Those Angstrom Men!. (10 page)

Mario was good looking, about forty five and very charming. He obviously thought Annie was something else.

Susan told Alec when she met him for bridge that he’d better book that wine tasting for four.

“I already did, Susie Q,” he smiled.
“I saw Annie and the Italian count walk past the pool holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes.”

“I hope he’s not a gigolo...”

“I told you I’ll check him out, SusieQ. We’ll look after our friend Annie, don’t worry.”

“Thank you, Alec.”

  They did quite well in the bridge tournament, well enough to advance to the next round the day after Gibraltar.

The four of them had dinner that night, and then went to the casino.

Susan got lucky on the slots and won five hundred pounds. Somehow the other three decided she’d treat them to dinner at the specialty steak house the next night with her winnings.

They all went up to the Night Club and danced. Annie and Mario were glued together when Alec walked Susan down to her cabin.

“Somehow, I think you’ll have the cabin to yourself tonight, SusieQ.”

“Oh, I don’t know. She did creep in early this morning.”

Alec bent and brushed his lips against hers.

“Sleep well, SusieQ.
Pleasant dreams.”

Susan smiled. It had been a long time since she’d been kissed…and being kissed by Alec, even a light brush of his lips, was far more interesting than George had ever been.

Alec was right. Annie never made it back to her own cabin that night.

Susan was browsing the room service menu and found the champagne breakfast. She ordered it for the next morning. Later that day, watching Mario and Annie slathering each other with sunscreen every ten minutes, she invited Alec to join her.

“I’d love to…what time?”

“Eight. That’ll give us lots of time for sightseeing when we go ashore. I want to see those apes.”

The two of them made short work of the smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, croissants, and fruit. They enjoyed the split of Veuve Clicquot very much, toasting each other and the absent Annie and Mario.

“There’s such a lot of food left, Alec. I hate to see it thrown away, I mean, the price of smoked salmon…”

“Never mind,” said Alec, always practical. “Let’s wrap up the salmon, the fruit and the bagels and cream cheese. We can stash it in your fridge and enjoy it for our breakfast tomorrow morning.”

“Too bad we drank all the champagne,” I said. “I’ll order orange juice and tea for eight in the morning, shall I?”

“We’ll buy a bottle of champagne in Gibraltar, SusieQ.”

They
spent the day in Gibraltar, doing the usual tourist things, and shopping at Marks and Spencer for the incredibly cheap Johnny Walker blue label for Susan’s father.

Alec and Susan didn’t see the other two that evening. They went to the theatre and watched the show, then dropped forty pounds at the casino.  Alec gave her one of those very light, very sweet kisses again.
             

Susan sat on her balcony, and felt a little jealous of Annie.
It was romantic, to be sailing the Mediterranean with the moon shining, the stars sparkling, the soft breeze...

It was over a year now since she’d had a man in her bed. It was four or five years since she’d had a really good bout of sex.

And here Annie was getting it every night, and judging by her blushes, she was enjoying every minute of it.

Susan switched on the television to the ship’s bridge camera and turned the sound up so that the soft jazz filled the cabin. She undressed and slipped into a mint green silky nightie that Annie had insisted she buy just in case. It had a matching robe.

It was really too early to go to bed, she wasn’t tired.

“I’ll sit out on the balcony and enjoy the warm sea breeze as we steam south,” she thought.

Just as she stepped outside,, there was a knock on the door.

Thinking it would be Annie, Susan didn’t bother to do up her robe, just opened the door.

It wasn’t Annie, it was Alec.

Hurriedly, she pulled her robe together and tried
to find the belt and tie it.
He stepped into the cabin and gave her an appreciative glance.

“That colour suits you, Susan. The soft green makes your eyes look lovely,” he smiled.

She coloured. “Eh, thank you.”

He pulled out a bottle of Krug from the bag. “Whiskey wasn’t the only thing Marks and Spenser had a great price on, Susie Q...I got this for our breakfast in the morning.”

She grinned. “That was extravagant, Krug. I didn’t see you buy that. We’ll enjoy it. I hope that Annie and Mario don’t show up to share it.”             

Alec pulled
out a second bottle.

“I thought we might drink this now, toast our brilliant performance at bridge yesterday and hopefully tomorrow afternoon.”

“Lovely, but all I have are those glasses...”

Once more he reached into the bag and pulled out two carefully wrapped crystal champagne flutes.

“Voila! This bottle is already chilled, let’s go out onto your balcony and enjoy the breeze, shall we?”

They sat sipping champagne for nearly an hour, chatting about everything and nothing.

“Did you find out if Mario is a fortune hunter?” Susan asked.

“He’s up and up,” replied Alec. “He owns a very old import business, spices and coffee, and a couple of coffee bars. He really is a count, and the family is far richer than he lets on. I think he might be avoiding fortune hunters himself. He’s a great shipboard fling for Annie.”

“Aren’t you a little jealous?” Susan asked, “I’ve always thought you have a bit of a soft spot for her.”

“I like her a lot, SusieQ, but she doesn’t ring my chimes.”

“Oh.”

He poured the last of the sparkly into the glasses, and they finished it off.

Susan stood up and picked up the glasses to take them inside. He picked up the empty Krug bottle and followed her in, closing the balcony door behind him.

She put the glasses on the top of the fridge. He reached around her and put the empty bottle down on the desk.

Susan was suddenly aware of his hot, muscled body so close to her. She was also very aware that she was wearing only a thin robe and nightgown.

Susan hoped Alec couldn’t see
her nipples pebble in response to his closeness. It would embarrass them both…

His hands were on her shoulders now and he gently turned her around to face him. Those blue eyes smiled down at her.

“SusieQ, I’m going to kiss you now,” he said softly.

“You are?” she breathed.

“I am. Annie doesn’t ring my chimes, baby, but you do...”

“Oh...”

Susan couldn’t say anything else because he was kissing her, his lips were covering  her mouth softly, so softly, nipping at her bottom lip, and then his tongue was stroking her lips, following the outline of her mouth, gently forcing them apart,

His tongue was stroking hers, still gently, so gently. 

Susan’s hands came up and gripped his shoulders. She could feel his hard muscles through his thin shirt.

Alec smiled down at her.  “I’ve wanted to kiss you like that since I was about twenty, you know.”

“You have?”

“I have. Your twenty eighth
birthday. You wore a black cocktail dress, so classy, but it hugged your bum so perfectly. I had to stay seated most of the evening, at the table, with the tablecloth hiding my enormous hard on.”

“I remember that dress, I think I still have it...”

“Good, you can wear it when I take you out to dinner when we’re back in Portsmouth.”

His lips covered hers again, still gentle, but so sensual.
Firm, but gently taking possession of her mouth. He pulled away again soon, too soon.

“And then for your thirtieth birthday, you wore that emerald green dress with the low neck, and I spent the next three weeks remembering the swell of your breasts, the valley between them...”

“I still have that dress as well...”

“Good, you can wear it when I take you to dinner with my brother and his wife the week after next...”

“Oh...”

And now his lips were demanding, very demanding, and his tongue wasn’t soft and gentle anymore, it was thrusting and conquering her mouth, filling it, claiming it...George had never kissed Susan like this...

Susan was dazed when they pulled apart.

“I like kissing you, Susie Q...I like kissing you very
much.”

“I like you kissing me, Alec, very much...”

“But the best dress, the very best one, is that red one you wore for your father’s wedding reception. It hugged your wonderful ass and gave me a fantastic look at your cleavage.”

“I have that one with me. I’m going to wear it Gala Night.”

“It has a bare back. I’ve laid away nights thinking of how I want to stroke that bare back...”

Alec was pushing the robe off her shoulders and it puddled on the floor at their feet.

“And now, Susan, I can stroke that bare back, that creamy perfect skin, and I can properly admire the swell of your breasts...”

His lips descended to take possession of her mouth yet again, and she sighed as he stroked her back with one strong hand, and clasped her bottom and held it close to him. She could fe
el his erection pressing into her...

“Oh, baby, you feel so wonderful in my arms,” he told her as he nibbled her ear lobe and kissed her all the way down her neck until he found a special place at the base of her throat and he pressed his lips and stroked her with his tongue and she melted....

He picked Susan up in his arms and carried her to the bed, and laid her gently in the middle.

Alec stroked her cheek. “I just want to gaze at you forever, SusieQ. You are so very beautiful...”

She was aroused, so aroused by the passion in his eyes. He slipped the spaghetti straps of her nightgown off her shoulders and sat her up as he slipped it off her body.

“Oh, SusieQ, your breasts are so wonderful….

They lay beside each other for a long time after they‘d made love, embracing each, stroking faces gently, kissing softly, their tongues stroking gently.

“Did I please you, Susan?” he asked.

“Alec, I’ve never been pleased as thoroughly as you just have...never.”

“It wasn’t as good as it’s going to be, baby,” he told
her.

“It’s the best I’ve ever had,
” Susan told him solemnly.

“It was quick, so quick. The champagne, my anxiety to be perfect for you,” he said softly, as if he was apologizing.

Susan smiled into those gorgeous blue eyes.

“Alec, it was five times longer than George lasts, and far more satisfying.”

“You’re joking!”

“No, Alec, you are a superb lover.”

“I...next time will be better, Susan. I’m learning your body, your rhythm. Next time will be much better...just give me an hour...”

Two hours later, they fell asleep in each other’s arms, totally sated, totally happy.

He woke her at seven, loving her. They showered and were ready for breakfast when Room Service came with tea and orange juice.

The ship was further south now, and they ate breakfast on the balcony, under the hot sun plotting their strategy for the bridge tournament that afternoon.

Alec thought they might stroll the promenade later, after they’d gone back to bed for a while.

The advantages of a younger lover, rejoiced Susan...

“We didn’t use a condom at all last night, Alec.”

“No, we didn’t, did we? I always thought I’d like to see you pregnant with my baby. Then you’ll have to marry me, Susan. Make an honest man out of me.”

Susan smiled shyly at him.

“You don’t have to get me pregnant to marry me, Alec. You can marry me
first and then get me pregnant…”

“Are you proposing to me, Susan?”

“I think I am proposing to you, Alec.”

“Well, I say yes, darling SusieQ.”

“You know, I’m so happy I went home early that day.”

“Not as happy as I am, SusieQ… let’s g
o down to the jewellery boutique on the Promenade Deck, and get you a nice engagement ring…”

“Since I just proposed to you, Alec, maybe we should get you one as well...”