The Azure Cloud

This story follows Shannon from a Tale for the Middle Ages. This is the universe of Rob, Joanne and their young friend Shannon.

*****

The cab arrived in Falmouth Harbour, dropping me off beside what looked like a multi-unit building set out on a wharf. I could see a coffee shop and a sign pointing to a restaurant and bar on the second floor. Out on the water, mostly tied up to the dock, was a selection of really large boats, some with very tall masts and some obviously power only. The array of what was clearly significant wealth was spread out before me. What I had seen of Antigua on the ride in from the airport didn't look particularly well to do but clearly English Bay was a different story.

I pulled up my phone and texted the number I was given to contact upon arrival. Within a minute I received a reply asking me where I was and I texted back the coffee shop name. While waiting for my contact I watched a bunch of small zodiacs come in and jostle for position on the crowded dock. Being a girl from the Canadian Prairies, this scene was a fairly novel experience.

Sitting on a bench looking out over the water I was startled when a voice behind me asked in a very English accent, "Hello there, Doctor Lawrence, I presume?" Turning as the man moved around the bench, I smiled and replied, "That's me but I'm still getting used to the doctor part. Please call me Shannon."

"Welcome to Antigua Shannon. And may I say that your photo does not begin to do you justice."

The comment about my photo seemed a bit inappropriate but I responded, "Thank you... I think. And you are..."

"Pardon me, yes, my name is Martin. I'm the first lieutenant on the Azure Cloud and I will be happy to escort you to the ship. Let me take your bags and please follow."

I did just that. While following Martin I couldn't help but notice his crisp uniform of white shorts and blue polo shirt with the name of the ship on the breast pocket. But more of interest was how well his rear looked in the well tailored shorts. And his toned and tanned legs looked okay as well. I wondered how the rest of the crew measured up to the first lieutenant.

These thoughts led me wistfully to think of my current relationship situation, or really the relationship I was leaving, if you could really describe the connection I had with Rob and Joanne a 'relationship'. My two dearest friends while I was struggling through the rigours and torments of medical school and then internship and residency, were a big part of how I got through it all. They took care of all my emotional needs while I was at school and beyond.

And to be fully truthful, they took care of all my sexual needs during those difficult years. At first I felt like a needy child when they brought me into their bed and took care of me in all sorts of ways. And then, as our relationship deepened, I came to accept that the three way sex with my mature friends was enjoyed equally by Rob and Joanne.

I will never forget the generosity of Joanne in sharing her beautiful boyfriend with me. She would lay on her side, a small conspiratorial smile on her face while watching Rob and I fuck ourselves silly. And then when Rob, who was now well over fifty crashed out beside us I would try to make it up to Joanne by loving her and her body to the best of my ability. Neither of us were particularly into women but we formed a sexual bond that surprised and delighted both of us. I loved tasting her, kissing her, wrapping my body around her, massaging her breasts and vagina and bringing her to earth moving orgasms. And she did the same to me. I took as much sex from them as they would give me and I loved every minute of it.

It was now only a few days since we last spent an exhausting night fucking and loving each other and I missed them already. I made a note to text them as soon as possible that I had arrived safely. I would then text my parents the same info.

And in case you're wondering, no, my parents had no idea about the true nature of my relationship with my beloved middle aged friends. I had only shared the barest details with my closest girl friend back in Calgary. There was no point because, as Rob and Joanne sometimes reminded me, there was no future for us beyond friendship. I knew this to be true but it didn't lessen my love for them.

Martin led me out a long pier and we stopped beside a gorgeous blue hulled ship.

"Doctor Shannon, its a pleasure to welcome you aboard the Azure Cloud. Please step onto the ship." I walked the few steps up a ramp and stepped onto the spectacular sailboat. Everything gleamed in gold, teak or blue paint. I knew little about large ships outside of Rob's sailboat, but I certainly could recognize wealth when I saw it and this was crazy rich.

I knew almost nothing about the owners of the Azure Cloud. When I asked the interviewers they simply said the owners were three siblings involved in running the family business that was a holding company for an assortment of industrial, energy, technology and hotel businesses. Any further probing was met with deflections that it wasn't really important who they were. As physician on the boat I was told that I would probably not have much interaction with the owners even when they chose to sail on the ship, which I was told was infrequent. Lifestyles of the rich and famous I surmised when hearing this.

I was led around and introduced to the other staff members who, if I remember correctly, were a marine engineer, a chef, an assistant to the chef, two security personnel who doubled as deck hands when required, two domestic and cleaning staff, a masseuse and yoga instructor and a Captain, of course. More details on all of these crew members later.

The crew seemed surprised when I was introduced as the physician. Frankly, I was used to this. Firstly I was quite young, only twenty seven and I have always been told I look younger than my years. This is partially due to my height I believe. I am really quite short, or, as I prefer, the more polite term of 'diminutive' - ha ha! And not to blow my own horn, people, primarily men but not always, find me attractive. I don't consider myself vain but I do have long honey blonde hair, a curvy body and what I'm told are very pretty features. I found my beauty both an asset and a liability. The liability part is the fact that people don't always take me seriously as a physician. I see that attitude as sexist and unfair. I can't help the way I look.

My cabin, although quite small, was comfortable. It was also attached to a small examination, treatment and recovery room. After accepting the position, I listed the supplies and medicines I would require. I even researched sea sickness treatments for crew, owners, their guests and of course, myself. My quarters and the medical room was located mid ship for the comfort of patients I later found out. There were only a few days when the sea state was such that I felt a slight discomfort from the awkward motion of the boat. It was fairly stable, particularly when under sail.

Dinner that night and following days was spent in the company of the Captain, named Rolph, the Lieutenant Martin, the Marine Engineer, an Aussie named Brent and Brianna, the masseuse. I was a little bit surprised by the presence of Brianna, as I surmised the pecking order of the crew would normally place her with the lower orders of the hierarchy. But perhaps her tall, lithe figure, flowing chestnut hair and beautiful features moved her up to the head table, so to speak.

I found her a bit cool, to say the least. I put my antenna up figuratively speaking to catch any whiff of sexual tension. I detected some sideways glances at Brianna from Martin and Brent but she seemed aloof even from them. Dinner was followed by a tour of the boat and cocktails in the ship's lounge. I noticed the assistant chef, a young red head named Maeve watching with interest the interactions as she helped serving dinner and then cocktails. I was curious about her after she smiled warmly in my direction. Maeve looked friendly and I decided to track her down soon to find out some more info on the crew.

***

I got my chance late the next afternoon. The boat left for Guadeloupe in the morning where we were to meet one or more of the owners. Standing up at the bow of the ship, which was now under full sail, I was enjoying the beautiful Caribbean waves and water when a loudspeaker summoned me to the infirmary. Hurrying back, Maeve was sitting in the room holding a towel wrapped around her hand.

She sheepishly looked at me and said in a delightful Irish accent, "Sorry to trouble you Doctor Shannon, but I sliced my hand cutting up some vegetables."

"No worries, that's what I'm here for. And please, its Shannon," I said while unwrapping the towel off her hand. "Oh yes, you did indeed cut yourself. I'll clean it up a bit and lets try some steri strips first to hold the cut together. If necessary I'll sew you up if I have to."

As I worked I took in the red headed girl. She really was quite pretty in a natural sort of way. I was a bit bemused by my assessment of her. For so long I had my lovers and I didn't often think of other people. But now, without Rob and Joanne to take care of me, was I becoming needy again? And whats with taking in the woman in front of me?

In any event I was out to get some info from Maeve. I asked, "So Maeve, how long have you worked on the Azure Cloud?"

"This is my second Caribbean season. I go home to Ireland in the Spring and don't do the Mediterranean summer on the boat. I work in my family's pub for the summer."

I liked that she was forthcoming so I pursued with, "So, what about the others. Are they regular crew?"

"Rolf and Martin have been with the boat for some years. Brent, the engineer is on his second season as well."

"And how about Brianna? Whats her story," I said getting to the most curious part.

"Well, as you noticed, she gets to dine with the upper management," Maeve said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I wondered that. She must give a pretty good massage to make it to the Captain's table."

Maeve looked me in the eye, trying to decide where I was going and if I could be trusted. Slowly she continued, "Yes, legend has it, the massages are amazing. And the additional attention she gives to special people is amazing as well, I'm told."

"Hmm... She was pretty cool to me at dinner yesterday. Don't think I'm in line for a special massage. What about the guys?"

"Which one, Brent or Martin? And then there's the Captain of course."

And then with a twinkle in her eye she added, "We're you wondering if they give 'special' massages as well?"

Blushing a bit I confirmed, "Well I was more thinking the first two."

With a giggle Maeve said, "Right, well I wish I knew what their hands felt like, as part of a massage of course, but I haven't had the opportunity as yet. Brent is very reserved which I think just makes him hotter to me. What about you? What do you think of them?"

I now knew I was right about liking this girl. We were bound to be friends I believed. I answered her honestly, "Well, Martin was very charming when he brought me to the boat and introduced me around. He fits a pair of dress shorts rather well I might add. Brent seems the strong and silent type. Very good looking in his own way."

"Yeah, nice butt for sure on Martin. I'm frankly a bit smitten by Brent. He's more my type. Martin, though, only seems to have eyes for Briana but you, I would bet, could give her a run for it. "

"Me!" I said with some drama. "I don't think Briana and I are in the same league."

Maeve looked me up and down and then slowly shook her head, "I think you're underselling yourself. If I looked like you I would certainly go head to head with her."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. At this time I'm not sure what the game is or if I want in I'm just trying to figure out who's who. And by the way I hope we become friends."

"I would like that too," Maeve replied softly, looking me intently in the eye. I decided to press on.

"So, what about the owners? I assume rich bastards but what are they like? I'm thinking older to be that rich, right?"

"Well, we peasants only get to gawk from on far but no, they are fairly young. The brothers are around mid thirties. Grainger is the younger of the two, probably 33 and his older brother, James is maybe 36. Lia, their sister is about thirty."

"So, what are they like?" I was now very curious.

"Grainger seems like a jerk if you ask me - totally full of himself, arrogant to the core. James is a bit harder to read. There might even be a real human being in there somewhere but I really don't get very close to them outside of the dining room."

"Okay, and the sister?"

"Not really sure. One moment she seems like the total spoiled rich bitch and next she seems almost human. Can't figure her out yet either."

"Thanks for the intel. This should be fun having them around."

"You're welcome and by the way, if this conversation got back to any of them I would be walking the gangplank with a shot ball tied to my ankle."

"Just between you and me, my new girlfriend," I said with a laugh that Maeve shared as well. Yes, I was going to like this girl.

****

The Azure Cloud docked in the main port of Guadeloupe after circling to the west of the island and entering the harbour from the south. The sail across had been delightful in the steady moderate trade winds, or at least moderate from Martin's perspective. To me they seemed steady but quite strong. Martin said they were 22 knots which would have been a very windy day out on Lake Ontario in Rob's sailboat. Azure Cloud, which I gather was over 40 metres, had no problem in the breezes. She was a very sleek and beautiful boat.

Now we - meaning the crew and staff, including myself - were waiting for the owners to arrive. I was encouraged to be present when they boarded.

A limo pulled up to the dock - really who needs a limo on a small island - and a driver got out to open the left passenger door. A tall, lithe, dark haired woman stepped out and began her way towards the gang plank. I presumed this was the sister. Only one man emerged and I guessed this was Grainger, the younger brother.

And then two more women emerged from the limo. One was a tall leggy blond and the other a dark haired oriental who was much shorter than the blonde. From a distance they both looked very attractive and I couldn't help but wondered what their story was.

The two new women followed the first two who walked onto the ship like they owned it, which, of course, they probably did. There was no second man to be seen however.

The man stopped and addressed the crew, "Thank you all for bringing the boat over to Guadeloupe. And I see it looks to be in great shape. My sister and I and James, of course, are looking forward to the upcoming cruise." He let out a stiff laugh and added, "Well, when James decides to turn up, we will proceed with the cruise. Thank you again for greeting us and please don't let us keep you from your duties." I smirked at the last comment. It was very clear we had been dismissed by the royalty.

The man, who had to be Grainger by process of elimination, and his sister began to walk away when he caught my eye and stopped. Looking me up and down in a desultory fashion he asked, "I'm sorry, I don't believe we have met. Are you new to the cleaning staff."

Trying to control my annoyance, not that I had anything against being included with the domestic crew, however, I was was not charmed by his lofty attitude, I replied, "I'm Dr Lawrence, or as I prefer, Shannon. I'm the new physician on your boat."

"Ah yes, Lia here," replied Grainger, pointing to his sister, "was determined that we have a physician on board. On our last voyage one of the crew fell down a companionway and seriously injured his head and dislocated his shoulder. It was a very unpleasant experience. I do hope you know how to reduce a fracture or dislocation."

"Yes, done both, many times. A fracture is tricky without an x-ray but a shoulder is straight forward."

"Very good. You do know that you look quite young to be a doctor don't you," Grainger continued, eyeing me suspiciously. I was beginning to wonder if this job was a good idea or not if all I could expect was disdain from my employer. Fortunately, the sister stepped in.

"Shannon, I'm Lia by the way and its a pleasure to have you on board. I hope we get to know each other as the voyage goes on. Thank you for joining the crew."

"Yes, I agree, I'm looking forward to spending time on this beautiful boat."

Just then a noisy motorcycle bearing two riders roared up to the dock. A man got off the passenger seat and both riders took off their helmets. The driver of the bike was a beautiful Island girl who, when she had shaken out her impressive dreadlocks, wrapped her arms around the man and they had a quick hug. She was then off.

Grainger spoke up, "Ah yes, the third member of the triumvirate has arrived, in typical fashion I'm afraid. Lia, he does seem to have gone native again hasn't he." What in hell does he mean by that, I thought. I disliked Grainger more by the minute.

Bounding up the gang plank and jumping onto the boat the new arrival came up to the two siblings and said, "Brother, Sister, good to see you and I gather you've brought your playthings." He said this pointing to the leggy blonde and the gorgeous Asian girl standing off to the side. Lia turned to them and smirked.

Finally turning to me he said, "And who do we have here Brother, another plaything to while away the time as we cruise no doubt?"

Lia stepped in again, "James, behave yourself. This is Doctor Shannon, our physician on board." I smiled at him and introduced myself.

"Well, well, a good hire I can see Grainger," he snickered, looking me up and down. This comment, I thought, was rude and dismissive as well and I was now really questioning my decision to take the job. Oh well, the contract was only for three months and then I would be back to my next residency. I resolved to make the best of it even if I was stuck with these rich assholes. Well, at least two of them were jerks, Lia was showing some redeeming qualities.

*****

The ship was now underway and with nothing really to do I made my way up to the front of the sailboat where low slung loungers were set out for sunbathing. The two 'playthings' were working on their tans it seemed and I decided to introduce myself. Neither of them were wearing much, just tiny bikini bottoms.

"Hi, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself when you guys boarded. I'm Shannon."

Plaything one, Leggy Blond, lowered her sunglasses and looked me up and down before extending a hand and introducing herself in a slow lazy voice, "I'm Madeleine but you can call me Maddy if you wish. Nice to meet you Shannon, by the way."

I turned to the other girl, plaything two, who didn't get up to offer a hand but said, "Nice to meet you as well Shannon. I'm Olivia. Oh, and are you really a doctor?" Really, I thought, do I need a stethoscope and a scalpel in my hand to be taken seriously?

"Yep, newly minted but I've been in the trenches for a few months."

Madeleine asked, "So what brings you to our little party here?" I didn't like the tone but answered her straight.

"Well, I've been beating my brains out for five years now and I just wanted to get away from hospitals and really sick people for awhile. I'm planning on going back for an extended surgical residency after this contract is up. I want some time in the sun before that grind."

I was curious so I asked my own question,"So are you two friends of Lia's?" I didn't think this was the case but I wanted a bit of their story.

"No, not really. Grainger talked us into coming. We work for his holding company and hanging out with the boss is part of the job description?" Olivia laughed at this and I was pretty sure I knew what hanging out with the boss really meant but hey, I wasn't judging anyone.