The hands after that one fell in Gemma’s favour, and she won by a whole side of the cribbage board.
“Yes. Yes!” she gloated. “Again?”
Gemma hummed a tune under her breath. She couldn’t hide from her husband the pleasure of playing at a game she had a chance of winning. The next one went to him, a close finish, with both of them within a few points of the final hole. A decider was required, and she won easily again.
“Well done, babe. You are definitely the mistress of the box.”
Gemma tidied away the cribbage board and returned with a backgammon set.
“Fancy beating me at this?” she asked.
“I can try. I’ve not played backgammon before,” he admitted.
“What! I don’t believe that. It’s so popular.” She opened the box and removed the counters. “Do you mean I get to train you?” The idea gave her a thrill, a little buzz.
“A lesson from my sub.” He peered at the instruction sheet, tapping his finger on his chin. “Sure, why not.”
The instructions reminded her how to set the board up. Then she discarded the sheet. She had a good memory of how to play the backgammon. She carefully explained the rules and took the first roll of the die.
The game progressed surprisingly quickly, and she won while Jason laboured to move his pieces around to his home board. She had thrown plenty of doubles to help her counters and a number of useful blots.
They set up the board again, and Jason leant forward, fingers poised as he concentrated. She attempted to distract him, filled with an irresistible urge to tease him. When she bent over to pick up the instruction sheet, which had blown off the table, her breasts bounced, revealing her cleavage. He replied to her enticement with a soft snort, almost a chuckle. A close game and he won as they both bore off their counters.
Jason won the deciding match. Gemma frowned. How had he picked up the game so quickly?
He leant back in his chair. “Can’t think why I never learnt to play backgammon. Never owned a board.”
Esteban appeared behind him. “The captain reports we are about to pass the Rock and the Straits.”
“Thank you, Esteban. Could you bring coffee to the flybridge? We’ll take in the scenery from up there.” Jason stood and held out his hand.
Gemma allowed his warm fingers to wrap about hers. Their little play of board games had been enjoyable and confirmed Jason was a quick learner. She perhaps would reward him with a present. She hoped the opportunity would arise in the coming weeks to make a purchase.
“Let us go to the sundeck to see the scenery.” He led her away.
***
“I want to swim,” stated Gemma as they moved away from the Spanish coast towards Africa.
Jason put down the binoculars. “That should be, may I go for a swim, and no, you may not. You can go below and take off your clothes. Wait for me in my stateroom in a suitable pose, something that will please me. I have expectations.”
He changed the inflection in his voice—easy to do—as if he triggered an internal switch. Her backgammon buddy and tour guide had gone; her master had returned.
Gemma hesitated long enough for him to fold his arms across his chest and give her a hard blue stare. Why did she risk annoying him? The wind caught the hem of her dress, and her firm breasts lifted as she inhaled.
While she had explained the rules of backgammon, he had listened attentively and given her a smile of appreciation. Since he had beaten her at that game, he had wanted her beneath him, playing another.
He beheld her gorgeous figure attired in a skimpy summer dress, braless, hair flowing in the breeze. Her skin slowly tanning even after one day and her green eyes dazzling. Jason formulated plans for her delightful mammary glands. In the evening, off the coast of Africa, he would surprise her.
As they’d sailed past the Rock, his own hardness had become rock-like. Standing behind her, as she had leant over the railing watching the waves below, he had wanted to lift her dress and penetrate her flesh there and then. However, he had promised to show her the best sights, and he had to wait for them to pass Gibraltar.
With the sightseeing opportunity over and the afternoon drawing to a close, for the first time since they had boarded Sublime, he intended to play with her fully.
He moved a fraction towards her, and her seconds of hesitation were over. She left and headed down to the stateroom.
***
Gemma hovered in her bathroom, nervously fingering her hair and staring at her reflection in the mirror when Maria arrived and touched her arm.