Roberto was on his midnight prowl on the cruise ship as it is ploughed through the Mediterranean on its way to the next destination. He spotted a candidate looking over the rail at the wake of the boat. It was a warm summer's night and she was obviously taller than normal and a bit on the heavy side with good legs and a prominent bottom. He knew instantaneously that he had made a mistake as soon as he saw her face. She was 18 or 19 or maybe 20 and he was hoping for someone in their mid-30s but it was already too late. Contact had been made and the lady in question didn't seem to want to let him go.
"Hi I'm Roberto. Are you enjoying the trip?"
"Hi I'm Jessica. This is the first night and I have never seen the open sea before. It's so wonderful and new."
Roberto could never have known how interested Jessica was in his attention. For some time it had occupied her mind just how she was going to lose her virginity. She had long ago determined that it was too valuable to be given up to some pimply youth at her school who simply wanted it as a trophy - it was worth much more than that. There was no use hoping that a boy could do a man's job. She wanted a man who knew what he was doing to do the deed and make sure that her transformation into womanhood was both exciting and enjoyable.
"You come from a big city?"
"No. I'm from a little town far from anywhere where nothing happens. My grandparents gave me the money for this trip and here I am. The travel agent said that it was a big cruise and every so often they tried to make it into a love cruise when most the people were young and single so I thought I would give it a try. I am just getting to know a few people. Are you a passenger?"
"No. I'm one of the officers on board. I'm the one in charge when we want to get the boat to dock."
"It's so peaceful being under the stars and all you can you hear is the thump thump thump of the engine."
"Do you want to come in for a drink? I have the keys to a special bar that only opens after midnight."
"I don't normally drink but I'll have one. Just one."
"That's okay. This bar is very different - it's called the Venetian Bar and everybody in it has to wear one of these funny Venetian masks, just like they have for masked balls in Venice. Here's one for you and I'll take one too. Up until 9.30 you don't have to wear a mask but from 9.30 to 11.30 you have to wear a mask. It's to help people let their hair down. After 9.30 a lot of the women dance topless. It looks fantastic and it's so erotic."
"So tell me - what exactly do you do? It looks like you are an officer on the boat and you find ladies to accompany on the boat."
"That's almost right. I'll tell you how it works. This boat is a love cruise - that's what the tourist agents tell their clients and their clients come hoping to find romance and love. Most of them are a little older than you and there are plenty in their 30s and 40s and some even older. There are another seven officers like me on-board and it is our job to make sure that everybody is happy. If people go away and say they had a terrific time customers will keep coming back and I'll have a job. "
'Ahhh - now I understand. You were hoping I would be older?"
"Yes. I'll be honest. I make pocket money from the older women. Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. A few trips ago Umberto met a 60-year-old Swiss banker's wife who hadn't made love for years. They made love non-stop for three days and she gave him €10,000 and asked for his name so that she could find him the next time she came. Alfredo met a Saudi woman in her 40s who was one of 20 wives. She and her daughter came to chaperone each other but they agreed not to and Alfredo made love to her so many times that she gave him $5000 and Luigi got $5000 from the daughter. Most of the time we only get 50s and hundreds so you can see it is a good money-spinner."
"Well I'm a virgin and I'm not paying any man to take my virginity."
"I'm going to make you a Pharaoh's Bliss - it's a vodka based drink with Egyptian dates and spices. It's delicious."
"Yes. It is delicious. It's strong. I'll only take a sip at a time. I will only have this one. I really don't drink."
By this time there were another few couples dancing on the floor and the ladies were topless and the men were bare-chested. It was all part of the routine to get the ladies to let their hair down and hopefully their panties.
"Do you want to have a dance? The music's nice."
"Are you going to take your shirt off? Do you want me to take my top off?"