Remy by the Sea

by Candice Blake

  "This is where we house the crab we catch before we weigh them."

  "They're so deep," he said.

  "Well, we catch a lot. Last year, there were crab filled to the brim, and we had to end the trip early because we were over capacity. There were ones on deck and trying to crawl inside. Come on, I'll show you inside where you'll be spending most of your time anyways."

  I walked towards the door, and I turned back and noticed Mateo wasn't following me.

  "What's wrong?" I asked.

  "What do you mean I'll be spending most of my time inside?" He asked.

  "Well, it's tough work and you won't be able to be on deck. You'll get hurt.”

  He rolled his eyes as if he knew more than me, as if I hadn't been doing this for longer than he has been alive. He was a newbie on this ship and I was going to protect him.

  4

  Mateo

  I hated how Remy treated me as if he was my dad. He had no idea what I've been through, my journey here, and all that I've seen since leaving home as a teenager. But what I hated more was how I needed him to take me back to South America to go back and reconnect with my family. I followed him inside his boat.

  Wooden veneer panels covered the walls. Everything else was metal and stainless steel. It was a cramped space, Remy had to tilt his body to walk through the narrow hallways. At the end of the hall, there was a narrow staircase that we ascended.

  "Holy," I said.

  "Pretty cool, eh?" Remy said.

  We were at the helm of the ship. He walked to his black leather chair and sat down. He swiveled the chair next to him and gestured for me to take a seat on it.

  We looked at the view in front of us towards the horizon, in front of us was sky and water. There was something about being up there that was quite seductive.

  Seeing Remy in the captain's chair, so proud and confident, made me want to crawl on top of him and kiss his lips. I wanted to feel his beard on my face one more time. I wondered if he would want to do the same to me.

  "Do all these buttons do something?" I asked.

  "Every single one," he said.

  "How do you remember which one does what?"

  "I can run this baby in my sleep, hell even Pablo could if he had to. It's muscle memory by now. I've been sitting where you are sitting since I was a kid with my dad. When he retired, he passed this boat to me since I was the only person who knew the ins and outs of this ship. Since then I've changed her name, she was Vanessa before. I've replaced so many things that the only thing that has stayed the same is this control board. But there's a lot more to the ship than the helm. Come with me, I'll show you the rest."

  We descended down the spiral stairs into the kitchen. It was more organized and cleaner than any kitchen that I had seen before.

  "You do run a tight ship," I said.

  "Of course, that's what the crew needs. Order. Without it, we'd never finish the mission."

  We passed a living room area with a small couch and some chairs. There was a table with bar stools bolted to the ground where I assumed people ate. A small TV hung on the wall.

  Further down, there were small rooms with nothing except for bunk beds in them.

  "This is where you'll be staying," he said.

  I poked my head inside but there wasn't much to see.

  "Which bed is mine?" I asked.

  "Bottom bunk, you'll be sharing it with a man who calls himself Drake."

  "Where do you sleep?"

  "My room is at the end of the hall, it is the only part of the ship that's off limits to everyone except myself and my dog, Pablo."

  "What's inside that's such a secret?" I asked.

  "It's my room. It's my private part of the ship. Since this is my second home, it's nice to have something that I can call my own completely."

  "Is it a big room?"

  "It's bigger than the others, but I am the captain after all."

  I crawled into the small bunk to test out the foam mattress. It was a lot softer than I imagined and it smelled of fabric softener.

  "Comfy?" Remy asked in his low seductive voice.

  I nodded.

  Remy had both his arms raised above his head holding onto the beam above. From the bottom bunk, all I could see was his thick torso and his bulge in his trousers. I wanted to grab his hips and bring him into the bunk.

  But I doubt he could fit on this small bed. My heart raced at the thought of being around him for the next few months. And I wondered who these other people on the boat would be, who this Drake guy is. I'd go crazy if everyone was as hot as Remy.

  "Anyways, that's the tour. I should head back to the motel and take Pablo out on a walk. Are you okay to walk back to your friend's place?" Remy asked.

  I sat up on the bed, and I was now eye level to his bulge. I looked up at him, trying to focus on his eyes. But man, was it fucking hard.

  "Yeah, I'll be fine."

  "Good, I'll see you the day after tomorrow. Be here before six in the morning, or we will leave without you."

  Remy escorted me back outside the boat. The bright sun blinded me as I made my way off onto the teetering boardwalk. I walked up the hill in the direction of my friend Carl's place.

  I had a smile on my face that I couldn't wipe off and I couldn't stop thinking about Remy. He had a charm that made me want to know so much more about him. But he also had this calm and stoic shield that blocked me from doing so.

  I made it all the way up the hill onto the plateau that overlooked the beach and the boardwalk. But my knee had started to cramp up. I had to sit on the curb to take a breath.

  I took this time to roll a cigarette and enjoy the warm sun and the nice view. I was leaving Europe until God knows when. It had been such a wild ride and I've met so many people on the way.

  But this next chapter was something that I was looking forward to. How many people can say they were a crew member on an Atlantic crab fishing vessel?

  I looked inside the open window to Carl's apartment. A large Bohemian tapestry hung on the wall. The white curtains blew against the wind, and I could hear that he was playing music inside. I buzzed the front door and Carl poked his head out the window with a cigarette in his hand.

  "Look who it is," Carl greeted.

  I smiled and he unlocked the door to let me in. The apartment smelled like weed and coffee. Carl had bronzed skin and blond hair that was in cornrows. He was wearing a white tank top that showed off his tattoos. Baggy light blue jeans hung off his ass.

  "Is anyone else here?" I asked.

  "No, just me."

  Carl was wearing Remy's watch and he raised his hand in the air and shook his wrist to show it to me.

  We went to his living room and I sat down in his beanbag chair that consumed my body. Carl sat on the couch leaning over the coffee table rolling a joint.

  "I've been talking to people in the city and we can get good money for this watch. It's a real fucking Rolex. Can you believe it?" Carl said.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  "That's what I came to talk to you about actually," I said.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, we have to return it," I said.

  "Return it? Are you mad?"

  "I've gotten to know the guy, and it means a lot to him, it was a gift from a wedding."

  "So fucking what? Why do I care?"

  "It's the right thing to do, man," I replied.

  "Right thing to do, wrong thing to do. You sound brainwashed, no one gives a fuck what we do. It's a dog eat dog world, man. You either play the game or you surrender to it."

  I knew there was no convincing this guy. Carl was right, I could use the money.

  "How much can you get for the watch?" I asked.

  "I talked to my buddy Ray. He said he can sell it to someone for ten grand, we will get nine and we can split it right down the middle. You were savvy on the beach distracting him."

  I thought about how much money that was, how much it would help me when I arr
ive back in Venezuela. Carl finished rolling the joint and he sparked it up.

  "We can meet up with Ray later tonight and close the deal. What do you say, man?" Carl asked handing me the joint.

  "Okay," I said, I took a puff from it and sunk deeper into the beanbag chair. "Listen, I know it's tight but I'll be leaving France tomorrow."

  "Say what?" Carl said.

  "I'm heading back to Venezuela. I need to go back to see my family. But you've been very generous to let me stay with you."

  "Really? You're just going to take off just like that?"

  "That's how I do, man. You know that."

  "Well, we should party it up tonight then. Get the crew together and have a few drinks."

  "That would be great, I'd love that."

  The weed hit me hard, and my mind drifted off to the thought of Remy and spending the next three months on the boat with him. For the first time, I felt a bit nervous at that idea and I couldn't put my finger on exactly why. I looked over to see Carl had laid down on the couch passed out. His arm dangled off it, the gold watch caught a bit of light from the window and glimmered.

  I thought about the night Remy was wearing it. I needed to give it back to him or I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Sure, I've done a lot of shady things in the past to get by, but this time felt different. It was more personal. The thought of taking something from a man who was so generous and kind to me gave me a weird feeling in my stomach.

  Carl's mouth was snoring very loud, and I thought about taking the watch off his wrist and leaving. Where would I go though? I still needed to stay at Carl's tonight.

  Plus, I was going to say farewell to all my friends here tonight. But Remy kept popping up in my thoughts. I crawled on the hardwood floor to Carl, my heart pounded in my chest.

  I looked at him to make sure he was asleep and reached for the latch of the watch. Fuck, I didn't know how to unlatch it. My hands were shaking and sweating so much that I couldn't take it off.

  Carl must have felt it in his sleep. His arm that was slung off the couch was now on his chest which made it that much harder. I paused for a second to make sure he wasn't going to wake up, then I reached for his wrist again.

  This time, I was able to unlatch it. I took it off and put it in my pocket. I felt like I needed to throw up and I needed to get the fuck out.

  I couldn’t leave through the front door, I knew it would make too much noise. I decided to climb out the window. As soon as I got out, I ran down the hill towards the beach. I didn't look behind me, and the whole time I had my hand in my pocket to make sure the watch was still there.

  When I reached the bottom of the hill, I stopped to catch my breath. My knee cramped up in pain. I was going to be homeless tonight, I needed to find a place to stay.

  There had been many nights where I didn't have a roof over my head. This time, I needed to be sure it was a spot where no one could find me. Carl was not going to let me slip away with this watch. I was sure of it.

  Where was the safest place I could go tonight? I walked in the city paranoid that he would see me any second. I stumbled back to the boating dock where I could see Remy's boat.

  The light was on up at the helm and I could see Remy cleaning shirtless. I walked down the wooden planks to his boat. He was wiping the windows when he noticed me looking up at him.

  He smiled and disappeared. He came out of the door shortly after. I was in awe of his shirtless body with a speckle of sweat between his pecs. Pablo had gotten out too and was wagging his tail.

  "You know we don't leave until tomorrow morning?" Remy said.

  "I know," I replied. "I was passing by actually and I saw you."

  “I see. Well, it's going to be a busy night for me. But you're welcome to come in and keep Pablo company if you wish."

  "I would love that," I said.

  Remy reached his arm over the boat and helped me on. He brought me in for a hug.

  "It's nice to see you again," he whispered while caressing my back.

  His warm hands shot tingles down my spine, and I couldn't help but bury my face in his neck.

  We went inside the boat, and he closed the door behind. Jazz music was playing through speakers that echoed down the hallways.

  "Can I get you something to drink?" He asked while we headed to the kitchen.

  I nodded.

  I sat down on the stools, and he pulled out a bottle of French red wine.

  "I made sure to stock up on them before I left. God, is the wine delicious here."

  He pulled out a glass from the pantry. I noticed that he already had one for himself out on the counter that had a bit of wine left.

  We clinked our glasses together and sipped on the wine.

  "How do you feel about the big day tomorrow?" He asked.

  "It's whatever, I haven't thought much about it. It's a big day for you though I bet."

  Remy took a big gulp of wine.

  "I'm anxious for the season to start. I'm not sure if I'll sleep much tonight. But this is going to be a crazy season. You'll see. Right, Pablo?" Remy said looking down at the collie who was wagging his tail and beaming a bright smile.

  Remy reached down and ruffled Pablo's head.

  It was a hot evening, even hotter in the boat. It hadn't rained in many weeks so the air was humid. I could see the heat radiate from Remy's naked body and I felt myself begin to sweat as well.

  I still had the watch in my pocket and I hadn't figured out a way to give it back to Remy before it was too late.

  "Where are you staying tonight?" Remy asked.

  My palms began to sweat.

  "At my friend's back up the hill. If you need to finish up, I can leave." I said.

  "No, that's not what I meant," Remy hesitated. "I mean if you need a place to crash tonight. Feel free to stay here. It will be an early morning so I don't want you to miss the departure having to make it all the way down here. Besides, I'll be sleeping here tonight as well."

  The wine made his eyes so seductive. Our bodies were like magnets in the cramped kitchen, he was inches away. The tight space filled with the smell of his musky scent.

  He took a step closer and put his body between my legs where I was sitting on a bar stool. He grabbed onto the outer part of my thighs where the watch was and in that moment I almost forgot to breathe. Remy tilted my face up to meet his.

  He had pursed open lips, his eyes were expectant. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. He pushed my back up against the wooden paneled walls.

  Remy kissed me rubbing his bare chest on me. His fingers grazed my chin and I felt his warm tongue enter my mouth probing it. His beard prickled my face and I grabbed onto the side of his hard abs pulling him in closer towards me. Our moans filled the room and our bodies made the room even hotter.

  I felt his hard bulge rub up against mine and he grinded his hips on me teasing me with it.

  "You're so sexy," Remy whispered in my ear.

  He kissed my earlobe then he tilted my head to the side and he drew small circles with his tongue on my neck. I gasped at how tender he was and at the same time how dominating he was.

  He moved down to where my collarbone was and he kissed the base of my neck. I felt him reach for the bottom of my shirt and he lifted it up revealing my nipples.

  He pulled his face back to study my body and he shook his head with furrowed brows.

  "God damn, god damn," Remy rumbled.

  He dove right in for my nipple. He sucked on them while holding me down on the bar stool. I squirmed and grabbed onto his shoulders pushing him back. My nipples were the most sensitive part of my body and they hardened to sharp peaks as he sucked them dry.

  I moaned wishing he would ease off on the pressure but I couldn't push his strong body away. He pulled his face away before he dove in for the other nipple and once again I was in a state of pain and pleasure. My cock was so hard in my jeans that it hurt and I wanted to take them off to ease the pressure. I looked down and I could see Remy was
hard as well and from what I could see, he was huge.

  5

  Remy

  I loved the way his body felt on mine. The smoothness of his arms, the tightness of his skin, his golden complexion left me hot and bothered. Kissing his lips was magical, they were sweet with a hint of smokiness.

  I ran my fingers through his hair stealing glimpses into his hazel eyes. I couldn't believe I was about to spend four months on my boat with this handsome boy. I worried that he might be a distraction. It was after all the most important season of the year.