by Harlow Layne
Sitting side by side, his gaze scanned my face. “You like him, don’t you?”
Speak of the devil. Remy walked down the steps to join us on the platform. I watched as his jaw tensed as he looked back and forth between us. Was he jealous? Jealousy was hot on the officer in charge.
“What’s not to like?” I smirked up at Remy.
Keeping his eyes on the horizon, Remy asked. “It looks like your friends are coming back. Do you still want to drive the PWV?”
“I’m going to be driving?”
“What did you think was going to happen?”
“That you’d drive, and I’d be behind you.” I gave him my best I’m not nervous, but I really am, smile.
A mischievous smile spread across his rugged face. “How would you learn if I’m doing all the work?”
“Oh, I’m a visual learner. I promise I can learn from behind you.” The moment it came out of my mouth, I heard how it sounded.
When Remy and Scout smirked, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.
“I still think it’s best if you’re up front. That way, if you want to ride tomorrow, you’ll have firsthand experience.”
I didn’t know why I was fighting it. How bad could it be to have Remy’s arms around me? In fact, it might be better.
“Let’s do it,” I said as I stood watching Zelda and Reagan zip up to the boat with wide smiles on their faces.
“Stella, darling,” Zelda called as she dismounted the jet ski as if she did it every day, “I’m glad you could join us. “Why don’t you go for a ride while we get another drink?”
She turned to Remy and Scout. “Maybe in an hour or two, we could find a place to snorkel. Something we can all do together.”
“I’ll ask the Captain where a good place is. We may need to set it for tomorrow if it’s too far.”
Zelda stuck her bottom lip out like doing that was actually going to get her what she wanted.
Reagan stepped onto the platform, and her eyes went wide. Her cheeks puffed out, and her hand went over her mouth as if she was holding back from throwing up.
“What’s wrong? Are you seasick?”
Her lips curled up in a sneer at Scout before she let out a shriek. “His feet are the ugliest things I’ve ever seen.”
All eyes zeroed in on poor Scout’s feet. They weren’t the most horrendous thing I’d ever seen, but they also weren’t the prettiest either.
Scout held his ground as we all stared at him, so I tried to lighten the mood. “Maybe I can paint your toenails later and pretty them up,” I suggested.
“Yes, you can give all the guys pedicures,” Reagan eagerly nodded her head. “Maybe you can do it right now.”
“Actually, I’ve been waiting for you to get back so I can get out on the waves. Why don’t you give them pedicures?”
Reagan gagged and started to shuffle backward in disgust. “There’s no way in hell I’m touching anyone’s feet. I don’t even touch my own, let alone others.”
The more she shuffled, the closer she got to the edge and falling into the water.
“Stop, Reagan,” I held my hands up as I stepped toward her.
“No, you can’t make me,” she shouted, taking another step back.
Before I could try to warn her again, Reagan stepped back. With her feet no longer finding purchase on the platform, her entire face blanched right before she fell back into the water.
4
Remy
“Like this?” Stella gunned it, and then the watercraft promptly died. She was giving me whiplash, literally, with the stop and go.
Leaning forward but keeping my hard-on away from Stella’s supple ass, I spoke in her ear. “You need to be a little more gentle on the throttle.”
She threw her hands up in the air, her ponytail whipping me in the face as she turned and looked at me over her shoulder. “I give up. I look like an idiot out here. Why don’t you just drive, and I’ll enjoy it while you make us zip around and jump the waves?”
It was probably for the best if I drove. If her ass snuggled back against my dick one more time, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to hide the way she was affecting me.
“Are you sure you want to give up?”
She frowned and then looked back in the direction of the boat. “The girls are waiting on me, but maybe I can try again tomorrow if you’re up for another lesson.”
“Of course, I’m happy to teach you anytime.” Holding my hand out to her, Stella placed her hand in mine. “Put your other hand on my shoulder and step around me.”
Her eyes roamed from me to the water and back again. “Don’t let me fall in.”
“I won’t. If it comes down to it, I’ll fall in instead of you,” I promised. If she didn’t like water, this wasn’t exactly the best vacation for her.
She narrowed her eyes at me but also smiled. “I’ll trust you.” Her warm hand seared through my shirt and into my skin as she stepped around me. There was some strange pull to her I couldn’t explain. I was sure Captain Dan was going to call me onto the bridge once the guests departed to tell me how I can’t let this happen again. Even though I knew he’d probably ream my ass, I couldn’t stop.
Once she was fully settled behind me, I reached behind me and grabbed one of her hands, and wrapped it around me. “Hang on tight,” I yelled over the engine of the watercraft as I started it up.
“What?” she yelled over the roar of the engine.
“Hang on,” I laughed and pressed on the gas lightly enough to have us start to glide across the turquoise water.
Thin arms wrapped around my waist as she clasped her hands together. Her fingers brushed along the top of my shorts, making my dick twitch.
Setting her hands higher on my waist, I took off. Not as fast as I normally would—I wasn’t trying to throw her off the back—but fast enough to make her hold on me tighten.
It had been too long since I had a woman touch me that I was desperate to move her hands back to where they’d been or lower, but I fought against the urge.
Stella squealed with happiness. Her legs tightened around mine as she lifted one hand in the air. “This is so fun! I need to get one of these.”
I didn’t want to argue with her that she needed water to use it and ruin her fun.
“Let’s never go back.” It was quiet, as if she was whispering in my ear even though I knew she was more than likely saying it in her regular voice.
Why was it that for the first time in years, I had hope for a life with someone? And why did it have to be with one of our guests?
Slowing down, I turned to her. “We don’t have to go back yet.”
Her tiny arms squeezed around my middle. “Let’s go further out for a little while. I know the girls are waiting, but I don’t care. This is too much fun.” Stella was quiet for a minute as I went further away from the boat and then asked. “Can we jump some waves?”
Nodding, I steered us toward some small waves. There was no way I was hitting the big ones with her behind me. Stella would likely go flying off and drown even with a lifejacket on.
Hitting our first wave, I felt Stella’s body slide back and almost let go of me. I couldn’t easily hold on to her hands and jump, so I moved them up until she was clutching the top of my lifejacket, giving her something more to hold on to. With this new position, we were so close, I could feel the heat from her pussy against my ass.
I imagined her lush tits pressed to my back, making my already stiff cock turn to steel. We couldn’t head back with my raging hard-on, but I couldn’t make her move away from me either. I needed to stop imagining what Stella would feel like up against me with no clothes on and start thinking of gross things to deflate my dick like someone killing puppies and naked old ladies. It was nearly impossible with her body flush against mine and her sounds of delight in my ear. I wanted to hear them when she was underneath me or as I took her from behind.
A hand waving from Seas the Day caught my attention, and I knew we needed to go back no ma
tter how much I didn’t want to.
“I guess our time is up,” she said sadly from behind me.
Placing one hand on her knee, I patted it and kept it on her leg until someone on the boat would be able to see if they were looking our way where my hand was sitting.
As we idled up the boat, Stella’s hands slid down my front and rested on my hips for a moment before she completely pulled away. Scout was holding his hand out for her to take the moment we stopped.
Scout winked down at me once Stella was securely on the platform, making me want to punch him. With a raised brow, he asked. “Have fun?”
“Oh my god, that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I want to do that every day.”
“Well, maybe tomorrow I can take you out, and we’ll hit some big waves.” The smirk on his face let me know Scout knew what he was saying was meant to bother me.
“Oh, I...I think I’d rather have Remy take me out if it’s okay.”
“Whatever the guest wants, the guest gets, right, Rem?”
“Right,” I gritted out. I just knew he was going to give me so much shit when we were alone.
“Good,” she looked back at me. “I’m going to see what the girls are up to. Find out if we’re going snorkeling or not.”
My eyes stayed on her retreating form. Stella’s perky ass swayed, giving me a show she didn’t know she was giving.
“Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking?” Scout asked from beside me. When I looked over at him, I found him watching Stella walk away as well.
Scout was a good guy. He worked on the same boat as I did my first season, and I felt like I could open up to him. “I don’t know, but for the first time in my life, I feel this strange pull toward her.” He opened his mouth but closed it when I held my hand up. “I know this is the worst timing, but I can’t help it. What do I do?”
“Well, while you were out there letting one of our guests
feel you up—”
“That is not what was happening,” I interrupted him with a bark.
“Dude, don’t get your panties all up in a bunch. Just listen to me, okay?”
“Fine, what happened while I was out on the water?”
“The Captain was checking the weather, and there’s a big storm system coming in. We’re going to have to dock for at least a day, so that will give you time to spend with your lady if you want.”
It would. My work would be very little, and if the guests asked for me to do something with them, I had to comply.
“Since the weather is going to get bad, we’re going to take them snorkeling today, and then tonight during their sunset dinner, we’ll inform them of what’s going to happen tomorrow.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “You guys got it all planned out, didn’t you?”
“What do you expect? The inside crew is freaking out about all the work they’re going to have to do. Owen and I agreed they could stay back while we take them snorkeling to give them some time off if you said it was okay.”
“Like I want to deal with the wrath of Ophelia if she doesn’t get her break,” I laughed out. She would be a horrible bitch if I didn’t agree.
“I thought you’d see it that way.”
Slapping him on the back, I pushed him toward the stairs. “Thanks, now let’s get all this put up and something to eat before we have to head out.”
“Fuck, I hate it when we have to put out the slide. We should say it’s got a hole in it, so we don’t have to deal with it for the rest of the season.”
“If anything happened to that damn slide, they’d want to know who was responsible, and then they’d take it out of our paycheck.” I, for one, wasn’t giving up that money just so I don’t have to haul that damn slide up the side of the boat.
“Ugh! Stop being reasonable.”
“Sure, when you stop being a pain in my ass. Let’s get to work. I want to make sure we have time for some lunch.”
“Dean, Dean, Remy,” I called into my walkie to our chef.
“Dean, here,” he answered.
“Can you please whip up the crew something to eat before we have to leave?”
“When do you need it?”
“In about an hour. If you can’t…”
“No, I can make you guys something. It won’t be anything grand.” He loved to make every meal the best it could be, and I knew he hated he didn’t have more time. That’s why we rarely asked him to make us any meals because we never knew when we’d have time to eat and couldn’t give him the time he needed to make something spectacular.
“That’s fine with us. Thank you, Dean.”
“Anytime,” he replied.
“Cool, let’s get to work. Can you believe we’re only halfway through the charter season?”
“Don’t remind me,” I groaned.
An hour and a half later, we’d put all the water toys away, along with the heavier than shit slide, and ate our lunch of chicken sandwiches and homemade fries Dean had made for us.
“Is everyone ready?” They all looked at me from across the table. “I have a feeling some of the women are going to be difficult, so be prepared, especially since none of the girls will be joining us to help out.”
They groaned but didn’t say anything.
“Just remember to keep your smiles on your faces at all times,” I ordered. “Do what you have to do, and I’ll see you on the aft deck in ten minutes.”
Owen smoked, and I knew he’d need a cigarette before he was stuck without his vice for the next couple of hours, if not more.
I found the ladies looking down at me over the side of the boat and giggling as I stepped outside. The small boat we’d take to the snorkeling area was ready for everyone to board once my crew arrived from their break.
Scout showed up first like I knew he would. Owen would wait until the last minute, smoking as much as possible during his break. It was annoying, but there was nothing I could do about it when there were others who smoked on the boat as well.
The ladies ooh’d and ahh’d when Scout bent over to check the gear once more. Two of us would be in the water with them while one stayed aboard to keep a lookout for any signs of distress, boats, weather, or hell, even sharks.
Scout’s lips quirked at their enjoyment as he stood up and gave them a wave. “Should we let them on while we wait for Owen?”
It would be better than all of us standing around.
“Let’s do it. It feels strange having them looking down at us while we wait. They’re probably wondering what the hell we’re waiting on.”
“I don’t think they’d mind so much if we gave them a little show,” he said but changed his tune once he saw my narrowed gaze on him. “But we’re not the entertainment.”
Only we were. At least to this group of guests. It wasn’t often we only had a group of women on board without any men accompanying them, but when we did, the crewmen were most definitely part of their entertainment. We just never knew how much until they arrived.
“Ladies, if you’d like to come down, we’ll help you on, and then we’ll be off to take you snorkeling.” Even though I was talking to the group as a whole, I kept my eyes on Stella. I couldn’t stop even if I tried, which I hadn’t bothered doing. It would be different if my gaze on her made her uncomfortable, but going by the way her cheeks pinked up every time I looked at her longer than a few seconds, I would say Stella liked the attention.
Zelda was the first down. Her eyes trailing our bodies with hunger. I was surprised she kept her hands to herself. She seemed the type to take what she wanted no matter what. Stella trailed behind her friends with her head down and her hands clasped together as if she didn’t want to come.
Taking her hand after Owen helped her step down, I looked down; the sun highlighted the light sprinkle of freckles along her nose and cheeks, making her look more girl next door at that moment instead of a knockout. Maybe it was because she was hiding her body underneath a knee-length skirt and lifejacket, obscuring her plenti
ful tits.
“Are you okay? You seem nervous,” I said into the top of her dark hair.
“I...I’ll be fine,” she stammered, not giving me great confidence.
“I can assure you I know what I’m doing,” I tried to reassure her.
All the women laughed at my words, but it was Reagan who spoke. “In all aspects of life?”
I wouldn’t have known what she was talking about if she wasn’t looking straight at my dick. Damn, she was brutal.
“There’ve been no complaints,” I shot back. It was the most neutral thing I could think of in the moment. There was something about Reagan I didn’t like, not that it mattered, but it made it hard not to say something unkind to her.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Penelope grab onto Stella’s arm and laugh. “I think you need to take him for a spin and find out.”
“Pen, you’re crazy. He doesn’t think of me like that. He’s only being nice because it’s his job.”
I moved so I could watch them. The boat was small enough that it didn’t matter where I was; I’d be able to hear them unless they were whispering. They were talking quietly enough that it was difficult to hear them over the voices of their friends.
“You must be blind if you can’t see the way he looks at you.” Stella shook her head and looked out at the water. “Stell, you’re a fucking knockout, and everyone in the world can see it except you,” Pen said, this time loud enough for everyone to hear.
“You’re only saying that because you’re my friend. I know I’m not horrible to look at, but I’m not that. There’s no way in hell someone with a body of a God and with looks like that is interested in me.”
Her quiet words stung my heart. Pen was right. Stella was a knockout. What I wanted to know was who made her think she wasn’t? I was the one who was shocked that Stella wanted anything to do with me. I didn’t have the status or money she had to be accustomed to.
“Who’s ready to see some fish?” Owen shouted, breaking me out of my thoughts. It was probably a good thing since I couldn’t stand all day staring at Stella while trying to probe her thoughts on why she felt the way she did.