by Alexis Gold
"Welcome! Welcome all of you to our wonderful weekend cruise. Aside from her loyal and dedicated crew, you are the first people to see this beautiful sea-faring lady, and you'll get to experience her out on the ocean in just a few minutes, when we set sail. I know we will all enjoy our time together this weekend, and I want you to indulge yourselves and partake of everything available to you on this vessel. She is your home, and the crew and I are your humble hosts.
“Please! Raise your glasses in a toast to the Zephyr, the first of her kind featuring solar sails and green technology; we are going to leave the smallest carbon footprint possible in the waves we sail over, and heal the seas and all the life in them. Welcome to the luxury and wonder of the future!" he raised his glass in salute, and all of his guests raised their glasses as well, toasted and drank with him.
Roman found himself subtly looking around for the woman he had seen on the dock, and when he saw her standing with Colette, talking to some of the other guests, he allowed himself a moment to watch her, drinking in her beauty and charm. It made him smile and that was something he didn't find himself doing often.
She seemed to really listen to those who were speaking to her, watching their eyes and taking in everything that they said, replying to them only when they had finished their piece. As he watched her, he didn't notice that everything around him seemed to fade away until she turned and looked right at him and turned the corners of her mouth up in a smile meant just for him. He drew a deep breath, horrified that he'd been caught watching her, he smiled back briefly and turned away, walking toward some of the other guests further down the deck.
*
She felt as though she was being watched, and it drew her attention away from the two men who were talking to her and Colette. She turned her head and saw him, he was staring at her, his dark eyes deeply intent on her, his lips parted slightly and his glass of champagne resting idly in his fingers. The sight of him arrested her on the spot. He wasn't handsome; no, he was ruggedly beautiful. There was just no other word for it; he was beautiful. His gaze made her catch her breath and she blinked for a moment and couldn't help smiling at him. She couldn't imagine anyone not smiling at him.
He seemed hypnotized while gazing at her until she smiled, and then he seemed to wake up. He flashed a smile back at her and then he looked away suddenly and turned, disappearing down the deck.
"Colette," she said softly. "Did you see that man over there?"
Her friend looked over her shoulder and just saw the back of Roman as he walked down the deck and vanished behind the side of the boat. She laughed low and long. "Oh yes, I did. That's Roman Bruce. We get to spend a whole weekend looking at him."
Colette's lips curved in a sultry smile at the spot where Roman had been standing. "I'm so glad he came on this trip." She looked at her friend.
"He'll be just the thing to get you back on your feet, Cami. You couldn't have asked for better company. If you get a chance this weekend, you should spend some time with him. He is brilliant and delicious and he won't treat you like a piece of meat. You'll be safe with him." Colette grinned and shook her head slowly. "Every time I see him I wish I could talk him into my bed, but he's just not that kind of guy, unfortunately. He's so... bite-able." She raised one eyebrow mischievously.
Cami laughed at her and glanced back at the empty place where he had been standing. It made her wonder why he had left, rather than coming over to talk to her. Men often stared at her, but they looked at her hungrily, not with the hidden curiosity that she had seen in his eyes when she looked back at him. She hadn't felt as though she was standing there, undressed under his intense gaze, and she was surprised by that.
***
Roman walked the length of the deck and sat in a chair at the bow of the boat, glad for the shade. The Captain spoke over a loudspeaker for all to hear, "We're off!" and the boat began to move out of the harbor toward the vast and open sea. The plan was to sail south to Cabo San Lucas which would take a little over a day and a half, spend a day in Cabo on the beach, and then sail back up to Carmel. A beautiful, long, sun-kissed weekend that would last from Friday at noon until Monday evening if all went as planned.
He laid back in his chair, feeling the ocean air on his face, breathing it in, and he forgot about everything in the whole world except where he was at the moment. His soul was being revitalized, and he was at home in the splashing sea mist and the cool salty air.
His eyes were closed until he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see one of the stewards smiling down at him. "Sir, are you Mr. Bruce?" the young man asked pleasantly.
"I am,” he answered, wishing he hadn't been interrupted.
The steward smiled at him. "The Captain has invited you to come up to the bridge, sir. I'll be glad to escort you there." He waited as Roman rose up out of his chair. If there was one thing he didn't mind being pulled away from the front of the boat for, it was to see the bridge.
Roman followed the steward up two flights of stairs to the bridge and thanked the young man for escorting him up there. Jonathon looked over at him and grinned, raising his hand in the air.
"Roman! Welcome to the bridge. Have you ever seen such a beautiful and sophisticated bit of technology as this? Come over here and have a look at this." He clapped Roman on the shoulder and began pointing at the screens and dials laid out before them. There were three leather captain's chairs lined up before the control board, which looked as though it might have been made for NASA.
"This lady could practically sail herself. Here are the navigation charts and maps, here's the depth reader... you know, I bet I could find Atlantis with this thing, and here is the cherry on top." He looked at Roman a bit more seriously.
"These are the controls for the sails. They're free standing and free rotating. I can handle all of them from here and they produce up to sixty percent of the power behind this girl. It's really something else. Here," he said, standing Roman before the controls, "have a go at her, this trims the sails." Jonathon let Roman work them and Roman felt a thrill rush through him as he let the wind carry the boat faster across the waves. He grinned like a kid with a toy.
"That's pretty nice, isn't it?" Jonathon asked excitedly.
Roman angled his head and looked down at Jonathon, "It's very nice, Captain." He set everything as Jonathon had it, and then stepped back to let the Captain take over again.
"Have you had a chance to go down and look at your room yet?" Jonathon asked him with a grin.
Roman chuckled and shook his head. "No, not yet. I was just settling in on the deck when you called me up here. That's about all I've seen; the main deck and now the bridge. Nice toast, by the way."
Jonathon nodded and smiled beneath his salt and pepper beard. "Thanks. You are welcome to come up here anytime, Roman, but go have a look at your room when you get a chance. Your bags were taken in already, but you'll probably want to settle in soon. I want you to be relaxed and comfortable for this trip."
Roman took a long look at the wide-open view from the lofty bridge, and he sighed. "Alright, I'll go have a look. I'll come up here and have tea with you this afternoon, and we can trade fish tales, alright?" Roman asked with an impish smile.
"That sounds like a good afternoon to me!" Jonathon laughed, shaking his hand and holding the door for him.
Roman took his time going down the stairs, admiring the view and the boat, and when he reached the main deck, he hadn't gone two steps when one of the stewards was at his side.
"May I help you find anything, sir?" he asked hopefully.
Roman gave him a friendly nod. "Certainly, thank you. I'm looking for the Master Stateroom."
The steward brightened and stood up a little straighter. "Mr. Bruce! Certainly! I'll take you right there." He grinned and led Roman through a private door and down a flight of stairs. "You have your own entrance from the main deck, or you can go out of the other door in your room to the hallway which leads into the lower dining room and entertainment room. T
he other guest staterooms are down that way." The steward reached the bottom of the stairs and opened his door for him, and as Roman entered, he couldn't help but smile.
The steward disappeared, closing the door behind him and Roman looked with satisfaction at the enormous room around him. The walls, ceiling and carpet were all white, and everything was trimmed with hand carved mahogany. The room was arced in a half circle and the full length of the rounded area was filled with windows that reached from well above the water, to several feet below the water.
It was an open room of two levels; the upper portion of it looked out over the sea and featured a desk area and a mini-bar, and it had sliding glass doors that led out to a private deck with a canopied table, deeply cushioned benches, and a Jacuzzi tub. There was a flight of arced stairs that echoed the curve of the room itself. They widened from moderate at the top step, to a grand curve at the bottom step, and were covered in thick carpet.
In the lower level at the bottom of the staircase, he found the sunken bedroom featured a king sized mahogany sleigh bed adorned with several overstuffed pillows, and capped off on both sides with bedside tables and bookcases. A huge mirror hung on the wall at the head of the bed. In the area around the corner and behind the bed on one side, there was a lavishly appointed full bathroom with double sinks, and on the other side, there was a full walk-in closet and a reading area with a built-in mahogany chaise lounge and a floor to ceiling bookcase.
The bed faced the back of the boat, and looked out underneath the sea. Roman saw that there was a movie screen that lowered electronically from the narrow ceiling and faced the bed, offering digital entertainment. The ceiling in the sunken bedroom was a narrow ring that encircled the room, and except for that ring, the remaining area was open to the second floor where a partial sunroof, hidden from the slightly overhanging deck above, let light into the room.
It was undeniably the best stateroom he'd ever seen, and he walked all through it, examining every part of it. He wound up on his private deck, looking out to sea, and relaxing again, only to have his cell phone buzz in his pocket. He frowned and pulled it out to look at it, and answered it.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Roman! Where are you?" It was Allen. "I've been all over the boat, I think, and I can't find you!"
Roman chuckled. "I'm just sitting out on the deck,” he answered slyly.
Allen stumbled over his words for a moment. "You... you are? I'm on the deck. I didn't see you. Maybe I missed you. It's a big deck. Are you at the front or the back?"
Roman looked around him at nothing but ocean. "I'm at the back of the boat."
He could hear Allen's confusion. "I'm at the back. I don't see you."
Roman stood up. "Stay there. I'll come find you." He sighed and hung up, taking one last look at his private little world before going back up his private staircase to the main deck of the boat. He tapped Allen on the shoulder and Allen turned to him in surprise and then smiled.
"Hey! Did you see the rooms? Aren't they amazing?" he asked, not even trying to hide the delight on his face.
Roman nodded and smiled. "Come on Allen, show me your room."
Allen walked him into the inside of the boat on the main deck. There was a dining area, a bar, a piano, a lounging area and a library. All of it was white, save for the hand carved mahogany, just like his room. Allen led him down the wide white carpeted staircase to the level below. There was an entertainment room with a horseshoe shaped sofa filled with thick white cushions and set about with several pillows.
There was another bar and a smaller dining area, more of a galley than the dining room upstairs, there was a small fitness room with several machines, free weights a sauna and a steam room, and there were two hallways that led down either side of the boat. Allen took him down the left side.
They passed three doors and at the last door, Allen turned and smiled at Roman. "There are four guest staterooms on either side of the boat, and this one is mine." He opened the door and stood back to let Roman enter the room.
Like the rest of the boat, it was all white with mahogany trim, and there were windows all along the wall on the water side of the room. Allen's windows were all above the water line. He had a queen sized bed, a desk, and a full bathroom. His closet was wide, but it wasn't a walk-in. Above his desk was an entertainment center which was set into the wall, facing his bed.
"This is really nice." Roman said with a smile.
"It's great!" Allen said happily. He showed Roman all the little extras that were in the room; the remote controlled electric shades that slid down over the windows and the lights that dimmed, as well as the automatic faucet in the sink and the natural air dryer for his hands.
Roman nodded and smiled at him.
"Do you like it?" he asked in anticipation.
"I do," Roman answered him, sliding his hands into his pockets.
Allen took a step toward him. "I think you should buy it. I could sell this boat in a minute."
Roman tilted his head. "I think you probably could, but we want to make sure before I do anything like that. It's a big commitment."
Allen nodded and looked around his room, well pleased. Then he looked back at Roman. "Does your room look like this, too?" he asked.
Roman tried to hide his smile, but it didn't work well. "Not really. Come on... I'll give you the nickel tour." He led Allen down the hall, back through the community areas and past them to the last door at the end of the boat, which was the other door to his room. He opened it up and walked up the short flight of stairs to the upper level of his room, and turned to look at Allen, whose jaw hit the floor when he saw all of it.
Roman chuckled softly. "Go have a look; I'll be out on the deck." He walked out of the glass doors and sat on the deck while Allen canvassed the entire area that Roman would be staying in. After several minutes, Allen finally showed up on the deck where Roman was relaxing under the canopy, and collapsed beside him in a chair.
"You've got to be kidding me. Roman, you have to buy this boat! You have to!" Allen was thrilled with all that he had seen.
Roman looked over at him and smiled. "Did you see the jet skis and the sailing dinghy?"
Allen just looked at him. "No. Really?" A grin spread over his face.
"Yeah. There's an elevator, too, from the main floor down to the community area on the lower level. Actually, it goes down to the staff quarters, galley and engine room in the belly of the boat as well, but you shouldn't go down there." Roman winked at him.
Allen just shook his head. "I can't believe this thing." He looked back at Roman. "I could sell this in a minute. Think of all the millionaires and billionaires we have between San Francisco and Silicon Valley! This would be gone in a minute!"
Roman shook his head. "They don't always go that fast. When people spend money like that, they want things built to their own specifications. We want to make sure before we spend the money." He looked fully at Allen. "I'll decide before the weekend is over, and I'll let you know when I make my decision. Between now and then, just enjoy yourself, okay? You're being paid for this weekend. Live it up." Allen agreed, and leaned back in his chair, soaking in the sun and sea.
Allen stayed with him a while longer, but then he left to go explore more of the boat and Roman unpacked and made himself comfortable. Later in the afternoon, he went up to the bridge to have tea with Jonathon as he had promised to do. He sat in one of the deep captain's chairs and looked down over the main deck. Jonathon was on the radio and Roman was waiting for him to finish.
He saw a ripple of blue and noticed that the woman he'd been watching earlier was standing at the bow of the boat, looking down over the railing to the waves below. Her dress was sculpted to the curves and lines of her body in the sea wind, and she was laughing and pointing, directing the attention of Colette and the three men with them, to the water in front of the boat.
Roman caught himself staring at her again and meant to turn away, but somehow he didn't. He knew she couldn't se
e him from where she was, and so he watched her without worry that he might be caught.
"She's a special lady, isn't she?" Jonathon said, standing beside him.
Roman jumped and turned to look at his friend. "What?" he asked, off guard.
"You love her right at first sight, don't you? She's just so beautiful. I've never had my hands on one so nice. I can't decide what I love best about her, because everything about her is just so... amazing. Isn't it?" Jonathon grinned at him.
"Amazing?" Roman repeated quietly.
"She's a superyacht! Of course she's amazing!" Jonathon said, looking down at the control panel and caressing it with a loving hand. He looked back up at Roman who gave him a half smile.
The Captain looked from Roman down to the bow of the boat. "Oh! We have dolphins in front of us. That's what everyone's looking at. We've got dolphins." He looked back up at Roman and lifted his old eyebrows.
