Fifth Anniversary Honeymoon Cruise Ch. 01

Marcus A. Schafer and Juliet B. Simpkins, Mark and Julie, met during their freshman year in college and became a couple by the end of the first semester. Their interests, personalities and disparate majors probably should have separated them, but somehow they stayed together. He was in computer science and she in business and finance, both at Penn State. He was an introvert and was happiest when engrossed in the intricacies of algorithms and programming, not dealing with people. Actually he was more outgoing and well-rounded than that sounds. He had been quite popular in high school and had been, at 5' 11", the starting point guard on his high school basketball team. In addition, in the off-season he worked as a manager and played small roles in school plays. Still, there was something of a nerd hidden in his athletic body and it came out when given the opportunity to immerse himself in his chosen field.

Julie, on the other hand, was very social, with a friendly and gregarious personality. She was a brunette with a pretty face, long legs for her 5'4" height and with breasts that bounced nicely as she performed as a cheerleader in high school. Those personality traits stayed the same in college but, surprising herself, she discovered that she really enjoyed her business and finance courses and that she was very good in them. She also discovered a real drive, almost an obsession, to succeed - both an asset and, as it turned out, a serious flaw.

Despite these conflicting interests and personalities, they just liked each other and, very soon, fell in love. They discovered that they were very compatible in almost everything except their majors - beliefs, books, movies, music, friends, etc. Most significantly, they were very well matched in sexual activities. They moved from fondling and groping to oral sex and, finally, to sexual intercourse smoothly with no difficulty. They meshed together perfectly and, unlike most college romances, they stayed together, neither having any desire to stray. It was a wonderful four years - they had found their life partners and their career paths without the trauma most college students suffer through.

With this lack of drama in their social lives they were able to dedicate themselves to their studies and both graduated with honors. At the job fairs conducted by the school's placement office, each of them received multiple offers. Mark was courted by the major IT companies with high paying jobs but he finally accepted an offer from a start-up, located near Philadelphia, which paid largely in stock options but intrigued him because its program interested him and he would be in almost at the beginning of its creation.

He had met the originators while in classes at Penn State and they welcomed him as a colleague instead of just an employee. Of most importance to him, he would be part of a small group of innovators rather than one obscure worker among hundreds doing rote work at, for example, Microsoft or Apple. Julie was happy to accept a well-paying (in cash) position at a major regional bank in Philadelphia, Eastern Bank and Trust, and started her drive to reach and break through that glass ceiling that limit women in a "man's field".

With the job issue settled, they scheduled a wedding for August and found a small townhouse to rent. It was then that they showed both their togetherness and their fiscal conservatism. Their parents were not rich but they jointly offered the prospective bride and groom a sum that they were willing to commit to the wedding and honeymoon. That sum would be adequate to provide a fairly lavish wedding ceremony and reception and a luxurious honeymoon cruise. Due to scholarships, family support and part time work, Mark and Julie's student loans were far less that the burden's other graduates face, but they didn't like them hanging over their heads. After serious discussion, they decided to have a relatively small wedding and reception and have a honeymoon cliché - Niagara Falls!

Their plan: deny themselves immediate self-gratification to build a better future. They would put their parent's contribution and what they felt they could save from their salaries into paying off those loans. They computed that their debts could be paid off and enough savings put aside so that they could take a wonderful, worry free opulent honeymoon cruise at their fifth anniversary. That became their goal and they even started a computer countdown so they saw the number of days till their fifth anniversary honeymoon became real. They also figured that by that time they would be ready financially and personally to start a family. It was fun to watch the number shrink and they even attached to program on their families' computers.

In any case, on August 23, a Saturday, they were married in a relatively small ceremony with a moderate reception. It was pleasant, but not ostentatious, with family and real friends. After their brief honeymoon, they repaired to the house they had rented and settled down to married life. The house was small but adequate. A living-dining room, kitchen, office and power room on the first floor, a master bedroom with a large walk-in closet and a guest room upstairs. Both bedrooms had en suite bathrooms. More than adequate.

They settled down to married life with a pleasant routine. Julie left each weekday morning and returned at 6 PM or a little later, depending on traffic. Mark's hours were less regular, not surprising since he was with a startup. Two or three times a week, sometimes more, he would work from home the full day. Other days his time varied, but he tried, when possible, to be home by 5 or 5:30. He would start dinner and it would be close to ready when she arrived. He liked to cook, so it was no burden and they would have the evening together. Other times they would go out or order in. On weekends she would cook or they would work together. The other minutia of family life was handled in the same companionable way and life moved on.

One of the extremely important parts of married life, of course, was sex. It was excellent! As said before, they meshed together perfectly in college and that included sex. The only real limitations was lack of opportunity until they moved in together their senior year. The transition into married life was seamless. They each knew the other's needs and desires and responded to them. Julie was an interesting case when it came to having sex. Even if she was not in the mood, for whatever reason, a small amount of cunnilingus would get her wet. Then, regardless of her original lack of interest, his cock could penetrate her and she would fully participate.

Her movements would become uncontrolled and her orgasm would be gigantic. As a result, their sexual intercourse, i.e. fucking, was always vigorous and mutually satisfactory. However, there was one aspect of Julie's orgasms that had caused them problems while in college. Men were permitted to be in a coed's dorm room, but not for sex - a rule that was winked at, not rigidly enforced. However, whenever she reached orgasm she emitted a shrill exclamation of pleasure that was clearly discernable through the door into the hallway. It wasn't an annoying sound at all, but it was an announcement to the world that she had just had sex. It led to a great deal of teasing as well as a few reprimands from unsympathetic authorities. Mark moved off campus his junior year and the noise became a nonissue.

Mark still teased her about "hurting his ears" and also about how easy it was to get her hot. He laughed at her, insisting that no matter how cold she was at the start, if any man, whoever it was, managed to get her wet enough to get into her, she would get hot and have an orgasm. She emphatically denied that, of course, but, with a grin, added "I'll have to try it sometime to find out. That could be handy if you weren't around!"

Mark unequivocally replied, "If you even think about it, another part of your anatomy, your little ass, will get very, very hot!" They were secure in their relationship and this type of teasing back and forth was a lot of fun for them.

In any case, after the explosive climax, there would be a period of cuddling and hugging, a period which Dr. Ruth calls "afterplay." During this time there would be words like honey, dear, sweetheart or darling exchanged. It was an integral part of the love-making and was a time of bonding intimacy and closeness which was of importance to both of them, particularly Julie. It was the difference between just fucking and making love. They often would fall asleep in that position. Life was good, physically, mentally and professionally.

Time passed. At last they celebrated their fourth anniversary and the countdown dropped below 365 days. Things had worked out perfectly. They were well established in their jobs, their salaries had grown (particularly Julie's) and they had paid off their student loan debt and had put aside more than was needed for their fifth-year cruise. It was a time of great anticipation and happiness and preparations began. They shopped together (not Mark's favorite way of spending time with Julie) for glamorous dresses for dress up nights.

They sorted through "cruise wear" in January and February. As warmth arrived in April and May, there were light weight summer dresses as well as bikinis to be purchased. Mark quickly learned that part of the great appeal of a cruise for women is the chance for her to display herself in stylish, fashionable, even seductive, clothes. He had a strong suspicion that Julie was also privately indulging herself in more explicit intimate items, i.e. lingerie, but he certainly had no objection to that!

In any case, a section of their walk-in closet was devoted to their purchases - two beautiful short cocktail dresses and one Hollywood worthy long gown, surrounded by new skirts, blouses and pants. It was a lovely and cheerful display that brought a pleasurable anticipation of future happiness to both of them. In addition, Mark watched Julie surreptitiously place items in a drawer of her bureau and he looked forward to seeing those items displayed just for him. Anticipation is a wonderful feeling - it doesn't cost anything but it gives real pleasure!

It was in early May, nearly three months from that fifth anniversary that Julie burst into the house, beyond herself with fabulous news. "Mark, where are you?"

Stepping out of his office with a bemused expression on his face as he looked at his very excited wife replying, "I'm right here honey! What's up?"

"Oh Mark, you won't believe it! I've received a big promotion and raise! I'm going to be the administrative assistant to the supervisor in our asset management division - actually I'll be number two in the division!"

"My god, what happened?"

She plunked herself down on the couch, literally quivering with excitement as she poured out her tale. It went this way:

************************************************************

Julie was sitting at her desk looking over some investment proposals when she was called into the vice president's office. There she met Mr. Henry M. Johnstone, the head of her asset management division. She had never been summoned to that office before and, needless to say, she was very nervous, fearing that had done something wrong and was going to be rebuked. However, his smile at seeing her relieved some of her tension. He was a handsome, obviously fit man, probably in his early 50's, and she was immediately impressed by his friendly and confident manner. His voice seemed to exude power as he started out by saying, "Sit down Mrs. Schafer. We've never met before but I have gone over your record and I am quite impressed. Now, as you know, this division lost several long-term employees to retirement since the first of the year and that has left us short-handed. In addition, last week Jeff Stirling, my principle assistant, was transferred to our New Jersey branch to replace a heart attack victim.

"We've been debating as to how to handle this shortage. The retirements weren't expected until the fall and I certainly didn't anticipate losing Jeff. Anyway, we have decided that we do not want to cannibalize from other branches, causing problems there. Our solution is to bring in more lower-level finance employees to this division to fill the ranks and move our more experienced people up faster than we normally would to fill our vacancies. We have several good candidates, one of which is you. I've gone over the records and you are the youngest and least experienced, but, as I said, I am impressed with your potential.

"I think that with my help you will be able to grow into the position faster than the others and, in the long run, you will make up for your relative inexperience. Therefore, if you think that you are up to the job, I will to appoint you to be my administrative assistant! What is your reaction?"

Julie sat there stunned for a moment before she could respond. "Mr. Johnstone, I am thrilled at the opportunity and I certainly will do my best. Yes, I think that I can handle the job, but of course there are those holes in my experience. However, I'm a quick study and I think that I can do what is required!"

"Obviously there are situations in which you will need help and I am more than willing to serve as your mentor while you progress." Smiling in an avuncular manner, he continued, "I'm taking a slight chance in choosing you as my assistant since I will be evaluated by my peers as to whether I chose properly, but I'm sure that you will measure up and confirm my judgment! To make sure, I think that it would be a good idea for us to meet here in my office, probably at the end of every day, and go over any problems you encounter."

"Oh, Mr. Johnstone, That would be wonderful if you can spare the time. I just can't tell you how grateful I am at this opportunity!"

************************************************************

Julie was bubbling over with her news and Mark matched her enthusiasm, thrilled at seeing her being rewarded for her good work. "That's just wonderful, honey! It's just the first step in what is going to be a wonderful career. You'll be president of that bank before you notice!" The celebration went on for hours with Julie remembering more details of the meeting and speaking rapturously about her supervisor, Vice President Henry M. Johnstone. Not only had he selected her for the position but also he also offered, very generously, to serve as a mentor to help with her lack of administrative experience.

That night and the weeks that followed was probably the crowning point, the apex, of their marriage. There was much to be happy about. Julie was embarked on the road to her dream career while having her salary rise by 50%. At the same time, Mark's startup was actually making money and they were seriously considering an initial public offering (IPO) or, instead, being bought out by a major operator. Either option could make the company worth several billion dollars - making Mark's stock options worth millions.

Probably of more importance than this financial bonanza to the stability of their marriage was the fact that they still were in love. They respected and actually listened to each other. Last, and very far from least in their busy lives, their sex life remained quite satisfying - frequent and satiating. A happy and stable relationship at its best!

Unfortunately, when a marriage - or, really, anything else - is at the top, the zenith, the best that can happen is for it to remain at that plateau, remain stable and happy. Otherwise, the only path leads downward! This, alas, was the fate of this marriage - a downward course gaining momentum as it approached the end.

Still, for some time the euphoria over Julie's promotion was real and the good life continued. Their's had always been a light and free relationship with the wonderful ability to tease and laugh at and with each other. For example, Julie would ask, "How long will you guys fool the public and have playtime on the computer while losing money hand over fist? It's a con game and I'll end up supporting you when your creditors wake up!" Mark would counter with, "All you people do is shove paper around! You don't create anything - you just take other people's money, stir it around and take some off the top. You're no better than Las Vegas casinos, but you have prestige!" Each would laugh while mocking the other.

Therefore, when just after her promotion, Julie came through the door bearing an impressive briefcase, some taunting would be expected. "Wow, look at the big time executive coming in with her prestige-type briefcase! Big time financial expert carrying important documents to study at home! Is it chained to your wrist so that opposing bankers can't steal your secrets? God, I'm impressed!"

"Well, you should be! You amble around in jeans and a shirt with your company logo while I am appropriately dressed for business with, as you say, a briefcase which shows that I have too much important work to do in an eight-hour day!" Julie laughed at herself as she replied and the bantering went on for a few minutes they settled down and she explained, "I had to borrow this briefcase to lug a bunch of basically useless stuff home. It seems that I am now on the administrative level mailing list of general memos, announcements, pamphlets, and associated garbage. It trickles in over time but I got this month's supply in one delivery. I was too busy to winnow through it today, so I just dumped in this case. It's mostly trash but I'll glance through it after dinner."

"I was afraid of this. Big time executive bring her work home, ignoring her husband's needs!"

"Knock it off, wretched husband. I will continue to handle your 'needs' while working hard in my elevated position. However, just remember who the main wage earner here is and treat me with respect!"

Mark sat with her at the table after dinner as she, one by one, dropped inapplicable, outdated, and totally useless pieces of paper in the trash. "I was tempted to just dump it all in the waste paper basket at work, but I was afraid that I might miss something. I lugged all of this crap home for nothing."

"Wait, what's that? Mark reached over and picked up a colorful pamphlet from the pile. "'Conference Cruise.' This looks interesting."

"Let me see. Oh yes, Mr. Johnstone brought that up a day or so ago. It's like that conference they had in Las Vegas last year. Hot shots getting together to 'talk business' and learn new things."

"Oh yeah, like at the black jack tables or at those 'topless revues.' Seminars and meeting that no one attends! Boondoggles in other words. I read a newspaper article not long ago that the IRS was checking on those things and has been cracking down. They've been checking to see if those conferences really had any actual professional value or if they were they just tax deductible vacations. This one looks interesting. A seven day cruise on the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas with daily seminars on financial developments, tax avoidance, problems in administration, fiduciary responsibility in 401K recommendations. Quite a list and, with the new scrutiny, they might actually have to attend a few while 'networking'. This should be right up your alley - oh, wait, there's a conflict. It overlaps with our honeymoon cruise. You'll have to wait till next year to get that administrative perk."

"Ok, wise guy. Our firm sends two or three people to conferences every year to, I guess, 'show the flag' and Mr. Johnstone already told me that I was eligible now and that it would be good experience. Of course there would be no thought of me being selected to represent our firm - there are, obviously, hundreds more qualified than I. More important, I certainly have no interest in mingling with a bunch of higher ranked and experienced administrators anyway. I was very happy to point out the schedule conflict and remove any thought he had of recommending me."