Gator
Friday, The Davidson Yacht
Christen didn’t like him calling her ma’am. There was no help for that. He had to keep his distance. Before, it was for professional reasons, and now? It might help safeguard her.
Gator was aware that he hadn’t called her Christen, and promised himself he wouldn’t. Christen sounded soft like a lullaby being hummed and carried away on the summer breeze. Christen was the woman he longed to wrap in his arms and hold against his heart. The woman he wanted to talk to and hear about her life, learn her stories, to tease and tickle, and watch her graceful movements that hid her physical strength. D-day was the warrior who’d come to do her duty. And that was the aspect of her he needed to focus on. Professional and distant.
He’d messed up. Bad. He’d shared personal stories with her, reached for her hand. Let their bodies touch. Damned near kissed her. It set a craving burning through his system.
Catastrophic.
It felt like Katrina on the bayou. He was fifteen years old and biding his time before he could sign with the Marines following in his dad’s footsteps into the military when that storm ripped his childhood home from its foundation and tossed it end over end. When the family was finally allowed to return, they’d found it in splinters. It broke his heart to see his mama kneeling in the still damp dirt hugging a weather-beaten picture of his dad to her chest, the one that was took just before Dad was killed in Iraq. It felt like a miracle to have found it. There wasn’t really a whole lot more of anything to find in the debris. There weren’t nothing left from his childhood but the memories he carried with him.
Once Gator became an Iniquus operative and was making good money, he had tried to rebuild what his family had lost. His mama had bought a trailer home, so she could live on the family land. He’d replaced it with a house that was classified to withstand a category five sustained hurricane, had it constructed up on stilts to allow for storm surge. It was modern and beautiful. He wanted to take pride in it. But it weren’t the same as their little hand-hewn cabin had been, it lacked a story.
He’d made sure his mama had everything she’d need. All the bells and whistles that might make life easier as her kids all went off to live their lives. Only Auralia, the baby, was still living with her. His mama was proud and grateful, but Gator knew in her heart what she wanted was her old life back. And that, Gator couldn’t do nothing about. She’d been born and raised in a house where her kids were born and raised, and now it was gone. Nothing would be the same again.
Christen was his Katrina. She blew into his life. Upended him. And for the rest of his days, he’d deal with the aftermath and loss.
“There you are,” Blaze said. “They’ve finished eating. The crew’s getting everything locked down.”
“I just checked in with the captain. It gets rough from here. We have about five more minutes then everyone needs to be wedged in their bunks with a life preserver and all the pillows we can find.” Gator spread his legs until his feet touched either side of the walls here in the hallway of the upper level, his hands pressing out, braced. “What’s going on below?”
“Life vests were distributed. We asked everyone to leave their rooms unlocked so we can get to them if there’s a problem. Karl had some anti-nausea meds that he distributed. He’s suggesting that the staff not take them because they can be sedating.”
“Do we want the guests sedated?” Gator hollered as the wind picked up its howl.
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
Gator leaned in to yell into Blaze’s ear. “Did Red and D-Day take them?”
“I didn’t see. Red was in the head puking so if she took them, I’m not sure they got into her system, they probably went down the drain with her dinner. I stayed with her and made sure she got tucked in bed nice and tight. D-day came in to see if she was okay and her eyes were as wide as saucers.”
Gator sent him a scowl.
“She’s fine,” Blaze patted his shoulder then slapped his hand back to the wall to catch his balance. “Horrified, but fine. She said she was making her way down the hall when the door to Gregor’s cabin slapped open. There was Daniel on his knees giving the big guy a blow job. Gregor was apparently naked and as hairy as a silver backed gorilla.”
A grin spread across Gator’s face. “What did she do?”
“Said excuse me and shut the door. She told me she couldn’t imagine anyone wanting a sexual experience during this.”
“Maybe Gregor needed a little stress relief, something to take the edge off.”
“D-day was concerned that one big drop from a wave and taking the edge off was exactly what might happen.” Blaze fell into Gator, laughing.
“Oh, man, the visual on that…” The boat tipped precipitously. Gator slammed Blaze into the wall on the other side of the hall as they fell backward. Gator cupped his hand and yelled. “This is getting too much, we need to get below. The captain said he’d use the intercom if we can help. When Daniel’s done servicing Gregor, he can tell us if he’s changed his strategy on handling the guests and this storm.”
“I’m not sure there is a strategy to get through the storm, other than pray.”