“No. Tempting as it was to wake you up, I left you to your slumbers.” He buttered a slice of toast.
She released a muted sigh of disappointment.
“A bottomless pit you are, Gemma! You will manage. Try a spell in the gym. Sulk, and I will take you upstairs and spank you. Then you can explain to your brother why you can’t sit down.” He raised an admonishing eyebrow.
Uh-oh. Time for a new subject. “When will you go out on the powerboat?”
“Once I’ve finished breakfast. Lubinsky and Ted will have to get the boat ready. We won’t stray too far. We might head inshore and find a cove. You girls can squander your time on the sundeck.”
“Naked?” asked Gemma.
“If Andrea isn’t a prude. She might join you, who knows?”
“Do I have to? Nude?”
“Yes. I said, no white patches. The alternative is to stick to the shade.” Jason stood and flicked her cheek. “Don’t be shy.” He left the salon, and she lingered a few moments then wandered outside.
Gemma watched from the main deck as the powerboat hit the water. Ted ran through his obligatory checks and handed life vests to Jason and John, both attired in sleeveless wet suits. Lubinsky’s similar outfit showed his Navy tattoos covering his arms. Esteban handed down flasks of water, and Ted took the wheel and, at a slow pace, took the powerboat out away from Sublime. Once they were in open water, Lubinsky took over and cranked up the throttle. The boat shot off, bouncing on the crests of the waves at high speed, heading away from the yacht.
Andrea joined her, armed with a pair of binoculars.
“They will be all right?” Andrea peered through the lenses.
“I’m sure. Let’s go and sunbathe. Leave the boys with their toys.”
***
“Naked!” Andrea guffawed. “You sun bathe in the nude?”
“Yes,” squeaked Gemma. “Even tan, all over. Jason insists.”
“So, you do it?”
“Yes. It’s not as if there is anyone to see. Except Maria. I’ve asked Enrique to stay away. I wouldn’t do it when we’re in port. Jason won’t let anyone else see me naked. He doesn’t mind you. You’re nearly family.”
“I think I will stick to my bikini. Sorry. I’m a bit self-conscious.” Andrea laid her towel on the sun bed.
“Okay. I don’t know why. You’ve got a lovely body.”
“You think so?” Andrea started to rub suntan lotion into her pale freckled skin.
“You’re curvy and, well, pretty.”
“You’ve seen a lot of naked women, then?”
“Yes, as it happens. At the parties I use to go to, nudity was acceptable.” Gemma slipped off her shorts and top.
Andrea settled down on her sun bed and pulled her hat low over her face as Gemma stripped off all her clothes. But she peeked and gaped. “Gosh, your boobs. Sorry didn’t mean to stare. That’s henna again?”
“Yep. Pretty, isn’t it?”
“Did you choose the pattern?”
“No, Jason did. The pattern is based on his initials linked together. See?” Gemma held out her hands.
“Oh, yes. Why?”
“Because I’m his.” Gemma shrugged and put on her floppy sun hat. “Don’t tell John about the tattoos. I don’t know what he would make of them.” She lay back and soaked up the sunrays.