Chapter 9
Jenn finished toweling off her hair and sat down on the bed. She sat for a moment in the silence of the cabin, looking around her. The cabin felt decidedly empty. Empty closet, empty bathroom, empty bed. The sheets were made immaculately, evidence of the enthusiastic housekeeping efforts of Ricardo.
Jenn picked up the small towel animal, an adorable little elephant, and chuckled. Ricardo was incorrigible. She set the animal undisturbed on the small nightstand at the side of the bed. It seemed a shame to ruin something so cute for no reason.
Jenn flipped back onto the bed, the comforter slightly scratchy against her bare skin. She stared up at the low ceiling of the cabin, fuming.
This is not how this trip was supposed to go. I’ve orgasmed exactly once on this trip, two days in!
Jenn huffed angrily. If no one else was going to help her, she’d take matters into her own hands.
She leaped off the bed and threw open the closet door, fumbling for the second small suitcase she’d packed specially for this trip.
Heaving the luggage onto the bed, she yanked the zippers open, throwing back the lid.
Her eyes scanned past all the lace, spandex, latex, and even just a bit of leather in resentment.
No need for you, sexy outfits!
She pushed beneath the pile of fabric sex appeal to the bottom of the case. Her hand brushed past a variety of glass, metal, and smooth velvety silicone surfaces, searching for her favorite.
Jenn couldn’t help but smile when she found it. It felt a little like running into an old friend at the coffee shop. If, that is, that friend took you into the bathroom and proceeded to give you the best thirty minute, truly no-strings-attached orgasm of your day, then went back out front with you to enjoy your iced coffee without a single word of protest, cajoling, or pressure.
No pressure is EXACTLY what I need.
Looking around, Jenn tried to decide where she wanted to spend the next thirty minutes. The bed? She fiddled with the pillows for a moment. The chair? She examined the rigid, understuffed armchair only for a moment before shaking her head.
The light from the setting sun pulled her attention to the sliding glass door and the balcony.
Absolutely beautiful.
Jenn smiled.
When in Rome…
Jenn slid the glass door open and poked her head out, listening for voices.
Any nosy neighbors out and about?
She didn’t hear anything. She took a tentative step out onto the balcony. The vigorous sea breeze swept over and around her, caressing every inch. She shivered as her nipples stiffened. Jenn tiptoed to the partition that divided her section of the balcony from the neighbor on the left and tried to press her eye to the small crack between the partition and the bulkhead. She couldn’t see anything.
Good for me.
Jenn crept to the other end of the balcony and attempted to crane her head out and around the barrier on that side. It didn’t take much to do so. She looked around the barrier easily, giving her a clear view of her neighbor’s empty veranda.
Not so good.
Jenn stood at the rail for a moment, reveling in the thrill that came with being naked outdoors where you shouldn’t necessarily be, the wind licking spots that rarely felt the open air.
The sun was nearly touching the visually endless ocean as the port receded into the horizon behind them. The sky around the sun blazed in oranges and pinks that Jenn had rarely seen anywhere else. She sighed.
If only I wasn’t alone to appreciate this.
She straightened, tapping the rail.
And that’s quite enough of that!
Having decided, Jenn worked quickly, pulling the armchair from inside the door out onto the balcony and close to the rail. At the last minute, she grabbed the towel where she’d thrown it on the floor. It wouldn’t hurt to have some cover if she needed it.
Jenn situated herself comfortably in the chair, her feet propped up on one of the rails. Taking a slow breath in, she closed her eyes, letting her head fall back onto the back of the armchair.
In her fingers, the vibrator buzzed to life. She smiled.
That’s more like it.
For the next several minutes, Jenn enjoyed thinking about nothing but what was between her legs. She kept the vibrator busy and on the move, brushing lightly over the entire area. There were quick darts in and out, moments of frustrating building and testing patience as she held it still, coaxing the O from where it slept behind her belly button.
As the minutes passed, Jenn’s eager parted lips drew tight and started to turn down. The vibrations of the toy in her hands had started to feel less titillating and more taunting. Finally, after several more minutes of adjusting, varying the speed and intensity of the vibe, and a full five minutes solely of trying and failing to reach her g-spot, Jenn gave up.
Avoiding the urge to simply throw the vibrator into the ocean, she drew the chair back into the cabin and closed the door. She stood for a moment, staring at the sunset that was now nearly gone below the horizon, her hands on her hips, breathing heavily.
She’d never been good at pushing down her emotions in favor of sex. If she was upset, it was goodbye orgasms, hello sexual frustration.
Damn you, Trey.
Damn you, Trey.
Trey was backing slowly away from Jenn’s door for the third time in thirty minutes. The first time, he’d thought he had a good idea of what to say to Jenn to smooth things over. He’d been about to knock when he’d heard the telltale buzz of a vibe. That time, there’d been a jolt of envy. Not because she was using the vibrator (he was a huge proponent of tools for fun and variety in the bedroom), but because he wasn’t involved at all. It was unabashed self pity that sent Trey away from the door that time.
The second time, with the buzz still coming faintly from behind the door, it was resentment. I’m mad, too! You don’t see me just sitting there rubbing one out to deal with it!
The third time, when the buzzing from the toy behind the door was louder than ever, he realized he may be in more trouble than he realized before. He’d observed Jenn long enough to know there was only one reason why she’d still be going at such a high intensity after so long: she hadn’t climaxed yet.
Damn it.
That meant that she was too distracted to climax. That meant she was more upset with him than he’d realized.
Damn you, Trey.
He quietly opened and closed his cabin door behind him. He leaned back against it, sighing. His eyes went to the safe in the small closet. He half considered throwing caution to the winds, opening the safe, and using the metal object behind it in a wild attempt to bring it all to an end. But he knew better; doing things that way would be messy. Better to exercise a bit of patience and finesse to the situation, so that he could be assured of getting Jenn to cooperate in getting her where he needed her when he needed her there, in order to carry out the plan.
Besides, I still have to figure out where to do it . The only way this would work was with enough privacy and undisturbed time to do it right. Chloe and Desire were here to help make that a reality, but still, a location was critical.
One problem at a time . If Jenn wasn’t speaking to him, it wouldn’t matter how carefully he planned everything else. That was his most important job, at the moment. He shook his head, regretting the pair of drinks he’d had at the bar. If he’d known how much trouble he was in before that, he never would have considered drinking.
God, I’m an idiot . He needed to talk to someone, but that someone definitely couldn’t be Jenn right now. Not if things were going the way he thought they probably were behind that closed door. Then who? The only other people he even knew on the boat were Desire and Chloe, and to be honest, he didn’t even think Desire particularly liked him very much. Chloe, on the other hand, Chloe was easy to talk to. She had been right from the start, when he’d initially approached her with his plan for Jenn.
Trey pulled out his phone, opened up the messaging app, and clicked Chloe’s number.
Any way you can meet now?
He waited for a few moments, counting his breaths in the near pitch dark of his cabin. His phone buzzed.
Sure. I’ll meet you on the bar lounge deck.
Trey sniffed, placed his phone back in his pocket, ran a hand through his hair, and opened the door to the hall.
Jenn opened the door, only to shut it quickly again when she heard Trey’s handle across the hall click. She waited, hating herself for her knee-jerk reaction to hide from him. Why couldn’t she just face him? Why was her instinct to hide like a middle schooler? She waited for him to knock on her door, kicking herself and scrambling for what she would say when he did.
The knock never came. She frowned slightly, wondering what could be taking him so long to make the trip, and quietly leaned her head forward to take advantage of the peephole. Trey was nowhere in sight.
Confused, Jenn opened the door quietly and turned to look down the hall just in time to see Trey turn the corner toward the elevator bank.
A cold jolt hit the bottom of Jenn’s belly. Was Trey headed to meet whomever had been on the other end of the text from yesterday? In the entire time she’d known him, Trey had never struck her as the type of man to want to meet up with a man he’d just met at the gym for drinks. She jogged quickly down the hall, her low-heeled sandals making the movement more challenging than it should have been.
Ricardo and another staff member stepped out of one of the service hallways, and Jenn darted past them, whispering quickly, “Hi Ricardo. Bye Ricardo!” Ricardo only lifted a hand in half hearted greeting, a puzzled look on his face.
Jenn rounded the corner just as she saw Trey’s back enter an elevator in the reflection off the mirrored walls. She entered the waiting area and pushed the call button, her eye fixed on the deck indicator over the elevator Trey had used. She waited for it to pause, then darted into her own elevator, pushing the button for Deck 8.
She had no idea whether there had been anyone else in the elevator, or whether Trey had in fact gotten off on Deck 8. When she stepped off, she poked her head around the corner warily, uncertain whether Trey would be there or not. Her caution paid off: she spotted his shirt through the glass doors of the 21 and up club at the end of the hallway. She slunk away from the elevators, aware of what she probably looked like to anyone watching, but not particularly caring.
Trey passed through the club and exited the club onto the patio deck at the rear of the ship. Jenn entered the club and sought out a spot at the bar near a column, where she could peer out to the deck, but not be completely exposed, should Trey turn around.
“What can I get you?”
Jenn was about to order something cheap and nonalcoholic to settle in to wait, when she saw Trey sit down at a table across from none other than the bohemian princess, the young woman from dinner. What was her name? Chloe?!
“Son of a bitch,” Jenn whispered breathlessly.
“We get that a lot, actually,” the bartender said humorously.
“Shut up,” Jenn snapped. She was in no mood for games or jokes right now.
The bartender walked away, too professional to snap back or mutter within earshot. Jenn ignored him, staring out the window at Trey, who was talking rapidly with his hands, while Chloe listened with what Jenn could only describe as simpering sympathy. Her whole demeanor conveyed empathy and understanding. Her beautifully sculpted and furrowed brows, her flawless yet sympathetically-creased forehead, her full and pouty lips puckered beautifully in sympathy for whatever Trey was saying.
Jenn hated to realize it, but this attractive young woman was perfect. Jenn found her own gaze being pulled to the curve of her lips, the softness of her ribs, the way her dress clung to her in all the right places. She recalled Chloe’s giggles at dinner, her calm confidence and quiet gentleness, and understood what Trey saw in her.
Which only served to make Jenn all the more angry with him. How dare he show interest in someone so attractive!
The thought didn’t make any sense, and she knew that on some level, but it didn’t mean it didn’t feel right. When Chloe reached across the table and quietly took Trey’s hand, then proceeded to say something obviously heartfelt to him, Jenn felt a flutter in her own stomach that quickly turned to rage.
Grateful that she hadn’t yet begun drinking and therefore retained all her faculties, Jenn made the decision to leave. She wouldn’t confront Trey here, in public, and embarrass them both more than they already had up to this point. She couldn’t take any more public scrutiny.
She rushed out of the club and back to the elevators, fuming all the way up to Deck 12 and her corridor.
Ricardo, ever diligent, was just finishing up with something in an adjacent cabin and floated out into the hallway, his courteous grin fixed on his face.
“Ms. Jenn!” he called quietly. His grin faltered slightly when he saw her face. “Everything okay?”
Jenn stopped beside him, her hands instinctively going to her hips. “I’m going to need something from you, Ricardo.”
Ricardo blanched visibly, but his smile didn’t dim this time. “What you need, Ms. Jenn?”
Jenn nodded toward Trey’s door. “I’m going to need you to let me into room 12360.”
Ricardo’s eyes went wide.
Trey’s walk back to his room was a lighter one than the walk to the bar to meet up with Chloe. Chloe really was a great listener, and she’d offered him some great support without Desire there to hold her back from it. She’d helped him rekindle his zeal for reaching out to them in the first place.
It was all about Jenn. Jenn was the reason they were here. Jenn was… standing at the foot of Trey’s bed, an expression of murder on her face.
Trey let the cabin door swing closed behind him, his mouth hanging open.
“How did you…” he began.
“Oh, no!” Jenn cut him off. “I’ll be going first, and I’m not here to swap excuses, so you’ll just be listening.”
Trey couldn’t resist the swallow that made his Adam’s apple bob. His mouth was suddenly very dry. His eyes were suddenly drawn to the open safe in the closet, and he couldn’t stop the groan that escaped his throat.
Jenn held up the black velvet bag, the heavy metal contents inside swinging lazily from the drawstrings.
“Yeah. I know about this.” She dropped the bag at his feet, and Trey flinched.
“I know all about your little meet-ups with Chloe, too!” There was heat behind Jenn’s words.
Trey’s eyes went wide.
Jenn paused briefly, as if she expected him to jump in with an explanation. Trey was still too shocked to utter a word.
“Does Desire know?” Jenn’s voice was a dangerous whisper.
Trey could only manage to form the words, “About what?”
Jenn gave him a clear look of disgust.
“I was really hoping for some honesty. I…” she stopped, shaking her head. “I don’t know what I was thinking. This was a terrible idea, and I don’t know why I let myself get carried away so thoroughly. Honestly, I did not see this coming.” Jenn’s voice wavered, and she put her hands on her hips, one hand going up to stifle the sob that tried to strangle her.
Trey was dumbfounded. This was definitely not part of the plan. His mind was scrambling, still trying to somehow salvage the reason for the trip, while watching it fall apart like wet crepe paper before his eyes.
When she realized that Trey wasn’t going to say anything, Jenn seemed to flip a switch internally. Her expression went cool and impassive, and her tone went flat and robotic.
“I asked Ricardo if they have any empty cabins. He’s looking into it for me. In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you kept your distance for the remainder of the cruise.”
She paused, and her half-closed eyes lingered on Trey, as if daring him to speak. Trey couldn’t make his mouth work. The link between his brain and his mouth felt severed, like a broken telephone line flailing in the emotional hurricane he was now stuck in.
Jenn’s mouth twisted in a facsimile of a smile, and she scoffed, shaking her head. She pushed past Trey, bending unbelievably so as not to touch him as she did. When she reached the door, she stopped, her hand on the handle.
Trey saw her head dip, following the slump in her shoulders, and his heart twisted uncomfortably.
“You know, I really saw this whole week going very differently,” she whispered without looking back.
Trey’s heart imploded.
Jenn pushed down the handle and slipped out of the room, letting the door close loudly behind her.
Trey stood dumbfounded, his brain disbelieving the messages his eyes, ears, and heart were sending it.