Perfect Timing (Closed for NewGame8)

[Girly_girl]

Pam put Steven’s number in her contacts and immediately sent him the selfie she had just taken. “You know, I just may do that.” Smiling at Steven, she was hoping that they’d speak before then. The thought of spending another cruise or vacation with him sounded wonderful and they weren’t even done with this one!

“I’m with you on that one, I so feel like a blob, but trust me, you do not look like a blob. Perhaps we can do some laps in the morning before our last port, if you want to that is.”

As they chatted idly about Pam’s dad, she happened to notice Steven all of a sudden looked sad or down. “Oh my gosh he thought you were such a great asset to the firm, he was always saying how hard you worked, he saw a bright future for you.” Pam placed her hand on Steven’s arm softly, she hoped that she hadn’t said anything wrong, as she’d feel embarrassed. “Hey…..are you okay?”

 

[NewGame8]

"You certainly don't look like you nee to o any laps Pamela, but I would be happy to meet you an jog around the ship with you if you want that." He smiled at her while stealing a quick glance up and down her wonderful body. He couldn't believe how fortunate he had been that such a beautiful and sexy woman had taken an interest in helping him have such a great time on the cruise.

When she placed her hand on his arm and asked him if he was okay, he looked into her hazel eyes. "I am fine Pamela. How could I be any better on this cruise. I was just thinking back to that time on your father's yacht. It was amazing how many of the senior partners were shocked that I had been invited and how many of them made it known that they did not think I should have been there. However, your father obviously saw something in me. Now, those same partners that looked down on me do everything they can to make sure that I don't leave the firm and go elsewhere, especially since your father's passing. Oh, and by the way, I am very sorry for your loss. I know it has been a little while, but losing someone never really leaves your mind."

 

[Girly_girl]

“Well that’s very kind of you to say that, but I do it to stay in shape, let’s just say with the line of work I do it’s a state of mind I stay healthy, not just for myself but for my patients. I’m the head nurse on the cardiology unit at St Michael’s Hospital. I’d love to join you for a run and I may jump in the pool after.”

When Steven looked into her eyes, she spotted so much emotion behind his amazing eyes. Pam didn’t want to pry, maybe he’d open up to her eventually as they got to know each other better, she was looking forward to knowing more about the man she’d been spending her time with the past few days.” He most certainly did, he knew a good thing when he saw it, he always said you had a bright future ahead of you at the firm. Thank you, he was a great man and missed terribly, it’s really been hard on my mom, so I make sure I go over and spend time with her. You’re absolutely right, I don’t think the pain ever truly goes away.”

Pam grew quiet for a few minutes and wiped a tear from her eye. “I don’t know about you, but that water is calling my name, care to join me?” As they walked towards the water, Pam turned towards Steven and asked, “Steven, would you be interested in getting to know more about each other, we’ve been spending our time together and I don’t know a lot about you, or you me. No pressure, I completely understand if you’re not up for it.”

 

[NewGame8]

"If it wasn't for your father, I wouldn't still be at the firm. Other senior partners did not see in me what you father saw in me. I explored other positions, but your father would always stop by my office and talk me off the ledge. In fact, one time he found out that I was considering an offer from another firm, he took me out to lunch and talked me into staying. About a year after that, he told me it was the best meeting he ever attended, because it kept me in the firm. That was after I had aggressively negotiated a merger between one of our clients and a large international firm. Shortly after that, I made partner."

When Pamela said she wanted to get wet, Steven agreed to join her in the ocean. He stood up, took Pamela's hand and helped her to her feet. When Pamela asked if he would be interested in getting to know more about her, Steven agreed that he would. "I have thought that for the last day, but I had no idea where we lived in relation to one another. I was afraid of getting to know too much about you if we were on opposite sides of the country. However, now that I know we are close by, I would definitely like to know more about you."

They walked into the water together. Once they were waist deep in the warm Caribbean water, Steven took a chance and splashed Pamela. He figured it would tell him how playful she was.

 

[Girly_girl]

“He was really good at talking people away from the ledge, whether it be colleagues, family or friends. As I said, he knows a good thing when he sees it and he fought hard for people he believed in. I remember the day he came home and was so proud to have you made partner, he saw a lot of potential in you.”

Steven stood up and helped Pam up, she smiled when he told her that he would love for them to get to know more about each other. “You have no idea how happy that makes me, I had been thinking the same thing too regarding our location to each other. Wonderful, I’m looking forward to it.” As they made their way towards the crystal blue water, he kept her hand in his, and once again it just felt so right.

They made their way into the ocean until they were about waist high, the water was cool and refreshing. Steven let go of her hand, they stood quietly and before she knew it, he had splashed water at her playfully. She turned to him and laughed and took both her hands and splashed right back at him, another thing she found she liked about him, a playful spirit.

 

[NewGame8]

"I am happy that you want to stay in touch and get to know each other better. I must tell you that I have not enjoyed myself this much in a long time, and I have you to thank for it Pamela."

Steven was happy to see Pamela take both hands and splash him back. He splashed Pamela again, and she turned her back to him as he did so. Steven moved in and grabbed Pamela from behind and wrapped his arms around her. "You are going to get soaked now Pamela. You are going all the way in."

 

[Girly_girl]

“I definitely do, Steven. Hearing how much you’ve been enjoying yourself the past few days makes me very happy. I’ve been having a blast showing you all my favorite places and sharing and enjoying them with you.”

When Steven splashed her back, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, she laughed and splashed him even harder, then making the mistake of turning her back towards him, he then grabbed her around the waist and pulled her under with him. When they popped back up, they burst into laughter, “Not fair pouncing on me like that!” Pam laughed and jumped into his arms and they went under again, what a breath of fresh air he is, she thought to herself.

When they came back up for air they were facing each other, their faces inches from each other, caught up in the moment, getting lost in each other’s gaze.

 

[NewGame8]

He really was having a great time with Pamela. She was interesting, fun, and, of course, very beautiful and sexy. When they found themselves close together after popping out of water, their faces inches apart, Steven leaned in and, right before their lips met, he pulled Pamela under the water with him again. He held onto her as they went under, because he wasn't sure that she had an opportunity to get a deep breath before they submerged.

After coming back to the surface again, Steven looked at Pamela making sure she wasn't upset with him and hoping she understood that he was just playing around and having fun with her.

When he was certain that she was okay, Steven leaned in and kissed her. The kiss was deep and there was passion in it. Pamela's reaction to the kiss let him know that she was okay with it. In fact, Pamela's reaction seemed to indicate that she was very happy to have their lips together in a passionate kiss. The kiss was a culmination of the last couple of days between them, and Steven had to admit to himself that he hoped there were more of them to come.

 

[Girly_girl]

Pam hadn’t had this much fun in a very long time, Steven was fun to be around, kind and incredibly handsome. He made her feel comfortable in his presence, there was just something about him that made her relax and enjoy his company. He was moving his face closer and right before their lips met he pulled her under again, she let out a playful shriek right before going under. They had a moment where they just held each other’s gaze, with Steven’s arms wrapped around her.

Once they reached the surface again, she smiled at him. “I must look a fright.” Wiping the water from her eyes, with Steven’s arm’s still around her. She loved how playful he was, Pam found that incredibly attractive about a man.

Steven pushed her hair behind her ear while looking into her eyes, before she knew it he leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss that left her knees feeling weak and her body tingly. She slipped her arms around his waist and returned the kiss. My god could this man kiss, it was filled with passion and made her want to melt in his arms. Pam was hoping there were more kisses to come for them.

 

[NewGame8]

After breaking the kiss, Steven smiled at Pamela and feigned like he was going to drag her under the water again. She screamed a little and he laughed when she did. "It is only water Pamela. You said you wanted to get wet, so..."

They shared a little laugh, before their lips came back together. It was another soft kiss that gradually grew more passionate. Their tongues did a little dance together, and Steven moved his hands to the small of Pamela's back; pressing her closer to him.

He enjoyed the closeness of Pamela; her breasts pressing lightly to his chest. The deep kiss combined with the rolling waves made for a very romantic moment between the two of them. This was something that Stephen had never anticipated, but there was no way that he was going to object to it. It just felt so right, and, at that moment he hoped that there would be more of this between them... even after the cruise was over.

 

[Girly_girl]

Steven broke the kiss, he had a playful smile that told her that more frolicking was in her near future. He had her laughing so hard when she thought he was going to take her under again. "It is only water Pamela. You said you wanted to get wet, so..." Pam gave Steven a silly grin and said quietly, “Yes, I did say that but….I’m not doing it alone!” She jumped into his arms and they both went under, laughing hysterically.

Once they came back up, Steven pulled Pam close to him and leaned in to kiss her again. It started off as soft and tender and then turned passionate, their tongues found each other once again. When he placed his hand on the small of her back, she felt like she would faint from the tingling his touch gave her.

The ocean breeze, the sound of the waves made for romantic surroundings for their kiss, it was absolutely perfect. Pam had never dreamed that her solo cruise would turn out like this, to say she was enjoying herself would be an understatement. Being around him, kissing him, holding his hand…just everything felt so right and she hoped that it would continue, once their week in paradise was over.

 

[NewGame8]

"Wow. I haven't been kissed like that in a very long time Pamela. That was amazing." Steven looked down into Pamela's beautiful hazel eyes as they continued to stand close to one another. He couldn't believe how this trip was going. It was better than he could have ever imagined.

They stood in the surface for a little longer; Steven's hands on the small of Pamela's back, just above her bikini bottom. It was an incredible day.... beautiful weather, beautiful beach and a beautiful woman. He really could not ask for more.

After several minutes of standing waist deep in the clear ocean water, Pamela and Steven walked back to their towels hand-in-hand. He didn't bother to dry off, he figured that the warm sun would dry his body off quickly enough. Looking over at Pamela, "You better reapply sunscreen. You wouldn't want your wonderful body to get burned."

 

[Girly_girl]

"Wow. I haven't been kissed like that in a very long time Pamela. That was amazing."

“You’re not alone, Steven, it’s been a long time since I’ve been kissed like that also. It certainly was amazing.” Pam could feel herself smiling from ear to hear and her legs still wobbly. They just stood there holding each other’s gaze. She had been on many cruises but this was the best one by far she’d ever been on.

Pam felt so content and relaxed in Steven’s arms. What more could she want in this very moment, there was no other place she wanted to be right now. Today was the perfect day and definitely her favorite day so far.

Steven locked his fingers with hers, walking back up to their towels, Pam could feel the sun on her skin and knew it was time to reapply the sunscreen. “You’re absolutely right, would you mind getting my shoulders and back?” She grabbed the sunscreen out of her bag and handed it to Steven, smiling.

 

[NewGame8]

“You’re absolutely right, would you mind getting my shoulders and back?”

Taking the sunscreen from Pamela, Steven readily agreed to apply it to her back and shoulders. "It would be my pleasure Pamela." He placed some sunscreen into his hand and then rubbed his hands together. Then, starting at Pamela's shoulders, Steven began to apply the sunscreen. He moved along the top of her shoulders and down her arms.

After putting more sunscreen in his hands, Steven moved across Pamela's shoulder blades before moving down and applying it to her back, just above the strap to her bikini top. Once again, he put more sunscreen in his hands, and applied it below the bikini strap and to her lower back just above her bikini bottom. He then moved his hands up Pamela's sides to make sure that he covered there.

He handed the sunscreen back to Pamela. "You should be good to go there. I put it on pretty heavy. You will still get some color, but you won't burn. You don't want to take the chance with the rays of this hot sun. You will burn much quicker here than back at home."

Steven still did not know where home was for Pamela, but he was pretty sure, based on their conversation about her father, that she didn't live too far away from him. That made him happy, because it meant there would be an opportunity to see if things would develop further once they were finished with the cruise.

 

[Girly_girl]

Pam stood in front of Steven with her back so him, his strong hands massaged the coconut scented sunscreen onto her neck, arms, sides and back, she could feel her smile grow as they stood there, chatting quietly as he rubbed the sunscreen in. “Thank you, you’re absolutely right, I always burn badly if I don’t reapply and don’t get proper coverage.”

“Would you like me to get your back again, I’m starting to see a little red appearing.” We still have about 3 hours until we’re due back on the ship, would you like to go back early or just hang here, maybe we can talk some if you’re up for it.” Or if you’d prefer we can wait till we get back on the ship, perhaps we can go up and sit on the lounge chairs on the deck.”

She was still unsure where Steven was from but something told her he was close by, she was hoping that their time spent together would continue once they arrived home. The past few days had been amazing and they still had one more port tomorrow and then 2 days at sea, before returning to Port Canaveral.

 

[NewGame8]

“Would you like me to get your back again, I’m starting to see a little red appearing.”

The last thing that Steven wanted was to get a bad sunburn. He knew that he could burn very quickly under the Caribbean sun. "Yes, please, Pamela, if you don't mind. I would really appreciate it if you would put some sunscreen on me. Make sure you have covered your front first before you do my back. I want to make sure that you are finished before you start on me."

After Pamela finished covering the front of her wonderful body, she turned her attention to his back. Steven listened as she asked him what he wanted to do. Her hands felt good moving over his skin. "Pamela, I am not in a hurry to get back to the ship, but if you would like to go back, I am fine with it. We can sit here on the beach and talk or we can go back to the ship and talk. I am going to leave that totally up to you."

Once Pamela was finished with his back, Patrick used the sunscreen on his torso and legs, before applying some to his face. He needed to remember to buy Pamela a new sunscreen since he had used hers. Another rookie mistake, going on a cruise without sunscreen. They sat on the towels, looking out at the ocean. "So, tell me about you Pamela."

 

[Girly_girl]

Pam finished applying sunscreen on the front of her body, making sure no spot uncovered and rubbed in completely. She began applying to the back of Steven’s neck, his shoulders and back and making sure that every spot was covered, she looked at him smiling and handing him the sunscreen. “You are all set, make sure you reapply to your front.”

She sat down on the towel next to him, stretching out her legs and leaning back on her hands. “Okay then, I vote we stay here until they sound the alarm to start back to the ship then.” She saw him smile when she mentioned staying at the beach. Looking around at everything, Pam said, “Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as where we are right now?”


"So, tell me about you Pamela."

She smiled softly and turned to face Steven. “Well, I’m the oldest of 2, my sister just turned 30 and I will be 35 in November. I am the heard nurse on the cardiac floor at St. Michael’s hospital. I graduated first in my class in nursing school. I’m single, almost got married but….” Pam felt a tear fall from her eye, but quickly wiped it away. “He was verbally abusive and it took everything in me to walk away. I consider myself a strong woman but eventually something like that wears you down after so much.”

Steven kept his eyes on her as he listened to her tell him about herself, she was pleased to hear that they lived one town away from each other, less than 15 minutes apart. She had hoped that now that they knew they lived close by, they could spend more time with each other once the cruise was over. “So tell me about you, Steven.”

 

[NewGame8]

“So tell me about you, Steven.”
After listening to Pamela open up about herself, Steven figured it was only right that he do the same for her. He didn't normally like to talk about himself. He kept his life story locked up inside. Another reason he didn't like to talk about himself was that he was always concerned that people would think he was egotistical.

"Well, I am an only child. I was raised by my mom. My father left us when I was 10.. ran off with some woman he met in a bar. He came back a year later wanting mom to forgive him and take her back. She said no. I was proud of her. Sure, it made things tougher on us, because she had to work a lot to make ends meet. During high school, I worked evenings, after baseball and football practice, to help mom. I didn't want her to have to keep working all of those hours."

Steven paused and took a drink of water. "I did well enough in high school to earn a scholarship, which paid for most of my school. The rest was covered be various financial aid, because we didn't have much money. My dream had always been to go to law school, but I had decided not to since we didn't have the money. Mom was furious with me. She insisted I go. I agreed, but I insisted it had to be to a local school, despite being accepted to some of the most prestigious law schools in the country. I took student loans and graduated at the top of my class. I was fortunate enough to have made a connection with a professor at the law school who had a connection with some guy who had this big law firm. He got me an interview with him... not any of the associates, or partners, or even senior partners. My interview was with the founding partner. It was so stressful. He grilled me for almost two hours.... said he didn't want anyone in his firm that couldn't pass the bar. Had to know that if he hired me that he would not have to let me go in the future. I left there thinking there was no way he would hire me. Didn't get a call from them for over a week. When I did, it was from one of the senior partners telling me to report the next day."

He looked at Pamela and smiled. "Yea, your dad was intimidating. It turns out that other partners didn't want to bring me on, because I didn't go to some big law school. Your father insisted. Because of that, most of the partners were really tough on me. Kept asking me if I was going to run to your dad if things got hard. I just put my head down and did what I needed to do. I never gave them a reason to get rid of me. It seems that your father noticed the work I was doing, and despite what the other partners thought, he made sure I got more and more responsibility. You know the rest of that story already. Now I am a partner with the firm and when there is a major merger or acquisition that is going to happen, usually they call me."

He kept his eyes on Pamela. He wasn't sure whether he should go into what happened with his wife. He wanted to be honest and open with Pamela, but he wasn't sure. As he thought about it, he remembered that Pamela had shared the issues in her relationship and how she had almost been married but the guy was an abuser. "Personally, after law school, I reconnected with a girl I had gone to high school with. We had a long courtship, because I was working so many hours and trying to pay back student loans and save some money. Eventually, we got married. We were really happy together. Then she got sick.... cancer, and 6 months ago she passed away."

He sat quietly for a minute. Looking over at Pamela, "Sorry. We are supposed to be having a good time and here I am being Debbie Downer."

 

[Girly_girl]

Pam noticed Steven hesitated before beginning to tell her about himself, she had a feeling that he didn’t like to open up about himself, which she completely understood, as she was the same when it came to talking to new people. She sat there and listened to him talk about his mom raising him on her own. “She sounds like a wonderful woman and from what I can see and have seen the past few days, she did a great job in raising you.”

She smiled at Steven as he spoke about his scholarship and hard work during those years, she admired a strong work ethic as it was becoming harder to find people who did. “My father saw a lot of potential in you and he always knew a good one. Believe me, all of my friends were intimidated by him growing up, but between you and me, he had a heart of gold. He was proud to have you be a partner in his firm and work alongside him.”

Eventually Steven became quiet, what seems like minutes it was only a moment. He began to speak of his wife, a girl he had known in high school and reunited when he graduated after law school. She could see tears form in his eyes as he continued, her heart just about broke for him when he revealed about losing her only 6 months ago. “Oh Steven, I’m so very sorry for the loss of your wife, my deepest sympathies go out to you.

"Sorry. We are supposed to be having a good time and here I am being Debbie Downer."

Pam reached out and took Steven’s hand in hers, “Please don’t apologize for being down, I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re feeling.” Her heart was breaking for him, being the person she was and also being a blessing to go along with her line of work, she was an empath. Without a word, she moved closer to him and gave him a big hug and held him tight.

 

[NewGame8]

He looked over at Pamela as she took his hand and then moved closer to him. He appreciated her empathy, but it really wasn't the reason he had shared the information with her. "Pamela, thank you for that hug. I do appreciate it. Please know, that I did not share that information with you in an attempt to get your sympathy. My reason for sharing it was that I want to be open and honest with you. I don't know what the future holds for us, but, if I am not open about my past, the future isn't all that promising."

He wiped the tears from his cheek. There was a feeling of a weight lifted off his shoulders. He hadn't talked about his wife's death to anyone prior to this, and now that everything was out in the open with Pamela, there would be less stress for him as he evaluated what would happen between them going forward.

Stephen put his arm around Pamela and held her close to his side. "Thank you Pamela for being understanding. I appreciate it. It was hard to tell you that, but it feels good that I let you in on my past... all of it." He turned his head and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

 

[Girly_girl]

Pam smiled softly at Steven, “I didn’t take it like that at all, and I’m glad you felt comfortable enough with me to open up about that. I have the same reasoning for opening up to you as well, perhaps it explained some questions you may have had, and yes I completely agree, about not being open about the past.”

When she saw Steven wipe tears from his cheeks, she felt her eyes grow misty. With her hand still on his, she let her thumb rub over the back of his hand as they sat quietly. Pam could instantly feel Steven relax, as if a weight had been lifted.

Steven put his arm around her and pulled her close. “Of course, it’s who I am. I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to open up to me, honestly the first time I saw you without your sunglasses, I could sense some sadness in your eyes.” She wrapped her arms around him as he leaned in and gave her a soft, tender kiss that left her intoxicated.

 

[NewGame8]

The kiss was wonderful. It was soft. It was tender. It was perfect. In fact, Steven wished that it would last forever. It had been a long time since he had a kiss this good. He was hoping it wouldn't be too long before he had another one like this.

"It has been hard. I don't like to talk about me. With everything that has gone on lately, I just dove harder into my work. I worked longer hours and spent less time at home than before. To me, there was nothing to go home to. I sold the house, bought a condo, but still didn't want to be there.... alone. Then, I decided I wanted to go on a vacation... just get away. I wanted something new... something that I hadn't done before. So, I chose a cruise, which I knew nothing about."

He paused for a few minutes, then, looked at Pamela. "Thanks to you I have been able to survive the cruise... so far, and I am having an absolutely amazing time with an extremely attractive woman. I am certain that the remainder of the cruise will be just as good." He hoped there would be an opportunity for them to get together after the cruise.

 

[Girly_girl]

The kiss was perfect, she didn’t want it to end. Every kiss between them set her afire, it had been a long time since she’d been kissed like the way he kissed her. Every time he kissed her, she hoped there would be more to come in the future.

Pam leaned against Steven as he told her how hard it was after losing his wife. Her mom had gone through all the same emotions after losing dad, she just isolated herself from everyone for awhile but Pam made sure she was always there for mom for support. She looked at him and and let him see in her eyes that she understood, he had thanked her for being understanding, but she wanted him to see it also. “Well, it looks like you picked the perfect cruise. Beautiful scenery, sounds of the waves, beautiful beaches and great company.”

“That makes me so happy to hear that you’re having an amazing time, because just so you know, I don’t think I’ve enjoyed one as much as I’ve enjoyed this one so far, and we still have 3 days to go. I have no doubt that the remainder of the cruise will be wonderful.” Pam hoped that they would have opportunities to spend time together after the cruise ended.

 

[NewGame8]

“Well, it looks like you picked the perfect cruise. Beautiful scenery, sounds of the waves, beautiful beaches and great company.”

Steven listened to Pamela. It was amazing how much he was enjoying her company. "Pamela, the best thing about this cruise has been you. I have only experienced the other things on the cruise because of you. If you had not taken the initiative to offer your help that first day, I am sure this cruise would have been just a lot of sitting around on the ship for me."

Kissing her again, Stephen could not believe how attracted to Pamela he was. He also could not believe that there seemed to be a mutual attraction. In his mind, Pamela was smart, beautiful and sexy and the fact that she was single was a shock to him. He also thought that it was his good fortune that she was available.

When the time came to collect everything and head back to the ship, Steven was sorry that the day was ending. He could not believe how quickly the day had gone. He did, however, have an amazing time with Pamela. As they walked back to the ship through the soft sand, their hands were intertwined. Steven realized the day on the beach was ending, but it didn't meant that their time together had to end. He wasn't sure what there was to do in the evening, but he hoped they would spend it together.

"Would you join me for dinner this evening Pamela? You can pick where we eat. It doesn't matter to me. Heck, we can just go to the buffet and get hamburgers for all I care. I would just like to spend more time with you."

 

[Girly_girl]

Pam listened to Steven tell her if it hadn’t been for her, he’d probably just be sitting around and not enjoying himself, the thought of him doing that made her sad. “Steven, I can’t even tell you how much I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent with you this week. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had as much fun as I’ve had with you, and it makes me very happy I’ve been able to get you out and enjoying yourself.”

She nearly melted when he took her in her arms and kissed her again, she was so very attracted to him. Steven was the complete package, smart, funny, kind and down to earth, and the cherry on top, he was handsome. Pam was happy that she had said something to him that very first day, had she not, they may have never crossed paths.

They packed up their things and started to walk back to the dock where the ship was, Steven reached for her hand as they began their short walk towards the ship. They laughed and talked quietly, their fingers intertwined, enjoying each other’s company. Pam was hoping that because their beach day was coming to an end, they’d spend some more time together once back on the ship.

"Would you join me for dinner this evening Pamela? You can pick where we eat. It doesn't matter to me. Heck, we can just go to the buffet and get hamburgers for all I care. I would just like to spend more time with you."

“I would love to have dinner with you, this evening. Honestly the buffet is quite good and they do have delicious hamburgers. I’d love to spend more time with you Steven. Pam could feel her smile broaden on her face.