Just One Look (Launching Love Book 1)

by Deb Julienne

  At the knock at the door, Diana excused herself to let room service bring the cart in.

  To his pleasant surprise after tipping the waiter, she pushed the cart over to the edge of the couch. She then disappeared behind a closed door and came back with what he assumed was the bedspread from her bed draped in her arms. In the middle of the room, she shook it and spread it out across the floor.

  Once in place, she turned to the cart and pulled a bottle of Dom Perignon from a silver ice bucket and handed it to J.J.

  After he had accepted the bottle, she reached for two crystal champagne glasses.

  Turning away from her, he popped the cork. Unfortunately, the bottle must have gotten shaken up in the elevator because it shot across the room with a whoosh and icy bubbles sprayed from the bottle directly on the front of her lovely gown. She squealed like a child who'd been squirted with a garden hose during a summer water fight.

  Expecting anger, he was stunned to hear her laugh out loud.

  “I see, so you want to play it like that, do you?”

  She turned and picked up a mini cream puff, and then shoved it into his mouth, none too gently. Too stunned to move, he stood there, whipped cream sliding down both sides of his chin.

  “Oh-ho, so the lady wants to play dirty, does she?” He reached around her toward the cart and came back with a mini chocolate éclair, only to return the favor. The difference was that after he had smeared just enough chocolate around her mouth to get even, he pinned her in his arms and proceeded to lick and kiss the frosting from her luscious lips, working his way around to her neck.

  Locked in the other’s arms, they lowered themselves until they were kneeling face-to-face before the open French doors. J.J.’s dream woman unbuttoned his shirt one painful button at a time. When she finished, he reached for the thin straps of her dress, lowering it to expose her creamy breasts.

  His index finger traced the beautiful butterfly atop the mound of her right breast. “Magnificent.” The colorful tattoo was the perfect image of her—bright, colorful, flitting around him like a bee to a fragrant blossom.

  Lowering his head, he suckled her, lavishing all his attention on her glorious twin peaks.

  A moan escaped her mouth. She arched her back giving him greater access to his conquest.

  His tongue teased, tasted, and tempted all that stood before him. His hands slid the rest of the gown down over the woman’s curvaceous hips. He stopped dead in his tracks when he realized she wasn’t wearing any panties. Good thing he didn't know that when they were dancing or he'd have never made it to the room.

  He gazed down her body. She was far more delectable than any of the desserts she’d ordered. While he gloried in her body, she reached and tugged down his pants down off his hips, stumbling to get the tight pants over a very excited part of his anatomy. No doubt about it, this woman made him hotter than a randy bull out to mate with an entire herd of cows in one night.

  “Umm—” She stood suddenly, her dress slipping from her knees, pooling on the floor leaving her with nothing but a smile. She left the room, only to return moments later holding out several foil packets letting him know she wasn't going to leave them unprotected.

  The funny thing was that when she returned, he too was holding up a packet. Again, they were thinking along the same lines.

  “Can't be too careful, now can we?”

  While J.J. took care of his responsibility, his goddess freshened up their drinks and filled a small plate with a few of the decadent treats she'd ordered. When she turned to place the plate on the bedspread, he marveled at her heart-shaped derriere.

  Back on her knees before him, she brought a dollop of whipped cream on her finger wiping it across his chest. Nothing in his wildest dreams could have visualized her leaning over, licking it from his now erect nipples. He sucked in a breath, holding it for what seems like hours but couldn't have been more than seconds. His chest tightened, and his stomach tensed as he watched.

  When she was done, he lowered her to the floor. He tried to remove her mask, but she stopped him.

  “Can't we keep this a fantasy?”

  “Who am I to argue?”

  Masks in place, lying on his side, with a leg looped over both of hers, J.J. held her hostage for his own benefit. He stuck his finger into his champagne glass purposely dipping his finger into the bubbly then let the droplets fall onto her puckered breasts, lavishing his attentions back where they had started.

  Before the open doors, J.J. made love to her slowly and deliberately, wanting this evening to forever be embedded in his memory and leaving her with an equally illicit recollection. Who knew if they’d ever see one another again, but he planned on making it the most memorable night for both of them.

  Hours later, feverishly spent, they lay cuddling, not wanting to break the spell.

  As J.J.’s body slowly came back to life, Diana straddled his hips. He didn't have long to wait to see what she was up to. Reaching for a small bowl of Chocolate Mousse, nearly sticking her breast in his mouth during her stretch, she proceeded to spoon the dessert all over his chest. She then began to lick it off.

  The woman is insatiable.

  His chest constricted and his eyes closed as he let the ecstasy of what she was doing to his senses take complete control.

  Then, just as he was getting so into his intense feelings, she shocked the hell out of him when she plopped a strawberry into her mouth, dribbling its juices onto his chest which she promptly licked off.

  In turn, he kept her straddling his lap while he reached for an ice cube. He traced the darkened areas of her breasts, eliciting the sexiest moans, arching toward him. He loved the feeling of her shivering uncontrollably on his lap.

  “Cold?”

  “Deliciously so. Don't stop.”

  “How about we move this into the bathroom? I bet you have one hell of a bathtub in there.”

  “You know it. It's one of those wonderful Jacuzzi tubs.”

  He saw the gleam in her eyes.

  “Can you handle a bubble bath?”

  “Lady, I can handle anything you throw at me. But what about the masks?” he asked.

  She gave him a lecherous grin before she flipped off the lights adding, “I just bet you can.” Then taking him by the hand, she tugged him into the bathroom.

  J.J. removed his mask and left it on the counter then used a washcloth to wipe down his sticky chest, while she drew their bath adding bubbles and fragrance from her collection on the bathroom counter. He inhaled the scent dominating the room. Tropical and fruity smells filled the bathroom as he let his mind have free rein to imagine what they'd do in the tub. The darkness added to his fantasy.

  Their time in the bath, splashing bubbles and sudsy water sloshing around the rim, didn’t last long enough. When the last of the bubbles died down, she flicked the button starting the Jacuzzi into action. After that, she mounted him again taking the lead in this session of bubble play.

  Afterward, they rinsed in the shower, then lingered in the bathroom, still not sated from kissing or touching. Dripping wet, Diana drew J.J. into her bedroom where the sheets were folded back as if ready and waiting for the next round.

  Cuddling in the bed with water dripping from them onto the sheets left them damp but comfortable. J.J. dozed with his goddess in his arms. He didn't know how long they slept, but it couldn't have been too long because parts of his body were still wet. He awakened to her hand around a very excited part of his anatomy. At this rate, he’d be dead by morning, but what a way to go!

  His delicious temptress took the lead, but J.J. rolled her over, beginning what might prove to be the very last time they'd share this kind of intimacy. He’d never experienced it before, had no idea it even existed.

  J.J. dressed as quietly as he could. Opening the drawer to the desk, he withdrew a sheet of paper compelled to leave her a note of some sort.

  Dearest Diana,

  Last night was by far the most “exotic and erotic” evening I've eve
r spent, pun intended. And to think neither of us wanted to attend. With luck, may we someday cross paths again. If not, thank you for the most wonderful evening of my life.

  Your servant,

  Phantom

  Propping the note against the pillow he used, he took one last glance at the woman who had ruined him for any other woman in the future. Instead, he left his mask on his pillow. They would meet again.

  Quietly he slipped from the room, exiting his short-lived heaven on earth. Outside the door, he traced the room number. S123 would forever be etched in his mind.

  He made his way back to his room. Opening the balcony doors, he then collapsed on his bed where he expected to fall into a deep sleep, but the tropical ocean air and the splash of waves against the side of the ship only reminded him what he’d left behind in Diana’s room.

  Everything.

  Chapter Ten

  After the glorious night she’d spent in the arms of her phantom lover, her trip had reached its pinnacle. Scrutinizing every male passenger in search of the man that left an indelible impression, she couldn’t get her mind off him, to the point that she had even pressed the rose he gave her, which was totally out of character for her.

  Even the afternoon entertainment of watching old movies in the theater did nothing for her. It was time to get back on track. The next five days were about the job, which was equally important in a different way.

  The only excursion Diana wanted to participate in at their port of call, Mahahual, was to swim with the dolphins. This was just for her.

  She had a list of excursions to participate in and would be reviewing most of them to determine if they lived up to the hype. And while the individual trips had nothing to do with the cruise, she wanted to be sure they were offering the right ones. But this excursion had special significance. She scheduled it for the little girl who never got to experience her childhood dreams.

  Growing up, she’d never been allowed to have pets. Nothing that could mess up her mother’s perfectly showcased decor, leave hair on the furniture, or interfere with the endless bouquets of flowers placed around the house.

  The only thing she’d been allowed was an aquarium. She was enamored by fish, but she had a special affinity for dolphins.

  She privately booked a trip to Costa Maya’s Aquatic Bay on the coast of the Caribbean.

  When her mother was alive, Olivia Tolliver spent most of her time gallivanting across the continents to avoid her husband and spend his money. As such, Diana had occasionally been permitted to join her mother. She’d seen the wonders of the world, all the finer things in life, but never things that had truly appealed to her as a child.

  Her mother was all about culture, or at least the perceptions she wanted people to believe.

  Diana had culture oozing from her pores. What she didn’t have were precious memories of being a child. There were no magical family holiday pictures. No family portraits, nothing. If she’d been allowed to follow her dreams, she’d have pursued a career as a Marine Biologist training dolphins.

  But no, that wasn’t good enough for the daughter of Grayson and Olivia Tolliver. The saddest single point of contention she ever had to admit was that she’d never be the debutant her mother wanted her to be, nor would she ever be good enough to take over for her father.

  This was her last-ditch effort to prove to her father that she could handle the V.P. of Marketing position he was currently trying to fill. She’d come back from this trip with a very definitive report on the purchase, and at the same time, she was putting together a marketing plan that would blow her father’s mind. It would be so precise and spectacular that when she interviewed for the post in a few weeks, he’d be forced to admit she was the most capable person for the position.

  She was determined to provide details on what would appeal to every age group that went on a cruise.

  Diana missed Manda and Hunter at breakfast, so she went ashore on her own.

  After paying her fee, she got in line with the rest of the tourists anxious to be one with the dolphins.

  She brought her camera and took dozens of pictures of others as they interacted with the mammals.

  Their docent, Eduardo, was dressed in board shorts and a life jacket. He showed them how to appropriately wear the gear, and gave a brief talk. His accent was almost as sexy as he was. “Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals and are part of the family of toothed whales that include orcas and pilot whales. They are carnivores, eating mostly fish and squid. Their coloration varies, but they are generally gray in color with darker backs than the rest of their bodies.” He reached into the water and flapped his hand back and forth.

  Two dolphins flew out of the water, did a flip, and splashed the crowd.

  “As you can see, dolphins are agile and playful creatures. As such, their behavior makes them a favorite of the aquatic species.” He gestured in a circle then up.

  The dolphins raced in a circle and did a flip in the air. “Beatrice and Sebastian, can you say hello?”

  The dolphins began to “walk” backward, flapping their fins waving to the group while they clicked and whistled a greeting.

  Eduardo encouraged everyone into the water. “Dolphins live in social groups of five to several hundred. They use echolocation to find prey and often hunt together by surrounding a school of fish, trapping them, and taking turns swimming through the school and catching fish. Dolphins will also follow seabirds, whales, and fishing boats to feed opportunistically on the fish they scare up or discard.”

  When it was her turn, Diana slowly put her hand out. Sebastian, the smaller of the two, swam closer, and she ran her hand over his body. Sebastian’s skin was smooth and rubbery.

  “Physical contact between dolphins is an important part of communication between them. Dolphins will regularly touch each other’s tail flukes, pectoral fins, and other regions.”

  She was two for two, a memorable evening with her fantasy man and now living her childhood dream.

  Sebastian nodded and clicked.

  Eduardo stepped in beside her. “He’s taken a fancy to you. Sebastian wants to give you a kiss. I must say he has excellent taste in women. Go ahead, give him your cheek.”

  She did, and the dolphin pecked her cheek. Diana couldn’t stop herself and hugged the mammal. Tears filled her eyes. If only she’d been able to pursue her dream.

  Sebastian continued to flirt and play with her, ignoring the orders and further directions from Eduardo.

  What a special day. Her interaction with Sebastian was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, something she’d never forget.

  When her time was up, she asked Eduardo to join her for lunch. They spent two hours together as Diana picked his brain on what the perfect cruise experience was. What he’d seen and heard from the tourists.

  When she was done, she made her way back to the ship to create that part of her presentation. She planned to chronicle her trip and give her father an interview he’d never forget.

  She ran into J.J. as she boarded the ship. “Did you enjoy yourself?” she asked.

  J.J. had a feral expression on his face. “Oh yeah—loads of fun. I worked on a presentation for a job interview coming up. I’ve been talking to myself all day long, and I’m bored with my own company.”

  Diana didn’t know whether to laugh or apologize.

  “I had hoped to spend the day with you. It would have been much more pleasurable if I had,” he stated emphatically.

  “Me? Why ever would you want to do that?” She didn’t understand. “I had a few errands to run. Would you like to join me for dinner?” she offered.

  He gave her a rather odd look then responded, “You’re on.”

  “I have a ship-to-shore call to make. I’ll meet you at the purser’s desk in an hour?”

  “See you then.”

  Diana made her way to the purser’s desk to schedule a call to her father.

  If she hurried, there’d be just enough time for a quick shower before her
call was ready to be put through.

  Then she’d have a nice evening with J.J.

  If she were lucky, she’d recognize the Phantom and have another glorious night of guilty pleasure.

  There was nothing she wanted more than to find her fantasy man and dance the night away.

  She was in such a great mood, even her father couldn’t ruin it today.

  Chapter Eleven

  J.J. was dressed and waiting at the purser’s desk at the appointed time. He wasn’t sure if he was glad or insulted that Diana hadn’t figured out he was the Phantom.

  She was on the phone laughing, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying. The call must be important if she was ready to spend that kind of money.

  Curiosity got the better of him, and he moved a bit closer; she waved to him and put up a finger to indicate she’d be done soon.

  His day had been ruined when he wasn’t able to find Diana and spend it with her. He’d been in his room all day. If only he’d found Diana first. Anything was better than what he’d did.

  “—that’s fine. I love you too! See you soon.”

  J.J.’s stomach sunk. Who was she talking to?

  Hunter and Manda strolled by.

  Diana waved. There was a beautiful blush on her cheeks as if she’d spent time in the sun. Or had she been with someone else? No, not after the passionate night they’d spent together.

  Hunter waved as he and Manda headed for the dining room.

  J.J. waved them over. He had to know if she was in a relationship.

  As the couple approached, Hunter gestured, “I love you man, but I’m eating with Manda, alone. Find your own date. Speaking of, where’s Diana?”

  “She’s making a ship-to-shore call. But that’s what I wanted to know. Is she involved with someone?” J.J. looked from Hunter to Manda.

  Diana joined them, making it impossible for Hunter to respond.

  Hunter said, “Good luck.” He shook his head in response, then he and Manda made their way to the Blanc Dining Room requesting a cozy table for two.