Alison Found

Fortunately, the passage had been uneventful. I'd spent most of the time sharing duty at the wheel with Mandy. Ali became our 'Girl Friday', eager to learn the ropes and become a true part of the crew. At first, Mandy and Paul were nervous around her, the reality she was just a woman, not a goddess, took a while to sink in.

''Lost Girl' was a surprisingly easy yacht to sail; the previous owners had ordered every option to aid sailing available they could think of. There was motorized this and that, roller reefing on the main and jib, power winches; you name it, they'd thought about it. It meant that in pinch I could sail her single-handed. I'd tried it a few times, and the trips had wiped me out. That was the prime reason I'd gotten into the habit of hiring a crew member for any trip scheduled to last longer than a day.

The harbor side restaurant was the source of the wonderful aroma of cooking on open fires that drew us like bees to honey. They were grilling a selection of seafood over charcoal, and joints of goat were roasting in a wood-fired oven.

Ali groaned as she settled in her chair at the table. "Christ, I don't know how the rest of you cope with this," she stated. "I'm completely exhausted. I thought acting was a hard job, but this..."

Mandy laughed, "This was nothing, and 'Girl' is an easy yacht to sail. Try raising a wet mainsail in the middle of a storm, then you'll understand hard, Ali."

It took Ali a moment to realize that Mandy was serious, and she groaned again.

"Welcome to my world, love," I told her. "Somehow I guess you thought I just laze about on my boat writing the odd story."

She gave me a guilty look telling me I was close.

I gave her a smile, "Well it isn't that far from the truth. Usually, I only sail for half a day, then find somewhere to moor up and spend a couple of days relaxing."

Mandy and Paul smiled as Ali said, "I'm not complaining, love; yes I'm stiff and sore but I'm the happiest I've been for years, and the smell of the food is driving me crazy. Can we order please?" She gave me a kiss.

We asked the waiter to bring us a selection of their best dishes and a couple of bottles of the local red wine to wash the food down. As we talked and joked about it took me a while to notice that there was a difference in Ali's behavior. Gone were the wary glances, the subtle looks in the direction of her security team. Her face had lost its closed expression, and finally, the girl I remembered was looking back at me.

Speaking of Ali's security team, their boat had arrived about twenty minutes after us and had moored on the other side of the marina. I had seen David and one of his team walking into town earlier and then nothing. If they were around I couldn't see them, David had said they'd keep in the background and it looked like that was the case.

Ali's laugh drew me back; she and Mandy were laughing at a story Paul was telling. Our first dishes were placed in front of us, and a silence fell over the table as we did the food the justice it deserved.

"Is this what it's going to be like for the whole trip," Ali asked after she sucked the juices from the head of the last of the grilled shrimp on her plate.

"Pretty much, though usually, I don't sail for so many hours each day unless I have to. Usually, it's only 4 or 5 hours at most, then find a nice place to anchor for the night. I'll be able to write a few column inches for one of the travel magazines about this place. That's how I travel around, find an interesting place, stay for a day or so and hopefully cover my expenses by writing an article."

"You do know I'm rich," Ali murmured. "Neither of us need to ever work another day."

"And how long before we would both be bored to tears. I don't need to do this; I get enough from the books to live on, but then this is so much fun; I get to do my two most favorite things, sailing, and writing, and get paid for it."

"Just those two things?" Ali said coyly.

"Well, no," and I paused. "There's also the opportunity to eat and drink in these amazing locations."

"Idiot," Mandy snorted.

"What?" I said defensively, and Paul laughed.

"Oh, you mean I get to do it with my girlfriend. Well, of course, that's a bonus."

Ali wiggled her ring finger at me.

"Hmm yes," I continued, "I mean my fiancé, who I don't think I could live without."

"Nice catch," Paul offered and raised his hand for a high five.

Our hands slapped, and I finished my glass of wine as the waiter removed our empty plates. Fresh plates piled high with succulent slices of roast goat and rice appeared as though by magic. A fresh bottle of wine was opened, and Ali shifted on her chair so she could rest her head on my shoulder.

"I can't remember feeling so relaxed for years," she whispered in my ear. "Thank you for letting me come with you. I want this time to prove to you that while I'm older, underneath everything, I'm still the same girl who was in love with you."

God, I hoped she was telling me the truth, but there was still a niggling doubt at the back of my mind.

The taste of roast goat matched the tantalizing aromas that had been teasing us since we sat down. It wasn't long before our plates were empty and we were mopping up the juices with the last of the bread.

Later that night we moved in counterpoint to the rhythmic motion of the boat as our sweating bodies rocked and slid against each other. Moving in harmony to a mutual conclusion that left us gasping out our love for each other. Ali curled into me, one leg resting across mine. Her head on my shoulder with an outstretched arm lying across me. Her eyes shut, and her panting calmed until her little sighs told me she was asleep.

Our pace slowed to match the rhythm of the water and wind. Sailing one day and then staying put ready to explore until the wanderlust took hold and we moved on, ready to repeat the cycle.

During these idyllic days, two different relationships blossomed, and it was the second for which I was most grateful. I'd hoped that our time together free from the insanity of the press and the pressure of her lifestyle would allow us the freedom to connect and re-establish our feelings for each other. It took a few days, but soon it was as though the intervening years had faded away and we were back where we'd been as teenagers.

More importantly, Ali took to a life on the water like the proverbial duck. It was as though sailing was in her blood. Her designer clothes quickly gave way to casual, comfortable ones. When we were out to sea, her uniform of the day was a bikini, an example that Mandy was more than happy to follow. She only needed to be shown what to do around the yacht one time, and her confidence grew by leaps and bounds, matching, and then surpassing Paul's skills in a couple of days, while reaching a par to Mandy's sailing skills after a week.

We were ten days into the trip, cruising along the Italian coastline, still following the pattern of sailing one day and resting the next. I'd thrown out my timetable and was enjoying watching Ali's emersion into my world. Oh, she was still keeping in touch with Lucy whenever her phone could pick up a signal, but from what I could gather, she was sticking to her guns and not considering any roles or engagements for the foreseeable future.

That morning, we'd left the cove where we had been anchored for the past day, and 'Lost Girl' surged as her twin bows broke through the rolling waves. Our goal was the marina at Leuca, where we were going to stay a few days before making the crossing to Corfu.

Ali and Mandy were sunbathing on the foredeck. Both were topless, Mandy hated the idea of tan lines on her breasts, and it hadn't taken Ali long to follow suit. A foray into a fashion store at the first large town we had stayed at, had yielded a catch of micro bikinis the pair of them deemed suitable to tease their men. Paul and I wisely stocked up on numerous pairs of loose shorts to accommodate our almost permanent erections. Both girls were turning a golden brown, the indistinct tan lines on their asses were an indication that the tiny scraps of cloth masquerading as bikini bottoms were considered an optional accessory when we were out of sight of other boats.

Mandy and Paul were quick to understand Ali's concern that no photographs of her were posted anywhere. She had no objection to them taking photos of us as a group, but asked that they don't take any that could be misconstrued, and not post until they were back home.

As she explained to them, "I think of both of you as friends, and I understand you'd like to have memories of this trip. But if the press find out where I am, they'd be circling us in hired boats 24/7, and we'll never get any peace! I don't mind you posting suitable photos of us in the future, but I don't want anything to disturb us now."

Mandy admitted, "I have a couple of us sunbathing, I'll delete them if you want."

"Thank you for offering,' Ali said, "but it's fine, I trust you. Just keep them for yourself, but please don't post them or store them in the cloud. To make life easier for all of us, I'll get David to add encryption software to your phones at our next stop. There's a cool encrypted message app we can use to keep in touch."

Paul was at the wheel, and I was using the binoculars to scan the horizon for the yacht David and his team were using. It had taken me a few days and several late night talks for me to really understand how rich and well known Ali was, and how necessary her security team was for her safety. She'd been staring in films for the past eight years; how I'd never seen her in one before that fated flight still confounds me.

Her stepfather had been very astute and had steered her through the many pitfalls that befall many a young actress. He'd got her an agent who put Ali's interests first, I would have thought that was their role but apparently not! Hers was one of the best in the business and had offered her astute investing advice. Her fortune had grown to the point it apparently equaled the annual gross national product of at least one small African country

David's boat, the 'Xander,' was where I'd expected it to be, running about five miles to our rear. A second larger yacht was a couple of miles further back from them, running a parallel course, a mile or so closer to the coastline. Its track on the radar seemed to indicate it was heading for the same destination as us and at its speed, it would probably overhaul us in about an hour or so.

A pair of sweet almond scented arms wrapped themselves around my waist. I felt two hard nipples press into my back and a pair of lips kiss the nape of my neck. We both swayed, matching the rhythm of the 'Girl' as she met the low rolling swell bow on. We were under full sail and doing a good ten knots.

"Have I told you how much I love you," the woman behind me whispered into my ear.

"Not for the last half hour, so I was beginning to think you were turning gay again."

Ali gave a soft giggle and spun me around so I could gaze into her striking blue eyes. The giggle morphed into a kiss that left me breathless.

"Idiot," apparently her favorite name for me as she called me that at least once every hour. "Mind you, if I were still that way inclined I'd love to taste Mandy's sweet lips and those nipples of hers." She licked her lips and smiled at my startled expression.

"Oh come on I've seen you look at her; she's a gorgeous girl."

She was correct, and the girl's beauty wasn't just skin deep. In a way she was the mirror image of Ali, their bodies were remarkably similar, but where Ali had long straight blonde hair, Mandy's was black, shoulder length and wavy. Their eyes were at opposite ends of the spectrum. The same with their natural skin color, Ali was a creamy white while Mandy had hints of her Mediterranean roots. Although now, the sun had evened out the playing field and both were a pale golden brown.

"She is," I admitted.

"Is that why you employed her?"

"I also employed her boyfriend," I pointed out to her, then I gave her a cheeky grin. "Mind you, the fact she's great on the eyes is a definite plus, but no, to answer your question; it was her sailing skills that got her the job." I tried to look innocent, and she gave me one of those looks that told me I'd failed miserably.

We sat down on one of the padded benches that ran on either side of the rear deck. It was difficult to concentrate as Ali leaned backward, beads of sweat glistening like diamonds as they caught the sunlight, her nipples and areola twin distractions as she wriggled as close to me as possible. I tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, she raised her face, seeking and getting a kiss.

"Is this what you were looking for?"

"It's everything I'd hoped for. Look at me, the last time I was close to feeling this free I was hiding away on a private island, and even then I had to be wary of the staff. Or the other guests," she added bitterly, then shook her head when I started to ask what she meant.

I made a mental note to ask David or Lucy if they knew what she was alluding to.

"I love it here, with you," and she stood and sat back down on my lap facing me, her legs tucked up either side of me. She gazed into my eyes and asked earnestly, "Do you believe me when I tell you I love you?"

I did, at that moment the last of my reservations blew away in the breeze. I'd asked her to marry me, but it had almost felt as though I was attempting to fulfill a destiny from my past, to claim the girl who'd got away. Now I could see our future as lines on a chart, mapping out our lives.

"Yes," was my answer.

"Ladies," Paul called out. "You might want to cover up; there's a yacht that's going to pass us in a few minutes."

I looked in the direction he was pointing. The motor yacht I'd seen earlier had apparently picked up speed and was now less than a kilometer behind us and looked like it would pass us a couple of hundred meters to starboard. It was a 60 meter 'Gin palace,' sleek lines and walls of tinted windows.

Mandy joined us, and both of the women had pulled on tee-shirts. Mandy shaded her eyes with her hand and gave the approaching boat a careful studied examination.

"I don't recognize her," she said. "Can you make out the name?" this was addressed to Paul who had a pair of binoculars raised to his eyes.

"Not from this angle, we'll be able to read it off the stern as it passes."

He passed me the binoculars, and I used them to examine the yacht. It took me a moment to work out what was odd. Usually, there would be numerous passengers in various stages of undress scattered across the decks, yet in this case, I could only see one tall man who was staring back at us through the large pair of binoculars that obscured most of his face. Other than following us with the glasses he made no move, even when I raised a hand acknowledging him.

I felt uneasy at his lack of response and called to Paul to steer a few degrees to port to increase the distance between the two yachts. I had unconsciously moved closer to the tracker and the emergency beacon control and was surprised to find where I was standing as the second yacht began pulling past.

"She's the 'Mirabelle,' out of Napoli," Mandy said when she could read the name on the stern. "I've never heard of her, have you, boss?"

"No," I admitted.

"I have a funny feeling I've seen her before," Ali said hesitantly. Then she shrugged and added, "I can't remember where, though."

We watched as the 'Mirabelle' as she drew ahead of us, water boiling at her stern as she rapidly pulled away. The further she drew away, the less the feeling of unease became.

Ali looked pensive, "I'm sure I've seen that boat before," she said again.

"Odd that there was nobody on deck, well other than that creepy guy with the glasses," Paul said.

"Yeah, he seemed to be very interested in us," Mandy replied.

"It was odd, I agree, I wonder if she's in transit and only the crew is on board," I offered.

The track of the 'Mirabelle' on the radar confirmed my earlier thought that she was also heading for the marina at Leuca. Usually, when we moored, David would moor the 'Xander' a reasonable distance from 'Girl' to give us a degree of privacy, yet close enough to respond if there was an issue. Not tonight I thought, I called him on the sat phone and proposed we moored closer together, admitting to him that something about the 'Mirabelle' had spooked me.

We entered the Leuca marina mid-afternoon on the motors, the wind having died away after lunch. It's not an enormous place; the town stretched back over a low hill and overlooked the marina. A squat stone and concrete seawall gave it protection from the winter storms.

The 'Mirabelle' was moored up against the seawall, a three-story monolith in black and white. Paul and I sailed the 'Girl' past her, and again I felt we were under intense scrutiny. We moored, stern in, on a pontoon on the far side of the marina. 'Xander' eased into a slot, 20 meters away.

As soon as the 'Xander's' lines were secure, David stepped ashore and headed in our direction. I acknowledged his wave of greeting and gestured for him to come onboard.

Ali dressed in a tee-shirt and shorts, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she gave me a questioning look.

"There's something about that boat that worries me," I told her. "I wanted to have a word with David about it."

She turned to him and asked quickly, "Should we be concerned?"

Before he answered, he gave the boat in question a close inspection. "It's a bit odd that a boat like that isn't heaving with the rich and beautiful. She's out of Napoli and currently on a two-month charter, and before you ask I can't find out who she's chartered to, but we are still trying."

"I'm sure I've seen her somewhere before," Ali said again.

"When, where?" David demanded. "It can't have been that long ago, she's was only launched a few years ago."

Ali shook her head. "If you don't recognize her, then it must have been when I was a guest on another boat, and you weren't needed."

David considered and nodded. "But that would mean she was in the Caribbean two years ago, because that's when you spent a month on Zoe's yacht."

"Or that six weeks I rented that tiny island; there were several boats anchored off that resort on the other island, I used the island's security so you could have a vacation." She paused concentrating, her face screwed up in thought. "That's it; I'm sure that's where I saw her. She was anchored there for several weeks or at least a boat that looked just like her," and she nodded in the direction of 'Mirabelle.'

Paul looked up from the laptop, he and Mandy were looking at. "If the boat you saw looked like that, then it was her. She's a Benetti design boat, and they only built one with that hull color. All the others are blue."

"Any clue as to who's chartered her?"

"Sorry," he told David. "The charter company's website just says that she is not available for charter until October when she will be relocated to the Caribbean for the winter season."

"It may be nothing, but I'll set up a security watch anyway," David said, "and if you are going to visit the town I'd like at least one of my guys with you at all times."

I think Ali thought I might complain, but I was happy to agree with David's suggestion. When the four of us went out that evening to find a restaurant we had an escort of two of the security team. The evening was uneventful. The food was good and the local wine excellent, and we were a very mellow group as we made our way back to our beds.