The evening was beautiful, absolutely still and Alan had intensified Lydia's excitement by refused to even hint what was wonderful about the gorge.
After some thought she decided it must contain some caves with glow-worms. Well they could look pretty spectacular she recalled from what she'd seen on a program on TV.
They were on the double seat behind the skipper's control console. As the nominated first mate (she objected to the term, saying it suggested other women were having a piece of him) Lydia was in charge of the spot light. With the low speed restriction on the sound the craft was fitted with a 20hp motor instead of the recommend motor three times more powerful.
Of course slow speed meant a dryer experience with no spray flying about.
"That's where Arch lives," Alan said above the reasonably quiet low-revving motor, looking to his right.
"It's the same side as us," Lydia said.
"His pad is the luxury model metal shed, two of them actually, that his company produced particularly for the life-style small block farmers who usually were retired farmers or greenies from the city. He'll be watching porn videos."
"Alan!"
"I meant to say he'll be reading something by Leo Tolstoy."
Lydia said she was surprised he knew of Tolstoy.
"I was bought up proper," he said in a funny accent and then said his mother was a literary person and had him progressively ready classic books of increasing difficulty throughout his teens.
"We're turning into Isobel Inlet which leads into the larger Josephine Sound but we shall go only as far as the Dark Passage. Keep the spotlight steady over the bow. Don't become nervous as we progress and the inlet walls become rather sheer and the only source of illumination is our light."
Lydia became uncomfortable as it was a little scary and the sound of the motor was amplified off the hard rock vertical surface on both sides of them, the distance between the walls becoming as little as 20 feet.
"Here we are," Alan said as he briefly slipped the motor into reverse to stop their forward momentum and the switched off the outboard.
"Yes its's spooky but..."
"Turn off the light."
"Oooh it's now very spooky. Alan I don't..."
"Slide your bum forward on your seat and look skywards," Alan said, taking her hand romantically.
"O-m-i-g-o-d," Lydia drawled. "Although we are looking up a relatively narrow gap I see stars, tens of thousands of them, brighter than I've ever seen stars before. It's unbelievable."
"This spot is not publicised because it's narrow and subject to wind and tidal surges which makes it a dangerous place. Geologists say this 300ft deep fissure in a narrow part of the mountain range was split during a severe ancient earthquake and purely by chance it perfectly linked the two valleys that were or become sunken valleys that we know as sounds."
Twenty minutes later Alan exchanged seats with Lydia after explaining the controls.
"Okay now turn Sally around carefully without touching the granite hard sides and then take us out at say 4 knots. I'm giving you this lesson now because in the morning I want you to go down to the store at 6:00 and pick up a small plastic crate of fresh bread, another of milk, packs of butter and spreads and the morning newspaper."
"I put the order through to Patricia Briscoe this afternoon by radio and she said she'd place it outside the doorway under a cover when she gets up at 6:00. But the time you return some guys will be here with your potter's shed. It's a disused milking shed plus a processing room attached from a former small goat farm now merged into a dairy farm that milks about 1100 cows."
"Oh."
"What's wrong?"
"I was expecting... well expecting an as-new shed I suppose."
"Well at lease you'll have a roof over your head and potter's wheel plus plenty of room for displays of product and storage."
"Thanks darling, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful.
"That's okay; you're entitled to fantasize."
As they headed down sound, er down the sound toward home, Lydia wondered when Alan was living alone did he watch porn videos while stroking his dick and was he creative enough to perform to the background beat of music. That gave her an idea.
Alan had showered and was in bed when Lydia was still sorting through cartons of his collection of CDs.
"Come on," he grumbled, have a shower and come to bed; it's late.
"Ah got it," she cried and turning off the lights said she'd have a shower after sex.
"Christ do I have to engage in sex? I'm tired and we have a big day tomorrow."
"Yes, absolutely."
"Okay then."
"Alan when you lived here alone and masturbated nightly, never complaining you were tired, did you ever do it to music?"
"I've never masturbated in my life."
"Answer me truthfully."
"I'd stroke away watching a video probably with a chick riding a guy with her tits flopping about as if they were possessed; why would I need to also listen to music?"
Lydia, who was undressing, scooped up the remote and pointed it through the doorway to the CD player.
As the music started he said instantly, "Ravel's 'Bolero', why are we listening to that?"
"Well Mr Engineer it's apparent you don't know everything. The music is superbly erotic."
"Eh are you talking about Bolero?"
"Yes the music starts, the guy puts it in and very slowly at first the couple bangs in time with the beat and gradually as the tempo increasing the couple increase their pace and then after something like fifteen minutes as the orchestra reaches a final crescendo guess what?"
"The repeat play kicks in to restart at the beginning."
"I didn't mean that. When their banging reaches a crescendo in time with the music they both come with explosive climaxes too."
"Lydia doesn't that carry on debase the music?''
"I'm pretty sure the music as written doesn't involve a bass."
"Oh god Lydia, spare me. Restart the music and open wide and I'll put it in and we'll test this bit or erotica or piece of nonsense."
Lydia took over the leadership.
She told Alan to calm himself and reduce expectations because they would be off to a very slow start.
"Very slow?" he groaned.
"Very slow," she said emphatically. "Remember your full cooperation is required and don't you dare ejaculate prematurely."
She licked two fingers to prepare for his entry and frowned at him.
"Um slow and cooperatively," he said and she kissed the tip of his nose as they both lay on their side and she raised her upper leg and smiled sweetly as he pushed into the channel.
"Slow, much slower... catch the beat."
He yawned and complained it was proceeding so slowly he'd fall asleep.
"Alan if your behaviour results in us fucking up I'll give you more than blue balls."
"I'm cooperating," he said hastily.
Lydia returned from douching herself in the shower.
