Disclaimer:  typical one.  If you are underage or offended by same sex relationships, then read no further.

Dedication: to Jazmine and Jenn who gave me the inspiration for the characters and the comic relief for the story.

Many thanks to EC who helps me keep my grammar and commas under control.

Feedback welcome: the_shadylady_629@yahoo.com.

Dana looked at her watch again wondering if it had quit working, as time seemed to be creeping slowly by.   She sat impatiently at her desk wondering what assignment her boss was dreaming up for her now.  Ever since she had joined the agency, he had done nothing but give her the lamest cases he could find.  She had graduated top of her class and had been destined to make a fast name for herself until she was transferred to the regional office.  Once at the current office, her career came to an abrupt halt due to her boss's   dislike of women in the agency.  He made no bones over the fact that he felt a woman’s place was at home, tending house and not competing in his line of work.  Each day was a challenge as he gave her more grunt work to do rather than real investigative cases.

The door finally opened and Croft bellowed, “Greenback, get your ass in here.  I have a job for you.”

Dana let her chair rock back down until all four feet were once more on the ground. Then she quickly got up and crossed the room to Croft’s office. 

“Close the door,” Croft demanded without looking up as she entered the room.

Dana reached out and gave the door a moderate shove, causing it to slam shut and making Croft jump in his seat.

Ten minutes later, Dana pushed the same door open where it banged against the wall as she angrily left Croft behind. 

Another cock and bull run damn him to hell! She fumed under her breath as she stalked toward the exit. Her new assignment was to report to the Florida Keys and meet up with Dr. Sam Penfold in order to investigate the wanton destruction of the coral beds in the area.  What a bull shit job, Dana thought as she headed back to her apartment to pack for her flight to Florida.

***************

Meanwhile, Dr. Sam Penfold steered her boat through the crowded canal toward the dock assigned to her team.  Once more, she found herself having to control her anger as she thought back to the huge loss of coral from the northern wall.  Her aquamarine eyes squinted nearly shut from the glare of the sun.  She stood on deck with her legs slightly spread as she balanced against the rocking motion of the boat.  Her slender appearance made her look taller than her five feet eight inch height.  Her short blonde hair looked nearly white where it had been bleached out by the hours in the sun she spent bare headed.  Cut off jeans covered well-shaped hips and left the long, tanned length of her legs visible for anyone to see.  Her feet were bare.  She wore a t-shirt that had seen better days.  Its sleeves were ripped off and the image of Danger Mouse blared across its front was so faded; it was nearly impossible to make out who it was.  All through college and medical school, she had been teased unmercifully about her name, Penfold, which was the same as Danger Mouse’s sidekick. 

Sam would have stayed out on the ocean site longer, continued with her research of the reefs, if she hadn’t been called back in by the shore patrol letting her know some FBI dame was waiting at home base to talk with her.  It seemed all her complaints were finally being heard.  The coral reefs were being chiseled away and she had been unable to discover any other persons in the surrounding areas of the reefs but her research team.

The boat bumped the dock with smooth precision as Sam cut the motor, grabbed the landing rope and jumped over the side to land softly on the dock.  She quickly moored the boat fore and aft to keep it from drifting back into the canal.  After securing the boat, she walked over to the shed where she parked her motorcycle.  She rolled it out onto the gravel drive, clicked the starter and with a loud roar, sped off toward the Coast Guard office some three miles down the road.

***************

Dana stood inside the hot, tin roofed building as she waited for Dr. Sam Penfold to arrive.  Sweat rolled down her cheek and her neck, trickling a hot trail between her breasts.  She had removed her suit jacket, which did little good in the hot, humid climate of the Florida Keys.  She reached beneath her long, wavy, dark brown hair that was nearly black, and lifted it from her neck, hoping to catch a slight waft of air to cool her down. 

Her equally dark brown eyes snapped with anger as she thought about Croft and his blatant discriminatory attitude toward women.  She knew if she wanted to continue her hard earned career with the Agency, she would need to figure out a way to either circumvent Croft or report his behavior to the appropriate level of authority.  She hated the idea of not being able to handle the situation better herself.  She knew her appearance was deceiving to many people and as such, they believed she could easily be pushed around. 

Dana was only five feet four inches tall with a very compact body.  Her muscles were toned and tight from all the exercise she did at the gym.  Her long dark hair was her main vanity.  Many times she thought about trimming it to a more manageable length but knew that its shiny crown continued to attract many women in the bars she frequented.  She liked nothing better than to feel a woman’s fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her close and holding her captive while making love.

OK, enough of that, she thought to herself as her body began to warm even more over the erotic memories she was dredging up while waiting.  She knew she had a slight pink tinge to her cheeks as she picked up a thin magazine and began to fan her hot face.

As she stood there, nearly overcome by the heat, she heard the roar of a motorcycle as it drew nearer the building she was in.  She walked toward the window and looked out just as a black Harley pulled into the parking lot and stopped right before the building she was in.  She watched as a slender figure wearing very short shorts, a skintight t-shirt and no shoes, climbed off the bike.  The rider reached up and removed her helmet and her damp blonde hair was exposed, standing out all over her head.  Dana watched as the woman made a helpless attempt to smooth it down as she walked with a hurried gait toward the building.  As she neared the doorway, Dana looked at the figure on her t-shirt and gasped aloud.  She turned and sat quickly on the only hard plastic chair in the room as she recalled what she had just seen.  Her childhood nemesis, Danger Mouse, was glaring from the woman’s chest for the entire world to see. 

Dana nearly swooned with the heat and the nausea of dredging up her memories of being teased because her last name was Greenback.  She was forever being asked what other dastardly deed was she planning for Danger Mouse, until she would become nearly ill whenever his name was mentioned.  She hoped to God she was not going to have any contact with this woman and her t-shirt.

******

Sam pushed open the door expecting to meet cold air.  Instead, even more oppressive heat blasted her face as she entered the room.  Looking around, she noted only one person in the room, a petite, dark haired beauty sitting beneath the window.  Staring hard at her, Sam noted that she appeared sickeningly pale.  The woman looked at her chest and then into her eyes.  Sam smiled and nodded as she walked over to the inner office with its closed door and knocked loudly.

Finally, the woman spoke.  “I’m sorry but they’ve all gone out to lunch.  I have no idea when they’ll be coming back.”

“God dammit!  The fucking assholes called me to come meet some dame and now they’re gone.  What a god damn waste of time.”  Sam fumed as she paced around the room.

“Ugggg…. I believe that I may be the person you are here to meet.  Are you Dr. Penfold…. Dr. Sam Penfold?”  Dana asked as she slowly rose to her feet. She walked toward the blond woman, trying her best to keep her eyes off the profile of Danger Mouse spread across her well developed chest. 

Sam stared at the dark haired woman walking toward her and nodded.  “Yep, that’s me alright.  Who are you?”  She asked as she held out her hand in greeting.

Their hands connected and a charge of hot energy flashed between them. 

“Hot damn, that was powerful,” Sam said as she jerked her hand back, shaking it from the tingling shock when it connected with the stranger.

Dana could feel the slow burn suffuse her body from where their hands had touched.  She was momentarily stunned as she recalled her mother telling her about the same physical reaction that she had had when she’d met her father.  Swallowing hard and trying to push away those thoughts, she answered.  “I’m Dana Greenback.  The Agency sent me here to investigate a complaint lodged by you about the destruction and theft of the protected coral reefs.”

Looking Dana Greenback over, Sam nodded her head again.  “That’s from me alright.  My team and I have been trying to investigate what the hurricane seasons have been doing to the coral reefs when we discovered that large chucks of the live reef are disappearing.  We have found evidence of some explosive material but we’re not sure what it is since none of us know much about explosives.  We think we have had some minor incidents where our research equipment might have been sabotaged too.”

“Do you mind taking me to the location?  I’d like to get a better idea of what you are talking about.”  Dana said as she turned and picked up her suitcase.

“Sure, come on.  You’ll have to leave your suitcase here but I’ll send someone back for it.”

“But…I’ll need a change of clothing, won’t I?”  Dana asked as she laid the suitcase over onto its side.  She popped the locks and lifted the lid as she waited for Dr. Penfold to say something else.

“Oh, yeah sure.  I’d advise you to wear something loose and comfortable.  Bring your swimsuit too.”  She said as she moved closer toward Dana.

Peering over Dana’s shoulder, Sam noted the neatness of her suitcase contents.  Everything was precisely folded and tucked properly into the casing.  She watched as Penfold lifted out a pair of tailored shorts and a royal blue pullover shirt.  Pearly white tennis shoes were taken out next.  Finally, from the bottom of the case, Dana lifted out a basic black, one-piece swimsuit.  Closing the suitcase and relocking it, Dana laid the items she removed on top of the lid.  She quickly rolled the items together until they were a tight, neat bundle.

“Good, come on, let’s go.”  Sam stated as she turned and headed toward the door. 

Dana followed.  Once outside they both walked over to the motorcycle.  Sam flipped open one of the saddlebags and indicated for Dana to put her clothing inside.  She drew on her helmet as Dana loaded her items.  Reaching along the backside of the saddle, Sam unclipped the spare helmet she carried and handed it to Dana. 

“Here, slip this on and we can be on our way.”

Dana watched as Sam straddled the bike.  Moving closer, she swung her leg over the back of the bike until she was able to seat herself behind Sam.  She tried to push back far enough to not to have to hang on to Sam but saw no way out of it.  Sam turned the key and the bike roared to life.  With a sudden jolt, they were off.  Dana quickly wrapped her arms around Sam’s waist and held on for her life as they shot off down the road.  She could feel Sam’s stomach muscles jiggling as she laughed at Dana’s reaction to the take off.

Within minutes, they were back at the dock and the boat waiting to take them out to the research vessel.  As Sam pulled up next to the boathouse, she slammed on the brakes, causing Dana to press tightly against her back.  She could feel Dana’s breasts and nipples and her own body began to charge up.

Damn, I have been way too long without getting laid. Sam said to herself as she held the bike upright.  Dana pushed back as far as she could and then, began the awkward descend off the bike.  She stumbled slightly as she slid off but Sam had her by the arm and helped keep her upright, preventing a nasty spill.  Sam pushed the bike into the shack, reclaimed Dana’s clothes from the saddlebag and headed in the direction of the runabout still moored to the dock.  Dana followed meekly, still trying to overcome the erotic sensation that had swarmed through her body when her nipples were rubbing against Sam’s muscular back.

Sam hopped onboard the boat and held out her hand to assist Dana.  Dana climbed over the side and settled onto one of the seats.  Sam dropped off the mooring lines, cranked up the boat and steered back in the direction from which she had first come.  Within thirty minutes, both women could see the larger research craft coming into view.  It was a large barge like ship, with enough space to house the entire crew of twelve plus a complete portable lab. 

************************

As they neared the ship, Dana could see a small mini sub hovering over the deck as it was slowly lowered to the ship’s surface.  As she watched, two figures emerged from the vessel.  She could see them engaged in a lively argument with a third party standing on the deck.  One of the persons from the sub pulled off his wetsuit and flung it forcefully onto the deck.  The second party reached down and picked it up, then moved toward the cabins housed in the center of the ship.

Sam guided the smaller boat alongside the ship until she reached the retractable boarding ladder that was thrown over the side.  She stretched on her tiptoes until she was able to tie the smaller craft onto the metal swags that were protruding from the ship.  Once secured, she turned back to Dana, raised her hand and pointed to the top of the ships deck. 

“After you,” she said with a smirk on her face. 

Dana reached down and picked up the bundle of clothes she had brought.  She looked around the smaller boat until she saw a small length of rope.  Quickly she tied her bundle together and slung it over her back, tying it around her shoulder and waist in order to leave her hands free to climb.  She moved to the edge of the bobbing boat where she grasped the rope ladder and began the climb to the top.  She looked up and saw a pixie like face leaning over the top, watching her ascend.

“Ahoy mate, come on up,” the small man yelled down to her as he watched her climb.

Sam’s eyes followed Dana’s climb up the twisting ladder.  She watched as her hips clenched and unclenched each time she moved a step higher.  Dana’s ass was trim and tight with just the right amount of bulge to fill both her hands.  Sam found herself nearly reaching out to do just that.  Instead, she turned and removed the keys from the boat's ignition.  Making sure that the boat was tied tightly, Sam looked up the ladder one more time, just at the moment that Dana swung her leg over the railing.  “Oh gawd,” Sam groaned under her breath as she watched Dana straddle the railing before Cap pulled her on over to the deck. “I want that piece of ass.”  Sam shook her head trying to get the vision to clear before she reached up and caught the swinging rope ladder.  In a few quick moves, Sam jumped over the rail and landed beside Dana who was still looking around. 

“’Bout time you made it back, Boss,” Cap spoke up.  “Jim and Stacey are ‘bout to kill each other off.  I don’t know what triggered it this time but Jim blew a gasket no sooner than when he climbed out of The Hole.”

“The hole?”  Dana asked, perplexed.

“Oh, it’s the pet name for that tiny two-man sub we use.  Once inside, it is like lying in a hole with very little room to move.” Dana explained as she walked toward Jim who was strapping the sub to the ship’s platform.  She waited until he unhooked the umbilical line that fed oxygen into the sub while it was below water.

“What’s up, Jim?”  She asked as she stopped next to him.

“That bitch, that’s what’s up.”  Jim muttered as he finished the last strap and turned toward Dana.  “She put her knee into my groin again.  She is going to cripple me for life.  God damn it, how many times do I need to tell her I am NOT trying to come on to her.  She would be the last woman on earth I’d want.”  He fumed as he ran his hands through his sweat soaked hair.  “That damn sub is too small for both of us at one time.”

“Tell you what, Jim.  Go put some clothes on.  I need someone to run back to town to get Ms. Greenback’s suitcase.  Take a couple more hours and visit the Loose Goose and have a couple of beers on me.  Tell Charlie to add it to my tab.”

“Yeah, maybe I better before I choke the shit out of her.”  Jim said as he turned toward the cabins.  “Just keep her off my shift from now on.  I’ll be damned if I am going to walk crippled the rest of my life.”

Sam turned back toward Dana who was still standing next to Cap. 

“Sorry bout that.  Come on; let me take you to one of the cabins.  We’re kind of pressed for space so if you don’t mind, you can bunk in with me.”  Sam said as she turned toward the living quarters.

“But….but…”

“Anything wrong with that?”  Sam stopped and asked.

“No… no, sorry.”  Dana said as she thought, how in the heck am I going to handle being in the same sleeping quarters with her? 

Sam waited until she faced the building and then broke into a wide, leering grin.  This is going to work out just fine, she thought to herself as she led Dana below deck.

Dana glanced from side to side as they descended into the lower deck of the ship.  It was dark but clean.  The air was cooler although it still had a stuffy, musky smell of sweaty bodies and dampness.  The hallway was narrow and allowed only for single passage along its length.  As they walked the narrow corridor, they passed several narrower doorways that must have led to other crewmember’s quarters.  Ahead of them, Dana could see more light in what looked like a wider room.  As they neared the light, she could tell it was the galley and mess hall.  Before reaching the galley, Sam stopped and opened a door on her right.  She stepped over the sill and walked inside, allowing Dana room to move closer and enter the room. 

With a quick sweep of her eyes, Dana looked around and took in the cramped quarters. There was one set of built in bunks long the left wall, a narrow shelf at the end of the room that probably served as a desk and two closed lockers on the right side of the room.  There was barely enough room to turn around.  To make it worse, Sam was a pig.  Clothes covered every spare inch of space.  T-shirts were hanging over the side of the top bunk.  Several pairs of shoes were kicked to the end of the room and lay in a big tangled mess.  Dirty laundry was piled nearly knee deep right inside the door making it hard to get through the opening.  Dana shook her head in disbelief.  Her life was so orderly that she could not imagine even one item out of place or not neatly folded.  Her senses were nearly overwhelmed.  She didn’t know what to say, as she stood there with her mouth wide open.

Sam blushed and began pulling clothes off the bottom bunk and cramming them onto the top one. 

“You can have the lower bunk since I’m a top.  Oh damn… I mean I like to be on top.  Well shit, damn it to hell…I like to sleep on the top bunk.” Sam finally got out in a rapid rush.

Dana raised her hand to her mouth to hide the grin that burst forth with that proclamation.  It gave her a lot of information without having to second guess whether or not Sam liked women.  With a statement like that, it was not hard to draw conclusions.

As Dana stood there watching Sam cram more clothes from the bottom bunk to the top, they both heard a female voice coming down the hall.

“Doc, that bastard has had his last chance to keep his balls.  I swear to God, I’ll cut them off the next time he presses his fucking body all over mine.”  Stacey snorted as she stopped outside the door.

“Oh, didn’t know you had company.  Hi, I’m Stacey,” she said as she stretched out her hand toward Dana. 

Dana stepped toward her and gripped her hand in a firm handshake.  She could see the almost indiscernible nod of acceptance Stacey gave as they clasped hands tightly together.

“I’m Dana Greenback.  Nice to meet you too.”

“She’s here to investigate the coral reefs.”  Sam’s muffled voice spoke up as she bent over to push her shoes under the bottom bunk.

“’Bout damn time, Doc.  We’ve lost another three feet over the past two days.”

Sam rose out from under the bunk quickly, cracking the back of her head on the bed, as she turned toward Stacey, “No fucking way.  Damn it, anyway.  Did anyone see any boats or hear anything at all?”

“No.  It was just as quiet as all the other times.  We looked for signs of blasting but still didn’t see anything except around the area where they buried the transatlantic cable.  I am beginning to think you’re going to need surveillance round the clock if you want to find out what is going on.”

“Well, I guess we can reassign the crew for the next few days as Dana kicks up her investigation.”  Sam stated as she rubbed the bump on the back of her head.

“How many crew members are on board?”  Dana asked as Sam leaned over to straighten out the covers on the bunk.  She quickly lost her train of thought as she watched the short shorts stretch tight over Sam’s hips/ass.  She found she had to forcefully will her arms to stay at her sides while all she wanted to do was reach out and stroke the pert butt sticking up in the air.

“We have a baker’s dozen, and now with you, fourteen.”  Stacey replied from the doorway.  “Hey, you two, when you’re finished in here come on into the galley.  I’m going to go find me something cold to guzzle.  Staying down in The Hole makes me thirstier than hell.”

“Would you like to slip into those shorts you brought with you?”  Sam pointed to the clothing still tied to Dana’s back.

“Oh…I'd love to.  It’s certainly hot in here.”

“Yes…but you’ll get used to if after awhile, if you are lucky.”  Sam said with a laugh as she walked out of the cabin and closed the door behind her.

*************************************

Dana let out her breath as her shoulders slumped.  She shook her head side to side as if in disbelief that she was really here on this old, ragged ship.  Pulling out the chair that was tucked under the desk, she sat down and began removing her clothing.  Within minutes she was back up, slipping into her shorts,  shirt, socks and shoes.  As she tucked her perfectly creased crew shirt into her tailored shorts, she recalled how loosely Sam and Stacey were dressed.  Oh well, this is who I am, she said to herself as she straightened her shoulders and lifted her head just a little higher.   Before leaving the room, she turned and neatly folded the outfit she had just taken off and laid it at the foot of the bed.  She had forgotten to see if she could have one of the lockers but she had plenty of time to check on that later.

Finally, Dana stepped out into the corridor and followed the sounds of laughter until she came upon a small group at one of the long bench tables in the mess hall.  Looking around, she noted that everything was bolted down and made of metal.  Everything seemed to have a place and surprisingly enough, was in its place.  It seemed that only Sam was the really messy one.  Just my luck, she thought as she moved toward the occupied table.

Sam, Stacey, Cap and one other man was sitting at the table swapping jokes back and forth.  As she neared them, Sam called out.

“Come on, Dana.  Have a seat.  Would you like a drink?”  

As she climbed over the bench, Dana answered, “Sure, what do you have?”

The group at the table snickered as Sam glared at them and replied.

“Well….. we have Mountain Dew, and of course Mountain Dew but if you prefer we have more Mountain Dew.  I kinda got this thing for Mountain Dew and that’s all that was brought out on the last shipment of supplies.”

“Well, let me see…..I guess I’ll have a Mountain Dew.”

“Good choice,” several voices laughingly said at the table as Cap got up to get her a can. 

“Dana, this is Greg.  He is responsible for all the diving equipment and the air tanks.”  Sam said as she pointed to the man at Stacey’s right. 

He nodded and said, “Nice ta meet cha.”

“Same here,” Dana said as she reached across the table and shook his hand. 

She watched covertly as Stacey slid her hand over toward Greg’s lap and rested it on his thigh next to her.  Very subtle, thought Dana.  As if he would peak my interest.  She looked directly into Stacey’s eyes and gave a barely perceptible nod, indicating she acknowledged the relationship.  Stacey tipped her head back as she lifted up her drink and chugged a big swallow.

“Here ya go, girlie,” Cap stated as he sat the Mountain Dew down in front of Dana.  There was a stream of condensation running down the side of the can.  Dana wrapped her hand around the can, feeling the soothing coolness of the metal.  She popped the top and lifted it to her lips.  Tilting her head back, she gulped a large swallow of the ice-cold liquid.  It was excessively sweet after her tastes of Diet Dr Pepper but in this heat anything was better than nothing.  After drinking nearly one third of the can in one tilt, Dana slowly drew it back away from her mouth.  Sam was grinning at her as Dana reached up and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

“Tastes pretty damn good, doesn’t it,” Sam asked.

“Well…. I don’t really care for the sweet taste but it is wet and definitely good and cold.” 

“Yeah, to me it’s like drinking cold piss and looks about like it too,” Stacey piped in.

“Take it or leave it, I don’t care.  Leaves more for me if you don’t want it.”  Sam said to Stacey who stuck out her tongue in response.

“Ok, where were we before Dana came in?” Sam asked the crowd at the table.

“Trying to decide who was going to take first dive tonight and watch the reef.”  Greg piped up.

“I’ve been down already today and don’t think I can stand the pressure twice in the same day after having to deal with that rat bastard, Jim.” Stacey said.  “The other guys are still on shore and won’t be back till tomorrow morning.”

“Well, hell, that only leaves me.”  Sam stated as she doodled with her finger in the liquid that had collected beside her drink can.

“I would really like to see what is going on down below.  That is, if I won’t be in the way.”

“Are you afraid of small, tight places?” Sam asked while turning on the bench to look at Dana.  She could hear Stacey snickering.

“No.  Not that I know of.”  Dana answered. “I need to see the site anyway and get an idea of the damage we are talking about.

“We could wait……” Sam began only to be cut off by Dana.

“Really…. I’m sure.  Let’s start tonight.  That will put me a little ahead of my schedule.”

“OK, that sounds like a plan then,” Cap said as he stood back up.  “I’ll rustle up some grub for you two to eat before going.”  

“How long you plan on being down?”  Greg asked, knowing someone would have to sit in the launch room to monitor the sub while it was below.

“How about we go down about midnight and you bring us back up around six am.  Would that work?”  Sam asked.

“Yeah.  That should work out just right.  We can bring you back up, re-outfit the sub and have it ready to go for the next crew by eight am.”  He quickly figured in his head.  “Our relief teams should be back on board and ready to pick up the slack about the time we all are ready to turn in.”

“Talking about ‘turning in’, Dana, I think you and I should try to grab a nap so that we can be alert and awake tonight.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.”  Dana stated as she finished off her drink.  Standing up she asked politely where the restroom was. 

Doc poked his head back around the corner of the galley and hollered.  “The heads at the end of the hall on your left.  Don’t overload it with paper either, will ya?”

Slightly embarrassed as the others laughed aloud, Dana made her way back down the corridor to the head before getting ready to nap.  She heard Stacey once more empathically stating that there would be no way in hell she was diving with Jim again unless she wanted a dead body brought back out of the deep.  Sam was reassuring Stacey that she would switch the crews around and she knew it had to be just a misunderstanding.

“Misunderstanding, my ass.” Stacey muttered as Greg reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Come on, baby.  Sam said she’s going to take care of it.  I promise if he continues to bother you, I, for one, will have his ass taken off this crew.”  Greg said as he stood, pulling Stacey up with him.  He was one of the senior researchers on board and had the authority, along with Sam, to make crew changes as needed.

“All right.  See you later Sam.  Tell Dana we’ll catch her later.”  Stacey said as the couple made their way back down the hall to their room.

Sam stood and walked first toward the galley where she grabbed another cold Mountain Dew before making her way back to her cabin, no, our cabin, she thought to herself.

************************

Sam quickly drank her soft drink as she waited for Dana to return.  Tossing her empty can into the trashcan she noted it was nearly filled to the brim with other empty cans.  She made a mental note to dump it next time she had time off.  Facing the porthole, she quickly stripped off her shorts, leaving her dressed only in the cut off t-shirt and briefs.  She pushed her arms over her head, stretching her back muscles out before getting ready to climb onto the top bunk.

Dana stepped through the door about the time that Sam stretched. The sexiest sight she had seen in some time greeted her eyes. by  She took in Sam’s appearance in one long, languid stare.  Her mouth dried at the erotic sensation that flashed through her body.  Taking a slow look, she stopped when her eyes reached Sam’s briefs. 

Shaking her head, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.  Sam’s briefs were covered with images of Marvin the Martian marching around her body in his homemade helmet with the scrub brush topping.  She burst into laughter at seeing the world-renowned marine biologist wearing kiddy briefs.

“What…” Sam said as she turned to see Dana holding her sides for laughter.

“Those….those underwear.  Oh My God….” She burst once more into peals of laughter until tears streamed down her face.

“Yeah, so….. I happen to like Marvin.”  Sam said in defense.  “Come on, we need to get some sleep.”  She turned and pulled herself up onto the top bunk, sitting on the edge as Dana finally stopped laughing.

“Ummm… I don’t believe my suitcase is here yet.”  She said looking around the room.

“No problem.  Small as you are, you can wear one of my t-shirts and be covered to mid thigh.  Look in the closet closest to the door.  You’ll find a stack of shirts there.  Help yourself.”

“Thank you, Sam.”  Dana said quietly as she pulled a shirt off the stack.  Shaking it out she noticed that Kermit the Frog held reign on this shirt.  Moving back toward the bunk, Dana asked, “Do you ever wear any shirts without characters on them?”

“I don’t think I own any plain ones if that is what you are asking.”

Once Dana was settled in the bottom bunk, Sam drew off her shirt before lying down in just her underwear.  It was way too hot for her to sleep comfortably in clothes.  She kept her briefs on just to keep from embarrassing Dana until she got to know her better.

Sam turned on her side, facing into the room.  That was a huge mistake.

The mirrors directly across from the bunks gave a full picture of Dana removing her shirt and bra.  Once the items were off, Sam was privy to a full frontal view of Dana’s tanned skinned and rosy red nipples sitting in the middle of two very well formed breasts.  Sam’s mouth watered with the desire to sample one of those shiny cherries with her mouth.  She nearly leapt from the bunk to do just that when Dana drew the t-shirt over her head and covered the delectable spectacle.  Sam squeezed her eyes shut and counted slowly to one hundred as she urged her body calm back down.

Meanwhile, Dana quickly slipped off her shorts and laid them neatly on the chair.  She turned back the sheet preparing to lie down in just the shirt and her white panties.  She glanced at Sam and noted she had her eyes squeezed closed.   She wondered if she was already asleep.  Quietly, so as to not disturb Sam, Dana laid down on the bunk.  Finally getting herself adjusted into a comfortable position, she looked upward and gasped.

There, plastered along nearly the entire length of the top bunk was a huge decal of none other than Danger Mouse.  “OH, GOD.” she groaned aloud.  “Will I never get away from that goddamn creature?”

“You ok down there,” Sam said as she rolled over the edge and peered below.

Dana looked up at her and said, “Yeah, I’m fine.  Just trying to get settled in.”

“OK,” Sam said as she rose back onto her pillow.  “Night.”

“Night,” Dana said as quiet finally overtook the room.  Although it was still light, both women were fast asleep within fifteen minutes. 

*************************

Several days passed without any new evidence of coral loss. Sam had taken Dana over the areas documented but neither could see any further evidence of blasting or hammering against the coral.  It looked as if it had dissolved away but how was that possible?  The crew continued to man a watch from midnight to morning as that seemed to be the time that the coral had been lost in most cases.  So far, no unusual activity had been recorded.

Dana continued to send in daily email updates to Croft, her boss.  To date, she had not received any replies from him.   As the days went by, her attraction toward Sam was growing in leaps and bounds.  It didn’t help that Sam continued to move around half naked, and at times fully naked, in the privacy of their cabin.  Dana tried to keep her eyes off Sam’s body but found it impossible to do.  With each day, it grew harder not to reach out to touch the golden skin to see if it was as really warm as it looked. She longed to sink her mouth in Sam's cleavage and suckle on her large, firm breasts.  She wanted to run her hands over the tight hips that continued to tease her unmercifully.  She acted on none of her feelings.  Instead, she chose to settle for stolen glances and hot erotic dreams.  It didn’t help that the cabins were not soundproofed and she could hear Stacey and Greg making love in the morning hours when she returned to the surface after her shift.  She knew it would be only a matter of time before her body overcame her mind and she made a move toward Sam.  She could sense Sam was willing but Dana was not used to an audience and it made her much more hesitant.

Sam stood in the shower overcome with having just satisfied her sexual needs with her own fingers.  She didn’t know how much longer she was going to be able to keep her hands off Dana.  She wanted her and her sexy little body more than she had wanted any woman in a long time.  Constantly seeing her half naked in their room only added to her strengthening allure.  She wanted to strip her completely naked and finally see all her body in its naked glory instead of the bits and pieces she was getting.  Dana was very modest and slightly uncomfortable at being naked in the same room with her.  She grinned as she realized she had openly flaunted her own nakedness many times just to see if she could get a rise out of Dana.  She knew it was affecting Dana as she could hear suppressed groans as she watched Dana in the mirror, touching herself.  Dana had yet to realize how much the mirror revealed to Sam and she was not about to tell her.  

Many times, Sam had wanted to slide from the top bunk to press her body over Dana’s and take her until her screams exploded in her mouth.  She wanted to feel Dana arching into her body, the slickness of Dana’s damp thighs clasped about her own hips as she drove her body against Dana’s.  Sam knew it was just a matter of time before the tension exploded and they would come together in one fierce bout of lovemaking.

The crew was wagering on the confrontation too, little did Sam or Dana know.  They had been watching with growing interest the attraction that was building between the two women.   A secret pool had been set up as to when the event would occur. 

*********

Later that week, Dana and Sam were on deck getting ready to take the night watch.  A storm had blown through the night before and no one had been able to go down for the watch earlier.  The Hole was prepped.  A six-pack of Mountain Dew was placed inside the cooler along with cold sandwiches should they become hungry. 

Dana hated to drink while she was below because it was a pain to have to urinate in the special container that jettisoned it out of the sub into the ocean.  She had gotten so used to wearing shorts, t-shirts and no shoes that she wondered how in the world she would be able to tolerate having to go back to her suits for work.  Two weeks had certainly made an impact on her life and taught her how to finally relax and enjoy life.  She had bonded with the crew and felt more at home here than any place she had ever been.  They didn’t judge her on her sex, her brains or her looks but on who she was as a person.  That was new for her and she found that it made her feel good about herself. 

Dana looked forward to the time when she and Sam were alone below the surface.  No one could walk in on their conversation or interrupt them when they got into one of their philosophical discussions.

Sam was jumpy but didn't know why.  She was tense and snapped at Greg as he gave her the same instructions she had heard a million times in the past.  She pulled on her Danger Mouse t-shirt but before realizing it was inside out. 

“Oh well, it’ll just have to stay that way,” she said aloud to no one in particular.

She watched as Cap loaded the cooler and gave him the thumbs up when he was done.  Finally, it was time to board and drop.

Dana climbed in first, followed closely by Sam.  The area was so small they had to lie stretched out, side-by-side.  There was not enough room to even sit up.  It took extreme concentration with both parties to be able to change positions.   Still, no one was willing to trade The Hole as it had taken them many places other subs couldn’t.  Once Sam climbed inside and settled down, Cap reached out and secured the hatch, making sure the seals were locked tight so that the pressure below would not force water inside. 

Using the hand controls, Cap lifted the sub and swung it over the side of the ship.  With delicate precision, he lowered it below the water surface before releasing the magnetic clip and letting the sub go into the ocean.  He leaned over the side as he watched the propellers driving it deeper toward the bottom of the reef.  Walking back inside the shack, he prepared to sit and monitor the cameras that were stationed on the sub.

“Ladies, you doing ok?” He asked as he sat down.

“10-4, we’re doing fine as a can of sardines”.  Sam came back sarcastically.

“Roger that, Doc,” Cap replied.  “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Roger, Cap.  Over and out.”

“Later, Sam.  Out.”

*****************

The sub continued diving until it reached the appointed position that gave the best view of nearly all the coral beds.  Sam let it sink gently into the sandy bottom as they prepared to stand their watch for the night.  The sub rocked lightly back and forth as the current swept past them.  The only sound was the steady swoosh of the umbilical line of oxygen that connected them to the ship above water.  Sam cut the power except for the pale blue light that cast an eerie glow over the interior of the sub.  She reached out and flipped on the searchlights and swept the area one time.  Nothing looked any different than it had any other night.  As she reached up to turn the search light off she found herself leaning over Dana’s body.

Sam could feel the heat radiating from Dana’s body as their chests rubbed against each other.  She felt Dana's breathing increase as well as seeing the pulse in her neck pick up speed.  She looked into Dana’s brown eyes and saw the pupils were dilated.  Soft wisps of breath blew against her neck as she continued to look into her eyes.

Finally, Sam leaned down and touched her lips to Dana’s.  Once again, a vivid electrical spark arched between them as Dana groaned and moved her arms up to wrap around Sam, pulling her down on top of her.  Their mouths crushed upon one another’s as each sought to devour the other.  Tongues dueled back and forth while moans began to fill the small cabin.  Sam could feel Dana’s hands as they slid beneath her t-shirt pushing it up toward her neck.  She rose slightly allowing the shirt to slip over her dangling breasts and come to rest at her neck.  Lying back against Dana, she quickly reached up and pulled the offending shirt over her head and tossed it away from them. 

Once more, she swooped down on Dana’s lips, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth and nipping it gently with her teeth as she too, reached between them to slide her hands under Dana’s shirt to remove it.  She pulled back and drew Dana’s shirt from her body.  Dana lay before her, breathing hard, eyes dilated, with her hair wild about her face.  Slowly, Sam leaned forward and brushed the tips of her breasts against Dana’s breasts as the heat began to rise in the cabin.  Dana reached up and slowly ran her fingertips over the edges of Sam’s breasts as Sam continued to tease her body.  She pinched the firm nipples between her fingers, listening to Sam groan.  Sam once more drew back to feast her eyes on Dana’s cherry red nipples that she had been lusting for since the first day.  Moving lower between Dana’s legs, Sam lifted both Dana’s breasts in her hands as she slowly sank her mouth on the right nipple.  Her tongue laved the nipple back and forth as she savored its softness yet rough texture of the skin.  She drew it further into her mouth as she suckled harder, pulling it deeper against her tongue. 

Dana arched upward to push more of herself into Sam’s mouth.  Her body was on fire and burned with a flame that only Sam’s touch could extinguish.  She moved her hands around Sam and began rubbing and pulling on Sam’s hips, the very hips that had teased her for the past two weeks.  Sam pressed downward as Dana pulled her closer, grinding their bodies together.  Dana hooked her hands under Sam’s shorts and tugged them toward their feet.  Sam lifted her hips as they slid further down her thighs.  Finally, Dana hooked her toes in the shorts and pushed them down and off Sam’s legs, not caring where they landed.  Quickly, she rubbed her hands repeatedly over Sam’s ass as Sam continued to roll and tug on her breasts.  Dana could not hold back her cries of delight as Sam carried her higher and higher on a sexual ride.

Finally, Sam rose slightly and drew back.  With tender care she began to remove Dana’s shorts, kissing the skin as she exposed more of it.  First, she kissed her belly, then the top of her pubis; finally, she placed a kiss directly over her clit.  Dana bucked once, nearly unseating Sam.  Sam pulled back and finally removed Dana’s shorts until both of them were in naked splendor.  She spread Dana’s legs apart before sinking back between them.  Dana wrapped her legs over Sam’s lower back with her calves rubbing Sam’s hips.

Sam spread Dana’s womanly feast open before her eyes as she trembled with ecstasy.  She gently flicked her thumb across Dana’s clit several times, watching the skin become shiny and thin as her clit began to swell.  Finally, she moved forward and ran her tongue across the hardened nub, feeling it quiver beneath her touch.  Dana groaned again and locked her fingers in Sam’s hair, guiding her tighter against her womanhood.  Sam responded by rapidly lashing her clit with her tongue and then sucking it quickly into her mouth.  She could tell that Dana was close to reaching her crest. 

Sam pulled back and moved quickly back up Dana’s body as she rocked her own pelvis upward against Dana’s.  Back and forth they ground and twisted until both voices rose in volume as their orgasms rushed through their bodies to explode outward through their rubbing clits.  

Neither woman moved for many minutes as their breathing began to subside.  It was impossible to think much less speak as their hearts slowed down and their bodies began to relax against one another.  As they lay there in the aftermath of their coming together, the sub began to rock harder. 

*********************

Sam realized something was not normal as she slowly rolled off of Dana and edged toward the window.  She reached out and flipped on the search light as the rocking motion continued.  Dana scooted closer so that she too could see out the window.

Just beyond the strong searchlights, a large shadow could be seen moving slowly toward the reef.  Neither woman could make out what it was but their hearts began to beat faster from the danger of the unknown.

As they tensely watched, the shadow moved closer and began to swarm over the coral reef.  As it moved nearer into the searchlight, Sam and Dana finally got a look as to what it was.  Before their eyes was a huge mass of starfish, moving as if in a herd.  They watched as the starfish attached themselves to the coral and began sucking small chunks away with the special plungers on their tentacles. 

“What is this?”  Dana asked in a hushed voice.

“My God, that is a mass of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish.  They are never found in these waters.  The hurricanes this past season must have washed a mass of the starfish into this area.  Damn, Dana. We are looking at the coral thieves.  These starfish are the most destructive enemy that coral has.  This explains why we haven’t seen boats or divers or explosives any where around this area.  Quick, turn on the outside camera and let’s get some shots.  I’m going to snag one of them with the sample arm.  We have got to find out what has brought them into these waters.”

Dana flipped on the camera and began taking pictures.  “The starfish are everywhere.  Their spiny bodies are covering nearly the whole reef.” She said as she continued taking pictures.

“I know.  Damn, this is exciting.  Our research team has never seen them this far North before.  This place is going to be swarming with more scientists just as soon as we get this information back above water.”

Dana could hear the excitement in Sam’s voice and couldn’t help but smile.   Within a short time, Sam had collected her specimen and placed it in the special holding tank on the side of the sub.  She reached overhead and flipped on the radio.

“Cap… Cap can you read me?”

“What ya want, Sam?”

“We’re coming up, Cap.  We have the answer to the coral loss.”

Cap could hear the excitement in Sam’s voice.  “I’ll have the crew standing by.”

“Great…..oh wait a minute.  Can you assemble them in the mess hall and not on deck?  We have a slight problem here.” 

“What’s up Sam?  What’s wrong?” Cap asked in a worried voice.

“Well…ugh…. seems that we have misplaced pieces of our clothing and can’t get enough room to get them back on.”   She responded with a snicker in her voice.

“HOT DAMN, I WON….I WON.”  Came the voice booming over the speaker.

“What the hell…..?” Dana asked.

“I don’t know,” Sam replied as she once more tried to get Cap’s attention.

“Yeah, I’ll clear the decks once I have you landed.  But you two better haul ass as quick as you can to the mess hall or I won’t be able to hold the crew back for long.”

“Will do.  Bring us home, Cap.”  Sam cut off the mike as she once more started the small engine that would guide the sub back to the surface so it could be lifted on board the ship.

Dana managed to scramble around and found the bottoms to her shorts but her shirt seemed to have disappeared.  She found Sam’s shirt but not her shorts.  Sam slipped her shirt over her head before beginning the ascent to the surface.

Within a short time, the sub was once more neatly strapped down.  Sam and Dana had reclaimed their clothing and dressed quickly before the crew caught them in the nude.

Sam walked over to the holding tank and unbuckled it from the sub while Dana carried the digital camera.  Single file, they walked into the mess hall.  The whole crew was there.

As they walked in, everyone stood and cheered as well as issued forth cat calls.  Dana blushed as Cap explained that he won the five hundred dollar pot as to when they would have sex.

Sam glared at him and asked, “How do you know that’s what happened?”

He jammed his thumb toward Dana and smiled.  “She blushes way too much for it to have been you two was naked cause of the heat.”

“Well, shit.”  Sam said no more.  Instead, she walked to the table and set down the tank. 

Opening the lid, she waved the other crew members over to see what they had brought up.  She went on to explain what they had seen while Dana set the camera down on the bench for Stacey to hook up.  She was the photographer on board and it was her responsibility to unload and label all the shots with help from the others.

After several hours, the excitement began to wan as Greg completed the write up that would be sent to the newspaper in just a few hours.  Sam looked over at Dana and noted the sadness on her face. 

Walking closer to her, she asked, “Are you OK?”

“Not really.  My job here is done.  I’ll need to be heading back to headquarters in the next day or two.”

“Dana, you can’t leave like this.” 

“I know but how can I possibly stay.  My job is done.”

“That’s what you think.  Dana, we are going to need a lot more crew members to help us study this phenomenon.  Want a job?”

Dana looked into the love shining from Sam’s eyes and knew her answer would be yes.  There was no way she was going to walk away from a relationship that may be destined to last their lifetime.  She had to follow it to its end.

Looking at Sam, she held out her arms and rushed towards Sam to grab her in a big hug.  “YES….YES…..YES……!”

Sam laughed as she squeezed her own arms around Dana’s body.  “Guess you can send Croft that note to go kiss his own ass now.”

“You bet I will, darling.”  Dana said as she raised her lips to Sam’s as they sealed their new relationship with a deep, heartfelt kiss.

The End

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The SandBox 101