towards putting each other into a sex coma.

*     *     *

The sky was a mix of sun and clouds, and the shore typically windy. Jessie and Mido drank in the scenery while he leisurely worked through a plate of grilled tilapia, and she a grilled chicken panini. Jessie might never see Revivre again, and Mido might not return for at least a year. They were both comfortable saying nothing and just enjoying each other’s company. They’d both verbally agreed that if neither of them had nothing interesting to say, then don’t talk just to talk. However, Mido looked like he had something on his mind.

Just as Jessie finished making that observation, Mido said, “So our next stop is your home. What do you think you’ll do?”

She sized up her sandwich, trying to decide whether or not to take another bite and from where. She was halfway through it and already feeling full. What a heavy question on such a light day. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I kind of don’t want to think about it until we get there.”

“Why not?” He asked the question innocently enough, but it still made Jessie feel like an open book. He had to already know what she was thinking.

She took a bite to stall her answer, and then a sip of lemonade from her perspiring glass. There was no point in stalling, other than to stretch out their time away from the crew. “I don’t want to leave you.”

Mido nodded, then put his fork down and held out a hand for her on the table. She took it in both hands. He gave her a gentle squeeze. “But...?”

Jessie sighed in resignation. “I don’t feel like I belong on the ship. How could I?”

“Dyne’s giving you a chance with the bodyguard job.”

“I feel like that’s a bit of a stretch.”

“Why?”

“I feel like my female presence disrupts the natural order of things on the ship. It’s nothing sexist, nor does it have anything to do with my history. Now that I’ve had time to think about things, I believe he’s just acting in his own interest.”

“You don’t want the job?” There was disappointment in his eyes.

“It’s not that. I don’t see how I’m needed. You’re all bigger and stronger than me.”

“But you pack quite the wallop.”

“I know, but I just don’t feel like a permanent fit on the ship.”

“It is strange to have a woman aboard our ship, but it’s not like we can’t get used to it.” Jessie opened her mouth to protest but Mido said, “I won’t press you to stay if you don’t see yourself ever getting comfortable. But what about Captain and his curse?”

Jessie rubbed his hand with her thumbs. “I still feel the same, even though none of you agree with me.”

“You won’t help him?”

“After all I’ve seen and heard, I do want to, but I don’t think the benefits outweigh the risks.”

“The dying will stop if you succeed. I think it’s an even gamble.”

He was right but she didn’t want to admit it. “I’m scared,” she said softly.

“Scared is okay, remember?” He kissed her hand, yet again getting a smile out of her. “You’ve gotten over a lot of fears this week. You can find the courage to help Dyne, too.”

“I’ll believe that the day I’m able to make love to you.”

“Then stay,” he urged softly while caressing her hands. “Stay and build courage. Stay for us.”

“Stay with me in Paphos.”

Mido stopped caressing and blinked, then sat very still as the idea rolled around in his head. Jessie was just as surprised at herself for saying it. She’d intended to keep that secret until she got back home. He scrunched his brows and thought some more, and then his eyes widened and he smiled. “I will, but on one condition.” Jessie looked at their hands, then back at his eyes. “Help Captain.”

Fear gripped her as thoughts of death filled her mind. “That’s a lot to ask.”

“So is staying with you in Paphos. I’m a sailor at heart but I’d give it all up to be with you.”

Jessie swallowed. “Maybe I’m asking too much of you.”

“Not from my perspective.”

“Then maybe we’re not thinking this through.”

“Well then let’s take some time to think.”

“These are huge decisions. How long will it take us to sail from here to Cyprus?”

He thought a moment. “No more than a week.”

Jessie’s heart began to race and she felt her hands getting sweaty in Mido’s grasp. “I need more time than that. This involves more lives than our own.”

“Then let’s go talk to Captain.”

*     *     *

At some point in the afternoon, I finally escorted Delilah back to her brothel. We took a canopied cart and a few hundred U.D. worth of fancy chocolates to all the women who worked at Summer Lotus. I was in a giving mood and I wanted to leave a positive impression on all the girls at the brothel. I lost count of how many kisses they planted on my face as I handed out all the boxes wrapped in bows. Not that I counted. Delilah kindly helped me wash off the lipstick, then sent me off with one final kiss, the one that counted. The ladies wished me farewell outside the entrance, waving ribbons and morsels of chocolate, and urged me to come back soon.

If only I could. “I’ll do my best, ladies. Take care.” I waved, then plopped into the awaiting cart. My legs were still wobbly. Just standing in front of the glass in the chocolate shop while pointing at random things that looked good had taken a lot of effort. I’d wanted to lie down and tell the clerk to just give me a little bit of everything, but I refused to give gifts the lazy way. Delilah and I had used each other for crutches while she helped me pick out sweets. Maybe one day I’d come back and continue to woo her. It took more effort to resist love than it did giving in to it.