by S. M. Welles
“And now to test the noodles.”
Jessie spoon-fished out two noodles. They blew on them together, then Jessie fed him one and ate the other. “Tastes ready to me.” She could taste a hint of salt and butter, flavored enough to eat them plain. How did he do that?
They drained and tossed the penne in, Mido once again doing most of the work. They divvied up the meal between two plates and sprinkled the broccoli on top and added one last dash of pepper to each. “Never toss in the vegetables. They stay crisper that way.”
“Good to know.”
“Want any grated parmesan?”
“No, thanks.” Jessie picked up the plates and carried them to the table. Mido kept his hands on her hips, then wrapped her in a hug when she stepped back to admire their handiwork. The steaming plates looked delectable, however Mido’s body pressed to hers won her attention. He rubbed his neck against hers and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“That’s a job well done.”
“Thanks to you.” She turned her head and they exchanged a kiss on the lips. He hugged her tighter. She wrapped an arm over his and cupped his face. They began kissing deeply for the first time in weeks, enjoying a hint of Alfredo in each other’s taste.
Soft footsteps began padding away from them. They broke apart and looked down the hall, their hearts pounding. They’d always been careful to keep their relationship to themselves.
Dyne’s back to them, he waved. “Carry on. I can get a brownie later.” He disappeared up a flight of stairs.
Gasping for breath, they looked at each other’s flushed faces and broke into guilty grins. Mido took hold of her hips again and looked both ways down the hall. It was empty. “Dinner can wait a minute.” He slowly guided her backwards, slow enough to drive her crazy with anticipation. She controlled her eagerness and let Mido do what he wanted at his own pace. Once he reached the counter, he leaned against it, pulled her backside to his front, and began kissing a line from behind her ear down to her mouth. Their lips met again and Jessie reached for his scalp, grazing her fingers through his hair and massaging his scalp with just her fingertips. He let out a throaty moan. His hands wandered to her breasts and began their own massage. She arched her back. He moved his kisses back to her neck, and one of his hands drifted to her thigh and began rubbing it as his—
She gasped. “Mido,” she said in a mischievous whisper.
“What?” he whispered back.
She grabbed his hip and heavily leaned into him and his hard-on digging into the small of her back. “I’m not afraid.” He gasped. She twisted in his arms and pressed herself against him once again. “I’m not afraid!” No fear or bad memories seized her; just a need to have their bodies rocking together in the throes of passion. He stared at her in amazement, his hands no longer working any magic. She kissed him and another round of heavy breathing and kissing ensued. Jessie reached for his groin and the moment she touched his hard-on, he dug his fingers into her glutes and turned and lifted her onto the counter. She wrapped her legs around him and relished in the joy of having their bodies pressed together, face to face at last. She fumbled through undoing his belt as her mind tunnel-visioned on obtaining full access to Mido’s body. He unbuttoned and unzipped her pants, and unclipped her bra, and one touch from his hand down her pants made her arch and gasp. She unzipped and freed his erection, getting a sigh out him, then she stopped. She grabbed his busy hands.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need you inside me. Right now. But not on the counter.”
“Okay.” He scooped her in his arms and carried her to the table.
“No, you goof. Not where people can walk in us. Besides, we all eat on that.”
He veered to the pantry, his arousal digging into her groin making her squirm and pant. Mido pushed the door open and managed to take one step in before stopping.
Sauna was sitting in a fold-up chair, jerking off with his back to them. He stopped and opened his eyes and turned around, his eyes slowly filling with dread. “I was here first,” he said unhappily.
Mido marched in, grabbed Sauna by a chunk of shirt, and bodily dragged him out.
“Hey! Come on, amigo!”
Mido shoved him into the hallway, then went back for the chair and shoved it into Sauna’s hands.
“Come on! Go find your own place!”
Mido put Jessie down and shut the door, then dragged three sacks of potatoes and two sacks of flour in front of the door, his pants falling to his knees in the process. He fished a condom out of his low-riding pocket and faced Jessie. “Now where were we?”
Jessie smirked. “Do you always carry one around with you?”
“Been waiting for this moment. Didn’t want to be caught unprepared.”
She untied her boots, as did Mido his own, then they came together and exchanged kisses as they removed the rest of their clothes. He guided her to the floor and slowly lay on top of her, wrapping her in the safety of his strong arms. She wrapped her legs around him and he paused with his tip just touching her lips.
“Still good?”
“Mhm.” She tugged on his body and he slowly entered her all the way, making her inhale.
He gave her another kiss. “And now?”
“Oh, yes.”
They began making love at last.
Chapter 24
Secret
Two months, several deliveries, and two breather vacations later, the Pertinacious sat anchored outside a mountain of a rock off the northern coast of Australia. Things had returned to normal soon after Dakar. Injuries healed, everyone fell back into their assigned roles, Scully finally was able to take his bandages off and eat solid food, Jacobi left Jessie alone, and Captain Dyne had two more foiled cheeseburger attempts—both at port.
One involved O’Toole sneaking off the ship in Cape Town during the whole two seconds no one was watching him. The second was in India. It was too spicy, rendering it inedible. Mido ended up fixing him a burger after they pushed off, but something broke in the engine room shortly after his first bite. At least it turned out to be a simple fix, so Dyne just sat by the pipes and finished his burger while it was still hot. Jessie wasn’t sure if that counted as a third foiled attempt but whatever. It wasn’t important; just amusing.
Right now the mood was tense. The crew spoke little as they steeled themselves for the impending trip inside the nearby cave. They weren’t to bring any weapons but their fists. There was no point, so they practiced sparring, guzzled coffee like they were never going to see another cup after today, jumped at sudden sounds, and tensed whenever a particularly large wave rocked the ship.
Jessie found herself jumping and tensing with them. She couldn’t help it. She felt more curious than scared, but their wariness spread to her. Mido was preparing sandwiches beside her like he was waiting for Dyne to yell for them to rush up on deck. He kept glancing down the hallway. Jessie worked slowly as she spread mayo over slice after slice of bread, and kept the coffee pot full. As soon as they ate up, those willing to venture into the cave, including herself, would board the kernels and pay Amphitrite—the Amphitrite—a visit.
Despite her dream, despite her ability to commune with aquatic creatures, and despite all she’d seen, it was still hard to believe they were actually going to meet a real divine being. Dealing with cursed humans and quasi-children was one thing. Confirming the existence of beings greater than mortals was another. But she knew without a doubt that Amphitrite was real, and really a goddess. “I can hardly believe we’re really going to meet her in person.”
“Yeah,” he said as he started layering chopped romaine on the condiment-covered half of the grid of slices. “I’m both nervous and curious.”
“It seems unreal. After all that’s happened in this world, you’d never expect to physically approach a divine being.”
“Maybe she’s not a divine being. Maybe it’s just another supernatural person.” Mido went back for another bowlful of romaine.
“It’s possible.”
&nb
sp; “I’m just not sure what to think. I know what Captain’s said, but since I haven’t experienced anything firsthand, I have a hard time taking anything at face value.”
“I can tell a fish to come up and kiss you,” Jessie said. “Maybe you’ll believe in the existence of gods then.” Mido smiled. “I can understand your doubts. I’d probably feel the same if I hadn’t had that dream that led me to break into Dyne’s container. It’s something you have to experience yourself, otherwise you have to have faith that Captain and I are telling the truth.”
“You’re divine to me.”
“As you are to me.” These last two months had been the best two months of her entire life. No exaggerations. They’d managed to contain their cravings for each other to time spent on land. Almost entirely. They’d gave in to their bodily passions once after Ed and Ted purposely shut them in the engine room, another in the cargo hold after practicing sparring with the punching bag, and a third after a salsa lesson on deck. At least they’d managed to keep their clothes on before hiding in a Sauna-free pantry.
Mido gave her a kiss then lost his smile. He started layering cheese on top of the plain bread slices. “What’s she like? What makes you believe she’s really a goddess?”
Jessie followed his cheese with tomato and onion on top of the romaine. “Her presence.” She filed through her memory of the dream. “There was something breathtaking about her. You could just feel her… divine energy. I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s like trying to describe the color blue. I think you’re not going to understand until you feel her energy for yourself.”
“An energy that feels greater than human? Like we’re unworthy little creatures in her eyes?”
“Yes to the first and definitely no to the second.” Jessie joined Mido at the cutting board and scooped two handfuls of diced grilled chicken. “Well, I felt like her plaything when she had me break into the container, but it wasn’t a derogatory feeling. I felt like this fascinating and cherished object to her, like you and your body are to me. There’s a similar respect and love I felt towards me that I feel towards you.”
“Maybe that’s because you’re her avatar? Captain doesn’t hold her in high regard.”
“Those are good points. You could be right.” She went back for more chicken. “But… think it out. She made an effort to save his life and he spit it in her face.”
“She didn’t have to curse him for it.”
“No. His punishment seems to dwarf the crime.” Hundreds of years of enduring a curse for a heavy insult and lack of gratitude? That seemed a bit much. Unless… “Mido, maybe we don’t know the whole story.”
Mido paused in patting down his fistful of chicken.
“I could be wrong.”
“You could be right.”
“And if I am, what do I do? March right up to him and ask for the rest of the story?”
He thought a moment. “Let’s just see what happens in the cave. If things don’t go well, then you’ll have to ask.” He began topping off the sandwiches with their counterparts and squishing them down.
“What if I need to ask him before we go?” She went back for more chicken to complete the remaining sandwiches.
“Then do it. I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable. It’s not my place to prod for information.”
“How much do you actually know about him?”
“Not a whole lot,” Mido admitted. “We get stories out of him now and then but usually he’s pretty tight-lipped. He’s more of a listener.”
“Do you think he’ll talk if I try?” She began helping complete the sandwiches.
“Maybe one-on-one. I don’t know. I’ve never tried. I’m just the cook.”
“A wonderful, handsome cook.” That got a smile out of him and another kiss.
“Surpassed only by your beauty, inside and out.” They kissed some more, mouths wide and tongues dancing with each other until Mido slowly pulled away. He looked at his tented pants. “Okay, no more of that,” he said reluctantly.
“Sorry,” Jessie said without meaning her words.
“It’s all good.” After a few calming breaths, he picked out a chef knife from the knife block and began cutting the sandwiches in half. “You just have that effect on me. I’m not complaining. I’d enjoy the distraction from thinking about the cave, but obviously now’s not a good time.”
“No,” she agreed unhappily. “Are you scared?” She already knew the answer. She just wanted him to say it.
“Terrified, to be honest. Captain’s made it sound like we all might die.”
“Yeah. I’m pretty scared, too, but I’m determined to help.”
“Me, too. I’ve been part of this crew only ten years and I’m ready to see his curse lifted. He usually takes it well but there are days you can tell he’s suffering. Usually it’s after a lockdown. He gets these distant gazes where he looks like he’s at his wits’ end, but he never complains; just snaps at us to leave him alone if we try to get him to talk. So yeah, we leave him alone and I make him his favorite meals to help him feel better.”
“So that’s why you always make quiche after every lockdown.”
“Yep.” They began stacking the sandwiches into piles on two plates. “The real toll his curse takes is when we lose crew mates. It hurts all of us but Captain gets this look of ‘not again’ after every funeral.”
“How many funerals have you been to?”
“Two.”
“Ouch. I’m sorry to hear.”
“I don’t even wanna know how many he’s seen.”
They carefully finished loading the plates, then brought them to the table. “I’ll try talking to Captain before we head to the cave. The worst he can do is get mad, right?”
“I guess so. He needs you to go with him, so he can’t ban you from going.”
* * *
The crew steadily worked through their sandwiches, coffee, and bananas. The usual grab-fest never took place. They just reached in and set food on their plates like they were just eating out of habit. The dessert of raspberry squares lightened everyone’s mood a bit but then O’Toole dragged it back down by standing next to Dyne, whimpering and pawing at him almost nonstop. The captain pushed him away and snapped at him to stop, but O’Toole’s eyes watered and he starting tugging on his jacket until Dyne had Mido shut him in the cargo hold. When Mido returned to the galley, he had scratch marks on one arm. He wiped them clean with a wetted towel, then went back to handing out dessert.
“Usually he calms down if we put him in there,” Mido said to Jessie. “But this time he freaked out. He has to know something’s up.”
“Big surprise,” Sam said sarcastically. “He’ll calm down soon enough. I’ll keep watch over him while you’re all in the cave.”
Dyne grunted, then took another big bite of raspberry square and got up. “I’ll be in the wheelhouse.” He trudged off.
Jessie put down her sandwich and gave Mido a meaningful look. “Wish me luck,” she whispered.
He leaned in to give her a kiss but stopped himself and glanced at the full table. “Good luck,” he whispered back.
Jessie snuck off with the rest of the crew watching her. She ignored them. They could ask Mido if they were curious enough. She had a curse to help lift. She climbed the stairs to the hatch as it closed, counted to twenty, then pushed it open and carefully closed it behind her with little noise, and hurried up to the wheelhouse. A beautiful view of Australia’s sandy coast greeted her on one side. An expansive ocean with one huge tortoise shell-shaped mound of rock jutted out on the other. Jessie politely knocked on the door. Dyne jumped and spun around, then tensed at the sight of her. He hesitated before sliding off the chair and opening the door only wide enough for them to speak.
“Can I help you?” he said, his poker face doing a poor job of hiding a frown.
“I just wanted to talk a minute before we head out.” She inched closer to the door, hoping to encourage him to open up.
“About?”
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br /> She lowered her gaze to their boots. No wonder Mido knew so little. It felt like she was breaking a rule trying to ask him questions about himself. He looked ready to let his temper flare at the slightest provocation. However, she’d come this far, so there was no point in backing out now. “You and your curse.”
The door parted a few more inches. “You’re not having second thoughts at the last minute, are you?” Fear crept into his voice.
She looked up. “No! Quite the opposite. I was just—” she didn’t want to bring Mido into it, so she revised the truth a bit “—thinking things out. Did you tell me everything?”
“About my curse? Yes.”
“But the punishment doesn’t seem to fit the crime.”
Dyne gave her a flat, distant glare and began closing the door. “In her eyes it does.”
Jessie stuck a boot in the doorway and braced a hand on the door. “There has to be more to this. I can’t help you if I don’t know.”
He glanced at her boot. “There is more but it’s not exactly curse-related. Now go finish your lunch.” He kicked the steel toe of her boot out of the way and closed and locked the door.
She stared in open-mouthed disbelief as Dyne plopped back into his chair and resumed staring at the rock. His blatant refusal of her help got under her skin. She tried the door, even though she’d heard the lock click in place. The door only rattled. She knocked on it, insistently this time. “Come on. Just tell me.” He didn’t so much as flinch. “I’m here to help you, Dyne!” He thrust up a hand like he’d meant to flip her off but all five fingers pointed upwards. She paused, confused, then thought of the moment when she’d rapped her knuckles on his lockdown container. Wondering if her hunch was correct, she turned around just in time to get a faceful of sea water. She flinched, then held still to contain her anger as water dripped off her chin and down her front. She wiped her face then glared at Dyne’s profile. “Come on!” She slapped the door, making it rattle. “Amphitrite herself sent me to help you and you’re just gonna ignore me? She explicitly told you through me to tell me everything I need to know! Why are you coming down with a case of stupid at such a horrible time?” Hopefully using his own words would work in her favor.
