The last ferry of the night pulled out right on schedule. Vickie was out of breath from dashing down the rain-slick sidewalks, jaywalking dangerously and ignoring the flashing red 'no-walk' lights on almost every street corner. She sprinted onto the gangplank just as the deep sounding horn blasted over her head; the tired and bored worker hardly glancing at her ticket as he hurriedly stretched the chain closed behind her. She was the last passenger to board and the water immediately began to churn violently below her as the mega-ferry slid smoothly from its berth.
Late night sailings from Seattle, especially on a Friday, seemed to always leave exactly on time. Vickie was positive that the captains took perverse pleasure in making sure any poor harried commuter who dared be as much as one minute late was stranded until the next morning. She usually tried to leave work early and aim for the late afternoon sailings, but today had been just one of those days where absolutely nothing went right. Barely catching her breath, she scampered up the hard metal steps to the main deck, heading to the far end of the mammoth ship.
Hoping to claim one of the few enclosed benches that afforded power and Wi-Fi as well as a modicum of privacy, she hurried past the dimly-lit galley, empty except for a young woman buying a steaming cup of coffee. She looked up as Vickie passed and their eyes met and momentarily locked. Vickie was immediately struck by the Taylor Swift, blowjob-red lipstick the woman was wearing, somehow appearing garish and out of place in the gray, conservative milieu of Seattle. Vickie smiled involuntarily at her before turning to continue down the aisle.
There were surprisingly few passengers this night, other than the usual burned-out-looking lawyers escaping the city for the small towns across the sound. Luckily, most of the main deck was empty and the few scattered walk-ons were already stretching out on the hard plastic benches, hoping to catch an hour of sleep after the long work-week.
Vickie stepped into the empty front cubicle, dropping exhaustedly onto the slick, plastic covered bench. Pleased to find the room warm after the cold and rainy city, she slipped out of her damp suit-jacket, kicked off her shoes and curled her long legs up under her. She pulled the laptop from her briefcase and sat it on the tiny table before leaning back, resting her exhausted eyes while it booted up. The dull shaking of the ferry as it gained speed rumbled throughout the metal deck and she unconsciously squirmed deeper into her seat. That was the thing Vickie enjoyed most about her watery commute; the relaxing, rhythmic, and secretly erotic vibrations of the massive engines pulsing throughout the steel-hulled ship.
She reluctantly pulled the computer onto her lap, intending to review the documents that glared impatiently before her. From the corner of her eye she noticed the woman that had been buying coffee walk slowly along the deck toward her cubicle. She paused momentarily, glancing ever-so casually at Vickie. A tiny, indecipherable smile spread to her bright red lips before quietly continuing past.
Vickie was surprised as she noticed how attractive the woman appeared close up and how ethereal she looked. She turned and looked over her shoulder, her eyes following the woman's slow walk and admiring the motion of her tight slacks until she reached the end of the aisle. She watched as the woman stopped momentarily as if deciding whether to continue on or turn back, then crossed slowly to the other side of the ship. Hesitating again, she pointedly glanced back over her shoulder to lock eyes with Vickie before slowly slipping out of sight. The same enigmatic look was on her face; her fiery red lips slightly parted and the seemed to be smiling directly into the deepest recesses of Vickie's mind.
The computer suddenly began flashing, interrupting Vickie's reverie. She reached for her earbuds and quickly hooked them to the computer, opened Pandora to a program of slow, mellow classics and snapped the lid closed, mercifully returning the room to its welcome semi-darkness. She took a long, deep breath, feeling her tired eyes droop sleepily shut. The woman's face slowly swam into focus in the dreamy space behind her eyelids, a warm glow spreading through her body. She felt herself being lulled into a sleep-like, erotic trance as the ferry's pulsing vibration and the woman's intriguing image relaxed and warmed her.
The weekend ahead promised to be quiet and uneventful. Since she broke up with Damon, her long-term boyfriend, and moved into the cozy apartment she now called home, her social life had become practically non-existent. She loved not having to plan activities or dance to other people's dictates. She had yet to become bored and missed nothing of her previous life, with the possible exception of the intimacy her randy ex was always ready for.
Dreamily, her thoughts drifted to the enjoyment her body could provide—it was the main reason she had moved in with Damon. With his imaginative and enthusiastic sexuality, he had nurtured an acceptance of her own passion she never knew she was capable of, or that even existed. Together they had explored many of the activities she at first thought repugnant, then merely kinky; and finally, a major and gratifying part of their sex life.
