Cat's been in surgery again today, so I banged this out to give her something nice to wake up to. It's not a major procedure so she'll be fine. She does read all the reviews, so all your kind words mean a lot to her. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter

Hypes x

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8. Sophistication And Simplicity

Emily

Once I had parked my scooter up, I practically ran across to the harbour and down the jetty to where Effy's boat was berthed. Effy was sat on one of the benches on the back deck, reading a book with a spliff in her hand and a glass of pear cider on the table next to her. She looked up and smiled as she heard me approaching, watching me as I jumped from the jetty to the deck.

"Hi Eff," I said breathlessly, as I plonked myself down beside her. "How are you doing?"

"You want to borrow the boat," she smirked.

"What?" I frowned. "How do you do it? How do you fucking know?"

"You have a special 'I want to borrow the boat' voice," she said. "I can tell within seconds."

"Sometimes you are just way too creepy," I told her.

"You give yourself away," she shrugged.

"I don't have a special boat borrowing voice, do I?" I questioned.

"Do you want to borrow the boat?" she arched an eyebrow at me.

"Well yes," I reluctantly admitted.

"I rest my case," she said, handing me the spliff.

I took a deep drag to give myself a moment's relief.

"So can I?" I asked.

"Can you what?" she replied coolly.

"Fuck you, Stonem," I huffed.

Effy stood up, and wandered down into the cabin, returning moments later with another can of cider.

"When do you need it then?" she grinned.

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I was walking back up the cliff path next to Naomi, still slightly stunned by what had just happened. I know I'd said I was going to ask her out, but I wasn't expecting it to happen like that. But I couldn't help it, she was just so lovely, even if she was daft enough to try to swim through the middle of a beginners' surf class. I had this overwhelming urge to protect her, to look after her, and mend her and kiss her better all over. Of course I would have looked after anyone who'd just been whacked in the face by a surfboard, but somehow I just couldn't be professional around her. I just felt this need to be with her, to touch her. I couldn't go back to the class and leave her on the beach looking all lost and forlorn. And of course, her delicious embarrassment when I caught her red-handed thinking dirty thoughts was irresistable. I just had to let her know that I was ok with that. So I kissed her, and fuck me what a surprising kiss it turned out to be.

There was nothing shy or dorky about that kiss. It was as if all she had been waiting for was permission. She deepened it almost immediately, and left my head spinning with thoughts that must have been every bit as filthy as hers. I lost all sense of decorum, and slipped my tongue into her mouth as she tangled her hands into my hair and gave just as good as she got. I'd envisioned an icebreaker, an innocent little kiss to let her know her feelings were mutual, but almost immediately she had stirred up a roaring passion I was barely in control of. I know I'm not exactly a 'let's take it slow and hold hands on the beach forever' kind of a girl. If desire is there then it's fucking there, so why waste time fannying about over it? But still I'd never experienced anything quite like that. I had to break the kiss when I did, cause fuck knows what would have happened if I'd let it go much further. I needed to try and retain some fucking air of cool about me.

It was a tough job. It was all I could do to restrain myself from doing a little victory dance on the sand when she said she would go out with me. I really wanted to hold her hand when we were walking back up that path, but luckily being so short, I needed both arms to carry my board, so I was spared from accidently doing it and revealing the extent of my soppiness. About halfway up the path, Naomi demanded that we stop for a breather.

"We're not all so super fit," she protested. "Some of us have a smoking habit to support."

"It's ok, I was getting tired too,' I lied, putting the board down. "This thing's heavy when you're as little as me."

Naomi took a few moments to regain her breath before turning towards me with a shy smile on her face.

"So, where are you taking me?" she said.

"You might have to give me a couple of days," I replied. "I think I need to come up with something more exciting than a couple of pints of cider down the Lion."

"I wouldn't mind drinking cider with you," she said with complete sincerity, and my heart just grew to twice its size. I began to wonder if she was actually for real, or just a cyborg created as part of some evil scheme to manufacture the most adorable woman ever, in order that we might all lose our senses and do whatever she asked of us. It only made me more determined to do something special for her.

"Well I'll bear that in mind," I said. "But I still think I can be a little more creative for you."

Her smile was like the sun coming up after a long cold winter's night.

"Emily?" she said.

"Yes?"

"Do you think you could kiss me again?"

As if I could refuse. I was a little more cautious this time, trying not to let myself get carried away, but it was still way beyond delightful. There seemed to be no artifice to this girl whatsoever, and I imagined her buried away behind great reams of scientific info, studying the whales and the dolphins, hanging with her best friend and not getting corrupted by the filthy wiles of the rest of the human race. And that's when it struck me – the perfect fucking date. I pulled out of the kiss and smiled as I thought of it. This girl loved the ocean, and I had a best mate with a fabulous boat.

When I brought her back to her place, the Ellis's old cottage that had been turned into a rental, she scuffed her shoes and looked at the floor for several moments as she internally debated asking me in. In the end I made the decision for her, making my excuses before taking her number and heading off. It was all very well fucking on the first date, but it probably wasn't very good form to fuck her before it. Besides, I was keen to go and see Effy and put my plans into action.

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A couple of days later I went to pick her up after work. I called her earlier and told her to wear something comfortable and casual. Thank fuck the weather seemed to be holding, cause I knew there was a big storm coming in the next couple of days. Naomi clung onto me a little bit too tightly as we rode down to the harbour. The other night had been her first experience of riding on a scooter and she was still a little nervous. I could almost feel her heart beating as she pressed herself tightly into my back. My heart was thundering too, but not for reasons of fear. Anticipation, lust and excitement maybe, but not fear. I knew she liked me, liked me quite a lot and I was determined that she was going to like me a whole lot more after tonight.

I pulled up round the back of Rita's café. She always let me stash the bike there when I went to Effy's. When we went back round to the front, Rita was there, clearing off the outside tables.

"Hello Emily," she said. "Are you coming in for your dinner?"

"Not tonight, Rita," I smiled. "I've got a hot date."

I could almost feel the heat radiating from Naomi's face, as she blushed furiously beside me.

"Well, you'll have to bring her here next time," winked Rita. "Give her a good bit of feeding, we will. I know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, do you think it works for the ladies as well?"

"It works for me," I said. It was a good plan. Rita's food was legendary.

I could feel Naomi stiffen up as I tried to take her hand after she had been exposed.

"Relax, Naomi," I said. "It's a small place. They see me with a hot girl, they're going to be gossiping about it anyway. I am rather exotic in these parts, you know."

"How do you stand it?" she said. "Everybody knowing your business the whole time?"

"You get used to it," I shrugged. "What else can you do? It's all pretty friendly for the most part."

"It's weird," said Naomi.

"Yeah, well where we're going we'll be well away from prying eyes," I said.

"So where are we…Holy Fuck!" said Naomi, as I turned onto the gangplank to Effy's boat and reached out my hand for her to join me. Her eyes were almost out on stalks as she followed me aboard. The Catherine The Great (subtle, Effy) was a considerably classier vessel than The Rosie Malone, and I smiled to myself that Naomi was seriously impressed.

"Is this yours?" she said, almost in awe.

'Oh God no," I admitted. The temptation to pretend only lasted a fraction, but it was definitely there. "I'm only borrowing it for tonight. I mean the business does ok, but a lot of the profits have to be reinvested, so there's no way on earth we could afford something like this. I mean the insurance alone for Fitchwater costs thousands."

"Well I'm not surprised, if you keep bonking random swimmers on the head with surfboards," grinned Naomi.

"Funny," I said, as I started undoing the mooring ropes.

Naomi watched me with alarm.

"What are you doing?" she said.

"Well, we're not going to get very far if we're still attached to the harbour," I quipped.

"Are you allowed to drive it?" she said incredulously.

"Yes, I'm allowed to drive it," I laughed. "I wasn't planning on taking us to a watery doom."

"But it's so posh."

"Naoms, I've been driving this boat for nearly three years."

"So I'm safe in your hands then?"

"I'm not promising that," I said, giving her a wink, before going to fire up the engine.

We'd been sailing for just over an hour, when Naomi asked me if we were going anywhere in particular. She'd been standing on the prow of the boat with her arms out wide and her beautiful blonde locks blowing in the wind. She was already slightly tipsy, having found a bottle of Effy's expensive champagne already set out in an ice bucket with a label saying 'Drink Me'.

"I mean the boat is amazing, and the sea is great, and the champagne's fucking wonderful," she said. "But it's not that much of a date, if I don't actually get to see you."

She stuck out her bottom lip in a gorgeous pout that almost had me stopping the boat then and there, but I had a plan. Fingers crossed it was going to work.

"Not much further now babes, then we can stop and have some dinner," I assured her.

It was a perfect fucking evening, there were a few clouds coming in across the horizon, a for the moment gentle reminder of the storm front that was on it's way, and the swell was large enough to give you that feeling of excitement, but not so big as to disrupt your pleasures. After another ten minutes or so, I slowed the engines. A couple of kilometres away we could see the craggy outcrops of a small rocky island. In an hour or so the sun would be setting, and it looked like it was going to be a cracker. I turned the boat around so that the back deck was facing the sun, and took Naomi back down onto it. As we reached it, I could smell the dinner that had been cooking in the oven on a timer.

"Mmmm," what's for dinner?" said Naomi. "Smells gorgeous.'

"Pies," I said, and she spluttered into her champagne.

"Pies?" she said incredulously.

"It's good seafaring food," I laughed. "Just because we're on a posh boat, doesn't mean I'm posh. I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression. Anyway, I made them myself so they're filled with love."

"In that case I shall adore them," beamed Naomi. "Champagne and pies. I love it."

I went to the fridge to get some salad to go with the pies, and found more champagne with a note in Effy's handwriting.

"You didn't think I was just going to give you the one bottle did you?"

God, I loved that girl. Poor Katie was going to get a serious earbashing with her virtues tomorrow. I brought the food out to Naomi. She looked so fucking happy with my cocktail of sophistication and simplicity, that I was pretty sure I could count the date as a success even if phase two didn't come to fruition. As we ate I asked her questions about her degree and her work, and she came alive talking about it. It didn't take too long to realise that Naomi was no ordinary student. She was clearly very knowledgeable and ambitious, and I could see her going far. Literally. Travelling the world doing important and groundbreaking studies, and fighting the good fight for the beautiful ocean. Almost without my realising it and definitely without my permission, my brain started conjuring up little visions of going with her. The pair of us in exotic foreign lands, me teaching diving and surfing, her working on her studies, always together and always by the sea. It would be perfect….

What the fuck, Emily? What the fuck are you doing? You haven't even fucked her yet, and you're conjuring up the marine equivalent of the U-Haul truck and sailing off into the fucking sunset with her. She might snore. She might be fucking useless in the sack. She might be a secret Godbotherer. She might be neurotically jealous. There might be a hundred other reasons for this not to be a stupid fucking fairytale. You don't know her, I told myself. You don't know her at all. You are just letting her super-hotness play havoc with your brain cause you really really want to get in her pants. Well that much was true. I did seriously want to get this girl naked even if it didn't lead to a lifetime of nuptial bliss. One thing at a time Emily. Shag first, work out future compatibility later.

"So," said Naomi, once she had finished her meal, and was smoking her after dinner fag. "Now that you've got me all alone out here in the middle of nowhere, what are you planning to do with me?"

She was pitching it as a joke, but her body language betrayed a hint of nerves that it might actually be a possibility. She had done a tour of the boat and would no doubt have spotted the luxury double bed. Once again she was managing to look so unbelievably sweet I could hardly even bear to look at her. My eyes scanned the surface of the ocean behind her, and I started to laugh. The timing was so fucking perfect, I half expected to see Effy out there in a zodiac with a bucket full of fishes for bait. Blissfully unaware of my plan, Naomi relaxed as she took my laughter to mean I understood her joke.

"Are you planning to have your wicked way with me?" she giggled.

"As beautiful as I am sure that would be," I said. "I did actually bring you out here for something else."

I took her hand, and turned her round to face out to sea.

"Oh my God, Oh my Fucking God," she said, as she discovered what I had been hoping for all along. A pod of bottlenose dolphins were breaching not more than fifty metres away from us. Thank you, Universe. Emily Fitch is now firmly ensconced in the Smoothness Hall Of Fame.

"Do you want to ride with them?" I said.

"Fuck, yes. Fuck!" she exclaimed.

I ran up to the bridge and fired up the engines, swinging the boat round to follow the pod as Naomi clung to the front handrail shrieking with delight. We rode with them for fifteen minutes as they clustered round, investigating us to see if we were a fishing boat that might give them spoils, before veering off and outrunning us as they went on their way into the open sea. I slowed and then cut the engines before joining Naomi on the prow. Her eyes were wide with wonder, and her face was flushed with awe.

"Did you really bring me out here to see the dolphins?" she asked breathlessly.

"Well, it's never a certainty, but this area is known for them," I said.

"Thank you," she said, throwing her arms around me and pulling me into a kiss.

"It was beautiful," she said between frantic kisses. "Really fucking beautiful."

"You're beautiful," I said, drunk on the hedonistic excess of her lips on mine.

She drew back and stared into my eyes, her hands still loosely locked around my neck.

"Do you really think so?" she said hesitantly.

I was at a loss to understand her doubt. She was the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. If I looked as good as her I would be the cockiest fucking bitch in town.

"Yes, I do," I said, with complete sincerity. "I've never met anyone as beautiful as you."

She bit her bottom lip. God, I loved that quirk of hers. All it made me want to do was bite it for her. And there it was again, the gaze that undid me. She looked at me with that pure, magnificent passion, and I wanted to throw my arms asunder and declare myself to be her willing sinner, to do whatever she wanted me to do. She said nothing, merely closed the gap between us slowly and blessed me with another scorching kiss.

Just as every look of lust carries a different message, so does every kiss. And I knew within seconds what this one was saying. This kiss was the kiss. This kiss was a contract. The one that says I will be yours. The kiss that starts with a meeting of lips and ends up with my hands deep inside of her. She pushed her tongue into my mouth and the sensation leapt straight to my cunt, making it throb in anticipation. I needed her. There would be no separation until we'd found satisfaction.

Except for the weird siren sound that suddenly pierced the air behind my head. Damn.

"What's that noise?" said Naomi.

"It's the phone," I said, frustration beating it's way through my blood. "It's the satellite phone. I better go and answer it."

I went into the cabin and snatched at the receiver, fuming with hatred at the innocent inanimate object.

"What?" I said angrily, ignoring the fact that it might have been someone important calling for Effy.

"I'm so sorry," came Effy's voice across the line.

"What's wrong, Eff?" I said.

"I need the boat back."

"What now?"

"Yes now," she said. "I'm really sorry but the meeting's been moved up. They got here earlier than expected and they're not going to hang around because of the storm. I've got to get to sea tonight."

"Fuck," I said harshly. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

"Date going well then?" said Effy.

I could hear her fucking smirking down the line.

"Well it was," I sighed.

"I'm sorry," Effy apologised again. "If I could do it any other way…"

"It's fine, Eff. It's your boat. If you need it, you need it."

"I'll make it up to you."

"Don't worry about it, mate. I already owe you big time for this one."

I left Naomi on the back deck to watch the sunset as I drove the boat back home. It was dark by the time we got back to harbour. When I came down to fetch the mooring ropes, she was nowhere in evidence, so once I had us secured, I went inside to find her. She was fast asleep on the couch. Seems like the champagne, the sea air and the excitement had been too much for her. I called Asif, and gently woke her up whilst he was on his way. Reluctant as I was to do so, it was better to send her home for a good night's sleep. There was no point involving her in Effy's business. Some things were better off remaining a mystery. I called Eff to let her know we were back, waited until she arrived so I could help her cast off, and then smoked a cheeky one skinner as I watched her sail off into the night.