by Julie Cannon
“Vivian always teased me about robbing the cradle,” Rose said, complete adoration in her eyes. EJ wondered how something like that happened.
The remaining seats started to fill. “Dee was just telling me how her friends gave her grief about coming on this cruise alone. Something about it being dangerous,” EJ added, using the word Dee had used to describe her. Dee elbowed her in the ribs.
“Nonsense, Dee,” Vivian said. “You don’t need to worry. We’ve been on cruises like this before and it’s perfectly safe.”
EJ glanced over at Dee. The expression on her face said she wasn’t sure Vivian was right—at least when it came to her.
EJ thought Vivian might pat Dee’s hand and say something like, “There, there now.” She gave EJ another jab just because the first one felt so good.
“Thank you, ladies, for that note of reassurance,” Dee said. “But as a matter of clarity I never said it was dangerous. What I did say was that some women are dangerous.” She looked at EJ.
Rose nodded. “I agree, Dee. Take EJ here, for example.” All three women looked at her.
EJ played along. “Something tells me I’m not going to like the direction this conversation is headed, but since I’m outnumbered by three beautiful women, I know when to surrender.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Not only is she devilishly handsome in her designer suit, but she,” Rose pointed an arthritic finger at EJ, “she is charming to boot. And that is a dangerous combination. Very dangerous indeed. You had better be careful, Dee,” Rose added in warning.
The lights flickered then dimmed, but not before Dee replied, more to herself than anyone in particular, “Oh, I certainly intend to be.”
Chapter Six
The play was better than EJ thought it would be, but her attention kept shifting to Dee. She had been completely aware of Dee the entire evening, and the two or three times their legs touched in the crowded row or their arms shared the armrest, she lost all track of what was happening onstage.
When the lights brightened Dee and Rose started talking excitedly about the play. EJ followed the women out of the theater and through the crowd onto the deck. The cool night air refreshed her slightly overheated body. Sitting next to Dee for two hours and not touching her provided a lesson in self-control.
Dee and Vivian had both stopped to take a breath when Rose jumped in, addressing her comment to EJ. “Vivian can talk all night if you let her, but I don’t think you two young women want to spend your first night on board with a couple of old ladies who’ve been together longer than either of you have been alive.” EJ was surprised when Rose winked at her.
Dee turned to look at her, and EJ had no idea what she was thinking. She took a chance and said, “Nonsense,” meaning it. “I don’t know about Dee, but there’s nobody on this ship I’d rather spend the evening with than you three. Why don’t we all go up to the main deck and have a nightcap? It’s not too cool, and with the stars out like they are, it will be beautiful.”
Rose and Vivian looked at each other, and EJ saw Dee nod affirmatively when they turned to her. She extended both elbows to the two older ladies. “Ladies, may I have the honor of escorting you upstairs?” Vivian blushed, Rose giggled, and Dee rewarded her with a dazzling smile.
*
They weren’t alone on the fantail. Several other couples were enjoying the end to their first day on the ship. EJ insisted on getting each of them a drink and balanced them precariously as she weaved around empty deck chairs. She hadn’t lied; she was looking forward to spending more time with these women.
“Thank you so much, dear,” Vivian said, taking her hot chocolate in both hands. She sipped it carefully before turning to Dee. “Dee, you’d better keep this girl. She’s so polite and helpful to have around.”
Rose spoke up before anyone could say a word. “You can always use an extra pair of hands now and then.” She winked at EJ, who lifted her eyebrows in acknowledgement of the innuendo while Dee recovered from choking on her cocktail.
My, my, Rose, you are a pistol. “Rose, you’re a woman after my own heart.” EJ tried desperately not to burst out laughing.
“If I were forty years younger it wouldn’t be your heart I was after.”
EJ teased her. “I’m not sure I could handle you, Rose.” To her right, Dee snickered.
“Probably not,” Rose replied.
This time EJ had to laugh. Vivian gave her partner a playful slap and Dee shook her head in agreement. EJ couldn’t remember having as much fun as she was having right now. Earlier she’d just wanted to spend some quality alone time with Dee but was genuinely surprised how much she enjoyed the other couple’s company. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a conversation that didn’t focus on words like debt to earnings, profit, amortization, or auditor concerns. She was having a conversation with ordinary people about everyday things. She didn’t have to have all the answers or be in complete control. She could just simply relax and enjoy the company of beautiful, charming women.
“I respect the sanctity of marriage so I’ll save you from temptation and myself from having Vivian beat the stuffing out of me.”
“As you should,” Rose said, standing and taking her partner’s hand. “Now if you’ll excuse us, I’m going to take my best girl and try to remember what lovers do in the moonlight. Come on, Viv. Let’s leave these two to discover their own moonlight.”
“I’ll walk you back to your room.” EJ rose from her chair.
“Nonsense,” Vivian said, taking Rose’s hand. “We’re perfectly capable of getting back to our own cabin, and I doubt if anyone will mug us in the hall.” Vivian turned to Dee and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Then she whispered something to Dee that EJ couldn’t hear and Dee blushed.
The two women sauntered off and EJ returned to her chair. “Wow,” she said to herself as much as to Dee.
“No kidding.”
“Those two are full of piss and vinegar, as my Dad would say.”
“Your dad and mine must have been brothers, because mine would’ve said the same thing. I only hope I have half as much spunk as they do when I’m their age. And I hope to be in love with someone as much as they are with each other once in my life.”
“Would you like a refill?” EJ asked the question as much to change the subject as to inquire if Dee wanted to continue their evening.
Dee hesitated a second or two, her eyes searching EJ’s so pointedly she was starting to feel uncomfortable. Finally Dee answered. “Yes, please.”
On her way back with the drinks she saw that Dee had slipped off her shoes and propped her feet up on the chair next to her. EJ was again impressed that Dee was confident enough with herself in her surroundings to make herself comfortable. The women she dated were usually so intent on impressing her or outshining their competition they would never assume the pose Dee had so effortlessly.
“Comfy?” she inquired, setting Dee’s cocktail on the table in front of her. Dee had her head back, looking at the stars. The night was clear, not a cloud in the sky to mask the brilliant twinkling of Mother Nature’s creations.
“Yes, thank you, my feet were killing me.” Dee didn’t appear the slightest bit embarrassed. She sipped her drink and several minutes passed before she spoke. “God, it’s beautiful out here.”
Dee was still looking at the night sky but EJ was looking directly at her when she said, “Yes, you are.” Dee turned her head and looked at her. “I never got a chance to tell you that you look stunning in that dress. The color brings out the green in your eyes.”
Dee laughed. “Were you and Rose friends in another life?”
“No, why?
“Because she sure has your number. Dangerously handsome and devilishly charming.”
She liked Dee’s sense of humor. “I believe her words were ‘devilishly handsome and charming.’ No qualification on the charming,” she added. “You said ‘dangerously good.’”
“Tomatoes, tomatoes,” Dee
replied, using the British pronunciation for the latter. Her eyes sparkled. “Let’s not quibble over technicalities.”
“What would you like to do?”
Dee replied without missing a beat. “Know a little more about you.”
She had successfully maneuvered the conversation away from herself all evening. It was amazing how a few well-placed generalities like living in Vegas sufficed for answering a question. At one time EJ thought Rose was going to drill her on exactly where she lived, but the conversation shifted and the moment was lost.
“I could say the same about you,” she replied. Dee had been just as adept at keeping any specifics out of the conversation and she was mildly curious.
“I hope you don’t think I used Vivian and Rose as a buffer between us.”
“Does it matter what I think?” EJ hoped it did.
Dee looked at her as if she were running through a checklist in her mind. “I’m not sure yet.”
She wasn’t sure what answer she was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that one. “And what are the deciding factors?” They were talking in code and EJ was enjoying the light subterfuge.
“Anyone waiting for you back home?”
EJ answered easily. “Frannie.”
“Frannie?” Dee asked cautiously.
“Well, actually her name is Francesca Philippe de la Mound, but I just call her Frannie, or little shit, if she gets into my flowers. She’s my springer spaniel.”
“Anyone else?”
“Other than my banker, housekeeper, and an assorted array of family members, none of whom live with me, no.”
Dee studied her carefully. “You actually expect me to believe that someone so devilishly handsome and charming,” she accentuated Rose’s words, “doesn’t have a girl back home?”
“If I have a girl back home why am I counting the stars with you?”
“Convenience? A surreptitious extended business trip, perhaps?”
She looked at Dee seriously. “You’ve been duped before?”
“No, I haven’t,” Dee replied seriously. “And I don’t intend to be. I don’t mess with what belongs to somebody else.”
“Well, since I’ve already sworn my allegiance to the sanctity of marriage to Vivian and Rose, I’ll spare repeating myself. Unless you actually want me to say it again?”
The little frown between Dee’s eyebrows and the quirking of her mouth were the only indication she was contemplating her response. Her pulse picked up, surprising EJ as she realized she was anxiously waiting for her response. Dee searched her eyes as if judging if she could trust her or not. It felt like an eternity but EJ knew it was only a few seconds before Dee answered.
“No.”
“Do you believe me?” EJ leaned forward in her chair.
“Does it matter if I believe you?” she asked, turning the tables on EJ. “I mean, we’re here on this boat, soon to be far away from our lives back home. I don’t know anything about you and you don’t know anything about me. We can share our life stories or we can just enjoy each other.”
“And when we return to Ft. Lauderdale?” EJ asked, sipping her drink.
“You go your way and I go mine. More than likely we’ll never see each other again. We play by those rules and there’s no harm, no foul.”
EJ sat back in her chair, relief flooding through her. “So, let me see if I get this straight,” she said slowly. “If I understand what you’re saying we have a wild and torrid cruise affair, and when it’s over, it’s over? Did I get that right?”
Dee chuckled. “I don’t think I ever said anything about wild and torrid.”
EJ’s eyes never left Dee’s. “You underestimate yourself, Dee. It will be wild and torrid. If you’re looking for wine and romance I can do that too,” EJ paused, “but remember that we have only twenty more days.”
“Other than the first night, you were with me most of the time so I guess you didn’t exactly follow doctor’s orders, did you?” Dana said sarcastically, pulling Emery’s thoughts back to the topic.
She dropped her knife on her plate, the clanging causing several heads to turn in their direction. Shit, why did she have to go there? “Ms. Worthington, I know we’re in a difficult place here,” Emery said in lieu of answering Dana’s question. “I mean—”
“I know what you mean, EJ…uhh, Emery. And the Ms. Worthington thing. Don’t you think we’re a bit past the formalities here?”
“Look.” Emery put her piece of bread on the side plate and the knife down so she didn’t drop it again. “You’re a candidate for a job. You’re more than qualified, you passed the gauntlet that Jack and his gang of interviewers put in front of you, and here we are sitting across the lunch table together. If I hire you it’s because I slept with you. If I don’t it’s because you slept with me. Either way we’re stuck between shit and Shinola, as my dad would say.”
“You’ve already said that. Not in so many words but you did.” Dana sat back in her chair, her hands in her lap. “But let’s get a few things straight before we go any further. First,” she held up her index finger for emphasis, “I had no idea who you were when you approached me on the ship, and by your reaction when you saw me the other day you had no idea who I was either. So that takes care of any ulterior motive. Second,” she ticked off the next finger, “you said it yourself—I am the best person for this job and you know it. Third, who’s going to tell? Fourth, let me worry about my reputation, and as for yours, refer to number three. And finally, I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize Martin Engineering or any company, for that matter. I’m not built that way.”
Dana’s pulse raced as Emery’s eyes traveled across her chest before quickly moving back to her face. “And speaking of fucked and screwed,” she said, clearly on a roll, “that’s what we did. There was very little sleeping together. We were two grown women, unattached and attracted to each other. We had a vacation fling. So what? Big deal. Vacation’s over, therefore our fling is over. Isn’t that what we agreed to?”
Dee was intrigued with their conversation. They were maneuvering around each other like two fighters sizing each other up, each waiting for the other to make a move. Actually, no one had ever captured her attention as much as EJ had in the last few hours. She was mysterious without being scary, charming without being sappy, witty without being obnoxious, and, most important, she made her laugh. She had to work hard to keep up with EJ’s quick brain. But what had really captured Dee’s attention was the way her body responded.
When she had first seen EJ looking at her at dinner, she felt as if a bolt of lightning had cracked overhead. A buzz had coursed through her limbs and settled in her groin. A beautiful woman didn’t normally arouse her immediately, but something about EJ set her body simmering.
EJ’s long, slender fingers were lightly drumming the table. She appeared to be outwardly calm, but the rhythmic movement gave her the impression EJ wasn’t as unruffled as she appeared to be.
Was she proposing a wild and torrid cruise affair with this perfect stranger? Correction, perfect, thrilling stranger. Her heart was stuck in her constricted throat. EJ was promising something Dee instinctively knew she could deliver. And she wanted it.
*
“So, if I understand you correctly,” Dee said, turning EJ’s last statement around, “I can have either romance or, how did you say it, a wild and torrid cruise affair?” Both sounded fascinating to her. EJ looked at her and Dee saw a twinkle of mischief in her dark eyes.
“I wouldn’t say it’s one or the other,” EJ said calmly. “If you want romance first I can do that, but it shortens the amount of time for the wild-and-torrid part. But if you want wild and torrid,” this time when she paused, Dee’s heart raced and her nipples tightened, “I’m game.”
“Are you always this easy?” Dee asked, trying to lighten the tension in the air around them.
“It depends on the situation.”
“Why are you on this cruise? No,” Dee said, “why are you on this cruise a
lone? Someone as devilishly handsome and charming as you could have had dozens of women who would be more than willing to come. No pun intended,” Dee added, feeling herself blush at the innuendo. She watched EJ think about her answer to the question.
“I’m here to rest.”
Dee practically choked on her drink. “And wild and torrid is your idea of rest? How do I get an appointment with that doctor?”
“There are many different kinds of rest,” EJ answered smoothly, slipping off her own shoes. She lifted her feet and placed them next to Dee’s on the adjacent chair.
“That’s a convenient definition. Maybe you should bring me a doctor’s release for ‘wild and torrid.’ I don’t want to be responsible for causing you to have a stroke or something,” she said, teasing. But the look in EJ’s eye told her she had hit a nerve.
“What’s on your itinerary for tomorrow when we dock in the Bahamas?” she asked, trying to regain her bearings and erase the seriousness that flickered over EJ’s face.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? We can choose from more than a dozen things to do on shore tomorrow and you’re doing nothing?” The ship docked in Half Moon Cay at eight in the morning, and passengers could arrange anything from guided tours to water sports to a self-guided shopping expedition simply by stopping by the concierge desk.
EJ repeated, “Nope, nothing. I thought I’d just play it by ear and see what came up.”
“Well, I have a full day planned but I do need to eat. How about breakfast on the Lido deck? Say eight thirty?”
“Eight thirty? Up, dressed, and ready for breakfast at eight thirty? I thought this was supposed to be a vacation.”
The interest in EJ’s eyes told Dee she was teasing so she didn’t answer.
“Is that the romance part, a prelude to the wild and torrid, or a polite brush-off? I can be a little dense at times with this sort of thing.” EJ was apparently joking.
Dee put on her shoes. “Ms. Connor, I doubt you miss a thing.” She stood and didn’t answer the question. “Walk me to my room?”
