Cradle by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee Read Free Book Online

cabin area as they talked. Captain
     Homer was clearly already into his sales pitch. From somewhere nearby Carol could
     hear the clang of metal. It sounded like barbells.
    ‘Dolphin Key is a marvellous isolated island,’ Captain Homer continued, ‘perfect for
     swimming and even nude sunbathing, if you like that sort of thing. There’s also a
     sunken wreck from the eighteenth century not more than a couple of miles away if you’re
     interested in doing some diving.’ Carol took another drink from her Coke and looked
     at Homer for an instant. She quickly averted her eyes. He was leering again. His emphasis
     on the word ‘nude’ had somehow changed Carol’s mental picture of Dolphin Key from
     a quiet tropical paradise to a gathering place for debauchery and peeping Toms. Carol
     recoiled from Captain Homer’s light touch as he guided her around the side of the
     yacht.
This man is a creep
, she thought.
I should have followed my first instincts and turned around
.
    The clang of metal grew louder as they walked past the entrance to the cabin and approached
     the front of the luxurious boat. Carol’s journalistic curiosity was piqued; the sound
     seemed so out of place. She hardly paid attention as Captain Homer pointed out all
     the outstanding features of the yacht. When they finally had a clear view of the front
     deck of the
Ambrosia
, Carol saw that the sound had indeed been barbells. A blonde woman with her back
     toward them was working out with weights on the front deck.
    The woman’s body was magnificent, even breathtaking. As she strained to finish her
     repetitive presses, she lifted the barbells high over her head. Rivulets of sweat
     cascaded down the muscles that seemed to descend in ripples from her shoulders. She
     was wearing a low-cut black leotard, almost backless, whose thin straps did not seem
     capable of holding up the rest of the outfit. Captain Homer had stopped talking about
     the boat. Carol noticed that he was standing in rapt admiration, apparently transfixed
     by the sensual beauty of the sweaty woman in the leotard.
This place is weird
, Carol thought.
Maybe that’s why the girl asked me if I knew these people
.
    The woman put the weights back on the small rack and picked up a towel. When she turned
     around Carol could see that she was in her mid to late thirties, pretty in an athletic
     sort of way. Her breasts were large and taut and clearly visible in the scant leotard.
     But it was her eyes that were truly remarkable. They were grey-blue in colour and
     they seemed to look right through you. Carol thought that the woman’s first piercing
     glance was hostile, almost threatening.
    ‘Greta,’ said Captain Homer, when she looked at him after her first glance at Carol,
     ‘this is Miss Carol Dawson. She may be our charter for this afternoon.’
    Greta did not smile or say anything. She wiped the sweat off her brow, took a couple
     of deep breaths, and put the towel behind her neck and over her shoulders. She squared
     herself off to face Carol and Captain Homer. Then with her shoulders back and her
     hands on her hips, she flexed her chest muscles. With each flexure her abundant breasts
     seemed to stretch up toward her neck. Throughout this routine her astonishingly clear
     eyes evaluated Carol, checking out her body and clothing in minute detail. Carol squirmed
     involuntarily.
    ‘Well, hello, Greta,’ she said, her usual aplomb strangely absent in this awkward
     moment, ‘nice to meet you.’
Jesus
, Carol thought, as Greta just looked at Carol’s outstretched hand for several seconds,
let me out of here. I must be on a strange planet or having a nightmare
.
    ‘Greta sometimes likes to have fun with our customers,’ Captain Homer said to Carol,
     ‘but don’t let it put you off.’ Was he irritated with Greta? Carol thought she detected
     some unspoken communication between Greta and Captain Homer, for at length Greta smiled.
     But it was an artificial