Janet and Justin’s Island Affair

Ahead, Janet could make out the colors of Justin's boat. Even in the subdued light, the brilliant greens and reds of the vessel were unmistakable. It was tied securely to the wood and concrete pier which acted as an anchor for both the boathouse and the little craft.

Justin led the way up the stairs and then up the gangplank to the deck of the boat, the cooler poised on his shoulder. "Come on aboard!" he beckoned. Then he took the cooler over to the cabin and set it down inside, safe from the heat of the morning sun.

Janet looked at him curiously,

"What would you like me to do first?" she asked eagerly.

Justin was amused by her exuberance. He was well aware of the affect that the beauty of the island, and the adventure of being aboard a fishing boat, had on visitors.

"We've got about a one and a half hour cruise out to today's fishing grounds." he replied, "The nets will have to be readied and we'll probably need some coffee to keep us alert on the way." Then, looking at Janet with a mischievous smile, he added, "You can either prepare the nets for the first drag or make the coffee. The choice is yours."

Janet cast a withering smile at the handsome fisherman. What a smartass! she thought with a chuckle. She looked at the large drag net suspended from huge poles on either side of the boat. Then she looked at Justin, "I think I'll prepare the nets." she replied. "You can make us some coffee!"

Justin's jaw fell open. Her snappy retort took him totally by surprise.

Janet immediately took pity on him, "Okay! Now we're even!" she laughed. "I don't know a fishnet from a butterfly net! Where's the coffee maker?"

Justin chuckled. He found her audacity amusing. Janet was obviously a woman to be reckoned with and much quicker than most with a flippant reply. He'd just gotten a stinging demonstration of how nimble witted she was. He smiled broadly; his sparkling white teeth dazzling brightly, even in the subdued light of dawn. "There a hotplate on the table in the cabin!" he replied, "You'll find the coffee percolator, the coffee and fresh water on the shelf above the table."

Janet made her way to the cabin. The boat was spotless and now that she was aboard, she realized that it was not nearly as small as it had looked from the shore. The mast looked to be at least 35 feet high and she guessed that the overall length of the craft exceeded 35 feet. There was plenty of room on the deck and she was a little surprised to find that the vessel didn't bob up and down as she moved, the way some of the smaller pleasure craft she'd been aboard did. It was obvious that the vessel represented a substantial investment on Justin's part and being an entrepreneur herself, she was impressed. It seemed likely that Mr. Tyme was a far more savvy businessman than she'd initially believed.

The hotplate was plugged into an unusual looking receptacle on the wall of the cabin. When she turned it on nothing happened. Then she heard Justin's resonant voice behind her, "You'll have to wait until I start the engine Janet."

She turned and saw Justin walking over to the control console. "All of the electricity on the boat comes from a generator that only works while the engine is running," he explained.

With that, he turned a key on the console, pressed a button and Janet heard the boat's diesel engine turning over. It leapt to life with a powerful roar and then fell off to a quiet idle. He then jumped nimbly down to the pier and, in just a few seconds, had the mooring ropes untied. The boat now free of its constraints, he leapt back onto the gangplank and pulled the loading ramp onto the boat behind him.

He looked at Janet and proclaimed with a smile, "When you work alone, you learn all the shortcuts!" Once back in the cabin, he engaged the propeller drive. Then he gently opened the throttle and the little boat began to move slowly away from the dock, out onto the sparkling azure blanket of the Caribbean.

It was a beautiful day! Everything was just starting to come to life as they sailed easily away from the shore. Janet looked at Justin's handsomely chiselled ebony features as he carefully guided the boat into the deeper offshore waters. She could see by the look on his face that he loved every minute of what he was doing.

"What a life!", she thought to herself. Every man and boy she'd ever known loved to go fishing and here was a grown man who got to go every day and made money doing it. She smiled contentedly as they sailed into the warm, bright face of the morning sun.

When they were about a mile offshore, Justin turned the boat West and began to sail parallel to the beach. By then, they were far enough away from land to be certain that there was no longer a danger of colliding with any reefs or shoals. As they moved nimbly along the coastline, Justin began pointing out some of the less familiar features of the island to Janet. She was amazed at the size of some of the estates that dotted the coast. Justin explained that most of them belonged to rich Americans who'd moved to the island to retire or to avoid the high taxes that they'd been paying most of their lives.

Janet had been along the shore road several times, but she'd never seen these estates before. "Why haven't I ever seen these homes?" she asked incredulously. "I've ridden along the shore road on the island buses lots of times, but I've never seen any of them until now?"

"Because the owners built them well away the roadway, usually behind a heavy stand of trees." Justin replied, "And because they have lots of money, they were able to afford the cost of having the shore built out past the natural coast. They brought in truckload after truckload of dirt and gravel and just kept dumping it offshore until their property had been made large enough to allow them to build the mansion that they wanted." He chuckled wryly and added, "You can do almost anything if you have enough money!"

Janet was still very curious. "But why haven't I seen these people? They must leave their estates sometimes! They must have cars or boats! I've been here for a while now and I've never seen any sign of them! Where do they go? What do they do? I've never seen them at the beach or at any of the marketplaces?"

Justin chuckled at Janet's naiveté. "But you have seen them!" he said with a broad grin. "There were a couple of the estate owners at the island market yesterday, while you were there! But you didn't notice them because they were dressed like and acted like any other tourist. They know how to keep a low profile. They'd prefer not to be seen at all, but the only way they could accomplish that would be to become prisoners on their own estates."

He looked pensively at the long row of estates that floated casually by as his intrepid craft nimbly cut its way through the soft foam of the offshore swells. "They're very private people." he remarked thoughtfully. "They started coming to the island about 25 years ago and they brought a lot of money with them. We welcomed them! They and their money did a lot for our island and its economy. They didn't just come to take what little we had away from us, as many said they would. Instead, they paid taxes and helped us to build roads and schools. They loaned money, interest free, to island residents who had the ability and talent to start their own businesses."

"When I realized that I needed a bigger boat a few years ago, one of them loaned me the money to buy it." He flashed a smile of feigned superiority at Janet. "Just try and get an interest free loan from one of your American banks!" he laughed. "The manager will pull the lever that opens the trap door in front of his desk before you finish asking."

Then a sombre look fell over his face. "Now most of them are very old and they enjoy the warmth and privacy that the island offers more than ever, but they don't want any more of their own kind coming here. They're afraid that the island will be overrun by wealthy Americans. We'll start running out of room and the island will lose its natural beauty. The trees and wild areas will disappear and be replaced by houses and apartment buildings; or even worse, the island could become a major tourist destination."

He looked at Janet again. "They insist that nothing destroys the natural beauty of any place as quickly as tourists."

"Then how do you explain the hotel that I'm staying at?", Janet asked.

"It's probably the biggest tourist attraction on the island?"

"The hotel was already here when the estate owners started arriving" explained Justin. "In fact, that's how they found out about the island in the first place. They were tourists themselves. Most of them were simply looking for a pleasant private place to escape to for a vacation. When they arrived here, they fell in love with the island. Many of them bought property and built the mansions that we've been looking at."

He looked wistfully back at the estates that were by now starting to disappear into the light morning mist that embraced the coast. "I can understand why they'd want to live here and keep the beauty to themselves"

Then, with an understanding smile, he added, "I was born here and I've always loved it too."

Their speedy craft had by now passed the Western end of the island and there was nothing ahead or to either side but open sea. Justin steered to a more northerly course and then, turning back to Janet, remarked, "Over the past twenty five years, there have been several developers who've tried to buy land to build more hotels, but the estate owners have always been able to stop them. Somehow they've been able to convince the island government that any more hotels would be a social and ecological disaster. That's the reason our little island never changes very much."

He looked at Janet and smiled. His teeth sparkled brilliantly in the bright morning sun and his dark eyes glowed with crackling energy. " I think I like it that way," he added.

As the coastline disappeared behind them, Justin opened up the throttle and the boat lurched ahead eagerly, anxious to get on with the day's business.

Janet poured two cups of the coffee she'd just made. It billowed out of the pot, rich and black and steaming hot. She handed one of the cups to Justin. He sipped it carefully and swallowed tentatively.

"Ah! Good coffee!" he remarked in emphatic approval. "You make coffee as well as any islander!"

For the next hour, they sailed along contentedly, chatting about whatever came to mind. Janet confided in Justin about her failed marriage and the trials involved in starting up her business. Justin told her about his life on the tiny island and how his dream had always been to buy a fishing boat and operate his own business. To earn the king of money he'd need for the undertaking, he had to leave the island when he was only 17 years old and work on an ocean freighter operating out of Panama. The job paid well and he was able to set aside more than 80% of what he earned. Even so, it took him almost 4 years to save the money that he needed to buy his first small fishing boat, a used 25 foot long relic.

He was ambitious and smart! Janet liked that a lot! As they talked, it became apparent that they both possessed the same fiery entrepreneurial spirit. Their values were almost identical.

As the vessel cut through the deeper offshore waters, it started to rise and fall in a gentle rocking motion. Janet began to realize why Justin had suggested she make coffee to keep them awake. Had she not been so excited, she could easily have fallen into a deep comfortable sleep. She went over and stood beside Justin and as she peered through the cabin window, she started to giggle. Madeleine was sitting at the front of the boat like a sentinel, watching everything that happened as they sliced through the indigo sea.

The ubiquitous seagulls circled overhead en masse and when one would occasionally dive too close to the vessel, Madeleine would jump up and snap at it. "Surely Madeleine doesn't think she can catch one of them does she?" Janet asked in disbelief.

Justin laughed when he saw the look of surprise on her face. "Sure she does! She catches one every few months and then doesn't know what to do with it. It usually slaps her silly with its wings and eventually while makes an escape, but Madeleine learns her lesson. As for as she's concerned, this is her boat and the gulls have no right to come near it.

He chuckled as he watched Madeleine guarding the vessel. "It's a territorial thing," he asserted. "She figures this is just as much her boat as it is mine and she's not about to let a flock of screaming seagulls anywhere near it."

Janet wandered out onto the deck and looked into the sky. It was a deep, lustrous blue, with not a cloud in sight. The warm sea air rushed by her as the fishing vessel boat cut effortlessly through the water. It smelled sweet and the salt spray stung her cheeks as it whipped over the bow. She couldn't recall ever seeing a more lovely day or experiencing such a feeling of vitality.

She heard Justin shouting to her from behind. "We should be there in about ten minutes Janet."

As she turned to look at him, he added with a smile, "It looks like a perfect day for fishing. I think you're going to bring me good luck." His rich, reverberant voice never failed to stir her. It struck her ears like an audible aphrodisiac, as sweetly succulent as the finest vintage wine, as movingly sensual as the intimate touch of a cherished lover.

"I hope so!" she replied with a slightly nervous smile. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"How would you like to take the wheel for a while so you can get used to the feel of the boat?" he asked. "When I'm winching the nets aboard, you're going to have to hold the boat steady so the nets don't get fouled up."

"Ok!" replied Janet as she strode confidently over to the control console. "What do I have to do?"

Justin placed his hand on her waist and guided her between his body and the console. His hand was huge and its touch sent sparks of electricity dancing wildly up and down the length of Janet's body. Her knees began to tremble ever so slightly as she felt his hard muscular physique pressing gently against her from behind.

His captivating voice fell almost to a whisper as he gave her instructions.

"Now take hold of the wheel," he said softly. She could feel his breath against her ear as he leaned closer. "This is not like the steering wheel of a car. Each turn of the wheel will only take you about five degrees to port or starboard." Then, with a soft chuckle, he added, "That's sea talk for left or right."

Janet grasped the wheel tentatively. It was about a foot and a half in diameter and cold to her touch. She guessed it was made of stainless steel. Justin placed his left hand on her waist to steady her. Then placed his right hand over her right hand as it gripped the wheel. Janet shivered as she felt the warmth of his palm against the top of her cold hand.

His hand was huge! It covered hers completely. She could feel the strength and heat in his touch and wondered, with just a hint of embarrassment, if he knew what she was feeling. Her cheeks burned at the thought of him sensing the salacious thoughts that his touch sent racing through her mind?

His hand guided hers in a complete counterclockwise turn of the wheel. The resulting change in course was hardly noticeable. Janet realized immediately what he'd meant when he warned her that the boat did not steer like a car. Then Justin took his right hand from hers and placed it on her right hip.

"Now turn the wheel back one full turn the other way." Justin whispered. "I'm not going to help you this time."

Janet's heart was in her mouth. The feel of Justin's huge hands on her body was intoxicating. My God! she thought, It's like an electric shock every time he touches me. How am I supposed to keep my mind on steering the boat?

She carefully turned the wheel back to it's original position and the boat slowly returned to it's previous course. "How's that?" asked Janet, hoping that he wasn't sensing her growing ardor.

Justin laughed softly in her ear.

"I think I may make a sailor out of you yet Janet!" he replied. Then, moving his lips to her ear, he added in a seductive whisper, "and without a doubt, the prettiest sailor I've ever seen."

The soft words of affection left Janet temporarily speechless. She didn't know what to do or what to say. All she knew for sure was that this guy was making her act like a schoolgirl with her first crush. Finally, she gathered her wits and replied, "I'll bet you tell all the ladies you take out on your boat the same thing."

She immediately wanted to bite her tongue. She never made stupid comments like that. What was it about this guy that made her act so silly?

"You're the first woman who's ever been alone with me on my boat Janet." he whispered. "I've taken several of the hotel's guests out fishing with me, but until now, they've all been men or couples." He chortled softly, a little embarrassed by his admission.

"When I saw you at the market, I thought to myself, 'Here's a lady whose beauty and grace could turn my little fishing boat into a world class cruise ship'."

Janet was pleased, very pleased! She was glad that Justin found her alluring. She'd always hated the prospect of a one sided affair. "You mean you find me attractive Mr. Tyme?" she asked with a coy smile. She felt buoyed by his admission that he found her appealing. She was beginning to regain her normal self confidence. Being alone with a stunningly attractive man like Justin Tyme had left her feeling less self assured than normal. It was a welcome boost to her ego to find that he thought she was pretty.

Justin moved closer. She could feel his hard flat stomach and muscular chest pressing gently against her back. She shivered involuntarily as she felt the soft brush of his lips against her ear.

"I find you devastatingly attractive Janet. You're one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen."

Janet's trepidation evaporated as she listened to the words of adulation that he whispered softly into her ear. She turned slightly and looked at him over her shoulder. The tenderness on his face spoke volumes about the emotions he was feeling at that moment. As their eyes met, he bent down and pressed his lips gently to hers. The kiss immediately began to grow in intensity as they were both caught up in the urgency of each other's touch. Janet turned around completely as she felt a sense of surrender sweeping over her. She reached up and slid her arms around Justin's neck, pulling his mouth hungrily to hers.

Their joined lips were a conduit for their pent up passion. Each of them pouring their sensually charged emotions and hot physical need, into the other, creating a cauldron of bubbling desire so intense that it was boiling over. Justin's hands moved down over her shoulders and waist and his arms circled her. He effortlessly pulled her body up into the embrace, his kiss becoming hungrier, more urgent, as he felt her responding with a level of accumulated need that matched his own. Her feet left the floor as the two of them were swept away by the huge wave of physical and emotional fever that engulfed them. The dam had broken and the passion that had been consuming them silently, from the moment they met, was at last set free.

Janet felt her body crying out for more. The feel of Justin's hard physique pressed urgently against her, fed the growing inferno of lust that weakened her knees and set her head spinning wildly. She tried to keep up with the prurient need that possessed her, but felt herself being pulled helplessly into a vortex of white hot, sexual energy that was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. He held her to him with one arm, his body pressing hers urgently against the control console. His free hand moved hungrily over her body, gently caressing and squeezing her heaving breasts, temptingly tracing their ripe outline through her blouse. He then moved provocatively down over the sensual curves of her firmly rounded hips, seductively over the soft, graceful line of her outside thigh and then slowly, tantalizingly, up it's warm inner surface, all the way to the moist, hotly aroused center of her need.