Page 4 of Mister Daddy

“I’ll stick to something else then,” is my saucy retort.

I skip over the movie and TV channels to find something interesting. One channel is a fake blue ocean with a red arrow and a tiny ship, tracking our progress. This seems like a good option. We probably won’t get invested in watching the ship move on TV when we can look out the window and see it happen in real life.

Jess finishes her shower and finally, it’s my turn. The glass enclosure is so tight that my shoulders and hips almost touch both sides of the stall. But oh well. Good thing I’m not claustrophobic.

My hair is fine, so I leave it up in a bun and focus on cleaning just my body. There’s no shelf or seat in the shower, so shaving is impossible. It’ll probably be easier to use the toilet seat lid, or hoist my leg onto the counter than to shave in here. That can wait until tomorrow, anyway. I’m too lazy and tired to groom tonight.

After my quick shower, I get dressed in Bermuda shorts and a tank top. I prefer comfort over cuteness pretty much always. Jessica and Caitlyn hate it because I’m always the girl in jeans at the club. They always tell me I’d be “so pretty” if I’d just work a tiny mini-dress like them, preferably one covered with sparkles and sequins. But I always demur because dressing sexy makes me feel so not me. It makes me feel really uncomfortable, and in general, I don’t like to be the center of attention.

“What are we up to next?” I ask as I exit the bathroom.

Jessica and Caitlyn sit facing each other on their beds, relishing the last bit of phone service they’ll have before we get further from land. We agreed upfront that we wouldn’t buy any service plans during the cruise. This trip is about connecting with each other and disconnecting from everyone else.

“I was thinking we’d get the lay of the land,” Caitlyn says. “Er, ship, that is. Explore a bit, and check out the different restaurants and shops. After that, I don’t know.”

Jessica grins at both of us. “Actually, I have the perfect idea,” she announces. “Let’s go clubbing. Why not? I hear the ship has an awesome one on deck ten, and we might as well start things off with a bang.”

I stare at her.

“Clubbing? Really? But I mean, I thought we wanted to chitchat and bond. You know, like a sisterhood.”

Jessica pulls a face at me.

“Seriously Abby, you’ve got to lighten up. Of course we want to bond but we also want to make the most out of this experience and that means sampling all the facilities and partying it up. After all, why not?” she tosses off with an impish grin. “If there are lights, music, and a dance floor, then we might as well use them.”

She and Caitlyn high five while I plaster a smile on my face. Honestly, I was looking forward to a nice dinner and some quiet time with my two friends. Maybe we’d talk about where we are in life, and the things we hope to accomplish in the next few years, including boys, work, and home life. But it seems that Caitlyn and Jessica have a different plan for us and as the third wheel, it’s my job to go along.

2

Abby

If I bend over, a room full of people will see my panties.

Caitlyn says she brought this dress especially for me, but it’s two sizes too small. Back in the room, she assured me it would fit just fine. She even referenced a book we read together a while back called “The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants,” where a group of girlfriends shared a pair of jeans that miraculously fit all four of them. Except this isn’t fiction, this is real life. The dress is not magical, nor does not fit me one whit.

My boobs overflow the sweetheart neckline of the dark blue cocktail dress. The skirt hem barely covers my ample butt, even when I tug it down desperately. It’s a good thing we took the elevator because anyone below us on the stairs would have gotten a lacey show of the blank panties I’m wearing. I guess I should thank my stars that this elevator doesn’t have glass floor either because otherwise, I’d be mooning the world in this tiny dress. Obviously, the undergarments were Caitlyn and Jessica’s idea, too.

“Put on your sexiest lingerie,” Cait commanded.

“What?” I gasped, flushing red. “Why?”

“Just do it,” Jess added, rolling her eyes. “When else are you going to wear them? Come on, Abs. This is the night.”

There was no point in arguing, so I obeyed, face bright red. The black lace bra and g-string panties are sexy and tiny, and I bought them especially for this trip. In my normal life, I wear cotton underwear that you buy three in a plastic pack from Costco. My bras, I have to get special-ordered because my tits are big and the normal sizes at the department store can’t always support a woman with my figure.

“Stop fiddling with the dress,” Caitlyn hisses when she catches me trying to pull the skirt down further. I don’t know why I bother since every time I pull it down to cover my butt, my boobs are more exposed.

“I should have worn my own clothes,” I say under my breath. The elevator whooshes open, depositing us right on the edge of the dance floor. It’s a moderately-sized space, which I guess makes sense given that we’re on a cruise ship and square feet are at a minimum. It’s dark inside, just like any other club, and disco lights spin in multiple colors all over the dance floor. I feel dizzy just watching the colored dots whiz over the walls, ceiling, and floor.

“You look amazing!” Jessica yells over the music. The DJ is playing a song none of us recognizes, but my friends sway their hips to the beat anyway. “I think you need a drink,” Jess screams in my ear.

She disappears toward the bar before I can stop her. Hell, maybe alcohol is a good idea because I’m never going to be comfortable in this miniscule piece of cloth masquerading as a dress. But a cool drink might stop my mind from ruminating on it.

Jess returns quickly with three mixed drinks, complete with gaudy little umbrellas stuck in the tops. I don’t bother asking how she got our drinks so fast when the bar is surrounded by people because it’s actually pretty obvious. Her boobs are hanging out more than mine are, and all the bartenders are men.

I sip the drink, and my eyes widen. Not only did Jessica use her feminine wiles to skip the line, but she got the bartender to make our drinks extra strong. Uck. I hate the taste of alcohol, but I need to down everything in my cup if I want to relax enough to enjoy the club.

The club itself is better than I’d expected. The lights are dim and the room has a purple glow from blacklight tubes on the high ceilings. Lights swirl around the room, adding pops of other colors to the beat. The music is loud but not deafening. The floor is clean, with none of the stickiness I’m used to at the clubs I’ve been to in Miami. All of this might change by the end of the cruise, but so far, I like it here. I might let my friends drag me here a few more times before we get back home. Though I’ll probably wear my usual jeans and top on future visits instead of dressing up again. What’s wrong with jeans anyways? Paired with the right heels and a fun top, it can look just as nice as a cocktail dress.