by Danika Steel
I must have fallen into a pretty deep sleep because I woke suddenly to the sound of Denna shouting. At first, I'd thought I was dreaming, but when my befuddled brain caught up with my ears, I realized the shouting was for real, and Denna was furious. No doubt Jack was the culprit and I was a little worried about what I might find. She obviously needed my help as I heard another screech of rage. Reaching for the baseball bat I kept at the side of the bed, I bolted through the door and followed her voice.
I scurried up on deck in nothing but my boxer briefs and I found Denna at the stern of the boat. She was screaming and shouting over the railing into the sea.
“You make me sick! I don't care how many times you beg, you can stay out there and freeze for all I care, and I hope the sharks are hungry!” she fired down at him.
It was pitch black in the middle of the night and I was completely unaware of what time it was. With only the moonlight as my guide, I scrambled toward Denna where she pointed over the side.
“What happened?” I asked looking over the rails to see Jack splashing and struggling to stay above water.
“Just get the idiot out of there before he freezes to death. I pushed him overboard because he can't seem to take no for an answer and he needed cooling off!”
I indicated to her where the life jacket was and she went to fetch it, passing it over to me, she looked slightly sheepish. “He got what he deserved,” she said before she walked away.
“Hold on there a minute young lady, you don't get away that easily,” I called before she could go any further. I hurled the jacket over the side to Jack and made sure he caught it before turning my ire on Denna. She stopped walking away but she didn't turn round.
“Jack, the rope ladder is around the other side, can you manage to get there now and pull yourself up?” I heard Jack's affirmative response and turned back toward Denna,
“Now, you've got some explaining to do.”
Denna didn't hold back, “I came up here for some fresh air, I couldn't sleep, the next thing I know, that creepy bastard has his hands all over me talking about how much he knows I want him!” she shouted. "I told him he was batshit if he thought I'd ever want him in my bed and he pinned me up against the wall and started fondling me. I kicked him in the balls and tossed him over like I said I would if he ever touched me."
As she finished ranting, Jack's dripping wet figure appeared over the side of the boat as he heaved himself onto the deck. He fell panting and shivering, trying to catch his breath, “You're a God damn crazy bitch!”
"Damn right!" Denna shouted, striding towards him but I caught her by the waist, preventing her attack. “Don't let him get to you, it's what he wants.”
“Stay away from me you lecherous bastard or next time I'll toss you over to the sharks piece by bloody piece starting with your balls!” She shrugged out of my arms and turned on her heel.
Jack removed the life jacket and sat dumbstruck, however it didn't seem to affect his smart mouth, “That is a woman with serious sexual frustrations!”
I was furious; lurching toward him, I lifted him by his collar, his feet dangling above the deck, like a rag doll he remained limp in my grasp, startled by my anger and still exhausted by his impromptu swim. Despite his size, I was surprised that he was so weak.
“What gives you the right to touch her against her will on my boat? Do it again and I will kill you! Understand?” I was shaking with rage.
Jack's body tensed, no longer submissively feeble, his eyes changed and his expression took on a serious trait. Through gritted teeth and a flashing glare he hissed at me, “Get your hands off me now…If you're jealous then go fuck her yourself!”
It happened so quickly that I didn't have chance to question my actions, I must have experienced a sudden rush of blind fury because the next thing I knew I was on top of him and my hands were around his throat. His eyes were bulging from their sockets and he was gasping and rasping for breath. Denna was on my back trying to pull me off him.
“Seth, please, you're going to kill him!” she pleaded for me to let him go.
I came back to my senses, letting Denna pull me away from Jack's prone figure. I wasn't normally a violent person but if he so much as looked at her wrong I would drown him myself.
"Go back to your cabin, sober up and if you even look at her wrong you're a dead man," I said with malice in my voice.
CHAPTER FOUR – ROLLING IN THE DEEP
I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning in my bunk. I couldn't settle down, knowing I had chosen a man like Jack to come on a trip with a single woman. How he could behave that way towards her, I couldn't fathom. What would have happened if Denna wasn't the confident capable woman she was. What would the outcome have been if Denna hadn't been able to fight off his advances? Would he have actually raped her? I should turn course for home immediately, just to get Jack away from Denna-- honestly to get myself away from Jack. If he tried something like that again, I wasn't sure I wouldn't kill him and then where would we be?
I hadn't been in this situation since Amber and Trey, but this time it seemed so much worse! I was only now realizing how terrible the situation between Amber and Trey could have been had I not gone after them that night. If things had escalated further, I might have killed him and I couldn't help but think how much better Amber's life would have been if I had. If I had killed him, then he wouldn't have been drunk driving on that road the night Amber died and, she would still be here. Although, arguably I'd probably be in prison, it would have been well worth the price to save her life. The events of this night were dredging up all sorts of memories better left buried. I was just so grateful Denna had the courage to take care of herself tonight.
I felt so much rage building up inside me at the thought of Jack, it was nearly unbearable to stay in my room, but I had to let it go. If Denna could tolerate being on board this ship with Jack, I could at least be civil to him.
I worried that Denna might be lying in the next room, fearing for her safety, and part of me wanted to go to her, but I didn't want to be like Jack, pushing her further than she wanted to go. I didn't doubt that Jack was probably sleeping like a baby in his cabin, feeling no remorse whatsoever for his animalistic behavior. He wouldn't have seen how wrong he was, in his warped mind he was giving Denna what he thought she needed-- whether she wanted it or not didn't seem to matter to him. I had to make a decision as to whether or not we should continue this farce of a trip. I was still stressing over the decision when the first rays of the sun crept over the horizon. I hadn't slept at all.
Surprisingly, in the light of day, all tempers seemed to be tamed and we were able to work together quite well. The three of us made an excellent sailing team, but we were terrible at everything else. Jack and Denna kept their distance throughout the day and at the very least, they were unable to annoy each other or goad one another into another fight. I was completely disappointment by Jack's terrible behavior aboard my boat, but mine had not been much better. I was not a violent man, but I'd threatened to kill him at least twice since he boarded my boat. I would have to temper my own behavior if we were to continue on our current course.
I didn't doubt that Jack had done everything Denna claimed, and he deserved everything he got, but this situation needed to be resolved immediately. I decided to call a meeting that afternoon, something I'd never had to do before but I was desperate to try anything, even if it meant dropping anchor in the middle of the day, which could set us back as much as a whole day by the time we were moving again.
We sat down in the saloon. I'd purposely put myself with Jack on one side and Denna on the other side, I didn't want them to feel like I was berating them like children.
“Our first night was certainly eventful, but we all need to come to some kind of agreement before we continue on this journey together. I can't afford for that kind of behavior to carry on. It's not only dangerous, but it's childish. Anything could have happened and that's not how I do things on my boat, understood?
” I hoped my point was well received because I honestly didn't want to head back just yet. I really wanted to get to know Denna better. I felt if we went back now, she would leave immediately and I'd never see her again.
“Furthermore, I have to be honest, part of me thinks it would be best to return, but I'd rather not do that if there is a chance we could all get along,” I added.
Jack looked on with disinterest while Denna glared in the opposite direction, this was my idea of a nightmare, a few more days of this and I'd be throwing myself overboard.
Denna was the first to speak. “While I won't tolerate that kind of behavior either, I don't want to abandon ship so to speak. I can continue with this trip if Jack stays out of my way and I'll stay out of his. I am capable of having a nice sociable evening if the subject of sex is off limits.”
I was proud of her proposal as I'm not so sure I'd have been so agreeable. Jack had nothing to add apart from a shrug of his shoulders.
The tension was unacceptable, if she could agree to be sociable with this man the least he could do was set her at ease.
“Jack!” I raised my voice. “Do you think for the rest of the trip you can behave yourself? Because if you can't then you need to speak up now, I won't put up with any of this for a minute longer and I don't think Denna should be made to feel any more uncomfortable than you've already made her!”
Jack stood to his full height and flashed his most charming smile at Denna. “Fine with me honey.” He winked and disappeared up on deck.
"That man is a nightmare sent here to try my patience!" Denna groaned, playfully banging her head on the table, feigning frustration I'm sure she genuinely felt.
"Denna…I'm so sorry I paired you two together for this trip," I said sadly. "I had no idea he was such a prick!"
"Oh Seth, you couldn't have known." She smiled to reassure me. "I can handle guys like that; I'm just sorry we're making you miserable."
"Don't worry about me sweetheart, just promise me if you're uncomfortable at any point you'll tell me and we'll head for home immediately," I said, gently squeezing her hand for emphasis.
"I can't promise I won't throw him overboard again, but I will be civil and keep my cool as long as he behaves himself. I am not ready to go home yet Seth, despite our rather unpleasant houseguest." She chuckled softly, my fingers still wrapped around her cool ones.
I could feel the attraction and the chemistry building between us and I knew she was feeling it too, but neither of us wanted to act on it just yet. We were comfortable just getting to know each other and while Jack was around, I really didn't want to push her.
The rest of the day passed without incident and Jack and Denna even managed to exchange civil words, which I found surprisingly positive, perhaps they were coming to their senses and by the end of the day a truce might be possible. Both Jack and Denna had worked hard throughout the day and we stopped early to do some fishing in the early evening. We caught a splendid amount of fish that would supply our dinner for the evening. I explained to Denna that I was a dreadful cook, but I promised I would clean the fish and the kitchen if she would cook. Jack was quick to mutter something about the kitchen was her place anyway but we both chose to ignore him.
The clear, near perfect weather we'd been experiencing was taking a turn for the worse which wasn't too unusual, there had been plenty of trips where a sudden change in weather had sent us off course, but I wasn't too worried. In all the years I'd been sailing, I'd never suffered a severe storm at sea. It was just my luck that after the previous twenty-four hours, a terrible storm was coming our way and at that moment, I didn't realize how bad it would be.
These two had challenged me enough, and I didn't need the weather going against me as well. I decided to contact my mother to see what conditions were expected with the weather change. As always, at six o'clock she responded to my call out.
“Evening my love, how are we today?” It was lovely to hear her voice and a relief to hear her sage advice on the weather. She thought we could wait it out and be no worse for the wear and I agreed.
"How are your weary passengers?" she asked, but I didn't want to burden her with the latest events, beside the fact that I was in the saloon with Denna and I was reasonably sure she wouldn't want to hear me regaling my mother with her recent plight.
“Everything's fine mom, we'll probably be back on Sunday rather than Friday. We made a few unscheduled stops today and if we have to weather a storm as well, I doubt we'll be back home on schedule."
"Find a good place to wait it out and call me in the morning son," she asked and I could hear the note of worry in her voice.
"I've got two good sailors with me mom, we'll be fine." I winked at Denna as she brought me a glass of wine and I draped my arm around her waist, just wanting to feel her near me and I think she felt the same.
"We've settled in the bay near Rocky Point, which is about the safest place for shelter in this area, we'll be fine mom," I assured her. I hoped my words would allay any feelings of anxiety she might be feeling. Even if the storm proved to be bad, I was confident in my team and Amber Rose that we could cope with any such eventualities. We exchanged trivial remarks and said our goodbyes, promising each other that we would speak again the following day.
Denna went to finish up the dinner preparations and I followed wanting to maintain the unspoken closeness we'd enjoyed during the absence of Jack.
“You and your mother are very close. I wish my mother was so concerned about me. I don't think we've spoken in about eight months,” she said, slowly stirring the perfectly fluffy white rice in the rice cooker. I'd attempted making rice myself a few times, but Kelly claimed I was hopeless after I ruined the first rice cooker and my mother had to go buy a new one. I wasn't allowed to try out the newest appliances after that.
“You haven't talked to your mother in eight months? My God, why that long?” I asked. "My mother wouldn't go eight hours without at least a text message."
Denna sighed heavily before she answered. “I don't know, she's just not the maternal type, never has been. I've always been more of a daddy's girl and…since he died, I don't really have much contact with my family.”
There it was, another side to Denna Rhodes that I'd uncovered and one that we both shared. Not as pleasant as a love of tennis or red wine but it was something we could build on.
"When my father died, I was still grieving for Amber and I suppose my mother and I bonded through our shared grief. I lost my father and my first love while she lost her first love and the girl she thought of as a daughter. I don't know if either of us would have made it without the other."
"My sister and I still stay in touch, but we've never been really close. I didn't really have anyone to share my grief with when dad died. I suppose that's why I am the way I am." She shrugged as she set the table for dinner.
Slowly Denna was opening up; this was turning out to be a surprising trip for me. Unusual indeed, and eventful in a strange but pleasant way. I wondered what Jack was doing and what frame of mind we would find him in when he chose to deign us with his presence. My guess was he'd be drunk and oblivious to our discomfort and the fact that neither of us wanted him here.
"Taste this?" Denna asked, holding up a wooden spoon with some kind of delectable smelling citrus sauce she'd made for the fish. I absently placed my hand at the small of her back as I tasted the sauce. She smiled brilliantly at my hearty approval and that was how Jack found us.
"Well, well, well. Looks like the captain beat me to the punch. Sneaky bastard.” He grinned malevolently. “You managed to tame our little wild beast after all. How was she? I don't usually go in for sloppy seconds, but if you care to share, I'll be happy to return her to your bed, when I'm done with her." He laughed egotistically at his own crude joke.
"Knock it off Jack." Denna sighed with forced patience. “We agreed, no talking about sex,” she reminded him. I was proud of her for not rising to the bait, but my blood was boiling and I had to take a lon
g gulp of wine before I could speak.
"Let's have dinner shall we? With the storm coming we might be in for a long night and we still have some prep work to do after we eat," I managed in an even tone of voice.
We got through dinner quite easily. Denna and I feigned temporary deafness whenever Jack made his inappropriate comments and he finally gave it a rest, falling into a sullen silence.
I cleaned up the dinner dishes and sent Jack up top to work on storm prep while Denna relaxed with an after dinner glass of wine.
We joined Jack up on deck and I sent Denna to the opposite end of the boat. Their indifference didn't bother me as much as it had. Denna and I were headed for something and I only counted the days until we were done with Jack.
It wasn't long before everyone was back to working as a team but the clouds quickly descended and a morbid darkness filled the night sky. We quickly finished running through a number of safety precautions to prevent any unnecessary accidents. Sails and masts had to be brought in and reinforced, anything freestanding or loose was to be battened down and all windows and doors were to be closed and locked. When the storm arrived, we would be safe inside as long as water didn't infiltrate the seals. How we would survive holed up with Jack while a storm raged above us, I still wasn't certain. Perhaps Denna and I would be safer tied to one of the mainsails?