Billy’s eyes slammed shut with the memory of exactly how she’d done that for the first time. Elizabeth had spent nearly twenty minutes studying each tattoo in detail and used her tongue to follow the pattern on the big one on her side. “Let me shower first. Give me twenty and I’ll see you there.”
With a final kiss, Elizabeth slipped out of the room after she’d gathered her belongings, and left Billy thrumming with passion at the thought of spending the afternoon rolling around together.
“You’ve hit the jackpot, Christian!” She turned a quick circle dancing a jig, and then remembered that she had a mission. Shower, Elizabeth, and then bed…again. “Damn, I’m a lucky woman!”
***
The afternoon was another one lost to their uncontrollable, intense, ferocious sexual appetites. The Do Not Disturb sign was transferred from one doorknob to the other when Billy entered the room.
They parted when it was time to get ready for their evening meal with the captain. Elizabeth had delivered another kiss when she kicked Billy out, with a promise that she’d be as quick as she could.
Once showered and dressed in her crisp Armani tuxedo, Billy returned to Elizabeth’s room. The lapels and collar of the jacket were satin, and the feeling of it under her fingertips reminded her of Elizabeth’s skin. Her stomach twisted pleasantly once again as she heated up in all the right places. After knocking on the door, she tapped her foot impatiently.
When the door opened, her mouth dropped at the sight before her. One side of the black evening gown clung to Elizabeth’s left shoulder, and the other cut down under her right arm, which draped the fabric diagonally over her breasts. It was decorated with small rhinestones that glimmered like the stars in the clear sky above.
“Wow… Beth, you take my breath away.” She took a step forward to enter, only to be stopped by the palm of Elizabeth’s hand in the middle of her chest. “Can’t I come in?”
“Nope. If I let you back in here we won’t be going to dinner, and I’m sure that will piss Captain Freemont off.” She pushed, and as Billy stepped back, she followed her into the hallway. “Just savour the anticipation. You can ravish me when we get back.” She grabbed her small evening bag before closing the door. She looked Billy up and down. “You look very handsome.” She reached out and ran her fingers down the thick lapel. “There’s no disputing this type of workmanship. Armani… Nice!”
“Thank you.” She held her arm out and waited until she felt Elizabeth’s small fingers wrap around her bicep before she led them away from their cabins and out into the hubbub of the main atrium.
With her shoulders back and her spine ramrod straight, she led her beautiful girlfriend through the throngs of people. All around them she heard gasps and comments of appreciation. Elizabeth radiated beauty and sophistication as she led her to the main dining room.
At the ornate carved wooden entrance stood Captain Freemont, dressed in a white uniform mess jacket with gold accents and black tuxedo trousers. His hat was tucked under his arm as he shook people’s hands and welcome them to the night’s festivities.
“Ladies, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” He winked at Billy as he took her hand in his, and then kissed the back of Elizabeth’s.
Inside, they were shown to the table. Thankfully, they were seated next to each other. Several heads turned as Billy held Elizabeth’s chair out for her and waited until she was seated before taking her own. Others took their cue from them.
When the captain joined them, they all stood and waited until he was seated before retaking their own.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s eat, drink, and be merry!” He held his arms out with great flourish and wait staff poured out of three different doors carrying trays of delicious-smelling meats and vegetables, and bottles of wine.
“Wow, this looks amazing,” Elizabeth murmured.
Billy didn’t reply. Her focus was on the small band that was setting up on the stage. Soft classical music was being piped into the room from large speakers, but it appeared they were going to be treated to some live music before the night was over.
But a shard of fear lanced through her as the classical music finished and was replaced by another very familiar piece.
“Oh! I love this. Are you familiar with it?” Elizabeth leaned closer to be able to whisper. When she received no reply, she laid her hand over Billy’s frigid one on the table in front of them. “Hey, what’s wrong, honey? You’re really pale and that beautiful smile of yours has disappeared.”
“Please, excuse me for a few moments.” Her sight was bleary as the tears that threatened to fall gathered against her eyelids. She jumped up and scurried away from the table.
“Billy, wait!”
The music rang through her ears. There was no running from it, and it was now an ear-worm; it played over and over again in her head. The door to the port side of the ship was just in front of her. She burst through it, out into the night and fresh air. Her lungs burned as she ran down the deck toward the spot where they’d shared their first kiss. When she reached the railing, she bent at the waist and put her head down towards her legs, trying to catch her breath and stop the panic attack she could feel rising. Under her jacket, her shirt was soaked with sweat. She could feel it running down her temples and forehead and taste the saltiness of it against her lips.
Elizabeth caught up to her and approached slowly. “Are you okay, darling? What was that all about?” she reached out and laid her hand on Billy’s jacket and rubbed up and down.
“I…that…was…Damn it, Beth, what the hell am I going to do?” Her face flushed as heat raced through her body. She whipped her jacket off, undid her bowtie, and unsnapped the top two buttons on her shirt. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply for a few seconds. Before I even go into what happened I need to centre myself.
“Please, darling, you’re scaring me.” Elizabeth took a hesitant step forward and when Billy didn’t back away, she moved even closer and put her arms around her. “Damn, you’re soaked. We need to get you into something dry so you don’t catch a cold.”
“Please, hold on.” Billy grabbed her hand. Her breathing was returning to normal and she needed to get her and Katie’s story out of her head. Perhaps talking to her about Kate is the best thing to do… But when we get home, I need to see a grief counsellor about what is going on. I can’t carry on like this.
One of the ship’s officers appeared at their side. His eyes were narrowed and his gaze, before it landed on them, roamed the deck. “Ladies, is everything okay? The captain asked me to come and find you. He was concerned about your sudden disappearance.”
“I’m sorry. Please send our apologies to Captain Freemont. We won’t be able to return to his table tonight as Ms. Christian is out of sorts and not feeling too well. There’s no need for medical attention.” Elizabeth took Billy’s hand and led her over to a sunbed.
“Of course. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.” He disappeared as quickly as he’d appeared.
“Now…” Elizabeth sat and pulled Billy down to the seat opposite her. “Tell me what’s going on. The colour is returning to your face and you seem to have calmed down. But you gave me one hell of a scare and I’m still concerned.”
Billy peered over her shoulder and then over Elizabeth’s. They were alone. It was the perfect time to tell her everything. “Okay, the music you asked me about… I know it very well. I composed it.”
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open at the revelation. “But…that’s something you should be proud of! It’s an amazing piece.”
“It was not meant to be used for anything without my permission, as it’s very special. I don’t know where the captain got it from, but I never agreed for it to be used for anything like a CD.” Her hand went to the tattoo of Katie’s dove. “You’ve obviously seen this over the last couple of days, and I know that you’ve wanted to ask about it. I composed the music for Katie. It’s actually called Katie’s Piece.”
“Who is she, love?” Elizabeth placed her hand over Billy’s and then took her chin with the other and tilted it upwards until she was looking at her. “If she’s an ex-lover, it’s okay, we all have those. Mine was a little nuts and went overboard when we broke up.”
“No, she wasn’t a girlfriend. Katie and I were best friends. We met when we were three years old and were fast friends from that day on. She was like another sister to me.” Her eyes filled with tears once again and some slid free and ran down her cheeks.
“Was? Why are you talking about her in the past tense?”
“She died. She joined the army as soon as she was old enough and was going to make a living as a career soldier… A fucking Taliban insurgent made sure that would never happen.” She stopped and took a deep breath. Get it all out now. I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish if I stop again. “She was travelling in a convoy when her vehicle was hit by an RPG. Everyone in the Hummer died that day, and so did a piece of my heart. I’ve done nothing but work since her funeral. I figured that if I was busy, I could forget about what had happened. In doing that, I lost sight of what was important in life, and I didn’t take good care of myself. That’s part of the reason I passed out that night in London.”
“Oh, Billy, I’m sorry. No wonder you tore out of the dining room like the seat of your trousers were on fire. Have you been to see someone to talk about what you’ve been feeling?”
“No, and that’s something I need to rectify when I get home. I’ve spoken to my family and Aunt Sarah. She’s Katie’s mum and like an additional mother to me. They’ve helped me a lot with my grief, and I now own Katie’s horse, Claret. When we’re galloping through the fields, I think of all the times Kate and I had fun at the stables. Grooming him is something that relaxes me. I spent a lot of time with Aunt Sarah before I went on holiday and we talked about Katie. She’s helped me through some of the tougher things. I thought I was on the right track to overcoming a lot of this and I felt good about it. But hearing her music threw me. All I could see was her face, and the happiness and laughter we shared. Everything I felt when I wrote it hit me like a tonne of bricks square in the chest.”
“Whatever you need, love, I’ll be right beside you. You don’t have to face this alone anymore. I’ll help you through it.” Elizabeth stood and shifted to sit next to Billy. She leaned against her shoulder and wiped an errant tear out of the corner of her eye. “I’d love to know about her and what you were both like growing up.”
Billy snorted back a laugh and covered her mouth. “We were hellions. When you meet my family, they’ll tell you all sorts of wild stories.” Her shoulders relaxed and she turned her head and kissed Elizabeth on the temple. “How about we head back to my cabin and order something to eat there? All of a sudden I’m exhausted. I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
“Yeah, adrenaline will do that to you. Your plan sounds perfect, and I’ll hold you all night long if that’s what you want.”
She really is too good to be true. I thought for sure that as soon as she realised I was having some issues, she wouldn’t want anything more to do with me.
Billy tilted Elizabeth’s chin up with her fingers and captured her lips with her own. “You’re too good for me, Beth.”
“No, I’m not. You deserve everything and more.” She stood and held her hand out for Billy to take. “Come on, let’s go and get changed. We can order in and find a movie to watch.”
Billy took it and got to her feet. She wrapped her arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders and hugged her tight. “I’m sorry you’re getting a sweaty hug.” She took a step away to end their physical contact.
“Don’t worry about it. A sweaty hug is better than no hug, and I love being in your arms.” She took Billy’s arm and put it back around her.
The corner of Billy’s mouth turned upward. “You’re right. Thank you for not moaning about it.”
They took a step forward but stopped at the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them.
“Oh no, not you again,” Billy sighed. She turned around. “Emma, how many times do you need to be told? She’s not interested. Please, leave us alone. There are plenty of other women on this ship who would be more than happy to be your date, conquest, whatever it is you want to call it. But Beth is with me and we’re happy.”
Emma took a step forward. “How could she ever be happy with a bitch like you? I’d treat her like a queen and give her anything she wants. You…you’re a basket case who can’t even keep her basic emotions under control. I bet you’re crap in bed. I’d be able to please her over and over again.”
“That’s enough!” A deep hardness crept into Elizabeth’s voice as she laced her fingers with Billy’s and pulled her a couple of steps back, away from Emma. “Listen to me, there’s no way a woman like you could ever interest me…”
Billy listened as Elizabeth continued to berate her. Something was…off. She could feel it in the air. It was something ominous and dark. Emma’s whole demeanour seemed different somehow. Her body was taut, wooden, and one of her arms was behind her back as though she was concealing something.
What if she has a weapon? Beth is too close; anything could happen.
She tugged her back. “Leave it, darling, there’s no point in arguing with her. Once we get to New York we’ll file restraining orders against her. Please…come on.” Her plea seemed to work as Elizabeth stopped what she was saying.
Together they turned and marched away from their stalker.
“We don’t need to antagonise her. Something is way off with that woman; I think she needs some kind of help.” Billy put her arm back around her and steered her to the starboard side of the boat.
“Yeah… I wonder what’s made her the way she is. I mean, come on, she has some serious fucking demons!”
“Hey, Christian!”
Billy turned at the sound of her name. Three steps behind them, rage and insanity darkening her features, stood Emma, an orange flare gun in her hand pointed directly at her.
“Say hello to your friend when you see her.”
The finger on the trigger tightened.
“Beth! Move!” She shoved the smaller body at her side with all her might.
A loud bang echoed around the stern of the boat.
Billy’s feet tangled as she staggered forward, and her body seemed heavy as she fell. Her head hit the thick wooden floorboards and she heard Elizabeth screaming as everything around her faded into nothingness and went black.
To Be Continued…
10 questions.
Questions and thoughts to ask the readers.
Which one of the characters would you identify with the most and why?
Billy’s grief is overwhelming for her. Do you think she could have dealt with it better?
Opera isn’t for everyone. Should I have used a different thing to bring them together, or given Elizabeth another genre with music to sing?
How do you think Elizabeth should deal with Emma?
Is there a certain song fast or slow that you think would be another for them to dance to or sing?
What are your own karaoke pieces that you always go to?
Neither of them has friends, apart from their best friends Jane and Vanessa. Would you be friends with them? If so, which one, or both?
Where do you see their relationship going?
How do you feel about Billy’s meltdown, when her grief overcomes her?
What would you like to see for Billy and Elizabeth in the future? Where would you like the second book to go with their stories?
Author Bio for Ronni Meyrick
Ronni Meyrick was born in Brighton, but now lives in rural Oxfordshire with her wife Kay. She’s been an avid reader since a young age, and could always be found with her head in a book.
She’s a coffee addict who’s forever trying new brands. She loves to cook and loves discovering new recipes. Ronni also enjoys photography and can be found with her camera in hand. She has a keen interest in Greek, R
oman and Norse mythology, and Egyptology. (She knows she a bit of a geek)
Ronni used to the play the trumpet and drums in a youth group and still enjoys watching marching bands. She loves rugby with a passion, and is an avid Wales supporter. Her family play a very important part in her life, and she enjoys holidays back at home in Brighton with them whenever she can. Ronni Meyrick is her pen name. She decided on the name to honour her father who was named Ronald. The Meyrick part is an old family name. Her parents are English and Welsh, and as any rugby fan knows that is quite a conflict when the six nation’s rugby tournament arrives.
The urge to write a book came to her while she was caring for her wife. She hasn’t stopped since, and has just finished writing her eighth book.
Books under the Wicked Publishing brand
Hero by Ronni Meyrick #Best Seller
Hero 2 by Ronni Meyrick
Gone by Ocean
Flashback by Dawn Carter
Absolute Betrayal by Ronni Meyrick
Heartland by Vickie Adams
Circumstance by Kate Charlton
Cricket by Barbara Dennis
Serendipity by Aliat Lecky
Southern Hope by L.A. Parker
2018 release date- Composing Love by Ronni Meyrick
2018 release date- Tempted by Ocean
The Brave by Shiralyn J. Lee
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Composing Love Page 18
