Smoke and Mirrors (12 page)

Clutching her passport, she looked at her mother with a stunned expression.
Did Mom just say what I think she said?

“And for the love of God, please don’t have unprotected sex,” her mother scolded her.

She looked at her mother, even more horrified. How embarrassing to be told at the age of thirty-five how to have sex.

“Mom!” she whispered urgently.

“I know, I know. But here.” She thrust a pack of condoms into her daughter’s hand and smiled. “They had all better be used by the time you get back.”

Justine stood, perplexed by her mother’s display of this sudden free-wheeling personality.

“I’ll miss you, Mom. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Just enjoy yourself and don’t worry about anything happening here.” She smiled warmly at her daughter and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Justine had no intentions of having sex, or even partying it up like her mother had instructed her. All she wanted to do was rest on the ten-day cruise. Sleep until her body woke her, eat ‘til her stomach was content, and not have to be on anyone’s schedule but her own. The best thing about this cruise was not having to wait on a single person. As a matter of fact, there were over nine hundred staff ready to wait on
her
. Bliss!

The first night on the cruise ship didn’t go as planned. Justine was “worshipping at the porcelain throne”. Thankfully, she’d brought some seasickness tablets with her, and she started swallowing them down, trying to salvage the next nine days of her vacation.

On the second day, Justine felt fantastic. So much so she took her book, (a banned book which was actually a truly inspirational story about hope and finding freedom from demons that tormented an innocent ten-year-old boy) and sat in the sun on the exclusive “adults only” deck while she consumed a Midori Splice cocktail (or three).

“Hi,” she heard from next to her.

She looked up to see a gorgeous man, in his late thirties or early forties standing beside her deck chair.

“Hi,” Justine replied with a smile, though her eyes couldn’t help but lock on the man’s rock-solid abs from behind her very dark sunglasses.

“May I?” he asked as he motioned to the empty chair beside her.

“Of course.”

Justine’s eyes roamed once more over the fit man, before she opened her book to continue reading it.

“Beautiful weather,” he said, as his own eyes raked over Justine’s shapely, pale, long legs.

“Yes it is.” She smiled at him again, and felt her cheeks blush pink.

“Are you looking forward to the islands?” he asked, trying to keep her talking, but not wanting to frighten her either.

Justine dog-eared the page of her book, closed it, and put it in her bag with her towel and sunscreen. 

She just knew this guy was a talker, and she didn’t mind at all.

“All of them. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long while and now I finally can.”

The waiter walked by at that moment and looked at the two talking, “Can I get either of you a drink?” he asked, smiling at the two strangers chatting with each other.

“Please. I’ll have another Midori Splice,” Justine said.

“I’ll have a Jack and coke please,” said the handsome man.

The waiter left and an awkward silence fell over them.

“Why have you never been on a cruise before? Were you frightened?” he asked Justine.

“Oh no, nothing like that. My husband never wanted to go on one. He said we couldn’t afford it.”

“You’re married?” the man asked, surprised because he’d already checked out her left hand and hadn’t seen a ring on her finger.

“Sorry…
ex
-husband,” she corrected.

He smiled.

“That’s his loss and my gain,” he mumbled, hopefully not loud enough for her to hear.

Justine did hear, and was surprised. Her ex-husband was a prick. He used to tell her that her tits were too small, her hips were too wide, and her smile was hideous. Justine didn’t believe him at first, but he’d continued to make snide small comments about her until eventually, she began to believe him.

“May I ask your name?”

“Justine,” she said, smiling at him.

“Justine. That’s a lovely name. I’m Adrian. Pleased to meet you.” He held out his hand to her, and Justine accepted it immediately. The moment her fingers touched his, a warm tingle traveled up her arm.

“Are you here on your own then?” Adrian asked, hopeful.

“I am. Seasickness put me out of commission yesterday, but today I’m perfectly fine.”

Adrian laughed; he knew all too well what she meant, for he’d had a bout of it as well.
“Ha! Me too. Did you get the shot? I had to call the doctor. He came to my room and jabbed me in the ass. I was better within the hour, but was so tired I spent the night in bed.”

“No, I have a mother who’s a walking chemist,” she said with a laugh. “She made me go the doctor before I left for my trip so they could give me every remedy known to man. I’ve packed virtually everything.”

Adrian and Justine laughed, but it was true. Her mother had even made her pack a mini sewing kit. (“Just in case,” she’d said.)

“Do you have any dinner plans?” Adrian boldly asked.

“Nope, I have assigned seating at the early session. You?”

“I was planning on eating dinner with my new, and very beautiful friend.”

Justine felt her smile drop. She was hoping they could have dinner together.

“Well, I hope you two enjoy your meal tonight then.”

Adrian laughed. He knew she thought he was talking about someone else, but he meant her.

“Is my new beautiful friend going to stand me up?”

“Sorry?” she asked, perplexed.

“I’d very much love for you to have dinner with me. That’s if you’d like to, of course.”

“Oh,” Justine said, blushing. He was probably just asking her to be nice. “Well then, I’d love to. Thank you.” She looked away from his beaming smile.

The time seemed to pass quite effortlessly between the two of them. The conversation flowed easily and they talked about many things. They discovered they both lived in the same town, but at opposite ends, and they actually both went to the same school – but six years apart.

When the time for dinner approached, Justine returned to her cabin to change into her favorite little black dress. It was an expensive splurge; she’d spent over two hundred dollars on it. It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford it, but her prick of an ex used to be incredibly tight with money and wouldn’t let her spend anything on herself. Buying that dress had felt like a victory to her.

Justine showered and washed her hair, straightening it to its full, mid-back length, put on some light make-up, and her cute matching fire-red panties and bra. She slipped on her LBD, and slid her feet into nice, three-inch heels. 

She took the elevator up to deck ten, and walked into the restaurant where they’d arranged to meet.

Justine felt self-conscious, her ex-husband’s words playing around in her mind. “Fat,” or, “ordinary,” were words he often used to describe her, along with other not-so-flattering things.

“Oh my God,” she heard from behind her.

She turned to see who had spoken, and was met by the most attractive man she’d ever seen. Adrian was dressed in his own dark suit, with a deep purple shirt and a striking green tie. His eyes couldn’t help but wander down the length of her beautiful body. “My God, I’m sorry to be so forward, but you’re simply the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”

Justine grinned. That was the most heartfelt compliment she’d ever received from a man. “Thank you, Adrian. I have to say, you’re very handsome yourself,” she said, shyly.

Adrian, still speechless, had to find his mind before she thought there was something wrong with him.

“I’m…”
speak God damn it, fucking speak!
“I’m
so
happy I came on this cruise.” He leaned in and gave Justine a kiss on the cheek. He gently ran his hand down the bare skin of her freshly tanned arm. A subtle, yet delicious waft of a spicy perfume danced merrily around his nose, and he was overtaken by his yearning for the desirable creature standing in front of him.

The kiss lingered, and they leaned into each other. Together, they were finding that spark, the fire ignited and burned as they stood in the foyer simply appreciating each other’s attractive body.

“I’m sorry to just blurt this out, but I want you,” he murmured in her ear.

The fire turned to a blaze, and she wanted nothing more than to feel a real man move with her body as they tangoed to rhythms that didn’t have anything to do with music.

“Wow,” was all she could muster. Her eyes closed, leaning further in toward him. Her candy-red lips slightly parted as her ragged breath made her chest heave with desire.

“Can I taste you, please?” Adrian begged. His tongue came out to lick the sensitive area on the column of her throat.

“I haven’t been with anyone for a long time,” she admitted timidly.

“Neither have I,” he answered earnestly.

Both these incredibly sensual, beautiful people were thinking the same thing:
How is that possible?

“I want you,” Adrian repeated.

This time Justine took the lead. She pulled away from the intense heat resonating between them, linked their fingers tightly together, and started walking toward the elevator. “Screw dinner,” she said, recalling her mother’s advice and throwing caution to the wind.

The two went back to Justine’s room, where they spent hours discovering and appreciating each other’s needy body. Mouths grazed heated, sensitive skin. Hands stroked and maintained contact.

When they finally joined and became one, Adrian and Justine both found a happiness neither of them had thought would be possible again.

The next morning, as they lay entwined in a mass of arms and legs, Adrian’s fingertips lightly tickling the bare skin on Justine’s back. They talked about a range of topics, easily and openly.

“My ex-husband went to college to become a lawyer while I worked three jobs to put him through school. Then, when he graduated, I thought it would be easier, but it ended up being harder. I left when I told him I wanted a baby, and he told me he’d already knocked up some woman he’d been sleeping with,” she said, a humorless chuckle escaping past her swollen lips.

“My ex-wife ended up being the town slut. She was screwing everything that had a penis. I had to get myself tested for every STD known to man after I found out. Thank goodness the bitch hadn’t given me anything.”

“That’s always a good thing, not that I wish any sicknesses on either my ex-husband or your ex-wife, but wouldn’t it be nice for them to get their just desserts?” Justine elongated her neck and deeply kissed Adrian. The kiss lead to another hot and steamy session of raw, gritty sex.

Later on, after Justine’s body was well-used and definitely sore, the two of them dressed and made their way up to level nine, where lunch was being served.

“I’m famished,” Justine whispered in Adrian’s ear.

“Get your energy now, because I plan on amping it up once I get you alone again,” Adrian retorted, then leaned down and gave his sexy lover a kiss.

Justine giggled, just like a teenage school girl in the arms of her crush. “Tell me, Adrian, what exactly do you do?” She felt somewhat foolish. She’d given herself freely to the handsome man, and hadn’t asked the most basic of questions.

“I’m a vet. I have my own practice.”

“Really? I’ve always wanted a dog, but Kurt never let me have one,” she said as her face fell slightly at the memory of her asshole ex.

“I can certainly help you get the right dog if you’d like.”

“I live in an apartment, so unfortunately I can’t have one.”

“Then you’re welcome to visit my house any time you want. I have several dogs.”

“Your house? That sounds so clinical,” she teased.

I suppose it is now, since I kicked
her
out,” he said ‘her’ with such disdain in his voice, and he went quiet too. “That’s all my house is. It feels so empty and so cold.”

“Maybe she just wasn’t the right one for you. There’s still plenty of time.”

“Yeah, that’s very true. I suppose the fact that she was fucking everything in town really devastated my confidence. It doesn’t help that the bitch went out and got herself knocked up either.”

Ding, ding, ding. Red flags immediately shot up in Justine’s mind.

“Pregnant?” she questioned. “By whom?”

“Believe it or not, a roadie. A damned cover band came through town, and she went out to see them. She screwed the sound guy in the bathroom and ended up pregnant.”

Justine took a deep breath. Adrian could tell this was clearly a sensitive issue. “I’m sorry; I know how this must be difficult for you.”

“It’s not our fault our spouses couldn’t keep their clothes on.”

Justine looked out at the crystal blue sea, the fluffy white clouds floating in the sky, the horizon so beautiful and still.

Today had been a great day, the taste of sea salt just touching her lips as she licked them, looking out at the silence of the ocean.

“Lara was nothing short of a slut,” he said, the hurt still audible in his voice.

“Lara?” Justine’s eyes flew to Adrian.

“Yeah, Lara.”

“Lara Barnes?” she queried.

“Oh my God!” Adrian’s mouth fell open, and his eyes became wide. He was quickly realizing what Justine was about to say.

Justine just waited. Lara Barnes was Adrian’s Lara, and now her ex-husband’s Lara.

“She always chose to live by her maiden name,” he said, confirming her suspicions.

Lunch was now forgotten. Lara Barnes was indeed the woman that Kurt had been screwing. Kurt thought the baby was his, but the fact was, well, who the hell knew? Because Lara Barnes had been having sex with God knows how many people at the same time. Justine laughed hysterically and after a few moments, Adrian joined in.