Chapter 4: Revelations

The next morning, I woke fairly early. I ordered a room service breakfast and took it out onto my cabin’s small balcony, which I’d barely used so far. I needed some time to think, and I didn’t particularly want to be around other people. Yet.

As I watched the giant vessel slice through the water below us, my thoughts were of course obsessed with Riley. I couldn’t quite figure out what her objective was with me. The kiss last night, though not overly passionate, wasn’t a friendly peck on the cheek either. I thought odds were good that she at least had a crush on me, and I was becoming more and more enamored with her as well.

But the question of her age still hung over my head. Was she underage? If so, was my fascination with her based on a “forbidden fruit” kind of thing -- I wanted her, but couldn’t have her? As enticing as she was, I certainly couldn’t risk my career -- or worse, my freedom -- doing something illegal with her. What was legal on the high seas? I didn’t even know.

On the other hand, her parents certainly seemed to like me and didn’t discourage the two of us from spending time together, even allowing us to take an unchaperoned walk on the moonlit deck together. Plus, her brother had a girlfriend that was noticeably younger than him, yet Jim and Jennifer had no qualms about the two of them sharing a room (and their bodies). What did all that mean?

I just had no idea, and at the time, I had no way to figure it out.

When I got up to the pool deck around 10:15, I was happy to see Riley in “our” hot tub, same place where we’d chatted the other day. I dropped my towel and sunscreen on a nearby chair, and eased myself into the water, in between Riley and a couple of kids enjoying the warm water. She was submerged into the water to her upper chest, with two skinny white straps emerging from the water and passing over her shoulders.

“Hi,” she said brightly. Her golden curls were pulled up into a bun on the top of her head, and I was fascinated with her long, graceful neck. I imagined what that soft skin would feel like against my lips...

“Er, hi,” I said, settling in next to her. “How are you today?” I asked, forcing myself to look at her face and not parts lower. Like my own, her eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, and I found myself wishing I could see them.

“I’m good, thanks,” she said, turning her face to avoid a splash from our rowdy neighbors.

“Did you sleep well?” I asked, on a whim, adding -- “did you dream of me?”

Riley blushed and looked down at the water. At first, I didn’t think she’d answer me, but then, quietly, she said, “wouldn’t you like to know!”

I laughed heartily, bumping my shoulder against hers and loving the contact.

We chatted for 10 minutes or so, and then the combination of the hot water and the rough-housing kids got a bit annoying. “Want to go relax on some chairs for a while?” she asked.

“Sure,” I agreed. Riley stood to exit the hot tub, and I got my first full look of what she was wearing today. My cock lurched in my swimsuit as my eyes greedily drank her in.

She was wearing a two-piece, and there wasn’t a whole lot to it. Made of purple fabric and trimmed in white, the bikini top covered only the lower two-thirds of her chest, leaving a healthy upper curve of each breast exposed.

She turned away from me to exit the hot tub, and I felt my heart hammer in my chest, as if it lost the ability to beat properly for a second or two. The back of those purple bottoms hugged her ass like a rubber glove, and it wasn’t exactly what you’d call “full coverage.” A decent amount of each cheek peeked out around the edges of the bikini.

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my erection under control, and followed her out of the hot tub.

We spent the next couple of hours in tropical bliss, enjoying each other’s company. She was so easy to talk to, even after two days I felt incredibly comfortable with her, and she was driving all thoughts of Lilly and her betrayal from my mind. We observed the other cruise passengers and made snarky comments about many of them; we jumped in the pool or hot tub when we felt like it, splashing each other like fools.

She asked me to sunscreen her back at one point, and my cock throbbed hungrily as I misted the sunscreen over her shoulder blades, neck, and back, and then gently rubbed it in with my hands. I think she moaned softly; I know I did (probably less softly) when she returned the favor.

Not a minute later, her dad walked by, and we said hello to him -- and her family members as they passed by. None of them seemed at all bothered by the fact that we were together, nor the hungry looks I’m sure I was giving Riley as I stared at her tight and lightly-tanned body.

Throughout the late morning and into the afternoon, roving waiters had been passing around the pool deck, the now-familiar call of “Cocktail service!” cutting through the tropical music. Today’s “drink of the day” was some bright red rum-based concoction.

After lunch, Riley and I watched one of the waiters expertly weave through the crowd with a tray full of them.

“I bet those taste pretty good,” she said wistfully. “Will you get one and let me taste it?”

I looked at her -- she was grinning at me, but with her eyes hidden behind those shades, I wasn’t sure how serious she was. I’d seen her parents allow her a small amount of wine at dinner, so I figured I was on safe ground and answered flippantly, “I might. What’s it worth to you?”

She laughed. “I like you, Mark. OK, tell you what. If you let me have a sip, I’ll answer the question you wanted to ask me last night.”

“Seriously?” I said.

She lowered her sunglasses and looked at me, the smile gone from her face. “Seriously.”

I couldn’t believe the irony of what I was about to do -- let someone obviously underage taste my alcoholic drink, as a bribe to get her to tell me just how underage she was. Still, I waved the waiter over, purchasing a “Red Pirate” on my room card. I took a sip -- it was sweet, not grossly so, but definitely full of alcohol.

When I was certain that none of the staff members were looking, I handed it discreetly to Riley. She puckered her lips around the straw and took a long pull. She swallowed, making a minor grimace, but said “that’s not too bad.”

She handed it back to me, and I set it on the small table between our loungers. Riley was looking out at the passengers in the pool, not saying anything.

“So?” I prompted, gently.

“Ok,” she said. “But promise you won’t get mad, and promise you’ll still hang out with me, and come to dinner tonight.”

I paused. She wasn’t asking me to do anything more than I was already doing, and nothing she was asking for was illegal or immoral.

“I promise.”

“Mark, I’m 15,” she said without looking in my direction. When I didn’t immediately respond, she turned to me and lowered her sunglasses. Her eyes welled up with unshed tears as she waited for me to respond.

I tried to remain calm on the outside while I freaked out on the inside.

15??!? She’s 15!!! Girls sure didn’t look like this when I was that age, I can tell you that! How can I be hanging out with, flirting with, having dirty thoughts about someone who is FIFTEEN!?!?!? She’s 10 years younger than me, for heaven’s sake. I can’t keep spending time with her, nothing good can come from this. But look at her, she’s gorgeous -- it isn’t illegal to look at her, to put sunscreen on her, to give her a friendly hug...

All of these thoughts were swirling through my head, and I paused before saying anything, taking a long swig of my drink.

“Thanks for telling me, Riley,” I said quietly.

She nodded, and put her sunglasses back on, but didn’t say anything. She swiveled her head back out to face the pool, and we were both quiet for a few minutes.

I touched her elbow, and broke the silence. “Riley? I’m 25.”

She nodded again, and we returned to our own thoughts for several minutes. I wondered if I could honor her request, still be friendly with her, still have dinner with her family. I realized I had no choice -- I’d made a promise. Unlike some people I’d recently known, I didn’t break promises.

I stared at Riley’s long, smooth legs for a moment, leading up to that skimpy bikini bottom, and a long stretch of smooth, flat stomach. I forced my gaze away, looking to the deck above us. The bright red slide was a sharp contrast to the brilliant blue sky.

“Hey Riley -- let’s try out the slide!”

She looked at me, startled out of her own thoughts, then nodded and smiled at me.

We spent the rest of the afternoon together, going down the slide a half-dozen times or so. Most of the people using the slides were kids and teenagers, though there were a few other adults as well. Every time we stood near other adults in line, I couldn’t help wondering -- what do they think of Riley and I? Do they think I’m her dad, her brother, her boyfriend? Are they judging me, calling me a pedophile after I slide away?

Two more Red Pirates -- minus a couple more sips to Riley -- helped me push those thoughts to the back of my mind. However, they came roaring back on our final time using the slide. We’d decided to take one more ride each, then split up for a couple of hours and meet back for dinner.

I slid down first, and was standing at the bottom of the slide for Riley to come down. Rather than emptying into a pool, this slide flared out into a horizontal flume at the bottom. Riley -- a veteran of several cruises -- assured me this was typical on ships.

As the rushing water increased in volume, I knew Riley was nearly at the bottom of the corkscrew. A larger splash heralded her arrival to the bottom of the slide, and slid to within a few feet of me, laughing as she wiped the water from her eyes.

But my own eyes were immediately drawn to her chest. Her bikini top had been pushed askew by the slide, and most of her left breast was exposed, including her small pink nipple. As she finished clearing her eyes and stood up, she automatically checked her bikini (as women often do), pulling her bottoms back into proper position and then glancing down at her chest.

“Oh god,” she whispered, blushing brightly as she noticed exactly where I was staring. She quickly pulled her top back into place and stepped over closer to me, whispering “did anyone see?”

“No, I don’t think so,” I answered, looking around. The pool deck had emptied out quite a bit as the afternoon wore on. “Well, I mean -- I saw.”

She blushed, her cheeks getting even redder. “I know you saw,” she said.

Oh my lord, I just saw this beautiful girl’s boob. Her fifteen-year-old boob. I knew that image would be burned into my brain forever.

We separated somewhat awkwardly after that, making plans to meet up just before dinner. “Don’t forget, it’s elegant night tonight -- you have to be fancy,” she said, grinning as we rode the elevator down from the pool deck.