Jay, Chapter 5

Todd

The week had gone by so fast. This group of guests had been so fun, but also a lot of work. Interior had been busy with keeping their glasses full and preparing snacks in between meals, as well as the themed dinners and parties. Deck crew was working overtime cleaning up dropped glasses and keeping an eye on intoxicated guests in the water.

In the meantime, I still didn’t have much clarity about what was going on between me and Todd. There had been winks and smiles and I had felt his hand on my back and shoulder when there was no need for it. Every morning he had given me a big hug before getting to work.

Most puzzling had been the selfie. He had taken it when changing from the daytime uniform to the nighttime one. He stood sideways. It was a mirror selfie in our own bathroom, with the trousers down by his knees. His round, bare butt on full display.

‘Bosun Big Ass reporting for duty’ was the accompanying message. I had received it while in the galley doing prep for dinner. It was about halfway through this charter, days after we had discussed his Airforce nickname Sergeant Big Ass. So it came out of nowhere. I was surprised, but mostly very turned on. I had quickly hidden my phone away.

Todd

That night, when Todd was doing dishes and I cleaned the kitchen, I decided not to mention it. Todd was just talking about how his day had been. The guests had asked for a group photo on the sundeck with him in it. And he had felt a hand on his ass while they posed for the picture. He had told this story with a smile and a chuckle.

“Oh, did you get my picture?”
His smile had been so wide, I could only smile back.
“Yep.”
I had looked down.
“So you liked it!”
I had guffawed.
“Stop teasing me!”
Todd had just collected the dishes and went to put them away with a spring in his step.
“Now watch the real thing!”
I had thrown a dishtowel his way.

I still wasn’t sure if he was just playfully teasing me, or if it was genuine flirting. But there was a definite chemistry between us. I knew I would find out more on the crew night out, which was only 24 hours away.

I was preparing the last dinner for this charter, which had an Ancient Rome theme. I was preparing some Italian classics. I had prepared glutenfree pasta from scratch, and I had ordered the best vegan mozzarella I knew of. I knew we had to go out with a bang.

And so did Becca. She had decorated the dining area beautifully and the table looked incredible. She also had outfits for everyone, which kind of turned it into the fanciest toga party ever. Of course Todd was made to wear the skimpiest outfit once again.

 “It’s like a cocktail napkin and a crown, but he’s already said he’d wear it. He’s just the best co-worker.”
Becca couldn’t believe it.
“And I don’t even think it’s just for the tip either, it’s just because I asked him.”
I smiled.
“I really think the guests will love it, too.”
“Definitely!”

Todd

Last night, Todd had also been dressed up for Casino Night and he got to wear a very fancy outfit. And he had looked amazing as well. I was so distracted putting the final touches on each course whenever he appeared in a crisp white shirt and a black suit, ready to take the plates up.

 For tonight, however, we needed to end on a high. Something the guests would remember for the rest of their lives. So everyone was working to their strengths. For me, that was the food. So I focused. Everything had to be perfect.

I was very carefully plating, and I could feel Becca’s, Yasmin’s, and Gloria’s eyes on me as they were waiting to take up the starter dish.
“So what’s this again?”, Becca asked.
“Pappardelle alla Sorrentina, a cherry tomato sauce, vegan Mozzarella, with fresh basil and garlic. And the pappardelle is glutenfree.”
“Everyone gets the same?”
“Everyone gets the same.”
“It looks amazing.”

Todd

I looked up, surprised at the male voice. There was Todd, as always very willing to help run plates. He was practically naked in my galley. I looked him up and down.
“OK, OK. Close your mouth, continue plating.”
I looked up. Gloria was giggling.
“What? You were gawking!”
“I was not… gawking.”

I realized I was fighting a losing battle and I needed to focus on plating anyway. Gloria mumbled something, but I didn’t listen.
“Done!”

 All four of my co-workers took two plates each and walked out. Todd walked out last, giving me an unobstructed view of his naked ass. He was focused on the job at hand and made no joke whatsoever, or even teased me in the slightest.

I had a rock hard erection, but I had to stay focused. Main course. I had slid the vegan lasagna into the oven at the right time. It would be another ten minutes, which was as timed. Now I just needed to focus on the risotto and the carciofo for the glutenfree guest.

“Not going to lie, they were distracted by Todd for quite some time. But once they dug in, they all loved it.”
I smiled at Becca who had returned to the galley.
“Before I’m off to check on the cabins, I just wanted to say, I didn’t tell Gloria anything.”
“What?”
It took me a while to realize what she meant. But then it occurred to me she meant about my crush on Todd.
“Oh. Todd. Yeah, I know. I guess I wasn’t very subtle.”
Becca smiled.
“You weren’t.”

Todd

I soldiered on. I took my time to plate the lasagna perfectly, as it isn’t easy to make it look as pretty as it tastes good. But I think I managed. The castagnaccio cake was the cherry on top. I came up with the stews and Todd to tell the guests about what their dessert was. The guests immediately told me how good everything had been tonight.
“You and Todd together really stimulated all of our senses tonight”, Oliver said in his slow, Southern drawl.
The entire table laughed. It was clear that they were intoxicated, but they’d had the time of their lives.

Only on return to the galley did I realize how tired I was. I had worked hard this past week. I knew I just had to clean up the kitchen, get to bed, and do breakfast in the morning before a night off. Soon enough, Todd showed up, back in uniform.

 “That was a lot”, he said.
“You OK?”, I asked.
“Yeah. It was fun. It’s odd how as a man it feels like a compliment to be objectified like that.”
I chuckled. He hit the nail on the head. History and still existing power structures make for different experiences.

Todd looked around the kitchen and saw some leftover pappardelle.
“Can I?”
“I saved it just for you.”
“You’re the best!”

Todd

Todd started on the dishes with his mouth still full.
“I hope I didn’t distract you too much with my outfit.”
I looked over. His cheeky smile was everything.
“I was fine.”
“You were staring.”
I chuckled.
“Whatever!”
“I liked it.”
“I’m sure you did.”

“Looking forward to tomorrow?”
“Oh yes. Drop-off day and a night out.”
“I know, right?”
I watched his hips go back and forth as he scrubbed a pan clean. I wanted to fuck him so bad. Even through my exhaustion, I was turned on. I yawned just as Todd turned around.

“Hey, I got it here if you want hit the hay?”
“Really?”
“Yeah! I can tell you pulled out all the stops tonight. You must be so tired.”
He dried his hands and walked to me to give me another one of his hugs. His strong body around me felt good. I felt my shoulders drop.
“Thanks”, I said, as he wouldn’t let go just yet.
“Anytime, buddy!”

Todd

I walked out of the galley.
“Goodnight!”
“Goodnight!”
It was so sweet of Todd to think about me. I knew he had made long hours this past week as well. He may tease me a lot, now that he knows I’m into him. But he’s also just a really nice guy. I fell asleep the second I crawled into bed.

The next day, I woke up excited. I was careful not to wake Todd up as I got dressed and quickly got started on breakfast. I checked the whiteboard to see that guests had partied until 2.30 AM, which meant it could still be a while for them to get up. I made sure to have a fruit platter ready in the fridge and I got started on some home-made muffins. This breakfast was the send-off. And, everything leftover would be for the crew after a job well done.

Todd came in for another hug in the morning.
“Happy drop-off day!”

Todd

Once the guests were up, I got started on eggs. And soon enough, we were headed back to the dock. When the entire crew lined up to say goodbye to the guests, Todd stood next to me and put his arm round me.
“I have a good feeling about this one”, he said.

The guests all hugged us one by one. They were very clear that they had the very best time. Gordon complimented the captain on the crew not just being good-looking but tailoring this experience perfectly to him and his friends.

The guys left the boat and waved us goodbye as they walked away. I felt pride in the job we did as a team on only our second charter. But I also felt relief. And most of all, I felt ready to party.

Captain informed us about the tip, which was one of the biggest he had seen in his career. It was the biggest tip I had seen in my career, period. Our hard work had been rewarded.

There were muffins leftover and the crew loved them. The heads of department were informed about the next charter guests. It was four co-workers and their partners. They looked a little boring, but you never know. And if they were boring, that meant early nights, so Becca was not opposed to the idea.

I made menus and a list for ordering provisions. And then I was off work. I took a nap and then got ready for the crew night out. I was the first one ready, so I opened a bottle of Italian wine and I put some pesto on crackers, while I patiently waited for the rest of the crew to join me.

Todd

Rodrigo sat next to me in the crew mess. All he could talk about was Yasmin. It was cute. One by one more crew members joined me. I noticed Todd was the only one not yet ready. I sent him a text.
‘Hurry!’
In no time he sent me a text back. It was another mirror selfie of him holding a towel in front of his privates.
‘Nearly done!’
I shielded my phone from my fellow crew members, but nobody seemed to notice.

When Todd was ready we made our way downtown. In the van I sat next to Danielle and she was a lot of fun. We laughed a lot. At the restaurant I sat with her, Harrison and Yasmin. I was laughing so much. This team was so much fun as well as very competent.

Todd was at the other end of the table, but I caught him looking at me a few times. I smiled his way each time.

We walked to the club from the restaurant. Todd found me and we walked side by side. He put his arm around me and I did the same thing back. I squeezed his buttcheek as a joke, but it felt really good. I noticed he smiled, but didn’t laugh.

“I took long to get ready for you”, he said.
“What? What do you mean?”
“I wanted to look hot for you.”
I realized Todd had a few drinks in him by now, as did I. But I was still surprised by what he was saying.

“Todd, are you… Are you into me?”
“I… I like you. A lot.”
He shrugged.

Todd

We arrived at the club and everyone started drinking and dancing. Todd and I sat down in a corner and talked over the music. I couldn’t see him very well. It was dark. A beam of light would every now and then hit our corner. Without it, I could only make out on half of his face. We had to sit close together to understand each other. He did smell nicer than usual.

“I didn’t know you were into guys. I just thought you were messing with me.”
“I have only been with one other guy before. When I was young. Also my bunk buddy. In the Airforce.”
He smiled at me. All of a sudden the light hit his face. I saw the desire in his eyes.
“All I know is, I want you near me. Close to me. Holding me. You are so beautiful, so driven, so funny. I… I don’t know.”

Todd looked down, like he was embarrassed of what he was saying. My lack of response may not have helped. I didn’t know what to say. But I did know what I wanted to do.

I took his chin in my right hand and angled his head up so we could look each other in the eye. We were already close together. I pulled his face towards mine and inched closer myself.

We were kissing. I heard Todd’s moan over the music. I put my hand on his back and pulled his body close. This felt right. I could feel Todd’s hand tremble on my shoulder. He was so nervous. But I could feel he wanted this bad.

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