The Cruise

With tears streaming down her face, Jenny stumbled between tables of startled diners and disappeared before Margot and I could think of a word to say.

Jenny's phone calls gradually dwindled to zero and life for me turned into a new normal. The divorce would take twelve months to finalize but was still not signed. Since I had no romantic attachments, I was in no hurry. When Margot finally found a secretarial job close to home her stress levels eased and she became a pleasant companion at home. We shared an occasional dinner at a local restaurant but maintained a professional distance in all matters at home.

"She's dating again, Harry," announced Margot one day. "For the first time in weeks she phoned today to tell me she's met a hunk of a man who's taking her out."

"Perhaps now she'll sign the divorce papers," I grumbled but deep within I felt disappointed. Dare I confront the possibility that what I was jealous? Try as I might, I could not dismiss the deep ache I felt as following this revelation.

A new problem surfaced a day later. Margot emerged from her room after dinner, wearing a baby doll nightie which left little to the imagination and a sheer wrap over her shoulders. She headed straight to the liquor cabinet and poured us each a glass of wine, displaying her luscious breasts provocatively as she leaned forward to hand mine over.

"How come you've never made a move on me Harry?" she purred. "Am I not attractive enough for you? I know you're not going out. Tell me, what do I have to do to kindle your interest."

Pausing to collect my thoughts, I proceeded as delicately as I could, knowing that there was no way of escaping this question without consequence.

"Margot you're a very attractive woman and of course I've thought about starting a relationship despite our original agreement. We've been close friends for years but we both know that romance on the rebound is a bad idea and the scars I carry from my split with Jenny are still a long way from healed. When you mentioned yesterday that Jenny is dating again, I admit that for a moment I felt pangs of jealousy. Seconds later I had visions of Jenny and John at the bottom of the gangplank in Darwin and my jealousy gave way to anger. I'm so conflicted right now that you would be crazy to get mixed up with me romantically until I can sort out my own feelings."

She closed the distance between us and settled on my lap, placing a tender kiss on my cheek.

"I understand Harry," she whispered softly. "Just know that I'm ready whenever you are. And if you need a little relief with no strings attached, my bedroom door is never locked and you're welcome any time."

We sat like that for a long time and I was surprised when I realized the tears running down my cheeks were my own. Reluctantly, I helped Margot off my knee, made my excuses and retired to the seclusion of my room.

I had a miserable, sleepless night with visions of Jenny in the arms of another man, Margot's wonderful, unrestrained breasts swaying in her loose pajama top, picnic outings with Jenny, lovemaking during our last holiday all meshed into a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts.

After Margot left for work the following morning, I came to a decision. Staying at her house would inevitably lead to sex which could harm us both so when she returned that evening I had dinner on the table and a bottle of Chablis chilled and ready to pour.

"What's the occasion Harry?" she smiled.

"No special occasion. You have done so much for me for the past few months that I wanted to show my appreciation. Now let's enjoy dinner."

Over coffee at the end of the meal, it was time to get serious.

"Margot you've been incredibly generous to me. You gave me so much more than a place to live, you gave me your love and support when I needed it most. You know I have feelings for you and saying "no" to you last night was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I'm still shattered that Jenny threw our marriage vows away so casually. I have nightmares where she laughs at me while she's kissing a guy alongside a ship. And then I remember some of the wonderful times we've had together. Our holidays; our time spent with her family or mine; trips to the beach; picnics by the river. I miss those times Margot and I really miss my wife. I wish we could just wind back the clock and that this crazy cruise had never happened. I thought we were the best matched couple in the world until she proved that we were not."

Margot listened patiently, waiting for me to continue without commenting.

"Last night showed us that unless we change, we will stumble into a sexual relationship which neither of us is ready for. I care for you deeply Margot but I'm scared that our love for each other would change forever if we take that step."

I looked up to see a tear trickling down Margot's cheek.

"You're leaving aren't you Harry?" she whispered softly, her voice quavering.

"I have to leave Margot. You need to move on with your life and you cannot do that while you have me around. I need to move on too, because I can't go through life hiding behind your apron strings."

"I hoped there would be a chance for us," she mused wistfully. "Even though I said at the outset the arrangement between us would be strictly platonic. We've always had feelings for each other, even when we were kids."

I agreed. "That's true Margot. We've been best mates forever. Let's make sure we stay best mates by not trying to become lovers for all the wrong reasons."

"I'm not going to try to stop you from leaving if that's what you want, Harry. I will miss you like crazy and I think you'll miss me a little too. It will also make it a bit tougher financially but now I have a steady job, I can manage. Please, think of me a little from time to time."

I felt as though I had just kicked a helpless puppy. To see Margot in so much distress was diabolical. A terrible way to repay her for her support and generosity.

Before things became even more emotional, we turned to the mundane duties of washing up the dinner dishes, neither of us able to speak, before quietly retiring to our respective rooms.

At the same time, my business was growing much faster than I had anticipated. While staying at Margot's had made it easy, it surprised me to realize that I was spending more than 70 hours a week on the job. I was behind in my billing and it was becoming increasingly difficult to service my customers when they needed help. I advertised for an assistant and simultaneously started the search for an office. They came together at almost the same time. I found an old two-level building that once was a corner shop not far from the city. With full windows facing both street frontages, the original shop entry had been bricked up to convert the shop space into a huge living room. There was a small downstairs kitchen but the true residential part of the building was all upstairs. It was perfect. I had builders redesign the downstairs section to convert it into two offices and a reception desk, replacing the weathered windows with modern frames. The original entry was re-opened and fitted with a pair of classic varnished timber doors, with my name prominently displayed on its glass inserts in gold leaf lettering. The entire conversion took nearly two months, during which time my stay at Margot's became increasingly strained.

Hundreds of hopeful computer gurus responded to my advertisement for an assistant. My criteria were simple. I needed an assistant who had the skill set to complement my own and who could relate to my customers. Hopefully we could one day become partners. The short list took forever to refine but one by one I reduced the list to a final five, responding to those I had declined and inviting my selected few for interview in my new office, just a day after moving in a couple of second hand desks and chairs.

The final selection proved to be much easier than I feared. Arthur surprised me on several levels. He was the oldest of the applicants, at least five years older than me. His long blonde hair was neatly swept back into a ponytail and his clothing was casual but neat. It only took minutes for me to realize his potential. He immediately understood the direction I had taken with some of my major clients and had some solid suggestions of his own. There was no haggling over salary. He was far more interested in being involved in true developmental work.

Elated with the progress made in the past few weeks, I returned to my room at Margot's for the final time, having filled the upstairs level of my office with new bedroom furniture and some basic dining facilities and cookware.

Although I had little time for anything but my work, I wondered what Jenny had been doing since our dinner. I felt bad about leaving Margot after her generous help to make me whole again. I often contemplated how a life with Margot might be. She and I were so compatible, we liked the same things and we had been best mates since childhood. We had shared each other's innermost secrets, never judging and always there when one or other of us needed a shoulder to cry on. We were both young enough to start a family, but was our friendship love? Could we marry and grow old together?

For our last night in Margot's home, she had gone all out. A gorgeous candlelit dinner for two with all the trimmings awaited me. We tried valiantly to make light conversation but Margot was clearly at breaking point, facing the reality of my departure from her life and a return to loneliness. I helped her clear away the dishes and we moved to the lounge to watch some mindless TV. She sat close to me, her head resting on my shoulder.

Thanking her once again for a beautiful meal and for her hospitality over the past months, I eased away from her to retire for the night.

"You're welcome Harry. You really didn't have to leave but I understand your reasons. Goodnight."

Lying awake gazing at the ceiling, I heard Margot moving about, heard the shower running and was just drifting off to sleep when my bedroom door opened. Silhouetted by the light behind her, Margot stood in the doorway, naked.

"Don't you DARE say no to me tonight Harry," she threatened. "I deserve this and I need you."

She moved purposefully to my bed, flung back the covers to slip in beside me. She was crying softly, tears rolling down her face. Taking my face in her two hands, she kissed me deeply, slowly moving her body on top of mine. Breaking the kiss, she slid down to remove my boxers, briefly kissing the tip of my cock while moving back to her original position.

"Make love to me Harry, please love me tonight."

I had broken this girl enough - there was no way I would let her down tonight. She needed love. I was here and I was going to deliver.

Gently I returned her kisses. Rolling her to one side, I kissed the side of her face, her neck and holding one of her breasts firmly in one hand, sucked the nipple hard. Her hand cupped the back of my head, drawing me tight into her bosom, mewing softly as I suckled her. I ran my hands down her supple body, marveling at its firmness. Rolling her onto her back, I knelt astride her and began an assault on both her breasts, alternating with hard sucking on one while kneading the other. Margot was squirming beneath me, her hips rhythmically thrusting upwards.

"Yes Harry. Yes." She murmured over and over, encouraging me to explore every inch of her. Finally abandoning her luscious nipples, which by now were swollen and red, I kissed and licked my way down her torso. Spreading her outer lips with my fingers, I gazed upon the most delicious looking vagina you could possibly imagine. Glistening with moisture it was more than ready for me. I blew gently across it, eliciting a shiver of delight from Margot, before running my tongue along the full length of her slit, right up to her clitoris. She bucked but I held her firmly and repeated the action over and over until she was struggling for control. I then sucked hard on her clit, bringing her to a crashing, screaming orgasm.

I gently held her clit between my lips, touching it with my tongue at intervals, each time feeling her shake with little aftershocks.

"That was beautiful Harry," she whispered. "But I need you to fill me now. I am so wet I can feel my fluids running between my cheeks."

She drew her feet up to her backside, spreading her knees wide and opening up for me while taking a firm grip on my cock which by now was engorged to the point of being painful. Guiding it to her entrance, she took control by thrusting violently upwards, impaling herself fully, our pubic hair mingling.

I am a little vague on what followed. After my first orgasm, Margot took the initiative, her body slipping and sliding all over mine, kissing my face, sucking my toes and bringing my flagging cock back to full mast in no time. She was demanding like no woman I've ever known, riding me hard one minute and writhing beneath me and pleading to be used harder the next.

At some stage during the night we both fell asleep wrapped up together, blissfully unaware of the sweat and combined body fluids that soaked my bed.

In the morning, I awakened slowly to the feeling of Margot's mouth sucking my morning wood.

"I saw it there and it was so hard that I just couldn't resist it," she giggled between sucks.

Our final fuck session was almost clinical. I knew I was expected to perform. She knew she had demanded it but responded with a sense of duty rather than enthusiasm. The melancholy of our parting hit us both hard when I left her home for the final time. My computer and office gear had already been shifted to my new office, leaving only a couple of suitcases. Holding the door open for me and taking advantage of the fact that my hands were full, she pressed herself against me one last time and placed a scorching kiss on my open mouth, her tongue seeking mine, her arms crossed behind my neck.

"Thank you for last night Harry. It was the best I've ever had." Tears flowed. "If you ever want to come back, you know you're always welcome. Please don't be a stranger. Let's do dinner every so often."

She turned away quickly, closing the door in my face before any tears fell. I felt terrible as I lugged the suitcases down the path and into my car and drove away. Was I crazy to leave Margot when she was in love with me?

In our new office, Arthur was glued to his computer monitors when I dragged my suitcases through the door.

"Hope you don't mind Boss. I'm having a look at the program you mapped out for Apex and I'd like to look at some changes."

"Give me an hour or so Arthur. I need to get this stuff upstairs and pour a coffee before I can think about firing up a computer. You want me to make you one while I'm at it?"

"Sure Boss," he grinned and went back to his screen.

Arthur's talent for refining my ideas was nothing short of amazing. The changes he proposed for the Apex account were logical, easy to implement and made the whole package far more intuitive and user friendly. The Apex management team was delighted. It took us several weeks to train all their staff and fully implement the system but once it was up and running, it required virtually no support from us.

Word spread and over the next few months the business flourished. My ability to innovate was complemented perfectly by Arthur's ability to map out the detail. Together we made a formidable team.

Late one Friday afternoon we were winding down for the week when a seductive voice called out from the doorway.

"Buy a girl a drink?" she breathed sexily.

"Margot! What a lovely surprise. Come on in and have a look around. Oh - this is Arthur, my partner in the business."

Arthur nearly choked on his coffee.

"When did I become a partner, Boss?" he laughed.

"Probably the first day you started working with me. I just haven't bothered to announce it yet, nor work out the detail. "

Margot piped in: "Well let me be the first to offer my congratulations, Arthur." She shimmied around to his desk, leaned forward and placed a light kiss on his cheek. He blushed furiously. He looked cute.

"Awww," she mocked. "The poor boy is bashful."

Arthur reveled in being the centre of attention. Anything but bashful now, he playfully flung an arm around Margot' midriff, pulled her close and returned her kiss, lips to lips. From where I sat, he might even have put a little tongue in there.

"I think this calls for a celebration."

Jumping from his chair, he took an overwhelmed Margot by the hand and dragged her towards the door.

"Where would you like to go to dinner." He grinned.

Margot looked to me for help but I just laughed back at her and shrugged. For a moment I felt jealous of Arthur. For a guy who always appeared quiet and shy he certainly moved quickly and I was uncertain for a moment whether the dinner invitation included me but I followed them anyway and locked up.

The little café around the corner was perfect. We enjoyed a few drinks and a light meal. The small table settings left Margot and Arthur on one side and me on the other. We laughed a lot and the magnetism between the two of them was immediately obvious. I left to walk back to my office apartment, watching Margot and Arthur go the other way to collect their vehicles. To see my workmate coming out of his shell tonight was uplifting. He was far more animated than normal and really hit it off with Margot. I felt good for them both and enjoyed a deep and untroubled sleep for the first time in weeks.

Although I expected to wait until Monday for a progress report, an excited Arthur phoned early the next morning, just as I sat down with my first coffee for the day.

"G'day Harry," he began happily. "I have to talk to you. It can't wait until Monday. Are you free today?"

I invited him over for lunch to share a pizza delivered moments before his arrival.

"I couldn't sleep Harry," he gushed excitedly. "Did you mean what you said about becoming partners?"

"Sure did! I have written up a loose agreement for you to hold 10% of the partnership, with an option to increase that to a 50/50 share over the next five years if we both agree. You buy in with a salary sacrifice so you don't have to borrow money."

"This is my dream job Harry. Nobody has ever had enough trust in me to allow me freedom to develop ideas in the way you have. I know I might be socially awkward and a bit of a nerd, but I also know that I have a great eye for detail. With your flair and my technical ability, together we can build this business and seriously worry some of the big boys."

I smiled at his obvious enthusiasm. "I'm not too worried about the big boys Arthur. I've built up a nice portfolio of loyal clients and pride myself in listening to their needs to build software accordingly. They know that if they have a problem, I will drop everything to put them back on track. Hell, it was that service ethic that broke up my marriage, I guess. We were due to go on a cruise but I had to bail out at the last minute to fix a serious programming problem. By the time I resolved it, the ship had sailed and my marriage sailed along with it."

"I'm sorry Boss. Margot mentioned the cruise briefly last night but she didn't go into any detail. She also mentioned that you lived at her home for a while. She seems to like you a lot Harry. Is there something going on between you two that maybe I should know about?"

"I've known Margot since we were in prep school. We've been best buds forever and yes, she offered me a place to stay and live after my marriage fell apart. Is there something between us? If you mean - do I want to spend the rest of my life in her bed, then no. If you mean do I love her and would I protect her - then hell yes. I would lay down and die for that girl but we're good friends and that's all we'll ever be."