Chapter 14

The next three weeks seemed interminable, a lifetime in less than a month. Archie and I talked so many times. We discussed me leaving the villa and travelling with Josie and what it would mean to her- and to me. We also discussed what might happen if I didn't go with her. How we may not be able to continue with our long distance love affair if she met someone else on-board ship or something. He tried to reassure me. Promised me he could sort out any papers I may need with no fear of detection by the authorities. I was still sceptical though. Still worried that now I had something to lose, I may just do that and end up back in jail to complete the last ten years of my original sentence.

I was finally convinced late one night as we drunkenly lay outside by the pool. He, very philosophically for a pissed old man I thought, asked me what I would prefer. "The chance of maybe thirty years or so of blissful happiness with the woman of your dreams? - Or the feint possibility of another ten years in prison if it did go tits up?"

No contest really. I had already lost twenty years of my life and I didn't want to spend my next however many in hiding, sneaking around and only managing to see the woman I loved for a few short days a month. Nope. The decision was made- albeit it with a large intake of alcohol to help the process along. I was going with her. Not only that, I was going to ask her to marry me too...

That last announcement met with much mirth and merriment from my drunken friend as he assured me that he would remember what I had decided the following day- even if I denied all knowledge of it.

As it happened, I actually did remember the day after. It was as though a ton weight had been lifted from my shoulders as I wandered around Palma looking for a ring to buy for my wife to be- all being well and she accepted of course. I didn't have much to spend, having turned down Archie's offer to fund the purchase as he was going to be my best man- "Whether you like it or not." - but I did manage to find a nice small one I could afford and hoped she'd like.

She did. In fact, she loved it. Smothering me with kisses and drenching my face with her tears of joy as she tried her best to hug the life out of me. I thought we were alone when I'd asked her, only to be surprised by Archie and the girls, Maria and husband, Giorgio and the rest of the bar-staff, all bursting into the lounge- and all carrying the biggest bottles of champagne I had ever seen.

"What would you have done if she'd said no?" I asked my mate later in the evening, standing at the bar while my new fiancée went round showing her new ring off to any customer who happened to be in front of her.

"Well ... Then I would have ordered double the champagne and we would have drowned our sorrows." he replied, slapping me on the back and assuring me he just knew that that was never going to happen. That was my mate for you. If you win, drink a bottle of champagne, If you lose, drink two.

Great philosophy for life really...

The next couple of months flew by. Josie and I had decided we wanted to get married as soon as we possibly could. Neither of us had any family as such, and at our ages we couldn't see any point in delaying our wedding with a long engagement, so we just wanted to tie our union in the best possible way.

Archie got his lawyer in Palma to come to the villa and explain exactly what papers we would need to have a civil ceremony performed by the local mayor, and a few short weeks later my best-man presented me with all the authentic-looking documents required by Spanish law. It appeared that I had been born on the island of Guernsey, part of the British channel islands, and that I had never been married before. I have got to say, the man was brilliant at his job. The papers all looked 100% genuine to anyone who cared to look at them and were certainly good enough to pass the perfunctory examination they received at the mayor's office when we booked our wedding.

Josie left all the legal arrangements to me and Archie, (well Archie really) whilst she carried on working aboard ship. She was as excited as a little puppy when she told me she had arranged for me to start working with her on the ship the next season and that we would have our own crew's cabin just for the two of us. She hadn't been able to wait until she docked again to tell me and instead had rung the villa ship-to-shore, tearfully sobbing down the phone in her happiness as she tried to tell me just how much it all meant to her and how happy I had made her.

Her and her three bridesmaids bought all their required dresses and other essential parts of their outfits when they were in Palma, trusting the best-man and myself to sort our own suits out- only instructing us that they had to be a pale beige colour with a crimson-red tie to match her dress and the ones of the girls.

Eventually, on a beautiful, sunny autumns day in late October, we were married in front of all our friends in the village and many of Josie's friends from the ship. They had all just returned from the last cruise of the season, so instead of Josie going on to work on the winter cruises as she would normally have done, she had decided to spend the whole winter with me at the villa and we would start on the ship again the next spring.

I've got to say, Josie looked wonderful. Glowing with happiness in a cream silk, figure-hugging dress that showed off her light tan to perfection, she bounced around during the ceremony and the after-party infecting everyone with her over-whelming joy as she celebrated our big day.

The three bridesmaids were nothing short of spectacular too. Their crimson dresses showed of their wonderful dancer's bodies, and especially their long, long legs, to perfection. I think every man (and probably a few of the women) at the party was lusting after the girls as they danced the night away with anyone who they managed to drag onto the small dance floor we had set up.

Not me of course. I only had eyes for my lovely bride as she wandered around chatting to all the guests. I just couldn't believe my luck at how such a beautiful, vivacious woman would even give me the time of day, never-mind share my bed and even marry me.

The after-wedding party was at the bar and, for the first time ever, the tills were shut. All the food and drink was provided by Giorgio and Maria and their chef's- and all paid for by my wonderful best-man. Incidentally, Archie Squires, internationally-famed artist, ex-con, and general piss-head, made one of the great best-man speeches. He had the every one of the guests shedding tears of laughter with his anecdotes about us all before he toasted the bride and groom and presented us with his wedding present- a two-week safari in Kenya, that elicited a squeal of delight from the by-then happily-tipsy bride.

I had also met the man who was about to become my new 'boss' at the wedding. Felix was the bar-manager of the ship and about the same age as me. A tall, extremely handsome bloke with a full head of black hair just beginning to show flecks of grey around his temples, he was very touchy-feely around Josie, repeatedly hugging and kissing her whenever their paths crossed during the day. I would probably been a little jealous if he hadn't have been as camp as a brigade of scouts and very obviously gay. Lovely man though...

After we had checked into the bridal suite at the poshest hotel on the island, (courtesy of the best man of course), my new bride stripped for me. There wasn't much for her to take off, just dress and thong panties, but she did do a wonderfully sexy job of divesting herself of those two items for my entertainment. We made love then, and I have to say it was the best I had ever had. Something different about fucking when it is with someone you truly love.

A little later, Josie excused herself and went into the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later still naked and with a mischievous little grin across her beautiful face.

"What are you up to? You little sexpot." I queried, laughing as she evaded my attempt to grab her nakedness.

Giggling like a tipsy teenager, she jumped onto the bed next to me and knelt down with her gorgeous arse stuck up in the air as she put her head on her folded arms and looked into my eyes.