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  Sam bit back tears as she retreated towards the kitchen. “Michael, can we take a walk when we’re done? I need to talk to you,” she asked quietly, putting dishes into the dishwasher.

  “Sure. Are you okay? I know Scott pressed some buttons.”

  “Yeah, I just need my best friend to talk to for a bit.”

  “I’m always here for you, baby. Let’s finish up with the kitchen and then blow this popsicle stand. Do you want to drive anywhere?”

  “No, a walk is fine. Thanks.”

  They strolled outside to the manicured lawn, and both took in a breath of the gentle sea breeze as it warmed the air around them. Michael took her hand and waited patiently for her to start.

  “I’m so confused. I really like him, but the family is looking at him like he’s going to be more of a brother to me. What should I do?”

  “I think you need to remember how Dad and Scott are. They were best friends, grew up together and Dad even babysat Mom at times. It was hard for Scott to see them date at first, but he got used to it. Now look what happened.”

  “Is this hard for you? Sharing my attention with another guy? I don’t want you to ever think you will be replaced as my best friend.”

  “I have no doubt I am stuck with you forever, brat. I also know that if I ever meet a girl I like, she has to be your friend before I would allow myself to get heavily involved. But I’m getting the feeling that there is something else bothering you. Talk to me.”

  “You always know. What if Rich and I do get serious? What if, well, what if he wants kids? Should I wait to say anything or just get it into the open?”

  “Hmmm. If it were me, I’d want to know. I want kids, and it’s a deal breaker for me. I think he deserves to know before either of you allow yourselves to start having feelings for each other.”

  “You’re right. Then again, you usually are. Just like Daddy.” She hugged him tightly.

  “Yeah, I know. Did that clear up some things for you?” Michael asked, knuckling her on the head.

  She smacked his hand. “Yes, thanks. I have one more thing I need to tell you. It’s just between us.”

  “Go on.”

  “Don’t get mad, but Rich informed me that he believes in spanking and will do so with the folks’ permission if I act up. What should I do?”

  “Why would I get angry? Just don’t act up.”

  “That isn’t supposed to be your answer. Why are you laughing? This is humiliating.”

  “Just your luck, isn’t it? I wish I could feel sorry for you, but I don’t. You need a man like that and you know it. We talked about this. It’s something we are both wired for.”

  “Michael? Do you seriously believe that you’ll find a girl who would allow you to do that? You can’t be reserving your sadistic tendencies for your little baby sister,” Sam pouted again.

  Michael elbowed her playfully. “It’s because of my little baby sister that I insist on having a girlfriend who must allow it. I have seen how effective my sadistic tendencies can be, but hopefully, she won’t do much to bring it on.”

  “Better her than me. Mike? Do you think Daddy ever spanked Mama? I mean, not in play.”

  “I don’t know and I’m not about to ask. Scott’s always been more that way than Dad; but I would guess that if she pushed him, he probably would.”

  “Oh. So, I guess I have no hope in him forbidding it, then.”

  “Doesn’t sound like it. Where is Rich taking you tomorrow?” Michael changed the subject.

  Sam shook her head. “I don’t know. He said somewhere quiet.”

  Chapter 6

  Rich opened the door of his jeep for the girl to enter, tossing her gear bag in the back. She watched him walk around the front, dressed in sharply pressed slacks and a snug polo shirt that made his eyes a vivid green. He was so handsome, with those dimples and strong hands. The girl blushed, thinking of his tall, sculptured body and his large rippling muscles…

  “…tonight. Is that okay?”

  “Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. Was flaking out for a minute.” She blushed again. She wasn’t accustomed to feeling out of control.

  Rich smiled, sensing her nervousness. “You look beautiful, as always. I was thinking about a special surprise tonight. Do you mind if I don’t tell you what we’re doing?”

  “A surprise? Will I like it?” She sounded excited.

  “I hope so. “

  They chatted about work and the family as Rich drove downtown to the harbor and parked in the lot near the bay. Taking her hand, and slinging her bag over his shoulder, he walked her to the boarding gate that led to the plank of the harbor dinner cruise. She gripped his hand with excitement.

  “This is awesome! I’ve never done this before!”

  Rich smiled warmly at her excited bobbing. “Good. I thought it would be a good first date. Um, none of your ‘friends’ are going to come see you, are they? I didn’t consider that.”

  “They’re not supposed to. I told them I would call if I needed anything. Oh, thank you,” she said as he helped her on board. They had a private table overlooking the starboard side. Rich held the chair for her and then seated himself.

  “Where did you learn your manners? It impressed my folks. They are both very old-fashioned when it comes to etiquette.”

  “I noticed that at dinner when Mike held the chair out for you. Annapolis polished them, but I’ve always been polite to compensate for my mother’s rudeness. I detest rude people.”

  “Did you feel I was rude last night? I didn’t mean to be.”

  “No, Sam, not at all. There is a difference between asking honest questions and being downright nasty. Okay, my first question. What is your pet peeve?” Rich asked, sticking a breadstick in her mouth.

  Sam thought about it for a moment as she chewed. “I guess a better way to phrase that would be to ask what sets me off the fastest and the hardest. I loathe being challenged because of my gender or age. I know I’ll get older, but the gender thing seems like it might be a constant issue. You would think I would be deaf to it, being the only girl in a house full of men, but it really fries my spaghetti. I hate being underestimated or dismissed. So please, if we ever argue, don’t blow me off.”

  “Good thing to know. I won’t be frying your spaghetti anytime soon,” he laughed at her phrase. “Your turn.”

  “I do have something I need to discuss with you before we even consider going out again. You deserve to know some things.”

  “Uh oh, you’re in love with someone?”

  “I wish it were that easy.” She smiled at his gentle teasing, relieved to see that he was relaxed and at ease despite her obvious discomfort. “What are your personal hopes and dreams? Beyond your career goals.”

  “They are simple. I just want to be happy and be involved in a healthy relationship with a lady who shares my interests.”

  “How about things like children?”

  “Aren’t you a little young to be worried about that, Sammi?”

  “This is serious. Please, just answer me.”

  “Very well. No, I don’t want kids. You can call me selfish, but I want the freedom to explore the world with my partner and concentrate on my career. It’s not that I don’t like children, but I know I would make them miserable because I would be too overprotective. Terrible, huh?”

  “Not at all. And, thank you for being honest,” Sam said quietly. She took a deep breath. “Rich, I can’t have children. Everything was crushed during the accident. Dad and Scott were devastated because they wanted me to be terrorized by mini-mes. I just wanted to be up front with you about that; so you didn’t waste your time in case it was important to you. I didn’t want you to be hurt or disappointed, just in case we decided to pursue this relationship.”

  Rich reached for her hand. “Your concern for my feelings just told me everything I could ever want to know about you. Thank you. And I hope we do get serious. But, you must like doing some traveling. I get restless easily.”

  “I like t
ravel as long as it involves boats, planes or swimming. And I need to be allowed to operate the boat or plane. I’m not too keen on anything with wheels. I am also confined to living in close proximity to the ocean. You know, because of my issues.”

  “Hmmm, force me to hang around a beautiful woman and the open sea. I can deal with that. What’s your biggest vice?”

  “Don’t you already know? My temper and big mouth. I’m too opinionated sometimes. Yours?’

  “Perfectionism. I can’t forgive myself for doing just enough. I’m too self-controlled. Your Achilles’ heel?”

  “My family. My biggest fear is losing my brother during a mission. That’s why I put myself in so much danger when the accident occurred. I was losing him. Nothing else mattered.”

  “I wasn’t aware of that. I guess I assumed you were just being reckless. Please forgive me.”

  “People who know us call us ‘twins’. Same date of birth, same time, exactly four years apart. My parents were smart about preparing him. When my mother started showing, they told Michael that they were growing a very special birthday present for him because I was due the same month. When Mom went into labor, Uncle Scott told Michael that they had gone to the hospital where Daddy worked to pick up his present. Scott brought Mike in and Mom wished him a Happy Birthday as she handed me over to him. Daddy said he kicked the nurse because he didn’t want her to take away his present,” she giggled. “It hasn't changed. He’s been that way since.”

  “You’re very fortunate. I envy your upbringing,” Rich said softly.

  “I know that I am the luckiest girl in the world. I’ve never known loneliness and I’ve had more love than I know what to do with. Of course, I’ve also had very severe structure, direction and very little room for mistakes. They’ve always been tough on us, but they do it to help us discover and explore our potential. They’ve never allowed either of us to settle for anything less than what they believed we could achieve. They are incredible, even though they won’t let me fly tomorrow.”

  “Let it go. It sounded like your uncle was about to lay into you,” Rich grinned.

  She made a face. “He would have too. He already informed me that he didn’t care if you were around. Oh, thank you,” she said, as the pretty waitress placed the salads in front of them. The girl was short, curvy, with long blonde hair and brown eyes.

  “You’re welcome, ma’am. Can I get you anything else? More tea?”

  “No, thank you. Do you work here a lot?” Sam asked, noticing her speech was well cultured and she carried herself gracefully despite the movement of the boat.

  “Just the weekends. I go to UCSD, bio major.”

  “Really? What year?”

  “Sophomore in the fall. I want to minor in Chem. This helps pay lab fees.”

  “It’s Jennifer, right?”

  “Please, call me Jen.”

  “My name is Samantha, this is Rich. Do you plan on interning anywhere this summer?”

  “I tried several places, but no one wants freshmen,” she sighed with a note of discouragement.

  “Here’s my card. Please call me and I might be able to help you. I work through Pt. Loma base as the director of the marine biology unit.”

  “You’re not serious, are you?” The girl looked skeptical, before glancing down at the card. Her eyes widened with disbelief.

  “I certainly am.” Sam smiled. “But, I do have one condition.”

  “Sure, anything.” Her voice trembled with excitement.

  “I would like you to meet my older brother. He’s an engineer and team commander.” She took out a picture from her purse. “He’s really cute. And very single.”

  Jen bit her lip. “Oh my… How old is he?”

  “22. His name is Michael. Well?”

  “Would it be okay to call you tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  “Thank you, Miss Quimby. Thank you so much!” Jen said happily, clutching the card.

  Rich watched her skip away. “You just made that girl’s night. What’s Mike going to say?”

  “He trusts my judgment. I didn’t like the other dingbat the second we met and I let him know it. This one has a sweet spirit to her and a meaty bottom for him to play with,” she giggled. Rich tsked, leading her outside to the forward bow. They started dancing to the quiet music being piped in. Sam, her head on Rich’s chest, started to sense the swirls. She tried to fight it, finding herself relaxing in his strong arms. He stopped to kiss her soundly and her knees began to buckle. The swirls were intensifying!

  “Rich, slow down,” she panted, melting onto a bench.

  Rich joined her. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “Not at all. In fact, you are too right. And I think you are getting some help from some peeping Toms,” Sam said, pointing to the water. Rich looked over the side to witness the dorsal fins of several dolphins slicing through the waves beside the boat. “If they had their druthers, we would be doing more than kissing. Stop it!” she ordered, closing her eyes to concentrate.

  The dolphins flipped playfully, whistling and squealing their encouragement. Rich watched them in amazement, still holding her hand as she scolded them. “I’m telling your bull tomorrow! He promised you would stop! Splasher! Ooo, I’m letting Ton know too.”

  “Are they going to get their tail flukes bitten?” Rich asked humorously as the animals swam quickly away, clicking and spouting.

  “That only happens to land walkers. No, the bull will read them the riot act and Ton will threaten to eat Splasher. I, on the other hand, need some recovery time. They got me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She giggled, flushing. She whispered in his ear, “I think I just got the cetacean version of an orgasm when you kissed me.”

  “What? Okay, this is weird. Please explain more.”

  “You should be pleased that they approved of you as my mate. They were trying to help things along by stimulating my endorphins through the convergence. It’s really quite enjoyable. Michael says it’s better than the real thing,” she giggled again.

  Rich made a face. “Well, Michael obviously hasn’t had the best it could be. I’m sure I could exceed any cetacean orgasm if given the chance.”

  “Daddy would kill you, then Scott would do it again,” she snickered, the high taking effect. “Oh Lord, I’m stoned. Please get me a glass of water. It will take about 20 minutes for me to recover. So if I say anything inappropriate, just kiss me and shut me up.”

  “Be right back,” he promised. When he returned with the water, he commented, “You know that this could be dangerous if you weren’t in a safe environment, Sam.”

  She nodded, fighting the desire to release control. “That’s why Michael didn’t want me to study it. But I did it anyway. I never listen to him like I should,” she confessed, the endorphins acting like a truth serum and removing her desire to exercise control.

  “Are you saying you’ve been pursuing this study on your own and without supervision?” Rich asked, holding the glass to her lips.

  She nodded, her eyes glazed. “Isn’t the sky beautiful? Look at all those stars.”

  “They are bridge lights. Come on, baby, stay with me. Answer my question. Are you still studying this phenomenon without supervision?”

  “Of course. I always do. Don’t tell Michael. He’ll kill me,” she giggled again.

  “Do you remember the conversations you have when you are like this?”

  “Nope. It’s like Versed. Milk of amnesia. Rich, kiss me. Your lips feel so good.”

  He obliged, savoring her in his arms. He grazed her neck with his teeth, listening to her moan. His thoughts started to drift and he forced himself to remember his promise to be a gentleman. Self-control, man! “We need to walk around. You are positively intoxicating,” he panted.

  She stroked his cheek, fingering his dimple. “It’s the endorphins. They are emitting pheromones. See? It proves we are compatible. They don’t work on my family at all.”

>   “It also proves that I need to be better controlled. I am not going to take advantage of you. Stand up and walk,” he ordered firmly, adjusting the uncomfortable bulge in his pants.

  “I can’t. I have no legs. See? They’re mermaid fins.” She swung her legs back and forth. “Is that for me?” She pointed at his crotch.

  Sighing, Rich sat back down, but kept his distance. “Not tonight. Sam, it’s important that we tell Mike about this. This is not good.”

  “No, we don’t. He’ll be so mad at me and I don’t like it when Michael gets angry.”

  Rich shook his head. “I either tell Mike or your parents. Take your pick.”

  “Then they won’t let us go out again!” she whined.

  “Your choice. Make one,” he said firmly, frowning.

  “But Riiiiiiich…”

  “Nuh uh, no whining around me, sweet cakes. I’ll be back in two minutes. Please make your decision by then.”

  Sam scowled, feeling the effects start to wear off with the most recent conversation fresh in her mind. What did she tell him? Oh damn, she must have spilled the beans. Michael was going to tear into her but good for this. Rich returned, bringing some coffee for both of them.

  “Here, see if this helps. Well?”

  “Thanks. What exactly did I tell you?” she asked, sipping the hot, slightly spiced beverage. Rich repeated her statement. “I don’t suppose you’ll believe me if I tell you that was fictional and a product of the swirls.”

  “Next to rudeness, I find lying abhorrent,” Rich informed her, a tone in his voice that she found frightening, yet exciting.

  She wisely decided not to test him. “Michael, then. But you need to know what he’ll do to me when he finds out.”

  “I would not be surprised if he delivered a rather sound spanking to your disobedient little backside,” Rich grinned.

  She shook her head. “I wouldn’t be afraid of that. No, he’ll switch me. It’s awful. Please, don’t tell him.”

  “I’m sorry, but even you realized the danger that you could have been in. You had no ability to fight against it and it left you in an intoxicated state. What if you had fallen over the side? Or been with someone who would not have behaved like a gentlemen?”