Plotting a Course

*Wow! Thank you so much for the kind words and support. I've decided to rearrange some things and this story will conclude with Chapter 17. Please keep your feedback coming!*

Chapter 15: Bait a Hook

"What are you feeding an army?" Rob asked as I closed the lid on a large cooler.

"Maybe." I smirked and bent over to lift the heavy cooler.

"Let me get an end." Rob tried to grab the cooler from me.

"I have it." I stubbornly made my way to the front door and Rob opened it for me to walk through. I walked over to Rob's truck and he dropped the tailgate. I groaned and tried to heft the cooler into the truck. Thankfully, Rob gave the cooler a discrete boost and helped me lift it into the bed of the truck. I slammed the tailgate before heading to the passenger door of his truck.

"Get in birthday boy." I grinned and opened the door. Rob smiled, shook his head, and got in the truck. I had been planning this trip for weeks and was happy the day had finally come.

"What are we getting into?" Rob asked as I started his truck.

"Only one way to find out." I grinned and Rob laughed while I drove to our destination. I passed a gas station on the right, and distracted Rob by pointing in the opposite direction, hoping he wouldn't notice the two cars that were parked and waiting to follow us. I glanced in my rear view and saw the two vehicles following when I made the turn off of Route 13. Rob enjoyed looking at the speedboats, deadrises, yachts, sailboats, and fishing boats while we winded our way through the marina and parked.

"Leave it." I called as Rob started reaching for the cooler. Rob shrugged and followed me. I stepped onto a dock with Rob at my heels. The summer sun was warm on my face. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the salty air. Rob was in awe taking in the docked boats, that were casually bobbing up and down in the sparkling water. I saw a familiar face as I approached a sport-fishing boat. There were five large rods in holders and a man I didn't recognize was tying a lead to a sixth.

"Captain Cliff." I smiled and shook his hand when he stepped onto the dock.

"Good to see you again Bobby."

"This is Rob." I pointed and Rob shook Cliff's hand.

"I've heard a lot about you Rob." Cliff glanced towards his boat at which Rob was staring open mouthed. "Where's the rest of your party?" Cliff asked and I turned when I heard the others step onto the deck.

"No way." Rob laughed when he saw his former roommate, Clint, walking in with the cooler. A step behind Clint was Clint's boyfriend Matt, and Chase.

"Happy birthday roomie." Clint placed the cooler in the boat and I heard loud thuds as they slapped each other on the back.

"He's my roomie now." Chase cut in and more backs were slapped. I pulled Matt into a hug, glad to see my old friend before Rob and Matt shook hands. Rob took a deep breath as he looked at the motley crew in front of him. Rob was grinning ear to ear and he pulled me into a hug.

"Thank you Bobby." He whispered. His breath was hot and his soft lips tickled my ear before I felt a moist kiss on my cheek.

"Welcome aboard fellas." Captain Cliff greeted us. "This is my first mate Skip. If you need anything, or have a question don't hesitate to ask." Captain Cliff got behind the wheel and Skip untied the boat and pushed us away from the dock. Skip was handsome and had sun-soaked bronze skin. He was wearing a canary yellow tank top that had a picture of a blue marlin jumping out of the water, which showed off his strong biceps and a plump vein running up his arm. I noticed Matt eye Skip up and down and tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh when Clint nudged Matt out of his reverie. Chase rolled his eyes before we made our way to the bow of the boat and took a seat. Captain Cliff piloted us out of the mouth of the bay and into the Atlantic.

Skip made his way to the stern of the boat and was making sure all of the tackle was ready. Rob stood up and pretended to be surfing while the boat bounced up and down in the wake. It didn't take long for Clint and Chase to join in. Matt and a were laughing loudly as they goofed off. I glanced behind me and Captain Cliff and Skip were laughing. Cliff caught my eye and shook his head while grinning. Skip made his way up to us and everyone sat down and he squatted in between us.

"Virginia Beach is slammed with people fishing for bluefin tuna. We can go there or we can get away from the crowds and search for some mahi, wahoo, or maybe even a blue marlin. What do y'all think. He looked around and nobody spoke.

"He's the birthday boy, his choice." I grinned and pointed to Rob who thought for a few seconds before speaking.

"Let's avoid the crowds, I think we'll have more fun on our own." Rob decided and Skip nodded.

"Good choice." He patted Rob on his knee before he stood and informed Captain Cliff of our decision. As the sun climbed higher in the sky the temperature rose and one by one Rob, Clint, and Chase had stripped off their t-shirts, revealing their nicely toned bodies. In the distance I could see a large gathering of boats off from Virginia Beach. We stayed on a course further out to sea and well away from the platoon. We passed a line of freighters queued up to enter the harbor. Overhead a jet broke the sound barrier on its way to or from Oceania Naval Air Station. The few clouds that blemished the otherwise intense blue sky were bright white and fluffy.

My cheeks started to get hot and I got up to find a bottle of sunscreen. I took off my sunglasses and rubbed the lotion into my face and ears. When I opened my eyes I was greeted by Rob's handsome face smiling at me.

"Take your shirt of babe, lemme get your back." I quickly pulled off my shirt and put my glasses back on before handing Rob the sunscreen. I felt a cold blob of lotion as he squirted it between my shoulder blades. Rob's touch was heavenly as his strong hands massaged the lotion into my skin. I threatened to melt from his touch, but managed to stay composed and contain my arousal. "Turn around lemme do your chest."

"I can do my front." I laughed and took the lotion from him. I glanced up and noticed not only the guys watching us, but Skip as well. My cheeks flushed with heat and I quickly put lotion on my arms, chest, stomach, and legs.

"Can you get my back Bobby?" Rob winked at me and I couldn't help but laugh. The white lotion contrasted with Rob's tanned skin. Rob's broad shoulders were strong as I worked the lotion into his skin. Rob sighed while I worked further down his back and felt his strong sinews on the palms of my hands. I let my fingers slip under Rob's waistband and he jumped when the cool lotion dripped into the beginning of his crack. "Hey watch it." Rob laughed.

"Turn around, I'll do your front." Rob turned around and his green eyes were twinkling as he watched me rub the lotion into his pecs. I enjoyed watching the creamy lotion which swirled into his chest hair and eventually faded away.

"My turn." Clint bellowed and he reached out for the lotion. "Come on babe gimme a hand." He tossed the lotion to Matt who eagerly jumped at the chance of giving the bigger man a rub down. Clint returned the favor and rubbed the sunscreen into Matt's back. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Chase glance at us before he returned his gaze to the water off the bow of the boat.

"You need some sunscreen Chase?" I called. He didn't look back, but shook his head. His ears and neck were turning pink.

"Aw come on Chase, you're starting to get red already." Rob added. "Come here and I'll put some on your shoulders." Clint had just finished with Matt and was about to hand the lotion to Rob when Skip appeared out of nowhere.

"Don't worry I'll help you out buddy." Skip surprised us and held out his hand for the lotion. Rob shrugged and Chase cut his eyes at us with a leer. We were mesmerized by Skip, who was clearly experienced in the art of sunscreen application and quickly coated Chase's shoulders, arms, and back in lotion. He clicked the top on the lotion and cleared his throat.

"Oh, thanks." Chase shook his head and took the lotion from a grinning Skip. I tried to suppress the gasp that escaped my mouth. Rob cut his eyes at me and I knew he had seen what I had. Chase's board shorts had an obvious tent in them, which he tried to hide as he made his way to the bow of the boat to finish applying the sunscreen.

"No problem." Skip added before making his way to sit beside Captain Cliff.

*

"Alright fellas, let's get some lines wet." Skip came up when we had reached Captain Cliff's fishing grounds. There were no boats near us and it was peaceful as the boat slowly bobbed in the ocean swells. Sea Gulls were diving in the water while we slowly trolled.

"What's on the menu Captain Cliff?" Rob asked as we made our way to a couple of seats near the stern of the boat. "Mahi mahi, wahoo, maybe a tuna or a marlin if we're lucky." Captain Cliff answered. Skip showed the proper technique of casting and we watched the large artificial lure sail out into the water. He showed us how to get in the seats and reel if there were a fish on. Chase seemed very intrigued when Skip, bending over, used a downrigger and got another lure deeper under the surface. With all the gear in the water we waited patiently while we slowly trolled on Captain Cliff's course.

"Fish on, who wants it?" Skip shouted and we all looked eagerly at the rod.

"Birthday boy first." Clint yelled as Skip set the hook and handed the rod to Rob who eagerly started reeling it in.

"He's putting up a good fight." Rob was grinning and sat down to get more leverage and reel in his fish. I watched as a beautiful yellow and blue fish jumped out of the water. "It's a dolphin." Rob laughed as he continued his fight with the fish.

"A dolphin?" Matt peered eagerly into the water with a confused expression on his face.

"Mahi-mahi." Skip added while he took position near Rob, ready to help get the fish on board.

"Say cheese." I shouted holding up my phone to take a picture of Rob and his catch. Rob proudly held the fish in front of him and posed for the picture.

"I'd say it's 35 pounds." Rob announced before handing the fish off to Skip.

"You're right, it's a very nice fish. They can reach speeds up to 50 mph." Our attention was drawn away from Skip when Captain Cliff pointed to another rod.

"Alright Bobby, you're up." Rob put his arms on my shoulders and pushed me toward the flexing rod. I took a deep breath and grabbed the rod. I tried to reel, but it was harder than I expected. Rob was right, the fish really did put up a fight, trying to escape. I noticed Rob scoot over beside me while I took a seat and fought the fish. Skip approached on my other side, ready to help get the fish in the boat.

"It's bigger than Rob's!" Clint bellowed while I stood proudly with my fish. We caught several mahi-mahis, and Matt caught a Wahoo. We all had a great time taking pictures with our catches. We only kept what we could eat and released rest. Thankfully everyone had caught a couple of fish and we took a break to eat some lunch and hydrate. Fishing was hard work and we had worked up a sweat.

"How about on the way home we troll by where the tuna are, maybe we'll get lucky." Captain Cliff suggested and we all nodded. Skip secured the gear while Captain Cliff turned us around and plotted our course to skirt the other fishers angling for tuna. The sun was high in the sky and we were all laughing and joking around as we made our way closer to shore and Virginia Beach.

Our tranquil boat was suddenly joined by more as we approached the fishing grounds. It looked as if a majority of the boats that had been here earlier had departed. Skip got everything set up and we were back on our feet, eager with anticipation. We paced the deck waiting for any sign of movement as Skip casually trolled on the outskirts of where the fish had schooled earlier.

"Wishful thinking I guess fellas." Captain Cliff said shrugging his shoulders after an hour. "What do you think, ready to pack it in?"

"Yeah, sounds good. It was still a great trip. Thanks Captain, Skip." Rob was smiling broadly.

"Wait!" I roared as I heard the line screaming as it spun off the reel. Skip and Rob moved like sprinters and Rob plopped in the chair and began his struggle with the fish. Rob's face strained as he concentrated and put all of his energy into reeling. Skip eagerly grabbed the gaff and gave Rob pointers as he battled the fish.

"Nice one!" Captain Cliff beamed at Rob as he tried to lift the fish for a photo.

"I want everyone in the picture." Rob grunted and tried to heft up the fish. "It must be almost 200 pounds." I stood by Rob, Chase sandwiched us on one side, Matt and Clint on the other.

"Say testicles!" Skip prompted before he took the photo. I'm sure we looked like blubbering idiots as we all erupted with laughter. "You know it's tradition to eat the heart of your first tuna don't you?"

"What?" All five of us a turned to Skip who was grinning.

"Yup. You catch your first tuna you eat the heart."

"Ugh..." Rob stalled and looked at us. "Are you messing with me?"

"You don't have to, but it's a rite of passage if you will." Captain Cliff chuckled.

"Can you cut it into five pieces?" Rob asked Skip. Matt and I took a step back in unison and held up our hands.

"I'm in!" Clint cheered.

"Me too!" Chase added.

"Come on babe, how many times will you have a chance like this." Rob's smile was warm, but I really didn't want to eat the tuna's heart.

"I'll do it if you do." I looked at Matt, hoping he'd refuse, his face was almost green. Clint walked over and whispered something in Matt's ear. Matt somewhat reluctantly nodded.

"What did you say to him big dude?" I asked Clint who just smirked and shrugged. Skip deftly cut the heart into five slivers and held them out to us.

"Here goes." Rob said as we all held the raw, red, bloody heart. Rob was first, Clint and Chase quickly followed and I studied their faces, but they were stone faced until they stuck out their tongues to prove they had completed the challenge. I closed my eyes and put the raw sliver in my mouth. I tried to swallow it whole and not chew, but my gag reflex was working against me. With a final attempt I swallowed the fish and my body shivered in response.

"Never again." I proclaimed and all attention turned to Matt. He had turned greener watching us and struggled to put the fish in his mouth. Steeling himself, Matt managed to swallow the sliver in one breath.

"Y'all are fucking sick!" He laughed and his skin tone slowly returned to normal.

Skip showed us the proper way to fillet the fish and we had them packed in the cooler by the time we reached the dock.

"Thanks so much Captain Cliff, Skip. There's no way we can eat all of this. Do y'all want some?" I asked.

"Thanks boys, but we're good. We have plenty of fish back home." Cliff placed his hand on Skip's shoulder. They smiled warmly at us as we said our goodbyes and hauled our catch back to the truck.

*

"How'd it go? I bought some hotdogs just in case..." My mom trailed off when she saw all of our smiling faces.

"No need for hot dogs Mrs. T." Rob answered and we headed back to the grill. Rob and my dad manned the grill while Clint, Chase, and Matt helped me set up the tents that we would be sleeping in. Emily had a friend over and there was no way that all five of us could sleep in Rob's and my room. When we finished setting up the tents we tossed in our sleeping bags. I helped my mom bring out plates and utensils for supper. Rob and my dad were chatting intently and my mom had made her way to the kitchen.

"I dunno about y'all." Clint drawled. "But I'm going to jump in the water. I smell like a fish."

"You can go take a shower if you want." I called after him as he ran down the dock.

"No need." I heard as he tossed his shirt and jumped into the creek laughing.

*

By the time Clint had dried off we were ready to eat. We squeezed around the picnic table to enjoy our catch of the day. The mahi mahi was flaky and delicious and there were contented sounds from around the table. Rob managed to talk half of the table into eating tuna sashimi in addition to their cooked fish. I looked around the table and was grateful for having great family and great friends. Rob was smiling broadly as he sampled everything on the table.

"More tea?" My mom stood up from the table holding an empty pitcher. There were several nods and she smiled as she headed back into the house. The sky turned beautiful shades of coral pink and orange as the last light of the day slowly began to burn out. The conversation came to an abrupt halt and I looked around to see what caused it. Mom had reemerged carrying a birthday cake that was sparkling and glowing with candles. A rowdy, off-tune, rendition of 'Happy Birthday to you' was performed before Rob enthusiastically extinguished the candles with one bellow of breath. One by one my family made their way back inside.

"I need to run inside real quick." Rob said and hurried off after my parents. The four of us made our way to the dock and laughed and reminisced. The stars began to twinkle and help illuminate the night sky.

"Where'd the birthday boy run off to?" Clint asked and I checked my watch. He had been gone almost twenty minutes.

"Maybe he took a shower, I'll go find out." I made my way inside and Rob and my parents were sitting together on the couch. My mom covered her face, she looked like she had been crying, and quickly excused herself from the room.

"Everything okay?" I asked, a little concerned.

"Everything is perfect." Rob got up and walked over to me.

"Thanks Mr. Thompson." My dad nodded and Rob and I made our way back out to the dock.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"What was what about?" Rob rebuffed. Chase stood up when he saw us approaching.

"Be right back." Chase said before he ran off and disappeared around the house. A few minutes later he came running back with a brown paper bag wrapped around a bottle. "Happy birthday Rob." Chase handed the bottle over with a Cheshire grin.

"You didn't have to, but thanks." Rob answered pulling out a bottle of Fireball Whisky. "This could be trouble." Rob laughed and took a seat on the dock, letting his legs dangle off of the edge. We sat, chatted, and took swigs of the cinnamon whisky. The already warm night heated up as the bottle slowly emptied. We got louder and louder and our shirts were soon in a pile on the dock. Fireflies were flickering in the sky and the full moon cast a soft glow onto tranquil water.

"Robbie." I coughed after taking another swig of the drink. "Let's go swimming." I was definitely feeling the liquor and was a little frisky.

"Right behind you babe." Rob practically growled and I felt him swat at my ass as I jumped by him and into the water. The cool water cooled my fireball induced flush, but not my libido.

"Well..." I called when I surfaced for air. Without warning I saw Rob jumping off the dock.

"Cannonball!" He roared and I laughed as the water splashed the three guys still sitting on the dock.

"Hey!" They groaned and eventually retaliated by splashing into the water with us. Eventually we climbed back onto the dock and dried off while we gazed at the serene water as it lightly buffeted the shore. I don't know what it was about the water, but it made Rob appear more handsome as beads slowly dripped down his muscular body. I desperately wanted to kiss him, but didn't want the other guys to see us.

"Robbie." I whispered, my voice was deep and sultry. Rob immediately sat up and exaggerated a yawn.

"Well fellas, I think I'm going to call it a night." Rob pulled me to my feet. I was saying goodnight to Chase, Clint, and Matt when Rob picked me up and carried me over his shoulder. I was shaking with laughter and waved goodnight to the guys. "Happy birthday Robbie." I swatted his ass before he put me down outside of our tent. Rob bent over and I enjoyed looking at the mounds of his ass through his swim trunks. I climbed into the tent and unrolled one of the sleeping bags and spread it on the floor of the tent. Rob quickly zipped up the tent before turning his attention to me.