“There you are!” Ginger exclaimed, rushing over. “Chief Officer Gustafson is looking for you. He wants you to report to his office right away.”
“Now?” Avery replied, suspicious of anything Ginger had to say. “I’m teaching this zumba class in ten minutes.”
“He said right away, and he is second in command to Captain Warren,” the other woman countered, like Avery needed to be reminded of Gustafson’s position. “I can cover for you here.”
Casting a skeptical glance at Ginger’s rear, which couldn’t have possibly done anything related to zumba, Avery shrugged. “Fine.”
Whatever Gustafson wanted, she preferred his company over Ginger Judd’s any day.
Five minutes later, Avery negotiated her way through the lowest deck of the ship. The area, which was occupied by crewmembers only, was strictly utilitarian in sharp contrast to the luxurious decor on the decks used by passengers. Through the partially open door of his tiny square office, she could see the Chief Officer’s gray-blond head bent over his Blackberry.
She rapped on the door frame. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
He peered at her over the top of his bi-focals. “Miss Knox? Yes, please sit down. I need to discuss an assignment with you.”
Gustafson rose when she entered, and as she slid into the metal side chair, he closed the office door. Prickles of anticipation skated from the back of Avery’s neck, across her shoulders and down her arms, a warning that she probably wasn’t going to like what he was about to say.
“I’m sorry your transition to Valiant has been less than smooth, Miss Knox.”
What a diplomatic way to refer to a hot mess. She hadn’t transferred to Valiant to be a co-cruise director with anyone, and certainly not Ginger Judd. But Avery kept her tone matter-of-fact. “I’ve been assured by the head of human resources, Ms. Bettina Lemons that the situation will be thoroughly resolved when we return to Miami next week.”
Actually, what she’d told the extremely supercilious Ms. Lemons was that if the situation wasn’t resolved when they got back to Miami, she would camp in her office until it was. But Gustafson didn’t need to know those gory details, at least not at the moment.
The Chief Officer removed his glasses and studied her for a moment before he continued. “As it turns out, we are fortunate you are available for this special assignment.”
The tingling in Avery’s neck and arms increased several degrees. “What kind of assignment?”
Gustafson cleared his throat as if he were carefully considering his words. “We have a couple of unusual passengers with us for a few days. One of them has become temporarily incapacitated and the other requires someone to accompany him around the ship.”
Some rich old geezer who needed somebody to push his wheelchair and otherwise babysit him? That was the last thing Avery wanted to be stuck doing.
“With all due respect, sir,” she said, testiness slipping into her voice. “I only boarded Valiant three days ago. Miss Judd or several other members of the cruise director’s staff would be better suited to serve as an escort.”
“Not under these circumstances,” Gustafson replied, his pale eyes suddenly delving into her. “This particular assignment requires the utmost discretion. Besides, our guest asked specifically for you.”
Chapter 2
Rip wondered how much Avery had changed in the ten years since they’d last seen each other. More than once, he’d thought about getting in touch with her, but he never had.
He went into the bedroom and dressed in his slacks, shirt, and dress shoes, but his mind continued to focus on her. Okay, he could admit to himself, at first his pride wouldn’t let him contact her. She’d turned him down flat when he tried to take their friendship to the next level. All because he’d been dating Emily Brooks, her sorority sister. Or so she claimed. She’d said it was a matter of honor, an Alpha Delta Pi did not hit on another sister’s boyfriend. But her rejection had stung all the same. Then after his failed attempt to make it in the NFL, he’d been busy licking his wounds and building a business out in LA.
Too busy to think about what might have been.
Full of nervous energy over the impending reunion, he went out on the private verandah and looked at the surrounding sea. How ironic that the twisted bitch Fate had managed to throw his life into turmoil and toss ‘the girl who got away’ into his path for good measure.
Once Williams got over the initial shock of Rip knowing someone on the ship, he was easily swayed into going along. Better to let Avery in on their little secret than risk Rip running into her in a public area of the ship and having her blurt out his identity.
If she even recognized him.
If she didn’t, he knew it wouldn’t be because he’d changed that much. Honestly, he hadn’t. Heâd kept his head shaved even back then, and he was actually fifteen pounds lighter than heâd been his senior year. But as he paced restlessly around the deck furniture, the idea hit Rip that perhaps he simply hadn’t been important enough for Avery to remember.
Ouch! Talk about an ego buster.
But he had no time to consider what he would do if that turned out to be the case. The buzzer at the suite’s front door went off, and Nadeesh rushed to answer. Taking a deep breath, Rip opened the sliding door and strode into the living room just as the tall blonde entered.
She stopped short when she saw him, and her China-blue eyes went round with what could only be surprise. “Rip? Rip Pollendene? As I live and breathe, it really is you!”
He tried to sound casual, but couldn’t control the grin that spread across his face. “Hi Avery, long time no see.”
As his eyes made a quick trip from her face to her feet, she shook her head and said in the same stunned tone, “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Neither have you.” Which was a damn lie. She looked even better than she had as a perky twenty-year-old. Back then she’d been a pretty girl. Now she was a flat-out gorgeous woman.
“Please Miss Knox,” interrupted Nadeesh, shooing Avery further into the room. “This is Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith.”
To Rip’s surprise, Williams actually pushed himself off the couch onto his one good leg and extended his hand to her. “John Smith,” he said with a meaningful lift of his eyebrows. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Same to you,” Avery replied and turned her dazzling smile to Rip. “You too… Mr. Brown.”
He winked and she giggled, a throaty sound that set his nerve endings tingling. What a moron he’d been not to contact her years ago!
They all sat down, Williams on the couch, Avery and Rip in the two side chairs on either end. Nadeesh dashed over to the wet bar to fetch coffee for them.
Williams cleared his throat and spoke in a low voice. “As you’ve probably been told, Miss Knox, we have a rather delicate situation here. Mr. Brown and I need to remain strictly incognito. Since I’m temporarily out of commission,” he cast a baleful look at his wrapped ankle. “We’re hoping you can accompany Mr. Brown around the ship for a couple of days. It would only be an hour or two, at your convenience, of course.”
Avery gave Rip a flirty little smile. “So you need a babysitter, is that right, Mr. Brown?”
Rip heard Williams suppress a snort, but he decided to play along. “Actually, more of a bodyguard, Miss Knox. Are you up for the task? It might be dangerous.”
Still smiling, she took a cup of coffee from the tray the butler offered and said. “Why, Mr. Brown, danger is my middle name.”
“Really?” Rip countered as he and Williams both took their cups. “I thought it was Louise.”
“You would know.” She stirred in cream and brought the cup to her lips as she added in a barely audible tone, “Rene Ignace.”
His given name, which he never, ever used. But the fact that she remembered told Rip she had thought about him in the last ten years as well. A little flush of satisfaction heated his neck.
Taking a delicate sip of her coffee, Avery set the cup on the coffee
table and addressed Williams. “Don’t worry, Mr. Smith, I’ll keep Mr. Brown’s identity strictly confidential, and I’ll be happy to serve as his… bodyguard. When would you like me to start?”
“As soon as you finish your coffee?” Rip asked before Williams could utter a sound.
***
Of all the people in the world Avery least expected to see in the Wilderness Retreat Suite, Rip Pollendene would have made her short list. But here he stood beside her in the elevator, big as life and every inch as hunky and handsome as he’d been in college when he was a star running back on the football team.
They’d met in the hospital of all places, when they’d both had knee surgery to repair torn ACLs. His had happened with a particularly vicious hit during a game. She had taken a fall onstage during a challenging dance routine. At twenty and twenty-one, they had both feared their chosen careers, and therefore their lives, might be over. During eight weeks of grueling physical rehab, they had assisted and challenged each other daily to make complete recoveries, and became good friends in the process. For years after they went their separate ways, every time Avery had a bad blind date, and she’d had plenty, she told herself it was cosmic pay-back for turning Rip down.
“Surprised to see me?” Rip asked, as the elevator door opened and they stepped out onto deck fourteen.
“I think surprised might be the understatement of the decade,” Avery replied, noting how his white teeth flashed against his bronze complexion when he smiled. She used to tease him about his devastating smile, and it hadn’t changed at all. “Where to first?” she asked.
“Is there someplace I can get a few casual clothes?”
She took in his shiny black shoes, obviously tailored slacks and white shirt with the sleeves rolled halfway up his brawny forearms. “I noticed you were a bit overdressed for a Caribbean vacation, but don’t worry, I’m sure we can find something down in the duty free shops.”
“All part of a very long and bizarre story, and in spite of what my companion thinks, I plan to tell you every bit of it.” He followed her to the bank of regular elevators and while they waited for one to open he asked, “But first I want to know how you ended up on a cruise ship. And did you ever make it to Broadway?”
“I’ve been working for Adventure Cruise Line for over five years.” Avery preceded him into the elevator and pressed deck five. “It’s great because I still get to sing and dance occasionally, and I see all kinds of places I might never go to otherwise.”
Several passengers got on and she paused to give them her ‘happy cruise director’ smile and greeting. After several more starts and stops, they reached deck five, the busy main floor of the ship. She and Rip joined the crowd milling around the half-dozen shops.
“What about Broadway?”
Avery had almost forgotten how dark his eyes were — so deep they were more black than brown, the pupils indistinguishable from the irises. She casually tossed her head and made her ponytail swish across her face. “The closest I got in two years was a traveling company of Cabaret. I was one of the Kit Kat girls and understudy for Fraulein Schneider.”
Rip made a comically shocked face. “Those Kit Kat girls are usually pretty raunchy, right? Didn’t your parents have a problem with that?”
“Actually Stan tried to be cool, but my mom pretty much had a cow. Not that it made any difference to me.”
“Same as always,” he observed and flashed that devastating smile again.
Leading the way, she took him into the shop that featured all things related to Adventure Cruise Line. Clothes, toys, and knick-knacks all bore the ship’s name or company insignia. Rip was like a kid in a candy store, playing with stuffed animals and making her laugh with silly comments about some of the cheesy merchandise. Finally, he settled on a pair of swim trunks, some cargo shorts, gym shorts, a polo shirt and two Tshirts. Everything was in the company colors, blue and white, with the ACL logo. The cashier flirted outrageously with him when he went to pay, and he threw in a deck of playing cards with a photo of Valiant on the back.
“These are for Smith to entertain himself playing solitaire,” he whispered conspiratorially to Avery. “His agency is picking up the tab.”
“Agency?” Avery started to ask, but Rip wasn’t listening. He’d spotted the more exclusive shop across the way and headed there like a bloodhound on the scent.
“Suu-weet! Oakley’s.” He stopped in front of the locked case of sunglasses and called the clerk over. In less than two minutes, he decided on a wire-framed pair with mirror lenses, not the most expensive pair but definitely not cheap. “And a pair for the lady.” He told the clerk, who gave Avery a meaningful look.
She shook her head. “Thanks, but I really can’t. You’re a passenger, and the company frowns on that sort of thing.”
Rip got that stubborn glint in his eye and set his jaw just like she’d seen him do dozens of times during those long-ago physical therapy sessions. “I’ll take them anyway, and if they happen to be lying around my suite and you need some shades… “
Shaking her head again, Avery muttered under her breath, “Same as always,” in a perfect imitation of him.
He winked at her. “I’m half-starved. How ‘bout lunch?”
“Passengers in concierge class have their own private dining room.” She informed him as he picked up his purchases and they walked out of the store.
“Don’t tell me you’re not allowed to eat there with me. After all, you’re my bodyguard and I might need you to taste my food or defend me against an aggressive waiter.”
Avery opened her mouth but before she could say anything a familiar screech rang out. “Woo hoo! Avery!”
“I’ve been looking all over —” Ginger Judd came rushing up, but stopped short when she saw Rip.
Mouth agape like a beached mackerel, she took a long look from his shiny black shoes all the way up to his gleaming shaved head while Avery crossed her arms and watched. Ginger’s eyes lingered just a moment on his broad shoulders and again on his high, sculpted cheekbones.
Rip quirked one eyebrow ever so slightly as he offered his hand. “James Brown.”
For the only time in the three days Avery had known her, Ginger appeared to be struck dumb. But she did grasp his hand and pump it vigorously.
“Sorry,” Avery interceded. “Mr. Brown, this is my roommate Ginger Judd. Ginger, the Chief Officer asked me to personally escort Mr. Brown around the ship.”
At the mention of the Chief Officer, Ginger seemed to snap out of her stupor and let go of her hold on Rip’s hand. But her expression remained stunned as she looked from Avery to Rip, then back to Avery again. “Bu—but I need you to handle the bingo tournament at one o’clock. Everyone else is busy.”
“Sorry,” Avery repeated. “But Chief Officer Gustafson was very clear that Mr. Brown is my top priority.”
Ginger’s bottom lip stuck out like the five-year-old who got the lollipop instead of the luscious chocolate malt. “I’ve asked everyone,” she whined.
Much to Avery’s chagrin, Rip cleared his throat. “If Miss Knox and I finish our lunch in time, I might be able to spare her for a short while. But just this once.”
“Oh, thank you, Mr. Brown!” Ginger gushed, her pout instantly gone. “I’m so very grateful.”
“Just this once,” Rip repeated, and shifted his bags so that she couldn’t grab his hand again. “Lead the way, Miss Knox.”
“Push-over,” Avery muttered as soon as they were out of earshot. But Ginger’s reaction when she’d taken a look at Rip had left a triumphant, if juvenile, glow of satisfaction on Avery’s face. She was still relishing the feeling when they walked into the dining room.
Since it was only a quarter past eleven, the Aurora dining room was almost empty. The head waiter seated them in a secluded corner with a window view of puffy white clouds over the bright blue Caribbean. Rip wasn’t kidding about being hungry. He ordered the anti-pasta appetizer, soup, salad and the shrimp scampi. Avery stuck with a Cob
b salad and munched slowly.
After Rip finished his third course, her curiosity would no longer be denied. “So why don’t you tell me about John Smith and his agency?”
“He’s CIA.”
Avery almost spewed her mouthful of iced tea. “S-seriously?” At his grim nod, she couldn’t stop herself from blurting, “What could they possibly want with you?”
“I told you it was a bizarre story.” He shifted in his chair, looking uncomfortable as she waited for him to elaborate. “Remember how I told you my father was in the military on his homeland Benezet?”
She searched her memory and nodded as she recalled. “Your mother was from there too, but your grandmother was from New Orleans and your mother moved to the states when your parents divorced.” Rip bobbed his head in affirmation but his expression remained strained. “But what does that have to do with you?”
Their waiter arrived with the scampi and refilled their iced teas. After Rip assured him they didn’t need anything else, he walked away. Avery followed Rip’s gaze as he scanned the room, which had collected several more diners, but none were seated close enough to overhear their conversation.
Still, Rip fiddled with his fork then took a long guzzle of his tea before he finally spoke. “My father wasn’t just in the military, he ran Benezet’s military, and his brother, my uncle ran the government.”
“You mean like a dictator?” Avery asked, not quite sure what Rip was driving at.
“Exactly,” he said on a sigh. “And my father was the muscle behind the throne. Was, because he died fifteen months ago.”
“I’m sorry.” She felt like it wasn’t the right thing to say, but she couldn’t think of anything else.
“I hadn’t seen or spoken to him in years.” Rip confirmed her suspicions about the lack of relationship. He took a few bites of shrimp before continuing. “My cousin JB stepped into my father’s place, but the CIA thinks the whole island is a powder keg ready for a nasty explosion. I’m not sure why, but they also think if Iâm there, the political situation will resolve itself more to their liking.”
His Reluctant Bodyguard Page 2
