KILTED DESIRE 3 - New Blood

by McKINLEY, A. B.

  “No, but I’d love to one day. My great-grandfather was born there.”

  “Nice, do yer know whereaboots?”

  “Somewhere in the highlands I think, but I’m not sure. I should really do some research into it.”

  “Aye, it would be interesting.”

  “So what brought you to California from Scotland?” he asked as he took his turn with the weights.

  “My wife-tae-be is a California girl,” Scott answered, he didn’t go into much detail.

  “So when’s the big day?”

  “Very soon actually, just after we get back fae the cruise.”

  “That’s awesome man, congratulations,” he said enthusiastically.

  “Thanks, so where do yer live?”

  “We live just outside of Oakland, my wife works on a ship, although it’s much smaller than this one. She’s a safety engineer.”

  “Och yer did nae have far tae go tae board the ship then?”

  “Not far at all, just a short cab ride.”

  “My girlfriend is resting in our cabin, she did nae feel well and took a seasickness tablet. I’m guessing yer wife did nae have that problem if she works on a ship!”

  “Yeah, we’re both quite used to being on the water,” he replied smiling.

  They continued to chat for a while, as they finished their workout. When they’d finished and were getting ready to leave, Scott noticed the detail on Brandon’s shoulder tattoo. He’d seen the tattoo as they were training but hadn’t taken much notice, until now. Scott recognized it as being a US Navy SEAL trident. He was curious, but didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he arranged to meet Brandon and his wife later that evening for drinks.

  It was just after 4:00 p.m. when Scott returned to the cabin. Tiffany was still asleep so he took a quick shower. When he’d finished, he sat outside on the balcony, relaxing for a while, as he watched the ocean. A few minutes later she appeared on the balcony, rubbing her eyes.

  “Hey Tiff, how are yer feeling?”

  “I feel okay. I’m still a little tired but I’m hungry. If I have a good meal tonight and then have a good night’s sleep, I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine tomorrow,” she answered as she moved towards him and sat on his lap. They cuddled for a couple of minutes until she decided she needed a shower. Scott remained on the balcony while she went to get cleaned up.

  Later, Scott managed to persuade Tiffany to try the buffet restaurant, and she wasn’t disappointed. The standard of food in there was just as good as the main restaurant that they’d tried the previous night. She was pleasantly surprised. As they ate, Scott told her about the people he’d met earlier in the day, and that he’d arranged to meet Brandon and his wife, in the bar later that evening.

  It was only just after 7:00 p.m. when they finished their food so they had a stroll around the ship for a while. Neither of them had dressed up that evening, they were both just wearing smart jeans and casual shirts. On deck 4 there was an outside promenade deck that went all around the ship. It made for a good walk as a full circuit was nearly half-a-mile. They walked a couple of leisurely circuits of the ship, it was a pleasant warm evening and walking on Deck 4 was much nicer than being up on the top deck as there was some shelter from the wind. Tiffany was definitely feeling better although she didn’t intend to stay up too late. After they’d finished their walk they headed down to the ‘Shanghai’ bar and sat at a table by one of the windows. Scott had arranged to meet Brandon at around 9:00 p.m. so they were about an hour early. The bar was quiet, most people were still dining. Scott and Tiffany talked for a while until Scott noticed Lauren walking towards them. She smiled and waved as she got closer. She was wearing a sleek black dress and black high heels. Scott stood up to greet her.

  “Hello Lauren, how are yer?”

  “Hey Scott.”

  “Tiff, this is the young lady who beat me at darts earlier today,” Scott introduced her.

  “Hi Lauren, it’s nice to meet you.” Tiffany said smiling.

  “Hello, how are you feeling now?” Lauren asked.

  “I’m feeling better thanks.”

  “That’s good. So you didn’t come to the darts competition, Scott! You should have come along, it was fun!”

  “Aye, I forgot aboot that, sorry. I went tae the gym this afternoon. Did yer win?”

  “No, I didn’t win but I came in second. They’re going to have a competition every day at the same time. There were a lot of nice people there. You should both come along tomorrow.” Lauren added enthusiastically.

  “Aye we might come and have a look. So are yer on yer way tae dinner or have yer eaten?”

  “I’m just going to the restaurant now to meet my parents. I always have a look in this bar though as it seems to be the coolest one on the ship. I’m still trying to find some people my own age to talk to. There doesn’t seem to be many on board though! I even tried the nightclub last night but it was full of old people.”

  “Well, yer can come back and talk tae us old people later if yer dinnae find any youngsters,” Scott teased.

  “I’ll see you later. It was nice to meet you Tiffany,” Lauren said as she smiled and waved farewell.

  “She seems nice,” Tiffany said as she gripped Scott’s hand.

  “Aye, she’s a nice lass. It’s a shame there’s nae many younger people on board for her tae mix with,” Scott stated.

  Later that evening the bar started to fill up. There were a few people dressed up in suits and evening dresses again, but the majority, were dressed casually. It was a little after 9:00 p.m. when Scott saw Brandon walk into the bar. He stood up and waved, and Brandon and his wife walked towards them. He was a handsome clean shaven man with short brown hair and was wearing slacks and a button shirt, while his wife was attired in a black dress. She was an athletic looking pretty lady, about average height and probably mid 30’s Scott thought. She had long wavy auburn hair and stunning blue eyes. She smiled as she came closer and Scott noticed she had a small gap in between her front teeth.

  “Hey Scott, this is my wife, Shara,” Brandon said as he shook Scott’s hand.

  “Hey how are yer? This is my wife-tae-be, Tiffany.”

  The couples sat together drinking and talked for an hour or so, getting to know each other. It turned out that Brandon and Shara had been married for almost 10 years, and that they had a three year old daughter called Alexandra. She wasn’t on the ship though, she was staying with grandparents. Shara was extremely friendly and talkative. She and Tiffany chatted about the upcoming wedding. She also offered Tiffany a lot of advice on how to avoid seasickness. Tiffany explained that she’d been on many cruises before without a problem, and told her that she was pretty sure it was the pregnancy causing the sickness. Scott and Tiffany hadn’t really said much to anyone about the baby, apart from her family but they were both excited to share the news. As the women continued to chat, now about babies, Scott turned to Brandon.

  “I saw yer tattoo earlier, does it mean what I think it means?” Scott asked

  “You recognized my trident?” he asked sounding surprised.

  “Aye, I know what it is.”

  “Yeah, you said you were a security consultant. So do you have a military background too?”

  “Aye, I was in the British Army,” Scott answered.

  “I served for just over 12 years. I got out about four years ago now and started my business,” Brandon said as he took a drink from his beer bottle.

  “So were yer a SEAL?”

  “Yeah, I was on SEAL team 3. We were based in California but spent a lot of time in the Middle East.”

  “Aye I spent a lot of time in Iraq and Afghanistan too. We performed joint operations with SEALS and with Delta Force. And we did a lot of training exercises with them too.”

  “So you weren’t regular army, then?”

  “I was at first, then I transferred tae Special Forces.”

  “So were you SAS or SBS? We worked with both.”

  “I was in the SAS, fe
r over 10 years until I got injured.”

  The men continued to chat for a while, working out that they may well have been in the same area at around the same time while they were in Afghanistan. There was a tremendous amount of mutual respect and admiration between them. Scott was enjoying the evening, getting to know Brandon and Shara, but he knew Tiffany was still a little tired. So, at about 10:30 p.m. they said ‘goodnight’ and arranged to meet their new friends the following day.

  Chapter 17

  Tiffany felt much better the next day, so they had a full day of fun on board, as the ship continued to sail northwards. The morning was spent around the pool on the top deck and after lunch they participated in quite a few different activities, including meeting up with Lauren for the Darts competition. Both Scott and Tiffany took part but neither of them did very well. Scott didn’t usually like to lose at anything, but this time, he didn’t mind. He was so excited about the prospect of seeing Alaska soon, that losing a game of darts paled into insignificance. Later that evening they met up with Brandon and Shara again, and had another fun time in the bar. Scott wanted to be up early the next day as they were due to arrive in Alaskan waters at daybreak. So at midnight, they left the bar and headed back to the cabin. Scott set the alarm for 5:00 a.m. but he was too excited to get much sleep. Tiffany slept soundly but he ended up just tossing and turning for most of the night, although he did maybe drift off for an hour or two.

  When the alarm rang Scott quickly jumped out of bed. Before he did anything else, he opened the door to the balcony and stepped outside. The ship was now in Alaska’s ‘Inside Passage’ and the sun was rising. It was a dramatic sight. Scott never in his wildest dreams, could have imagined he’d be in this position - standing on a private balcony of a luxury cruise ship, looking at snow-capped Alaskan mountains. He excitedly woke Tiffany and showed her the magnificent view. Scott was eager to get up to the top deck so he could see all around. If the rest of the view was even half-as-good as what he could see from their balcony, then he’d be very happy.

  Soon they were both dressed, and with camera-in-hand, they were up on the top deck. They weren’t the first ones there. Lots of other passengers were already up top, and were busy taking pictures. The ship had slowed down considerably and was making its way through the various channels. Most people on board spent the whole day up on the top deck, getting the best views of the terrain. Scott and Tiffany were no exception, apart from taking a couple of quick breaks to grab a bite to eat, they were up there for the full day. The dramatic scenery was all around and it wasn’t just the landscape. They saw wildlife too, encountering several whales, which were amazing to see that close-up. Also there were lots of birds and late in the afternoon, the highlight of the day for Scott. Off to the starboard side of the ship, a Grizzly Bear and her two cubs were spotted just walking along the shoreline. He was thrilled to see the bears and took lots of photographs, although he was not able to zoom in quite as close as he would have liked to.

  Late in the evening when the daylight started to fade, the crowds up on the top deck started to thin, until there were only a handful of people there. Scott wanted to make sure he saw everything that he possibly could. Ideally he would have liked to spend longer in Alaska and he really would have liked to have been able to go ashore. Unfortunately though, the itinerary on this voyage didn’t make it possible. Scott was happy, even though he was a little disappointed that the Alaska part of the cruise was virtually over. He knew that he’d come back one day, and when he did, he’d spend a lot more time exploring. When the sky was virtually black, he reluctantly left the top deck and returned with Tiffany to the cabin.

  Over the next few days as the ship sailed back down to the south, Scott and Tiffany enjoyed spending time with each other and relaxing. They had a great time with their new friends on board and took part in many activities. Scott chatted with Raju several times and got very friendly with him, even to the point of giving him his business card and encouraging him to keep in touch after the voyage. Raju gave Scott lots of information about the ship, which Scott found fascinating. He was particularly interested in the security aspect and Raju was happy to explain how things worked on-board. He learned that there were a couple of holding-cells on the lowest deck of the ship. The security staff didn’t have the power to arrest anyone, but they could make a type of ‘citizen’s arrest’ and detain any unruly passenger until the ship got to its next port of call. Then, if necessary, they could be handed over to the relevant authorities or just asked to leave the ship, depending on the circumstances. They hadn’t had to do that on the Pacific Dragon though, there’d been no real trouble since the ship had been launched.

  Raju also explained to Scott that they weren’t allowed to carry weapons on board. There was however, a stash of handguns that were kept in a safe in the bridge. They were for emergency purposes and only the captain had the authority to issue their use. Raju enjoyed talking to Scott, and had slowly stopped calling him sir. After a few days he became ‘Mr. Scott’, but that was about as informal as Raju got. He’d never had a passenger be so interested in talking to him before. Most passengers on the ship were more interested in taking advantage of all the facilities on board, rather than talking to the security staff. So, it had come as a pleasant surprise to Raju when Scott befriended him.

  They’d also become very close with Brandon and Shara, meeting them every night for dinner and drinks. A couple of times, Lauren had joined them too. She hadn’t found anyone her own age on the ship so had spent some time with them, as they were probably some of the youngest people on-board. The two couples and Lauren had teamed up for some quizzes that had been organized as well. They were held every afternoon in one of the bars and were popular amongst many passengers. The quizzes were for teams of up to six people, and the first time they did it, they were lucky enough to be joined by an Egyptian doctor, who happened to be quite good at trivia. Dr. Mahmoud, or Ali as he liked to be called, had been an American citizen for nearly 20 years and worked at a hospital in Phoenix. He was on vacation with his wife, but she was more interested in spending time at the ship’s spa than doing quizzes. He just happened to be sitting at the bar on his own, near their table. And, as they needed an extra person for the team, they asked him to join them. It proved to be a good decision as he knew most of the answers, helping them to win the quiz. The prize was only vouchers for free drinks but it was a fun way to pass the time. After their victory, they arranged to meet and team up for future quizzes, which they did, winning every one.

  On Saturday evening, the ship arrived at the port of Mazatlan in Mexico. It was already dark when they arrived so there wasn’t much to see. Passengers were told they could disembark on Sunday morning and spend the day in the city, or on the beach. They had to be back on-board by 6:00 p.m. though so the ship could be ready to leave. There were arranged ‘shore excursions’ too, that could be booked through ‘Yellow Star Lines’ but Scott and Tiffany hadn’t done that. In fact, hardly anyone that they’d spoken to on the ship had. It appeared that most passengers were either going to spend a day on the beach, or remain on the ship.

  On Sunday evening, at just after 7:00 p.m. the Pacific Dragon set off on the final leg of her journey. Scott and Tiffany had spent the day relaxing on the beach. They had been joined by Brandon and Shara, and once again, they had a great time. It was supposed to be a formal night on the ship, so Scott put on his black suit, the one he knew Tiffany liked. He’d worn his kilt a couple of times on the trip, but Scott liked to be outside on the decks as much as possible. And, due to the ship’s speed and the wind conditions, wearing a kilt was quite risky. Scott always wore his kilt as it was meant to be worn and he didn’t want to shock other passengers if he was caught by an unexpected gust. Tiffany was in black too, deciding to wear her favorite evening dress.

  After they’d finished their meal, they went out on the promenade deck for a walk around the ship. It was a beautiful warm evening. The view as they reached the front of the sh
ip was stunning. The Mexican coastline was off to the right, or starboard side, while over to the port side, the sun was beginning to set. It was a gorgeous orange color as it began to appear like it was dropping into the water. Scott and Tiffany were at the furthest point forward that they could be. It wasn’t quite a ‘Titanic’ moment as it wasn’t possible to get all the way to the ship’s bow. Still, it was a stunning setting, so as Scott stood behind her, holding her tightly, they watched the sun slowly descend. He decided that this was as good a time as any, so he reached into his pocket for the engagement ring. He’d been carrying it with him for most of voyage, just waiting for the right moment, and this was it. He opened the box and removed the ring, then took her hand. And while still standing behind her, with their bodies close together, he slipped the ring onto her finger. There was a gentle warm breeze blowing in their faces, and the orange glow of the sun, was just about to disappear below the horizon.

  “I have a feeling I know the answer, but will yer marry me?” he asked just before he kissed her on the cheek.

  “Of course I will, but you already knew that. Thanks Scott it’s beautiful,” she replied gazing down at her finger.

  “I was hoping yer’d say that,” he teased, as he spun her around and kissed her passionately.

  “Mmmm you picked a perfect time. Kiss me again,” she said playfully.

  The sun was now completely gone and the sky was dark, Scott held her close and kissed her, deeply.

  “I don’t want to go to the bar tonight Scott, I want to go back to the cabin,” she said after the kiss ended.

  “I was hoping yer’d say that too,” he replied as he took her hand.

  A few minutes later they were back inside, and on an elevator heading up. They were locked in another passionate embrace when the bell sounded to let them know they’d arrived on their deck. Soon they were back in their cabin. When the door was shut behind them, Scott took her in his arms and pulled her close to him. He moved his mouth to the side of her neck.