The Cruise MFF/MF (Consensual)

They had cleared the headland and passed between the first of the atolls when Lucy appeared in the cabin with an unsteady tray and three cups of coffee. She'd even remembered that he and Amy both took it black.

He realised once again how unusual this trip was. He'd always had retired people till now, almost always couples, usually American. They liked the easy passages and the undemanding adventure that the island stops offered, but they didn't make coffee, let alone take a turn preparing lunch. They usually declined the option of a night under the stars and he'd take them through to the next port with a hotel or bure. They enjoyed life on the deck chairs, watched the dolphins, even tried the trolling lines off the back. They were always pleasant and relaxed, but he was struggling to remember any of their names.

This time five women. He hadn't known till early on the morning they all stepped aboard and for some reason spent a few minutes annoyed with the company for not telling him sooner.

They wanted to do things. Even on board. Sandpiper wasn't big enough to need a crew but they all made a contribution. Lucy and Helen did the lunches in the galley and now Amy, with no experience, was at the helm and could read the GPS. She knew how to make emergency calls; knew how to interpret the charts. Her enthusiasm lifted everyone.

‘This time two weeks ago, I was in front of a class of noisy nine year olds. Just another English winter day. If they could see me now! What a field trip!’

She kept her eye on the slight swells ahead, delighting in the challenge while he hovered nearby, much more concerned with her nervousness than their safety.

You might think that a young skipper on a cruise with five energetic, attractive women out to enjoy themselves would be a dream job. But the way he saw it, there was a problem. He was responsible for their safety and their satisfaction with the cruise; a professional. And there were some very rigid company rules. Yet these women were openly flirting with him at every opportunity. They competed with each other to flirt. All with the best goodwill. It began with the horse ride though the hills in the west of the island. When the terrain became too steep for Helen she had ridden behind with him, her arms around his chest, her hands stroking him affectionately. She was making it clear to everyone else that she was enjoying every moment of her good fortune and Lucy, who was a very competent rider, called out, ‘I think this is getting a bit steep for me too David, better move over Helen’. Then Beth, ‘It's a bit steep David.’ From then on everyone would take opportunities to stroke his neck, touch his arm, squeeze through the same tight space in the galley, or hug him as they passed. They could be insensitive too. Helen frequently went topless, because that's the way they walked around in Saint Tropez when she was there last year, and as she pointed out twice, there are places along the Mediterranean where tourists don't wear anything.

He loved the attention. He enjoyed their company, their delight in the things they had all done together, the affection between the six of them, but sometimes a glimpse of breast down a bikini top or the curves of their scarcely-clad bodies would test his professionalism. The charming, bubbly Amy was less of a problem, but only in the sense that she always wore a tee shirt and shorts.

‘David. Can you help me please?’ Just a hint of panic.

Helen and Helga were on the bow as the swell hit them slightly side on and they looked back towards the cabin with a quizzical look. He took the wheel from behind Amy and righted it.

‘Just keep the bow straight into them.’ Firm and authoritative. She loved the voice; the certainty. Their hands were almost touching and it occurred to her that he was close enough to kiss her neck.

Shortly after 10 he slowed the engines for the turn through the reef and into the bay. Helga, Helen, Beth and Lucy were all standing now, excited by the arrival of the dolphins, just as he had predicted. Within minutes they were within the protection of the reef and could see the sand 30 feet below. Lucy turned and gave a thumbs up, clearly delighted by the stillness and beauty of it all. David was relieved to find it so calm. He'd promised them palms, white sand, a swim in a warm freshwater pool, snorkelling and canoeing to go with their night by the fireside.

It took them three trips in the dinghy to get the tents and cooking equipment to the shore. He had to pull the boat ashore himself the last time because they all slipped into the gentle surf and were busy convincing each other of how amazingly clear it was.

He retrieved the canoes from the undergrowth on his own, and then called them all around. ‘We are three hours away from anyone who could help us if we have an accident.’ They were silent, more out of politeness than worry. ‘The beach and the water in the bay are safe but you must not go into the channel or around the reefs.’ He turned. ‘This undergrowth is thick down to the sand. Stay with us. Wandering off for a walk on your own could cost you your life.’

‘What about crawly things?’, asked Lucy. A routine question for an Australian.

‘No, you should be okay. There's nothing poisonous, as far as we know.’

He led them along a rough track towards the much-promised pool. Helga had brought her full camera kit and they were about half way when said she wanted shots of the bay from the small hill at the northern end. ‘I'll take you up. I'll just get everyone settled here. You don't want a swim yourself?’

‘No, I will swim in the sea. There will be plenty of time.’

The pool was in a rocky ravine, about three metres across. Beth dipped her toe, and then her foot, pronounced it ‘wonderful’ in her New York drawl, stepped out and peeled off her tee shirt. A moment later David saw her breasts appear and turned towards Helga, sensing that clothes were about to fly all around him.

As he climbed the track with Helga just a couple of metres behind, they could hear shrieks of enjoyment. Helga was fit, so they moved quickly. In places, what there was of a track disappeared and they had to help each other over tree roots and rocks until they found it again. She could tell that he was enjoying their closeness too, taking pleasure in their dependence on each other.

Helen filled a momentary silence after the four bodies had settled into the pool. ‘What did she do that for?’

‘What?’ asked Amy, genuinely mystified.

‘Took him away’, whispered Lucy. ‘We were looking forward to skinny dipping with him.’

‘God, what a body’, said Helen. ‘Don't you love his chest?’

‘Never mind his chest. I can't keep my eyes off his shorts.’. It was Beth but they were all joining in. ‘Lovely man. He could put his sandals under my bed anytime.’

Amy looked examined her toes.

‘Anyone for a story?’, asked Lucy reaching behind her for Helga's paperback. They'd had readings together since a late night party during the conference and they were keen to hear all of it before their trip ended. Actually, it was a collection of short stories and Helga had told them, without a hint of a smile, that it was one of two volumes she had brought to practise her English. Lucy could read them with a sense of drama, just slightly mockingly as if to say, ‘Of course we don't really believe this stuff.’

She always scanned the story and sought their consent. ‘In this one 'woman meets long lost lover at railway station'...they do it a few pages later...Oh ...with quite a bit of passion.’

‘That'll do!’

‘Sounds good to me!’

Helga took photography very seriously. Somehow that didn’t surprise him. David watched with admiration as she chose her lenses for different angles of the bay and close-ups of the light through the palms. She was disappointed that the light was so high, but pleased with the stillness of the water and its clarity. ‘We must get some shots of people too’, she said. ‘I took one of you while you were looking out to sea, will you take one of me also?’

‘Sure.’

He took three shots of her sitting on the cliff face. She seemed happy with that but he added, ‘If you sit on the rock and I stand over there with a telescopic lens, I can get the green of the palms as a soft focus background.’

‘'Woman on rock' is a cliché I think. But if you wish.’

He was sure that Helga on rock would be no cliché, and he made off through the undergrowth towards the rise about 100 yards away. He paused for a moment to wipe the lens as he emerged, climbed the few extra metres to the knoll and looked back. What he saw hit him in the stomach first. He felt slightly dazed and slumped back against a trunk as he fought to regain his composure.

The beautiful Helga was on the rock, just as she had said she would be, but nude. Not a stitch. She was posing for him but not looking at him. Her pale skin stood out brilliantly in the tropical sunlight. Through the lens he saw the light accentuate her shoulders and her full breasts and prominent nipples. She tossed her filmy blonde hair across her right shoulder and the combination of Danish womanhood, the light grey rock and soft focus of patchy green background was stunning. He took four shots as she adjusted positions. Finally, she turned as if looking at something to the left of him, tilted her head back so that her hair draped behind her, paused for him to take it, then looked across to him and nodded as if to say, ‘I have finished now’.

As he paced back through the undergrowth his heart was pounding. He felt slightly sick. As he saw it, he had the obligations of a priest. He would handle it professionally. It was nudity, that was all. And this was a woman to whom nudity was probably nothing. Perhaps she was still naked. She wasn't. As he emerged and handed her the camera, she simply said thank you. He said, ‘You looked beautiful’. She smiled, and they said nothing more about it.

He asked Helga to check at the pool to ensure that they were ready for him. She returned with Lucy and Amy, and about a minute later, Beth and Helen who had gone totally Mediterranean – not even St Tropez, carrying their clothing and limping slightly without shoes. ‘We're staying like this,’ said Beth with a grin. They hadn't bothered to dry their hair and the water dripped down their faces and backs.

‘You're not uptight about naked women are you David?’ Helen's accent was apparently rural New York State, but it sounded the same as Beth's to him.

‘No. No. I just want you to have a great day.’ The two of them laughed at their bedraggled state, their prune-like fingers and the adventure of walking naked through what they called jungle. ‘The pool was the perfect temperature for this climate. We luuved it.’ He wouldn't ever love the accent, but they were fun to have around.

Beth, Helen and Lucy chose snorkelling. He found them a series of connected pools and got them started with a few simple instructions. Lucy ignored him. She was obviously very familiar with snorkelling. He turned to see a flash of her blue bikini bottom and she disappeared from view. After 20 minutes or so, Helen and Beth took off the masks, snorkels and flippers and laid them on a rock. ‘We'll just swim like this for a bit.’ He stood there as two naked women, perhaps five years older than himself circled him, touched his waist and insisted on swimming through his legs. He left them as they began to glide like porpoises, their soft skin touching as they cavorted. It became more deliberate. Their bodies would come together briefly, release, circle and return. Breasts would touch. Sometimes Helen's nipples would slide along Beth's buttocks, glide up her back and she would clasp her gently on the shoulders. The freedom, the warmth of the water and the newness of it all was exhilarating.

He was pleased with the canoeing, especially because Amy had turned out to be a skilled canoeist and for once she had been able to teach Helga something. He had been going to show them both how to handle a capsize but they were only a few metres offshore and he left Amy to do it.

Lucy joined him as he lay on the warm sand. Neither felt any need to speak.

He was remembering the visit to the local village. His elderly Americans usually fussed over the village kids, asked a few polite questions and that was about it. Amy has been a magnet for the children, everybody expected that, but Lucy and Helga made a different impression. The adults found these two visitors with their gentle confidence fascinating at first, then he noticed that the men became uneasy as they toured the village asking more searching questions of the women. The problems they had raising children, who made the decisions, how was work shared. How was their health? Beth's new-agey interest in the statues of the ancient gods came as a welcome distraction. He was relieved to get them away, but pleased that they'd all enjoyed it so much.

In one way Lucy admired his restraint with them. It would have been easy for him to taint the whole experience by being pushy or what she and her friends at home called 'blokey'. But can a gentleman be desirable? Oh yes, this one was. She was enjoying their closeness and comfortable silence, though she was the first to break it.

‘Helga was a keynote speaker...at the conference. She's written a couple of books.’

He turned to her. ‘Had you met her before then?’

‘We sent each other e-mails before we arrived but no, not in person. None of us had met before the conference. You might have noticed that we seem to get along all right though.’ He recognised the Australian understatement. He enjoyed having that bond with her.

After lunch Lucy brought out the book again. Amy protested. ‘Not in front of David.’

‘Oh David's broadminded. Aren't you?’ He nodded and realised what their regular readings had been about. And now he was on a deserted beach with five women, two naked, two wearing the skimpiest of bikinis and a story that required him to be broadminded. It made the retired Americans seem very bland.

Lucy was flicking through the pates. ‘This one's about two women. Oh, I've read this one myself. It's quite hot.’

‘Lesbian?’ asked Amy, relieved that at least they wouldn't have share with David a line like the one from this morning's reading that she couldn't get out of her head: 'Each thrust made her gasp in delight'. Though to be perfectly honest, she wanted to remember it forever.

‘Two women's bodies together is quite sensual.’ said Helga, as if the others simply needed reminding.

‘Read it.’ said Beth as Lucy blew sand from between the pages.

So she did, and with the same energy as she had read all the others, picking out 'hot bits' for special emphasis. She paced in the sand, holding out the book in her right hand, as she performed it in her educated Queensland accent. She held David's gaze as she savoured 'soft curving breasts', swept around the group and came back to pick out, as if specially for him, the hottest bit: ‘Eventually, it happened. She felt the warmth of that gentle, wonderful whole hand on her breast, caressing, exciting her. In a minute they had rolled together, kissing tongue on tongue, holding each other close, revelling in the touch of their warm flesh’. Amy looked down trying to suppress a smile as Lucy turned her eyes from David without a pause. ‘Glenys edged her hand over Paula's belly, playing tantalisingly with her curls. Slowly, lingering, barely touching. More soft kisses. The only sounds between them were Paula's low sighs of pleasure as she thrust her body upwards encouraging Glenys to more and more intimacy.’

Helga nodded from time-to-time. Beth and Helen were close together and for once feeling slightly self-conscious about their nakedness.

Lucy ended with a flourish, to laughter, David's silent relief, and all the applause that an open air audience of five can muster.

As the day began to cool, Helen and Beth emerged from what had become their private playground in the rock pools.

‘You two have been naked all day!’ announced Amy.

Beth began to towel her hair. ‘Yes, and I don't think I ever want to go back to so called civilisation again. I was born to be naked. It's not too late for you Amy.’

She and Helen took David aside. Beth began what they had planned. ‘Would you mind if we don't stay in tents tonight. We'd like to stay for the fireside bit but would you mind if we...’

‘Borrowed my cabin for the night?’

‘That obvious?’

‘That's okay. Just leave it as you found it and absolutely no candles. The batteries are charged, there's a light by the bed. I'll take you out after dark.’

Around nine they were aboard and he poured them some Australian chardonnay he found in the galley and left them sipping it at the stern, looking up at millions of stars.

As he came ashore Amy and Helga were lying on the beach and above the lapping of the waves he could make out Amy giggling like a schoolgirl.

Lucy had taken charge of the fire from the beginning. Now she sat gazing into it with her arm over the fallen palm they had used as a seat. She looked up with a warm smile as he sat and she moved over between his muscular legs. It was more intimate than he intended, but he let it go. Her shoulders and neck glowed in the orange light and he mused that he could reach down and release the bra of her flimsy bikini with an single pull.

‘Thanks for your help with the meal’, he said. ‘You make a good outdoor chef.’

‘I used to cook for a shearing gang in the outback. We had old wood stoves and cooked for up to 10 ravenous people. Now I just do dinner parties for friends.'

Beth was first into the cabin and as she enjoyed the freshness of his sheets she heard Helen drop the soap in the shower and wondered what her expectations were. They hadn't discussed it beyond her suggesting, ‘Let's sleep together tonight’. It was without a doubt the most sensual day of her life. It was complete already. If they did just curl up together she would be content with that.

Lucy looked up at David and saw the light of the fire in his eyes.

‘I hope I didn't embarrass you too much with the story. We've got used to some pretty racy stuff...’

‘Only a little. I'm not easily embarrassed. No, and I liked the way you did it. You're obviously quite relaxed about it all.’

‘I've learned to be in the last few years. I don't think we Aussie birds are supposed to enjoy sex, but I do. Helga's amazingly easy going about sex. Quite a different culture I suppose.’

Lucy wanted David's arms around her. She was excited by his closeness. Would he visit her in her tent tonight? It seemed unlikely. What would it do to the harmony of the group if he was seen emerging in the morning or Amy and Helga heard them in an unguarded moment of intimacy? There was a silence between them and she suddenly realised that she had drawn his hand down to her breast. It was so quick he had wondered what she was doing but in the next agonising seconds he enjoyed the exquisite pleasure of her. He could feel her hard nipple. He knew he must pull away as soon as possible. His rational brain did win and he eased it off slowly, reluctantly, kissed her on her warm cheek and said, ‘You are a lovely woman Lucy. Please don't be hurt and don't think I'm not very tempted.’

In her tent Amy lay thinking of the most memorable day of her life so far. David's tent was just two metres away and she wished that she could sneak in there now and feel the comfort of being wrapped in his strong arms.

Lucy hadn't apologised for the incident at the fire because, although it was, as far as she could remember, genuinely an unconscious thing, she was pleased about it. Now she lay awake musing on the day; imagining what might have happened.

David couldn't let go of the conflict of desire and responsibility, and slept fitfully.

It occurred to Helga that Lucy had the best chance with David. There was only the slightest envy about that. She admired them both; thought they would make ideal lovers. She began to imagine them together in his tent now, pleasuring each other, lips on lips and necks, her breasts and his muscular body touching, feeling each other's heat. She began to stroke herself gently. Perhaps he was inside her now...She came within a minute and slept soundly.

As you night expect they were all subdued the next morning. A fishing expedition off a reef around mid-day helped and they had a lively meal together, but everyone knew that nothing could match the day before and their time together was about to end. As it turned out, that wasn't strictly true. Beth and Helen had to catch a flight to L.A. the next day but Amy, Lucy and Helga would have another two days on the island. David didn't have another cruise for a week and was planning to stay on board. They would have a final official meal together at the hotel that night - David's treat, in recognition of their being the most sociable, energetic and, he added with slight regret later, the most uninhibited guests ever to sail with him.

They tied up in the inner harbour and everyone disappeared to check into their hotel or bure. Except Lucy. She found the rest of the chardonnay and poured them some in a plastic cup. They sat in the shade of the awning looking out over the harbour.

‘What will you do Lucy?’

‘Go back to Brisbane for a few days, then look for a new job. There's no shortage of jobs in nursing. I might go to Sydney. When do you go back to the dolphin research?’

‘Next month. I'll probably do four more trips before then.’

‘Glad you did this one?’

‘Yes. Best I've done. You've all been great company.’

‘Sounds romantic. All those women.’ There was a slight pause as she looked him in the eye. ‘I bet you get lots of offers.’ He brushed the tabletop with his little finger. ‘Not really.’

‘God, we've all fancied you’, she took his hand and held it still. ‘Even Helen and Beth. I think they only went off with each other because you wouldn't.’

All he said was, ‘It wouldn't have been right.’ He wanted to say, ‘Come back to my cabin tonight when it's officially over. I just need a few more hours before we can even talk about this’. Her bikini top offered her breasts to him. She smiled as he glanced at them and back to her eyes. It wasn't some high principle; the company rules were clear and he needed the work. His research depended on the income from it, and he loved it. A moment of poor judgement now and he risked word getting back. Surely she realised.

‘Can I use your cabin?’

He paused a moment, a little reluctant, it was becoming too heavy between them. ‘Okay, but I can't promise to be quiet. I have some things to do in the galley.’ He'd hoped to put her off.

She lay there on his bed. He would come. He knew what 'use your cabin' meant after Helen and Beth had asked. Everyone else was out of the way. The chemistry was there. She knew it. And it was perfectly obvious she wasn't intending to sleep. She heard him through the door and wished she'd left it open. Was he cleaning something?

He kept imagining her in there, probably stripped off, waiting for him. He couldn't bear being so close to her, wanting her, yet feeling so churned up inside. He was finding things to do that filled the silence between them. It became unbearable. He climbed up to the cabin and poured himself more wine.

After twenty minutes she emerged, dressed in blue jeans and blouse, her hair brushed back, looking upset though not tearful. To preserve her dignity she half-smiled and said softly, ‘Thanks. See you tonight’. She walked away without the usual touch of the arm or playful passing hug.

The meal was better than he'd expected after the incident on board. Lucy sat down the table from him. They didn't talk directly but she smiled warmly at him several times. Helga looked gorgeous, touched his hand twice, and Amy kept up a stream of lively conversation interspersed with touching. It occurred to him there was never anything contrived about Amy's interest in him, or in the others for that matter. He imagined her making a very attentive, supportive teacher. She had certainly endeared herself to everyone on the cruise.

Coffee, some final conversation, and it was officially over. They hugged, exchanged e-mail addresses, but didn't make rash promises to keep in touch. Beth, Helen, Amy and Helga cried. Amy invited David to join them at the market in the morning, then kissed him on the cheek. He kissed her back. He was no longer responsible for them.

He didn't go back to Sandpiper but bought chocolates at a stall and asked for them to be gift-wrapped. Half an hour after he had left the restaurant he was knocking (nervously, you should know) at Lucy's door on the hotel's fifth floor. He heard the chain. Hardly a surprise that she was in. But so was Helga.

‘A peace offering, for this afternoon.’

‘Come in.’ They held each other. Close and healing contact. Helga came over and wrapped her arms around them both.

He was crushed that Helga should be there too, but her frankness helped them. She stepped back and simply said, ‘David, you should know this. Lucy wants to make love with you. You can do this now, yes?’ Lucy looked slightly taken aback. ‘Only if he wants to!’

‘Oh, I want to. I always did. And I'm not your skipper anymore.’

Helga left them for a moment. They almost fell onto the couch, and he took Lucy in his arms and kissed her lips. She kissed back. It was intense. He slipped his hand under her light blouse and onto her breast, feeling once again its fullness and her hard nipple, this time beneath her lacy bra. She put her hand on his, as if he might pull it away again. Then she whispered, ‘I really want you too, but I don't want to leave Helga out.’ He was both shocked and excited by what she was suggesting.

‘Would she want to?’

‘She’s used to such things.’

‘I'm not,’ he said. ‘Are you comfortable with it?’

‘With Helga I am.’ She kept his hand on her even as Helga returned and said, ‘We've talked it over. We want you to stay with us and join us.’

Her reaction suggested she had been invited to join them for a drink. ‘Thank you, I would like that very much, but if it is okay with you, I will just be with you while you have your time together. Then perhaps.’

Within a minute, the room was abandoned and three pairs of jeans and two bras lay draped in an orderly fashion across the back of the couch. Helga sank into the velvet bedroom chair, slumped back. David and Lucy's long embrace flowed into gentle kisses, soft touches. Then they wove together enjoying each other's bodies, as if in some choreography they both knew well. First, David kissing her all over, lingering at her neck, her nipples and her mound. Then Lucy, massaging, kissing his neck, placing his hands on her breasts, encouraging them to explore, taking his magnificent erection in two gentle hands. Their passion was gaining momentum. It was never rushed, always flowing, always considerate. They were silent but for their breathing and the occasional gasp.

Helga began her own rise as she saw Lucy mount him. She lay with his shaft under her, gently rubbing herself with it, breathing even more audibly now. David lay his hands on her back encouraging her to more pleasure. He could sense Helga drawing a single finger over herself in a slow rhythm.

She saw them change positions, gracefully, slowly, as if they had been lovers for years. Each would give pleasure, and then accept it. Sometimes their pleasuring was simultaneous. His fingers caressed her thin curls and moved slowly to her folds. They opened to his gentle caresses and he eased a finger into her and massaged it while she arched back, stroking herself. But it was Helga who came first, quietly, to avoid disturbing them. Then Lucy with gasps. They stopped for a minute and Lucy looked up and silently guided him into her.

They lay entwined for several minutes and Helga saw a new rhythm of gentle strokes while Lucy encouraged him with her hands on his buttocks. They had nothing to say that could not be said with their eyes, their smiles and their bodies. She lay beside him and he entered her from behind, cupping her breast. Helga was fascinated. The flowing, graceful movement continued as if the movements had been already agreed between them. Lucy straddled him again and they began to thrust together. She put her hand down to help her reach the next peak. It was slow at first, but the pace was picking up. She could sense his intense pleasure with her body. He was thrusting hard now. She continued to stroke herself. She was close. So was he. He stopped as she came a second time, feeling her contract around him, then continued. She leaned down towards him as he held her buttocks, thrusting hard. He gasped, held still and she felt the warmth of him all through her. They collapsed together hugging, kissing, gasping and laughing, as if to say ‘Didn't we do it well?’

Helga joined them on the bed, delighted and laughing with them. David rolled on his back and drew them both to him.

‘It was very good for you both, I think.’ She kissed him on the shoulder. ‘Well done.’

‘All that and no practice’, added Lucy.

They lay there until he began to rise again. Helga put her hand on him and teased him. He kissed her as Lucy released him, urging him on. Helga felt his intensity on her lips, his passion rebuilding. He kissed her nipples. Their tongues touched. Helga felt the familiar heat through her entire body. He wanted her too. His heart was pounding. She took his hand, moved to the window and pulled the curtains wide open. The bright moonlight lit up her pale curves and blonde hair. She bent and supported herself on the deep sill and looked back to him. ‘This is a good position for a man too, perhaps.’

Lucy was spellbound. His shoulders, back and buttocks glowed in the moonlight. Helga's perfect breasts wobbled slightly as he slid deep into her.

Helga expected that he might now be ready to thrust vigorously. Instead, he barely moved inside her and began to stroke her back, her neck and her breasts. He would lift his warm hands from time to time and she wouldn't know where they would caress her next. It was tender, respectful, tantalising all at once. She was excited by the intensity of his passion for her. She could feel it inside her. Almost imperceptibly, the pace began to build, slightly firmer thrusts, matching her own rising energy. She was stroking herself now. They worked together. Firm thrusts, deep, filling her again and again. She looked up at the moon on the water and revelled in the excitement of being so openly desired. Suddenly she gasped and pushed her hips back to meet him. They paused for a moment. She gasped again and he felt her gentle spasms of pleasure. He paused for a full minute then held her breasts, thrust forward one more time, remembered her on the rock, nude in the sunlight and could hold back no more.

They spent the next day with Amy, enjoying her enthusiasm in the market and the Turkish restaurant at the top of the main street. It occurred to David that Turkish was an odd choice for visitors to a Pacific island but it was what Amy wanted and the three of them were happy to indulge her.

But it was on the morning of their last full day together that something very surprising happened. They were on Sandpiper, drinking coffee under the awning when in some tiny gap in the conversation, Amy looked at David and said, ‘I know you've made love to Helga and Lucy - together.’ It wasn't an accusing tone, but for the first time, assertive. It was the kind of thing Helga might say. Helga and Lucy looked down as if they were expecting what was to come, but David wasn't.

‘I've never done it with anyone. I'm nearly thirty and I'm the only virgin I know.’ She looked him straight in the eyes and added, ‘David I want to do some lovemaking with you..to make you my first.’ It sounded rehearsed, then she added. ‘Well, sex anyway…’

He knew a set-up when he saw it, but this was Amy, warm, vulnerable, bubbly Amy. Sexy Amy too. There were many times on the boat when he had imagined holding her shapely body against him. Now he was slightly shocked. Lucy and Helga were nodding at him, just enough.

‘Amy, I'd be honoured.’ He took both her hands. She looked up and he saw relief in her face.

‘I'll be nervous and talk you to death and everything, but I want it to be with you. I don't know why I've left it so long.’ She looked slightly stunned, as if she was talking simply to give herself time to recover from what he'd said. ‘It wasn't religion. In my family we just didn't talk about it. I suppose that was a comment in itself. Anyway I got into the 'save yourself for your husband' thing, but really I think I got a bit afraid of it. Now I just don't believe in that stuff.’

‘When did you change your mind?’

‘About three months ago. Got myself on the pill and started to get really obsessed about the idea. Reading everything I could find, even watched a video once, just to see what people do, but all very furtive. Very English.’

He touched her cheek. ‘But I want it to be a very special occasion. You must tell me how you would like it.’

She paused for only a moment. ‘I've fantasised about it...in a bed...obviously, soft lights...slow undressing, a ceremony really, without words if I can shut up long enough.’ She looked down. ‘I'd really like to shower together. If you don't mind, I'd like Lucy and Helga to be there at the beginning. I don't know how long....It's a bit hard to be specific about what I want because I don't know much about what it could be.

‘We can talk about that,’ said Lucy touching her arm.

Within half an hour Amy was handing over a ten-dollar note in a taxi down town and waving away the offer of change. The three of them were treating the ceremony idea with a combination of earnestness and laughter. Yes, it was serious, a turning point in a woman's life, but wasn't sex supposed to be fun too? Lucy treated her to a hair styling, Helga a manicure.

There was just one department store in the town. Amy wanted a more revealing bra, a really low cut and lacy one, and knickers to match. She also wanted a new dress.

‘For a special occasion?’ asked the assistant. Amy half-smiled. ‘Yes, very special.’

‘A party or more of a barbecue occasion?’

The restaurant was empty and they sat in the corner looking conspiratorial. ‘How are you feeling?’, asked Lucy.

‘I'm loving all this anticipation, but I'm a bit nervous sometimes as well.’

‘You could not have chosen a better partner,’ Helga assured her, ‘but don't expect heaven for the first time.’

‘What worries me is that I don't know basic things. Like, how many times do you...you know?

‘Do it? As often as you both want to.’

‘What if it's too big for me?’

‘He is quite big, but he’s gentle. Just take it slowly.’

By eight thirty the light was fading. Helga had offered her luxury bure on the water's edge and she was waiting there with David when Lucy arrived with Amy. The four of them sipped wine and chatted as if they were still shipmates. It was almost an hour before David took Amy's hand. They smiled warmly and noticed that Lucy and Helga had disappeared into another room. The music was soft and romantic, some of it in what they assumed to be Danish.

‘Okay?’

‘A bit nervous, but excited too.’

‘Remember, it's your night....’

‘Shut me up if I talk too much.’

‘Don't hold back. Talk as much as you want.’

Helga and Lucy dimmed the lights. They said nothing but encouraged Amy to stand so that she and her chosen first man could both be illuminated in the soft lights.

‘Ready?’ It was Lucy's voice in the darkness surrounding them. She nodded.

They kept each other's gaze as David removed his shirt, revealing his tanned muscular frame. Without so much as a glance away, she replied by peeling the special occasion dress from her delicate shoulders. Then the first sight of lace, then her soft belly, then the curve of her hips, until she stood there in her new turquoise bra and knickers. Neither looked away. He removed his Levis. Her turn. From the darkness hands undid the clasp and her bra disappeared. He could see on the edge of his vision that her nipples were pink; her breasts firm. He removed his underwear. She was desperate to drop her gaze and see him there for the first time. She put her hands down to remove her knickers. Different hands took over and she simply stepped out of them.

He held both her hands and ran his adoring eyes over her. She looked down and felt a jolt of excitement. ‘Amy, you look wonderful.’ He brought her to him, and they held each other close until they heard the sound of the shower.

Lucy and Helga had lit the bathroom with a dozen candles. They soaped and massaged each other, but most of all, hugged with the pleasure of being naked together.

Large warm towels arrived; Lucy and Helga helped them dry, embraced each one in turn and led them naked to the huge bed without a word. They felt the cool tiles on their feet and enjoyed the candles and the incense - a fitting tribute to the occasion. Amy put her arms around Lucy and Helga. ‘Thanks. You've made it really special.’ A moment later they were gone with only the faintest sound of the door closing.

On the bedside table they found a small towel, lubricant, a vibrator and a small card. She smiled and read the card slowly. ‘To Amy. Think of it as the beginning of a wonderful journey - Lucy. Then there's some Danish and underneath it says, 'May your sexuality bring you joy throughout your life - Helga.'’ There was a slight catch in her voice. He held her from behind as they looked out at the reflection of the town's lights on the water. ‘I've never been in the arms of a naked man till tonight. It's lovely’. Then she whispered. ‘Would you mind if we just lie on the bed and cuddle up for a bit?’

They lay in silence. Occasionally he would kiss her neck. He assumed that she was feeling deflated but after several minutes she turned suddenly and announced to the ceiling, ‘This has been the most fantastic, most liberating week of my life’.

He squeezed her.

‘You know I went bra-less at the bay don't you?’

‘Yes. I certainly noticed.’

‘I really wanted to take everything off and be naked in front of you like Helen and Beth, but even bra-less was a big step two days ago.’ She laughed, ‘And look at me now. You know we can stay all night if we want to, don't you?’

‘Good...Where's Helga sleeping?’

She turned back and gave him a significant look and a smile. ‘Where do you think?’ After a slight pause she added, ‘Can I see you?’

‘Sure.’ He knelt in front of her.

‘Can I touch it?’ He guided her hand on to him.

‘Ooh. It's sort of hard and soft at the same time. Does it feel nice all straightened out like that?’

‘Yes especially if you stroke it there.’ She was hesitant but before long was stroking the length of him, enjoying the muscle, the tightness of his balls; working her hand around the head and looking back to check that it was giving him the pleasure she intended. Then she said, ‘Would you mind doing something really special for me?’

‘It's your night. Whatever you want.’

She looked down. ‘It's a bit of a fantasy thing...But only if you're happy about it. just tell me if you're not. Would you mind stroking it yourself while I watch?’

‘No. That's fine. I'd like that too.’ He put some lubricant on and began as she propped herself up on the pillows, looking delighted and then intense. She became mesmerised by his hands, the way the veins of his shaft stood out and the redness of the head. He was stroking hard now, his full length, his body glistening as the heat of excitement ran across his back. He kept looking up, engaging her with his eyes. Even the muscles and veins on his arms were bulging. Is that the way he would be inside her?

‘We can do it together if you want.’ She said nothing, but after a few seconds he noticed her hand slide down under the sheet and the movement between her legs.

‘This is fantastic. Like being let into a man's private world. You don't mind do you?’

He smiled. ‘Not at all. You’re turning me on. You look beautiful.’

‘Tell me more.’

‘It's your eyes and your smiles. They set me off.’

She could tell he was very close. ‘Anything else?’

‘Your breasts and your nipples and I love the softness of your shoulders. How are you going?’

‘Getting hot watching you, listening to you. I'm doing it too.’ She flicked the sheet aside with her free hand and looked back to him, hard at work. ‘That's really good. But please don't let it come just yet. I want to feel you come inside me. Lucy told me you do lovely big spurts.’ She put her free hand up to her face and laughed, ‘I don't think I'm supposed to say that’.

‘You can say it. I'm pleased you want it.’ He looked down. ‘Can you come like that?’

‘Oh yes. Years of practice.’ She fixed her eyes on his stroking, became very focused for a few minutes, her hands gentle but rhythmic, just a hint of perspiration. He built up his intensity, stroking around the head, along his muscle, down to his tightening balls, closer and closer to the brink but determined to hold back till she could share it with him. After a few minutes she looked up to him, bucked her hips several times, paused, gave a tiny gasp and he could hear her breaths as she struggled for air. She lay back and beamed.

‘Good one?’

‘Super. Want to cuddle an old virgin before it's too late?’

He held her again encouraging her to rest and recover. After a while he kissed her lips and her breasts. She sensed her own renewal; felt his hardness against her. His tongue traced around her nipples, she felt a tingling between her legs, then an aching - a longing she had never experienced so strongly before. She wanted him to take over, to fill her, to help her start her journey. He reached down and felt the fullness of her folds, slowly, very slowly. He worked his gentle touch towards her special place as she enjoyed the pain of wanting him so desperately. She looked into his eyes and whispered, ‘I need you inside me, now.’

But he moved slowly, positioning himself. He was harder than ever, dripping with his own lubrication.

‘We must take this very, very gently. When you feel discomfort, tell me and I'll stop to let you adjust.’ She parted her legs and felt the swollen head touch her. He stayed up on his hands so that they could enjoy each other's eyes for this special moment in her life. She smiled. He eased the head in and paused. ‘Okay?’

‘A bit full...’ Then a pause. ‘Fine.’

He waited, checked again with his eyes, and slowly sank deep into her, delighted at her joy as she stretched to accommodate him.

‘Still okay?’

‘Very full. I need a moment....’ He stayed there fully inside her until she smiled, ‘That's nice.’ He came down to her and she wrapped her arms and legs around him and called out in delight. ‘I'm not a virgin anymore! Ooh, that's wonderful.’

They lay together whispering their enjoyment to each other until their bodies began to merge.

‘Do you mind if I get a bit vulgar?’, she asked.

‘No, not at all.’

‘Okay...Fuck me for a bit. Golly, I've always wanted to say that.’ His strokes were long and deep as she purred her enjoyment. ‘Fuck me some more.’ The new, liberated Amy was asserting her freedom. ‘I love you so hard inside me.’

You might expect that it would be the signal for lustful sex with intense thrusting, sweating and striving for simultaneous orgasms, but it was much more special than that. Soon they lay together side by side and they stayed like that with him stroking her slowly inside while they touched each other's hands and faces. He could appreciate the sight of her breasts and touch them and several times he bent down to kiss her nipples.

‘Is it what you'd imagined?’

‘Better. Wonderful.’

‘I loved having you on the cruise.’ He brushed a strand of her hair from her face. ‘I used to hope you'd come up each morning to take the wheel.’

‘I think the skipper was probably my main interest.’ He began to stroke her belly then edged his hand down. The conversation stopped as he gently touched her outer lips, wrapped so tightly around his shaft. He reached her centre and she began to stroke her breasts and pull gently at her nipples.

His hips moved in time to the gentle strokes of his fingers. She panted, fell silent for a second and he lay there, still hard inside her, while she recovered and she whispered, ‘I want to feel you come’.

They faced each other as he began his ascent. Long deep strokes, his eyes widening as he approached his peak. Affection for this lovely woman ran through him, warming and exciting him. She smiled back. He was reaching the point of no return. Instinctively, it seemed, she sensed it too and held her breath. He stopped, shuddered, tilted his head back, gasped and gave her the sensation she had longed for.

They slept with him holding her close. In the morning they coupled with an almost exhausting intensity, showered together, met up with Lucy and Helga for the last time at 10, and she was on the Singapore Airlines flight bound for England by mid-afternoon.

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