One night as she walked, Alexis was enveloped by a glorious fragrance. The rich scent was overwhelming. She sniffed the air, hunting for its source, until she discovered an ordinary looking shrub in front of a nearby house with clusters of pale tiny trumpet-shaped flowers. Bending over she breathed the heady perfume, a scent so sweet and delicious it was almost dizzying.
“It's night-blooming jasmine." A voice came from a shadow on the front porch, and a tall blond handsome young man came forward from the semi-darkness. “You won’t smell it in the daytime. Potent stuff." Picking off a bunch of the blossoms, he gave them to her and smiled. “Here, have some."
"Thank you. They’re lovely. Do you live here?"
"No. This is my sister's house. I have a sailboat at the marina. I visit when I'm in port. My name's Paul Halliday."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Alexis Dubois. Do you live on your boat full time?"
"No. I'd like to, but it's very hard to make a living unless you're a pirate, shrimper, fisherman, or a smuggler," he laughed and his eyes twinkled. “And although I have assumed all of those roles at some point in the past, I don't qualify for any of them right now. Most of the time I live in Fort Lauderdale; I have some property and investments there. But I decided to take a break for a while and spend as much time on the water as possible.”
Paul and Alexis stood talking for a while and then walked together down the empty streets of Old Town. The architectural style was reminiscent of New England, aging frame houses with elaborate gingerbread detailing on the eaves and wide verandas.
“The ship's carpenters came mostly from Maine and Massachusetts," Paul explained. "See the small balcony on the roof with the railing around it? That’s the ‘widows walk.’ The wives would go there to watch and wait for their sailors to come home." As he told of the magic of the sea and sky, she sensed a special warmth and magnetism. He was very attractive, and Alexis started to wonder if Paul was meant to be a part of the adventure she was seeking.
"I'm about ready to go back over to the marina, Alexis. Would you like to join me? Or do you have to be somewhere?"
"Oh, I'd love to see it. There is no place I have to be, and I have no promises to keep."
"Sounds great. Let's go back to my sister's house first so I can pick up my provisions. Hope you don’t mind walking though. On land, my feet are my only wheels."
“Luke? Are you here?" Paul carried the box across the gangway, and then gave Alexis a hand as she crossed to the deck. As she admired the lines of the sailboat, a beautiful forty-two-foot trimaran, a mop of blond hair attached to a lithe wiry body bobbed out of the forward hatch.
"Yeah, I'm here," said a gruff voice. "Paul, listen, about those new lines on the spinnaker, I think we ought to – well, well, who do we have here?"
"Luke, this is Alexis. Alexis, meet my boat mate and partner in crime, Lukas Howe."
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." He made a formal bow and kissed her hand. "Where did our Captain Paul find a good-looking little ladyfish like you?"
"We met over at my sister's house," Paul answered for her. "Serves you right for making me do the shopping all the time. You might meet somebody too if you weren't always here on deck playing with the rigging."
"I wouldn't mind playing with her rigging," laughed Luke.
"Control yourself, you horny sailor. Besides, I saw her first," Paul retorted. "Why don't you make yourself useful? Break out a bottle of wine and roll up one of your famous New York pin joints while I show Alexis the boat."
"Aye, aye, Sorr. Harrrrr," Luke growled good-naturedly as he went below.
Paul turned back to her. "Sorry about that. Luke's got a one-track mind when it comes to pleasures of the flesh. We've been out at sea for ten days, so he needs a woman real bad."
"Well, I've got good news for him. Tomorrow is going to be his lucky day," Alexis laughed, "I know a girl named Marcy that he'd just love to meet!"
As the hours passed, the moon sank slowly toward the horizon
and they sipped the last of the wine. It was late, and the conversation had turned philosophical. Luke had long retired to his quarters, uninterested in anything that didn't directly relate to sex and women. Paul reclined next to Alexis on the deck. They were intensely aware of each other, feeling the effects of the wine and weed. The breeze was cool now.
"Would you rather go below where it's warmer?"
"No, it's so beautiful on here deck. Just look at that moon."
Paul got up and disappeared into the galley and brought back a blanket. As he reached across to cover her, his face brushed her cheek. Their eyes met and their lips touched; the kiss was unhurried, long and lingering. Then they lay back together under the cover and watched the moon go down, listening to the sound of the halyards flapping against the mast.
…The misty air was thick and sultry. The Dark One lurked in the shadows just beyond the gray curtains of sanity. Alexis screamed, yet no sound came out. She knew if she could just run fast enough, she could take off and fly, at least above the treetops, high enough to flee the menacing fiend. Looking down she saw its claws; the razor tips grazed her bare skin. Smelling the stench of decomposed flesh on its hot stinking breath, the sulfuric fumes enveloped her. She was running, running, but the demon creature was almost upon her…
“It's night-blooming jasmine." A voice came from a shadow on the front porch, and a tall blond handsome young man came forward from the semi-darkness. “You won’t smell it in the daytime. Potent stuff." Picking off a bunch of the blossoms, he gave them to her and smiled. “Here, have some."
"Thank you. They’re lovely. Do you live here?"
"No. This is my sister's house. I have a sailboat at the marina. I visit when I'm in port. My name's Paul Halliday."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Alexis Dubois. Do you live on your boat full time?"
"No. I'd like to, but it's very hard to make a living unless you're a pirate, shrimper, fisherman, or a smuggler," he laughed and his eyes twinkled. “And although I have assumed all of those roles at some point in the past, I don't qualify for any of them right now. Most of the time I live in Fort Lauderdale; I have some property and investments there. But I decided to take a break for a while and spend as much time on the water as possible.”
Paul and Alexis stood talking for a while and then walked together down the empty streets of Old Town. The architectural style was reminiscent of New England, aging frame houses with elaborate gingerbread detailing on the eaves and wide verandas.
“The ship's carpenters came mostly from Maine and Massachusetts," Paul explained. "See the small balcony on the roof with the railing around it? That’s the ‘widows walk.’ The wives would go there to watch and wait for their sailors to come home." As he told of the magic of the sea and sky, she sensed a special warmth and magnetism. He was very attractive, and Alexis started to wonder if Paul was meant to be a part of the adventure she was seeking.
"I'm about ready to go back over to the marina, Alexis. Would you like to join me? Or do you have to be somewhere?"
"Oh, I'd love to see it. There is no place I have to be, and I have no promises to keep."
"Sounds great. Let's go back to my sister's house first so I can pick up my provisions. Hope you don’t mind walking though. On land, my feet are my only wheels."
“Luke? Are you here?" Paul carried the box across the gangway, and then gave Alexis a hand as she crossed to the deck. As she admired the lines of the sailboat, a beautiful forty-two-foot trimaran, a mop of blond hair attached to a lithe wiry body bobbed out of the forward hatch.
"Yeah, I'm here," said a gruff voice. "Paul, listen, about those new lines on the spinnaker, I think we ought to – well, well, who do we have here?"
"Luke, this is Alexis. Alexis, meet my boat mate and partner in crime, Lukas Howe."
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." He made a formal bow and kissed her hand. "Where did our Captain Paul find a good-looking little ladyfish like you?"
"We met over at my sister's house," Paul answered for her. "Serves you right for making me do the shopping all the time. You might meet somebody too if you weren't always here on deck playing with the rigging."
"I wouldn't mind playing with her rigging," laughed Luke.
"Control yourself, you horny sailor. Besides, I saw her first," Paul retorted. "Why don't you make yourself useful? Break out a bottle of wine and roll up one of your famous New York pin joints while I show Alexis the boat."
"Aye, aye, Sorr. Harrrrr," Luke growled good-naturedly as he went below.
Paul turned back to her. "Sorry about that. Luke's got a one-track mind when it comes to pleasures of the flesh. We've been out at sea for ten days, so he needs a woman real bad."
"Well, I've got good news for him. Tomorrow is going to be his lucky day," Alexis laughed, "I know a girl named Marcy that he'd just love to meet!"
As the hours passed, the moon sank slowly toward the horizon
and they sipped the last of the wine. It was late, and the conversation had turned philosophical. Luke had long retired to his quarters, uninterested in anything that didn't directly relate to sex and women. Paul reclined next to Alexis on the deck. They were intensely aware of each other, feeling the effects of the wine and weed. The breeze was cool now."Would you rather go below where it's warmer?"
"No, it's so beautiful on here deck. Just look at that moon."
Paul got up and disappeared into the galley and brought back a blanket. As he reached across to cover her, his face brushed her cheek. Their eyes met and their lips touched; the kiss was unhurried, long and lingering. Then they lay back together under the cover and watched the moon go down, listening to the sound of the halyards flapping against the mast.
…The misty air was thick and sultry. The Dark One lurked in the shadows just beyond the gray curtains of sanity. Alexis screamed, yet no sound came out. She knew if she could just run fast enough, she could take off and fly, at least above the treetops, high enough to flee the menacing fiend. Looking down she saw its claws; the razor tips grazed her bare skin. Smelling the stench of decomposed flesh on its hot stinking breath, the sulfuric fumes enveloped her. She was running, running, but the demon creature was almost upon her…
*************************
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