The Emerald City

[This is a story from the Pathways to Pleasure podcast. Here is the audio version.]

The cab driver glanced at the young woman in back. “You new here?”
Though she tried to appear sophisticated, Kathy knew she looked out of place in the city. “Does it show?”
“Yeah, a little,” the cabbie laughed. ”Let me guess, you’re a runaway from Kansas hoping Seattle is your Emerald City over the rainbow?”
“Something like that… Ohio actually.”
The taxi pulled over. “Here you are, 217 Seneca. Good luck, Dorothy,” he joked.
Kathy paid him, grabbed her suitcase, and stepped out. The apartment building looked worn out and dusty, but inside it had an inviting, old-school ’80s feel to it.
Her room, however, was a different story with its cold, white walls and bare linoleum floor.
‘Was this a mistake?’ she wondered.
Her Mom had tried to stop her. “It’s crazy,” she’d said. “All you have is a job interview waiting for you out there. No guaranteed work and just a couple months of money. What are you thinking?”
But now, standing in the empty room, 2000 miles from home, Kathy felt like she’d gone to the other side of the planet. Maybe Mom was right.
Taking another look around the room she knew with a little inexpensive decorating she could warm up her two-room apartment. “No,” she said out loud. “This feels right. This little country gal is going to take on Seattle and make it hers.
____________________________
”Tom Bronson hated parties—this one especially. It was filled with socialites, lazy people born into old money, and women trying to be someone, anyone, other than who they were. Hoping to marry into that money, they circled the rich like sharks looking for an easy kill.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered to himself, “here comes one now.”
“Tommy, darling, are we having a good time? They told me you’d be here. I missed you at last week’s yacht club gala. Where ever were you?”
“Hello, Cybil.”
He knew those were the only two words she’d allow him to squeeze into their conversation. He tried to keep up, be polite, but as she babbled on about parties, charity banquets, who’s marrying, who’s divorcing, who died—his interest was plunging lower than her neckline.
Finally, she took a breath, giving him a brief opportunity to jump in. “Sorry, Cybil, but I have to leave. Here, you can have my drink if you like.”
Before she could answer, he handed her his glass and ducked away, hoping no one would notice his escape attempt. But two sharks were swimming by the door.
“Oh, Tom, we were hoping to…”
“Sorry, I was just leaving.”
“But, really you should stay…”
“No, sorry. Important meeting. Gotta go.”
As he stepped out to the street, he felt like a lucky seal who’d somehow managed to escape the jaws of death.
The wealthiest man in the city, he always felt out of place in so-called ‘high society.’ His was a fortune made from hard work, careful planning, and taking calculated risks––all things he’d learned when a teenager, working on his father’s boat.
His dad had a way of wrapping up a world of wisdom into one simple sentence. “You won’t make it out here, son, unless you keep your eye on the weather, chart a steady course through these seas, and put your back to the work.”
Tom missed him.
____________________________
Kathy put down two grocery bags and then remembered she hadn’t closed the door.
“Hey, neighbor!”
A smiling face peaked in throwing a flurry of non-stop words.
“Hi, my name’s Megan, but everyone calls me Meg. I’m right across the hall from you. Oh, I’m so glad this room will finally have a happy person in it. The old man that lived here shot himself, you know.”
Kathy’s eyes widened, “What?”
“Oh yeah, right there in the middle of the room. Blood everywhere.”
“Oh, my god!”
Meg laughed. “Kidding, kidding. I couldn’t resist.”
“Meg!”
“Sorry about that. Here, I brought you something to eat. There’s enough for two if you wouldn’t mind inviting a mean, prankster neighbor in.”
“Ah, yes, sure, thanks. Come in. I’m Kathy.” Despite the weird introduction, Kathy knew that Meg would become her best friend.
They spent the next three days scrounging around antique shops, Good Will, and even an old bookstore. With Meg’s help, by the end of the week, the apartment was much cozier.
“So, tomorrow’s the big day?” Meg asked.
“Yes, I’m a bit nervous. It’s my first job interview since graduating.”
“Where’s it at? The interview I mean.”
“Bronson Marine Industries.”
Meg jumped to her feet. “Bronson Marine? Holy shit! You’re going to work for Tom Bronson?”
“I take it by the name he’s the owner?” Kathy asked.
“You really don’t know about Bronson? He’s the most handsome rich guy in this city. And, added benefit, he’s never married.”
“Well, I doubt I’ll ever meet him. I might not even get the job. And if I do, it’s a big company, I’ll be a lowly design tech off in some basement office.”
________________________________

That night Kathy couldn’t sleep. Tossing and turning, fretting about tomorrow’s interview, she knew there was only one way to relax. Reaching into the bedside drawer, she pulled out a little box and rolled the three-wheel combination lock. This was the one secret in her life no one knew about. She’d had it since she was sixteen.
She took out a penis-shaped dildo and a bottle of coconut oil. Not the kind you cook with, the kind processed for sex. Like always, she smiled a little, feeling the “other” Kathy flood into her thoughts. This wasn’t the shy country girl, this secret Kathy was a whole different person.
Pouring the oil over her mound, she felt it sliding down and onto her pussy. Kathy rubbed an oily finger over her soft folds, gently pressing in, pulling it back out, and circling the hardening nib.
Masturbating not only got Kathy horny, it also made her a bit naughty. Climbing out of bed, she walked slowly through the living room, pulled back the curtains, opened the sliding glass door, and stepped out onto a small balcony.
It was late. No one was on the street below.
The “other” Kathy loved the idea of being naked outdoors. She always wanted to try a nude beach, but the more conservative, non-horny Kathy never let her.
A cool breeze winding its way through the city flowed over her body. Her nipples hardened, maybe from the cold, or maybe because the idea of public nudity turned her on so much.
A lone car came down the street and Kathy jumped back in, shutting the door and closing the curtains.
Giggling she ran back to her bed, and with more oil and more rubbing, finally let the vibrating cock tickle her clit. An imaginary movie played in her mind of some man named Tom Bronson walking naked with her on a beach.
She eased the dildo in. For the moment it was her mystery man moving inside her. The orgasm flooded her senses, warming her body and finally granting her the sleep she sought.
____________________________
Kathy called a cab to pick her up early. She wanted to get to her interview ahead of time to compose herself before going in.
“Hey, Dorthy, where you off to?”
It was the same cabbie from before.
“About to step over that rainbow,” she said.
She arrived 15 minutes early and was surprised to be sent right in.
A thin, stern-looking woman sat at a large desk. Kathy took a seat in an awkwardly low chair. A nameplate at one corner of the desk read: Ms. Purdy. That was the only introduction Kathy was going to get.
They talked about her education and why she wanted to work for Bronson Marine––all the usual interview stuff. But when asked about her experience, Kathy said she had an internship for one semester at an architect firm in Ohio. Ms. Purdy’s thin lips tightened into a sardonic smile.
Just then the janitor came in. He looked confused. “Excuse me, ah, this is the time I usually come in and clean up.”
“Well, not today!” the old woman snapped.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said nervously, quickly grabbing three garbage baskets on his way out.
Surprised at the woman’s gruffness, and without thinking, Kathy stood up and walked briskly towards him. “Here, your hands are full, let me get the door.”
She hadn’t really looked at him until just then. His strong chin was painted with the slightest shadow of dark whiskers. His piercing blues eyes looked directly into hers.
Surprised, he said, “Thank you,” then gave a quick glance and a wink toward the woman still sitting at the desk with her arms crossed.
_____________________________
Kathy ran down the hall and pounded on Meg’s door. “Meg! I got it! I got the job!”
The door burst open and Meg, face covered in green gunk, hugged Kathy, getting cucumber mush on her shoulder.
“Did you see Bronson? Was he there? Did he interview you?”
“Oh, sure. He gave me a tour of the whole place.”
“Oh, my god, really?”
“Yeah. Absolutely. And then we made wild love in a broom closet.”
Meg flicked her green mud at Kathy’s face.
_______________________________
The boatyard was quiet, giving Tom time to work undisturbed. His dad’s old purse seiner was perched up high on blocks in the back lot.
He’d spent two years, scraping barnacles off her bottom, sanding, painting, replacing most of the hardware, installing two new diesel engines, and converting the old boat into a cruising yacht.
It would have been easier, and a lot cheaper, to junk it and buy a new boat. But he just couldn’t imagine letting the old gal go. Besides, he’d told himself from the start, other than a few rotted deck boards, the boat was solid. Ugly, smelling of diesel, but solid.
Finally, after years of hard work, he’d be launching the boat tomorrow.
Tom was down in the hold swearing at a wrench that had slipped, banging his knuckles hard against the bilge pump.
“Excuse me. Is someone on the boat? Hello.”
Startled, he raised his head too fast, banging it on a beam.
“God damn it!” Rubbing his head with his sore hand, Tom stepped on deck and looked over the side.
Green eyes, shoulder-length auburn hair—Holy crap, it’s her.
“Oh, hi. Sorry about the swearing. Bumped my head.”
“That’s okay…, wait aren’t you that janitor?”
“Ah, yeah. I like to work on my dad’s boat on my days off.” Looking down at her like this seemed somehow erotic. Tom shook off the thought.
“Well, I’m supposed to deliver these plans to our harbor office somewhere near dock ‘B,’ but I’m a bit lost. Can you point me in the right direction?”
“Let me walk you there, it’s a little tricky to find.” It wasn’t tricky at all. Tom wasn’t quite sure why he offered to walk her, the directions would have been simple. Perhaps he found it intriguing to walk beside a woman who didn’t know he was wealthy.
He climbed down a ladder and jumped onto the ground. It was the first time he’d really gotten a good look at her. She was almost as tall as him, just a few inches shorter. Her dress, appropriate for work, revealed an appropriate amount of breast, giving him a very inappropriate tickle in his jeans.
Kathy watched the tall man jump off a ladder and walk towards her. His white t-shirt did little to hide a muscular chest and arms. He moved with a confident stride. As he got closer, those blue eyes she’d seen the week before sank into her.
There was a streak of grease on his cheek. Kathy, glancing down, grabbed a rag from Tom’s front pocket and wiped it off. She felt a blush coming on, realizing what she’d just done. “Sorry, you just had a little grease, ah… sorry, I don’t know why I did that.”
Tom laughed. “It’s okay. I don’t mind a little mothering.”
They walk quietly, Tom not quite sure what to say, and Kathy embarrassed by her brash behavior.
He had the overwhelming urge to hold her hand but didn’t. “So, ah, you got hired. Congrats. How do you like it?”
“Well, I’ve only been there a week, but everyone seems nice. I’ve never met the owner. He’s probably some rich guy who hardly ever comes around and when he does he just hides in his office.”
“Oh,” said Tom. “You don’t like rich people?”
“No, it’s not that. How could I dislike someone I’ve never met? It’s just my experience that a lot of wealthy people today are born into it and don’t really appreciate what it takes to make a living. At least the ones I knew in school were snobbish privileged brats.”
“Oh,” laughed Tom. “So you don’t really have any strong opinion then.”
“Sorry, showing a bit of prejudice there. I’m sure Mr. Bronson is a nice man. I just prefer the company of us working folk. Men like you, for instance, that know the value of work, who, I would guess, lives a real life, not jaded by the trappings of too much money.”
Tom found this beautiful young woman alarming. “Yeah, but I’ll bet if you had the chance to marry into wealth you’d jump at it.”
“Excuse me?” Kathy said with a stern frown. “You don’t know me. You don’t know who I am, or what I believe. I’m not as shallow as all that. Sure, everyone needs money to get by, but I have no need to be rich.
“I’ve got enough to deal with without drowning myself in social engagements I’d hate with wealthy elites I’d rather have nothing to do with.”
Tom tried but was too shocked to speak. Who is this young woman? It’s like she knows me. I do hide in my office and hang out at parties I hate.
“Well, here’s dock ‘B’, Kathy. If you’re delivering paperwork, it will be to that building over there.”
“Okay. Thanks. Wait, how’d you know my name?”
Tom had to think fast. “Well, ah, whenever there’s a new employee, it gets around the company pretty quickly. And, well, Tom the janitor here gets to hear all the scuttlebutt.
“You’re name’s Tom too?”
“Yeah. Anyway, Kathy, I… For the first time in his life, Tom felt weirdly shy. “I know this might seem, well, I mean, you did after all wipe the grease off my face. So I was wondering. Would you like to have a coffee sometime? I mean, if you don’t mind being seen with a swearing, greasy, boat nut, janitor type.
Kathy was going to say no, but something behind those blue eyes intrigued her. “Sure, of course. We working stiffs have to stick together.”
__________________________
Pikes Place Market is an eclectic mixture of fishmongers, produce booths, and gift shops. Once a harbor for square-rigged cargo ships, its piers are now covered with hot dog vendors, a curiosity shop, historic Ivar’s Seafood Restaurant, an aquarium, and other tourist traps.
Every day locals and tourists alike fill the waterfront. But the city’s rich mostly avoided the place.
That’s precisely why Tom bought a little Mom-and-Pop coffee shop perched at the very end of pier 33. He kept the original owners, Bob and Sara Timble, and their staff on, paying them generous salaries. He didn’t care about running the store, or even if it made a profit. The little shop was Tom’s hideout.
Leaning back with his feet up on a chair, he sat at the corner table where a large window looked out over the water. It was a spot perpetually reserved only for him. The sweet aroma of coffee mixed with sea air filled the room.
Mrs. Timble set his usual 16 oz mocha on the table. “You look especially happy today.”
He smiled. “I’m meeting someone.”
“Here? You never bring anyone here.”
“Today’s different.”
“Why so? I thought, wait… it’s a woman, right?”
He gave her a sheepish grin.
“Tommy Bronson… after four years in a city of nearly a million people, you’ve finally found a woman.”
“I don’t know. Maybe?”
“Well, good luck handsome… hey, I do believe the richest man in Seattle is blushing!”
“Sara, stop it. I am not. Now go away. Can’t you find another customer to annoy?”
“Speaking of, there’s one now.” Sara walked quickly to the door. “Welcome to Timble’s Coffee.”
“Thanks, Um, I’m with him.”
Tom turned around and quickly stood. The sunset’s warm light bathed her body as she approached, making her red dress glow. Long dark brown hair covered her right breast, The hair on the other side disappeared behind her back.
“What can I get you?” Sara asked.
“Oh, a mocha would be great.”
“Mocha it is.” Sara gave Tom a quick glare, knowing toward Kathy, silently ordering him to say something.
“Hi, Kathy. Thanks for coming.” He pulled out a chair for her, its wooden legs scrapped the cement floor making a loud, echoing screech. It happened again, only louder when he took his own chair. Why the hell am I so nervous? He wondered.
“Here’s your mocha.” Sara set the cup in front of Kathy.
“So, does he bring all his lady friends here?”
“No. Actually, you’re the first.” Sara gave Tom a wink, then turned to greet another customer.
“Is that true, Tom?”
“Yeah. This is my secret spot in the city. I come here to relax, get away from people, and just spend time by myself.”
“Well, I’m afraid you’ve blown your cover. You just revealed your secret hiding place to a stranger.”
Tom laughed. “You’re no stranger.”
Kathy raised an eyebrow. “No stranger? We’ve barely met.”
“Oh, I mean, you don’t feel like a stranger. You’ve already wiped grease off my face like a mother hen. And somehow I managed to talk you into meeting me here.”
“Well, you are pretty persuasive. Sorry about the face cleaning, I shouldn’t have acted so familiar.”
“It’s okay. To tell the truth, I feel like I’ve known you longer.”
Me too, thought Kathy, not really sure why.
The horizon glowed as yellow/orange clouds were set ablaze by the setting sun. A gull landed on the railing in front of them, just outside the window. A lone sailboat was heading to harbor.
“It’s beautiful here, Tom. Do you come here often?”
“Yes, I own… I mean I feel like I own the place, I’m here so often. It helps me relax being near the water.”
“Is that why you’re working on your boat?”
“Yeah, it was my Dad’s. We used to fish together when I was a teenager. I think I spent more time on the water than off.”
Kathy had sensed Tom’s nervousness when she first arrived, but he seemed to relax as he leaned back into his chair. His blue eyes looked confidently into hers as they spoke. She liked a man who looked at you when he talked and listened, really listened.
Was it the smell of the shop? The sound of gulls calling? The warm light flooding the room? Or was it this man, someone she’d only met, yet seemed so familiar, smiling at her with those alarmingly blue eyes? Whatever it was, she felt so embraced in the moment, a warmth moved through her body.
“So, Kathy, you look dressed more for an evening out than a mere coffee shop.”
Was he criticizing her? “What, you don’t like the dress?”
Tom laughed. “Are you kidding? What man wouldn’t? You fired me up the minute you walked in. Red is my favorite color. I just meant, well, you look like you belong at a dinner table where there’s good food and lots of dancing.”
“Sounds like you have plans,” she said.
“Well, actually yes. This whole coffee shop thing was merely a ruse to reel you in, catch you in my net, and take you out.”
“So I’m a fish now.”
“Come on, let’s go. I know a place. That is if you don’t mind a bit of a drive.”
________________________________
Seattle’s iconic Space Needle slipped behind them as they headed north. Kathy wondered if she should have gotten into the car of someone she barely knew. “We leaving town? Where exactly are you taking me?”
“Everett, it’s just about half an hour from here.”
“Another town? Aren’t there good restaurants in Seattle?”
“Sure, lots of them. But this one is special.” I, Tom thought, it’s away from the sharks. No one will know me there.
___________________________________
The waiter seated them at a table flanked on two sides by floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, boats of all sizes were nestled in their slips for the night. Lampposts, very much like the street lamps of old, stood in rows along each dock. The Moon’s reflection danced on the water.
“So,” Kathy said. “You seem to follow a consistent theme –– you’ve taken me two places now overlooking the sound.”
“It’s a part of me. A big part. My dad made his living fishing Puget Sound. Almost all my memories were built floating on a boat.”
Kathy watched Tom’s eyes glaze as if looking back through time, then focus back on her. “It’s an honest living out there. The sea doesn’t give up its bounty easily. It makes a man work hard to earn his catch.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. It seems like hard work is an old-fashioned idea nowadays.”
“Kathy, I…, Is that really your name — Kathy?”
“Yeah, well Katheryn actually, but I’ve always been called Kathy.”
“It doesn’t suit you, ya know. Kathy seems like the name of someone people take for granted. Now, Katheryn, that’s the name of a strong spirit, unmoved by the idiots around her.”
“I always thought Katheryn was too formal, not really me. And no one, I mean no one is allowed to take me for granted.”
Tom laughed. “See what I mean?”
Katheryn, there’s not a lot of women like you around here. There’s more to you than you might think.
Kathy didn’t know quite what to say to this sudden familiarity, but she realized she was being seen, really being seen for the first time. And somehow, a man she barely knew was changing her name, changing the very way she thinks of herself.
She should have thought it presumptuous, insulting even. But this man somehow knew her, the real her. Still, she couldn’t give him complete control.
Okay, Katherine, then, But I still think it’s too formal. Someday, Kathy grinned, when I take over as President of Bronson Marine Industries, the name on my door will be Katheryn, but my friends will call me Kate.
She thought he’d laugh, but instead, his brow furled as if giving it serious thought. “Good,” said Tom, Kate’s a strong name too. Thank you, Katheryn.
How, she wondered, had this man gotten so close so fast? “Kate,” she said. You may call me Kate.
The food was the best she’d ever tasted. Soft jazz floated out from a nearby room. Their conversation over dinner had kept her distracted, but near the end, as the waiter placed the bill on the table, she scanned the room. How, she wondered, could a janitor afford such a place?
“Let’s go,” Tom said.
“Oh, you’re right, it’s getting late. Thanks, this was great.”
He guided her away from the table and into the next room. “What, you thought we were done?”
Small lamps, hanging from the ceiling, hovered low above each table. Twelve tables, twelve dim lamps. It was the only light in the room.
A few couples were on the dance floor moving slowly. The four-piece band let its music blend into the air with a dark, moody rhythm. To Kate, the room seemed at once both inviting and mysterious. A place of hushed secrets and quiet romances.
Kate’s eyes adjusted to the darkness as Tom found them a table in the corner.
“What is this place, Tom?”
“Well, for tonight, my dear Katheryn, it is ours.”
A woman dressed in black slacks and a low-cut, wide-lapeled top appeared suddenly out of the darkness holding a tray. “We’ll have two brandies if that’s all right with you Kate?”
Kate nodded, and just as quickly as she appeared, the woman stepped back into the dark, returning moments later with the drinks. Kate watched Tom swirl the liquor around in his snifter, inhaling lightly before taking a small, satisfying sip. Where, she wondered, did a janitor learn how to do that?
Kate tasted her brandy, letting the fluid flow back and warm her throat.
Without a word, Tom rose, took her hand, and guided her to the dance floor. He spun her into his arms and held her close. Maybe too close for a first date, she thought.
But the comforting, sensuous darkness and the feel of his hard chest against her breasts made it all seem just right like their bodies belonged together. Or, maybe it was the brandy. Either way, she didn’t care.
Kate followed Tom’s smooth, confident movements. She could no longer hold her curiosity back. “So, where does a janitor learn to dance like this, and, I don’t mean to be rude, but isn’t this evening a bit too spendy for you?”
He laughed. “See? Only a Kathryn would be so bold. So, maybe I’ve spent my evenings at work practicing with mops. And, it’s possible I saved up my money for an evening with the right woman. A no-nonsense woman who asks direct questions and wipes grease off strangers’ faces.”
“You’re not going to let me forget that are you.”
“Nope.”
Tom slowed, but still moving her around the floor. Each turn allowed his leg to linger a little bit longer between hers, his hand resting gently on the small of her back. Between each song, she sipped her brandy. Kate cuddled into his shoulder as they danced.
When the band finally stopped, they found themselves alone. Tom scanned the room. “Looks like we’ve closed the place down.”
_________________________________
The ride back to Seattle was quiet. They hardly said a word. It wasn’t awkward, or uncomfortable. Nothing needed to be said. It was like being with someone you’ve always known.
Tom found a parking spot just a block from her building. They walked together holding hands, still saying nothing. Tom glanced at his watch. Three-thirty, no one would be up this late. The hallway was quiet as they approached her apartment door. He kissed her lightly, the taste of brandy still on their lips. “Tom,” Kate said, her eyes locked on his. “Would you like to come…”
“Kathy!” The sudden shout made them both jump. It was Meg. “What are you doing up so late? Oh, sorry I…” Meg stopped, her eyes widening.
“Uh, sorry Kate,” Tom whispered, “I should go.”
“No, Tom, really, it’s okay.”
Meg’s mouth was still open, saying nothing, as Tom walked past her with a quick, nervous nod.
Kathy opened the door and pulled Meg inside. “Thanks a lot, Meg. And what are you doing up so late?”
Meg ignored her question. “My god, girl, how’d you net that one?”
“That was Tom. He works at Bronson Marine too. And I was about to let him in, maybe in more ways than one if you know what I mean.”
Babe, he doesn’t work at Bronson Marine, he is Bronson Marine.
Kate’s eyes widened. “What? No, you can’t…”
“Wait, you’re out with the guy all night and he never gives you his last name? Honey, that’s him. That’s Tom Bronson.”
She suddenly realized he never gave her his last name. The evening was too magical to even notice. “No, you’re wrong. He’s a janitor. I first met him during my job interview, He was taking out the trash.”
“Janitor? Right, maybe it’s a side job. You know, times are tough for multi-millionaires these days. A second job probably helps. “Kathy! I’m telling you, That’s Tom Bronson.
________________________________
The ride to the top floor seemed to take forever. Kate didn’t wait for the elevator doors to open all the way. Even the carpeted floor couldn’t muffle the sound of her rapid, stomping footsteps.
Like a guard protecting her commander, Miss Purdy was seated at a desk next to Tom’s office door.
Kate barely noticed her and head straight for it. “Where is he?” she shouted, already knowing the answer.
Startled by the look in Kate’s eyes, Miss Purdy forgot her authority for a moment, said nothing, and just pointed to the door.
“Good.” Kate charged at the door.
“Wait. You can’t go in there.”
“Just watch me,” Kate snarled. “I don’t give a shit. I’m quitting anyway.”
Tom heard the storm coming. The door flew open. A wild woman, breathing heavily, eyes flashing fire, stood in the doorway, then rushed his desk. Words flying from her in staccato fury.
“What the hell?” Kate yelled, not caring who heard. “You lied to me. You friggin’ rich bastard. You lied. What was that all about? Having a laugh at the poor little country girl? Did any of it mean anything? What a fool I was. I knew a janitor couldn’t afford last night. And at my interview, that whole act, carrying out wastebaskets, all the time Miss Purdy’s playing along. What are you? Some kind of creepy stalker? I saw you wink at her when you left, big joke huh?”
“No…no. I sometimes evaluate potential employees that way. The wink was just meant to tell her to hire you. I didn’t…”
“Well, your janitor act worked. I thought you were a decent, hard-working person. You actually made me care for you. Now I know you’re just another wealthy man playing reality TV with people’s lives.”
“No, Kate, wait…”
“I’m under contract. I’m forced to stay here one more week, but then I’m gone. I quit. I don’t care if you own the whole goddamn block, or all of Seattle, I don’t want to see you here. I probably won’t anyway since I work on the bottom floor and you’re too good to go down so low in your castle. Stay away from me.”

“Kathryn, please…”
In only two steps she was at the door, looked back, and growled. “My name’s Kathy. Miss Brooks to you,” then slammed it shut.
“Why the hell do you work for that man?!”
Miss Purdy, still at her desk, mouth open, eyes wide, said nothing.
_________________________________
The salesman at the harbor office smiled when Kathy came in. “So, I hear this is your last day.”
“Yep,” Kathy said. “I’m going to miss coming down here. The sea air was always a treat away from my stuffy office.”
“Well, we’re going to miss you too. Oh, Tom Bronson called earlier. He asked when you’d be arriving. Said something about wanting to meet you here.”
“Damn.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” Kathy said. “Gotta go.” She turned just as the door opened. Tom’s body filled the doorway. Kathy squeezed past.
“Kate, wait.”
Not answering, she hurried down the steps walking fast. Tom followed.
“Kate, Ah Kathy, wait, please.”
Kathy turned. “What.”
“This is your last day. It’s our last chance. Please, let me show you something.” He gestured towards the dock. “Please, just come.”
He reached out his hand. She didn’t take it but followed him. A blue heron leapt off the dock protesting their arrival. “It’s just up here, at the end of the dock.”
It was his boat, the one he’d been working on. It seemed bigger than she remembered. “So, you’re done fixing it up?”
“She still needs some paint in spots, but, yeah, pretty much done.”
“Well, I know it was important to you, being it’s your dad’s boat and all. I’m happy for you. Tom, I gotta…”
“Yeah, but Kathy, it’s not just a boat.” Tom jumped to the deck then offered his hand.
Kathy hesitated but his eyes spoke of something important. Something that mattered. She stepped forward, caught her heel on the bulwark, and fell into his arms.
Tom laughed, “You should have taken my hand.”
Kathy gave him a frown.
He walked her to the railing on the starboard side near the stern and put his finger on the newly varnished mahogany railing. “See that?”
There was a small dent in the wood.
“I could have fixed that but I left it.”
“Why?”
“It was my first day on the boat with dad. I was only 10 and too little to help much so he let me fish over the side. Somehow I’d managed to hook a king salmon. It fought hard but my dad wouldn’t help. It seemed he always found a lesson for me on that boat, and that was my first.
“He watched me struggle. “Don’t give up, son,” he said. “You’ll get it.” I almost got the fish to the boat, but it ran and my reel banged against this railing. I finally brought the fish close and dad netted it. It was my proudest moment. It wasn’t catching the fish that made me proud, it was dad’s smile.”
Tom ran to the bow. “Now,” said Tom, “follow me here. See that gouge? I was 16, and back then we had to pull the anchor up by hand. He had me do it. The anchor and chain was heavy. I pulled with all my strength. It slipped off its track and ate up the wood here. But I got the anchor in. All the time we had that boat, dad never sanded it out, just painted over it. Years later he explained it remained him of the day he first saw me as a man.”
Kathy saw a wetness glazing his eyes.
“And then there’s this!” Tom threw open the cabin door and pointed to a decorative know on the top spoke of the wheel.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a steerage knot. It helps show when your rudders are straight. Dad never needed one, but the first day he let me steer the boat out of harbor he tied it on for me. It’s not easy maneuvering a boat this size out of the slip, but dad had faith in me and I did it slick as shi…, ah, goose grease.”
Tom’s face was lit up. He seemed to be reliving that day as if it were happening again.
But when his eyes fell on Kathy, they became serious and a little sad.
“Look, Kathy, this isn’t just a boat. If it were I could have replaced it with a yacht four times it’s size. But all the dents and scratches, that knot, Everything. it’s a part of me that I’ll never let go of. It’s like he’s still with me.
“Do you have time to let me take you out on the water? Just a little ways. There’s something important out there. Something you’ll only understand if you see it.”
Kathy felt a warm ache in her throat. She couldn’t speak so simply nodded.
Tom steered the boat around a forested point and headed out to sea.
The water shimmered a bluish-silver color. It was so smooth it looked more like a summer lake than the open ocean.
Kathy stepped out of the cabin and stood on the foredeck. The sun was high and would have been too hot save for the breeze created by the boat’s forward motion.
The wind pushed her hair across her face. Brushing it back, she turned, saw Tom through the glass, and smiled.
Tom slowed the boat, cut the engines, and stuck his head out the door. “There’s a shelf here that rises to 60 feet. We can set anchor.”
She heard the anchor splash into the water and the chain following. Tom joined her at the bow.
“Can your smell it? he asked. The salt air. There’s nothing like it.
He was right. The fresh scent surrounded her as a seagull flew across the bow.
This is it, Kathy. This is the spot. Come, let’s go astern. He offered his hand. She smiled and held it this time.
The rear deck had been converted into a sort of an outdoor lounge. Just behind the cabin was a long seat, covered with soft cushions and pillows.
With the boat at full stop, there was no breeze. An overhang from the flybridge above provided shade. They sat together. Not saying anything. Something about the quiet gave Kathy an almost reverent feeling.
Then, with a bit of a quiver in his voice, Tom spoke. “This is it, Kate. This is the very spot where I caught the salmon and put that dent in the railing. My dad was so proud of me and… he paused… it’s the moment my young self became aware of just how much he loved me.
“When I come out here on my own, this is where I anchor. It’s almost a holy place for me.” He fell silent, eyes watering.
“Tom, I didn’t know how much this boat meant to you. There’s so much I don’t know about you.”
“I know. That’s my fault. I was hiding myself from you, Kathy and I’m so sorry. I was afraid if you found out I had money, that you would leave me. You’re the first woman I’ve met that didn’t care about being rich. You’re the only one who seems… real.
“That business I built, I’m proud of it, sure. It took a lot of work and employs over a thousand people. Dad would be proud. But it’s not me. I’ve never told anyone about this spot. It’s too private.”
A gull landed on the railing in front of them, and just as quickly, flew off. It reminded Kate of that day at the coffee shop. Was it some kind of sign?
He took her hand and kissed it. “This boat is full of memories for me, but I’ve come to realize that memories aren’t enough. Not if you can’t share them. I wanted you here, today, even if you leave me. I brought you here so this boat will have a new memory. The one where we were together one last time. Where I finally was brave enough to reveal who I really was. Were I finally told you…. I love you.”
Kathy felt her body warm. Images raced through her mind. The joking cab driver, meeting Meg, the stern Ms. Purdy, a certain crafty janitor, and a man staring down at her in the boatyard.
Kathy brushed his cheek with her finger.
“What?” Tom asked. “Is there something on my face?”
She smiled, just checking for grease.
A popping sound, almost like a quiet explosion came from astern. “Look!” Tom shouted, “Look!”
No more than 100 feet away a pod of orca swam by, their distinctive black and white bodies breaking the surface, taking a swift gulp of air, and diving back down. The lead one came to the surface, his tall dorsal fin shining.
See that one. The one in front with the grey patch? That’s Saddleback.
Saddleback?
Yeah, it’s a resident pod. I’ve seen them a lot. So I named them.
And that one with the smaller one beside her? That’s Mable with her calf, Widget.
Kathy laughed, “You’re weirder than I thought”. She stood on her toes and kissed his neck.
He put his hands on her shoulders. His eyes held a meaning she didn’t yet understand.
“Kathy, if you leave, none of this will be the same. My memories of Dad and this boat will seem hollow without you to share them with. Stay with me. I promise, Kathy, I will never lie to you again.” A small tear gathered at the corner of one eye.
She tried, but there weren’t any words to describe the feelings building inside her. So she spoke with her body, pressing it against his.
Tom bent as she stood on her toes. The kiss was tender at first, matching the quiet of the moment. He wrapped her in his strong arms, their lips pressed hard, her tongue brushed his.
There it was, the warm sweet feeling between her legs. She could feel his need pressed against her.
He pulled her shirt off. The warm sea air caressed her body. Now she understood why the other Kathy wanted to be naked outside. It was freeing.
Kathy unbuttoned his shirt, reached in with both hands, feeling the soft hair on his muscular chest. He was the most masculine man she’d ever known.
Tom’s eyes caught a glint of sunlight reflecting off the surface of the water. They were alive with lust. “Come inside, I don’t think you’ve seen the captain’s cabin.”
Narrow stairs led down to the bedroom. The room was wrapped floor to ceiling in rich, mahogany, cedar, and teak. A window on the back wall gave a panoramic view of sea and sky. Sunlight spilled across the bed.
Kathy felt a soft, down quilt caress her naked back as Tom gently laid her down. She languished in Tom’s clean, manly scent mixed with wisps of cedar and salt air.
He removed his shirt and lay beside her. Gently caressing her face, Tom kissed her forehead, then her closed eyes, and finally her lips. Kathy felt bathed in all the feelings a man can offer a woman. Tenderness, protection, anticipation, desire, passion, love.
She felt that certain power a woman has over a man as lust glazed his eyes.
Tom pressed himself hard against her leg. His hand moved from her face to cup a breast and gently squeezed its hardening nipple. He kissed her other breast then lightly brushed his tongue down along her side.
Tom’s tongue tickled her belly. He kneeled and worked her slacks down and off.
The desire in his eyes spoke of his love. At first tender, but then something more. Kathy watched the change. His pupils widened, his nostrils flared. The love was still there but mixed with something else, an animal. A wonderful, exciting, dangerous animal preparing to mount his mate.
The moisture built. Her passions were matching his, rising slowly, deliberately, with a desire that a woman can only give the man she loves.
Moving the crotch of her panties aside, he pressed a finger inside her, curing it gently within her. No man had touched her quite like that. He seemed to know everything she needed.
Tom bent down and with a warm, tickling breath, whispered in her ear. I love you, Kathy. From that moment in the boatyard when you wiped the grease off my face, I have loved you.
His combination of lust and love melted the words from her lips, Take me, Tom. Let me show you, my love.
The weight of his body descended upon her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, opening herself fully to him.
He reached down and guided the head of his shaft up and down her wet slit. Her folds opening, her erect nib feeling the hot caress of his cock. She flowed with desire, humping at him as he moved on her.
Kathy pressed her heels against his bottom, signaling her need.
There was only a slight resistance, then the feeling of his entry, of his thick member sliding into her, filling her.
He pulled nearly all the way out, and paused, his eyes touching her with an intoxicating passion.
The animal showed itself. A quiet moan rose to a loud growl as he plunged back in—his full length reaching deep.
Kathy tightened her legs, squeezing him, at the same time tightening her cunt around his cock.
Tom’s eyes widened. “My god, you feel good.” On his elbows, protecting her from his full weight, he rammed harder, letting the wild passion take over.
Her hands on his arms felt his muscles flex
He drove in and out, her moans matched his as they both rose in a fevered dance.
Wanting to hold off his release, Tom suddenly pulled out and kissed his way down her belly, his tongue finding its home. Circling its tip around her clit, then darting into her.
Kathy held his head and humped at him.
The feeling of her soft wet lips surrounding his tongue. The warmth. The sweet taste. Her movements on his face. All of it spoke of more than sex. This was the woman he’d always needed but could never find.
Kathy’s body shook with spasms of pleasure. The sudden climax surprising them both.
Tom kissed his way up her body and with a passionate deep kiss, plunged back into her.
“God, Kathy I love you,” he panted.
“It’s Kate,” she smiled and arched her back to accept all of him.
His pumping thrusts increased in speed.
“Harder, Tom, harder.”
Kate felt her stomach muscles contract and then her whole body shook with a trembling release. She screamed his name, and with a deep animal growl, he answered with hers.
Tom moved slowly inside her as their bodies relaxed in exquisite exhaustion.
His languid movements within her felt more like a loving caress.
The water made a quiet slapping sound against the boat. Seagulls called. A fresh cool breeze, carrying that delicious salt scent, found its way through an open hatch and down into their cabin.
His energy spent, Tom gently pulled out then laid beside her, eyes closed.
Kate studied his face. Somewhere inside this beautiful man is the heart of a young boy. Tom had kept him tucked away, protected, not willing to share him with anyone. Until now.
As the slow rocking of the boat pulled Kate towards sleep, she knew she would spend a lifetime getting to know that boy and man he had become.

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