Chapter 3

Rhonda looked at herself in the mirror. She had not worn full makeup in quite sometimes, much less a dress that made her look as sexy as she thought she looked. It was a royal blue color that made her eyes look a deeper blue than they usually were. She stepped into her three-inch heels, checked her image in the mirror again, then headed for dinner. The ladies waited outside the closed door of the formal dining room. Rhonda was not sure she had ever seen so much gold and gems in one place before.

“Look at you,” Maybell said as Rhonda approached. “You’re going to put us old broads to shame.”

“Hardly. You look like you robbed Fort Knox,” she said.

The ladies laughed, and even Maybell had to nod in response.

“Well, you look outstanding, dearie. Where’ve you been keeping yourself today?”

“Oh, you know. I slept a bit, I ate, then slept a bit. I relaxed.”

“Good for you. Run into the sexy guy with the eyes?”

“We danced last night. We might dance again tonight. Who knows. We have several days to go. Two days at sea next, right? I’ll have to have something to do.”

The ladies laughed at the innuendo she left out there. She was not going to tell them what she had been doing. The doors opened just then, and everyone went to dinner. Rhonda’s seat this evening had her looking at a different table where a couple seemed to have already had one too many, and his wife or girlfriend seemed not to be in the mood for his antics. Sam distracted her with a question, and when she looked again, the woman was gone.

Dinner was a full Italian spread, and by the time the tiramisu came out, Rhonda was not sure she would be able to waddle out of the dining room. She noticed the drunk was gone, as were many of the other diners. When Maybell announced it was time for the casino, Rhonda followed along in her wake. She never visited a casino, much less gambled on anything more than a door prize, so she took it all in as she looked around. Slot machines filled most of the room. Two tables in the corner were set aside for poker, while down the middle, there were tables for craps, roulette, and other games of chance.

Maybell lead the ladies to the second table, and everyone fanned out around the double horseshoe. Rhonda decided that following Maybell’s lead was the right way to do things, so when Maybell dropped a hundred dollar bill on the table, Rhonda did as well, and the evening began. Rhonda watched Maybell move for move throughout the night, dropped bets, or picked up chips as the older woman did. Rhonda ignored the chips’ value in front of her, but there seemed to be quite a few. Dottie was on a run, and the chips moved fast when she finally crapped out.

There was a massive groan of disappointment as the dealers cleared the field for the next shooter. Rhonda decided she was done. The excitement and exercise of the day took their toll on her as she covered a yawn. With the help of an aide, she took her chips to the cashier and settled up. The cashier informed her the money would be held on deposit and could be drawn on, used to settle at the end of the cruise, or cashed out as a cheque if she wanted. It could also be used on a future cruise.

As Rhonda walked back to her cabin, she realized how Maybell could command the respect she did, especially if she did this every quarter as she claimed. If she only won that much every cruise, the ship would find any way it could to recover its losses. Rhonda suspected that Maybell and her posse won more than she lost. She stifled another yawn as she unlocked her door. By the time she crawled into bed, it was past midnight, and tomorrow was an early day.

The ship vibrated around her as the alarm woke Rhonda. She blinked a couple of times and tried to remember why she was up so early. The sun said morning while the clock said night time. Then she remembered it was spa day. She got up, took a quick shower, then dashed to the buffet for a quick breakfast before she checked in for her appointment. She planned an entire day: wraps, facial, massage, hair, and nails. By five in the evening, she camped out in a chair by the top deck bar, a martini in front of her, and she felt no pain.

“Look at you,” Maybell said as she sat down across from Rhonda. “You look like a million bucks. Spa day?”

“Yes. I haven’t felt this relaxed since my honeymoon.”

“You look relaxed. Good for you. Going dancing with the hottie tonight?”

As she talked, she waved the steward over and ordered a drink for herself.

“Where are the rest of the ladies,” Rhonda asked, deflecting.

“Napping, I suspect. About this time in the cruise, the hours begin to catch up with you. Of course, you are already ahead of the game. Dinner’s casual tonight. Loose, frilly dresses. Did you bring one like that?”

“I have just the dress,” she said as she sipped her martini.

“Hello, ladies,” a rich baritone said.

Rhonda felt things tighten low in her body, and she was sure her nipples popped as she remembered the feel of his cock against her cheek.

“Hello, I’m Maybell.”

“Dan. A pleasure to finally meet you. Rhonda has said wonderful things about you.”

“Hello. Can we get you a drink?” Rhonda asked.

“Please, mai tai,” he said to the steward.

“Having a good day?” Rhonda asked.

“Nice, thank you. I spent the day reading on deck, some time in the hot tub. It was the type of day that any Type A personality needs now and then to relax.”

“And you’re Type A?”

“Very much so. Thank you,” he added as the steward served his drink.

“What are your plans for tonight?” Maybell asked.

“I don’t know. If I can find a companion, I might go dancing.”

“If I wear the right shoes, would you take me dancing?” Rhonda asked.

“I would love to if it’s OK with your mother.”

Maybell laughed.

“Charmer. I’m no more her mother than, well, the Captain is. So you should take her dancing. And if she says no, you can take me.”

“Now that is a tempting offer, but I can barely hold my own with this lovely lady. I suspect you would kill me, Maybell.”

“You will never know,” she said.

They laughed as they enjoyed the sunset before Maybell got up.

“Time to dress for dinner,” she said.

“Yes, I think so too. See you after dinner?” Rhonda asked.

Dan waited until Maybell had started for the stairs before he responded.

“I would very much like to see you after dinner,” he said, his voice low.

He stepped forward and kissed her softly before Dan let her go.

“See you after dinner,” Rhonda said before she caught up with Maybell at the elevators.

Dinner was indeed casual, with lots of resort wear, tans, and more than a few burns, depending on skin tones. It was not heavy, and when they were done, Rhonda met Dan outside the restaurant, and they headed for the dance floor. Tonight Rhonda chose the Eighties Club to start the evening’s festivities. After an hour or so gyrating around the dance floor, the couple took a break and went out on deck. They wandered away from the crowd and along the deck until they found some shadows. Dan pulled Rhonda tight against him. They kissed softly at first, then with more heat and passion. Rhoda felt him swell against her. She gently rolled her body against his. Their breath came hot, and they were soon panting with lust.

“How do you get me so hot so fast,” Dan gasped.

“Beats me, but I am equally excited,” Rhonda gasped.

“My room’s empty. Shall we go and dance a bit closer before we return to the dance floor?”

She looked into Dan’s eyes, reached down and squeezed his cock through his lightweight pants, and then smiled at her.

“Let’s go.”

They did not run down the deck, but they did walk quickly, and Dan all but slammed her against the door as it closed behind them. Rhonda’s breath whooshed out a second before their mouths crashed together. Rhonda moved her hand down Dan’s pants and had them undone quickly as she shoved them down. Her hand captured his cock, and they both moaned with lust. She reached between his legs, rolled his balls around her hand while she slowly jacked his cock up and down.