S. Welles - To Ocean's End

“And now to test the noodles.”

Jessie spoon-fished out two noodles. They blew on them together, then Jessie fed him one and ate the other. “Tastes ready to me.” She could taste a hint of salt and butter, flavored enough to eat them plain. How did he do that?

They drained and tossed the penne in, Mido once again doing most of the work. They divvied up the meal between two plates and sprinkled the broccoli on top and added one last dash of pepper to each. “Never toss in the vegetables. They stay crisper that way.”

“Good to know.”

“Want any grated parmesan?”

“No, thanks.” Jessie picked up the plates and carried them to the table. Mido kept his hands on her hips, then wrapped her in a hug when she stepped back to admire their handiwork. The steaming plates looked delectable, however Mido’s body pressed to hers won her attention. He rubbed his neck against hers and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“That’s a job well done.”

“Thanks to you.” She turned her head and they exchanged a kiss on the lips. He hugged her tighter. She wrapped an arm over his and cupped his face. They began kissing deeply for the first time in weeks, enjoying a hint of Alfredo in each other’s taste.

Soft footsteps began padding away from them. They broke apart and looked down the hall, their hearts pounding. They’d always been careful to keep their relationship to themselves.

Dyne’s back to them, he waved. “Carry on. I can get a brownie later.” He disappeared up a flight of stairs.

Gasping for breath, they looked at each other’s flushed faces and broke into guilty grins. Mido took hold of her hips again and looked both ways down the hall. It was empty. “Dinner can wait a minute.” He slowly guided her backwards, slow enough to drive her crazy with anticipation. She controlled her eagerness and let Mido do what he wanted at his own pace. Once he reached the counter, he leaned against it, pulled her backside to his front, and began kissing a line from behind her ear down to her mouth. Their lips met again and Jessie reached for his scalp, grazing her fingers through his hair and massaging his scalp with just her fingertips. He let out a throaty moan. His hands wandered to her breasts and began their own massage. She arched her back. He moved his kisses back to her neck, and one of his hands drifted to her thigh and began rubbing it as his—

She gasped. “Mido,” she said in a mischievous whisper.

“What?” he whispered back.

She grabbed his hip and heavily leaned into him and his hard-on digging into the small of her back. “I’m not afraid.” He gasped. She twisted in his arms and pressed herself against him once again. “I’m not afraid!” No fear or bad memories seized her; just a need to have their bodies rocking together in the throes of passion. He stared at her in amazement, his hands no longer working any magic. She kissed him and another round of heavy breathing and kissing ensued. Jessie reached for his groin and the moment she touched his hard-on, he dug his fingers into her glutes and turned and lifted her onto the counter. She wrapped her legs around him and relished in the joy of having their bodies pressed together, face to face at last. She fumbled through undoing his belt as her mind tunnel-visioned on obtaining full access to Mido’s body. He unbuttoned and unzipped her pants, and unclipped her bra, and one touch from his hand down her pants made her arch and gasp. She unzipped and freed his erection, getting a sigh out him, then she stopped. She grabbed his busy hands.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need you inside me. Right now. But not on the counter.”

“Okay.” He scooped her in his arms and carried her to the table.

“No, you goof. Not where people can walk in us. Besides, we all eat on that.”

He veered to the pantry, his arousal digging into her groin making her squirm and pant. Mido pushed the door open and managed to take one step in before stopping.

Sauna was sitting in a fold-up chair, jerking off with his back to them. He stopped and opened his eyes and turned around, his eyes slowly filling with dread. “I was here first,” he said unhappily.

Mido marched in, grabbed Sauna by a chunk of shirt, and bodily dragged him out.

“Hey! Come on, amigo!”

Mido shoved him into the hallway, then went back for the chair and shoved it into Sauna’s hands.

“Come on! Go find your own place!”

Mido put Jessie down and shut the door, then dragged three sacks of potatoes and two sacks of flour in front of the door, his pants falling to his knees in the process. He fished a condom out of his low-riding pocket and faced Jessie. “Now where were we?”

Jessie smirked. “Do you always carry one around with you?”

“Been waiting for this moment. Didn’t want to be caught unprepared.”

She untied her boots, as did Mido his own, then they came together and exchanged kisses as they removed the rest of their clothes. He guided her to the floor and slowly lay on top of her, wrapping her in the safety of his strong arms. She wrapped her legs around him and he paused with his tip just touching her lips.

“Still good?”

“Mhm.” She tugged on his body and he slowly entered her all the way, making her inhale.

He gave her another kiss. “And now?”

“Oh, yes.”

They began making love at last.

Two months, several deliveries, and two breather vacations later, the Pertinacious sat anchored outside a mountain of a rock off the northern coast of Australia. Things had returned to normal soon after Dakar. Injuries healed, everyone fell back into their assigned roles, Scully finally was able to take his bandages off and eat solid food, Jacobi left Jessie alone, and Captain Dyne had two more foiled cheeseburger attempts—both at port.

One involved O’Toole sneaking off the ship in Cape Town during the whole two seconds no one was watching him. The second was in India. It was too spicy, rendering it inedible. Mido ended up fixing him a burger after they pushed off, but something broke in the engine room shortly after his first bite. At least it turned out to be a simple fix, so Dyne just sat by the pipes and finished his burger while it was still hot. Jessie wasn’t sure if that counted as a third foiled attempt but whatever. It wasn’t important; just amusing.

Right now the mood was tense. The crew spoke little as they steeled themselves for the impending trip inside the nearby cave. They weren’t to bring any weapons but their fists. There was no point, so they practiced sparring, guzzled coffee like they were never going to see another cup after today, jumped at sudden sounds, and tensed whenever a particularly large wave rocked the ship.

Jessie found herself jumping and tensing with them. She couldn’t help it. She felt more curious than scared, but their wariness spread to her. Mido was preparing sandwiches beside her like he was waiting for Dyne to yell for them to rush up on deck. He kept glancing down the hallway. Jessie worked slowly as she spread mayo over slice after slice of bread, and kept the coffee pot full. As soon as they ate up, those willing to venture into the cave, including herself, would board the kernels and pay Amphitrite— the Amphitrite—a visit.

Despite her dream, despite her ability to commune with aquatic creatures, and despite all she’d seen, it was still hard to believe they were actually going to meet a real divine being. Dealing with cursed humans and quasi-children was one thing. Confirming the existence of beings greater than mortals was another. But she knew without a doubt that Amphitrite was real, and really a goddess. “I can hardly believe we’re really going to meet her in person.”