Igniting Temptation

by Sydney Canyon

  "Sure, I know you're tired. We can go." Mac said closing out the tab. She quickly said bye to everyone and she and Loren left the bar.

  ~

  Mac finished her shift, thankful the last of her meetings was over at five. She'd finally get some daylight time away from the hospital while it was still warm out. She drove down to the Windmill Harbor Marina and parked in one of the front spots.

  "Afternoon Mac. How've you been?" The Dock Master always took the time to learn the locals, especially since he was paid to watch their boats. Most of them were worth more than he could make in an entire lifetime.

  "Hi, Roland, how's my girl?" She spoke back to the old bald man. He had a thick gray mustache and always wore a fishing cap to keep his bald head from burning in the hot summer sun.

  "I think she's lonely," he said.

  "Me too," Mac said wondering if she was still talking about her boat.

  She walked past him towards the end of the dock. Her prize possession was tied up in the second to last slip on the left, bobbing softly in the blue water. It was a thirty eight foot Beneteau Sailboat. The beautiful white sloop had a dark blue water line, stainless rigging, and dark oiled Teak trim. The inside was magnificent, with a moderately large forward v-berth, a stunning aft cabin complete with dressers, a closet, and an enclosed sink, shower, and head. The entire middle of the boat was the salon living quarters and the galley. A nice sized TV with a satellite receiver was attached to the wall directly across from the L-shaped sofa. The galley was all stainless appliances with Teak cabinets and counter tops. Baby blue curtains covered all of the portholes.

  Mac stepped aboard 'Rin' and kicked her sneakers off before going below deck. Happy to feel the small AC kicking, she grabbed a cold beer from the refrigerator and turned the TV on before lounging on the couch. She had the electrical panel set on a timer to cycle the air conditioner on and off every day to keep the temperature inside the cabin tolerable in the summer heat. She did the same thing with the heater in the winter thanks to shore power. Mac's cell phone rang just as she finished her beer. She saw the name on the caller ID and smiled. Kylie.

  "Hey, what's up?"

  "Hi, not a whole lot, just sitting on my boat."

  "Your what?" Kylie questioned.

  "My sailboat, come down to the Windmill Harbor Marina and I'll give you the Grand Tour."

  "You're full of surprises! I'm still on shift for another half hour, unless we get a call. Will you still be there?"

  "Yeah, I'm just doing some cleaning, that is if I ever get my lazy ass off the couch."

  "I see. Okay so I'll call you when I get there."

  "Sounds good," Mac hung up and stretched her tired body. She missed sitting in that same spot every night. As much as she liked the spacious condo, she always held a special place in her heart for her boat.

  An hour later Mac's phone rang again.

  "I was beginning to give up on you," Mac teased.

  "Me? Ugh, that's terrible…grouch!"

  "Yeah yeah, go through the gate and down dock B, I'm the second to last boat on the left. I'll come out."

  "Okay."

  Mac stepped out onto the top deck in time to see Kylie making her way down the dock, still dressed in her uniform and receiving interesting stares as she stopped and stepped aboard 'Rin'.

  "Rin? Ah, I get it, Rin and Stimpy. How cute."

  "Watch your step so you don't slip and fall in. I'd hate to have to toss you floaties," Mac said reaching for her hand.

  "Shut up." Kylie playfully smacked her hand away and stepped past her. Mac pointed past her towards the cabin entrance.

  "Go ahead."

  Kylie stepped down into the living area and took a look around. "Mackenzie, this is amazing."

  "Thanks. She's my home away from home. As a matter of fact me and Stimpy lived on her for a few years until I first met Loren."

  "Oh, where is she, by the way?"

  "Out of town. She hates boats, so I come down here and spend time cleaning her and taking her out when Loren's gone. Usually Stimpy's with me, but I came from the hospital."

  "Cool. I still need to meet this dog."

  "Stimpy's my baby. I'd take her with me to work if I could. I bet the kids would love her."

  "Probably. I bet she's a chick magnet."

  "It depends. Loren's not too fond of her."

  What is she fond of? Kylie thought to herself. "So, are you taking her out anytime soon?"

  "Tomorrow, that's why I stopped by tonight. I need to make sure she's all cleaned up and ready to go. Hey, would you like to go with us?"

  "Us? You and Stimpy, I gotcha. I'm actually off this whole weekend, that never happens so I'm definitely going to take advantage of it." Kylie shrugged. "Sure, where are we going?"

  "I usually go out about twenty miles and tack back and forth up and down the coast. Sometimes I go just off of the beach and anchor out. Whatever you want."

  "Sounds like fun. Do you need any help getting her ready?"

  "Considering I'm still on my ass that would be a yes. But, only if you want to, I mean you don't have to. I do this all the time."

  "No, I'd like to stay and hang out."

  "Cool, there's beer in the fridge if you want one."

  "Most definitely! Thank you. So why the fondness for a cartoon?"

  "Huh?" Mac shot her a questioning look.

  "Rin and Stimpy? Isn't that a cartoon?"

  "Oh, yeah." Mac smiled from ear to ear before a small shadow washed over her face. "Rin and Stimpy was mine and my brother's favorite cartoon. Every morning we would get up at six to watch it no matter what day of the week it was. We always tried to act out the quirky things they did."

  Kylie smiled at the endearing sound of Mac's voice as she spoke of her brother.

  ~

  Kylie appeared right on time the next morning just before the sun was completely above the horizon. She had a few bags of groceries she picked up from the store and a nice bottle of Chardonnay.

  "Morning," she yawned.

  Hey." Mac nodded to her guest. Stimpy heard the unfamiliar voice and came running up the stairs and out onto the deck. She growled at first before walking over sniffing Kylie's ankles. "Don't worry, she won't bite you. This is her boat and she's checking you out."

  "Oh really, is that what it's called these days?" Kylie laughed bending down to pet the tiny dog. "You're too cute, running around here like you own the place. I can definitely tell your Mommy spoils you rotten."

  By the time Kylie finally sat on the couch Stimpy was in her lap demanding to be petted. Mac shook her head.

  "Now you've done it. Once you give in to the lap petting you're toast. You will become her pet slave. But, you will also become top priority to her."

  "I see. You can definitely tell she loves you though. She follows you everywhere you go."

  "Yeah, that's why she wears this." Mac pulled out a doggy life jacket with an attached lanyard. Kylie broke out in a fit of laughter.

  "What the hell?"

  "Trust me, she likes to wear this. You would too if you flew off of the deck and into deep cold water on more than one occasion. I had to jump in after her when she was a puppy. Now she wears this thing and goes all over the boat. If she falls over the edge the she's suspended in mid air and I can grab her with no problem," Mac explained.

  "Neat."

  Later that afternoon they were making their second pass on Hilton Head Island. Mac was at the helm with Kylie standing next to her in awe.

  "This boat is fascinating. I've never been on a boat like this before." She has no idea how fascinating she is either. Loren you're one stupid woman.

  "First time for everything." Mac smiled shyly.

  "So shall I start the steaks?" Kylie asked.

  "Sure. I'm going to drop the anchor here anyway."

  ~

  "Kylie you're a great cook." Mac said after clearing her plate.

  "Thanks, but I think the wine helped you with that decision."

 
; "Nah."

  "Hey I brought my bathing suit, do you think the water's cold?"

  "No not in August. Want me to go with you?" Mac said.

  "Sure, if you want."

  A few minutes later Mac emerged from the aft cabin in a baby blue string bikini top that left little to the imagination and matching shorts-style bottoms that were very low-cut and very short. Kylie had changed into a black bikini that covered her nicely in the right places.

  Both women quickly dove into the warm, almost tropical water. Kylie was thankful her top stayed up and Mac was kicking herself for offering to go, hoping Kylie didn't noticed how small her swimsuit was.

  "That's a cute bathing suit, I like it." Kylie couldn't stop the blood rushing between her legs, thankful she was in the water cooling off.

  Too late Mac. "Thanks, I've had it for a while. I keep clothes here on the boat so I don't have to drag things back and forth. I also have scrubs incase I get a call and need to go to work, but this is the only bathing suit I had aboard. It's a little skimpier than I would like, but it was free so I kept it and threw it on here. I guess my other one is at the condo."

  "Don't worry, I won't stare at your semi-nakedness...too much," Kylie teased.

  "Gee thanks," Mac said splashing her with water.

  "I'm sorry, I know you're shy."

  They both smiled. Mac climbed back up the ladder and put Stimpy in to let her swim a little bit.

  "So you had Stimpy before you and Loren got together?" Kylie asked, still treading water a few yards from the boat.

  "Yeah, she was a puppy." Mac lifted Stimpy back onto the deck. "Loren wanted me to give her away and sell the boat, but she gave in quickly and asked me to move in with her. I told her Stimpy was coming with me, so we went looking the next day and found a condo big enough for the three of us," Mac said floating on her back nearby.

  "Do they get along now?"

  "They tolerate each other. It's quite funny actually. When Loren's not home Stimpy is fine, but when Loren's home she gets in the bathroom trash and gets on the furniture because Loren doesn't like her up there."

  "That sucks."

  "It's not so bad. I guess I'm use to it. Stimpy is mine and always will be. She was jealous at first, hell they both were, of each other. But, like I said, they get along for my sake."

  " I'm starting to look like a prune. Are you ready to get out?" Kylie asked. She was tired of fighting the desire to look at Mac's scantily clad body on display. Talking about her girlfriend only made it that much more of a mistake. No matter how bad she wanted Mac she couldn't have her.

  "Sure," Mac said. Both women climbed up the ladder wrapping in towels as soon as they were aboard. Mac found it hard to look away when Kylie had her back to her. She had almost forgotten what it was like to feel her body want another and it felt good. Too damn good.

  "Yuck, now I'm all sticky from the saltwater."

  "You can shower if you want. I'm about to anyway."

  ~

  They each showered one at a time and sat on the couch. Mac started the generator so they could run the AC and watch TV. Soon after, the sun began to set.

  "What time do you want to head back? I mean, I can handle the boat in the dark, it's not a problem."

  "It's up to you. I could stay out here all night," Kylie sounded so relaxed and so at home on the boat.

  "Well I use to live on this thing so I'm completely comfortable. I'll take you back whenever you're ready."

  "Mackenzie, we can stay out here tonight. I'm totally fine with that."

  "Okay, you can have my cabin and I'll sleep in the V berth."

  "Don't be silly, you can have your bedroom. I'll be fine," Kylie glanced at Mac with a raised eyebrow.

  "If you say so, I won't argue with you."

  Two hours later they called it a night and went to sleep in their separate areas. Mac was extremely tired from the long day including the eighty-hour work week she had just completed.

  Mac was sound asleep listening to the waves with Stimpy curled up next to her under the sheet. They both jumped up when they heard a loud bang, followed by yelling. Stimpy barked at first, but Mac calmed her down.

  "Ouch, son of a bitch!" Kylie was rubbing the knot that was quickly forming on her forehead. Mac found her in the moonlight shining through the curtains on the windows.

  "Are you okay?" Mac asked going to her side.

  "Yeah, my head hurts like hell."

  "Here sit down, I'll get some ice."

  "I didn't mean to wake you I'm sorry. I was dreaming I was at work and the bell went off. I jumped up to go and hit my head."

  "Ouch." Mac grimaced.

  "You think so!" Kylie shot her a vicious glare.

  "Sorry."

  Mac turned on the light to check Kylie's vitals and make sure she didn't have a concussion and helped her sit on the couch. A few minutes later Kylie was asleep with her head on Mac's shoulder where she had been holding the ice for her. I guess I'm spending the rest of the night out here. Mac grabbed the throw blanket from the edge of the couch and tossed it over them.

  Kylie woke up first, noticing that she was in Mac's arms on the couch with the blanket wrapped around them. I didn't hit my head that hard! Mac woke up when Kylie stirred.

  "Good Morning. How's your head?"

  Kylie reached up rubbing the knot. "It hurts."

  "I bet it does." She looked down at the way they were positioned. "Sorry, I didn't mean for us to end up like this. You fell asleep on me and I didn't want to wake you so I stayed out here with you."

  "Thanks. You're such a sweet person."

  Mac blushed and turned away.

  "Aww, look at you!"

  "What?" Mac stood up and stretched nervously on her way to the galley. "Are you hungry or something?"

  "Don't try to change the subject. Look at you blushing, that is so cute."

  "To you maybe. Anyway, I'm hungry, we should eat."

  ~

  Back at the dock Kylie hugged Mac quickly and backed away. The simple gesture sent her body all the wrong signals. She cursed herself for falling asleep in the woman's arms to begin with.

  "Thank you for a wonderful weekend. I had a great time."

  "You're welcome. I enjoyed the company and I know Stimpy did too. She seems to like you."

  Kylie bent down and picked up the little dog to give her a hug and kiss bye.

  Chapter 5

  "Hey Neil, is the doc coming to see you today?" Brown joked as he finished tying his tie. Kylie refrained from slapping him in the back of the head as she walked by.

  "I'm sure she will be there, but she's not going as my date, asshole. Everyone knows we're just friends."

  "Well you've been spending a lot of your days off with her over the past month and a half. It sure looks like you're dating to me."

  "You hang out with your friends too, besides you've been out with us a few times. It's really not a big deal."

  "It sounds like he's just jealous, Neil."

  She turned towards the voice. Smith was standing there, also finishing his tie.

  "How do I look?" She ran her hands down the front of her Navy blue dress uniform. The Gold buttons down the front meshed perfectly with all of her decorations and metals on the left side of her chest. Her rank insignia was up on her collar.

  "You look spiffy, Lieutenant." He winked and smiled.

  "Thanks Captain, you don't look bad yourself."

  The entire Station had to wear their dress blue uniforms to march in the Annual Veteran's Day Parade held downtown every November eleventh. Most of them didn't mind, but a few complained the whole day. Once they arrived at the starting point, one of the rookies drove the fire truck and another rookie drove the ambulance while the rest of the group marched behind the trucks carrying their station flag. Kylie was in the front left spot and Smith was in the front right. They walked along waving to the crowd that lined the streets. As they turned the final corner Kylie saw Mac standing with a few of the hospital staff m
embers. Loren wasn't with her. Mac smiled and waved and Kylie smiled and waved back.

  ~

  "I missed you at the parade today," Mac said as she pet Stimpy on the top of her head and walked into the living room.

  "I was stuck in the office. I had a deadline to meet," Loren stated flatly.

  "I figured as much when you didn't call. I went down there with Louise and Hannah."

  "Oh."

  "Do you want to do something this weekend?"

  "Like what?" Loren looked up at her.

  "I don't know, maybe go sailing."

  "Mac it's November, and sixty degrees outside, I'm not going sailing," she hissed.

  "Okay, is there something else you would like to do? We haven't played golf in a while."

  Loren shook her head no.

  "I'm trying to make plans with you for the weekend, Loren. Would you care to contribute?" Mac tried to keep the agitation out of her voice.

  "I have to start prepping for my trip next week. I have a huge story to cover in New York."

  "So you want to sit here all weekend and start your work for next week instead of spending time with me before you take off again."

  "Don't get mad at me for working, Mac, sometimes you don't even come home from that god damn hospital for two days."

  "Yeah, but I don't leave for weeks at a time. Twice a year I go away to conferences. Not every other week."

  "My career has never bothered you before. What's the deal now?"

  "Forget it, Loren." Mac stood up and went into their room to take a shower.

  When Mac opened the glass door to get out of the shower a few minutes later Loren was standing there holding her towel.

  "Can I have my towel please?" Mac asked dryly.

  Loren handed over the towel slowly with a seductive look on her face. Mac didn't buy into it. She snatched the towel, dried off and walked past her into the bedroom. Loren followed her putting her arms around the blond from behind. She began kissing the back of her neck at her hairline. Mac pulled away from her.

  "Don't start this, Loren."