by Purple Hazel
But he certainly felt an apology was in order regarding his racial slur back on top of Crazy Horse Monument. “And while we’re at it,” he interjected, while they were processing her release order, “Let me say how sorry I am for calling you names. I was only lookin’ fer an angle...tryin’ to mess you up is all...but I didn’t need to call you no Chinkerbell neither.” This only served to elicit a wry smile from the tough former security chief. Quid pro quo, she’d hardly been blameless.
“Well, I’m sorry for calling you Brown Ass,” she said timidly, but in such a manner that everyone in the group could only laugh lightheartedly. Suddenly it seemed so silly...all the name-calling, the threats, the insults...it was time to put this embarrassing episode behind them.
Then an even lovelier thing happened.
Zero and Young-Min instantly felt a deep connection with each other that eliminated any remaining necessity for hesitation—or doubt. They could now profess their love for each other, and develop a bond that gave them the comfort of realizing their affections were shared equally. What’s more, such affection was quite difficult to avoid expressing at most every opportunity from there on out! Sexual attraction was a given. There’d always been that. But now Zero found herself lusting for a man she enjoyed profound love for as well.
This made it even more beautiful to experience. Expressing this renewed desire for one another suddenly became an irresistible urge. They were practically joined at the hip by the time their flight departed Rapid City air terminal. There was no separating them after that…
“We got you two a separate room,” kidded Shamiso, as the hotel bellman carried their bags down a tiled hallway. The rooms adjoined one another and by then Shamiso had come to the conclusion that the two happy lovers wouldn’t likely be re-emerging for at least the next couple of hours. That only made it all the more titillating for her when she imagined Zero and Young-Min ripping each other’s clothes off the moment they got inside the door. It also meant she could direct the lion’s share of her attention to her own lover Ozzie once they did the same.
“How ’bout you guys go have a little alone-time for a spell. Me ’n Ozzie need to catch up on a few things ourselves come to think of it,” she said, giving Zero a sly wink. “B.J. ’ll call us when they’re putting in down at the marina. Go have some fun...we’ll knock on your door when it’s time to head that way. Groovy?” To this Zero returned the wink, then gave Young-Min Jo a playful smack on the behind, and grunted humorously. He nodded boyishly. Shamiso had to wonder if they’d even come up for air! Not for a while, she could only guess. The couple disappeared inside their room and shut the door without a word.
* * * *
PUTTING IN AT MARINA. JOIN US IN THIRTY? said the text from BJ. Shamiso heard the DICE buzzing on the lamp stand next to the bed. It snapped her out of her supremely pleasant, post-sex euphoria. It had now been three hours since Ozzie and Shamiso had scurried into their hotel room, excitedly undressing and giggling like two teenagers realizing their parents would likely be gone for a while and they had the house to themselves. On top of that...it was mid-afternoon. That only made the sex all the more naughty and exciting!
Outside it had been hot and stifling that day. Inside, what with the tall stone ceilings and tiled floors, the temperature was comparatively quite manageable. They’d still managed to soak the sheets with sweat however. In fact, they’d made love passionately and sweetly for nearly two wondrous hours, finally collapsing in an exhausted heap. Bedding strewn about, or simply kicked off onto the floor. A trail of brassiere, panties, shirts, trousers, neckties, and military boots. The evidence of their dirty deed abounded.
And speaking of that, their exceptionally loud neighbors in the room next door seemed like they were still going at it! “Oi...give it a rest, eh?” Shamiso commented, snickering, and rapping her knuckles on the headboard. Ozzie was still snoozing. He’d certainly done his job earlier. She couldn’t have asked for better. Nevertheless, it would appear Young-Min Jo and Zero had a few more kinky ideas left to try out on the other side of that wall.
SMACK! she could hear through the wall, then a groan, followed by Young-Min panting – or was it Zero? She couldn’t tell. Then another smack or two, before both began moaning with building excitement as if they were going to climax together. Only question was: who was doing the spanking? And also: what in the world was getting them off this time? “God, those two. They’ve gotta be getting tired by now,” mused Shamiso.
Whatever perversions they had been experimenting with the past few minutes, though, Shamiso realized it was about time to alert them to the call. Half an hour? Barely enough time to get up, shower off, and rush down to the pier. This was only the first phase of their vacation after all. And renting a cheap hotel room for an afternoon of hot sex was only part of their adventure for the next few weeks. They were going to spend the remainder of their shore leave on B.J.’s and Steinhart’s private island paradise, Isla Perez!
* * * *
Indeed, no one knew who came up with the idea first. Shamiso had been talking about their experiences with Space Programme. Told Zero, once they’d befriended one another, all about the return voyage and the bizarre scandal that unfolded once they’d arrived. “Twenty-four years in space, only to come back and find our captain being hauled before a board of inquiry!” stated Shamiso. Zero had heard a lot of this from Young-Min Jo already.
Then somewhere during the course of this conversation, someone or maybe several brought up the memory of B.J.’s and Steinhart’s wedding. This gradually led to recalling the offer from B.J. to come stay with them some time...if they ever felt like “dropping off the grid for a while.” This was certainly the time for such a thing. They had less than two months before returning to duty. That is, if they still felt inclined to do so. This issue had been debated fervently as well.
“So what are we gonna do boys?” Shamiso had questioned them, as they’d sat in a saloon in Custer, South Dakota right after Zero’s release. All four were sitting up at the bar together. Ozzie and Young-Min drank bottles of beer while Shamiso and Zero had frozen Margaritas. “We have thirty-six bleedin’ days left to decide. Do we go back to Darmstadt and just bend over for ’em? Let ’em fuck us in the bum again? Or do we resign? Come on, I know you blokes have thought it by now. I’m just sayin’ it. I mean, isn’t there anything better we can do with our lives than working for those bloody wankers another ten years?”
Ozzie had quite a different take on things however, and for the first time ever he argued with Shamiso. Everyone was quite surprised (except for Ozzie of course) and he made his point rather clearly. Adamantly one might say.
“Now darlin’, let’s face facts, okay?” he challenged her resolutely. “You too, Bones. Look at us! You know what we been up to...ever since we been back. We come all the way back to Earth and the first opportunity we get, we turn right around ’n try impersonating our twins! Livin’ out some fantasy of bein’ them and livin’ their lives instead of ours. Why? ’Cause we was jealous of ’em? I don’t know. I guess that’s what it was for me. Bones? Same for you, I bet huh? Shamiso, I don’t reckon that was really the case with Rudo. You was just helpin’ out yer sister so she’d be able to retire...’n that’s cool. But all three of us...seriously...we tried bein’ somethin’ we wasn’t...just ta’ experience bein’ a rock star...’r a sports legend...’r a goddamn business tycoon.”
Bones was already nodding in agreement, embarrassed for what he’d gotten himself involved with. Zero comforted him by reaching around his waist and embracing him. She certainly bore part of the guilt for luring him into his brother’s web of fraud and deception—even if he’d never blame her personally.
“Guilty of that,” said Young-Min Jo. “Can’t deny it. Was so mad about how it had all gone down with B.J. and Steinhart. Then I got back to Toronto ’n...well...jealousy? Fuck yeah. I saw what my brother had built up, and shit, I wanted in. Not to take anything from him, but to share in what he had. Yeah, I admit it.
”
Shamiso yielded quickly after hearing this.
“Okay love. I’ll give you that,” she confessed. “I sure thought it was groovy bein’ a rock star. Not having to crawl my way to the top like she had to. Nothin’ but just go out on stage and act like a bloody pop diva a few times. It got tiresome after a while, sure, but for a time I was really enjoyin’ me-self. No use denying that. It was cool standin’ on sis’s shoulders ’n livin’ out that fantasy...without all the bullshit she had to go through to get there.”
Ozzie calmed down a bit after that, but not completely. “Mmmm-hmmm. And what about ’ole Monika Steckel? If you really put some thought into it, it’s pretty clear that if it hadn’t been for her, they’d a’ killed us. No offense, Zero. You told us how ya’ didn’t know nothin’ ’bout that...’n we believe ya’. But it was all our own doin’ that got us into that mess—”
“No, that was all on me, Lieutenant,” interrupted Young-Min Jo, once again referring to him by his field rank on the Santa Maria. “I brought that on us...you guys didn’t have to get mixed up in it. But you did...’n you came to save me. You were only saving me from myself though. No one else could. I was seduced by the whole thing, really.” He then squeezed Zero’s hand and looked at her apologetically. It was unfair to let her feel collateral guilt for what he’d caused himself and his friends. She’d never known what was really going on at Min-Pharma, and had been duped along with everyone else.
“But you’re right Ozzie, as usual. You always size things up correctly, I gotta admit. When we’d fucked up, Monika Steckel from Space Programme was there for us. Came right out and saved our asses. She was the brave one that day. No offense, Zero.”
Zero bowed her head nodding. If anyone owed a debt of gratitude to Monika Steckel, it was her! Conviction? Imprisonment for her culpability in the fraud? Oh yes, she’d have gone to jail right along with everyone else in Toronto if it hadn’t been for Monika’s shrewd negotiating back in South Dakota.
“Then let’s just take a moment to reflect, all of us,” concluded Ozzie. “What happened back then—to B.J. and Steinhart? It sucked. I give you that. But at the end of the day, look how it turned out? When we get to Isla Perez...see how we feel then. Take a few days off, kickin’ back in the sand, relaxin’ and thinkin’ it over what we did to ourselves. I bet we all gain a whole new perspective on where our loyalties should lie...”
* * * *
And that’s basically what they did. When the two couples got showered off and dressed in casual attire—Zero in a sexy black bikini and yellow-green sarong wrapped around her waist—with sandals and a purse (change of clothing tucked inside instead of a weapon this time) they quickly made their way down to the marina to an awaiting B.J.
She meanwhile was up on deck, smiling and waving...tanned and beautiful now from months in the Caribbean sun. She was oiled up with tanning lotion and glistening. Looked happier than they’d ever seen her.
“Ahoy motherfuckers!” she called out to them. Everyone cracked up immediately upon hearing this. She hadn’t changed a bit. “Come aboard the good ship Fuck it all!” That was not the official title of their yacht of course, but it fit well with her and her husband’s attitude of late.
Steinhart was waving at them from up at the helm. He was bronzed and shirtless. Looked like he’d been renewed in both mind and spirit—body as well. He was like the happy retiree, who’d finished his career and was enjoying the good life. There was no need to prod them further. All four hopped onto the deck like giddy spring breakers.
“Welcome!” bellowed B.J. as they came onto the ship. The yacht was big enough that it had a gangway attached to it for boarding. “Hey...looks like we got ourselves a new recruit along the way!” she then added, noticing the pretty, athletic young lady holding hands with Ensign Jo. B.J.’s instincts told her this was a new relationship, where two young people had only recently discovered each other sexually and were in those exciting early days of a steamy love affair. It was all apparent in their body language—the way they stood next to each other, the frequency with which they made physical contact with one another. Zero spoke up before anyone else.
“Call me Zero,” she said, smiling pleasantly. “Everyone calls me Zero.” She was already starting to like B.J. Then again, everyone usually did. Both genders, too.
“Well, hello there sexy!” exclaimed B.J., who then walked over and hugged her neck, smearing sunscreen onto her in the process. But Zero didn’t mind a bit. B.J. was stunningly attractive and just as warm and friendly as she could possibly be. “How long you two been together?” she then boldly asked, causing Young-Min Jo to blush and look away sheepishly. Zero by way of comparison wasn’t put off by this in the least. She proudly answered, “Almost eleven months now,” then she smiled brightly. B.J.’s reaction to that only served to make her love the bronzed brunette like a sister. Like the super-cool big sister she’d never had growing up. A lot of women felt that way when it came to B.J.
“Oh my God...Bones? Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me? You came back to Earth and found this sweet, beautiful thing? Already? Good Lord, Ensign. You better put a ring on this one. She’s a keeper!” This was absolutely the nicest, most sincere compliment Zero had ever heard in her entire life. To make it even better, B.J. then embraced them once again—this time together, in one big group hug.
“Now, y’all listen up,” B.J. announced as she pulled away, “once we make it outta the harbor, I want all y’all outa them damn clothes. Butt naked, every last one of ya’. I ain’t kiddin’ either. Not a stitch. Get me? I got enough sunscreen to cover all four of ya’ head to toe—even enough to cover Ozzie’s big dick.” Zero couldn’t help wondering how B.J. would have known something like that.
“I’ll leave that up to Shamiso of course,” continued B.J., “plus I got enough liquor to last the whole way back to Isla Perez. Understood...crewmen?” Four heads nodded and smiled.
“We’re ready Captain!” she then yelled up to Steinhart, who was signaling to the dock they were ready to depart. By then the ship had already been resupplied, and its hold filled with groceries for the guests back at the island. They had a caretaker who ran the place for them, but supply runs had remained one of Steinhart’s cherished weekly duties. B.J. usually accompanied him. They’d cruise out a few kilometers from shore and make love under the canopy on the rear deck, then head on into port.
“I’ll whip us up a big pitcher of booze,” she then stated. “Who’s ready for Margaritas?” And when she posed that question, four hands shot straight up. Now Zero truly adored the fearless woman. Wondered why it had taken so damn long to find someone like her! B.J. for her own part only knew one thing about Zero and that was glaringly obvious. She’d made Young-Min Jo extremely happy. This was apparent in practically everything about him. Head to toe, he was a new person. She’d made a man out of him. That’s all B.J. needed to know…
* * * *
On the long voyage back to Isla Perez, B.J. caught up on all the latest news about the twins. Ozzie went up to the helm and hung out with Captain Stehter for most of the journey. Shamiso and Young-Min—along with Zero—laid out on the foredeck, sunbathing in the nude.
B.J. lay there with them, all bunched up together like sardines. She often held hands with both Shamiso and Zero too, lying in between them, with Young-Min to the outside of the group next to Zero. When they got too hot, they moved back to the shaded deck area in the rear of the ship. But no one ever got dressed. It was just like old times back on the Santa Maria.
Below decks was a galley and a sitting area that had foldout couches. At one point Young-Min Jo went down there and took a half-hour nap. Zero and B.J. continued talking the whole trip though. Bonded instantly. Even sat naked in a reclining deck chair together! Shamiso nodded off a few times during this but otherwise the three cackled and laughed and girl-talked the entire way back to Isla Perez.
Ozzie came down and joined them a couple times. It gave Zero a chance to see how big his penis trul
y was—and God were they right! Otherwise, he stayed up at the helm with Steinhart, whom he continually addressed as Captain and never found himself being corrected. Steinhart even let him drive the ship for a while so he could come downstairs and chat with his wife and the other girls.
“Wow, you guys! What an adventure y’all have had!” B.J. observed. “So let me get this straight, Ensign Kachote. You went back to London...’n found yer sis’ drugged out on Valium...’n she’s a fuckin’ rock star. Then you come to find out she’s got obligations to do all these damn shows, so you pretend you’re her for six ’r seven months...just to help her out…go up and shake yer ass in front o’ twenty thousand screamin’ fans makin’ like yer Rudo Love. Am I gettin’ this right?”
Shamiso nodded, smiling. That was a pretty good synopsis of what she’d done since returning.
“Then Ozzie...upstairs bromancin’ with my husband all afternoon...he goes out ’n plays for the Dallas Wranglers posing as his twin brother...who’s supposed to be retired. Uses his name to get a tryout. Makes the team. Scores a try. Then gets his bell rung in the process.”
Shamiso nodded happily at this assessment, then added, “Didn’t seem to knock any sense into him neither. He should have quit right then. But you know how boys are.”
B.J. nodded and giggled. “Yep. God love ’em all. I sure do.” She then turned to Young-Min Jo, who was sitting on a beach towel leaning against a railing. Up until then he’d been enjoying watching B.J. snuggling close to his girlfriend Zero in that big lawn chair, and how Zero was clearly quite amenable to the arrangement.
“And as for you, Ensign Jo you topped ’em all didn’t ya’? Went back to Toronto where we found you twenty-plus years ago, and found out your brother was a millionaire...crooked as a dog’s hind leg. Then you go ’n join forces with the creep pimpin’ fake drugs ’n makin’ commercials with yer smokin’ hot girlfriend here.” Zero snickered and nuzzled closer to B.J.
