“Are we staying in Naples?” she asked Jason as he approached her from behind, allowing her to lean back into his arms. He kissed her neck.
“No. Moving on south. Towards Sicily and Malta.”
“Malta! I’d loved to go there,” admitted Gemma, brightening at the idea.
His kisses turned into tiny bites, and he hardened against her bottom.
“God, I need to fuck you,” he murmured in her ear. “First, though, we have unfinished business from this morning.” He drew away.
Gemma shut her eyes. Little Maria’s punishment was due.
“Do I have to witness it?” she asked solemnly.
“No. The yacht will depart once the crew has taken on fuel and fresh food. Enrique will administer the punishment to Maria. Then, when I have seen her dealt with, I will be expecting what you promised at lunch, remember?” He ran a finger down her spine.
“Yes, Sir. I remember.”
***
Enrique wanted to show Señor Jason his ability to subjugate his little Maria. He insulted her in Spanish and berated her for breaking the señor’s strict rule about privacy. He waited for Jason to give the command to have her stripped and then allow him to demonstrate his prowess with the whip.
It didn’t come. To his amazement, Jason changed the nature of the punishment, and it wasn’t simply about Maria’s negligence.
“Enough!” he snarled. “Where were you, Enrique? You were supposed to keep guard and not only was the door left open, you failed to monitor us. Your duty was to be our eyes and ears.”
Jason’s attack stunned him into silence. Taking a step back, away from the weeping Maria, he rocked on his feet. He had slipped away, not simply for a comfort break, but to fetch his sketchpad and pencils. In the brief moment he had been absent, the other two had wandered up to the sundeck. He couldn’t believe their timing and the consequences of their ill-considered curiosity.
Jason paced about the room as Enrique helped Maria to her feet. She now clutched his arm, and he wondered what fate awaited them both.
Jason halted, stood with his hands on his hips and gave them his judgement. “You both will remain in your room and, apart from fetching food, you will not stray to any other part of this vessel. You are suspended from my services, including your pay. If you wish to leave at the next port of call, you may. Otherwise, you will be reinstated in three days and be absolutely focused on pleasing my wife and me. Nobody else.”
Jason’s blue eyes tore into Enrique. He had forgotten how those eyes could inflict so much on their chosen prey.
“Sí. Señor, I apologise. I will do as you ask, and I beg we may be your dutiful servants once more.” Enrique swallowed hard.
If they left the yacht, their reputation would be in shreds. To be dismissed by a wealthy patron was too dangerous, especially given their immigration status in Spain.
“Very well. Out of my sight,” snapped Jason.
***
Jason suspected Enrique’s tirade at his lover was due to the man’s trying to impress him. Listening to the fiery man rant at the shrivelled Maria, Jason made a decision. There would be no physical chastisement and no opportunity for Enrique to bestow his whipping. When he reached down and slapped his lover about the face, Jason had filled with fury. Enrique had vanished from the sundeck at a critical moment, and his transgression had been as bad as Maria’s.
Jason paced the stateroom. The Mexicans had left, Maria held tight in Enrique’s arms. The man seemed to be genuinely remorseful. He held Maria tight to him, kissing her black hair. Jason was angry with himself for underestimating the man’s increasing obsession to capture the kinky scenes. Maria had simply been negligent and thoughtless. Enrique had forgotten his place and assumed he could draw when and as he wished. Spending three days out of sight and ostracised was a suitable punishment for them. Gemma probably would appreciate the extra privacy, as she had tired of Enrique’s company.
Jason found Gemma on the flybridge, engrossed in her stars and streaking meteorites trailing light across the blackness.
“Done?” she queried.
Jason sighed. He struggled to keep secrets from her, even if the truth had the potential to upset her. “Enrique, I think, has been trying to impress me too much, and Maria was absent-minded. I’ve confined them to their room for the next three days. The crew will be told they are having a respite period. Save them the embarrassment of being suspended from duties. They are to stay away from this deck.”
Gemma didn’t criticise his decision—it wasn’t her place. However, as he’d expected, she seemed relieved.
“I’m glad she wasn’t whipped. It seems harsh to me. Perhaps in the long run, she’s done us a favour. John has finally confronted what we are and seems to have accepted it.”
Jason didn’t disagree with her. He stared up at the stars. There was a clear view of the Milky Way,
and he found the twinkling, fixed constellations stilled his troubled mind. Tomorrow, he had work to face, and he felt in his bones it was going to be a bad news day.