Bill grunted his answer. “Leave her alone.”
Since she normally trusted Bill’s instincts and advice, Trudy pushed the older woman from her mind and turned her attention toward the boss lady who sat in the seat beside the captain.
No doubt working her magic to convince him to return to the firm.
Trudy looked down at the chessboard and frowned.
If she was in charge of this operation, she’d already have a game plan worked out and in motion. Mostly because she liked to organize things in her head before she implemented anything new.
But she knew Bill. Playtime and relaxation were uppermost in his mind, while work was a distant third…or seventh or eleventh.
Maybe now would be a good time to ask him about his marriage. She’d never quite understood what had happened between him and his ex. At the office, they’d always worked in perfect unison…until one day they hadn’t.
She tapped one fingernail against her front teeth. “Bill? I have a question for you, but I’m not exactly sure how to word it.”
He grunted. “Don’t hurt your brain thinking too much, babe. We’re on vacation, remember?”
Trudy swallowed a heavy sigh. Sometimes—no, make that usually—he was an ass. Why was she with him again?
She saw Marla peer at them over the top of her sunglasses. Trudy waved and hoped their conversation wasn’t carrying to the boss lady. Bill had called her babe so many times—
“By the way, babe, your tits look good in that top.”
She gritted her teeth and jerked her attention back to him, ready to remind him once again to pay attention to how he talked to her. Instead, she saw that he’d completed his move and sure enough, was now ogling her chest like a thirteen year old boy faced with his first set of breasts. With a sigh, she glanced at the board, calculated the best move to distract him from sex—which seemed to be his most frequent thought—and moved one of the tinier pieces forward one space. “Check.”
Bill’s gaze dropped—and so did his jaw—off her chest and back to the board. “Are you sure this is your first time playing chess?”
She ground her teeth together, hating when he called her a liar. “Of course I’m sure.”
He squinted at her, radiating suspicion like he usually radiated sex appeal. “You’re lying to me. Where did you learn to play?”
As she watched him check out the board for a safe spot to move his king, she threw all caution to the wind and grinned at the top of his head. “From you. Right now. Today. I told you I’d never played before.”
He paused from his study of the board only long enough to give her the look before turning his attention back to the game. “What else have you played? Poker?”
“Nuh uh. Just Go Fish and Hearts. I like Hearts. I love being dealt the Queen of spades and passing her off to someone else.”
“Good to know.” He moved his King out of reach of her little white piece and Trudy studied the board.
She reached for the pointy piece which was supposed to represent a minister or monk or something to do with the church, and slid it across the board straight toward the black Queen. “Anyway, back to my question. I’m curious why you and Ms. Blackhorne di—”
In her peripheral vision, she saw Bill shift on his chair, and then the board and the chess pieces tumbled off the table and scattered onto the deck.
Bill lunged to grab the pieces before they rolled overboard. “Did you do that on purpose?”
Lips pressed together for fear she’d say something she’d regret later, Trudy got down on her hands and knees and gathered up the pieces.
“Well,” Bill said and the wealth of patience in his voice nearly destroyed her own. “We’ll just have to start a new game. Maybe you’ll have some more of that beginner’s luck.”
Trudy gathered up the last of the pieces in her vicinity and knee-walked the short distance back to the table to pack the pieces into the box. She felt an uncomfortable tug on her shoulder blade, a result of too little breast support and too much breast.
That ten thousand dollar bonus would totally change her life. She’d probably attract a different sort of guy, one who would recognize her intelligence and want her for her brains instead of her boobs.
Although truthfully, she’d miss Bill.
“You look really hot, babe, especially in that kneeling position. It’s just right for—”
He caught her by the chin and angled her face just so, and everything she’d been holding back—every yes Bill, maybe Bill, whatever you want Bill that she’d uttered in the last seven months they’d been seeing each other in secret—rushed to the forefront of her brain.
“—you know,” he said, and with a quick glance toward the other occupants on deck, lowered his voice. “That thing I really like.”
Despite the fact that she was grinding her molars together so hard she was worried about lock jaw, Trudy hissed, “Think it one more time and I’ll bite it off, big boy.”
He released her chin and stepped back so quickly, for a split second she worried that he was going to lose his balance and go backward over the railing into the ocean. But the Bill she knew, Mr. Smooth and Slick and Steady, caught his balance, and she forced herself to take a deep calming breath and turn back to the table to finish putting away the chess pieces.
She could feel his gaze bore into the back of her head, picture the scowl he pulled out whenever he was annoyed with her, and despite her anger, her heart did a strange little panicked pitter-patter in her chest. But instead of allowing the panic to overwhelm her, she calmly packed away the chess pieces, closed the box, and as she gained her feet, tucked it into the crook of her arm.
And then with a strangle-hold control over her emotions, she faced Bill.
He looked angry and upset, and she knew if she didn’t do something—say something—she could spend the rest of the three day cruise alone. And when they returned home, it would be even lonelier without his company and she didn’t even want to think about it.
She was such a wuss. More afraid of being alone than anything else.
With a scuff of her bare toe against the deck, she tried to pull out the apologetic and young and dumb look, all those things Bill seemed to like best about her. Which made her nearly gag on her apology. “I’m sorry, Bill.”
He angled his head to look down his long hawkish nose at her. “I don’t like to be threatened, Trudy.”
Her bottom lip quivered and she swallowed the tears before they could escape. “Of course not. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Whatever it is, I don’t want to see that side of you again.”
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and peered up at him, careful to keep the rising anger out of her expression and her voice. “It’s probably the ocean air.”
After a moment of hesitation, Bill physically relaxed. She saw it in the ease of his shoulders, the unsquinting of his eyes, and how his attention focused on the helm of the yacht and the captain.
“We should discuss our plan.”
Like a parrot, she repeated, “Plan?”
“Yeah. The one where you’re going to be extra friendly to Reed.”
Trudy shifted the game box into one arm. “What do you mean extra friendly?”
“Nothing too obvious. Laugh at his stupid jokes. Smile as though he has your complete attention. Maybe clasp his arm to your chest and rub it between your—”
Trudy closed the distance between them, grabbed Bill’s arm, and pressed up against him. “You mean, like this?”
He glanced down at her chest, waggled his brows, and grinned. “Exactly.”
Be her breasts.
Disgusted, Trudy pushed away from him and moved to stand near the railing.
As God was her witness, if they won—no, when they won and she got her share of the money—she was going for that breast reduction. Then maybe someone would take her seriously. Or better yet, maybe someone would notice her face before they looked at her chest.
“Why
are you pouting?”
She blinked, brought his face back into focus, and tried to look a little perkier. “I’m not.”
“Good, because you have work to do. Marla’s no slouch in the win-at-all-costs department. Look at her. She’s already working on some angle that’ll blindside us both.” He frowned. “And I just remembered that when we were kids, Reed had a soft spot for her.”
“He did?” Trudy filed that info away for future use and watched Bill hook his thumb over his shoulder.
“While you figure out how you’re going to stop her, I’ll keep Paul company.” His mouth turned down in a dour frown. “I feel like I need some space right now anyway.”
Oh no, there it was. The start to three days of invisibility. She squeezed the chess board to her chest, saw his eyes drop to her cleavage, so squeezed a little bit harder which gave her even more cleavage for him to ogle.
As if she needed more. Snort.
Trudy hid her irritation behind a warm smile and leaned forward to scratch her knee, a movement which she knew caused her breasts to practically pop out of her bikini top. It would be enough to distract him from his anger and give him something else to think about so maybe he wouldn’t think about dumping her. With any luck, he’d forget about her beating the pants off him and her threat.
She straightened and saw his eyes had glazed over.
Okay, now she could breathe a little easier because he wouldn’t totally ignore her for the next three days. Maybe just the next three hours, until he figured he’d punished her enough.
She was such a baby. Such a wuss when it came to being alone.
She nodded toward the lounger a short distance away. “When you’re ready to talk to me again, I’ll just be over there suntanning. And—uh—thinking. Planning.”
“Ummm, yeah sure.”
Chess board still clasped to her chest, she headed across the deck toward Marla’s mom. As she plunked down onto the lounge chair next to her, Bill grabbed her by the upper arm and tugged her to her feet.
“I have an idea,” he hissed. “Follow my lead.”
As Trudy took a step to follow him, Mrs. Blackhorne whispered, “Bill hates to lose almost as much as he hated being married.”
Trudy froze.
Bill hated being married?
Besides the breast reduction and gaining respect on the job, having someone to share the rest of her life with was all she’d ever wanted.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Reed glanced at the churning clouds on the eastern horizon and adjusted their course. With the panties still dangling from his fingers, he turned back to the woman beside him.
Marla had tugged off her sunglasses, tilted her face up to the sun, closed her eyes, and appeared relaxed and agreeable.
Something had happened during that meeting in the galley, something that had caused her to change from the prissy, uptight shrew who’d clung to her computer like a lifeline, to this friendly, easy-going woman who made him want to get to know her better.
He didn’t believe the act for a second, but he was intrigued enough to play along. “So how serious is your mom about matching us up?”
A smile ghosted her mouth and when she glanced at him, the lush brown of her eyes sparkled with mirth. “Serious enough that if you pretend to be interested in me, she’ll leave us alone because she thinks we’re doing…you know.”
He laughed at her naughty wink. “One down, one to go. What about my mom?”
She turned her gaze back to the ocean, her brow furrowed as she gnawed on her bottom lip. It made him want to tug her onto his lap and save that lip with a kiss. When she finally faced him, the impact of her serious mocha eyes sucker-punched him.
“We could steal Bill’s condoms and let our moms think we’re putting them to good use. Maybe they’ll stop fighting long enough to start planning our wedding.”
“Wedding?” he choked out on a cough, and her serious gaze lit with wry humor.
“Not a real wedding, silly man. Just something to redirect their attention. We could cozy up, drop a few hints, and let them believe we’re planning our future. Then when we return to Serendipity Island, we’ll have a fight and break up.”
As the tension eased out of his shoulders, he nodded. “You’re pretty good at this manipulation stuff.”
She leaned forward and he caught a whiff of the barest hint of perfume and shampoo. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve had lots of practice at the office. Your dad likes old school accounting practices. You cannot believe the lengths I had to go to in order to get our first computer in the office.” Reed followed her glance over her shoulder, saw his dad staring at them from below his bushy brows. Then she waved Paul’s way and turned back. “And now look. He’s all laptop and cell phone friendly. Isn’t that sweet?”
Reed had never seen anything sweet about the hard old man, but he realized that she was right. “Since you’re so good at this, can you come up with a plan to get Dad off my back for the next three days? Just name your price.”
The smile in her eyes turned opaque, once again warning him that there was something more to her friendliness than a united goal to distract their mom’s.
Her gaze slid to the panties in his hand and she held out her hand. “Give me the panties and I’ll help you.”
“That’s all you want?” A movement out the corner of his eye caught his attention and he saw Bill headed their way, while Trudy shadowed him at a reluctant pace. “Ex alert.”
“Great,” she muttered as she eyed the thong and lowered her hand to her lap. “I’ve changed my mind. You keep the panties. I’d rather you make Bill walk the plank.”
“Feed him to the sharks?” When she nodded with a hopeful grin, he couldn’t help it, he laughed.
Which seemed to annoy the man approaching them. If Reed didn’t know better, he’d swear Bill was upset that Marla was talking with him.
Did his cousin want his ex-wife back? Was he hoping to keep her on a string in case his relationship with Trudy went sour?
As Bill reached them, he snatched the red panties from Reed’s hand, and glanced between Reed and Marla with that smug, arrogant grin that Reed had always hated. “Do you think these belong to Marla? I was married to this woman for five years. I can assure you she’s more of a white cotton granny panty kind of woman.”
Reed forced himself to keep his hands on the wheel instead of grabbing the panties back, and maybe plowing his fist into his cousin’s smirk. “People have been telling me that all morning.”
Bill handed the material to the young woman at his side. “Did you lose your thong?”
With two fingers, Trudy took the panties, held them up to examine them, then reached across Bill and handed them back to Reed. “These aren’t mine and I doubt they’d belong to Mrs. Readner or Mrs. Blackhorne. Definitely too small. Maybe they’re left over from a previous passenger?”
“Yeah, that’s it, I’m sure,” Marla said. Her face looked frozen in place, and she’d gone all stiff and prissy again. “Like Bill says, I’m all granny pants and white cotton. Nothing fancy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need some fresh air.”
She slid off the chair, scooted past Reed, pushed past Bill and Trudy, and headed across the deck, stopping only once to grab a bottle of champagne from behind the bar before she disappeared below deck.
Between the moment she’d joined him, and the moment Bill and Trudy had appeared, she’d frozen up and retreated into the cold shell she wore so well. Casually he stuffed the thong back into his pocket to return to her later. When he turned back, he found Bill watching his every move.
Something nasty flared in the other man’s eyes. “Marla doesn’t do flings. I don’t want to see her hurt.”
Beside him, Trudy laid one hand on his arm, a warning in her voice. “Bill, calm down. It’s none of your business anymore. Let’s go. We can play another game of chess. This time I’ll let you win.”
Reed raised one brow. “Like you and Trudy could hurt her if she ever found out about
the two of you?”
Bill jerked around. “Has she been talking to you about me?”
“Or about us?” Trudy inserted, a worried frown puckering her brow as she clasped her hands together in a nervous movement. “We’ve been so careful.”
“She hasn’t figured it out yet, but if I have, it won’t take her long.”
“I encouraged Bill to tell her but he refused.” She tossed the other man a dirty look, then turned back to Reed. Something in her eyes—an intelligence he hadn’t noticed before—suggested she was a lot smarter than she let on. “What gave us away?”
He shrugged. “Could’ve been Bill’s hand on your ass.”
“No. I haven’t allowed him to touch me in public.” She sent Bill a horrified look. “Have I?”
“No, babe, I’m sure our secret is safe.”
Reed pulled the thong out of his pocket and brought it to his nose. “Maybe I’ll take her for a walk on the wild side.”
Bill snorted. “That woman doesn’t have a wild side.”
“I’ll bet I could find one.”
Bill sputtered. A red flush started in his cheeks and spread out. “You stay away from her. She’s fragile right now. Delicate, in fact.”
“This has nothing to do with whatever you three were discussing with my dad?” Reed glanced between the two of them and noted the way Trudy suddenly found a cuticle to pick at. He’d been right. Something was definitely going on. “And yet you divorced her. Accept it, Bill. You no longer have any say in what she does with her life.”
“I don’t want to see her hurt.”
“Neither do I,” Trudy piped up as she grabbed Bill by the arm and gave a tug. “Come on, Bill. Let’s leave the captain alone.”
As they walked away, he debated his options. He could toss the panties overboard and no one would miss them. His only objective on this trip was to keep everyone safe…and stay as far away from his dad as humanly possible.
But when he saw his mom confront his dad and point toward the helm, he steeled himself for another confrontation.
And he knew.
Three days of sticking like glue to Marla, despite her hidden agenda, would be far better than listening to his dad harp at him every chance he got.
Caught Between a Rock and a Hunka Man (Caught Between Romance Book 3) Page 6
