Chapter 1 I had been onboard my first ship for five days when I met a woman from Trinidad and Tobago in the crew bar. She was a black woman and she was overweight maybe even a little flabby but such a sweetheart. “So do you have a girlfriend?” she asked changing the subject. “No.” “Have you been with anyone on the ship yet?” “Nope. It’s actually been twelve years since I slept with someone.” “Come on now.” “It’s true.” I said and then told her why (more on that later). “Hmm. That’s fascinating. You know I used to sleep with a skinny white guy from England on my last ship. You remind me of him.” “Oh yeah?” “He and I had lots of fun and I never left him unsatisfied. I may not look it but I’m actually a really good lover.” “You don’t say.” “I’ve been with lots of men in my day. I’m forty-one after all. And in my years I’ve learned exactly what men like and how to please them. And now”—she took a sip of her drink—“and now all the men I sleep with are extremely satisfied.” I had always imagined athletic girls—especially flexible athletic girls—to be the best lovers. But this lady from Trinidad had me rethinking that assumption. Maybe it was just another one of the after effects of abstinence but her voodoo mannerisms were now bordering on sensual. “Would you like to have sex with me?” she asked taking another sip of her drink. “We could go to my cabin right now.” Woodrow. I couldn’t believe how quickly the opportunity had presented itself. “I might be interested in that.” “Might?” “Yeah.” “But not right now?” “Yeah not just yet.” “Okay well you think about it and I’ll call you later this week.” She got up and left me at the table alone with my thoughts. My cabin phone rang at 8:00 p.m. two days later. “Hi it’s me ” she said. “How are you?” “I’m good. How are you?” I responded. “Good good. Are you ready to do what we talked about the other night?” she asked wasting no time on idle chit-chat... . . A finalist in the Global eBook Awards this is a behind-the-scenes look at cruise ships in a way that's never been done before. Some of the stories are shocking some are enlightening but most are just laugh-out-loud entertaining. This tour behind those "Crew Only" doors will reveal: - How romance on a cruise ship is unlike anywhere else - The insane things passengers do - Why alcohol is mandatory at sea - How nude cruises compare to Christian cruises - A first-hand account of damage from getting caught in a hurricane Jay Herring was an American senior officer and one of the few who had physical access to the entire ship. He's appeared on: The O'Reilly Factor USA Today Anderson Cooper 360 CNN CNN International Fox News CNBC CTV The Associated Press The Washington Post ABC's Nightline CBS This Morning Geraldo Rivera The Huffington Post The Daily Beast and Frommers.
