Clark and Lois The Lost Years Matchmaker Chronicles Vol 3 15/46
By Ken Janney
This version is rated PG-13
* denotes emphasis *
< denotes thoughts >
[ playback of a recording or TV Commentary] / telepathic communications /
(#) footnotes
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Reminder:
Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120 - Canon Lois and Clark universe also called – Prime
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036 – Canon Alt Clark universe also called – Alt 1
Previously –
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The next evening
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Charlie put on his best GQ style dress suit for the evening and Linda dressed in a white linen sleeveless dress with a scoop neck, fitted bodice and full skirt which came to mid calf with white high heeled pumps.
She said, “My, don’t you look nice this evening!”
He replied, “Not nearly so nice as you my dear.” <This is going to be a real trial. We’ll be acting as husband and wife. I look forward to it and I dread it. To be so close to her. Wait a minute. Maybe I can turn this to my advantage. A world of possibilities could open up. What if … Can’t a Mayor perform weddings? … Nah, she’d never go along with it. Too soon, too soon.>
When they arrived at the Mayoral residence that evening there was a crowd of photographers and newspaper reporters there. Included in the throng were Derek Price, Suzanne and Colette. Since they were colleagues they gave them a special exclusive interview for the Planet.
They posed for some photographs. Mostly the pictures were of them side by side with their arms around each other. Some of them were where Charlie insisted that they be kissing. There were some with the Mayor’s family.
The Mayor had invited most of the high government officials to the dinner and introduced Linda and Charlie to all of them as the saviors of his wife and children. In a speech he affirmed his eternal gratitude for the selfless act by two former strangers, now friends, of saving his family from a watery grave. In essence he gave them the key to the city.
They modestly accepted his thanks and stated that they had been unaware of who the people they were rescuing were. All they knew was that there was a vessel in distress and that they would have performed the same action for anyone in a similar situation.
After they returned to the Ubuntu they spent some time cuddling. This adventure had moved their relationship half a step ahead.
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Later Clark would request copies of the original photos from the agencies that were there so that he could have the pictures of Lois and himself, together. He realized at that time that this was another clue he had missed when doing his search. It had never occurred to him that there would be something in the newspaper about them.
And now –
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Chapter 15 – The Cruise on the Ubuntu
May 8, 1992
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From their slip in the port Charlie and Lois were able to observe the river traffic and were not too surprised when they saw the ferry with the arms cargo cross the river to the Brazzaville side. They knew that it would soon be time to head out.
It was however, almost a week before they saw some river boats pull in to the dock at Brazzaville. The riverboats had apparently been delayed on returning from their last trip.
That evening Charlie prepared dinner and after eating they cleaned up. Once this was accomplished they removed the cushions from the dining area and placed them on the floor and wall of the cabin to form a couch. After they were seated Clark put his arm across her shoulders and started the conversation.
“They looked like they were nearly finished loading when we came below. Do you think that they’ll start right away?”
“You know more about this boating stuff than I do which brings up a question. How do you know so much about boating, being from Kansas?”
“Okay, well, in the summers we would go sailing on Smallville Lake. It was a small sailboat, about the size of the D’Arnet’s boat. Then occasionally we would vacation in Maryland and go out on the Chesapeake Bay. That was in a power boat just about the size of this one. Being here on the Ubuntu is a lot like those vacations.”
“That sounds nice and I think I would have enjoyed it. We have nice facilities here on the Ubuntu and I like having a bathroom. We always used to go into the mountains and camp so I guess that’s why I hate camping so much. You don’t always have a bathroom available. I guess we’ll be doing some of that on this trip so I guess I’ll just have to deal with it.”
“What do you think about the riverboats?”
“I wouldn’t think that they would travel too much at night, would you?”
“I agree. They’ll probably wait until morning to head out. Now, what do you think we should do? I have an idea, but I want to see what you think.”
“Well, we don’t want them to know that we’re tailing them, but we do want to monitor their progress. If they keep seeing us following them they’re bound to get suspicious.”
“How about this, we can do like we did when I was a kid on vacation. We can travel by day and anchor at night. During the day we may pass them or they may pass us. We need to make it look like we’re just out on a pleasure trip. What do you think?”
“I think we are looking at a weeklong pleasure trip. I can deal with that. We have those deck chairs we picked up during the refit. I have a couple of good books. I’m sure we can look the part.”
“Okay, that’s settled. Now, when do you think we should start?”
“Well, if we pull out right after them it might look suspicious. What do you think about a head start?”
“Yeah, I think that would be best. Let’s see, it’s about 7 PM now. I think that we shouldn’t let them see us leave. Why don’t we wait until about 10:30? We can travel upriver a distance and anchor and wait for them to pass us in the morning. We’ll get some idea about how fast they’ll be moving and how long the entire trip will take by doing that.”
“Sounds like a plan. What do we do in the mean time?”
“Did I ever tell you about my trip to Borneo …?”
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True to plan, they pulled in their spring lines and got under way at 10:30 PM.
Proceeding upriver for a distance of sixty kilometers they found an anchorage on the east side of the river. Charlie prepared a light snack for them and after eating he and Lois headed off to their respective bunks.
When they got up shortly after dawn Charlie prepared their breakfast, which they took up on deck. At 10 AM, realizing that they had some time to kill, Lois went below, reappearing shortly afterward in a one piece bathing suit.
“Since we have to wait for them to pass by I thought I’d go for a swim. Do you think it’s safe? There aren’t any Piranhas in the river are there?”
Laughing he replied “I don’t think so. To the best of my knowledge Piranhas are native to the waters of South America. Do you think you will need a life guard?”
“I don’t think so, but it would be nice to have you join me.” She said coquettishly looking up at him from under her lashes.
Unable to resist such a request Charlie disappeared below to change. It was hard for him to restrain himself and change at normal human speed he was so excited by her request. When he reappeared on deck he was wearing swimming trunks and a T-shirt.
When Charlie came back on deck she gave him an appraising look which turned into an open-mouthed stare when he stripped off the T-shirt and dove into the water.
Lois’ thoughts went wild. <Wow, I’m impressed! It sure looks like he works out, nice physique. Why does he hide all that under those baggy clothes?>
Charlie and Lois were both cavorting about in the water, splashing each other and having a lot of fun at about 11:00 AM when they saw the flotilla as it came past. As he was distracted by the passing flotilla and looking away from Lois she dove underwater and swam under Charlie. Grabbing his ankle she pulled him underwater unexpectedly. He allowed himself to drift lower and when he had reached the same depth as her he grabbed her and initiated a kiss. Using his strong legs to kick he sent them both back to the surface, still in an embrace and still kissing. She soon realized that she didn’t have to do anything to stay afloat so she relaxed in his arms and her arms went around his neck as the kiss deepened. When she relaxed her body melded into his. Through the light material of her suit she could feel the strong muscles of his chest and her nipples began to harden with the contact. Since she didn’t need to kick to stay afloat she was relaxed and as her lower abdomen came into contact with his lower body she could feel the bulge of his manhood against her thigh. <Ummm I can feel his reaction to me. He seems to be trying to hide it from me though. I guess he just doesn’t feel comfortable enough with me yet to let me know how he really feels.>
After several minutes they broke the kiss and Lois climbed back aboard the Ubuntu. As Lois was drying her hair she realized that Charlie was still in the water. The one piece suit she was wearing was a Speedo, just a light weight stretchy fabric without built in cups. She leaned over the side to look at him, which gave him a view of her nipples poking against the light material of her swim suit. That didn’t help him to control his thoughts in the slightest, in fact quite the opposite. Charlie had stayed in the water so that he could regain some measure of control before climbing back onboard but this view was not helping at all. He knew that he would have to stay in the water even longer.
Lois asked “Why are you still in the water? Don’t we need to get moving?”
Embarrassed, Charlie stammered his reply “Yes, uh, yeah we need to get moving, uh, but , uh, not , uh, hot right now, uh I mean uh not right now, uh, in a few minutes. Yeah, a few minutes. I think I’ll check the rudder and make sure it isn’t fouled.
Lois was surprised at this statement. “It wasn’t fouled when we stopped. How could it have become fouled?” <That’s so cute! He’s embarrassed about how his body is responding to mine.> Looking down at herself she could see her nipples making their presence known. <Heaven knows I could be embarrassed about mine, but, it’s natural. He’s trying to hide his response to me.>
“Well, I’ll just check anyhow. I’ll come aboard in a few minutes.”
<I think I’ll let him off the hook.> “Alright, I’ll go get changed. See you in a few.”
After she went below Charlie was able to regain some control and return to the deck. He quickly dried off and pulled his jeans on over his trunks and pulled on his shirt before she reappeared on deck.
Assuming that the riverboats had departed Brazzaville at about 8:00 AM, they estimated that they were moving at about ten knots or eleven miles per hour. About two hours after the flotilla passed they weighed the anchor and made way upriver in their wake at about fifteen knots.
Lois was amazed to find that she was a lot more comfortable in Charlie’s presence since their relationship was moving ahead. That underwater kiss had startled her at first, but realizing that she trusted Charlie and confident that he wouldn’t allow either of them to drown she had relaxed in his embrace and really enjoyed the experience. In all honesty she had found the experience to be sexy and exciting. To be in his embrace wearing so little and to feel his arousal… she had been getting turned on as evidenced by her hardened nipples.
She had worried that Charlie was distancing himself from her, but that seemed to have changed somehow. Perhaps playing the couple to the media after the rescue had helped.
After helping Charlie weigh the anchor and get under way she disappeared into her cabin. She had started thinking about Suzanne and Colette and how their behavior toward Charlie bothered her. Charlie had told her about the time he had spent with them. When he had told her about going out with them to learn about the local night spots before her arrival he had mentioned dancing with Suzanne. She had had to smile about that one. That explained why he was so gun shy when they were on the dance floor. He had been acting like a scared rabbit afraid that she would be climbing all over him the way Suzanne had. Maybe in the future she would consider it. But, right now she wanted some time to think without the distraction of seeing him.
In her cabin, sitting on her bunk, absently staring out of the porthole at the passing scenery, Lois was lost in thought because she was still having a hard time reconciling her feelings about him. <One thing I’m sure of at this point is that Charlie is *not* in with the arms dealers. He *is* on the side of the angels. He hasn’t contacted anyone and seems to be really serious about this investigation. We’ve spent a lot of time together and he never seems to run out of things to talk about … his stories about his world travels, the things he has seen and done and the stories he’s written for foreign papers. I can’t wait to see some of these souvenirs he’s told me about. I could listen to him talk for hours. Actually, I *have* listened to him talk for hours. I haven’t traveled nearly as much as him so I don’t have as many stories along that line but he seemed to be impressed with my work as well. We really haven’t talked about our families. I *know* why *I* haven’t. I don’t want to get depressed and I don’t want to burden him with my troubles. Stories aside, we’ve hardly talked at all about our relationship and where it’s going aside from acknowledging that we like to be together and I think he wants us to stay together. I really like him, a *lot*! It’s like he’s become the best friend I have ever had and he’s a hunk. We *have* been having a lot of fun together *and* have gotten to know each other pretty intimately. He seems to know what I’m thinking a lot of the time and that makes me feel … *special* somehow.>
<I’ve had some real federal disasters as relationships in the past. Every guy I have been interested in has basically been after only one thing and since I haven’t been willing to give that up, they’ve all walked out on me. Charlie seems to be different from all the rest, but do I want to risk it again? Should I allow this relationship to proceed? We’ve been together for almost two months now and the relationship we’ve formed is growing but, what if he just walks out on me the same way as all the rest? Do I want to risk that?>
<But, he said that he had been waiting five years to meet me. I still don’t know how that’s possible but maybe he was speaking figuratively. That must be it, like saying ‘I’ve been waiting all my life to meet you’. He has just been waiting for the right person to come along, but does he really think I’m the right person for him? I think he does, but am I? Is he the right man for me? I *am* drawn to him almost like a moth to a flame, but am I going to get burned? Every time we kiss it’s like I just want it to go on forever! That night, on the docks … wow, … every time I think of that kiss … my toes *still* curl. He just does something to me. I almost think that sex couldn’t be better, could it? With him???>
Her focus moved from the scenery outside to her own image in the mirror as if she were talking to herself. <I wonder just how far he went with Suzanne and Colette. They were *obviously* attracted to him. For heaven’s sake, they were trying to seduce him the minute he walked into the office, with me right there! He said that *they* were just *friends*.> She stood up and gave herself a very critical appraising look in the mirror and asked herself <What have they got that I don’t have?> A smile creased her lips and with a light chuckle she corrected herself. <No, the real question is what do I have that they don’t? The answer is Charlie! He *chose* **me** over *them*!>
<He says he wants a relationship, but what kind of relationship does he want? A long time ago I decided that my job was going to be my first priority but this time with Charlie has started me thinking that I may have been wrong. Why couldn’t I have a life and a job instead of my job being my life? We’re here on a job and I’m enjoying my life being with him. But, does he just want a fling or does he want a serious commitment? I used to think that marriage and job don’t mix but I don’t think I like the idea of ‘One-Night-Stands’ either. I think that this time with Charlie has shown me that what I really want is permanency. I don’t like the thought of winding up like mother so I need to be sure that the man I pick will not run out on me. What can I do? I need to know if I’ll be able to count on him. How can I find out? >
Her smile morphed into one of a mischievous nature. <What if I give him the same treatment that the twins gave him? How far can I push him, do I really *want* to push him? What if he tries to take advantage of me? Can I handle him? He’s awfully big and *strong*! The way he pulled me up when I slipped off that rope, whew, who would have thought?>
<My bet is that he’ll be a gentleman because I think he’s after more than a fling.> Her expression changed to one of excitement <I know what I’m going to do. Since we have a few hours why don’t I use some of that time to sun bathe? Let’s see what I have to wear. I packed a few swim suits. There is this one piece that I had on. It has a low cut back. And I have these. Let’s see.>
Lois proceeded to lay out the swim suits she had brought along. Fortunately one of the improvements that they had made to the Ubuntu during the re-fit was to add some amenities not normally found on a fishing vessel. Some additional cabinets one of which had a 10 inch by12 inch mirror had been installed in Lois’ cabin for her cosmetics and such and a full length mirror so that she could check her appearance. She had been using the full length mirror in her self dialogue and now she used it to full advantage.
Now that she had decided what she was going to do, she removed her shorts and top. Deciding that she really needed to put on the suits to do a proper evaluation she also removed her bra and panties. She had been wearing the Speedo previously and putting it back on she looked at herself in it very critically, turning around to see it from all sides before deciding that it wasn’t quite right. It didn’t give the right effect. <No. I don’t think so. This is not the right suit. Besides, he’s already seen me in it.> Next she changed into her brown two piece. This one had metal rings which joined the bottoms at both sides and the top in front between her breasts. All things considered it was a rather modest swim suit and she knew that it showed off her figure to good advantage, but it still wouldn’t convey the right message.
Since she had been gone so long, Charlie was growing concerned so he took a quick furtive glance through the boat to Lois’ cabin to see how she was doing and quickly shut down his vision when he saw her in a brown bikini in front of the mirror. Oh, he was in trouble. His resistance was crumbling.
She looked at another two piece suit but could tell that it wouldn’t do either. There were two more to go. If neither of them would do it would have to be the brown two piece suit. The next one was a white two piece with string bikini bottoms but a somewhat more substantial top. That was the closest to what she was looking for so far. When her gaze finally rested on the last suit she just knew that this was the one.
Lois removed the brown suit and picked up the last one and held it up to evaluate it.
Putting on the last one she looked at herself critically in the mirror and she was very well satisfied. <This is the suit that should make him or at least some part of him stand up and take notice.> With a very satisfied smile on her face she picked up her sun tan lotion and an oversized towel. <This is it. Just what the doctor ordered. Watch out Charlie, here I come.>
comments go here To be continued in Chapter 16 – Lois’ Sun Bath
