Welcome to your suite, Em!
Captain Hart had his caramel on. He'd spun Lemara around, closed the door and caged her to it. Bedroom eyes on, he tilted her face to meet his, locked his lips on hers. Her beach bag fell to the floor, and her arms went up around his neck. Hands went under her kimono, around her hips, and inside the straps of her bikini bottoms.
Her chest pained under the two quick breaths she took in one. One for the fire Joshua fanned, the other for the tension caused.
You're going to rip that.
Muttering through their heated embrace.
Em, I've being wanting to do that all day.
He boasted, hands greedily splayed around her hips, fingers clenched on those lower cheeks that had been tempting him all day. The tension gave way on her left hip. The air on her behind suddenly cooler when her bikini bottom fell to the floor. Yet her front was significantly warmer from the heat of Joshua's impaling parts penetrating through his shorts and directly onto her.
Lemara untangled their tongues, pulled back.
I'll get you another—Joshua mouth before reconnecting his tongue with hers.
But will it be a Julia Hart Collectible - her immediate thought?
The sound of a sharp knock on the door reverberated through her back. Her breath stopped short, and Joshua held still. He held onto her with one arm, his forefinger of the other went up vertically against her pursed lips—playfulness in his eyes. Neither said anything.
Housekeeping? A male voice choired.
Joshua glanced through the peephole and quietly teased.
Your butler is here with your things.
Lemara's breath held at the word butler, but then the door lock rustled. Joshua stifled a loud enough 'yes, one moment' for the staff outside the door to hear while he maintained their positions just inside it. His lips brushing the nape of her neck, causing her to tickle. His body in support of hers from falling over in amusement.
The rustle on the door stopped. Joshua stepped back and stooped to her knees.
Lift your leg.
His voice lowered, rubbing on the outside of Lemara's right thigh and looking up at her.
Josh? Eyes in mild astonishment.
He skillfully tapped the back of her right knee, causing her leg to bend. Then slid the bikini bottom off her leg and held it up on his fingers like some trophy, smiling his slow sexy smile. She clasped a hand over her mouth, smiled sheepishly.
Em, what did you think I was gonna do? Teasing a smack on her hip as he stood up.
He'd shoved the bikini bottom in his pocket and moved to open the door. Eyes rode over her sheer kimono.
Oo, stand behind me. Instructing as he opened the door.
What? Why?
Joshua opened the door for the butler, his assistant and the two bell boy trolleys they wheeled. She hadn't moved, causing Joshua to look back and repeat himself.
The butler greeted Joshua and introduced himself to Lemara. A breath of relief when it was a Gerard that filed through the door and not James.
They showed themselves to the bedroom, and wardrobes and Joshua closed the door.
You're about as naked is it gets. Glancing down to where her bikini bottoms once served as window blinds.
Lemara looked down at herself, stunned to see the sheerness of the material sans bikini bottoms did not require any flights of fancy.
Nothing I'm willing to share with your butler or his help or anyone else as a matter of fact. His tone pointed, his face unquestioning.
Her next intake of air hurt.
**********
Joshua's phone rang out, swiftly followed by Lemara's, and subsequently by an incoming message on both their phones.
Julia.
Your sister!
Recited in unison. Lemara grabbed her beach bag for the phone, though Joshua's face suggested she ignored it.
Josh, she'll just keep calling.
Put it on silent. His tone, stern.
But Lemara found her phone and answered the call on the third call back. And Joshua buried his face on the far side of Lemara's.
Hey hun, how are you?
Hey, why did you take so long to answer? What were you guys up to?
A beep came through, and Julia is now requesting for her to switch the call over to video which Lemara accepted.
You mean you guys are actually wearing clothes?
Joshua looked up to see the slightly longer-haired version of himself, buzzing away on the screen. Her pixie haircut pronouncing her facial features and freshly coiffed, as if she just stepped out of the hair salon. But that was Julia all day, every day. Always, stylishly turned out. Joshua shook his head and strode off to the bedroom.
Where's Josh gone? I need to speak to him.
Whatever my sister has to say, I don't want to know.
I heard that.
You were meant to.
I need to borrow your car.
Joshua heard her statement and broke his stride.
That's a NO—his tone firm.
Josh-u-a! She yelled out the phone.
Causing Lemara to squint, placing the phone at arm's length to reduce the volume that punched through to her eardrums. In doing so, the camera captured their suite, and Julia gushed.
Wow, you guys, is that your room? There's enough space for one more. Oh, my Gawd Em, I'm coming.
You'll have to run that by your brother first.' Lemara joked, letting the camera continue around the suite for a view.
Ugh, you know what he's going to say. No. No. No. Wait, Em, was that a baby grand?'
Yes it was.
So have you guys shagged on it yet?
Lemara shook her head but not in disbelief. She liked Julia for that; she'd go from A direct to Z, the other twenty-four letters in between irrelevant. She was nothing like Josh, who articulated his words. Transparent while Joshua was, unreadable. You'd never guess they were cut from the same cloth, much more twins.
She went through relationships like cups of coffee. As soon as the temperature dropped, it was time for a new one. Yet, most of her exes remained in contact, which gave her a Wikipedia of admirers of the who's who.
Not surprising then that Joshua was his mother's favourite, while Julia couldn't do any wrong in her father's eyes. Except their father had, had the misfortune of cancer and sadly passed away and Julia became the unsettled version of her twin brother.
They were both intelligent, but Julia was arguably the smarter of the two with two degrees under her belt. Not least because she achieved one whilst undertaking a Masters. Though, none of those was in practice. You would never guess her smarts just by looking, but it would be clear within a minute of talking to her. She trained four years to be a doctor but after one year of being on a hospital ward - gave it up. It interfered with her social life she had said. And Julia had a social life. Joshua, on the other hand, dedicated to a cause, followed things through, fought tooth and nail for what he wanted. Julia, she crashed out at the first sign of a chipped nail.
Her mother Eleanor, always disliked that about her. But Lemara loved her great sense of style, they had the same sense of humour and she was so unbuttoned. Nothing like her twin. But Julia was also a lucky woman because she just seems to meet all the right people at the all the right times.
Her triggers with her mother regularly left her spurting words that Joshua would be quick to remind her she cannot take back. In some way that had brought Julia and Lemara close as they both sensed they fell on the wrong side of Eleanor. Julia for giving up on her career in medicine and Lemara for well, not having a sufficiently important career, as Joshua's ex-wife did.
But Lemara soon found herself the pendulum that swung nicely between her man and his twin sister.
Video tour of the living area of the suite finished, Lemara turned the phone camera back to her.
Where's your car, hun?
Is Josh there?
No, he went to the bedroom.
Had an accident. It really wasn't my fault this time.
Shit hun, what happened?
I was driving down the motorway, when this lunatic moved into the fast lane infront of me at the pace of a Mekong Delta chug. You know the kind? I honked for him to move out of the way, cos there was nowhere for me to go and when he didn't clear the way I slammed my brakes. But it was raining so the car spun out.'
Ooh, I take it you're okay?
I am, thankfully.
When did this happen?
About five o'clock this morning.
Wait, where on earth were you going at that time of the morning? Whispering.
I fell out with Bradley, so I left.
Wait, you did what? What happened there, or should I not ask?
He farted in bed.
Lemara heard her laugh hit the back of the suite and come back to her as she walked over to sit in the lounge.
I mean, can you believe it? How do you do that next to a goddess like me? So it goes without saying, we exchanged a few words and I left.
Did you not give him the spiel hun? But where's your other car? Voice lowered on the latter question.
Took it to the body shop yesterday.
Hang on, does Eleanor know?
Hell no. But why do you ask?
Just wondering why she was calling me.
Eleanor called you. Oh shit. What have you done now?'
It is nyones guess, at this rate.
Has Josh said?
I've not got around to asking him as yet and he's not said anything.
Oohhh, let me know when you know.
He's coming back. Their whisper lifted.
Joshua strolled out of the bedroom (behind the butler and his assistant, who were leaving) and came to a standstill behind Lemara.
Whatever you and my sister are plotting, it's a no.
Can you do me a favour please, hun? Can you shag his brains out and ask him then?
He's caught on to that tactic a long time ago, hun.
He looked down the phone at his sister. 'There are only two winners in that plan of yours, and you're looking at them.' His response curt.
Sorry. Lemara quickly mouthed to her.
He took the phone off Lemara, looked his sister in the eye.
Go sort your mess out and leave Lemara out of it. And whatever you do, DO. NOT. DRIVE. MY. CAR.
And on that note, Joshua ended the video call.
She is impossible. What has she done to her car now? Walking back to the bedroom.
Had a little accident.
She's had another accident and wants to drive my car? This is her third accident in as many years, one of which involved mine. If I flew planes like she drove cars, l'd be out of a job.
Turning back to Lemara. 'And you'd possibly be out of a man.'
Lemara stayed seated in quiet contemplation, saw his chest heave under his t-shirt, most likely out of despair. Undressing himself shirt first after he'd turned to walk back to the bedroom. Because he sometimes despaired at his sister's laxness.
Shortly after, Lemara heard the shower go. She remained quiet; this wasn't one of those situations she wanted to tinker between. She knew how Joshua felt about his vehicles. Even though his newest ride was one he got a real deal on, as a result of one of Julia's admirers.
**********
She gave her attention to the layout of their suite. As you walked into Harry's, the baby grand and dinner table were off to the left, with the bedroom on the right, it was the other way around in their suite.
'Good afternoon ladies and gents, this is Captain Cantieri speaking. We will be departing Costa Maya slightly later than planned. One of our organised tours is running a little late back to the ship. I expect we would be leaving port around seven. For those of you onboard, our 'White Night Event' will get on the way as planned.'
His Italian accent sounded much more lusty over the intercom than when they spoke last night.
Through the undrawn curtain glass walls, Lemara looked out at the port of Costa Maya, wondered if Harry was back onboard.
Em, did you pack enough pairs of shoes?
Lemara was on her way to the verandah when Joshua's voice full of amusement, sunk those thoughts. She smiled to herself and changed her direction to the bedroom. Joshua stood over her footwear, both hands holding a towel drying his face, the rest draping down his front. Looked over at her as she walked into their walk-in closet.
Five pairs of sandals; a pair of trainers; five pairs of heels and a pair of espadrilles.
She rattled off as she passed him and slapped his untowelled wet bum on her way to the shower.
Oh and the loafers that I flew in.
As Lemara stood setting the temperature on the left shower of their double shower room, a white shirt hanging on her side of the closet smacked her attention. It was Harry's shirt, the one she stood otherwise naked in his room in earlier that morning, the one she walked back to her room in.
She couldn't go and move it. She'd have to get Joshua away from where he was to do so and too before it caught his attention because that shirt stuck out from everything else in her wardrobe. But Joshua was now shouting something to her that was inaudible against the rainshower she just switched on.
What did you say? She peeped out from the bathroom.
Six pairs of heels. He was saying.
I only brought five.
Lemara came out of the bathroom, lined up next to Joshua as in some military exercise, face a little perplexed.
I brought five. Lemara retorted.
Six. Turning around to a blue shoebox on his side of the wardrobe.
Ohhh my Gawwddd!' Her eyes like serving platters as she recognised the box.
How did you know? Flinging her arms around his neck and mopping the remainder of his body with hers that he was yet to dry.
The white shirt belonging to Harry… Forgotten.
Its an early birthday present. Julia said you loved them and were going to treat yourself for your birthday. So I thought I'd surprise you.
Ohhhh myyyy gawwwd. I love them. I love you!
She said through an armada of kisses before releasing Joshua to prize her box open.
She opened the box to discover the pair of Malone Souliers' in wine and gold she had oozed over for weeks. A smile permanently setting across her face. Literally, now head over those heels—with her 'Maureens.'
Like a Reverend removing a newborn from the clasp if its gloating parents, Lemara removed the heels from the box, one by one. And like a blessing of baptism, graced her feet with them, becoming slightly exalted as she did so.
Actually, I think I love your sister more. She joked.
Is that so? Let's see if she can take you up to thirty-two thousand feet.
She just did.
Laughing into the empty shoe box she held. Right leg kicked up behind her into a sexy pose.
I take it you like them? Tone frolicsome.
Oh. Em. Gee. You have no idea. She gushed. These are like an orgasm in a box.
Joshua raised his eyelids ever so briefly in a flash of excitement.
Captain Cantieri and his lusty Italian pierced through the ship's loudspeaker once more.
'Good afternoon from the bridge, just an update on our delayed departure! It seems we will be further delayed here in Costa Maya. We're doing what we can to get our guests back on board as soon as possible. Until then, please continue to enjoy your cruise, and we will keep you informed accordingly.'
Does that mean we will be late getting into Cozumel? Or will we skip the port all together since we already have to depart there earlier than planned?
Asked all while gracefully removing the heels.
Good question but Cozumel is near here. If the ship isn't delayed for any overly extended period, it may be a case of us having to sail a little faster.
Captain Hart went into work mode. Having dealt with his share of delayed flight departures for any number of reasons. Everything from lack of de-icing fluid, to no cutlery loaded for first-class, to a flight attendant, suddenly developing a fear of flying.
By the way…Lemara started as she walked back to the shower.
Yes.
Guess who got invited to the bridge? Me.
Asking and answering her own question. And pointing to herself with her fore fingers and very much like someone who'd just a platinum award.
Did you now? Slightly raising his eyebrow.
Yep
Have you been?
Not yet, suppose we can go later…
Joshua raised his finger (the same one he raised over her lips earlier) leaned his head slightly to the side.
My phone is going.
He turned, made his way to the bedroom.
By the way, is that one of my shirts? Pointing to where the white shirt hung in her side of the wardrobes.
