CRUISE TO ROMANCE

by Poznanski, Toby

  “Why, thank you,” Jennifer said. “I look forward to your gracious company.” Jennifer glowed with happiness over the compliment. He was really quite decent once she started talking with him.

  “Buon.” He smiled with delight. Chef Commendatore Mario Ruscelli was looking downright wicked. “Let us continue our tour.”

  * * *

  Jennifer felt like celebrating. After her visit to see Chef Ruscelli earlier this morning, she’d worked on her manuscript. All her recipes were finished and organized. She still had to test some of them, but she knew from experience that they would be delicious. She wanted to be sure every one of them was perfect before sending her manuscript off to her editor. Now she could enjoy her cruise in good conscience. She had two days at sea to relax and play before the ship reached St. Thomas. She knew just the man to spend the time with. But first, she had to soothe some ruffled feathers. Sheila’s feathers.

  Since their discussion on the balcony, Sheila had given her a wide berth. Yesterday during their shopping in Barbados and submarine ride, Sheila seemed subdued. Jennifer thought maybe she and Mike were at odds. Whatever the reason, it was lucky for her, because the peace and quiet had enabled her to finish up on her work. She hated to say good-bye to Barbados, with its unusual cuisine, but visiting St. Thomas would be fun and interesting too. It would cater more to the sophisticated traveler. Jennifer was leaving the water sports until they reached the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas. In St. Thomas, she planned to shop ‘til she dropped. Maybe Sheila would like to join her, but with her, Jennifer never quite knew what to expect. For all she knew, Sheila had plans for para-sailing that day. Jennifer could just imagine her dangling beneath a colorful parachute being pulled by a boat.

  Jennifer gathered her papers from the table and glanced around the quiet library. Soft cushy easy chairs in tan leather were placed beneath floor lamps. Small tables were placed near built-in book shelves to provide the passengers with working space. The windows were covered with sheer drapes and the walls were paneled wood. Jennifer smiled to herself. She would miss this place with its understated elegance and plush comfort. It had been a wonderful place to work.

  Sheila would probably be at one of the pools this time of day, so she headed for her cabin to stow her manuscript and change into a bathing suit. Jennifer slipped her key card into the lock and entered the cabin. From the door she could see their steward had cleaned the cabin and left them a bowl of fresh fruit. Next to the bowl sat a vase of roses. Not just any kind of roses, but chocolate roses, white chocolate roses, milk chocolate roses, and dark chocolate roses. In her heart she knew they came from Ryan, but she still had to read the card and pinch herself. She reached for the envelope and opened it.

  As she read, she started to giggle, then laughed at his silliness. Ryan was such a tease. Tonight he was going to cover her in chocolate? Surely he was joking. She glanced over to the roses. They looked delicious. Jennifer took one and peeled off the cellophane wrapping. Yes, she assured herself while she nibbled on the flower, he was just joking about covering her in chocolate.

  Jennifer changed into her navy, French cut, bathing suit that Ryan had liked so much and headed upstairs to the open-air pool. After checking through the maze of chaise lounge and deck chairs without finding Sheila, she slipped into her cover-up and headed for Neptune’s Court.

  There next to a bright window sat her friend Sheila, sipping on iced-tea and looking pensive.

  “Hi, Sheila.” Jennifer called as she walked up. “Feel like company?”

  Sheila smiled. “Sure, have a seat.” She motioned to the waiter who brought over the beverage cart. After Jennifer took an iced-tea and the waiter left, Sheila asked, “How’s the cookbook coming along?”

  “Wonderful. I’m finally at the point where I can relax and have some fun.” Jennifer squeezed a lemon wedge over her tea. “I wanted to see if you would like to go shopping with me when we hit St. Thomas.”

  “Sure. Sounds like fun.”

  “I thought you might have other plans. Like para-sailing or exploring the rain forests.” Jennifer smiled at Sheila and sipped her tea.

  “Not hardly,” Sheila replied. “Mike hasn’t said anything about what he wants to do, so I suspect he and Ryan are going to go diving again. Are you over being angry with me?”

  “I was never angry with you, Sheila, I was upset. Yes, I’ve calmed down. Everything’s okay. Truly.”

  “Good. I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too.”

  Sheila twirled her glass and watched as her tower of ice cubes tumbled lower into the glass. “Mike has been moody the last several days. He’s getting withdrawn and he seems to be brooding. It has to be over a woman.”

  “Maybe he has a woman back home and he misses her,” Jennifer offered.

  “Well, he told us that he didn’t, if you remember right,” she reminded her.

  “That’s true. He did.” Jennifer leaned forward. “Do you have any idea at all who it might be?”

  Sheila looked at her over her glass before taking another sip. “I was hoping you did. She has to be on this ship, but I can’t think of anyone. He’s with me most of the time.”

  “I’m sorry, Sheila. I know you really like him.”

  “It’s okay. I didn’t go into this relationship expecting anything more than a good time. But I didn’t think that he had someone else here on the ship.” Sheila picked up a chocolate chip cookie and took a bite out of it. “Try one. They are so good.”

  “No, thanks. I had some chocolate in the cabin,” she answered.

  “Did someone mention chocolate?” a masculine voice behind her startled her.

  “Ryan!” Jennifer stared at the two men standing behind her.

  “Well, hello to you to,” Mike teased.

  “I’m sorry, Mike. Hello.” Jennifer laughed. “Care to join us?”

  Mike grinned and settled himself next to Sheila while Ryan chose the chair beside Jennifer. “So what’s all this about chocolate?” Mike asked.

  Jennifer turned to Ryan, who sat watching her closely, his eyes alive with mischief and fun.

  “Ryan sent me roses. Chocolate roses. They are delicious!” The four of them laughed, but Jennifer noticed the slight frown on Mike’s face as he glanced at Ryan. What could possibly be wrong? Mike approved of her according to Sheila. Well, she wasn’t going to let it spoil her mood. Jennifer turned back to Ryan. At that moment he looked up at her and grinned before running the tip of his tongue over the inside edge of his bottom lip.

  Jennifer blushed at his blatant sexuality. She could feel his tongue running over her, around the edge of her bathing suit, lapping up warm chocolate as he went. Her face reddened as her body responded to her erotic thoughts. In that instant she knew Ryan was serious, very serious. Tonight Ryan intended to cover her in chocolate and to lick it off. Goose bumps appeared from nowhere and she tingled all over.

  Ryan just sat there grinning from ear to ear. What a tease he was! He knew exactly what she must be thinking and he was enjoying every minute of it. Well, two could play this game. Of course, she would have to be subtle since there was an audience of very interested bystanders.

  “You’ve probably eaten so many by now that you won’t want any real food,” Sheila remarked. “However, I do. Lunch anyone?”

  “Yeah.” Mike rose from the table and urged Sheila stay. “I’ll get yours, Sheila. Can I get you anything Jennifer?”

  “Some orange segments and strawberries, please,” she answered and smiled broadly.

  Jennifer could see the devilment written all over Ryan. As soon as Mike left, she picked up a chocolate chip cookie and brought it slowly to her mouth where she delicately nibbled on the edge. Warmth flooded her when she saw Ryan’s expression change from mischief to curiosity as he watched.

  Mike returned to the table where he and Sheila shared a bowl of pasta. Deep in conversation between the two of them, they didn’t notice when Jennifer slid her small bowl of f
resh fruit closer to her and gently picked up an orange segment with her fingers. She smiled. She had Ryan’s undivided attention and she meant to keep it. His chair was pushed back from the table and slightly turned to face her. Ryan sat relaxed, one elbow positioned on the table in casual comfort. Her gaze slid over him from his firm open thighs resting so close to her, to his strong powerful chest, partially exposed by his carelessly buttoned shirt. What she could see of those gorgeous muscles made her want to run her tongue over them.

  Instead she licked her orange segment, toying with the shape of it with her tongue. Jennifer smiled to herself when she saw the heat and desire flame in Ryan’s eyes. Fascinated by his reactions, she watched passion claim him as she slowly bit into it and allowed a few droplets of juice to trickle down the side of her mouth, past her chin, and drop to the top of her breasts where they continued their journey into her cleavage. The expression of Ryan’s face was priceless. Those beautiful eyes of his darkened with desire, his mouth slowly opened, as if he wanted to savor the flavor, and his hands clenched as if he were steeling himself against the temptation.

  Well, well, well. That would just never do, she thought saucily. When she giggled softly, his eyes flashed up to meet her gaze. Jennifer took a deep breath and slipped the cover-up from her shoulders. “It’s getting so hot in here, don’t you think?” she breathed.

  “You little tease,” he accused in a low husky voice. “Better be ready to pay up tonight.”

  “Oh?” Jennifer took her cookie and nibbled more off the edges while she devoured his body with her gaze. This time, he was noticeably hard and making no attempt to hide it. Better, much better. Jennifer was really enjoying this teasing game. She hadn’t known flirting could be so much fun. The only problem was, she was getting all worked up to. If they were in private, it wouldn’t take much more for her to straddle him in the chair and bring them to a fever pitch.

  Ryan tilted his chair back against the window while Jennifer casually studied his swimsuit, her eyes gliding over and returning to his growing erection. Definitely a quick study, she knew how to arouse him quickly with her teasing and flirting. Of course, that was what the teasing was all about, to arouse her and keep them both in a high state of anticipation until tonight. But it looked like his little plan to keep her aroused had backfired on him. It would be over in a minute if he stayed this desperate and needy all day. Right now he wanted to kiss those sweet juicy lips and feel that soft voluptuous body beneath his. But it couldn’t happen.

  If he could have arranged it sooner, he would have had tonight’s seduction start earlier in the day. But he couldn’t worry about that now. There were meetings to go to and telephone calls to make. It had to be done today, before he and Jennifer had dinner.

  Then too, he had Mike to worry about. While Mike pretended he was oblivious to what Jennifer was doing, Ryan knew that he was aware of everything that was going on. From the look of disapproval Mike had given Ryan earlier, he figured this little flirtation would really shake his brother up. He would probably be on the receiving end of another lecture about Diane and falling in love with the wrong woman. Well, he wasn’t in love with any woman. Jennifer didn’t expect it from him and had gone into this affair with her eyes wide open. Diane was on the mainland, so there wasn’t any way that Jennifer could be hurt. Nope. He had it all under control. That’s what he was best at. That, and pleasing women, of course.

  Jennifer was pleased with herself. Aroused, yes, and thrilled that Ryan wanted her. She wasn’t sure just what had changed his mind, but she was happy to explore all the dimensions of her sexuality with him, if he would just let her close to his heart. Could he be falling in love with her as she had done with him? She was afraid to believe it was possible, but a shining ray of hope had already established itself in her consciousness. Maybe, just maybe, she thought as she smiled at him and gave him a wide doe-eyed look, she could have it all. Love, marriage, babies. The whole package. Maybe she could have it all with Ryan.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Magnificent Mike had Helga cornered. Literally. There was no place to run, to hide, to protect herself from his outrageous humor and charming personality. Not to mention the sensuality that he generated. Already her pulse was racing and her body was responding to all that testosterone. But, he was a passenger on the Ocean Goddess and he expected her services for the money he’d paid.

  This was the third day that Helga had given Mike a massage while he quizzed her about her life and shared stories about his. Each day he’d kissed her good-bye making her hungry for more, making her miss his easy comradery. Helga didn’t want to give this arrogant playboy a massage. She didn’t want run her hands over his naked body. Really she didn’t. But she’d had no choice.

  So here she was, in a tiny massage room, trying not to succumb to his soft voice and gentle laughter, while she tried to relieve the tension in his hard stubborn muscles. Her grip tightened as she bore down on his neck and shoulders. Nothing she could think of, no herbs, no seaweed, no oils, not even the superior strength in her hands, could relax these muscles. From the corner of her eye she could see him wince every now and then when she tightened her hold on him and exerted more pressure.

  “Hey, Honey,” Mike drawled. “Think you could give me a break here? That grip of yours is really tight.”

  “Oh. Sorry,” she mumbled. “I’ll try something else.” Helga started gently pounding his back, but as she focused on her anger at his audacity to flirt with her every day, then lie in front of her on this massage table half-naked—no—completely naked, except for that sorry excuse for a towel, expecting her to rub her hands all over his wonderfully sensual body, she started pounding harder. By the time she had mentally run through her litany of curses because she was so aroused by him, she was beating him in a frenzy.

  “Helga! Stop! Stop!” Mike turned over and grabbed her wrists and pulled her to him, holding her tightly, her arms trapped between their bodies.

  Embarrassed, Helga calmed down, reality settling in. Oh, no. She’d been beating up a passenger. How could she be so stupid? Tears came to her eyes. Surely she would be fired now. The Captain would never tolerate such behavior.

  Mike loosened his hold enough to study her face and see her tears. Without a word, he pulled her down and kissed her, plundering her mouth and destroying her remaining defenses. His sensual assault made her go weak in the knees and she settled comfortably over him.

  “Damn, woman. You give a new meaning to the word foreplay.” Mike smiled at her embarrassed laugh. “Think you could let me take a shower and then buy you a drink?”

  Helga nodded. His chivalry was a surprise. She’d expected—no—hoped, that he would make love to her right here on the massage table.

  Mike stood up, tightened the towel around his waist, and shook his head. “If Ryan reacted this violently to Diane, I wouldn’t care if he married her.”

  “Diane?”

  “His ex-fiancée.” Mike pulled her close and nuzzled her neck. “Wait for me. I won’t take long.”

  “But you said . . . if he married her?” Helga stammered.

  “Yeah. Well. She wants them back together and, unfortunately, he’s listening. Ryan was pretty torn when they split up and hasn’t gotten serious with another woman since. Insists that he doesn’t want to.” Mike sighed and encircled her in his arms.

  “She must have had quite an effect on him,” Helga said earnestly.

  “Maybe,” he replied looking into her eyes. “Then again, maybe it’s just an excuse. He thinks women have no staying power when things get tough in a relationship.”

  “What do you think?”

  Mike kissed her forehead. “That he picks the wrong women. But, I figure one of these days, he’ll get it right.”

  “Especially since he has you to keep him on the straight and narrow?” Helga smiled.

  “Absolutely.” Mike laughed. “Come on, Honey. Time for you to take that break.”

  “Okay,” she agreed. While he was tak
ing his shower, she changed into a pale yellow sweater and pants set. She didn’t have to be on duty again until four o’clock. She brushed her hair and locked away her personal belongings in her locker. She couldn’t believe what she was about to do. She was going to let that incorrigible playboy buy her a drink.

  If she was honest with herself, being friendly with Mike wasn’t about Jennifer any more. She was falling fast for his masculine charm. God, she was hopeless! Maybe it wouldn’t matter, just this once . . .

  * * *

  “What’s going on in that computer brain of yours now? I’ve asked you twice if you want to go into the hot tub when we finish our routine, and you haven’t answered me yet.” Mike finished his set of sit-ups and crossed his arms over his knees. “What’s up Ryan?”

  Ryan paused in the middle of his arm curl. “The hot tub sounds good.” He put the weight back into its rack and began leg stretches, ignoring Mike’s attempt to get information.

  “Just what are you concentrating on so hard that you don’t even hear me?”

  Mike was persistent, if nothing else. “I’ve got a lot on my mind today. That’s all.”

  “Yeah, like what?” Mike stood and started his stretch routine.

  “I’ve been trying to reach Diane, but I haven’t been able to reach her. It makes me wonder what she is up to,” Ryan answered reluctantly. Diane had a way of pulling surprises, usually unpleasant ones. Why hadn’t that trait of hers bothered him in the past? His perspective had certainly changed.

  “Diane’s a beautiful woman. I doubt she appreciated you leaving her behind while you took a fourteen-night Caribbean cruise.” Mike spread his legs and reached for the floor. “If I had a girlfriend as beautiful as Diane, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight until my ring was on her finger. Maybe not after that.”

  Ryan shrugged. “You’re not a trusting soul, are you?”