by Lauren Wood
“It’s about time to call it for the morning. You are like a damn fish. You haven’t come up for air once.”
“This is what I am here to do. We don’t make money unless I am sucking it up, so I should be nowhere else but down here.”
“We need more gas or I would let you stay down there all day. Let’s get some lunch and then check out the boxes before we get too ahead of ourselves.”
She reluctantly agreed and I think if it wouldn’t have been an issue of having enough gas, she would have talked me into letting her stay down there. I was surprised at her dedication and I could already tell that she was going to make me some money. It was strange, but for once I wanted so much more.
The boxes were looking good and it wasn’t far for us to get back to the shore. I was hungry and I could tell that my diver was exhausted. She didn’t indicate that she was tired at all, but I could see it in the slump of her shoulders and the way she sighed when we got into the truck. It was a sigh that I had found myself doing over and over again. It was hard work running that hose on the ocean floor for hours at a time and she wasn’t even conditioned for it yet. I had to think that it was sheer determination that kept her running and I knew that it was one of the most important skills to have on a gold mining rig. Sometimes there were days where the gold just wasn’t there and she was going to have to not let it discourage her.
I told her that I would treat her to lunch and she could pick. Admittedly there wasn’t that many places to go, but she surprised me wanting to go to the only seafood place in town. I would have thought she would have gone for something else after being submerged in water all day, but I was glad for it. The only other place was a horrible spaghetti and pizza house and a burger joint. There weren’t a lot of choices here in Nome, but at least at the seafood place we would have a little bit of privacy.
The waitress took me to a booth that I got ever weekend night and she asked me if I wanted my usual.
“No Darla. Can you just bring us a couple of menus and we will go from there.”
She gave me a look with an upraised eyebrow and I know that she wanted to say something about me pretending to be fancy, but she let it go and I was thankful for that. I didn’t want to have to explain it and do introductions. Merle was already getting a lot of stares and I hoped that she wasn’t singled out. I wanted to get a more secure hold on her before she started to meet other people. It sounded selfish but I could still think of my friend up on the mountain. He had gone through hell to keep Ayla. It was what needed to be done.
Merle looked at the menu for a moment and then set it down.
“So what is good here?”
“Everything.”
She made a face. “No really. I hate ordering because I always think that I am going to order the wrong thing. Will you order something for me?”
I told her that I would, though I was surprised. The last time I tried to order for someone else, I offended the woman somehow. “Sure, I know just the thing. You don’t mind sharing, do you?”
Merle said that she didn’t and I called Darla back over. This was going to be better than I thought. If only she could be as accommodating all night, I would have her underneath me before the night was over.
Chapter 12
Merle
“That was really good, thank you.”
“No problem. If you like seafood, that is the best place around. Whatever they catch overnight and in the morning is what they serve for the lunch and dinner specials. I don’t think I have ever been disappointed.”
“Well I can see why not with the food they have there. This place is just full of surprises.”
He nodded at me and smiled in a way that was making me squirm a little bit. His desire for me was hard to ignore and my own need for him was becoming clear. The man was a mystery and open all in the same stroke. He loved to talk, but I don’t know if I knew him any better after talking for quite some time. He liked to talk about everything and nothing, but I still didn’t know certain details that I was dying to know.
“Do you want to get a drink at the bar or just go back home?”
He said it so causally like it was my home as well and I was surprised by how familiar we were with each other already. It felt like I had known him much longer than I really had.
“No, I think I am ready for a hot shower and a nap. I forgot how tiring diving can be.”
He smiled at me knowingly and said that it sounded like a plan. I could tell that he wanted more. I could only imagine what was going on in his head to make him look at me like that, but I didn’t ask because I didn’t want to know. Whatever it was, it was going to get me in trouble. That was all that I knew for sure.
We drove back to his place in his truck and I saw all of the houses as we passed. It was an eclectic assortment of building style. It looked like there were no zoning laws here. People built whatever they wanted to build and I don’t think anyone said anything about it. It was so different than places were everything had to be the same.
“So are you up for an early morning again tomorrow? I think we will let it run another day and then clean the boxes out. It should be a good haul. I grabbed some pickers off of the top that were for you. The diver always gets the big pickers and there were several.”
He handed me a small jar with several small chunks of gold in it. It was the first of it that I was seeing and I have to say that it made me smile. This is what I was here for, even if my boss was a nice addition and reason to get my butt up and on the boat in the morning.
***
When we got to his place, Charlie let me take a shower first and I went back to the room he was letting me use and I rummaged in my bag for something that I knew I was going to need for all of the lonely nights in Alaska. I knew that I was going to need some relief, I just didn’t know that it was going to be from temptation that I couldn’t have.
I started the hot water and tried my best to keep it down as I pleasured myself. It was hard to do because it wasn’t but a few seconds and I was ready to come. The feeling overcame me so suddenly. I bit my lip to keep the sound inside, but a little bit escaped from my lips and I was lost for a moment.
Leaning against the shower wall, I was embarrassed to admit that I forgot everything else for a shower. All I had brought was my vibrating toy and now I was unable to do anything else. I finally just used his shampoo and bar soap. I smelled like Charlie when I got out of the shower and I can’t say that I didn’t like it all that much. He smelled good and now I was wrapped up in a memory of him that was making it even harder to forget the thoughts that were taking over my brain.
I was so wrapped up in everything else that was running through my head that I didn’t see Charlie in the hallway until it was too late. I ran right into him and if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, I dropped my toy and it fell to the ground with a clatter. I paused in my tracks and I could feel my body growing cold. What the hell had just happened?
As if on cue, Charlie bent down to pick up the bright pink toy and his finger slipped on the controls and it came to life in his hands. He wasn’t expecting it apparently because he dropped it with a sound and I came in to scoop it up and turn it off as quickly as I possibly could.
“Sorry, I…”
I didn’t know what to say and I wasn’t able to face him at the moment. I caught one glance up as I was straightening up and he had the biggest grin on his face. If he didn’t know what it was, he certainly did now. I could have died right there, but I was able to somehow get passed him and to the room. How was I ever going to show my face again? This novelty and attraction that I had carried for Charlie was now even worse. He was going to think I was some kind of wanton woman and it was all going to be weird.
I knew then that I was going to have to find somewhere else to stay and fast. I was never going to be able to live it down otherwise.
Chapter 13
Charlie
I watched her run off to her room and I can’t say that I could hear much
over the hard beating of my heart in my chest. I had not expected to see a sex toy come out from underneath her towel and I was at a loss of words. I could also see that she was embarrassed by it, but I was stunned. I was admiring her beautiful slim body when she had first come out. Now I was thinking about what she was doing in there and who she was thinking about when she had been playing with herself. It was distracting as all get out and a big part of me wanted to go knock on her door and see if she wanted some of the real thing.
But she didn’t come back out of her room. I was supposed to go to bed early, but there was no way that I was going to be able to now. Instead of waiting around for morning to come, it was still pretty early in the night. I knocked on her door softly and when I tried the knob it was unlocked. I couldn’t believe it and when I pushed it open a little bit, I saw her lying on the bed. She was asleep and I didn’t have the heart or the guts to wake her up. She just looked so peaceful and I felt like a horny animal that was going to disturb her.
Instead I went to the bar. I saw Bill and I knew that he was just the person that I wanted to see. He was alone and I wanted to get some advice. He had one of the hottest girlfriends in Nome and knows that they were married; I knew that he was the one that was going to help me get Merle. I don’t know why, but the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that I had to have her.
“Hey Bill. Long time no see. Been a while since you came off of that mountain.”
He grinned at me. “Yeah well with Ayla around, it is hard to leave the house. I thought that the woman was going to wear me out before, but now that she is about to have a baby, she is even worse than before.”
I told him that he was a lucky bastard and I could tell that he liked to hear it. It was hard for him to see that everyone was jealous of him, but after what lengths he went through to keep her safe and after what happened to Trent, no one was willing to mess with her. Yeah she was cute, but he had made it clear that he wasn’t going to let anyone touch her. No one had and everyone kept their distance. I didn’t want to go that far, but somehow I wanted the same results. I wanted Merle to be mine and only mine.
“I think I have said it before Bill. You are one lucky son of a bitch. But I have my sights on someone else now. No one looks at Ayla anymore.”
He had a satisfied smirk on his face and I had a feeling that I knew what it was about. He had gone through hell for that to happen and I could tell that he thought it was worth it. I wasn’t going to argue about it, no one was. If nothing else, all of the time spent in jail worried about his future, at least he had taken the worry out that he was feeling about Ayla. There was an ease to the feel of knowing that she was untouchable.
“Oh?”
“Yeah I met a new diver yesterday. She is supposed to work for Kevin, but I convinced her to come out with me.”
“Go out with you?” Bill whistled. “She must be hot as hell if she is going to convince you to get back on the water. I didn’t think I would see the day.”
I ignored the comment, but I knew that it had been said a couple of times before. I didn’t like the water, it was known by all, as was the reasons, and I wasn't sure why he was giving me a hard time.
“Well it’s not so bad. I try not to think about it, but it is about time that I went back out there. I do have two boats making money every day. Doesn’t make sense for me to not be out there when I got them running all of the time.”
He made a face and I knew what he thought. I was chasing tail and it was pretty true. If it wasn’t for Merle, I wouldn’t be out there and I knew that, but maybe that was a good thing. I can’t think of anything else that would get me back on a boat, not after what happened a few summers ago when first started scraping the bottom of the ocean for gold. I was young and cocky back then, but I had soon learned my lesson as my boat sank and me and a couple crew members had to swim back to shore. The water was always frigid and that swim was a long one and there were a couple of times that I didn’t think all of us would make it.
“It’s good Charlie. I would like to meet this new girl. I haven’t heard anything about a new woman in town.”
“Because you are always up on that mountain, but trust me when I say that no one is feeling bad for you. I think half of the town would like to be you for a day.”
He had a smile on his face, but I could tell that he didn’t like the observation. After all of that, Bill was still touchy about Ayla. If he wasn’t so damn scary when he was mad, I would have ribbed him further, but instead I wanted to pick his brain and I needed him level headed for that.
Chapter 14
Merle
When I woke up the next morning, I was fine until I remembered why I was supposed to be so embarrassed and I felt the same wave wash over me again. It was hard to find a silver lining to my toy slipping out when I was going back to the room or the fact that my boss had it and turned it on. It was all just a nightmare and it was impossible to actually pick which one was worse.
If this was a regular job, I may have just stopped going in. I was that completely embarrassed about it all, but there was no hiding from this. I was in his house and I had to leave the room and get ready to start another day under the water with only Charlie in my ear for entertainment. I had a feeling that it was going to come up eventually.
Going out into the hallway, I didn’t see him at first and I was thankful for that. I started to relax and let my guard down, but then he was right behind me and he made me jump.
“I was just wondering if you needed to get in before I did.”
He had a towel on again and I was trying really hard to be good this time. There was a twinkle in his eyes that wasn’t there before and it was going to be hard to deal with Charlie if he started to turn on the charm. I could feel myself being drawn to him and I knew that it was because of how he was acting. What was going on in his mind for him to look at me like that? Something had changed and I wasn’t sure what it was.
“No, I um, I can wait.”
“Are you sure? You seemed to be in quite a rush the other day. I don’t want to keep you.”
I felt my face getting red and I knew that he was referencing the toy. I was never going to live it down. I should have joked with him, but there was no way. Too soon. I didn’t want him to know that I did that and now he did. It was hard to look him in the eye, so I just decided not to. I took a shower, sans the toy and went downstairs to find him waiting at the table with two cups of coffee.
“I heard the shower turn off. Two creams?”
I nodded my head and thanked him. Wrapping my hands around the warm mug, I could forget for a time that I had embarrassed myself to death. It was apparently very easy for me to do, no matter how hard I tried not to.
“Look, about yesterday…”
He stopped me with a hand held up. “Sorry I said that in poor taste. You have to understand that it is hard to not say something. It is now all I can think about.”
My cheeks were flaming up again, but it was a different reason for it. What the heck was I supposed to say to that? I mean, it was hard to really answer when he was talking like that and the energy in the kitchen was more than I could handle. I was ready to get on the boat and down in the water so I could have some time to think. Charlie was putting things in my head that were hard to ignore. Did he know how badly I wanted to do and say something to him? It really was impossible to think straight and I had to wonder if he knew how he was affecting me.
“Well if you could forget it, I would be very thankful. It was not something that I wanted you to know about.”
“It’s perfectly natural.”
The conversation didn’t feel natural and I really wanted to sink into the carpet. He moved towards me and said something about how pretty I was and before I knew what was happening, he was leaning down to give me a kiss. His lips were soft but insistent and it wasn’t long before I felt like jelly.
After another few moments and a whimpering sound I was afraid was me, I pushed back on his ch
est and said something about getting out there before it was too late and we lost our spot.
“We can’t lose our spot Merle, it’s mine.”
I got up anyways and tried to put some distance between us. My lips were still tingling where he had kissed me and the dark need in his eyes was toxic to me. It called to me and my baser wants that I was trying so hard to turn off. I wanted him so bad and I knew that if I didn’t get outside and cool off, I was going to do something that I would regret.
He was smiling when he came out. I was waiting on the porch, even though it was quite chilly. It was because he knew that I was ready to come unglued, I was sure of it.
“Are you ready?”
I shook my head that I was and made my way towards the truck. There was something in the air between us, that kiss was going to keep me wondering, but for now I was able to concentrate on the day ahead. It was what I needed and the more I tried to push it out of my mind, the easier it was.
When I got underwater I was able to clear my head. We talked some, but the subject was certainly sexier than it had been before. He didn’t want me to forget our kiss and Charlie was making it so it was impossible.
Chapter 15
Merle
I could feel his lips on me and I felt like I was falling into his arms. The man was perfect in so many ways and when I felt his hands move down my back to pull me closer, I whimpered as I had before and I could tell that the sound was making him go a little crazy. I was trying my best not to worry about it all too much, but it was impossible not to. Charlie was my boss, but at the moment, I wanted Charlie to be my lover. He felt so good when he touched me and the more I tried to deny how good he felt, the more it became clear that I wasn’t going to be able to resist. There was something about the way he held me and the way his lips moved on mine. It was like he was trying to bring me back to life.