Unmasked (20 page)

‘What we do here?’ asked Marco.

‘We make trouble,’ she replied, sitting next to him and kissing him on the mouth. Marco ran his hand up her thigh, lifting the dress.

David returned with his other guests. Emma held the kiss a moment longer than her instinct
deemed prudent and then broke away. Marco looked up at the group but did not move his hand immediately either.

‘May I introduce my new friends? This is Amelia and Claudio … and over here,’ he said, reaching behind him and leading a young woman by the hand, ‘is the shy but charming Eloise.’

Emma studied the people David had been able to rustle up in an afternoon. Naturally her eyes fell upon Eloise first, as David had put his arm around her waist proprietorially. She was in her early twenties, Emma guessed, deeply tanned, slender, a waif. Her eyes were dark as was her hair, which was naturally curly, tiny tight curls which were tied back from necessity.

Claudio reminded her of a famous actor from the golden age of Hollywood. She couldn’t remember his name but she remembered him playing older, debonair gentleman roles. Claudio was handsome in a general way, thick dark hair with flecks of grey, brown lively eyes under expressive eyebrows. She couldn’t immediately gauge his age – he could have been anywhere between forty and sixty. He was well groomed and held himself erect in his grey suit, which he wore with such ease she assumed he spent much of his life dressed that way.

Amelia was something altogether different. Emma remembered her. She had been with Sebastian, she had helped him carry the wine to the yacht. She was dressed in the way young girls like to dress, the kind of dress a porn star would deem too tarty to wear. And she tottered on seven-inch heels. She was bleached blonde and Emma thought she couldn’t be more than nineteen years old.

The contrast between Claudio and Amelia almost made Emma laugh. He had his hand on the small of her back, or her rear, she couldn’t quite tell.

Marco stood up and kissed both of the women in the Italian way and Claudio kissed Emma’s cheeks too.

Emma examined the group where they stood, champagne in hand, and realised she was nervous. David had done as she had asked. They were surrounded by strangers – strangers to him as well, as he had taken the trouble to call them his
new
friends.

There was only one way she wanted this evening to go. She had imagined it as she lounged all afternoon on Marco’s divan. She had forbidden him from touching her. She had told them they must save themselves for the evening. He had given
her a look, a knowing look, which was incredibly sexy, and had said, ‘Our last night? You go with him?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Maybe,’ he said, and continued painting.

Sitting on David’s yacht, staring at him, watching him chat to his guests, Emma was more and more aware of how insignificant their life apart had been in comparison to the time they had shared. As flawed as their marriage had been it had weight in her heart. She got up and stood beside him. She took his hand in hers. It felt utterly natural. She stood on tiptoes and whispered in his ear, ‘Husband.’ He squeezed her hand slightly. The child in her heart wanted the others to leave. The child in her heart would have sailed away with him that night. Marco caught her eye, raised his eyebrow the tiniest bit, and she was an adult again. She loved how aware Marco was. He had plumbed her depths as Paul had done. He was going to be her lifeguard tonight. Without him, she would surely drown.

‘She was my mistress long before she became my wife,’ Claudio was saying in English under
his heavy Italian accent. They were eating their desserts in the candlelit dining room. ‘I was a confirmed bachelor. I had many mistresses. But Maria was the one who insisted I marry her. As I loved her – and I
did
love her – I said I would marry her under one condition. You see I was afraid that our relationship, our sexual relationship, would end on marrying. It had for many of my married friends, and I enjoyed Maria too much to risk that. I also hoped that my one condition would put her off the idea.’

‘What was your condition?’ asked David, refilling Claudio’s glass at the same time. Throughout dinner David had been very attentive and had kept everyone drinking. Emma had to stop herself staring at him.

‘Well,’ Claudio said, and looking down he smiled, ‘it was the condition of a confirmed bachelor so you’ll have to make allowances. I said I would marry her as long as she promised – and I said I would have a contract drawn up – promised to …’ Claudio paused here and glanced across, first at Emma, then at the bashful Eloise, ‘blow me once a day. Now before you leap to conclusions, hear me out. I had my reasons. First, if she were to adhere to this rule it would mean each day
she would be forced to perform a sexual act. No small thing in a marriage. There was no getting around it. She could do it coldly, she could do it passionately, but she would do it. Each day, come rain, hail or shine, the two of us would have to meet at that point. You see, sex itself would be introduced. Now married friends of mine said that they never found time for sex. And when they did, neither could know if the other was willing. There were crossed lines of communication. Moves were made and repulsed. I thought I had the perfect solution.’

‘And you said she married you. She’s now your wife?’ asked the English crewman who had been acting as the waiter. No one had noticed he had lingered to hear Claudio’s story.

Claudio laughed. ‘Yes, my friend, we were married and she did live up to our arrangement. And it worked. There was seldom a day that passed when we didn’t find time. Oh, and I forgot a very important point – were she to miss a day, if we had fought, or were separated, she would have to make it up. Yes, she would be forced to perform twice until the debt was paid. It evolved, of course, as these things do. I rarely let her blow me. I would let her begin then I would ravish her.
So what transpired was that it was about making me come. And as I rarely allowed myself to come without reciprocating we had a healthier sex life after marriage than before.’

‘And where is your wife now?’ asked Emma.

‘On safari in Africa, she goes once a year. I have no interest in Africa. I went with her the first time. Once was enough for me. But Maria fell in love with Africa, and I suspect a particular African. But she comes back to me and we tally up the days we’ve spent apart and we begin again. Not bad after ten years of marriage.’

‘Why wasn’t it about making your wife come?’ asked David.

‘Because there would undoubtedly be times when she would not be interested and there’d be nothing I could do. Something I can say has never happened to me. I have been stressed, I have been busy, I have been depressed, morose, angry, and indifferent, but never once did I reject her attentions.’

‘Maybe we should try that?’ suggested David, looking across at Emma.

‘We never had any issues after we were married.’

‘Wait, if David is your husband,’ said Amelia, ‘then Marco is?’

‘Wonderful.’

Amelia smiled and shook her head. Emma caught David’s eye. He raised an eyebrow just a little. Emma beamed. She loved the way he was looking at her.

‘What about the trick a friend of mine found useful?’ said the waiter. ‘She charged her husband. They had a payment structure worked out: twenty for a blow job, a hundred for sex.’

‘Did that work?’ asked Amelia.

‘They went from having no sex to bankruptcy in a matter of months.’

Everyone smiled at this.

Marco was seated between Emma and the young Eloise. He whispered in Emma’s ear, ‘I have hand on girl’s leg. She no move it.’

Emma reacted to this news by putting her hand in his lap. She found him pressed hard against his pants. She whispered back, ‘We make trouble.’

The waiter was clearing away the plates. As he went around the table he was able to see what was going on. Emma was rubbing Marco, Marco was lifting Eloise’s skirt and Amelia, sitting between David and Claudio, actually had Claudio’s cock out of his pants and was stroking it. Only the waiter’s boss was unmolested and unmolesting.

Amelia was asking Emma if she’d ever accepted money for favours.

‘For fun, I mean. I didn’t mean to suggest you’re a prostitute.’

‘I haven’t. Do you think I could? Aren’t I too old?’

‘Claudio would pay a fortune to have you, wouldn’t you, Claudio?’

He nodded.

‘Has he paid you to stroke his cock?’

Amelia smiled. ‘I thought I was being discreet.’

‘You were. Claudio’s face is the giveaway. As is Eloise’s.’

Every eye rested on the shy Eloise and she blushed brilliantly. Marco chose this moment to push aside her wet cotton underwear. She closed her eyes.

‘I just want everyone to know, you are all welcome to stay. We have spare cabins. But I am also happy to drop you off where you boarded. Just let me know,’ said David. ‘Shall we move into the lounge, it’s far more comfortable?’

He led the way and Emma followed closely behind. He went straight to the bar and opened another bottle of champagne. When Emma turned to see where Marco was she realised no
one else had followed them. She returned to the door and found that Marco and Eloise had snuck off somewhere. But more surprisingly, the waiter was standing next to the table watching Amelia suck Claudio’s cock. When Claudio saw Emma he stopped her and covered himself up. Amelia looked at Emma with laughing eyes and wiped her mouth.

Claudio walked towards Emma as though nothing untoward had occurred.

‘How do you know David?’ she asked him in the doorway.

‘I met him the morning after his party. I awoke in one of his cabins between Amelia and her friend, Samantha. He is a very good host. Served us a very welcome breakfast in bed and didn’t make us walk the plank until late in the afternoon.’

She let Claudio through and, passing the waiter who was now kissing Amelia, she went off in search of Marco. She didn’t have to go far. They hadn’t even made it to a cabin. Marco had lifted her off the ground, she had wrapped her legs around him and they were fucking against the wall of the corridor.

Emma backed away and returned the way she had come. She was feeling lightheaded. Things had
deteriorated very quickly. It was exciting but a little too crazy for her. She didn’t think she had drunk that much, but now things seemed to have sped up for her.

When she reached the lounge someone had brought the candlesticks through and had switched off the main lights. She found Amelia on her knees. Claudio was standing in front of her with his prominent bulge. The waiter stood off to the left, sober and expectant, while David was by the bar, sitting on a stool, watching with the strangest expression on his face. He looked at Emma as she entered the room and shook his head slowly. The waiter was unaware or consciously heedless of David and Emma’s bemusement. Amelia seemed not to mind the audience and Claudio was obviously fine with it as he was undoing his belt. Amelia knelt before him and took out his cock and began sucking it. It was that fast. To David it was like cheap porn. It was ugly. Raw. But he wasn’t turning away.

The waiter was a lean, taut band of energy. David had spent the last month with him coming and going but had never taken the trouble to notice him. He knew their working relationship would never be the same after this. He watched
him as he strode over to the bar, his heels clapping against the floor and put down his jacket and undid his tie.

Amelia’s head was like a piston, it sucked hard and fast on Claudio’s cock as everyone looked on. Emma stood back near the door unable to resist staring. There was no finesse, no tease, no passion. Like a paid servant she did her job efficiently and without expression. In a moment Claudio’s legs wobbled and he grabbed her head and rammed his cock into her mouth and he came loudly, grunting and swearing. The show was over.

Only then did David realise that the waiter had taken off his pants and shoes. He stood beside the performers stroking his penis. Amelia released Claudio’s cock, who stumbled away to lean against the bar, and the waiter promptly put his cock into her compliant mouth. He then took off his shirt – he had a fine, muscular body – ran his hands through her hair, messing it, and then took hold of great bunches of blonde.

David’s cock hardened at the sight of this rough handling. Amelia seemed as before, no nonsense, take them as they come. She sucked his cock in quick time and, as swiftly as Claudio, the waiter climaxed.

She sat back on the wooden floor with come on her lips, her hand busily working at herself. She had lifted her skirt and pulled aside her knickers. She stared up at David with expectant eyes. His was an untasted cock. She could see it pressing against his chinos.

David hesitated.

‘Do you like her, David?’ asked Emma, without turning to him. She stood over the girl, looking down at her.

‘Come here,’ David demanded gruffly of Amelia. She answered immediately by crawling across to him and looking to suck him too, but David altered her plans by lifting her onto her feet and kissing her mouth. Amelia’s hand began opening his fly but as the kiss progressed and became a gentle kiss, tender and inviting, with playful tongue and warm lips, she forgot his cock and let herself be led away. He lingered, hands on her hips, nibbling her lips, chasing her and being chased.