“Pam, I need some help,” he called. “On the starboard… the right side, in a holder is a boat hook, could you grab it?”
“Sure,” she called, getting up off her towel and getting the boat hook.
“Okay,” Mike yelled. “There’s a knurled grip in the middle. If you twist it loose, you can extend the boat hook.”
“Got it,” Pam said after a few moments. She extended the hook and clamped it back down.
“Okay, I’m going to pull up to the buoy. You’ll need to pull it up to the boat.” He looked at Courtney and shrugged. “I think two people.”
“Going,” Courtney said, heading for the ladder.
“Courtney’s coming down. If you can pull the buoy up a bit, there’s a rope down there with a clip on it. Clip that to the line on the bottom of the buoy and we’re good.”
“How heavy is it?” Pam asked.
“Pretty heavy,” Mike admitted. “But I don’t think you want to do this end, do you?”
“No,” she said, walking forward.
When Courtney got to the bow, he pulled forward, slowly, until he lost sight of the buoy.
“Missed it,” Pam called. She was bent over the front rail and it was an entirely pleasant sight.
“Coming up again,” Mike called, giving the engine a nudge.
“Got it!” Pam called. She wriggled out from under the rail and hauled on the line. Mike pulled forward a bit more and Courtney got down on the deck with the bowline.
“I got it on!” she yelled. “I got it.”
“Get out of the way and let Pam drop the buoy,” Mike called, putting the engine in neutral.
“There, that wasn’t that bad,” he said when he reached the main deck.
“Not bad,” Pam said. “Good steering.”
“Thanks,” he said, getting out the snorkeling gear. He defogged the masks with baby shampoo, fitted the masks for the girls, then found foot fins that fit them.
“You’ve got a lot of this gear,” Courtney said.
“I’d hoped to have visitors, frankly,” Mike replied. “So I laid in a lot of stuff I don’t have use for. I even… well…” He paused and grinned sheepishly. “I even laid in stuff in case I had female visitors.”
“Tampons and pads?” Pam asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah, but they’re for something else,” Mike said. “No, I bought some other stuff. Don’t think I’m a perv or anything. But… well… if a young lady ends up unexpectedly spending time on the boat, she’ll probably be able to find panties and a bra that fit.”
“Really?” Courtney said, laughing. “You’re serious.”
“Really,” Mike said. “Look, I dated a lot when I was younger. A young lady spends time at a gentleman’s apartment or whatever and she gets up in the morning and the one thing you can tell she’s thinking about is: ‘Damn, I’ve got to put on my underwear from yesterday.’ So I laid in supplies.”
“That’s…” Courtney stopped and shrugged. “I guess that makes a lot of sense. If you’re incredibly sensitive and forward thinking.”
“Forward thinking, yes,” Mike said. “Very few people have ever accused me of being sensitive.”
“Okay,” Courtney said, laughing. “It wasn’t intended as an insult.”
“What’s the other thing that tampons and pads are for?” Pam asked, curiously.
“Let’s just say I like being prepared,” Mike answered. “And in that vein,” he said, pulling out a bottle of Bullfrog 45, “I don’t care how much you want a tan when you get home. We go snorkeling for a few hours with your current tan and you’re going to burn to a crisp and not even know it until you’re back onboard.”
“Fine,” Pam sighed, turning around and flipping her hair forward. “Do me.”
“In a heartbeat,” Mike said.
When all three of them were lathered, he swung out the dive ladder. The yacht had a water-level deck for bringing in large fish that the ladder hung down from. He got the girls in their gear then got his own on.
“Just keep the snorkel in your mouth and your body level,” he said, slipping over the side. “Pam first. I’ll support you at first so you get used to it.”
Pam slipped into the water and he held her by the midsection, getting a world-class erection in the process. After a second she pulled her head out of the water and spit out the snorkel.
“That is so cool,” she said, grinning.
“To swim around just kick with your fins,” Mike said, releasing her. “You okay?”
“Great,” she said, putting the snorkel back in and kicking off.
“Me next,” Courtney said. “But I think I can do it myself.”
“Works,” Mike said, kicking backwards and putting on his mask. “After you.”
He followed the two girls towards the reef, listening to their snorkel-muffled oaths and amahs and just enjoying himself immensely. Suddenly there was a muffled shriek and Courtney turned around and made a beeline for the boat. Mike beat her back easily and was in the transom by the time she spit out her snorkel and climbed on board.
“There was this big, nasty-looking fish,” she said nervously.
“Barracuda,” Mike said, nodding. “Not a big deal. They don’t attack snorkelers. Well, to be honest I should say hardly ever. Not if you don’t have any necklaces or shiny stuff; I checked for that. You’re okay.”
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“I’ll go with you,” Mike said, sliding into the water and holding out his hand as Pam closed on the boat, too.
“Did you see it?” Pam asked after she spit out her snorkel.
“It’s okay,” Mike said, shaking his head and trying not to grin. “Three things to remember about barracuda. They’re curious, so they follow you around. Don’t wave your fingers at them, they might think they’re fish. Don’t wear shiny necklaces, they look like lures. Oh, and they’re fun to catch, but don’t eat the big ones.”
“Why?” Courtney said, slipping into the water and checking under her with her mask.
“They build up a toxin in their flesh as they get older,” Mike said when she’d surfaced. “Makes them poisonous. Come on.”
He led both of them by the hand back to the reef and started pointing out particular fish and coral. When the ’cuda cruised back in, he just ignored it, and after a while the ’cuda ignored them.
They snorkeled on the reef for a good hour before Courtney surfaced and spat out her snorkel.
“My shins are killing me,” she admitted. “I’m about done.”
“Me, too,” Pam said.
“Suits,” Mike said, glancing at his watch. “Let’s do lunch.”
Chapter Three
They had sandwiches, sitting at the bar with their suits on.
“Mike, thanks,” Pam said, washing down the sandwich with a swallow of Coke. “This is just loads of fun. But I feel like I’m… I’m eating your food and using your gas and stuff. This should be costing us money. How much would it cost to rent a boat like this to do this? I mean, I just don’t feel right.”
“Look, it’s just enormous fun having you both here, okay?” Mike said, shrugging. “I feel like I ought to be paying you money it’s so much fun.”
“How much?” Courtney said, grinning. “And, admit it, you’re just hoping to get laid.”
“I wouldn’t kick you out of bed,” Mike said, shrugging and grinning back. “Maybe if you were messy eating crackers. But, no, I’m just having fun watching you guys have fun. It’s a real high for a guy to get a girl to smile, and that’s a fact. So don’t sweat what it would cost. Trust me, I can afford it. I’d take you two to the Bahamas if you asked. Hell, I’d cruise you down to the Virgin Islands if you wanted. You’re both very nice young ladies, both in personality and in looks. Consider this boat yours until you have to go home.”