Copyright© 2024 by Rottweiler

Fair Winds

by Rottweiler

Description: The sequel to Still Waters.

Tags: Much Sex, Ma/Fa, Teenagers, Consensual, Drunk/Drugged, Romantic, Fiction, Rags To Riches, BTB, Polygamy/Polyamory, Interracial, Oral Sex, Nudism, Violence

Published: 2024-01-02

Updated: 2024-07-13

Status: Complete

Size: 47,000 Words

Parts: This file contains 10 Parts

Chapter 1: Pirates in the Caribbean

They sought shelter from the summer storm in a small cove on the south shore of Little Cayman. The 28-foot ‘Leopard’ had a shallow draft but a wider beam so Bobby set a second anchor for added security. With gusting winds up to 45 knots, it was prudent to be extra cautious. With the rigging secured and the dinghy set out with a double tether — there was little to do but wait out the blow inside the comfy cabin.

“Oh God Yes!” Tavia screamed as he buried himself to the hilt within her. She gasped for breath as he began humping her with rapid thrusts of his muscular hips. He held himself above her by planking his arms so he could marvel at her beautiful face and watch her delightfully large breasts bounce in rhythm to their lovemaking. He had just turned sixteen and she was his senior by 8 months. Despite their age gap, he was her hero and most magnificent lover. She had fallen for him two years ago as they were attending sailing and navigation classes at the Neptune Academy. Her skin was typically dark from her Jamaican roots while he had been naturally pale with light blonde — almost white hair. With generous layers of sunscreen and nearly constant exposure to the Caribbean sun, he had developed a bronze tan which still contrasted with her dark mahogany tone.

---

Despite her age, she was still a virgin when she finally seduced him on his 16^th birthday. Their first time was magical and something neither would forget for the rest of their lives. It was a warm summer evening and the Leopard lay at anchor off the shore near the mansion where his family lived. The yellow-orange full moon hung overhead like a giant balloon. They had lain a thick comforter over the trampoline netting that spanned the foredeck between the hulls and reclined side-by-side on pillows staring at the stars that blanketed the night sky. An extra comforter lay at their feet in case it got cold during the night.

Tavia changed out of her typical bikini into a soft fleece nightshirt with matching shorts while Bobby just changed into another pair of shorts. He always felt at ease next to his best friend and the closeness of her warm body, combined with the gentle floral fragrance of her perfume made him feel giddy and lightheaded. He loved it when her soft hair drifted over his face giving him a heady dose of her unique alluring smell. When he sighed aloud, she turned herself to face him and placed her hand on his bare chest while her leg slid over his hard thigh, possessively. Her steel grey eyes glinted in the darkness and he shivered when her breath touched his ear.

“What is it?” she asked softly.

“I just couldn’t imagine this being a more perfect evening,” he replied.

She lifted her face to smile at him, “And what makes this evening so perfect?” Her accent was thick from her Jamaican heritage.

He shrugged and then the memories crept back into his mind from the dark cellar where they had remained buried for so long. His shrug became a shiver, which she took as a chill — pressing herself closer to him. “It’s kinda dumb, but I like being on the water — I enjoy the ocean and I feel at home here, under the stars, because — no matter how alone you feel — they are always there, even when you can’t see them.” His mind drifted back to a younger version of himself sitting alone on the deck of his treehouse, staring up at the night sky. “I always felt safe under the stars. And now I’ve learned to use them to guide me home when all else fails.”

She breathed in deeply through her nose, smelling his skin and hair. She sighed to herself as he continued.

“Being out here on the water, under these stars — with you ... it just feels right,” he admitted wistfully, causing her heart to flutter. “I love...” He stopped and abruptly sat up as a feeling of frustration came over him. Tavia gasped in alarm when he didn’t say what she had been longing to hear. She sat up with him and put her arm around his shoulder.

“Bobby, what’s the matter?” she asked fearfully.

He shook his head sadly. “I hate that word,” he muttered. “It’s such a stupid thing and it doesn’t even mean anything.”

She felt her hopes wither and her heart trembled as she slowly released her grip on him. Tears came unbidden to her and she shuddered tearfully as she drew in a breath. “Love? You think love is stupid?” she nearly sobbed.

He looked back at her in alarm. Then he turned himself to face her, regretting that he caused her pain. “It’s the word, Tia,” he tried to explain, “when I was growing up in that house, it’s all I ever heard from my mom and occasionally my brother and sister ... and my da ... uncle Frank.” He sounded bitter and she could see the tension in his jaw. “But they never once meant it. Only my dad ever meant it truly.”

She leaned toward him and wiped her eyes as she sniffed. “I love you, Bobby,” she whispered. “And that means something to me!”

He could feel the sorrow in her voice and he swallowed uncomfortably. “I believe you. And it is easy for you to say because I think you already know what it means to love someone or something.” His words had the opposite effect as she looked back at him with anguish in her eyes. She started to get up but he stilled her by placing his hand on her knee. “Tia, I don’t want to say I love you when the word doesn’t mean what I feel.”

She sniffed and swallowed with a quiver and she glared back at him. “Then what do you ‘feel’?” she demanded tearfully.

He took a breath and looked down as he considered his words. When he looked back at her she saw that something had changed. The insecurity was gone and she let him take her hand. “What I said earlier about the ocean, and how I feel I belong here — and the stars above us and how they make me feel safe and never alone. And being able to share it all with you. It’s completely perfect and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” He stopped and took another breath. “The way I feel about you is all of that — and more.”

They sat gazing at each other for a moment in silence. He was surprised when she suddenly reached across and grabbed him in a tight embrace. Her lips found him and she kissed him urgently. He had never kissed a girl before but he instinctively surrendered his mouth to her and found that her taste and warmth caused a rush of emotion to overwhelm his brain. He moaned happily and she hugged him even tighter. Her lips tasted like passionfruit and mint and when her tongue entered his mouth he gasped as the contact shook him to his core. It was like static electricity and he suddenly realized the desperate need to wrap his arms around her and hold her just as urgently. He couldn’t get enough.

At some point, they were lying back on the pillows once more and Tavia had removed her shirt offering her full and perky breasts to him with her dark areolas and rigid nipples. It was an offer he could not have refused if he wanted to and he hungrily attacked them with his mouth and hands, driving her wild with desire and pleasure.

When he instinctively allowed her to guide his attentions lower, he could detect the heady aroma of her sex and he found she had doffed her shorts as well. Her legs parted for him and he found her pubis to be almost completely free of hair as he explored her nether regions. When he kissed her tight labia, she cried out and pushed her pelvis into his face, urging him to probe deeper into her. He ran his tongue and finger along the narrow slit, open her lips to reveal her hot and moist vagina. She was aching for his touch and pulled his hair urgently as she thrashed beneath him. He correctly assumed her moans and sighs were in response to his touching and licking and redoubled his efforts to penetrate her further. Her hymen blocked him and he knew enough to avoid rupturing it. She was even more reactive when he touched her clitoris, so he gave it his full attention for several minutes — licking and sucking it while she gasped and cried out to him, pleading him to continue. When she came it was her first orgasm that wasn’t self-induced. She screamed with pleasure and her body froze up in a convulsive state of euphoria.

“Oh God, Baby! Yes!” she panted as she recovered. “Oh my God! I want you so bad! Come up here!” She pulled him up her body and dug her hand into the waistband of his shorts, finding his throbbing erection and gripping it desperately.

He groaned into her mouth as he felt the thrill of her touch through his entire body. With her free hand, she tugged the shorts below his hips and he helped her slide them down his legs. Then he moaned and his brain shut down to its most basic program of survival. He had to breed and the feeling of his penis rubbing against her hot and slippery mons drove him crazy with desire.

She wailed hungrily at the feeling of his hardness pressing against her. “Oh, baby! Please! Put it in me now!” she begged him as she heaved her groin firmly against him. It proved to be more difficult than either of them thought as he pressed his head against her vaginal lips and met the tight resistance of her maidenhood. He grunted and held himself tightly against her and she cried out in pain as he began stretching her further open. “God! Just do it!” she cried. “Do it, baby!”

He felt conflicted by his overwhelming need to take her and the fear that he was hurting her. But his desire won out and he forced himself deeper into her with a groan. She screamed as her hymen tore apart but pulled him by his hips as she pushed up against him, completing the plunge until he was completely inside her. She wrapped her legs around his and held onto him tightly as she panted away the shock of losing her virginity.

“Don’t move!” she hissed through her clenched teeth. “Just stay like that ... for a moment.”

He felt her pelvic muscles twitch and seize around the girth of his cock as he held it firmly within her. Then he sensed her relaxing and she lessoned her grip around his body. “Oh my God!” she sighed and lifted her face to kiss him again. “Okay, please be gentle and slow,” she added, encouraging him to begin slowly pushing himself in and out of her tight channel. He tried to contain his urges. Occasionally she would hiss again and have him stop where he was for a second until the cramping tearing pain subsided once more.

Suddenly he felt his scrotum energize and he gasped as he began ejaculating inside her. He hissed out loud and groaned as he tried to resist shoving himself into her as hard as he could. “I’m sorry!” he cried and grunted with each spasm as his sperm squirted out of him. “I can’t...”

“Shhh. It’s okay baby,” she replied soothingly. “Just let it go and enjoy it. Give it to me!” she panted as she felt his warm seed squirt into her between the pulses of his erection. “Oh my God, it feels so good!”

Later they lay beside each other gasping for breath as they marveled at the sensations they had just experienced and shared.

---

Once again, they lay gasping beside one another but this time it was inside the warm cabin, safely sheltered from the seasonal storm that raged outside. Occasionally they felt the boat surge and sway and rock gently as a squall burst around them. The rain sounded like a thousand tiny hammers pelting the hull and cabin around them.

“I love this,” Tavia murmured happily into his neck as she held him beneath the warm comforter.

He smiled in the dark. “Mmm, me too.”

An occasional flash of lightning would invade the confines of the dark cabin followed by an immediate blast of thunder as the storm rolled over them. Subconsciously Bobby assessed the security of their double anchors, by the feel of how the catamaran rode the small waves that drove through the protected cove. They fell into an easy slumber as the waves rocked them gently to sleep.

When the sun crept over the horizon it shone in the forward portals lighting the small cabin brightly.

“You know, I had misgivings about catamarans at first but I have to admit that the Leopard is growing on me,” he said with a yawn. He sat up and stretched causing a draft of colder air to blow under the covers. Tai pulled the comforter tighter around her with a moan and poked him.

“Don’t be bashing my baby!” she muttered as she tried to recapture the warmth. Tavia Ashanti was the only child of a widowed marine biologist and professor at the Center for Marine Sciences at the University of the West Indies in Kingstown. Professor Ashanti was a quiet and brilliant Australian scientist who became solely driven toward academia after the death of his beloved Jamaican wife, to cancer. Tavia was 13 at the time of her mother’s death and she suffered greatly from the loss. Not only did she lose her best friend and confidant but the effect on her father drove him further from her.

She found herself isolated and on her own at a young age. Her father didn’t abandon her in the physical sense. But he became emotionally distant and the only way she could interact with him was by following in his steps, studying marine biology. When she opted to further her maritime studies, he purchased the Leopard and showed her how to handle it. The boat was a 26-foot Simpson Formula One fast cruiser and was easily handled by a single person. By fifteen, she had sailed all over the Caribbean on many solo excursions. Her pedigree assured her early enrollment into the Neptune Academy where she met Bobby.

They bonded instantly not only because they were the youngest cadets but also the most gifted. When they weren’t involved in their studies or underway on distance voyages, they met aboard the Leopard where he practiced his sailing, handling, and navigation skills under her expert eye. He soon proved her better in practically everything to do with sailing and ocean-going, but it was not something he lorded over. She adored his youthful energy and curious streak for adventure and knowledge. Tavia was not unaware of her feminine charms and modest endowment, and she fended off the sexual advances of many male admirers over time. Despite Bobby’s innocent naivete, she found herself attracted to him in a very like fashion though she resisted the urge to treat him differently than the close friend that he had become.

“I wasn’t bashing her Tai,” he replied modestly, “I have to admit that the design has grown on me. It is very well suited for the open waters around us.”

“Daddy grew up on the waters of Western Australia before he moved to Jamaica and met my mother. He lived on a version very much like this one, so he was sold on the craft when he decided to buy her for me.”

It was a solid design at that. The twin fiberglass hulls were connected by a solid main deck on which the cockpit and cabin sat. Under sail, she was sleek and fast and handled with surprising agility. When sailing was not an option or just not desired, she had twin 20-horsepower Yanmar diesel engines. She was also outfitted with a state-of-the-art SIMRAD multifunction navigation and piloting system.

“I can’t wait to be done with my classes at UCI,” Bobby sighed, “I would love to work with your dad on the Heritage Project.” He referred to a joint venture for the preservation of shark habitats. It was a collaborative project shared by several island nations and commonwealths including Grand Cayman, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Haiti.

“You just want to get a free pass to go cage diving,” she replied rubbing against him. It galled him to no end that he was disqualified from the one thing he wanted to do most of all — simply because he was a minor. The number of achievements under his belt was staggering for his age. His ‘uncle’ Kurt was a certified flight instructor and had been teaching him how to fly. He owned a Pipistrel Panthera that he bought from Slovenia and shipped to the GC. He also owned a larger Cessna 210 which he chartered, and an experimental SeaMax Light amphibian. So far Bobby had only logged hours in the Panthera but was intending to make his first solo flight soon. The running joke at home was that he was qualified to pilot a small freighter, operate a Dive Charter off of the Celtic Dreamer — the fifty-foot sailing dive boat owned by his dad, and fly a small single-engine plane. Yet he was too young to drive a car.

They were suddenly disrupted from their musing by a sharp change in the pitch of the boat. The starboard hull dipped ever so slightly in a manner that alerted them both that somebody had just boarded the Leopard! Bobby slid quickly out of the berth and grabbed his shorts as hushed voices came from outside the cabin. The sun rising over the bow foiled any view into the aft cabin portholes, but the shadow of at least one figure could be seen in the pilot house. Bobby looked out quickly enough to recognize that the intruder carried a rifle with a curved magazine jutting from beneath it. He turned back to Tavia in alarm and whispered, “Pirates” in her ear. She slipped from the bed and began pulling her clothes on while he quietly bolted the latch that secured the hatch into the cabin.

Two different voices appeared to argue with each other but their discussion was unintelligible. Then the hatch rattled as they tried to enter the cabin. Further cursing and whispering ensued. Then a loud pounding shook the wood and metal barrier. They both jumped at the sudden racket.

“Open up and come out!” a heavily accented voice demanded. “We will shoot through the door if you do not do this now!”

Thinking quickly Bobby reached over to the auxiliary power panel and flipped on the power to the SIMRAD and VHF radio. High atop the mast, the closed dome of the radar concealed the rotating transceiver. “I’m going to go outside and try to stall them,” he whispered to her causing her to panic. “Stay hidden and contact GC Coast Guard.” He turned the frequency to 156.8 MHz and pointed to the flatscreen display. “Give them our MMIS and AIS codes and Coordinates. Tell them we are under siege by pirates with weapons and request immediate assistance.” His instructions were unnecessary as she was equally versed in maritime emergency procedures. But she nodded and ducked behind a bulkhead with the microphone and began sending their distress call.

“Who is it?” Bobby asked loudly with a frightened voice. “What do you want?”

“Come out now! Or we will shoot you through the door!” the voice demanded once again. “Do this now!”

“No! Don’t shoot! I am coming out!” he cried out and reached up to free the securing latch. He slowly opened the hatch and peeked his head out.

There were two of them and — and as far as pirates go, they were on the lesser end of the intimidation scale. One held a military-looking rifle at him while the other waved an old machete nearby. The sun was rising almost directly behind him because of the gentle easterly breeze. The gunman waved the weapon at him impatiently demanding he climb up to the pilot house/cockpit quickly. He climbed one step and looked around the deck comparing what he knew to expect and what he didn’t. Both men were smaller in stature with emaciated frames most likely from malnutrition and starvation. That alone could make them dangerous enough to be unpredictable.

“Come! Come!” the gunman hollered at him angrily. He was squinting against the glare of the sun that sat low on the eastern horizon.

Bobby acted without thought. His only consideration was the safety and welfare of the woman in the cabin below. He knew if they saw her, they would be driven by more than hunger or desperation — and there was nothing he wouldn’t do to prevent that. But that was as far as his brain got before he acted. Once he stepped onto the deck, he launched himself directly at the man with the rifle. It was fortuitous that the sun was behind him which greatly affected the gunman’s vision. The machete wielder gave an outcry to warn his partner, but it was too late to prevent the two of them from colliding and soaring over the transom into the sea.

The gunman cried out in despair but his outburst was cut off as he plunged beneath the surface, driven under by the powerful frame of Bobby who was an expert swimmer. The water was cold and clear and he quickly recovered as he grappled with his opponent. The pirate had bony limbs with little muscle and large swollen joints at his elbows and knees. The rifle was no longer in his grip as he flailed at the water trying desperately to claw his way back to the surface. By comparison, Bobby had been swimming nearly every day for the last two years and had the hard-toned musculature to show for it. While the gunman cried out, expelling his air before hitting the water, his younger assailant instinctively drew a deep breath that could sustain him for several minutes under exertion.

Rather than grabbing the pirate in a rescue hold, he pushed the man further down with strong kicks of his powerful legs. As they quickly descended towards the bottom, 10 fathoms below the boat, he recognized the telltale signs of imminent drowning. His opponent’s eyes widened in terror as his oxygen quickly depleted. He tried to grab onto Bobby’s arms but his strength failed him. The fluttering in his ears told the experienced diver that he was nearing the first atmosphere at 33 feet below the surface. He estimated he had propelled himself down approximately 20 feet. He kicked one more time and then reversed himself and kicked off from the pirate’s body, sending him even deeper while the youth shot back up towards the surface.

As he looked up, he saw another body splash into the water on the starboard side. He also noticed the rough-shaped wooden canoe that was tied off to the transom. When he breached the surface at the stern ladder, he heard Tavia cursing loudly at someone and a feeble cry for help from the other pirate who fell overboard. He grabbed the ladder and called up, “Tai, I’m coming aboard!”

Her face appeared over the stern as he climbed up and she reached down to help him back onboard.

“What happened?” he gasped as he recovered his breath.

She pointed to the freely swinging boom and he realized she had used it as a weapon to knock the man with the machete over the side. He caught it as it swung back at them gently and re-stepped it into the bracket that held it secure when they were not under sail. He stepped over and looked down at the flailing pirate.

“Please! Let me up!” he pleaded to them.

“You just tread water til the ‘po show up, Mon!” she growled back at him and grabbed the long boathook to make sure he obeyed. Then she turned on Bobby equally furious. “And you, what are you thinking, going off charging a man holding a gun on you?”

He stepped back uncertainly, “Um ... it seemed like the thing to do in the spur of the moment...” he stammered.

“Well ... it was dumb!” she sniffed, before turning back to her soggy adversary. “You! Get away from my boat!” She yelled, brandishing the boathook threateningly. “Don’t make me whack you, Mon!”

---

The nearest maritime emergency response unit was the Little Cayman police department and they arrived within an hour of the distress call. The boat was a 35-foot steel hulled shallow draft vessel with twin 200 HP Mercury outboard motors. It was crewed by five heavily armed officers and skippered by the chief of the police station, the only Caucasian member of the force — a crimson-haired Irishman, named O’Rouke.

They tied off alongside the Leopard and quickly fished the surviving pirate out of the water. The machete lay on the deck where he dropped it and was collected as evidence. Bobby and Tai gave their statements to the Irishman who took careful notes and shook his head at the actions described by the 16-year-old lad. The water was clear enough to see the bottom even at 10 fathoms and after a brief search, they were able to locate the unfortunate pirate. Since they didn’t bring any diving gear, Bobby offered to go down and retrieve the body. Rather than solicit the services of a minor, for such a gruesome task O’Rouke volunteered one of his men to use one of their tanks and regulators and sent him down to fetch the chap. He also retrieved the rifle which turned out to be an old Cuban AK-47 that was in such bad shape it was unlikely to ever fire again. The boat they used to approach the catamaran was an actual dug-out canoe. The crew of the police boat joked about blow guns and bows and arrows as they finished up their investigation and departed. Bobby wasted no time pulling the anchors and setting a west-south-west course for home.

---

Any hopes that word of their misadventure would not reach his family — were dashed when they spotted a small crowd of adults gathered on the pier inside the breakwater that protected Celtic Dreamer and the small float plane. From 100 yards away he recognized his father Chad and the three nearly identical figures of his mom, Jessica, her twin sister Jennifer, and his long-time tutor and nanny Geneviève. Beside her was the enormous figure of Kurt, her fiancé, and his friend and flight instructor.

Out of an abundance of caution — and to stall the inevitable, Bobby tacked into the wind and helped Tai strike and furl the huge genoa and mainsails, before entering the moorage under power. Kurt caught the bowline that Tavia tossed over and made it fast to the dock to assist him in landing the craft gently. Once the engines were shut down, he sighed heavily and held his girlfriend’s hand as they disembarked together. The faces that regarded the two of them were grim and taciturn and the silence was awkward as they stepped onto the dock.

Then Bobby was attacked and smothered in the fierce embraces from the three women and — when he managed to come up for air, he was vindicated to find Tavia receiving similar treatment. Once they were done with him, he found himself under intense scrutiny from his father who towered over him. Technically Chad was not Bobby’s biological father, even though he raised him since birth and fought like hell for custody of him when his true parentage was revealed to be the late husband of his late aunt. The entire ugly affair came to light during the divorce of his parents and eventually, his mother rejected him entirely. He couldn’t have asked for a better outcome than having Jessica and Jennifer as his surrogate moms. While his dad and Jess were legally married, they had become a tightly bonded ‘throuple’ and no one thought anything of his father sharing his bed with both twins. Even Spencer, Jennifer’s ten-year-old red-haired son referred to him as ‘dad’, something no one prompted or discouraged.

Chad embraced his son in a firmly possessive hug. “Are you all right boy?” he asked with a voice steeped with emotion.

“We’re good Dad,” he replied as he suddenly felt the adrenalin bleed off, leaving a sense of vulnerability and disbelief.

“Chief O’Rourke gave me a detailed run-down of was happened, but I’d like to hear it from you.” Chad turned and headed back toward the house, keeping his arm possessively around the younger man’s shoulder. The rest of the family followed closely behind.

The house was a veritable mansion that was built by an affluent ex-pat who tried to capture a minimalist reveal but still embodied the low carbon footprint that was all the rage, a decade prior. It was designed and built to survive any hurricane or natural disaster while offering luxurious views and features like grand vaulted ceilings with thick expansive windows and skylights. There were three levels, one above and one below the vast main floor. Bobby claimed the apartment below with its immediate beach access and cave-like rooms.

When they entered the main level, they saw Spencer on the floor beside Damien the ten-year-old son of the Senegalese couple who helped them maintain the home. Musa and Ella Kante lived in a small single home nearby, on the property, that more or less ‘came’ with the purchase. They were well established and regarded highly by the seller who gave them his glowing endorsement. If they were to be set out, he was prepared to relocate them into a home of their choice and provide a lifelong stipend as a reward for their years of devoted service. It became a non-issue as soon as Chad, Jess, and Jen became acquainted with the delightful family. It helped that the two boys became best friends over lunch. Both had typhoon-class energy levels and shared similar likes and dislikes. Spencer was all about martial arts and MMA while Damien was never seen without his green and yellow Sadio Mané football jersey. At the moment both were seated on the floor engaged in an epic battle before the giant screen TV. There were four dogs gathered around them sleeping away the day. Elvis was Chad’s old rottweiler and Tappy the cream-colored Pitbull lay butt-to-butt against him. Two of their adolescent puppies were sprawled between the boys and the big screen. The only response from any of them was a subtle thud as Elvis wagged his tail when he recognized Bobby’s presence.

With an evil grin, Tavia strode over and stood with her body between the boys and their focus. She weaved back and forth as they swayed to see around her.

“Tai! C’mon!” Spencer exclaimed dramatically as he got to his feet and narrowly avoided being killed by his ruthless opponent. She danced barefoot in front of him and then turned her attention to the ebony-skinned youth still seated on the floor. Damien ignored her presence as he pursued his advantage and whooped triumphantly when he emerged victorious.

“Ah jeez!” Spencer grumbled as she ruffled his hair. “I almost had him!”

“Hah!” the African lad scoffed with his deeper voice and thick accent. “You were doomed before breakfast boy!” he taunted. “I owned you!”

“Yeah ‘boy’,” Tavia taunted him back as she snatched the controller from Spencer’s grip. “Let’s see you put that talk where it counts, Mon,” she sat heavily beside him and took a moment to pat or rub every dog nearby before the game reset.

Spencer’s dejection only lasted a second before he noticed his ‘big bra’ and went to him excitedly. “Hey, Bobby! I hear you got attacked by Pirates!” he greeted excitedly. “Did they kick your ‘booty’?” he laughed at his own wit drawing a smirk from the older boy.

---

At the dining table, Bobby related everything that happened that morning as best he could recall.

Occasionally Tavia interrupted with single words like, ‘Fool’, ‘Idiot’, and her favorite, ‘Stupid-head’ — without turning away from her virtual death match with the determined Damien.

Jessica put a supporting hand on his arm. “Baby whatever in the world possessed you to attack a man armed with a gun?” she asked softly when he finished describing the events.

He just shrugged and looked down at his hands. “I don’t know. I didn’t really think about it,” he admitted shyly. “It just sort of happened ... I saw him squinting at me with the sun in his eyes and then ... we were sinking towards the bottom — or at least I was kicking us towards the bottom.” He shivered as he remembered and felt Jennifer’s warm hands on his shoulders. Suddenly he felt a sense of pure dismay and he hiccupped as emotion flooded through him. “I ... I killed that man!” he whispered.

There was an awkward silence around the table.

“It’s okay baby,” Jen said softly over his head. “I’m sure you didn’t think about that at the time.”

He stiffened under her touch. “No,” he replied, “I knew.” He looked up with reddened eyes at the adults gathered around him. “I could see the fear in his eyes as I pushed him deeper. I knew he couldn’t swim and I could have stopped and saved him.” He started shaking as the realization dawned on him. “I didn’t want him to come back up.”

Kurt had remained silent but spoke up, “Why did you want him to die?” he asked pointedly with a calm voice.

Bobby sniffed and looked up at his expressionless face. “I ... was,” he faltered.

“Afraid? Angry?” he prompted.

The boy nodded. “Yeah. I was scared to death at first.” It was lost on nobody at the table that he looked over to the girl seated on the floor next to Dante. “And then I was mad ... I mean really, really pissed off, you know?”

“I get it,” Kurt said and nodded to Chad.

“Bobby,” his dad said suddenly. “No one is judging you for what you did or how it played out.” He leaned forward in his chair, “I just need to know that you are okay. This is a lot to take on. I wouldn’t even begin to know how you feel. But if you need to talk it out with someone...” he was indirectly referring to the counseling sessions that his son used to have with Helen Dillard when he and Molly were going through their bitter divorce and custody battle. He would fly the woman down first class if he thought it would help.

Bobby remained silent for several minutes and the quiet was disrupted by a childish exclamation from the living room when Damien lost his match.

“Man! You cheated!” he whined as Tavia gave him a friendly jab to the shoulder and got to her feet. She handed the controller back to Spencer who was lying across the snoring rottweiler.

“Better luck next time ‘Boy’,” she laughed and stepped into the kitchen.

“I think I’m okay Dad, thanks,” he replied gazing at the mixed emotions that were playing across Tai’s face as she joined them. “I’m relieved that we are safe and unhurt most of all. It’s just that...”

“What?” Chad prompted him.

“I want to be better prepared if it ever happens again. You know?” He saw a frown appear on Jessica’s face and could guess where she was heading. “I mean — I’m not going to stop sailing and exploring because of this. Next year we won’t even be here,” he followed up quickly. Her jaw tightened and he swallowed nervously. “We will be living in Kingstown completing our MoV certifications.”

Kurt spoke before she could disagree. “I think you should go over it with me on the boat,” he offered. “Show me what you did and then we will come up with some strategies if it happens again.”

Chapter 2: Shipwreck

“Roger Tower, Pipistrel Triple Eight Zero Uniform holding short runway two six, departing to the west. Standing by for inbound heavy,” Bobby repeated through his headset.

“Ooh, baby!” Tai’s voice cut in over the CC Intercom. “You sound damn sexy when you talk like dat ‘Mon.”

He glanced over at her and smirked. With sunglasses on it was hard to read her true expression but he knew her well enough to know where her mind was going. Genivieve’s giggle sounded in his headset.

“Ya’ know for a solo check flight, there sure seems to be a lot of people on board,” he stated matter-of-factly. The Panthera could seat four including himself, and all seats were occupied.

“Pretend we’re not here,” Kurt replied through his headset. He was seated behind Tavia on the right side.

“Imagine us in our underwear,” Tai chimed in causing him to glance back over at her. She was wearing her bikini as usual with a pair of shorts over the bottoms and a cropped halter covering her magnificent breasts. Her feet were bare at the moment, she had tucked her flip-flops into the door pocket.

The four of them were seated in the single-engine plane at the east end of the taxiway, awaiting clearance to take off. He listened idly as the inbound airliner announced itself on a three-mile final.

“What does that mean?” Tavia asked.

“It means a big ole jet is about to land. If you look out to the left you can see him coming in.”

She leaned over him and peered out his side window. Her fragrance sent a wave of desire through him that he shook off as she smiled and snuck a kiss to his cheek. Then she pointed excitedly. “I see it!”

It was a Delta 747-400 out of Miami that came in low over the bay and set down almost exactly in front of them. Tai clapped excitedly and sat straight. After a minute she looked over to him.

“Well, what are you waiting for, Mon? Fly this thing!” she ordered.

“We have to wait for permission,” he replied patiently.

“Pipistrel Triple Eight Zero Uniform, you are clear for departure, runway two six, heading west,” came the announcement right after he spoke.

Clicking the mike twice, he acknowledged the order and released the brakes that were holding them stationary. He held the yoke with his left hand and the throttle with his right. He steered the plane out to the center of the runway and pushed the right pedal to turn it into the slight westerly breeze. “Here we go,” he stated excitedly advancing the throttle steadily. The small plane surged forward, powered by the 360 HP Lycoming engine. They reached a rotation speed of 55 knots in less than 20 seconds but he waited until they hit 60 before he gently pulled back on the yoke and lifted the plane into a steady climb.

Beside him, Tavia gave a loud whoop of joy as they raced up toward the thin wispy clouds. “Yeah, Mon! We are flying!” she yelled into everyone’s ears.

At 1500 feet he followed the orders of the departure control and began turning towards the east and his eventual vector of ESE for Kingston, Jamaica. Flight time was expected to be an hour and seven minutes. He could do it well under that time, but when it came to logging flight time — every hour mattered.

Fifteen minutes into the flight he contacted Kingston Approach Control and requested a student vector into Norman Manley Intl.

“Copy, Pipistrel Triple Eight Zero Uniform, squawk One Two Zero Seven for vector approach into Kingston,” the thickly accented controller replied.

Bobby acknowledged the instructions and dialed in the transponder accordingly.

“I gotcha Triple Eight Zero Uniform. Maintain flight level and bearing. I got your back ‘Mon.”

Forty-three minutes later Bobby glided the plane down onto the runway with only a slight bump as he gently touched down. Pulling back the throttle he powered down the engine as he pumped the brakes — slowing them to taxi speed. “Welcome to Jah-may-kuh ‘Mon,” he announced over the intercom.

“Very well done Bobby,” Evie praised him, reaching forward to rub his shoulder.

“Slick landing!” Kurt added proudly.

They taxied for another five minutes before he parked on the visitor apron. While the other three walked over to Customs, Bobby went to the Arrivals Office and checked in. Parking a plane in the Caribbean was expensive but in Jamaica, it was downright larcenous. He completed the necessary form and agreed to purchase fuel before leaving, which saved him $50 per hour. He handed the surly administrator $500 US to cover them for the next two hours. The agent also accepted his Customs Declaration card and pointed him in the direction of the main Lobby.

When the sliding glass doors parted for him, he found a crowded lobby full of travelers and waiting hosts. He noticed the elderly Caucasian gentleman standing nervously near the exit and promptly recognized Dr. Herald Ashanti. He smiled and walked over to him. The man failed to recognize him but politely tipped his head.

“G’day,” he greeted in a gentle Australian accent.

“Dr. Ashanti, I’m Bobby Hartley,” he replied holding out his hand. “Tai and the others are going through customs.”

“Bloody ‘ell!” the man replied excitedly, taking the offered hand in a firm grip. “You’re a right strapping lad ain’t ya!” He looked around the lobby, “How’d you get through so quick?” he asked in a low voice.

Bobby grinned and added to the conspiracy. “Took a shortcut!” he replied behind the back of his hand.

Dr. Ashanti’s laugh was full loud and hearty — not at all what he expected upon meeting the man.

“DADDY!” they heard loudly from the other sliding doors. They turned and found Tavia bounding toward them with her flip-flops clacking on the hard-tiled floor. She flew into his arms and began kissing his cheeks fervently. Kurt and Genevieve walked up holding hands. Introductions were made and once everyone was acquainted, they stepped out to the visitor parking lot where their host loaded them into an older model Volvo.

“Did you bring it?” Tai demanded as she sat in the middle up front between her dad and Bobby.

“Calm yourself, child,” he replied humorously. “It’s in the boot.”

‘It’ was a miniature umbilical-controlled submersible. It was used for scouting the bottom of the ocean and reefs for research. The professor discussed it at length as they enjoyed a casual lunch at one of his (and Tavia’s) favorite restaurants.

“It has a range of 150 meters but is only rated to depths of 30 meters,” he stated. “Now that said — I may have pushed her beyond that a few times,” he winked. “But keep her above 100 feet if you can.”

Kurt and Evie glanced at each other curiously.

“Just what do you two need a submersible for?” Kurt asked.

Bobby and Tavia glanced at each other knowingly. “Just in case we come across something interesting underwater,” he replied dismissively.

“Like a sunken man-o-war,” Geegee replied with a smirk.

Dr. Ashanti’s eyes narrowed and he regarded the two youngsters shrewdly. “Now just what are they on about?” he asked pointedly.

His daughter smiled brightly and worked her long lashes innocently. “Nothing Daddy,” she replied easily, “yet.”

“But you two are on to something aren’t you?” Genevieve asked firmly. “What were you doing off Little Cayman last week?”

Dr. Ashanti stopped eating in mid-bite and set his forks down. He regarded his daughter with a knowing expression. “You have been over the shelves then?” he asked.

She nodded and slipped her arm through Bobby’s.

“Did you find anything?” There was a hint of excitement in his voice.

She reached over and touched his arm. “No Daddy, we haven’t,” she said in a low voice. “But even Bobby thinks we are onto something.”

For his part, Bobby nodded. He was shoveling in his food like a starved dog. “There are three drop-offs that we have plotted off the leeward shoal near Bishop’s Ridge,” he replied after swallowing. “Halfway to Scotts Anchorage, there are a series of plateaus that rise from the trough. They run about twenty to thirty fathoms at the deepest.”

“You planning on diving 180 feet?” the professor asked with an incredulous look. “You gonna take helium?”

Bobby shrugged. “If it comes to that, we have tri-mix manifolded on the Dreamer.” He smiled at Kurt and Geegee. “You think Dad can be talked into searching for a shipwreck?”

“Better take your shark deterrent too,” the Aussie chimed up.

“I wanted to ask you about that,” Bobby said changing the subject. “I understand you and the Heritage Project have developed a sensory interruption deterrent for wide-scale operations?”

The professor nodded. “Works good, too,” he replied confidently. “Drop it to the bottom and light it up and you won’t have a shark within a quarter mile of you.”

“Do you think we could borrow it sometime, Daddy?” Tai asked sweetly. “Pretty please!”

“Well, now I guess that all just depends on what you find over there.”

---

On the return trip, Bobby diverted to the north so that he could fly between the two smaller Cayman Islands — Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. As he passed between them, he descended to 1000 feet so that they could see the coral shelves and many of the more famous dive spots along Bloody Bay.

“Where are you ‘exploring’ for your wreck?” Kurt asked from the back seat.

“Let me loop around and drop a little lower,” Bobby answered and brought the plane around in a gradual descent. “Over to the right is the easternmost Point of Sand,” he said nodding to the right. He flew southwest following the shore. “The shelves we are interested in begin ... right about ... now, and continue for several miles past the southwest tip of the island.”

“Doesn’t look very interesting,” Kurt replied.

“Exactly.”

Thirty minutes later Cayman Approach vectored him on a direct approach and they soared low over the water before crossing the North Sound beach onto the runway. Seconds later he settled the plane softly onto the asphalt.

“Another three-pointer,” Kurt congratulated him as they slowed and turned onto the taxiway.

“Two more hours on the logbook,” Bobby replied satisfied. Technically neither trip counted as a purely solo flight because he had passengers — but Kurt was happy to fudge a little because he was seated in the back and unable to control the aircraft. He did not doubt that, when Bobby made his maiden solo voyage, he would do just fine. He had already drawn up several flight plans including a direct vector to Miami with an Overflight Permit allowing him over Cuban airspace. So far, he had yet to submit any of them because he was getting ready to start school again.

---

With the commencement of the summer semester, he was able to arrange a full schedule by attending only Mondays and Wednesdays which gave him four-day weekends. With the blessing of her father, Tavia moved in with him and they stayed in his basement apartment at Casa Hartley. It was not lost on anyone that they slept together and it was a given that the two would eventually marry. But that was the furthest thing from either of their minds. When Bobby was in class Tai busied herself helping about the house or taking the two younger boys out to engage in a myriad of activities, from soccer practice to working on the world’s largest collection of shark teeth. Their ambitions were epic and their energy vast. She found herself exhausted as she tapped out and handed them off to one of the other adults for entertainment.

As soon as he got home Wednesday afternoon they set out on the Leopard for the shelves off the southeast coast of Little Cayman. Some were sparse and narrow and took some fancy helmsmanship to hold the boat steady while they dropped anchor. If they drifted even a little, the water went from 20-30 fathoms to several hundred.

It was near dusk when they set anchor and prepared dinner which consisted of frozen pizzas and cheese sandwiches. Before turning in for the evening Bobby switched on the perimeter alert and collision warning system that Kurt installed. Not only did the system offer them proximity warning of potential boarders — but it also warned away potential pirates with bright masthead spotlights and a pre-recorded message advising them to go find an easier target. If boarding still occurred an automatic distress call would broadcast, providing the location and identity of their vessel.

Once he double-checked the security of their anchorage, he returned to the cabin and set the latch securely. Tai was already lying in the spacious berth with the soft comforter pulled up to her hips leaving her naked breasts on open display. He eagerly shed his shorts and slipped beneath the covers to join her. Thirty minutes later they fell asleep exhausted.

The following morning, they deployed the mini submersible and practiced maneuvering it around the underwater plateau. The clarity of the water made the video quality excellent. Other sensors provided a continuous readout of key data such as depth, water temperature, and audio. They were able to record and capture the relay of information on a digital hard drive for future replay.

Because it was controlled from an umbilical tether, they could keep it down while powering it from the Leopard’s auxiliary power unit. It took them three hours to survey the first shelf then they weighed anchor and moved to another nearby formation that was smaller and shallower. In under an hour, they completed that survey and moved on to the next. This plateau was bigger and had varying depths that ranged from 12 to 20 fathoms (70-120 feet). The shelf was roughly crescent-shaped and they noticed a deeper shelf that stepped off from the concave ledge. It became too dark to see beyond the ledge, but their hull-mounted depth sounder suggested that it lay another 75 to 100 feet below the plateau.

As he was retrieving the mini submersible an urgent weather alert came over the radio from the Cayman Island Weather Forecast Service, alerting all maritime vessels of the formation of a tropical depression south of the big island. With predictions of gale-force winds and ocean swells greater than 3 meters in height — the announcement urged all smaller vessels to seek safe shelter immediately.

“I suppose we should make for Bloody Bay,” he suggested as he stowed the equipment and went to pull the anchor.

Tai returned to the cockpit and started the twin diesels. Moments later they were motoring due north at 7 knots, watching the ugly black clouds forming behind them in the gathering darkness. As they rounded West End Point, she made a VHF ship-to-shore call to Casa Hartley to assure everyone that they were okay and seeking shelter.

An hour later they were securely moored to a transient buoy and sat together in the pilot house watching the lightning flash in the distance. Bobby placed his arms around her warm torso as she sat on his lap. He eagerly reached inside her halter and caressed her breasts, feeling her nipples stiffen from his touch. “I hope it blows over quickly,” he murmured as he kissed her neck tasting the salty sweat of her dark skin.

She shuddered and closed her eyes. “Oh, baby the way you are making me tingle right now — I hope it lasts forever.” She reached back with her hands and ran her fingers through his thin light hair.

“I love you,” he whispered in her ear and her breath caught in her throat. She turned to face him so their lips could touch.

“I love you too,” she replied staring into his adoring eyes.

He squeezed her in his arms and rested his chin on her shoulder so their cheeks touched. “I want to marry you,” he confessed. The legal age for marriage was 16 in GC so long as he had parental consent.

She sighed happily at his words. “You have to propose to me first.”

“I will,” he replied confidently, “when we get back. I want to do it on the beach in front of everyone.” At his prodding, she rose to her feet and he knelt before her. “I have been thinking about the perfect ring for you,” he gushed. “It will be a simple band of pink coral reinforced with white gold. And I want mine to match it, but with that blue opal coral we found on the beach at the Academy — I have both pieces already!” He paused to catch his breath and stared up at her beautiful shining face. “You will say yes when I ask you — won’t you?” he asked suddenly with far less confidence. “Please say you will.”

She knelt with him and grabbed his head with both hands. “Yes, my love,” she assured him. “I want nothing more than to be your wife.” Her voice broke as she pressed her lips against his.

---

The wind howled around them and set the stays to whistling. There were frequent bursts of lightning and thunder and the rainfall was biblical. Often, they would feel the Leopard twist about as the wind changed direction around them, but they rocked gently through the night in the shelter of the cove.

By morning they awoke to a bright clear day and quickly got underway once more, enjoying a cold breakfast and hot coffee as they motored back to the coordinates where they had located the crescent shelf.

Once they made anchor, they deployed the submersible and marveled at the clarity of the water down even 100 feet beneath the surface. The number of fish was incredible with schools of grouper, angelfish, barracuda, and a dozen other species. They had to maneuver the catamaran closer to the ledge to give the submersible enough slack to descend towards the lower step. As it descended, they noticed large numbers of small to medium sharks swimming along the wall. They gasped at the sight of a massive goliath grouper that hovered stationary facing the strong current. There were so many fish that they couldn’t make out the bottom.

That was a preview of Fair Winds. To read the rest purchase the book.

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