After they retreated, I started cleaning and putting everything away from the night. It was my last task before I could go to sleep, but just as I was about to finish, I heard the captain on the radio, telling me to take a bottle of champagne to the guest room.

I acknowledged the message and then I filled a chiller with ice before I placed a cold bottle of champagne from the fridge in it. After wrapping the top in a white cloth, I grabbed two champagne flutes, picked the chiller and I made my way towards the guest cabin, where I knocked twice.

Distracted, when the door opened I walked in without looking. Then I heard a wet, slurping sound, and I looked up, only to find a scene that I probably wasn't supposed to see.

Sofia was on her knees, completely naked except for her high heels and a pair of handcuffs that bound her hands behind her back. She was giving Dima a blowjob, and as I watched I saw her taking his cock into her throat before she started gagging, only to pull out and then repeat it all.

Dima, who was also completely naked, had his eyes closed and he was moaning loudly. He didn't seem to realize I was there, and as I looked at his pale, naked body I suddenly started shuddering.

A second later I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned around, only to find Alexei standing next to me.

He was also naked, and his cock, obviously hard, was pointing towards me. He didn't seem concerned by my presence, though, as he simply smiled before he took the chiller from my hands.

"Thank you, Isabel." he said, his voice calm and even. "That will be all."

Nodding almost automatically, I gave him the glasses as my eyes returned towards Sofia. I didn't want to, but it was impossible to look away from her.

"Close the door behind you, please." I heard Alexei saying and that was enough to bring me back.

I nodded once more, finally managing to look away, and then I made my way outside, closing the door behind me as I was told.

Then I stopped and I closed my eyes, and I started shuddering once again.

----

The next morning I was woken up by the ship's intercom. It was late, I realized as I pressed the button to acknowledge the message, and then I heard Nina's voice.

"Get up!" she said, her voice filled with anger. "The girl wants to have breakfast in the sundeck, come quickly!"

A moment later I shot up from the bed, dressing as quickly as I could, and then I made my way towards the galley as I tried to tie my hair behind my back. Once I arrived, I saw a tray waiting for me on the counter and next to it Nina was almost growling with fury.

I wanted to talk to her about what I saw last night, but she practically kicked me out, telling me I shouldn't make her wait.

Knowing she was right, I made my way towards the upper sundeck where Sofia was already sitting at the table.

She was wearing a red bikini, sunglasses, and a wide straw hat. As I got closer, she looked at me and she smiled shyly.

"Hello, miss. Sorry for the delay." I said as I set the tray on the table.

"It's okay." she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked her as a courtesy while I served her.

It was then that she looked up and I saw her eyes. Even behind the sunglass, I could see she had a black eye, and I gasped in surprise.

But it wasn't the only bruise on her. The more I looked the more I found, in her arms, her chest, and her legs. It was obvious she had tried to cover them with makeup, but she hadn't done a great job and now that I knew they were there they were impossible to miss.

I wanted to say something, to ask her if she was okay, but I didn't know what to do.

"It's nothing..." she said a moment later, trying to dismiss my concerns with a smile.

But I couldn't just forget about it, and as I finished serving her breakfast I thought of going to the captain. As I did, though, I wondered what I could tell him, and I dismissed the idea thinking he would tell me I was being paranoid. Instead, I looked at her once more, and then I folded the now empty tray under my arm.

"Do you need anything else, miss?" I asked her, my voice filled with concern.

I was hoping she would ask for my help, as that would surely be enough for the captain to do something, but instead, she smiled once more before she answered.

"No, thank you, I am fine." she said as she took a sip of orange juice. "This looks delicious."

"Are you sure?" I insisted.

But she simply nodded before she waved me away, hiding her face under her hat as she grabbed a croissant.

Nodding silently, I turned around and walked away.

----

A minute later I was back in the galley, where Nina was setting up a basket for what looked like a picnic.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." I whispered urgently.

"Not now, I am busy." she said, sounding annoyed.

"Nina! This is important!" I said.

Nina looked at me for a second, then at the clock on the wall and she sighed loudly, clearly annoyed.

"You have one minute." she said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Nodding, I quickly told her about the night before and then at the bruises Sofia had on her body and her face, trying to make her understand why I was worried for her.

But as I talked, Nina's face went from incredulous to angry, and when I finished she just looked at me, clearly furious.

"Are you stupid?" she asked me.

Taken aback by her tone, I stood speechless for a second.

"You must be, because otherwise you wouldn't have said what you said." she added a moment later.

"What?" I stammered before her look silenced me once more.

"Look, I told you before, and I will say it once last time. First of all, don't get involved in their shit, okay? Second, be invisible. Your job is to serve them, to clean, and then to disappear, nothing more. Don't worry about that girl, if I were you I would worry about my own fucking job." she said.

And while she did, I simply looked at her in silence as my face turned a deep shade of red.

When she was done, she pushed the basket towards me, pointed to a couple of bottles of water and wine that were next to it, and then looked towards the door.

"Take that to the tender. They will be going to the island soon for a picnic." she said as she turned around and returned to her work. "And try not to do anything stupid, okay?"

I nodded quietly, somewhat angry at her because of the way she treated me, but I did as she told me to, and I made my way towards the tender.

It was tied to the stern of the ship, and when I arrived, the captain was waiting next to it. He took the basket and the bottles, placing them in the boat, and then he told me the guest cabin was already free for me to clean.

I nodded tiredly, and I headed towards it, knocking twice and waiting to see if it was empty this time.

When no one answered, I opened the door and I took a careful step in.

I had expected to find the place a mess after what must have happened the night before, but everything was in its place. With the memory of the suitcase full of dildos fresh in my mind though, I made sure nothing like that was out in the open before I finally relaxed.

Breathing in relief, I stripped the bed and placed new sheets, cleaned the carpet and the couch, and then I headed into the bathroom.

The place was clean, besides the towels on the floor and a bit of black hair in the shower, but I cleaned it thoroughly before I headed towards the closet.

I hesitated for a second, but even from outside, I could see a dirty towel on the floor so I went in to pick it up.

The suitcase was still where I had left it. The top was unzipped, though the lid was thankfully down.

After looking around for anything amiss, I picked the towel, and then I closed the closet behind me.

After a quick check to make sure everything was fine, I made my way towards the laundry room, leaving the sheets for later, and then I went towards the upper sun deck.

From there I could see the tender leaving the ship towards the island. Alexei was steering, while Dima and Sofia were sitting on the back.

Seeing them made me feel uneasy, but as I remembered Nina's words I turned around and got to work cleaning the cabin.

----

It was almost night when they came back to the ship, and by then dinner was almost ready. Alexei and Dima went straight into the lounge to have a drink, while Sofia went into her cabin without saying a word.

I stayed with them, making them a couple of drinks as they talked among themselves in Russian once more. It made me uneasy not being able to understand them, but as I tried to push that feeling away, Sofia finally returned.

She was wearing a small, black dress that hugged her body and a pair of high heels that seemed too high to be comfortable.

She walked slowly towards Dima and as she did I noticed her black eye was gone, probably disguised under more makeup this time.

I was still worried about her, but she looked radiant and happy. She was smiling, and even when Dima ignored her like before, this time it didn't seem to bother her.

A moment later Nina informed me dinner was ready and I told them so.

After that, we made our way towards the dining room and I left them there as I went into the galley in search of the appetizers.

Like the previous night, Dima and Alexei talked among themselves as they ignored Sofia, though this time she seemed to have a healthy appetite as she ate almost as much as them.

After the main dish was over, I served them dessert, which was fancy ice cream and chocolate affair that looked mouth-watering, and once they were finished they returned to the lounge and told me to serve them some drinks.

My drinks were far from good, but I did my best and heard no complaints, so they must have been at least passable I thought, though I made a mental note to practice more once they were gone.

Then I waited behind the bar, trying to look busy as they talked among themselves. It was sad to see them ignore Sofia, but on the other hand, I remembered the bruises in her body and thought that maybe it was for the best.

This time, though, it wasn't going to be. After another round of drinks, Sofia walked up towards the railing of the ship, leaning herself against it as she looked towards the island and Dima followed her.

As he neared, she turned around and she gave him a seductive look.

He stopped next to her for a second and then he buried his head against her neck, nibbling softly at it.

Sofia, obviously lost in her own pleasure, closed her eyes as her mouth formed a silent O.

Meanwhile, Alexei took another sip from his drink as he watched them from a distance with a big smile on his face.

It was deeply uncomfortable to watch, but it would only grow worse from there.

A moment later Dima grabbed Sofia's head and he pulled her into a passionate kiss. A moment later he forced her legs apart using his kneed before he forced it up against her crotch.

Sofia wasted no time before she started humping his leg and soon I could hear her moaning loudly while he kissed her.

Dima, meanwhile, pulled her head back and he grabbed her throat, choking her softly as Sofia's face twisted in pleasure.

Unable to watch anymore, I cleared my throat and looked at Alexei, who was still looking at them with an amused look on his face.

"Will that be all, Sir?" I asked him.

A second later he turned around to look at me. He seemed somewhat surprised, almost as if he had just remembered I was there. He gave me a sheepish smile and then he waved his hand towards the door.

"Yes, you may go. Take the rest of the night off, Isabel." he said as he returned his attention to the show in front of him.

By then Dima's hands had found their way towards Sofia's back and with practiced ease, he undid the zipper and her dress fell onto the deck, exposing her naked body to all of us.

Seemingly unashamed, I saw her turning around as she grabbed the railing with both hands, and then she bent over, offering her sex to him.

That was the last I saw of her, as a second later I closed the door behind me and I made my way towards my cabin as I felt my skin crawling.

----

The next morning I woke up feeling tired and angry.

I couldn't get what I had seen last night from my head, and falling asleep had been hard.

Regardless, I managed to take a shower and then get dressed before it was my time to start my shift, though by the time I made it out of my room I got a message from the captain saying that they were gone for the day and that I was free to do the rooms.

Thinking that it was strange that they would go out so early, I made my way towards the main cabin and changed the sheets once more, cleaned the bathroom, and made sure everything else was clean.

By the time I made my way into Dima's cabin I was feeling cranky and tired. I opened the door wondering what I was doing there, and when I got inside I suddenly stopped.

Unlike the previous night, the room was a mess, with empty bottles everywhere, wine stains on the carpet and the bed, and several sex-toy discarded around the place.

Disgusted, I looked around as I wondered what to do. For a moment I considered just leaving it like that, but in the end, I knew I had to clean it up.

After putting on some gloves, I grabbed the sex toys I could see and I packed them away into the suitcase, happy that at least that was done.

There were also a pair of handcuffs hanging from the headboard, but I couldn't get them open without the key and I couldn't find it anywhere, so I just left them there.

It took a lot of work, but I managed to get the room back in shape, though the stains in the carpet took a lot of time and the result wasn't perfect.

By the time I had finished the sun was going down and I was exhausted, but as I made my way out of the cabin, I heard the roar of the tender approaching and I went towards the lower sundeck to help them unload.

I was surprised, though, when only Dima and Alexei returned.

Alexei maneuvered the tender with ease against the ship and Dima jumped onto the ship to tie it off.

I stood by, watching as they worked quietly, and once the tender was secure, Alexei killed the engine and jumped onto the ship too.

He was smiling, though when he saw me he looked surprised for a moment before he recovered.

"Hello, Isabel." he said as he smiled. "Beautiful day, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was beautiful." I said, leaving out the part where I spent the whole day cleaning up their little party.

"When is miss Sofia arriving?" I asked him, unable to stop myself.

Alexei's face turned sour for just a second before he smiled once more, and to one side I could see Dima freezing for a second as he tidied up the lines.

"No, I am afraid she decided to leave early." Alexei answered as the captain arrived behind me.

"Hello, sir, welcome back aboard." he said as he took the keys to the tender from Alexei.

Alexei ignored him, though, and his eyes remained locked onto mine, making me feel uncomfortable. As my face turned a deep shade of red, I finally had to look away, and I heard Alexei chuckling softly.

"We will be having diner a little later than usual, I think. Let Nina know, please." he told me.

A moment later he headed up the stairs and he disappeared as Dima looked at me disapprovingly.

I felt deeply uncomfortable under his gaze, like when my dad used to berate me for doing something wrong, but he kept quiet and after a moment he simply left.

The captain then looked at me, probably wondering what had happened, but if he did, he said nothing and he thankfully dismissed me a moment later.

Wanting to be away from them, I headed into the galley where Nina was working, though after I told her about Alexei's comment she started swearing loudly and creatively.

When she was finished, I told her about Sofia, and how strange it was, but she simply looked at me, plainly annoyed.

"You are going to get fired... or worse..." she said, and then she simply ignored me.

Feeling dejected, I made my way towards my cabin, as I had a bit of free time, but I stopped just before I entered. I could have sworn her clothes were still in the closet that after they left, and I was sure she wouldn't just leave without them.

Feeling that something was very wrong, I finally entered my cabin and took a long, hot shower as I tried to clear my mind.

----

After my shower, I had to hurry as it was time to serve dinner.

As I made my way up the ship, I told myself to forget about it, to do as Nina had said, and by the time I arrived at the galley I had made up my mind. I wanted to ask Nina to forgive me, but her face told me it was probably best to wait until tomorrow, and instead, I headed into the dining room to set up the table.

Once that was ready, I called Alexei and Dima and then went back into the galley.

There was no appetizer this time, but instead, she had grilled a huge piece of meat, along with some potatoes and carrots. It looked delicious, and as I carried the tray I felt my stomach grumbling inside of me once more.

After setting the serving table next to Alexei, I turned around to go into my corner but I heard him clearing his throat before I got there and I stopped.

"Isabel, we were wondering what you thought of Tonga..." he asked me.

Surprised, I stood still for a moment, but I couldn't really answer him.

"What do you mean, sir?" I asked him.

"I mean, in general, how do you like this place. You know, the sea, the islands, the palm trees... you are from New York, so I think... what I want to know is if you like it here? It's a very different place, right? The few times I visited it was always cold, and dreary... not much different than Moscow, really..." he said.

As he finished I couldn't hide my surprise at the fact that he knew where I was from. I wanted to ask him how he knew, but instead, I shook my head and I looked towards the water.

"It's... very beautiful, sir. I always liked the cold, and I love snow, but... I think I prefer the heat now, and of course the islands around here are really beautiful, sir..." I managed to say before I looked back at him.

"I imagined so..." he said as he took ate a sliver of red meat.

"I have to ask... does it make you uncomfortable that I know so much about you?" he asked me a moment later.

Speechless, I took a small step back, not knowing what to answer, but he simply smiled.

"It's just for safety, of course. I can´t just have anyone on board my ship, so every employee of mine goes through a background check. It's pretty standard stuff, really." he said as he looked at me.

"It's important to know about your family, previous jobs, education, that sort of thing." he said offhandedly. "I also like to know what you guys did before coming on board. I know about your trip trough Africa, for example. How old were you when you did it?"

"I... eighteen, sir..." I said as I tried to remain calm.

"It was quiet an adventure, I am sure... I mean, a beautiful girl like you, fresh out of high school, traveling alone through Africa... right?" he said a moment later, smiling.

It was deeply uncomfortable to know he knew so much about me, and as I swallowed nervously I frantically tried to find something to say.

"I wonder, though, what do you know about Dima and I...." he said a moment later as he briefly looked at Dima.

Dima had been more concentrated on eating than on our talk, but I could see him smiling as Alexei mentioned him.

"Tell you what, I will tell you a little bit about me, so we can get to know each other better, how does that sound?" he said.

Before I could answer, he took a sip of water, and then he looked around the dining room.

"Actually, now that I think about it... my life will seem pretty boring to you." he said as he ran his fingers along his hair. "I own a shipping company, which if I do my work right, is as exciting as watching paint dry, but it does pay well, as you can see."

"Dima, on the other hand... well, he works for me, but his history is much more interesting." he said as he smiled.

"Do you want to tell her yourself?" he asked his partner.

Dima shook his head as he kept eating, though he seemed amused by Alexei's antics.

"Well, you see, I am the first one in my family in the industry, but Dima's family history in the shipping industry goes back, what... 120 years? At least.... well, sort of..." he said as he leaned back into his chair.

"His great, great, great.... great grandfather's last name was Chaika, like him, which means... seagull, in Ukrainian? He was a pirate though, a ruthless one in the black sea." he said as I stood perfectly still.

"He was a business man..." Dima added a second later, though he was smiling. "Things were different back then..."

"Of course... of course... do you know about pirates, Isabel?" he asked me and I shook my head.

"Well, you see, unlike in movies, pirates rarely got into canon battles, it was much too costly. They usually preferred to ambush their prey, force them to surrender without a fight... and to ensure that, they were pretty brutal with those that resisted..." he said, obviously excited.

"He was particularly famous for keelhauling those that resisted him, which after word got around weren't that many actually, but... just imagine, being tied underwater as the ship sailed right over you... must have been a horrible way to die..." he finished a moment later.

"Ah, you are exaggerating, again..." Dima said a moment later.

Alexei, though, looked at him and then he simply smiled as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"Well, there were a couple of times when he did, but the rest were mostly old woman tales..." he said as he chuckled softly.

"It's all history now, of course..." Dima said a moment later.

"Of course..." Alexei said almost on cue.

It was then that I realized I was trembling, and though I tried to, I simply couldn't stop.

It was obvious that Alexei could see that, but he simply smiled as his eyes traveled along my body.

"This is incredibly good, by the way." Dima said a moment later. "Please, give my compliments to the chef."

"Yes, Nina really is special..." Alexei said as he looked at what remained on his plate.

"I think... I am too full for dessert tonight... what do you say we retired to the lounge for a drink?" he asked Dima a moment later, who simply nodded.

"Isabel, would you be so kind as to bring a bottle of Baikal, please? Chilled of course. And bring three tall glasses..." he said as he got up and headed towards the lounge with Dima trailing behind him.

It took me a minute to stop trembling, and another to make my way towards the bar.

Once there I grabbed a chiller and filled it with ice before I slipped a bottle of the vodka he requested into it. After that, I grabbed the three glasses, not realizing back then why he wanted three and I made my way into the lounge, hoping to get dismissed quickly.

Once there though, I quickly realized that I wouldn't get so lucky.

Dima was sitting by himself, while Alexei was sitting on the big couch. He patted the space next to him when I arrived, and I felt my blood freezing inside of me as I realized what it meant.

Though I wanted to say no, I simply didn't dare to, and instead I took a seat next to him after I placed the chiller on the coffee table.

With a big smile, Alexei filled each of the three glasses, handing one to Dima and another to me before he took a sip from his own.

"Don't worry, we just want your company now that Sofia is gone. We have some business to discus... all very boring stuff I am afraid". he said.

"Cheers..." he said a moment later as he bumped his glass against mine.

Almost in reflex, I took a long sip of vodka only to realize that it was much too strong for me.

The liquid burned my mouth and my throat as it went down, but I managed to keep it down. Telling myself I wouldn't drink anymore, I watched them as they started talking among themselves in Russian, just like they had done with Sofia.

Feeling nervous and uncomfortable for not being able to understand a word, I relaxed back into the couch and I waited for them to get bored.

But as I did the vodka started to work on me and I started to feel warm and relaxed.

Despite what I had said to myself, I was soon taking another sip, and then another, and suddenly my glass was empty and Alexei was filling it again without me realizing it.

I was thirsty by then, so I drank again, and then once more. I felt lightheaded and euphoric, and my whole body was tingling deliciously.

Forgetting they were there, I started running my hand over the leather couch, enjoying the smoothness of it, and it was then that I realized they were talking to me.

I hadn't heard what they were saying, but I had a feeling they had been laughing just a moment ago.

"I am sorry... I... wasn't listening..." I managed to say.

Alexei simply smiled as he filled my glass yet again, though I hadn't even noticed it was empty.

"It's okay." he said. "We were wondering about your trip to Africa.... tell us more about it." he said a moment later.

I should have probably realized that it was a bad idea, but I was far too drunk to realize that by then, and instead I took another sip and I looked at them before I wondered where to start.

"Well... after I graduated I wanted to see... I mean, I lived a pretty sheltered life, so I wanted to see what the rest of the world lived, I guess? And I wanted to help too... so I went with and NGO that worked in Africa and I spent 2 months just... working... mainly organizing donations and stuff..." I said before I took another sip from my glass.

"It was... cool and I enjoyed it, but... I wanted to explore, and with them I was stuck in Bulawayo... that's Zimbabwe... I wanted to see their culture, to know more people... so I started hitchhiking my way along the country, just... traveling, I guess..." I said.

"And meeting new people, I imagine..." Alexei added a moment later.

Nodding, I took another sip and then I looked up towards the starry sky above us as I laid my head against the couch.

"It was... and awesome experience... I enjoyed it a lot. I made a lot of friends there..." I added as I closed my eyes, trying to remember some of them.

"I imagine you went dancing there, too?" Alexei asked me.

It was a strange question, I thought, but I simply nodded, remembering the few times I had.

"Did you make any... boyfriends there?" he asked me next.

I frowned at that question, and still with my eyes closed I tried to understand what he meant, but couldn't.

"What do you mean boyfriends?" I asked him back.

As I did I looked at him, and I saw him sipping from his glass. For a second I wondered if he had done it before, though I couldn't remember if he had, and his glass was almost full.

"I mean... how old were you back then? Eighteen, nineteen? All alone, surrounded by young men, I am sure you felt attracted to some of them..." he said.

The question made me feel uncomfortable, but the alcohol pushed that feeling away, and a moment later I looked at him and smiled.

"Ahhh..." I said, remembering that time. "Yes, a few I guess..." I said as I laughed softly.

"I told you..." Alexei said a moment later as he looked at Dima.

Not knowing what he meant, I looked at him waiting for an explanation, but instead, he just looked at me with an amused looked.

"How did it feel?" he asked me a moment later as he moved a little closer to me.

"What?" I asked, acting coyly.

"The sex... what did it feel to get fucked?" he said bluntly.

As he did, I felt my face turning a deep shade of red, and then I had to look away. I was feeling dizzy by then, and the movement of the ship, though the water was very calm, wasn't helping me.

"It felt... sex always feels good, doesn't it?" I finally managed to answer, thinking how strange it sounded to ask that.

"Well, not always, but it can be..." Alexei said after he looked at me. "Were you a virgin before that?"

Blushing once more, I shook my head, and though I didn't know why, I felt I needed to tell him why.

"I had a boyfriend before I left... I... we slept together during our prom night..." I said as I remembered that night. "It was very... romantic..."

"Oh, yeah... I can imagine that..." Alexei said, and then I noticed his hand was resting on my leg, just above my knee.

He was moving his hand up and down, and it felt nice. His hands were soft and warm, and before I realized what I was doing I pulled my legs slightly apart and he moved it further up, under my dress.

As he did, I took another sip, and with it, I finished my glass once more. Alexei took it from my hands and he set it onto the coffee table along with his before he leaned his head into my neck.

A moment later he started sucking it gently, and as he did I started shuddering at the sensation.

"Do you like sucking cocks?" he asked me a moment later.

I couldn't resist laughing at his question, but my laughter turned into a moan just a second later as he started nibbling at my neck and his hand moved even higher along my legs.

"Yes..." I said shyly.

"That's good..." he said. "I bet you are really good at it."

Unable to speak I simply nodded as I closed my eyes and got lost in the sensation of him sucking my neck. My whole body was tingling by then, and it was getting difficult to think straight.

"They all seem to like it... when I blow them, I mean..." I finally managed to say.

And as I did I finally felt his hand brushing against my panties. I was obviously wet by then, and as I felt his fingers dancing over the moist fabric, I couldn't help myself and I moaned loudly.

A moment later I felt his hand moving behind my back and he pulled the zipper on my dress down.

"You are over dressed." he said as he pulled back, leaving me gasping for breath.

A moment later he was standing in front of me and he took my hand, pulling me up before I could resist. The moment he did everything around me started spinning around and I had to close my eyes as leaned forwards, grabbing him in an effort not to fall.