ISBN-10: 1920699104 ISBN-13: 978-1920699109
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Read a sample About the Author Sandra Rogers was born in
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in 1946, and completed her senior school
education at Manly Girls High School in Harbord. Sandra is married to Bruce
Rogers and has a son and a daughter from
a previous marriage. Read this sample chapter:
Late one afternoon, Arthur came running through the door excitedly waving
some brochures in his hand.
'We're off to the Greek Islands in September, darling,' he said.
'Bridget and John have organised to charter a 34 metre yacht to sail the
Greek Islands for two weeks. The
'Odyssey' sleeps eight to ten, so we'll ask Paul and Linda, and maybe the
Fergusons will come,' he added.
'I've always dreamed of sailing the Greek Islands, I'm so excited
Arthur,' replied Leeanne.
September came before they knew it.
Helen, now twelve and Dean, now ten, would be left with their Nanna.
'Bring us back some presents,' both children said, as they waved goodbye
to their parents.
Arriving in Athens, where they stayed for four days before boarding the
'Odyssey', the four couples stood in awe of the huge metropolis before them.
Thousands of cars, all blowing their horns, people yelling at taxis that
didn't stop...the smell of roasted chestnuts and fresh donuts being sold on the
sidewalks...this was the City,
The ever present smell of pollution fumes hung low over Athens, and,
behind all this, stood the ancient grandeur that was the mighty Acropolis.
Arthur, Leeanne and their friends spent the days visiting museums,
shopping at Monostiraki, eating souvlaki and Greek salad, washed down with
endless bottles of retsina.
Taking a deep breath and savouring the atmosphere, Leeanne said aloud,
'Oh my God, I love it here.'
The blue, cloudless sky blended endlessly with the sea, as the eight
friends boarded the magnificent 'Odyssey'.
'Let me take your bag madam,' said the steward with sparkling brown eyes,
to Leeanne, as he held out a helping hand.
'Efaristo poli,' said Leeanne, proud of the few Greek words she had
picked up.
'Parakalo, you sound like a local, no trace of accent,' he smiled.
The crew of the 'Odyssey' consisted of Captain Dimitri, the cook called
Costa, steward Yannis, and deckhand George.
They were into their fourth day of cruising, having visited the holy
island of Tinos, the ancient ruins of Delos and the picturesque and fabulously
colourful party island of Mykonos.
Leeanne was sunbathing topless on the deck, a rich, golden tan forming on
her curvaceous body...she had noticed a few times that George had been eyeing
her hungrily.
As she turned over to tan her back, George approached with a bottle of
sun lotion in his hand.
'A beautiful lady like you needs to be spoilt,' he said, sitting down
beside her. 'Let me rub some lotion
onto your back.'
Leeanne was pleased with this attention...she quite fancied the young
Greek with the muscular body and sexy brown eyes.
With the hot summer sun burning down and the feeling of strong, sensual
hands massaging her body, Leeanne started to feel waves of pleasure filling he
whole being. 'This is ecstasy,' she
thought.
'You can do this anytime George,' swooned Leeanne, feeling a tingling
vibration flow through her thighs.
'Whatever your heart's desire, I would do for you madam.'
'Please call me Leeanne, we all seem like one big family on this boat.'
That evening, they dropped anchor at Paros.
After a delicious dinner of freshly caught squid and mousaka and salad,
it was Greek music under the stars.
All of a sudden, Leeanne felt separate from all the people around her.
A strange feeling came over her, like she could see the people, yet she
couldn't...there was no noise, except the gentle lapping of water on the boat.
For the first time in her life, she felt totally alone, and, shivering at
this eerie feeling, Leeanne decided to go to bed.
All night long, she tossed and turned, feeling overheated from the hours
in the sun, until finally, she went on deck to lay under the stars.
She felt much cooler there, and sleep came peacefully.
Suddenly, Leeanne had a feeling of eyes looking down at her.
Gorge was standing beside her, gazing with desire at her firm, tanned
breasts, peeping through a white lace camisole.
Kneeling down beside her, he planted a moist hungry kiss on her eager
lips. Slowly slipping the camisole
off, his lips travelled to her breasts, gently caressing the hard, pink nipples.
Pulling away, Leeanne whispered breathlessly, 'We can't do this, what if
someone comes on deck?'
'Tomorrow, we go waterskiing at a deserted part of the island,' said
George. 'If you get an opportunity,
swim around to the small rocky beach to the left of where we anchor.'
All morning, Leeanne was aching with the anticipation of the pleasure
that lay ahead.
Finally, she swam to the rocky beach, while everyone else slept, after a
long lunch. She was surprised to
find her desire disappearing, and in it's place was that eerie feeling of
loneliness.
As she walked up the pebbly beach, George suddenly appeared from behind a
large rock.
They didn't speak, just kissed gently and lay down on the white pebbles,
the sun caressing the new nakedness of their bodies. Leeanne closed her eyes and felt
the soft wet tongue sliding over her belly, licking droplets of salt water from
her body – then she remembered Hubert. Rolling over onto her stomach,
Leeanne said gently, 'Please leave me alone, I want you to go, George.
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' As she swam back to the boat,
Leeanne cried uncontrollably; they were not tears for Hubert, they were tears
for herself. The next day was spent at Naxos,
where Leeanne hardly spoke to anyone and spent most of her time playing with her
worry beads and looking out to sea. 'Tomorrow, we arrive at the magic
island of Santorini,' said the captain. 'This island is like no other island on
earth, in fact, it is not part of the earth's crust, it is the caldera of a huge
volcano. We cannot drop anchor as the
depth is almost bottomless, so we must berth.' Leeanne was fascinated and that night asked Captain
Dimitri more about the strange island of Santorini. 'The island has had many
upheavals and catastrophes of such magnitude, it is a wonder there is anything
left today,' said Dimitri. 'It has changed shape many times
of the years, after all the volcanic eruptions. It was first called Strongyle, which means round one, then
called Santa Erini. We also have
the popular belief that it was once part of the lost continent of Atlantis,' he
continued. 'Atlantis,' said Leeanne in
surprise, 'that's only a myth, I don't believe such a place even existed.' 'Plato believed it, and there is
increasing evidence today to back it up and most Greeks think so too,' said
Dimitri. 'Well,'
said Leeanne, with a smile on her face, 'tomorrow will certainly be an exciting
day.' That morning, as they sailed towards Santorini,
Arthur said to Leeanne, 'What's up honey? You have been very quiet the last day
and now you seem in a world of your own.' 'I don't know Arthur, maybe I just don't have
anything to talk about anymore,' she said, staring out to sea. 'I'm happy, I
love the islands and I'm having a fantastic time,' she added. Leeanne was sitting alone up
close to the bow, when the Odyssey
turned to enter the beginning of the caldera that was Santorini.
Huge imposing cliffs of burnt orange, black and brown, crawled skyward
with whitewashed houses and blue domed churches nestled on top, like icing on a
cake. The white buildings against a
cloudless blue sky was postcard perfect – the raw savageness of the volcanic
cliffs was spellbinding. Taking in all this beauty, Leeanne breathed deeply.
Following the rocky caldera, her eyes settled on the deep blue water and
held the water, all around, the deep, deep, blue water. Her heart skipped a beat, the
hairs on her arms stood upright and a cold dread filled her body. Feeling her forehead, Leeanne realized she was
sweating profusely, yet she felt cold, like being in stunned shock.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and a dryness filled her throat.
Try as she may, she could not take her eyes from the sea.
Behind her, the sound of voices and the clicking of cameras. 'I know this
sea! I know this sea.' Leeanne said to herself.
'Snap out of it darling, have a glass of champagne,' said Arthur, putting
his arm around her. 'They say we have to ride donkeys up that steep track to get
to the top of the town, it sounds like fun.' The town of Thira lay
approximately seven hundred feet up the steep caldera.
From where the Odyssey berthed, a cable car was also a means of getting to the top;
unfortunately, it only ran for limited hours. Exploring the endless tiny
cobblestone streets filled with interesting shops and bars and magnificent
churches, kept Leeanne's mind from the unnerving experience she had had whilst
sailing into Santorini. Standing high on an overhanging
balcony, filled with local wine, the merry Australians felt like they were in
heaven. 'I've never seen a place like
this,' said Bridget to Arthur, as the sun was slowly setting on the still azure
sea. 'Photographers come from all over the world to capture the Santorini
sunset,' she said. As the rich colours of the
spectacular sunset finally died, Bridget said to everyone, 'Why don't we all
stay up here tonight, rent a room, go to a bouzouki club and wake early to see
the sunrise?' Suddenly Leeanne dropped her
drink, her hands were shaking, and, holding her head, she said, 'I feel sick,
sorry.' 'Must be too much wine,' said Arthur, cleaning up
the glass. 'I'm going to catch the cable car down, I just want
to have a shower and go to bed,' said Leeanne, her face very pale and drawn. When Leeanne approached the Odyssey,
the captain and Yannis were coming down the gangway after telling George to keep
a good eye on the boat, and that they were having a drink in the bar at the end
of the port. All this conversation was in Greek, yet, Leeanne
understood perfectly. Helping her come aboard, George had a wide smile on
his handsome face while Leeanne looked straight past him and said, 'Ime
Kourasmeni' (I'm tired.) After a warm shower and a cup of hot coffee,
Leeanne felt much better. Unable to sleep and feeling the
eerie loneliness creeping up on her again, she sat on the deck and looked at the
stars. 'Astari mou,' said George, as he sat beside her. 'My star,' replied Leeanne. 'You surprise me everyday with
your Greek words. I notice you
reading the Greek phrase book, you really are interested, aren't you Leeanne?' 'Yes, I want to learn the
language. I love Greece, but
Santorini is different. I've felt
strange ever since we've arrived…it's almost as if this island knows my
thoughts. I feel very uncomfortable
here, George.' 'Most people see Santorini from
the outside, some see it from within. Santorini
has been destroyed and born again…it is unique and alone.
All our emotions come together here.
This is the place to find yourself and to look at your life,' said George
with gentle understanding in his voice. 'Pou ise astari mou?' said Leeanne, gazing into the night. 'Where are
you, my star?' 'That means you are searching for
your love,' replied George. Putting a caring arm around her,
he whispered. 'Come and lay down inside on the lounge, I will give you a nice
back massage; it will make you feel better.' George dimmed the lights and spread a towel on the
lounge. 'Now, let me spoil you – just
relax.' As she slipped out of her blue
silk dress, George's heart skipped a beat as he beheld her beautiful nakedness.
Slowly, he poured little droplets of oil on to her skin – strong hands
worked into her soft, suntanned flesh. Purring in contentment, Leeanne drifted away and
thought, One day, I'm going to come back and life in Greece…one day. She was so relaxed that she
hardly noticed George was now naked. Gently,
he turned her over – slowly, softly massaging her neck, down her arms, putting
more drops of oil on her full, ripe breasts. Down over her belly, coming to rest
on her maiden part, then continuing down the inside of her legs, slowly,
spreading them apart, then to her feet and caressing each toe. Sensual pleasure flowed through her body and her
heart started to beat faster as his lips touched hers and she felt the hard,
warm sensation of his manhood enter her pleasure dome. They moved together in rapturous
harmony, their bodies pulsing in urgency until finally, their waves of ecstasy
exploded in unity. Waking up next morning, Leeanne felt wonderful, her
head was clear and her mind was bright. As
she came out of her cabin, she almost bumped into Costa. 'Signormi Costa, kalimera, ti kanete?' Costa spoke no English, and answered, 'Kala
esi?' 'I feel marvellous Costa, what's
for breakfast?' Realizing the reason for the quizzical look on his
face, Leeanne laughingly said, 'Ti ina to
priono? Captain Dimitri was busy checking
the boat, George and Yannis were making preparations for sailing, when the
hungover guests finally appeared on the jetty. 'Boy, did we range last night,'
said Arthur to Leeanne. 'I know we'll pay for it today, probably all be
seasick.' 'Well darling, I feel fantastic
and I can't wait to explore the next island,' said Leeanne with a wide smile. Leaving Santorini was different
from arriving for Leeanne. This
day, all her feelings were good and positive, as George and Yannis hoisted the
sails; the clear white sails billowed against the red volcanic cliffs, the clear
blue skies and the sun beaming down on the shimmering Aegean Sea. One last look at Santorini,
Leeanne thought, with a tingle of sadness in her heart.
I haven't explored you yet, but I'll be back again soon. On the journey back to Athens,
Leeanne and George never had an opportunity to be alone, not that they tried
hard to arrange it. The times that
they sat together were taken up with conversations on Greek history and stories
of mythology with Leeanne finding herself totally enthralled with everything
that was ancient Greece. After calling in to the islands
of Serifos, Kythnos and Hydra, the Odyssey
was now on the home run to the port of Kalamaki. Standing on the deck, playing
with her worry beads, Leeanne thought, I don't want to leave here, I don't want
to go home, I want to stay in Greece. Yannie Parios was singing over the ship's speaker
system, as they sailed by the huge temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion. George came and sat beside
Leeanne, noticing tears rolling down her cheeks. He held her hand gently and said, 'Greece has touched you like it does so many people….always
remember it with love and happiness.' 'I've had a wonderful holiday
George,' Leeanne said. But I feel such a heavy sadness in my heart, almost like
it's breaking, I feel like I'm leaving my soul behind.' 'I understand Leeanne, but you'll
return, I know you'll come back.'
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