Ponce never left her feeling diminished, only enhanced. Alix knew to the depths of her soul that she would never again want anyone but him. Only he could have freed her from her self-imposed prison. And now, set free, she loved him... pure and simple.
* * *
"Darling, I'm so glad you could come," said Jessica, standing on tiptoe to kiss Ponce on the cheek. She turned her slick smile and brown eyes upon Alix. "And you, too, Alix, of course."
Alix nodded politely and, while Jessica concentrated on Ponce, surveyed the scene before her.
Jessica had invited them to this a brunch, which she was giving, she said, "for just a few friends." The "few friends" had turned out to be a hundred or more, squeezed into Jessica's garden in the gap between two glaring white buildings, one of which was Jessica's home.
A steel-drum band played beyond the swimming pool, and food was being doled out by a perspiring attendant beneath a yellow-and-white canopy. Someone pressed a watery Bloody Mary into Alix's hand before she had a chance to say that she'd rather have a glass of grapefruit juice. It was that kind of party.
Ponce had disappeared from her side, but a quick perusal of the scene confirmed that Jessica had pulled him away on some pretext. He caught her eye, smiled and shrugged. She smiled back, wondering what to do with herself. Ponce turned and became instantly absorbed in a seemingly serious conversation with Jessica. Alix began to move in their direction, noting that Jessica's hand rested on Ponce's arm in a gesture too familiar for comfort.
As she made her way past the buffet table, Alix didn't recognize anyone. She helped herself to a cheese biscuit, thinking she'd might as well eat something.
"That's Ponce Cabrera, you know, with Jessica," she heard one overloud lady saying to the man beside her.
"I've met him," said the man. "I've heard he's up to something new—nobody seems to know what it is."
"Salvaging Santa Catalina, I expect," said the woman, whose eyelids glittered with blue sparkles.
"It's not Santa Catalina, I can tell you that," the man replied emphatically. He wore huge diamond earrings in both ears. Or maybe they were glass. Alix sidled closer out of curiosity.
His companion scoffed. "Haven't you seen the news this morning? Luke Stallingrath has staked out Catalina. Ponce lost out on that one for sure."
Alix pushed past them and added melon balls to her plate. Of course, Ponce knew that there was a chance that Luke Stallingrath might locate Santa Catalina if he himself did not find it first, but there had also been a chance that Luke might spend the whole summer floundering around amid the coral reefs and never find Catalina at all.
Ponce found her again. He helped himself to a plate of food and fanned away a pair of pesky flies. "Have you heard the news?" he asked.
"About Luke Stallingrath's salvaging the Catalina?"
"Apparently he's staked it out. Which is a shame, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"Maybe now he'll leave us alone," said Alix, though her heart was heavy at the news. The artifacts on Catalina, some of them priceless, would suffer.
Ponce's laugh was humorless. "Luke's never satisfied to tend to his own business. Before I salvaged Santa Ana successfully, Luke had the whole ocean to himself as far as treasure salvage was concerned. No one else had the money, the expertise, or the capability to intrude on what he considered his province. So now he makes it as difficult for me as he can by doing annoying little things like sending his pilot to buzz my ship."
"It seems so ridiculous."
"I know. But this is a dog-eat-dog business."
"Or shark-eat-shark," Alix said.
Jessica seemed to be signaling Ponce with a surreptitious lift of her eyebrows.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," Ponce said. He shouldered through the crowd and was gone.
Alix poured the Bloody Mary into a potted palm, with silent apologies to the tree, and managed to find a glass of grapefruit juice. She stood sipping it reflectively. Just when she and Ponce had finally had a chance to talk to one another at this dreadful party, Jessica had contrived a way to spirit him away from her.
At that moment, Jessica walked up behind her. "Can I get you another drink?" Ponce wasn't around.
Alix tried to smile back. "No thanks," she said.
"You're getting a lovely deep tan, Alix." Jessica's open appraisal made Alix uncomfortable, but she decided that Jessica was trying to be friendly.
"I've spent so much time in the sun," she replied, shrugging, yet trying to like something about Jessica.
"I do envy you. I'm inside more than I like."
"I suppose your work doesn't leave much time for leisure."
"Afraid not." Jessica changed the subject. "I understand that the crew was getting antsy and rebellious before you found El Primero."
"How did you know that?" Ponce had warned the crew to maintain silence.
"Ponce told me. As his attorney—well, you understand."
Alix didn't understand at all. "I'm surprised that Ponce discussed the crew's unhappiness. The episode was difficult for him."
Jessica laughed. "When something is difficult for Ponce Cabrera, he makes it difficult for everyone else."
In response to Alix's surprised look, Jessica replied, "Didn't I tell you that Ponce was a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there? Well, by now you know what I mean. Off Minorcan you couldn't find a nicer guy. Onboard, he's impossible. With him it's constant mood swings. I'm sure you've discovered that."
"Well, yes, but—" Alix was nonplussed by the turn the conversation had taken.
Jessica said, "Ah, here he is now. Excuse me, I must speak with him." Jessica wended her way gracefully through the crowd and pulled Ponce beneath a balcony, where they engaged in a quiet conversation in the shadows.
Someone jostled Alix and apologized profusely. It was a little round man who introduced himself as Chet Somebody and proceeded to bore her with an interminable monologue about earthworms, which he was raising for profit in his backyard.
Ponce didn't return her covert glances but stood with his head bent, oblivious to everything except Jessica. Alix shifted to one foot, then another, the concrete patio hot and uncomfortable under her feet. She wished Ponce would conclude his discussion with Jessica, but he showed no inclination to do so.
She grew impatient, then annoyed. Ponce had virtually ignored her at the party except for the brief interval when he had told her about Stallingrath and Catalina. By the time Ponce disengaged himself an hour later, Alix was furious.
"You and Jessica seemed to have plenty to talk about over there under the balcony," she snapped after the interminable goodbyes. They were outside on the sidewalk walking toward Ponce's house.
"We did," he said. "Legal matters, that's all." He seemed distracted, thoughtful.
"Right." Her sharp tone made him look at her sharply.
"I haven't seen Jessica for weeks, and plenty has happened—is happening—that we needed to discuss. With all of us away, I have to count on Jessica to hold down headquarters."
"I didn't realize that she was so important to you."
"Jessica's dependable, clever, well-informed, and wise. You know how I feel about the importance of everyone working together, Alix. I can't have you being jealous of Jessica."
He swung open the gate to his garden. Alix preceded him inside and turned to face him unhappily.
"My attitude is that either we have something or we don't. If you want to be with another woman, then I can't stop you. I respect Jessica and I'm glad you explained about her. My main complaint is that instead of being with you at the party, I was forced to listen to Chet's description of his earthworm farm. It was not especially stimulating conversation."
Ponce threw his head back and laughed. His teeth gleamed white in his dark face. He led her to a lacy wrought-iron bench, where they sat beneath a lime tree before a bed of brightly colored zinnias.
"We're together now, Alix," he told her. "That's what's important."
/> Ponce's declaration left her unsatisfied in light of the fact that he hadn't reassured her that there was nothing between him and Jessica, no matter what had happened between them in the past. If Alix's relationship with Ponce were to continue after they left Minorcan, there would have to be some sign of commitment. So far, he'd given her none.
That night their lovemaking was especially passionate, but it was lacking in tenderness. She felt unable to lose herself in the joy of their mating, and the more she tried to impress on him her own total love and caring, the more withdrawn he became. Alix fell fretfully asleep in the early hours of the morning, exhausted not from making love, but from the strain of unspoken emotions.
When the weekend was over they went back to Minorcan, where it was business as usual.
Troll seemed energized by his weekend with his wife, and bent their ears about preparations for the baby.
"We went shopping for toys," he told them enthusiastically at dinner one evening. "I got this little pair of swim fins"—he measured the air with his hands—"and a swimsuit in a newborn size."
This brought a hoot of laughter from the others around the table.
"Troll, any child of yours will be born wearing scuba gear," Stan called from the kitchen.
"Yeah, Troll," agreed Mike. "Have you signed the kid up for the next cruise? We could use a little person sometimes to get in and out of tight spots."
"That's why you've got me," Troll retorted, taking the joshing with good humor.
He called Mary every night on the radiotelephone, and the crew continued to tease him about becoming a father.
"I don't see why Troll's conversations should have to be so public," objected Alix. "Aren't there some sort of earphones he could wear?"
Ponce shrugged and grinned. "No one has ever explained why, but that radio is like a megaphone. We can hear everything both parties say. Let the crew have their fun. Troll really doesn't mind."
"Yeah," agreed Vince. "We all get a kick out of Troll talking about his preference for one kind of disposable diaper over another when he's never been around a baby before."
The crew began to search the wreck in earnest now, using the airlift, a machine that dredged up articles from the bottom of the sea. They began to find lovely, hand-blown wine bottles and clumps of silver coins, which had been corroded by the sea and were difficult to clean, unlike the gold that they found, which was always clean and bright.
Was it her imagination, or was Ponce watching Daniel more closely than before? She caught him staring at Daniel once during dinner in the mess, his eyes narrowed and his expression wary. Daniel continued to dive competently, his only lapse in decorum being occasional cutting remarks to Alix when no one else was around. She ignored everything he said.
When Ponce assigned Daniel to dive on a team with him and Alix, she said nothing. Alix, Ponce, and Daniel had dived together for several days when Daniel made the remark that was to have a terrible impact upon the relationship between Alix and Ponce.
One morning they came aboard after their morning dive, and Ponce removed his helmet and fins, turning away to consult with Stan about the minisub, which they were planning to use that afternoon.
Alix and Daniel had just taken off their helmets when Daniel turned to her and said, "These damned wet suits! It takes so much time to suit up and take them off that I wish we could just wear tanks and helmets. And swimsuits, of course."
As usual Alix ignored him.
"On the other hand maybe we wouldn't have to wear swimsuits," he said, grinning at her meaningfully. "Do you still have that funny little butterfly-shaped birthmark below your right hipbone, babe?"
Ponce turned toward them in time to hear Daniel's question, and he froze. Alix met his eyes fleetingly, guiltily. The color rose to her cheeks.
Daniel, unaware that Ponce had heard his remark, hurried off to divest himself of the offending wet suit, leaving Ponce and Alix staring at each another.
"Ponce—"
"There's no need to go into any lengthy explanation," he said angrily.
She didn't want any of the crew to hear them talking, so she kept her voice low, but there was no mistaking her intensity.
"I will explain," she told him forcefully. "Don't stop me, Ponce. This is important. Where do we meet? In your cabin or mine?"
"Alix—"
"Where, Ponce?" She should have told him about her serious involvement and subsequent abandonment by Daniel long ago; she should never have waited this long.
Vince walked by and threw them a questioning look. Ponce ran a hand through his black curls.
"My cabin," he said. "Ten minutes."
Ponce was sitting at his desk when she stepped inside his door and closed it behind her.
"You have something to say to me?" His voice was gruff, impatient. Had she not seen the momentary torment in his eyes, she would have thought that there was no caring in him.
"Not here," she said. She nodded toward the bed in the other room. "In there."
They sat down on separate ends of the bed, the coverlet spread tautly between them.
Alix swallowed, closed her eyes, and summoned the strength to begin. When she opened her eyes she looked straight into Ponce's, hoping to find some trace of tenderness and sensitivity. But his eyes upon her face were cold and indifferent. He twisted his lips into a mask of impatience and waited for her to speak.
She knew of no way other than the direct approach.
"Ponce, Daniel and I—" She almost stumbled, but recovered and went on. "Daniel is the man I told you about, the man who abandoned me in Barcelona, the man who left me in pieces. I should have told you long ago."
The sounds of Minorcan went on about them. On deck, one crewman called to another. Someone tramped along the corridor outside the stateroom. But the silence between Ponce and Alix hung in the air and oppressed them with its weight.
Ponce spoke at last, his words laboring their way toward her.
"My God. You said the two of you had dated, but I had no idea that he's the one who broke your heart." Ponce looked at her as though she were a complete stranger. He stood up and continued to stare at her.
"I wanted to tell you. You didn't want to hear about it."
"I saw you together in the diving locker—"
"Thank goodness you came along when you did. He was getting out of hand."
"Why? How?"
"He—took liberties. I stopped him. It was over between us, Ponce, long before I met you. I feel nothing for him. Daniel is a good diver and we needed him. Oh, I know now that I should have made it clear to you before the beginning of the voyage that Daniel and I were serious at one time. But you would have been short another diver if you hadn't taken Daniel. I—I so wanted the quest for the jewels to succeed, not only for my sake, but for yours."
Ponce looked devastated. "Why would you want Daniel around if you didn't hope to get back together with him?"
"I never wanted that! You healed the hurt I'd felt ever since he left me. You made me feel like a desirable woman again, Ponce, you made me feel worthwhile. I knew I'd never feel anything for Daniel again, ever. You must believe me!" She was on the verge of tears now, gazing at him imploringly.
Ponce suddenly drove his fist into the wall. There was a fierce expression on his face, one that seemed to have driven out reason. Ponce's eyes seared her with their fury. He bent over and grasped her shoulders. She stared numbly at the face she loved so well.
"Believe you, Alix? How can I ever believe you again?"
Chapter 12
The members of the crew, none of them blind or stupid, figured out that something had gone wrong between Ponce and Alix. Suddenly and with no explanation, Daniel was reassigned to dive with Mike and Chuck, and Alix was transferred to the team of Joe and Zack.
Alix was relieved not to be working with Ponce. She could not, no matter how hard she tried, equate the angry, vindictive Ponce with the gentle, understanding, and considerate man with whom she had fallen in love. She spe
nt her days in mental torment, her nights in anguish.
Ponce drove them relentlessly, insisting on working fourteen-hour days. He scrupulously avoided Alix. The next weekend, even though he was not scheduled to leave Minorcan, he tersely informed them that he would board the launch for St. Augustine along with the second half of the crew.
Alix was on deck to tell the crew goodbye; there was much laughing and joking in anticipation of their holiday, although she herself could not participate in the gaiety.
"Looks like your boyfriend can't stand your cold shoulder anymore," observed Daniel, who, having pleaded "important personal business," had been granted another weekend in town and was about to board the launch. "He acts as though he can hardly wait to get to St. Augustine and the warm arms of a real woman." Daniel's taunt hit too close to home. Jessica might welcome Ponce altogether too warmly.
Alix turned away from Daniel, not wanting him to see the depths of her wretchedness. But he wouldn't leave her alone.
"I've heard it's all over between you and Ponce," he jibed, ignoring her miserable expression. "That true?"
"What if it is?" she murmured, not looking at him.
"What's that? It is? Well, no more than I expected. You couldn't hold Ponce Cabrera any better than you could hold me." With a cruel glint in his eyes Daniel swung his bag over his shoulder and began his descent down the ladder to the launch.
She turned and rapidly walked to her stateroom, shattered by Daniel's words. Daniel was right; perhaps he had always been right. She felt a cold mantle of indifference settle over her, her old defense against Daniel and anyone else who provoked emotion; that is, before she met Ponce. This defense had served her well before, and it would serve her again.
She spent the weekend forcing herself to remain numb. By Sunday night she realized that it was going to be impossible. One look at Ponce Cabrera, one glance into his silver-gray eyes, and she would be lost, she knew it. Her response to his sexuality had always been instantaneous. All he would have to do is walk back on the ship and she would be reduced to an emotional junk heap.
The Beach Bachelors Boxset (Three Complete Contemporary Romance Novels in One) (The Beach Bachelors Series) Page 14
