She smells so good, Jo's mind whispered as she brushed her lips across soft skin.
Cadie wrapped her arms around Jo's shoulders, resting her cheek on the top of Jo's head in a gentle hug. "Mmm you feel so good," the blonde murmured. She felt Jo smile.
"I was just thinking the same thing," Jo replied, letting herself float in a golden haze.
Suddenly Cadie's brain caught up with the rest of her and green eyes blinked wide. "Ummm, Jo?"
"Mmm?"
"Where's Naomi?"
Damn. Jo sighed and reluctantly pulled away from the blonde. She sat back down on the floor, resting her weight on her hands. "Well, that's actually why I came to see you," Jo said carefully, unsure just how Cadie was going to react to the news.
"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this," muttered the blonde.
"Naomi, Larissa, and Kelli have been arrested for being drunk and disorderly and are currently sleeping it off in the Hamilton Island lock-up."
Cadie's hands flew up to cover her eyes. "Aargh. Shit, Jo, this isn't good." She dropped her hands and glared at the sprawled woman who was obviously having a hard time keeping the smile off her face. "It's not funny."
Despite her best efforts, Jo's grin widened and Cadie felt a giggle welling up from deep inside. "Stop it, Jo, don't you dare laugh."
Wicked blue eyes twinkled back up at her through long dark lashes and Cadie felt the corners of her mouth twitching up into a matching grin.
"Stop iiit."
In a rush, laughter exploded from both women. Cadie doubled over while Jo collapsed back onto the floor, both helpless for a solid half-minute of merriment.
"Oh God," Cadie moaned, wiping tears from her face with the backs of her hands. "It's not funny, really, darling. She's going to be so pissed."
That brought another hoot of laughter from the prostrate skipper. Running footsteps sounded above them as someone came aboard and then scrambled down the companlonwny.
"Skipper!"
"In here, Jen," Jo called back, sitting up. The Seawolf hostess trotted into the cabin, taking in Cadie's disheveled appearance and Jo's casual posture on the floor with barely a fleeting grin.
But then she was all seriousness.
"We've got trouble, ladies," she said, holding out a copy of The Weekend Australian, the country's biggest, most prestigious newspaper. Splashed across the front page in glorious color was a six-column photograph of the Republican Senator from Illinois, hair askew, and eyes glazed. She held a martini in one hand, and a redhead—Kelli, looking like something the cat dragged in—was tucked under her other arm. Above the unflattering photo the headline screamed "Underworked, overpaid and over here!"
Even Jo winced. She handed the paper to Cadie who blanched and went very still. "That really isn't funny," the blonde murmured. "This is the national paper, yeah?" Jo nodded quietly. "So the television networks will get to the story. And if the networks get it, word will get home before lunchtime."
"I went up to the resort to pick up some supplies," Jenny said. "There's already a pack of journalists waiting outside the cop shop."
Jo looked up into pleading green eyes. Awww, shit, how am I supposed to resist that?
Jenny was reading the accompanying story. "The good news is, there's no mention of Cadie, so there's a fair chance they think Kelli is the girlfriend."
Cadie groaned. "Not back home they won't. So not only will they think Naomi's a lush, they'll think she's cheating on me, too. Great, just great." She flopped back on the bed, arms crossed loosely over her eyes.
"Jen, go roust Jason and Toby," Jo said. "I have a feeling we're going to need some spin control on this." She paused for thought. "Cadie, are Therese and Sarah criminal attorneys?"
"No," came the muffled response, "but they'll do. She's going to need a lawyer."
Jo turned back to Jenny. "Get them up, too, mate."
"Aye aye, Skip," the crewmember said on her way out.
Jo ran her hands distractedly through her mussed hair as she tried to figure out what to do next. She looked up at Cadie who had pulled a pillow over her face and was trying desperately to shut out the world. Jo pulled herself up, then sat down on the bed and stretched out next to the blonde, propping herself up on an elbow. "Sweetheart."
"Tell them all to go away, Jo-Jo, pleeease?"
Jo smiled, reaching out a hand and sliding it under Cadie's pajama top, searching for the soft skin of the blonde's firm belly. Once there she started slow, soothing circles with her fingertips.
Cadie groaned subvocally. "Boy, you've really got my number, haven't you?" she muttered sleepily, still holding the pillow over her face. Jo reached up and pulled it away, tossing it behind Cadie and smiling down at the blonde. "They're not going to go away, are they?"
"'Fraid not, gorgeous," Jo said softly. Her hand drifted back under Cadie's shirt and she leaned down until their lips were just brushing. Tender butterfly kisses nibbled at the corners of the smaller woman's mouth and she let herself float in the tingling glow of Jo's attentions. "I would give anything for some uninterrupted time with you, darling," the skipper whispered as their breath mingled. "But somehow..." Doors slammed out in the cabin and Jason and Toby could be heard yelling at each other. "...I don't think today is the day."
"Cadie!" Jason called, and Jo rolled away from Cadie, standing up and walking out into the main cabin before the blonde could reply. "She's getting dressed, mate," Jo said quietly, watching the American hurriedly pulling on a shirt with one hand while he tried to read the newspaper with the other. At least he hasn't noticed I was in her cabin. AH I need is a report on that to the senator.
"Christ, this is a nightmare," he said worriedly. "What do we know, Jo?"
Jo shrugged. "Not much more than the story says. The cop told me they were at the dance party on the other side of the resort. There were a couple of thousand people. There was a bit of a scuffle late in the night and the cops moved in and grabbed who they could. Apparently there was some Ecstasy doing the rounds but he didn't find any on our three girls. But as you can see," she nodded at the newspaper, "they weren't exactly clean and sober."
Jason cursed under his breath and handed the paper to his partner who had just emerged from their cabin. Toby whistled softly, adjusting his glasses and running a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. "Have they been formally charged, Jo?" he asked looking up at the skipper.
Jo nodded a greeting to Therese and Sarah who arrived at that moment. "I'm not sure, mate. He said they'd been 'arrested.' Whether that means formally charged, I don't know."
"We'd better get over there," Therese said. She looked over Jo's shoulder as Cadie emerged, tucking her shirt Into her jeans, a pair of sunglasses held in her mouth by the arm piece. She still looked a little disheveled. "I know we're all probably feeling a little rough around the edges," the attorney said. "But it would help a lot if we tried not to look like we feel, okay?" She paused while everyone started smoothing down hair and straightening clothes. "Great party, by the way, Skipper."
Jo grinned. "We live to serve."
The group made its way up on deck, where Jen handed out last-minute cups of coffee. Paul sat miserably on the edge of the cockpit cowling, his sore head in his hands. Jo patted his knee sympathetically, smiling quietly at the memories of the big man swinging from the mast.
"I hate to do this to you, Paulie, but I think we're going to have to get ready to get out of here in a bit of a hurry. If we can get the senator out of the joint, she's going to want to get as far away from dry land as possible."
Paul groaned. "Shoot me now," he muttered, provoking a laugh from the dark-haired woman.
"Just say 'aye aye, Skipper'," she said.
"Oh shut up," he moaned.
Nothing the American attorneys said had any impact on the laconic custody sergeant in charge of the Hamilton Island lock-up. Despite the urgency of their pleas to see their clients, he was moving with all the speed of—well, Jo reasoned, all the speed of a cop who's been up all nigh
t dealing with the vagaries of Race Week. She couldn't help but smile at the frustration evident in the tourists. Even the usually unflappable Toby was beginning to get frayed around the edges.
They had managed to run the gauntlet of the press phalanx outside, mainly because nobody had recognized them. That wasn't going to be the case going out, Jo knew, and she was already planning their exit strategy. Assuming we can get the Terrible Trio sprung at all, Jo thought. And judging by our lack of progress so far, that's not a given.
She looked over to her left where Cadie was sitting quietly, head resting back against the wall of the police station. The petite blonde looked slightly stunned. Jo reached over and gently placed a hand on the woman's knee.
"You okay?" she asked quietly.
Green eyes met hers gratefully. Cadie nodded. "I'm just trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be feeling," she replied, an ironic smile touching her lips. "Naomi hasn't exactly given me too many reasons to think fondly of her lately." Jo arched an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I know. Understatement." She leaned closer to the tall skipper, till their shoulders touched. "But this could mean big trouble for her. Career-wise, I mean."
Jo smiled sympathetically down at her. "And that's been the focus of both your lives for so long, you don't want to see it damaged," she extrapolated, nodding. "I understand, love." She smiled again as Cadie squeezed her hand quickly. Jo looked back at the group of Americans trying to make headway with the custody sergeant. Then she glanced at Cadie again. "Why don't I give Harding a ring?" she asked.
A flicker of hope crossed the blonde's face. "You think he might be able to help?"
Jo shrugged. "It can't hurt. He's pretty high up down in Sydney and at the very least he'll know a few people to call."
An adorable wrinkle-nosed grin was her reward.
"I guess that means yes," Jo said, patting Cadie's knee and starting to reach for the cell phone on her own hip. She was stopped by a hand on her arm and she looked back to see the blonde biting her lip anxiously. "What's up?"
"There's something I need to tell you first," Cadie said.
"Okay," Jo replied slowly.
"Remember the conversation we had a few days ago? About Naomi threatening you?" Jo nodded. "Well, she implied that she would plant drugs on board the Seawolf if I don't do what she wants from now on." She held Jo's hand tightly as she felt the thrumming vibration of rising anger in the tall skipper. "Jo, last night before I joined the party, I searched our cabin from top to bottom."
That explains why it took her so long to get changed, Jo realized. "And what did you find?" she asked softly, pushing her anger into a manageable bundle at the back of her brain.
"Not a damn thing," Cadie replied. "Which means she's either put them somewhere else on the boat or..."
Their eyes met.
"Or she's bluffing," Jo finished.
Cadie nodded.
Jo leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees, hands clasped in front of her as she tried to think the situation through calmly and rationally. She turned her head to look up at the blonde. "You think maybe this little fiasco might make her forget about hassling me?" she asked.
Cadie considered the question. On the one hand, she had never seen Naomi as jealous and possessive and... downright nasty... as she had been about the Seawolf's skipper. But then you've never been in love with anyone else, either, Arcadia, she reminded herself. On the other hand...
"My guess would be yes," she replied. "If she follows her usual pattern, then her No. I concern is, and will always be, her career. She's going to be too busy trying to save her political hide to be messing with you." She paused and caught blue eyes dark with concern. "I hope." She smiled wanly.
Jo snorted. "Well, I don't think we can take any chances," she said, flipping open her cell phone and dialing Paul's number.
"Hey Paulie, it's me. No, we're going to be a while, I think. Listen, I need you to do something for me. There's a rumor going around that we may have some drugs stashed somewhere on board." She eased the phone away from her ear as Paul protested loudly. "I know, mate. But the way things are right now, it's in our best interests to turn the boat over, just in case. If you find anything, ditch it any way you can. No, don't worry about Cadie's cabin; she's already been through it." Jo glanced up at the group of Americans still trying to negotiate with the custody sergeant. "No, Paulie, I don't give a rip about their privacy right now. If we ever get out of here, we're going to have a pack of press and God knows who else on our tail, and I don't want any nasty consequences for the company."
Cadie watched as the dark-haired woman calmly went about organizing things with Paul. She reached out and placed a hand on the small of the skipper's back, rubbing gently with her fingertips.
I'm so glad she's here, Cadie thought, noting the fatigue evident on Jo's face as she scrubbed at her eyes with her free hand. The blonde remembered the Jo who had rescued Josh and blown away the man with the machine gun. That woman is a part of her all the time, she considered, recognizing the realities and history there. You can see it in the way she handles every crisis. Calculating. Smart. Cool.
"Thanks, Paul." Jo turned off the phone and closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the feel of Cadie's fingers slowly working the tense muscles in her lower back. She's turned my world upside down, she thought. But I've never felt luckier.
They were both brought out of their reveries by a particularly frustrated outburst from Therese.
"Okay," Jo said, pushing herself up. "Time to get this bullshit done with." She walked forward, tapping the attorney on the shoulder. Therese looked at her inquiringly. "I think I can help," Jo said quietly. "Let me make some phone calls."
"Great, Skipper, go for it. We're having no luck getting through to this idiot."
The sergeant bristled and Jo raised her hands in placation.
"Let's just all settle, shall we?" she asked, directing the Americans to the seats along the wall where Cadie was resting. She turned back to the by now far less friendly policeman and rewarded him with one of her most winning smiles.
Cadie smirked at the charmed look that immediately softened the man's craggy features. Putty in her hands, the blonde chuckled silently.
"Sarge," Jo started, pressing her hands down on the counter-top and leaning conspiratorially towards him, "I know you've had a long night, and the last thing you want, really, is a pack of Americans on one side and the press just outside the door. Am I right?"
"It has been a long night, that's true, miss," he said, reaching up and loosening his dark blue tie, unleashing the top button of his uniform shirt. "But I can't go letting those ladies go just because they're tourists, now can I?"
"No, no you can't," Jo agreed solemnly. She rested her forearms on the desktop and considered her options. "The thing is though, you'd be doing me an enormous favor if you let me make a few phone calls and try and get this sorted out. See, these guys are my responsibility. And if my boss gets wind of this, he's going to kick my backside from one end of the Passage to the other."
The policeman knew enough to know he was being played, but he was enjoying the beautiful woman's attentions too much to make Jo stop. "I can certainly understand why you'd want to clear this up as quickly as possible, miss," he said agreeably, leaning down next to her.
"So how about letting me make those calls?" she asked, smiling up at him.
He reached under the counter and pulled up a phone, plunking it down on the desktop with a nonchalant smile. "I'll even let you use my blower, miss," he said.
That's my girl, Cadie thought with a smile as she watched Jo grin at the officer.
Meaty, nicotine-stained fingers fumbled for the jangling phone that was out to torture Detective Ken Harding. A jaundiced eye peeled itself open enough to take in the clock radio's red glare.
Who the fuck is calling me at Sam on my liny oil? His first attempt at answering failed miserably when all he produced was a hoarse gargle. "What?" he barked, second time lucky.
"Hello, Ken," purred a dark, rich female voice that could only be one woman on the planet.
Harding felt things shifting in his boxers that hadn't moved of their own accord in months. Hell, years, he admitted to himself. But, damn, that voice could move mountains. He rolled himself upright, swinging his legs off the bed. "That you, Madison?" he growled redundantly, his gonads telling him exactly who it was.
"Mhmmm," she drawled. "Hope I haven't gotten you up too early?"
Jesus. Now's she's psychic. "It's 8am. And it's my first day off in two weeks. What do you think?" he muttered, scraping fingernails through itchy chin stubble.
She laughed a rolling sexy chuckle that made him think of satin sheets. He morosely flicked a dead toenail clipping off the thinning polyester number he was sitting on and tried to concentrate on what the woman was saying.
"Sorry, mate," she said. "But I need your help. Again."
Harding immediately sat up straighter. "What's happened? Those bastards been after you again?"
"No, no, Ken, it's nothing like that. I just need a favor. A big one," Jo said. "I'm not even sure you've got the pull to get it done for me."
"Try me," he said, reaching for his cigarettes. He lit up his first for the day as he listened while Jo told him about Naomi's arrest. "Jesus, she sounds like a pain in the arse," he muttered at one point and he could almost hear Jo grinning.
"Oh, she is that," the skipper answered quietly. "What do you think, mate? Can you help us get them out of here without any charges being brought?"
Harding considered his options, taking a deep drag on the cigarette. "You're positive there's no hint of drugs on these three?" he asked.
"Positive," she answered quickly. "Just drunk and disorderly. Though I will admit they've all got a history with the stuff. Thankfully this time they just got tanked on gin and vodka."
"Okay," he said. "Look, I think I can get it done. Ya gotta give me an hour or so, though. The Commissioner gets cranky this hour of the morning. Leave it with me, okay?"
"Great, Ken, thanks." He could hear the relief in her voice. "You've got my cell phone number, yeah?"
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