by Mia Ford
‘What do you mean?’ she asked, showing genuine surprise at the idea. ‘You can’t be taking out the company’s yachts.’
‘What do you mean, Darlene?’ he replied. ‘Of course I can.’
‘You… you can’t do that?’
‘I can.’
‘How?’
‘Darlene, if there’s one person who’s able to take the yachts out whenever he likes it’s the guy whose job it is to maintain them. Unless you think there’s someone else around here who would do a better job?’
‘But what about fuel and stuff?’
‘Where are you expecting me to take you? Hawaii?’ he said, laughing as he deliberately misunderstood.
‘No, it’s just… isn’t everything audited?’
In your dad’s world, he nearly found himself replying.
‘Sure, but there’s always a bit of leeway,’ he explained. ‘Part of maintaining the fleet means taking them out for test runs every now and then. If you think you’ll enjoy it why don’t we head on out there now?’
Darlene remained in protest for a bit longer, pulling a face that suggested they would be doing something naughty. That only encouraged him more; there are few things that turn a guy on more than being able to demonstrate to a lady how free his lifestyle is.
‘Come on,’ he said, after she had been wavering for a while and just needed a bit of a push. ‘If we get out there in the next 40 minutes we’ll be able to watch the sunset. Always beautiful to see.’
Sporting a furrowed brow, undoubtedly the whole idea of being out on the ocean remained surreal to Darlene. She allowed her to lead him nevertheless; that was all that mattered.
After getting hold of some takeaway fries and a milkshake, they were soon trotting off down the harbor, chatting away about some of the memories they had of being at sea. Kurt found that Darlene had become steadily easier to speak to all evening and sensed that she was relaxing in his company. That was probably a significant step considering she had very little experience of coercing with the opposite sex, and the idea that his invitation was helping her to come out of her shell somewhat was a pleasing one. Even though it came via an ulterior motive, it felt good – for some reason.
As usual the harbor was fairly busy. Lots of people licking ice creams and eating donuts while, for a most part, the yachts were largely coming in rather than setting out. Experienced as he was, however, Kurt knew where the best spots were to avoid any incoming traffic. While also knowing that, as long as conditions were favourable, and there were no clusters of islands to look out for, manning a vessel is actually easier at night so long as everyone remembers to turn their lights on. That was only because he knew what he was doing – and he was looking forward to impressing Darlene by showing her how capable he was.
‘Here’s the one for us,’ he announced, much to his date’s surprise as they came upon Arial.
‘This one? You’re joking, aren’t you?’ she asked, genuinely astounded. He could tell what she was thinking; this yacht is far too big and impressive for just the two of us.
Exactly!
‘Or we can go find a bigger one, if you like,’ he feigned, pretending to misunderstand again.
‘What? That’s not what I meant. Surely you’re not going to take this out on your own?’
‘Not on my own – with you,’ he replied, resisting looking up at her to see the look of shock on her face and adding, ‘Come on then, hop on.’
‘With me? I’m of no use, believe me,’ she warned, though accepting his hand and stepping on board.
The next half an hour progressed just as Kurt had envisioned. Him appearing deliberately far too laid back about taking the yacht out to sea, in order to keep Darlene permanently poised between being impressed and alarmed. Watching her shoulder some of the responsibility was also fun, as he casually requested she take over the controls for a couple of minutes on their way out. Of-course he was not giving her any real command, only the illusion of it, but it was enough to make her feel high with having the control of a luxury yacht at her fingertips. At the same time, taking the controls back off her just as the panic was about to become unbearable made him feel heroic.
Soon they had negotiated their way passed all the other vessels, then subsequently the navigational buoy that indicated they were out on the open ocean. Kurt didn’t happen to mention that aiming for the buoy allowed him to be confident that none of the incoming vessels were going to hit them, only saying ‘Trust me, it’s all going textbook’, every time Darlene tried to call for caution in case one of the other yachts suddenly swerved their way.
‘I do this all the time,’ he assured, wondering whether having her put so much trust in him would lead to her letting him man another kind of ship before the night was out.
Eventually he stopped trying to make her nervous and, taking advantage of a calm and open water, shut the engine off so they could float and take in the view.
‘Come on, let’s take in the open ocean,’ he suggested, with Darlene having been hovering over him in the control room up until then, too nervous to throw caution to the wind and stand out on deck. His ruse seemed to have the desired effect. Darlene stooped looking like a frightened bunny the moment they stepped out from cover and took in a wider view. He had yet to meet anyone who didn’t enjoy being at sea once you got them out there. Especially on such a glorious day. The waters around them were taking on many irresistible shades, thanks to the dying light that, for some reason, often makes color appear more vibrant. Kurt had thought of everything, however, taking advantage of his date’s speechless state and disappearing into the cabin, only to reappear with a couple of cocktails.
‘Oh, my!’ was Darlene’s response as she took hold of the beverage, which he handed over without asking whether or not she wanted one. He thought that the best way considering how timid she was, though usually he would have had a hard time getting the girls not to drink. ‘Is this strong?’ she asked.
‘It’s a Sea Breeze,’ he told her. ‘I thought it might be ideal.’
‘What’s in it?’
‘That would be telling,’ he teased, feeling that a bit of mystery would sound more impressive than replying ‘vodka, grapefruit and cranberry juice’.
Watching Darlene take her first sip of the concoction, while holding it with both hands as if it might explode, Kurt tried his best not to laugh. He was liking this girl, he realized, more than most. There was nothing pretentious or fake about her and, though she was nervous of the adventure, she clearly looked determined to defeat whatever intimidation plagued her. Most probably she had been dreaming of stepping out for some time and his free spirit was just what she needed.
‘So does it beat the East Coast skyline?’ he asked.
‘Oh! You bet!’ she replied. ‘Don’t get me wrong, Boston’s impressive, but I didn’t expect this. We’re so close to the water on this vessel; I’ve always felt so up high before and looking down at everything.’
‘This is much better, huh?’
‘Definitely!’
‘That’s why I’m not that keen on the bigger vessels,’ he told her. ‘They’re more for private parties than for the sea, but this is more personal. I feel at one with the ocean a lot more.’
‘I think I understand now, why this can become so addictive – and why you love spending so much time out here.’
‘This is my favorite place,’ he admitted.
‘I think I thought it was something to do with….’
‘With what?’ he asked, seeing that she was unsure of the summation she was about to make of him.
‘Well, with having a big toy to yourself, I guess,’ she said, ‘but I can see now it’s a lot more than that.’
‘Ha! I guess that does come into it,’ he admitted, ‘but everyone who spends time on the water has to take pride in what they’re doing. Negligence leads to accidents, but our parents’ business would sink pretty quickly if anything like that started to happen.’
‘I see now why they hav
e such faith in you,’ she reflected, taking another sip of her cocktail.
‘Oh, but I don’t tell them everything,’ he admitted. ‘They might raise a few eyebrows if they knew you were here for example.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Darlene agreed, looking a little abashed. It was his first subtle move towards taking their date to another level and he liked the fact that she was blushing, even though nothing particularly forward had yet occurred.
‘Darlene, there’s something I’m curious about,’ he then said, before backtracking, ‘but actually I don’t want to ruin a good sunset.’
‘It is beautiful, isn’t it,’ she agreed. ‘But go on, I’m not that secretive – at least I don’t think so.’
‘It was just something we talked about at yours place the other night, but I thought you might not want to go into it with our families there.’
‘You’ve gone to such an effort with all this, ask me what you like,’ she insisted.
‘Oh, this is no effort at all, I’m just delighted to have your company,’ he said, with a shrug.
‘If you say so,’ she replied, showing her first sign of being shrewd enough to compete with whatever wit he offered. He paused a moment, considering her college degree and wondering whether, although she was inexperienced, Darlene might be twice as clever as him. But it was only a temporary detour.
‘I was just wondering if there was more to it?’ he went on. ‘I mean between you and that guy? – but I know it’s none of my business.’
‘Oh, that! If you mean am I heartbroken or something, then don’t worry.’
‘No, actually I was worried you might be scarred by something,’ he replied. ‘That was why I was a little unsure about asking you out, in case there was something you didn’t want to go through again.’
He was not being entirely sincere on both counts, choosing his words as tactfully as he could in the hope of prying. As it turned out, however, his guess proved fairly close to the mark.
‘You get that impression, huh?’ she said, thoughtfully. ‘And there’s us doing our best to show that everything is normal.’
‘Don’t worry if you don’t want to talk about it,’ he urged, while thinking completely the opposite.
‘No, not at all,’ said Darlene. ‘If I don’t feel secure enough to talk about it out on the open water then where?’
‘Secure?’
‘Yeah! What happened was, the guy turned into a bit of a stalker,’ she revealed.
‘A stalker? Jeez, I thought it was the mother you said was weird.’
‘That’s right, she was. I think that’s why I didn’t clue on that he was a little bit unhinged also, because I was focusing on her too much,’ Darlene explained. ‘The truth is she wasn’t even half the trouble.’
‘Was he aggressive?’
‘You wouldn’t think it to look at him. It all came when I decided we weren’t head over heels for each other, like our parents wanted us to be, and then his nature changed completely.’
‘He didn’t like you having a mind of your own?’
‘The best way of explaining it is that he had a real sense of… entitlement about him. As soon as I called it off he responded as if I was taking away some kind of birth right. At first he started telling me how I had to change my mind and come back to him, egged on by his mother of course, but that soon progressed to calling me all kinds of nasty names.’
‘Sounds like a real psycho.’
‘They were positively medieval. It opened my eyes a bit to some of the wacky religious types my parents still socialize with. Most of them are lovely people, but there’s always one or two at every church that act as if they are the judge of everyone.’
‘He didn’t hurt you, did he?’ Kurt asked and it was as he did so that he stepped closer, sensing his chance. The story was just perfect for making him look the concerned and compassionate type. Whomever the barmy Christian she was talking about was he felt like patting him on the back and saying ‘well played’. Through being weird and unhinged the dude had missed out on the hottest of babes, at the same time as virtually chasing her into his territory.
‘Not… like that,’ Darlene replied, ‘but, erm… I was intimidated for a while. Felt like locking myself away from the world.’
‘I’m glad you didn’t.’
‘Thanks for asking me out, Kurt. It really gave me a boost,’ she then said, smiling sweetly his way and, if he couldn’t step forward and kiss her then, when could he? Darlene had not flinched at all from their closer proximity, though she still looked shy of him. They were alone on the ocean, with the lights of several other yachts visible about them but not close enough to feel like they were intruding. The setting sun meant they were now casting shadows on the cabin behind them, while the temperature was also cooling slightly. Kurt was not the most romantic type, but he knew how the ladies loved a taste of the sublime when giving themselves over to a man’s embrace.
Everything was perfect, especially Darlene. It still seemed absurd that such a girl would get through college without having the boys trailing around after her, but it had taken her a while to step out and he wasn’t about to complain.
Leaning gently forward, Kurt paused for effect, thinking it looked good to show hesitation. The pupils of Darlene’s sea blue eyes widened, showing him it was a good move, but he could tell then she would let him. Then their lips met and the kiss took him back to being fifteen years old when he had first kissed a girl properly. The reason was for that was in sensing the nerves that made Darlene rigid were the same nerves of a girl who had never been kissed properly, just as Marlene Foster had never on that day they were late for lessons.
Kurt was not prepared for such a reminiscence, which made him glow inside in a manner no girl had ever caused. Who would have thought the daughter of Clive Furse would knock all the others out of the water, but Darlene was doing so despite her in-experience.
But then Kurt also realized, in a sense this experience would be something knew for him also. Back when he had taken that first step with Marlene, shyness had held him back from going one step further and, for a number of reasons, they had never gotten around to it. Since then, despite his many conquests, Kurt had always been with women who knew what they were doing. Up until now he had not concerned himself that he had missed out on anything. That was until his lips met with Darlene and he was transported back to first love.
Suddenly he was nervous too, as he realized that, in a sense, now was the chance to make up for that one that got away. Darlene was stiff and trembling just as Marlene had been, but his experience meant that this was an opportunity to go one step further. Being a first kiss sure fed his ego, but being the first kiss who then led the girl all the way too was something else entirely.
Nothing was certain. Even if Darlene wanted him she might still hold back, imagining they needed longer together before taking the next step. He knew that some girls who were less comfortable with being sexually active liked to test men by making them wait. If so, that would be a disappointing end to an evening that had gone perfectly so far.
Kissing her sweet lips, Kurt’s next subtle move was to gently place his right hand on her shoulder then, when she did not shrink from his touch, he stepped closer so their chests were almost touching. Indeed, as they became delightfully breathless, their chests did touch and Darlene did not give in to any of the voices telling her ‘no’. He knew she must have been competing with a few of them, because her breathing was staggered and her trembling increased. That was how he knew that she must have waited too long for physical love and wanted him to take her in his arms and put things right, because she did nothing to discourage him and their kissing became more passionate.
When Kurt opened his eyes again it was darker; the sun setting fast. There seemed nothing more to say and he sensed that the dying light helped to hide her shyness somewhat.
Taking her by the hand, he gently guided her back into the deck and then down the steps into the first cabin. If Darlene di
dn’t want to go all the way with him then she would surely have said so by then.
The air was electric between them, because Kurt also felt pressure and nerves about getting it right. Knowing that he was taking her into uncharted territory, he was anxious to make sure the voyage was well manned. Getting it right mattered more than he realized and he longed for her to take as much pleasure from the lovemaking as he.
Inside the cabin he kissed her again, running his fingers gently through her hair before loosening her shoulder straps and letting her dress fall to the floor. Usually he would have proceeded swiftly onwards, considering that his mainsail was perfectly aligned, but he knew that with Darlene he still needed to take his time. These were sensitive seas, but ones that knew of man’s tendency to pillage. They needed to know that he arrived without arrogance or supremacy and only wanted to dock there as an equal.
Feeling the bare skin of her midriff on his hands for the first time, Kurt was struck by how soft and delicate she was – and yet all woman. If she had commanded him to do something there and then, he felt he would have swayed to her will, but she was unaware of her power over him and so he maintained the illusion of control.
In a state of passion, he could not recall for some time – if ever – Kurt found the nerve to act confidently. Leaning into her, Darlene allowed him to take her weight and dip her in the manner of a gentle waltz. But, instead of spinning her around, he let the momentum take her onto the bed and then lay beside her. All the while their lips refused to part, though his hands were becoming ever more adventurous, loosening her bra and stroking her wonderful legs and inner thighs.
Darlene had begun to moan a little, even before they were naked and he knew that each sound of delight and yearning she made was genuine and not for show. She was not trying to impress him needlessly, but being led by him and letting him be the one to teach her the pleasures of love and desire.