Pleasure Cruise Trilogy (Box Set)

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Not likely!

  He imagined that Christian was a little edgier than usual due to the reason they were on the cruise. It wasn’t every day the Powers That Be decreed you had to get married or face the wrath of a thousand gods… or whatever it was they’d threatened. Andre shrugged. He really hadn’t been paying attention to the details. The goddess who delivered the message had been sexy as sin.

  At the time, he’d taken the news in stride with his “whatever will be, will be” attitude. Christian had been more worried, going on and on about the antiquated concept of arranged marriages and how the Elders had no right to make them get married if they didn’t want to—and most certainly not to humans. For some reason Christian had always had a low opinion of humans.

  Pleasure Cruise was just one of the many “businesses” the Elders used to match up lifemates. The Badau brothers had managed to weasel out of participating since the repopulation of the supernatural movement started. The Elders were worried because the supernatural kind weren’t mating like they used to. The threat of the bloodlines dying out had caused them to take drastic measures. Both Christian and Andre seriously hoped it was just a fad. Sure, fucking human girls was fun every now and then, but being tied to one for all eternity would really suck ass.

  It wasn’t like they could blame the Elders or the Powers That Be for the drastic measures they were now taking. As supernaturals, they technically lived forever and it was hard to mate with someone you remembered from the tenth century as being the jealous over-reactive bitch who nearly got you burned at the stake because you’d slept with her sister after you’d spent the morning screwing her. Oh, or the time he’d almost lost his nuts to a vampiress because she had a pain fetish and decided she wanted to pierce him while he was sleeping. Problem being, she’d used an iron fire poker as her weapon of choice. Andre unconsciously grabbed his balls and shuddered at the thought of the horrifically close call.

  Nope, supernaturals had too much history among their own kind. And with their numbers dwindling over the centuries because of accidents, murders, and the all-out witch hunts that had wiped out a good deal of the female supernatural population, it wasn’t like there were a lot of options left to them.

  The news that humans were now being considered as mates didn’t just bother Andre and his brother. It had sent a ripple of mixed emotions through the supernatural community. In the past, humans could be used for sex and feedings but they were never considered mating material. Their lives were just too short compared to the eternity he and his brother would live, barring any unnatural demise. Already they were well over three hundred years old. It was hard falling in love only to know it was going to be ripped away in a few short years by mortality. Not to mention your mate would look more like your grandmother after about thirty or forty years of marriage. Some people got into doing that sort of thing, he wasn’t one of them.

  The Elders had solved that problem too. They convinced the Powers That Be to grant human mates immortality and the changing, so they might become like their supernatural mates. The mortals were screened by the gods to make sure they could carry supernatural children successfully and survive the change before they were recruited as unknowing mates. Only under special circumstances like divine intervention could a human be a true mate and carry a supernatural child. To mate them to a woman who would never be able to have a baby would defeat the Powers That Be’s purpose in mating them for the sake of boosting the population. He wondered how the women felt about being treated like broodmares. Hopefully they knew the plan before coming onboard. It wasn’t like he wanted to be the one to break the news.

  A soft smile came over his face as he stared absently at the open dresser drawer. He’d never given much thought to children over the years, mainly because he’d never met anyone he’d want to have children with. Pulling out a pair of faded blue jeans and a T-shirt, he slipped on his clothes. It looked like they’d brought the rest of his belongings when he took a shower.

  Andre would never tell Christian, but a part of him was excited. How could he not be? Today was going to be a great day.

  His smile faltered. At least he hoped the Powers That Be knew what they were doing.

  Chapter Two

  “Here, I got you a little something,” Winter said, handing over a crumpled large brown paper bag.

  Anna smiled slightly. Winter didn’t believe in wrapping paper and never used tape because brown bags were easier to recycle and reuse if need be. Once, she’d wrapped every Christmas present in pillow cases and old blankets. That was better than the time she’d used banana tree leaves to wrap a gift in. By the wrinkled look of the bag, she’d reused it plenty. “What’s this for?”

  “Here.” With a grin, Winter took the gift back and opened it for Anna.

  It was a large book of some sort. Anna could only hope it wasn’t another guide to sexual positions. The last one Winter gave her had inspired her to attempt a new position with the boyfriend she’d had at the time. Unfortunately he wasn’t as limber as the book called for and Anna ended up spending the night in the emergency room with him. The result of which was he’d had to have his slipped disk operated on and Anna found herself being dumped.

  “This is a travel journal,” Winter said, talking fast in her excitement. “See how the cover is made from dried herbs? Smells good, huh? You can write your thoughts and feelings down about the trip as we go and then do a self-awareness ritual later when we get home. And if you change your mind about the van trip, I can make more. It’s really very spiritual. Oh, and this is a crystal. It’ll help center your thoughts and help you to focus on having fun and this…”

  Anna couldn’t help but laugh as Winter piled the items in her hands. Then, as she pulled out the last gift and held it up, Anna paled. It was a leather thong and corset. Instantly, she folded them, trying to hide them under the journal.

  “Is so you can finally get laid,” Winter continued as if she didn’t notice Anna’s prudish reaction. “You know, clean out the ol’ cobwebs. I know that I normally frown upon leather but this was for the greater good. You getting laid is of the utmost importance.”

  The words were said so earnestly that Anna didn’t know how to respond. Sure, it had been a while, but cobwebs? Her fingers touched the material and she frowned. “This is pleather, not leather. It’s not the same thing.”

  Suddenly remembering they weren’t alone, Anna glanced nervously up at the large porter with a deep monotone voice whom they had met on the top deck. He’d taken their carry on luggage rather forcefully. Neither woman had said a word, knowing it was better than having to cart their bags down the stairs on their own. With everyone trying to get to their staterooms, the elevators were completely backed up. Besides, Anna didn’t like getting into small boxes with strangers.

  Anna was a little peeved that the porter had watched her struggle up the plank with her travel bag and designer heels before offering to help. She really hoped he didn’t set the tone for the service onboard. No doubt he’d want to be tipped for his troubles, but Anna wasn’t falling for it. She knew there was an automatic gratuity added to each person’s ticket—a gratuity the game show didn’t feel obligated to pay. Anna didn’t tell Winter that she was footing part of the bill for this trip. What would be the point? Winter would have insisted on paying her back with love beads and healing rituals. Walking beside Winter, she did her best to ignore the porter completely.

  As they made their way down the long red hall toward their staterooms, she noted that several other porters who looked almost identical to the one in front of them were assisting others to their staterooms. Their own helper didn’t seem to be paying much attention to them and that was fine by her. Focusing her attention on the ornate details of the cruise ship, Anna ignored the creepy men.

  The gold and black decorations were classic, a little on the Las Vegas old casino side but acceptable nonetheless. Even Anna had to admit that so far the ship didn’t look too bad. It might even rival some of the fancy
hotels she liked to stay at. None of the decorations were fake and that helped in her acceptance. There was nothing worse than finding out the statue you’d been admiring was really just a plaster reproduction.

  Anna’s heel caught on something and she staggered a bit, dropping the pleather thong and corset as she grabbed Winter to get her footing. “Damn heels. This is what I get for buying a pair on sale for just three hundred dollars.”

  “You could have fed so many starving children instead of buying another pair of designer shoes, Anna.”

  Rolling her eyes at Winter, Anna bent down to retrieve her “present”. The porter turned and gave her a large grin as she brought the sexy garments close to her chest. His pale green eyes shimmered as they raked over the front of her. She glared, daring him to make a comment. It didn’t matter that he was almost two feet taller than her. She had Winter, who was downright lethal when need be. What army did he have? He took the hint and said nothing as he continued down the hall. Anna grabbed the brown bag from Winter and shoved the embarrassing outfit into it before hastily cramming the entire bag under her arm.

  “I can’t believe you sometimes,” Anna said under her breath.

  Winter looked confused and then a little hurt. “What? You didn’t like the journal? I thought you loved lavender.”

  Suddenly the porter stopped by room 6293, then turned and knocked once on the door. Her bags had been left outside the door in the hallway. She took the brown paper back and stuffed it into one of her suitcases. Giving Anna another lecherous smile, he droned, “Your room, miss. Have a nice day.”

  My day will improve drastically once you’re away from me.

  Winter grinned and moved to follow him, walking backward and wiggling her fingers in a little wave. Anna watched until they stopped next door so she could see where Winter was staying. Winter gave her another small wave and didn’t wait for the porter to finish his sentence before she grabbed her old duffle bag and pushed open the door to step inside.

  “Wow.”

  Anna blinked, confused by the sound of the low male voice as she turned toward her room. The door was open and in the frame towered a large man with more notable sex appeal than a Hollywood superstar. For a moment, she was too flabbergasted to speak. His hair spilled over his shoulders in soft, drying waves. He wore an old T-shirt with a faded school emblem on the front. His arm lifted to rest against the open door and she watched the hem of his shirt lift up to reveal his tight stomach. His faded jeans hung low on his hips but she didn’t see any boxers peeking out the top. In fact, by the way his hipbones and the narrow trail of hair beneath his navel showed, it was quite possible he wore no underwear at all. Bare feet stood squarely on the floor and she couldn’t help but think the man even had sexy feet.

  A wave of desire hit her in the stomach, spreading like some sex virus over her hardening nipples and settling between her suddenly hot thighs. It took all her strength not to wiggle against her wet panties. Her gaze lifted from his sexy feet to land on his cock. It pressed unmistakably large and erect against his low-slung jeans. Shaken back to reality, Anna cleared her throat. When she looked up, dark eyes pierced into hers, hot as molten lava. She shivered. Never had a man been so bold with just a look. He reeked of confidence and prowess.

  Biting her lips, she said weakly, “My bags.”

  A brow on his handsome face rose in question.

  “Bring them in,” she ordered, pushing past him into the room. Obviously tall, pale and creepy porter knew the man was in the room because he had knocked on the door. Her mind raced and she momentarily panicked. Mr. Sexy had to be the ship greeter, or a cabin boy, or a maid or steward or whatever they called them, if he was in her room. Though the idea of a ship of this caliber allowing their employees to traipse around in street clothes did surprise her. Unless…

  Anna stiffened. The cabin stateroom was large, with dark blue walls and a round bed in the middle of the floor on a platform. She stared at it critically, wondering at the odd placement. Was this man some sort of sex toy? Winter had hinted profusely about her getting laid. Did he come with the room?

  Anna gave a small laugh at her wishful thinking. Who was she kidding? Date with Destiny would not pay for a sex cruise, no matter how hard Winter begged the network executives.

  “The bed rotates, princesse,” the man said behind her, his French accent thick as he carted in her bags. “If you’d like to play with it, the remote is on the dresser.”

  Did he just call her a princess?

  “No, thank you.” Anna swallowed back the lump in her throat. The man’s suggestion about the bed made her pussy quake and instantaneous, burning desire wasn’t something she was prone to experiencing. “I don’t play with furniture.”

  “All right,” the man answered slowly. “Suit yourself. But you’re really missing out on some fun.”

  Anna took a deep breath. His tone sent chills over her spine. Seeing the open bathroom door, she decided to go freshen up and get away from him. Throwing herself at a stranger wasn’t something she ever dreamed she’d do. Staring at the man in her room made her entertain the thought a bit more seriously. Unable to look at the handsome man again and still maintain her composure, she grabbed one of her smaller bags and said, “I’ll put a tip on the stateroom’s tab for you at the end of the cruise. Please bring in my suitcases and lock the door when you leave. I don’t require any services beyond that.”

  Anna locked the bathroom door before he could answer, glad to see it had a sturdy deadbolt. Listening at the door, she heard the sound of her suitcases being moved into the room. Good, he was going to listen to her orders. Just as soon as she showered, she would request another crew member to wait on her—maybe one who wasn’t so distractingly handsome and flirtatious.

  * * *

  Andre watched the woman walk away with a wide grin on his face, even though he was a little confused by the whole thing. A tip? Was she making a joke? The woman hardly seemed the type to joke. Maybe she was nervous, that could explain the way she ordered him about and refused to look at him directly. She nearly jumped when he suggested she play with the bed. He’d only been teasing but if she’d have hopped on, he’d have been right there behind her, no questions asked. Already his cock was hard just from the sight of her. They were going to be married, after all, and he saw no reason to wait for the fun part.

  When she’d first looked at him, he knew her body had responded as forcefully as his. But why wouldn’t it have? It was meant to do just that, or so the Powers That Be said. It was easy to smell the hot desire moistening the area between her thighs, teasing his body like a perfume. She wore a designer dress suit that covered her silk shirt but he’d just bet her nipples were hard underneath. He briefly wondered if she’d dressed up just for this first meeting, to make a good impression on her future husband. Andre grinned. Women were sometimes like that. He’d not even thought about what he was putting on when he got dressed. All he could think about was what sex would be like with his new mate and had picked his clothes for ease of disrobing.

  Doing a quick sniff test of his T-shirt, he nodded in approval. At least it was clean-ish. “It’s only behind a few washings. It’ll do.” Besides, women liked the natural scent of a shifter.

  It took every effort not to come on to her full force. Andre grinned, knowing that instantly pawing her and tossing her on the bed so he could rip the clothing from her delicious body wasn’t the best first impression he could make. Oh, it would’ve been a good one, but not the best.

  She was a beautiful woman, poised and graceful. Andre couldn’t have been more pleased. Her small wire-rimmed glasses framed very pretty gray-green eyes and her dark red-brown hair screamed catlike vixen. He longed to pull it from its bun and tangle his hands through its silken texture. Every fantasy he’d ever had of the sexy corporate boss seducing the hired hand came back to mind. He hoped she liked to role-play. Well, if the Powers That Be picked her out for him, she probably did. They would know best, wouldn’t they?


  He heard the shower turn on and groaned softly to himself as he imagined her stripping out of her clothes. If he hadn’t detected the sound of the bathroom lock being securely latched, he would’ve taken her need for cleanliness as an invitation to join her. Though she hardly looked travel-worn, he could attribute her slightly bad mood to being tired.

  He pushed the empty luggage rack outside and shut the door. Then, sighing at the amount of luggage his future bride brought with her, he decided to help her unpack. Okay, he decided to snoop to see what she brought. But “unpacking” sounded better.

  Selecting the smallest bag first, he unzipped it. Seeing a large brown bag shoved inside, he grabbed it and peeked in. “Jackpot.”

  * * *

  “Have a ni—”

  Winter pushed past the porter into her room, grabbing her bags on the way, and not bothering to let him finish his statement. “Uh, yeah, thanks!”

  Slamming the door, she glanced around the room. It was hideous, even by her standards. Anna liked to call Winter’s taste in decorating shockingly psychedelic. It wasn’t like she painted everything with fluorescent paint before flipping on a black light. No, aerosol paint was bad for the environment, so she just went for large acrylic-painted daisies on the kitchen walls.

  The cabin she’d be staying in lacked color. The walls were all such a dark gray that they appeared black and the bedframe, lamps and side tables were all made from a wood so dark that they too appeared black. Without the oversized white comforter on the bed, it would surely have been camouflaged.

  “Great, a week minus color. I guess I’ll live.” Winter tossed her bag onto the floor. Bending down, she opened the front compartment which held all of her sheer wraps. Winter selected two red ones and draped them over the tops of the two lamps. “Ah, much better.”