Chapter 4: The Ocean Cruise: Rachael

Well, after one divorce and one promising relationship that went south in a flat out hurry, I wasn't ready to try again so soon. I just went to work and let time heal all wounds as they say. About two years later, I asked my lovely teenage daughter what she would like to do with her summer break. She would be out of school in another two weeks and I suggested she think of a treat. I was thinking of a trip to Paris, somewhere in the south like Mexico or even to someplace exotic, like one of the Hawaiian islands or the Bahamas. She had other ideas.

It was about a week later that she came to me with her plan. She wanted to take a cruse, going down along the coast of California and Mexico. She wanted to take at least two weeks and she wanted to take one of her friends. She wanted to take Susan Barlow, but Susan could only go if she took her Aunt Rachael as a chaperone. It would be wonderful: she could shop, see all the places in Mexico that she had only heard of and hit all of the fabulous beaches and see a lot of guys. She thought it would be great. The cruise left San Diego and would hit Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, PuertoVallarta, Acapulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo, and return to San Diego.

I had to admit that it sounded like a great cruise and if there was an additional adult, it would make my life a lot easier. One of us could chaperone and one could relax. Together we might both enjoy it as well. I gave Mickey the go ahead to make arrangements with Susan's folks. I wondered a bit about the aunt, but decided that it would make no difference. This was a chance for me to take some time off and I certainly needed it after Helen.

All arrangements were made and we boarded the ship right around the middle of May. The weather was always nice here anyway but it was just past the rainy time of year so it should be great. I had two cabins; one for Mickey and me and one for Susan and her Aunt Rachael. Should work out well. Since I had the money, I got outside rooms on the top deck. The rooms had balconies and great views. An extra grand a room but worth it. Thanks once again to the Afghan Warlords.

It was about an hour later that I finally met Aunt Rachael. She and Susan came aboard, checked in and knocked on our door. Mickey was already out and about so I was alone. I opened the door to see a young girl who I knew was Susan and a woman who took my breath away. If this was Aunt Rachael, I was going to be a happy man. She was a platinum blonde, about 5'5", with a body that would make a blind man see. As she smiled at me, I noticed her eyes: deep blue and almond shaped. The kind of eyes that a man would gladly fall into. She was, in a word, stunning!

I just stared at them for an embarrassingly long time before Susan broke the ice.

"Where's Mick? Is she here or is she already looking for the hot guys? Oh, yeah, this is Aunt Rachael. This is Mickey's dad. I'm gonna go find Mick. I'll catch you later. If she comes back here before I find her, tell her that I'm gonna be at the pool."

With that, she was gone and I stood there like an idiot until I finally remembered who I was and where I was.

"I'm so sorry. Please, won't you please come in? I'm Stuart Ransom and Michelle is my daughter. But, that's dumb. You already know that. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was expecting but not you. Not that that's a bad thing. That's not... I'm rambling. I'm very sorry. Please, come in and sit down."

Rachael simply smiled at me as I stumbled over myself. She obviously had this reaction from a lot of guys so she knew how to deal with it. She walked in, looked around and sat down in one of the lounge chairs.

"I'm also sorry that we never had a chance to meet before this. My name isn't really Aunt Rachael, it's Rachael Willows, and I don't know what you were expecting so I hope that we can find some way to make this trip as easy on you as possible. I have no trouble taking the girls most of the time. Since you are paying for the trip, the least I can do is give you some time to enjoy it."

"That's very kind of you, but I don't think that the girls will need much supervision during the day and anyway, it was not my intention that you be a full time baby sitter. This was a gift to my daughter and she wanted you and Susan so that's what I gave her. I was pleased that you accepted. She and Susan are together all the time and I think she was thrilled that her parents came up with this solution."

Rachael laughed and said, "I hope you will still be pleased after 2 weeks of being with three women."

I had no doubt that I was going to be pleased. The girls could do as they pleased so long as I had some time with this fascinating woman. This cruise promised to be more than I expected.

For the next few days, we all got to know each other quite well. Susan was a lot like Mickey and I could see why they were such good friends. Rachael and I found time to get to know each other and we got along quite well. I enjoyed her company and she seemed to like mine. We never had much time alone, but there was still plenty of time. We still had nine days.

On the 7^th day out, I found that I was seated at the Captain's table for dinner that night so I mentioned this to Mickey. She wanted to sit with Susan so I proposed, very cleverly I thought, that she sit with Susan and Rachael could sit with me. That way, everyone would be happy. Mickey looked at me with a slight grin and agreed. She went next door to tell Rachael and Susan. Apparently everyone was agreeable since we all left to go to dinner.

Rachael was dressed in a soft, flowing dress of the most intense shade of green that came just below her knees and flowed over her curves like water. It made me glad to be a man who could appreciate the finer things in life. She fit into that category quite nicely. The dress matched her eyes, also green. She had her hair pulled back over her ears and it fell softly to just below her shoulders. She had on very little makeup and needed none. She was remarkable. I was still having trouble with my tongue when I was around her but she didn't seem to mind.

We introduced ourselves to the rest of the guests at the table but soon found ourselves talking softly to each other and ignoring the others. She was a remarkable woman with many interests. I could listen to her talk for hours and did. We finished dinner all too soon but she accepted my invitation to take a walk around the deck. I was looking for any means to keep this evening going and she didn't seem to want to go back to the cabin. As we strolled on the upper deck, I watched the breeze catch her hair and toss it around like a spray of silver. It was fascinating. Her eyes sparkled with the night lights arranged around the upper deck. All in all, she was a sight to behold. We finally stopped at the bow of the deck, looking ahead into the dark.

As we stood quietly, I saw her look at me intently. She was looking for something but I didn't know what. Finally, she spoke, talking more to herself than me.

"I wonder. I just wonder." Then as she looked at me again, "why not?"

When I started to ask her what she meant, she simply smiled and shook her head. She straightened up from the railing and took my arm. As we strolled again around the deck, she seemed to come to some conclusion.

"Do you think we can convince the girls to give us some time alone? There's something I want to do."

"I think I can convince them to take in a movie on the third deck. I know there is one that she wanted to see but it wasn't out yet at home. I think Susan would probably go if Mickey wanted to. Want me to suggest it?"

"Yes, please. Let's go see them now. I think they were going to the pool area again. That's where most of the cute guys are."

We found the girls and I made the proposal. Mickey was not too anxious to leave the pool area and I finally took her aside and gave it to her straight.

"I want some time alone with Rachael. Does that bother you?" She shook her head no with a serious look at me. "And will you make that happen?"

She smiled a nasty grin and told me it was going to cost me. We finally settled on the movie for both of them, a late night snack and a shopping trip tomorrow on the main deck. I think I got taken, but I hoped it was going to be worth it.

When I collected Rachael at the pool, I told her we had the next three hours to ourselves. She smiled and took my arm and started toward the section where our rooms were located. I felt a quick thrill and hoped that it was going to be what I hoped. As we entered the hall where our rooms were, I was certain.

We got to my room and Rachael waited as I opened the door. She brushed past me into the room and I followed, locking the door behind me. I turned on the light, only to have Rachael ask me to turn it off. I did and moved to her. She was waiting. I took her in my arms and she melted against me with a sigh.

"I have wanted to do this since I first saw you. You feel as good as I expected. I want you to make love to me. I don't want you to be gentle with me. I want you to take me hard and fast. Please."

I wasn't sure what she was looking for but I was going to give it my best shot. I quickly shed my jacket, my tie, and my shirt. The pants followed as I literally kicked everything away just to get it gone. I was down to my shorts when I noticed that she had not moved. She just watched me in the darkness as I stripped. Not a very erotic sight, since I was in a hurry.

I had a brilliant stroke of genius: maybe she was waiting for me to undress her? Well, hell. I could do that. I reached for her and she moved forward without hesitation. I reached around behind her to find the zipper to her dress. I pulled it down and had the satisfying sight of her dress opening up and sliding off of her shoulders as I traveled downward. The dress flowed from her and to the floor with hardly a sound. She was left with a lacy white bra and brief panties. I reached behind to unsnap the bra and it too fell away and to the floor. We were both down to only our briefs. Hers more brief than mine. Through all of this, she had said nothing, but to my relief she was smiling at me.

I pulled her tightly against me and felt her breasts pressing into my chest. Her body felt as though it was made to fit mine. She put her arms around me and held me tightly as I pushed her panties to the floor. She stepped out of them and raised her face to mine. I kissed her hard as I felt her hands slip under the waist of my briefs and slide them down over my erection. She seemed to know what to do as she pulled the waist away and over me. Now my hard cock was pressing into her stomach and she began to shiver. I remembered her request to take her hard. I hoped she meant it since that was what I was going to do.