Twenty-One Evelyn
The windows reflected the water and the air smelled faintly of salt. Somewhere below, waves rolled in and out against the shore as the breeze moved through the palms. Vanessa rang the bell as we waited outside her friend's mansion.
A few short seconds later, a handsome man with a large smile opened the door. He eyed me up and down before turning to Vanessa and pulling her into a hug. "She's beautiful, Vanessa," he whispered all too loudly.
I pretended not to have heard, he obviously had the wrong impression.
Vanessa was quick to introduce me as a friend from work.
When she did so, the man's demeanor toward me quickly changed, suddenly taking an interest in me.
I once again played dumb to the suggestive looks he shot my way—not leading him on, but not being rude.
Much to my relief, the small talk was short-lived, and he quickly led us along the shoreline to the docks before saying a quick goodbye.
He could have been anyone, but in front of Vanessa there was no way I'd ever return those gestures.
The boat was on the larger side, rather stable-looking.
Vanessa had explained that the wind was blowing in the right direction, so sailing conditions today were ideal.
The breeze was lovely and the sun was bright.
I lay down on my stomach, soaking in the warmth on my back.
Watching Vanessa bring us out to sea was a show of its own.
It was clear she knew what she was doing.
Once we were far enough out, on the right course, Vanessa relaxed, sitting next to me and dipping her feet in the cool water. "I didn’t like the way he looked at you," she stated shamelessly, running a hand through her disheveled red waves blowing in the breeze.
"What, you have a problem with people checking me out?" I raised my brows incredulously, caught off guard by her abrupt statement.
"More or less. It was simply disquieting to observe," she said, pursing her lips in distaste, and turning her head away from me so the wind blew her hair into place like a model.
“Jealous, much?” I asked, mustering up my most innocent tone. Vanessa being jealous was unbelievable. If she wanted me, I was hers.
“Hopeful, much?” she fired back, narrowing her eyes.
As much as she brought out my brattiest tendencies, she also stripped me of them with the unwavering look in her eyes. Burning up under her gaze and the midday sun, entering the chilly ocean looked more appealing.
"Whatever. Can I jump into the ocean?"
"Can you swim?"
That was my answer. I ripped off my cover-up dress, fighting the urge to give her a striptease with the comically skimpy white bikini I’d chosen purely for this reason.
I dove into the water like I'd learned all those years ago on a swim team. From the water, I peered up at Vanessa. Her red hair blew in the wind, but her green eyes, glowing in the sun, were glued to mine.
"Can you swim?" I shot back.
Vanessa rolled her eyes and began to slowly strip off her dress, revealing a low-cut black one-piece with a plunging halter wrap around the neck. After releasing the boat’s anchor, she dove in, swimming over to me with a flawless butterfly.
Annoyed and jealous, I splashed her. And with a glint in her eyes, she splashed me back with double the force.
I choked on a mouthful of water before seeking my revenge.
Kicking my feet I sent a wave of my own her way, watching with joy as it splattered across her face.
Covering her face, she used her legs to do the same.
I ducked under water, but came up at the wrong time, inhaling a mouth full of water.
“Truce?” she called out, seeming a bit out of breath herself.
“Never!”
This fight continued until we got so tired we needed to help one another climb back onto the boat. She continued directing the sailing as I sunbathed, until we stopped at an island to enjoy a picnic style lunch.
After leaving the island, we were nearly halfway to our landing and the only ones on the ocean in sight.
Wanting to stretch my legs, I walked up to Vanessa, watching her untie an older knot in order to secure it with a new one. I stood close to her, completely absorbed in what she was doing with the sail.
"I can't focus when you're breathing down my neck," she remarked once done with her seamless work. She turned to grab the box of gourmet chocolate strawberries she brought, offering it to me like a distraction.
"Can you make that knot again, I want to see?"
"Sure, I'll demonstrate it for you in a second, sweetheart," she laughed, grabbing a strawberry. She looked so angelic in her element, more carefree, young.
"Come," she gestured to the middle of the boat, popping the fruit into her mouth. I followed, watching her stop at the center pole. Carefully, she uncoiled what had to be over ten feet of rope. "Watch," she commanded, her voice a few octaves lower.
She slowly began weaving opposite sides of the rope in and out of each other.
She wasn't pulling them tight yet, but when she eventually did, each loose loop would inevitably cinch into place, becoming an inescapably strong knot.
She took her time, giving me the chance to watch the process—to see the loose circles that would soon become something tighter, no matter how wide they were now.
Wide enough that I could slip my wrist through them.
Maybe this was a bad idea. My inhibitions were already beginning to slip—not because of the rope or the knots themselves, but because of everything they represented and everything they offered me.
She shot me an incredulous look, expecting me to ask another question or encourage her to pull so I could see the magic of them forming. But instead, I remained silent, resisting the urges that defined my every being.
Vanessa cupped my cheek in her palm, turning my face toward her. For a brief moment, confusion flashed across her features before realization took over.
"Oh, Evelyn, my sweetheart," she whispered.
Without thinking, I slid my hands into the loops beside us.
Turning my head back slowly, I met Vanessa's tantalizing eyes, filled with something I'd never seen.
Before I could process it, her other hand slid to the back of my head, pulling me into her.
Although the gesture was light and slow enough for me to object or move away, it was commanding all the same.
Her lips were softer than I could’ve ever imagined, sweet from the strawberries. She dominated the kiss from the start, in a way that made my knees weak. Grabbing onto the loose rope for stability, I kissed her back, my head spinning at the way my twisted fantasy was playing out.
"Is this okay?" she whispered into my mouth. I nodded, my mind too fuzzy to form words. "Words, darling."
"Vanessa, please. Please don't stop—"
"Shhh… it's okay, love. I just wanted clear consent. I'm not asking you to beg..." She leaned in, stealing another soft kiss before her lips hovered just against mine. "At least not right now."
Color rushed to my cheeks at her words. She must’ve noticed my embarrassment, because she placed a tender kiss on my jaw before speaking into my ear. "You're such a good girl for me. I didn't even have to ask."
I moaned at her words, desperately needing her back against me.
Sensing my desperation, she let out a velvety chuckle. "I should've known you don't savor these things either," she teased, before wrapping her arms around my waist and claiming my mouth once more.
I went to lace my hands in her hair but realized my wrists were bound. I gasped into her mouth, heat rushing through me. She pulled the knots.
"Do you have a safeword?"
Quickly looking around for inspiration, my eyes fell upon the strawberries. "Um...kiwi?"
"Alright, sweetheart. If you say 'Kiwi,' everything stops. Understand?"
I nodded, not willing to waste any more time.
"Don't just nod, tell me you understand."
I held back a groan. She was just taking proper precautions but with my need, keeping my bratty tendencies at bay was difficult. "I understand, kiwi means stop."
Her lips were back on mine as every previous thought began to slip away.
I tugged at my bonds playfully, not because I didn't want them, but because I wanted to test their strength. She pulled back causing me to groan at the loss of contact.
"Do that again, and there will be consequences," she warned, her expression firm in a way that only made me want to disobey even more. I nodded.
Luckily letting my lack of a verbal reply go, she began kissing down my neck, all over the exposed areas of my chest.
Though once again, she pulled back all too soon. It was taking all my self-control not to do something rash.
The rope's texture wasn't soft or meant for bondage, which didn't bother me at all.
The slight pain from the rougher surface only added to the thrilling sensations which in my mind, made up for how little Vanessa was giving me.
But she seemed to disagree, taking careful note of the pinkish scratches surrounding my wrists.
"I'm going to untie you, and then you're going to lie down for me."
I kept my mouth shut giving her a short nod. If I spoke there would be a tone, and she wouldn’t like that. Why was she letting this go, was my need to be disciplined not obvious?
"Were my instructions unclear?"
"I'm waiting for you to—"
I realized my hands were free embarrassingly late into my overconfidently spoken sentence. But that wasn't fair, I hadn't spaced out, and she never bent down to undo the knots. It had only been a few seconds.
Not even finishing my sentence, I hurried to lie down just as she'd asked.
She smirked, appreciating my sudden compliance.
"Slip knots, honey. I'm not injudicious enough to put you in danger."
I hadn't even considered the risks of bondage in the middle of the ocean on a sailboat, it was a good thing one of us was responsible.
Before I could respond she moved forward, hovering over me. Her long damp hair surrounded me. My hands immediately found their place in her hair, gently tugging her downwards.