by Harlow Layne
I eyed one of the many tattoos he had on his arms. It was of an eagle standing on a globe with stars around it. There was more, but it was hard to make out all the details from this far away.
“Is that a tattoo from your military days?” I pointed to his left arm.
His Adam’s apple bobbed before he answered. “My entire team got one, one drunken night before we were deployed.”
“Do you want to talk about something else?” I sensed he wasn’t comfortable talking about that time in his life.
“Anything else,” he rushed out a relieved breath.
“Okay, is this something you want to continue to do, or do you want to do something else eventually?”
Sitting up straighter, his hands started to work my foot once again. “I actually want to be a fireman.”
“Really? Wow, that’s awesome and kind of scary.”
He laughed. “Lots of jobs are scary. Sometimes the most rewarding things in life have the direst of consequences.”
“Those are very poignant words. If you ever make the change, you should come to California. We’re always having fires that are out of control, and I know they could use the help.”
Cocking his head to the side, Remy studied me for a moment with a curious look. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’ve been saving money and hope to make the move to training in a year or two.”
It dawned on me, he probably thought I wanted to hook up with him or something if he moved to California. Not that I would be opposed because I wouldn’t, but I wasn’t desperate enough to ask someone to move there for a hookup.
“The area where I’m thinking of moving has fires all the time. I’m not sure I want to move someplace where my home is in danger so often. I guess that’s the tradeoff for living in that area.” I didn’t even want to think about how much fire insurance would cost.
“What area is that?” Pulling on my foot, Remy dislodged me from where I’d been sitting and guided me to straddle him.
“Oh,” I squeaked before I wrapped my arm around his neck. “Are you sure this is okay? I’d hate to be the reason you’re fired.”
“I think we’re safe. Besides, I couldn’t have you sitting across from me any longer. I need to touch you.”
“I’m not opposed to you touching me.” My words came out sexy and breathy, and the effect of them had Remy’s dark eyes turning into the blackest of nights.
“Good. While I touch you, tell me where you’re going to move.” His hand cupped one breast as his thumb circled my already hard nipple.
“Malibu or somewhere around there. I can’t say for certain since I haven’t looked at any houses, but I want to live on the beach. It will be a nice change after living my entire life in the desert.”
“And what’s living in the desert like?” His other hand slid down my ribcage to my hip and rubbed lazy circles there.
“Hot,” I laughed. “No, it’s not that bad most of the time. The summers are unbearable, but the rest of the year makes up for it.”
Leaning down, his lips traced along the column of my neck. “Then why move?”
“Because I love the ocean and the beach, and I want to get away from an entire town talking about me when I walk by. I hate being the talk of the town.”
“That’s understandable, but if you love it there, don’t run away from them. Stand up and show them what they say about you doesn’t bother you.”
“Easier said than done, but I agree.”
The hand on my hip moved until he slipped two fingers under the fabric of my bottoms. Finding my center, he slid his long, thick fingers inside me and started to pump.
“You’re so incredibly tight.”
My arms wrapped around his head, giving him perfect access to my breasts that were begging for his mouth.
Sucking along the skin, he bit into the fabric that covered my stiff peaks hard enough it would likely leave a mark. “I love your tits. They’re so full and perky.”
My hips swiveled as I rode his fingers. I was close, but I needed more. “More,” I murmured into the top of his head.
Bringing his head up, he nipped at my bottom lip. “I love a woman who isn’t afraid to ask for what she wants. Now, I want you to come all over my fingers.
I started to protest, but as his thumb connected to my clit and rubbed fast circles, I clenched around him. Taking my mouth in the hottest kiss of my life, I moaned down his throat as I came apart. Fingers tangled and pulled on his hair as I soared above the stratosphere for one brief second before I started to come down. Panting, my body sagged against his, unused to three orgasms in such rapid succession.
“Watching you come undone is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. I wish I could do that all night.”
I was sure I’d be a pile of goo somewhere on the ship, but I was okay with that.
“Fuck, I wish I had another condom on me.”
“Why don’t you?” I murmured as I nuzzled into his neck.
“I didn’t think I’d be meeting anyone I’d want to hook up with. Usually, I have better restraint, but one look at you, and I couldn’t hold back. It’s like you’ve put a spell on me that broke down my usual iron-clad self-restraint.”
“If I said I was sorry, I’d be lying. What you did to my body brought me to heights I’ve never experienced. But what about this?” I asked as I rubbed over the bulge that felt as if it was about ready to break through the fabric of his shorts.
“I’m fine. I can take care of myself once I get back to my room. That was all for you.”
Thinking of Remy jerking himself off because of me had me ready to go again. It said something about a man when he was a giver. I wanted to reciprocate what he’d given me.
Why hadn’t we bought condoms while we were in town?
“Come on, beautiful. As much as I hate to end our night, I have to get up early. We’re going to try and take you out once more before you have to leave.”
And just like that, our time was over.
9
Remy
Dean smirked at me as I made a plate from all the food he’d prepared for the crew this morning because, of course, I accidentally woke him up when I came to our room last night. Well, I wasn’t sure how accidental it was when he set something on the floor, so I’d trip over it and make enough noise to rouse him.
Placing a steamy cup of coffee in front of me, he winked. “Do enjoy. I’m sure you’ll need it after last night.”
“Oh,” Jolene and Kylie both said at the same time. Their eyes were alight with curiosity. “What happened?”
“Personal business,” I gave them a polite smile and then turned my head so they couldn’t see the side-eye I was giving our Chef.
With the trap he set, Dean had to have known what was going down last night with Stella and me, but how?
“I hope everything’s okay,” Kylie frowned as Jolene placed her hand on top of mine.
At least they didn’t seem to know about my extracurricular activities. Maybe that meant Ophelia wouldn’t know either.
“It’s fine,” I told them before I took a long drink of my coffee. Dean had put my favorite creamer in it, so I knew instantly with that one taste he’d meant to set up that trap so he could give me shit for the day.
“Outside crew, I want everyone up on deck in ten minutes. Captain Dan informed me our weather conditions are optimal for leaving the dock so let’s make their last day aboard the best with all the water toys, including the slide. Before that, let’s make sure everything looks like the day they boarded.”
Scout and Owen let out a low moan, and I understood because it sucked hard dealing with the slide. I also knew we wanted to give them a day to remember so our tip would be fat.
“We’re working for our tip,” Owen said as he slipped from his seat. He was probably going to have a cigarette before he had to start working for the day.
“We’re going to make it their best day yet. Maybe we can still get in their beach picnic.”
“Yes, I’ll
talk to the Captain and see if he can anchor us near one of the secluded beaches.” I looked to the two girls to see what they thought, but they were too busy staring at Dean’s ass as he cooked.
“Chef, do you still have provisions for a picnic lunch on the beach?” I hid a grin, knowing he probably already had the menu down for the whole day and hated it when anyone changed it.
Dean looked over his shoulder and glared at me. “If that’s what we’re going to do, I’ll chat with the ladies and see what they’d like and go from there.”
“That’s fine with me. I’ll go speak to the Captain now and let everyone know.” Taking my plate over to the sink, I rinsed it before I headed upstairs with the hope I’d be lucky to see Stella.
I got my wish, but not the way I wanted it. I was close to the bridge when I heard Ophelia talking. I almost turned and went the other way to avoid her when I caught what she was saying.
“Since we didn’t get to finish talking yesterday, I wanted you to know you should stay away from Remy.” Stella opened her mouth to speak, but O kept on talking. “I know you only have today, but I thought you should know it’s all a game to him. We’ve been together for the last two years, and nothing you can do will change that.”
What the hell was she going on about? I moved so they wouldn’t be able to see me, but I’d be able to watch them.
“So,” Stella drew out the word, tilting her to the side, “you let your boyfriend cheat on you as part of some game. To me, that sounds like you’re the one losing.”
She would be if we were actually together, which we never had been.
Stepping forward, I wanted to tell Stella not to believe O, but the inside crew girls started to head in their direction, and I didn’t want them to find out.
“Ladies,” I called out to them, hoping to break up Stella and O’s little rendezvous in the hall, “have a good day.”
“You too, Remy. If you need anyone to talk to, you can always come to talk to me.” Kylie gave me a sad smile.
Ophelia’s head whipped around like she was possessed by Medusa after overhearing Kylie’s words.
God only knew what she was thinking or what she’d say to poor Kylie now.
I hated that Kylie likely thought something bad had happened, going by the smile she gave me. In reality, the secret was the time I’d spent with Stella last night, but I couldn’t tell her until Stella and her friends were off the boat. I could already imagine the looks on their faces when they realized I’d let them think something horrible was most likely happening at home. If they knew anything about my life, they’d know I hadn’t spoken to anyone in my family for over three years.
For the next few hours, I tried to get Stella alone when I was free from work, but it seemed the world had different plans for us. Maybe we were only meant to have one night and few stolen moments on the Seas the Day, but I wanted to at least explain before I never saw her again.
Stella tried her best to not be alone with me, and she must have told her friends what had happened because every time they saw me, they tried to murder me with their eyes.
What had Ophelia said?
The girls huffed in frustration as we all lugged the table, chairs, a makeshift bar, and food. The sun was out in full force today, and the humidity was slowly killing all of us. I wasn’t sure if the guests would enjoy it now that we were setting up.
Ophelia looked around to assess the environment. “I think we’re going to need to bring a tent for them to sit under, or they’re going to melt while they eat.”
Nodding in agreement, I looked back at Seas the Day. “If we had power, I’d bring a couple of fans, but a generator would ruin the ambiance.”
“We could always fan them ourselves. That should earn us a good tip if you haven’t already done that for us, Remy,” Ophelia’s face twisted up as she spoke.
“He’s only doing what was asked of him by the guests. You should be thankful he’s taken quite of bit of the load off us,” Jolene shot back.
“Really? Is sticking his dick in one of the clients what’s best for us? Remy was only thinking with his dick and not thinking about how it would affect us. If he had, we wouldn’t be setting up this little excursion for them as a last-minute effort.”
All eyes were on me as Ophelia spoke. A giant lump formed in my throat at what they’d think of me now. We still had half the season left, and I had to work and live with them. My dick had gotten me into trouble.
“Oh please, you’re just jealous and wish it was your pants he was getting into,” Jolene stepped closer with her shoulders squared off to O. “Everyone, and I mean everyone, including you, could feel something happening between them from day one. I, for one, am happy if there was a love connection.”
“Oh my God.” O’s tone dripped with disgust as she narrowed her eyes at her steward. “Stop living in a fairytale world. No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend. Your head is living in La-La land.”
“Alright, O, you need to back off the girls. It’s me you’re really mad at, so don’t take it out on them. Kylie and Jolene, please come over here for a second.” I wanted Ophelia to know she wasn’t included in my little powwow with the others. She huffed and went about unfolding the chairs and setting them up around the table.
“Girls, I don’t want to lie to you, and that was never my intention. Something did happen between Stella and me.” Their eyes lit up with happiness, and it killed me that I was going to extinguish the light. “I love that you’re happy for me or us or whatever, but I don’t think it’s in the cards for us. Ophelia is trying to kill any chance I have.”
Kylie’s brows furrowed. “Of course, she is. Well, I, for one, am not going to let her win. I’ll get Stella off to the side and tell her not to listen to O.”
These girls were too sweet.
“Don’t do that. It will probably make it worse. She’s leaving tomorrow, and we’re not docked, so our time together is over.”
“Yeah, she’s leaving tomorrow. Do you want her to think you’re a total douchebag for the rest of her life?”
“I wouldn’t care if it were true, but she’s lying to Stella to keep her away from me.” I shook my head. Why was I telling them all this? It would likely only cause problems, and I didn’t need more. “I shouldn’t be airing all my dirty laundry to you, but I want you to know not to believe everything O says. Especially about me.”
“We got the memo loud and clear. Unfortunately, we have to be civil to her because she’s our boss and can make our lives a living hell.”
“Oh, I understand that all too well. I hooked up with O early on in my first season, and I’ve regretted it ever since. Trust me, unless she drugs me, it will never happen again.”
‘Wow,’ they mouthed.
I clapped my hands, letting them know our talk was over. I was sure they’d love to drag more information out of me, but I was done. “Alright, let’s get back to work and make this the best picnic we’ve ever had.”
After that, we all worked quietly and as fast as possible so we could retrieve our guests and get on with the hot day. For the first time in this charter, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Stella. I let Scout and Owen go back to the boat to pick them up while I helped with the last-minute details of the setup. The atmosphere was charged with hostility coming from O. She was snapping orders at her girls left and right and sending daggers my way. I wasn’t sure what she thought was going to happen. Did she really think I was going to let her spout her lies about me and do nothing?
Once done and waiting for the guys to be back with the guests, I pulled O to the side so the other two girls wouldn’t overhear.
“What do you want?” She wouldn’t look at me as she stood with her hands on her hips.
“You gave me no choice but to tell them the truth. I wasn’t going to say anything to Jolene and Kylie.” I was, but she didn’t need to know the timetable.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” O turned to me with her narrowed gaze all but drilli
ng into me. “All I’ve said was the truth from day one.”
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath so I wouldn’t yell at her. My fists opened and closed as I tried to rein myself in. “While I don’t know everything you’ve said, I’ve heard some, and what I’ve heard has no founding. You blatantly lied.”
O got in my face, poking my chest with her fingernail with each word she spoke. “Don’t believe all the precious words coming out of her mouth. It’s her who’s lying to you.”
Throwing my head back, I laughed. O had no idea that I had overheard her talking to Stella. “She didn’t tell me anything.” Her lips parted, probably ready to spew more lies, but I was done. “No one said a word to me. It was my own two ears that caught your lies, and I’m here to tell you that it needs to stop. I don’t want my name on your lips ever again, do you hear me? I will make your life a living hell if I even catch wind that you’ve said my name in any manner that isn’t involved directly with work.”
An ugly smirk spread across her face. “And I can go to the Captain and get you fired.”
“Do it. Unlike you, I have other skill sets besides what lies on that boat. I’ve got bigger aspirations than being a Bosun for the rest of my life.”
Ophelia let out a frustrated noise and stomped off.
On the horizon, I could see Owen and Scout bringing our guests and braced for impact. I wasn’t sure if I’d made things worse with O or if she’d keep her big mouth shut. At this point, I couldn’t say. It was like she was living in an alternate timeline where we’d been together ever since our one-time hookup.
Turning back to the girls, they quickly went back to work as if they hadn’t likely heard every word O and I had spoken. I didn’t care. All I had was my pride, and there wasn’t much of that since my time in the military, and I wasn’t going to let anyone take what I had away.
None of the women looked my way as Scout and Owen helped them off the boat and onto the shore. As the guests were served drinks, Scout came over to me, his lips set in a fine line.