As July was winding to a close, Adrian and I discussed what would come next for us. I knew that my brother would be finishing his trip in early August and wanted his boat back since he had been separated from “his baby” long enough but I had gotten used to living the nautical life and Adrian had become spoiled, deliberately I will admit but spoiled nonetheless. If I brought up the subject of leaving the boat or even mention the date that my brother would return with his family, her immediate comment was that someone had better be prepared to remove her kicking and screaming. At first I believed it was simply her sense of humor but as the days wore on and the message was repeated, I was beginning to wonder. Perhaps I should advise my brother to ignore her as much as possible if she is still here when he returns and hope that she will become invisible or eventually go away on her own if she is not fed regularly.

We had settled into a comfortable routine, and it was the best summer break I had in many years. Adrian was a free spirit and made friends easily so my social circle increased exponentially just being with her. She knew everyone at the marina, staff, captains, mechanics and owners of the mega yachts, as well as people in the restaurants and bars, so once we left our boat at night for dinner it was almost a nonstop social event. A couple of times I went out to the bar with her as “Nikki the Sexy Bitch”, “NSB” as Adrian liked to call me, and the majority of people that we ran into would welcome me as her love interest either way, but I noticed that as NSB I was more outgoing and got bigger smiles and more attention. I will admit that I had become very comfortable dressing as a female and part of the difficulty that I was having as the holiday was ending was the thought of leaving this life, and NSB behind when we left the marina and Cape Cod. When I casually mentioned my trepidation to Adrian over dinner one night her response was a very matter of fact, “…then don’t leave her. She is you after all and probably more you than you want to admit so bring her with you.” It seemed so simple when she said it.

One day we came back from the beach, took showers and went to the upper deck for an apéro, and I decided to broach the subjects that were bothering me with Adrian to get her opinion. “May I ask you a serious question?” I said.

She gently slid her sunglasses lower on the bridge of her nose and looked at me over the frame and responded without a hint of a smile, “If you’re breaking up with me I will rip your heart out with my hands and feed it to the sharks.”

“Oh, may I get you some pretzels?”

“Good recovery, Nicki, what’s up?” she said with a grin.

“At some point in the not-too-distant future…” I started, only to be interrupted.

“Remember the sharks!” came the quiet comment accompanied by a phony frown.

“As I was saying, at some point in the not-too-distant future, we will be forced to disembark from this vessel and we will be faced with certain decisions and one, not the most important but an unexpected one, has been on my mind recently and I am not sure what to do. It is something that you faced years ago and fortunately you had some guidance in that regard. I am very apprehensive and don’t want to make a mistake so I’m asking for your guidance now since you are the only person who can possibly understand.”

“The introduction is serious enough so I can’t even imagine the question. You know that I will gladly hear you out and give you my opinion if you still want it. Now, tell me what’s bothering you?” she said as seriously and calmly as I have ever seen her.

I was quiet for a few moments, took a deep breath and finally began. “I am confused about what I have become, about NSB. It started as a lark, a way to have some fun with you, and over the last couple of weeks I’ve come to realize that I am very comfortable in that role, maybe even more comfortable than being regular Nicki.” Adrian silently put the magazine on the coffee table and took a sip of her drink and I continued, “You made your choices years ago and now you are ‘Adrian’ and no one else. During the day, I am Nicki, the slightly effeminate young man who has a brother, friends and a career, and only become NSB on an occasional evening when we go out together. I know that you accept me either way but my brother, my friends and people in my office only know me as Nicki or Nicholas. I don’t know if I want to go back to being the original Nicki all the time, but I don’t know if I have the courage and strength to face life entirely as NSB either. I am not usually indecisive, never have been, but in this instance I am not sure what to do.” I took another deep breath and sipped my drink.

Adrain moved her hand to rest on my arm, and responded, “Nicki, remember that inside you are a beautiful and loving person, and your family and true friends will love that person regardless of outward appearances. So, the real question is: what will make the person inside you happiest? In the end, the people that do not accept ‘you the person’ do not matter.”

As I sat quietly Adrian continued, “Do you see the greetings you get as NSB when we go out? Your dance card is always full, the hugs and kisses from males and females are nonstop and there is true warmth and friendship everywhere you go. Believe me when I tell you that it is not all attributable to your looks. Your attitude and composure are different, you carry yourself differently and it shows in your self-confidence. That person exists as Nicki or NSB and the choice of which face you want to present to the world is yours but don’t compromise your happiness. If you are comfortable as NSB, then live NSB—period. If you wish to continue as Nicki then follow your heart and live that way. You should know by now that I will be by your side for as long as you want me either way.”

After she finished she leaned over and kissed me tenderly on the lips and we were quiet for a few minutes while I considered her words. “I am so glad that I met you,” I said.

“You should be,” she replied with laugh.

We enjoyed our drinks and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and talking to people in the marina as they walked by on the dock. As the sky signaled the coming of evening and the music from the bar got louder, a fellow that we recognized from one of the other boats came by with a cold bottle of champagne saying it was a gift from Rafael and Ali who asked that we join them on his boat at 8:30 for dinner at 9:00. We had not seen them in over a week so we would not refuse and gladly accepted the gift and the invitation.

After refreshing our drinks, we went to the cabin to start getting ready for the evening’s festivities. I asked Adrian if she had a nice outfit I could borrow for the evening, and she simply smiled and said, “Of course, my love.”

It took me longer to prepare since she had to make my nail polish presentable and while doing that she showed me a nice, yellow off-the shoulder minidress that she felt would look great on me. She also suggested letting her do my make-up a bit bolder as she would like to make my eyes stand out in spectacular fashion and offered some nice jewelry to complete the look. She went on to offer assistance for shopping over the next few days to expand my wardrobe if I wanted it.

“Think about your decision but remember that you don’t have to go through it alone if NSB is what you decide,” she said. “I know that you didn’t ask my opinion on the matter but if you did, I would tell you that NSB suits you, and I knew it when I saw you in the white miniskirt the first time we went to dinner.”

“I think I knew it then too, but I had trouble admitting it to myself,” I replied.

After dressing and Adrian finished my make-up, I looked like a subdued Ziggy Stardust with long eyelashes, pink eye shadow with glitter highlights, and lovely pink lip gloss. Clearly Adrian wanted me to make a statement tonight and I could feel the excitement building inside me as well. She took a couple of photos for posterity, and I had to admit that I looked amazing, thanks mostly to Adrian’s attention to detail.

As we left the boat and Adrian had me put on proper heels, people stopped to say hello and I heard “hot babes” said more than once, and a few even took photos saying that we resembled film stars. How would I ever go back to the farm now that I’ve seen Broadway?

As we arrived at Rafael’s boat, we were greeted warmly and there were no questions only smiles when the velvet rope was unclipped for us to walk up the ramp to the aft deck where a crowd had gathered for drinks before dinner. Ali was the official greeter and she caught Adrian first, giving her a warm kiss on the lips while holding her cheeks, and saying “I’ve missed you, my love. Where have you been hiding?” When she turned to me she gave me a big flirty smile and addressed Adrian, “So you brought the bitch to make us look bad?” then kissed me passionately on the lips. “God, if I wasn’t happily involved with someone I’d push Adrian overboard and fuck you myself,” she said.

“If I wasn’t happily involved with someone, I’d let you, but I fear that we would both be shark bait soon afterward,” I replied with a laugh. “It is great to see you again and thank you for the invitation.”

“It is our pleasure and Rafael will be thrilled when he finds out you’re here. Let’s get some champagne before they call us for dinner,” she said.

We sipped champagne for about 15 minutes and a lovely dinner followed. Rafael joined us before long and was particularly attentive to me while Ali and Adrian kept several conversations going at once while lovingly touching each other. It was a marvelous dinner, and we were surrounded by interesting people and lively conversation. When dessert was finished, Rafael asked me to join him on the upper deck for some air before the party music began and this was a special treat. His attention was generous and despite his money and lifestyle, he was genuinely a nice guy, very flirty perhaps, but outgoing, fun and respectful of his friends.

As we stood by the rail looking into the night sky feeling the gentle breeze in our faces, he placed his hand on the small of my back and rubbed gently. He asked how Adrian and I were enjoying the summer overall and I told him that it had been the marvelous for me, owing mostly to the fact that I met Adrian, who after such a brief period made me feel like I had known her my entire life. He laughed and said, “Yes, we feel that as well. She has a dynamic personality but is very genuine and easy going. Ali is quite taken with her, you know, and they suit each other.”

I grinned, “Yes, that has been obvious on several occasions, particularly when they dance topless while kissing. But that’s Adrian and I’m guessing Ali as well.” I leaned closer to him and his hand shifted to my waist while exerting slight pressure to keep me from moving away and easing himself behind me. Rafael kept me between himself and the railing as he pressed into me and I felt his arousal against the crack of my butt. He held my hips as I pushed my butt against his erection while leaning my head back against his chest and shoulder. God, this felt so good I found him hard to resist.

After a quiet minute, Rafael turned me to face him and kissed me gently on the lips, causing me to step closer to him. He went on to hold the sides of my head while parting my lips and letting his tongue explore my mouth. I found him very exciting and sensual and began to breathe heavily as I felt my face get flushed by the passion of his kiss; I knew that I had to leave his embrace quickly before things got out of hand. Luckily the music began on the aft deck, and I used it as an excuse to wriggle free. “I have to use the head before the dancing starts so please excuse me. Thanks again for everything, Rafael,” and I kissed him deeply on the mouth before walking away.

As I finished in the head I ran into Ali and she was bubbling with energy. “Nikki, we were looking for you. The party is just starting so don’t disappear. Matter of fact, you’re staying with me, and I will find some tequila to keep us amused. Did Rafael provide good company during dinner? He was glad to see you again you know, and he didn’t have anything in his pocket if you get my drift.”

“He was wonderful company and a perfect gentleman as always,” I joked.

“Ah, the slut returns!” said Adrian loudly as she walked up behind me.

“Don’t be too hard on Nikki, Adrian, you know that she’s easily led astray but at least Rafael kept an eye on her,” remarked Ali.

“Hah! The fox watching the chicken for sure,” replied Adrian with a smile while looking directly at me. “Don’t think you will get off lightly tonight just because you have a friend by your side right now. You have some punishment coming.”

“I’m counting on it,” I said returning her smile.

“Insolent wench! Fetch tequila for me and my sweet love and be quick about it,” she barked at me while sideways glancing toward Ali.

“Nikki, I apologize for you know who. She’s miserable without you, even when I let her fondle my boobs. Obviously a hopeless romantic,” chimed Ali.

Rafael walked up to the group just in time for the last remarks. “Fondling boobs, a miserable romantic and which wench is going for the tequila?” he said with a laugh. “What else did I miss?”

I walked up to Rafael, put my arms around his neck and gave him a hot kiss on the mouth before looking at Adrian. “You are in so much trouble, I’m tempted to take a belt to you right here,” said Adrian to me with a gleam in her eye. I responded by walking up to her, slowly putting my arms around her, and kissing her passionately.

“I think I should either throw water on you two or go with you to your boat tonight as referee,” said Ali.

We were joined by some of the other guests and had a good laugh before a waiter arrived with tequila shots. Adrian simply looked at me and grinned, and I saw something in her eyes that I had not noticed before. Even with the teasing and shouting there was never a course edge, and her eyes were as soft and loving as I have ever seen in another person. She is special in so many ways.

The dancing went on furiously for almost 2 hours and then the tempo slowed to give everyone a break. Adrian and I danced to a couple of slow songs and it was nice to hold her tightly, feel her breasts against my chest and kiss her neck. She turned her face to my ear and whispered, “I think I am falling in love with you, Nikki, and it frightens me. Please take me home and make love to me.”

We stopped dancing and I kissed her before taking her hand and leading her away from the dance area to find Rafael and Ali to thank our host and say our goodbyes. Rafael gave me a warm kiss and squeezed my butt with both hands before letting me go, and Ali was entwined with Adrian and probably wanted to take her to bed rather than let her leave, but Adrian promised to see her again and that satisfied her for the moment.

It was a pleasant walk to the boat on a beautiful night, and while we didn’t say much we were communicating in other ways. As we boarded the boat, I stopped Adrian for a last quick look at the stars before going to the cabin, “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I said, “I’ve never seen a night sky like this, and I am so happy that you are here to share it with me. I could not imagine it being the same without you.”

We made our way to the cabin and took our time undressing each other, stopping occasionally for some tender kisses, and freshening up before stretching out on the bed. Adrian had waited long enough to have me to herself and almost immediately she crawled on top of me and kissed me passionately while rubbing her breasts against my naked chest. I held her close while rubbing her firm back and buttocks and progressed to slide my fingers along the crease of her ass. She reacted by moaning and moving her genitals seductively against my now erect penis while whispering into my ear. “Nikki, I wanted to do this all evening and almost went to masturbate in the bathroom on the boat just to relieve the stress that I felt inside. Ali teased me all through dinner by rubbing her foot against my leg and leaning her boobs against my arm while asking if I thought you would like to fuck Rafael. At one point she ran her hand under my skirt to fondle my clit and said that she would gladly take me to bed and make love to me if you became involved with Rafael tonight. All I could think about was you and it was driving me mad. I don’t like feeling like this.” As a tear ran down her cheek she added, “Make love to me before I burst.”

I rolled her off to my side and slowly put my arms under her knees to pull them to my shoulders. She settled into the bed, and I kissed her lips, her face and her neck while she wrapped her arms around my neck to pull me close. My penis instinctively found its way to her anus and slowly made its entry while we held each other without moving or pressure. My dick gradually slid into her and the weight of my body eased it farther until my testicles rested on the cheeks of her ass. I could feel her sphincter muscles tense and release to form a grip on my cock and this movement was bringing me to a point where I would not be able to resist an orgasm much longer. I slowly began to probe and withdraw while feeling for the sweet spot against her prostate to stimulate her climax. As we worked each other’s bodies we became engrossed in the act and before long the thrusting and probing became deeper and faster, our breathing became more frenzied, and Adrian clawed at my back. I pushed into her harder and deeper each time until she let out a scream and I felt her sphincter muscles start to spasm as they gripped my penis. I could not hold back any longer and started to pulse streams of hot semen into her bowels while crying out in ecstasy. The sensations came in waves as we held onto each other for stability. We were damp with perspiration, our breathing erratic and deep, and my heart was pounding like I ran the marathon. Adrian’s eyes were staring at the ceiling and tears of joy ran down her cheeks to meet mine.

Slowly, I lifted her knees from my shoulders and slid to one side allowing her to stretch out on the bed. She moved close to me as I wrapped my arm around her and then cuddled against my side while placing her arm over my chest. I kissed her forehead and then she turned to meet my lips and we kissed tenderly. “I may not have told you in so many words, but I hope that you know that I love you, Adrian,” I said as I separated my lips from hers.

“I know, Nikki, I feel it,” she replied in a voice that was soft and dripping with emotion, and tears continued down her cheeks. “I’m not usually this emotional but I can’t stop it. My heart feels like it is going to burst and my chest tightens every time I think of us together. I am frightened and don’t know what to do. When I was young and read love stories that spoke about someone dying from a broken heart, I could never imagine such a thing. Now I understand and can almost see it happening if I think on it. Ali told me tonight that she saw a change in me, in us, and said that she was jealous, but I did not know what she meant. She could plainly see what I could not explain.” As we lay in the quiet of the gently rocking boat with the occasional waves lapping at the side of the hull, our breathing normalized, and we drifted off to sleep cradled in each other’s arms.

The sound of the gulls and the sunlight peeking through the gaps in the curtains woke us from our slumber. We did not move much during the night and we were a bit stiff and sore when we tried to move around. Adrian spoke first, “What the hell did you do to me last night? I came here expecting a peaceful night’s sleep and I wake up in pain after having been poked and prodded and twisted around like a pretzel. Do you do this to everyone you entice into spending the night? And the room smells of sex!”