The Lust Boat (2 page)

Her prayers went for naught. The closet produced one white terrycloth bathrobe that would come to mid-thigh at best, and one tropical-print sarong of the same length. A pair of spa style slippers sat on the closet floor. The drawers held an assortment of bra and panty sets, none bigger than a small bandage.

“Oh no” she whispered into the silence. A knock on her door startled her. A cabin steward, dressed in a skimpy turquoise swimsuit, with white cuffs at his wrists and a white collar around his neck, presented her with the evening’s entertainment schedule and suggested she undress for dinner at eight in the main dining room. He handed her a handwritten invitation to Cock-tails in the Captain’s lounge prior to dinner, where she would be seated at the Captain’s table.

Me and fifty other people
, she guessed. She considered skipping dinner, especially after reading the information sheet the hunky steward had delivered. The
Lothario
had a dress code, of sorts. Passengers were not permitted in the dining room unless they were in their dress sarong. The dress code was non-negotiable. Candace turned skeptical eyes on the scrap of fabric. Her stomach growled, making the decision for her. At least everyone would be wearing similar garb, so she wouldn’t stand out.

She consulted the ship’s map and made her way to the Captain’s lounge on the Arcadia deck at seven-thirty, where the Captain himself greeted her. The man looked to be in his late thirties. His formal uniform, tailored to perfection, enhanced his strong physique. A quick scan of the room assured her she was dressed in the same style as the dozen or so women present, but with the exception of the Captain, the men all wore wraps of a similar print, slung low on their hips. There was more exposed male flesh than in a football locker room.

Two striking men wearing feathered headdresses and codpieces carried silver trays of hors d’oeuvres. Plumes of bright-colored feathers rose from their bare asses. Cock-tails. The odd spelling of the word on the invitation made perfect sense now.

“I’m James Whittier, Captain of the
Lothario
. May I get you something to drink?”

Candace put her hand in his outstretched one and tried to concentrate on the conversation. “It’s nice to meet you Captain.” He continued to hold her hand until she looked up at him. His lips quirked up on one side, revealing his amusement with her discomfort as well as a deep dimple in one cheek.

“And you would be?”

“Oh. Candace. That’s my name,” she babbled.

“About that drink, Candace; what can I get you?”

“Oh. Nothing, thank you.” He released her hand and she fidgeted. “Well, perhaps a glass of water?” At least she’d have something to hold onto.

“At your service,” he said, and left her standing alone as he crossed the room to the bar. Without a purse or clutch, she was lost, so she folded her arms in front of her, clutching her elbows in a death grip.
I must look like an idiot
. Embarrassment heated her skin. She felt like a Baked Alaska, hot on the outside but frozen on the inside. She cursed her fair complexion and red hair, and her penchant for blushing a shade that clashed with her hair color.

She forced her arms to her side and stepped further into the room, willing herself to relax and enjoy the company when a familiar voice behind her put an end to her mental musings.

“Candace, we meet again.”

She turned to face the Cruise Director. She felt her skin darken another shade as she noticed the man standing next to him. Oh, heavens. If the Captain was an Adonis, this man was nothing short of a god. He was six feet of solid, bronzed muscle. His bare chest was hairless, but his arms and legs, oh those legs, were covered in crisp dark hairs and his bare feet were…big. She jerked her mind out of the gutter and allowed her eyes to travel the way they’d come. They stopped at the bulge in the stranger’s tight sarong. Richard cleared his throat.

“Uh. Yes,” she managed.

“May I introduce you to Ryan?” He indicated the god. Candace swung her gaze to the man’s face and the world shifted under her feet. Whether it was the movement of the ship, or the impact he had on her, she didn’t know, but she stumbled. His hand closed around her arm.

“Whoa, steady there. Are you all right?” His deep voice, laced with concern, washed over and through her, and put her at ease. His grip loosened on her arm but he didn’t release her altogether, sliding his hand down to take hers. He was hot. Not only in a godlike way, but hot, physically hot. Heat traveled up her arm, melting her frozen core inch by inch.
The man could melt an iceberg
.

“I’m fine.” She pulled on her hand, but Ryan tightened his grip. Not used to touchy-feely types, she wondered,
What is it with these people and holding hands?
Candace turned her face to his with every intention of protesting his possession, and forgot all about her hand. Gazing at her were the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. She’d never been looked at that way, not even by her former fiancé, not even when they’d been as intimate as two people could get. Ryan’s eyes showed both tender concern and controlled lust. Drawn as she was to his eyes, she had the vague impression of strength in his stubbled jaw line, sharp cheekbones and straight nose. He wore his dark hair longer than was fashionable and it brushed his shoulders in an unruly, waving mass.

“Here,” he pulled her across the room, “have a seat.” She sat on the sofa and he came down beside her. His muscled thigh brushed hers. She caught a whiff of his cologne, something musky and entirely masculine. He continued to hold her hand in protective custody. “Here is Captain Whittier with your drink.” Candace took the glass with her free hand and sipped the cold water.

“Thank you,” she said to the Captain. He bowed and beat a hasty retreat, leaving Candace alone with the Cruise Director and the pirate. Yes, that fit. Candace pictured Ryan in tight breeches, knee boots and a flowing white shirt. In a few more minutes, she’d be offering herself up as plunder, and all he’d done so far, was look at her and hold her hand. Heaven help her if he chose to do more.

Richard waved his hand and a gaily-feathered cock strolled across the room. He bent low to offer his tray for her perusal. As she opened her mouth to decline, Ryan took a napkin and filled it with one of everything on the tray, waving the costumed servant away. Candace flinched as his tail feathers brushed her face. Given the proximity to his ass, she couldn’t help but look. “Oh my.” The man swung his hips, causing his plumage to swing back and forth. She’d assumed the feathers were attached to a belt, but up close, she saw that wasn’t the case. They appeared to grow straight out of his crack. “Oh my,” she repeated as the cock bent to present his tray to someone across the room and realization dawned. The feathers were attached to a butt plug.

“Shocked?” Ryan asked. He placed the napkin full of hors d’oeuvres on the table and reclaimed her hand.

“Uhm. Yes, yes, I guess I am.”

“If you’re shocked by the cocks you’d better have something stronger than water.”

“I would say so,” Richard chimed in.

Her eyes kept going back to the firm ass cheeks and the plumes of feathers strolling around the room. “There’s something more than this?”

“This is nothing. Wait until you see the rest of the ship. I take it you didn’t spend the afternoon checking out all the amenities?”

“I… I don’t know what to say.” She made the mistake of looking at Ryan. “My girlfriends talked me into coming on this cruise, but they didn’t tell me it was….”

“Erotic?”

“Uhm… yes, I mean, no. No, they didn’t tell me. I knew it was a singles cruise.”

“That’s true. Anything goes on the
Lothario
. Rape and violence of any kind are not permitted, but consensual sexual play of all persuasions is permitted, encouraged,” Richard supplied. “The ship is designed to stimulate and facilitate sexual exploration and expression.”

At a loss for words, she sipped her water. Certain her friends knew more than they’d told her, she silently vowed to get even with them as soon as possible. When the glass left her lips, it was replaced by a warm niblet of food. Ryan pressed the morsel against her lips until they parted, allowing his fingers into the warmth of her mouth. She closed her mouth around the flavorful ball. Ryan drew his fingers out, lingering to trace along the fullness of her bottom lip.

“You should eat,” he said. “The
Lothario
is best seen on a full stomach.”

Richard laughed. “I’ll leave Candace in your capable hands, Monk.” Richard moved to the door to greet another female guest.

She swallowed the last of the hors d’oeuvres and asked, “Monk? I thought your name was Ryan.”

“It is. Monk is a nickname, one I’m not fond of.” He frowned at the Cruise Director’s retreating back.

“You and Richard are friends?”

“Yes. We’ve known each other for about ten years.”

“Do you come on these cruises often?”

“I’ve been on a few, but I usually stay behind the scenes to help Richard out. This time I’m an ordinary passenger, here for a good time.”

“Oh,” she said, once again trying to extricate her hand. With one hand wrapped around a water glass and the other held fast in his grip she felt trapped. “Please? May I have my hand back?”

Ryan glanced down. His eyes widened in surprise. He placed her hand palm down on her bare thigh. For a moment, he covered it with his before he let her go. “I’m sorry. Your hand felt so natural in mine I forgot I was holding it.”

As far as pick-up lines went it was more creative than many she’d heard, and given that he’d held her hand for a good ten minutes and she’d forgotten where her hand ended and his began, she decided not to comment.

“Your friends talked you into coming? Why didn’t they come with you?”

Good question.
She tamped down her annoyance with her arguably well-meaning friends. “It was a spur of the moment thing. They thought I needed to get away, and the timing was right, and, well, here I am.” There was much more to her situation than that, but Candace still had a hard time talking about the last few weeks, the humiliation of being left at the altar had sent her into a tailspin. Having her fiancé tell her he could have a more satisfying sex life with a blow-up doll had left her dazed and confused, and her self-confidence shattered.

“I know we just met, but since we’re both unattached, I’d be honored to be your escort for the duration. Let me show you the
Lothario
.”

Candace was both thrilled and frightened by his offer. No one as handsome as Ryan had ever given her the time of day, much less offered to be her escort on a weeklong erotic cruise. Denying her attraction to the man would be stupid. He made her want things she couldn’t name and all he’d done was hold her hand and say a few kind words to her. She’d never felt like this with Allen, not even in the beginning.

His hand moved to cover hers where it still rested on her bare thigh. “Come with me on the cruise of a lifetime. I promise we won’t do anything you don’t want to do.”

She’d turned to look into his eyes as he spoke and saw a mix of sincerity and arousal. She believed him. Maybe she could spend a week with this man. So what if he was a pirate and he meant to loot her? Would giving herself to him be all that bad? She’d tried sex with someone she’d loved and it had been less than satisfying, and apparently worse than that for him. Of course, the fact that Allen hadn’t loved her back might have been the missing ingredient, the one thing that had made sex between them just that, sex. Maybe she should broaden her horizons, explore her sexual side, and maybe if she was reading his intentions correctly, and she prayed she was, the pirate would sail her ship before the cruise ended.

“Okay. I’ll let you show me the ship, but we won’t do anything I’m not comfortable with.” His smile outshone the sun, blinding in its intensity, yet softly warm.

“Your wish is my command.” His hand came around behind her head and pulled her to him. His lips were so close to hers they breathed the same air. “Let’s seal the bargain with a kiss, shall we?” he whispered. His mouth covered hers. Candace stiffened at his bold possession, but as his lips softened and his tongue slicked across the tight seam of her lips, she softened and opened for him. His tongue swept into the cavern of her mouth and plundered like the pirate she suspected him to be. He took. She gave. He demanded, and she surrendered to his demands.

She’d never been kissed like this before. There was nothing simple about it. In the back of her mind, Candace recognized it for what it was, a claiming, a command, a promise, and on her part, a surrender to all of them. She should have been afraid. Ryan was a virtual stranger, but with his mouth on hers, something in her knew he was destined to be much more.