“Well, come on,” I said, opening my door.
We walked up the sidewalk to the old-fashioned marina. The boat we were supposed to be getting on was immediately obvious. It was the biggest boat there. It also didn’t have the look of a fishing trawler like most of the others. It was a wooden sailboat, straight out of a pirate tale, except it was smaller than the massive hulls you usually saw in movies. On the deck was a man in a bright, white naval-style uniform. He had a massive, bushy mustache and looked huge and imposing, but as soon as he caught sight of us walking up, his face broke into a huge smile, and he made his way down to meet us.
“Mister Lorenzo?” he asked in very good, accented English.
“That’s me. This is Maddy Sutton.” I gestured to her.
The man clapped his hands together once. “Ah, yes. Lovely ladies are made for the sea. My dear, you are in for a delight. My name is Captain Tomislov. The other two couples who booked a cruise are on board already. I have such wonders to show you. We shall sail past the famous terraced vineyards of Bakar, and we will see castles more beautiful than any you have ever seen. When entrees are served, the ship will make its way out of the bay and into the Adriatic Sea. Miss Sutton, you are not ready for the beauty of an Adriatic sunset, but today? Today, you will experience all the beauty Mother Croatia has to offer.”
Maddy chuckled. “You’re one hell of a salesman.”
Tomislov belted out a huge infectious laugh and clapped me on the shoulder. “Oh, my friend. You have a good one here. Please, join us aboard.”
The captain led us up the ramp, and we found a large promenade with three tables clothed in white. Two other couples were sitting and drinking wine. The tables were far enough apart that each group had its own privacy. Given the latenessof the year, it was surprisingly warm. The breeze would be cool, though, and each table had its own built-in propane heater bolted to the deck beside it. Maddy and I took a seat.
A few minutes after the captain departed, a server arrived and poured us each a glass of wine. “Vodica. A dry sparkling white wine. This”—he held the bottle up for us to see— “is Croatia in a bottle. Hundreds of years of history in the grapes you are about to taste. The first course will be served when we set sail.”
The server departed and left us alone. I took a sip of the wine and was surprised at how good it was. I didn’t typically enjoy sparkling wines. I looked to Maddy, “Well? How did I do?”
She put her glass down and looked around at the amphitheater-like hills that ringed the bay. “Pretty damned good if I say so myself.”
The ship’s sails unfurled, and there was a slight tug as the wind pulled the boat into the bay. The wine glasses were weighted so they wouldn’t tip over easily, and the tablecloth was pinned down. It was all well done. I was impressed. There was probably an American bias in my mind when it came to things in other countries. It was almost like we all thought every other country was some third-world backwater. This proved that thought wrong.
The first course—a salad of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers with crumbled sheep milk cheese on top—came out. The dressing was vinegar-based and had some spice or seasoning I couldn’t pinpoint, but it was amazing. From the delighted moans coming from Maddy, I was certain she enjoyed it as well. The ship cruised down the coast of the bay, and we were able to see the vineyards the captain was talking about. The entire hillside had stone walls built to prevent erosion. They looked like steps built for a race of giants. The grape vines were dormant, but the sheer volume of vines was impressive.
The second course was a bowl of clams with toasted bread in a wine and garlic sauce. At that point, the ship had made the turn to head out into the open Adriatic Sea. Maddy and I watched the scenery glide by and enjoyed another glass of wine. The entree was a lamb chop in rosemary cream sauce with a type of potato dumpling similar to gnocchi. Maddy moaned as she ate. I was less vocal about my enjoyment.
Dessert was something called Kremsnite. The server explained that it was a traditional Croatian dish of Chantilly cream, vanilla custard, and puff pastry. It was delicious. They had it timed perfectly. The final course came out right as the boat turned toward the west to start heading back, which gave us all a great view of the sunset.
Maddy slid her hand slid across the table and took hold of mine. “Thank you, Nico. This was amazing.”
I grinned back at her. “Glad you enjoyed it. I’ll be honest. It was better than I thought it would be.”
“I don’t know how it could be better.”
Once the boat docked, Maddy and I strolled through the downtown area. I promised myself that once this was all over, Maddy and I would travel the world. It would be nice to enjoy other countries without the specter of a guillotine hanging over our heads.
We were standing in an outdoor market when Maddy pressed her body against mine and planted her lips close to my ear. “Are you gonna take me home or not? I want you.”
“Copy that. Let’s go,” I said, tugging her back toward the car.
Maddy giggled as we went.
When we got back to the villa, the guys were all piled into the living room, watching a movie. I waved as we headed toward the stairs. “Gonna hit the hay. We have an early day tomorrow.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes.
Felipe nodded. “Just don’t break anything. I want the security deposit back.”
Ignoring him, I hustled Maddy into our bedroom and locked the door behind us. She was already stripping off her clothes by the time I turned back around. I pulled my own off, leaving them in a pile beside the door.
I stalked over to Maddy. Her back was turned toward me, the muscles flexing as she bent over to remove her panties. I stepped up close to her, letting my hands run across her hips, up to her waist. I pressed my lips to the back of her neck as I slipped my hands under and then over her breasts. Her breath caught in her throat as I rolled her nipples between my fingers. My cock was throbbing and had tucked itself between the cheeks of her ass. Maddy leaned her head back against my shoulder as I continued to massage her breasts and run my fingers, feather-light, across her chest, stomach, and throat.
She snaked a hand behind her, and I let out a groan of pleasure when her cool fingers wrapped around my shaft. She stroked me faster as my own fingers moved down her stomach toward her pussy and clit. I was breathing heavily into the hollow of her neck, desperate to be inside her.
Maddy moved her hand on my cock faster as my fingers slipped across her pubic mound and slid effortlessly inside of her. I kept one hand on her breast as the other furiously pumped in and out of her. My palm softly slapped her clit with each thrust. She whimpered and raised her free hand to run it through my hair.
“I want to eat your pussy,” I whispered.
