path, doing her best to hide from the oval doorway’s view. Two men were bustling around, pushing big crates from one end to the other and carrying large sacks on their shoulders. Just a few feet inside the doorway stood a man with a mop of sandy hair, his back to the door. Jessie geared up some courage, put on a tough face, and stuck her head in the doorway.
The cargo hold was one huge space full of crates and pulley systems. And men. The space spanned from hull to deck. It was modestly lit with glowing cables and solar-charged lamps. The men wore construction helmets with head lamps, and protective gloves. And the steel toe boots she coveted.
One older man carrying a duffle bag over his should pointed to Jessie. “Sam, we have a visitor.”
Sam, the man with his back to her, turned around. His pale eyes widened. “Why hello there, miss. Dyne told me to expect you.”
It took all her willpower to not cower and hide. Showing weakness would be bad right now.
“Please don’t be afraid. I’m harmless. You can come in.” He waved her over. “I bark a lot but I don’t bite. What’s your name, miss?”
Jessie mentally yelled at herself to move. She stepped over the doorframe and pattered to just outside arm’s reach. She clutched her sneakers tighter and couldn’t help but notice her cotton sweatpants brushing against her butt cheeks and nether region. One yank and a pig could force himself on her. She swallowed. “Jessie.”
“Pleased to meet you, Jessie. I’m Sam.” He held out a big, calloused hand.
Jessie stared at it. A man’s hand. She couldn’t bring herself to touch it.
Confusion played across Sam’s face, then he put his hand down. “I apologize. Dyne warned us that you’re uncomfortable with physical contact. I shouldn’t have assumed a handshake was acceptable. My apologies.”
Jessie relaxed her death grip a fraction. “Don’t. It’s... I know you didn’t mean any harm. I just...”
Sam held up a hand. “No explanation necessary. Dyne informed us that you’ve been through a lot and warned us to behave ourselves. He didn’t give any specifics, but he mentioned how you escaped Tethys’ ship. That was clue enough to understand that they behaved anything but gentlemanly towards you.” Disgust crept into his voice. “You’ll soon learn that we have a better breed of men on this ship.”
“What about O’Toole?” she said bitterly. “He got a peep show while I was showering.”
“He’s the most harmless of all of us,” Sam said, trying not to smile. “He’s autistic. He wouldn’t know what to do you. Just be mindful of your surroundings when you use the bathroom. That’s his favorite hiding place, even when we go in there.”
“Great,” she said under her breath.
“I swear on the wellbeing of my male member that he’s harmless,” Same insisted with a hand up as if he was swearing an oath.
Jessie studied him a moment. The sincerity in his soothing voice was eating away at her defensiveness. She wasn’t afraid of men per sé; just ones she didn’t know or trust. Even while trapped on Tethys’ ship, she’d prayed for a knight in shining armor to come save her sorry rear. Men weren’t all bad, but the vast majority were pigs. Sam came across as an exception. There was no mistaking it. She’d become an excellent judge of men while on her last ship.
Two men on Tethys’s ship had tried sweet-talking her. One had sounded sincere, but his body language and hungry eyes had warned her otherwise. The other man had brought her food and kept a respectable distance between them. Sadly, Tethys had fired the genuine guy once he found out he’d been “wasting” food on her. Sam had the same vibe as Mr. Genuine.
“I believe you,” she said, “but I can’t promise I won’t accidentally punch him again. I’ll do my best not to.”
“Thank you, ma’am. All of us would really appreciate it. He’s a really important crew member.”
Jessie wanted to draw inside
The cargo hold was one huge space full of crates and pulley systems. And men. The space spanned from hull to deck. It was modestly lit with glowing cables and solar-charged lamps. The men wore construction helmets with head lamps, and protective gloves. And the steel toe boots she coveted.
One older man carrying a duffle bag over his should pointed to Jessie. “Sam, we have a visitor.”
Sam, the man with his back to her, turned around. His pale eyes widened. “Why hello there, miss. Dyne told me to expect you.”
It took all her willpower to not cower and hide. Showing weakness would be bad right now.
“Please don’t be afraid. I’m harmless. You can come in.” He waved her over. “I bark a lot but I don’t bite. What’s your name, miss?”
Jessie mentally yelled at herself to move. She stepped over the doorframe and pattered to just outside arm’s reach. She clutched her sneakers tighter and couldn’t help but notice her cotton sweatpants brushing against her butt cheeks and nether region. One yank and a pig could force himself on her. She swallowed. “Jessie.”
“Pleased to meet you, Jessie. I’m Sam.” He held out a big, calloused hand.
Jessie stared at it. A man’s hand. She couldn’t bring herself to touch it.
Confusion played across Sam’s face, then he put his hand down. “I apologize. Dyne warned us that you’re uncomfortable with physical contact. I shouldn’t have assumed a handshake was acceptable. My apologies.”
Jessie relaxed her death grip a fraction. “Don’t. It’s... I know you didn’t mean any harm. I just...”
Sam held up a hand. “No explanation necessary. Dyne informed us that you’ve been through a lot and warned us to behave ourselves. He didn’t give any specifics, but he mentioned how you escaped Tethys’ ship. That was clue enough to understand that they behaved anything but gentlemanly towards you.” Disgust crept into his voice. “You’ll soon learn that we have a better breed of men on this ship.”
“What about O’Toole?” she said bitterly. “He got a peep show while I was showering.”
“He’s the most harmless of all of us,” Sam said, trying not to smile. “He’s autistic. He wouldn’t know what to do you. Just be mindful of your surroundings when you use the bathroom. That’s his favorite hiding place, even when we go in there.”
“Great,” she said under her breath.
“I swear on the wellbeing of my male member that he’s harmless,” Same insisted with a hand up as if he was swearing an oath.
Jessie studied him a moment. The sincerity in his soothing voice was eating away at her defensiveness. She wasn’t afraid of men per sé; just ones she didn’t know or trust. Even while trapped on Tethys’ ship, she’d prayed for a knight in shining armor to come save her sorry rear. Men weren’t all bad, but the vast majority were pigs. Sam came across as an exception. There was no mistaking it. She’d become an excellent judge of men while on her last ship.
Two men on Tethys’s ship had tried sweet-talking her. One had sounded sincere, but his body language and hungry eyes had warned her otherwise. The other man had brought her food and kept a respectable distance between them. Sadly, Tethys had fired the genuine guy once he found out he’d been “wasting” food on her. Sam had the same vibe as Mr. Genuine.
“I believe you,” she said, “but I can’t promise I won’t accidentally punch him again. I’ll do my best not to.”
“Thank you, ma’am. All of us would really appreciate it. He’s a really important crew member.”
Jessie wanted to draw inside
Similar Books
