A Crawling Romance

"I ought not say this but then I'm like that. You have great tits."

The young woman giggled and whispered, "You ought to practice calling them boobs. I had noticed you coming and going in recent days. I should have shown my interest."

"What interest?"

"My nights sleeping in this hotel when I double shift are lonely."

"My apologies. Obviously I need an injection of male hormones. To quote, 'There are those who pass like ships in the night. Who meet for a moment, then sail out of sight'

"Oh God, how romantic. Now you have a safe journey Mr Chadwick."

Harvey left the hotel almost with a spring in his step. He booked his luggage through to Boston on the Limited and then went out for early dinner. He waited on the platform for Freya but not fancying her chances. She called at 9:30 to wish him goodbye. Neither of them commented in her no-show but she left Harvey with the distinct impression she was a very unhappy young woman.

CHAPTER 2

A month later Freya stood in the terminal of Logan International Airport and with shaking hands made a call.

Obviously noting who was calling, Harvey said, "Hi, what's taken you so long to call?"

Off she went, temper flaring, "Me! I've rushed to our letterbox day after day looking for a letter from you. And I checked emails and phone messages."

"Well, that's kept you busy."

"That's cruel and heartless."

Harvey's voice tightened. "I suggest we don't go down that lane Freya."

Oh God, he really was blaming her. "I-I don't know what to say."

"Well, where are you?"

"At Logan. Just arrived. I've come l-looking for you."

"Oh glory! "Look, we on dad's ketch an hour out of our marina. We're turning back to pick you up. Do you have pen and paper?"

"Yes fortunately. So I draw a boat and sail out to you?"

He laughed and it sounded easy and natural, she thought. He was no longer offside with her.

"Here are the instructions where to go. It's a sixty-two footer, radar dome on the aft mast, is called Mutiny and the hull is painted quite bright yellow. If you get there first you'll see us moored against a provisioning jetty just inside the harbor entrance. The cab fare will cost you about forty bucks. It's Friday and the traffic will be thick but don't panic. We're going nowhere until you're on board. Now, write this down..."

Freya's heart was almost bursting apart her bra. God, he was so romantic. 'We're going nowhere until you're on board'. However during the cab journey she recalled something else Harvey had said: 'That's cruel and heartless. I suggest we don't go down that lane Freya'. Oh no, that meant only one thing, that he regarded her as cruel and heartless. She had one big engineering job ahead of her to get him to like her again.

The night Harvey had left Chicago had been awful for Freya. She'd decided not to go to Union Station for the final goodbye, as it would serve little purpose; he was out of her life. He'd given his heart to marry another woman. Freya had always thought her husband would be a guy like Harvey, but nearer her own age and certainly she'd never thought of him as having been married previously. She'd shut him from her mind while doing her exams papers but at home when she thought about him leaving that night she called him to say she wasn't going to the station. She'd been relieved that he accepted her decision politely. Unfortunately her mother had heard her say that.

Freya's mom had said no longer would she be brushed aside. She was calling Mrs Meek to ask her William to come to dinner with us tomorrow night.

Mother and daughter had rowed over that until Freya blew her top and said, "All right, all right. Get William Meek over here and I'll fuck him until I get pregnant and then when I return to work you can look after the baby. No, I'll give you the baby."

Lucy Macdonald ran off to her bedroom screaming what a horrible, horrible daughter she'd raised and locked the door and cried and wailed for ninety minutes until Freya's father Derek threatened to break down the door if Lucy did not come out immediately. He made the two females make their peace and ordered Lucy to keep out of Freya's life of dating men.

"Back off, do you hear?"

Lucy nodded.

"Freda Mae, if you ever talk to your mother like that again I'll swat you, understand.

"Yes father."

It was serious. Freya had not called her dad father since she was six and Derek had not called her Freda Mae since her difficult early teenage years.

During the next three weeks the color left Freya's face, she no longer moved everywhere at ninety miles an hour, her manner turned listless and she spent most of her time at home in her bedroom. Freya arrived home one evening to be told by her mother than a family conference had been called.

"What, has someone died?"

"You have darling," her mother said mysteriously, a patting her on the cheek affectionately.

Two aunties -- Lucy's elder sisters -- and her father were already attacking the gin bottle. Lucy arrived with glasses of wine for herself and Freya and said, "Drink that one quickly darling and I get you another before we start."

"Start what?"

"Drink you wine darling. Be a good girl."

An hour later the discussion began. The three women were in agreement and told Freya she was lovesick.

Her father said "What fucking rubbish" and left the room.

The oldest sister Sarah handed Freya a wad of money. "There's three thousand bucks darling for you to live in Boston. Go find him and see if you can win him back."

Her mother smiled. "I have been to see your manager where you work. You may go on unpaid leave from this next Thursday but your current job will not be kept open for you but you are rated as a highly valued worker. We each put in $1000 into kitty and only expect to be paid back if you don't give us a wedding to attend."

"I don't know what to say."

The three women beamed at Freya and Aunt Sarah said, "You don't have to say anything; it's written all over your face. Swallow your pride and uncertainty darling and go get him and find if he truly is the right man for you."

* * *

Freya paid the cab driver and pulled her two travel bags on wheels. A large yellow hull yacht was just arriving. Freya had no idea about boats, only ever having been on rowboats and once on a tin boat with a noisy motor slung over the back end. But she liked this boat and knew by the lines the craft was female. Someone on board spotted her and blew one hoot of a horn. She stopped and waved and received three hoots and saw three people waving. They would be Harvey, his parents and his new girlfriend.

"Girlfriend?"

Freya jutted her jaw forward and said in a slightly menacing tone, "Well honey, have I news for you."

Mutiny was docked by the time Freya arrived alongside. Harvey stepped ashore and smiling hugely said, "Great to see you again" and held out his arm for a handshake. Freya smiled grimly, hooked a hand into the top of his shorts and pulled Harvey to her and gave him a full-blooded kiss. She felt a hand slide around her hip to grab her cheek.

"Hey you two, no fucking is allowed in public view in this marina," called the girlfriend.

Harvey turned to her and grinned, "Try to act like a lady Taylor. Mom send your foul-mouth daughter below to prepare nibbles."

"Aye aye captain," said a very attractive but a tad overweight blonde. "Hi Freya. We're really looking forward to meeting you after hearing about you on and off for several weeks. I'm Katherine and this is my man Lucas."

Freya could only wave blindly because she was being deeply kissed.

Before Freya had time to step aboard Taylor was beside her. They kissed and she whispered, "He's been such a pain, fretting over you."

Freya moved to put the record straight. "I only knew him for not quite three days and I know it could be difficult for you to accept this but those were the two first real kisses we've exchanged."

"Well Harvey doesn't take to women very well or rather that should be the other way around. He always says what he thinks and women expect a male to have a little more panache. Harvey couldn't lie if he tried -- well, I can't be too sure about that."

Freya eyed Taylor seriously. "I'm an incurable romantic and I'm rather a hothead and rather over-expect from men who try to woo me. Harry had tremendous appeal and yet was so offhand I had no idea if he wished to seduce me our not. And then when he told me straight out that he'd been married I wanted to do nothing but run from him."

"Are you two gasbags coming?" Harvey called sternly from the open side door of the center pilothouse. Cast off mom, dad."

Taylor, athletic and strong, virtually pulled Freya on to Mutiny as the ketch's diesel motor increased in revs from idling. "Go and say hello to daddy. He doesn't bite pretty young women, or rather I should say looking at you, and beautiful young women. I'll take your bags down below. You're sleeping with me until you and my brother get it sorted. He and I usually share the second cabin. I insist he sleeps in underpants so it doesn't accidentally insert. Off you go."

Freya went to the what she thought was the tail end (stern) to find Mr Chadwick. She was still boggling at the thought of brother and sister accidentally committing incest through sharing a cabin bed and smiled at the thought of them not having to move in rough seas to complete the unsavory deed. But then was Taylor telling the truth or teasing?

Mr Chadwick looked several years older than Katherine -- perhaps ten. His face was lined but he too looked very fit.

"Hi you lovely young woman," he said. "Call me Alec. Lovely ass," he said, stroking a firm hand over one side of it. So, that's where his son learned to confront a woman about her ass if it looked good, thought Freya, not at all perturbed. Mr Chadwick had her half-revved up in just the one stroke.

"Why don't you drive the ship?"

"The word is steer or taking the helm and it's loosely called a boat, never a ship and can be called a yacht or more correctly a ketch. Harry maneuvers Mutiny with far greater skill than I do. We purchased it last year for just under $3,000,000 so it is not a plaything. Katherine didn't like the name Slippery Moon so wanted to re-register her as Eros 'o the Sea. I thought that was the dumbest name afloat and said I'd never step on it if she called it that. She accused me of mutiny and we kinda took to that name."

"Why was Katherine having on the say on a vessel you purchased?"

"She put up 60% of the purchase price including her half share in our 38ft sloop we traded. I'm only a structural engineer with my own small business and could not afford that kind of money. Katherine earns mega as she is a cosmetic surgeon."

"Oh, no wonder she looks really great -- pals do the work on her?"

"Shhhhh. Katherine likes people to think its her natural look and shape."

Alec stepped closer and ran his hand down Freya's other flank. "Nothing to nip and tuck there. Great body. Mind if I slip in to your cabin tonight?"

"I-I sleeping with Taylor."

"Oh lucky Taylor."

Horrified at the thought the entire family was incestuous Freya caught Alec's sly gin and realized a man with naughty humor had teased her. Perhaps the whole family was like that?

"Go down the companionway that runs under the pilothouse to the saloon where the girls will be making snacks and preparing cocktails. We'll crowd into the pilothouse and have refreshments with Harvey."

"I'm sorry I took an hour out of your cruising time Alec, plus the time here."

"That's fine, no problem. But you must understand that if you motor for an hour back to dock if will take another hour to motor back to where you were so that's two hours more or less, depending on tide and wind.

"Oh God, I've really messed up you guys."

"Darling the girls couldn't wait to see you and Harvey would have committed mutiny if I said we're not going back."

"How can you pull rank?"

"I'm the only person aboard licensed as a sailing master. What I say goes."

As Freya entered the luxuriously appointed and spacious saloon Katherine rushed up to her and hugged her. "I've been so anxious to see you. Actually Harvey muttered an excellent description, surprisingly accurate in fact."

Katherine pulled Freya down on to the sofa and renewed her hug. Katherine began brushing back Freya hair just like her own mother did during intimate moments sitting together. Katherine looked and smelled lovely and Freya wished she could hug her.

"Hug me if you wish darling. I'd like that. I really want to make up to you for the way that son of my treated you so callously."

"He-he didn't. I was consumed by something, jealously I supposed, when I suddenly learned he'd been married. It was so sad for him and I was a real cow walking away from him like that. I-I'd never considered f-falling in love with a married man. I hurtled into despair."

"That's exactly how I'd felt and I told him that," Taylor called.

"I thought my son had more class than to tell a lovely young woman after he'd seduced her that he'd been married."

"They haven't fucked mom."

Katherine looked at Freya in astonishment. "Is that true?"

"Yes. On the wharf outside not fifteen minutes ago was the first time he'd really kissed me. You must understand. I'm hesitant about any new man I date and jumping into bed with him is the last thing I want to do until I'm sure about him. With Harvey he had me at sixes and sevens from the moment we met. He came in behind me in a café. I was wearing a very short skirt and while trying to decide what to order I unconsciously scratched my butt quite high up and raised my skirt in the process."

"And he said nice butt," Katherine giggled. "He learned that from his father as a young boy. Well I can tell you this, he told us that you had him off-balance from the moment your met. He was unable to anticipate what you'd say or do next. He said he'd been fascinated by you and ended up with a desire for you that went deeper than sex."

"And then I fled."

"It wasn't your fault darling. You were confused and no doubt more than a little distraught. I berated him for not making a determined effort to win you back."

Taylor cut in. "He said if you wanted to build fences you'd come looking for him."

"Hush dear."

"No, it's okay Katherine. He said that very thing to me after my arrival at the airport this afternoon when I called him. That riled me and I readily admit that. But deep down I knew I had to make the play because two years ago he was hit by a terrible tragedy. He says he's over it but I wonder if you ever are. I figured he'd been hurt once and with me pulling away from him just because he had been married he would think to pursue her was a poor option as with that woman he could be hurt again."

"Oh God," Katherine breathed. "You know, you probably are right. You now have to decide if the pursuit is worth it."

"Yes, exactly."

Taylor said softly, "If he's not interested I will be."

"Taylor."

"Calm down mom. Freya is a real honey."

Katherine let go of Freya in shock. She sighed. "Come on you two, up to the pilothouse."

It wasn't all that crowded up there and Freya kissed Freya and with a delightful shock felt his tongue tip brush her teeth. She parted her teeth but too late.

The atmosphere was jovial and Freya felt included. When Alec entered the first thing he did was to say to Freya it was great having her aboard and run a hand down her ass, watched by his family. When he lifted to make a second stroke Katherine said sternly, "Alec!" He moved away scratching his ear and scanned the horizon ahead of them.

Later Taylor took Freya to their cabin and said she couldn't wait to see Freya nude.

Freya broached the subject carefully. "Taylor, I am a little at a loss. You and your family seem, well, to have a bit of a fixation on sex."

"We do?" Taylor asked, looking genuinely puzzled. "All I know is we have a relaxed attitude about not and are not uptight like some families are. We thank mom for our liberalization. Her father was a country vet and she grew up watching animals mate and from what she told me her father and his second wife, her mother, were often doing it in the kitchen when she walked in. For a number of years she thought that was normal behavior. She met and married dad and told me she had a torrid time with him -- initially he'd only play with her in the dark."

"Wow, that must have been a shock."

"It must have been," Taylor said, lightly palming Freya's left breast in the rather cramped cabin. "I had real sex for the first time a few days after my high school graduation. I was modeling for mom's older brother Paul, the well-known portrait painter Paul Bradshaw. When we finished for the morning -- he only paints in the morning -- Uncle Paul fucked me. Look."

Taylor opened the louvered door of the small wardrobe and pulled aside hanging clothes. Freya saw what she considered was a highly erotic and beautifully-executed painting of a young woman, head obviously over the side of the bed, small breasts, beautiful skin and the body viewed from the ankles was covered in sweat and deposits on her tummy and almost up to her breasts.

"He's painted me several times, all have been sold, but Uncle Paul gave me this as a keepsake."

"Ohmigod, it's you."

"Yes, but when I was eighteen. As you can see my tits have blossomed since then. Mom makes me keep it out of sight because she says some visitors who come aboard would not be able to cope seeing splats of cum on my body. At home I used to keep it in my bedroom wardrobe and mom had a spotlight installed. She knows art and says its one of our best paintings and if I sold it at auction I'd probably get more than $20,000 for it."

In bed that night after they anchored in the dark in the lee of an island and had very late dinner, Freya allowed her breasts to be kissed by Taylor who was a blonde with brown roots and a year older than her. Already Freya was more relaxed about Taylor and had actually pushed her breasts forward when Taylor had asked if she could kiss them. Taylor then gave her a moist kiss -- it was lovely -- and said, "When you get to know me you'll allow me to kiss your pussy." Freya rather doubted that. They turned over and wriggled so their bare butts touched and settled down to sleep. Thoughts about the Macdonald family crowded Freya's mind but the gentle rocking and the slap-slap of water against the hull took her into early sleep.

The next thing she knew she was being beautifully kissed awake and thought, Taylor you wench. But it was Katherine.

"Wake up darling. We have a brilliantly fine day."

Yawning Freya felt behind her. "Where's Taylor."

"She's been up for an hour to join the guys fishing off the fold-away landing platform at the stern to catch our breakfast. She's down in the gallery grilling the fish. Come on, have a quick shower and join us for breakfast."

"What does Taylor work at?"

"She paints, fulltime and has done so since graduating in fine arts. Portraits. It's a steep learning curve and I sustain her financially She has a great interest in bodies and will want to paint you."

"Nude?"

"Portraits dear, head and shoulders, fully clothed but with breast peep. She is beginning to receive the occasional good review but from no one of note as yet. She is a rather uninhibited young woman and may touch you. If it's a problem one of you can sleep in the saloon."

"No it's fine. Does she only like women?"

"You mean lesbian women?"

Freya nodded.

"God no, she's too busy pulling the pants off men."

After breakfast Freya and Harvey cleared away and the other three went ashore. Freya assumed Katherine had set her up. When they'd finished she said, "Care to show me your parent's cabin. It looks huge.

The bed had been made. Freya lay on it and held out her hand. Harvey jointed her and they kissed and he appeared rather interested in that. She snared one of his hands and placed it on her breast. He didn't pull away but may as well as because it remained passive. She sighed and they talked. At last they began discussing their situation.