Carnival Ch. 01

Forward:

This is the first chapter of a Novella (which is still in progress). It has an EXTREMELY long build up leading to oral sex, which is necessary for the plot of the Novella but may be hard to read as a short story. If you are looking for a quick build up and a big payoff this is not the story for you, if so please click out so you can find something to fit your particular fancy.

A special thank you to Rex, GoE, and Leon for your edits and suggestions. Thank you so much for reading!

Suite 49

"Connected" The silky smooth voice of the computer announced Lilly's entrance to the Guild's channel.

"Hey Danny! What have we got today?"

"About time Lilly! Jeesh! I thought you said you were going to jump on hours ago!" Danny's playful teasing prompted her to respond in kind.

"I was just waiting for you to get off...ooohhhh" she grinned from ear to ear as she joined him in the game. There wasn't much in her life to look forward to. Her marriage was dead, her family had all but disowned her, and monotony ruled her day to day life. Here in the game though, surrounded by her friends she could relax, have fun, and act her age. The twenty-something heartbreaker eagerly looked forward to her game time, even more so because of Danny.

Danny had joined the Guild a few months ago. A lifelong gamer, he had been in a few different guilds but had left for one reason or another known only to him. He is an aggressive player who didn't have any qualms taking a leadership role or running into a battle, and he was always moving forward. To add to these traits he is charming, and charismatic and was constantly laughing and joking. Lately, he had taken a reciprocal interest in Lilly, unbeknownst to both of them.

Most guys take an interest in the Irish Miss. After all she was a girl, who played MMO's. On top of that she was sweet and, to dwarf all of that, her thumbnail picture in the Guild forums showed she was an attractive redhead with electric blue eyes. However, Danny was different. He was interested in who she was, not in getting in her cyber-pants like most of the other guys. They often raided together and talked about, well, everything. Over the last few months they had developed an easy friendship, and genuinely enjoyed each others' company if nothing else.

Lately, their friendship had taken a flirty twist. Their banter had increased and the innuendos ran rampant through their conversations.

Why not indulge in a little harmless flirting? I am never going to meet him in person and talking to him makes me happy. Besides, my marriage is a joke. Lilly often rationalized to herself, when she found herself feeling guilty about being being drawn to Danny. Her husband was over 40 years her senior and no longer had any interest in romance. She could count the times they'd had sex on one hand. Even after her husband's obsessive Lotto habit had paid off, and they had won millions, he continued to regarded her as nothing more than a glorified caretaker. He spent most of his time zoning out for hours watching TV and drinking beer. Yet, as inattentive to her well being as he was, he was excessively demanding insisting that she never spend any of his winnings. He would not even allow her to leave the house, with the exception of her grocery and pharmacy run every Tuesday. Her days consisted of caring for her husband's numerous ailments and cleaning up after him. Flirting with a nice guy online isn't going to hurt anyone.

"If you don't love him, and he doesn't love you. . .why did you marry him in the first place?" During their more serious conversations, Danny's earthy voice asked questions that had plagued her for years now. Today they'd found themselves again on the subject.

"Danny, you have to understand. I come from a very, very small town and as a kid I was chubby and then with my dad..." she trailed off. Mustering the courage to talk about her childhood abuse was hard, even though she trusted Danny. "My dad wasn't exactly nice, or encouraging. All I ever heard in my house was how worthless I was and how no one would ever love me. The few boyfriends I had before Henry, were the same as my dad. Henry was a nice enough guy who took an interest in me, and he didn't force me to do...things. It was like he was my knight in shining armor, coming to save me from my own personal hell. I guess I was just naive enough to believe he loved me. After all we only dated for three months, and during that time he took me around and showed me off, which made me feel loved and protected. But, after our first year it was pretty clear to me that I was just the young caretaker. I didn't realise until a year or two ago that for him, marrying me was purely a status thing. Somehow, in his mind, being a creeper solidified his standing as the town's "alpha male"."

"Why are you still married to him? Now that you're older you know that you deserve better than him. Couldn't you just, divorce him and go live the life you've always wanted to; free from his controlling jealousies?"

"Honestly, I don't know." the copper-headed beauty responded. "I don't really believe in the whole 'god' thing, but I just can't bring myself to break a sacred vow. Besides where would I go now anyway? My family disowned me the day I married Henry, and I couldn't go back to that; not ever." Even though she appreciated the opportunity to work through some of these tough issues with Danny, the raw emotions tied to her openness caused sorrowful tears to swell up over her eyelids and fall down her cheeks. She quickly swept them away and changed the topic.

"Anyway, what's done is done and there is no getting around it. I am married until, knock on wood, death do us part. Now, where's the final boss?"

"Here, I'll show you," Danny answered her as he led her to the final boss. He knew he had struck a nerve this time, so he didn't push any further. He wasn't about to ruin his friendship with the perfect woman on the other end of the mic, and he knew if he pushed she would close down. As much as he tried to convince her to leave her husband and pursue her own happiness, he knew she was committed to her marriage regardless of how she felt about her husband and he greatly respected her for such a philosophical approach to hardship.

As their play continued, their conversation turned to other, more intellectual, topics like politics, religion, and dreams. Later that evening, Lilly began to talk at length about her last vacation. Even though Henry was extremely controlling he would, on rare occasion and after copious amounts of her pestering, allow her to take a vacation; although he never went with her. She had always dreamed of traveling the world and experiencing all the wonders different cultures had to offer, and when Henry had won the Lotto those dreams seemed far less unrealistic. Last summer she had convinced him to allow her to travel to the UK. She'd spent a week traveling England and a few days in Ireland. She felt alive during that trip, invincible even. She had returned home full of hope for her future, to the point where she even started missing Henry; but his reception was cold. She discovered, sadly, that he was uninterested in hearing anything about her trip. And so, as she returned to her daily routines her nascent optimism disappeared, except when she was with Danny. He was part of her routine now, and only when she talked with him could she feel a surge of optimism return.

"I so desperately want to go to Carnival, while I am still young enough to enjoy myself. It's this enormous three day party in Brazil. People dress up and the streets are filled with beautiful people, and music, and dancing; and you can really soak in the culture. There are grand balls, and dance festivals, and a huge Samba parade! I have always wanted to go..." her words trailed off for a moment as she fantasized about traveling to Brazil.

"I'm going to do it." Lilly blurted out. Something about talking with Danny and remembering how she felt in Europe had done it. She'd made up her mind to take another trip. The need to get away again and to really live convinced her to go, even if it was only for a week. "You should come with me!" She joked.

"Alright! You just tell me when!" Danny responded in kind.

Lilly was confused. Oh my god, what did I just do? Was he serious or just joking back? Frantic thoughts ran through her head and she wasn't quite sure how to respond to her friend. It's crazy, there's no way he would shut down his tech shop to come on a trip with a friend he has never actually met in person. Stop getting ahead of yourself Lilly, he was just playing back. This silence is awkward, say something clever.

"Sure thing Sport. I will see you in February!" Sport? Really Lilly?

Now it was Danny's turn to be shocked. I was joking! But did she think...what just happened? Thoughts of vacationing with Lilly resonated with him the rest of the evening.

As their game came to a close he asked her, "Were you serious about me coming to Brazil with you?"

She paused, weighing her options. This answer could make or break their friendship; and it could potentially put her in a situation she did not want to be in. She strategically phrased her response.

"Sure, if you can make it work for you. It's always fun to travel with a friend." her answer was clever. It left the decision to come along up to him and it also let him know that if he did travel with her that it was strictly as friends. While she might not be happily married, still, marriage was sacred to her; and she was not a cheater.

Danny was clever too, and he had understood exactly what she meant; but, this might be his only chance to meet Lilly in person. To be honest, he had fantasized about her in many ways and he had even dreamt recently about taking this amazing girl away from her controlling husband; but he couldn't envision that actually happening. He was a rational guy, and so these thoughts were fleeting. She was committed to the marriage and he knew it. Though she had shed the abusive environment she was raised in, some things stuck with her; the belief in the sanctity of marriage was one of those things. Still, this might be the only chance he'd ever have to even explore the possibility of his fantasy becoming reality. So, cunningly, he took it.

"I'll see what I can work out."

Lilly put her laptop away, her stomach full of butterflies. She had of course fantasized about running away with a warm handsome stranger, but had never dreamt that it would come anywhere close to reality. The thought of meeting her friend in Brazil for a week both excited ... and terrified her! Would I have the self-control to come home to Henry? Is Danny even interested in me that way? Of course he isn't, we're just friends don't kid yourself. She was roused from her musings by the sound of her husband's voice yelling to fetch him another beer. She shuttled off to placate him.

The months passed quickly as Carnival drew closer. Plans for their trip began to come together. Lilly had managed to convince her husband to let her go, albeit with a "group" of Guild friends. She planned had out their itinerary, made entertainment reservations and bought the tickets to one of the balls and the samba parade. Danny had offered to reserve the rooms; which, when Henry asked, she explained as the "group" had reserved a "block of rooms". In time, all of the little details fell neatly into place, setting the stage for their adventures. Her flight would arrive a half-hour before his; they would take separate cabs to the hotel and check into the hotel first thing. Then after taking a little time to settle in, they would meet up and begin the fun.

The day of her flight had finally come. As the cab engine idled out by the curb in front of her house, the cabbie loaded her suitcase into the boot, he looked at her and piped up,

"Has anyone ever told you, you look like Amy Adams."

It was a compliment she had heard since she lost her youthful chubbiness, but she always dismissed it as a passing nicety. Though, today she took the compliment sincerely, mostly because she needed the assurance.

"The cab is here Henry," Her voice was unsteady; she had lied to him about the "group" of friends and she felt terribly guilty about it.

"Alright," Henry had responded without even looking away from the TV screen. His indifference resolved her guilt, replacing it with anger, and the fury fueled her rebellion.

"Well, see you in a week then," Her foot stepped forward to walk over and give Henry a kiss goodbye, but she stopped herself. Instead, with only a momentary pause Lilly turned towards the door. She paused again and turned back to look at Henry; her mouth opened. A confession strained just at the tip of her tongue, threatening to spill out, but it didn't. She sealed her plush lips almost as quickly as she had opened it and walked to the cab without another word.

She arrived at the airport and boarded the plane without any incidents. The flight took off on time, and was going smoothly. Lilly was so wrapped up in thoughts of her vacation, she failed to notice how perfectly the travel process was going and how quickly the flight was nearing an end. Excitement continued to build in her for as she mentally checked off another "bucket list" adventure, and as her anticipation of meeting Danny grew she became equally as excited to finally meet him. Throughout the months in which they'd planned this trip, it had never once come up: how meeting each other might impact their friendship. They had never before been shy to discuss a difficult topic, but on this, they'd both remained silent. The playful flirting and use of innuendo had all but disappeared and there was almost a rigidness to their conversations now, almost.

"I can't help but think that this is a horrible decision," she found herself confiding in the lovely elderly woman sitting next to her. "I don't know if he completely understands that this trip is to be strictly platonic. Lately, our conversations have grown so, strange."

"Well Sweetie, IS it platonic?" The honest words of the gently spoken Brazilian woman struck her.

"Of course it is. I am committed to my marriage, and have no intention of becoming a cheater." Her response was instinctively defensive, but wild fantasies of running away insisted on filling her head.

"Well then Sweetheart, you need to just relax and enjoy your vacation. I mean, just look at how perfect this flight has been! We've had clear skies, a perfect take-off, and everything has been well organized and pleasantly uneventful. Clearly, the universe is smiling on you. Don't get all twisted up about what could or not happen." She smiled at Lilly and gently patted her arms, for emphasis, "Don't stress on it and your trip will turn out exactly how it is destined to."

Their conversation drifted away from Lilly's worries, and before long the seat-belt sign popped on and the plane began its descent.

Peering out the plane's window, the fair-skinned young woman bubbled with excitement as Rio came into view. The landing strip of the airport rested just off the Brazilian coastline. To complete the flight's flawless execution, the plane landed smoothly and quickly taxied across the tarmac to the modern architectural sculpture Rio boasts as an Airport. As she gazed out her tiny window she saw the coastal mountains, far larger than any she had ever before seen, looming in tropical majesty over the peninsula. The plane completed it's taxi and was nestled safely into a terminal. As she exited onto the tarmac she breathed in deeply smelling the fresh tropical air; and a warm humid breeze blew through her hair. The cab ride to the hotel was breathtaking as Lilly watched the streets full of shops and people speed by her. Finally, she arrived at Hotel Sofitel Copacabana.

This was it! She had stepped into the epicenter of her adventure and in only an hour or so she'd be meeting her good friend, in person. The cabbie pulled her luggage out of the car and placed it on the curb beside her.

"Obrigado," she thanked him and handed him 20 Brazilian Real. Lilly was a smart girl and had done her research, learning some basic phrases and familiarizing herself with the currency before leaving for her trip. She shouldered her carry-on and rolled her stacked suitcases up to the front door and was ushered inside.

Hotel Sofitel Copacabana was unbelievably gorgeous. The 18-story tower glistened in the sun and as she stepped through she marveled at how the freshly polished lobby floors reflected the light splashing thousands of tiny diamonds across the surfaces. The spotless white walls and the modern sleek interior design screamed lavish.

Wow, Danny really sprung for this hotel. She couldn't help but feel a surge of appreciation that her friend had gone all out for their trip, and as her anticipation grew she felt a spike or two of nervousness.

She checked in at reception and headed up to settle into her room. While riding up in the elevator she glanced at her phone to check the time. Danny's plane should have landed by now and he should be headed to the hotel now. I'm going to take a quick shower and freshen up before he gets here.

When she arrived at her floor and walked down the hall to her room at the end on the left, she slid in the key card and pushed open the door. Her jaw dropped as her bags hit the floor with a thud. This was not just a hotel room. This was a suite! An opulent, fully-furnished living space. The window overlooking the cove was not just a window in a wall: the entire wall was made of solid glass from floor to ceiling. Lilly could see all of Rio while seated, on the modern white sectional couch, in the middle of the room. Turning away from the view she noted the minibar nearby to the right, and next to that stood a giant television. She looked to the left and saw a kitchenette, and her eye followed along the wall to a chestnut sliding door, leading to what must be the bedroom. She walked over and opened the door to find a beautifully adorned, king-sized bed in the very center, flanked by end tables sporting exotic, yet tasteful, sculpture. The room was exquisite.

I wonder if his room is as awesome as mine is? She thought to herself as she pulled her bag to the side of the bed and set down her belongings.

"Oh! It's getting late."

She pulled out her cell phone and texted Danny : 'Just got to my room, WOW! I'm in suite 49. Text me when you get in and we can meet up.' Without further ado, the trip-weary redhead stripped and jumped into the shower to freshen up after her 13 hour flight.

Danny's phone buzzed from within in his pants pocket just as he'd stepped out of the cab parked under the hotel's expensive porte-cochere. He was a tall man, slightly overweight yet with his muscular arms and broad shoulders he carried it well. He wore brown sneakers, khaki cargo shorts and a bright green t-shirt on which was silk-screened a large white tree across the chest. The words "Think Green" arched over the illustration. His square jaw was studded with over 19 hours of stubble and his bright white teeth peeked out from behind his plush lips. His discerning gaze hinted at his intellectual nature. Eyes of steel blue twinkled with excitement. He wore his hair slightly longer and so the overall impression was refined yet boyish and a little rugged. It was an appearance that marked him as hailing from the Northwest. Upon walking into the hotel he did not immediately notice the overt beauty of the interior, because his eyes were fixed on his phone as reading the latest text message from Lilly. He strode up to the front desk, his heart racing with anticipation.