Chapter 18

Mom and Bill had both been married before, so this time the wedding was going to be a small gathering. Dad was happy for Mom but thought it would be simply best to send a card and a gift. My grandparents came down and a couple of friends from Mom's work were there. Bill had his parents, two brothers, one sister, three nephews, two nieces and two daughters. He also had friends so there was better representation on the groom's side. With the small crowd, they decided to get married in the backyard overlooking the lake. This setting was simple with a few extra plants and flowers spread around. Grandpa walked Mom down the aisle and then sat next to Grandma and me.

The caterers took care of all of the food and drinks. There was an open bar, and the reception became a family reunion with each family meeting or reuniting with the others. I had never had cousins or siblings and now I had two stepsisters and five cousins, not to mention new aunts and uncles. I was trying to remember everyone's name. My new sisters were Cathy, who was nineteen, and Cindy, twenty-two. They were both in college. Cindy was a senior getting her teaching degree from Florida State and Cathy was going to be a freshman in Gainesville with me. She was going for a nursing degree. I offered to show her around and help her settle in.

I met my step grandparents who lived in St. Petersburg just south of Tampa. They were nice as well and said I could visit anytime. Most of the kids were out of the house except for the youngest cousin, Vicki, who was still older than me. Vicki lived in Longwood and went to Lyman High. She would be a senior this year. We would be in the same grade if I hadn't jumped ahead. She was cute but her interests were different from mine. She said we should get together sometime. I told her to stop by any time and we could go skiing or hang out by the pool. She liked the idea.

Since the plan was for Bill to move in with Mom, he had sold his house. He put most of his stuff in storage while they took a honeymoon to Hawaii. When they got back, he and Mom would figure out what to keep and what to get rid of. Bill and the girls were living in Oviedo, out by the college. His ex-wife had run off with her boss and she didn't want the kids living with her. Cindy and Cathy were taking over one of the guest rooms since they were both going to be away at college. It was a five-bedroom house. Summer was almost over. I did want to get away one last time and asked my new sisters if they wanted to go somewhere.

Cindy asked, "What do you mean?"

"Like go away on a vacation. The beach, New York City, the mountains, the Grand Canyon, you know a vacation."

"Dad won't be back in time for something like that. They will be gone for two weeks and then we have to get to school."

"I meant just us three. We can leave tomorrow and be back before they get home. What do you say?"

Cathy said, "That sounds cool. Where would we go and how would we pay for it?"

"I just made some money so it will be my treat. Where would you like to go?"

"Can we go on a cruise?" Cathy asked.

Cindy said, "There is no way we can go on a cruise. It is really expensive and you have to book them way in advance."

I came back with, "Cathy and I are going on a cruise. We would love for you to come with us."

Cindy said, "Didn't you hear me?"

"I did and I didn't like the answer so that made me want to do it even more. Pack your bikinis and dancing clothes because we leave at dawn and bring something nice for the formal night."

I knew that the cruise lines always had empty cabins and they would rather have someone in them than sail empty. There are also last minute cancellations due to sickness, travel problems, work conflicts or family emergencies. If you show up with a suitcase ready to sail you can get great deals. This will change in fifteen years after they tighten security, making last minute travel much harder.

I did call a local travel agent to see what was sailing out of Fort Lauderdale the next day. He told me there were two cruises, a three-day Bahamas cruise and a seven-day Caribbean cruise. He offered to book it, so I strung him along to see if there was a lot of availability or if they were booked up. There were plenty of rooms on each ship so I thanked him and told him I would get back to him if I needed help.

At 7 AM the next morning, we hopped into the Land Cruiser. When I walked out, Cathy was in the back and Cindy was in the passenger seat. I made sure the luggage was stored properly in the back. Cindy was not the adventurous one. She didn't know where we were going, she didn't think they would let us on, she didn't think I could afford it, but she was packed and ready to prove us wrong.

I got on the turnpike and we exited fifteen minutes from the dock. I knew that the Norwegian cruise was the seven-day and the Holland America was the three-day Bahamas cruise. We went to Holland America first and they said we could buy rooms for the three-day cruise. The girls were happy and ready to jump onboard the ship. I said let's look to see what our options are. Cindy thought if we walked away that we would lose our chance to take a cruise, but I was paying and I was walking away so they followed.

The Norwegian Cruise was a seven-day Caribbean cruise to Mexico, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. They of course had rooms and wanted to sell, some inside no-view rooms. I told them that we either would need a suite or side-by-side cabins with an outside view, preferably with a balcony. The woman behind the counter was not playing along too well until I said. "The girls want to go on that Bahamas cruise next door but I want to go on Norwegian and not Holland America. If we had a suite then they would have nothing to complain about."

She found a two-bedroom suite that was $1,800 regular price. I told her I would give her $800 with the result that she would now have a filled room. She said, "Deal," and we filled out some paperwork and got our boarding passes. We walked back to the car for our luggage. The girls followed me to one of the nicest rooms on the ship. The room was almost on the top deck and it had its own balcony. Cathy was in awe when we entered the suite. We also found ourselves seated at the captain's table for dinner one night.

Our luggage had not arrived yet at the room so we strolled around the deck and learned the layout of the ship. Cindy ate crow and thanked me for putting up with her crap. She was worried about what her dad would say when he found out they had gone on a cruise without his permission. Cathy just said, "Thank you, thank you."

When we got back to the room our luggage had arrived, we unpacked, and I changed into some shorts and a golf shirt. We stood on the balcony and did the whole bon voyage moment, waving to the fifty dockworkers that had just finished loading the ship. I went to the gift shop and bought a book. I went back to the balcony and sat down to read and relax. I read the informational materials from the cruise line and then started to read my book. Cindy and Cathy put on their suits and went down to the pool. They came back a couple hours later to get ready for dinner and told me about some guys their age (19 - 22) that they met at the pool.

The girls and I had brought some nice clothes with us, so we all dressed for dinner. Before we left home, I had made sure they brought clothes for fine dining and for the clubs on the ship. We were not at the captain's table until the third day. When we arrived at our assigned table, we found ourselves seated with two other couples. The waiter stopped by and I ordered two entrees because I love lobster and it was on the menu. Cindy said I couldn't order two and the waiter said, "Yes, sir."

The other couples at the table were younger couples, one was on their honeymoon and the other was celebrating their first anniversary. I ordered two bottles of champagne for the table and I had a coke. They all appreciated the champagne and the girls felt very regal, having champagne with dinner. All of the food on the ship was free but alcohol and sodas you had put on your tab. I told the girls to enjoy their trip and order whatever they wanted. They were each a little tipsy after dinner and afterwards, kept drinking in the club. I danced with each of them but they were spending most of their time with the guys from the pool.

I couldn't drink so most of the older girls were looking elsewhere. I found a group of 15-17 year old girls that were traveling with their families and their folks let them out to have fun. Different girls had different curfews. I was the only guy asking them to dance so I had fun with all of them. After a couple had left to go back to their rooms a Latin looking girl named Maria started to turn up the heat when we were dancing. I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. She did, and we strolled around the deck until we found some place quiet to sit down and do some kissing. It was coming up on midnight so I asked if she had a curfew.

"I have the room across the hall from my parents. They go to sleep early and get up early. My mom told me to try to be in my room by 1 am. She knew I was going dancing with some friends. Do you have a curfew?"

I told her, "No, I don't. I have a suite with my stepsisters but they are with some guys at the club. Do you want to see my suite or would you like to stay out here?"

She said, "I would like to go to your suite but I am enjoying the stars and the night air."

I took her hand and led her to my room. I went in, she followed me out onto the balcony, and when I sat on a lounge chair, she sat down right on my lap. She said, "If I knew you had this we could have come here a long time ago."

I lay back and with her on my chest. I played with her ass as we made out. I had the back of her dress up on her back and her high cut panties were holding my hand onto the skin of her butt. She was going into grind mode as she rubbed herself on my thigh. We didn't have any lights on inside or out so we could see the stars better. I rolled to my side and then moved her to her back as I worked my hands into her dress and her panties. From there we quickly progressed to removing the panties and unbuttoning the dress. Her smaller breasts were bare under the dress so we didn't have to worry about a bra. She wanted me to take her but she was not on birth control and I didn't have any rubbers with me. I did my best over the next thirty minutes to please her with hands and mouth both high and low. She asked me to stop after her third orgasm. She was buttoning her dress when I heard someone enter the room and then a light came on and I saw Cathy with a guy.

The suite had a small sitting room and then two bedrooms, one to each side. The sitting room had the door that led to the balcony, so the only way for me to get Maria back to her room was through the sitting room. I think Cathy must have been half-naked in the hall because by the time she turned on the light she was down to her bra and panties and losing those pretty quick. It would have been fine if she went to her bed but she just plopped down on the couch and spread her legs. With the light on inside, Maria and I could see everything but they could not see us. When her guy started to unbuckle his pants, I opened the door and pulled Maria in behind me.

I said, "I am sorry to interrupt but I have to get my date home. You can use the balcony or your bed but I will be coming back in fifteen minutes to go to bed if you don't want to be interrupted." They were both surprised and Cathy closed her legs and covered her nice set of titties. Maria and I walked out into the hall.

She said, "That was embarrassing."

I replied, "Haven't you ever seen a naked girl before?"

"Yes, but not one ready to get laid with her legs open like that."

"Did she turn you on? I could introduce you to her if you are looking to trade me in."

"That is OK, I will keep you. I had fun tonight. I hope to see you at the pool tomorrow."

"I plan to come down after breakfast." She stopped and got out her key so I gave her a kiss and made sure she was in before I walked back to the room. When I got back, Cathy was not visible but Cindy was topless on the couch with a guy. She still had her skirt on but his hand was digging around underneath. She didn't hear me enter so I just went into my room and got in bed.

I wandered out to the sitting room the next morning. The bed took up most of space in my room and the floor space was too small for the pushups and sit-ups. I didn't know that the couch pulled out but Cindy had figured it out. She was alone but still naked. She was on her stomach and the sheet barely covered one leg. She had a nice body. Her ass was tight I didn't see an ounce of fat. Her side boob swelled out from under her comatose body. She looked peaceful in her slumber but the open couch took away the only usable floor space. I went back and grabbed my shoes and my key. I walked around and finally asked if there was a workout room. I got directions and found a small room with some dumbbells, a treadmill and an exercise bike.

There was a mat on the floor so I dropped and started my workout. I then jogged around the outside of the ship. I judged it was a little more than an eighth of a mile. That would be forty laps just to get in five miles. I went back to the treadmill and ran there instead. I didn't care how far I ran so I just went at it hard for thirty minutes. Around ten minutes before I finished, a woman that looked to be in her late twenties walked in and climbed on the bike. When I finished running, I slowed to a jog for five minutes and then walking for two more. When I finished my legs were a little wobbly. I am not sure if it was the treadmill or the rocking of the ship but I needed a minute to recover. I sat on the bench next to the dumbbells and said hello.

"Hi, that was some run. I thought you were doing the sprint to the finish when I came in and you kept that pace for ten more minutes."

"I am not used to the treadmill or running on a boat, but the run was typical of what I do most days. You seem to be up early this morning, I thought I was the only one."

"It is only the first night so we took it easy and went to the show. There was a musical number that was pretty good for being on a ship."

"I went to the dance club and it was fun. Are you here with your husband?"

"No, I came with a friend, Kim. We are both teachers in New Jersey. We wanted to get a tan and have some fun before the new school year started."

"My name is Britt. My mom just remarried and took off for her honeymoon to Hawaii. I just added two new stepsisters to the family so I decided to get to know them by taking them on this last minute trip. We packed and drove down from Orlando and we walked on as last minute passengers."

"I am Janet. That is pretty spontaneous move. Did they stick you down in the boiler room?"

"No, there are empty cabins all over the ship. I told them if they wanted us to sail with them they would have to upgrade us so we got a suite on the top deck. They gave it to us for half price. If they did not have any cabins available, we would have driven home or just gotten a place to stay on the beach. It would be tough to travel that way when you are planning your summer vacation in New Jersey."

Janet said, "That is nice that you can do that. Kim is the planner so I just showed up and paid my half of the bill. What grade are you in?"

"I go to the University of Florida, and I am a couple of classes short of being a junior. I am not in a hurry so I will take three more years to finish up. What do you teach?"

"Kim and I both teach elementary school so we teach all subjects. I teach second and she teaches fourth grade."

I had recovered so I stood and said, "Keep up the hard work, it looks good on you."

"It looks good on you too."

"I hope to see you around. Bye."

I stopped by the gift shop, picked up a dozen rubbers, and went back to the room. Cindy was awake and dressed but was still in the sitting room. Cathy still had her guy in their room and Cindy did not want to intrude. She had turned the bed back into a couch. I picked up the phone and called down for two pots of coffee for our room and a half-dozen croissants. I surprised Cindy when I came in because she thought I was still asleep.

"Where have you been?"

"I went down to work out and pick up some stuff. Is Cathy still asleep?"

"Yes, and she has company. I had to sleep on the couch."

"I saw you on the couch this morning and last night. You looked good. Do you need to use the rest room? You can use mine before I shower."

She blushed about the comment and said, "I do need to go. I have been hoping that Cathy would wake up soon." She was in my room for a couple minutes. When she came out she said, "When did you see me last night?"

"Well, I saw you at the club, and then when I came back to the room you were on the couch half naked with a guy. I didn't want to interrupt you so I went to bed. I didn't know it was a sofa bed until I saw your sweet body stretched across it this morning when I came out here to work out. I am going to take a quick shower. You can use it when I finish. I have some coffee on the way. You don't need to tip the guy. Just thank him there is no charge. I need that shower."

"OK."

I needed to take care of some other business, but I had rubbers now and I hoped to get some relief a little later. Next, I took a shower and then threw on a pair of shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. I went back out and opened the door for Cindy. The coffee was still not here. I offered her a clean t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts with a tie string in case she wanted to change. I left her alone and went out to the sitting area.

The coffee service came and I had him put it on the balcony. I let him out, went out, poured myself a cup, and grabbed a croissant. I was on vacation and had already worked out minus the swim so I figured I was OK with a splurge. I was pouring myself a second cup when Cindy came out. I poured her a cup and added the cream she requested. We settled into the lounge chairs and left the coffee on the table with the two regular chairs. Cindy said, "This is so nice. Thank you for making me come with you on this trip. I am not used to taking these types of vacations or having the money to cruise around the world. Your dad must do very well."

"My dad does about the same as your dad. I have made some good investments and from time to time, I like to spend some of the profits. I have never had any brothers or sisters, aunts, uncles or cousins before. It has just been me. I feel like I was just adopted or something. I know we are all out of the house but I hope we all get along. You and Cathy don't seem to fight too much like some sisters do."

"We are both on our good behavior because of you. We don't want you to think we are a couple of bitches. I am sorry that you saw me like that last night. I am not normally like that but I had a couple too many drinks last night and let things go a little too far."