The Baby Shower

by Tasha Blue et al.

  "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. The 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 see 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.

  "Do you like your room?" he asked.

  Roman nodded and laughed. "I do. As you say, it's amazing."

  The good Captain nodded back and looked out to sea. "They will bring the tea up any minute now."

  A few moments later, the door opened and their tea service was delivered. They sat, drank, and talked, looking at all of the features of the bridge together and then they traded sea stories until the afternoon light grew long and golden.

  The Captain left his first mate in charge of the bridge and he and Roman left to get ready for dinner. Roman was annoyed with himself for looking at the woman again as he had. He didn't think he should be interested in looking at her at all. Yet, there was something about the curve of her long graceful neck, and the dimples in her cheeks when she smiled; there was something about the light on her skin and in her eyes that seemed to draw him.

  He told himself that he had better keep his attention on everything but her during their trip. He was there for business, and a relaxing voyage on the sea that was so precious to him; he was not there to be entranced by a beautiful woman. He dressed and readied for dinner, sure of what he was doing, until he walked in to the dining room, and then all his certainty was swept away.

  The Captain saw him come in and headed straight for him, leading him over to the chair next to his at the long rectangular table. It was only a matter of minutes before everyone was seated at their assigned chairs, and Roman found himself facing Colette, who grinned and winked at him, and Allen, who was seated next to her, could hardly hide his pleasure about that. In the seat to Roman’s right, was Colette's friend.

  He drew a deep breath and turned to look at her. She raised her warm brown eyes to look back at him and he felt his chest and stomach tighten.

  "Hello," he said in a calm tone with a pleasant smile. "I'm Roman Bruce."

  She smiled and a dimple showed up in each one of her cheeks. He couldn't help but smile back. "Hi, I'm Cami. It's nice to meet you!" she said, reaching for his hand. She shook his hand and let go quickly, looking at him and wondering how in the world she had gotten lucky enough to sit next to the most gorgeous guy at the table. He seemed like the strong silent type, but his smile at her felt genuine, and she decided that Colette must be right. Maybe he would be a good person to talk with on the trip. He'd certainly be a nice person to look at, she thought to herself with a blush at the edge of her cheeks.

  The chef served fresh sea bass, salad, breads, lobster and soup, impressing everyone at the table. During the course of the meal, and after a few consecutive glasses of wine, Roman found that Cami was an easy person to talk with. She was smart and funny, interesting and polite. He liked her without feeling like he had to put any effort forth in doing it, and that was a welcome change for him.

  Colette eyed him with little smiles all throughout dinner when no one else was looking and he smiled back politely, as he always did with women he wanted to dissuade without insulting. She didn't seem to want to take no for an answer. Allen didn't seem to notice, and he kept talking away with her, believing he had her rapt attention.

  The Captain spoke with all of them at the table, and most of the guests enjoyed speaking with one another. There was talk of what everyone wanted to do after dinner and Jonathon spoke up with a smile. "There will be a bar service with s'mores at the barbecue on the main deck at the front of the boat, then downstairs in the entertainment area, there is a wide selection of films available. The Jacuzzi, which is also on the front deck, is always open, of course, and the canopy over that will be rolled back for anyone who wants to relax beneath the stars. Also, as a special treat, two of our staff are quite talented musicians and they'll be playing some live music for you out on the deck for a while tonight."

  The group was very pleased with their options and Cami looked over at Roman. "That all sounds really good. What do you think you'll do?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

  Roman gazed at her face for a moment and shrugged. "I don't know. You're right; they are all great choices. Maybe a little of everything. What about you?" he returned her question to her.

  She smiled at him. "I'll have to see. The s'mores sound good, though, but so does the hot tub."

  He nodded and looked away from her, willing himself not to picture her in the steamy water of a Jacuzzi. He turned to look at the Captain and focused on the older man. "What about you, good Captain, what will you be doing?"

  Jonathon smiled and looked down for a moment and then back up at the guests with a grin under his beard. "Oh, I've got a boat to sail. I'll probably keep it pretty simple tonight. I may take a book with me, though!"

  They shared a light laugh with him and Colette looked at Roman intently and said, "I'll be heading for the hot tub. I'd love some company."

  Allen grinned and piped up, "Great! I would love to come and join you! I'll meet you out there!" He watched her with adoring eyes.

  Roman lifted his chin and told her, "I think that's a great idea. Allen is a lot of fun. You two will have a wonderful time."

  She turned and looked at Allen with an almost imperceptible pout and then downed another glass of wine.

  With dinner done, Roman stood and pulled Cami's chair back for her She looked up at him and smiled and he nodded in a friendly way and turned to Jonathon.

  "Thank you for a wonderful evening. I'll see you in the morning, he said, reaching for the Captain's hand. Jonathon nodded and grinned, and Roman turned and left before anyone could say anything else to
him. He wandered out to the back deck and tried to clear his head from all the wine.

  He had tried to keep his mind on dinner, on conversations that turned and twisted through the table, on everyone else but her, while still trying to be polite, but she was sitting beside him, warm and sweet, distracting and beautiful. Her perfume had tempted him to look at her and make him want to draw nearer to her, her smile and lilting laugh had made him forget that there were other people at the table for brief moments, and he kept pulling himself back to everyone and everything else.

  It was like he was swimming in deep water and there was a current that was trying to pull him down, but he knew if he kept swimming, the current couldn't touch him. He just had to keep swimming.

  The ocean air was cold on his face and his body and it felt good. It made him feel alive and awake and empowered. He breathed it deep and it made him feel strong. Then he felt a warm hand on his arm and when he opened his eyes and turned to see her standing there in her blue dress, his strength ebbed away with the pull of the tide.