by Box Set
Stacy Baker certainly had nothing to worry about, at least not from Trish’s end of the spectrum. But that didn’t make Rider feel particularly reassured. There was no way to stop the man from putting his pudgy hands all over Rider’s woman if he ever caught her alone.
“You okay over there?” Trish asked, tugging on his arm as they walked down the hallway of the ship toward Carrie’s room on the way to dinner. “You seem grumpy. Are you upset I took a nap this afternoon?”
Rider smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. I know you did that so we can stay up all night.”
“Well, I could probably stay up all night.” She arched her eyebrows. “It remains to be seen if you can.”
“Oh, baby, I can stay up for however long it takes. Trust me. There are no problems in that department.”
Trish giggled and looked away as her cheeks grew a light pink color. “So if it isn’t my nap and being deprived of my company this afternoon, what’s got you looking so dour?”
“Honestly, I was thinking about your boss.” That should be safe enough. She had no way to know Rider already had far too much information about Mr. Baker and his penchant for younger women.
“Don’t let what I said spoil your mood. I’m sure it’s fine. Mr. Baker is a lech at times, but he’s also a professional.” She shrugged, seeming a lot more relaxed about it now than she had this morning. “Unlike my sister, if he so much as sniffs wrong in my direction, I know what to do. I’ll slap a sexual harassment suit on him so fast, his wife won’t have time to get a blackmail picture to scare me out of a lawsuit.”
“His wife? What do you mean?” This was treading into uneasy territory. She had to be thinking about her sister, but Stacy hadn’t had Rider take the picture to stop Lucy from suing for sexual harassment. All she wanted was for Lucy to get the hell away from her husband.
“I shouldn’t say more,” Trish replied, not seeming to notice that Rider only paid half his attention to her. “It’s not my story to tell, but Mrs. Baker is really the one to watch out for.”
Rider had to wonder what lengths Stacy would go to in order to stop Trish if she ever heard a whisper about a lawsuit. Obviously, the woman was vicious and driven by a misguided desire to keep her marriage and her husband’s good image intact.
He forced a smile. “We’ll have to keep you away from her when we get home. Can’t have anyone messing with my future girlfriend.”
If only he could keep Stacy away. The woman had to have some secrets. He should call one of the police officers who were actually friendly toward him. Maybe they would look into things over the next week and give him a clue what to look for. Rider wanted to be ready to strike as soon as he got off the airplane after the cruise.
In the hallway ahead of them, Carrie stepped out of her room, turning toward them with a smile. “Good evening, lovebirds.”
Trish made a choking sound that was somewhere between a giggle and a snort.
To cover it, Rider gave Carrie’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “Good evening. You’re looking beautiful.”
Carrie swished her hips, making the strapless summer dress she wore shift over her legs. “Good enough to find a guy who won’t mind taking things slow?”
“Taking things slow is overrated,” Trish chimed in. “Sometimes, you just want some fun.”
Carrie’s eyes widened, and she looked from Rider back to Trish. “Is that what this is?” She nodded toward Trish’s arm looped through Rider’s. “Fun and no commitment?”
Rider stayed quiet, hoping Trish might want more than fun. He only had twelve days left to convince her to be with him and thus protect her from Mrs. Baker.
Although Trish hesitated, she then shrugged and dropped her hand from Rider’s arm. “We’re talking about you right now.” She stepped forward and grabbed Carrie’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go see what hot guy we can get to sit at our table for you. Rider told me what happened. Time to move on to the next. We’ll find you someone good.”
That wasn’t exactly an answer to Carrie’s question, leaving Rider confused as to what Trish thought would happen between the two of them. Was she just having short-term fun? When they were alone, it had seemed so intimate and cozy. While it was true he wasn’t being honest with her and the relationship was forced, he thoroughly enjoyed her company. She was interesting and smart—the type of woman he could see himself spending time with every day and being happy to do so.
Obviously, he’d have to turn up the romance factor if he wanted to win her over for real. It wasn’t enough to satisfy Stacy Baker and stop her from planting evidence against Trish as she’d threatened to do. He wanted to see where things could lead.
He needed to make it clear to Trish that he wasn’t looking for a cruise fling, never to speak again when they got off the boat.
In front of him, the girls stopped clacking about men, and Trish’s sudden gasp made Rider snap to attention.
“There you are, Trisha. I’ve been searching this entire ship, my dear.”
Stacy was right to worry!
Thomas Baker took up the hallway as he stopped in front of Trish and Carrie. His wrinkles deepened as he smiled. “They wouldn’t tell me anything about where you were or what the singles were doing, so I’ve been wandering around the last two days looking for you.”
Trish took what seemed like an involuntary step backward, reaching her hand behind her body.
Rider took it in his, pulling her to his side and wrapping his other arm around the front of her waist to shield her from the dirty pig.
“Who are you?” Rider put as much belligerence into his voice as he could. “Trish is my date, and I don’t appreciate other men talking to her. Unless, of course, you’re her dad. You look old enough to be her dad.” He glanced at Trish, not liking the tight set of her lips or the way her eyes darted as though looking for an escape. “Is this your father, lover?”
“I’m her boss,” Thomas roared. “What the hell gives you the right to tell her she can’t speak with me?”
Despite her tough talk of slapping him with a harassment suit, Trish seemed thrown for a loop by his arrival. If only Rider could have warned her he might be on board, but that would have tipped her off to the fact that Rider was working for Mrs. Baker.
Trish huddled closer to him, her hand clutching his so hard that her fingers turned white. Although he could tell she was stressed, a wide smile crossed her face and she gave no other outward sign of distress. “Mr. Baker? I had no clue you were taking this cruise. I thought you were with your wife at your winter retreat. Is she on the ship? Tell her hello for me.”
“Stacy’s at the Cape without me. I booked this trip to get to know you better, my dear. After all, you’re the newest partner in the law firm. Andrew thought it would be a good idea if we knew more about you on a personal level.”
Andrew Lutz, the other senior partner in the firm, likely had no idea the slime ball was on the ship, attempting to hit on the newest partner.
Rider turned his full attention to Trish, making it clear that Thomas didn’t matter at all in his opinion. “You’re on vacation from work, right?”
She nodded. “Until after New Year’s Day.”
“I guess he can get to know you better then. For the month of December, you’re all mine.” Rider brushed a kiss against her cheek, more to let Thomas know he needed to back off than to actually kiss her.
Her hand trembled slightly inside his, but she took in a long breath before turning her smile back to Thomas. “Guess I’ll have to see you in Sayle, sir. It seems my time is booked. Maybe all the partners should get together for a dinner after the holiday. I think it would be awesome to get to know you all better socially.” She snuggled against Rider’s shoulder, giggling in a fluttery tone Rider never heard her utter before. “You’d take me to a company dinner, right Trench Coat?”
“Of course I would, lover.” Rider grinned at Thomas. “Enjoy your cruise, sir. We’ll see you back in Sayle at the beginning of next year. I look forward
to that dinner and meeting the other partners.”
Starting off at a brisk pace, Rider pulled Trish along with him, protected in his arms. It forced Thomas to step back against the wall to let them pass, even though the man grumbled under his breath.
“I don’t want to wait for the elevator,” Trish whispered once they were past Thomas. “Can we take the stairs?”
“Sure.” He glanced back, glad to see Carrie had followed and hadn’t stayed to talk to Thomas. However, she couldn’t have missed the fact that the man was married and trying to get with Trish, even if she didn’t know the entire situation. “You want to take the stairs with us or meet in the dining room?”
“Oh, I’ll take the stairs,” Carrie said. “But I’m starting to wonder if hanging out with you two is a good idea. Will there be a night when Trish doesn’t have a problem with one of the men on this ship?”
Trish knew she shouldn’t let things bother her, but every time someone walked past their dinner table she jumped. How could he be on the ship? When Lucy had warned her about Mrs. Baker, she’d never said anything about just how persistent Trish would have to be in order to keep the woman’s husband away.
If he would go around stalking the younger women he had his eye on, it was no wonder his wife had blackmailed Lucy into not taking the position as his personal assistant. Stacy Baker probably feared, rightly so, that Thomas would pursue Lucy even if she protested. No wonder Stacy wanted an old woman like Edna working as his assistant long past her retirement years. Thomas had an eye for the younger ones, so poor Edna was safe.
As someone bumped into the back of her chair, Trish jumped again. Feeling her face flush with frustration and embarrassment, Trish twisted the green cloth napkin in her lap and forced a pleasant smile on her face.
Rider leaned in close, closing his large, warm hand over her small cold ones. “Sorry we could only get a table in the center of the room, but you really don’t have to worry. I’m keeping my eyes open. If that sleaze shows his face around here, I’ll take care of you.”
“I can take care of myself,” she snapped, an automatic reaction to years of competing in a man’s world.
Rider simply squeezed her hand tighter. “I know that, but now you don’t have to. Let me help take care of you. While you might be a strong woman, I still want to be a man.”
She met his chocolate-like eyes. Gazing into them made all her fears disappear. Rider was the most honest, trustworthy man she’d ever known. She couldn’t imagine him betraying her like David had. She could allow herself to lean on him and let him take control of her problems for a while.
Moving closer to him, she kissed his cheek softly. “You’re too good to me. Especially since, as Carrie pointed out, so far I’ve been nothing but trouble on this trip.”
“Carrie doesn’t know everything.” He slid his free hand up her neck and across her cheek, causing pleasant tingles to radiate over her skin where his fingers touched. “I don’t mind protecting you.”
Across the table, Carrie cleared her throat loudly. “And Carrie can hear you two talking about her.”
“And see you,” their other tablemate, Patrick, commented. “Maybe you should get a room.”
Trish sucked in a quick breath, looking at Carrie as the other woman’s face fell. Just what she wasn’t looking for tonight, a guy thinking about having a quickie. “Rider and I don’t need a room,” Trish replied, staring Patrick down. “I’m lucky enough to have found a real man who doesn’t think we need to hop in the sack on our second date. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from him.”
Carrie made a muffled choking sound that she turned into a cough to cover it, but she flashed a wink and hid a smile behind her hand.
Patrick’s reaction was a bit different. The man rolled his eyes and shook his head, looking at Rider. “Couldn’t close the deal, huh?”
“I’m closing the deal I want,” Rider replied, tone bland and revealing nothing he might be feeling. “If you’re interested in meaningless sex, it’s time for you to leave our table. No one here’s looking for that.”
Patrick grumbled something under his breath but dropped his gaze, not challenging Rider further.
With a sigh, Trish looked at Carrie, feeling sad for the other woman. It didn’t seem fair that Trish was able to find such a nice guy when others on the ship had worse luck. Of course, she’d have to dodge her boss for the rest of the trip, but at least Rider had her back—even if she had snapped at him about being able to take care of herself. Thomas Baker now knew Trish was off limits. The only fear was whether he’d pay attention to Rider’s warnings. The last thing Trish needed was a problem at work.
An uncomfortable silence overtook their table. While Trish wanted to say something to break the tension, she didn’t want Patrick thinking he should go ahead with whatever plans he had to use Carrie and then dump her.
After a few moments, someone stepped up to the table, causing Trish to shy away and lean into Rider before she realized it wasn’t Thomas. Irritated with herself for being nervous, she looked at the newcomer and smiled. “Hi. Can we help you?”
The man gave her a cursory glance before turning to Carrie. “Where the hell is Carl? He’s totally into you from what he said last night, and you’re here with another guy? Did you dump him?”
Carrie’s mouth opened, and she sputtered incoherently for a second.
“What do you mean?” Rider demanded, coming to Carrie’s rescue. “Carl stood Carrie up for breakfast this morning, not that we owe you an explanation. Who do you think you are, talking to her like that?”
Carrie finally regained her composure, smoothing her dress down to reveal she was still upset but ready to talk. “This is Carl’s roommate, Bill. He’s the reason Carl and I retired to my room last night instead of his.”
“So where is Carl?” Bill demanded, looking around the dining room. “I had figured you were still shacked up in bed this morning when you didn’t attend breakfast.”
“Wait.” Trish held her hand out to get everyone’s attention. “Are you saying Carl never came back to the room after leaving Carrie last night?”
“I haven’t seen him since cocktails yesterday.” Bill twisted his hands together, seeming genuinely worried. “He hasn’t called either. We’ve been best friends since college. It isn’t like him.” He glanced back at Carrie. “He really left your room last night?”
“Around three this morning,” Carrie verified.
A thread of uneasiness went through Trish’s stomach. When they had assumed Carl was a dog who used Carrie and then traded her in for the next model, Trish was able to be scornfully unconcerned about the man. What if something had happened to him between Carrie’s room and his? It seemed unlikely he would have found another woman at that time of the morning, no matter how willing everyone here was to jump into bed.
“Does his cell phone have the extended service here?” Trish asked, thinking about how she’d shut hers off, planning to use it only for a camera on her excursions since international calling had been too expensive to bother with.
To her relief, Bill nodded. “Sure. I didn’t call because I thought he was still with Carrie. I didn’t want to bother them.”
Rider sat up straighter. “It’s time to bother him. We need to know where he is.”
Trish exchanged a wide-eyed stare with Carrie, seeing her own fears reflected in Carrie’s gaze. Rider had said cruises had a tendency to underreport crimes, but people didn’t just disappear. What had happened to Carl?
Bill pulled out his cell, punching something on the screen and lifting the phone to his ear. After several seconds, his eyes narrowed and he hung up. He tried once again, jabbing at the screen more vigorously. After a few more seconds, he practically shouted, “Don’t send me to voicemail, douchebag. We’re worried. Call me.”
He pocketed his phone, eyebrows narrowed. “It’s not like him to disappear like this. He’s always the one who insisted on the buddy system at frat parties during college so we did
n’t end up getting our asses kicked by rival houses. He reminded me about the buddy system when we planned the trip.”
In other words, Carl was missing. While he might have been as willing to hook up last night as Carrie was, he had promised to return for breakfast. It sounded like Carl was a man who did what he said, according to Bill. He wouldn’t have left Carrie hanging. And especially wouldn’t let his best friend worry about him.
“You need to sit,” Rider said. “You’re pale.” He stood, gently pushing Bill into his chair. “I’m sure Carl’s fine. He probably got sidetracked with a woman.” The look Rider gave Trish over the top of Bill’s head told her that he didn’t believe that any more than Trish did.
“Wait for him to call back.” Trish stood up, taking Rider’s hand. “Let’s grab a round of cocktails for everyone while we wait.”
Not asking what anyone wanted to drink, Trish pulled Rider from the table. When they were a safe distance away, she stopped and turned to him, stepping in close so she could talk without anyone overhearing. “What do you think? Could he have fallen overboard on the way back to his room?”
Rider shrugged. “I suppose it’s possible, but our rooms are on the same floor. He wouldn’t have had a reason to go to an outer walkway. Besides, the railings are pretty high. It’d be hard to accidentally fall.”
“Unless he was drunk and stumbled,” Trish pointed out. “We never asked Carrie what they drank.”
“I didn’t ask much this morning,” Rider admitted. “I assumed Carl was a jerk for standing her up, and I wanted to help her. We should have started looking for him right away. If he went overboard, there’s little hope he’s still alive.”