Plunging the Deep (closed for KINKYCanada)

Dr. Tamara Carleton

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Dr. Tamara Carleton stood on the dock overseeing the loading of her instruments and supplies on board the research vessel Neptune's Daughter.

"Watch what you're doing. That needs to be kept upright." She called the young man to task, making sure nothing was damaged. The 25 year old marine biologist was anxious to get things loaded and head out to sea. She and a Marine Scientist whom she had never met were to be taken out in this vessel to a place at sea where the underwater laboratory, Deep Water Blue, was anchored to the bottom of the sea. The 2 man lab was isolated and it was considered an honor to be chosen to serve aboard it. They were to be therefor 3 months before they would vacate it for the next 2 scientists.

Her red hair was long and curly and thick and her brown eyes were flecked with bits of gold. Her slim figure still had enough curves to ensure that she had received enough second glances from the opposite sex. Her gaze was clear and sure and though she was not one for practical jokes, she did have a sense of humor.

A hand from the crewman on board the Neptune was held out to her and she took it as he pulled her onboard. There was a gentle bobbing of the ship as it was tied up to the dock.

At least it was a pretty day so they should reach the lab without any problems. Now, if the other doctor would arrive.

Deep Water Blue was a 2-man underwater self-contained laboratory located deep in the ocean. Scientists were assigned 3 month slot on a purely random lottery. Tamera had put her name in 2 year ago and she was anxious to get down there. She had been notified last month that her name had been chosen and she had 1 month to get her things together.

Meanwhile, another ship was already at Deep Water, picking up the scientists already there, and stocking the lab with supplies, like food packets, etc. The lab was small - about the size of a small 1 bedroom apartment. The 2 scientists would share a bedroom with a bunk on opposite sides of the room. There was a bathroom, a small living room, a kitchenette with microwave, small lab, and the communications room. Access to the lab was via a rover type vehicle named QA, short for Quick Access, which was funny as access was anything but quick. The trip down from the surface took around 2 hours.

Tamara looked at her watch in frustration.

Dr. Roger Jason Smyth or RJ to everyone who knew him was a Kiwi from Auckland New Zealand, he studied in Sydney, Miami and Johannesburg. He was world renowned yet hated public speaking and steered clear of it as much as possible. He had been wanting to get this assignment for many years but had only signed on a little over a year ago.

He had read up on his dive partner and knew she was more then qualified. RJ was as good as they came, with his odd mix of nerd, and greek god. He grew up a rugby player most of his life and achieved success but his love of the sea and his brains took him beyond the rugby pitch and into the labs.

He was already very late getting to the docks, and though never easily rattled he was not making a good first impression with the team.

When the cab finally pulled up he threw money in to his lap and ran out with his duffle on his back, all his important equipment was already there on the ship. He spotted Tamara from the gang plank as he ran up it.

"Oi sorry 'bout that it was hell getting here from the airport, just landed a couple hours ago. Dr. Roger Jason Smyth. But everyone calls me RJ. He said holding out his hand. His 6'3 frame covered in muscle and tattoo's showed a man no one would ever suspect of being an uber nerd.

OOC I know my char is not what any scientist would be but I have a man cruch on this guy! lol He is a devastatingly good Rugby player. And this is a fantasy haha.

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Tamara watched RJ run up from his cab, all out of breath. Looking at him, the young man holding his hand out to shake hers looked anything but scientific. Muscular and tattooed, he looked more the jock. And when he spoke, she felt a little flutter. Damn, she did find his accent sexy. As she shook his hand, she thought that these were not auspicious beginnings to being locked up together for 3 months.

"Dr. Tamara Carlton. Glad you made it. If you want to get yourself and your things on board, I suspect that we can get underway. We have quite a trip ahead before we get settled in at Deep Water Blue." She gave a little smile. She didn't want to sound rude. No sense in making an enemy right off the bat.

She turned and continued up the gangplank looking to get settled for the trip out.

She planned on getting a good look at her surroundings on the way there. For 3 months there would be no sunny skies. No sunrises or sunsets. And the only person she would see "in the flesh" was him.

She looked away from him and out to sea. Crap! Already she couldn't get him out of her mind.

RJ wanted to be down there with a woman but he was hoping she would be a plain looking woman, Tamara was super sexy, this he thought might make it hard for him to concentrate what with her walking around in a tight jump suit. He followed her up and immediately stowed his gear in his tiny cabin. He changed into a polo and cargo shorts, the shirt had the year and the name of the expedition on it. Discovery would have people aboard filming for a documentary later that year. Tamara and RJ would provide footage from down in the Deep Blue Water. He hated being on camera and was even thinking of bowing out, he was talked into it almost threateningly by the powers that be. "I don't know no one has ever bowed out. Wouldn't look good, might not get another chance." Dr Burnett who was a real bitch who was more interested in fame then science.

When he saw Tamara he knew exactly why she was so eager to have Tamara and him together. Documentary with two good looking scientists. That would go over better then two plain looking people. Sex sells and all that.

The ship was all a buzz the deck hands all securing equipment and getting everything ready, Tamara in the middle of it all directing. Then there were the camera's and the T.V people who RJ felt had no business there. But ever since Deadliest Catch became a world wide sensation the people at Discovery were filming every thing they could get their hands on. And these trips into the deep were not cheap, so having Discovery Channel or DC flipping a good chunk of the bill was worth it to the big wigs. RJ saw that Tamara was getting a lot of looks from the workers, what he guessed she thought was them being sloppy, and having to tell them over and over to get it right, was really them paying more attention to her superb body. Yes this would be a long trip.

Walking to the mess he grabbed two coffee's and took one to his dive partner. He would like to get up to speed and had no interest in chatting with the workers or DC. Though had to answer a few mundane questions before he was aloud to leave the mess. He was warned of things not to say or do in front of the camera. Oddly enough being nude wasn't one of them. The camera man was always right up in his face and this bothered RJ while the woman who was with him kept adjusting RJ's shirt.

"We should get more face time with Dr Carleton!" Sam the camera man said, his eagerness was all to aparant as to why he wanted that.

"No Sam we are right where we need to be!" Angie the director RJ guessed she was said licking her upper lip.

"Well I gotta go an meet with Dr Carleton so later!" RJ said finally and walked out to where Tamara was.

KC

Tamara just wanted to scream. She didn't like cameras, and the cameraman kept sticking that lens in her face. She had finally tried to get to the other side of the vessel, as far away as possible but still close enough in case one of those idiots should get too close to the equipment.

As RJ walked over, Tamara was muttering under her breath, "I swear, if Sam sticks that thing in my face one more time, I'll crack him and it." She watched the sound mixer almost tripped over some of her equipment. "Watch where you're going. That's very expensive equipment." She had to practically yell to be heard over the sound of the ocean and people talking.

She was starting to regret this whole expedition. She was serious science and Dr. Burnett had assured her that this would be just a few questions in front of the camera. And now, she was going to be stuck with this...this hunk of a man, close quarters, very little privacy, and an accent that was already playing havoc with her hormones.

"I think that we are complete idiots for agreeing to this whole documentary thing. If Sam comes waffling over with that camera, I think I'll kick him in the nuts!" Her eyes said that she just might do it.

"I think that we are complete idiots for agreeing to this whole documentary thing. If Sam comes waffling over with that camera, I think I'll kick him in the nuts!" Tamara said. RJ smiled. He liked her spunk.

"Ain't that the truth. Did Burnett give you that line about how you wouldn't get another shot at the Deep Blue if you declined? What a piece of work she is! Oh here you go I brought you a coffee I didn't know how you liked it so it's straight up!" RJ said handing Tamara the mug. "Do the blokes know just how boring our job is to anyone who hasn't gone to school. And now we are to talk in a way these main lander"s will understand! Pointless bloody pointless." RJ was usually a very up beat man and little got him down. But this was trying his patience. Sam and Angie seemed to have found them and they were walking up to them.

"Aw hell. No, no, no you two can't be this close, for your own safety mates." Angie stopped but Sam kept coming. RJ walked right up to him, RJ had played rugby and had worked out all his life he was big and scary looking. "Rack Off! That's got a zoom use it! we will answer your bloody questions when we tell you we can, now let us do our job unless you want the lads punted through your worthless skull!" RJ said and then returned to Tamara.

"So I will be doing all data on the effects of the toxic dump off on the sea floor! this will be the first chance to get down there and up close to it!" RJ said not knowing what Tamara may or may not have heard. He had been told next to nothing about what Dr Carleton would be doing, only that she would being doing a lot of her own thing.

KC

"Oh yeah, Burnett used the exact same line. All about how I would be doing a disservice to the general population. And that my name would go to the back of the list again. I had a 2 year wait as it is."

She took the coffee and thanked him.

She watched RJ keep Sam and Angie away. He might be not do bad on this trip. When he came back over, she told him, "Thanks for running interference. Or do you hate the sight of blood?"

She took a sip. "I'm studying the effects of the lack of sunlight on marine microorganism."

She looked out at the ocean, the seagulls following them till one by one they dropped away looking for possible food elsewhere.

"I'm gonna miss this for the next 3 months." The breeze blew her hair every which way, her red curls running riot.

RJ Nodded to her appreciation of him handling the DC. He looked out over the water with her. "Yea, the ocean has a magical power over me. It will be hard there on the bottom with out this." He said.

When they were under way RJ was liking the crew and the DC people less and less, though many were scientist and Dr. They in RJ's opinion were shotty at best and were not worth his time. This made the time it took them to get to the DBW that much longer.

He found solitude harder and harder to come by and was using more extreme measures to steer clear of them all, other then Tamara who he found engaging and a joy to talk to. When talking to people he didn't respect or like, he would lay into the most complex jargon his considerable brain could come up with. The other times he would not say anything and wait them out. Until they left him alone.

KC

As much as she was going to miss the world above, she was ready to leave Sam and his camera behind.

"Dr. Carleton, can you give us further insights into your chosen study for your time to be spent in Deep Water Blue? What are you hoping to accomplish down there?"

She had already given them this answer. And then that camera came on, right in her face as she heard Sam mutter under his breath, "The camera loves her." What happened next Tamara swore was due to the bobbing of the boat. Somehow, she lost her footing, falling against Sam and his camera. She never really knew how it happened but somehow her knee made contact with Sam's groin. She watched as the cameraman managed to keep from dropping the camera before winding up prone on the deck of the vessel. Tamara apologized profusely, claiming it was the sudden jerk of the boat. The only person that saw the slight grin on her face as she was turned away from the sight, was RJ. She saw him looking at her across the boat and just raised her eyebrow at him before putting an innocent look on her face and turning back to the DC people, apologizing again.

She decided to put some space between the DC people and herself, heading for the fore part of the boat.

RJ was checking over some scans of the ocean floor when there was an awful crash. He saw Tamara clearly knee Sam in the nut and then a small twinkle in her eye and a raised eyebrow. She sold it well as he himself would have thought it an accident had he not seen her eyes. He shook his head and smiled. Then went back to his work. Sam was all over Tamara and to RJ's annoyance. Angie was always on him.

"You are just to handsome to be a scientist!" She would say. Or "You know I would love, just love to interview you in my room. Where we could get to some important and hard questions." She said her hand on his thigh. He would always find an excuse to leave her and walk off.

After an hour or so he found Tamara sitting in the one of the empty storage lockers near the bow. He closed the large steel door behind him. "Bloody hell they are parasites! That Angie is one stone crazy bitch. I am sure she means to rape me!" RJ said taking a seat across from Tamara his back against the cold, steel wall.

"How long till we are left the F' alone? Too long I know!" He sort of answered himself. "Just an fyi I work out two hours a day, down there it'll be just push ups and sit ups. Hope you are ok with this. From what I understand they do have an efficient showering system. So yay for small wonders." He said making small talk. They had little time to get to know one another and seeing the agency didn't think it important to make sure the scientists meshed before hand he took it upon him self to get to know her.

KC

Tamara had finally found a quiet spot away from the DC people. She heard a noise and looked up to see that RJ had found her.

"Bloody hell they are parasites! That Angie is one stone crazy bitch. I am sure she means to rape me!

"Hey, maybe we can get Sam interested in Angie." She smiled at him.

Just an fyi I work out two hours a day, down there it'll be just push ups and sit ups. Hope you are ok with this. From what I understand they do have an efficient showering system. So yay for small wonders

"I listen to music, but I'm bringing earbuds so..." She trailed off. "And I suspect that they had to put in the good shower or no one would ever want to go down there."

Each scientist was allowed 2 special food/drink items to have DWB stocked with. When they filled out their form, they were required to list those two items. Each scientist would have a footlocker in the kitchenette labeled and stocked with their two items. Since there was no stove or oven, only microwave, that had to be taken into account.

"So. What were your 2 special food items? I chose Constant Comment teas and Godiva chocolates."

She was engaging but he could tell that she was still rattled about all the bull they had going on and it was starting to affect her work he thought. She asked about the food items, he hadn't thought to hard on that but when he was asked the things that came to mind were Anzac Biscuits and Coconut water. "You'd think that they could get us a few more comfort foods seeing the length of time we are down there!" He added after telling about his choices. "I mean I will be sick of them with in a couple weeks and on to other things. But hey it's for the research isn't it! What do you think about us sharing a room?" This question had plagued his mind since he saw her in person. Her pictures didn't do her justice. RJ was a Dr. first and a scientist and a professional, he was also a man and a horny one at that. And she was smoking hot!

After a little more talking RJ couldn't take hiding any longer.

"Bloody hell I want to enjoy the sea air a little longer, damn the masses I'm chancing it!" And with that he got up and walked out.

KC

"Sharing a bedroom will take a bit to get used to, but we're adults and should be able to handle it."

He finally got up and left. Once he was gone, she concentrated on getting her heart rate under control. Damn it! Why did he have to be so good looking! And that accent practically made her wet just listening to him talk. And she was going to be isolated with him for 3 months. SHARING A BEDROOM WITH HIM! Granted, they weren't sharing a bed, but still. Thank god she had packed a tee and sleep shorts, but still, why couldn't they stick her with some old duffer that didn't look so sexy.

She gathered herself together and headed up to check that the DC people hadn't damaged any of her equipment.

Later that night when he finally decided to hit the hay, got to his buck he saw that Angie was already in it. She was dressed rather sexy and her intentions were more then clear. She was holding a little hand held handi-cam.

"Ready for your interview RJ?" She said, in a lust filled voice.

"You're a right nutter you are!" RJ almost felt violated. "Rack off before I punt ya, you squirrelly bitch!" He said opening the door again and forcing her to leave. Angie had it seemed developed the thickest skin on the planet. She smiled a coy smile and walked out.

"Till next time! Rrrr!" she growled, RJ closed the door and took a breath. He was still thinking of having Tamara next to him 24/7 for the next few months. How was he going to cope. There would be no privacy for him to take care of... Man what was he going to do! Though the thought of her seemed to awaken his little brain, he was alone and now was a good a place as any. He climbed onto his bunk and stripped naked. Then he proceeded to quell the urges that were building. Angie would probably have let him do what ever he wanted but he would have her for all the tea in china.

KC

Tamara finally grew tired and started to head to her room. Sam was following her, though he had decided to put some distance between the two of them. Tamara decided to take care of her problem.

Calling Sam over to her, she said, "Sam, why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"About you and Angie."

"What do you mean?"

"That Angie has a thing for you. Haven't you noticed the way she looks at you? The way she brushes up against you? Oh, she uses the excuse of the boat rolling or losing her footing. The little touches on your arm? I guess a woman can see these things clearer than a man."

She watched the wheels turn in his mind before he went running off, in search of Angie hopefully. Maybe she took care of both of their problems.

She changed and climbed into her bunk. How was she going to last for 3 months sleeping in the same room with RJ? Her hands seemed to move in their own accord, slipping under her tee and caressing her breast. Her fingers tweaked her nipples, pulling and rolling the rosy points until hard.

Then her hands drifted down until they reached that needy place between her legs. With practiced fingers she teased herself to a climax, biting her lip to keep her moans quiet. It was RJ who she thought of as she pleasured herself.

When he awoke RJ was feeling very refreshed. He showered dressed and went and found Tamara. "Good mornnin Dr. how was your sleep? I was thinking we could work out and maybe get to know each other a little more. They have a small gym aboard, with a rower, eliptical and tread runner. I also spied that it is lockable from the inside. So Sam and Angie can Rack off!" He suggested, he wanted to get to know her more that went with out saying but after a glorious climax with her on his mind really made it so he knew her much more intimately.

He was wearing his old rugby jersey and loose shorts and trainers.

It wasn't long before the predators were on them. Angie seemed to look put out and ashamed where Sam was smiling ear to ear. "Morning you two what's the plan for the day! We will keep out of your way if you promise to behave and do more face time with the camera in the evening or just before or after you do something interesting. Our jobs kinda depend on it! Deal?" Angie said offering her hand to Tamara, she seemed to still be eye fucking RJ, but was otherwise ignoring him completely. Sam was his usual self and only paying any attention to Tamara.

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KC

When she woke the next morning, she quickly dressed in her navy Capri pants and navy and white top. She was anxious to see how the equipment had fared. Before she could, she ran into RJ, with an offer to workout together.

Tamara was going to have to reveal one of her dark shameful secrets to him. Though she knew that being locked together for 3 months, he was bound to eventually find out.

"I need to warn you. I'm not good at athletics." She blushed. "You see, I'm kinda accident prone. If it's a machine like those you mentioned, I fall off, or get tangled up in it. The local gym barred me from there. I'm okay walking, or dancing. For the most part. Running is not so hot. Nothing wrong like inner ear or anything like that. I'm just klutzy. Please don't tell anyone?"

She looked around to make sure that they were still alone. "I told Sam that Angie was hot for him. Don't know if it worked but I thought it might kill 2 birds with one stone."

When the DC people showed up, it looked like RJ may have gotten a break but Sam was still Sam. He actually looked happier. He must have scored.

Morning you two what's the plan for the day! We will keep out of your way if you promise to behave and do more face time with the camera in the evening or just before or after you do something interesting. Our jobs kinda depend on it! Deal?

Tamara shook her hand. "Okay. But I have to warn you, our jobs are not really that interesting to the lay person. We don't go out and hunt sharks, or dig up treasure. Most of the time, we are staring through a microscope, taking water samples, preparing slides. Nothing exciting or action filled, except to us." Sam had been filming her through her speech. She hoped that that would satisfy some of their need for 'face time'."

She smiled at RJ before saying, "Right now I need to go check how my equipment fared overnight." She turned to cross the boat. She didn't think that she could have watched RJ work out without wanting to jump his bones.

When Tamara let him in on her little secret RJ had a good laugh. "Well thank you for telling me! I promise I wont' repeat a word of it!" He knew he was really the odd scientist out being a top tier athlete too. This added to his not wanting o be around people most were either intimidated by his brawn or by his brains, If Tamara was a truthful about her athletic clumsiness she was sure to find out about his social clumsiness, He had no filter and often said things that made the people around him uncomfortable. He was ok in short spans but a nightmare when familiarity set in.

He knew after Tamara went to check on the equipment that Sam and Angie would not give her a rest. Deciding that his work out could provide a distraction and let Tamara get her work done. She walked off and soon Angie and Sam were about to follow. "Well I'm going to work out. He said stripping his shirt off. I would be happy to talk to you about how I've managed to keep this good in shape!" He said, shamfully flexing his pecs and abs. Angie bit her lip and gave an auduble sigh.

"Yes we will go talk to you!" Angie said. Sam turned to see Tamara walking away.

"But we need to talk to the one actually doing the smart stuff!" Sam whined.

Angie shot him an angry look. "Look ass what we did last night does not give you the right to decide who and when we interview. Now get that camera and fucking follow me. Sorry Dr. after you please."

RJ saw Tamara look over her shoulder and gave her a "You owe me look! and a smile." Then he went to the gym and ran five miles and a hundred pushups and situps. Then he stretched for another twenty minutes. just over an hour later he felt that was enough time for Tamara and time he got to real work. Angie had left the interview and returned all flushed. Sam couldn't have looked more uninterested then he did!

KC

Tamara checked on her equipment. Everything was okay. She checked with the captain and found out that they should reach the sight tomorrow mid morning. She was looking forward to get there and getting to work. And she was apprehensive too. How was she going to keep her professionalism around RJ? All her had to do was speak and she went weak in the knees. And as klutzy as she was, if she had tried to exercise with him, she would have had an accident and taken out half of the ship. And sleep in the same room? She had to get him off her mind.

She grabbed some of her paper work and found a corner topside where she could start looking over some figures. She was hoping to take some samples when they reached Deep Water Blue. She wanted to compare the finding between the bottom of the ocean and the water on the surface.

She had her nose buried in her work, not noticing what was going on around her.

RJ's plan had worked wonderfully, he managed to give Tamara time to get what she needed done while also getting in a work out. Then the side effect, Angie took what he was doing as coming on to her. He had taken his shirt off while working out and smiled at her a lot, all in the hopes to keep her there and not have her get bored and listen to Sam and look for Tamara.

Now no matter where he went Angie was on him and not afraid to make overtly sexual comments. "You must drive the MIT students nuts with that body!" She said as he settled in with topographical charts of the sea floor.

"I didn't bloody well go to MIT y'crazy nutter! I got my degree for Marine science in Sydney, my bloody masters in University of Miami and My Doctorate in Johannesburg south Africa. Get your facts straight." RJ yelled at the pair. His social shortcomings were breaking through.

Angie looked like she had been slapped. "You are an odd man Mr Smyth." Angie said, Sam and her walked out.

"I'm A bloody Dr. y' cow!" He yelled after them. "Shit, that may have been offside!" He said to himself. He left the room and went to find his partner. "One more day and he would be heading down free from DC free from all the bull shit, just science. And a fucking hot ass Dr. not five feet from me at all times! Shit!" he thought.

KC

Tamara had been concentrating on her work so it was a couple of minutes before she started noticing the raised voices. It seemed that Angie and RJ were having it out. She waited until the blowup was over. RH headed one way and Angie and Sam the other.

She went in search of Sam and Angie. She found them on the other side of the ship, complaining and bemoaning their lot. She walked up to them, and the tension just rolled off the pair.

"Angie, Sam, we need to talk."

"Oh, now you want to talk." Angie was not happy.

"I just want to explain."

There was a pause. "Go ahead."

She took a deep breath. "You need to understand. First off, you and the whole Discovery Channel thing was sprung on us at the last minute. We didn't ask for it nor were we really ready for it. We are not actors. We are scientists. And what we do is not necessarily exciting, except only to us. Here you are expecting us to produce something that just isn't there. I'm sorry, but it's not."

She waited to see if they were understanding before continuing.

"Second. You are both treating us like some kind of sex object. Both RJ and I have worked hard to get people to see past that and accept us as legitimate scientists, to be taken seriously. And we're here for hard work. So please, quit running around treating us like we are here for some centerfold shots. We are under enough stress just knowing that we are expected to produce big results. We don't need the added stress of having to avoid people coming onto us."

"Third, if you're going to interview someone, please take the time to research their background. Please."

She turned and walked away. Maybe she could find RJ.

RJ had reacquainted himself with the maps and was making notes. He had not found Tamara though didn't look that hard. He knew she would find him when and if she needed him. He returned to the map room where he unloaded on Angie.

The map was a good start for him and he was looking forward to getting down to it. He had waited a long time and if he could put theory to fact he would be one happy Dr.

He heard the door open and saw Tamara smiling at her he motioned to a seat across from him. "How'd your morn go? Hope you got all the equipment issues sorted! Got to say I am glad you are on it and not me. I'm good at sports, math, science and that is it. You think you are klutz with sports, look at me with a tool in my hand." He said smiling. He kept his waist below the table as he felt an erection coming on. "Fuck me now I'm getting a bloody stiffy when she just walks in the room. I'm so fucked!" He thought in horror, what if he got an erection down there and she took it the wrong way. They were going to be down there alone for two months. If she thought he was just a sexual freak, that would make for a long fucking night.

"The strong lateral currents will I hope really show what effect the pollution is having on the marine life down that deep!" He said offhandedly, he knew she was well aware of it but thought he needed a distraction from his erection. "Where are DC's dummies?" He asked noticing that they were together yet alone.

KC

Tamara found him with the maps.

"Equipment is all right. I'll be glad to get it down there. Captain says we should get there mid morning tomorrow." She smiled at his words. "Tell you what, you take care of the sports, I'll handle the tools." She no sooner said it than she realized how it sounded and her cheeks turned red. She tried to change the subject quickly.

"The DC people? I had a talk with them. Don't know if it helped. We'll just have to wait and see. It does make me wonder how they got so far along in the business. I do suspect that my hint in Sam's ear was beneficial to both of them." She gave a little chuckle.

She nodded as he spoke before saying, "When we reach Deep Water, I need to take samples at the surface before we head down."

"Tell you what, you take care of the sports, I'll handle the tools." RJ let out a little cough.

"Well ya I think I will do just that. I mean let you use the tools! I mean any tools you need to keep our job from being too hard! Uh..." He stammered. "Nice one idiot." He thought. "So your the reason Sam was so happy today! I guess you can be pretty persuasive when you need to be!" He said not sure where to go. If she didn't like socially awkward men, he was doubly screwed.

"I guess like me you have a hard time getting people to take you seriously, I mean with that hot body... I'll shut up now!" He said going even redder then she was. Now what was he to do. In one short hour he showed the boat what an awkward man he was, that he can't talk to women, and that he has zero tact.

KC

Tamara listened as RJ stumbled from one thought to another, each one heavy with double entendres. Her eyes got wider and wider as she listened to his words. He blushed, flushed and finally just sat there looking like he wanted the sea to swallow him up.

She was sure that to him it seemed like the longest period of time in the world though it only 10 seconds tops.

She could not help it. She started to laugh. She didn't want to hurt his feelings but it really was funny. She started crying she was laughing so hard. When she could catch her breath, she spoke.

"I'm sorry but it really is funny. You have to laugh at it. After all, we're going to be locked up together for 3 months, we've got to be able to laugh at these things. If it will make you feel better, we can go to the workout room and I'll try to use some of the equipment. I'm sure that that would more than make up for this."

She smiled at him. "I promise you. It would be just as spectacular. I once tried to use a stationary bike. Managed to fall off and get my hair caught up in the wheel. Had to have my haircut out of it. Still don't know how I did that one." She grinned at him. "The guy that witnessed it said he'd never see anything like it."

"And yeah, guess I'm responsible for Sam's grin, though not exactly in the way he expected."

She held out her hand to shake his. "Friends?"