More Than Scenery Ch. 01

At some point, one of the men must have glanced in my direction, which caused the others to turn towards me. To my possible credit, I don't think I blushed this time. Still, to have her eyes on me again was a tiny thrill. I gave the group a polite smile and nod as you often do with strangers.

The woman laughed softly and quickly stood from her table to claim the other barstool at mine. Her chair was a bit unsteady, but once she had it under control, she gave me a huge smile and leaned delicately on the table, which still had spots of water from the night before. "Well now, my mystery hotel guest," the woman said in a grandiose manner, "I guess we're going to be shipmates after all. Extraordinary, wouldn't you say?" She winked at me, and I found myself smiling like a child who's just been told she'd made the basketball team.

"Quite extraordinary," I replied, my voice managing to stay steady, even confident. Acting purely on instinct, I took advantage of the situation and stuck my hand out over the table, stating, "Seeing as we're going to be shipmates and all, my name is Elisabeth."

To my delight, she took my hand and shook it gently, laughing as she did so. She held onto my hand a moment longer as she replied in kind, "I'm Clare." Our eyes locked for a moment before she broke the contact and grinned at the guys who now surrounded our table. "See, boys?" Clare told them, her teasing quite obvious in her tone of voice, "in two seconds she found out who I am, which is something you couldn't do in the last half hour. Live and learn."

I just sat there with a small grin on my face, giving the Hawaiian-shirted men a sheepish look. Just then, a bell sounded and the men made their departing remarks and stepped away to gather their things before boarding. To my delight, Clare kept to her seat. After the men had moved out of earshot on their way to the gangplank, she turned to me and smiled. "Elisabeth, was it?" she asked as her head tilted in that way I remembered all too well from the night before. I nodded quickly. "Not at all suitable for a cruise. I'll have to call you Lis, I think." She leaned back in her chair, steadying the rocking with a hand on the table.

"Are you boarding at 9:30 as well?" I asked her in a quiet, curious voice. She nodded, smiling that dazzling smile. Now that I could see her up close once more and in the midmorning sunlight, I could see she was a little older than I was. Not by much, but early to mid thirties, give or take.

I felt foolish just sitting there silently, unable to take my eyes off Clare for long. Grasping blindly for something to say to her, I asked if she had been on a cruise before. She laughed again and nodded to me. "Oh, several," was her amused answer. "They're rather addictive, you see. Once you've been on one, it's rather hard imagining other ways to spend your vacation."

I smiled and shook my head slightly. "I have a hard time believing that," I told her with a soft laugh. "I always preferred variety."

This brought another delighted laugh from her, and she turned her barstool to face me, leaning her elbows on the edge of the table. She lowered her head slightly in a conspirational manner. "Maybe I'll have to be sure you get plenty of that variety while you're on the ship," she told me in a husky, flirtatious voice before cocking an eyebrow at me.

I know I went beet red, because she just broke out into laughter yet again, then began to slide from the barstool. "Come on, my conservative, virgin cruise-goer. Let's see if they'll let us on the big boat yet."

Despite my embarrassment just a moment before, I could do little more than follow this captivating, gregarious woman. I found myself walking down the dock with her without really knowing what I was doing any longer, like a leaf caught up by an autumn breeze and carried on the wind's currents without knowing where it will end up. And like the leaf, I didn't much care right at that moment.

Once we had both checked our luggage and been approved for boarding, I followed Clare across the narrow walkway to the main deck of the ship. I must admit, my attention right at that moment was a pretty even split between the woman and the cruise liner. I mostly paid enough attention to keep myself from falling flat on my face. I am happy to report I succeeded in that endeavor.

Once we were finally aboard, I gave Clare a light grin. "I seem to have this bad habit of drawing you away from flirting men," I said, joking softly. She just shook her head, looking highly amused.

"Whether or not it's a bad habit has yet to be seen," she replied with a steady smile. She then started walking along the deck towards the bow of the ship, where there was a rather nice view of the harbor. "I try to stay away from them, to be honest," Clare continued after a moment, "but they manage to find me. Don't get too attached, shipmate Lis," she then advised, grinning over her shoulder at me. "A good number of them have wedding bands waiting in their desk drawers at work when they get home."

I laughed in reply, though I could well believe it. "And the women don't do the same?" I asked her in a lazy drawl, which sent her laughing again. God, how I loved that laugh.

She replied with a simple shrug, stating, "I don't," as we continued to weave through the others on board.

We arrived at the bow along with dozens of other people, but we managed to get a couple spots near the railing. I leaned against it and just stared out across the harbor for a long moment, just taking it all in. It was finally sinking in that I was going to be on a ship in the middle of the Caribbean for a week. It had been years since I'd felt so happy and carefree, and it must have shown somewhat by my expression. When I turned back to Clare, I saw her watching me. For a wonder, I didn't blush this time.

"Let me guess," Clare said quietly, turning to lean back against the railing. "New England going by your accent, maybe New York. And recently divorced." I laughed in reply and pushed away from the railing a little bit so I could turn towards her.

"Close enough," I told her with a wink before continuing. "In fact, close enough to wonder if a small drink at ten in the morning is too early to be proper." Clare just shook her head with a grin and beckoned for me to follow. Which of course I did, Like a puppy with a new friend.

She had obviously been on this particular cruise liner before, because she knew exactly where she was going. We made our way to the upper decks, passed through the ornate dining room and emerged into the sunlight again where only a handful of people had gathered thus far. With a swipe of our little ID cards, we each had a nice fruity drink to help commence the vacation.

We picked out a couple of deck chairs and enjoyed quite a few minutes of sitting, sipping and people-watching. From that vantage point we could just barely see the boarding area below and the edge of the harbor farther out that fed into the Caribbean.

I don't know about Clare's drink, but my own was a bit on the heavy side. Apparently this wasn't all that uncommon, and I certainly didn't mind. We still had a few hours before the ship even left port, it was a gorgeous day, and I had gorgeous company. Who on earth would mind that? After watching various couples pass us and choose their own spots on the deck, Clare turned sideways in her chair and set her drink on the small round table between both deckchairs.

"So which part was I wrong about?" she asked me in a curious tone as she gave me a rather crooked smile. I turned to her with mild surprise, casting around for whatever it was she could be talking about.

"Oh! Oh... well, both actually," I told her, laughing. "I'm not from New York, but that was close. And I'm not recently divorced, but I recently broke up with my boyfriend of three years, so that's also close in its own way." I returned her crooked smile with one of my own and shrugged slightly. After another sip, I asked, "And what about you? What are you escaping back home to go on a week-long cruise?"

She just studied me for a moment as her smile leveled out into a more subdued grin. She then shrugged as well. "A bit of the same, perhaps. The beginning of winter can be dreadful. And breakups are never enjoyable." I just nodded in reply, feeling she hadn't answered anything, and that it wasn't exactly something she wanted to discuss.

I settled back on my chair once more and looked out to sea, or what I could glimpse of it. "Well, personally," I said trying to sound cheerful, "I'm looking forward to a week where I don't have to give a damn about what used to be so I can enjoy what is. Living in the moment and all that. I've never been in the Caribbean, and I mean to enjoy it." I shot her a quick grin, then finished my drink before sitting up. "Anyway... I think I'm going to attempt to find my room so I can drop off my purse before departure. I don't think that's something I want to miss." I gave Clare another childish smile and got to my feet. She quickly did the same.

"I could come with," she said to me rather briskly. "You know, so you don't get lost." I had a feeling she was teasing and joined in a quick laugh. With a nod of my head, we both started back down into the ship, weaving along the growing crowd until we eventually found my room. It's probably a good thing she was there, seeing as I would have taken a dozen wrong turns on the way. Of course, if I hadn't been so distracted with my casual traveling companion, this might not have been an issue.

When I got to my door, I quickly unlocked it and stepped inside, for the moment absorbed with the room itself. It looked exactly like the room in the online advertisement, with all the little things that made it feel a little more like a temporary home than a one-week hotel room. I heard Clare close the door as I slowly crossed the room towards the bed. Setting my purse on the nightstand, I turned to say something to Clare and came unexpectedly face-to-face with her. She stood mere inches away from me, smiling in a most fiendish manner.

I only had a moment to gather my shock. I could smell her hair, softly scented by something faintly herbal, almost minty. I could feel the warmth coming from her body and could do little more than stand there, completely unsure of myself, paralyzed.

Her smile slowly grew before she whispered, her voice edged by a faint, husky sound. "I couldn't stop thinking about you last night." I felt her hand brush my arm, her fingernails scraping ever so gently across the skin before her hand grasped mine. The skin prickled gently where she had touched me, and I felt my pulse begin to race.

Feeling there was something I should say, I nodded weakly and tried to reply, but my voice caught. I suddenly wanted to tell her the same: that I had fantasized about her, dreamt of her, wanted her touch me, wanted to touch her. Perhaps it was evident without my halting, half-formed words. She stepped even closer. I could feel her thigh touch mine. She licked her lips once, then leaned in.

My eyes closed when her lips touched mine. I was thrilled at the incredibly soft sensation of that tender kiss, a sensation a man can just never quite match. Of its own accord, my hand came to her waist and wrapped around her back to pull her closer; I wanted her to be so much closer. My other hand tangled softly in her hair, inadvertently knocking her hat to the floor, unnoticed by either of us. When I felt her hand press between us to skim across my inner thigh, I gasped lightly and took a half-step back, my calves hitting the bed.

With my hand still around her waist, she stepped with me and pushed me gently to the bed. The touch of her mouth at my neck made my back arch with the sudden thrills coursing down my body.

"Clare," I whispered, my voice throaty, heavy with need. I surprised myself with the intensity of the plea, for plea it was. I felt her nimble fingers unbuttoning my blouse, and after only seconds, her scorching mouth surrounded my nipple, her tongue driving it to hardened desire. My fingers dug into her back, but she did not slow down.

Distracted by her teasing tongue, I moaned quietly when her fingernails grazed the tender flesh of my inner thigh. Her fingers made a slow, tantalizing path under my shorts to flit along the hem of my panties. Between one breath and the next, I felt her fingers slip beneath the silk fabric to graze my hidden lips, moist with desire and swelling with need.

My hands went to the bed as I took in handfuls of the bedding, my back arching again at her soft, maddening touch. I honestly do not quite remember what she said, but her voice in husky, teasing tones drove me to a quickly increasing sense of sexual longing. Her finger slipped between my lips, and I would have cried out if her mouth had not at that moment closed over mine.

I moaned against her lips as she kissed me deeply, her tongue prodding experimentally while her finger explored my depths. My hips bucked against her hand, wanting more, wanting so much more. She readily obliged, and the more her finger filled me, the more I was driven ever closer to that breaking point, my breaths coming in ragged gasps, my pulse racing, my body stiff and hot against hers.

With a shattering feeling, I felt my body give in, carried over the climatic brink as my hands grasped for her, hugging her, holding her close as if she were the life vest to carry me through those unbelievable waves.

In time, my breathing slowed, and my eyes opened to find her watching me with the most dazzling smile I had yet seen. I tried to return it, but I could not seem to rid myself of the quivering feeling she had so quickly produced inside me.

"Now that," she drawled, her voice barely audible, "was the best orgasm I have ever seen in my life." I laughed weakly in return and touched my softly shaking hand to her cheek. I closed my eyes once more and felt her move and lie down beside me. I turned to face her with my knees drawn up slightly, still recovering from the pleasurable waves that were slowly fading.

"I've never done that before," came my tiny, breathless voice as I opened my eyes again to stare at this most mysterious woman.

"What. Come?" she asked, causing us both to laugh softly. "Don't worry about it. It hasn't changed who you are, right? And weren't you the one who proclaimed you liked variety?" Clare drawled with another crooked smile. I nodded slightly and smiled. "Look," she continued after a moment, "if you don't want to play, that's fine. I'll understand. I didn't exactly ask first. But damn, girl, you needed an orgasm like a plant needs water."

I drew myself up to lean on one elbow and shook my head slightly. "No, I think I'm fine. I enjoyed it. It's just... very new." I suddenly laughed. "And that was so much better than the dreams I had of you last night. Or the fantasy I had while taking my bath. Or my shower this morning...." I trailed off and gave her a wink, then collapsed to my back so I could let my trembling fingers work at buttoning my shirt. A soft horn interrupted the moment and brought an excited grin from the woman beside me.

"We'd better hurry if we want to get a good spot to watch the ship leave port," Clare said as she bounced off the bed. My own movement was a little less bouncy but just as excited.

"I just need to grab some clean panties," I told her breathlessly. Her wicked grin was all I needed before realizing my luggage was nowhere to be seen.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked, her eyes twinkling softly. "You'll be lucky if it arrives by dinner tonight. I guess you'll just have to, uh... stick to those." The look she gave me then was enough to make me shiver once more. I just shook my head with a soft grin and finished with my buttons.

I stepped towards her and rested my hands on her shoulders a moment before leaning in to give her a gentle, lingering kiss. "Let's see what else the Caribbean has for us today," I whispered in her ear before giving her a quick wink and leading the way out the door.

* * *

My legs felt shaky as we walked down the corridor, the movement of the vast ship only faintly noticed, and only if you were waiting for it. My companion sailed on ahead of me without a care in the world, offering me an excellent view of someone who seemed so totally sure of herself.

We entered the dining room and were asked for our names, then told our table assignments. Clare just looked at the man and smiled, and he quickly returned the expression.

"Of course," he said very quickly, a little too quickly, "we can always rearrange the seating." Of course they can, I thought to myself, stealing a glance at Clare for a moment.

We were led to a table a little off to the side where we had an excellent view of the stage but weren't in the way of the majority of traffic. We started with wine; she had white, I hade red. The food was excellent, and the night's entertainment was a Caribbean band out of Jamaica, playing their local music with much skill and enjoyment, lending an attitude of carefree pleasure to the dining audience.

After half an hour of polite chatter with our tablemates, I began to notice Clare's hand resting on my thigh under the table. It was a delicate touch, so light I never would have noticed if not for her fingers which slowly caressed my inner thigh while she went on with the current discussion.

By the time our entrees arrived, I was squirming ever so slightly and wishing I'd removed my panties before leaving my room. There were a few moments when I was afraid I would leave a damp spot where I'd been sitting.

Luckily, our tablemates quickly finished their meal and departed, talking about catching the breeze above deck, leaving the two of us to enjoy the rest of the evening dinner together.

Clare pulled her chair just a little closer to mine as we took our time with dessert. The Jamaican band was slowly winding down with some quieter songs while the next band waited to take the stage. Some of the staff had already begun moving tables and chairs from the central part of the floor to make way for dancing.

Feeling incredibly shy despite our earlier intimacy, I did little more than steal glances at Clare throughout the meal. Sometimes I would press my knee against hers or brush my fingers against those still caressing my thigh.

We were nearly done with the meal when the bands started to switch over, and Clare leaned in close while the hand at my thigh dipped down between my legs.

"When we get back to your room," she whispered in my ear, pressing her hand close enough to tease my clit with the tip of her fingers, "I'm going to really take my time to see how often I can make you come."

I knew I was blushing, but there was no one looking our way. I turned my face towards hers and came very close to brushing her lips with mine before she pulled away. My pulse was racing and my body was quickly heating with excitement and anticipation.

I continued to stare at her while the next band began their first number. They were decidedly worse than the first band, and the few people who stuck around to dance were either so far into their cups that they didn't care how good the band was, or they were staying specifically to dance and also didn't care how good the band was. All in all, it was an amusing mix, but neither Clare nor myself seemed interested.

Finally, I gave Clare a slow smile, trying desperately to overcome my shyness. "Perhaps we could wait in my room until the decks are less crowded," I suggested very quietly. Clare gave me one of her magnificent smiles and began to stand. I quickly followed, giving my chair a quick look to make sure there was no telltale puddle left behind. Luckily, I was safe. For the moment.

* * *

Sometimes you just make a connection with another human being, and that seemed to be what had happened between Clare and myself. If it were true, I'd say we made love again at that point. Something kinky on the floor, perhaps, or obnoxiously noisy on the bed. To be honest, though, we spent the next hour or so just holding each other, dozing on top of the covers. It was so relaxing and comfortable. After a while, I was nearly convinced it was no longer the ship I felt rocking so imperceptibly beneath me; surely it must be the gentle sway of Clare's breathing while her heart beat in slow rhythm at my ear, my cheek pressed to her chest while she held me in her sleep.