When A Fair Winds Blows

"Ah well, when in Rome," Cathy said.

"We're not in Rome, we're in Greece," I laughed.

We, Cathy, her friend and soul mate, Alexis and me, were anchored off Velanio Beach, the famous, infamous, whatever, clothing optional beach on the Greek island of Skopelos.

It was day one of our seven-day charter, a natty little 39-footer called the Fair Wind out of Skiathos and, with a bit of help from the big Volvo Penta engine when we first set off, and then the aptly named fair winds Alexis kept finding, we had reached Skopelos in good time.

Hauling down the sails had been hot work, so once we motored towards the shore, then let anchor take, a swim seemed a good idea. It was suggested by no one in particular and all of us that, because of where we were anchored, what about sans swimsuits?

I expected everyone would have a good laugh and that would be it, but after Cathy's reply, she had whipped off her clothes, a bikini top and bottoms with a wrap, and dived into the water.

Alexis, dressed the same, did the same. "Ah well it is then," she declared as she jumped into the water.

What else could I do? So, off came my T-shirt and board shorts and in I jumped.

"How wonderfully warm is this water," Cathy said, rolling over on to her back and revealing her breasts to the Mediterranean sun?

Alexis was less flamboyant, or should that be flambuoyant, treading water.

"Not bad at all," she agreed.

Then Cathy swam away from us, in the general direction of the shore, about 25 metres away from where we'd dropped our anchor, before letting the boat drift back on to it on the current.

"Race you to the beach," she shouted back, breaking into a smooth freestyle that reminded us she was a school champion in that stroke, us because she had told me often, and she and Alexis had been at school together.

Alexis and I looked at each other quizzically. When in Rome, or was that Greece?

I too broke into my best freestyle and out of the corner of my eye I saw Alexis do the same.

Soon we were all hauling ourselves out of the water and on to the pebbly beach, amid people of all ages and sizes sans, or the Greek word for it, clothes, some stretched out in beach chairs, others on towels, others just wondering around much like the crowd on any other beach, except they were bollocky naked.

As we were.

"I don't want to stay here long," Cathy said. "I don't have any sunscreen on the bits that were under my bikini before this. There are some places you just don't want to get burnt."

Both my brains agreed.

So, after a bit of a walk along the beach, Cathy yelled out race you back to the boat and ran into the water, followed by a couple of people who don't like to be beaten at anything.

Me, I am competitive about everything, Alexis, well she didn't get to be a world champion sailor in Hobie cats for nothing, which is why she was such a welcome addition to our crew.

A month ago, we had found her crumpled up in tears on our front doorstep. She found the texts, her long-term lover was having the cliched affair with his secretary, who promptly dumped him when the shit hit the fan, but for Alexis, as much as he begged, there was no going back.

It was Cathy's idea to ask her to come with us.

"Would you really mind," she had said sheepishly, as this had been our long-awaited break away from our stresses multifarious.

"I am sure we can have just as much fun."

I caught the intonation and wondered, but then ... no don't be ridiculous.

Anyway, I knew how close they had been over the years, and when Cathy and I became an item it was obvious that the friendship with Alexis would come as part of the package.

I hardly minded, she was intelligent, fun, and in an avuncular way, I hadn't been all that impressed with the bloke who had dudded her when they first hooked up.

I knew of him from around the traps, he'd broken a few hearts before, and I probably should have said something, but how do you raise something like that?

There was probably a bit of guilt then but also the not significant matter that Alexis was a world class sailor, something Cathy and I certainly weren't.

We'd had had to fib a fair bit to get this boat when we first booked it. Cathy did have a power boat licence and in a far-off time and place, I had been on a couple of sailing boats, which was discreetly turned into crewing on them.

Thankfully, the owners of those boats wrote a couple of letters saying I had been on their boats, without indicating exactly what I had been doing, which was largely having a drink or two.

So, knowing too, that there were cabins at either end of the boat, giving us all space if and when we needed it, I said yes.

And now, he we were, catching up with Cathy just short of the boat.

I felt her body against mine as we gathered at the ladder then realised Alexis was right alongside us.

All three of us, naked, were in skin-to-skin contact, bobbing up and down, waiting to climb up the metal ladder and back on to the yacht.

Yeah, I know, but no. There was no, well let's call it a frisson. Like the people on the beach, it was all so matter of fact.

But a certain amount of decorum was still required for all of us to get back on the boat.

"Ladies first," I said and swam away so as not to be looking in their direction as they climbed up.

And they were, or at least Alexis was and without doing so obviously - looking elsewhere as I made way onto the boat.

"That was nice," said Cathy, reaching down the bikini and then the wrap she had dropped on the transom before she had jumped into the water.

"Who's for dinner?

"You're lead," said Cathy.

Dinner had been the pork chops, cooked in lemon, garlic and duck fat, the recipe nicked from the restaurant in Athens, with a Greek salad - when in Greece, etc.

Dessert was the third bottle of wine, which was now starting to kick in as we played cards with a well-used deck Cathy had found in one of the draws in the kitchen and then insisted we make use of.

We were playing euchre, a simple enough game. Cathy had called hearts as trumps and had a smug look on her face. Alexis put out the Ace of Spades, I followed suit with the seven of spades, Cathy put out the seven of hearts. It was going to be like that, I thought.

Then came the right and left bowers, so she had her point, but obviously was aiming for more, the Ace of Hearts, and then the King. What a hand.

"Pity you only get two points for a hand like that," she said. "I reckon you two should have suffered a greater penalty."

"Like what, taking off an item of clothing, we already done that one today Cathy," said Alexis.

"But maybe some of us didn't get as good a look as others," she continued, winking at me.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have been first out of the water."

"When everyone is nude, you don't look," I said. "You certainly don't get turned on, or if you did, there'd be blokes walking over the beach sporting erections, and I didn't notice any of those, not that I was looking particularly."

"No, you'd have been looking at all the women," smiled Cathy.

"To be honest, I wasn't," I said. "It's funny, isn't it? I guess there needs to be a certain amount of tease, I guess, you might call it, for it to be arousing, or sexy."

"So," said Alex wryly, "I think we can all rest assured no one had peeked, or had piqued interest, in anyone's busy bits, a girl could be disappointed in that, particularly as I haven't been busy in that bit for a while."

"Are we playing cards," I said, changing the subject but not entirely missing what she said. "My deal!"

I looked at my five cards and waited for Cathy and Alexis to declare their intentions.

"I am ordering you up," said Cathy.

"Whoa," I said. "Big call."

I picked up the seven of diamonds and threw away a seven of spades.

I did have the left bower, but not much more, so was going to be depending on Alexis. "Lead one and look at the rest," I said to Alexis and she put out the ace of diamonds.

"Go big or go home," he said.

Cathy put out of the right bower, knowing I had to follow suit and relieved me, at least of the seven of diamonds.

I then went bugger it, let's see what else she's got, and tossed out the left bower.

A pained expression came on her face followed by the queen of diamonds, and Alexis' contribution of the eight of diamonds.

A lot of piddling stuff left now. I thought I'd see what Alexis could do and put out the king of spades. Cathy put out the ace, the trick was hers and her hand hovered awaiting Alexis' contribution which was a "not so fast" as she put the nine of diamonds out.

One more trick and we've euchred her, and there's only one diamond left, I thought, but who's got it.

Alexis' lead, out come the 10 of diamonds.

"Damn," cried Cathy, laying down the Ace and King of Hearts. "I thought that would have been more than enough."

"Pity," said I, "that we only get three points for that, you should suffer a greater penalty."

"Touche," said Alexis, "we'd have had you naked in no time."

"Get stuffed," said Cathy, "still plenty of chances for me. And any way you've both seen me naked, even before today.

We played on, Alexis was first to 11 points, game over, what to do next?

"Well, it's one more glass of wine and I am off to bed," declared Alexis.

"I have this lovely little cabin to myself and I plan to get a good night's sleep and be up bright and early for the next sail. It's great to be out on the water again, albeit in a slightly bigger boat than I am used to, and I am grateful to the pair of you for putting up with me."

I smiled and revealed that my agreeing to have her come wasn't entirely altruistic: "Hardly putting up with, they only just let us hire the boat, I had to tell a few fibs about my experience and Cathy's power boat license helped.

"That's all right when we're using the engine, but under sail, you're the boss."

Of course, it wasn't just one more glass of wine, we got chatting about where we might sail next, where we can get provisions, something suddenly more important as another bottle of wine, then another was emptied.

Eventually, three people, happily squiffy and a fraction unsteady on their feet - nothing to do with being at sea - scuttled to beds at different ends of the boat.

The next morning, through a furry head, I heard a splash, then another.

I was, I discovered, alone in our bed, so reasoned one of those splashes was Cathy's. It was hardly Einsteinian to work out the other was Alexis.

Still in my jocks, I climbed up the stairs and poked my head above the deck to discover two apparently naked women swimming around the boat.

"Morning sleepy head," said Cathy as I clambered a bit further out. "Think I've discovered the best hangover cure ever, the Mediterranean. You should try it."

Now, given the state of undress of both women, do I go back downstairs and find my swimmers, or do I just dispense with the jocks and dive in?

The latter seemed the easiest so I dropped the jocks and jumped in.

The water was warm, but it was still a bit of a shock to the system, enough to make me forget about the hangover.

"I'll do breakfast," Cathy said swimming towards the back of the boat.

"Alexis has already agreed to get us ready to sail off after that."

I was beginning to feel surplus to requirements, then Alexis said: "I'll need help bringing up the anchor and getting us pointing into the wind, any volunteers?"

"That would be me," I said.

Again, ladies first, and I swear I didn't look, well not THAT way, as we climbed back on to the boat.

People disappeared down below and returned dressed for the occasion, which is breakfast, hauling up anchors, pointing the boat in the right direction to catch the wind and away.

Once the sail had been set, Alexis, looking up at the tell-tales, then barely touching the wheel, so the three of us sat happily chatting and munching on the muesli and fruit Cathy had brought up from the galley.

"Where's this been all my life," I said, "sailing under the Mediterranean sun, two beautiful women to take care of me."

Alexis laughed: "Cathy might be taking care of you, to me you're just the anchor boy unless we find somewhere fancy to moor with a buoy, then you're the buoy boy."

"And the galley boy, too, I shouldn't have to cook and wash up, down you go," ordered Cathy.

"Six more days of subservience then," I smiled. "With the sun shining, a fair wind blowing, I think I can just about stand it."

I notice a flash of eyes between Cathy and Alexis as I went below, did the washing up, and returned to the deck, aware of some conspiracy of silence as I emerged, which I interrupted.

"By the way, where are we heading at this rate of knots," I said?

"Since you're so enamoured of nude beaches, Alexis and I found another clothing optional place," Cathy said.

"That's not really the reason," Alexis laughed, "it's in behind a big headland which will give us plenty of protection for the night.

"We'll probably be there in a few hours, so plenty of time, too, for lunch and a swim.

"My guidebook also says there's a taverna and a supermarket nearby."

That settled, my anchor boy role not needed for a while, I wondered to the bow to enjoy a few moments of reverie.

"Anchor boy required on deck," called the voice of the skipper, a term we now applied freely and regularly to Alexis.

After all my reverie-ing, and perhaps lack of sleep from the night before, I had gone down below a nap.

Up on deck, I opened the hatch, grabbed the controls and began letting out the anchor.

When I felt it grab, I let out a bit more so that the boat could drift back, checked with Alexis that she was happy and closed the anchor hatch.

"Swim first or lunch," Cathy asked.

"Why not check out the taverna, and replenish supplies at the supermarket," I said, realising that I could also be in charge of dropping the little tender into the water.

Which I did when both replied "taverna."

We tied the tender up to a tree, had lunch and wine, re-stocked food and wine at the supermarket and headed back to the boat.

"Siesta time," said Cathy, "or does it have another name in Greece?"

"If I tell you it's called messimeri, you promise not to call me a smart arse," I said. "I looked it up the other day, that's all."

"Smart arse," said Cathy, disappearing down the ladder, but giving me a come-hither smile as she went.

I know that look, so was eager to follow.

"I will leave you two love birds to it," smiled Alexis.

Soon after, I was - as quietly as possible - making love to Cathy.

By the time I had got to our bunk, she was naked, lying on her back.

That which followed was languorous. Early in our relationship, our love making had been athletic, and then some. In hallways because we never quite got to the bedroom, up against hotel windows with who knows whom watching, in open fields.

As we grew into each other, we had slowed the speed, but not the intensity. It was like slow food in a five-star restaurant.

And there was no rush now - we're on holidays.

Soon though, I felt her coming, stifling the noises she normally makes so as not to make Alexis uncomfortable, or the people on the shore 30 or 40 metres away ... she can be loud, and the longer we go, the louder she gets.

Once she had finished, a bang to a whimper, she eased away, took my penis first in her hand, and then in her mouth, no change of speed, just a heightened intensity.

Really heightened, because, as I headed towards my own climax, I expected her to pull back, but she didn't and before I could help myself, I had ejaculated into her mouth, most of which she swallowed.

She put a finger to my lips to stop my apology.

"You always wanted me to do that, didn't you," she said smokily, without trying to remove the small streak on her chin that she hadn't swallowed. "A girl knows these things, and you were always too sweet to ask."

I said as softly and as meaningfully as I could: "Thank you!"

We then drifted into messimeri.

For the second time that day, I was awoken by a splash.

I opened an eye to find Cathy was still beside me, like me only half-awake, so it had to be Alexis.

"Feel like joining her," Cathy said sleepily. "It will wake me up after that lunch, and wine, and ... "

"Swimsuits or not," I said, still naked from our lovemaking.

"Check out Alexis," Cathy said, "well not that sort of check out, but see if she's in the nuddy."

I popped my head out of the deck, waved to Alexis, who waved back. As she raised her arm, it was clear she was topless.

"All good to go," I shouted back down to Cathy. "Sans clothes."

Cathy, fully naked, clambered past me, up onto the deck and dived into the water, and soon after there were a third splash, me.

"Gorgeous isn't it," said Alexis, now floating on her back, her breasts pushing up out of the water.

Suddenly, for the first time, I felt it - that frisson at the sight of them, neither ample, as per the cliché, or anything else, except there, very close to me.

Whether she knew it or not, it was a tease missing from before.

This could get embarrassing, I thought as blood rushed to a certain place, now hidden as I trod water, but which would be clearly on display when I climbed out of the water if things weren't swiftly brought under control.

Cathy must have noticed my discomfort because she gave me a quizzical smile, then swam close enough to me to whisper into my ear.

"So, you do notice eh," she said.

And the closeness of her body wasn't helping much either, not the least when she reached down and grabbed the destination to which blood was now rushing even faster.

"Shall we tell Alexis what she's done," she said sotto voce, but not sotto voce enough.

"What have I done," said Alexis.

"Oh, you've gone and got our anchor boy all excited below the waterline," said Cathy.

I blushed, as blood now ran in the other direction, but without having any impact on my erection.

"Nice to know I can still have that affect," said Alexis, "a girl's confidence has taken a knock in recent times.

"But I thought you said you didn't notice. Now that's going to make getting out of the water interesting, for a few reasons.

"Will you be perving on us, and will we want to check out whether you're still excited."

My embarrassed silence seemed to last forever.

"Well, I'm swimming and I'm getting out of the boat and you can all make your own arrangements," said Cathy.

"But," there was another long silence, and as three people looked at each other the more it continued, she said: "If there's something you want to do, now is the time.

"Three naked people, all consenting adults ... "

Where do you start with a threesome?

Where do you stop with a threesome?

There were the three of us, always handy to have three for a threesome, I guess, in our cabin, obviously all consenting, but to what?

If I enjoy making out with Alexis too much, will Cathy be upset, but then, it was her who had called this moment on.

Matters were taken in hand, so to speak, when I found myself on the bed with the women either side of me, both stroking my manhood.

"He likes that," Cathy said, "and I know what else he likes.

She shifted on the bed and kissed the tip of my penis.

"Your turn," she said to Alexis.

If there was any hesitancy, it didn't register in her body language.

Her lips kissed the head, which was by now straining.

I thrusted involuntarily, trying to get into Alexis mouth.