"So what time are they arriving anyway?" Franky asked as she wiped down the railing of the boat.
"In two hours, so move your ass." Jake continued past her on his way down to check on the lower deck.
"He really is a dick." Bea mumbled mostly to herself as she mopped the deck, but loudly enough that Franky could hear her from her spot a few feet away.
Franky had been lucky enough to land a deckhand position on Ocean Mist, one of the larger mega yachts that called Thailand home. For six weeks, the yacht was made available by the owner to rent for short charters. The guests usually stayed on board for a few days, then the crew would have a day to clean and restock the boat before they picked up the next group. They were now nearing the end of the season with only one charter left to go.
One Day Prior
"Alright, last preference sheet meeting of the season." Will joined the group in the crew mess, sliding info sheets across the table to each of them as he sat down.
The preference sheets were documents that had been filled out by the guests when they booked the charter. They told the crew which foods each of them liked or disliked and if they wanted any special events planned during their trip.
As the captain, Will was in charge of the yacht, but he needed everyone to work together to pull off each trip. For the meeting, he was joined by Vera, who was the chief stewart, or "stew" for short, and in charge of the interior of the boat, Jake, who was the lead deckhand in charge of the exterior of the boat, and Matthew Fletcher, or Fletch as he was nicknamed, who was the chef.
"An all female group," WIll began. "Should be pretty easy. From my experience they just want good food, good drinks, and to have a laugh. It's a four day charter, so a bit longer than usual, but it shouldn't be a problem."
"Doesn't look like there's any special food requests." Fletch shrugged. He liked when the guests were open to anything; it meant he got to pull out his best dishes.
"The only thing I see is that they want a beach day at some point, and then a formal dinner the second night." Will looked to Vera, who would be in charge of making those arrangements.
"Sounds easy enough." Vera nodded as tossed her sheets back onto the table.
"Good." Will flipped the page. "Jake, they want all the water toys out. So I want the slide, jet skis, everything ready asap after we get to the anchor spot."
"Not a problem." Jake was used to the standard requests by now.
"Alright, let's make it happen." Will stood, and headed back up to the wheelhouse, leaving the others to make plans, and order any supplies they'd need.
First Day Of Charter
"Still think you made the wrong choice?" Stacey asked Bridget as they rounded the corner and the yacht came into view at the end of the dock.
"I still think my idea of a vacation is laying on a beach reading a book, not on a fancy yacht. I'm not a fancy person." Bridget thought she would have been just as happy, if not more, spending her days on the beach, and wandering through the local Thai markets at night, taking in the culture.
"None of us are fancy. It's a once in a lifetime splurge." Grace joined in the conversation.
"Speak for yourselves. I intend on making the crew work to the fullest extent for their tips. I want to be pampered to the max, and always have a full drink in my hand. What?" Audrey had picked up on the looks she was getting from the other three women. "I'm paying a lot for this, and I expect to get my money's worth."
"Just be nice to them," Grace sighed.
"As long as they do their jobs, I will be." Audrey picked up her pace, moving ahead to lead the group.
The other three exchanged looks behind her back. They knew they'd probably end up apologizing to the crew for their friend's behavior at some point during the trip.
"Franky, Franky, Will"..."Franky, Franky, Will."
Franky heard the standard call for her over her radio which was currently laying on her bunk.
"Yeah, go for Franky." She replied then tossed the radio back onto the mattress. "Where the fuck are my, ow, epaulets?" she mumbled to herself.
"Guests are coming down the dock now. Why aren't you up here?" Will's voice came through her radio again.
"Copy, on my way now." She hooked the radio onto her belt, and left her cabin. She still hadn't found her epaulets, but it would look worse right now if she missed the guests arrival.
Will watched her as walked across the deck, and took her place in line with the others. Franky knew that he had noticed her incomplete uniform right away.
"Welcome aboard. I'm your captain, Will." He shook each of their hands as they stepped onto the yacht. "This is Vera, your chief stew."
Vera greeted them next, and they moved down the line. Allie, and Liz, the other two stews handed out glasses of champagne.
Franky greeted each of them with her standard welcome and handshake until she got to the last guest.
"Bridget." The blonde held out her hand, and gave Franky a warm smile.
"Franky." The brunette took her hand, noting immediately how soft it felt, and that the other woman's bright blue eyes were stunning.
"Franky." Bridget gave a small nod as her smile grew a bit. Maybe this trip would be alright after all.
"Vera will show you around the boat, then we'll leave the dock, and get lunch under way." Will spoke, interrupting the moment between the two women.
He made his way over to the brunette after the guests had all followed Vera inside.
"Do I even need to say it?" He asked as he glanced at each of her shoulders.
"No, sir." Franky knew she'd fucked up, and she'd learned over the past couple years to just keep her mouth shut when she was in the wrong.
"Don't let it happen again." He turned, and headed for the staircase.
"Franky, the luggage is here," Jake called out.
"Coming." Franky couldn't wait to get everything loaded and change into their more casual uniform for the afternoon.
After everything was brought on board, and they'd left the dock, Franky grabbed two large bags, and started down the staircase to the guest cabins. She dropped the first one off in cabin two, which belonged to Grace. The second bag was Bridget's, and went next door to cabin three.
Franky rolled the suitcase into the room, and grunted as she lifted it onto the bed.
"What the fuck is so heavy in that? A dead body?" She mumbled to herself as she pushed it back from the edge of the mattress a bit.
"Not a dead body, I promise."
Franky turned quickly at the sound of the voice coming from the bathroom doorway.
"Oh, uh, sorry, I thought you were…" the brunette glanced out into the hallway.
"With the tour?" Bridget smiled as she walked towards her. "I had to use the washroom, so I ditched them."
"Right." Franky nodded as she took in the other woman. She really was beautiful. "Can I get you some more champagne?" The brunette was thankful she'd noticed the empty glass on the bedside table, and found a way to break off the awkward conversation.
"No, I'm good for now, thanks. I need to pace myself, or someone will have to carry me to bed at the end of the night." She hadn't intended for the statement to come out as flirty as it did.
Franky simply raised an eyebrow, and grinned as she saw the blonde start to blush.
"I'll leave you to unpack and get settled." The brunette picked up the empty glass on her way to the door.
"It's books," Bridget called out just before Franky had closed the door behind her, and the brunette stuck her head back inside. "In the suitcase. That's why it's heavy."
Franky smiled, and gave a final nod as she shut the door.
Bridget laid out on one of the large lounging areas after they ate lunch, and got lost in one of the books she'd brought with her. The deckhands were setting up the waterslide getting ready for an afternoon of the guests being able to swim and enjoy the warm ocean water, and she caught herself always looking to see where Franky was, and what she was doing.
She'd lost track of her for a moment, then the brunette appeared in her peripherie. The long sleeve blue swim shirts and beige shorts that the deckhands had all changed into covered the tattoos that Bridget had noticed on Franky's arms when she'd first boarded the boat, but she thought the tightness of the shirt was a fair trade off for the moment. She shook her head to clear her mind, and focused her attention back on her book.
"Hey! Hey, you!" Audrey snapped her fingers in the air to catch Franky's attention. "Yeah, you. Come here. I need another glass of wine." She held up her empty glass.
"Sure, what were you drinking?" Franky put on her best fake smile as she reached for the glass.
"The Penfolds Shiraz." Audrey sighed, as if annoyed that Franky even had to ask, and it should have been obvious that she'd be drinking the best wine on the boat.
"I'll be right back." Franky turned, the smile fading from her face as soon as she was out of sight.
"Was that really necessary?" Bridget asked as she laid her book down beside her.
"What?" She shrugged. "That's what they're here for, and she should have known what I was drinking. I listed it on my preference sheet."
"She's a deckhand, not a stew. She knows you want to use the waterslide, not what kind of wine you drink. You should have gotten Allie to fill it up when she was here five minutes ago." Bridget picked up her book again. She was done with her friend.
"My glass wasn't empty five minutes ago." Audrey flashed the blonde a smug smile even though she was no longer paying her any attention.
"Fucking bitch," Franky mumbled as she uncorked the wine bottle in the galley.
"What's going on?" Allie had just returned from checking the guest cabins, and saw the brunette pouring drinks.
"Fucking bitch snaps her fucking fingers at me then acts like I should read her mind and know what she's drinking." Franky dumped some wine into the glass. "She can shove this fucking bottle up her fucking ass."
"Well some people might be into that, but this is an eight hundred dollar bottle of wine, so let's not." Allie reached up and took it from the brunette. "I'll take this out to her, you go back to what you were doing."
"Sorry. It's just a respect thing, dude. Like don't fucking snap your fingers at me like I'm your dog that you're calling over." Franky knew she had her triggers, and this was one of them.
"I know, just…I'll take this out, okay?" Allie gave Franky's back a quick rub as she passed behind her on her way out to the deck.
"Are you enjoying everything so far?" Franky had taken a moment to find Bridget after the other guests had gone off with Jake and Bea on the various water toys. She took a seat on the lounger across from her.
"Yeah, it's great. You're all so nice." Bridget propped herself up on the cushions a bit. "And I'm sorry about Audrey earlier."
"It's fine." Franky brushed it off. She'd had her rant to Allie, and now it was time to be calm and cool in front of the guests.
"It's not, but okay." Bridget knew that the crew wasn't really allowed to say much to them, so she let it drop.
"Any reason you're not out having fun on a jet ski, or the slide?" Franky normally would have left a guest alone to do their own thing, but for some reason, she wanted to see the blonde taking advantage of everything they had on the boat.
"I'm not a great swimmer," she admitted shyly. "And I've never driven one of those or anything." She looked over the railing where Grace was just a small dot speeding around the boat on one of the skis.
"I can take you out on one, if you want." Franky actually loved this part of her job.
"Really?" Bridget perked up a bit.
"Yeah, of course." The brunette had already stood up before the other woman had agreed.
"I'd like that if it's not too much trouble." Bridget removed the wrap she'd been wearing over her bikini, and laid it, and her hat, beside her book.
"Not at all." Franky took in the blonde's body, then quickly snapped herself out of it. "Just follow me down here, and we'll get you a life jacket."
The brunette pulled on the tether line of one of the jetskis, and brought it in next to the platform.
"Would you like to drive, and I'll teach you, or do you just want me to take you for a ride?" Franky realized the double meaning of what she'd just said, and decided to let it linger in the air.
"Let's start with a ride first," Bridget said with a smile playing at the corner of her lips.
"Alright, I'll be in front then, and you're behind me." Franky stepped onto the jetski and got seated before she held out a hand to help steady the blonde. "You need to hold onto me." She felt Bridget's hands tentatively rest on her sides. "More like this." Franky took each of Bridget's hands with her own, and wrapped them around her stomach. "Don't let go, okay? If you want me to stop, just let me know."
Franky turned the key, twisted the throttle, and the jetski took off. She kept it at a reasonable pace for the first couple of laps around the boat.
"Can we go faster?" Bridget shouted over the sound of the engine and water.
"Faster?" Franky glanced behind her.
"Yeah!" Bridget no more than had it out of her mouth, and the jet ski shot off away from the boat. She let out a loud laugh.
"How's this?" Franky shouted to be heard.
"Amazing!" Bridget tightened her arms around the brunette.
After a few minutes, Franky slowed down, and brought the ski to a halt.
"Would you like to try driving it?" The brunette asked as they bobbed gently in the waves.
"Yeah, I think so." Bridget had made a promise to herself that she'd try new things on this vacation, and she felt like Franky would be a good teacher.
"Okay, we need to switch spots. When I stand up, and step to the side, you slide forward." Franky stood, and pivoted around the blonde, ending up on the seat behind her.
"That was pretty slick." Bridget was impressed. If she had attempted that, she'd be in the water right now.
"It's not my first rodeo," Franky said with a small grin. "Is it okay if I put my arm around you?"
"Yeah." It came out as a whisper, so she cleared her throat. "Yeah."
"Alright, so you need to put that bracelet on that's attached to the kill switch. If we fall off, it stops the engine." Franky handed her the red cord. "Here's the throttle."
"This one here?" Bridget pointed to one of the hand grips as she turned her head. She wasn't expecting Franky to be right there over her shoulder, and their lips were now just a couple of inches apart.
"Yeah, that one." Franky had seen the blonde glance at her mouth, and thought about how soft the other woman's lips would feel against hers. Fraternizing with the guests was a huge no-no though that would cost her her job, so she just held her ground, and waited for Bridget to turn back around.
The brunette ran through the rest of the controls, and soon they were zipping around the boat again. Bridget wasn't sure which she was enjoying more; riding the jet ski, or the feeling of Franky's arms around her.
"That was great! You did really well." Franky put out her foot as they approached the platform of the boat to keep the ski from bumping into it.
"It was really fun. Thanks for taking me out." Bridget allowed the brunette to help her up onto the platform.
"No problem." Franky gave her a smile. "You should try the slide now. It's pretty fun too."
"Will you go down it with me?" She asked as she handed over her lifejacket.
"We're not really supposed to." The brunette saw her face fall. "But I could probably make an exception for the safety of a guest." She picked up her radio that she'd left behind when they'd gone out on the water. "Will, Will, Franky." She waited for Will to acknowledge her. "We have a guest requesting that I go down the slide with her. She doesn't feel comfortable going on her own. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
"All good?" Bridget asked hopefully.
"Yeah, he must be in a good mood today." Franky thought for sure he'd tell her to find someone else to slide down with Bridget since she'd fucked up with her uniform earlier.
They climbed the stairs to the top deck of the boat.
"So how do we do this?" Bridget peeked over the railing down the length of the side.
"We can go side by side, or you can sit in front of me, kind of like how we did on the ski, or I can just go down right before you so I'm there when you hit the water." Franky wasn't sure whether the blonde was nervous about the actual sliding part, or hitting the water afterwards.
"I want you to do down with me." She caught the slight twitch at the corner of the brunette's mouth, and felt her cheeks turn a bit red. "So maybe behind me like we did before?"
"Sounds good." Franky helped to steady her as she walked up the few steps to the top, then followed behind her. "Ready?"
"Yeah." Bridget took one of Franky's hands and laced their fingers together, hoping that they wouldn't get separated when they hit the water.
"Here we go." Franky pushed them forward.
Bridget let out a loud scream that turned to a laugh just before they flew off the end and into the water.
Franky did her best to hold onto the blonde without hurting her, but they'd hit the water with quite a force, and she'd slipped away. As soon as she surfaced, she scanned around her, and quickly located the other woman.
"You alright?" Franky asked, putting an arm around her to help her stay afloat easier.
"Let's do it again!" She said with a huge grin.
They were getting ready for their fifth trip down when they heard Vera come up behind them, and clear her throat.
"We're getting ready to serve dinner." She looked Franky up and down, then turned and went back inside.
"I should go get changed." Bridget gave her an apologetic smile.
"Me too." Franky knew that her play time was over and there was lots of work to be done now.
"Mm that feels good." Franky sighed as she sunk into her mattress on the top bunk.
"Yeah, it looked like you had a rough day," Allie poked her head out of the bathroom door as she brushed her teeth.
"Come on, most of the time we just mop and clean and do the heavy lifting. Don't be jealous when I get to have a little fun." Franky laughed as Allie glared at her.
"What, and my job is so much better? Do you know how hard it is to smile and be nice all the time to some people?" Allie remembered just that afternoon where one interaction with Audrey had set Franky off.
"Point taken." The brunette knew that their jobs were equally hard, just in different ways.
"And here are your epaulets." Allie tossed them up into Franky's bunk.
"Where were they?" She'd turned their room upside down looking for them earlier with no luck.
"Under my pillow." Allie shrugged when she saw Franky's questioning look. "You're messy. I don't even question shit anymore. Better put them on your shirt so you don't lose them again."
"Yeah, I will in the morning." She reached over and placed them on the shelf beside her phone. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Allie said with a yawn.