Nereids Ch. 09

"God, you really are insatiable tonight," he said softly.

"Mmm hmm. Being with you does it to me. Now, are you going to decide? Or do you want me to?"

He shook his head in disbelief. But he knew better than to call her bluff, so he gestured for her to mount him.

With a grin, she swung her leg over his hips. She slid onto him easily.

Unlike the first time—Actually, the second time, she through wryly, but who's counting?—they took their time and made love slowly. He held her to his chest, her breasts flattened against him. He rocked his hips, moving himself within her. After a while she began moving her own hips, pressing her clit against the hard base of his shaft.

She came quietly, hugging him with an intensity that would've hurt a smaller man. When she came to her senses, she felt an overwhelming love for him. She buried her face in the hollow of his neck, waves of pleasure still surging through her body. She inhaled the scent of him and kissed his neck gently. He wrapped his arms around her and she felt him kiss her hair.

Timeless, disconnected minutes passed, and she eventually realized that he was still hard within her. Her pussy was sensitive, but she began moving atop him, moving just enough for him to feel it. He cupped her ass and began rocking his hips, gently driving himself into her. He tensed up, and she felt him fill her.

They held each other for a long moment, and then she kissed the side of his neck again. She rested her head on his shoulder, the sweat drying on their bodies in the cool air.

"I love you," she whispered.

He didn't answer with words. Instead, he stroked her hair and began rubbing her back.

She luxuriated in the feeling of his fingertips—normally so strong and powerful—as they caressed her back, sending shivers down her spine.

She didn't ask if she could sleep with him. She already knew the answer, so she closed her eyes and drew a deep, satisfied breath.

**

Jack buried himself as deep as he could and gasped as he emptied his balls into Susan. She clutched his arms, her legs wrapped around his to hold him inside her. When his orgasm subsided he flopped to the mattress beside her, completely exhausted.

"Oh, my," she said quietly.

He couldn't even muster the energy to reply, and simply blew softly.

With a weary groan, she draped herself over him, her body hot and slick with sweat. "Oh, my," she said again, a mere whisper. "We should eavesdrop more often."

He swallowed to moisten his mouth and nodded silently. Then he grinned to himself. Listening to David and Beth had gotten him worked up a second time, and fantasies of Susan and Beth together had done for a third.

He was dead tired, though, from three days of hard work and three hours of intense sex. Still, visions of Susan and Beth filled his imagination as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**

Jack blinked awake and smelled fresh coffee. Susan was still asleep beside him, and the sky was just beginning to lighten in the east. He rose and dressed quietly. When he closed the cabin door behind him, he realized that Beth was still asleep in the port berth. The sheet clung to her, revealing the curve of...

He paused. He wanted to see her body, but he wasn't going to do it when she was asleep, so he politely fixed his eyes ahead.

"Mornin'," he said to David when he reached the galley.

David poured him a cup of coffee by way of greeting.

"How'd you sleep?"

David flashed a thumbs-up. Then he silently tossed his head, with a look that said, "You?"

"Fine, thanks." Jack grinned. "When I got to sleep, that is."

David answered with sheepish smile.

"The... uh... the lack of privacy doesn't bother you, does it?"

David shook his head. He was like this sometimes, Jack thought—he didn't talk much, but that didn't mean he didn't communicate.

Aloud, Jack asked, "It doesn't bother Beth, does it?"

A shrug, but then a considered headshake.

"Good. I'd hate for her to feel uncomfortable."

David smiled, grateful.

"And I'm sorry we don't have a double berth for you, but..." He felt his face warm. "Well... you didn't seem to mind."

A guilty grin.

Jack cleared his throat diffidently. He didn't mind talking about sex, but it was awkward with another man. He couldn't understand how women could blithely share intimate details with each other. So, with a soft snort, he turned to business.

"I thought we'd take advantage of shore power while we can," he said. The Nereid's water heater ran on a 110-volt line from the marina, but it was a dockside luxury they'd have to live without once they set sail. "The water isn't as hot as an aircraft carrier's, but it's better than nothing."

"We'll survive," David said, breaking his silence. "I don't know about the girls, though. Beth likes her hot showers."

Jack laughed. "So does Susan. What a surprise, huh?"

David grinned.

"Anyway," Jack continued, "I was thinking... after we shower, it'd be nice to have Sunday brunch ashore. Sort of a farewell meal, since it'll be the last one we don't cook for ourselves for a while."

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

"You wanna shower first?" Jack asked.

"You go ahead. I'm going to have another cup of coffee and go up on deck."

With a nod, Jack drained his cup and headed forward.

**

Beth woke to the sound of the shower. She was snuggly warm and didn't want to get up, even though she was alone in the bunk.

David must be in the shower, she thought. She was tempted to join him, but she didn't want to move. She wasn't exactly sore from the night before, but lying in bed just seemed so much easier than getting up.

The shower stopped.

Too late now, she thought. Still, I could join him as he dries off.

She'd just thrown off her covers when the bathroom door opened.

"Oh, sorry," Jack said suddenly, looking away. "I thought you were still asleep."

"That's okay," Beth said. She thought about covering herself, but decided to be adventurous instead. He was still gazing at the floor, so she stood and stretched. She wanted him to look at her, but he wasn't cooperating. She stepped closer and gestured at the bathroom. "May I...?"

"Oh, sure," Jack said. He moved out of the way and she stepped into the small bathroom.

She wanted to linger, but she couldn't do it without seeming obvious, so she shut the door. But then she smiled—she'd seen the look in his eye.

She rolled her eyes at her antics. I'm turning into Susan, she thought wryly.

"Is that such a bad thing?" she asked aloud.

**

Jack closed the cabin door and slid into bed behind Susan.

"Oh, my," she said languidly, still half asleep. "What's gotten into you this morning? First last night, and now this?"

He reached between her legs and felt for her clit. She moaned softly when he found it. He ground his erection against her ass and she pressed back against him. She quickly warmed to his touch, her juices coating his fingers.

When she was wet enough, he slid into her from behind. She gasped softly as he began thrusting. He kissed her neck again and reached for her breast. Her nipple hardened in his palm and he squeezed gently.

He came quicker than he wanted to, but she didn't seem to mind. She simply draped herself across him when he rolled to his back.

"Mmm, that was nice," she said softly.

His chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing, but she hardly seemed winded. He chuckled to himself—of course, she barely had time to get worked up.

Jack imagined Beth's body again, although he felt guilty about it. It felt wrong to think about another woman so soon after he'd had sex with his wife. Unfortunately, he couldn't help himself.

He replayed the scene in his mind. It's almost like she wanted me to see her. Even though he'd been trying not to, he'd gotten a good look out of the corner of his eye.

Beth's tan had faded to a light bronze, but like Susan, she didn't have tan lines. Unlike Susan, she had a neat triangle of pubic hair. His mind's eye traveled up the memory of her body, over her smooth stomach to her breasts and pinkish-tan nipples, soft and inviting. His dick twitched.

"You can wake me up like that anytime," Susan said softly.

He smiled and tried to forget the sight of Beth's body. He couldn't, though, and his dick hardened when Susan idly caressed it.

"Again?" she said, but didn't wait for an answer. She knew his reactions, so she crawled between his legs.

She gave his dick an experimental kiss and then moaned softly. "I love tasting myself on you," she said, her voice low and husky.

She began sucking in earnest, and he did his level best not to fantasize about Beth.

**

After brunch, they stopped at a farmer's market for fresh produce. When they returned to the boat, Jack and David topped the water tanks while the women stored the fruit and vegetables in the galley's DC-powered cooler.

The day was overcast, and the weather service reported a steady northwest wind blowing at eighteen to twenty knots. The Nereid might be a cruiser, but she had racing blood in her, and Jack was eager to test her speed in the fresh breeze.

"What's the word, hummingbird?" he called toward the open hatchway.

Beth stuck her head out and smiled when she saw him.

Jack felt a rush of desire, but suppressed it quickly.

"I think we have everything," she said. "Susan and I have gone over our list again, but you can double check if you want."

He shook his head. "If you two are happy, then I'm happy."

She smiled again—

God, she has the most beautiful smile!

—and disappeared below.

He tried to put Beth out of his mind as he called forward to David, who was working at the bow. He finished what he was doing and came aft.

"Ready when you are, Skipper," David said. Then he began humming the tune from Gilligan's Island.

Jack gave him a hard look.

David grinned smugly.

Jack decided to tease back: "Okay. But if I'm the skipper, you know who that makes you... Right, little buddy?"

The humming died abruptly.

"Right," Jack drawled, "I thought you'd see it my way."

"Aye, aye."

Jack grew serious. "With this wind," he said, glancing up, "we'll have to back on a spring." He paused to consider the web of mooring lines that held the boat fast to the dock. "Single up to one bow line, one stern line, and the stern spring on a bight."

Susan and Beth came on deck.

"What can we help with?" Beth asked.

"You can help David with the mooring lines," Jack said to her. "You take them in when he casts them off. All right?"

She nodded and then headed forward as David leapt to the dock.

"Is there anything I can do?" Susan asked.

"Sit here and keep me company," Jack said, nodding at the cockpit benches. He dropped into the after cockpit.

"It seems weird," she said, "not having anyone at the dock to wave us off."

"Uh-uh. It's bad luck." He started the engine and tested the transmission in Ahead. The water churned behind the boat and he shifted to Astern. Satisfied, he shifted to Neutral.

"Bad luck?" Susan said.

"Singled up fore and aft," David reported.

He ignored Susan for a moment and called to David, "Cast off forward."

"Cast off forward, aye."

"Cast off aft," Jack said a moment later.

David cast off the stern mooring line and tossed it aboard. The boat began to drift away from the dock, held only by the stern spring line. He scrambled up the steps and leapt across the short distance to the Nereid's deck. He immediately headed forward to coil and stow the mooring lines Beth had brought in.

"Bad luck to have friends wave you off," Jack said to Susan, picking up where he'd left off. "Bad luck to leave on a Friday, too."

She looked dubious.

"I don't make this stuff up," he said. "Sailors are a superstitious lot."

She rolled her eyes.

"You think I'm just being silly," he said, "but we wouldn't've left on Friday, even if we'd been ready. Trust me. I may not put much stock in sailors' superstitions, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna flout 'em."

He pulled the transmission lever to Astern and nudged the throttle. With a displacement of sixteen tons, the Nereid barely moved. He nudged the throttle again and felt her shudder with movement. She finally eased back, and the spring line grew taut. The boat's stern crabbed toward the dock while the bow swung away. When she'd turned enough, Jack shifted to Ahead. The boat checked her way and began to glide away from the dock.

"Prepare to take in the spring line," he called to David, who echoed the order.

Jack chopped the throttle and pulled the transmission to Neutral. He didn't want the propeller spinning with a line in the water. After all, a fouled shaft was the last thing he wanted.

He gave the order and David reeled in the dripping line. "All clear," he said at last.

"All clear, aye," Jack said. He shifted to Ahead and eased the throttle forward. The boat gathered way, headed toward the mouth of the marina. "Here we go."

David stowed the fenders and then dropped into the cockpit. He put his arm around Beth and sighed.

Jack felt the same way. He had the wind in his hair and the scent of the ocean in his nostrils. He pulled Susan close. Her body felt good next to his, warm and soft.

He began whistling a shanty.

Sally, she's a pretty little craft, Sharp to the fore and rounded aft.

**

Once they cleared the marina, Jack turned the bow into the wind.

"Prepare to set the main," he said.

"Prepare to set the main, aye," David said, already casting loose the gaskets. A minute later he stood at the winch.

"Set the main!"

David cranked and the mainsail rose smartly, fluttering in the breeze. The wind was chilly, especially with the sun behind the clouds, but the weather report promised clear skies and warmer temperatures to the south.

Susan and Beth watched the mainsail rise, but Jack kept a lookout for nearby boats. San Diego Harbor was a busy place, especially with all the weekend sailors who were taking advantage of the wind.

Several smaller yachts were sailing off the port beam, probably racers out for an afternoon competition. Since the Nereid was cruising under power, the sailboats had the right of way, so Jack bore away to starboard when the main was set. He trimmed the sail and then killed the engine.

"Prepare to set the jib," he called forward.

"Prepare to set the jib, aye."

He gave the order.

The sail was light enough to raise by hand, although David had wrapped the halyard around the winch to make it easer to haul. When he came aft to tend the jib sheets, Jack glanced at the racers.

The smaller boats would run clear in a few minutes, and Nereid could come about and cross their wake. He kept an eye on them, gauging their progress.

"Ready about," he boomed at last.

"Ready," David said.

"Ready about," he called again, glancing at Susan and Beth. They'd struck up a conversation, and weren't paying a bit of attention to him. He felt a moment's irritation, but quickly shook it off.

Why wouldn't they talk to each other and tune out the back-and-forth of working the boat? After all, they didn't know he wanted them to pay attention now.

He chuckled to himself. He'd had the same problem when he first became an instructor pilot. Then as now, he had to remind himself not to lose his temper simply because someone didn't know what to do. He shook his head at his own impatience.

He still had plenty of sea room ahead, so he decided to wait to come about. He consciously relaxed and put on his instructor's face.

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies," he said.

They fell silent and looked back at him.

"We're going to come about in a minute or two," he said. "When we're ready to turn, I'll call 'Ready about.'"

Beth blushed. "Sorry."

Susan looked puzzled. "For what?"

"I knew that," Beth said. "We were supposed to say 'Ready.'"

Jack nodded for Susan's benefit. "When I call 'Ready about,' it's really a question. I need to make sure everyone aboard knows we're about to turn. When we do, lots of things will happen at once, and some of them can be dangerous if you're not paying attention."

"Like what?" Susan asked.

"Like the boom knocking you overboard," David said evenly.

"Oh."

"Yep," Jack said. "That's why the helmsman lets everyone know what he's about to do. That's also why David and I talk to each other as we work the boat. I call an order and he repeats it, so we know we're on the same frequency. If I shout 'Ready about' and I don't hear 'Ready,' then I won't turn the boat."

The women nodded seriously.

"So you don't need to pay attention to everything we say, but it's a good idea to listen with half an ear." A thought occurred to him and he grinned. "Think of us as your children: when we get loud, you need to pay attention."

"You pay attention to children when they get quiet," Susan said wryly, "but I understand."

"Okay," he conceded with a grin. "But when I shout 'Ready about,' you need to make sure you're clear of the boom and ready for the turn."

They nodded.

"I won't turn till I hear from everyone, so take your time and make sure you're really ready. Okay?"

"We're sorry, Captain Jack," Susan said. "Let's try again."

She was teasing him, and he felt a stab of irritation. This is serious, he thought peevishly. She wasn't some student pilot he could rake over the coals, so he swallowed his frustration and scanned the surrounding ocean.

"Ready about," he said again, his voice pitched to carry.

"Ready," the women chorused.

Jack didn't move. Instead, he skewered David with a pointed look.

The man grinned, insufferably wry. "Ready, aye."

Jack glanced heavenward and tried to appear long-suffering.

The women laughed, and he felt his exasperation drain away.

"Helm's alee," he called at last.

He turned the wheel and the boat came about, quick and responsive. David re-sheeted the jib and she gathered way, white water racing along the leeward rail as she heeled. Point Loma sheltered them from the full force of the wind, but they were already making better than five knots.

How could I possibly be annoyed on a day like today? Jack asked himself.

He glanced at Susan and she apologized with her eyes.

Me too, he said silently.

She understood.

He closed his eyes and listened to the song in the rigging. He breathed the sea air, fresh and sharp. The Nereid surged beneath him, and he felt the life in her as she sped toward the open ocean.

**

Copyright © 2006 Nick Scipio. All rights reserved.