Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

RYAN

It was a warm June day here in Virginia, so I decided to take my small cuddy cabin with an outboard motor for a little trip around the bay to cool off. The temperatures were insane hovering about, with me needing a coat one day to even a t-shirt being too heavy the next.

The marina was only thirty minutes away from my little studio apartment on the motorcycle, about the same distance as my work in the opposite direction. While the ride on my Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic felt good, I was anticipating being on the water.

I waited around a little while, to see if my brother was going to show or flake again. It was almost a given that he wouldn't show. While I preferred my boat, eighties music and the quiet, he had the need for speed on his Aquila 36 350-hp four stroke, along with loud people and louder music in most genres.

I pretended to wait but realistically, only a few minutes later I was on my boat with a cool, fine spray on my face which felt amazing. My tank shirt was plastered to my tanned skin from sweat and water. I closed my eyes for just a moment. The engine sputtered then shut off. I tried and couldn't get it to turn over no matter how many times I pulled the cord on the manual starter. All I was going to get out of this was a sore shoulder. I wished I'd invested in an electric starter about now, but those weren't always reliable either.

Before leaving the boat of an evening, the tank was always filled. I checked the gas and oil mix in the small two stroke engine. It was a Suzuki 30 HP, still strong enough to pull the nose out of the water. There was plenty of mix in the tank. I was far enough away from the marina that it was going to be a bit of a walk to get help. Along this stretch it was quiet, which was one of the reasons I liked it. Just me, the open water with no cell phone service, and a sense of peace.

I decided to pull the boat over to the bank it was drifting toward. The sun would be setting soon in the evening sky, then I could walk back to the marina. Even though right now it was still bloody hot, I was going to have to suck it up and go. At least I kept the boat stocked with bottles of water and even some beer in the fridge for hot days like this. There was a service road not far, so maybe I could get someone's attention and possibly hitch a ride.

My backpack was big enough to hold my wallet, keys, phone and a bottle of water. Grabbing my pack, I anchored my boat, not that it would go anywhere, except maybe rubbing on rocks. That would be something to check on the next time I had it hauled out of the water and kept in dry dock for the winter. With a deep breath and a sigh, I started my trek back to the marina. At least I didn't have to work tonight.

Walking was part of my usual routine, so it didn't particularly bother me. I did wish I had my mp3 player on me though. It was lightweight and old school but it was my preference. I would be enjoying the walk with my music, rather than it being so tedious. In this heat, even the birds were quiet.

I had walked around a kilometer when I heard a diesel headed in my direction. There was no mistaking the sound or smell of the different fuel. These days the smell was more of bleach than diesel. Now if I could talk them into a ride, IF they stopped. Not everyone was friendly, and some were downright creepy.

They saw me from the short distance. I mean, how could they not with my shorts having neon green splash paint designs on them. The truck was slowing down. It looked fairly old, with multi-colored pin striped candy stripes down the side, and I kind of recognized it, maybe from my work.

It crept to a stop near me as if the man were uncertain whether to stop or not, until a bear of a man got out from the driver's side. I definitely recognized the truck and the man. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the way he was staring made me wonder if he was trying to place me.

At work it was my advantage not to be noticed, with my not craving constant attention. Luckily, it was always busy so small talk wasn't expected.

The owner of the club had a ‘strip mall' type area with several clubs next to each other. I worked as a waiter at Fate This, a club for men who preferred to watch men. The club next door was Fate That, a club for women to watch men. On the other side was Next Fate, a club for men to watch women. Fate to Fate was for women who preferred to watch women. Fate Rouge was a drag club and anyone was welcome, no matter gender or preference.

The owner wanted all patrons to feel in their element. While there were ID's required for age, if someone felt more like themselves as more than they were born as, we offered memberships with a picture ID, so they wouldn't feel uncomfortable wondering if they would be criticized for looking nothing like their identification. We only had to see them once as their ID showed. There was no gender specification on the ID as some identified as gender neutral. It was a very smart setup.

The bear of a man stopped by the passenger door. "You want a lift or what? I don't have all day." He was gruff, with a deep voice, and slightly uneven, white teeth to go with his teasing smile.

"Yes. Please. In the direction of the mind if you don't mind? My boat quit at the marina and ran aground." He looked confused while I sounded like a blithering idiot, and my heart was beating a little too fast. The butterflies had flown from my stomach to my throat and settled there, vibrating and making it hard to think.

"I mean, my boat is nearby and ran aground. I need to get help from the marina." I was shaking my head no and hoping he mistook my blush for a sunburn.