Chapter 122

I ended up helping clean up dinner while Cassidy went to get ready for her Golden Hour shoot. She’d told me she was going to help out Wanda with whatever she was doing, but that had developed into Cassidy putting together a Velma outfit by borrowing some stuff from the other girls while Wanda would be Daphne.

It was amazing what a couple of decent wigs and some generic props could do when put together with a vaguely appropriate shirt.

Becca had sent off most of the other girls who usually helped with the meals so that they could get some free time and prep for their own evening shoots. That left the two of us packing away food and washing dishes together in the Singles Boat kitchen, similar to that first time we’d kissed and Becca had let me know she was interested in me.

It was domestic, but for some reason I just felt comfortable. We worked well together, slipping around each other with an ease as we washed and dried and put the various containers and utensils away. The only interruptions we had were a couple of the girls coming out to ask our opinions on make-up or costumes. Leia wanted to show me the foamcore armour bikini top she was using. Ginnie came out to ask to borrow Becca’s emergency sewing kit. Zenya asked us both if we liked the makeup on her left or right eye, both of them done up differently - we weren’t any help because I liked the left and Becca liked the right, splitting the vote.

Then Sherry came out and started to ask Becca something and stopped mid-sentence when she realized I was there. I turned and saw that she had a big hickey right on her collarbone.

She flushed, but grit her teeth and asked if Becca had a concealer that could work. Becca apologized that she didn’t, and Sherry went looking for someone else who could help.

“I’m not wasting my expensive shit on her poor choices,” Becca mumbled under her breath.

“So are you saying that I can leave one of those on you?” I asked quietly.

Becca shot me a little grin as if she liked the idea, but then scowled. “Don’t you dare,” she said, wagging her finger at me and making me laugh.

When all the food and dishes were packed away, I tugged on her hand and she stepped close to me so that I could lean down and kiss her softly. She reached up and brushed her finger along my jaw, but pulled away. “I’m looking forward to this so bad,” she whispered.

“Me too,” I smiled.

“Let’s move the boats over now, and then once they’re all gone I want to meet you on the top deck,” she said.

“Really?” I asked. I’d been expecting her to want to meet in her room, or mine and Cassidy’s.

“Mhmm,” she hummed and nodded. “I want to make love to you under the sunset. And no one else should be nearby.”

“OK,” I said, holding her by the hips and kissing her again. “See you soon.”

We parted and both headed up to the Pilot’s Cabins of our house boats, turning over the engines so that they thrummed to life and then navigating them over towards the stone outcropping on the low side of the bay we’d parked in. It would take a lift up but the girls could all get up to the plateau and desert from there.