by Tina Martin
“Do me a favor,” Donovan said.
“What’s that?”
“Don’t invite any other guys to your room...this is pretty dangerous, you know. I mean, I’m a model citizen and wouldn’t do anything to cause you any bodily harm, but not all men are as chivalrous as me.”
Kamila laughed hard. “Now who sounds like cruise ship security.” She chuckled more, watching him smile. “But I get what you’re saying, and in my defense, this is completely out of character for me to do something like this.”
“I know. I can sense that much.”
Kamila took a deep, relaxing breath and asked, “What’s your son’s name?”
Donovan didn’t respond. He was still in disbelief that he was even in her room, lying next to her.
“Hey,” Kamila nudged him.
“Yeah?”
“What’s your son’s name?”
“He’s a junior. The family calls him D.J.”
“Little Donovan, Junior. Nice,” she said, groggy. Lazily.
Donovan loved her tone when she was sleepy. It was notably sexy. “Yeah. It’s funny because I was adamantly against naming him after me.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not something my father, my grandfather, or great grandfather ever did, but it’s what Teresa wanted. Now, I don’t mind it. I’m glad she convinced me to do it because I can tell D.J. that even though he’s named after me, it was his mom’s idea.”
“That’s nice.” With her eyes closed, she felt around until she found his hand and fiddled with his fingers. “So D.J.’s a good kid?”
“Ah...yeah...he’s a great kid...plays soccer and is well-behaved in school...must’ve got that from his mother’s side because I was terrible in school according to my mother.”
“I can see that,” she smirked.
“Oh really?”
“With the way you’ve been giving me a hard time these past few days, yep. Sure can.”
“Nah...I’m insidiously harmless.”
Kamila opened her eyes and looked at him. “Isn’t that a double negative?”
“Depends on who you ask.”
“I’m asking you.”
“Then, no.”
She watched him flaunt that amazing smile again. “I didn’t even know your wife and I’m glad D.J. took after her.” She laughed after she said it.
Donovan laughed too. “Anyway, back to the boy...um he’s a great kid like I said. My only gripe is he’s borderline obsessed with video games.”
“That could be a good thing.”
“How so?”
“It’s good he has the skills to know how to play them.”
“Well, yeah, but I don’t want him to grow up to be one of those video addicted teenagers who ditch school, smoke pot and eat Doritos all day.”
“Goodness, Donovan. I’m sure he will grow up to be a model citizen like his father.”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“No it’s not, but I’m too tired to think of all the nice things I’ve said to you so on that note, goodnight, Donovan.”
He squeezed her hand. “Goodnight lil’ lady.” Before long, he was falling asleep too, as if drowsy by association, ending the night with a woman he barely knew but had a fantastic day with.
~ Chapter Five~
Donovan arose before Kamila. She was still comfortably entangled in the covers, dressed in the clothes she had on the day prior. After a night of dancing and drinking, she was exhausted.
Donovan proactively ordered breakfast, had it delivered to Kamila’s room then shook her gently to wake her. He ran his index finger gently across her face and whispered her name as he tenderly kissed her temple. Her eyes unhurriedly opened.
“Good morning,” he said.
Kamila yawned. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and gave him a hard stare. “What are you doing here?”
“I spent the night, remember?”
“Um, no.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
Kamila raised her eyebrows.
Donovan grinned. “Okay, we went dancing last night, had a drink...I walked you back here and you invited me to stay.”
“I did?” Kamila asked, frowning. “That’s not something I would usually do.”
“Well, you did last night.”
She checked herself to make sure she was fully clothed.
“Nothing happened,” he said then grinned again, finding the scenario disturbingly funny. “I can’t believe you don’t remember. You only had one drink. Your alcohol tolerance must be extremely low, little girl.”
“Stop calling me a girl! I’m a grown woman, and in my defense, I don’t drink much. Plus, I was exhausted.”
Donovan tried to stop laughing at her, but this was too funny.
Kamila frowned, agitated. Mornings were rough for her as it was. “I’m glad you find this funny.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just the way you looked at me...like I was ‘bout to rob you or something...spent the whole night with me and now you’re afraid of me. But, it’s all good.” Donovan walked over to the table where their breakfast sat. “Anyway, I knew we would miss the breakfast buffet so I ordered room service.”
“Okay. Um...let me...ah...let me run to the bathroom real quick.” Kamila got up, used the bathroom, washed her hands and her face then came back in the room and sat on the couch next to Donovan. She checked him out from head to toe. He was fresh, his hair looked more defined. He smelled of fresh soap and cologne and he wore a pair of jean shorts and a plaid shirt.
“You took a shower here, too?”
“No...I went to my room for that. How’d you sleep?”
“Okay.”
“You?”
“Good.”
“Where did you sleep?”
“Next to you.”
Kamila frowned. “On the bed?”
Donovan hid a smirk. “Are you okay, Kamila, because I thought we covered this already?”
“No, you said you spent the night...didn’t say anything about sleeping in bed with me.”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t touch you. I’m a gentleman...a model citizen, remember?”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
They ate breakfast together then after they were done, Kamila said, “Well, I gotta take a shower so I can see what the day brings.”
“Okay, well, call me if you want to hang out,” he said standing.
“Will do.”
Donovan put his arms around her and squeezed. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being so persistent.”
Kamila smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“Maybe we can grab some lunch later?”
“Um...sure. Maybe...”
“Okay, just dial my room number when you’re ready.”
“All right. I’ll see you later, then.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, she called Lori.
“Um...what happened to you last night Ms. Thang?” Lori answered.
Kamila grinned. “What do you mean?”
“We were supposed to go to the Vegas show...deck three, remember?”
“Um, yeah...about that...” She walked to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror.
“What did you do, Kamila?”
“I kinda, sorta, inadvertently hung out with Donovan all night.”
“Donovan?”
“Yeah...the guy I told you about...you know, the one I showed you sitting by the window in the dining room?”
“Kamila Renee Jenkins! I’m appalled.”
“Oh calm down...nothing happened, Lori. We just hung out...talked about stuff and that was that.” Kamila stepped out of the bathroom and opened a drawer to find an outfit for the day.
“So where were you this morning? I banged on your door for like five minutes.”
“Apparently I was knocked out sleep. That’s what Donovan said anyway.”
Lori sucked in a deep bre
ath. “Kamila! You spent the night with the man?”
“He stayed over, yes, but that’s it. Why am I explaining myself to you anyway?”
“Because I’m gonna kick your butt if you do something stupid on this cruise.”
“Wait a minute...isn’t that why you invited me on this ship? To let go and get Tony out of my system.”
“Yeah. I said nothing about putting another man into your system.”
Kamila rolled her eyes.
“Anyway, are we still playing miniature golf today or are you spending the day with your new beau?”
Kamila smacked her lips. “He’s not my boyfriend, and yes, we can play golf.”
“What time?”
“Give me about an hour...I still need to shower and throw on some makeup.”
“Okay. Come to my room when you’re ready.”
“All right. Over and out.”
Kamila hung up the phone and stripped herself of her clothes, took a quick shower then dressed in a white lacey, spaghetti strap, knee-length dress and paired it with some white gladiator sandals, showing off her pedicure. After applying some foundation and a little pink lipstick, she was off to Lori’s room. She knocked on the door and Lori came out, ready to roam the ship.
“So is everything cool with you?” Lori asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“Just seems like you got something, or shall I say someone, hot and heavy on your mind...someone who has the potential to be a male swimsuit model.”
They both started laughing.
“He is fine though, ain’t he?” Kamila admitted.
“Yes, girl.”
“But he’s not looking for a relationship and neither am I. He’s going through some stuff and you know what I’m going through.”
“Yep. Now let’s put all your problems aside and play some golf.”
“Let’s.”
Lori took a swing at the golf ball on hole number one and missed it by a long shot. So did Kamila. This went on for the next three holes and then Lori took a break to wipe sweat from her forehead. Being that the golf course was on the top deck of the ship, the direct heat from the sun was enough to tire her out and give her an unwanted tan at the same time.
“Man it’s hot out here,” she said. “How many more holes we got.”
“Four.”
“Okay. We need to go grab some lunch after this.”
“Okay,” Kamila confirmed, though she knew she’d told Donovan she would have lunch with him. But she had already stood up Lori one time before and she didn’t want to do it again.
“Hey, Kamila, isn’t that your tall glass of chocolate milk standing over there looking this way?”
Kamila turned around to catch a glimpse and said, “It definitely looks like Donovan.”
“Well aren’t you gonna go over and say something?”
“No. He’s not waiting for me. He’s just a spectator.”
“You could at least wave at him.”
“Lori...”
“Wave at the man!”
Kamila looked to her left and right to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. The group behind them, waiting to play the fifth hole were all standing there, arms folded. “Lori, hush. You’re embarrassing me,” Kamila said behind clenched teeth.
“Then wave.”
Kamila waved at Donovan, watching him throw his hand up once and place it back into his front pocket. “Okay, now that you’ve embarrassed me, let’s just go to lunch. These people behind us have been waiting for like ten minutes.”
“Okay. Let’s go. It’s too hot out here anyway.”
The women took their golf clubs and headed downstairs.
~ Chapter Six ~
Later in the evening after she was well rested and in an adventurous mood again, Kamila called Donovan’s room. She was hoping they could hook up for dinner, since she went to lunch with Lori.
“Hello,” Donovan answered. His voice sounded deep and professional.
“Hey.”
“Hi, Kamila.”
Kamila smiled. “How’d you know it was me?”
“I think we’ve spent enough time together for me to recognize your voice. What’s up with you?”
“Well, ah...since I missed lunch with you, I was wondering if you wanted to meet for dinner.”
“Nah...I’m meeting someone else for dinner.”
“Oh,” Kamila said, surprised. “Um...okay. Never mind then.”
Donovan grinned. “I’m kidding. I don’t know anyone on this ship but you, baby girl.”
“Donovan...” Kamila said, all smiles. “So you want me to meet you over there?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Kamila slid on her black stilettos and checked her makeup. Then after applying a little powder foundation, she heard a few taps at the door.
“Hi,” Kamila said after she opened the door. Donovan was dressed in a pair of khakis, some brown dress shoes and a pink, button-up Polo. “Thought I was meeting you at your room?”
“Well, after ten minutes had passed, I figured I might as well come here so you don’t ditch me again.”
Kamila laughed. “I didn’t ditch you the first time, Donovan.”
“It’s all good. You look nice, by the way,” he said as he eyed her down.
“Thanks. So do you.”
They walked to the dining room, to Donovan’s assigned table and a waiter quickly showed up with the menus.
“So what’s for dinner tonight?”
Donovan picked up the menu and after scanning it for a bit, he said, “Um...looks like the main courses are fried chicken and steak.”
“Check out the appetizers...Greek salad, fruit cup and frog legs. Yuck.”
“Don’t say yuck. Let’s try it...be adventurous. That’s been your mantra this entire time. Now’s your perfect opportunity to be adventurous.”
“Nah. I’m good.”
“Come on, Kamila...”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah I’m serious. Let’s try it.”
When the waiter came back, Donovan ordered the frog legs and two glasses of wine.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
“Your adventurous spirit is rubbing off on me,” he said, then winked at her.
Kamila shook her head wordlessly. Then after taking a sip of water, she said, “So we have one more day. Are you ready to go home?”
“Yes and no. I’m ready to get back into the swing of things...see my son. But I’m definitely not ready to face my Mother.”
“She can’t be that bad.”
“She’s not. She means well, but she’s so aggravating sometimes.”
“Why?”
“She’s so in a hurry for me to move on...like she wants to pretend nothing happened...pretend I didn’t lose my wife and sweep everything under the rug.”
“Maybe she’s trying to protect you. People handle death of loved ones in different ways. And I don’t know you all that well, but who knows you more than your mother? I’m sure she’s recognized the changes in you...how your wife’s death affected you.”
The waiter came over with the fried frog legs and two glasses of wine.
“Ah...the moment of truth,” Donovan said, rubbing his hands together. He picked up a piece and told Kamila to get a piece. “We’ll take a bite at the same time. Ready...set...”
“No!” Kamila said then laughed.
“Come on, now. Let’s just do it. Ready, set...go.”
They both took a bite. Donovan chewed his like a pro, but Kamila frowned, grunted and was almost on the verge of spitting it out into a napkin but Donovan talked her through it. She followed with a huge gulp of wine.
“Okay, that was absolutely disgusting.”
“It actually wasn’t bad,” Donovan said. “It tastes like a combination of fish and chicken. I’ve had it before.”
Kamila’s mouth fell open. “You tricked me!”
>
Donovan chuckled. “I had to get you to try it one way or another.”
“Okay, well since you like this crap so much, you can have the rest of mine.” Kamila pushed her saucer over to him.
Donovan took a sip of wine.
“So when you get back home, are you going to leave that married woman alone?”
“You make it sound so horrible. I don’t pursue married women.”
“I know. You’ve explained it to me. I just want to know if you plan on pursuing her.”
“No. How can I? She’s married. She chose the man she wanted.”
With raised eyebrows, Kamila asked, “So you’re done?”
“Yeah. I’m done.”
She glared at him with a doubtful squint.
“I’m serious,” he followed up with. “I plan on starting fresh when I get back.”
“Well, good for you,” Kamila told him, but she wasn’t quite convinced he was ready to leave that woman alone. He was so hooked on her before. How could he drop every emotion he had for her after four days on a cruise?
“Hypothetically speaking, if you were me, how would you start over?” Donovan asked as the food arrived.
Kamila waited until the waiter walked away then responded, “Well, first, I would make certain that that’s what I wanted to do. Once I confirm that my mind is made up, I’ll move forward, slowly working on myself, my life, ensuring that I’m bettering myself every day and working towards my achievements. It’s like accomplishing a goal,” Kamila said, then stopped briefly to take a swallow of wine.
“How so?”
“Let’s say you set a goal to get a degree. You know that once you get this degree, you can build a better life for your family because you will, no doubt, obtain a higher paying job. You know your family is relying on you, so you would do everything in your power to reach that goal. Of course, there will be bumps along the way, but nothing in life is easy, and if it is, then it’s probably not worth your time.”
Impressed, Donovan nodded, then sliced his steak. “You are absolutely right,” he said chewing. “And I know it’s going to be hard. I know it is.”
Kamila diced her steak as well, helping herself to tiny pieces and mix veggies. “It’ll get better. And maybe someone else will come along, share their life with you and you’ll experience love again. You won’t feel the same way about this person as you felt for your wife or this other woman, but it will be something special.”
