Chapter 14

The captain sees Niles later on that night sitting alone. He came out of what he calls the captain's quarters to see if he wanted to talk.

"Niles," he calls. "I see that you are alone again. Another fight?"

"No just relaxing out here." He smiled.

"You sleep out here don't you?"

"Yes," he said with some shyness in his voice.

"Thought so. Why don't you come in here? I can so you all the gadgets I use."

"Sure I don't have anything else to do." The captain tells him about each one and what they do.

"Want to try to steer the boat?"

"Me?" Niles questions, blinking.

"Yeah, it's like driving a car. Well, somewhat. Come on give it a try."

He places Niles' hands on the wooden wheel. "I'm right here nothing's going to happen."

"Well, look at there, I'm steering a boat wow." Niles smiled. "This is kind of fun. Actually. It's easy."

"On regular waters yes, now when you get to rainy weather now that's a whole new ballgame. It's basically the same but you just have to dodge rocks and currents. The chart here." He pointed to a big lighted up screen that showed a some boat moving across the screen is… us. It shows me where to stop and helps if we get lost."

Niles hoped that that wouldn't happen to them. He didn't think that it would.

"Our next major place," the captain pointed to what looked like to be a hairline in the water. "It a small private island." He took in a deep breath, "but that will be a few days away. Niles and captain James talked about everything. Niles told James the whole story about how CC and he fight all the time but said that it was all in good fun no harm was intended.

James couldn't believe it. James's mind: what kind of people do we have with us? Who would threw insults at each other but still be with each other? He shook his head. Just look at the two of them. Never getting along, but they haven't killed each other. If I didn't witness this first hand then I think my grandson made the whole story up but sure enough they are actually like that. What a weird set of people. For the few days Niles and James sent nights talking and Niles was leaning a lot.

"I was a fisherman then I wanted to stay on the seas. My first wife didn't like that, I wanted to do this, all the time. I tried to stay on the down low with it but I had to have more. I wanted to do it full time so she told me to pack my bags and get out. That's where I've been for the past 40 years."

"But you remarried."

"I knew Daisy from one of the other boats. We started running into each other all the time and spending to time together. You know where that leads to."

"Down the aisle." He laughed.

"Always."

Niles watched the sun rise. The air was breezy. A nice day for a walk on the beach. Niles thought.

"This is it. What you think?" Niles questioned to CC as he stepped off the boat on to the sand. "It's our very own deserted island."

She swallowed. "It's…it's…very…. quite."

He went back up the ramp. "Exactly." He grabbed her arm. "That's the whole point." CC had no choice but to follow him.

"How did you know about this place?" she questioned as they walked off the boat towards the sandy part.

"Well, I came here when you were napping. I wanted to do some exploring."

"What are we doing here?" Niles stared at her. "I mean together?"

"Just wait, a little longer." He pulled out a blanket so she could sit on it instead of in the sand. He sat down with her and withdrew a bottle of wine with two glasses. He filled hers then one for himself. He handed it to her.

"To new friends. Maybe lovers."

"What? Lovers?" CC started to get up.

"No CC, I didn't mean…" Niles started.

"I know what you're trying to do. Trying to get me drunk so I'll sleep with you."

"If I wanted to do that, I would have brought the hard stuff." He yelled.

"There's hard stuff?"

"See, I just wanted to show you…show you the sunset."

"What?"

"The mood is ruined now." he started to walk off.

"Look…Niles I never…." CC mind: I blew it with him again. He was just trying to show me a good time and I took it out of content. She sat in the sand a few feet away from where he stood. Her eyes looked at the sky. The sun was just above the water line.

"Wow! It's so…so…colorful."

Niles smiled, "That's why I came out here. I thought you might like to see something new. Since I know you never get to see things like this." He winked. "I've been watching the sun rise and set on this water for days now. It's one of the best things to watch."

Later on the stars shine bright and the moon glowed orange. Not a cloud in the sky.

"Their beautiful."

"What are?" Daisy said as she and James sat down to eat some.

"The stars and all."

"You've never sat out and watched the stars before?" asked James staring at her.

"Never any time." CC took at seat.

"Sure there is." Daisy patted her husband's arm. "That's why we bought the boat."

"We haven't slowed down since." James commented as Niles joined them.

"Well, when you see a star that's moving, you make a wish." Daisy smiled at Niles.

"Never did that." CC stared up at the stars. "I hope I see on do that."

"You have never made a wish on falling star?" Niles stared over at her in debrief. "Where have you been?"

"Never went out to do things like that." she swallowed and blinked.

Niles shook his head. "What did you do then?"

"Our nanny looked after us. We weren't allowed to stay up that late. We did go to museums and stuff though."

"Relax here and enjoy the ride." He scooted his chair closer to her. While she was looking up at the stars Niles took the opportunity to hold her hand. She did struggle a little but then calm down. She turned her head from him. Niles pointed at a star he thought was falling.

"See, now make a wish." She did. And so did Niles.

"What do you wish for? Wait let me guess, a new life and money." She laughed.

"Ha ha, funny." He squeezed her hand tighter. "I wish for all kinds of things. Some have really come true. Like the time I wished someone would remember my birthday," he smiled. "And they did."

During dinner they all talked about plans for the next few days. There were still lots of different places to go see and things to do. But the weather had other plans for the next day at least. Niles and CC walked to get some coffee and a snack. The rain pelted down.

"Run." Niles yelled at her as she stood to finish up what she had to do before they left for the day.

"I will not."

"Fine get wet and if I beat you there, I'm locking you out."

"You wouldn't."

"Want to find out?"

"No!" wind blew the rain sideways. Drenching the two of them. "Great."

She wiped her face with her hands. She slung it towards Niles. Lighting struck the water not to far from where the boat was. Both ducked into the cabin area.

"You look pretty when you're all wet." His hands moved over her body, then around her waist. She started to tremble in anticipation. How could he touch her like this? How could his touch affect her so much? Her eyes display with desire, her breath, coming in quickly gasps. Niles knew that she would break soon. CC mind: that's why I came on this trip to find out, who I was and what I wanted. Do I want this to be the best time of my life or the worst?

"I'm taking me a shower." CC snorted. The intercom came on. "Niles, CC. I almost forgot to tell you guys that the shower in your cabin doesn't work right. We are trying to get it fixed. There is water in the sink though. Sorry for the inconvenience. "

She glared at Niles, "What? No shower! How am I supposed to keep clean?"

"Go stand outside the door, naked and let the rain water serve as your shower." Niles laughed. He thought it was funny but he wouldn't mind seeing that either. "Use the sink like he said."

"I can't wash my hair in that." she points to the sink.

"Well, dip your hair in the pool water. Think of that as a big bath tub." He smiled. CC took a towel from the cabinet, placed it by the sink, and turned the water on. "At least there is hot water. Right?" she faced Niles like he would know the answer. He just shrugged.

She tested the water with her fingers. So far it felt like it was getting a little warmer. She waited till the temperature was fairly decent for her. Then lowered her head. "I guess this is better then nothing at all." She turned her head to the side she didn't care about getting the shirt wet since it was already was.

"I told ya it would be faster in the pool." Her only answer was a sigh. He stood at the doorframe watching her. Something about the whole scene felt sensual something she was doing. Her fingers working up a lather, working it through her hair.

Suddenly she felt another set of hands beginning to massage her scalp. He couldn't help himself he had to touch her hair. She was startled. "What the---" Gently he pressed her back down. She was as skittish as a cat he thought he could see the tension all through her shoulders not that he was supposed to be noticing that about her.

"Relax." He smoothed. "It's just me."

"I know who you are." She shouted, "I just wanted to know what the hell do think that you are doing?"

"Testing your theory. I though you said women like having a man do this short of things."

"They do. We do…I do…" she turned a little. "But what do you know about washing hair?"

"I wash my own. How much different can this be?" he smiled at her back. "Okay, now relax and let me do this, you've been through a lot lately."

CC mind: You can say that again. A little too much for a regular vacation.

"I thought I'd do something nice you."

"But---"

"Just shut up and enjoy it. Okay. I'm."

She froze. CC mind: what did he mean when he said that? 'I am.' Was this turning him on, just as much as it is turning me on. Oh his hands running through my hair, oh…oh that feels so…so good. Don't stop. The friction that he is causing. I'm…

"Remind me to have you do the dishes again." he told her in a husky voice.

CC mind: what do dishes have to do with my hair? She started remembering that day how his hands slid over hers but this time it had nothing to do with dishes and everything to do with the suds and the wetness. He ran a tongue along his dry lips. She swallowed hearing him smack.

"So you liked cleaning dishes that day, maybe we should continue that…" he gently leaned in and softly kissed her neck. He finally stopped just as she felt herself melting. The warm water caresses her scalp, washing away the suds. He slid his hands through her hair, making sure all the soap was out of it.

"Your good at this." She commented.

"And this." He traveled down her neck again with his mouth. This time he used his tongue to lick as he went down. He started to go lower down her.

She felt as if he was making love to her just by kissing her. Slowly, deeply, until she felt as if she was completely anesthetized, completely mesmerized and completely under his power. Very slowly he ran his hands along her cheek, then cupped the back of her head and brought her lips halfway to his. Gentle, yet they drew the very life out of her, crating something wild and uncontainable in its place.

Heat surged all around her, through her; she might as well have been standing in a sauna. Abandoning any pretense that this wasn't affecting her, she rose up high on her toes as far as she could reach, falling deep into the kiss. Not wanting to miss a single nuance. All she was aware of was the fire burning within her. His arms were around her, pulling her closer to him.

She could feel the heat radiating from his bare chest at least she wasn't the only one in overdrive; she thought a lot of good that did her. This was the thing that she was trying to avoid. This was bad, very bad. Kissing her hadn't satisfied anything for him. It just opened up the floodgates made him want her all the more.

For a man who always had his life dictated by someone else, he was now in control. He didn't know how to act. But he didn't care. This was his destiny. All he cared bout was kissing her. More. His mind kept saying, I want to be part of her. I want to take her all the way. Right here, right now to satisfy my hunger.

He wanted to make love to her. To show her just what she was missing out on.

Drawing a deep breath, he managed to separate himself from her. It almost surprised him to discover that there was an end to him and a beginning to her. For a moment he felt like they had formed one continuous whole, one endless circle. Her throat had never felt this dry. All the moister seemed to have gone to other parts of her body.

"CC I…"

"Don't.." she put her hand to his lips. "It was worth the risk. Now really I need to do the rest myself." She pushed him though the door.

Niles enters the bedroom the rain still pelt down on the window. He noticed that the bed was made up. Niles from watching CC so many years doesn't believe that she made the bed herself. Upon seeing what looked to him like a note, and knowing that CC wouldn't be around for awhile he walked closer to the bed and the paper.

"I must check it out." Sure enough it was paper with words on it but not the words that he was expecting. Not the kind of words a captain would have written down. Niles was captivated with this writings he continued to read on and on. "So this is how she sees me. Let's have a little fun with this." An evil grin came across his face and he licked his lips. "Surely she left it out for me to read."

She always wanted a man to bring her room service in a black bowtie with no shirt showing off his six or was in eight pack abs. Either way she'd take it and then skimpy bikini briefs like….his mind wonder back to about a year ago when he wore some running down the hall after being caught in Maxwell's Jacuzzi.

I think that will work. He held up a pair of bikini briefs that he just happened to bring with him. I thought they might come in handy but not like this. Why didn't I think of that? So she wants to see that scene again, so be it. I will give her that surprise. Something that she will not forget, something she isn't prepared for.

He scampers off to set his plan into action.

It wasn't until she was drying her self off that she closed her eyes and allowed herself to remember last time they got so close. "He was dressed in a bathrobe waiting on his cloths to dry and I came out of the shower with just a towel on. His body pressed against mine. I was getting aroused and so was he if only I hadn't have run away. Why am I so afraid of a little male contact? What causes me to do that?" She shook her head and finished drying off. "Well, for now on I won't run. I'll just let fate take over."

Niles told Daisy his plan to surprise her with a tray of food. "I want to take it to her."

"In…" She swallowed. She thought if she weren't happily married and was younger she would jump his bones in a heartbeat. "That,"

Niles smiled. "You like…"

"I hope that you know what you are doing. That's all I can say." Daisy shook her head.

"I do."

He gets to the door and knocks. She wraps the towel around herself and slowly opens the door a creak. "I know I ordered room service but I'm kind of busy. I just got out of the shower so just leave it in the room."

James smiles. "Will do." After hearing James, she goes back to the bathroom. He nods at Niles. "There you go." He shakes his head. "The links that you go too."

"She wanted a fantasy so she got one." Niles sets the trays up but also brought one with chocolate strawberries, with an extra chocolate squeeze bottle and two cans of whipped cream.

Niles mind: we might have fun with this stuff later. I know some other things it's good on. He licked his lips. That was naughty I know but that's what I'm thinking.

He sighed. A big smile went across his face as he heard the door squeak some.

"Showtime." He sat on the edge of the bed.

"I hope you like your strawberries with chocolate."

"Ni…" and she dropped her towel first, and then she went down. Dropping like she had been shot down. "I never had that happen before."