Alan was enjoying his life as a sea-going engineer in the Merchant Navy. He was good at his job, and had received regular promotions, and he still enjoyed the challenge of being in charge of huge diesel engines and all the ancillary equipment that goes to make up the motive power for a large ship. His current ship was getting long in the tooth, having been built in the mid nineteen thirties, and re-engined in the late forties, and now in the late fifties was getting towards the end of it's life. The era of the ships combining passengers and cargo was coming to an end, as the growth of air travel reduced the numbers of passengers for long sea voyages, and before too long specialist cruise ships and huge containerised cargo ships would change the whole pattern of shipping. However, there were still enough passengers making the voyages and treating them as holidays to keep the old ships going for a bit, and even some new ships of this type were being built.
Life as an engineer at sea had a fair number of pluses and minuses, as do most jobs. While the work was interesting, it was by no means easy. The engine room temperature was controlled by the sea temperature, and when that rises above 30° Centigrade the engine room can be well above 50°. That makes just doing the minimum of work involved in watch keeping hard, and, in the event of a repair being needed involving considerable physical effort, it wasn't a fun job. However, in more temperate climes it was a reasonable working environment and the watches passed quickly, especially if the senior engineer was of a reasonable disposition, just one of the lads, rather than like some of the older autocrats.
This trip had started well for Alan. He had been promoted again and, as well as giving him more responsibility and job satisfaction, he had graduated to a better cabin, still small but giving him a bit more room which made for better parties, if any willing passengers could be persuaded to join in the festivities. The bunk was also a bit wider than that in the junior cabins, and I don't need to explain what an advantage that could offer.
The benefits of the enhanced bed space was shown rather more quickly than would normally have been expected. At the beginning of a trip it usually took some time to get to know the passengers, and scope out the possibilities of amorous activities, but this time Alan had advance knowledge of one potentially willing partner. On an earlier trip he had enjoyed the company of a middle aged lady who had been more than happy to share his bed. A few days before this trip she had written to him to say that her friend was planning to make a journey on the ship, and would he like to look after her. When he read this he was a bit taken aback, as he assumed that this would mean that she would be an innocent who he couldn't very well try to bed. However, he replied politely that he would do as requested and soon got another letter thanking him, but with a PS saying "By the way, I've told her what a stud you are in bed, and she can't wait to check for herself".
When the passengers began to board the ship Alan, who was off watch at the time, scanned them till he picked out the appropriate woman from the photo he had been sent. He introduced himself, saying that perhaps when she was settled in her cabin they might meet for a drink. He was a bit startled when she said she thought he did his entertaining at midnight, but he grinned and said there were other times as well. They met at the bar, but Alan could not stay long as he had to go onto Stand By.
When a ship is entering or leaving port, and needs to manoeuvre, several engine start/stop and reversing activities may be required and it was normal that an extra watch of engineers should be on duty, this time being known as Stand By. At the start of a voyage both the off duty watches would be called so that all the engineers would be in the engine room at a time when the engines were being run in anger for the first time after shore gangs had worked on them, and when errors of omission or commission were at their likeliest. For this reason Alan had to go to the engine room, where he would stay till the ship was clear of port and he could come up for a brief period to eat his dinner before going back on watch from eight until midnight. Happily all had gone smoothly and after a brief time it felt as though this was just a continuation of the last trip. At the end of a trouble free watch, he spent a happy half hour on the boat deck with the rest of the watch, drinking a beer or two and watching the lights of the English Channel coast recede into the darkness.
The lady he had met was called Kathleen, and, despite her having joked about him entertaining at midnight, he didn't make contact with her until the next afternoon, when he met her on deck leaning on the rail watching the sea go by - well, it doesn't actually go anywhere, but you get the idea. After some idle chatter, he invited her to come to his cabin for a cup of tea, to which she agreed, though the look on her face might have made him think that she suspected that he might have planned something more than tea. He ordered tea from the officers' steward, and after it arrived they sat and had some more idle chatter while they were feeling their way with each other, till she took the opportunity to shift the subject to a more interesting basis.
"This woman with whom I am sharing a cabin tells me she reads palms and has promised to tell me my future".
"That must be useful, reading palms - if you believe in that sort of thing".
"It would be more useful to be able to read minds - I'd like to be able to do that. Mind you, I think I can a bit anyway."
"I'm not sure I'm that keen on having my mind read".
Kathleen thought for a few moments, before expounding her ideas. "I think it goes something like this - This middle aged woman that Louise has landed me with looks reasonably wholesome and could provide horizontal entertainment for a few days, so what's the best approach? She's heard about what Louise and I did together so she must be prepared for trying out my bunk, but how will she react to a direct approach? Will she expect me to spend a few hours in pretend seduction and get all uptight if I rush it - what sort of woman do you think I am and so on? Or would she respond favourably do the 'Do you want to fuck?' tactic?"
Alan burst out laughing.
"So let me read your mind like this - Louise says this man is good in bed and he looks quite a pleasant chunk of masculinity, so do I play hard to get - not very hard, obviously - or do I let him know I'm ready and willing and risk him thinking I'm just a slut?"
She giggled at this fairly accurate reading.
"I shouldn't admit it, but that's a pretty accurate understanding. There's a bit more that you couldn't have guessed at. When I tell you that you needn't use a condom, do I tell you that it's because I've got an IUD fitted or admit that I hope to get pregnant?"
"Bloody hell, that poses two questions - first, what the hell is an IUD?"
"Inter Uterine Device - a gizmo that's fitted in the entrance to the womb and stops a woman getting pregnant - which I haven't got. Next?"
" You don't seriously want me to get you pregnant, do you? That raises all sorts of potential problems. I mean, what's your husband going to say? You did say you were married, having a little dalliance with a sailor is one thing, brining home his child is another altogether".
"Jim and I have been trying to start a family for years, with no luck, and I'm getting desperate the nearer I get to forty. We've talked about options, because the doctors say there is nothing wrong with us, just his sperm and my eggs don't want to hold hands. He has said that, if I get pregnant, he won't ask questions about how it happened, so I'm willing to try if you're willing. And, being honest, I quite fancy the idea of having it off with another man. I've always been faithful, but only in body, not entirely in spirit - I've certainly had interesting fantasies about other men, now I'd love to try the reality. Has that put you off?"
"As long as my involvement is only in the procreation bit that's fine, I certainly don't want to know after that."
"Well, now we know where we are - I'm willing and I hope you are able, now can we test your bunk?"
"Sounds like a good way to spend an hour or so. Seeing that we are being practical about this and so we can get the maximum enjoyment, can I just establish the ground rules?"
"Ground rules?"
