Tragedia Et Amor - 13. Chapter 13

Eric had sent us to dinner last night at a private club. I was just glad that we had packed dress clothes as we arrived downtown. The club doorman opened our door for us as I led Quinn out of the cab. We had a line of expensive vehicles, and everyone was dressed to the nines. We looked good, but now I am thinking maybe we should have worn our tuxedo’s that we rented for the cruise. Quinn was just as shocked as I was as we walked towards the entrance of the Bay Club. One of the oldest private clubs in Miami opened in 1926. Eric is a member and sponsored us with VIP passes and our meal. He said we should mention his name as we check in and that we could dance together here as they had a live orchestra.

Quinn

We were looked down on until the staff found out who we were and who we were connected to. I guess that explains why Eric told Orion to mention his name. It was like night and day between their responses to us. The smell of old leather and cigars permeated the air in a few rooms, but the architecture was magnificent. Old world design, with exposed beams and crystal chandeliers. Seating, whether it was a high-backed chair or couch, was all leather. Soft lighting and soft music drifted out of the main hall. Our guide showed us to our table for two with no direct line of sight to any other table in the room, except for the tables across the dance floor. Orion held my chair for me as I went to sit, while the staffer placed a napkin across my thighs. He did the same for Orion as he sat. No sooner had he left the Sommelier arrived and present Orion with a bottle, to which he nodded, before a sample was poured for him to taste. I watched as he took the glass by the stem before he sniffed the contents. Slowly swirling around the glass before he took a sip.

“Very good. Thank you.” He said to the staff member who poured my glass and then filled Orion’s before he set the bottle on the table. Telling us if we needed anything from the cellars to let him know. I waited until he left.

“They didn’t card us, and how do you know how to taste wine?” I asked.

“I watched Eric a few times, and he said he ordered us a bottle. I asked, and he told me that when I taste it, as long as it doesn’t taste like vinegar to tell them it was good. He didn’t have time to teach me all the different tastes and aromas associated with wine tasting. And this is a private club. Questions won’t be asked and certainly not as VIP guests.”

“It pays to ask Eric. Nice friend to have in your corner.” I said.

“Yours too. He likes you as much as he does me.”

“That’s because we love each other.” He reached across the table, taking my hand.

“That was how you got your foot in the door, but you made the good impression. He sees what I see, and he listens to you.” That made him smile. “Besides. We needed a date night.” That made him dip his head in agreement.

Orion

Our conversation stopped as the waiter came and presented us with dinner menus. Taking the time to go over the night’s specialty items before returning with homemade dinner rolls. My mouth was salivating as I looked over the items for tonight’s meal. There were two seafood dishes, two beef dishes, a pork and a chicken dish. They all looked good to me. I decided on the Filet Mignon and looked over to see what Quinn was thinking.

“What are you thinking, baby?”

“Chicken and shrimp Carbonara.”

“Sounds as good as you look.” That caused the reaction I wanted as he looked up at me over the menu. The soft lighting made him look even more handsome as he smiled at me. The smile that promised something special when we returned to the hotel room later.

“I love you too.” My foot had moved under the table to touch his. “Will we dance later?”

“I believe we will.” I said, as I noticed another gay couple had arrived. The ensemble was already playing soft music for the background of our meal. We had a few minutes of alone time before our waiter returned to take our order.

* * *

Three hours later, we were leaving the club. We had danced and garnered a few looks. The other two gay couples in the house came over and introduced themselves. Uncertain if it was a show of support for us as a couple in a mostly straight couple venue or, as we had found out later, we were seated at Eric’s private table. Or if it was something more they wanted. We made small talk, and they were all interested in finding out more about our foundation. Quinn had the business cards and made it a point to tell them he would send out our brochure with all the information in it. I was unsure if that was polite or not, but I agreed with the premise behind Quinn’s doing it. This trip was more than just a vacation. It was a learning experience with tourist submarines. We were snuggled up together in the taxi as it pulled up in front of our hotel. Sadly enough, we didn’t get half the personal service there that we received at the private club.

Quinn had me in the tub, which was too small for our nightly ritual. That included the first blow job. He guided me back to our bed and proceeded to take me into his mouth again. I smiled as my top from the bottom boyfriend has obviously decided he was in charge tonight. And I’ll let him be… for a while, anyway. In the end, it turned out to be a flip-flop night, and we were still asleep by 11 pm. But that was east coast time. It was still 10 pm in Texas and we were used to being in bed at 11 pm and up at 5 am or 6 am. We had set our alarm for 6 am so we could get a full breakfast down in the hotel dining room.

We were in the taxi by 10 am and at the pier by 10:30 am. I hauled the heavy bags to the luggage check in and verified our room labels were attached before I turned them over. Quinn carried our laptops and carry-on bags until I took mine from him. Following him to the check-in line. He leaned back against me when I positioned myself against him. It was a new experience for us as it took almost 40 minutes to receive our room key and ID for boarding the ship. I followed behind Quinn as we strolled up the boarding gate with the other passengers. Checking through security and packing into an elevator to get to the right deck. It took us a minute to figure out which direction we had to go before we found our stateroom.

Quinn

We walked into our stateroom and looked around. It was just as Orion described it. The opposite of the entrance was the door to our outside balcony. It looked small, but we could check later. There was the bed with a small sitting area that I noticed as I dropped my bags on to the bed. I needed to piss and went into the bathroom. First thing I noticed was no bathtub. Just a decent sized shower.

“Orion. There is no tub, just a shower.” I called as I relieved myself. He stepped in and looked.

“OH. Well, we can make do, I guess.” He said dishearteningly. That made me unhappy just as somebody knocked on the door. Orion turned to get it as I finished and washed my hands, hearing the voices. I stepped out as the 30 something staffer introduced himself as our room attendant for the trip and told us if there was anything we needed, he left a card on the small desk by the TV.

“Um. We have a problem already. There is no bathtub and Orion has leg injuries that need to be soaked almost daily.” His eyes widened.

“Only the suites have tubs, I think. Here. If I may use your phone?” He asked, indicating the phone on the table.

“Yes. Please.” I said as I pulled Orion back. Our staff, Herman, dialed a number and spoke fast in a language we didn’t understand. The conversation went back and forth for a few seconds before he hung up and turned to us.

“We have to hurry down to the guest services. They might be able to change your stateroom.” I grabbed Orion’s hand and motioned for Herman to lead on. Following briskly down the passageway and taking the steps down 5 levels and then turning towards the rear of the ship as Herman guided us through the masses of people towards the guest services line, where he flagged down an officer and told them our problem. He told us to wait in line for a minute as he stepped behind the service desk to another person who was working on a computer, away from the two other personnel that were handling guest services. They spoke, and she was looking at something before she turned and said something else as he leaned in to look. He nodded, and she went back to tapping out and spoke a few more times before she had him call us forward. Herman walked over with us.

“We have a suite available. I have it on hold right now but there is a 1800 dollar up-charge. Will that be alright?” I grimaced but, Orion spoke before I could.

“That will be fine. Sorry. I never thought to check if the rooms had bathtubs or not. That’s just normal in a hotel room, but I guess you don’t have the room for that on the ship.”

“It’s alright and they really need to mention that in the brochures. I can’t handle the transaction here, so you’ll have to wait in line for the next available attendant to charge the fees to your account. Just have them see me when you get to them. I’ll explain which stateroom it is.”

“OK, thank you for your help.” He said as we moved back into line. Herman stayed with us, explaining that he would open our door and help us move to the new cabin, as our new IDs wouldn’t open our old cabin door.

“Well. I’m sorry that cost you more.” I said.

“It’s fine baby. Not like I can’t afford it.” He said as he pulled me in close to him, rubbing my back.

Orion

I had to wait until we were in our new cabin together before I could kiss Quinn with all the love he deserved. I made a note to myself to check with the cruise line next time before booking a room to make sure we had the tub in the stateroom. So far I am happy with what we have seen on the ship and I am sure I could talk my boyfriend into going again. Herman helped us transfer our luggage before he departed and we checked out our new cabin. Quinn pulled me down onto the lounger on our private balcony for a kiss and a cuddle.

“Are you hungry?” He asked, which my stomach growled loud enough to be heard as he reached over and rubbed it. We left to find a restaurant to eat lunch.

Our day was filled with wandering around, the abandon ship drill and eating dinner in the main dining room. We were seated at a table that I found out was going to be our table and table mates for the entire week. It was after the show we watched after dinner that Quinn took my hand and led me back to our cabin. Needless to say, he wasn’t happy with the tub, as it wasn’t big enough. The bedroom was, though, and after he was satisfied, I demonstrated my love for him as I thanked him for mentioning we didn’t have a tub to Herman. We finished the night with one last blow job for me after we had rinsed off in the shower.

* * *

When we arrived in St. Thomas, our first stop, we had our submarine tour. The weather was clear and sunny as we walked down the dock and over to the location on the quay wall where the little shack was to check in. It turned out to be a longer walk than expected as we had to detour around the massive construction for part of the new marina and shops. Unfortunately. We had the discussion about personal displays of affection, deciding off the ship we wouldn’t be holding hands, kissing or hugging. I was as unhappy as Quinn was when he brought it up, but he was right. Our safety comes first and me punching somebody out wouldn’t be a good idea. On board ship is different and our PDAs in public are infrequent anyway. Still… Quinn was observing operation, even asked a few questions of the person staffing the booth. We now know that the sub takes 66 people at a time and we ride out on a transfer boat. She said there were 6 trips per day and, depending on cruise ship schedules, they operated between 3 and 6 days a week. Depending on the time of year. More in the fall through spring than spring through fall. That information had my mind off and running. Quinn noticed the thoughtful expression and nudged me to bring my attention back to the present. I almost leaned down and kissed him. He knew it too, as those eyes spoke volumes of promises of catching up later in our cabin.

The ride out was crowded and bumpy. The boat was an old refurbished crew boat that had seen better days but was certified for 130 passengers in tour mode. Seating was padded wooden construct with life jacket storage under the seat. I was standing at one point as Quinn sat next to me, looking out towards our destination. Which only took 15 minutes to arrive at. The tour leader was going over how we would board the sub. We had to exit off the forward side as the previous group was exiting the sub. It didn’t sound like a good idea and as we arrived and did it, it turn out it wasn’t. At least not with a group this sized. My thoughts of a portable dock or barge would work better. Again, I got the nudge from Quinn.

“Stop thinking. You won’t be able to sleep tonight unless I tire you out again.” He whispered with a mischievous grin.

“Maybe I want you too?” I whispered, while my brow lifted suggestively. He chuckled as we pulled alongside the sub and began to line up with the other passengers. And I was right about the boarding process. With so many older people in their 60s, possibly 70s, the boarding process had the opportunity to be difficult and dangerous with the movement of the transfer boat, even in these light waves.

The sub was cramped with all 66 people, but at 125 dollars a seat, I’m sure they made money. I laughed at the little note that welcomed us aboard the yellow submarine. The pilot and copilot had switched places. One would act as pilot and the other would give us the tour of what we were seeing. He gave us the safety speech, which I thought was interesting. I mean. It’s not like we are going to abandon a ship underwater. I felt the gentle touch as Quinn’s hand settled on my leg. I leaned in and broke our own rule. Kissing the top of his head. Which made him smile as he shook his head. Kind of think he did it with the thought of us using a submarine to have sex underwater.

Quinn

The tour itself was only an hour underwater. Orion even huffed in disgust as we floated around. They were using planted artificial reefs and feeding the fish to attract them. It looked like a dump of people’s unwanted trash from the island. Old tires, old hurricane battered fiberglass boats, assorted chucks of unwanted metal, like washers and dryers. He even whispered in my ear. They get an ‘A’ for effort and an ‘F’ in execution. I’m assuming that maybe people that don’t go scuba diving would find it really amazing. But not us, and I could tell Orion was thinking a lot. He even stayed behind to squeeze by other passengers to the pilot to ask safe rated depth for the sub, which was 100 feet. It didn’t take long for the smoke to start pouring out of his ears again. That actually made me smile. On many levels, because it meant we were going to have sex tonight. If for no other reason than he wouldn’t be able to sleep. Meaning neither would I. I don’t complain. Just like Orion doesn’t complain that I need him to be still. All of his moving around while he thinks, keeps me up.

We ate on shore and did some sightseeing around the port itself. Even stopped at the information center to look at the island map and grab brochures for our next trip. I’m sure he will not only come again but change cruise lines to see how they compare to each other before we pick one line to call our own. He had his camera, and a nice older couple took a picture of us. They made suggestions on things to see, as they have been here a few times. It was nice talking to them when we rode down the gondola from Paradise Point. The gentleman asked why Orion was wearing track pants.

“That’s because I have numerous scars on my legs from an accident. It would be too shocking for people that don’t know about them.” Orion said politely.

“Yeah. I can understand that. I don’t take my shirt off anymore because I had open chest surgery.” He said as the doors opened at the bottom. That was the reason we didn’t go diving too. Although. We packed a long-legged one piece suit for him. It goes down below his knee to mid-calf. I know he thought about it and decided not to at this stop.

Orion

We were headed straight to the airport in Miami for our flight back to Houston. Thankfully, because we were in a suite, our luggage was sent to the pier first and we disembarked first. Our flight was at 11:30 am and we arrived at the terminal at 9:45 am. It was a race to get to our plane with getting through security and everything else. Another issue with the trip I will have to remember for next time. We arrived home by dinner time and grabbed two pizzas on the way through town. Both of us were tired and spoiled after not having to cook a meal the entire week, or more importantly. Wash dishes. Once the laundry was in the basket and the first load started. Quinn took my hand and pulled me to the kitchen.

“Let’s just eat, then head for the tub, baby.” He said.

“Of course. Paper plates?” I asked, and he smiled as he hugged me.

“Can we have a houseboy to cook and clean for us?” Which made me laugh as we split apart. “Does that mean yes?”

“No.”

“No, it doesn’t mean yes or no. We can’t have one?” His head tilted as he served me a slice of pizza. “If I am very good. Can we have one?”

“That wouldn’t work because you’re always very good.” I said with a smirk, which made him give me the most adorable smile.

* * *

Christmas was in a few days and we were both up in Aransas Pass at the warehouse, filling orders and shipping them out. We were busier than last year, but Quinn suggested we hire earlier than we normally would. That worked out well as normally we hire 2 people, this year we hired 4 and did it a month earlier. By the time we were swamped with orders, the team was already in place to handle the flow of merchandise in and out of the warehouse.

Quinn had ordered brochures from various cruise lines and had them spread across the table as he took notes while I made dinner. Comparing the different lines and the prices. Money wasn’t the issue. He wants to make sure we have a cabin with either a hot tub or a large tub for my leg. Or more likely so he can get in it with me and perform his ritual massage before I receive a blow job.

“Did you figure out where you want to go next year?” I asked as I brought our plates to the table.

“I want to do the southern islands this time. We would sail out of San Juan, Puerto Rico.” He said as he turned the brochure towards me. He was eating as I nodded my approval.

“Looks good to me. I’ll call the travel agent next week.”

“Same thing. Get a suite to make sure we have a bathtub?”

“See if you can figure out specific room numbers and I’ll ask them which ones are open.” It was expensive, but Quinn wanted it as much as I did. If even for different reasons.

Christmas morning, we had my mom, grandma, Quinn’s dad, and Aiden. Caleb was working this year, so he couldn’t make it. We had been handing out gifts when I spotted Quinn looking at the tree with a tilt to his head before he stood and walked closer. My hand went up to get everyone’s attention as he stepped close enough to reach into the tree and lift the little box off the limb. It had a sticky note on it, which he looked at before he spun to me and jumped into my arms. I felt the tears on my neck as he whispered yes into my ear. I held him tight until Aiden asked the magic question.

“What did you get, Q?” Aiden’s smile said he already knew but asked anyway.

“An engagement ring.” He spoke into my neck before he moved his lips to mine and kissed me thoroughly. I set him down as I opened the box and took the ring out. Placing it on his finger. As everyone congratulated us. He held me tight one way or another the rest of the day.