Chapter 2

There were twelve couples in all, most were middle age and had been on a cruse before. They all knew that the Sea Sprite was a small ship and would not have the same atmosphere the huge ships had. That was not what they wanted. Most of them craved a lot of time to relax from tense jobs and stresses of life ashore. By noon all the passengers were aboard. Ken took the bridge and had the engines started. the lines and then the gang plank were taken in. Ken slowly took them out of Biscayne Bay. They would take the Mona Passage around Cuba to the Dominican Republic, spend two days then to Aruba. Two days there then to the U.S. Virgin Islands for two days. San Juan Porto Rica for four days and then Nassau for two then home.

None of the crew of the Sea Sprite had ever been to any of those places and were as eager to go as the passengers.

Every day had it's problems for Ken, the second day out the newly wed wife came to him asking if there was some where else she could sleep until she could go ashore and get a flight home. Ken asked her what had happened to all that married bliss. The girl told Ken she had seen her new husband kissing some woman on the stairway landing.

Ken said that there was not an empty bed anywhere except the crews quarters. Sherry said that the way she felt right now that would be fine, she said if he can screw around I can too. Sherry asked how many were in the crew. Ken told her there were eighteen men and two women. Sherry said " I don't know if I could do that many or not." Ken said " I think you could but do you really want to have something like that on your mind the rest of your life"?

Ken advised her to not break up her new marriage just because of a kiss. Ken said " I am going to kiss you right now and then you and he will be even." Ken put his arms around her and gave her a long passionate French kiss. The girl looked kind of out of things when they quit kissing. She said " Wow let's do it again so I will be better than even with him." Ken laughed and said " Why not, you taste delicious." That time Ken pushed his hand up under her tee shirt and massaged her bare breasts. His other hand went down the front of her shorts inside her panties, he found her wet clit and played with it until Sherry bucked in her orgasm. They quit the kiss then. Ken said " Now you have done more than a simple kiss by tenfold and you can resume your marriage knowing that you can out do him any time.

Sherry asked Ken if he would like to help her get back at her husband by doing a lot more.

Ken laughed and said " I already have a woman honey and what I just did to you will make her laugh when I tell her." Ken said " You see Sherry to most of us a kiss is just that, a kiss, now what you just had was a little more than just a kiss but still a kiss."

Ken put his arms around her and got each hand full of tender soft ass and said " Now go find your new husband and in a calm voice tell him you saw him kissing some other woman and that it hurt you." "Ask him if he is willing to cheat on you on your honeymoon for if he is your marriage is doomed." Ken said " Be calm and let him apologize then try to keep him so well fucked he will not even notice other women." Ken told Sherry she was the best looking piece of ass among the passengers, she could pull that off easy.

Sherry left with her pride healed and a bounce in her step.

Pat and Clancy broke up laughing that night when he told about what he had done to Sherry.

Their trip was nearly finished and they were in port a Nassau. Ken was making his rounds and followed a guy coming back from the shore. The guy took his stateroom key out and pushed the door open. Ken heard him shout " You bastard get your prick out of my wife and stand up for the beating of your life"! Ken arrived in the room at a dead run. The most ugly woman on the cruse was crouched naked against the head board scared speechless. The guy on the other side of the bed was trying to get his shorts on. Ken stepped between them and said " No body is going to give or take a beating on my ship, this ship was built as a Coast Guard vessel and the two cell brig is still in the engine room." Ken said " Now calm down guys and listen up, there is a solution to your dispute." Ken said " As Captain of this ship I am ordering you to go find his wife and tell her that you caught her husband screwing your wife." Ken said "I am ordering you to go fuck the shit out of her and later let her husband and your wife watch while you do it again." Ken lead an angry man down the hall, at the entry to the lounge Ken said "His wife is a dam pretty woman, do it and then there will be no need to fight."

That evening at chow time both couples had changed partners.

Nassau was the last port Sea Sprite made before a short hop to Miami. Around noon on the day they were to return they off loaded passengers. Immediately Ken cast off and went directly to the harbor mouth of Port Everglades. The additions to the dock were finished. Ken brought Sea Spite up against the dock and held her there until she was tied off. After her engines were shut down and shore utilities were restored Ken announced that he would like all of the crew to meet in the dining area for a few words.

Ken got their attention and said " Gentlemen I want to congratulate you for making a perfect cruse, you were all great." Every one of you had a friendly smile on your faces and behaved like seamen." On guy shouted " Hell we had more fun than the passengers did and got paid for it."

Ken told them that every passenger had told him that they enjoyed the cruse so much that they would plan to do it again in the future. Ken said he was proud of each and every one of them.

Ken said he had laid aboard three cases of good Champaign and a goodly supply of beer at Nassau and Pat and Clancy had it ice cold and would put that on the serving bar. Ken apologized for having to use paper cups for fine Champaign and promised to lay in some glasses before the next voyage.

Ken said " I am so proud of you sailors that from now on you will be on full pay when we are in port here." Ken said "Now have a drink with me and enjoy your off time." " Those of you that are going some where be back before the last day of this month." " We are going to do it again." Pat got on a table with her cup raised high and shouted " And again and again and again."

After several more cruises Ken took his women back to New Jersey. They spent their first night in Ken's house boat, it was just as he had left it months before. His fishing boat had dead batteries and needed a booster charge. Over night the charger brought the batteries up and that big diesel engine started. Ken took Pat and Clancy for a tour of Barone and pulled up to a delapated large house boat. The hull had been a forty foot work barge and was built of heavy steel plate. That was rusty now. The top side was of heavy steel and had portholes down each side. The flat steel plate roof overhung the bow and stern decks and the walk way down each side of the cabin.

The boat needed blast cleaning and epoxy painting.

An older man came on deck and said " Where the hell you been rascal, I ain't laid eyes on you for months." Ken said he had moved to south Florida and asked if he was ready to get the hell out of the cold winters here. The older man said " Wish I could but if Elephant boots cost a cent and a half a dozen pair I ain't got enough to buy a Canary slipper. Ken asked how he was feeling. Bebop Robinson said "I feel old and worn out son, I still got a lot of life in me though." Ken said " Bebop do you think you would like to drag my house boat and your shanty to Port Everglades with this boat"? " I have a dock there and you can tie up with water, power and rent free." "You can let those old bones soak up some sun and get a Florida pension as well as your Social Security."

Bebop said " Son I got a young friend that would help me do that if you would pay his way back to here." Ken said "I would pop for air fare back for him and give you a thousand dollars for rations and fuel for the trip down the Inland Water Way."

Bebop said " You just made a deal son, I have been wanting to get the hell out of this place for years."

Bebop said he would have left long ago if he had more than a three wheel motorcycle to go on.

Ken told Bebop he and his companions were leaving the next day in his pickup to return to Florida, he gave Bebop ten one hundred dollar bills and a credit card to buy fuel with.

Ken said " Bebop I have a place to live so there is no hurry about you getting to Florida, take your time and enjoy the trip." Ken gave Bebop a complete set of keys and told him to ride back to his house boat with him. He could bring the boat back to his place that way. At Ken's house boat Ken showed Bebop how to use the ship to shore and gave him frequencies for the Sea Sprite and the number of the land line at the dock. Ken made Bebop a map of Port Everglades and showed him where his dock was. Ken gave him the key to the gates there. Bebop said "I get my next check in a week and will plan on leaving then." Bebop left in Ken's fishing boat for his floating home.

Ken, Pat and Clancy made a leisurely trip back to Florida and were aboard the Sea Sprite several days before the last day of the month.

Their relationship was better every day, Ken did not favor either Pat or Clancy in his affections. He found that after the first two weeks they did not want to have sex with him every night. They settled down to needing his attentions every two to three days but if he had a need they were willing to take care of it anytime. Ken was the same with them.

Often when the ship was in a cruse port Ken would get gifts for them and they would do the same in return.

Every twenty eight days Ken had to show patience and love to one or the other of his lovely bed mates. When the first signs appeared Ken would make the three of them a Bloody Mary and as soon as possible try to relieve those cramps with sex. It seemed to help. Ken and the other woman would be as caring and loving as they could to her during her 'Period'.

All three of them were pleased and happy with their new lifestyle.

The crew all realized that they were lovers and admired Ken as their Captain and as a man that could keep two lovely vibrant young women content.

The Sea Sprite made another laid back trip and returned.

Bebop was there with both house boats and Ken's fishing boat. He had hooked up water and power to all three and had gang planks rigged to both house boats. Two motorcycles were parked near where the pier joined the sea wall at the edge of the parking lot. One was Bebop's three wheeler, the other a new looking big Harley. After the Sea Sprite had extended her gang plank and was tied off, Bebop and a young fellow in his mid twenties came aboard. Pat and Clancy were hidden in the cooking area in the galley preparing lunch. Ken was there at a table issuing pay envelopes to the last of the seamen. When Ken was finished he called " Come on in Bebop." Bebop had been just outside the galley doorway. He and his companion came on in the galley and looked around. Bebop said " If the rest of this thing is as nice as this you got a fine ship sonny." Ken thanked him and offered cokes or tea, when both asked for tea Ken brought it on a tray with sugar an a bottle of lemon juice.

Bebop introduced his companion as Jerry Thompson and said that he could not have made the trip without him.

Ken asked how their trip had been.

Bebop said that they had anchored at night and moved only during the day. He said " It is dangerous out there, there are dam fools every where trying to run into someone." Ken said " Well it looks like they missed you." Bebop said " Several times some idiot nearly ran us up on the shore though."

Ken asked Mr. Thompson what his plans were and mentioned that he had seen that there were two bikes parked in the lot in front Bebop's house boat.

" My name is Jerry sir and I am looking for a job down here" he said.

Ken asked " What kind of job Jerry"? Jerry replied that he had a masters ticket and had been the Captain of a two hundred foot long deep water trawler for three years. Jerry said that he was relieved of his job and the son of the owner took over. Jerry said " The fool run her up on the rocks off the Nova Scotia coast a month later."

Ken told him that there was a lot of shipping here and advised Jerry to check with the seaman's job service.

Jerry said he had been out of work for six months and was even going to take a job as a seaman if he found nothing else in another month.

Bebop asked Ken to show them the ship if he had time.

Ken shouted to Pat and asked how long before dinner would be served. Pat shouted back " Six sharp sir." Ken asked how many would she have to feed. Clancy shouted " The whole crew sir."

Ken hollered " And Bebop and Jerry."

Ken showed them the ship. She was clean as a pin and in perfect order. Ken took them to the bridge deck last. When he had been a young man Bebop had been the Captain of a freight vessel, he was overcome by the bridge deck. He said he had never seen as complete a navigation and radar set up in his life.

Jerry said the trawler he had been Captain of was modern, had to be because she operated in dense fog a lot, but not this well equipped. Jerry said " The owners spent a bundle on this ship, who owns her." Ken said " I do now."

Jerry asked if Ken needed a Captain for his beauty. Ken laughed and said that job was already filled.

Pat's voice came through on the ship's speakers, she was singing "Chow time sailors, come and get it or I will throw it to the sharks."

Bebop said " Now ain't that a sweet invitation to fill your gut."

Jerry said " If she can cook as good as she sounds I am going to enjoy this."

Ken said " Let's go see."

Nearly every one was served and at a table eating when they entered the dining area. Pat was standing behind the serving counter with two rump roasts on a carving board in front of her. As each seaman appeared before her with his tray she smiled and said " Rare or done" ? Most said "Rare mam." That one had been much the largest roast. Pat was slicing as they filled by. She was forking large slabs of roast on each plate. Clancy was picking up a dish as each man got to her. She was asking them " What may I serve you sailor"? There were about eight choices behind the glass. The salad bar was self serve as were the beverages. Ken said "Go ahead Bebop and Jerry get a tray, plate and silver." Bebop was first, Pat smiled and became beautiful and asked "Rare or done." Bebop said " Done mam."

Jerry was next and when Pat smiled and asked " Rare or Done" Jerry just stood there with his mouth working. Pat said again " Rare or done sir" Jerry let out a moan and a squeak. Jerry was starring at the most beautiful woman he had ever been close to with big Basset Hound eyes. He was speechless. Ken told Pat to give the man done meat. Pat laughed and cut Jerry a thick slab of meat. Jerry just stood there after Pat had placed his plate on his tray. Ken waited a moment and in a loud voice said " Move on Jerry." Jerry slid his tray and stumbled sideways three steps never once taking his eyes off of Pat's smiling face. Clancy said " What may I serve you sailor." Jerry did not even hear her. Before she could ask him Ken said " Rare please Pat" Pat sliced him a nice size piece and put it on his plate. Jerry was still entranced with Pat, he was just standing there. Ken pushed his tray ahead and reached out and shook Jerry's arm. Ken said "The cook wants to know what else you want to eat Jerry." Jerry blinked and asked " What" ? Clancy laughed and said "What may I serve you sailor." Jerry broke his gaze from Pat's face to Clancy's and said " Jesus there is two of them"! It was too much, Jerry ran away. Half the sailors burst out laughing, they had watched Jerry with amusement. Most of them understood his feelings. They too were fascinated by the two lovely cooks. Ken passed Jerry's tray back to Pat and got the rest of his food.

Ken asked what the hell they had done to that guy. Pat said " We just smiled at him." Ken said keep up the good work we might be able to cut way down on kitchen supplies. Ken joined Bebop at the captains table.

Pat shouted "You may get seconds now sailors." Four men got in line at the serving counter. One of them said " You beautiful ladies made me feel kinder like that poor bastard did the first time I saw you, I could not run though." " I managed to get my tray to a table but did not eat a bite." " I could not take my eyes off of you." Pat said "Thank you sailor that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to us."

The seconds were served and Pat and Clancy joined Ken and Bebop at the captains table with their plates. The galley help started cleaning up.

Bebop asked where Jerry was. Pat said " We scared him away" and laughed. Clancy said " He could not stand our smiles." Bebop said " No shit."

The crew began leaving for their lounge or bunks, some were going into town. Each man complimented the cooks as they went by and said " Good night."

Clancy said " I want a shower and to stretch out on our big bed and sleep for weeks or at least until that alarm clock goes off at five in the morning." Pat said " Sounds good to me, Ken you going to join us" ? Ken said " Later sweethearts, I am going to go over to Bebop's and have a beer with him. Pat said "There is plenty in the little fridge and it is ice cold."

Ken filled a small insulated tote bag with beer and he and Bebop left for his house boat. Jerry was there, he had taken a shower and all he had on was a pair of shorts. The TV was on and tuned between live channels. It was making a sizzling noise and had tiny Grey beads all over the screen. Bebop cut it off as he entered.

Ken sat the tote cooler on the dinette table and opened three beers.

Ken asked "You guys want a beer" ?

Bebop said "Has a cat got an ass" ?

Ken said " I am not an expert on cat's asses but I think all of them do."

Bebop said "Come on Jerry let's have a beer."

Jerry came to the table, pulled out a chair and took a beer. Bebop asked Jerry what the hell happened to him at supper. Jerry said " I would rather not say Bebop, it is kind of embarrassing." Bebop said " Hell boy we are friends and all that shit, we can talk can't we."

Jerry said " I looked up into the smiling face of the sexiest and most beautiful woman I have ever seen.

Bebop said "Hell there are two of them dumb ass and they are a pleasing sight ain't they." Jerry said " Yeah."

Ken asked " Why did you run out of there Jerry, the food was good" ?

Jerry said " I had an ejaculation in my pants withough even having time to get a hard on." " It was a big one and was wetting the front of my shorts and running down my legs." Jerry said he had run before that Angel or the other one saw it.

Ken asked " Jerry how the hell long has it been since you had a woman." Jerry said " Since I lost my job as a Sea Captain six months ago."

Ken said "Christ Bebop this guy needs a piece of ass bad, can I count on you breeding him or do I need to see to it"?

Bebop said " Son breeding to men ain't my bag so maybe you better take care of it yourself."

Ken said " Bebop I was not suggesting that you or I breed to him, I was thinking that he needs a woman." Both Bebop and Jerry said " Yeah" at the same time.

Bebop said he did not know his way around here yet. " Where do the women hang out" he asked.

Ken told them to go out the gate and turn to the left and stay on that road until they came to US highway A 1 A. Cross that and go four blocks and they would be in front of The Rainbow Garden. Ken said there was a huge dance floor there and hundreds of women came there to dance.

Jerry said " I don't have enough money to go somewhere and spend a lot on drinks and then find that a woman has to go straight home at midnight."

Ken said " Bebop go along with him and pick a girl out for him, you got an eye for that kind of thing.""Get him a nice girl and a six pack of condoms."

Ken offered them his four door pickup so they would have something for women to ride in. Jerry said he would not have money for a motel and asked if they got lucky could they bring guests back here. Ken told them that he nor anyone on the ship gave a shit what they did in Bebop's house boat.

They had another beer each and Ken said he was going back aboard ship and would see them at the morning meal.

Bebop told Ken that he still had three hundred and twenty five dollars left of the thousand expense money Ken had given him. He started to give it to Ken and Ken said " Spend part of it tonight and the rest on things you two need." Ken invited them to breakfast aboard the Sea Sprite. Bebop said "We both need hair cuts and might as well look that Rainbow Gardens over.

Ken said " You are welcome for breakfast in the morning then.

In the Captain's cabin Clancy said " We fooled them again, they think we know how to cook" ! Pat laughed and said " Let's screw up sometime and break their minds." Clancy said that she had been working in a restaurant in New Haven one time when a drunk French cook put a whole bottle of tomato ketsup in a meat loaf. Pat said " O no." Clancy said "Half the customers liked it." Pat said she was working in the kitchen of a seaman's boarding house when she was fifteen when a cook poured honey on the platter of French fries going to the buffet. Clancy said " Gross." Pat said not much of them were eaten.

Ken said they were spoiling his appetite and to talk about nice things.

Clancy asked what was wrong with Bebop's friend at lunch, did he suddenly have a stomach cramp and need to find a lavatory. Ken chuckled and said " Worse than that, He looked at Pat's smile and ejaculated in his shorts, then he saw you Clancy and was afraid it would happen again." "He ran because it was running down his legs and wetting the front of his tan shorts." Pat said " You are putting us on, no one gets that horny. I had been two years and Clancy had been over a year since we had a man and we were not that far gone when we met you."

" Just telling you the facts honey" Ken said.

Clancy said " That poor guy needs help." Ken said "Bebop is taking him to the Rainbow Garden tonight honey and maybe they will score." Both said they hopped so. Ken's honeys were not interested in sex that night and he was glad. The night before both had been insatiable. Ken had been hard put to put out those fires in their bellies. He finally did in three hours.

The next morning the alarm clock went off at 5 am. The girls jumped out of bed and put on their clothes and left for their galley. Ken dressed leisurely and went up on the bridge deck. It was going to be a nice south Florida day. Dozens of charter fishing boats were heading out to fish the Gulf Stream. Several large ships were going or coming in the harbor.

Every thing was right in his world.

A Dade County Sheriff's car drove in to the parking lot and gave it's siren a hoop. A Debuty got out and Ken shouted " Be right down." Ken was glad to see that his pickup was parked in front of the gang plank of Bebop's house boat.

Ken hurried down the ships ladders to the gang plank level. He walked down that and introduced himself. The Deputy said " Sir five men were involved in a car crash two hours ago over in Dania." "The best we can tell a tractor trailer driver went to sleep and ran into them head on." " One of the men in the car lived long enough to tell us he was a crew member on this ship." "His name was Walter Bates and his companions were Claud Ebaugh, Ben Smith, Tomas Pate and William Porter." " I regret to inform you that all five are dead." Ken said "Shit they were nice guys, what can I do to help." The Debuty asked if Ken could give him the names and addresses of the next of kin of the men. Ken took the Deputy to the bridge deck and got each seaman's file. He gave what he had on each man then followed the Debuty down the gang plank.

The sheriff's car drove off and Bebop spoke from the deck of his house boat. He asked what the hell the law was doing here this early in the morning. Ken said "He was bringing the news that five of my crew got wiped out this morning in a car truck wreck" Bebop said "Shit."

Ken said " Breakfast is at seven and you and Jerry are invited." Bebop said "We got guests and maybe we should fix something from cans in my boat." Ken said if they are respectable women bring them aboard and we will feed all of you.

At seven fifteen Jerry and a shy next door neighbor type young girl got in the chow line, behind were Bebop and an older copy of the girl. Ken was sitting at the Captain's table and spoke to them. He invited them to sit with him after they were served. Bebop was the last in the chow line. Pat shouted " Seconds for any one" ? Pat and Clancy served them selves and joined Ken, Jerry and Bebop with their ladies. Ken stood up and said "Jerry and ladies this is Pat Arnold, Chief cook and Clancy Parker second cook. "Bebop if you would, introduce your guests please."

Bebop said "The lady with Jerry is Mary Ann Hardwick, and the one with me is Diane Remington her mother."

Ken said "And this is Jerry Thompson."

Every one said hello and got back to breakfast.

Before the first seaman stacked his tray and left Ken got up and said " Crew members after we all finish our meal I have an announcement to make, please remain here for a bit." When all at the Captain's table were finished and it appeared that all of the crew was through with their breakfast Ken stood up. He said " Gentlemen and ladies I am sad to tell you that five of our mates were killed in a car truck crash this morning." "They were Claud Ebaugh, Tom Pate, Walter Bates, Ben Smith, and 'T' Sears." "The driver of the eighteen wheeler died as well but it appeared that he may have gone to sleep and hit them head on." " I will try to notify their next of kin now." A stunned crew started talking to each other. Two left crying, Pat and Clancy had tears.

The crew on the Sea Sprite had become family !

Pat and Clancy had enough good help so that they could turn their kitchen over to them and have a few hours off.

While Ken was on the phone on the bridge they went to Bebop's house boat. They had seen it from Ken's boat but never been inside. They found a sparkling clean interior to a rusty hull and drab topside. The interior was done in light oak paneling with a vinyl tile floor and dry wall ceiling. There were plenty of windows with screens and the boat was airy and well lighted. There was a queen size bed with night stands and two matching chests at the stern end and a large bath with a shower was there. The foreword area had a small kitchen and a table and four chairs. Then there was a large lounge area with a couch and several chairs.

Pat said "Bebop you live well."

Clancy said " This is nice."

Diane Remington said " It is a lot nicer than Mary Ann and my apartment was in Waycross Georgia." Clancy asked if that was where they were from and Diane said it was. Diane said that she had a good job as chief cook in a nice restaurant until the place burned. Since then she was like Mary Ann, the only jobs she could find there were part time in fast food joints. Mary Ann said "We packed every thing we owned worth moving into my old VW bug and got this far a week ago." " We have not found any jobs we want yet but we better soon, we are broke and sleeping in the car." Diane said the first good meals they had eaten in a week were late last night at an all night diner and breakfast this morning. She said that they could not have afforded to go to that night club last night if it had not been ladies night for free and the first drink on the house. Jerry Thompson said " I sure am glad you did honey." Bebop said " Me too."

Bebop told Pat and Clancy that he had invited Mary Ann and Diane to stay for a while with he and Jerry. Bebop said he was going into town later and buy another bed so Jerry and Mary Ann would not have to sleep on the HideABed couch that night.

Pat said " Diane you said you were a cook, Mary Ann what did you do in Waycrose"? Mary Ann said " Right after I got out of high school I worked as a housekeeper in a large four story motel." "I had the third floor for two years."

Pat asked how many rooms she cleaned a day. Mary Ann said " Up to forty sometimes." Pat said "One of the men killed last night was a housekeeper in the guest section of the ship." " Another was one of the galley help, he could not cook but he did cleaning." "The other three were seamen and deck hands." " Bebop are you still able to stand a six hour watch" Pat asked. Bebop said he could. Pat said " There is jobs now for all of you aboard ship but there is no place for Mary Ann and Diane to sleep except in the crews quarters."

Pat said that she and Clancy would talk to Ken about hiring them if they wanted.

Diane said she would love to work in a kitchen as nice as that on the ship. Mary Ann said that twelve rooms would be an easy job to keep clean.

Ken was on the bridge still trying to get in touch with next of kin of the dead crew members. He said he had notified the families of all but one of the seamen's deaths. Ken said he would call back later.