Chapter 84

Jeri and April arrived at seven o'clock the next morning. They sat in the kitchen, talking to Rosa and drank coffee.

"You made a wonderful dinner last night, Rosa," April said.

"Thank you. I'm happy you enjoyed it," Rosa replied in her thick Spanish accent.

"I though it was nice Mr. Stone invited you to eat with us," Jeri said.

Rosa nodded her head. "It was the first time I ever ate with the family. I always eat in the kitchen. The children are also very nice, they helped me with the food and dishes."

"These people are very different than any of the other guests I've met here," Jeri said. "They are so nice. Last night, I felt like part of the party, not a guest."

Don walked into the kitchen and asked where the coffee cups were. Rosa got up, but Don told her to sit and just tell him where to find the cups. When Rosa pointed to a cupboard, Don opened it, removed a cup and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"How is everyone this morning?" Don asked as he pulled out a chair and joined the women at the small table.

"Fine, Mr. Graham. How are you?" Jeri said.

"Great, I'm having a wonderful time here. Are you and April taking the girls out on the boat today?" Don asked.

"Yes, Sir. We are going to take them fishing. I understand the boys have something else to do," Jeri said.

"Jack and Tom are going to check out a boat today. We're thinking of getting something bigger than the boat Jack has now. Are you familiar with Bowman Boat Works, Jeri?" Don said.

"Yes, I'm very familiar with them. I've delivered several boats for Mr. Bowman, before he sold the business. Bowman boats are as good as they get as far as I'm concerned. I've piloted quite a few custom yachts and Bowman yachts are great. How big is the boat you're planning on having built?" Jeri asked.

"I'm not planning on having one built. Apparently there is a boat someone ordered and then ran out of money. We're going to look at it today. My only concern is if Jack can learn to operate a large boat. I was hoping to find a school I can send Jack and Tom to if we decide to buy the boat," Don said.

"There are a lot of schools down here, Mr. Graham. Some of them are good, others only do it for the money and really don't teach everything you need to know," Jeri said. "If you decide to buy the boat, I can give you the name of some of the better ones. Are you going to charter the yacht if you buy it?"

"Yes, I plan on having Jack, Tom and their sisters make some money with the boat at some point. Not because we need to, but I want them to learn about having to work for a living," Don told them.

April sat up straight and smiled. "Jeri and I could teach them. Jeri can teach the boys how to operate the boat and I can teach the girls what's required of the crew."

Jeri laughed, but Don said, "I think it's a good idea, April. I'd be happy to pay you whatever a school would charge for the same thing."

"Are you serious, Mr. Graham?" Jeri asked.

"Very serious. I have to pay someone; it may as well be someone I know. Don't say anything about this to the kids. I want to see if we decide to buy the boat first. If we do decided to buy it, we'll talk about April's idea," Don said. "What time are you supposed to go fishing this morning?"

"I'm not sure, when the girls get up I guess," Jeri said.

Don laughed and said, "I'll go wake them up. If you wait for them, it may be noon before you get out."

Don left the kitchen and went to Kim's room. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer before opening the door. Kim pulled the door open and grinned.

"Morning, Dad. What's up?" Kim said.

"Jeri and April are here and waiting for you girls to go fishing. Are you going?"

"Yeah, what time is it?"

"It's seven thirty, Kim." Don replied as he peaked into the room and noticed the bed was empty. "Where is Paul?"

"He went golfing with his dad and brother. They left at about six thirty. Paul said they were going to play on three different courses today. Something about getting ideas for the golf course in Michigan."

"Okay, Kim. Get dressed and wake up the other kids. Uncle Tom and I want to get going."

Kim nodded and Don left. She went to the other rooms, woke the other kids and then went to get ready.

Sally came into Kim's room and then into the bathroom. Kim was in the shower and Sally pulled the door open a couple inches so she could talk to Kim.

"What are you going to wear today, Kim?"

"Damn, Sally, you scared the crap out of me! I don't know, shorts and a top I guess. What are you going to wear?"

"I think I'm going to wear the one-piece outfit we bought last summer when we were on vacation."

Kim shut off the water, opened the door and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her wet body.

"Is something wrong, Sally?"

Sally shrugged her shoulders.

"What is it?"

"I don't know, I thought I wanted Brad to kind of control me, but now I'm not sure. He's getting into it too much. Last night he wanted me to suck him after he screwed my butt. I told him I wouldn't do it and he got mad." Sally looked into Kim's eyes. "That's just sick!"

"Sally, you're the one who told him you wanted to have a relationship like you do. Now when he does what you told him to do you get mad. I think you don't know want you want."

"Maybe I don't know. I'm just so confused?"

"Go get dressed, Sally. We can talk about it later."

Sally nodded and left the room. Kim finished, got dressed and went out for breakfast. Megan and Lisa were at the table eating when Kim came in and she joined them. Sally came in a few minutes later and sat down. Jeri and April came into the dinning room and sat at the table with the four girls.

"So, what do you guys want to fish for today?" Jeri asked. "We can try for Wahoo or Dolphin if you'd like."

"I don't know anything about it," Megan said. "I guess it doesn't matter to me."

"Can we just go for a boat ride?" Lisa asked. "Maybe we can fish too, but I'd like to see some of the mansions I've heard so much about."

"We can do whatever you want to," Jeri said. "I'm just the captain."

The girls chatted for a while as they finished their breakfast. Don, Marc and the other parents gathered in the room and took seats around the table. Rosa began pouring coffee and asking what they wanted for breakfast. Jack and Tom came in and sat with the rest of the group.

"What time are we leaving, Dad?" Jack asked.

"As soon as we're finished with breakfast, Jack," Don replied. "It's about an hour from here."

"Are you guys ready?" Jeri said. "April and I will go get the boat started while you get your things. We'll meet you down there."

April and Jeri left for the boat. The girls said goodbye to their parents and went to their rooms to get their bikinis and a change of clothes. When they arrived at the boat, the girls saw Jeri and April on the flying bridge, wrapped in one another's arms.

Lisa called out and the two older girls separated. Kim, Sally, Lisa and Megan climbed aboard and stowed their bags in the cabin. The sun was up and it was beginning to get warm.

Once April freed the boat from the seawall, Jeri pulled away. All of the girls gathered on the flying bridge and watched as Jeri maneuvered the boat though the canal toward the bay. Jeri kept close to shore so the girls could see the large homes as they motored south toward Miami.

Kim and Sally sat next to one another while Megan and Lisa sat close to April and Lisa.

They were about an hour into the day when Megan said, "Jeri, April, do you mind if I ask a personal question?"

"No, go ahead, Megan," April said.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Over three years." April said.

"Did either of you ever have boyfriends?" Megan asked.

Both April and Jeri laughed. "Yes, we've had boyfriends."

"Oh, I was just wondering," Megan said. "You guys seem to be so close."

"We are, Megan, we're very close. Jeri and I love one another. We have both been in relationships with men. Some good, but for the most part, the relationships weren't what we wanted." Jeri took April's hand as April told Megan and the other girls about them. "We still go out with guys, we both like sex with men, but when we go home, it's always together."

"Do you mean you just use men for sex?" Lisa asked.

Jeri and April broke out in laughter. "Yeah, I guess you could put it that way, Lisa," Jeri said. "What the hell, men have been using women for sex for years. It's about time someone turned the tables."

Megan and Lisa laughed. Kim and Sally giggled and then Sally said, "What else are they good for?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not a man hater," Jeri said. "I just have better luck with April. She knows how to treat a woman, if you know what I mean."

Megan grinned and nodded.

"It's not just sex, although it's great with Jeri, it's much more. Jeri knows when I need to talk and when I want to be alone. We can have a nice time just reading or watching television together. When we want to get laid, we just find a guy and go for it."

"At one of those parties Kim told us about?" Lisa said.

"You mean sport fucking parties? Yeah, that's a good place to get laid," Jeri said.

"Then it's true? I thought Kim and Sally were kidding when they told us about them," Megan said. "Everybody just gets together with someone else and goes at it?"

"I guess that sums it up pretty well. No one gets hung up with the boyfriend, girlfriend thing. We just get together on a yacht when the owner is away and have a blast. When the party's over, we all clean the boat and leave," April said. "No harm no foul."

"It's not like it's a bunch of strangers, we all know each other. The boating community down here is really close for the most part. We're all just working for someone. Most of the owners are away from their yachts more than they are on them. We still have to keep the boats ready and clean," Jeri said.

The group cruised until about eleven thirty. Jeri and April showed the girls some of the mansions owned by celebrities and other well-known people.

"Just let me know when you guys want lunch," April said.

"Can we find a place to anchor and have lunch?" Kim asked. "I'd like to go swimming after we eat."

Jeri navigated into a cove, dropped the anchor and the girls went down to the cabin. April began fixing lunch while the Kim and the other girls changed into their bikinis. Jeri asked if she and April could wear their suits also and Kim said, "Why not?"

"Well, sometimes when we're working the people who charter won't allow us to wear our swimsuits. Most of the time we're in uniform. White shirts and shorts," Jeri said.

"We're not most people," Sally said. "I don't care if you run around naked."

"Don't tempt Jeri," April said from the galley. "She'll be in the buff in an instant."

"Whatever," Sally said. "Please feel free to do what you want."

April served a cold chicken salad and pita bread for lunch. The six girls sat at the table and chatted as they ate lunch. Once they were finished, April and Jeri cleared the table and cleaned up the galley. Kim, Sally, Lisa and Megan went out to the cockpit and leaned against the gunwale.

"It's really great out here," Lisa said.

"Yes, I love it," Megan said. "This is much better than that resort we were at the first week, more to do."

"I liked the resort, but I agree, this is better," Sally said. "Look how blue the water is."

Jeri and April came out of the cabin wearing skimpy bikinis. Jeri carried a stack of white towels.

"We can go up to the bow and get some sun if you guys want to. There's plenty of room for all of us," Jeri said.

The girls moved forward along the portside of the cabin. They walked onto the bow and began spreading out the towels. Once the towels were in place, they stretched out in the sun. Kim was the first of the group to remove her top and lay on her back. When Sally saw Kim, she too removed her top.

It wasn't long before all six of the girls were topless and sunning. The girls continued to tan for an hour, rolling from their stomachs to their backs. Sally sat up, stretched and said, "I'm going to go for a swim."

Kim got up and followed her cousin to the cockpit and opened the transom door. They jumped into the water and began to move around. The other girls joined them and they moved into chest deep water so they could stand. After a ten minutes of splashing and swimming around, Kim and Megan went back to the boat. The two girls climbed into the cockpit and Kim took out the freshwater wash down hose. She and Megan took turns rinsing the saltwater off each other and then looked back at the rest of the group.

The other four girls were swimming back to the boat. When they climbed aboard, Kim used the hose to rinse them off. They milled around the cockpit, letting the sum dry and warm them. April and Jeri stood facing one another, whispering. Suddenly, Jeri took April in her arms and kissed her.

Kim and Sally smiled at one another and jokingly hugged and shared a quick kiss. Lisa looked at Megan, shrugged her shoulders and put her arms around Megan's waist. Megan didn't resist as Lisa pulled her to her body and touched her lips to Megan's.

Lisa and Megan's kiss became heated. Lisa opened her mouth and touched her tongue to Megan's lips. Megan hugged her tighter, opened her mouth and accepted her tongue. The two girls became lost in the moment. They could feel their breasts pressed together and the other's hands on their backs. Lisa held Megan's tongue between her lips and gently sucked it as Megan moaned.

Megan and Lisa separated and gazed into one another's eyes. They were unaware the other girls were watching them. Kim and Sally stood with open mouths. April and Jeri smiled at one another. Slowly, Megan and Lisa moved apart, but their eyes remained locked. Lisa began to smile and moved away from Megan.

"What just happened?" Lisa asked, whispering to Megan.

Megan shook her head. "I'm not sure."

"I think we should leave them alone," April said and she began walking to the bow.

Jeri, Kim and Sally followed April and the four of them sat on the towels.

"Did you feel what I felt, Megan?" Lisa asked.

Megan moved closer to Lisa, took her in her arms and began kissing her again. The two girls tangled their tongues and started to rub their hands over the other's body. Megan pressed her crotch against Lisa's and ground against her. Lisa moved her hand to one of Megan's breasts and massaged it.

When they moved apart, Megan smiled and said, "Yes, I felt it."

"What's happening, Megan?"

"I'm not really sure, Lisa. All I know is I liked it, I liked it a lot."

Don and Marc waited in the van with Jerry for Jack and Tom. The two boys came out, climbed in and Don pulled away. It was very quiet at first as the two boys watched out the windows. Finally, Jack broke the silence.

"Dad, what if we don't like this boat? Can we look at others?" Jack said.

"We'll see, Jack. Let's not think too far ahead right now. We're just going to look at this boat first. If we don't think it's the right one, we talk about something else," Don said.

Don drove and Jerry navigated. When they turned down a road lined with large metal buildings, Jerry pointed to an older blue building.

"That's it over there," Jerry said. "On the right."

Don turned into the driveway and slowly drove to an area where other cars were parked. They all got out of the van and waited for the man they saw walking towards them.

"Hello there, I'm Harry Shockley." The man extended his hand.

"Don Graham. This is Marc and our sons, Tom and Jack. I think you know Jerry Stone."

Harry shook everyone's hand and said, "Yes, Jerry and I have been talking. Ready to see the boat?"

"Yes, Sir," Jack said.

"Okay, follow me," Harry said and he walked toward one of the buildings.

The group followed him into the building and over to an old rundown wooden thirty foot cruiser. The boat was in very poor shape and looked like it wouldn't even float.

"Let me get a ladder so you boys can climb up and have a look around," Harry said.

Tom looked at Jack and the two boys shook their heads.

"I don't think it's necessary, Mr. Shockley." Tom said. "This isn't what Jack and I had in mind. We were looking for something a little longer and newer."

"Well, I'm sorry you boys don't like it her. Sorry to have wasted your time," Harry said and then glanced at Don.

"Do you have anything else?" Don asked.

"Well, I do have another boat, but I'm not sure the boys will like it any better," Harry said.

"If it's all the same to you, we'd like to see it anyway," Marc said.

"Okay, it's over in one of the finish wells. We can take a look if you'd like," Harry said as he started to walk away.

Tom and Jack followed Harry with Don, Marc and Jerry close behind. Jack looked at Tom and began to whisper.

"I sure as hell hope it's not another piece of shit like the one in the shed. That thing wasn't worth cutting up into firewood."

"No kidding, Jack. Your boat is much better than that."

Harry waited at the door of another building as the others caught up. Once everyone was there, he opened the door and let Tom and Jack into the building. Don, Marc, Jerry and Harry followed the boys waiting for their reaction.

Jack and Tom froze in their tracks and gasped when they saw the boat in the shed. They looked at the yacht and then at one another.

"Holly shit!" Jack said and he turned to his Dad. "Is this the boat?"

Don and the other men broke out laughing and Don nodded. When Jack and Tom looked at Harry, he put his hands in the air.

"Don't blame me, I'm just doing what I was told. The other boat was your fathers' idea," Harry said. "I don't think I'll ever forget the look on your faces when you saw that old boat though, it was priceless."

Tom and Jack began to laugh and turned back to the yacht. As they stood staring, Harry began to tell them about it.

"She's one hundred forty five feet with the swim platform and cockpit. Her beam is twenty-five feet," Harry told them. "Where do you want to start?"

"I don't know where to start," Jack said, keeping his eye on the large white yacht.

Harry chuckled and said, "Well, let's go aboard and take a look around."

"I'll be right back," Tom said. "I've got to go get my camera."

Tom ran out of the building to the van. He grabbed his camera bag and ran back. Placing the bag on the floor, he took out the camera, the flash and a wide-angle lens. Once he was set, he stood up and said, "I'm ready."

Harry led the group the mid ship entrance. They boarded on the starboard side and walked aft to the cabin door. Once inside, Harry directed them to a small staircase leading below.

"This is the crews' quarters. There are two double staterooms for the crew and a stateroom for the captain. The captain's stateroom has it's own head with a shower and the crew share another." Harry opened a set of doors. "This is the laundry with a full sized washer and dryer. Through this hatch is the engine room."

Jack noticed the crew's quarters were finished except for the mattresses. He pointed into the captains stateroom and said to Tom, "Pretty nice isn't it. It's almost as big as the guest staterooms on the Viking."

Tom nodded and took a couple of shots of the room.

Harry turned two large handles and opened the insulated hatch. He stepped into the engine room and walked between the two diesel engines.

"She is powered by twin 16V2000 Detroit Diesel/MTU Engines, each producing eighteen hundred horsepower. There are twin Northern Lights generators, each of them are rated at ninety-nine kW. The water maker will convert forty five hundred gallons of seawater to freshwater a day."

Harry pointed and Tom took pictures. The engine room was finished in diamond plate aluminum and painted bright white. When he was finished telling the group about the power plants and heating and cooling, they left the engine room.

Back on the main deck, Harry took them into the galley and went over the features. He pointed to the booth and said, "This will seat eight comfortably, ten in a pinch. I have the appliances in storage. There are two full-sized Subzero, side-by-side refrigerator/freezers." Harry listed all of the appliances for the galley.

Leaving the galley, they went into the dining salon. The room wasn't finished yet but Harry told them what it would look like when it was. They moved into the main salon and stood in the huge unfinished room. After Tom took photos, they went to the master stateroom and looked around.

"The master stateroom is designed to have a king sized bed to the starboard, a settee over there and a couple of chairs. There are plasma televisions in each stateroom as well as full entrainment centers. The master head has an oversized shower, a Jacuzzi tub for two. All of the counters are granite and the floors are ceramic. The fixtures are all Kohler and stainless steel." Harry let the group have a look around and then they moved on to the main deck VIP stateroom, forward of the master stateroom.

They went down a spiral staircase to the lower deck and Harry showed them the four guest staterooms. Each stateroom contained a frame for a double bed, a head with shower and an entertainment center. There was an ample cedar hanging locker, a bank of dresser drawers and a small desk in each room.

In the bow portion of the lower deck was another stateroom with four three-quarter berths and a small head with a shower. Harry explained it was for children or additional crew.

Next stop was the pilothouse and lounge. Harry took almost an hour to explain all the features.

"The yacht has stabilizers, and a bow thruster. To the port and starboard sides, are controls so the captain can see the side of the yacht when docking and operate her. There are two radar units, one long range and one short range. She has the latest in electronics," Harry said.

"There is a stateroom in here," Harry opened a door in the rear of the pilothouse. "It will have a queen sized bed in it. It was to be used for as a spare guest stateroom or for the captain. It has it's own head with a shower."

Harry showed them the sky lounge and the built in plasma screen television, the DVD player and the stereo.

"How many people will this boat carry?" Don asked.

"She was designed to sleep 20," Harry said. "She carries fifty personal flotation devices and has four twelve person life rafts. In a pinch, you could entertain about sixty, but it would be a bit crowed."

Moving aft, they went out of the sky lounge and up to the flying bridge and sundeck. Harry led them forward and showed them the bridge.

"Almost everything in the pilothouse is duplicated up here," Harry said. "There are clear curtains to enclose the flying bridge. The hardtop is eighteen feet wide and twenty feet long."

Tom finished a roll of film and changed it with a fresh roll. He took a few more pictures and then followed Harry back to the sundeck. The spacious area was lined with lounges. On both the starboard and portsides, were the automatic deploying life rafts, two on each side. Harry lifted the cushions on the lounges and showed the group the storage for the personal flotation devices.

Once they finished looking around, they went below and out to the cockpit. Harry showed the boys the eight rod-holders and then the entrance to the lazaret. Harry told the group there was a large freezer and a commercial icemaker to be installed in there. He pointed out the three large hot water heaters and several other features.

"How much fuel does she carry?" Jack asked.

"The fuel tanks hold a total of ninety two hundred gallons. The water tank holds one thousand gallons. There is a five hundred gallon holding tank and a black-water processing unit. The black-water is the waste from everything except the toilets," Harry said.

The group spent another hour going over the yacht before heading to Harry's office. They sat in the office, looked at the blueprints and the colorful architectural drawings, showing the finished product. Harry showed them swatches of material and brochures of the appliances and other electronic devices.

Harry ordered lunch for everyone and continued to discuss the yacht.

"We took her out for sea trials before the original owner went bankrupt. She performed as designed. The top speed is twenty-two knots and she cruises at about eighteen knots," Harry said.

"Eighteen knots, about twenty one miles an hour?" Jack said. "Not bad for a boat as big as that one."

Lunch arrived and the group ate their sandwiches. Harry told them about the hull construction and the super structure.

"We build yachts like that in a shed. When it's time to launch them, we cut off the superstructure to get it out of the building and reattach it once it's outside. After we launch it, the yacht goes into the finishing shed," Harry said. "We started on this one a little over a year and a half ago."

"How long would it take to finish it?" Jack asked.

"About six months or so, depends on whether we run into any troubles or not. If everything went right, we could deliver her sometime in May, but it would require longer shifts," Harry said.

"What if we wanted to make changes, would it take longer?" Tom asked.

"It depends on how much you wanted to change, it may not matter or it may add weeks," Harry said. "What did you have in mind?"

Marc chuckled and shook his head. "Good for you, Harry, going for the close. We will need time to think about this. How long would it take for you to have her ready for a sea trial?"

"I guess we can talk about money while we're here," Don said. "Just how much are we talking about?"

Jerry opened his attaché and pulled out a file. Harry pulled a binder from a shelf and returned to the table. Jerry opened the file and looked over the paperwork.

"Well, it looks like Bowman was paid five million so far," Jerry said.

"Yes, that's correct. We received two and a half million as a down payment and another two and a half after the sea trail," Harry said.

"What was the contract price, Harry?" Jerry asked.

"Eight and a half, Jerry, as designed, if you want more or changes it will change," Harry said.

"How much do you owe the bank, Harry?" Jerry asked.

"I owe them about a one and a half million, they are waiting to see what happens before making any decisions on repayment."

"Do you have any other offers or interested parties?" Don asked.

"No, no one has even looked at the boat," Harry said.

Jerry and Harry went over a few other details. Jerry put his file away and Harry closed the binder. After talking for a bit longer, Don, Marc, Jack, Tom and Jerry got up to leave. They all shook hands and Harry thanked them for stopping by.

"Can we come back and look her over again?" Jack asked. "Tom and I want our sisters to see the yacht before we go much further."

Harry nodded and told them to come anytime. On the way to the van, Harry introduced the group to the yard foreman and told them the man could help them if he wasn't available.

After driving out of the parking lot and back on to the road, Don glanced into the mirror. Tom and Jack were talking about the boat and all of the features.

"Nice boat, wasn't it, boys," Marc said, looking back at the boys.

"Nice is an understatement, Dad," Tom said. "I can't believe it. The yacht was the nicest thing I've ever seen. It was so much better than the one we looked at when we went to the marina in Michigan."

"Do you two think you could handle a boat like that? It's pretty big," Don said.

"I think we could learn, Dad," Jack said. "I wonder if Kim and Sally will like it?"

"Are you and Uncle Don considering buying the boat, Dad?" Tom asked.

"Yes, we're considering it, but we haven't decided yet. Let's wait until your sister and Kim have a chance to see it and then we'll talk about it," Marc said.

On the way back to the mansion, Tom asked Don to stop at a one-hour photo shop so he could have the film developed. Don agreed and stopped at a small shop near the home they were staying in. There was a bar down the street and they decided to get something to drink and wait for the pictures.

Don and the other men ordered a beer while Tom and Jack drank Cokes. They talked about the things they saw and how much they liked the boat. Tom began to make plans for trips as if they were going to own the yacht.

"Slow down, Tom," Marc said. "We haven't decided to buy it yet."

"I know, but wouldn't it be cool to be able to take it to Lake Michigan and spent a couple of weeks cruising the ports. It would be a blast!" Tom said.

"It would be fun to take it to Florida for the winter too," Jack said.

"Yes it would, but there is a lot of responsibility that comes with owning and operating a yacht. We have to consider everything. One thing we have to think about is how you kids would pay for it," Don said.