Disclaimer: I'm out of witty (ish) things to write here...
A/N: This story and the saying "flying by the seat of my pants" seem to be synonymous. I have no freaking clue where this is going but I'm enjoying writing it so I suppose it'll go on for a while yet... (Recall that: reviews chocolate) – Zoe's dress is inspired by a Betsey Johnson and the shoes are Jimmy Choo's (hehe rhyming) though I'm sure most of you don't give a crap what the dress or shoes I'm thinking of looks like (if you really want to know I'll send you the links where you can find them). Oh as I said in the last chapter, the "Sundown Isthmus Cruise" does exist (but I've invented all the details), so does the restaurant they eat at (Harbour Reef Restaurant) but again all details are mine. Anywho... back to the story!
Dan walked into the bedroom to find Zoe seated in front of the mirror struggling to get her butterfly necklace on. She looked up and met his eyes in the mirror, watching as he walked over to her and took the clasp from her hands. His eyes never left hers as he fastened the necklace, offering his hand to her as she rose from the chair. "Zoe...you look incredible," Dan watched as the dress flared around her knees as she spun. He gazed at her, picture of perfection, he thought with a smile. The white dress with simple embroidery was plain enough not to distract from her beauty but hugged her curves perfectly and the pink sandals with glittering butterflies looked absolutely gorgeous on her feet. She had a perfect pale pink hibiscus tucked behind her left ear, her curls left loose, tumbling around her shoulders.
"You don't look so bad yourself mister," she replied with a shy smile. His requisite suit and tie had been replaced with a more casual look, khakis and a navy blue golf shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes. On the way out of the room he grabbed a casual jacket in case it got cooler in the evening, tossing Zoe's towards her. She checked the time on a delicate silver watch, "Uh Dan we've got about fifteen minutes before the boat leaves without us..." They headed towards the dock hand in hand, just making the final boarding call.
The couple situated themselves on the deck of The Magdalene, watching the sun begin its decent toward the horizon. A steward approached, offering flutes of champagne and delicate canapes on a silver tray. They indulged, savouring the Dom Perignon, eyes focused on the beautiful hues of the slowly setting sun. "So Zoe...are you having a good vacation so far?" Dan asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she settled into her chair.
"Mmm...definitely!" she grinned at him and watched the shorebirds frolic as they approached their port of call for the evening. They disembarked from the boat, Zoe taking Dan's proffered hand and continuing to hold it as they headed to the Harbour Reef Restaurant for dinner. They were greeted by the maitre d' who lead them to a table with a perfect view of the ocean.
"May I get you a drink to start?" he asked. Zoe looked at Dan expectantly, who picked up the wine menu and ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio. "Excellent choice sir. I will have it brought out for you immediately."
"Thanks," Dan looked across the table at Zoe. Zoe smiled at him before dipping her head to focus on her menu. "I think I'm going to go with the chicken and broccoli fettuccine. How about you Zoe?"
"I'm leaning towards the roasted turkey with pomegranate sauce. It's stuffed with wild rice and goat cheese...sounds so decadent. I could get used to living like this!" Zoe finished with a giggle, accepting the glass from the waiter. They ordered their food and ate, talking amiably about work, past relationships and the kids among other subjects.
"Well Zoe, how about dessert? I have the perfect thing in mind to finish off the night." She nodded and Dan signalled the waiter to take the dessert order, "Could we please have a slice of cherry-peach pie and two glasses of Inniskillin Icewine?"
"Of course sir," the waiter made his way to the kitchen with their order, returning fifteen minutes later and presenting them with the wine and a plate of pie with two forks. The couple shared the dessert, enjoying the pairing of the sweet Icewine and slightly tangy pie.
"Okay...if I eat anymore I think I'll explode!" Zoe slumped back into her chair, swallowing the last of her wine, "Good wine..where's it from again?" Dan could tell she was a little tipsy, but then again, so was he.
"Inniskillin, it's in Ontario...Canada," he answered her as he signed the check, glancing at the price and nearly choking on his wine. "Well Zoe I think M might have something to say about how much we just spent on dinner...how could two people have possibly eaten $136.57 worth of food?" Zoe's jaw dropped at the price, causing Dan to laugh, "You look so cute when you do that Zoe." She snapped her mouth shut, blushing. "C'mon we've gotta get back to the boat, time for the famous flying fish!"
Dan pulled out her chair as she stood, helping her into her jacket before putting on his own and taking her hand in his. "Uh Dan? Flying fish? Am I missing something here?" confusion clouded Zoe's face. Dan chuckled,
"That's one of the things Santa Catalina Island is famous for...it's flying fish!" He told her as they boarded the boat, taking her hand and leading her to their earlier seats. She sank down gratefully and accepted another flute of Dom Perignon from the steward, watching Dan decline. The ride back to the hotel was leisurely, Dan's arm wrapped around her to fight the chill of the night wind. The display put on by the fish was spectacular, both enjoying it immensely, almost sad as they docked. Dan's arm remained around her shoulders as she shivered slightly on their way to the elevator. As the doors slid shut Zoe spun and attacked him, kissing him feverishly. The doors opened and they stumbled down the hall, Zoe walking backwards and becoming trapped between Dan and the door as he fumbled to unlock it. They continued their blundering dance over to the bed, breaking the kiss momentarily as Zoe fell back with a giggle, pulling Dan down with her. She lay pinned beneath him as he trailed soft, open-mouthed kisses along her collar bone.
"Dan...ohhh" she gasped, her back arching, pushing her body into his. She felt his hand slide up her thigh, caressing it softly, causing her to moan. He pushed the dress up over her head and dropped it onto the floor, moving his mouth back to hers and then suddenly he stopped, pulling away from her. "Dan?" worry obscured her face, "Is everything okay?"
"I can't do this Zoe...I'm sorry." He got up from the bed and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him, leaving a very stunned and upset woman on the bed.
He exited the bathroom an hour later, after a long, very cold shower to find Zoe curled into the fetal position on the bed in one of his t-shirts, fast asleep. He saw the tear tracks on her cheeks and hated himself for hurting her. You did the right thing Dan. She was drunk, she would have regretted this tomorrow. His conscience tried to reassure him. The taste of the wine on her tongue had snapped him back to reality as he kissed her and it had taken a lot of self control to stop what he was doing. He walked over to the bed and pulled the blankets up around her, kissing her temple softly before grabbing the extra blanket and pillow from the closet and heading towards the couch.
Dan lay awake on the couch, he'd checked on Zoe when he woke up to find her still fast asleep. He had shut his eyes and was attempting to go back to sleep when he heard her spring from the bed, running towards the bathroom. He rose quickly and followed her, his suspicions that she'd had too much to drink the night before were confirmed when he found her vomiting into the toilet. He grabbed an elastic from the sink and pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail before getting a cloth soaked in icy water. He knelt behind her, placing the cloth on the back of her neck and gently rubbing her back with his palm, waiting for her retching to subside before reaching out to flush the toilet. He sat back on the cool marble floor and pulled her into his arms, gently wiping her face with the cloth. He felt her shudder at the coldness of the cloth and floor on her bare legs so he pulled her into his lap. He let her relax for a few minutes in his arms, her breathing returning to normal, the shivers subsiding. "You okay Zoe?" he whispered softly in her ear, the cloth sitting on the floor beside him and his hands gently rubbing her back.
"No," she whispered back. Dan's mind began to race, she doesn't think we had sex...does she? Does she think I took advantage of her when she was drunk? Her head remained buried in his shoulder as she began to ask about the night before, "Dan I-what - did I, we...um..." she trailed of as he began to kiss her cheek.
"It's okay Zoe. I'm sorry, I let it go way further than it should have. I drank less than you and I weigh more that you, there's no way I was nearly as drunk as you but I still let it happen." He softly reassured her, "How much do you remember about last night?" he asked.
"Umm I remember the boat ride and the dinner, the flying fish are kind of hazy. Don't remember much after that..." her mind began to process, he still let what happen? Did we...oh God this is so not good. She looked down and noticed for the first time that she was wearing Dan's t-shirt, her breath caught in her throat and she started to hyperventilate.
"Zoe?" Dan's voice was full of concern, "Zoe honey, relax. Just breathe," her shoulders started to shake as she began to cry, struggling to get out of Dan's arms. He refused to let go, keeping her safely in his lap, "It's okay Zoe. Nothing happened..." he trailed off. He knew she was scared that they'd done something she'd regret. She sobbed softly into his chest, resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to let her go. "Nothing happened Zoe, it's okay honey," he repeated his reassurances to her as she calmed down. She looked up at him, eyes shining with tears,
"We didn't...?" she asked and he shook his head no. She sighed softly before launching herself back to the toilet for another round. "Ugghhhh..." she moaned as Dan wiped her face gently with the cool cloth. "I can't hold liquor as well as I remember," she mumbled, causing Dan to laugh softly. "Not funny Lennox," she scolded from his arms.
"Sorry Zo," he whispered into her hair, "You okay to get up?" She shook her head no moaning as she did so,
"Ugh, remind me not to shake my head when I have a hangover," she complained. Dan scooped her up slowly, not wanting to make her more sick, and carried her to the bed.
"Want anything?" he asked, already placing a bottle of water and the garbage can by the bedside.
"Tylenol?" she asked groggily.
"Sure," he smiled down at her and went to retrieve some from the bathroom.
TBC...
A/N 2: The boat The Magdalene doesn't exist (as far as I know) and Inniskillin wineries really do make icewine. I think this story is going to start winding down now, probably a couple more chapters...not even sure anyone is still reading it but since I have exams to write and a full time job in the summer there won't be much time for writing. I may do a sequel sometime later or I may just continue on with this one later.