Just Breathe Series (Trilogy Box Set)

by Martha Sweeney

  “What?” My hands snap back.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t let go,” he assures. Joe tenderly takes each of my hands, kissing and then lowering them to the wheel, placing his hands on top of mine. “I promise.”

  Sweat gathers quickly in my palms and my heart races loud enough in my chest that I can feel it pounding in my ears. Even with the warmth and comfort of Joe’s behind me, my body can’t stop shaking.

  “You’re doing great,” Joe comments.

  My gaze stays forward, bouncing between the horizon of the ocean and the sky above. The anxiety in my body begins to subside as the gentle rocking of the large mass under my feet lulls my nerves. Peace begins to surround my mind and body with the quiet stillness of everything.

  “There you go,” Joe encourages.

  “You’re standing a little close,” I redirect him.

  Joe’s face has been along side mine for I’m not sure how long and I know that there is a good chance we can be seen.

  “If you want me to help, I need to stay close,” he counters.

  “You don’t need to be close enough for my ass to feel your erection,” I jab. “Put it away.”

  “That’s kind of hard,” he replies uncomfortably.

  “I know it’s hard. It’s poking me,” I rebut.

  Joe laughs, catching my interpretation of his words.

  “No,” he chuckles. “It’s hard not to have an erection being so close to you.”

  “That’s not my challenge. I offered in the shower,” I remind. “You turned it down.”

  “I know,” he huffs into my ear. “I thought masturbation would have sufficed.”

  A grin smears across my face. The ease and comfort at the way he shared that he had to take care of himself impresses me.

  Joe and I stand in silence as we steer the boat further out into the dark water. He instructs me to pay attention to a screen to my left and let him know when the coordinates hit a certain number. When I share the results, Joe announces some kind of sailing jargon over an intercom and a few seconds later I see the staff popping up from below, taking specific positions. Joe gives a command and I watch in amazement as the crew manages to get all of the sails lowered with ease.

  Once the anchor is dropped, Joe and I join his parents, having more refreshments before lunch is served. Our conversations are light and fun, and Joe recounts to his parents how well I did guiding the boat. I blush, not liking his story telling, only because my thoughts drift back to his cock rubbing against my rear and how turned on I was, especially when he told me that he masturbated after pleasuring me.

  Sadie suddenly starts barking and heads to the edge of the boat. I call after her, but she doesn’t listen, forcing me to get up. It’s not like Sadie to not respond to a command. Bending down to grab her collar, I’m unable to get her to move.

  “We’ve got visitors,” Joe declares, coming up behind us. “Good eyes, Sadie.”

  “What are you talking about?” I inquire.

  “Whales,” Joe identifies, “And, it looks like they’re headed right for us.”

  My hand quickly releases Sadie’s collar and I stand up to look in the direction that Joe is facing. “Where?”

  “Right there.” Joe points, reaching his arm over my shoulder to give me a better line of sight.

  “You’re right, Joseph,” Mr. Covelli confirms.

  My head turns to look at him. An uncomfortable feeling rushes inside me with how close Joe is to me right in front of his parents.

  “Here, Emma,” Mr. Covelli offers, handing me the small binoculars he is using.

  I have trouble seeing, not sure how to use them.

  “Here,” Joe assists, steadying me and gently nudging my cheek in the proper direction.

  “Wow!” I gasp.

  “How many do you see, Emma?” Mrs. Covelli asks.

  “I think . . . three, but I’m not sure,” I comment, then offer her the binoculars.

  “I think you’re correct,” Mrs. Covelli confirms. “And, they are indeed headed our way.”

  The boat gently bounces in the small, infrequent waves as the four of us stare in awe. The wind is practically none existent, making the entire moment completely surreal. Mr. Covelli confirms that they’re grey whales as they get closer.

  Sadie continues to bark off and on, even when the whales are about a hundred meters out.

  The sound of something splashing in the water next to the boat draws my attention. “Sadie,” I yell, dumbfounded by the fact that she jumped into the cold water. “Sadie, get back here.”

  “Dog overboard,” I hear one of the crew members shout.

  “Sadie,” I scold as she proceeds to swim out to the massive creatures who are getting larger by the second.

  “She should be alright,” Mrs. Covelli consoles. “Duke did that to us once. Remember, Joseph?”

  Laughing, Joe agrees, “Yes.”

  “Didn’t you jump in after him too?” checks Mr. Covelli.

  “And, Anthony and Thomas,” Joe adds.

  “The whales swam right up next to all three of them,” Mrs. Covelli explains. “They were in the water together for at least thirty minutes. Wouldn’t you say, John?”

  “At least, my love. They were popsicles when they got out, but the water there was not near as cold as it is here,” Mr. Covelli comments.

  “We’ll be able to fish her out Miss,” a female staff member assures.

  “Thank you,” I graciously acknowledge, worried by the thought of Sadie being in there too long.

  When the whales reach Sadie, Joe starts taking pictures for me since I’ve been video tapping not long after finding out that the giant, herbivore mammals won’t hurt Sadie. There are actually four whales, not three, two of which are smaller who appear to have been born this year, and they repeatedly swim in circles around our boat and Sadie. Before the whales move on, back to their migratory path, we fish Sadie out of the sea and wrap her in blankets. Joe finds a hair dryer below and Sadie lounges as she’s pampered by the heat and attention.

  An hour later, our ship turns around and heads back to land. We take a short stroll on the beach, but Sadie lags behind, obviously tired from the frolic with her new friends. The five of us find a nearby restaurant just off the sand to dine for the evening.

  When Mr. and Mrs. Covelli excuse themselves for a moment, I text Maggie, Jared and Nathan, sending along a small clip of Sadie’s afternoon romp. Within less than a minute, I have the three of them on the phone asking questions. Jared suggests that we use some of the footage from Sadie’s adventure for the website, which might add a nice boost to the numbers.

  For several hours, my companions and I sit — eating, drinking and chatting about a variety of topics. Mrs. Covelli shares a bunch of stories about Joe and his brothers and I can’t help but laugh at the ones that are funny.

  Returning to the hotel, Mr. and Mrs. Covelli immediately turn in for the night with it being almost ten-thirty after our helicopter ride back from the coast. Sadie has trouble walking due to her swim in the cold ocean, so Joe carries her up to my room just down the hall from his. As I’m getting my room key out, I stop a few feet from my door when I realize that Joe isn’t right behind me.

  “What are you doing?” I question, watching him shift Sadie.

  “Nothing,” he rebuts.

  The click of a door being unlocked catches my ear.

  “Joseph,” I state sternly.

  He laughs, pushing the door open. My feet spring to move and I’m able to stop the door from shutting.

  “Joseph,” I repeat, a little more authoritatively once inside his room.

  “Shhh,” he shushes, walking toward me. “She’s tired.”

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I ask with a clenched jaw.

  A devilish grin emerges on his face. “Stay,” he requests, pulling me into the room further.

  “You promised not to ask,” I remind.

  Joe steps toward me, reaching for my hips. I pull away, but
he’s faster than I anticipate.

  “I promised not to ask to stay in your room,” he counters.

  My mouth opens to rebut, but I close it immediately, understanding the game he’s playing. “Come on Sadie,” I sweetly call.

  Sadie doesn’t lift her head to look.

  “Sadie. Come on girl,” I hail.

  She lets out a sigh and remains still.

  My eyes are drawn to Joe when I hear him laugh. Without a word, I turn on my heels and leave Joe’s room. I don’t bother turning around when I hear him calling my name. There’s a light knock on my door just as my back rests on it, but I ignore it. My phone rings, giving away my location in the room.

  “Emma,” Joe calls from behind the door. “I know you’re there.”

  I switch the phone to silent and head into the bathroom.

  Spending at least ten minutes under the hot running water, my body is finally warmed up enough to start moving to wash. Memories of this morning reappear in my head, prompting me to get B.O.B. and Master P. After climbing into my pajamas, I grab my iPad and start going over emails for business. My phone vibrates several times, letting me know that Joe is still calling or texting.

  By almost midnight, I’m laying wide awake in bed, unable to sleep without Sadie. I debate for at least ten minutes with myself about going over to Joe’s room. Convinced that I’ll be able to get Sadie to follow, I grab my phone and room key and head down the hallway. Right as I get to Joe’s door, my phone beeps with a text message that has a photo. My lip curls up a little seeing a picture of Joe and Sadie snuggled together.

  “There you are,” Joe greets.

  My attention snaps up. How did I not hear the door open?

  “Well at least I know you like the picture,” he comments.

  I do my best to wipe away my smile while trying to peer into his room. Joe steps aside, opening the door wider for me to enter. I take two deliberate steps forward, causing my feet to just breach the edge of the doorway. “Sadie,” I call, hoping that she’ll respond.

  Two seconds later, I’m in Joe’s arms and the sound of the door shutting is heard behind me. Joe presses his lips forwards, searching for a kiss, but my head turns in opposition.

  “I didn’t say that I’m joining you,” I remark, trying to sound mad and slip out from his embrace.

  Joe surrounds my body with his arms, snatching a kiss before I get the chance to respond. I pretend to fight for a second or two before parting my lips to greet him better.

  “Hi,” he sweetly greets after a lengthy kiss.

  “Hi,” I return flatly.

  “Am I in trouble?” he asks with a devious look.

  “Yes,” I confirm, eyeing him.

  “Enough for you to tie me up?” he inspects.

  “And, leave the room, taking Sadie with me when I’m done . . . yes,” I verify.

  Joe laughs. “Good thing I didn’t bring any ties then.”

  “There are other things I could use to tie you up,” I playfully counter.

  “Promise,” he baits.

  “No, especially not tonight,” I say with the straightest expression I can manage.

  “Looking forward to it,” Joe muses.

  “I bet you are.”

  Not long after we get settled under the covers, Joe strikes up conversation. “Do you mind me asking you something?”

  “Maybe,” I reply.

  Joe laces his fingers with mine several times before lifting our joined hands and kissing the top of mine. “Will you tell me something about you and your parents?”

  “Why?”

  “Just curious. You heard a lot of stories about me today and I would like to hear one about you . . . if you’re willing to share,” he explains.

  “Like what?” I ask, oddly not bothered by him bringing it up.

  “Anything,” he returns. “Something happy.”

  My mind drifts back, trying to recollect a memory, any good memory, which is harder than I expect.

  “We had a huge map on the wall in the living room,” I begin. “It was a world map that stretched from the ceiling to the floor and the whole length of the wall.”

  “Interesting,” Joe comments.

  “Just before my twelfth birthday, I told Mom that I wanted to travel the world when I grew up. She asked me why wait until I grow up? She said that each time I found a place that I wanted to visit during our lessons, to write them down. The next day, she and I went to the printer and ordered the map. She told me that for every place I wanted to visit, that on top of saving to go, we needed to learn each native language. Once we had enough money saved and all three of us could carry a conversation, we’d go.

  “So, over the years, we ended up having thumbtacks pinned in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, down into France and Spain, Italy, Greece, Egypt, India, China, Japan and Australia. Later, we added locations from Africa and South America. We looped red string around each point, charting out different paths. Dad calculated that it would be about three months for us to hit every point on the map for each colored line, so as every penny was saved, we started learning every language for that route.”

  “That must have been a fun way to learn all the languages,” Joe says.

  “Yeah,” I agree. “I remember for my birthday, my twelfth, when they took me out to dinner and a movie, they gave me some gifts, I told them that I didn’t want them.”

  “No?” Joe searches.

  “No,” I chuckle. “I told them that I want them returned and all of the money that it cost for them to be added to the jar for our world trip.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Every birthday, or holiday after that, I wouldn’t accept gifts.” I pause for a moment, enjoying the memory. “When the Nelsons, our next-door neighbors, found out about it, they gave me money too for birthdays and holidays as well.”

  “That was sweet of them,” Joe comments.

  “The Nelsons were very nice. An older couple who could never have children and never adopted . . . I’m not sure why . . . but they practically adopted my parents and me, spending many of the holidays with us.”

  “Did you go?” Joe searches.

  “Where?”

  “To any of the places that were on the map?”

  “No . . . we never got to go on the trip . . . ” my voice trails.

  “Because of the accident?”

  “Yes. I’ve always wanted to go . . . I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.” My head hangs a little in shame. “I didn’t even go to China with Maggie and her family the last time they went. I was too scared.”

  “Hey, don’t be like that,” Joe coaxes. “I wanted a happy memory and it’s turned sour.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” he comments. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have . . . .”

  “It’s okay,” I honestly offer.

  Sadie breaks the mild tension in the room by starting to snore. Joe and I laugh, and I pretend that I’m heading back to my room.

  “Where are you going?” Joe asks with concern.

  Laughing, I say, “Back to my room. You can have her when she snores.”

  Joe snatches me up and carries me back to the bed. Our bodies land on the bed and cause Sadie to shift a little, enough for her to stop snoring.

  “Stay,” Joe says more than asks.

  “No more tricks?” I check, though I don’t mind them.

  “No more tricks . . . at least while we’re in Oregon,” he lightheartedly teases.

  I smile, excited to know he’s not giving up on the game.

  “Goodnight, beautiful,” Joe hums. His lips meet mine.

  “Goodnight, Joe,” I reply and then return my lips to his for one more embrace for the night.

  Sixty Eight

  For our last day in Oregon, Mr. and Mrs. Covelli, Joe, Sadie and myself go for a long morning hike at one of the local national parks. We stroll at a leisurely pace to enjoy the scenery as well as to not push Sadie after her frolic with the whales.
She perked up this morning, used to rigorous days with me on a regular basis, but I think the cold water pushed her over the edge just a tad.

  After having lunch out in the sun, we continue on our journey for another hour before heading back to the city. We have an exquisite dinner at one of the local five-star restaurants and follow it up with a show at the Vagabond Opera house for a show of Bohemian Cabaret. The twist that the performers put on traditional cabaret, paired with opera style singing and arrangements is phenomenal to say the least with the tying of elements from Weimar Cabaret, Arabic and Balkan forms. My eyes and ears were wonderfully stimulated and aroused, eager to see another show in the future.

  Back at the hotel, the four of us recount our amusement of the performance while having a few drinks in the bar. Joe’s parents share with me all of the different operas and shows they’ve seen over the years and I mention that they need to join Joe and myself for our upcoming show of the LA Philharmonic at the Disney Concert Hall tomorrow night. Joe eagerly insists they join us and Mr. and Mrs. Covelli graciously accept. I suggest that the next time they’re in town and there’s a show occurring at the Hollywood Bowl that they join us as well. Joe agrees and explains the difference between the two settings as well as the interesting acoustics that occur in the outdoor theater in Hollywood.

  Once our round of drinks are finished, we say goodnight to each other and Mr. and Mrs. Covelli head back to their suite while Joe escorts me to mine. I take Sadie out for one last time for the night, even though I stopped in after dinner and before the show. She quickly relieves herself and gladly heads back in, seeming a little tired from the past two days of excitement.

  Joe doesn’t ask to be invited in or for me to join him in his room. He sweetly kisses and bids me goodnight, reluctantly peeling his lips apart from mine, leaving to head to his room.

  After getting ready for the night, Sadie and I curl up on the bed. Oddly, for as tired as I am, I find myself having trouble falling asleep. Sadie and I look at each other and she whines as if she’s having the same challenge too.

  “He’s not coming over,” I tell her.

  Sadie whimpers again.

  “No, I’m not calling Joe,” I confront.