Page 44 of Mister Daddy

“Sorry, sweetheart,” I pant. She merely smiles and sighs even as ecstasy rushes us in waves. After we’re done, the curvy girl turns toward me.

“So much for pulling out,” she says with a half-smile.

“Sweetheart, I’m sure we’re fine,” I growl. “It’s going to be alright, don’t you worry.”

She sighs languorously and snakes her arms around my neck. For a moment, I think she’s going to say more, but nothing comes. Good. After all, our time together may end tomorrow, but right now, I’m not thinking about pulling out and the like. All I’m thinking about is this gorgeous girl before me and enjoying our remaining time together.

We lie nude on the down blanket, the cool breeze drying our sweaty bodies.

“Wow,” Abby says, affording the word “wow” with new meaning every time she says it. “It gets better every time.”

“It sure does,” I chuckle. “We’re dynamite together, you and me.”

After an hour of resting together on the balcony, we start to shift, ready to be back inside.

“Hey, how about I give you a private tour of the ship?” I offer. “And then we can stop and get you a post card?”

She smiles. “I would love that.”

“Do you want to invite Caitlyn and Jessica?”

“It’s sweet of you to offer, but we’ve come to an agreement. You and I get the rest of the cruise, and I spend one night a week having dinner with my friends once we return home.”

“That’s an excellent agreement.”

“I thought so.”

We dress in my room, though it’s a slow process with how often we stop to kiss. I have to distance myself from her or we really will end up in my room until we dock tomorrow.

We start our tour at the bottom of the ship and work our way up. I show her things that the public can’t see, thanks to my private access. The first eight floors are pretty boring, but once we get to floor nine, things get more exciting.

“This is the theater, obviously,” I tell her when we get to the main part of the ninth floor. We saw a show together two nights ago, so she knows what the theater is. “But I want to take you backstage so that you can see what it’s like back there.”

“That would be awesome!”

I lead her through an employees’ only door and down the hall to the backstage area. All of the props for the three shows on board are stored here. She oohs and ahs as she weaves in between the different sets and props. One of our shows is a Mardi Gras extravaganza, so there are lots of boas and green, gold, and purple decorations.

“This is so cool, Carter,” she exclaims. “Thank you so much for this.”

We continue the tour, and with every stop, Abby is genuinely interested in the things I show her.

“You’re really passionate about this ship,” she says when we get to the main deck. I’d just finished explaining how we revolutionized the deck layout for the best guest experience possible.

“Sorry. Am I boring you to death?”

“No,” she says with a hand on my arm. “I like hearing about your passion, really. You spent hours out in the water with me, listening to my love for scuba.”

“I loved hearing about that.”

“And I love hearing about the ship.”

I bite my tongue before I can tell her that it’s not just her passions I adore. It’sher.

17

Carter

The ship docked in Miami before sunrise this morning.