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My eyes flutter open to a room filled with light and I sit straight up. I panic for a minute, concerned that I’m late. Concerned that Kathryn’s late.
It takes a few moments to remember that we’re off charter today – it’s a day off. I have nowhere I need to be. We have nowhere we need to be.
As relief washes over me, I turn towards Katherine. She’s lying on her stomach, her sculpted back exposed.
I lovingly move hair off to one side that’s strewn down her back.
Kathryn startles at my touch. She turns her head and, upon seeing me, goes limp once more, this time keeping her eyes open.
She continues lying there on her stomach, observing me quietly from below.
“I hate that you’re an early-bird.” The pillow partially muffles her words.
I move down to her level and scoot nearer. “I’ve always been like this. But I’ll work on it, for you,” I promise.
“Mmmpfh,” is her only response as she buries her face in her pillow for a moment.
Kathryn props herself up into a sitting position, her back now comfortably resting against the headboard.
“Come here.” She outstretches her arms to me.
I fall into her embrace, laying my head on her naked breasts. They’re radiating fire from being pressed against the mattress just moments ago, and I close my eyes at the sensation.
“Sleep well?” She asks softly as she strokes my hair.
“I was out like a light. I think it’s so unfair that your bed is twice as plush as ours are,” I pout.
“Not to worry, darling. One day when you become Captain you’ll get the good bed,” Kathryn retorts sarcastically, not missing a beat.
I look up at her now, half amused and half annoyed.
“Maybe I’ll just have to take yours.”
Her hand stops in my hair mid-stroke.
“Are we becoming audacious, Lucca?” She gazes down at me, a thoughtful look on her face.
“I think we had better nip this in the bud now, my little Chief Stew.”
Kathryn gently pushes me forward so that I’m lying in her lap on my stomach.
I feel a warm hand on my bare ass, caressing the cheeks for a moment before I hear a loud smack a second or two before becoming aware of the pain.
I look back at her, completely taken by surprise. A feeling of embarrassment and fury overtake me, and I can’t find my words.
She caresses my stinging cheeks again. “It’s high time we did something about that mouth of yours. What do you think?”
She continues stroking the redness, looking down at me earnestly and waiting for an answer.
Now, my initial anger at being humiliated like this have all but subsided as a powerful new desire of wanting to atone for my transgression overtakes me.
What’s more – I find myself succumbing to an intense wave of arousal. It’s all I can do not to beg for more.
“Yes, Captain. I’m sorry.”
Kathryn raises her hand up again and slams it down. Smack.
“I can’t hear you.”
Smack.
“I’m sorry!” I manage to get out between breaths.
Smack.
“Tell me again.”
Smack.
The force with which she strikes my cheeks was impressive, if not painful.
I’m – I’m sorry, Captain!”
Caresses again. This time, her soft strokes feel almost unbearable as the burning and stinging take hold.
“Just breathe, darling.”
She pulls me backwards so I’m sitting upright again.
I wince as my full weight is now sitting on my cheeks.
“Let’s try and remember this feeling the next time you feel the need to get mouthy,” Kathryn murmurs, leaning over and pressing her lips hard against mine. I respond by parting them.
I feel the hunger in her mouth as our tongues furiously slide against one another, almost as if they were trying to win a wrestling match.
Our pace slows, and soon the kiss is delicate and sweet.
Kathryn pulls away, and I can see the arousal in her eyes.
“Please, Captain, May I -“
She cuts me off by offering another kiss on my lips before rising out of bed and throwing a robe on that’s hanging over the back of the closet door.
“I have a lot of paperwork that I need to get caught up on today.”
Disappointment hits me. “Oh. I thought we could spend the day off together… somehow.”
Kathryn enters the bathroom and disappears from my vision.
“You really need to spend some time with your crew, Elle. I think you should take the day with them. Go to town. Bond a little.”
She wasn’t entirely wrong.
I shift on the bed, trying to stuff more of the down duvet under my throbbing bum for cushioning.
“I guess so. Maybe I’ll take them to lunch or something. I know Quinn has been dying to go shopping…”
“That’s my girl. I’m glad you see it my way.”
Kathryn reappears and stops in front of where I’m still sitting. My face is flat.
“Hey,” she coaxes, lifting my chin upwards with her hand.
Looking into my eyes, she continues. “Let’s have dinner together tonight. I know that James is cooking a big meal for everyone later – so I will join you all, if you’d like adana escort that.”
I can see that she’s trying to compromise, and I suddenly feel better.
“Okay.”
“It’s settled then. I’ll see you tonight in the Dining Room,” she leans down and gives me a kiss on my forehead.
“The dining room? But we always eat meals in the Crew Mess…” I trail off.
Kathryn laughs haughtily as she saunters away. “And what part of my personality would make you think I’d ever eat there?”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It’s early afternoon and terribly muggy as Quinn, Bobby, Liam, Peter and I stroll down a cobblestone side street in town.
“Ooh, let’s go into this one!” Quinn exclaims excitedly as she ducks into our sixth shop.
I hear the boys groan.
“Why don’t you guys go grab a pint over there and we’ll catch up,” I nod in the direction of a pub a few units down.
“Thank god,” they continue on down the street.
Now I wonder if Willa had foreseen how this little venture to town would go, having gotten to know Quinn well enough over the past two months. It’s likely the reason she opted to hang back and relax on the boat.
Smart girl, I say under my breath.
I locate Quinn in the back of the store. She’s trying on an oversized, floppy sunhat as I approach her.
“Whaddya think?”
Noting the huge grin on her face, I try to think of something positive to say. “Well, you can certainly kiss face sunburn goodbye.”
“I know!”
She does a half-turn in the mirror, attempting to see it from the back.
“I look like a divorcee summering in the South of France. Now all I need is a glass of merlot in my hand,” she says with a laugh.
“We can fix that. The boys are waiting for us at a pub down the street,” I let her know as I turn to leave. “You ready?”
I was the type of person that was drained after aimlessly browsing in only two stores; as such, I tended to just order whatever clothes I needed from online. One and done.
As I’m making my way back down the aisle, a jewelry rack catches my eye. I finger through it and stop when I notice a gold ship’s wheel pendant on a chain. I take it off the rack and examine it closer.
The tag says that it’s 18k solid gold, and the pendant is about the size of a dime. It shimmers in the light as I tilt it in my hand.
It was absolutely beautiful, and all I could think about was how stunning it would look adorning Kathryn’s elegant neck. I had never seen her wear a necklace.
But more than its beauty, I was interested in what it represented – A ship’s wheel steered the ship; it was where all the control lied, at least in theory – and that was the very definition of Kathryn, being in control. So, by giving her this necklace, I was relinquishing control of my ‘ship’ to her to steer, in a very loose metaphor. I loved that idea.
I see Quinn approaching, and I quickly shove the necklace back onto the rack.
“Find something?” she asks, hopeful.
“No, nothing that caught my eye here,” I lie.
Looking down at the sunhat and new pair of sunglasses in her hand, I say, “I’ll wait for you outside.”
After Quinn comes out of the store we continue down the street for a few paces before Quinn ducks into another shop on our way to the pub.
“This place has sandals!” She swings open the door and holds it out to me.
“Actually, I saw a restroom in that last store. I’ll meet you back in here.”
Quinn just shrugs as she disappears into the shop.
I cross the street and return to the previous store. I couldn’t wait to give Kathryn the necklace. I really hoped she would like it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Chief?”
“Hmm?” I turn to find Liam looking at me from across the table as I take a sip of my beer.
“I asked if it sounded like Emily was cheating on me to you.”
“Oh, sorry,” I apologize, having been fully immersed in a daydream about Kathryn. The guys had started comparing notes about girlfriends back on land and that was where I started to tune out.
I attempt to replay his conversation in my head.
“She could just be trying to keep herself occupied while you’re gone – with work and friends and all that. I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions just because she doesn’t always respond immediately when you text her. And don’t forget – we’re six hours ahead here.” Total save.
“Yeah, I guess,” he contemplates. “Just makes me nervous. She has a bunch of guy friends and I can’t help but thinking the worst sometimes. Sucks being so far away.”
“That’s why I won’t have a relationship as long as I’m yachting,” Quinn declares. “I sleep easy at night knowing that no one is cheating on me,” she says with a laugh. “No problems, no worries, only Quinn.”
I hear a chorus of agreement from the boys.
“Not a bad way to be, honestly,” I chime back in. “Being unattached certainly has its perks. I mean, your time and your thoughts are totally your own… something appealing ankara escort about that for sure. Less drama.”
“That why you’re flying solo?” Bobby questions.
“Not for long,” Quinn butts in. “I’m on a mission to find Lucca a hot foreign bloke while we’re here. We are going to get you laid,” she turns to look at me.
“Nah, Quinn. Trust me when I say I have more than enough on my plate these days.” I can feel my cheeks turn red.
If only she knew.
An hour later and we’re back on the boat. I head to my cabin, lie down on the bed and close my eyes. It’s still three hours before dinner, so I decide to have a rest.
An unknown period of time passes and my radio beeps, jolting me out of a cat nap.
“Lucca, Lucca, Captain. I need the logbooks from last month. Please bring them up to me in the Bridge.”
Simply hearing Kathryn’s voice on the radio makes butterflies instantly manifest in my stomach.
I grab the box holding the necklace from my dresser and head up to the storage closet on the second floor. Flipping through the filing cabinet, I remove the specified logbooks and ascend the stairs to the Bridge.
After a brief knock, Kathryn’s voice tells me to enter.
I step into the Bridge a few steps and stop.
There was something about this place that made me nervous, and I wasn’t sure what it was. Or, was it Kathryn summoning me here that was what made me nervous?
She’s sitting in her captain’s chair, holding a map in her hands, her back turned to me.
“Hi, Captain. I have the logbooks here.” I walk over to where she’s sitting and stop just behind her.
After a moment, she plops the map down on the panel in front of her, swivels her chair around to face me and smiles. My favorite dimple is on full display, and I feel my heart squeeze in my chest.
“I don’t need these. I just wanted to see you.” She takes the books from me, turns in her chair to toss them down on the panel, and swivels back again.
“Really?” I ask, equal parts surprised and excited. I didn’t think I’d be seeing her until dinner tonight.
Ignoring my question, Kathryn reaches out for my waist and pulls me into her, so that I’m half-sitting and half-leaning against her open lap.
“How’s this doing?” Her left hand gently squeezes my ass, a twinkle in her eye.
“It feels okay now,” I answer sheepishly.
“Glad to hear it.” Her face is amused.
After a moment of silence, she says, “Tell me about your afternoon. What did you guys get up to in town?”
I relax a bit.
“I really enjoyed spending time with the crew. Quinn is a shopaholic, though, which is something I wish I had known beforehand. Otherwise… pretty uneventful. We grabbed a couple beers and explored a lot of the side streets. I got a bunch of amazing pictures, too.”
“Jesus. You didn’t tell me you were a beer girl,” her face is now serious. “Next you’ll tell me that you enjoy watching football.”
“Actually, I love cheering on the Buffalo Bills every fall,” I admit. “Does that change anything?” I question curiously. I can’t tell whether she’s joking or not.
“It’s entirely possible,” she declares.
Still can’t tell.
Kathryn scans my face for a moment, as if lost in thought.
“Well, I knew that spending some time with your crew was the best thing for you to do,” reaching up to adjust my anchor necklace so that it’s center. “Captain knows what’s best for her little Chief Stew,” cooing.
I’m suddenly reminded of the necklace I had bought her and reach down into my pocket.
“I got you something, Captain,” pulling out the box and holding it up to her.
Her mouth opens in surprise as she gazes down at it.
“What’s this?” She takes the box and removes the top, sliding it underneath the bottom.
She stares at the pendant for a moment.
“This is for me?” Her eyes rise back up to meet mine in disbelief.
I nod.
She studies it again, taking two fingers and tracing around all the handles of the wheel in a circular motion.
“Oh my god, it’s a tiny ship wheel. Elle, it’s lovely.”
Kathryn removes the necklace from the box and places it around her neck.
Now looking down at the pendant resting on her chest, she touches it again.
“You really shouldn’t have.”
She looks back up at me, still holding the wheel between her fingers.
“I just happened to see it and knew that it couldn’t possibly suit anyone better than you, Captain.”
“I do like to steer things,” a smile spreading along her lips. “What, they didn’t have a control panel necklace?” she jokes.
I shrug as Kathryn pulls me in closer to her, kissing me softly before whispering, “I absolutely love it. Thank you.”
As her lips return to mine and her tongue begins to part my lips, a siren on the panel blares loudly, making both of us jump.
Kathryn motions for me to get off her lap, and she sprints over to the panel.
Clicking a switch and quieting the alarm, she picks up adıyaman escort her radio. “Bobby, Bobby, Captain.”
Within a few seconds, Bobby’s voice is heard. “Go for Bobby.”
“Panel four is indicating smoke in the Sky Lounge. I need you to head up there to see what’s going on. I’m on my way.”
Kathryn flips off a few more indicators before spinning around.
“There’s a fire?” I ask, fear in my voice.
“I’m going to find out. Come with me – I don’t want you standing below us.”
She grabs a fire extinguisher from the closet and we leave the Bridge, heading up one floor to the Sky Lounge.
Upon reaching the second floor, we walk through white smoke billowing out of the Lounge. Kathryn takes my hand and we cut through it until we reach the electrical room.
Bobby is already there, looking worried.
“When I opened the door, I saw smoke and some flames, but I was afraid to go in.”
Kathryn tells him that he did the right thing.
“Stand back,” she commands, as she swings the door open and disappears into the heavily filled room, causing my heart to drop to my stomach.
She’s not a fireman. What the hell was she doing?
A few minutes go by and I don’t hear anything except some clanging. I start to panic. “Captain?”
No answer. Oh my god.
Bobby and I exchange worried glances. “Should I call someone?” he questions.
I’m just about to go in after her when I hear the extinguisher go off.
Kathryn steps back out, the smoke already clearing.
“Just a smouldering wire. It was sitting in a pool of water. Seems to be a small leak up here.”
Her normally crisp white blouse is now blackened, her tight bun now riddled with loose strands, some of which are pasted to her face.
“Bobby, I need some rags and the toolkit,” setting the extinguisher down.
“Roger,” he obeys as he runs off to fetch the items.
Relief washes over me, mostly for Kathryn, as I feel myself involuntarily burst into tears. I cover my face with my hands, trying to hide my embarrassment and put a stop to the crying in equal parts.
Out of nowhere, I feel hands on my wrists as they’re gently pulled away from my face.
“Elle?” Kathryn looks riddled with concern. “What’s going on?”
My crying causes me to take a sharp breath in. “I thought that maybe you got burned, or unconscious. I was about to come in after you. You scared me so much, running in there like that with those flames,” I sob.
Kathryn is just looking back at me calmly.
“First of all, I don’t want you to ever come aid me in a situation like that. Your priority is to get yourself and the others off the boat, if anything escalates.”
I just wipe my eyes and nod.
“Secondly,” she pauses as she tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I’m an engineer, remember? I’m trained for things like this. Okay?”
“Okay,” is all I can say. I suddenly feel foolish now that she’s safe.
“No. Tell me that you understand.”
“I understand, Captain,” I repeat softly.
Kathryn kisses me.
“That’s my girl. Now, go get the dining room set up for dinner – it’s almost seven. I’ll be down shortly. Just have to solder this wire and find out where that leak is coming from. Hopefully some putty will do until we can get someone in here.”
Her words almost make me laugh.
This woman could have died in a boat fire yet she’s more concerned about everyone’s tardiness to our formal dinner, I think to myself.
I open my mouth to say something but at that moment, Bobby is back with the equipment and Kathryn has already turned to re-enter the electrical room.
I descend the couple staircases down to my cabin and get in the shower, cranking it on hot.
I lean against the shower wall, reflecting.
That was embarrassing. Why the hell would I cry in front of Kathryn? I totally blew that out of proportion. She must think I’m a total infant… What was this hold she had over me?
My emotions suddenly feel overwhelming, so I switch gears.
What a conundrum of a woman: Proper, educated, well-traveled. Her idea of casual loungewear was a satin button-down and jeans. I mean, she couldn’t even stand beer or football, for Christ’s sake, yet here Kathryn was – running into open flames, soldering wires, and getting her buttery soft and perfectly manicured fingers so dirty that they were almost black – all without batting an eye.
She was an absolute enigma.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I pass the flat iron through my hair a final time before setting it down and rechecking my appearance in the mirror.
My teal merino wool sweater hangs loosely over my jeans. Chic but casual, I tell myself. Yep, I certainly was pulling out all the stops tonight… for me, that is: the fashion challenged.
I head up to the Dining Room and start pulling decorations from the cabinet – stones, seashells, large candle hurricanes, strands of beads – anything I would normally use to decorate a table on charter.
It felt weird doing so just for the crew, but if Kathryn wanted formal – formal was what she was going to get. Formal for days.
I’m laying out the silverware when Quinn bounces into the room. “Hey, I just talked to Chef. We’re eating dinner here…?”
“Captain Kathryn is joining us.”
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