A/N: Another quick chapter. Thank you for all the reviews.
The dream was always the same, it started in a crowded bar full of beautiful women and handsome men. Someone would be propositioned and in a fit of curiosity I would follow. Weaving through the people following my target I would find them locked in an embrace against a dimly lit hallway wall. I would watch feeling myself get aroused as their ardor pushed them farther into lust. I slipped my hand under the waistband of my clothes hoping I would be able to finish before they could.
"Matt, what are you reading?" asked Edgar.
Matt slammed Samantha's kindle with a snap.
"Nothing, just one of Antha's little books" replied Matt.
"Anything good?" asked Edgar.
"Not really" said Matt.
"Are you listening to her ipod too?" asked Edgar.
"Yeah, she left it up here so I thought I'd check out her taste in music" said Matt.
"How is her taste in music?" asked Edgar.
"Like everything about her it's good and slightly mysterious" said Matt passing Edgar the ipod.
"Cool playlists" commented Edgar.
"How's Sig?" asked Matt.
"I think he bruised his shoulder, but we will know more when he wakes up. Antha is in with him, hopefully keeping an eye on him" said Edgar.
"She's a brave girl, he's going to be a monster when he wakes up" said Matt.
"Maybe not, I mean there's a first time for everything" said Edgar with a smirk.
Sig moaned slightly in his sleep, he was trying to roll over but found it difficult with the pain in his shoulder and the weight on his chest. Cracking open his eyes he realized that the bag of ice on his shoulder was just water and that Antha was laying across his chest her hand curled around the fabric of his shirt. Her fingers were flexing open and closed as if she's having a bad dream. Sig tightened his arm around her in an effort to comfort her. She almost immediately quieted, then a moment later her eyes fluttered open.
"Good Morning" said Samantha quietly.
"What's so good about it" grumbled Sig.
"We are still alive" said Samantha.
"Very true" agreed Sig.
"How is your shoulder?" asked Samantha.
"It hurts" replied Sig.
"Ok, let me get you some pain medicine" said Samantha.
She crawled over Sig, giving him a nice view of her cleavage. Returning to the bed with a glass of water and a handful of pills she handed them to Sig. He took the pills and washed them down with half the bottle of water.
"Do you want to try getting up?" asked Samantha.
"Yeah, help me up" said Sig.
Samantha did her best to lever Sig out of bed allowing him to use his good arm to press on the bed. Once he was standing Samantha helped him towards the small bathroom. She walked him all the way into the small space and left him there leaning on the towel wrap.
"Aren't you going to stay and help me?" teased Sig.
"Not today" said Samantha. "I need to make breakfast."
Breakfast was a subdued affair, Sig made a brief appearance but quickly returned to his room to rest his sore shoulder. Matt and Samantha spent the rest of the morning trying to reorganize the kitchen cabinets and clean up the mess from the night before. As they worked on the dry storage area Matt and Samantha realized that the Northwestern sure kept things for a long time.
"Ok look at this one, it's from 1999" said Matt holding up a can of soup.
"Well as you know canned soup only gets better with age" said Samantha.
"I dare you to eat it" said Matt.
"I don't like chicken noodle soup" said Samantha. "But I double dare you to eat it."
"How about we serve it to Edgar, he loves chicken noodle soup" said Matt.
"As tempting as that sounds I would hate to have to step up and do his job if he gets sick" said Samantha.
"Killjoy" replied Matt.
The continued to work and when the dry storage was finally cleaned they decided to make something special for dinner.
"Matt, what's your favorite meal?" asked Samantha.
"Steak" replied Matt.
"Well lets make that for dinner" said Samantha.
"Awesome, but the steaks are in the outside freezer" said Matt.
"So?" asked Samantha.
"It means we need to suit up because it's typhooning outside" said Matt.
"Oh" said Samantha biting her lip.
"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe" said Matt.
"Promise?" said Samantha.
"I promise" said Matt.
Matt and Samantha suited up and got ready to go outside. Matt unlocked the door and pulled it open. The sound of the wind outside was deafening and Samantha got even more nervous about going outside to the freezer. It was a fairly short journey, out the door, then a turn to the right, walk past the bait station and into the freezer.
"Alright, just hold my hand and we'll walk out together" said Matt.
Samantha nodded and slipped her trembling hand into Matt's. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and led her outside. Walking outside was like getting thrown into a washing machine, the wind blew the rain all directions at once. Samantha's hair was immediately soaked. Matt pulled her across the deck trying to keep both of them upright as the boat moved up and down against the breaking waves. They made it to the freezer and Matt pulled open the door and pushed Samantha inside. Although the freezer was cold it was still a welcome respite from the rain and wind. Matt flipped the light switch and walked past the stacks of frozen herring to the storage area for the consumables. They found the steaks and headed back outside. Matt made sure the door of the freezer was completely closed. They slipped and slid across the deck, Samantha had almost made it inside when a wave of water washed over the side of the boat and knocked her off her feet. Matt caught her before she slid across the deck sweeping her into his arms and hustling her inside. He slammed the door barely managing to keep a hold of all the steaks. After a few seconds both Matt and Samantha had regained their breath and stood up.
"I told you I'd keep you safe" said Matt.
"Thanks" said Samantha.
Edgar walked passed Matt and Samantha and stopped suddenly.
"Why are you two so wet?" asked Edgar suspiciously.
"We just went to the freezer to get some steaks for dinner" explained Samantha.
"You went out in a typhoon?" asked Edgar.
"We didn't have to go very far" said Matt.
"Yes, but you are soaking wet clearly everything didn't go as planned" said Edgar.
"We got the steaks so the mission was a success" said Samantha.
"Go take a shower to warm up" said Edgar before walking away.
"Who was he talking to?" asked Samantha.
"Probably you since your hair looks like it's got ice crystals in it" said Matt.
Samantha reached up and touched her hair breaking off a piece of ice.
"Wow, I didn't think it would freeze that fast" said Samantha. "Let me get the steaks defrosting and I'll go shower."
"Go now before you catch a cold, I'll prep the steaks" said Matt.
"Ok, thanks. I'll see you in a bit" said Samantha.
Samantha stood in the shower defrosting under the hot spray. She quickly washed her hair hoping the red dye wouldn't color her towel. Next she soaped her body enjoying the feeling of being clean. Once she was all rinsed and clean she debated shaving her legs but decided to just do her armpits. She'd just finished when the door of the bathroom opened.
"Hey Antha, are you done yet?" asked Matt.
"Almost" replied Samantha.
"Ok, well you have one minute before I'm coming in there with you" said Matt.
"I'll have to hurry then" said Samantha.
She left the water running and peaked around the curtain to see Matt inspecting his beard in the mirror. She reached for the towel and an amazing show of agility managed to get out of the shower and wrap the towel around herself without getting it wet or falling on her ass.
"All done" said Samantha.
Matt turned around his mouth dropping in shock, he expected to see her dripping and naked instead she was dripping and wrapped securely in a towel.
"I left the water on for you" said Samantha.
She grabbed her dirty clothes and flitted out of the bathroom. Matt watched her go wondering if she was teasing him. Shrugging his shoulder he stripped out of his clothes and climbed into the shower. His senses were assaulted by the smell of the perfumed soap that Samantha used. Matt couldn't keep himself from inhaling the fresh scent and imagining Samantha's hands washing her body. She was a bit of an enigma to him, he wasn't sure how much aerobic instructors made but he doubted she could do that for a living unless she had a husband or perhaps she still lived with her parents. But she didn't wear a wedding ring and she didn't seem like the kind of girl who'd sponge off her parents. Matt quickly finished showering. He decided he'd find out more about the mysterious Antha while they were making dinner.
Jake was upstairs watching the anchor while everyone else sat downstairs watching the Antha and Matt cooking show. Even Sig had pried himself out of his bunk to investigate the uproarious laughter coming from the galley. Matt and Samantha were decked out in aprons showing the other guys how to make steak, roasted potatoes and asparagus. Samantha was demonstrating how to make a hollandaise-ish sauce much to everyones delight.
"Ok, so you need to separate the egg yokes for the sauce, but we are going to retain the whites for dessert" explained Samantha in her best Julia Child voice.
Matt tossed 2 eggs at Samantha who deftly caught them cracking them in one hand and straining the whites out with the other. Once everything was separated she started to whisk the egg yokes until they were creamy.
"So what is this sauce for?" asked Nick.
"It's going to be for the steaks and the asparagus" said Samantha.
"I don't like asparagus" said Norman.
"Well you'll love mine or your money back" replied Samantha.
The cooking lesson continued and soon the sauce was made and sitting on the stove on a double boiler, the steaks and asparagus were under the broiler and Samantha was working hard on making meringues for dessert.
"You know I'm pretty sure we have a hand mixer in that kitchen" said Edgar.
"That's ok, I can do it faster this way" said Samantha.
"No you can't" said Edgar.
"Really I can" replied Samantha.
"Ok, lets prove it" said Edgar getting up.
Samantha stopped her whisking and watched Edgar root around in the kitchen until he found what he was looking for. Pulling out a hand mixer he got himself a bowl and cracked two egg whites into it.
"On your marks, get set, go" said Sig.
Samantha went back to her whisking going no faster than she had been before. Edgar meanwhile furiously turned the bowl and the mixer causing the contents to spill over the sides. Samantha and Edgar raced for about 7 more minutes before Samantha turned her bowl upside down proving her whites where at a perfect peak. Edgar did the same and the entire contents of the bowl poured onto the floor.
"I win" said Samantha.
"No shit" was Edgar's response.
"How did you learn to do that?" asked Matt.
"When I was at the CIA, we spent an entire week working on whisking, I can make a great homemade mayonnaise, I can whip cream, and I can whip egg whites as fast as any of my classmates" said Samantha proudly.
"Why would the CIA care if you can cook?" asked Sig.
"Oh Sig, she means the Culinary school not the government agency" said Edgar smugly.
Sig frowned at his brother.
"Don't feel bad Sig, he thought the same thing when I told him" said Samantha.
"Don't stick up for him" said Edgar.
"Your parents must be so proud" said Matt.
"They are, I guess. I do come in handy on holidays" said Samantha.
"Do you see them a lot?" asked Matt.
Samantha didn't say anything. A moment later the timer rang and she and Matt pullied dinner out from under the broiler. Everyone pitched in to set the table and even Jake was allowed to come down from the wheelhouse to eat with everyone.
"This is so awesome" said Matt. "Thanks for making my favorite."
"You're welcome" said Samantha.
"Hey, I want you to make my favorite" said Jake.
"What's your favorite?" asked Samantha.
"Lasagna" said Jake.
"I can easily make that, how about for dinner tomorrow" said Samantha. "In fact I suppose if the ingredients are on this boat I can make everyones favorite dinner."
There was much discussion as to what was available and what everyone wanted Samantha to cook for their special meal.
Later as Samantha was washing up Sig came into the kitchen and grabbed a towel to help her dry. He easily dried the dishes and stacked them in their proper places. When the last dish was washed Samantha turned to help Sig finish the last of the drying.
"I can finish it myself" said Sig.
"I know, but I'm sure you'd rather be doing something else than helping me dry the dishes" said Samantha.
"We all pitch in around here" said Sig as an explanation.
"Ok, well thank you" said Samantha.
"By the way we are going to head out of here in a few hours. The storm has basically passed over so it's safe enough to head back towards the grounds" said Sig.
"When will we get to the grounds?" asked Samantha.
"Around day break, we'll start fishing at first light" said Sig.
"Will it still be yucky outside?" asked Samantha.
"Probably. The bulk of the storm is gone, I can't waste anymore time sitting around with my thumb up my ass. We need to start fishing" said Sig.
"How's your shoulder?" asked Samantha.
"It's still sore, but lucky for me I'm not pulling pots on deck. A sore shoulder isn't going to stop me from driving the boat" said Sig. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. I have a big bruise on my back but other than that nothing" said Samantha.
"Let me see this bruise" replied Sig.
"Ok" said Samantha.
She turned around and lifted her t-shirt, Sig's hands took the fabric and pulled it higher so he could see the whole of her back. The bruise was on her lower left side and was a very nasty black and blue. Holding her shirt in one hand Sig brushed his fingers against her abused flesh.
"Does that hurt?" asked Sig.
"No" replied Samantha.
"How about now?" asked Sig pressing harder.
"A little" said Samantha.
"Go ask Edgar to give you some icy hot for it, that should make your back feel better" said Sig.
"Go ask me for what?" said Edgar walking into the galley.
"Put some icy hot on her, she's got a huge bruise on her back" said Sig.
"Come with me. Dr. Edgar is in the house" said Edgar pulling Samantha to him.
"Good luck" called Sig to Samantha's retreating back.
Edgar walked into his stateroom with Samantha. Norman was sitting on his bunk reading a book, he looked up briefly then returned to his reading. Edgar sat Samantha down on his bunk and went to retrieve the salve.
"What are you reading?" asked Samantha.
"I hope they have beer in hell" replied Norman. "A fan sent it to us, it's hilarious."
"I've heard it's a good read" said Samantha.
Norman just nodded. Edgar reentered the room with a large container of icy hot cream.
"Ok, take off your shirt and lay down" said Edgar.
"Do you want me to leave?" asked Norman.
"No, you know how I love an audience" said Edgar.
Samantha buried her head in her hands a blush staining her cheeks.
"Come on Antha, off with the shirt" demanded Edgar.
Samantha sighed and pulled her t-shirt over her head. She was clad in a bright pink bra and a pair of yoga pants. Edgar took a step closer and arranged her on the bed. Taking a dollop of cream he spread it over her bruised flank.
"That stuff smells terrible" said Samantha.
"But it will make you feel so much better" said Edgar his hands gliding over her skin.
Samantha laid still letting Edgar's hands wander over the dips and valleys of her spine. When all the lotion was spread into the bruised area his hands drifted up to her shoulders and he began to massage them. Samantha melted into the bed, becoming nothing more than a boneless heap of flesh. Edgar's strong hands drew tension and tightness out of her muscles making her sigh softly as each knot came loose. Edgar for his part enjoyed the feeling of soft feminine skin under his work worn hands and was hesitant to draw the massage to a close. Samantha turned her head to the side and closed her eyes a small smile spread across her face. Edgar's strong strokes soon turned into gentle caresses, but by that time Samantha was fast asleep.
"She's asleep" whispered Edgar.
"So? Move her to her own bunk" said Norman.
"I don't want to wake her up" said Edgar.
"Then sleep with her, she's tiny probably won't even take up that much room" said Norman.
"I'll leave her here for now. I gotta see what time Sig's going to want us up and what the watch order is" said Edgar.
"I'll keep an eye on her" said Norman sarcastically.
"Yeah, you do that" said Edgar.
An hour or so later Edgar returned to his stateroom, Samantha was still fast asleep only instead of being flat on her stomach she was curled into a tight ball. Edgar sighed and crawled into the bed behind her spooning up against her curled body. Slipping an arm around her waist he pulled her close to him, her body relaxing into his. They slept in that position until it was Edgar's turn at watch.