Chapter 15

You can normally tell what sort of a travel partner someone is going to be like as soon as the first thing goes wrong. I had thought Pepper was going to be a disaster but when we arrived at San Diego International and heard on the loudspeaker our connecting flight to LAX was delayed for 2 hours she just shrugged. I went to walk to the queue to check our bags in but she caught my arm.

'Not that one.' She steered me away from economy to the express first class lane. 'Come on, you didn't think we were going in the plebs did you?'

'I'm the plebs!' I said defensively.

'Not on this trip.' She handed over our tickets and showed our passports and led me to the flight deck lounge. There were big couches, soothing music and free beers so I figured I could handle a bit of a delay.

We sat down on a two seater together and she magically produced the debt and contractual securities textbook. 'Perfect time to start your tutoring.' She grinned malevolently.

Pepper was a damn good teacher, much better than my boring ass lecturer and she explained stuff that took most people years to master like my first grade teacher had taught me to add one and one. It reminded me how intimidating it was to be with someone that much smarter than you but for some reason when she was teaching she wasn't condescending at all. She was also patient. I wasn't really sure if this was Pepper in front of me. We got through chapters ten and eleven by the time we were called to board and I picked up her bag and mine.

'Thanks, Pepper. For everything.' I kissed her, I had meant it as a peck but we ended up making out in the middle of the lounge, much to the amusement of the early morning businessmen. The short flight to LAX flew and we literally had to race down the terminal to get on the next one.

We made it a bit before the other poor souls who didn't have sugar mammas to get them in to first class. When I sat down in my spacious chair with a scotch and coke, a blanket, and Pepper's hand in mine all the rush was forgotten and we settled in for the epic 14-hour journey.

After they had done the briefings and asked us if we wanted anything else the stewardesses left us alone. It was then Pepper turned to me, a gleam in her eyes. 'You know we're joining the mile high club on the way there right?'

I felt my blanket being suspiciously raised from my groin area. 'I didn't but now I do.'

'Good.' She smiled, 'be ready for it and don't fuck it up. We've got a bit of time first though, we'll have to wait until the stewardesses get complacent later on.'

'Have you done this before?'

'Maybe.' She said mysteriously, but after a drawn out pause she admitted that she hadn't.

'So there is a first time for Pepper after all?' I said triumphantly.

'But ... but you know that time ... you were my first right?' she almost whispered, her eyes huge and luminous.

'What?' I almost jumped out of my seat in surprise. 'Really?'

'Of course not, moron.' She slapped my leg. 'You men will believe anything, I swear.'

Cairns airport.

It was small and you had to walk down the stairs from the plane, but never before has anything felt so sweet. Back on Australian soil with the sun blazing down the humidity sticking the clothes to our back in about five seconds flat. I didn't care; I couldn't keep the retarded grin off my face as we walked out to the car that was waiting for us through customs. We had already cleared in Brisbane so it was just a matter of picking up bags.

It was one of those leathered up fords that they use as escort cars. Pepper slid gracefully in to the back seat with me and gave directions to our hotel. It was pretty nice for a little place like Cairns, but then again, there was also a Louis vitton store here right next to the dingy local pubs and trees that were always full of bats. We went down and got dinner, fucked with only about fifty percent effort and went straight to sleep.

In the morning we felt great. Pepper had decided there was no time like the present so we went straight down to the jetty where she had organised a private scuba diving charter and lessons for herself. The instructor was a pretty handsome looking guy in his late twenties and he greeted us with a smile. Surprisingly he only gave Pepper a cursory glance.

I thought this must have made him gay, then I caught the slight flash of a ring on his finger. His wife must have been proud. We spent the first few hours just lazing on the deck catching sun until we got to a shallow part of the outer reef. This was where Pepper was getting her instructions on how to dive.

Of course she was a natural, the theory she did in about an hour in the cabin and got a hundred on her exam, then in the water she breezed through the first three sessions in one go while I hovered around looking at little fish and getting used to breathing compressed air again. I felt awkward and bulky and I tell you what, I never wanted to go freediving more than in that moment ... but that wasn't like scuba. It took a while for your lungs to get used to it and even as smart as Pepper was no one could do it straight away.

So next best thing. And let me tell you, this was no distant second. The reef out here was gorgeous and the water was warm. When it was time for the tour we went to another site and danced with a manta ray. This was so rare I had only ever seen one. I was feeling good about Pepper as my dive buddy; she seemed to be one of those people who were just naturally blessed.

While we were having our surface interval she was cute as hell, waving her arms about maniacally describing to me what I had witnessed first hand. Somehow it sounded better narrated in her sultry voice than the one I had in my head. I had to restrain her with some making out and heavy petting to keep her from dropping back into the water right then and there.

We spent the next days out on the water sleeping below decks. To my great advantage Pepper was so grateful I had introduced her to this sport she gave me the best blowjob I had had since that time Stella tried it out at the beach house what seemed like a lifetime ago.

When she was officially advanced certified we got to go to the outer reef, the luxury speed boat made it there in half the time the big liveaboards did, but even that was half a day. We tied off at a mooring for the night ready for some early dives in the morning. The only sound was the gentle hum of the compressor as it filled our tanks and the lap of water up against the side of the boat.

Pepper and I sat on the upper deck watching the impossibly bright stars with her head on my shoulder. She was unusually thoughtful this night. 'Hunter ... you know this can't last right?' she said suddenly.

'What makes you say that?'

'I'm not that girl. The one who falls in love and changes. Sure I have my moments, but I'm a bitch, I generally get my jollies by causing people anguish and I know it's only going to be a matter of time before I do something to screw this up.'

'Don't say that. If you give up before we start then what do we have to hope for?' I squeezed her.

'I know, but there is another problem. I didn't want t tell you, but I know I have to.'

'What is it?' I felt my throat catch, she was screwing someone else. We hadn't said anything about being official, I guess I could deal with it, it just felt like ... I don't know, like we had finally connected.

'It's about Stella.'

'So you weren't... ' I let my voice trail off.

'You're such a guy. No, hunter. I wasn't boning someone. Stella called me a little while back crying like a retard.'

That was a little harsh, I thought, maybe something was wrong? 'Um, what did she want?'

'Isn't that obvious?' Pepper sighed. 'She wants you, Hunter. She rung to tell me that she loves me and she will always be my friend.'

'That's nice of her.' I said.

'Yeah.' Pepper smirked, 'but that wasn't the reason for the call.'

'And that reason was?'

'She said that she loves me, but she is completely, hopelessly and unchangeably in love with you, and even when she was munching rug she could never get you out of her heart.'

'Did she really say munching rug?' I said to try and disguise the fact that my throat had gone dry and my hands were shaking.

'No, not in those words. She's going to fight for you, Hunter. That's what she wanted me to know, and I think she will win. That's why I took you on this holiday. Part of it was wanting to show you I could be better, but in a way, I think I wanted to say goodbye, just in case.'

'It won't be goodbye. Stella fucked me over pretty badly. I care about her but I don't know if she'll just decide she wants to be a full lesbian again and men don't fit in to her life.' I said defensively. The last thing I wanted was for Pepper to do one of those switch flips and have myself hopelessly alone and resorting to boning skanks like some archetypical crushed dumpee. 'Why are you telling me this though?'

'I don't know.' she refused to look at me. 'Maybe I want to fight too.'

'You just said you were going to screw it up.' I pointed out.

'Yeah, quirky, aren't I?' she smiled with white teeth and licked her lips. 'I want you, Hunter. Right now, right here.'

I could only oblige.

After christening the deck we had to actually sleep. I had never pictured Pepper being much of a hugger, but for some reason the motion of the ocean must have awakened something in her because she had both arms and legs wrapped around me like some sort of sexy koala. Well, it was a bad analogy but it wasn't bad at all. I was still enough of a deviant to get majorly turned on by those soft boobs of hers pressed up against my side and the soft touch of her breath on my neck.

I would have woken her up for round two, except for the fact I couldn't stop thinking about Stella again and it would have been kind of wrong. I wondered if I would get the harem end, and have them both together, but I knew deep down it was impossible. They were both way too strong for that, and I would be dead and drained within a few years if I tried it. Helluva way to go, I might add, but still dead.

Nope, I was going to have to choose, but right now I was a different continent away so I figured Pepper was pretty far in front at the moment. But Stella, my first love Stella, well except for my sister.

Now there was a thought, I should just grab Keira, move overseas somewhere no one knew we were related and just live happily ever after. Now that would be an idea and a half. Of course I would have to give up the rest of my family, also my friends, but whatever. It would sure as shit be worth it.

Anyway, Pepper was still there right now, warm and weird and soon to be a better diver than I was. I wondered if she would come on the boats back home where it was cold and the water was murky?

The next dive was something special. We dropped down from the boat onto a white sandy bottom. Pepper had forgone her wetsuit for a string bikini. Even with her bulky scuba tank on, with that blonde hair flowing free in the water she seemed as close to a mermaid as I was ever going to see.

Our guide was up on the boat, which meant we were all alone in the water. I had a compass so getting lost wasn't a problem and we set out to explore. There was a whole series of swim throughs and little caverns dotting the canyon on either side and poked our heads in and even drifted through for a while. Pepper was wide eyed throughout the whole thing, an expression I couldn't remember seeing on her except for the first time I put it in her butt. I wanted to tell her she should try it more often, but obviously we couldn't talk under water.

I saw a mischievous look come over her face as we settled onto the sand again. She beckoned to me to come over and I finned to her, stopping just in front. Closer, she called me. And reached out to my board shorts to yank me forward. That same hand crept down inside them and squeezed my shaft.

I saw what was going on here, and I liked it a lot. Since she had taken my advice and put her primary regulator on a long hose, we dropped our kits on to the sand so we were a little more free. I was rock hard at the thought of this and she didn't even need to get me warmed up. She lay down on her back on the sand and spread her legs for me. I scooped her up so we were both floating and I felt her long fingers pulling my cock from outside my shorts. She undid the string at one side of her bikini and rubbed my against her now slick opening.

As soon as I sunk inside her I felt ready to explode, the heat of her pussy compared to the cooler water was electric. She gave me a cautionary look and I think she said 'calm down' through her mouthpiece but I couldn't be sure. Control it I did though, and I started sliding in and out, marvelling at the hot then cold feeling. She rolled her hips and lifted her arms up while I spat out my regulator and gently nibbled her nipples. Pepper made to do the same thing but I gently held it in and shook my head. I was being irresponsible enough as it was, she had, after all, only been on a few dives.

She gave me a petulant look but she at least listened. When I ran out of breath I put mine back in and went to work. We only had limited time down there so we both made it quick. Just as I was about to jizz she yanked me out of her, and I could hear her laughing as milky Hunter juice drifted through the sea in front of us.

We stayed down until we ran out of time, and just hung around at five metres until our air was almost gone. Back on the boat the captain helped us get our gear back in and smiled indulgently while we blabbed on to each other about how amazing everything had been.

'Thank you, Pepper. This is a wonderful present.'

'I was going to say the same thing.' she sniffed.

'Yeah, don't get all gushy on me.' I grinned and pulled her in.

She resisted for a while, but eventually started kissing me back. Pepper had never really been one for public shows of affection, and so I made it last as long as I could. Unfortunately the world intervened and the captain cleared his throat ostentatiously behind us.

'What?' Pepper turned around. 'I believe the word 'private charter' implies a certain level of privacy?'

He blanched, 'Sorry, Miss Kerr, but we got ourselves a problem.'

'And that is?' she arched an eyebrow.

'We received a distress call, only about 2 knots from here. Apparently a boat is going down and we are the closest to render assistance.'

'Haven't they ever heard of a helicopter?' Pepper put a hand on her hip.