Caribbean Passion Ch. 15

"Wow," said Marcia, as she sat in the Social Hostess' cabin. "So it sounded like a pretty hot date!"

"It sure was," said Lucia.

It was the evening of the same day. The ship had finally set sail from Freeport at just after seven thirty and was now making its way across the sea back to Port Canaveral. The show had started at the Rendezvous and Lucia, in an evening gown, had done her usual introduction to the dancers. Pablo and Estella were on tonight. Carmen was still persona non grata with Pablo, although it wasn't clear how long that could keep up. Sooner or later, Dave Richards would insist on Pablo dancing with her and Lucia wasn't exactly thrilled with that eventuality. Now she was back in her cabin. Marcia had knocked on the door for a chat and here they were.

"So you guys are basically an item now?"

"More or less, I think."

"You think."

"Well, OK -- almost definitely."

"Almost," repeated Marcia. "Explanation, please! What's up with Pablo?"

Lucia frowned. "No, it's not him. I'm worried about Carmen and Estella."

"Aha!" said Marcia. "Jealousy, anyone?"

"NO, Marcia, not like that. I'm totally sure that Pablo's with me -- he's looking for the same thing in life as me and Carmen and Estella aren't. It's just -- Carmen's already been with him and she's bummed at being excluded."

"Estella also."

"What about her?"

Marcia looked at Lucia, surprised. "Don't you know? Pablo's also been with Estella."

"What! How do you know?"

"She told me herself."

"Oh, and you didn't tell me?"

"Lucia! I haven't seen you until now -- that's why I'm hanging out with you -- I figured you would like a chat."

"So what happened? When did this happen?"

"The same day as Carmen."

"WHAT! He saw action twice in one day?"

"Yes, he did."

"Whoa. So Estella just randomly told you this -- just like that?"

"I heard this morning while you were on shorex with John - and Pablo. Don't worry, though -- she's chill."

"HUH? How can she be?"

"No, truly, it's fine. She said it was thank you sex."

"'Thank you sex'? What on earth?"

"She told me Pablo saved her. Carmen had been hitting her and getting pretty physically abusive. Pablo had pulled her out of there and taken her up to the Lido."

"Uh-huh."

"They talked for a while. Estella said she was bisexual, so -"

"Bisexual?"

"Yeah. She and Carmen have a bit of a thing going and..."

"Oh, really? Well, then, Carmen must be bi, too."

"Yeah, she is."

"Wow."

"Lucia, where have you been? What planet do you come from? Why do you think Estella just seems to hang around Carmen most of the time? Just for fun?"

"Oh, well, I never really thought of it."

"Huh! Well, TO FILL YOU IN, they've been going out together since they started working on the ship."

"Right. I guess so. Wow."

"Hmmm! Anyway, so she told me she revealed all this to Pablo, who was really open-minded, understanding, totally chill about her sexuality and so on..."

"Yeah..."

"So she said that at that point, she kind of felt attracted to him, what with him saving her, then being so accepting, and she said she felt kind of overwhelmed and wanted to make it up to him, so..."

"They had sex."

"Well -- yeah."

"In her cabin? Pablo's?"

"No! In the movie room!"

"What!"

"When the show was on! That's when Dave doesn't let movies be shown because he wants the passengers to be in the Rendezvous."

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Man! So she gave him that!"

"Yeah, she did. She's chill, though."

"What do you mean, 'chill'?"

"She says she's not interested in seeing him any more."

"Yeah, right."

"No, really."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT! He saves her from getting beaten up by Carmen, she gives him sex and is now dancing with him as we speak, and she probably doesn't want to go back to Carmen in a hurry, plus he doesn't want to be with Carmen, so they have to be together!"

"No, I don't think so. She told me Pablo was great but girl-on-girl is better."

"HA! How much girl-on-girl do you think she's going to get any more?"

"Lucia, listen. You're way better than both of them. This isn't a good time to get jealous or demand anything or make a scene."

Lucia looked at her directly. "Maybe you're right, Marcia. Maybe you're wrong. Whatever, though, I need to be sure. I'm going." She stood up, abruptly.

Marcia stood up, too. "Where?"

"To the Rendezvous. Don't come with me. I don't want him to know you spoke to me."

"LUCIA! Don't do anything stupid!"

She spoke in vain. Lucia walked out of her cabin, slamming the door behind her.

Stomping her way upstairs, she felt a little rueful about the way she had just spoken to Marcia. Nevertheless, she needed to find out the truth about what was going on. Something made her doubt that Pablo actually had feelings for Estella, especially since the amazing date she had just been on. Hmmm, perhaps Marcia was right, she thought. Would Pablo really have spoken the way he did to Lucia at the restaurant or would they have had amazing sex if all the way through it he had been thinking of Estella? OK, she thought. Maybe this wasn't the time for a huge blow-out. Time for a little delicate maneuvering.

She arrived at the Rendezvous on Fourth Deck. The dance was already over and the main act was on -- a comedian. She walked into the back room. Pablo and Estella were in there. Pablo was getting changed out of his dancing clothes, while Estella was on the opposite side of the room in front of a make-up table, looking in the mirror. Good, thought Lucia. No nasty surprises yet.

Pablo beamed broadly when she came in. "Lucia! The dance went OK. Estella tripped up once but the audience didn't even notice. The music was great! It was exhilarating!" He flung his arms around Lucia and kissed the side of her head.

Lucia smiled weakly. "Hi, babe."

"Wow, aren't you the two lovebirds now?" smiled Estella, turning to them. "I'm happy. You look great together."

Lucia watched Estella closely. She seemed genuine enough -- for someone who had had sex with her boyfriend less than forty-eight hours before Lucia did.

"Yeah," said Lucia, releasing Pablo's grip. "We had a good time at the beach today." She smirked at Pablo, who grinned back.

"Well, I think he made the right choice," continued Estella. "You're a classy lady, Lucia -- unlike someone else I could mention! I'm glad I'm out of THAT scene! Pablo's been a gentlemen ever since. He's a fantastic dancer, too. Very professional, too."

Pablo smiled at her. "Thanks, Estella." Turning to Lucia, he asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

"Yeah, I had something in the Staff Mess before the show," she replied.

"OK. Do you mind if I go down there now? I haven't eaten yet and I'm half-starved. It closes soon!"

"Do what you want," said Lucia, pleasantly.

"OK, thanks, babe," grinned Pablo. "See you later." He gave her another hug, stepped out of the room and left.

Lucia looked at Estella. Estella looked at her, somewhat surprisedly. Lucia sidled up to her, as Estella continued sitting on her chair next to the make-up table. "So, Estella..."

"What's up?"

"Marcia came over to my room this evening...and we were talking about how Pablo and I had such a great time today, and she happened to mention -"

"I get it," responded Estella. "So now you're here because Pablo and I got each other off the other day."

"Well, yeah, I -"

Estella looked directly at her. "Listen, Lucia, it means nothing. I mean, yeah, it was great -- Pablo's got a world-class body and -- I have to admit -- I enjoyed every minute of it."

"Well -"

"AND -- let's not forget -- you and him have been officially an item for all of two hours, honey. Why do you care who he went with before you and him even started?"

"I wanna know if you're planning on going with him again, that's why!"

"Lucia, you surprise me. I had higher thoughts on the kind of woman you were but maybe I was wrong..."

"Quit that! Yes or no! Would you go with him again?"

"NO. I would not."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Why not?"

"Because I prefer women."

Lucia paused. "That's what Marcia said."

"Well? If you already know, why are you asking me?"

"It's just that -- now that all this has happened, you can't go back to being friends with Carmen, plus you're dancing with Pablo, and he doesn't want to be with Carmen, either."

Estella placed one hand on Lucia's, which was resting on the table. "You don't understand. Have you forgotten? Why has Carmen acted like this? Why doesn't she like you? Isn't it because she doesn't want you taking her job as a dancer? Don't you remember?"

"Oh!" said Lucia.

"Pablo's dancing with me to stop you from dancing with him. If Dave Richards knows you and Pablo are together, he'll probably get you two to dance together. Then Carmen will officially go nuts and destroy both of you."

Lucia looked away from Estella, awkwardly.

"Pablo's dancing with me to protect you from Carmen," Estella continued. "Right now Dave wants to know when Carmen can come back and she's on the warpath wondering why she can't do her job; but she knows it's because of her behaviour, so she's lying low. Mark my words, though -- as soon as she can come back, she will -- and you're number one on her hit list."

"Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry, Estella," said Lucia, tears welling in her eyes.

"That's why I'm NOT. HAVING. SEX. WITH. PABLO," said Estella, pointedly. "He saved me from Carmen and, if I keep dancing with him as well as we currently are, Dave will keep us in the show, so I can save you from her, too."

"Yes. Yes, OK. I understand," sobbed Lucia.

Estella softened. "It's OK, honey. Don't sweat it. You just didn't know. Don't worry about it." She squeezed Lucia's hand, then lunged forward and gave her a hug. "You'll be fine."

"Thanks, Estella. I appreciate it. Keep it up. You're a great dancer."

"Ha, thanks," replied Estella.

Lucia stood up and, after thanking Estella again, walked out of the back room and on out of the Rendezvous Lounge. Leaning against the wall, she stared off into the distance. Wow, she thought. That was NOT what she had been expecting. She was really grateful that Estella had been so understanding. Now she was really glad she hadn't blown up and caused a scene like she had initially intended to. "Whew," she said, out loud. She thought of Pablo and suddenly felt bad for doubting him. Bummer, her attitude sucked. Marcia had been right all along. Estella was saving her. Carmen had lost it. Pablo was protecting her -- and all the while, she had been acting like a spoilt brat and she'd only been with him for two hours. What. On. Earth. Am I doing, she thought.

Suddenly, Pablo bounded up the stairs. "Hi, I'm ready."

Lucia stood up straight. "For what?"

"Don't you want to go out? Let's hit the disco!"

"Haha! OK!" Lucia was glad to join him, if only to get away from these thoughts.

Pablo grabbed her hand and they walked along through Fourth Deck out to the back stairs behind the Lido, then descended all the way down to First. Arriving in the Disco, the place was pumping, with a fairly lively crowd of younger passengers, music blaring, drinks flowing and an exciting atmosphere. "All right!" said Pablo. "The house is pounding!"

"Yeah!" Lucia felt the vibe and her mood immediately improved. This looked like fun! Pablo went off to buy some drinks at the bar, while Lucia wasted no time on hitting the dancefloor, burning it up with an excited, hyped-up bevy of Floridian youngsters. It was time to let loose. Lucia felt happy. She had a HAWT boyfriend, who -- guess what -- didn't cheat on her when dancing with Estella, plus now she had someone to share her dreams with, who could dance well, and, and, and...

"Hey, Lucia!" cried Pablo, carrying two drinks. He jerked his head to motion to her to come over to a table. She smiled broadly and followed him to a sofa next to a low table. They flopped down and Pablo passed her a drink.

"Is this it?" she asked.

"Freshly squeezed orange juice," explained Pablo.

"Sorry, I don't drink," said Lucia.

"Actually, neither do I."

"What's that? Vodka?"

"Mineral water."

"Just water?"

"Yeah."

"Haha! You and I make a right pair, hanging out in a disco without drinking anything hard."

"I know. Like a couple of kids."

"No, it's fine. We're both dancers, right? It goes with the line of work. Can't be falling over on the job, can we?"

"That's right."

"Plus we need liquid refreshment to keep our fit bodies looking at their best."

"Yeah. I'm not working out in the gym all that time to put on a bunch of sugar weight from drinking alcohol."

"Same here. Hey, do you still go to a gym?"

"Not since I came on board. How about you?"

"No, not at all. Marcia told me there's a gym in Freeport we can visit, near the International Bazaar."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She said it was kind of run-down and basic, with old equipment but it works OK."

"Cool."

"Let's get off the ship again next Freeport day and check it out."

"Yeah, OK. It's a deal! That'll be our next adventure."

"Awesome."

"Drink up! I want to dance."

"Me, too! Let's go!"

They finished their drinks and got back on the floor. Club music pounded from the speakers. Pablo and Lucia danced next to each other, their bodies pumping and jiving to the rhythm. By the time a third song had come on, they had worked up a sweat, Pablo's body glistening slightly under his sleeveless T-shirt, his strong arms looking shiny under the lights. Lucia's toned midsection and taut, feminine abs gleamed in the heat, her dark hair damp and clinging slightly to her shoulders.

"Let's change to Latin!" remarked Lucia, deciding that she wanted an excuse to touch Pablo's body. "I'll go and see the DJ."

"Cool," said Pablo. "I'll be here."

Lucia left the dancefloor and walked the short distance over to the DJ Booth. Opening the door, she saw Ramon dancing behind the turntables, having a great time.

He turned to her and smiled. "Yo, Lucia! Long time, no see! Dig the music?"

"Yeah," smiled Lucia. "Hey, could you change it to merengue, though?"

"Ramon threw up his hands. "Whatever you want! Let's go!"

"Thanks, Ramon," replied Lucia, making to turn back to the main lounge area.

"Hey, baby, wait!" cried Ramon.

"What?"

"Hey, Lucia -- I can't stop thinking about that night you and me did the jiggy-jiggy here in this very room, baby. Fancy spending some time in here tonight?"

"Er, no, thanks. Not tonight."

"Awww, why not, baby? Time of the month?"

"NO, Ramon. I'm not interested any more."

"Well, you seemed pretty interested the other time. What changed?"

"A lot, Ramon. I'm not available."

Merengue music started up and slightly drunken cheer rose up from the crowd near the bar, where most of the bar staff were Hispanic. "Well, baby, that's not what it looked like then. You're kind of well-known already for being available."

"I've gotta go -"

He grabbed her hand. "Very available, in fact. So I'm not sure I really believe anything's changed with you."

"Listen, Ramon, I'm not interested. What happened was just a one-off thing."

"Really? I think it was a two-off thing. We did it before, remember?"

"Yeah, but -"

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" butted in Pablo, who suddenly appeared at Lucia's side.

Ramon looked up. "Hey, it's the Incredible Hulk," he remarked.

"Let's go back, Pablo," said Lucia.

"Is he bothering you?" Pablo asked her.

"What's it to you, jerk?" interrupted Ramon. "We're just talking about old times."

Pablo grabbed Lucia's hand. "Well, the old times are over."

Ramon frowned. "Well, that's a pity -- I was just getting warmed up."

"Watch it, pal," replied Pablo. "Play some music and do your job."

"Are you my boss all of a sudden?"

"Have you been drinking?" Pablo looked beyond Ramon at a number of suspiciously empty glass bottles on the floor.

"What if I have?"

"Leave it, Ramon," warned Pablo. "We're going back to the dancefloor."

"Not until I've finished talking with you. Come here!" Ramon lunged forward and grabbed Pablo by his T-shirt, then swung his right arm and landed a punch across Pablo's face. "I DID HER FIRST!"

Pablo yelled, "RAMON! You've lost it! Get off me!" He grabbed Ramon's other arm and wrenched his hand away, then pushed Ramon back onto his chair.

"Pablo!" cried Lucia.

"DON'T GO ANYWHERE NEAR LUCIA AGAIN!" Turning back towards the door, he saw Lucia. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said.