“He’s visiting his head on the stern.” Alex had built a small, portable, waterproof rectangle that he had lined with sand and sod squares and placed on the lowest stern deck off the crew’s dining room for Saltydawg’s comfort station. Saltydawg had been traveling with them since he was a puppy, and he had shipboard protocol and the procedure down pat. He even had his own GPS chip embedded in the navy-blue rubber collar he wore. On the rare occasions that it wasn’t convenient to have a dog aboard, he was left with Alex’s mother in Miami. Con knew the dog enjoyed being spoiled by the older woman, as well as running and chasing squirrels in her large grassy yard, not to mention playing with the score of grandchildren she usually had visiting. That being the case, they never felt guilty abandoning him to Abuela Maria. There were precious few squirrels on board the ship, although Saltydawg never seemed to tire of the hunt.
“Casey reported this morning that all of the stewards and ABs are aboard.” Alex smiled. Casey Campbell was an eyeful. Con knew that both he and Alex certainly found the curvy, redheaded chief steward and purser very tempting. The fact that she was a submissive without a Master at the current time only added to her appeal.
“Excellent. We’ll have clean water and light for our illustrious passengers.” Con turned to smile at his men. Con and Alex had worked together before and had recruited all of the senior crew themselves. They had left the second-tier stewards and able-bodied seamen, or ABs, to Casey and Eddie. “Alex, has Casey scheduled all of the shore leave for the crew?”
“Yes, the rotating schedule is posted in the crew’s dining room. We won’t be short staffed before we leave. She’s apparently got it under control.”
“What about housekeeping and the galley? Are all supplies and food aboard? Has the safety officer confirmed the crew’s training status, reviewed everyone’s STCW ratings, CPR, and first aid credentials? Since this is a new crew and we don’t know everyone personally yet, I want to be sure they’ve all been checked and double checked.”
Gregory Dempsey, the safety officer and head of security, stepped onto the bridge. “Yes, sir. I’ve personally reviewed the crew’s safety and seafarer ratings and TWIC credentials. We’ve run two complete safety drills, deployed lifeboats, and checked all safety equipment including life jackets. I’ve had several security meetings with the stewards and ABs on my special security detail. As you know, the members of the special crew are all ex-military, and we’ve test fired, cleaned, and secured all weapons in the weapons locker below. Once all of the passengers are on board, Natasha and I will conduct a lifeboat and life jacket drill. All crew that are already aboard are wearing the blue rubber identification and GPS bracelets. Once all passengers are on board and have been introduced to the bracelets, no one will be able to get on or off the ship without one. They are fairly unobtrusive, and I don’t think anyone will object to wearing one once they know the reasoning behind them. We’ll be able to monitor the location of all crew and passengers once we boot up the system. We’ll go over that with everyone at the lifeboat drill.”
“Good. Everything appears to be shipshape. I’m going ashore for dinner and drinks tonight. Alex, you have the bridge. See you in the morning.”
Chapter Three
Ivorie sat at her desk checking e-mails after putting the finishing touches on her refitted office. Casey, the chief steward, had been very helpful in obtaining the desks and office furniture she needed to set up a fully functioning office at sea. She had shipped all of the computers, office equipment, and supplies to Key West from their main office in New York. It all looked very professional. Now all she had to do was keep it that way. What was that all about? Call me Drew? As infrequently as possible, thanks very much.
At thirty-seven years old, Drew Blessingame was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen, models and movie stars not excepted. He was also one of the most difficult. Talk about high maintenance. He is the definition of the term. And now she had to have dinner with him. What else was he expecting? She knew he had recently parted ways with his fiancée, Eugenia, and wasn’t that sad? Now there was a first-class bitch—that was for sure. Ivorie had had to deal with Eugenia too many times while she and Mr. Blessingame were still together to feel any sympathy for her. She had made Ivorie’s job a nightmare. She was spoiled, selfish, and demanding, and totally without a care for anyone else’s problems. Eugenia had been the direct cause of more than one stinging set down when, at her insistence, Ivorie had interrupted His Highness during an inopportune moment. Ivorie had finally toughened up and totally refused to put her calls through. The last time had resulted in Eugenia coming into the office at full steam to ream her out and burst into Blessingame’s office unannounced. She had interrupted an important meeting with some Japanese businessmen, who, to say the least, had been horrified. Ivorie wasn’t sure, but she thought that last instance had lit the fuse that resulted in their explosive breakup. She was sure she was not still on Ms. Cartwright’s Christmas card list! Ha! As though a lower level employee had ever been on it.
Ivorie finished up the few remaining office tasks, forwarded several important e-mails to Mr. Blessingame’s iPhone, and prepared to return to her cabin to rest and get ready for dinner with Drew.
Just as she was shutting down the computers, Drew stuck his head into the office and smiled at her. “Would you prefer to have dinner ashore tonight or eat on board? We’ll be at sea for a couple of days before we get to St. Bart’s.”
Her stomach did a nervous dance. Is he actually being thoughtful and considerate? Nah, not possible. “Whatever you would prefer, sir.”
“Ms. James, when I ask for your opinion or for your preference, I want it. If I don’t ask, assume that I don’t. Now, what would you prefer?”
“Aboard will be just fine, sir.” That way maybe she could find a way to cut the evening short.
“I believe I asked you to call me Drew.”
“Aboard will be just fine, Drew.” Her stomach quivered.
“Much better, Ivorie. I’ll see you at seven in the lounge. We can have a drink before dinner, maybe watch the sun go down.” He ducked back out of the doorway and closed the door behind him.
Ivorie collapsed back into her chair and took a few deep breaths. When she thought her legs would hold her, she returned to her cabin through the connecting door, changed into a pair of shorts and a halter top, and went outside. Even though her cabin was far smaller than even the smallest suites, it was still really quite large and comfortable. It boasted a cozy sitting area, a very luxurious bathroom, and its own private deck. She intended to make use of the private deck as often as possible, starting right now. She sank down onto the double lounge, stretched her legs out, and breathed a deep sigh. The sun sparkling off the turquoise blue water was stunning. She thought about what to wear that evening and decided on a simple but flattering little black silk dress and strappy heels. It wasn’t too short or overly sexy, and she surely didn’t want to give off come-hither signals to Mr. Blessingame. Her choices were limited in any event. She had tried to pack for every eventuality, but with casual and beach clothes, office clothes, and evening clothes for over three weeks, she had had to draw the line somewhere. She hoped that she would be able to carry on an intelligent conversation and keep her dinner down at the same time. Ivorie was uncertain what her duties were to encompass and what her hours would be. She certainly hoped she would not be at his beck and call twenty-four-seven. This was looking like it could turn into a nightmare.
* * * *
Drew kicked his deck shoes off and stretched out on the king-size bed in the Master Suite. He certainly wasn’t accustomed to taking an afternoon nap, but maybe today would be an exception. It would be a good way to decompress and start to enjoy the first extended vacation he had taken in a couple of years. Even though he had gotten a good portion of his wealth the old-fashioned way—he inherited it—he had worked like a demon to quadruple his net worth since the death of his parents.
His dad had been coasting for qui
te a while before the private plane that had been taking his parents to a skiing vacation in Vail crashed. The 9/11 tragedy had really taken the wind out of his Dad’s sails. Although their offices were on a lower floor in the North Tower of the World Trade Center and they had not lost any personnel, his father had never fully recovered from the tragedy. After the impact of the first plane into the North Tower, he had immediately told his employees to evacuate the building regardless of what the building security department was saying over the loudspeakers, and that proved to be a very fortunate decision. He had lost numerous friends, business associates, and acquaintances in the Twin Towers and had been a firsthand witness to the collapse. Drew had been in Japan on a business trip at the time and had been unable to get home for several days. He sometimes thought that the stress of the tragedy had been the catalyst that had started his change of attitude from twenty-five-year-old, happy-go-lucky son of a multimillionaire to hard-as-nails businessman. He had started taking over the family businesses literally as the dust had settled. Thank God all of their business records and computer files had been archived or backed-up off site. The loss of the paper records in the main office had been inconvenient, but not devastating, as the human losses in the buildings had been. But from then on a majority of the weight of the businesses had fallen on his shoulders, and he had taken the responsibility seriously. He’d felt responsible for the livelihoods of thousands of people. If the companies did not stay viable, would his employees be able to pay their mortgages? Since then, Drew had expanded their large software company, added to the real estate portfolios, and started several new businesses. He really needed this break, and he had a lot of thinking to do on this trip about where his life was going. It certainly wasn’t going down the road he had previously chosen with Eugenia. He also had several very important contracts to review and some business decisions to make.
As he started to relax, his mind began to wander—right to Ms. Ivorie James and drinks and dinner in a couple of hours. She certainly is a tasty morsel. Great ass, nice tits. I bet that blonde hair would run though my fingers like liquid silk. He had to laugh at himself. He was acting like he hadn’t seen a good-looking woman in months. Well, Eugenia had been a beautiful woman, and the sex had been outstanding, if somewhat practiced now that he thought about it. She obviously was determined to keep him satisfied in that regard. She had even agreed to a limited foray into the BDSM world that he relished. He’d enjoyed paddling her butt a few times. He laughed at that thought. Now he was glad he had done it when he had the chance. She had sure deserved it. If anyone is not submissive, it is Eugenia Cartwright. Just goes to show how far some people will go to get what they want. I must have been a grade A moron not to see through her act. I’ll sure be more careful in the future.
Chapter Four
Ivorie stepped into the lounge on the top deck and looked around. There were several very well-dressed couples enjoying predinner cocktails. Soft jazz played in the background. She knew that not all of the passengers had boarded yet, and that several more couples were expected Sunday morning.
She saw that Drew was sitting at a backgammon table with Captain Cortelis. Both men were sipping brandy from heavy crystal glasses and seemed to be engrossed in the game. Drew wore a navy-blue linen blazer casually open over a white linen shirt and trousers. He looked good enough to eat, if she liked sour grapes, she thought. The captain wore a starched white uniform with gold-and-black braid trim, and Ivorie thought he looked extremely handsome as well. His black hair and eyes offset against the stark white uniform were striking, not to mention his impressive physique.
Ivorie walked as quietly and unobtrusively as possible to a chair on the other side of the room and sat down. Maybe if she was really quiet and sat very still he wouldn’t notice she was there, and she still couldn’t be accused of being late. It seemed like a good plan until Drew looked up from the game and spotted her. He didn’t smile at her, and from the expression on his face, she had a feeling she had made a bad miscalculation. Her heart stumbled and then began to beat in double time. She felt like a doe in the headlights.
He immediately excused himself from the game saying, “Well, Con, it seems my date is here. We can finish this game another time.”
“Absolutely, Drew. I’m off to a dinner date ashore in any event. I can take your money any time, my friend.”
“That’s a little optimistic, Con. But we’ll see. Thanks for the game.”
Drew walked over to Ivorie’s chair and put his hand out to help her up. She had no choice but to take his hand or appear very rude. When her hand touched his, she felt a tingle run up her arm. She tried to jerk back, but he held on to her hand. The contact had been electric, as though she had literally been shocked. It appeared that he had felt it as well. “You should not have tried to avoid me, Ivorie. That was not very nice.” He looked so disappointed in her that she immediately felt a little bad. Now that is really ridiculous. This is Andrew Blessingame, not some normal person.
“I wasn’t trying to avoid you,” she said, but she didn’t sound convincing even to herself. She looked up into his stormy hazel eyes lit with golden specks as she rose from the chair. “I’m sorry. You’re right. You just make me nervous.”
“That’s at least honest. I’m really not trying to make you nervous. Do you think we could try this again?” He gave her one of his devastating smiles, and she found herself hard-pressed to find a reason to deny him and herself another chance.
“I guess we could.” She smiled into eyes that now sparkled. “Good evening, sir, I mean, Drew. It’s going to be hard for me to get used to calling you by your first name. But I’m going to try.”
“Good evening, Ivorie. You look lovely tonight. Would you care for a drink? Maybe an appletini or a margarita?”
“An appletini would be lovely. Thank you.” Drew turned to one of the stewards and ordered Ivorie’s drink.
He picked up his brandy and said, “You see? It’s not so hard to act like normal people. Let’s see if we can keep it up for an entire evening. What did you do this afternoon? It looks like you got some sun.” When he smiled at her like that, her stomach did a little flip.
“Yes, I spent an hour or so out on my deck. It was gorgeous. What did you do?”
“Something I absolutely never get to do. I slept for two hours.” He grinned. “Don’t tell anyone at the office.” Ivorie had to admit that when he turned on the charm, smiled his wide, sincere smile, and looked at her with a sparkle in his eye, he was damn hard to resist. It sure was a change from his normal scowl.
When the steward brought Ivorie’s appletini, Drew took her arm and guided her out onto the starboard deck off the lounge. The breeze was stiff but pleasantly warm. He helped her to a chair that was somewhat sheltered and took the seat out in the main stream of the breeze. It seemed he could be a gentleman when he wanted to make the effort. It was too bad he didn’t feel compelled to do that at the office. It would make life so much more pleasant. Okay, I have to stop thinking that way. If I don’t, it will be impossible to maintain a pleasant conversation. I can’t think about the Mr. Blessingame I know at the office and then have a normal conversation with the Drew on the ship. “I promise not to say a word. But then, with the confidentiality agreement I signed, I guess that’s not an option in any event. What’s up with that? I’ve never heard of such a thing before.”
* * * *
Drew was surprised. “You mean no one has explained what kind of cruise this is?” Oh, man. He really hadn’t thought he would have to be the one to explain BDSM to Ivorie James. And he did have to explain. There was no telling just what she might see in the hallways or while walking around on deck, even if she didn’t go into one of the theme rooms or the dungeon. Most likely no one will be walking around nude or anything out in plain sight, but you never know what could happen as inhibitions become more relaxed.
He hadn’t decided whether he was going to make an effort to seduce her or not, but judging by the zap to his s
ystem that had resulted from merely taking her hand, he had an idea what direction he was going to go with that.
He cleared his throat and took a sip of his brandy. Ivorie was certainly a beautiful young woman. Apparently she wasn’t aware of the tempting picture she made. Her conservative black cocktail dress is certainly appropriate for any occasion and doesn’t scream “take me.” Then he took another minute to gaze over the ship’s rail at the stunning pink, coral, and purple sunset getting ready to dip below the horizon. “Well, Ivorie, I might as well just jump right on in here. There is really no easy way to say this.” He took another sip to give himself a moment to order his thoughts. “This ship provides a safe and very private venue for cruises with a BDSM theme. Do you know what that is?”
“Sort of. I mean, I think I do. It has something to do with kinky sex.” She blushed. Apparently she had just realized what she had said and wasn’t very comfortable with it. She certainly couldn’t be a virgin at twenty-eight, but she didn’t give off vibes of being overly experienced either—especially in things like BDSM.
“That’s correct as far as it goes. BDSM stands for Bondage & Discipline, Dominance & Submission, and Sadomasochism. It’s sometimes referred to as the ‘lifestyle.’ It primarily includes Dominance and submission, role-playing, bondage, and things like that.” He paused to give her an opportunity to digest what he had said and ask a question if she was able to formulate one after that disclosure. He watched, fascinated, as her black silk dress slid seductively up her thigh. Maybe it just whispers “take me.”
“You’re kidding, right?” She looked absolutely shocked. Her face was bright pink, and she turned into the breeze to cool it off. She didn’t appear to be able to meet his eyes. He could tell that that was the last thing she had expected to hear.
Ivorie's Surprise [Golden Dolphin] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 2
