Smooth Sailing

by Susan X Meagher

  Kaatje sat down first and rolled the blanket up to provide a backrest. Then Laurie sat down in front of her and leaned against her body. “This is the most comfortable I’ve ever been,” Laurie said after a few minutes of perfect silence.

  Kaatje poured a few ounces of wine in each glass, then slipped the bottle into a holder at the base of the mast. She clinked her glass against Laurie’s. “I have no complaints.” She kissed the crown of Laurie’s head. “Well, I guess I have one.” Gently playing with Laurie’s hair, she said, “I wish you didn’t have to leave soon.”

  Laurie sighed. “You have no idea how much I want to stay. I’m having the time of my life.”

  “I like you.” Kaatje kissed down the side of her head, bending as much as she could to reach Laurie’s neck. “I like you a lot.”

  “I like you too. And I feel like I could get more comfortable with this new ‘sleeping with women’ idea if I could work at it.” When she turned to look up at Kaatje their eyes met and lingered. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever kissed.”

  Kaatje made an outraged face. “I hope so!”

  Laurie smiled at her for a long moment. “You’re really very pretty. And soft and huggable. Do all lesbians like to touch as much as you do?”

  “I haven’t slept with all of them yet. I can’t be sure.”

  Patting her leg, Laurie said, “Let me know when you reach your goal.”

  “I know you were kidding, but my goal isn’t to sleep with a lot of women. I’m ready to settle down. I used my twenties to explore. Now I’m ready to marry.”

  “Have you been in love before?”

  “Love is hard to define. But I’ve never made a commitment to a

  woman.”

  “No one?”

  “Not a permanent one. As I said earlier, I’ve had preliminary discussions about moving here or there but that’s all. I need to find someone who’s willing to compromise so we can both be happy.”

  “I’m like that too. I want to be with someone who wants to hang in there and work on a relationship.”

  “Have you had that?”

  Laurie was contemplative for a surprisingly long time. “You know, this sounds awful, but I had it with Colin.”

  “Why is that awful?”

  “Because I didn’t do the same for him.”

  “Oh.” Kaatje hugged her tenderly. “Does that make you feel bad?”

  “Yeah, it really does. He put a lot of effort into making things work and I just glided along. That really sucked.”

  “All you can do is learn from past mistakes. Just try not to make them again.”

  “I’m really going to try,” Laurie said, determination filling her voice. “I won’t be in another relationship where I’m not fully invested.”

  “It’s scary, isn’t it?”

  “Very. But I’m not going to let that stop me.”

  A breeze blew the wind direction signal above their heads in a circle. Kaatje wrapped her arms around Laurie and cuddled her tightly. They didn’t say another word until they’d finished their wine and Kaatje patted Laurie’s leg to signal it was time to go in.

  *

  They’d been very close and tender with each other while on deck, but entering the cabin seemed to break the spell. Laurie was close to tears as she headed for the bathroom. Her gratitude towards Kaatje for showing her another way to express herself was massive. The desire to stay right in St. Maarten, sailing, talking, making love, and sleeping in the open air pulled at her fiercely. But the magic dust was almost gone. Soon she’d be going home and her feet would have to be on the speeding treadmill as soon as she arrived.

  She stood in the small bathroom, brushing her teeth, thinking about how she’d start to tackle her backed-up work. Her mind lingered on such a myriad of details that when she exited into the narrow hallway she didn’t feel Kaatje come up behind her. But when one strong arm encircled her waist and Kaatje’s warm mouth attached itself to her neck, all thoughts of work vanished.

  All she could think of, imagine, and feel was that they were going to have sex again. Soon. Her body was flooded with images of Kaatje’s body, her strength, her softness, her beauty. Her own body started to move involuntarily, pressing up hard against Kaatje’s, their hips swaying together in a slow, sensual cadence.

  Laurie could feel her nipples harden without being touched, could feel her pussy tingle deliciously and her gut tighten with need. She’d never had such a lightning-fast physical reaction to another person, and she couldn’t wait to get Kaatje into bed.

  But Kaatje wasn’t in such a hurry. Her hands rose and started to massage Laurie’s breasts, holding and squeezing them while Laurie pushed against her, whimpering from the sensation.

  Laurie started to move, but Kaatje held her still, capturing her body in a tender, yet forceful, embrace. It was unnerving. Laurie wanted to fill her hands with Kaatje’s body, kiss her beautiful lips. But she was compelled to stay right where she was, with nothing to do except experience her own body while Kaatje leisurely explored it.

  Those determined hands slowly unbuttoned her shirt, then one slipped into her shorts, skimming past her panties to cup her sex and gently squeeze. Laurie purred with pleasure as Kaatje’s hands moved up and down her body, pinching, grasping and delving into any place that caught her interest.

  Laurie shifted her weight from foot to foot, itching to move to the bed, but Kaatje maintained her infuriatingly delightful hold, finally pushing Laurie’s shorts to the floor and sneaking inside her panties to probe her pussy. “Oh, God,” Laurie groaned. “I can’t stand up any more.”

  “Yes, you can,” Kaatje whispered hotly, right into her ear. She slipped into her, biting Laurie’s neck as her fingers slid in easily. “I’ve got you,” she said, holding on even tighter. “Just relax and let me take over.”

  Laurie did her best, consciously relaxing her muscles. But she couldn’t stop shifting her hips and thrusting against Kaatje’s hand. Those fingers knew her better than anyone ever had, dipping and swirling to touch every part of her. Then, just as she felt she might come, Kaatje slipped out and held her hips while biting her neck again. “Not yet,” she whispered as Laurie moaned her disappointment. “Soon, but not yet.” Then she swept Laurie off her feet and carried her into the cabin, laying her on the bed as she stood over her, removing her own clothes with deliberate speed. She grinned down at her, so beautiful that Laurie almost burst into tears at her lovely face. “I want to remember tonight,” Kaatje said, her voice a little rough. “Let’s go slowly.”

  Laurie found herself nodding, even as she wondered what about the last ten minutes had been slow.

  Chapter Eight

  THEY LAY TOGETHER in the gently rocking boat, each of them nearly exhausted from their lovemaking. Kaatje was almost asleep when something hit Laurie and she had to share it. “I think I know why sex wasn’t a bigger issue for me.”

  “Hmm?” Kaatje absently patted Laurie’s shoulder, then sat up enough to rest her weight on her forearm.

  Laurie looked at her briefly, then put her hand gently on Kaatje’s cheek. “Did I wake you up? Go back to sleep. I was just thinking aloud.”

  “No, no. I’m awake. What about sex?”

  Laurie smiled at her, seeing the fatigue in her eyes. “It’s nothing important. Go to sleep.” She kissed her lips, smiling when she pulled away. “That’s another difference.” Grimacing, she acted as though she were zipping her lips closed.

  Kaatje sat up taller and pulled Laurie to her chest as she leaned against the wall. Now she sounded awake when she said, “Difference in what?”

  “I used to hate it when I could taste myself on a guy’s lips. I always felt kinda sorry for him.” She pointed at her vulva. “Having to go down there.”

  Kaatje didn’t reply, but her chest bounced up and down when she laughed.

  “But it’s nice,” she said, turning to see Kaatje’s eyes. “It’s really sexy to have my mouth on you and feel how it turns you on.�
�� She shivered roughly. “Just thinking about it makes me want to do it again.”

  “It wasn’t like that with men?”

  “No, not for me. I was up for just about anything, but oral sex always seemed kinda demeaning.” She turned again, meeting Kaatje’s interested gaze. “I can’t figure out why.”

  “I can’t guess. But I bet it’ll come to you.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded slowly. “I was thinking about sex in general when I woke you up.” She patted Kaatje’s muscular thigh. “You’re a bad liar.”

  “But I’m polite. That makes up for the lying.”

  Squeezing Kaatje’s leg, she continued. “My boyfriends weren’t jerks by any means, but sex was always about intercourse. That was the main event. They focused on me long enough to get me ready to do the deed.”

  “Maybe you haven’t met the right guy.” Kaatje hugged her again, kissing her head repeatedly. “Not that I want you to go back to men. I think you’re a pretty good fit right here.”

  Laurie reached behind herself to pat as high up on Kaatje’s thigh as she could reach. “I like fitting right there.” Nestling back into the embrace, she added, “Maybe I wasn’t good in bed and that made my boyfriends kinda focus on themselves. Does that make sense?”

  “Yeah, I guess. You can’t have good sex if you’re not both into it and each other.”

  “Yeah. That’s the point. I wasn’t into them.”

  “In case you’re wondering,” Kaatje said softly, “you’re very good in bed.”

  “I guess I was wondering…at least a little bit. But given that you’re an admitted liar, I don’t know if I should believe you.”

  “No lies,” Kaatje said, her voice sounding sleepy again. “I’m into you, and I didn’t have any doubts you were into me.” She kissed Laurie one last time, pausing to gaze into her eyes for a few seconds. It looked as though she were going to speak again, but her blue eyes closed and she lay down and snuggled into Laurie’s arms.

  *

  They spent the next day cruising around the island, while Kaatje leisurely taught Laurie about the parts of the boat, some elementary lessons about how to sail, and some more in-depth instruction about how to drop and retrieve the anchor. After Laurie had worked on properly dropping the anchor for a long time, Kaatje said they might as well use their position to go snorkeling.

  The cove they were in was deserted—not another boat in sight. Kaatje ducked into her cabin and returned with a wetsuit and a rash guard. She handed Laurie the wetsuit. “I think this will fit you.”

  Laurie looked down at the relatively thin suit, then back at Kaatje questioningly.

  “It’ll be a little colder in this spot given the way the current’s moving. Plus, you won’t have to put sunblock on.”

  Laurie shrugged and started to doff her clothing. Once she was naked, Kaatje helped her struggle into the too small suit. Getting it zipped was tricky, but once Laurie was encased, Kaatje stood back and gave her a long, assessing gaze. “Damn, you’re a great looking woman.” Her eyes glowed with desire. “And as soon as we’re done looking at fish we’re gonna move out there”—she pointed at the unending vista—“and I’m gonna chew that right off of you.”

  Laurie beamed a smile at her. “I can’t tell you how good that sounds.”

  *

  After they chased fish around the ocean and each other around the boat, Kaatje sat in her captain’s chair, wearing a bikini that showed off her body to such effect that Laurie had trouble focusing on anything else. “What’s this?” Kaatje asked, slapping her hand against a gleaming stainless part.

  “A winch.”

  “Right. This?” She reached behind her head.

  “The…wait…I know this.” Laurie bit her lip, thinking. “The vang?”

  “No. Try again.”

  “Darn it, it was one of the first things you taught me.”

  “Want a hint?”

  “Sure.”

  “It’s what I wish you could do.”

  Frowning, Laurie thought, quietly saying, “What you wish I could…” Her face lit in a sad smile. “Stay. I wish I could too. I really do.”

  *

  To thank them for their hospitality, Laurie offered to take Kaatje and her parents out for a nice dinner. Kaatje wasn’t crazy about the idea, but she admitted her parents would appreciate it, and she called with the proposal. After speaking for a few minutes, in Dutch, she hung up. “Bad news.”

  “They can’t make it?”

  “No,” Kaatje said, pouting. “They can.”

  *

  Laurie didn’t have any clothes to wear to a nice restaurant, so she convinced Kaatje to take her shopping. Kaatje swore she hated shopping for clothes, but she was very helpful, looking Laurie over and suggesting different colors and styles she thought would suit her. It took an hour, but they were successful.

  When they reached the Hoogebooms’, neither Theo nor Antonia were home yet, and they went into Kaatje’s room to change.

  “Do you stay here often?”

  “Never. My mother calls this my room, but it’s really the guest room.”

  “Never? Not ever?”

  “Well, I lived here when we first moved to the island, but I haven’t slept here in a long time.”

  “Do you just like being independent or…?”

  “I live on my boat. It’s my home. Why would I sleep somewhere else?”

  There was clearly more to it than that, but it didn’t seem that Kaatje was in the mood to expound.

  “What did you do when you first came to the island?”

  “Oh, it was a hard road,” Kaatje said, frowning.

  It was hard to decide how much veracity to put into Kaatje’s pronouncements about work. She wouldn’t last a week at Luxor, and that was being generous.

  “I worked on a series of boats, doing all kinds of scut work. It took me five years to get to where I felt confident owning my own boat, then another two until I’d saved enough to make a down payment and qualify for a loan. But I’m glad I took my time. I made most of my mistakes on other guys’ boats.”

  Laurie grinned at the dry way she put things, then started to remove the tags from her dress.

  “My mom likes you,” Kaatje said, making Laurie do a double-take.

  “Where’d that come from?”

  “I was just thinking about when I brought you here that first morning.”

  “How do you know she likes me? Have you talked to her? You haven’t had a spare minute.” She tried to waggle her eyebrows, but was largely unsuccessful.

  “No, I haven’t spoken with her. But she made you breakfast, and that’s not like her.”

  Puzzled, Laurie looked at her blankly.

  “I think this is a cultural difference. It’s one of the things West Indians will never understand.”

  “Dutch people don’t eat breakfast?”

  “No, we do, but we have to know you to welcome you into our homes. Did you think my dad was very friendly?”

  “Uhm…” She looked around the room, acting interested in the books on the shelves over the desk. “Did you ask me a question?”

  “Right. He might have seemed distant, but that’s pretty common. My mom has loosened up since we’ve been here, but my dad thinks it’s peculiar to have strangers over for more than coffee.”

  “Interesting. If I told my mom I had a friend passing through Ohio she’d tell me to have you stop by and spend the night if you were gonna be within a hundred miles.”

  “That’s not very common in Holland. We take it slow. First we have coffee, then you have us to your place for coffee. Then we’d have you over for dinner if those coffee dates went well.”

  “My mom has the mailman come in for cocoa when it’s really cold out. For all she knows, he’s a serial killer.”

  “That’s not the Dutch way. At least that’s not how my parents are. I’m more like a West Indian. I offered you a place to stay when I’d only known you for a couple of hours.” She wore an angeli
cally innocent expression that had Laurie giggling.

  “Yeah, but I had to take my pants off first.”

  “Only for your comfort. You were comfortable, weren’t you?”

  Laurie sat down next to her and kissed her firmly. “Remarkably.”

  *

  Theo drove them to a restaurant on the French side of the island. Other than many French language signs, it didn’t look much different to Laurie. After they passed a large swath of undeveloped land, they went along a stretch of road lined by houses held together with nothing but hope. The brown dogs were everywhere and most of the residents were on the street corner or on their ramshackle porches. Men congregated in cliques, and everyone was holding a beer. The women and small children sat on kitchen chairs or sofas left in the yards. It was as poor a neighborhood as Laurie had ever seen—making the least advantaged parts of LA look prosperous.

  She wanted to ask about the stunning poverty, but she didn’t know how to frame the question. Maybe this was common in the Caribbean. But if so, why? And why didn’t anyone do anything about it?

  The neighborhoods slowly improved, and they passed two and three story apartment buildings and tidier single-family homes. They were close to the ocean, but only caught brief glimpses of it between buildings. Laurie was still thinking about the island when Theo squealed to a halt next to a parking place on a very narrow street. Antonia and Kaatje exclaimed something in Dutch. Evidently, finding the spot was some sort of accomplishment.

  The restaurant was open-air, but it was a big step up from the lo-lo, with white tablecloths, a French speaking maitre d’, and an upscale crowd. After they were settled at a nice table overlooking the ocean, the Francophone server left to get their drinks. “It’s very nice of you to take us to dinner,” Antonia said. “But it’s not necessary. We only let you use our computer for a few hours.”

  “You saved me a huge phone bill,” Laurie insisted. “International roaming costs an arm and a leg.”

  “We were surprised to see you’re still visiting,” Theo said, looking at Laurie with eyes that reminded her of Kaatje’s.” I thought you were in a hurry to get to St. Thomas.”