Chapter 5

"Oh I so need a drink," complained Sam as she rode alongside Louise.

It had been a long day and they were all looking forward to seeing the ferry terminal again. Unfortunately, it had remained curiously elusive so far despite several signs indicating it was close.

"Surely we must be near now," Gillian said crossly.

"I dunno," Sam replied with a shrug, "that last sign said six kilometres to Euro Port and yet there's still no sight of it."

Louise couldn't be bothered to contribute to the conversation. Her head was somewhere else and had been all day. As the miles rolled by effortlessly, she had been mulling over all the events of the last three days, trying to make sense of them. In the process she had resolutely stayed away from Rick.

He had smiled at her when they stopped for a late lunch, but she had pretended not to notice. It seemed easier that way. They had agreed to talk about things tonight, so it was best to let it lie in the meantime. Besides, she still had no idea what she wanted.

On the face of it, a short term fling was possible — after all they both knew there was an undeniable attraction. But, did she really want something so shallow? Plus, did she want to be just another notch on his belt? No, she didn't. She was tired of all that crap. Kevin had messed her about and she had no desire to be another man's fuck-toy again.

If she wanted casual sex, she knew damn well Paolo was more than willing. He had pressed his cell phone number into her hand the last time she'd visited the gym and he had made it quite clear that he was available for anything she felt she needed. She would have been tempted to take him up on that offer had she not overheard a conversation between two girls in the changing rooms.

"He's a great fuck," the blonde had said to her friend with the unfeasibly large tits as they changed into their designer-labelled exercise clothes.

"Who is?" Miss Big Tits said curiously.

"You know - the masseuse guy," said Blondie. "My hubby paid for a course of treatments for me as a birthday present," she snorted with amusement. "He has no idea what 'extras' Paolo offers!"

"No!" the friend said in disbelief. "You're joking..."

"I'm not joking, Lesley, trust me, the guy is a total stud!" She fanned herself dramatically and Louise felt her stomach clench. She wondered just how many women Paolo serviced in the course of his day, although, she had to admit he had been good at his job. The massage had been great even without the extras.

It was very disappointing. The thought of seeing Paolo again had been rather attractive up until that moment. Oh well, she could always go back when things got really desperate.

But casual fun was not her thing. It never had been — no-strings sex just didn't do it for her. The encounter with Rick outside the club only happened because he caught her off guard at a vulnerable moment. If she had been sober, it never would have happened at all.

"What's up with you?" Gillian's voice broke through her chain of thought and Louise looked at her blankly.

"Huh?"

"You!" she said exasperatedly. "You've been on another planet all day. Are you still feeling poorly after last night?" She began to look concerned.

"I'm fine," Louise said, forcing herself to look cheerful.

Gillian frowned suspiciously. She didn't look too convinced, but evidently decided not to pursue it any further. "Hey, did I tell you the gossip?" she said suddenly.

"No?" Louise's curiosity was aroused despite her own problems.

Gillian pulled alongside while Sam moved ahead to chat with Brigitte and Sonya. "Well," she said confidentially, "a little bird told me that Rebecca and Lucy had quite a night with Bob! Apparently Bob had a video camera and he took some interesting film footage. We may get to see this later!" She grinned at the thought.

"Did the girls know about the film?" asked Louise dubiously.

"Yeah!" Gillian rolled her eyes. "Course they did, you idiot! It seems those two aren't quite as innocent as they look."

Louise thought back to the car park when she'd overheard Rebecca with Lance Clarke. No, she decided, Rebecca was clearly not as naïve as she'd originally believed. The trollop!

Their conversation was cut short when someone near the front of the ride began to cheer loudly. "We're here!"

"Thank fuck for that — I need a drink and some food," Sam said loudly.

The sight of the ferry terminal was a welcome one to everybody. It had been a long day after an equally long night for many people. Clearly some folk had had even less sleep than her, thought Louise. She just wondered how long it would take Bob to cash in on his 'film'.

On this occasion the cabin key actually opened the door. Louise entered the cramped space again and wondered who she was sharing it with this time. She had hoped Gillian would be her companion, but Gillian had drawn Sam, Natasha and the lovely Alicia in the cabin lottery. Louise was at least spared that particular horror.

"Hello!" said a familiar voice when the door swung open just as Louise was pulling her wash bag out.

She spun round in surprise to see Gary leering at her from the entrance to the cabin. "Are you in here, too?" she asked in stunned disbelief. Surely he hadn't been allocated a cabin with her!

"I think this may be our lucky night!" he grinned. "Fancy a threesome?" he continued as Rick appeared behind with his bag in hand.

Oh fucking marvellous, thought Louise in total desperation. This was not how she'd planned her evening. If it all went tits up with Rick, she was now doomed to spend a hideous night in close proximity with him, unable to escape.

"Give it a rest, Gary," Rick muttered as he dropped his bag on the opposite bunk. "I've told you often enough — I really don't fancy you!"

Gary pulled a mournful expression. "Shame," he said sadly. "It could have been so much fun."

She struggled to hide a smile. He really was incorrigible. "Try asking Rebecca and Lucy," she suggested innocently. "I hear they're into that kinda thing..."

Both men looked at her curiously but Louise grabbed her bag and disappeared into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She spent ages luxuriating in the hot shower, taking her sweet time. It was blissful to feel the water cascading over her aching shoulders after spending all day on her bike.

When eventually she re-emerged from the bathroom dressed in a pair of jeans and a tight top, the cabin was empty. It seemed Gary and Rick had left her in peace and decided to have a drink at the bar while she got ready. It was actually a relief to be able to apply her make-up and dry her hair without feeling like she was being watched.

She still couldn't quite believe she was being forced to share a cabin with them. Somebody, somewhere, was having a huge laugh at her expense, but she had no choice other than get on with it. It was going to be awkward with Rick, but maybe Gary might be a useful distraction.

The more she thought about it, the more she realised that it was a terrible idea to get involved with Rick. Men were bad news and she needed a break from them. With that thought firmly in place, she grabbed her purse and headed for the bar to meet the rest of the girls.

By the time Louise had drained her fifth vodka, her conviction that men were a waste of space was beginning to slide. Gary was flirting heavily with her, no doubt hoping to smooth the way for fun later in the cabin. The trouble was she really wasn't interested in him. He was cute, no doubt about that, but not only was he married, he also wasn't Rick.

Firmly batting Gary's wandering hands from her thighs for the umpteenth time she caught Rick watching her speculatively. Her stomach lurched and she felt her face grow warm. It annoyed her no end that he had this effect on her, but she was helplessly in his thrall.

Ignoring Gary's plea for a kiss, she jumped up and headed towards the bar, abruptly making a detour at the last minute. The heavy door that led to the deck swung shut behind her and the music faded, only to be replaced by the whooshing of engines and wind. It was far breezier than it had been the first night, but she felt strangely exhilarated as her hair whipped round her face and the salt tickled her nostrils.

Finding a sheltered corner beneath the upper deck, she sat down on a hard wooden bench and tucked her knees under her chin. It was peaceful out here; soothing after the manic restaurant and bar. It was also nice to be alone for a while, with only her thoughts for company.

The sound of giggling soon alerted her to the presence of others. Rebecca appeared round the corner with Bob in tow. He meekly followed her to the edge of the deck and she turned to face him, laughing in the wind. "It's a bit chilly out here for that!" she said, her voice carried towards Louise who was out of sight in the shadows.

"Aw go on, Becca, you know you enjoyed it last night!"

Rebecca smiled and leant back against the railings. "I suppose we can take a few pics." She looked around quickly. "Better be quick though, while nobody else is here."

"I was hoping Lucy would join you..." Bob looked disappointed for a moment.

"She's fallen asleep in the cabin. You wore her out, you dirty old man!"

He grinned proudly. "I even surprised myself!" he said in wonderment.

"How do you want me, stud?" Rebecca thrust her tits out and pouted in her best porn star impression.

"Yum, that looks good..." Bob stepped back with his small digital camera in hand. He seemed to be considering how best to pose her. "Undo your top and hitch your skirt a little higher."

Louise watched with amusement. Any higher and Rebecca's skirt was going to become a belt.

"Like this?" She spread her legs and pressed her tits together to create a tempting valley of cleavage.

"That's great, babe!" Bob took a few pictures and then asked, "Can you whip that bra off?"

Quick as a flash, Rebecca pulled the straps down and yanked the offending garment off. She was left standing with her top hanging seductively from her shoulders and her breasts barely covered. Louise had to admit she looked pretty hot, framed in the glare of the bright halogen lights.

"Now can you cup your tits for me and act like you're about to get laid?"

"Hey, who's acting?" Rebecca giggled naughtily. She shrugged her top off and scooped her large breasts in both hands, looking seductive for the camera.

"Oh babe, you're a natural!" He took a few more shots and then shoved the camera in his jacket pocket. "Come on, let's go back to my cabin — I have a hard-on that needs some attention!"

Rebecca bounced over towards him. "Yeah, let's fuck," she said happily. "I wanna film part two of our movie!"