Unearthly Power (6 page)

“No, silly, I meant tell me about yourself.”

“Oh.” He said feigning misunderstanding. “Well, my job is my life. I can’t see myself doing anything but diving for one reason or another. I live with Alex, and my sister Deidra lives in Miami but she helps with the business too.”  

“No wife, kids, or significant other?”

“No. This is it. You?”

“No. I guess our jobs keep us too busy for that.”

“Yeah, I guess so. But, there probably are circumstances that could change that.” He said reasonably.

“I certainly hope so. Most of the things I like in life are better when shared with someone else.” She said seriously as she stared into his eyes.

“Unless you’re running low on beer,” he replied, instantly changing the seriousness of the moment which resulted in his seeing the better portion of her tongue.

W
hen the Cantankerous II made port, both Dee and Tori helped Alex secure the boat while Sean shut down the engines. Tori spent most of the cruise in the company of either Sean or his sister. She was close in age to Deidra and they soon found they were more alike than they would have imagined. Intelligent and professionally minded girls of their age were seldom taken seriously; especially when they had the physical attributes they were endowed with. There was no competition between them in their current circumstances and no threat to any personal interest. While she loved her father, Tori was happy with the situation she found herself in. Having people her own age to interact with on the job was a luxury she seldom experienced. In the short time that she knew them, she instinctively knew Deidra and her brother were close and that there were more similarities between the two than not, excluding their outward demeanor. So even if she didn’t spend all of her time flirting with her good-natured brother, Tori learned much about Sean from her interaction with Deidra. She liked them both.

Once the ship was secured, Alex inspected the engines, Sean filled out his log book and the professor came to the wheelhouse.

“I’ll go ashore and make arrangements for fuel. I also need to contact our benefactor to see about the ROV. I shouldn’t be long,” he stated before turning to leave.

“Sounds good.” Sean managed to say to his back as he walked out the door.

When everyone was finished with whatever self-assigned task they had, they gradually filtered into the galley.

“So what now?” Alex asked.

“We wait until the professor gets back. He’s checking on the ROV and some fuel.” Sean answered.

“It’s a beautiful day out. Maybe we can spend some time ashore.” Tori said.

Dee nodded her head in agreement.

“We’ll see,” Sean said not unreasonably. “It’ll depend on what your dad has to say. It’s his dime.”

When professor Kirby returned to the boat, the sound of voices led him to the crew.

“The boat will be refueled later today,” he said as he stepped into the room. The others became silent waiting for him to continue. “The bad news is that the delivery scheduled for the submersible has been delayed. It won’t arrive for another two days.”

While that may have been bad news to him, the other four people in the room felt quite the opposite. The boat owners were being paid by the day regardless of their activity and his daughter had sight-seeing on her mind.

“So there isn’t any reason we have to stay onboard.”

He looked at his daughter, considered what she said and then replied, “No. I don’t see why there is. Unless there are any other preparations that need to be made,” he finished as he turned to look at Sean.

“No sir. I’ve ‘put in’ here before. If you’ve made arrangements for fuel, it’ll be taken care of. Other than that, we’re ready to go as soon as you are.”

“Okay.” Professor Kirby said as if everything that was being discussed had originated with his presence, “As long as the submersible gets here in two days we can leave immediately after we get it onboard. Other than that, feel free to use your time as you will.”

There were smiles all around. The four of them practically ran out of the room before anything could be said to change that declaration. They continued to walk quickly down the well-traveled wooden dock until they instinctively knew they were out of range to hear anything that might be shouted from their boat. When they came to the end of the pier they stepped around a hanging chain which blocked the single access road to the docking area itself.

“Okay, where to?” Sean asked.

“Clothing store.” Dee said.

When Sean and Alex looked at her with disappointment she continued, “I seemed to have forgotten to bring any extra clothes for this trip. Sorry if that disrupts your plans but I need clothes.”

“That sounds like fun. And,” Tori said as she turned to look at their escorts with a smile on her face, “we need someone to look after us.”

Before Alex could object Sean said, “All right. It’s early. The sooner we get you outfitted the sooner we can enjoy our time here. Let’s go get it over with.” He thought that as long as Tori was able to negotiate some shore-leave with her father, she might as well be given preference for how they spent it. Alex wouldn’t be thinking the same way, but he would be able to have that talk with him when the girls were busy playing ‘dress-up.’ As long as they had each other to serve as approving judges, Sean was sure he and Alex could find a nearby water-hole to occupy their time.

Unexpectedly, the girls finished their shopping rather quickly. They both showed them what they had purchased, and in turn, the guys acted as if they were impressed. Sean, of course, was more genuine in his attention than was Alex, but that was because of his growing interest in Tori.

The day was pleasant with a mild breeze blowing in from the ocean and a few white clouds dotting the sky. The buildings were tall enough to provide a measure of shade which made conditions for walking nearly perfect. It was getting
close to dinner time as they meandered aimlessly through the busy streets. When they reached a part of town Sean remembered from a previous visit, he suggested a place to eat. They all agreed as he led the way.

He found that time and again Tori had placed herself near him as they went along. Their conversations remained casual, but he was
trying to decide if what he was experiencing was a product of his own emotional fantasies, or if it in fact was reality. In most cases, his flirting, accompanied by his audacious manner, was enough to chase away the average woman. He always believed that the only woman for him would be the one who could handle anything he could throw at her. And, after numerous experiences, every one of them had run away at some point. He thought of it as more of a game than anything. He saw no point in changing who he was now. But this one was not showing any signs of running. If anything, the more risqué he behaved, whether toward those he was with or strangers they met on the street, the more she was attentive to him.
It was probably just the fact that they had to work together for the next several days and nothing more
, he thought.

Deidra was impressed when they walked
through the broad entryway of a luxurious hotel. She figured her brother’s taste would lead them to nothing more than a hot dog stand in a dark alley. They followed him as he confidently made his way through the lobby and past an indoor garden. On the opposite side of the entry they found a section of elevators. He pressed the up arrow and waited. They stood in silence, all four of them staring at the illuminated numbers above the door as it went through its progression. When the door opened, an elderly couple smiled as they walked past them. They stepped inside and he pressed the button for the top floor. Tori stood close to Sean. He could smell her womanly scent which was highlighted by a mild yet pleasing perfume. He turned to look at her out of reflex and she returned the look with a smile. The door opened and they followed him a short distance to the entryway of the restaurant. Dee saw a payphone mounted on the wall and said she needed to call her boss. The others went inside.

The breeze had died down and the early evening air was pleasant. A three piece band was setting up in one corner and they were shown to a table nearby. They could look across the tops of smaller buildings to see the ocean. It looked calm and unmoving from this distance. They were all underdressed for the establishment, but that thought never entered their mind as they enjoyed their surroundings. When the British accented maître d’ showed them to their table, Tori took a seat immediately next to Sean as they were given their menus. Sean was still trying to process her behavior. He didn’t put too much thought in her choice of seating as two of the three remaining seats were next to his. The odds were on his side. Uncharacteristically, he found himself disturbed by this young woman. He decided he would take it easy on the drinks.
No sense in making a complete ass of myself
.

The waiter arrived to take their orders as soon as Dee sat at the table. He started with the women. After he finished with them he looked at Alex and then
at Sean. Sean was the only one who didn’t order alcohol.

Tori reached over and placed her hand on his, “You can’t let us drink alone. Order something or it’ll make me feel uncomfortable,” she pleaded with him.

It was rare indeed when he refused a drink. It was impossible to recall a time when he turned one down after being solicited in such a way by a lovely lady. He ordered a Mt. Gay and cola.

Alex and Dee talked about the trip and what she could do to assist them. Tori listened in as Sean watched the band prepare for their set. By the time their salad came he had finished his drink. The girls still had plenty of wine in their glasses and Alex had half of his beer left. If he had taken a moment to think about it, he probably would have waited until his food came before he ordered another and instead rehydrate himself with some water. That didn’t happen. The day had been enjoyable, the company was nice, and the scenery was perfect. They ate their meals at a leisurely pace, talking as they did. By the time they finished their dinner, the stars had slowly started to appear in the sky. It was a luminous evening as the waxing moon reflected its light off the surface of the ocean.

Dee asked Alex to dance. He agreed and they went to the small dance floor as the band played a rhythmic Latin song. One of the ironies about Alex was that although he was generally antisocial, he was in fact a good dancer. Dee had been watching her brother all day. He was his normal self, but he was also acting a bit strangely. By dinnertime, she had seen enough of the cryptic smiles and subtle actions being exchanged by Tori and her brother to know something was happening between them, even if he didn’t. In time, they too made their way onto the floor. Now Dee knew she was right as Sean never danced. Sean was thinking the same thing himself when he accepted her invitation. By then he knew he had had too much to drink. That was the only time he ever sang or danced; both were acceptable as long as he had no recollection of either after the fact.

He held her at a comfortable distance as they danced slowly. She closed that gap almost immediately and moved along with the motions of his body. The physical contact between them elicited an excitement through him. It was a feeling of almost weightlessness as he closed his eyes and thought of nothing but her. She seemed to be reacting the same way he was.
Nature had a way of pairing healthy and attractive young people together
, Sean reasoned, even though he didn’t think of himself as being young anymore. When the song was finished, the band took a break and those who had been on the dance floor now returned to their seats. Tori reached down and took Sean’s hand as they walked back to the table. It was an innocent yet somewhat intimate act of being connected through the touch of a hand. Dee smiled knowingly at her brother as they approached the table. He blushed in response; mostly because he knew he was not controlling the situation and she was there to witness that fact.

“Well, I think we should probably get back to the boat. We can find out if there is any further information on the ROV and make sure your father knows you are okay.” Sean explained.

“I think you’re right. We have been gone all day. He won’t say anything about it, but I know he’ll worry.” Tori agreed.

They finished their drinks and left a nice tip for the waiter along with their payment for the bill. It was as enjoyable a day as any of them had had in quite some time. Even Alex relaxed enough to be at ease in a setting unfamiliar to him. He was generally more at home in the presence of machines
, or away from crowds of people, even the small ones they had encountered today. He was oblivious to what was developing between his partner and the member of their charter who had accompanied them onshore. He had been around Sean long enough that any interaction between him and a pretty woman was nothing new or unusual. For Sean it was somehow different this time. Because he had had more to drink than he should have, he knew he had to be careful. He wouldn’t ruin the charter because he couldn’t control himself. When they stepped outside the hotel on their way back to the boat, Tori automatically slipped her hand into his and he acted as if he was walking his grandmother to the store. It was a long way to keep that same thought in his mind.