Page 12 of Weathering The Storm

We’re face to face. So close.

That’s when I really catch that salt and pine soap fragrance. That’s when Ireallywant to taste the sea on his skin. Lick the prominent tendons of his neck. Feel his stubble grate against mine. Follow the path of hair from his navel downward.

I could reach out and run my hand down the corded length of his arm. I could breathe in the air that leaves his lips and roll it around on my tongue.

Instead, I turn to the GPS.

“Heading three-four-oh.” I point at the screen. “Follow these waypoints. Autopilot’s on, but swells have been hitting port forward, so keep an eye on it. These two other AIS points are running southwest, no factor. Next weather update should be on at oh-three-hundred. Temps have been dropping, so watch out for ice. Might need to put one of the guys on it.”

“Yes, sir,” Seth copies.

My gut twists. “We’re making good time. Don’t wait on me if I’m out, alright? Wake me up when we’re ready to drop.”

“Go get some sleep, then.” He waves me off. “I’ve got it.”

And because he alwaysdoeshave everything under control, I believe him. I head down to my cabin, shed some layers, and crawl beneath the covers.

But I still can’t sleep. It has nothing to do with not trusting my first mate, and it has nothing to do with not being tired.

Seth is twenty feet away, and I’m still thinking about his smile. His words.

“You know I’d keep coming back anyway, Nicky.”

Nicky, Nicky, Nicky.

I replay my name on his lips. The twinkle of his eyes. The movements his body makes when he stretches and the way it felt stretched over mine.

My hand finds its way beneath my long johns, not quite as cool or rough as his. It wraps around my cock. It squeezes at the base.

Does that feel good, sir?a voice that sounds like his but doesn’t belong to him says.I’ve got you, Nicky.

I pray he can’t hear me through the door as I stroke myself. Slow, then fast. Holding my breath, then panting. Frozen still, then twisting in the sheets.

Wracked with guilt for imagining him coming down here and stripping off the rest of his clothes. Laying his naked body over mine and grinding his hips with the motion of the waves. Crawling down and replacing my hand with the warm, wet embrace of his mouth.

Come for me, Nicky,says the voice that only lives in my fantasies. Smiling, taunting, and a little raspy.

So I do.

F/V Suoja

October 21, 0615 hours

57°40’N, 159°08’W

W winds 10-15 knots, seas 6-8 feet, moderate snow, air temp 29°F, water temp 40°F, pressure 29.85 inHg

Finished hauling our second rotation of pots. Decided to scatter strings at a few different locations and adjust grounds based on catch patterns. One string came up with nothing but shorts, but numbers improved toward the northeast, averaging 13 legal males per pot. Bottom looks promising on sonar.

Hopefully lower water temperatures will mean more crab, but air temp is dropping as well. Routine ice removal put in place for ship’s superstructure.

Crew has adapted well to shorter daylight hours. Reminder to check with Rittenburg about the block. Noticed a potential judder. Hydraulic issue?

Three weeks remain before scheduled return to Dutch Harbor.

Total catch to date: 17,710 lbs

Nicolas Lundvall, Master