I want You Deeper

“We’re going for a dip.”

April’s announcement came as they were clearing the table, with Derek helping. Captain Jake had eaten quickly, then headed back to the cockpit. He was worried about the swaying of the boat, fearing they were heading into some rough waters. Renee didn’t know if she should be concerned about that or not.

“Sorry?” Renee asked, feeling like she’d missed something important here.

“The jacuzzi. The captain checked the heater earlier while you were making dinner. We’re good to go.”

“We?” Renee asked, sure she must be misunderstanding. But if she was saying we, it had to include Renee since the captain was working and it was doubtful April would hang out in the hot tub alone with Derek.

April paused near the entrance to the kitchen, turning to look at Renee.

“You do have a swimsuit.”

“Yes.”

Renee had brought three swimsuits, actually. Overkill, perhaps, but she’d planned on hanging out on the island all week. She’d imagined heading to the beach area near the water, grabbing a lounge chair, and enjoying herself.

“Then let’s get this cleaned up and go change.”

“I’ll be in my theater if you need me,” Derek announced. Without waiting for a response, he set down the dishes he’d brought in and left.

Renee breathed a sigh of relief. The idea of wearing a bathing suit in front of Derek made her feel a little insecure. She’d wear her coverup, of course, but when the coverup came off, she didn’t want him anywhere around.

After finishing cleanup, she changed and returned to the back of the ship. April was already in the hot tub when Renee arrived.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“I could get used to this life,” April said as Renee climbed in.

“Yes, I could see that.”

Renee smiled as she sank into the warm water. She hadn’t realized until now just how hard she’d pushed herself all day. Between lunch and dinner, she’d inventoried everything in the kitchen area and planned out meals for fifteen days-adding a little padding in case this trip lasted longer. She’d made sure some meats were frozen to keep them from going bad before she could use them. She’d also moved some meals forward. Anything that couldn’t be frozen would be eaten in the next few days, before it could go bad.

Both mentally and physically exhausted, Renee closed her eyes and savored the sensation of being fully immersed in warmth. It felt like a big, cozy blanket had been wrapped around her.

“Do you think they’ll let us do this once there’s a full crew?”

April’s question drew Renee’s eyes open. She couldn’t miss the “us” in that sentence. She hadn’t made it clear that she didn’t have a future on this boat, but she hated to keep disappointing April. Especially if she started to think of her as more of a friend than a coworker. When she exited this boat, it would become clear what she’d been doing here soon enough, and April would feel betrayed. Maybe she should avoid getting close to her.

“I don’t know,” Renee answered. “I haven’t seen Derek using it. At worst, you’ll have competition from the rest of the crew.”

There. She’d said “you’ll” have competition. Hopefully, that made it clear enough that she didn’t include herself in the mix. Satisfied, Renee resumed her relaxed position-eyes closed, the world slipping away…

“Do you sense something weird with David?”

Once again, April’s voice jerked Renee straight out of her attempt at relaxing. This time, though, the words she’d heard were pretty alarming.

“What do you mean?” Renee asked, sure she must have misheard.

“I don’t know-it just doesn’t fit. I know he says he’s a really successful salesperson or whatever, but he has this air about him. And all his clothes are from Barney’s.”

“Barney’s?”

“Barney’s New York, but the men’s section. I worked there when I was in college.”

April was onto Derek. Renee immediately felt the need to cover for him. She could blame it on needing to keep this under wraps until her story went live, but that didn’t even occur to her at first. Initially, her instinct was to help him keep his secret solely out of concern for him.

Renee was almost afraid to ask. “Do you think he’s lying?”

April considered that. “I hate to say that about someone. I wouldn’t say lying. Maybe just not being completely truthful. Do you really think a company would let a sales executive take a boat like this on such a dangerous journey alone?”

“He’s not alone.”

“Right. He hired a crew. Aside from Captain Jake, he just picked up his crew on an island at some inn. We’re awesome, but we were random. We’re in no way qualified-or licensed.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re implying. Do you think David is up to no good?”

April shook her head. “Not at all. I just don’t think he’s a salesperson. I think he’s the guy who owns this yacht.”

The confusion in Renee’s expression was genuine. She really wasn’t following April’s logic. “Why wouldn’t he just say that if that was the case?” Renee finally asked.

April lifted her hand to stare at her palm, probably checking to see if the water had puckered her skin yet. “Maybe he’s undercover. You know those dudes who go undercover on TV to see how their business runs when they aren’t around?”

“There’s no camera crew. And we’re new employees. He just hired us.”

“But he doesn’t want us to know who he is. He thinks we’ll treat him like one of us if he’s just a normal guy. You know?” April dropped her hand back into the water and looked at Renee. She seemed to be expecting some words of wisdom now. Renee had none.

“Aside from his clothes, what is it that makes you think he owns this thing?” Renee asked.

The heat was starting to get to Renee at that point. She pushed herself up, flattening her hands on either side of her on the bench seat. She never lasted long in a jacuzzi. The heat always started to make her feel suffocated. But she couldn’t get out yet. She had to finish this conversation first.

“Just a feeling.” April, not seeming to be negatively impacted by the heat at all, leaned her head back against the ledge of the tub and closed her eyes. “His aura indicates power and success.”

“Aura?”

Without opening her eyes, April nodded. “I sense things about people. I can’t explain it. I’ve always had the skill. Sometimes it’s a curse, being able to see things but not being able to prove them. So, take what you want from it, but operate under the assumption that you’re working for the man who owns this boat. Probably owns a really big company, as well.”

Renee opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. Her head felt a little fuzzy. Yes, she should definitely climb out of this thing. Her coverup was on the lounge chair not too far away. She could grab it and…

“Are you okay?”

April’s voice seemed far, far away, like it was coming from the other end of a really long tunnel. Renee focused on that sound as her vision filled with white dots. Those dots got larger and larger until Renee couldn’t do anything to fight it.

Then the darkness overcame her.