Page 40 of Say Uncle

Nicky was giving me whiplash trying to keep up with him. Sam ducked into the bathroom and when he came out, he planted his hand on Nicky’s back, between his shoulder blades.

“Bend over, put your hands on the dryer.” Nicky didn’t even pause for breath. “...and they’ve got killer nightclubs, and an outdoor market, and…” Sam reached down his pants, but I couldn’t tell what he was doing. Nicky choked on his next breath. And Sam chuckled.

“Your Daddy wants you to wear that for him. He says it will earn you another punch on your card.”

Nicky smiled and straightened. “I’m gonna wear a butt plug for my Daddy. I’ll get that stuffie in no time!”

The way his mind worked reminded me of ahamster on a wheel, if the hamster was on crack and the wheel was attached to a race car.

“Sam, for fuck’s sake, give me something else to do. I’ve got to get out of here.”

He laughed. “Follow me.”

Spraying the anchor chain down withWD-40wasn’t much of an improvement over folding towels with Nicky, but at least there was peace and quiet. Plenty of time to think. But not about my future. Hell, an idea was forming in my mind, a devious plot against my cousin. I could entertain myself at sea by sabotaging Nicky’s attempts to fill his punch card.

My first brilliant idea came about when Nicky and I were fixing cocktails and appetizers for our guests. He was carefully arranging fruit and cheese on a platter while I poured the drinks. I snuck a sip of rum, and Nicky caught me. His big brown eyes went wide.

“You can’t do that,” he whispered.

“Says who?” I challenged. “In fact, I dare you. Take a sip.” He shook his head no, but I insisted, “Just a little one, a Nicky-sized sip.” Nicky looked at me as if he was unsure, but confidence was written all over my face, and he trusted me. I was going to hell for this. No doubt. “Go on, take a sip. Nobody will know.”

Taking the bottle from me, Nicky took a sip, just a small one, then licked his lips, and with his eyes on me, he dared to take another longer sip.

“That’s it, enjoy it.”

We finished preparing our appetizers and drinks,and after delivering them on the sundeck, we returned to the kitchen to clean up. “We should make drinks for the guys,” I suggested.

“They would love that,” Nicky agreed.

Several more sips of rum were stolen by Nicky and me before we were finished, and by the time we slipped the drinks into Sam and Cass’s hands, he was laughing a little more loudly, and his big brown eyes shone brighter, maybe even glossier. Twenty minutes later, Nicky collected their empty glasses and returned to the kitchen, where he must’ve finished off the bottle of rum by himself, because he emerged from below deck completely naked.

He streaked across the deck and jumped overboard yelling, “No tan lines.”

If we hadn’t been idling, he could have killed himself, if not risked serious injury. I was shocked. Even with Sam’s warning in my head, I had no idea Nicky would go to such extremes.

He was always so… Well behaved. Sogood.

“Fucking Christ,” Sam spat, running to the flybridge to shut off the engine.

I stood frozen as Cass dove in after him, clothes and all. Nicky wasn’t in danger of drowning, but Cass assisted him back to the boat, nevertheless, and helped him climb the ladder.

“Grab a towel,” Sam barked, and I finally fell into motion, jogging to the back of the boat to wrap Nicky’s naked, dripping body in a towel. Thankfully, ourguests were below deck and missed the show, but with the way Sam and Cass glared at me, I had a feeling the show had just begun.

Sam didn’t have to say a word. All he had to do was crook his finger at me, and I knew my ass was grass.

“What were you thinking?” I hissed.

“I wasn’t thinking,” Nicky said happily. “I was drinking! Want to go for a swim with me?”

“When hell freezes over,” I griped, leaving him in his Daddy’s capable hands to go face my punishment. I climbed the steps to the flybridge, the knot of tension in my stomach growing larger with each step.

“Come here, boy. I want you to look me in the eye.” It was the least I could do. I looked him right in the eye, and he knew… Nicky’s drunken shenanigans had my name written all over them. “That’s what I thought. There will be a punishment for this. You can bet your sweet fucking ass on it. In the meantime, kneel,” he ordered me, pointing at his feet.

Without a word, I kneeled before him, my head hung in shame. Nicky could have been seriously injured, and the weight of that was finally sinking in. It would have been all my fault, and I would have never forgiven myself. How was I supposed to know he would fucking jump overboard, naked?

Jesus Christ, was he allergic to alcohol?

I kneeled until my knees ached. I kneeled until my feet fell asleep, and I hung my head until my neck grew stiff. I never looked up or uttered one word. Wedropped anchor in Marigot Bay, and someone, not me, raised the ensign and quarantine flags. I knelt until customs officials boarded our ship, and I had to go below deck and grab my documents. Once our guests departed, the knot in my stomach grew heavier.

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