~PROLOGUE~
The secret couple ran off, politely pushing through the mobs of people, all happy and cheerful, and of course pleased to see their loved ones home safe. Back on good old American soil. It was a bright, yet slightly cloudy on New York's harbour. The metal mammoth that had carried 2200 souls across the sea safely stood proud over the passengers as they exited her gangway doors, walked own the ramps and onto dry land once more.
Rose felt Jack's hand in hers, and he held onto her hand with all of his might, running with his girl as they made their way to a safe haven. Rose couldn't believe she was doing this. She was dressed like a peasant, and the frowns and looks of disgust that the high class socialites gave her were promising. Clearly she looked the part. With a bag of belongings, and Jack's book of drawings, they kept on moving forward, breaking away from the masses and the stresses of 1st class conformity.
The wind in her hair, the smell of the City, the touch of Jack's hand. For once in her life, Rose felt free. Suddenly, a shot rang out, and hundreds ducked, not knowing where the shot had come from or where it was aimed. Jack heard the sound and turned around sharply to inspect the scene. Just then, the hand in his hand began to grow weak, losing grip, and before he could do anything, Rose's body slumped to the floor.
~CHAPTER 1~
"You're trembling."
"Don't worry... I'll be alright."
Jack and Rose were breathless, the car in which they sat was hot with the burning passion of their naked bodies pressed together, the windows steamed up and the leather seats clinging to them with sweat. Jack lay down on her bare chest, and Rose stroked his hair lovingly. Together, they panted like dogs. What they had done was scandalous... but it felt so right. Rose didn't feel guilty over the act she had just committed. An engaged woman of wealth should not be having sex with a beggar boy in the back of a stranger's automobile. But it was either in the car, or behind the boxes and barrels in this storage room, and the car seemed FAR more luxurious. It wasn't even planned as such. Things were clearly building up to this, but it wasn't exactly thought out. It just happened.
Rose had lived her entire life up until now like a doll, being told what to do, and why, and when, and how, and where, and who with, and she was sick of it. She wanted for once to just throw caution to the wind and follow her hearts desires, not her mother's commands. Enough was enough. She was with Jack, and Cal wasn't even on her mind. Feeling his breath on her neck as he moved upwards and softly kissed her throat, feeling his talented hands (in more way than one) working their way from her hips to her chest, his heartbeat keeping perfect time with hers, pressed together like two timpani drums in an orchestra, keeping the rhythm going and the music alive. He kissed her, and she kissed him back, tasting his rich flavour, like sweet tobacco. Cal tasted like brandy and bitterness.
Raising his head to see his girl, pressing his lips to hers, he drew back and stared into her shimmering blue eyes adoringly. "How you feelin'?"
She smiled gently and brushed a strand of his hair behind his ear. "I've never been better." And she returned the favour by kissing him back.
"I didn't think you knew how to move like that." He stated cheekily, placing his strong hands on her hips again, taking in every inch of her full hour glass figure on the journey down.
"Caledon certainly doesn't allow me to unleash my wild side. It had to come out eventually."
"Well you would put those French girls to shame! You definitely didn't learn those tricks in finishing school." Jack winked.
Rose opened her eyes in horror and gasped before laughing. She lifted an arm and brought her hand down on the back of Jack's head as he rested on her stomach. "Jack! That's vile! Half of the women who taught me were nuns." She laughed. "They'd be turning in their graves if they could see me now."
"They dead?"
"I don't know... I think so, otherwise I'd feel Mrs McManus' judgmental stare scorching the back of my head."
"She can't see you, she's back home in Philly." Jack pushed himself up and rested on one elbow, laying his head upon his hand, revealing his tanned and toned body, lightly covered with hair.
"Well, yes, she is, and we're in the middle of the Atlantic, but it's like Mrs McManus used to tell me, "God sees all" and for years I believed her."
"What made you stop believing?" Jack asked curiously.
Rose was silent for a moment and she thought on this question. She looked at herself, naked, with Jack laying beside her snugly, his overcoat draped across them both, her smeared handprint across the steamed window. "Well here we are, and God has not said a word... I'm no Saint, but what I'm doing isn't right in his eyes."
"Who's eyes? Cal's or the big man upstairs?" Jack mocked.
"I'm serious Jack... I've never really stepped a foot out of line as far as He's concerned... I don't regret it, but what if I've done this all wrong?"
Jack was listening carefully now, caught off guard by Rose's final words. "Doing it all wrong? Rose, NOTHING has ever felt more right in my whole life!"
"I know, I know, I feel it too... but I can't help but feel that I've just thrown my religion out of the window... I'm no Saint, but I wouldn't say I'm a Sinner either."
"You're not a Sinner... I'M the Sinner, winning my ticket in a game of Poker. God would be turning in HIS grave!" Jack pointed to the roof of the car, clearly trying to point to Heaven, grinning cheekily.
Rose laughed, and ran her hand through his hair.
"And besides, Cal's the one who treats you like a piece of bird shit on his tuxedo... you're an Angel, Rose... He's the Devil... we just need to find the contract where you signed away your soul to him and destroy it!" He sat up, his overcoat falling off of him, and his young yet well developed body now in full frontal view.
"Oh I'm an Angel am I?"
"Yeah... you're MY Angel." He crawled forward and planted a soft kiss on her pink lips.
"So what does that make you?" She couldn't keep her hands off of him as she ran her thumb over his bottom lip, feeling the part of his body that created more beauty than his artistic hands... his words.
"What does that make me? I dunno... I guess-" Jack was interrupted by the sound of voices. Male voices, echoing from the hallway across the other side of the room.
"Who's that?" Rose whispered.
Jack ignored her and pressed his ear to the wall of the car, hearing the words "They went through there." Faintly, but definitely.
"Jack?... Jack?! Who is it?" Rose pressed him.
Jack's eyes suddenly grew to the size of the dinner plates served up in 1st class. Carefully, he used the side of his hand to wipe away the condensation from the window, but only slightly, so not to be noticed by the two men entering the room. He watched them, his breathing now non existent so not to fog up the window even more, and as he sat as still as a statue, Rose watched him in panic, seeing the look of alarm on his face. Silently, but quicker than she had ever done before, Rose began to dress herself. It wasn't hard, for she hadn't put on a corset, and the dress slid on over the head and tightened around the waist with long strips of ribbon, so the job was accomplished in almost no time.
"Where are they?" Rose whispered, peering past Jack's shoulder to try and see form his expert point of view.
"They're over there, by the crates."
"What crates?"
Jack looked around, suddenly realizing just how many crates this room had within it. "Those crates over there, covered with the big net." He pointed with his finger, his voice still a mere mumble. Jack kept his eyes focussed on them, like a seagull waiting for an unsuspecting victim to let their guard down in order to steal their chips. And then, his opportunity came. "Going... going..." the two men disappeared behind the crates. "...Gone! C'mon Rose, quickly."
And with that, Jack had quietly opened the car door, helped Rose out of the vehicle, her heels in hand, and his overcoat the only thing hiding his shamelessly nude state. His clothes had been folded neatly by Rose and pushed into his hands as they scrambled out of the car, shutting the door behind them, and running off towards a door just across the room. To their surprise, they found a long hallway in what they had assumed was a closet. Rose stood by the door and kept watch as Jack dressed himself, peering out of the porthole on the door occasionally, but ducking down every time see saw the beams of their torches, like searchlights during a prison escape. When jack had finally clothed, Rose turned and did his shirt buttons up for him, helped him with his braces, and then to annoy him she licked her thumb and scrubbed at his cheek like an smothering yet affectionate Grandmother. He laughed and shrugged her off, using his coat sleeve to wipe his cheek.
"Hey, don't act as if I'm contagious!" she scolded him, hitting his arm playfully.
"Oh but you are Rose, you are. Only a man infected by the disease of a woman could be in this situation we find ourselves in right now."
"Well, at least you look more dignified now... although I think in your case, less is definitely more." Rose winked. Jack loved this side of her. So vivacious, care free and happy. He hated seeing her down trodden, used and abused, and that's exactly how Cal made her feel... all that was going to change, and not just tonight. Jack would make sure of it.
Just then, a loud clicking sound made the lovers turn to the door in confusion. Rose looked out the porthole window upon the door to see one of the stewards, in his shining white coat, signalling to another steward. With the hand he had just clicked his fingers with, he then pointed subtly towards the car, paying attention to the back window in particular. His friend, seeming a lot slower in thought than his superior shrugged his shoulders in confusion. The man who was still keeping an eager eye on the vehicle sighed and began to approach the car door.
Rose put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud as he put a wary hand on the handle, stealthily moving closer and closer to the car, as if approaching a wild horse.
Jack, perched on Roses' shoulder like a loving parrot, kept his eyes fixed on the companion of the somewhat smarter man as he glanced at the rear window with its smeared handprint and quietly exclaimed, "I think someone's in here!"
The man at the door rolled his eyes and replied through gritted teeth, "Well you don't bloody say?" and with that, he had yanked the door open, shouting "Got ya!"
And inside the car, nothing! Jack and Rose collapsed in fits of giggles as the two men looked at one another in utter confusion. But forgetting how loud they were laughing, they had unintentionally attracted the attention of these two men. Jack, spotting the two white coats coming towards the door, grabbed Rose by the hand and lead her down the hallway, ascending the spiral staircase before them in a hurry. However, he heard no footsteps following them. That could be due to one of two reasons. Either their hysterical laughter had drowned out the sound of their pursuers, OR the stewards had given up, realizing that chasing shadows was not in their job description.
When they finally got to the top of these never-ending and ever-winding stairs, Jack was relieved to have found his way out onto the Well Deck, a bitter breeze cooling down their hot bodies. Panting like dogs yet again, they ran off, leaving the door to shut behind them, the passion they had just created and the commotion they had caused left several decks below.
"Did you see those guys faces? Did you see them?" Jack chuckled heartily, barely able to catch his breath.
Rose put a warm and slender index finger over her lover's mouth, covering the middle of his radiant smile like police tape. "CAUTION, DO NOT CROSS!" but the danger and excitement always makes us cross that line, not caring about the consequences. Rose had realized, right there and then that she couldn't live without this fine young man. In only a matter of days she had fallen head over heels for Jack, and she wasn't about to let go of him now. "When this ship docks..." she processed what she was about to say. "...I'm getting off with you." It felt so right slipping off of her tongue and drifting past her lips. Just as natural as Jack's hand in hers, or his lips touching hers.
Jack couldn't believe what he had just heard. "This is crazy!" He stated, half laughing, still smiling like a mad man. It was hard to believe that the uptight, suicidal, defensive and torn girl he had saved only days before was now relaxed, loving life, free and safe, and it was all thanks to Jack. He had never made a woman feel so safe before, not since his mother was still alive.
"I know... It doesn't make any sense!" Rose scanned his flawless face and stroked it lovingly. "That's why I trust it." And with that she had reached to meet his mouth with hers, their warm saliva mixing and their tongues intertwining with that seductive dance that lured Rose further into his kiss with each passing second.
For Rose, things were perfect, there and then anyway, and it had been a long time since she was able to say that. The last time she felt so safe and loved by one man was when she was with her Father. The day he died she cried enough tears to sink a ship. She didn't think anyone could replace him, and although no one ever would, someone was coming very close to filling the black hole in Roses' heart of ice.
Just then, as Rose was being caught up in the passionate frenzy of their kiss, she opened her eyes. She wasn't sure what made her do it, but as she did she noticed something passing by the side of the ship. It was large, grey, metallic looking, and silently moved past the ship, reflecting the lights of the luxury liner in the dark of the night. Rose pulled away from Jack and gazed at the object in confusion.
"What is that?" She asked, Jack's hands still navigating their way around her round behind and curved hips.
Jack, noticing how intrigued she seemed, turned around to inspect the sight she was seeing. Sure enough, before his very eyes, a familiar sight welcomed him. "It's an iceberg... big one too!"
He ran over to the edge of the ship in awe, looking down at the hull of the ship with all its glowing portholes, and then at the surface of the ice, meters away, but mirroring the ship as it glided past safely.
"Did we hit it?" Rose asked curiously.
"Nah... I didn't feel anything... and even if we did, would it matter? This is the 'unsinkable Titanic!'" Jack spoke the last part of his sentence like Bruce Ismay, sticking his nose up in the air and imitating his pompous voice.
Rose giggled and held Jack's hand, as they both watched the mountain of ice vanish into the distance. The only sound that either of them could hear was the strength of the waves below as the Titanic sailed forth through the night, and the gentle whispers in the wind that played with their hair and tugged at their clothes.
Rose looked up to the sky, moving a lock of red hair out of her eyes. "Wow... it's amazing how many stars you can see once you're away from the bright lights of the city."
"Yeah, it's beautiful... we'll get that view every night when we're sleeping under bridges!" He nudged her playfully.
"Hey, I am NOT sleeping under a bridge! That is where I draw the line." She laughed back, but then turned her head to look out to the endless horizon... thinking... contemplating. "Cal owes me... We won't be leaving this ship with ten bucks in our pocket, that I can assure you."