Chapter 7: Into The Caribbean

Brandon kept his eye on the approaching three Mexican patrol craft as he stood at the helm. He called to Tracy and Celeste to join him on deck, then handed the helm over to his sister.

"The others are closing the gaps between ships," he pointed out to Tracy. "Keep your eye on them, just in case we have to scramble to avoid a collision. I'm going below to dig out our passports and the ship's registry documents."

"Should we be worried about the Mexicans boarding us?" Celeste wanted to know, the concern in her tone unmistakable.

"Not with all these witnesses around," he reassured her. "That was the object of the exercise of banding together in the first place. Just try to relax, Angel. If they see that you're uptight, they'll wonder why, and maybe take the ship apart to find out."

"Here they come," Tracy called out a warning to her brother a few minutes later.

Brandon made his way back on deck and noted that they seemed to be the ship that the patrol boat had in mind to search first.

"Isn't that kind of them," he cryptically mentioned. "They're going to look at us first. I wonder what attraction we are for them?"

Minutes later, they watched as the Mexicans launched an outboard-powered inflatable Zodiac with a two-man crew aboard it. Their destination became obvious as the little tender eased away from the patrol boat, then made a beeline for the Gon Waki 2.

"What's with the Dream Weaver and the Sundancer?" Celeste pointed out that the two yachts had moved to create an alleyway that would allow the Gon Waki 2 to manoeuver straight ahead while blocking the progress of the Mexican patrol at the same time.

"It looks like they're setting up an escape route for us, but what's chances of us being able to get away from those patrol boats? About as much as asking the sun to come up from the west," he muttered to no one in particular.

"Let the main out, would you Sis?" Brandon ordered as the inflatable approached their stern. "May as well look co-operative, but I'd like to keep the jib trimmed for now. That should give us just enough speed for manoeuverability."

Now down to just under two knots, the Gon Waki 2 pitched gently in the light chop of the Gulf. Standing at the gateway to the aft swim-grid, Brandon waited for the Mexican Zodiac to reach their stern.

"First Officer Raul Gomez, Mexican Navy, requesting permission to come aboard," came a voice from a loud-haler, complete with broken Mexican accent. The authorities would board whether they had permission or not, but the courtesy added a nice touch of friendliness to their meeting.

"Permission granted, Sir," Brandon called back. "Welcome aboard the Gon Waki 2."

The Zodiac moved forward until its bow pushed lightly on the swim-grid, and Brandon offered a helping hand to the First Officer. Once aboard and on deck, Raul Gomez extended a hand in offer of a friendly handshake.

"Thank you," Raul smiled. "Many times, we must board under less-than-friendly terms. Your courtesy is much appreciated."

"My pleasure," Brandon tried to ease the tensions. "What can we do for you?"

"We have not seen this ship before. We would like to inspect her, please."

Following the officer, Brandon showed him all the areas that were requested, including the bilge access. Once he seemed satisfied, Raul returned to the aft deck.

"If I may see your passports, please," the First Officer requested, although it was more of an order. "Just a formality, you understand, but one that we must ask."

Brandon took the passports from Tracy, then presented them, one at a time.

"For one Celeste Dianne Inman, nee Keelson, our Galley Officer," Brandon introduced his crewman as he passed over the passport.

The Mexican opened the booklet, studied the picture, then glanced up at Celeste as he compared the two images in his eye.

"Your picture does not do you justice, Senorita," he complimented her, then returned the passport to the Captain.

"For one Tracy Nicole Keelson, nee Winters, my First Mate," Brandon passed him the second document.

Again, Raul studied the passport, then looked to Tracy with an expression of curiosity.

"You have the same last name as this other Senorita's maiden name?" he enquired. "Would you be so kind as to explain?"

"I was married to her brother," Tracy nervously replied.

"Was? You are divorced, no?" he expanded his questioning.

"We ... we're separated. It's a long story, Senor," she quietly murmured, almost embarrassed by the elements of her past.

"Ah. Yes. I see. My sorrows for your situation, Senorita, but these things happen sometimes. And now you travel with this man?"

"Yes he's my brother," was all the explanation she offered. Raul returned the passport to Brandon, then waited for the last one to be offered.

"And for Brandon Wayne Winters, Captain and co-owner of the Gon Waki 2," he acceded to the waiting official.

"Co-owner?" Raul questioned as he leafed through the pages. "Should I ask, Senor, who the other owners might be?"

"My sister, Tracy, is the other owner."

"Ah, I see. And there are how many other owners, besides yourselves?"

"None. Her name shows here on the registry document," and Brandon pointed that fact out to the officer.

"Muchas gratias, Senor. It makes this easier when we can see all owners, instead of someone hiding from who and what they are. People who hide are ones that have something to keep secret, no?"

"I wouldn't know, Senor," Brandon feigned ignorance. "I try not to hang around people that hide things."

"A wise move, Senor," and the Mexican returned Brandon's passport to him.

After the First Officer had gone through the documents, he began to study the yacht's rigging.

"This ship," he enquired of Brandon. "She was once the Wavelength, perhaps?"

"Yes, she was. We renamed her when we bought her a few months ago. Why?"

"I remember the owners. He was a very friendly and co-operative man, and she, a very beautiful woman. I heard she passed away?"

"I believe so," Brandon confirmed.

"Such a beautiful boat. Will you be sailing her in the Caribbean then?"

"We're thinking of sailing down the east coast, around the Horn, and into the Pacific, actually. That was our reason for buying her."

"Ah, I envy you, my friend. A craft such as this deserves to be enjoyed, savoured, and relished, like a fine wine or a beautiful woman. Such a voyage as you undertake is a good way to get to know her.'

"Thank you. We're looking forward to seeing some of those far-away places. But out of curiosity, what was it that you were looking for earlier?"

"Slave traders. I am stationed with an American lieutenant who lost his daughter to slavers. It is, how you say? A long shot? But we keep hoping that one day, we will find her."

"Too bad you don't have a picture of her. If we ran into her in our travels, maybe we could be of assistance somehow."

The Mexican beamed, then pulled out an artist's rendering and handed it over. Brandon took a look, and was almost shocked at how young and beautiful the girl was.

"She would be almost seventeen by now, Senor. If you happen to find her, there is a telephone number on the back of the sheet. You may call at any time of the day or night. We will accept the charges."

Almost out of character, the Mexican took a step back, snapped to attention, and saluted the Captain before extending the same courtesy to the Gon Waki 2's mainmast.

"May you enjoy fair winds and gentle seas, Senor," Raul offered, then quickly made his way to the stern, down the ladder to the swim-grid, and onto the Kodiak.

"That went a lot better than I thought it would," Brandon remarked as they watched the inflatable return to the naval ship. "I was expecting them to take this thing apart until they found something that would justify boarding us. Not sure what gives them the authority to do that, but something tells me that if we hadn't been that co-operative, they could have made our lives a living hell."

"That missing girl," Celeste brought up her impressions. "She's just a baby! How could someone do such a thing?" It was a question that had no answer.

"I know it probably won't happen, but it would be nice if we found her in our travels and helped reunite her and her father," Tracy voiced her hopes.

"There's over six billion people on this planet," Brandon observed, "which means that finding one individual is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Still..."

The Kodiak had dropped back to board and inspect the Rendezvous, although the entire process lasted less than fifteen minutes. Then the inflatable returned to the naval ship, and once Officer and helmsman were back on board, the vessel eased away from the four yachts before changing course to head off to the northwest.

That evening, the fleet stayed close together, but the following morning, they bid each other a fond farewell, passed on their good wishes, and the Sundancer, Dream Weaver, and Rendezvous set course for Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula. Two hours later, Brandon brought the Gon Waki 2 onto a heading that would take them to Grand Cayman Island and Georgetown, their first port of call in the Caribbean...

"As much as I understand that we needed to put clothes on, I'm dying to get back into uniform," Celeste remarked, once they were out of sight of the other boats. "It's funny," she mentioned as the sun-dress came off and dropped to the deck, "but I never considered myself to be a nudist before. Now after just two days of being naked, wearing clothes seems ... confining? Is that the word I'm looking for?"

"Personally," Brandon mentioned with a happy grin, "I think that uniform does wonders for you. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you look better in a uniform than out of one."

"I think, if I was looking for a word to describe her," Tracy added with a sensual snicker, "the word 'tasty' might come springing to my lips."

"Maybe 'delicious' might be more appropriate, because you both look good enough to eat," Brandon teased his crew members.

"We won't stop you, Captain," Celeste remarked lasciviously.

They didn't, either, so he did – both of them until they climaxed for him. And afterwards, they curled up close to each other, napped in the tropical sun under the protection of the Bimini top, then went below, had lunch, and enjoyed "dessert".

"This definitely isn't Chicago, is it?" Tracy commented once they were on deck again, that afterglow of sexual satisfaction lighting her features.

"Not even Florida," Celeste added. "I can just imagine trying to get an over-all tan in Chicago at this time of year, though. Gawd, I've have icicles on my icicles if I did. But I really should get to work on mine. Would you two excuse me, while I sun on the foredeck for a while?"

Brandon gave her lips a soft kiss and her backside a light smack as Celeste headed forward, stopping only long enough to kiss Tracy's lips as well. When she'd found her perfect place in the sun, the woman sprawled out on the deck on her stomach and proceeded to soak up the warmth of the sun as the tropical wind blew gently over her skin.

Tracy had taken up a position next to her brother, who had the helm, and she relished the closeness he offered. In the joy of their unfettered freedom, she found herself trying to remember that distant time when they'd been confined by the rules and moors of society and found it difficult.

"Is this what you had in mind when you suggested that we run away?" she broke into Brandon's own reminiscing.

"You mean standing beside a gorgeous, naked female, under a warm sun, and feeling the wind on my skin?"

"Something like that. I'll bet you never expected that naked female to be your sister, though, did you?" she brought the topic a little closer to home.

"That, Pip-squeak, is a fantasy come true. Having two lovers goes beyond anything I could have ever dreamed up, though. And never, in a million years, did I even remotely think that a triad like ours would happen to a guy like me. How about you? Ever think that one day, this is what your life would be like?"

"I had dreams of being your lover, but having Celeste as a lover, too? Until Turtle Bay, it never crossed my mind. Now that we do live like this, I can't imagine not being with both of you, preferably at the same time. Can you? Ever find that you'd like to be with one of us over the other, I mean? Keeping two women happy must be a lot of work sometimes. Is it worth it, Baby?"

Brandon was lost in thought for a moment before he answered her question, and a warm and happy smile slowly spread across his lips as he came to his conclusions.

"Is there a time when I prefer one of you over the other?" he repeated her query. "Not really. I guess I'm like you, in that I have a hard time imagining what it would be like to make love to one of you without the other being there as a part of that lovemaking. As for it being work, I'm retired. Remember? No job, no money, no schedules, and no worries? Somehow, I don't consider loving two special women to be work."

Tracy moved in front of her brother, then backed into his embrace, and was rewarded by the feel of an arm encircling her waist as he held her close. Leaning against him, she let any remaining cares and woes in her world drift away on the tropical winds that propelled them across the deep-blue waters.

"I love you, Baby," she reassured him, her tone one of contented happiness.

"Love you, too, Pip-squeak," he answered her, just before leaning down and nuzzling her neck tenderly.

They stood together like that for several minutes, with Tracy very aware of the physical differences in their bodies as she felt her brother's manhood resting against the skin of her backside. The thought of arousing him played in her head, but with Celeste at the other end of the ship, it wasn't the time for that. Not now anyway, but maybe later?

Gazing forward, she began to realize that her sister-in-law's horizontal position exposed her sex to their view, and a tingle of want crept through Tracy's consciousness. She found her vision rivetted to the sight, complete with a resultant moistening of her own pussy. In those moments, her desire to be with both her lovers grew stronger.

"She's doing that on purpose, you know," she casually remarked to her brother.

"Doing what?" he asked.

"Flashing her pussy at us. She's trying to get one of us all hot and bothered."

"Mmm," Brandon agreed with the observation. "I think it's working, too. Think she might be trying to get both of us horny?"

"Knowing Celeste? Probably. I'm getting wet, and I can feel you getting hard. Maybe we should go up there and see if that's what she wants," she suggested.

Celeste, meanwhile, had lifted her hips and slipped a hand between her thighs, then began to openly masturbate, almost oblivious to the possibilities of being seen. The show, however, had a definite effect on both siblings.

"I wonder what she's fantasizing about?" Tracy wondered to her brother in a soft and conspiratorial tone.

"I wouldn't even want to guess. Knowing her, it's a lot juicier than anything we'll ever imagine. Remind me to ask her later though, would you? Enquiring minds would like to know."

The two remained where they were, watching a performance that was almost exclusively for their benefit. When Celeste finally climaxed, Brandon felt a sympathetic shudder go through his sister's body seconds afterwards. As much as he'd loved to have gone forward to join their crew-mate, the close intimacy with his sister was something he would rather savour for now. There'd be time enough for release later in the company of both women.

Celeste had allowed the release of any tensions in her body to lull her to sleep as the warm Carribean sunshine caressed and cradled her. Following her lead, Brandon found a comfortable spot on the aft deck, extended an invitation to his sister to join him, and let a similar sleep take him to the land of dreams.

Several hours later, he woke to the sensations of his ear being tickled by something warm and moist. Slowly allowing consciousness to return, the stimulation of Tracy's tongue lightly flicking against an erogenous spot of his ear made the chore of shucking slumber easier to accept.

"What time is it, Sis?" he enquired as his first thoughts of their position in the Caribbean came to mind.

"Gawd, you're about as romantic as a dead whale!" she groused with a disappointed tone. "It's about an hour before sunset, if you really want to know."

"How late?" his tone implied a bit of panic. "You mean we slept the whole afternoon away?"

"You might have, but I've been keeping an eye on the compass, just in case. Celeste's still snoozing on the foredeck. Looks like supper's going to be late tonight," she brought him up to date.

"I'd better go wake her," he resigned himself to retrieving a sunburned crew member. "I wonder how badly burnt she got?"

Amazingly, Celeste had started to tan, and Brandon admired how good she looked. As he knelt down to rouse her, she eased her eyes open, rolled over to look into his eyes, and issued a warm and happy smile.

"I think I fell asleep," she greeted him.

"Don' feel bad," he attempted to ease her guilt. "I did, too. Spent the whole afternoon snoozing. I was afraid that you'd gotten a sunburn, but you're tanning – and on you, it looks good."

"Mmm," Celeste hummed as she stretched her muscles, that grin remaining on her face as she remembered the relaxed state she'd enjoyed. "Guess I should got off my lazy ass and feed you guys, shouldn't I?"

Before Brandon could get a come-back out, their chief cook had risen from the deck. She paused long enough to lightly kiss his lips, then headed for the aft deck, stopped long enough at the helm to extend the same intimacy with Tracy, and made her way below to the galley.

"Soup's on!" Celeste announced about twenty minutes later. Both Tracy and Brandon scrambled into the cabin, gazing hungrily at a seafood lover's extravaganza set on the table.

"How do you do it, Angel?" Brandon enquired with amazement in his tone.

"Do what?" she asked for clarification.

"Keep coming up with something new almost every night, and make it taste so delicious!" he answered.

"Oh come on!" Celeste tried to slow down the flow of extraneous compliments. "Do you really think I'm going to give up all my little secrets?"

Neither of the other two were listening anyway. They were too busy enjoying their meals to hear.

"I'm stuffed," Tracy uttered. "Come on, big brother. Help me clean this place up. If I don't move soon, I may never leave this cabin again for the rest of my life!"

The two tackled the dishes, pots, and pans, while Celeste took advantage of the reprieve by relaxing on the aft deck. When they were finished in the galley, Brandon and Tracy joined her. Celeste had donned a windbreaker to stave off the evening air, and Tracy followed suit a little while later, bringing her brother's along in case he wanted it.

"We must be getting used to this warm weather," Tracy remarked. "When we left Florida, it felt a lot balmier than this, but the thermometer says it's still seventy-four degrees. Mind you, that beats the hell out of Chicago. They're getting snow, according to the weather reports I found online this afternoon."

"I'll take this over snow any day," Celeste echoed her approval of their current climactic situation.

"I was going to ask, Angel," Brandon changed the subject. "What were you fantasizing about this afternoon? We couldn't help but watch. Damned exciting show you put on, too."

"Thought you might enjoy that," she giggled as the memories of her afternoon came back. "What was I dreaming about? Believe it or not, I had this daydream about a sandwich stuck in my mind."

"A sandwich? That got you horny enough to play with yourself?" Brandon couldn't quite believe his ears.

"Mmm-hmm," she snickered, "with Tracy as the filling."

"Yeah, that would do it for me, too," he agreed, and was affectionately attacked by his sister for his comment. Not to be left out, her sister-in-law joined in the rough-housing, and soon the deck was a mass of intimately sprawled bodies as the women subdued their Captain, then threatened to torment him until he submitted to their demands and desires. By the time they'd worn themselves out, it was late enough that the three headed below to the aft stateroom and a night of restful sleep.

It was still dark out when Brandon woke with a start, realizing that Tracy wasn't there beside him. Easing out of bed, he searched the cabin for her, but came up empty-handed. Only when he looked up on the deck did he find her standing beside the wheel, gazing at the myriad of stars that lit the tropical night.

"You okay, Pip-squeak?" his worried tone eased through the night air.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine. Couldn't sleep and thought I'd come up on deck for a while," she tried to ease his concerns.

"Mind if I join you?" he sought her permission. She smiled happily at the idea of spending some time with the man she'd fallen in love with for the second time in her life. When they were together again, she curled under his offered arm and let the warmth of his skin seep through the chill of the marine air.

"What were you thinking about? You looked kind of lost there for a minute," he tried to get her to open up for him.

"Just looking at all the stars. They make me realize just how small and insignificant we all are. Sometimes it's hard to believe that the light we're seeing now left some of those stars before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. We really aren't much more than a speck of dust in the overall scheme of things, are we?"

"No, I guess we aren't," he agreed with her philosophy. "All I know is that my world is this boat, you, and Celeste. But you're right. After all is said and done, we really aren't anything special in the cosmos. Maybe that's why I concentrate on the little corner of it that directly influences me, and leave the rest to whatever entities rule the heavens. Maybe the rest of the world doesn't matter, but the two people that I share my life with sure do. And maybe that's a small step, compared to who I was when we left Chicago, but it's been a big step for me. I have you and Angel to thank for encouraging me to take it. You've made a difference, Tracy, to two people that need you more than you might realize. In the overall scheme of things, that's a big accomplishment for anyone to make."

"You've made a difference too, Baby," she pulled him into the circle of her love. "If it wasn't for what you've done for both of us over the last year, we could easily be dead. Instead, we're living in this paradise of love. I owe you so much, Brandon: more than I'll ever be able to give back. Celeste feels the same way, or so she says, and I believe her. All this? This is better than any fairytale could ever be."

"Lover? Sweetie?" Celeste's sleepy, worried voice called to them from the cabin below.

"Up here, Angel," Brandon answered her, and moments later she ascended the ladder to join them on deck.

"That bed gets cold and lonely when one of you isn't in it," she gave her impressions to the two shipmates. "Anything the matter?"

"I was just telling Brandon how much of a difference he's made to my life, and I think to yours, too," Tracy filled her sister-in-law in on their conversation.

Tracy and Brandon had slid down to sit on the deck, and when she arrived topside, Celeste inserted herself between their thighs, leaning her head back on their stomachs as she joined in on their star-gazing, letting the warmth of their bodies seep into her own. Once she was comfortably settled and the three had formed an intimate huddle, an array of emotions opened up and flowed through her mind like the tides.

"More than I could have ever imagined," Celeste picked up the topic of conversation. "One short year ago, I was living in a dirty, run-down basement suite, almost waiting for the day when I'd die. Look at me now. I'm in love with the most wonderful man on the planet and his sister. But the best part is that they're in love with me too. They show me that, many times a day, every day. There was a time when I was scared that you two would go off and leave me behind. I'm not so sure I could have handled being alone like that. Now, I can't imagine life without all three us together."

"I don't think any of us can," he agreed with her. "This triad is growing strong enough to weather anything they can throw at us."

"They could throw a blanket our way," Tracy commented. "It's starting to get chilly out here, but I think I'd like to stay on deck all night, if you two will join me."

Getting up gently, she went below, returning moments later with a large warm blanket that covered all of them once she'd returned to her seat. Between the shelter of the blanket and the connections flowing between them, sleep finally caught up with the three, while the Gon Waki 2 carried her crew through the Caribbean night.

Dawn came just after six o'clock that morning, with a high cloud in the sky that threatened to trap the day's heat. Overnight, the winds had eased off, and the Gon Waki 2 slipped silently and softly over the waves, still coddling her crew and Captain. The three remained together on the deck, luxuriating in the warmth of the blanket and their close proximity. Only the telltale pressure of Brandon's bladder finally pried him out of the arms of unconsciousness, demanding his attention to morning ritual.

"Better hurry," Tracy warned him. "I'm not sure how long I can hold it," as she woke to the same discomfort.

"Then you go, Pip-squeak. I can always lean over the rail if I have to."

It took nothing to get her to agree to his idea, and without their thighs to support her head, Celeste soon woke as well. As soon as Tracy returned from the head, the other woman rushed for the hatch, then disappeared on her way to find that same morning relief. Brandon gave up waiting, climbed down onto the swim-grid, and left a coloured trail behind them. Turning to head back to the aft deck, he was greeted by the sight of his sister grinning at him.

"I'm surprised you held it that long," she teased him. "Sometimes I wish I could do that. It'd be a lot more convenient."

"Not going there, Sis," Brandon vowed, then climbed off the swim-grid and on to the aft deck.

With their day started, the routine of determining their actual position via the GPS began morning's duties. He'd meant to shoot the sextant the previous evening using his limited knowledge of the process. But the time they'd spent together meant more to him than anything else. Besides, wasn't that what electronics were for?

Going over the satellite data, Brandon determined exactly where they were, then plotted a new course to get the Gon Waki 2 back to where she needed to be. Once he had the heading, Tracy brought them to the new course, then helped her brother trim the sails. The difference was only a couple of degrees, meaning that it took very little time to adjust everything. By the time they'd finished, Celeste had coffee ready and brought three mugs up to the aft deck.

"How far off course were we?" Celeste enquired as she passed Brandon his mug.

"Not much. Half a mile, maybe. Why, out of curiosity?" he informed her.

"Is that bad? Half a mile?" she worried.

"Nope. It adds just enough time that I can enjoy an extra cup of your coffee," he whispered in her ear before giving her a light kiss on the nape of her neck. "I forgot to include the ocean current into my calculations, that's all. We'd been running against the Yucatan current, and I forgot that the Caribbean's predominant currents go west along the south coast of Cuba. That, and I have the centreboard down. Half a mile adds all of ten minutes to our voyage. Understand any of that?"

"Not a single word," Celeste smiled in her lack of knowledge. "That's why you're the Captain and I'm the galley chief. Maybe by the time we get home again, you'll have taught me all that stuff."

"I have yet to teach you girls how to swim, and you want me to show you navigation, too? Gawd, you're a real slave driver, aren't you?" he whispered softly in her ear.

Celeste's face suddenly became sombre and serious as she turned and looked into his eyes with real concern.

"I keep thinking about that girl the Mexicans mentioned, so when you say 'slave', it scares the hell out of me," she explained the sudden change of mood.

"Angel, all we can do is keep our eyes open, and if we see something, give them a phone call."