She wasn’t going to allow him to ruin a nice day and with that she quickly said good-night to the group and stomped off.
Halfway back to her cabin, her mood was greatly improved and she smiled as she thought about how much she enjoyed the ruins and dinner with Michel. Except for the masked man on the bus, the day had been perfect.
She quickly got ready for bed. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about what a wonderful day it had been …
Chapter 8
The next day was a full day at sea and uneventful for the most part, which made it perfect in every way. Sam started to read her new book, then kicked back in her lounge chair and managed to take a short nap.
She even had a chance to hang out on the pool deck and listen to the steel drums band. She closed her eyes as she tapped her fingers on the chair. The music and warm air definitely made it feel like a Caribbean vacation.
After a light lunch, she took a break and bought some internet minutes so she could check her email and see if there were any emergencies at the office.
When that was done, she headed to what was now one of her favorite places on the ship – the Solarium. A short time later, she was settled in and completely engrossed in her book. She never heard Michel approach and when he suddenly sat down beside her, Sam nearly jumped out of her skin. He seemed distracted and after only a few minutes, told her he needed to head down to the internet café and take care of some business.
Sam was almost relieved when he left and she was quickly caught up in her book again. It was a picture-perfect day for enjoying the sunshine streaming in through the open roof and the peacefulness of the Solarium – worlds away from the crowds and chaos of the pool area.
Finally, she tore her eyes away from the book and looked over at the clock hanging on the wall. It was getting late. She jumped up and started to gather her belongings when she heard her name announced over the ship’s intercom system. “Would Samantha Rite please come down to Guest Services?” Hmm, wonder what that is all about. Must be important if they’re paging me.
For a minute, her mind flashed back to her rebellious high school days when the principal’s office would page her over the intercom for some minor infraction. She grinned at the memory. I hope I’m not in any trouble!
She made her way down to guest services and a few minutes later was standing at the counter. “Yes, my name is Samantha Rite. I was just paged to come down here.”
The uniformed clerk studied her briefly and then reached into the desk drawer, pulling out a room card. She pushed the card across the counter in Sam’s direction. “Is this yours?”
She looked down at the card and shook her head, confused. This couldn’t be her card. She set her bag on the counter and dug around inside. Finally, she emptied all the contents. The room card was not in there. “I can’t find my card.”
The clerk closed the drawer and folded her hands. “Someone found it in the library and turned it in,” she explained. Sam was at a loss. She hadn’t been in the library at all. Not even once. “That is really odd.”
Puzzled and relieved, Sam took the key. “Thank you. Please tell whoever turned it in I said thank you.”
Still perplexed, Sam made her way back to her cabin. At least someone had been kind enough to turn it in.
As she readied for dinner, she wondered if Lee would be there and if he would be any nicer today than he was yesterday.
She didn’t have to wait long to find out. When she got to the table, Lee, Gabby and Julia were already seated. Gabby was engrossed in something Lee was saying to her. Julia was sitting there looking uncomfortable as she stared down at her hands.
Sam sat down and turned to Julia. “Are you Gabby’s daughter?”
Julia looked up and smiled but before she could answer, Gabby’s head snapped around to glare at Sam. “Of course not! Julia’s only a few years younger than me! She’s my little sister.”
“I’m sorry. I just thought…” Sam trailed off.
Just then, Beth and Emily walked up, closely followed by Jimmy and Vivian. Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Whew! That was a close call! I surely don’t want to incur the wrath of Gabby!”
Sam really enjoyed talking to Jimmy and Vivian and she was more than a little envious of the two. They seemed so happy together. Always talking about their children back home and how after five years of marriage, they still felt like newlyweds.
Maybe someday she would meet the right one…someone that wasn’t a cheater, someone she could trust - that really loved her and wanted to be with her.
Without thinking, she said the first thing that popped into her head. “Jimmy and Vivian, you seem so in love. I hope I meet the right man one day.”
She instantly wished more than anything she could take the words back - but it was too late. Sam had opened her mouth and stuck her foot in it!
Emily quickly spoke up. “Now that you mention it, we’ve been curious. You’re so nice and so pretty. We’re wondering why you’re alone.”
For a minute, Sam had the deer-in-the-headlights look. She wasn’t a good liar so she briefly told them about Anthony. Then she explained her sister’s accident and how she ended up on the cruise by herself. Looks of sympathy crossed their faces. That is exactly what Sam had hoped to avoid – having people feel sorry for her and why she tried to steer clear of talking about the whole sordid mess.
She cast an uneasy glance in Lee’s direction. His expression was unreadable.
Beth turned to Lee. “Now it’s your turn. Why are you on this trip alone? Anyone special at home?”
Sam leaned forward and put her elbows on the table, forgetting all about her own discomfort. She was as curious as everyone else.
His expression was unchanged and his voice unemotional as he answered Beth’s question. “I was married. I loved my wife very much. She died a couple years ago.” For a moment there was an awkward silence.
Sam’s heart sank. “I’m sorry if we brought up painful memories.” Lee nodded and that was the end of the conversation.
After dinner was over, everyone got up to go their separate ways. Before they could leave, Gabby quickly blurted out. “Don’t forget to come by the Excalibur Lounge to watch me sing Karaoke tonight!” It was a good thing she reminded them. Sam had completely forgotten! She wouldn’t miss this for the world.
Sam made her way down to the ship’s excursion desk. There was no way she was going to forget to book her adventure this time! Tomorrow’s port stop was Belize and she was excited about having a chance to go cave tubing in the rainforest.
The US State Department had recently issued travel advisories for Belize in general. The ship’s crew did a good job of keeping everyone informed and they were quickly reassured it was perfectly safe. As long as you didn’t stray out of the designated tourist areas, there was no need to worry about crime and the recent incidents of unrest.
Sam picked up her tickets and started back to her cabin to drop them off. As she passed by the Burgundy Lounge, she could hear classical music drifting out into the hallway. It was too tempting to pass by so she impulsively stepped inside and made her way to the counter in the back. She ordered a Diet Coke and when she turned around, Michel was directly behind her. He looked stunning in his three-piece suit – it almost took her breath away. He quickly grabbed one of the open barstools next to her. “I’ve been looking for you all afternoon.”
She smiled warmly as he squeezed her arm. “I had a nice, relaxing day – it just flew by.” She continued. “So what have you been up to?”
Michel avoided her gaze as he vaguely replied. “Oh, not much of anything, really.” He always seemed so open but it was obvious he wasn’t going to give her any details.
Oh well, she thought. It doesn’t really matter. I’m enjoying his company and what he does is his own business.
The two of them were discussing tomorrow’s excursion when suddenly she sensed someone standing behind her. She swiveled around and practically crashed right into Lee. Without an invitation, he pl
opped down in the seat on the other side of her. “Do you mind if I join you?”
Sam put on her best fake smile. “By all means. The more the merrier.”
After making small talk about the gorgeous weather and how much they were looking forward to Belize tomorrow, Lee pointedly turned to Michel. “What did you do with your day today?”
What nerve. That was none of his business, Sam thought indignantly. He was grilling a person he barely knew.
Sam quickly came to his defense. “I’m sure he did the same things as everyone else. Hung out by the pool. Ate too much. Took a nap …” she trailed off.
Lee didn’t wait for an answer before he turned back to Sam. “So what are your plans for tomorrow? Not another ruins tour, I hope.”
“I was tempted to take the Altun Ha tour.” She admitted. “But friends of mine who’ve been to Belize raved on the cave tubing excursion so I decided on that instead.”
Sam was surprised when Michel quickly added, “I’m taking that tour, too.”
Lee leaned back in his seat, eyebrows raised. “Believe it or not, I’m going cave tubing, as well.” He smiled. “Looks like we’ll all be on the same excursion again.” Whether he was genuinely happy or not – she couldn’t tell.
It seemed more than a little odd to Sam that all three of them were once again going on the same excursion…
She didn’t have time to dwell on it as she glanced down at her watch. “Better head over to Excalibur. We promised to watch Gabby sing,” she reminded Lee.
Without waiting for an answer, Sam turned to Michel. “Care to join us? One of the ladies at our dinner table is singing Karaoke and we agreed to lend some moral support.”
When they got to the lounge, they found the rest of the group already sitting at a large table near the front. Lee absentmindedly introduced Michel to the others as he glanced around the dark room.
They made it just in time and the competition quickly got under way. There were five contestants and each person chose a different style of music. There was quite a variety: country, pop, blues and a couple of the singers were very good. Gabby had some serious competition!
Finally, it was Gabby’s turn to take the stage. There was a long pause and then suddenly, Gabby dramatically strutted out from behind the massive purple curtain.
Sam slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Gabby had on the craziest outfit! Not only that, she had on the most ridiculous wig! The black mop barely covered the pile of red that was shooting out from almost every direction.
As usual, she had tons of make-up on but at least her fake eyelashes were in the right spot. So far. Her outlandish outfit looked like something you’d find in a Halloween costume store. A sleeveless, way-too-tight Leopard print leotard with a deep V-neck that revealed way more cleavage than needed to be displayed.
Sam unconsciously voiced her concern. “Uh-oh.”
Vivian knew exactly what Sam was thinking as she chimed in, “I hope she keeps the girls safe inside that get-up or we’ll get more show than we bargained for!”
Instead of wearing pants, she had squeezed into a pair of shimmering black nylon stockings. She finished her costume with a pair of 6” high black leather boots.
Gabby paraded onto stage, smiling widely as she walked. It was obvious she loved being the center of attention. She grabbed the microphone and headed to the front.
The first few notes were right on key as she started singing Heartbroken. Sam wasn’t sure if she was surprised or not. Gabby had a great voice. She sounded a lot like Pat Beamatar.
There were a couple tense moments during her performance where she was jiggling around and Sam was wondering if the show was going to become R-rated but thankfully Gabby “held it all together.”
When she finished, she got a standing ovation. She deserved it! She definitely knocked it out of the ballpark.
The last two contestants finished their performance. Sam had never heard either of the songs and couldn’t tell what genre they were going for. One of them kind of sounded like Frank Sonata. Someone from her parent’s era.
The contest was quickly narrowed down to Gabby, the girl singing pop and a rhinestone-studded cowboy singing country. Voting by applause, Gabby narrowly won. When they announced her as the winner, she was ecstatic, jumping around, waving her winnings.
Afterwards, she floated over. Her head held high, eyes gleaming. “I won! I won!” Everyone congratulated her.
In a magnanimous gesture, she flagged down the bartender and ordered a round of drinks on her. After hanging out for half an hour or so, Sam stood up. It was past her bedtime.
Michel stood up, too. Both said their goodnights. When they got to the club entrance, Michel stopped Sam. “Can I walk you back to your cabin?”
The idea made Sam the teensiest bit nervous. She swallowed hard and gave Michel a small smile. “Of course.”
When they reached her cabin, they stopped outside the door. By now Sam was getting more than just a little nervous. She stated the obvious. “This is it.”
As she turned to say goodnight, he slowly drew her into his arms and gently bent down as he softly kissed her. Sam surprised herself by linking her arms around Michel’s neck. She pressed her lips more firmly to his, demanding a more intimate exchange.
Sudden laughter a few doors down brought them quickly back to reality and they guiltily separated. Sam’s face turned three shades of red. She looked down, embarrassed that she completely lost control of her senses, even if it was only for a minute.
Michel huskily chuckled, slightly amused by her reaction. “You turn a very pretty shade of pink.”
Not wanting to further her embarrassment, he lifted her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. “I look forward to seeing you in the morning.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and walked off.
Sam almost ran inside her cabin. She quickly closed the door and bolted it shut. As if he was going to try to break it down! She leaned against the door, chiding herself for acting like a schoolgirl who had never been kissed!
She took a deep breath and stepped out onto her balcony to clear her head. The moon was full tonight. It cast a warm glow over the water. How romantic. If only I had someone to share it with.
Afterwards, she lay in bed for hours, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. It wasn’t Michel’s kiss that was keeping her awake. For some reason, the excursion the next day had her on edge.
For as long as she could remember Sam would - at times - suddenly get an uncanny sense of foreboding. Now was one of them and the feeling grew as she thought about the masked man from the other day.
She finally fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming of masked men chasing her through the jungle. Minutes later her alarm went off. It was time to get up.
Chapter 9
The final port day arrived with bright sunshine and warm tropical breezes. Sam tried to muster some enthusiasm but she was bone-tired.
She showered, slipped on her bathing suit, an old pair of shorts and a ratty, worn t-shirt. She pulled her long hair back into a pony tail. No sense in dressing nice if I’m going to be trudging through the jungle, she wisely decided.
The strong sense of foreboding returned without warning. She shook her head, as if to shake it off but knew that wouldn’t make any difference. It was here to stay.
Belize was a tender port – the ship was too large to dock at the pier so passengers had to board smaller shuttle boats to take them ashore. There were good-sized waves making the seas a little rough and the twenty-minute ride was somewhat nauseating. I’m glad I don’t get motion sickness. Being claustrophobic was bad enough!
The shuttle finally docked, Sam made her way off the small boat. She didn’t see Michel on the tender and wondered if he would be waiting for her on shore.
The thought of Lee suddenly popped into her head and she was instantly annoyed with the fact that he would be on this excursion. Well, let’s hope he isn’t as aggravating today as he was last night.
<
br /> Her tour group was waiting at the end of the pier. She quickly realized that not only would Michel and Lee be taking this tour, but Beth and Emily and Jimmy and Vivian would be taking it as well!
“I didn’t know you guys were cave tubing today, too. This will be so much fun!” Sam was excited. It would be a great day after all, in spite of Lee and his attitude!
A small bus pulled up to where they were standing on the sidewalk. It didn’t take long for them to get on and find a seat. She and Michel boarded at the same time and it was an easy decision for Sam this time as she settled in next to him.
After a quick head count, their guide stepped to the front of the bus as he talked about the tour.
Sam looked around. Wow! There were only a handful of people taking this tour. She should have gone with her instinct and skipped the tour but it was too late to change her mind now.
The bus pulled away from the curb. As Sam listened to the guide, she couldn’t shake her feeling of uneasiness.
Sam’s mind wandered and she missed half of what the guide said to the group. But she did manage to catch the tail end of his speech. “For guests’ safety, two armed guards will be accompanying us on this trip.”
Sam nervously twisted the ring around her finger as she whispered to Michel. “What did we get ourselves into?” He didn’t answer. Instead, he was kicked back in his seat, obviously unconcerned by this new bit of information.
She glanced over at Lee. He was leaning forward, intently watching the guide and both armed guards as they settled in the seats at the front of the bus.
The bus rumbled along until it reached the edge of town a few minutes later. Without warning, the guards pulled a plain brown box from under their seat and quickly emptied it onto the floor. Sam peeked around the edge of the seat to see what it was. There lay a small pile of cheap, multi-colored backpacks.
One of the guards stayed in the front of the bus while the other started towards the back, carrying the backpacks in his arms.
As the guard made his way to the rear, the one in the front started talking. “Place all your belongings including phones, wallets, jewelry, cameras into one of the backpacks we’re bringing around.” It was a command – not a suggestion and the look on his face told them not to ask any questions.
Waves of Deception (Samantha Rite Series Book 1) Page 5
