First Day in the Caribbean 17

This story continues the series First Day in the Caribbean, and connects it to the stories about the dive shop and the bike store. (I called the original series First Day... because my original intent was to have only the first episode, but the characters had more to say, and I couldn't change the title!) The story picks up after Rick and Karen's dinner with Asch, Mary, and Octavia.

Also, I must apologize to my faithful readers for the long hiatus. I changed jobs and moved, and my new location doesn't have an internet connection!

If this is your first time in the story, I encourage you to click my ID and start at the beginning.

*****

When they got to the apartment, Karen said, "Okay, let's get cleaned up, then I want you to lie on the bed on your back, naked, but throw the sheet over yourself. For effect." She gave him a mischievous grin. "I'm going to be spicy steak sauce tonight."

They got cleaned up without being too too fresh with each other, and Rick stretched out on the bed, legs spread and hands under his head, while Karen rummaged in a drawer. They mentioned what Asch and Octavia or Mary, or all three, might be up to, and both said they couldn't care less, but wished them all well.

She approached him wearing his favorite, a transparent silky tank top. "Now I know your navy-induced paranoia won't let you let yourself be tied up, but I think I found a solution to your little anti-bondage problem." She held out a spool of thread.

Rick was mystified, and wrinkled his brow in puzzlement.

"This is carpet thread. It's strong enough so you won't break it by accident, but you can if there's an actual emergency. But the rule is, don't break the thread." She could tell by his expression that the light was dawning. She sashayed to the foot of the bed and tied each ankle to a bedpost. Then she tied each wrist to a post at the head of the bed. "Now you're mine! Bwhahaha," gleefully rubbing her hands together. She got a washcloth and held it out. "I want you to wear this. Oh wait! You're tied up! I guess I'll have to put it on you myself." She pulled the sheet down until it barely covered his midsection, then she tucked the cloth over his privates, and pulled the sheet off. "There. Nice and modest." Rick was grinning, and she could see that before too long there'd be a tent where the washcloth was. "Let's check and be sure you're all nice and comfortable. She ran her hands over his chest, sometimes using her fingernails, paying attention to his nipples and stomach muscles just above the washcloth. She did the same for his legs, especially his inner thighs.

Rick spread his knees a little and sighed.

"Time for my show!" She stood next to him and watched him as she slowly pulled her top up, enough to reveal the undersides of her boobs. Then she changed her mind, and pulled to bottom down while she leaned over, making her cleavage even more impressive. Finally she pulled the bottom up again, over her breasts to rest the fabric on top, nipples poking out from underneath. She leaned over a little to pull down her bikini bottoms, wiggling her hips provocatively as she did so, finally letting them fall so she could step out of them. The whole time she kept her eyes on his, but she could see out of the corner of her eyes that the tent was getting bigger.

"I think your head is too far back. I want you to be able to watch better. She stepped across his chest and kneeled at his armpits. Then she leaned over his face to reach the pillow, folding it in half to tuck under his head. She made good and sure that her breasts touched his face, but didn't hold still for his efforts to lick and kiss her nipples. When she sat back, she did heave a sigh, though, a sigh that emphasized the roundness of her breasts and erection of her nipples.

"I have to admit the scenery is pretty good around here, very mountainous," Rick smiled. "You gonna just sit there?"

"Sort of." She smiled and got up onto her knees. "I like the idea of you being able to breathe, though." She arched her back, forcing her hips toward him. "Look closely. I want you to give me a kiss."

"A French kiss?" he asked

"Something like that." She got onto her feet, then hunkered down, her pussy hovering inches from his face. "Hmm. Not quite close enough yet," and she worked her toes under his upper arms, moving until she could feel his tongue on her clit. "Ah! Yes! Do that!" soon she started to tremble, and she stood up. "Nope, I don't want to come yet," she gasped. "Well, I do, but I'm not gonna." She stepped back until she was over his tent. "Now this looks interesting." She stepped backwards some more until her feet were by his knees, legs spread wide. She let herself fall forward until she was arched over him, then moved her feet inside his legs, as far apart as they would go. She pulled the washcloth aside and lowered herself until her breasts were pressing onto his chest and her pussy against his navel. "Oops I missed!" she slid down until her crotch encountered his very erect manhood, then continued her journey southward, bending him more and more upright. When the pressure felt about right, she lifted her upper torso onto her elbows, which kept plenty of contact and had rather the effect of a push-up bra, not that she needed it, so Ricks view was definitely attention-getting.

He looked into her eyes, "You sure are good looking."

"Hey, buddy, my breasts are down there," she kidded. So he relaxed and stared at them with a little smile.

Karen got a thoughtful look on her face, then rocked her hips, rubbing the end of his penis over her back door. It was an interesting, sexy, sensation, but the angle was a bit wrong, so she lifted her hips, moving him to her vulva. She got the distance a little too much, so he didn't go in, but she settled down on top of him and made motions to move him against her clit. She was on top, so she could easily adjust the pressure and she adjusted it so the stimulation was light at first, then got more and more aggressive.

Rick moaned and rocked his hips.

"Getting closer are you? Good! So am I." She lifted and rocked higher, and inserted him into her opening about a half inch. She moved that half inch in and out, then began to go deeper with each stroke, eventually plunging him all the way in. And almost all the way out. Repeatedly. By now she was concentrating on her own sensations, but she could hear Rick's grunts and feel his movements, so she knew she was doing it right for him, too.

Their movements got more and more urgent and she rocked herself against him harder and harder, tossing her head back and grunting. They sped up more, until they both lost control and pounded repeatedly. She could feel him swelling inside her, and it pushed her over, making her cry out as she climaxed. That pushed Rick over, and they sang a primitive duet of primal grunts and moans. Finally they stopped, and Karen smiled at him, slightly out of breath, leaving him still inside her, which she liked to do.

"That was the best steak I ever had," she smiled.

"Best steak sauce ever, too," he smiled back. Can I break my chains now?" Though all that Rick had managed to control his limbs and the threads were unbroken.

"Yes."

He immediately wrapped his arms around her and kissed her repeatedly and enthusiastically. She returned the favor, adding hip grinds into the mix. Even though Rick was spent, they both enjoyed the sensation of his movement inside her, or her movement surrounding him, depending on how you look at it, until finally he was limp enough to slip out. It took a while. The kisses relaxed into neck nuzzles and a back rub. Rick rolled them over so they were side by side, and managed, with a lot of body contact, to grab their sheet and pull it over them. He sighed happily. "I'm glad no burglars tried to come in. I wasn't paying too much attention there for a while."

Karen snorted. Then she closed her eyes for a few seconds, and accidentally fell asleep. Rick saw what had happened, so he followed suit.

——————-

A few days later it was time for the basic scuba class. Asch and half a dozen others had signed up. Three of them were the young people who worked at the bike store where both Asch and Rick had purchased bikes. Rick recognized Charlie, the kid he had rescued, now considerably grown and athletic looking. When he introduced himself, he mentioned that he worked at the bike shop, but not the hurricane adventure. Jenny had dark blonde curly hair and an on-the-ball look in her eye and also worked at the bike store. Asch figured she would go far in whatever she chose to do. Sharon also worked at the bike shop and was the daughter of the mayor of Easthaven, which she did not mention when she introduced herself to the group. Another lady, Anita, worked at a bank and said she was learning out of self defense; her boyfriend was enthusiastic about three things, diving, music, and welding. She couldn't weld, and they were both already into music, so diving was what was left. Asch suspected he was also enthusiastic about Anita. She had a lively, professional air about her, and was good-looking besides. The other two turned out to be a husband-wife real estate team. "We decided we'd like to look over the real estate around the island, not just on the island." They both looked out of shape, and Rick wondered if they'd complete the course.

Rick and Karen tag-teamed the class, summarizing what to expect including reading, written tests, skill lessons and practice in the water, and water tests, which included swimming certain distances with and without fins. They would go on at least four dives to practice the skills they had learned in the water near shore, and at the end they'd be certified divers!

Rick added, "And I won't get arrested for filling your tank," which led to the story behind the burst tank in the entryway. Everyone got fitted for a wetsuit that first night, too, and they all proudly took theirs home that night. "Put it on and take it off at least once a day." Rick instructed.

Asch (and the others) learned that there is no graceful way to get into a wetsuit, even with practice. Octavia laughed at him every time, so he started caricaturing his efforts, to their mutual and Lydia's amusement. One time she offered to help him take it off, and she stood him next the bed, and pulled the wetsuit off slowly and sensuously, taking his swimming trunks with it when she got to that part. She bumped his midsection with her head to knock him onto the bed so she could pull off the legs. She tossed the suit aside and removed her own clothing, then, feigning fatigue, fell forward onto him. She gave him a resounding kiss, then said, "We're gonna have so much fun in the water, but right now, let's have some fun on land." Then she squirmed her body on his, pretending to try several swim strokes, and working her crotch onto his until they were joined, then changing to something like a dolphin stroke, pumping her hips up and down, pushing and pulling him into her and pressing her breasts against his chest. Asch cooperated by pressing her hips into him and spreading his knees to improve the contact. They kept at it for several minutes, varying the speed and angle until their reflexes began to kick in, and they pumped in mutual wild abandon, jerking and spasming together until they grunted and cried out in climax and satisfaction. When she finally stopped moving, she smiled happily and said, "Now that was a swim!"

"You're a pretty good swimmer, I like your strokes," he smiled back.

The classes went well. During the next few weeks the students became proficient at reading and using dive tables and keeping their dive log books, and they began to show interest in the equipment. Karen encouraged them not to buy any serious gear until after they had tried some of it out in the water lessons.

Asch went swimming every day and surprised himself with his progress. When the day came to swim the longest distance, he passed! So did everyone else, even the realtors. He and Anita became dive buddies during the water lessons, and the three kids took turns with each other and Rick or Karen, whoever was in the water that lesson.

They learned to be comfortable breathing with their mask off underwater, and how to fill it with air when (not if) water got inside, how to share air, how to remove and get into their gear on land and underwater, and a multitude of other skills. It was fun and interesting. Asch was chagrined, almost, that he had originally thought scuba was a one-afternoon intro and then buy a bunch of equipment.

Both Rick and Karen pounded into them that following the safety rules keeps you alive and comfortable. Charlie decided not to do anything brave underwater.

The men decided that scuba gear, especially the mask and mouthpiece do not enhance a woman's appearance. In fact, unless someone had pronounced curves, it could even be a little tricky to tell if someone was female. Charlie had to content himself with thinking about the girls and their bathing suits when they geared up.

Charlie approached Rick one class toward the end of the course. "Okay, I can see wearing a wetsuit when the water's cold, but it's not too bad here. How come we still wear wetsuits? Why don't we just wear bathing suits like we see in the magazines?"

Rick knew what Charlie was thinking. Karen was a lot more fun to look at in a bathing suit than in a wet suit. "Those are posed shots done by professional photographers. The divers use gear with padding to help keep the harness from scratching. And I'll bet they Photoshop out a lot of harness burns. Try some underwater photography and you should experiment with types of gear for photos. Especially with those two models you have there, it should be a lot of fun." He grinned and Charlie turned red. But the idea of taking underwater pictures of the girls appealed to him.

The final class and dive were over. They had progressed from being overwhelmed, to feeling like they knew what they were doing, to feeling that they still had a lot to learn. Charlie arranged to have his parents bring a large plate of cookies to the dive shop. Fred was there to congratulate Anita, Octavia was there for Asch, and so were Lydia and Vivian. The Chief of Police of Easthaven brought John Conner there in the police department's new SUV for Sharon, too. Even Bill showed up for his three employees. The two realtors, Pam and Greg Olson, were there for each other, and Rick made a point to praise them publicly for their effort. Everyone got congratulated, and Asch felt as proud as when he had graduated from college.

Charlie managed to get his arms around both girls for a "bike team" photo. He would have walked them back to the bike shop like that, but both girls' parents were there to take them home, not to mention his own folks.

On the way home, Charlie's dad remarked, "Well! I can see why you took up interest in scuba. That's a pretty cute pair of classmates you have there."

"Well, they both keep me pretty busy at the bike store, and sometimes I can hardly stand to see them."

His dad laughed. "Join the club of all men!"

Charlie started to save up for an underwater camera. He figured he might be able to sell some photography to diving magazines, maybe some other places. When he stopped in the dive shop one day to look at the camera selection, Karen casually mentioned that there was such a thing as an underwater photography certification. Charlie signed up immediately, even though the class was a ways out on the calendar. He took the textbook home that day, and at Karen's suggestion made a trip to the library. She also suggested he visit some of the electronics stores in town and start asking questions—after he read at least one book, and not to buy anything until after the class started.

——————-

As soon as Anchovie's was out of Octavia's employment picture, Asch decided he needed a car. He didn't like Octavia having to bike up that hill in the dark every night, especially when it rained. So he took her to the car dealer he had dealt with before, and let her help him buy a car—the smallest one they could find. It had about enough room for them and two grocery bags, but it was fun to scoot around in.

The first time they drove into the driveway, Lydia chided him—he was welcome to use the pickup any time he wanted, and Asch acknowledged that sometimes he might need to borrow it, "If we ever need to get three bags of groceries at once."

Asch and Octavia settled into a routine of him writing while she was at Momma Rita's, a job she still enjoyed. He didn't always write at the house, of course, since there were many things to do in town, (including a coffee house where he could do his writing), but not the least of which was to have supper with Octavia in Rita's kitchen. Rita started to use him to lay out the Specials Menu, and paid him with his supper. It was a good deal for her, because Asch was good at page layout, and a page would have cost a business in the states about fifty dollars. Asch didn't tell her that, though. He enjoyed being included as part of the team, and having supper with Octavia. The other staff teased them a lot, and they teased right back. On nights when Mary was in town, she and Asch ate in the restaurant, and Octavia disappeared the minute her shift was over. They kidded her about wanting to be a chaperone, and she let them think whatever they wanted.

One evening when he was at the house, Lydia approached him in the family room, where he often liked to write, and as often as not she read or watched TV. "Thought I'd give you an update."

Asch closed the laptop to give her his full attention.

"I got word that my two annual renters won't be coming down this winter, and they asked not to renew. Very apologetic and they still like it here and all that, but they decided to try Hawaii. That's item one. Item two is John suggested I move to Easthaven, well, to his place. He says this place is getting too big for me and I'd like it in town more than out here in the sticks. It's true I'm not getting any younger, and he certainly is enjoyable company—humbler, too, after his little faux pas—and I am getting more and more involved in the social life in town. Item three is that I'm interested in getting rid of this place if you're interested in taking over. As long as I can come out occasionally to do some stargazing. Specifically this." She handed him a list of astronomical events for the next year.

Asch looked over the list. Some conjunctions, a comet, all the planetary oppositions for the year. Fun stuff for an astronomer. Asch smiled. "You came to this meeting well prepared, I see. You're serious about this."

"Yes. I should add that I like Sharon and we get along fine, but I predict that soon if not already she'll want to get out on her own. She might be a good candidate to rent one of your spare rooms."

Asch noted that she called them his spare rooms. "Hmm."

"Think about it. Talk it over with Octavia. I met those realtors at your scuba graduation, and I asked them to come out to appraise the place, get the ball rolling." She smiled a little, "I really hope you'd like to have the place. It'd feel like we were keeping it in the family and in good hands. I'm certain Gus would approve. John certainly does. He admires you a lot. Actually, Sharon does, too." She stood and held up a hand. "Don't say anything, yet. Have a confab with Octavia and wait until I get some numbers, okay?"

Asch kept his mouth shut and nodded. He'd have to think about this. He opened his laptop and resumed writing. She went outside.

He was interrupted by a pair of hands over his eyes. Octavia! He had gotten onto a state of flow and completely lost track of time. He grabbed a hand and kissed it. "Hm. This better be Octavia," he muttered. "Or Mary," he added.