Going With The Winds

Chapter Eight

Cass

Oh, I was loving this! Cold as it was, I leaned back into Alejandro’s chest as we sat in the plush cushioned cockpit area of the ship, not far forward from where the captain and his big stocky bearded first mate stood up on the pilot house level.

From my point of view, Jake in his tight jeans looked totally sexy up there. God, what a beautiful man he was.

“You keep gazing up at the captain’s bulge like that, and I am going to wonder.” Alejandro teased, his voice in my right ear.

My sexy Latin roomy from college, slipped a hand around me to cup my own bulge and rub it, not at all worried if anyone noticed. He was so bad. I loved it.

“Stop it.” I whispered.

“Make me, caro mio.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Feels so good.” I admitted. I was going to get hard like this, leaning back against him, his arms around me, that hand doing what it was doing.

“You going to volunteer us for crew duty, like you said.”

“I already have, but I will do it again. Maybe we should let things settle out.” I said.

“Probably wise to let them get us fully out of this bay and the sails up. Then, we can see if they need any more help.” Alejandro said. “But meanwhile I am enjoying just relaxing with such a sexy love in my arms.

I turned a bit to look at him. Alejandro and I had roomed together my junior year and his senior, dancing around each other’s preferences. He had come across as macho, but with an occasional dazzling smile that kept me looking for more signs that he was more openly into men those infrequent but startling warm smiles might indicate. He was a gorgeous man, with his black hair, swept back and wavy, his sensual lips, chocolate brown eyes, a trim mustache and a goatee that suited his chiseled square jaw. Add in his skills in bed, and the strong friendship that had bloomed between us, I could not think of a better sex mate to take on a trip like this.

Marty Hall, the owner and host of this voyage, I had only just met. As I nestled back against Alejandro, the short spare Hall emerged from the salon, going up to talk to Jake and his mate, Jim, with a smile, glancing at us as he walked by. He took two steps past us, but then paused and came back, sitting beside us.

Thankfully Alejandro stopped slowly massaging my erection strained crotch for the moment.

Hall raised a brow and laughed. “Don’t stop on my account. That clearly needs attention, young man.”

“Si, and I love to give it attention,” my lover husked.

Hall just smiled and winked. “I am glad you two could join us. But I am just a little curious. “Your father, Cass, seemed to think getting you onto the “Enchanter” was important. I was wondering if you knew why. It’s not as if there aren’t other cruise ships out there. As charter ship's go, this is a mildly modest one, and this isn't even a charter cruise, just my personal friends.”

I wasn’t really sure I could answer him fully, as I wasn’t sure why I needed this cruise, either, but I thought to tell him as much of my impulses to wrangle a cabin on board, as possible.

“Well, a number of reasons. My best friend, Alex, is good friends with Jake, and I flew here to spend Thanksgiving in Rehoboth with him. However, I have to tell you the atmosphere in that house was kind of … confused and tense. I met Jake there and found out he was leaving to take command of your ship. That left two couples living there with me as odd man out, and I felt Alex had enough on his plate. Then again, I want to study and apply for a commercial 100-ton license. To do that I need to spend at least a year at sea, though that can be done in short segments over time. Then I have to pass an examination, for the license. I need experience. I wasn’t going to press you, but I’m hoping I can help out with working the ship and put some hours down for experience. I’d like to maybe work crewing for this ship into a full-time job, but I understand if that isn’t possible.”

Hall’s expression eased. He looked us over, his eyes going down to the massive erection Alejandro had rubbed into a throbbing state, which now, stretched across my crotch to the hip in my jeans. I felt naughty, leaning back, my crotch’s condition on flagrant display. Marty Hall was not a bad looking man for someone nearing forty. He wore his hair in a buzz cut, very close cropped, which helped to disguise his receding hairline. His face was angular, but handsome, his body as fit as a professional gymnast. He was definitely a hot man.

“Well, this was not meant to be a “paying” cruise for my guests, but I cannot complain if your money helps our expenses. We don’t have room to pay you, but I see no reason why you can’t help our crewmen. You have experience at sea?”

“Yes Sir. Some.”

“You trained in CPR?”

“I wouldn’t say fully, but I have had a few classes.”

He nodded and smiled. “I will let Jake and Jim know you can be relied on to help with working the ship. But as a paying passenger, I would ask you to refrain from serving drinks and food. Let the ship’s staff do that. We often have passengers help out with the ship from time to time, but let's not confuse the crew and our other guests with your passenger status.”

“Yes Sir.” I said, meekly.

Hall cocked his head at me. “I appreciate the respect, but no need to call me Sir. You are guests of mine and friends, even if I am going to accept your dad's contribution to my own vacation.” He laughed and looked at Alejandro. “What about you, young man? You trying to get a license?”

“Oh no, Sir. I am more than happy to just lay back and get some sun.”

Marty Hall chuckled. “A bit cold for that at this end of the voyage. Rion and I always like to start out a bit late on these trips, and it means a cold first couple of weeks.

Hall patted my thigh, with a last long look at my cock, visibly pulsing through the tight jeans I had pulled on. I felt the blood rush to my face. He just winked, and got up from beside me, heading up to the piloting deck and helm.

I looked around us, and realized we had traveled the length of the inland bay South of Rehoboth and were headed out a narrow break in the offshore strip of land to the Atlantic Ocean.

The bow took a slow dip and then rose as the rollers of the ocean had their way with us.

Jake’s deep voice pulled me around to look up at him. Maybe it was my erection, feeling so fucking horny, but damn our Captain was hot! Only secondarily did I realize he had a mic in his hand. He held it to his mouth and his deep hot sexy voice commanded in an easy tone.

“All hands-on deck.”

I looked forward toward the top deck salon to see some of the crew, mostly guys Alejandro’s and my age, maybe slightly older, leave off giving attention to the passengers, whether it was fetching them drinks or snacks. But now they broke off from that, quickly pulling on sweatshirts to come out of the salon into the open cockpit.

The first sail up was the mizzen sail followed by the main, and then the foresail, working from aft to forward. Then the ship turned from directly into the breeze to close hauled.

My heart sped with excitement as the ship healed over, taking the wind in her sails, surging forward through the seas like big powerful racehorse. Large as she was, her bow cut through the waves so that one hardly felt the big ocean rollers as we plowed through them as if they weren’t there.

Like the main sails, the genoa was roller reefed and simply spun out into its full position. If I felt the ship surge before, it was nothing like the way it responded to the huge bow sail.

The crew worked quickly to secure the sail trim, and the auto sail features took over, automatically running the winches in and out to keep the sails trimmed to the course.

It was then I noticed that we had turned onto the starboard tack, meaning the wind was coming in over the starboard side, the ship’s right. I’d done enough sailing in day sailors, sunfish and a few slightly larger boats and cat boats to know that.

The only thing was, that this tack put the land on our port. Didn’t that mean we were headed North?

 

JAKE

Marty stepped up beside me where I stood at the wheel. I always liked to keep the helm in my own hands for the first hours and even days of any voyage, getting the feel of the ship. Marty made no move to take the helm from me. As the owner, he was more than capable, and had the right to steer his ship, himself. But he, like many owners who owned large vessels, preferred to relax with their guests as much as possible. Besides, which, Marty knew me from past cruises. We understood each other well.

“I see you are still serious about getting into the Chesapeake well before that Hurricane works it’s way up the coast to block us," he observed.

“Rather be in the lee of some tall land banks then taking it in some coastal port or hazarding lives out at sea.”

“Oh. I agree with you there." He paused looking around and than uttered, "Damn.”

“Damn?” I gave Marty a startled look.

“That platinum blond beauty down there, Cass and his studly friend, Alejandro. Hard not to notice what Cass is packing. If it weren’t for my Rion, I would be all over that.”

The ship was on course, the sails balanced. The crew had performed reasonably well for the first sail raising of the voyage. I could afford to look down now, so I did. Fuck.

Cass was sprawled back against the sexy black-haired hunk, his legs in those skintight jeans spread a bit, with Alejandro all but masturbating him through those same jeans. Cass was flushed and breathing hard, his head turned so that Alejandro could touch tongues with him. The platinum beauties clearly very large cock stretched from fly to hip and looked hard enough to be causing pain.

Maybe I gazed at the teasy sight too long, because I suddenly saw Cass’s beautiful eyes shift to meet mine. It was electric. I felt my cock surge and had to yank my eyes back to the horizon and the course.

Thankfully, movement caught my eyes. Will Lawton worked his way aft, holding onto tables, bench backs, whatever he needed to steady his land legs, taking his time with the ship’s heel and surging rock underfoot. Not a bad looking guy, I thought, not particularly beautiful in the way those two, Cass and Alejandro were, but clearly every bit as fit, with a clean strong jaw and deep-set eyes.

Gaining the helm deck, he glanced at me, but went right to Marty. “Why are we headed North?”

Marty turned to me. In answer, and I smiled and plucked the ships communication mic off the binnacle column. 

Squeezing the mic button, I glanced down to see Cass's amazing blue eyes looking up at me. “Good morning. We are well on our way, and as some of you may have noticed we are heading North. Don't worry, I am not trying to kidnap you into suffering more cold weather than we need to, but there is nasty weather brewing east of Cuba, which has reached hurricane status with winds strengthening to a category two. Out of an abundance of caution I intend for us to weather that storm while tucked into as protected a cover as we can manage to find. This means a stretch up the Delaware Bay, with a port turn into the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal. Once we have cleared the canal, we'll have a leisurely cruise down the Chesapeake while keeping track of the Hurricane Lance. Yes, it has a name. On the Chesapeake we will have many options for secure protected anchorages.” I paused, putting the words together in my head. “

For the first week or two, it's going to be cold sailing, folks, but the ship comes well equipped with heating, with the salon roof deck having solar panels. The best part of winter sailing is the quiet, the low to non-existent yachting traffic, and a good sleep that comes from warm blankets on a cold night. Snuggle up to your partners and enjoy.”

That was enough jabbering, I thought, hooking the mic back to the binnacle.

“Kinda late for a hurricane, isn’t it?” Will Lawton asked moving closer to stand beside me.

“Definitely on the late side. The peak period is August September, but hurricanes are known to happen as late as the end of November. One even hit in January some time ago. The Atlantic has been unusually warm this Fall all the way up till now, so.” I shrugged. "One never knows how much of that will draw a hurricane up this far. Depending on this one’s path, the only choice I want to make is whether to duck into an Eastern shore river or the Western shore river, of the Chesapeake Bay. Anyway, we have about a week before it gets up this far.”

Marty nodded, turning away. “We’ll be fine. Brrrrr, I am going forward and getting some hot chocolate.” I smiled as I watched the owner go. As clients go, he was the best one I ever piloted or Captained for.

“Yum!” Jim said sipping his hot drink. However, his eyes were fixed on the two necking just below and forward of us, and I suspected his yum was as much about them as hot chocolate.

“Easy Jim.” I teased.

“Just looking, just looking.” Jim chuckled.

“Looking at what?” Will Lawton said.

“You didn’t notice the two young hotties making out on your way aft to us?” Jim said.

“Oh them.” A high echelon attorney, who was worth hundreds of millions, Will Lawton had sharp enough eyes, but had apparently chosen to ignore the increasingly hot passionate make out session going on just feet away, or had he? His left hand snaked around my waist to find my hip as he moved closer to my side. “I’d rather keep my eyes on someone a bit older and more mature.”

“Hey,” I said, pretending to be offended. Jim and Will both laughed.

Still, it seemed Jim had taken the hint. “I’ll come up and relieve you in a couple of hours. Time to put some lunch together. Do you need some crew up here?” He asked, stepping away from us to head forward.

“Dave and Lev will do. I will keep them busy for a bit until we turn up into the bay."

Jim took a last glance around, with a lingering gaze down at the two handsome as hell smoochers, and then headed for the ladder to go below to the cockpit.

The helm didn't really need my attention. Trimmed properly, the ship sailed itself, and I had already entered the course into the auto Nav. Barring any headers, we would be able to slip up the coast and into the Delaware bay soon enough, taking roughly a half a day’s sail to reach the entrance to the C&D Canal.

No, the helm didn’t need my constant guidance, but I loved sailing. I loved feeling the ship under my hand, and I loved finding the best point of sail, and feeling the ship answer to it.

Will Lawton stood there at my side, close to my side for a few minutes, his arm around my waist. I had met Will two years before on one of these same cruises. He was a close friend of Marty and Rion’s. This was the first time he’d shown much affection toward me. He was attractive and generally seemed likeable and I was enjoying the warmth of his body next to mine.

“I hear you’ve split with Dan.” He remarked out of the blue.

“Yep, fraid so.”

Will shook his head. “I thought you two the perfect couple, but then, I really only knew you from the cruise two years ago, and though I met Dan, I didn’t know him that well. But you guys seemed so together.”

“Well, we were. But sometimes two people grow apart. You know how it is."

He nodded. “More times than, not, it seems. I guess you heard Clyde and I are divorced."

Oh crap, I winced. I hadn't meant to pull that thorn, but Will went right on. 

"Twelve years and we are done. The divorce was final a couple months ago, but no way was I going to cancel this trip. I’ve had plenty of time to be alone. Two much time, particularly if you add the last few years. Clyde and I were only tolerating one another. He is a good man, but…”

“But?” I prompted after waiting a bit. Lawton seemed like he needed to talk, and of course, being here with the only other single guy, well if you didn’t count whatever might be going on with the crew, he probably thought he could empathize with me. I didn’t know if I was ready for that, but being aboard a ship was a small world. I couldn’t be some remote figure, no matter how I wanted to isolate myself after Dan. Best to let him say his say.

“We wanted different things,” he said, vaguely.

“Such as?”

“The more money I made, the more withdrawn he became. Clyde was a would-be violist star. You remember that Cello Group of four men who made it so big a few years back?”

I looked puzzled so he went on. “Okayyyyy," he drew out with a playful huff. "Then maybe you remember the Two Cellos?” Two very hot guys. One of them left to raise his family and the other went for a solo career. After those two split up, four other cellists made some hits. Like a string version of Il Divo, surely you have heard of THEM? I nodded and he laughed. "Well, he wanted to be in that league, but somehow, he was always a step behind someone else’s initiative. Agents have always told him what he wanted to do was so “passe.” After several tries, Clyde gave up. He gives private lessons and plays in a local orchestra, but he is bitter. He sees my career and compares it with his own. I’ve told him over and over again, to just play to enjoy playing, but, of course, he takes it as an insult, blaming me for losing faith with him. But the truth is he lost faith in himself long ago. Clyde is a very competitive man, but I think that’s undone him. He’s no longer a wunderkind, just a reasonably talented viola player, drowning his regrets and bitterness in one to three too many martinis every night. He drinks until he gets maudlin and starts crying, and I can’t help him anymore. I ran out of supportive juice a long time ago. After a while all that neediness with no attempt to fix himself... my love for him just drained away. Finally, it got so that when he came to me for a hug I just wanted to walk away. It was horrible."”

“I can relate to that,” I said, thinking of a couple different abortive relationships I’d had before Dan.

“Well, I can’t imagine you or Dan like that. Dan seems so ambitious, but one who has found his success, like a very promising entrepreneur. You don’t seem, well, particularly ambitious, but you have the skills to do whatever you want. In a way with your Navy Seals background, you accomplished big goals already, and you know who you are. It’s as if, you give an impression of one who has mastered and conquered. You’re a confident alpha, and it shows.”

I had to shrug over that, but in some ways he was correct. I certainly didn’t want to compete with anyone. I liked being at the top of my game with martial arts, but there were many men who were far superior on the mat. I thought of myself as a good teacher of it, the Navy Seals had trained it to an extra lethality. I hoped I never had to use it that way. But Will was right. I had the life I wanted and that was good enough for me. “I’ll will admit that’s a pretty good assessment, Will.” I told him. “Maybe I am not so driven as I was, but I am not quite done looking for bigger and better, whatever that might be.”

He laughed. “That’s what I like about you. No pretense.” He squeezed me into his side and nuzzled my ear. “I know it's way too soon for you, but, as one single guy to another, I hope we can hang out together. God knows your hot as hell.”

His lips were so close to my ear I felt the warm breath despite the cold wind.

I turned my head to him, and just like that his lips were on mine, pressing. Well, why not? I gave into the pressure, lips opening to play tongue tag as we kissed. We worked our mouths together, sort of lightly eating one another.

I let the kiss last about ten seconds, but then broke it to glance forward at the compass within the binnacle, checking the course. We were bang on, but the wind had risen a knot or two and I could feel the tension in the ship rising to it. It was a bit too soon to replace the genoa with the number one jib, which was more of a “lapper”, something between a genoa and jib, but I had the feeling we’d be having to do that within a few hours.

I turned back to him and smiled. “Thanks. I needed that.”

“So did I. Love to kiss you, Jake.”

He started to pull me into him, but I held back seeing David and Lev, two of our crewmen coming back to check on us. “Easy, Will.” I said, gently. “We have time, but right now I am on duty.”

Lawton winked. “Hard to get, hunh?”

“Maybe not as easy as I used to be.” I agreed and he grunted giving me a sheepish shrug as if to say he wouldn’t stop trying. But then he nodded and stepped away as the boys reached us. He covered the moment, as he left us, by saying, “I am feeling peck-ish. Lunch sounds good.”

I smiled at the look Lev’s face. Lev was a long-haired ginger, his auburn tresses tucked up and back in a man bun to keep it out of the way. However, he wore it, he was a very handsome young man. His only trouble came in the form of the sun, as he was very fair skinned and did not tan well at all. His green eyes were twinkling and suggesting mischievous assumptions. Yeah, yeah, I hadn’t thought for a moment that they’d missed seeing me kiss Will Lawton.

“Nice one, Skip.” Lev said with a leering grin.

“Just being friendly,” I replied, dryly, but with an added wink.

A strong puff of wind hit us, laying the ship over onto her side a bit. It was not even noon, and the peak of wind speed would probably grow another few knots before easing off toward evening. David Lamb fell against me, accidentally on purpose, until I braced him up. “Let’s furl the genny and pull out the number one.” I told them. “We could probably go on as we are, but…” I gave them shooing motions.

“Aye Skip!” They both chorused, happy to be about some activity.

The boys had changed into ship gear, foul weather pants and a yellow foul weather jacket. I watched them head forward along the deck, my eyes darting to David Lamb who stumbled slightly. I noticed he had not clipped himself to anything at all. I was about to shout a stern warning to him when Lev did it for me.

“Dammit Dave, clip yourself. That’s what that lifeline on your belt is for, dumb ass!” I heard Lev yell at Dave as the latter moved to tail the roller reef line.

“Right, right!” David yipped back in a chagrined tone, immediately fumbling with the lifeline on his belt to clip it to the nearest secure attachment, in this case one of the foremasts stays.

Lev looked back at me, ready at the controls for the hydraulic that would slowly turn the sail on its pivoting stay, rolling it up.

I gave him the go ahead, and watched as the two worked together, letting out the sheet line so there was a little tension but not too much. In short order the immense sail was rolled up, and the lapper, set just astern of the genny, rolled out slowly, the sheet line drawn in fully only after the sail was completely deployed.

Bow spray occasionally drenched the boys, but the foul weather gear kept them dry. Still, once the sheet lines were snugged to the ship’s large cleats, and the ship drawing steadily if not quite so dramatically, they looked to me with grins. A couple of happy puppies, they were doing what they enjoyed as much as I did, making the “Enchanter: sail at the ship’s best. They knew they had done well. I nodded to them as they made their way back to me. “Lewis point is coming up. You can stay here for the moment out of the wind, and we’ll change course and ease the sails a bit. You boys look a bit chilled.”

Lev unzipped his yellow foul weather jacket, showing his impressive rack of abs. “You could warm me up, Skipper.”

I laughed as he stepped into me and kissed me brazenly in front of Dave. “Now guys…” I began but then there was David Lamb unzipping his jacket and pressing himself against my other side. I had to laugh, thinking these two were in cahoots to snare me into their sexy coils.

In previous years I had always tried to resist the guys when they wanted fun with me, if only to stay faithful to my Dan. But now, I was free, and so long as it came from the guys and not from me… I didn’t want to be accused of taking advantage of my position. This wasn’t the military, all that "no fraternizing" could be dispensed with, as long as I didn't play favorites. It had taken me some time to relax about such things. But these guys were like family to me. We only kissed, wrestling tongues, enjoying three-way mouth action, which I loved. The only problem was that kissing two men at once did the inevitable thing to my cock and I could feel myself stirring to stiffness.

Even while I managed to keep one eye peeled to the ship and our course, they were still becoming damn distracting. “You guys don’t make keeping a straight course easy.” I told them.

“How bout a gay one?” Lev teased. “They are easy.”

David Lamp pretended to gasp as if shocked and offended, and then giggled. He was a giggler. was our gorgeous David. He’d been a newbie the year before, and very shy. I was glad to see him coming out of his shell.

“Somehow I knew you would say that.” I said dryly in return. David Lamb just giggled again, reaching between us to squeeze me though the denim of my jeans.

“Please say you’ll join us in bed some night, Skipper.” Levring breathed as I engaged David in dueling tongues before shutting Lev up by moving back to his delicious mouth. Simultaneously, I kept an eye on the course, glancing up to check out the trim, keeping an eye out too for the shipping lane traffic. But fuck these boys were making me hot.

“I might just do that one of these nights but let me concentrate on making sure were all safe,” I growled, fully aware my voice had gone all husky, as it usually did when I was this hard.

David caught on that I was serious, and he stepped back with a half-smile. Lev however was crouching, trying to get the hard wedge of my cock through my jeans into his mouth. David pulled him away and I almost busted out laughing at the frustrated flush of Lev’s expression.

“Ok boys take station for sail trim. We are easing course leeward by ten points to port soon as we pass that buoy,” I told them, pointing to a buoy coming up to our port side. That buoy marked the end of the headland of Lewes, a port town on the south side of the mouth of the Delaware bay.

In a few minutes we rounded the buoy, altering course, and letting out the lapper, mizzen, main and foresails. With the ship set to the new course and drawing beautifully, I sent the boys below to get warm. They went willingly enough, but with eyes looking back at my crotch. I had NOT gone down one bit, dammit.

With the deck to myself, I took the chance and unbuttoned my jeans fly, releasing my pent-up inches to the cold air. Fuck, I was so hard. But in a few minutes, due to what seemed like near freezing air, my dick lost its steely hardness and drooped, allowing me to tuck it back under cover. Fuck I was horny. It hadn’t been THAT long since I’d had release, had it?

I’d barely tucked it back under cover when Jim returned with two cups of coffee, perching himself on the steering bench beside me. Resting my foot on the bottom of the wheel, I took my cup and sipped appreciatively.

“I’ll be glad when we are on the Chesapeake, working out way South. Remind me to persuade Marty and Rion to do this earlier next year.” I growled.

“Like the end of October instead of the end of November, would be nice.” Jim agreed, sliding closer to me on the bench and slinging one brawny arm around my shoulders. I took another sip of the hot coffee, turned to him and kissed him. I took my time doing it. too, and the kiss was returned with a familiar warm passion.

“What was that for?” He said warmly.

“Just glad to be back with you,” I told him.

“The feeling is mutual, Captain,” he said, winking.

Damn, I thought. His younger partner, Keith better be careful. Jim was a hell of a man.

I took a deep breath of steaming coffee and smiled as the “Enchanter” charged like some great black swan up the Delaware Bay. With her steady heal, her easy rise and fall as she sliced through the rollers off the Atlantic, she was like a live thing under my hand. I was back where I belonged. We were well and truly off, and I felt my spirits rising to the moment. This was what I wanted. And this time, I intended to grab hold and keep hold of this life. I lifted my eyes up the graceful curve of the black sails, to the blue sky scudded with just a light bit of cloud teasing the blue.

I was home.