Sammie inwardly cringed at the idea of Molly playing matchmaker. “Honestly, someone with a good sense of humor who can take care of himself. One who’s not looking for a mama or trying to be a daddy.”
Molly nodded but remained silent.
Jenny laughed. “There’s a perfect guy out there for you, but with your personality, there’ll be growing pains. It’s your go.”
Ugh. On the first swing, Sammie somehow managed to entirely miss the ball. Five swings later, she was four inches from the hole and took a deep breath. The game was stressing her out.
She tapped the ball. Just when she thought it would drop into the hole, it rolled around the rim and came to rest on the other side. Grunting like a cavewoman, Sammie brought the club down like a stick and bashed the ball.
Molly hooted, and Jenny covered her mouth with her hand. “Samantha Finch!”
Sammie glared at Jenny. “No, you just didn’t, Jennifer.”
Jenny put her hands on her hips as the two women faced off. Molly’s eyes traveled between them.
Unable to stand it any longer, Sammie burst into a fit of laughter.
Jenny bounced on her toes in a circle. “I won! I won!”
“You two are nuts.” Molly grinned. “You’re like an immature married couple. Like me and Jeff.”
Jenny and Sammie roared.
“Sammie would definitely be the guy in that relationship,” Jenny said.
Chapter 2
“Bonjour, Dominic Dupre!” the white man in khaki shorts and a floral button-up called from across the bar.
“Bonjour, Cliff Anderson,” Dominic replied, and nodded a greeting. He chuckled as he polished the shot glass in his hand, then set it down and picked up another from the tray. “You are a brave foreigner to go out alone so late.”
Cliff waved a hand as he sat at the bar. “I always get someone to drive me. Plus, this is my favorite bar in Marigot Bay. I’m the only tourist in here.”
Dominic set his rag down and grabbed a glass for Cliff’s drink. “How much longer will you be here, eh?”
“This is the last night.” Cliff sighed. “We leave tomorrow. The wife said she’ll miss the accents.”
“Ah!” Dominic smiled. “You are the one with the accent, my friend. Besides, you have learned a little Patwa, no? You can mimic the sound. I taught you all the naughty words.”
Cliff’s shoulders shook with laughter. “It wouldn’t be the same.” He took a drink. “That’s okay. We’ll be back, and she can get her fill again. You know, you sound like a Caribbean black panther. Why is that?”
Dominic hooted and crossed his arms over his chest. “Just keeding! I’m not going to say it. I spent many years in Africa as a boy. My grandmother on my father’s side was from Kenya. My mother was from here.”
“What brought you back? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“My parents. They were in an accident.” Dominic fell silent. Most people didn’t ask those questions.
“Interesting man, you are. You probably have all the ladies after you. When did you decide to do the dreadlocks?” Cliff asked, pointing at his own head.
“Ah!” Dominic laughed. “I’ve had my locks for many years.”
Raised female voices interrupted Dominic’s friendly banter with his nosy customer.
Dominic sighed. “Here we go again. Excuse me, my friend.”
Tossing the bar rag on the counter, he readied himself for female drama, which was much worse than that of the men.
“Ladies,” he called out to two women who were in the middle of a stand-off at a small corner table. One of them obviously did not want to fight, but she couldn’t get past the other one.
“Jamette!” the curvy one with short natural hair screamed. “You knew he was my husband!” The taller woman screeched and clawed at the short one, who reached out and grabbed a handful of the woman’s hair. Dragging the tall woman’s head down, fingers clenched around the bundle of hair, the curvy woman said, “I’m going to teach you a lesson you will not soon forget!”
Dominic’s brows shot up. He ran over and inserted an arm between the two women. “Not in my bar, you don’t. No more name-calling,” he said, giving the first woman a solid glare. “Unless you have the funds to pay for all the t’ings you’re t’inking about breaking, you need to take it outside. I don’t want to deal with all the replacing and fixing.”
Undeterred by Dominic’s massive presence, the hair-puller still had the other woman in her clutches and tried to launch herself over his arm. Not used to being ignored, especially by women, Dominic braced himself. The woman was stronger than most. His muscles bulged as he worked to push the two women apart.
The second woman cried out in pain as the curvy woman was forced back. Seeing her own hair locked in the shorter woman’s fist, she put a hand to her head. Dominic thought they both looked like crazed animals. A hunter and its prey.
“I didn’t know Lonny was married!” the woman who now most assuredly had a bald spot cried. “He said he was single, and there was no ring on his hand. It should be him you’re torturing, not me.”
“She is right, you know,” Dominic said to the first woman. “You should go find him. Just don’t bring him here to beat him, please.”
Laughter rang out, and Dominic looked over his shoulder and winked at the customers who were taking in the scene.
Cliff crossed his arms over his chest. “Use your powers,” he called out.
“Funny!”
When the curvy woman lunged again, Dominic grabbed her arm to keep her from tackling the other woman.
“Let me go!” This time, the woman met his eyes. Her chest heaved and fell with her ragged breathing. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“There you go,” Dominic said in a placating tone. “Let’s calm down.”
Seeing her opportunity, the second woman grabbed her purse from the seat, stepped around Dominic and the other woman, and bolted for the door. The chime alerted the lady-warrior, who let out a tribal snarl and pushed past Dominic to run after her.
“Run fast, please,” Dominic called out to the woman who’d run, causing a ripple of applause to echo through the bar. He grinned at his patrons. “Charles!” he called to a young man playing darts with his friends. “Follow dem. Take one of your friends and follow dem. Make sure they get where they’re going safely.”
Charles’ shoulders fell, but he didn’t complain. He tapped one of his friends on the back and motioned toward the door.
“The show is over,” Dominic announced. “If you need more entertainment, I can always turn the music up, eh?”
The crowd cheered. He returned to his glass-polishing duties as Cliff raised his hand to order another.
“Are you going to get smashed tonight, my friend?” Dominic asked. “I don’t want to have to worry about your safety too.”
“No, no. Last one. I have an early morning planned, and a hangover is the last thing I need. Besides, I’m not the one you have to worry about in the smashing department.”
“Yes, yes.” Dominic shrugged. “I love St. Lucia, but, unfortunately, we have too many who do not know how to solve problems in better ways.”
“You do own a bar, though, to be fair,” Cliff said. “You’re going to draw that crowd.”
“You speak the truth,” Dominic said. “Just don’t think about breaking any of my glasses before you go home.”
“Aw! You’re ruining my vacation,” Cliff said, raising his glass. “Cheers to St. Lucia.”
Dominic grabbed an empty glass and clinked it against Cliff’s. “Cheers to my home and for safe travels as you return to yours.”
Before Cliff could take a drink, the door chimed. A woman sauntered in, hips swinging, and Dominic heard Cliff clear his throat. His own mouth went dry. The sheer skirt over the tropical romper showed off mile-long sexy legs. Trouble had never looked so good, but he knew a demon when he saw one.
Suppressing a groan, Dominic pasted a polite smile on his face as
she approached the bar. “Hello, Natasha. How are you today?” he asked.
“I’d be better if I had company for the night.”
Natasha leaned on the bar and drew an imaginary circle with her long, manicured nail. Her V-neck halter barely contained her ample cleavage, leaving little to the imagination. For Dominic, it only served as a reminder of his past misjudgments.
“I wish you luck in your endeavors,” Dominic said.
Natasha curled her index finger, motioning him closer. Why he obeyed, he didn’t know.
She whispered an offer in his ear but spoke the last word out loud—fwékanté.
Cliff bit his fist. “Oh, I know that word.”
“Natasha,” Dominic chided her, unwilling to admit he was tempted in spite of knowing the consequences. It’d been a long while since he’d enjoyed a woman’s company. But any enjoyment to be found with this she-devil would be short-lived. “Carry yourself away, Kankan.”
“It is your loss, Dominic.” She turned her attention to Cliff. “What about you, white man?”
Cliff broke into a sweat. Dominic wanted to laugh, but he didn’t dare.
“Do you need some water, friend?” Dominic asked, leaning toward Cliff. “Don’t listen to her accent.”
“No,” Cliff said, his voice weak. He stood suddenly and grabbed Dominic’s hand, then shook it wildly. “It’s been a pleasure knowing you. I’ll see you again when we return.” He turned to Natasha. “I’m married,” he said loudly. He held up his hand and pointed to his wedding ring, causing a ripple of laughter from the locals.
Natasha scoffed. “I would never tell your wife.”
The patrons roared, and Cliff bolted for the door. “Good night!” he called out, never looking back.
Dominic felt sorry for Cliff and called after him. “You’re an honorable man, my friend.”
He had to respect someone who could turn Natasha down. Too bad he hadn’t done just that the first time. Instead, he’d worshipped her beauty. She had taken advantage of that, and he’d done her bidding at the drop of a hat. Now, whenever she was without a man, she came looking. She’d already tackled most of the eligible men on the island. Single tourists usually became her victims now. After a drunken evening, they would wake to find their clothing missing, as well as their wallets.
Natasha turned away and leaned against the bar, her back completely bare to the waist. Dominic watched her scan the crowd, then leaned forward, putting his mouth next to her ear. “Not my customers,” he whispered.
Putting her cheek slyly on her shoulder, Natasha looked at Dominic from the corner of her eye. “Too bad you don’t accept my offer.”
Dominic watched as she pushed away from the bar and strode to the door, her movements enticingly slow. Part of him regretted letting her go.
Get it together, Dominic.
Chapter 3
Sammie sat at the casino bar, her fifth drink in hand. It was already the eighth day of the cruise, and she wasn’t having much fun. It wasn’t just the fact that Owen was there with Jenny, it was Jeff and Molly too. Everything involved couples. She was clearly the fifth wheel. Frankly, she’d never felt so out of place.
She’d done her best to smile at all their cute little relationship stories. Jeff and Molly had regaled them all with the tale of how they’d met in Florida when Molly’s family was on vacation. They’d had a summer full of love that had ended in tears when it was time to return home. Yada yada. Boo-hoo. There was obviously a happy ever after.
Here Sammie was, on an elite cruise, yet bored out of her mind. Not for lack of things to do, but because she either had to hang out with everyone or be alone. She never had a chance to spend time with Jenny. Even at the spa, Molly had hopped her butt up onto the middle table of three, so Sammie couldn’t even talk to Jenny then. Did Molly have to come to every damn thing? On the few occasions when Jeff and Molly had gone off together, Jenny stuck with Owen. Not once in eight days had Sammie and Jenny spent time together, just the two of them.
Snorkeling had been a group event too. Just like everything else.
Having been single her whole life, Sammie had never considered herself to be co-dependent, but that was just what she was. She and Jenny had always done everything together, but now those days were over. If only she could have brought her cousin Leslie along for company. Instead, she was alone, mourning the loss of her best friend. Nothing would ever be the same again. From now on, she’d always have to compete with everyone else for time with Jenny. To top it all off, she hadn’t met a single available bachelor. Jenny had failed her there too.
“Can I buy you a drink, beautiful?”
A man slid onto the stool next to Sammie, intruding on her pity party of one. Sammie rolled her eyes before pivoting toward the voice. The man didn’t look too shabby in his expensive suit.
“They’re included in the price of the cruise.” Sammie wiggled her wristband.
“I know,” the man chuckled. “It was just a joke.”
What the heck, she thought. At least she’d have someone to talk to. “All right, then. I’ll take a chocolate martini. And I’ll buy yours. What would you like?”
Clearly amused, the man’s shoulders shook with laughter. Then he looked Sammie over. “I’ll have a gin and tonic.”
“You got it.” Sammie slapped the counter to get the bartender’s attention, and the man crowed.
“You’ve got a lot of spirit, don’t you?” the man said.
“Damn straight.”
The young bartender, looking grouchy, came to stand in front of Sammie and her new friend. They watched him make their drinks, then drank up after he walked away.
“The bartender does, too,” Sammie said.
“Does what?” the man asked.
“Thinks I’ve got spirit. Did you see the way he just looked at me? His spirit is on the evil side right now.”
The man howled at her joke. She liked that. It made her feel good.
“What’s your name, anyway?” Sammie asked.
“Steven. What’s yours?”
“Sammie.”
“Mm. Fitting. Sexy Sammie.” He leaned toward her and inhaled. “You smell inviting. What’s that scent?”
Sammie shrugged. “I can’t remember. I definitely used soap.”
Steven laughed again. “You’re a complete joy to be around.”
“Glad someone thinks so,” Sammie muttered. “You married, Steven?”
“No, I’m not. Please say you’re not either. I’d be devastated.”
“Single as a jaybird.” Sammie slurred slightly. So what if she’d had a few drinks? No big deal. Jenny couldn’t yell at her for trying to drive, like she had in the past. There were no roads here.
“I think the phrase is ‘naked as a jaybird’,” Steven said.
His tone had changed, pulling her from her thoughts of Jenny. He was watching her, and she liked it. It was nice to have someone focused on her for once.
After two more cosmos and a mojito, Sammie began to feel overheated. Fanning herself didn’t help, so she unbuttoned the top buttons of her silk blouse. Why’d she wear silk, anyway? Oh, that’s right—she was trying to fit in with all the damn fancy people on the ship.
She undid two buttons at the bottom of her blouse and tied it at her belly button like a midriff. Steven’s eyes followed her fingers. She liked the attention, and she could see he was handsome even though his face looked blurred.
A song she loved by Bruno Mars came on, and Sammie began to sway to the music. Doing so, she lost her balance and nearly ended up on the floor, but Steven caught her.
“You rescued me,” she said, pushing her index finger playfully into his chest.
“Do you need to be rescued, princess?” he asked, his arms still around her.
“I do.” She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him for support.
“Do you need to lie down?” Steven ran a hand over her head. It felt good. Sammie nodded against his chest. “Lead the way, my
dear. I’ll be glad to tuck you in.”
Sammie didn’t need convincing. Without Steven, she wouldn’t even be able to walk.
They rode the elevator to her floor and exited when it dinged. She turned right but felt disoriented. She’d been pretty drunk before, but this was extreme. She was totally wasted. All she wanted to do now was close her eyes.
Sammie stumbled in her heels, but Steven caught her again. “Whoa,” she whispered. Her head lolled back.
He put his hands on her rib cage and squeezed.
“Steady, now,” Steven said. “I got you.” His hands slid around her ribs until his fingers rested under her breast.
“Almost there.” Sammie struggled to stay conscious long enough to make it to her room.
“Is that a question or a statement?” Steven said, pulling her body against his.
“That one,” she said, pointing to a door. She felt fairly certain it was hers, though it was blurry. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again, trying to focus. She held her wrist out to her door, waiting for the light to turn green, but it didn’t.
What the heck? She took a step closer and tripped. Steven caught her again.
“What the hell?” She suddenly heard the familiar voice. “Who the hell are you? Let go of her!”
As Sammie turned toward the voice, she fell forward and reached for the door jamb. “Jenny?” Another set of strong arms tightened around her, this time around her waist. Why was Jenny so angry?
The voices in the background faded as she felt herself being moved and lowered. She hoped this was the bed, because she had to lie down.
Chapter 4
Sunlight flooded Sammie’s cabin with a piercing glare that she could see even with her eyes closed. Groaning, she reached for one of the extra pillows to cover her face. Her head was pounding. She tried to lie still, but she was too aware of the pain. Placing a hand over her eyes, she slowly pushed herself up.
Ibuprofen... where? Trying to form thoughts proved challenging. Then an urge that couldn’t be ignored struck her. Her hand moved from her eyes to her mouth. She retched, and her throat burned with the vileness that rose in it. Her body seemed to know the moment she was near the toilet, because vomit spewed out of her.
The Conflicted Maid of Honor (The Conflicted Love Series Book 2) Page 2
