The Pleasure Cruise Ch. 03

Thanks as always to Ravenna933 for being my editor and biggest supporter.

I awoke on the third morning of my Caribbean cruise to movement in the cabin. Lauren was already up and puttering around the room as I came to. My internal gyroscope told me the ship was still underway -- I knew we were hitting Grand Turk this morning, but I hadn't bothered to look what time we would arrive.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she began. I opened my eyes to see her wearing lacy, hot pink panties and nothing else.

"Good morning. Sleep well?"

"My goodness, so well," she gushed. She was in the process of brushing her teeth. "For the first time in over a week, I'm not feeling uncontrollably frustrated."

"Thank heaven for small mercies," I said as Lauren rolled her eyes at me. "So, what happened last night with you and Emily?"

"Well, you were there for part of it..." Lauren began.

"That was hot," I agreed.

"I know it's probably wrong to have gotten off on being eaten out with you under the bed, but damn, it was one of the hottest things that's ever happened to me," Lauren gushed. "I'll start at the beginning if you want to hear the story."

"I mean, the beginning is you aggressively seducing her over the past couple of days," I pointed out.

"Yeah." Lauren smiled smugly. "After dinner, you guys went to the comedy club and she and I were going to go to the hot tub. We never made it there."

"What happened instead?" I asked.

"One sec." Lauren finished with her toothbrush and went and rinsed out in the bathroom, then came and sat down on the bed, cross-legged, looking down at me. "What happened is I'm fucking good at getting what I want."

"I've definitely noticed that over the years," I recalled. "So how did you convince a straight girl with a boyfriend into bed?"

"She was never a straight girl, regardless of how she thought of herself," Lauren asserted.

"I've learned never to doubt your gaydar, but she still needed to be seduced?"

"Yep." Lauren grinned ear-to-ear. "So, I invited her in so I could change into my bathing suit, and once I was down to my panties, I mentioned it was like we were picking up again where the game left off. I could tell she was still horny, she was flustered, she couldn't look me in the eye. She was like a pop bottle under pressure, all it took was getting the cap off and she was going to explode. So, I got really in close with her, close enough that my tits were pressing against hers, and whispered in her ear that I wanted to keep playing the game with just her."

"Smooth."

Lauren shrugged. "Clever lines or stupid lines don't matter when you know the person wants you. She looked like she was going to burst, so I just leaned in and kissed her. Gentle, restrained, not the way I wanted to kiss her, but trying to make her want more. I could feel her legs buckling, so I pulled her in close and leaned her over the bed, and that's how it started."

"No real effort, then."

"The real effort was the past few days," Lauren observed. "I spent two days getting my ball near the hole, and all I had to do last night was tap it in."

"I won't ask you to kiss and tell, but was it good? Did it do for you what you needed?" I asked.

"It was really good for me." Lauren was practically glowing. "That sex with Tom and Jill was weird and it really wasn't satisfying. I still haven't had the good 'fuck me senseless' experience that I'm craving with a man, but last night was at least emotionally satisfying. I don't feel like I'm a mess anymore, at least not in the same way, though my libido is still raging. After having no sex for months, my body's demanding I make up for lost time."

"I'm happy for you." I smiled.

"As far as asking me to kiss and tell, thanks for being discreet, but I gotta brag to someone. We hardly talked, I think her brain was mush. I just went to work on her. Got her naked, started with fingers, switched to mouth stuff. I figured out she liked it a little rough, and I roughed her up a little. She makes the most adorable whimpering noises when she cums." Lauren winked. "After she got off for the seventh time, I think it was, she passed out, so that was when I snuggled in with her. I wasn't planning to fall asleep. I was still all revved up from not having gotten off yet. I wasn't tired. But the damned ocean movement just knocked me right out."

"Nice work."

"What about you and Danielle? What happened last night? You obviously came back without her."

"We had a good night," I began. "We went to the comedy club, saw both headliners' sets. We didn't really talk much. She's going through some stuff right now, and she's feeling really overwhelmed. She's chosen to open up to me, and I'm happy to talk to her about it all. We just kind of friend-cuddled last night at the comedy club, and then called it a night."

"Emily is convinced that Danielle has a crush on you, and so am I," Lauren insisted. "Normally I think you'd be able to pick up on that. Can you see it? Are you not making a move because of your mental health?" She touched my chest gently, a look of concern on her face.

"Um..." I hesitated.

"Oh, you dog!" Lauren grinned. "Congratulations. Did you bang her yet?"

"No!" I insisted. "She's asked me to keep some things private, and I'm going to respect that. I've kissed her, and that's it." I decided our session on the beach was still too private to mention.

"Playing the long game, then. I've seen you on the prowl before, Sean. Make 'em feel safe and then, right when they're not expecting it, bang! Your cock's in her mouth." Lauren cackled.

"You make me sound like a predator," I said, slightly offended. "I've never had thoughts like that."

"Relax, Sean, you're as good with women as any man I've ever known," Lauren said. "You can handle a little shit-talking. How did you resist telling me about watching Miguel and Alejandra on the beach? You don't normally keep stuff like that from me."

"Danielle seemed a little overwhelmed afterwards, and I was worried you'd tease her about it or something," I explained.

"I wouldn't have done that!" Lauren exclaimed, offended. "Well... yeah okay. I might have."

"Once she spilled the beans during the game, I was going to tell you', I continued. "We just never had another moment alone."

"Fair enough," Lauren said. "Anything to add to the story she told?"

"Nothing," I lied. "I've got to tell you something else, though."

"Oh?"

"Danielle knows what happened between you and Emily last night."

Lauren's smile disappeared. "Oh, shit. That was Emily's biggest worry, that Danielle would find out. How does she know? You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Of course I didn't," I said solemnly. "Danielle was with me when we came into the room for the first time and saw you and Emily sleeping. We retreated and said good night, then I came back in to try to wake you. Our plan was to try to get Emily out without her realizing we'd caught her, so Danielle could just pretend it never happened."

"Fuck me. That makes things complicated." Lauren ran her fingers through her hair, thinking. "So, Emily doesn't know that Danielle or you know anything. I guess we just keep that knowledge secret. I don't really want to break her up from her boyfriend. Vacation flings don't count, anyway."

"I'll talk to Danielle about it when I can and see what Emily knows," I offered. "Then we'll know how to proceed."

"I know you and I can keep a secret," Lauren said seriously. "I'm not worried about us. We'll handle it however makes the most sense. At least we shouldn't see them today until dinner. We've got different excursions booked in Grand Turk."

"Speaking of, what are we doing today?" I asked.

"Just one minute, mister." Lauren climbed on top of me, straddling me, and grabbing my arms, pinning me down to the bed. "I just realized something. Why were you coming back to our room with Danielle last night?"

I grinned. "We were going to sit on the balcony."

"She was going to sit on your dick on the balcony, you mean?"

"I don't know."

Lauren bent over, looking me in the eye, her face a foot away from mine. Her bare breasts hung dangerously close to my chest. "What do you think was going to happen?"

I pushed Lauren off me as she shrieked and giggled like a schoolgirl. We wrestled on the bed as she hooted with laughter before I finally broke her grip and got up, heading for the bathroom.

"Tell me! Tell me tell me tell me!" Lauren followed me.

"Do you mind?" I asked her, gesturing at the toilet.

She quickly stole around me, sitting down on the toilet, blocking my way. "Answer the question, Corcoran."

I sighed. "Danielle's going through a lot. I'm not breaking her confidence giving you details."

"I know, I'm not asking you to. I just want to know if you're getting laid, so I can stop worrying about you." She looked me in the eye and took me by the hand. "I care about you, Sean. I want to keep seeing that sparkle back in your eyes. You seemed so dead inside a few days ago."

"Thank you." I smiled at her and lightly hugged her. "I'm not going to make a move on Danielle. If she wants to fuck me, I will. But it's going to have to be her initiation. I don't want to do anything with her she'll regret, particularly when she has a boyfriend."

"You've gotta do a TED Talk someday called 'How to be Ethically Horny'." Lauren stood up. "Have a good shower. I'll fill you in on the excursion when you get out."

I closed the door, stripped my boxers off, and climbed into the shower, lingering for a long time under the hot spray. I finally shut the water off, shaved, and eventually emerged into the room wearing a towel and accompanied by a cloud of steam. Lauren had dressed by this point in a cute red and white sundress with what appeared to be a one-piece bathing suit underneath.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked again.

"We're going snorkelling. Have you ever been snorkelling?"

"Never. I guess I should wear a bathing suit?"

"Whatever you like, I'm sure they'll have a place to change." Lauren shrugged. "I've never been to Grand Turk or been snorkelling before, but Rolf liked snorkelling and wanted me to try it. I'm still willing to give it a shot."

I went and fished out my bathing suit and a t-shirt and then quickly dressed as Lauren watched with undisguised interest. Once I was dressed, I checked the ship's daily program.

"Looks like we don't land until around 11 AM, which means we've got time for breakfast. Do you want to go eat?"

Lauren replied in the affirmative, and we took the stairs up to the Lido deck.

I'd only ever quickly eaten on the Lido so far on the cruise, but with the ship still underway, Lauren and I had the opportunity to really check out the spread. There was an enormous buffet of breakfast foods, from bacon and sausages to pancakes and waffles, all kinds of egg products, an omelettes-to-order station that was very lined up, and all manner of fruits and pastries. Lauren and I each loaded up a plate accompanied with coffee and juice, and then grabbed a window seat to eat. It was another gorgeous day, bright and sunny, with the morning sun glinting off the endless ocean.

I'd no sooner sat down than a message popped up on my phone from Danielle. Does Emily think her secret is safe or not?

Got her out safely. She doesn't know that you or I know, I wrote back.

Good. She's still sleeping. I'm not saying a word for now, but I needed to know what she knew.

We're on the Lido having breakfast. Do you want to come join us? I invited.

Be right there, she answered.

A few minutes later, Danielle appeared, holding a tray with a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. She looked like she hadn't slept well, with bags under her eyes, and had the air of a woman who'd just gotten out of bed. She had a loosely-fitting t-shirt and baggy flannel pants on, with her brown hair a tied-back mess. I could tell from the movement of the swaying mounds under her shirt that she wasn't wearing a bra.

"Morning!" Lauren called brightly.

"Morning," Danielle responded sleepily.

"Lauren knows we both caught them last night," I started.

"Ugh." Danielle rubbed her temples. "This is too complicated for me. I'm going to have to tell Emily that we know what she did. I'm not good at keeping secrets anyway."

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," she responded unconvincingly.

"Are you sure?"

Danielle thought for a moment. "Yes. I've got no reason to be upset with anyone, really. Emily's a big girl, she can do what she wants. You're both single. I just... this vacation hasn't been very relaxing so far. I think Emily and I both are having our eyes opened a little as to what we've missed over the years of being well-behaved good girls, and I'm feeling stressed out about it all."

"Maybe you need to get laid," Lauren prodded.

Danielle blushed, unable to respond.

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about it," Lauren continued. I kicked her sharply under the table, which caused her to jump and then shoot me a dirty look.

"No, you're probably right," Danielle said quietly. "I do need something... like that. I just don't know if I can bring myself to do that while I'm still in a relationship."

"You need to talk to Emily too," I added. "You guys are best friends, and I think you both might have more in common with this than you think." I remembered back to the conversation I'd overheard last night that hinted Emily's relationship was also less perfect than she'd let on.

"You're right!" Lauren picked up on my train of thought. "If she's your best friend, she should understand you and not judge you. Maybe she's going through something similar."

"Yeah..." Danielle trailed off. "Regardless, I have to talk to her about everything that's happened, and about what I'm feeling with Andre. I can't keep this all a secret forever."

There was a momentary silence as we ate our breakfasts.

"What are you doing in Grand Turk?" I changed the subject.

Danielle looked relieved. "We're just going to the beach, I think. You?"

"Snorkelling."

"Sounds fun." She picked at her cereal.

"Do you need to talk without Lauren overhearing?" I asked.

"Yeah, I can fuck off if you need me to," Lauren volunteered.

"No..." Danielle trailed off again. "I mean, yes. I'd like that. But I need to talk to Emily first. Can we maybe meet up tonight after we're back on the ship?"

"I'd love to." I smiled at her and took her by the hand, which raised the first smile from her of the morning.

"OK, time to go wake up my best friend and tell her I know about her lesbian hookup." She looked crestfallen.

"Are you mad at me?" Lauren asked.

"No," Danielle answered. "I'm not mad at anyone. I just want to clear the air with Emily and have a long talk about where we are in our lives."

"Good luck. Keep me posted."

"Thanks, and I will." She went and re-filled her coffee cup, then grabbed a second for her friend, and disappeared back to the elevators.

"I thought you wanted me to be your wingman," Lauren started as soon as Danielle was out of sight.

"I do, when it's needed," I answered. "I think I've got this one without your help."

"That's good to hear," Lauren smiled at me. "She wants to fuck you so badly, she's just trying to talk herself into it."

"I think so too," I agreed. "But I need her to talk herself into it on her own. I'm not going to push her."

"You really haven't changed from the Sean I used to know," she observed. "Honour among thieves."

"It's having you back in my life that's done it," I said honestly. "I missed you. It's like there was a piece missing since you moved out west two years ago."

"Are you feeling better, then?" she asked.

"I'm feeling a lot better. I don't think I realized just how much until we got back together on this holiday. Losing you was like losing my left arm. I could probably function without it, but life is so much better with it." I smiled at her.

"I'm feeling more like myself too," Lauren said, returning the smile. "I still need a good deep dicking, but the emotional void is gone."

"You don't tell me about your emotions," I reminded her.

Lauren sighed, and for a moment, I saw a little bit of her hard exoskeleton crack before she shook off the onrush of emotion. "Sean, I don't know if this makes any sense, but I think that even when I'm not talking about my feelings with you, I like knowing that I can. You make me feel safe by giving me that option, even though I also know I'm never going to take it."

"I think that makes sense," I responded.

"I've been questioning myself ever since I had my... moment. On the first night." Lauren sipped her coffee. "You work in insurance, but you're also my insurance. Like, I know I can be myself around you, and if I slip, it'll be okay. I hadn't seen you in so long that the wall cracked that night, and for the first time I had to actually use my insurance policy."

"That's such a nice thing for you to say that I'm not even going to tease you about that corny, tortured metaphor," I answered with a smile.

Lauren blushed. "Shut up, Sean."

"I'm sorry."

"You let me be myself, in a way that no one else does." She took my hand, briefly, and I saw another brief flash of emotion in her eyes before she fought it off. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too."

We finished our breakfast in relative silence, and then went up on deck in the brilliant late-morning sunshine. Grand Turk was easily visible on the horizon, a low, long island stretching ahead and to port as the ship steered for a pier at the southern tip of the land.

Once the ship docked, we made our way through the crowds and eventually out on land. Grand Turk's cruise port was a small, gated community filled with stores owned by the cruise lines, selling overpriced souvenirs and liquor, with another gorgeous beach stretching out from the pier. Groups were assembling around the excursions desk, and we milled around there until the bulk of the cruise passengers had disembarked and the cruise employees started organizing us.

Once we had found the group of snorkellers, we were herded onto a small, open-topped bus, which pulled us out of the cruise terminal and into Grand Turk itself. Grand Turk, as our guide related in a British Caribbean accent, was the capital and largest island of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and was one of the easternmost islands in the Caribbean chain before the open Atlantic. Partially as a result of this, Grand Turk was occasionally hammered by hurricanes, most recently in 2017 when Hurricanes Irma and Maria had knocked the island flat in a one-two punch over a period of months. The island we saw now was still recovering from that devastation, with houses still in a general state of disrepair everywhere we looked. I felt a little like a rich western heel on a tour through the shattered lives of people of colour as we bused through the remains of the island, and I said so to Lauren.

"Yeah, but I guess the other half of that is you're bringing outside investment with you," she pointed out. "Ethical tourism can be hard, but as long as you're bringing in money and not exploiting these people, I'm sure they'll be happy to have you here."

"I guess". I wasn't convinced. I'd travelled in Europe and the Far East before, and Nassau had been a first-world city, but had never been anywhere as conspicuously poor, and I didn't like feeling like I was gawking at anyone else's hardship.

We finally reached another beach on the far side of the island with a small hut manned by a couple of native islanders. A bunch of snorkelling gear was laid out on the beach, organized by size, and as we geared up in wetsuits, masks, flippers and snorkels, I had a chance to evaluate our fellow snorkellers for the first time. They were all roughly in our demographic, ranging from their teens to their fifties, and all were relatively fit by the standards of some of the passengers on our ship.