The first full day Jake and Amanda spent at the cabin had been nice and relaxing. Despite the chill, they savored yet another long walk among the acres of land the cabin rested on. They chatted, held hands, laughed, and savored being able to be among the woods without having to worry about their heartbeats speeding up, or feeling a knife slash into them from a silent killer.
Afterwards, they spend several hours at the pool table in the cabin's upper level. Amanda was awful to start, but Jake worked with her and surprisingly she became so addicted to the game that the balls on the table were the only ones that Amanda played with.
As they walked down the stairs, Amanda looked at his shirt and said, "You look good in a flannel."
Jake turned back to her. "Like the son of the Brawny guy and a rocker chick. And it's so...Manly." She followed him down the stairs, then jumped on his back.
"Take me, manly man. Take me hard!" She giggled in his ear.
"Oh, you asked for it."
And so, after playing with other balls for a long time, Amanda played with Jake's as he fucked her on the wooden stairs. He opened the flannel shirt...But kept it on.
After later exploring one of the upstairs bathrooms and once again discovering one had a jacuzzi that comfortably fit two, she made it quite clear that it was going to be the site of a lovemaking session the next day. And that was the day that Jake decided to strike. Either he would wear her down, or she would wear him down.
He woke up before her that morning, Amanda's naked body snuggled up next to his. Instead of Amanda being the alarm clock, he crept down the bed, parted her thighs, and licked her clit until she woke, looked around, then looked between her legs and smiled. Once she was awake, her pussy got wet even more quickly, and they moved and grunted and moaned together until Jake filled her with his first load of cum.
Glowing in a sheen of sweat afterwards, Amanda said, "Yeah...That needs to happen more often."
Jake was far from done yet. After they both entered the walk-in shower, he was hard again halfway through, and Amanda was eager to lay on the shower floor and feel him fuck her again as the hot spray rained down on them. An orgasm each later, they were back on their feet and finished washing.
Since they didn't eat, at lunch, Jake suggested the jacuzzi. Amanda was stripping off her clothes as she ran up the stairs before he even got to the bottom step. He took her doggy style, splashing hot water all over the floor, and she moaned and gasped and loved it, putting her head under the water as she came and he filled her with another load of his sperm. And then, quickly hard again, he sat on the floor of the jacuzzi as Amanda rode him and they both climaxed for a fourth time.
When Jake rubbed her ass through her jeans as they were in the middle of their fourth game of pool, Amanda's horniness was triggered once more, and this time, she played with his balls too as he passionately took her on the felt top. They left their clothes off and played three more games naked. It was only when he rubbed her ass again and laid her on the table tennis top before they passionately fucked again that Amanda actually showed signs she might be slowing down.
But she was not down for the count yet. Instead of eating at dinnertime like non-realm humans, Jake lit the fire and had a buffet of her pussy on the rug in front of the fireplace before she pulled him on top of her and let him slide inside. She came, and he managed to work some sperm from his cock in his own orgasm, but it wasn't much. It was even less when he guided her to her hands and knees and again took her doggie style as she buried her face in the soft carpet and screamed in her eighth orgasm of the day.
As they laid in bed to sleep, Jake caressed her bare thigh and Amanda said, "We can just cuddle if you wanna." It was more of a statement than a suggestion.
She snuggled her body into his, Amanda said sleepily, "My pussy has been numb since before we fucked on the rug in front of the fireplace, but I wasn't gonna turn you down." Jake smiled. He definitely didn't mind, his balls were pretty goddamn sore. As he drifted off to sleep he muttered "Eight."
There was a silence. Then Amanda shifted next to him and he could see her looking at him in the rays of the moonlight. She asked suspiciously, "Eight what?"
"Nothing honey. Just go to sleep."
Amanda tickled him..."Eight WHAT...?"
"Ah. Damnit...Shit...JESUS! Okay, okay! Eight...Eight times before you finally weren't horny any more!"
She looked at him. "You're insatiable. Since we're all alone with nothing to do...I just wanted to finally see how many times it took to satisfy you for a day."
She giggled. "I wondered why you were so horny the entire goddamned day. You sneaky little fucker." She tickled him again, mercilessly before straddling him. As her pussy lips rested on his limp cock, it started swelling, unable to resist his wife's tight, wet pussy even as his balls screamed and threatened to go on strike.
"Your count is wrong. Nine. I can fight through the numbness to see if there's any trace of sperm left in those balls of yours.
There wasn't, though his cock spasmed dry anyway as Amanda's own pussy spasmed. Jake had never had an orgasm that was completely empty. His balls were drained. She groaned and rolled off next to him. There was silence for a long time.
"That may not have...Unnnnhh...Been the best of ideas," Amanda said.
"Ow...Owow...I think you're right," Jake agreed. There was another silence.
"Ice pack?" Amanda asked him.
"Oh please god yes."
Finally, 30 minutes later, they were again ready for bed as the towel-wrapped ice packs thawed on the floor on either side of the bed. And this time...They just fucking cuddled.
The next day, the blissfully contented couple returned the rental and hopped on a plane back to New York City. They decided to take a couple more days for themselves before letting Jake's parents know they had returned. When the taxi dropped them off at Jake's apartment building, she'd ridden the elevator tensely as Jake watched her. As soon as the doors were open, she darted through them, then out into the parking garage on their level. Jake sprinted after her, laughing.
When Jake caught up to her, Amanda was hugging the rear-end of her blue Volkswagen. "My baaaaaabyyyyyy."
"Lordy...Honey, you two should get a room."
"I have separation anxiety. Blow me." She stuck her tongue out at him. Jake stuck his own out. "You first."
He snagged her hand. Amanda looked back over her shoulder at the blue Bug and said, "I'll take you out soon I promise!"
After they tossed their vacation clothes in the laundry, Amanda sorted through a stack of mail wrapped with a rubber band on the counter. The first two pieces for her weren't much. State Farm claimed they could save her a bundle on her insurance, even though she personally had none, and Publisher's Clearing House was certain she was already a winner.
Then, a surprise. A padded yellow envelope from the FBI Field Office in Boston. Amanda couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness as she ripped it open. The first thing her fingers pulled from it was a handwritten note.
"Amanda-
Your wedding was lovely, and although I crashed it, I thank you for not having me removed. I meant what I told you that day. You've turned everything around completely, and made a wonderful and fantastic life for yourself, and you know what? I think you deserve it.
But after thinking about it for awhile, I realized that I was definitely a tacky guest. I didn't even bring you a gift. Pretty unfair considering how delicious that steak was for dinner. So what do you get for the woman who has managed to get herself everything? I thought about it, and thought about it.
A few days ago, a woman's body was pulled from the river. Suicide. She'd been in there for awhile. Dressed like a transient. She was about five foot three, and had brown hair. Since the body was discovered near the Gideon plant, and since the police force has been thoroughly embarrassed trying to live down the fact that their own lead detective was one of Jigsaw's apprentices, they didn't even try to autopsy it. They contacted me and I had it shipped up to the field office here in Boston for the autopsy.
And would you believe it, it came in at about 11:45. After the body was printed, the techs all went out for lunch. It amazes me that they can do preliminaries on a corpse and then still be hungry enough to go out for a burger. Strong stomachs, those folks.
While the lab was empty, someone switched the body's prints for a copy of your own fingerprints. I happened to be in the forensic lab at the time, but I didn't see anything. And even stranger, the original fingerprints were destroyed in an office shredder. It's an amazing mystery.
When the techs finished the autopsy and confirmed it was suicide by gunshot, the prints from the body were run against the database, your name came up. The FBI forensics team has confirmed that Amanda Young is dead. They speculate you committed suicide after Jigsaw's death. The Jigsaw case is now completely closed, and I got to go on TV when they announced my promotion to FBI section chief. I even got a raise, thank you very much.
So with Amanda Young dead, and the Jigsaw case closed for good, and never to be reopened, suddenly, I figured out the perfect wedding gift for you.
You wear the name Linda well, but you'll always be Amanda. But a different Amanda. One that rose like a phoenix from the flames. I decided that now you can comfortably be Amanda again, I'd grease the skids for you. I made a few phone calls on your behalf. It's nice being a section chief, no one batted an eye.
Everything is 100 percent authentic. I'm sure your forgeries are good, but these are the real deal. The picture is a little old. Maybe you can smile for the next one when it's time. Hate to break it to you but you're just not that famous. No one batted an eye when they saw your picture. It was the best I could do, it was the newest one we had on file.
Enjoy, and congratulations again, Amanda Park. Stay out of trouble.
Peter Strahm."
Amanda dumped the rest of the contents of the envelope on the counter and burst into tears. "You sneaky son of a bitch."
"Who?" Jake came out of the bedroom looking alarmed. Amanda handed him the note, which he read, then he looked at the pile of other stuff on the counter.
A new birth certificate, A New York Driver's license, a social security card, and a passport, all bearing the name 'Amanda Park.' The driver's license photo wasn't the best, a cropped mugshot with the height lines carefully photoshopped out, but considering the usual way driver's license photos turned out, it would blend right in. Now Amanda Park really existed, not just between her and Jake, but for the world.
"I'm dead. I'm dead and it's over. The case is closed. Amanda Young is no more. It's the new me..." Amanda let out a sob. "And now I have the papers to prove it."
Jake wrapped his arms around her as she cried into his chest. But this time, Amanda's tears were definitely not from guilt. They were from relief. She never thought she'd be so happy to be dead.
Amanda sat in an armchair with the documents like she'd just gotten a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll at Christmas. Then Jake felt a wave of sadness...Because he imagined some of Amanda's Christmases had been tough.
He was happy again watching her face. She had a slight smile on her face and her eyes were lit up as she alternated between the birth certificate...And then the license...And then the passport...Every so often she'd mutter, "I'm dead." And then her smile would get even bigger.
Jake was happy to see the passport. He'd had a passing thought at the cabin in between all the intense fucking, and seeing the passport brought it fresh into his mind.
He had his laptop open. November in New York was not ideal. But...Looking online, he saw that the seasons in South America ran virtually the opposite. The summer season in South America was November through May.
As Amanda stared in rapt attention at her new paperwork officially declaring her Amanda Park, Jake started digging through websites. Finally, he settled on a website for Starlight Cruises.
Voted the best cruise line by Travel Weekly for 13 consecutive years, the website told him. TravelAge had named them the best onboard dining for eight consecutive years. And for six consecutive years, MeetMeOnboard had declared they had the best onboard spa facilities.
Then he took a peek at the ships. They were not like the usual boxy structure of cruise ships. White superstructures with dark blue painted on the hull. A single smokestack. However, unlike the boxy stern of some of the cruise ships, Jake noted that the design of the Ocean Princess reminded him of the luxury liners of history, the Queen Mary came to mind. It was as though the old superstructure had been taken off of the top part of the hull, and the superstructure of a modern cruise ship had been put in its place...Well, partially. It did not have as many decks as a normal cruise ship. The bow was pointed, and the stern rounded. They all looked like they could hold thousands. Doing a virtual tour, he was visually impressed. It was like the best elements of Las Vegas all mixed together into a floating city, with a mix of modern and classic ship design.
He looked at the cruise options while sneaking a peek at the calendar. A nine-day, eight-night cruise to Rio De Janeiro and São Paulo departed on November 13 from Miami, Florida aboard the Ocean Princess. That was two days from now. According to the available fares, the top on the list was the Owner's Suite at 1,480 square feet for the low price of $5,999.
Really, he couldn't settle on anything but the best for his wife. Especially when it was her first cruise...Especially when she'd probably spent the 36 years of her life never expecting to have a married a man who fucking loved her and would pay to take her on one.
Should he do it? They were just back in New York, and would likely have to hop a plane to Florida by tomorrow in order to be ready for boarding on Nov. 13. They'd just flown back. This was crazy. He hadn't even called his father yet. But they would have time. They could fit the cruise into the two-week time frame they'd unofficially set for themselves. If things got tight they could just return to the realm from the ship.
He looked at Amanda who was still happily staring at her new papers. She'd get a chance to try out the new passport, and he knew that she would have one of the most memorable experiences of her life being in the most expensive stateroom of a cruise ship with him.
They could make it. They could make it there in time. He booked it.
He was right, the cruise was going to be quite memorable, though neither of them would actually see South America.
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There were a number of news articles posted to the internet on November 15, 2006. The early article postings had little information, only that the prize of the Starlight Cruise Line, the Ocean Princess, was in distress. Later that day, after the ship had sunk, the detailed information was added and wikipedia was updated about what had sent the ship to the bottom of the ocean. According to the articles, fluke rough seas and a simple, incomplete repair had combined to send the 1,305-foot cruise ship to the bottom of the ocean a mere three days into its cruise. It had not struck a rock, or an iceberg, or even another ship. It was one pipe that had led to complete disaster.
Initially, there was not a single fatality reported, quite remarkable considering there were over 1,100 people aboard. Thankfully, the U.S. Naval Air Base in Honduras had been able to airlift over 600 of the passengers when the lifeboats aboard the listing ship became impossible to lower. Some of the articles were even daring enough to call it a "Miracle at Sea."
There was a lengthy diatribe on the Captan, Pietro Catalano, who, along with the senior officers, deck crew, and engineering crew, had abandoned the ship shortly after a blackout and engine failure. There were calls to try the captain for attempted voluntary manslaughter despite his defense that he had abandoned the dead ship in order to coordinate rescue operations where he and his senior officers could communicate. His story, no pun intended, didn't hold water when it was factored in that the deck crew and engineering crew had abandoned ship with him.
But also, there were plenty of stories of heroism, singled out particularly was Brian Shaw, the ship's shore excursion manager who had stepped up when others hadn't and who had coordinated the lowering of the lifeboats and the airlifting of passengers when lowering the lifeboats hadn't been an option. The 53-year-old Welshman had become quite a celebrity when it was factored in he was the last survivor to leave the ship.
After Jake impulsively purchased the ticket, the information on the sinking changed slightly. Instead of zero loss of life, the articles reflected that while the rescue was remarkable, there had been two casualties. A married couple, Jake and Amanda Park, who, much like many of the other passengers on the ship, had worked with crew members who were untrained in the ship's operations other than their roles as entertainment staff, but banded together to escape alive. Some of the articles even included their wedding photo, as attempts to locate a casual photograph of the couple through social media proved quite fruitless. In fact, it appeared his wife didn't have a Facebook at all.
In the updated article, as was the case in the original, Shaw singled out a number of the passengers by name during his interview, but in the updated version after Jake had purchased the ticket, he included special praise for the couple, who had stuck with him to the bitter end before being lost with the ship when it sank.
At one point in his interview he noted that Amanda had refused to leave her husband behind, and even when he'd offered to let Amanda be the last woman to be evacuated, and allow Jake to be among the first men, they'd chosen to stay while other passengers left before them.
"If I'd known that I would escape alive but that by staying behind, they would perish, I'd have forced them to leave. You can look at the death toll and say it's a miracle that out of over 1,100 people, only two were lost, but I don't agree. I only knew them closely for a few hours, but I feel as though I lost two life-long friends that day. They were such fearless, amazing people, and I hope that wherever they are, they are at peace."
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A nine-day cruise in a massive suite. Amanda would feel like a princess...And Ocean Princess. And Jake loved making Amanda feel like a princess.
He smiled as he planned. God, Jake thought. She's going to love it. It will be PERFECT.