Hearts Afire

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “I’m well. Thank you for asking,” Maitlyn replied.

  Zak nodded his head slightly, not bothering to respond.

  “You played an impressive game last night, Mr. Sayed,” Frank said. “You’re the favorite to win again this year.”

  Zak was still silent, his posture a tad tense. The moment was awkward at best. Maitlyn looked from him to the others, noting that Lloyd hadn’t bothered to look in their direction.

  “How did you do?” she asked, hoping to ease some of the tension.

  Frank tossed his hands up as if he were surrendering. “I’m sure I’ll have better luck next year,” he said. He gave her a nervous smile.

  “How about you, Mr. Lloyd? Did you have a good night?” she questioned.

  Alexander turned slightly in her direction. There was no missing the bruise that blackened his eye and the side of his face. Maitlyn’s eyes widened at the sight. Before she could ask what happened, the man made an abrupt exit.

  “Well, that was rude,” she exclaimed.

  Gerard chuckled ever so slightly. “He’s a little sensitive. He’s playing again tonight, though.”

  Zak pressed a warm hand to her elbow. “We have to be going,” he said firmly.

  Maitlyn nodded. “You gentlemen have a nice day,” she said as they eased past the other two and continued toward their destination. When they were out of earshot, she tossed Zak a quick look. “What do you think that was all about? Alexander was extremely rude, and did you see his face?”

  “It’s what happens when a man oversteps his bounds.”

  “He could have spoken, at least,” she said.

  Zak gave her a look. “Not if he knows what’s good for him. He knows better than to say two words to you for the rest of this trip.”

  “What do you mean—” she started.

  Zak held up his index finger. “Don’t concern yourself with any of those men. I assure you they won’t cause you any problems. I made sure of that.”

  Maitlyn met the look he was giving her. There was something in his eyes that gave her an understanding that he’d come through on his promise to take care of things. That knowledge both flattered and frightened her.

  Minutes later Maitlyn was buck naked beneath a plush terry robe embroidered with the cruise line’s logo. Standing in the center of the ship’s spa, she was nervous and excited. Zak had scheduled a massage for the two of them. A couple’s massage. He entered the space just minutes behind her, naked beneath his own robe.

  After moving behind her, he dropped both his hands against her shoulders. As she tilted her head to stare up at him, he gave a quick wink of his eye and one of his bright smiles. Maitlyn suddenly felt like someone had lit a flame deep in the center of her core, setting her afire. It was almost more than she could bear and she found herself wishing she’d taken the glass of champagne that had been offered when they’d first arrived. She took a deep breath and held it, her eyes skating around to stare at anything other than him.

  Soon a nice young woman led them to a private terrace. Overhead, the sky was a brilliant shade of blue, and large puffs of white clouds danced against the backdrop. The terrace was decorated with a bevy of tropical plants, and the sound of water trickled beneath soft music. Two massage therapists stood waiting: a tall young man with bleached blond hair and a young woman who reminded her of the actress Charlize Theron. The girl introduced herself and gestured for Maitlyn to follow her to a table. She held up an oversize sheet and Maitlyn stepped behind it, turning her back to Zak as she dropped her robe and lay down on her stomach. The woman draped the sheet over Maitlyn’s body.

  Zak moved to the other table, dropped his robe and stretched out across the padded surface as his masseur covered his nakedness from view. Lying head to head, both could easily lift their eyes up to talk to the other.

  For the first ten minutes Maitlyn fought to regulate her breathing, allowing her body to relax beneath the therapeutic touch. No one spoke; nothing was heard but the sound of a soft symphony and the lull of the ocean water. Zak’s seductive cadence broke through the quiet.

  “How long were you married?” he asked, lifting his torso ever so slightly to peer over at her.

  Maitlyn lifted her eyes to meet his stare. “Twelve years. Donald and I were high school sweethearts. We married the year after we graduated from Tulane.”

  “Was he the man who hurt you?”

  She nodded. “Donald broke my heart,” she said. “I loved him, and for the past few years he invested everything he had loving other women and other things. I probably could have handled it better if he hadn’t made me feel like my own needs and wants were the cause of our problems.”

  “He was jealous of your independence and success.”

  “I don’t know what he was. I just know that the man I loved with everything I had turned into this mean-spirited individual who did things to purposely hurt me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She smiled, lowering her eyes back to the floor. Silence refilled the space between them. “Has anyone ever broken your heart?” she suddenly asked.

  They both looked back up at each other. Zak shrugged. “No. I’ve never loved anyone like that,” he said.

  Maitlyn gave him a slight smile. “I see you and my brother Kendrick have a lot in common.”

  Zak chuckled softly. “How many of you Boudreauxes are there?” he asked.

  “There are nine of us. I have one older brother, Mason, then came me. Then Donovan, Katrina, Darryl, Kendrick and his twin, Kamaya, and the babies of the family, my brother Guy and last but not least, Tarah, whom you met before we departed.”

  “A large family must be nice. I hope to have a large family one day.”

  “You want children?”

  He nodded. “I do. A man must have sons to carry on his name, right?”

  “Or daughters.”

  He shrugged. “Or daughters. I think when you start to take it for granted, children teach you to appreciate life.”

  Maitlyn smiled in agreement. “Do you have any siblings?” she asked.

  Zak nodded his head. “Yes. I have a younger sister, Myriam. She lives in London.”

  “So where is home for you?” Maitlyn questioned.

  “I was born in Morocco. In Meknes.”

  “Your family is Berber?”

  Zak’s eyebrows lifted, and he seemed surprised that she would be familiar with the term Berber, which identified the ethnic group indigenous to North Africa. “My father is Berber. My mother is Sudanese. They met at the university, fell in love, married and made their home back in Meknes. I have a home there, one in London, a town house in New York and, of course, my cottage in New Orleans.”

  Maitlyn nodded, finally understanding where he’d inherited his exotic biracial looks. “Where did you go to school?”

  “I graduated from Oxford, then earned my doctorate at Harvard.”

  “In what program?”

  “Romance languages and literatures.”

  “Interesting! What languages do you speak?”

  “French, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic and a Berber dialect.”

  “I’m impressed. And you play poker professionally.”

  Zak chuckled. “I’ll retire one day and maybe go into teaching.”

  “I think you’d be a distraction in the classroom,” Maitlyn said with a hearty laugh.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Your students wouldn’t be able to focus,” she teased.

  He smiled. “It’s nice to see you laugh,” he said. “You have a beautiful laugh.”

  Maitlyn bit down against her bottom lip, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Thank you! It’s nice to feel so comfortable.”

  He nodded as he laid his head back down. “A good massage will do that for y
ou.”

  So will a good man, she thought.

  After the massage, the two spent a few minutes in the steam room and then relaxed in a private hot tub. Lunch was served poolside: a smorgasbord of fresh fruits, cold cuts, breads and salads for them to choose from. The two hadn’t stopped talking, and Maitlyn found herself completely enamored with every word that came out of Zak’s mouth.

  She was only somewhat surprised to learn that he’d been raised in a strict Islamic household. There was a bad-boy edge to his spirit; his dashing demeanor and willingness to take risks contradicted that side of his conservative personality. Maitlyn was suddenly concerned about being too forward, fearful that she might do or say something that he would find off-putting. The concern must have registered on her face.

  “Is something wrong?” Zak asked as he lifted a forkful of pasta salad to his mouth.

  Maitlyn’s eyes widened. “No. I was just...it...it’s nothing,” she finally stammered.

  He shook his head as he wiped a cloth napkin over his lips. “No. You don’t get to do that. Something’s on your mind. So, please, share.”

  She took a deep breath as she tossed him a look. “It really isn’t anything. I was just...well...I was just hoping that you didn’t think too badly of me. I’ve been nothing but trouble for you since we sailed off.”

  His mouth lifted easily. “Did I say you were trouble?”

  “No, but I’m encroaching on your space and—”

  “And I’m enjoying your company. I think you worry too much. Let’s just enjoy our time together and stop worrying. Didn’t you come on this cruise to relax and have a good time?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then let me help you do that. I promise you’ll have a good time.”

  “I guess I’m not used to letting someone else be in control. I’ve always had to man the reins. I’m a bit of a control freak, so it just feels unnatural to give that up to someone else.”

  “What is it you do actually?”

  “I’m a fixer for lack of a better word. Client management, damage control, contract negotiations. You name it, I do it. If I can’t handle it by myself, I’ll pull together and manage a team who can.”

  “Your brother said you were his go-to girl when he needed something.”

  “My family is how I found my way into this business. I act as my brother Guy’s agent. He’s an actor. I try to keep Kendrick on the straight and narrow, but I’m sure you know how hard that can be. And when I get back I’ll be acting as a wedding planner for my brother Darryl. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that things don’t blow up between now and then.”

  “Well, if they do, they’ll just have to wait until you return. This is your time.”

  Maitlyn smiled.

  * * *

  For almost five hours straight there wasn’t much the two didn’t share about themselves. Zak enjoyed their conversation, discovering much about the woman that he liked and admired. Enjoying his time with Maitlyn had kept his mind off his own issues and for a brief moment he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

  Back in his cabin the two were suddenly uncomfortable with each other. Sexual tension raged like a firestorm between them. Neither was willing to acknowledge it. Both did everything fathomable to deter themselves from doing something they might regret. Zak kept reminding himself that Maitlyn was the sister of a good friend and when the trip was over, although they’d both be going in separate directions, there was the possibility they might cross paths again. It would have been a different story if she had been a stranger, someone he’d likely never see again. He sensed that Maitlyn was thinking the very same thing.

  “I think I’m going to take a nap before dinner,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. “We’re dining with the captain tonight.”

  “The captain!”

  Zak nodded. “He’s an old friend.”

  “I should probably get my things and head back to my own cabin,” she said. “So you can rest in your own bed.” Her body swayed nervously back and forth on her heels.

  Zak stared at her for a brief moment. “Is that what you really want to do?” he asked.

  She hesitated for a quick second before responding. “No,” she finally answered. “Not really.”

  “Then you stay. Besides, I like having you here.”

  He moved to the bar and poured himself a drink. Scotch quickly filled a heavy-bottomed glass. When he turned back toward her, she was watching him intently. His manhood hardened with a vengeance as he met her gaze. He took a deep breath and held it in.

  Maitlyn eased her way slowly to his side. Pressing her palms against his chest, she eased up on her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek, kissing him lightly. The gesture was warm and enticing.

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice a loud whisper.

  Zak nodded.

  Maitlyn smiled. “I think I’m going to sit out on your deck and read for a while. Go on up and get your nap.”

  “What are you reading?” he asked as she picked up her electronic reader and headed toward the sliding doors.

  She shrugged. “Just a little summer read. A romance.”

  He smiled. “Enjoy.”

  As she moved outside, closing the sliding doors behind her, Zak stared after her. Romance was suddenly on his mind, too.

  Chapter 7

  Zak was dressing downstairs as Maitlyn took her bath. The nap had been just what he’d needed to regain his composure. His own shower had relieved the last fringes of desire he’d been feeling, and for the moment he felt like himself again. He knew he needed to get his mind right, and thinking about a tryst with Maitlyn wasn’t going to serve him well.

  He started his laptop and waited for the device to load. When he was able, he connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi and logged into his email account. There was a lengthy list of messages waiting for his attention but only one that he was interested in. The response to a query he’d made had been timely, and once again he was reminded of why he kept his personal assistant on payroll. The woman mothered him more than he liked, but she was the epitome of efficient and always went above and beyond her duties to get the job done.

  The day before he’d sent her a message, asking for any and all information she could get on Alexander Lloyd. He was now reading a full dossier on the man; the specifics detailed everything from his personal finances to what he liked to eat on his hot dogs.

  Zak was surprised to learn that Alexander Lloyd was COO and the only heir to Lloyd Banks, an international consortium of private investment firms. Reading through the documents, Zak discovered that there was some truth to the rumors that Lloyd Banks was on the verge of bankruptcy. Poor management was spinning them quickly toward financial ruin. Zak had met Alexander’s father when the business was epic. Max Lloyd had given him some sound financial advice and intervened on his behalf with his first business acquisition, a dot-com start-up that he’d sold a few years later for a record profit. Zak knew that Max had suffered a stroke two years earlier and that the business was now in the hands of his family. He suddenly questioned where a man who was having some serious financial issues could find ten million dollars in hopes of winning a poker tournament. Something about Alexander and the whole situation didn’t feel right, and before the cruise was over he planned on figuring out why.

  As he was about to close the file, something else of interest caught his attention. Alexander had graduated from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. If memory served him, Zak thought, so had his friends Gerard and Frank. Thinking he needed to know more about all of them, he quickly typed a message back to his assistant, forwarding a copy to a business associate who would also be interested in the information, and then shut down the computer.

  * * *

  Upstairs Maitlyn was lounging in a tub of warm water and over
size bubbles. The whirlpool bath was pure luxury and defied everything she would have thought about a cruise ship. She extended her right leg upward, drawing a palm full of water and suds over her thigh.

  As she relaxed beneath the covers, her mind drifted to thoughts of Zak and a warm, familiar gnawing pulsed through her mound. It felt like it had been an eternity since she last felt that familiar ache throbbing so intensely for attention. She reflected on their time together, fantasizing about him bare chested, staring down at her as she lay sprawled across his bed. Her hand quickly slipped between her thighs, her fingertips teasing her sex. The desire to touch herself was stronger than she ever remembered, almost beyond resisting. Maitlyn stroked herself slowly at first, but as she fantasized about Zak, the more vigorous her touch became. Everything about the man excited her. His sensuous smile, the cadence of his voice, the gentle glide to his touch, everything. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to know about him. And with every minute they were together, Maitlyn couldn’t stop thinking about them becoming more than just friends. At that moment, having Zak as a friend with some serious benefits would have made her one very happy woman.

  Her mind drifted helplessly to thoughts of him touching her, his arms embracing her, his lips kissing her. She probed the ache in her feminine spirit, stroking herself all over before finally sliding a finger up and down her slit, marveling at the intensity of the sensation as she imagined that her hands were Zak’s. She nudged her finger inside her sex and burrowed it deep into the silky wetness, shuddering at the wave of electricity that shot through her. Her natural wetness mixed with the sudsy water and her fingers grazed the swell of her clit, the nub full and tender. The feeling was irresistible, and surges of pleasure shot throughout every muscle in her body. She squeezed and nudged and rubbed herself from side to side, up and down, faster and faster. Mental images of Zak, his own body hard and wanting, became raw as she imagined the wealth of unspeakable pleasure the two could share.

  In no time at all, toying with her sex sent her into convulsions; the resulting orgasm rose quickly and with an unexpected force. Her whole body twitched and hovered and surged. She bit down hard against her bottom lip to keep from crying out loud, Zak’s name on the tip of her tongue.