Gail Joins Dareius

People were dancing, I saw Gail dancing with a stranger. I danced with Janice, then with Gabriella. Giancomo wound up standing with me and Janice and soon Gail and Gabriella joined us.

Giancomo called the Captain on a boat phone and a few minutes later some extra chairs were brought to the fore deck. We went forward and sat in a circle. I wound up in a sofa chair with cushioned arms. Gail was to my left with young Richard beside her. Giancomo and Gabriella were opposite me with Janice beside Giancomo. In spite of the semi darkness I managed to enjoy looking at Janice's legs in her short skirt and I believe she enjoyed the attention.

About two hours into the evening Richard Senior and Evita joined us for their goodbyes and shortly afterwards Giancomo pled early morning meetings and he and Gabriela left as well. Gail left with them to use the WC and I asked Janice to protect my comfortable seat while I went aft to say goodnight to Peter. When I joined a group of half dozen people where Peter was standing he immediately pulled me aside and we walked down the gang walk and along the pier.

"Is Gail upset?" He asked.

I nodded, "Yes, I think she is...but she'll get used to it."

Peter asked, "Did you tell her I was living with Kajsa?"

I pondered his question for a moment, "No" I answered, "you never told me that. But she's not upset about Kajsa, she's upset about you and Phyllis."

Peter sighed like it had just dawned on him that we liked Phyllis too. After a moment or two he asked, "When will I see you next?"

"I'll call when I know our schedule back to Monte Carlo," I said. We chatted for a few minutes more, exchanged back pats and I walked back up the walk way to the Gabbiano.

When I joined the group on the fore deck there were more chairs. Except for Richard Jr., and Janice, the chairs were mostly filled with strangers. Gail had not returned. Janice insisted that I take back my comfortable chair and she gingerly perched on the arm beside me and we mostly spoke with each other. I had the impression that she enjoyed when I flirted, and I wondered if she knew that Gail and her brother had been together.

I decided to look for Gail and excused myself and headed for the aft deck. She was not there, and she was not in the rest room. I walked through the aft deck and peered through the door along the starboard side, and then the same on the port walkway. There was a shadow of someone leaning against the railing but I couldn't make out if it was Gail. I stepped out on the walkway and was halfway toward reaching the shadows when they noticed me approaching. Gail stepped out from behind the shadow of a man, Ri? She called softly.

I responded, "Hey, we missed you." I was close enough to see that the other person was the Greek man I had met earlier.

Gail began, "Sorry, Ri, Ginacomo introduced me earlier to Mr. Karkasii, and we got to chatting." She turned slightly toward Mr. Karkasii as if to introduce us.

"I met Dareius earlier," I offered, in a not particularly kind tone of voice.

Dareius, speaking softly, apologized for "...occupying Gail's time," and started to tell me how charming my wife was. I thanked him and we exchanged a few more words when he added, "Now that we are partners..." and He proceeded to invite us to visit his island in Greece. I was there less than a minute but I sensed that Gail was tense. Gail is a shy person and finds it difficult to quiet forceful people, especially strangers. While Dareius was speaking I looked him over more closely. He looked large with big hands that didn't seem to fit the softness of his speech and gentlemanly manner. I'd have guessed he was in his late forties or fifties.

We were standing in a triangle when I reached my right hand to take Gail's left hand in mine. "Thanks for entertaining her," I announced to Mr. Karkasii rather loudly and in an effort to take charge. "We have to say goodnight to some friends and its bedtime."

While speaking I had moved Gail toward me. I placed my arm around her waist and I guided her toward the stairwell, and we left. It happened so quickly that Mr. Karkasi simply nodded a yes, and offered his "Goodnight."

We went back to our small group sitting aft and said goodnight to everyone we knew. I stepped to Janice's chair and kissed her cheek goodnight. I watched

Gail bend over and kiss Richard on the cheek, and we left.

Halfway to our cabin I commented, "I'll bet Richard is disappointed."

Gail didn't say anything for the longest time then commented, "I was hoping to see him tomorrow... instead."

"Hoping?" I asked.

"We agreed to meet at his hotel in the late morning, if possible. Is that OK with you?"

I considered it for a moment then responded, "Yes...," and after a long pause, "But I expect a blow by blow reenactment, pun intended."

Gail smiled as I opened the door, "of course," she agreed. As she walked across the room she added, "Would you like to join us?"

I thought for a moment, "How would you mange that with Richard, I'm sure he'd be afraid?"

Gail responded, "I can talk to him. I'd love having you with me."

"Let me think about it," I answered.

When we were in bed and finally relaxed Gail scooted close and rested her head on my shoulder. My goodness, that friend of Gian's is really something."

"Mr. Karkasii," I asked.

"Mmm," she nodded her head yes. "Somehow one moment we were introduced and the next he is acting as if I were a lifelong friend."

"Was he rude? Did he do anything? I asked.

"Hmm," she sounded then added, "Just the opposite He was charming, a perfect gentleman, still, I was nervous."

"That's why I took your hand, I sensed that."

"I love it when you're protective," Gail mumbled.

The next morning was a rush of last minutes changes. Gabriella was making changes, Giancomo was making changes, and Gail somehow had become the approval that Gabriella needed in order to get Giancomo to agree to her changes. Gail never found time to meet Richard, and by not answering my cell I managed my last early morning hour of tennis before we left.

Gail placed her hand on my arm and smiled when I told her that Carol had called agreeing that she and Mark would be able to travel with us for at least five days. As Gail and Gabriella were leaving the yacht I asked Gabriella, "Would you mind if I asked another couple to sail with us for a week?" She stopped and looked at me with a serious expression.

"I am not enough for you Rian?" she asked.

I was actually surprised and thought she was serious, "Too much for me," I replied, "that's why," I answered, trying to keep it light.

Gabriella smiled, "No problem my love," then added. "Gail told me about your friends in Antibes."

I smiled, embarrassed and relieved, "I'll ask Giancomo when I find him," I informed.

"He'll be here to change about midday," she said, I know he invited a friend just this morning but there's room enough," Gabriella informed.

I cornered Giancomo on his return to the yacht just as the Captain was approaching him. "Giancomo, I have an American couple, friends that I'd like to invite to sail with us for the first week, if that's convenient."

Giancomo starred at me for a good while, with an ever so slight smile, his eyes were searching my face, "You know Rian, you don't have to ask me, your friends are my friends," he answered, smiling.

"Not this one," I replied, also smiling.

With a grin he answered, "Of course... of course you can invite anyone you want," patting me on the back. I could see his mind was back to the task of attending to all that was going on tonight.

I called Carol and we spoke for ten minutes. She was excited about coming, and I was thrilled that we were able to organize it. I also spoke to Mark and I informed him where to go to arrange a car service to Monaco.

About an hour later Captain Charles telephoned our cabin and asked me a few questions about when Carol would be on board, and where she was coming from. When I told him their arrival time, he asked if it would be OK if he picked them up in Antibes by stopping off shore and picking them up with the yachts shore-boat. It seems we were planning to start sailing during the night and he said he could be offshore at 8AM if they were ready.

I called Carol back and told her we would pick her up, and I could hear the excitement in her voice.

We had no obligation to attend meetings during the day but Gaincomo mentioned that I might find one meeting interesting, and I did attend a shipping discussion which I found fascinating.

The plans for the evening were that we attend the ceremony and presentations at the Hotel Metropole, a change from Giancomo's usual yearly gathering place. We later learned that many of the 90 some odd persons in attendance were staying in that hotel. After the ceremony most of the guests would have a buffet dinner at the hotel. A small group of us would be leaving to dine at the restaurant Bice, and afterward attend a small party on the boat. At 1:30 AM the Captain would de-board the party guests and he would commence sailing. We could continue to party.

At the hotel Gabriella stepped from the limo that Giancomo had provided and waited for Gail to exit and the two of them nonchalantly walked into the hotel chatting away, a spectacle of loveliness in a grand entrance.

Giancomo and I walked behind them without speaking, noticing people watching the girls then turning to us to size up 'the husbands'. I'm sure we never received grades equal to the lovely ladies that we escorted.

Gabriella looked fabulous in a simple black silky dress with the only color a long white string of pearls that agonizingly passed right through her cleavage. Somehow I always noticed her dark red toenails. I searched in vain for marks of underwear, her legs were bare, she must be naked underneath, I thought. She looked every bit the belle of this gathering.

Gail looked just as striking. She wore a dark blue and grey silky mid-thigh dress that was fitted around the chest and slightly outlined her breasts and nipples. The tailoring was perfectly suited to her almost girl like figure, and like Gabriella I imagined she was naked underneath.

I was proud to be with her. I remembered the shy girl that she was when we met and I was in awe of the woman she had become. But, she never really lost her shyness and the bond we now shared was greater. I laughed to myself, back home she would not dare to go out dressed like that. The men would gawk maybe comment, and the women would hate her. Here in France (Monte Carlo) the men looked appreciatively (enviously too) but with a C'est la vie attitude. It perfectly complimented the women that took the time to make themselves beautiful.

We entered a conference room decorated to the hilt with flowers and about a dozen beautifully dressed tables with linen clothes and service evenly lined in a perfect circle. A small platform was placed against the wall that had large windows with a perfect view of the city. Three chairs were on the platform and a podium with microphones. A man stood in the front corner with a huge television camera on his shoulder. People were moving around the room with drinks in their hands.

I noticed a younger group of men that I later learned were Giancomo's new team of managers, all gathered around three tables. I couldn't help notice how beautifully tailored all the men were, and their wives were just as well dressed. Gabriella identified them as the "...Italian race team." They were not race drivers but I guess they were a fast enough group of promotional people that they earned the name of racers. A few of them had been looking at Gail and Gabriella.

We were at a table for eight in the rear of the room that had a purple band from the center of the table that hung over the edge in front of a chair. We soon found out that a Priest was seated at our table along with a politician from Milan. To our surprise our new friend Mr. Karkasii was also at our table accompanied by a most gorgeous long legged blond woman. She was dressed alluringly and her figure was spectacular, aloof, made to attract attention. At the table she was introduced by Mr. Karkasii as Valeriya and he suggested we speak English slowly as she mostly spoke Russian. We later found out that she was 26 years old and lived in Monte Carlo. She didn't fail to impress the racers from the front of the room and they made it a point to walk across the room as often as possible under pretext of going to the WC.

We did our best to be cordial to Mr. Karkasii, (he insisted we call him Dareius), though it was difficult because he had such an arrogant air. His pretty companion Valeriya spoke little but smiled whenever we would look at her. The priest was an absolute delight and when moments allowed he told us stories of Giancomo's largess. Unbeknown to most of us, Giancomo was a philanthropist of sorts.

The ceremony and awards that evening was a masterful performance. Giancomo managed so well to create a serious yet fun atmosphere in the room. Impressive gifts were given to some of the key personnel that included fine watches and even a car.

In a closing talk Giancomo informed the group of new projects he was planning or concluding, in which they may be asked to assist. The race team roared. Then he introduced our table, starting with Dareius, whom he introduced as an exciting new partner that would "...provide us access to competitive shipping in eastern Europe." He introduced me as "... the owner of our marine transport division in South America, and the Priest as the Director of an aid program called Talisman Italia. The politician was nudged by Gabriella to stand as Giancomo introduced him as the Honorable gentleman. It took all of four or five minutes to complete the introductions, and we were ready to leave.

Our head table was escorted into two limousines and we headed for the Bice restaurant, our favorite in Monte Carlo. Once again we ended up at the table with Mr. Karkasii sitting directly across from Gail, and I noticed that she was uncomfortable as he often starred at her. Gabriella was seated in the middle of the table with the Priest and Mayor on either side, and she kept up a steady and humorous banter in three different languages.

Gabriella and the Mayor kept the table in chat, and laughing. The Mayor spoke in Italian and with what we understood, and what Gabriella interpreted, we laughed along. The Priest spent considerable time in conversation with Gail and later in the evening, back on the Gabbiano, we were chatting leaning over the railing in the far stern and he said, "your wife has a very refreshing intellect...I wish I were traveling with you, I would learn more." That should not have surprised me, but it did. I wondered, "What did she exchange with the priest that he learned from?"

Back on the Gabbiano the party was loud and the dancing wild. Many of the guests were very into dancing and doing so with abandon, and they were terrific. At one point Gail and I joined in a line and the leader taught the whole lot of us what to dance.

A gentleman that was American took the microphone from the band and sang an oldies song making it sound like he were singing through a megaphone. The band took up after him, and started playing flapper songs and Charleston music. Now the older crowd was teaching the younger group. It was a delightful going away gathering and Gail and I left with Gabriella and Giancomo in the early morning hours.

When we awoke in the morning we were anchored about a kilometer beyond the cabanas at the Hotel du Cap, off Cap d' Antibes. I took a mug of coffee and went on the starboard deck to watch the shore-boat head for the dock at the Hotel with the captain and a helper aboard. Soon Carol and Mark appeared and were escorted into the boat. Their suitcases were passed to the boat by the crewman and they departed for our yacht. When the shore-boat was alongside I was standing at the railing a deck above, to greet them.

The Captain took them directly to their room while I waited on the main deck lounge for about fifteen minutes. Carol finally showed up and we greeted each other warmly, though without any physical display.

"Mark is getting our stuff laid out," she said. "I told him I wanted to thank you for the invitation."

We were speaking quietly, sitting opposite each other in the lounge. I was still captivated by Carols' simple beauty. She wore beige Bermuda shorts with a pink knit shirt. She wore no jewelry and little make-up but she still looked a million. Her natural blond shimmered when she moved. "You look so beautiful," I said, as she continued to smile at me without answering my comment. I was excited to see her again. I took the time to share with her our plans for the next week and explained that we would have to play carefully.

***

The 3 days sail to Malaga Spain was as relaxing and pleasant a trip as we have ever had. We ate well with a large lunch at 2 PM each day that consisted of four or five courses of food, excellent wines, cheese from every European country, and wonderful conversation. Dareius and Giancomo had interesting stories, we played games and watched movies and we truly enjoyed the Mediterranean which had mild seas the whole trip. We stopped when the Captain instructed the cook where to buy bread and cheese, and then simply resumed sailing.

I managed to be with Carol on three occasions. One brief get together was late one evening when she was walking from her room and we passed in the hall, and another late the first morning when we spent a long time in the storage area for the snorkeling and swim gear.

We were both aching for a chance to sleep together but the opportunity had not yet presented itself. Soon that would change. I told Gail of each time. The second time Gail placed her hands on my face and said, "You know I was jealous the last time you told me. Sweetheart, you enjoy yourself but please don't tell me each time," then with a smile and her hand resting on my shoulder she added, "unless I ask."

Giancomo and Mark had interest in Valeriya. I could see the way they watched her move about. Dareius had a strong interest in Gail, and he did little to hide it. Gail said she had no interest in him and she actually went out of her way to be as far from him as possible when we were gathered in the lounge, or watching a movie.

The trip itself was more peaceful than exciting. We mostly were in sight of land on the starboard side, and the sea was pretty smooth. One afternoon we were stopped off the coast and we all water sported for the afternoon while trying to decide if we wanted to go to the island of Majorca or continue down the coastline. That day I asked the Captain if I could go with the shore-boat the next morning when the crew went for bread. They called me at 7:30 the next day to have me accompany them to a town called Burriana and I spent almost an hour roaming the stores, many shops still closed, in the little town equidistant from Majorca and Ibiza.

We had been eating dinner casually dressed for two nights but on the third night Giancomo suggested we all dress formally for dinner. The girls all got together to work on what they would wear and the men simply pulled out tuxedos, except for

Mark who looked the movie star in a blazer and scarf.

We all picked a card at the beginning of the meal that told us what our after dinner entertainment would be. We all had to tell a story, sing a song, or recite a poem. It was interesting that all the men told stories, and Dareius story was the longest, most complicated, and most interesting. Carol sang a song she wrote, and Gail and Gabriella both told a story about shopping together and two men trying to buy them a drink. They finally accepted the drink and then the story went on telling how they then had to escape. It was a funny story but I worried where it could have led. Gail had never told me about the encounter.