Part Four: Rashiv
True to his word, Simon rang one evening, suggesting we might make a three-day expedition around the coast the next holiday weekend, staying on board the boat. There was a flurry of 'phone calls as Stephen's parents and mine discussed the idea, but to our delight, they eventually agreed. The next few days seemed to crawl by, but eventually the day of the trip arrived. Simon had arranged to pick us up at some ungodly hour of the morning, so Stephen stayed at my house the night before. It's funny, but we must have both been so excited that neither of us even gave a thought to giving each other a 'quickie' before going to sleep.
We were up and breakfasted long before Simon arrived and we wasted no time in stowing our gear in the back of his jeep. After a quick wave to my mother, standing anxiously in her dressing gown at the door, we were on our wayβour voyage had begun! The journey was uneventful, although Stephen was suffering from a bout of shyness and sat quietly beside me, not joining in the conversation. I knew exactly how he felt
:
I had felt the same mixture of nervousness and anticipation before my first real meeting with Simon. In Stephen's case, his anticipation seemed to be winning, for I noticed that he began to sport a prominent hard-on. I reached over and began to unbutton his shorts, but Simon called out from the front seat. "Hey, you guys, there'll be plenty of time for that when we get there. You're putting me off my driving!" I made a rude face at his reflection in the rear view mirror and carefully tucked Stephen away for later on. The episode did help to break the ice though, for Stephen suddenly lost his shyness and started to talk excitedly about the weekend ahead.
I wasn't sure what to expect as we parked in the boatyard. Simon went off to collect the keys from the office, while Stephen and I looked along the neat lines of craft, wondering which one was to be our home for the next few days. We were soon to find out
:
Simon called to us and we followed him to a sleek cabin cruiser, moored at the end of a long wooden jetty.
"Enchantress II.
What happened to
Enchantress One
?" I asked.
"Oh, I sank her when I was still learning." came the cheerful reply. He said it so dryly that it took me a few moments to realise that he was only joking. For the next half hour or so, we were kept busy stowing our gear and provisions on board while Simon stripped the tarpaulin covers from
Enchantress
.
"She's beautiful." I said when her graceful lines were fully revealed.
"I call her 'The Gin Palace'" Simon gave me a wry grin, but I could tell that he was pleased by my admiration. "My father uses her to wine and dine his business clients. I get a bit fed up ferrying them around all the time, so it'll be nice to have the old girl to myself for a change."
We went below to the saloon where Stephen had been busy brewing some tea for us in the spotless galley. As we drank, Simon outlined his plans for our trip, pointing out the route on a large chart. Just then a voice hailed us from the jetty and the boat rocked slightly as someone stepped aboard. Simon showed no surprise and climbed the companionway, returning with a slim young Asian man.
"This is Rashiv." He announced. "He'll be joining us for the weekend."
I stared at the newcomer without enthusiasm.
There goes the prospect of any fun
, I thought gloomily, but when we shook hands, I wasn't so sure. Rashiv had the most strikingly amber coloured eyes I had ever seen, and the long, appraising look they gave me made me think that he hadn't just been invited for the ride, after all.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now that we had a full crew, we were keen to get underway. Simon called us to our respective duties with a cheerful "Come on then. Let's go ΜΆ All hands on deck!"
"Aye, aye, Cap'n." I said, tugging an imaginary forelock.
"Enough of that nonsense, or I'll have you flogged." He grinned. "Go and untie us."
While Stephen and Rashiv fended us off from the neighbouring craft, I clambered onto the jetty and jumped gingerly back on board, clutching the mooring ropes. There was a throaty roar and the boat began to tremble as the big diesel engine cut in. Simon certainly knew how to handle her, for after steering us through the tight maze of moored craft, we were soon heading out of the crowded boatyard into the estuary. The ships we passed looked enormous and I cast an anxious eye at one coming up the river, loaded with huge stacks of timber. Simon seemed to be steering directly towards her, but it soon became apparent, even to my inexperienced eye, that we would easily pass astern of her.
Enchantress
rocked gently in the big ship's wake and I waved up at two guys leaning on the stern rail. They didn't respond, but I supposed that they weren't enjoying their trip as much as I was.
As we steadied, Simon called me over and handed me the wheel. "Keep her in a straight line towards that headland. I'll be back shortly." I went cold all over and gripped the wheel for dear life.
"Relax. You'll soon get the hang of it." Simon advised cheerfully.
"Thanks a bunch!" I called, but he had already disappeared down the hatchway.
Once I had got over my initial panic, I began to enjoy myself: I was in sole charge of thousands of pounds of luxury cruiser! The engine throbbed gently under my feet, its exhaust making a deep burbling sound as it occasionally dipped under the water in the swell. It was still quite early, but the sea mist had cleared and it promised to be a real scorcher of a day. There was a patter of feet up the companionway and Rashiv appeared, dressed only in a pair of peacock blue Speedos. The skimpy garment hid little of his slim, brown body and I could see the shape of his genitals clearly outlined in the stretchy fabric. He gave me a shy smile and I watched him make his way along the cabin roof before stretching out on a towel to sunbathe.
"Watch your helm!" Said a voice behind me, adding softly. "You're drooling."
"Is it that obvious?" I asked.
"Sort of." Simon gave me a slow grin. "But don't worry. You've got all weekend to get to know each other, and 'Rash' is well worth the effort, believe me."