"Good morning, Handsome." Belle came up behind Gold and wrapped her arms around his waist. He was amazed by the feeling of contentment that ran through his body at her touch. For the first time in his life he felt as though he had found something that he hadn't known was missing.
Gold clasped her hands in his. He then turned around to face her. "Good morning, sweetheart." He stroked her cheek and kissed her softly on the lips. "Did you sleep well?"
"Mmmm…" Belle was thinking about just how soundly she'd slept and she knew it was due to him. She felt happy and content. He made her feel that way.
They stood side by side on the balcony for a while enjoying the view and each other's company.
"This is so peaceful that I hate to even speak." Belle was the first to break their companionable silence.
Gold kissed her on the head. "What is it, Belle?"
"I'm starving."
Gold laughed. "Shall we try the dining room this morning? I'm sure we can wrangle a quiet table for two at this early hour."
Belle agreed. They decided to stroll along the promenade deck so that they could continue to enjoy the morning air. They were able to follow it halfway across the ship before they had to re-enter the ship to make their way to breakfast. The maitre'd seated them at a table for two by a window. There were only a handful of other couples up so early.
"So are we going to be healthy today or have we decided to throw caution to the wind and indulge our every desire?" Gold asked.
"I think we should indulge our every desire." The way she said it got Gold's attention. He was sure she wasn't just talking about breakfast. A day ago he would have been taken aback and rendered speechless. Today he was taken aback, but was actually able to reply. He was making progress.
He chuckled. "I'm not even going to try to respond to that."
She grinned at him. She was the cutest little thing and all he wanted to do was to pull her onto his lap and kiss her. Fortunately their waiter arrived before that could happen.
Gold ordered a strawberry waffle with extra whipped cream and Belle ordered the blueberry pancakes.
"So what do we have in mind for today, Belle?" Gold was sure that she already had something planned.
She giggled. That did not bode well to him. "Well, the captain is giving us a private tour of the bridge at 11:00am. That should be fun."
"Yes, I'm sure it will be." He looked at her expectantly.
"There is something I'd like to do before that." She looked guilty and he was sure he did not want to hear what she had to say.
He groaned. "Don't tell me you want to attend one of those napkin-folding classes."
She tried to stifle a giggle. "I do… but you don't have to come… even though I hate the idea of going alone."
He groaned again. Of course he was going with her.
"You can just come and watch. You don't have to fold napkins." She could no longer stifle her giggle.
Gold couldn't contain his own grin. She had him wrapped around her little finger and he didn't mind it… not one little bit. "OK, I'll come with you, but you cannot breathe a word of this to Nolan. I swear, Belle, you really are going to owe me after this."
She put her hand over his. "Thank you, Rum. I'll do anything you want." She bit her lower lip and Gold's control began to ebb. He'd been in a semi-aroused state since she first put her arms around him earlier and now he felt himself starting to lose control.
Their breakfast arrived just in time to rein his thoughts back in. They ate slowly, enjoying the view and the conversation.
It was fairly early when they got back to the suite. Moe was still asleep. "Do you want to pay up now?" Gold almost didn't recognize himself.
"I'd be more than happy to… what would you like me to do?" She asked innocently.
He took her by the hand and out onto the balcony. He sat down on a cushioned chair in front of his room and pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her. It felt so good to be this close. He kissed the top of her head and then nuzzled her neck. His cock hardened considerably and he knew she could feel it. He couldn't get close enough to her. He held her tighter and kissed her on the neck.
Belle let out a little sound of contentment and he felt his arousal growing. She turned sideways so that she could put her legs over the side of the chair and wrap her arms around his neck. Her legs were completely exposed and he could see her panties again. He couldn't resist putting his hand on her thigh even though he knew that he was playing with fire. Moe could wake up and walk in on them at any moment. She leaned in to kiss him and their mutual hunger for one another took over. Gold caressed her through her panties and she arched her back and whimpered into his mouth. His cock wanted to burst out of his pants at her response.
"Rum."
"I know, sweetheart. Let me take the edge off for you." He teased her through the fabric and then pulled it aside so that he could put his fingers directly on her. She tried to stifle her cries as her need for release increased. He could think of nothing but wanting to put his mouth on her. He needed to lick her and suck her and make her scream in ecstasy. Alas now was not the time.
She deepened her kiss and held onto him tighter as she arched her back one final time as she found her release. Gold wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She whimpered.
"Belle, are you here?" They could hear Moe's voice from inside the suite. Belle jumped up off of Gold's lap and quickly adjusted her dress and panties. Her face was obviously flushed. Gold knew the bulge in his pants was extremely noticeable and the sound of Moe's voice wasn't enough to lessen it. In a way he wanted to pull Belle back onto his lap so that Moe could not doubt the nature of their relationship.
"I'm out on the balcony." Belle answered him and then looked back at Gold. "Stand behind me and put your arms around me."
Gold looked surprised. "Are you sure, Belle?"
"Yes, I want him to be clear about us."
Gold got up and pulled her against him. He was grateful that she was blocking his bulge from Moe's view, but concerned that this position wasn't helping the situation.
Moe walked out onto the balcony and stopped short at the sight of them.
"Good morning, Dad." Belle smiled brightly. "It's a beautiful day. I'm glad you didn't sleep in too late. Are you feeling any better? Your sunburn doesn't look as bad as it did yesterday."
Moe had locked eyes with Gold and was staring threateningly at him. "Good morning, Belle. I'm feeling a little better. The salve the doctor gave me seemed to help a bit." His eyes never left Gold's. Gold swallowed and pulled Belle a little closer.
"Rum ordered you coffee and pastries for breakfast. We weren't sure what time you were getting up so he didn't want to order any hot dishes."
"How thoughtful of him." Gold felt like prey that Moe was stalking.
"Don't forget that the captain is giving us a private tour of the bridge at 11am. Rum and I are going to a class together before that."
"Of course you are… let me guess… you're spending the whole day together." Gold's arousal was no longer an issue. Moe was not at all happy and Gold wasn't sure how to address it.
"Yes." Belle looked up and smiled at Gold. He smiled back at her even though he felt a sense of doom. "We have to finish getting ready. I don't want to be late for our class…" She turned to face Gold and giggled, "…though I'm sure you wouldn't mind."
He chuckled and took her hand in his. "I promise to be on time." The look of intimacy that they exchanged made Moe look the other way.
"OK, then. Let's meet in half an hour." She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. Gold could feel Moe staring. Belle left and Gold stood there waiting for Moe to say his piece.
They stood there staring at one another, neither saying a word.
Gold couldn't stand it any longer. "I'm sure you have a lot you want to say to me, Moe, but I have to get ready for Belle." He paused. "I didn't plan any of this. We just clicked and developed these feelings for one another. I don't know what else to say." Gold headed toward his room. He wanted Moe to say something, to confront him in some way, but he didn't say a word. It was worse than Gold had imagined it would be.
He didn't know how this was going to play out. He didn't want Belle to worry or be upset because her father did not approve of them. He didn't want to see Belle hurt at all. Moe was going to have to talk to him whether he wanted to or not. Gold finished getting ready and went back out into the common area to meet up with Belle. Moe was sitting there with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"She's my daughter, Gold." He said it accusingly.
"I know, Moe. I understand how you feel, but I can't help how I feel about her."
"She really likes you." He said it as though it were another accusation.
"Yes… and I really like her. You have to trust me..."
Belle appeared at the top of the stairs and their attention turned to her.
"Is everything OK?" She could feel the tension. Gold waited for Moe to answer.
"Yes, sweetheart. Everything's OK. If you're happy, then I'm happy."
Belle smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm happier than I've ever been." She took Gold's hand and led him to the door. "We'll see you in a while, Dad… I love you." And with that they left the suite.
Belle turned to Gold. "I'm sorry, Rum. Did my dad give you a hard time about us?" She looked concerned.
"I think he's still in shock, but I don't blame him. I'm twice your age, I'm his business partner, I'm divorced with an adult son… I think he may have very deep reservations about my intentions, Belle."
Belle caressed his cheek. "He's going to have to learn to accept the fact that I want to be with you."
"I'm sure he thinks your feelings are real, Belle… I'm afraid he thinks I'm planning to take advantage of you." There… he said it.
Belle grinned at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I hope he's right."
Gold felt a smile forming at his own lips. She was not getting him this time. "Did you enjoy our little encounter this morning, darling?"
Belle felt a thrill run through her. "Yes, very much. I'm just sorry that you missed out." She ran her fingers through his hair. His cock hardened. Then she whispered in his ear. "I promise to make up for it later." His body responded intensely. He was glad they were alone in the corridor.
They resumed their walk and finally arrived at the room where the napkin-folding class was taking place. They entered and walked past the front table where a wide array of folded napkins was on display. Gold had to admit that they were impressive, but it still didn't make him any more anxious to be there.
"Belle!" Mary Margaret's voice was the last thing Gold was expecting to hear. He looked across the room to see her and David waving to them.
Gold groaned. He could not believe it. "I thought they already took this class."
Belle giggled. "They did. Maybe they want a refresher."
They made their way over to sit next to Mary Margaret and David. Gold was not happy to see the huge grin on David's face. "Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Gold. I never expected you to be at one of these classes." He burst out laughing.
Gold gritted his teeth. "Didn't you take this class already?"
Mary Margaret answered. "They're teaching different folds in this class." She looked at David and then continued. "I don't know if I mentioned it, but David was a bit of a star at our last class."
Gold was now very interested.
"He was a natural according to the teacher. He was a very quick study and became the center of attention."
David looked extremely pleased with himself. Gold suddenly felt the competitive side of his nature kick in. "Really? How fascinating." He was convinced that he could do anything David could do and he could do it ten times better.
"I think Rum is just going to watch." Gold heard Belle explaining to Mary Margaret.
"I changed my mind, Belle. I decided that since I'm here I might as well take part."
"Oh, I'm glad. I think it will be fun." Belle was all smiles.
"Yes." Gold was beginning to enjoy this.
The instructor arrived and introduced herself and explained what they'd be doing. When she saw David in the class she stopped to introduce him as a star student from the previous session. Everyone clapped and made a big fuss over him. Gold was determined to outdo him no matter what it took.
She began the first lesson. It was a sailboat which was meant to be one of the easier folds. She first did it quickly and then demonstrated fold by fold so that the class could follow her. David was able to keep up with her and Gold did the same. They both finished at the same time. David was visibly surprised by Gold's quick learning curve and the fact that his napkin looked even better than the instructor's.
"What did you do, Mr. Gold? Yours looks different."
"I changed two of the folds to give it a more pronounced look." David, Mary Margaret and Belle were all looking at him with their mouths open. Mary Margaret had completed hers even though it didn't look quite right and Belle was still struggling.
She turned to Gold. "You know how uncoordinated I am." She giggled. "This is like putting on the life jacket."
Gold immediately moved closer to her and began to help her with the folds. He was so patient and sweet with her that it had both Mary Margaret and David passing looks to each other.
"What have we here?" The instructor had been walking around the room to check on each person and had stopped in front of Gold and David. "Do we have another gentleman with a napkin-folding talent?" She was holding Gold's napkin in her hand so that the whole class could see. "This looks better than mine. What did you do?"
So much for being anonymous. When Gold didn't immediately respond, Mary Margaret answered for him. "He changed a couple of the folds to give it sharper edges."
"Very impressive. Class, let's give this gentleman a round of applause." The whole class applauded and Gold felt a little too exposed.
The instructor now went on to the next fold which was a pinwheel. She did the first one quickly as she had the previous time and then she began demonstrating fold by fold. Gold completed his before she got to the second fold. "How are you doing this Gold? Have you taken classes before?" David was amazed.
"Of course not. I can see what the folds are by looking at it." He answered sharply.
"That's pretty amazing, Mr. Gold." Mary Margaret was in awe.
Belle kissed him on the cheek. "You're very talented… and I need your help again."
He smiled and moved closer to assist her. David and Mary Margaret exchanged glances again.
The instructor had stopped again at their table. "Excellent work." Gold ignored her while he continued to help Belle. "He completed it before you got to the second fold." Mary Margaret felt compelled to share this info with the instructor. She was once again very impressed.
Before she left David asked her which fold they'd be doing next. "The swan. It's a favorite for most people."
"Mr. Gold." David was impressed by Gold, but his own competitive nature was kicking in. "Let's see how good you really are. Do you think you can make the swan without any instruction?" He was pretty sure Gold would not be able to do it.
Gold hadn't been this interested in anything David had said since he'd met him. "How would you like to make a wager, Mr. Nolan? If I can do it, you'll owe me favor. If I can't, I'll owe you one."
Nolan didn't think he could lose. "It's a deal." They shook on it.
Gold chuckled and took a napkin. He crafted a swan that looked exactly like the one on display. He then took another napkin and crafted one that looked ten times better.
Belle giggled. "I guess you owe him a favor, David."
"Yes, I guess so." David looked shocked. "So what favor do I owe you?"
Gold looked positively gleeful. "Oh, that waits to be seen. I haven't decided yet."
Belle whispered in his ear. "What are you up to? You're enjoying this too much." She couldn't hide her smile.
"Let's just say I love it when somebody owes me something."
Belle pushed his hair back from his face and whispered in his ear again. "You mean like when I owed you this morning? I think that ended up better for me than it did for you." She smiled innocently at him.
He felt himself becoming aroused just at the thought of it. "That's where you're wrong, sweetheart. I enjoyed it just as much, if not more, than you did."
Belle's body returned to its aroused state at his words. She was going to have to concentrate if they were going to get through the next couple of hours.
When the class ended, Belle, Gold, David and Mary Margaret proceeded to head over to the bridge for their private tour.
"How were you able to make those designs without any instruction?" They all looked at Gold.
"I can see things in my mind. I can't explain it. It just comes naturally."
As they approached the bridge the conversation turned to the captain, Killian Jones. Gold engaged in conversation with the rest of them, but couldn't help thinking about Moe in the back of his mind. Their confrontation was far from over. This next hour together was bound to be very uncomfortable. He pulled Belle closer. He did not want her to be upset by it.
The whole gang was already assembled in front of the secured door. Moe was animatedly talking to Gaston and looked his usual cheerful self. He warmly greeted David and Mary Margaret and then pulled Belle out of Gold's arms to hug her. He didn't even make eye contact with Gold. Gold took solace in the fact the Belle didn't seem to notice.
One of the ship's officers opened the door and ushered them onto the bridge. Moe still had his arm around Belle and pulled her in along with him. She looked back to see Gold entering last, his cane slowing him down a bit.
Moe held onto Belle and David stood beside Gold. "He finally figured it out."
"Yes." Gold was surprised that David was that perceptive.
"It doesn't matter what he thinks. Mary Margaret has a saying… the heart wants what the heart wants. Nobody can change that."
Gold looked him in the eye. "Thank you. I'll remember that."
As soon as Moe saw Captain Jones, he released Belle and ran over to greet him. Belle took the opportunity to make her way back to Gold. She linked her arm in his. "He'll come around."
Gold squeezed her arm. "I'm sorry, Belle. I don't want to be the cause of problems for you."
"You're not. Don't even think it." She gave him a pointed look. "Now just make sure you hold onto me tightly. I don't want to be pulled away again."
He couldn't help grinning at her demand. "Yes, dear."
She giggled. "Now that's much better." She felt relieved that he was able to make light of it. She'd just made progress with him. She didn't want him reverting back to feeling unsure of himself.
The captain now asked to have everyone's attention, insisting that the women make their way up front closer to him. Ruby was the only one who rushed forward. Gold chuckled. She might give the captain more attention than even he wanted.
Once he got his initial flirting and innuendos out of the way, Jones gave them a very informative and entertaining tour of the bridge. He didn't repeat any of the stories he had told them at dinner. Gold was again begrudgingly impressed.
As riveting as the captain was, most of them were mesmerized by the 360 degree views and the fact that the bridge looked like the command center aboard a space station. There were countless panels and gadgets that were used to control the ship. But the thing that amazed everyone the most was the size of the steering wheel. It was only a couple of inches in diameter. Everything was so automated that the old ships' wheels were a thing of the past.
When the tour was over they all gathered together out on the deck. Moe still seemed to be in a jovial mood. "Why don't we all go to lunch together? I'm going to be at the spa getting a treatment for my sunburn all afternoon so I can use a little company right now."
Belle turned to Gold. "Do you mind?"
"Of course not. I can't avoid your father, Belle… not if I want to be with you."
"Thanks, Rum. It will be OK. I know Dad. He's stubborn, but he's not unfair. Just give him some time."
"I'll do whatever it takes." He pulled her closer. He'd do anything she wanted.
Moe suggested that they have lunch in one of the specialty restaurants where it would be easier to get seats together. They decided on the pizzeria. They found a table and seated themselves around it. Moe didn't try to separate Belle and Gold this time around, but he made it a point to sit across from them. Gold felt under the microscope for the second day in a row. Last night he had been pretty sure that Moe was watching his every move. Today he had absolutely no doubt that was the case.
Belle seemed determined to ignore her father. She was extremely affectionate with Gold, touching him constantly as she was wont to do. At first Gold stiffened at her touch, afraid to respond at all, but eventually he couldn't help himself. It was a natural response that she brought out in him. He felt a need to touch her and to be touched by her.
"So what are your plans this afternoon, Belle? Why don't you see what's available at the spa?" Moe was not very subtle.
"Rum and I already have plans." She put her hand over Gold's. "It's a surprise for him so I can't say."
Rum felt Moe staring at him. "OK, then. Have fun."
"I'm sure we will." Belle put her hand on Gold's thigh. He responded in spite of Moe's scrutiny.
Moe turned away to continue a conversation elsewhere even though Gold felt as though he was still watching him out of the corner of his eye.
"So don't you want to know what your surprise is?" Belle had pushed his hair back and was whispering seductively in his ear.
"I think I should wait until we're out of sight of your father." He put his hand over hers to keep her from moving it further up his thigh. "I can't trust my reaction to it."
She giggled in his ear and his body responded further.
"Good idea." She put the hand that was on his thigh into his.
The meal ended and they all parted to pursue their own interests. Moe seemed in good spirits even though he still did not acknowledge Gold.
Belle took Gold's hand. "Let's head back to the suite. Dad will be gone all afternoon and we'll have the place to ourselves. It will be nice to have some time alone together."
"So what do you have in mind?" He thought back to where they'd left off that morning, but more than that he just wanted to be with her. It didn't really matter where they went or what they were doing.
"I thought we could just relax and talk out on my balcony. We're going to go swimming as part of tomorrow's tour. I think we should put on our bathing suits and get a little sun to prepare ourselves."
Gold barely heard what she said. He was too pre-occupied thinking of her in a bathing suit. Or so he thought.
"I'll need you to help me apply sunscreen… all over my body… and I'll help you. What do you think?"
He was speechless for a moment and then he chuckled. "You don't really expect an answer to that question, do you?"
"No." She giggled. "I just wanted to see how you'd respond."
He looked at her. Why did he feel as though she had still managed to get him? But then again, he didn't mind at all. He was about to spend an afternoon alone with her… in their suite and on her balcony… and even though he would have been perfectly content to spend the day simply talking to her, he had this intense need to express his feelings for her in some physical way… and that's what he was intending to do.
