“There is definitely courage in numbers,” Andrea said. She poked her husband in the ribs with her elbow. “Who would have thought a rough and mean football player like Paul could ever be cajoled into dancing and singing on stage!”
“Hey, you guys should consider yourselves lucky,” Paul said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “My fans in the crowd put us over the edge for the big win.”
“Oh, no you didn’t!” Susie huffed, wagging her finger at the table in general. “No offense, but you all were just the sidekicks. Sandy and Danny were the real show stoppers.” She fluttered her eyes at Jason. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Madalyn bit back her laugh. It was plain to see Paul wanted to argue the point. But he valiantly restrained himself and allowed Susie and Jason their five minutes of fame.
“So when do you have to be at the airport tomorrow morning?” Jordan asked Madalyn as she scooped up a forkful of potato salad.
“Not too early,” Madalyn said. “I think our flight is around noon.” She smiled over at Royce. She was proud of her improved ability to tell the little white lie so smoothly.
“You’re lucky,” Jordan said. “We have to be up at the crack of dawn to be one of the first to disembark. It’s going to be a close call. But we wanted to be back in time to celebrate my grandmother’s birthday.” Her eyes were suddenly shining with unshed tears. JT grabbed hold of her hand and rubbed it softly.
“I’m sorry,” Jordan said when a tear slipped past her lashes. “My grandmother has cancer, so we don’t know how much longer we’ll have with her. I wanted to postpone our honeymoon until later, but she wouldn’t hear of it.”
“Yep,” JT smiled. “Grannie wanted the marriage consummated as quickly as possible. She didn’t want Jordan getting cold feet and trying to back out later after she passed.”
That drew a chuckle out of Jordan and earned JT a playful slap on his knee. “I don’t have cold feet. You’re the one who took forever to come around and admit you had feelings for me.”
“Oh, I knew my feelings for you from the start,” JT said, leaning over to gaze into her eyes. “I just didn’t think I was good enough for you. You deserve the best.”
“You are the best,” she said, pecking him on the lips.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” he said. “But definitely better than all of those goofballs you went out with over the past three months trying to find yourself a husband before Grannie left this earth.”
“What?” Andrea choked out. “You didn’t mention this the other night at dinner.”
Madalyn lifted her brow, interested in hearing the juicy details.
“Yeah, right,” Jordan said with wide, innocent eyes. “Can you imagine if I had said, ‘I’ve known JT my whole life, but he proposed two weeks ago and now we’re enjoying our honeymoon? Oh, and it’s nice to meet you all!’”
Royce poked Madalyn playfully in the ribs. “And we thought six months was a short journey to the chapel?” He turned to JT. “So what made you finally come around and admit your feelings?”
JT shook his head and chuckled. “Grannie is a sly old fox. She begged Jordan to sign up for one of those dating services. You know, the ones that arrange for a lunch or dinner date? Grannie hoped Jordan might find her soul mate and get married before the cancer progressed too far. But she wasn’t completely insane. Grannie made Jordan promise to have her dates at the restaurant where I’m a waiter. And she made me promise to keep an eye on her baby—said she didn’t want some creep ending up as her grandson.”
Jordan watched JT with a gentle smile creeping up on her lips, “She played you like a fiddle!”
“That she did,” JT admitted with a nod of his head. “Watching Jordan with all of those guys fawning over her, well, it drove me absolutely nuts. It took all my will power not to march their asses out of the restaurant by the scruff of the neck.” His body shuddered thinking about it.
“So in the end you broke down, bending on one knee, huh?” Paul said.
Jordan and JT gazed as each other, lost in their own private moment.
“Umm … hmm,” Jordan said and turned to the group with a brilliant smile. “And now we get to cross off the final box in Grannie’s checklist!”
Everyone stared at her in confusion.
“My daddy died when I was eight,” she said and stared down at her lap. “Grannie kept a scrapbook of me in his memory. She created a checklist of important milestone and events that would occur in my life and placed it on the inside cover of an album: graduating elementary school, first day in junior high, my first dance, my first boyfriend—that kind of stuff. With each achievement, we mark an “X” in the box on the checklist and decorate the corresponding page with pictures or news clippings and drawings. It was our way of keeping my daddy with us throughout the years.”
Tears streamed freely down Madalyn’s face. Her heart ached with the beauty of their story. Even the men sniffed and turned their heads for a moment, clearing their throats uncomfortably.
“What a lovely gesture,” Madalyn said, smiling over at Jordan.
“Yes,” Jordan said. “I’m eternally grateful to my Grannie for the scrapbook. And that’s the long-winded story about why we need to get up at the crack of dawn!”
Royce lifted his glass of beer, “To meddling Grandmothers!”
“Hear, hear!” they all shouted and drank deeply from their cups.
• • •
Royce caressed her leg under the card table, making a slow but definite trail upward toward the apex of her thighs. She squirmed in her seat and looked over to him with a heated gaze, her lips slightly parted. Her tongue slipped out to lick her bottom lip and she heard his sharp intake of breath. He looked down at his watch. It was already midnight. His gaze returned to her lips and she could tell he was ready to head back to her room.
After dinner the couples had hugged it out, saying their tearful goodbyes and went their separate ways to enjoy their last evening alone on the ship. Madalyn and Royce had been on their way back to her room when they passed the Scarab Club Casino. She admitted never having gambled a day in her life. That’s all it took for Royce to drag her in and find a couple of seats at a card table.
At least he picked a relatively simple game. Three-card poker didn’t require much skill, if she only played Pairs Plus—one bet, three cards and either she won or she didn’t. But Royce liked to play the Ante—he claimed it provided better odds—his hand against the dealer’s hand. With the table minimum set at ten dollars, playing both Pairs Plus and Ante required a thirty-dollar total bet. Madalyn didn’t have the stomach for it; however, she was enjoying playing Pairs Plus despite her bad luck.
“All bets in,” the dealer announced.
Madalyn was down to her last chip so she placed it on the Pairs Plus circle directly in front of her. Royce pushed his entire stack of chips on her Pairs Plus marker as well and stood up to watch from behind her. It must have been at least two hundred dollars.
“Are you nuts?” Madalyn gasped, staring at him over her shoulder in disbelief, her mouth gaping open.
“You’re my lucky charm, Madalyn,” he whispered, looking down at her through hooded eyes. “I have a feeling about you.”
Whoa. Her heartbeat raced like a stallion in the home stretch of the Kentucky Derby.
Royce grinned at the dealer. “Make it a good one, Jamie!”
The dealer deftly handed out the cards and set the remaining deck aside. Madalyn reached for her pile with her right hand, cupping the cards so only the first one was fully visible like Royce had taught her. He better be right! She’d feel horrible if he lost all of his money.
The first card was an ace of clubs. Royce peered over her shoulder in anticipation. Madalyn shifted the top card to the left to reveal the corner of the second card. It was a three of clubs. Her eyes shot up to his and he had a lazy smile on his face.
“Don’t look at the last card, baby,” he said.
“What? I have to loo
k! It’s killing me.”
“Life has so few true surprises,” he cajoled with his boyish grin. “Let’s be surprised!”
She could feel the excitement building at the table as others looked on and they all placed their Ante bets. Jamie smiled at them from her position in the dealer’s chair. She flipped her cards over to reveal a pair of kings. There was a collective groan from the table. Madalyn’s neighbor two seats to the right, Jim, had a pair of twos and lost his Ante bet, but made it up on his Pairs Plus. Madalyn gave him a warm smile—it could have been worse. Dave was next, and watched Jamie flip his cards to reveal an ace high.
“Better luck next time,” Jamie commiserated, sweeping his chips away.
“Are you ready?” she asked, grabbing hold of Madalyn’s cards. She had a flare for the dramatic and relished in slowly revealing the first, then second card. Her smile broadened as the top corner of the third card revealed a club.
Oh my God! PLEASE be a two of clubs!
In a flash she spread the cards out in plain view and the table erupted in cheers. Madalyn had a straight flush! She jumped out of her chair, throwing her arms around Royce’s neck and giving him a big, fat, sloppy kiss.
“You won!” Madalyn shouted.
Royce grinned and held her tight to him. “You mean you won! That’s a forty to one payout, Madalyn.”
“No way!” she said, immediately pulling back in his arms. “I can’t take your money. My cut is four hundred dollars.”
Jamie counted out fourteen golden five hundred denominated chips and ten black one hundred denominated chips. Royce grabbed a black chip and pushed it towards Jamie. “Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your evening.” He then pocketed two black chips and waited for Madalyn to collect the rest while Jamie settled the remaining bets on the table.
Madalyn stared at nearly eight thousand dollars in chips on the table before her.
“Put them in your purse and let’s cash them out,” Royce said impatiently. “It was your seat at the table, Madalyn. You saw Paula’s cards next to me. Nada. That would have been my hand. The money is yours. Please keep it.”
“Royce,” she started but didn’t know what to say. She was speechless.
“Move, woman!” he growled in her ear. “Don’t make me wait any longer. It’s our last night on the ship, baby. Let’s make it count.”
She swept the chips up and placed a black chip in front of Dave. “Enjoy a round of drinks on us!” she said and turned to rush over to the counter to cash in her chips.
• • •
Madalyn couldn’t believe this was the last time they would walk hand in hand down the corridor to her room. The last time he would pull the key from her purse and open the door for her. The last time they would smile at the decorative towel animal placed on her turned down bed. She didn’t want the cruise to end.
Royce didn’t say a word as he emptied his pockets on the bedside table and slowly began to undo the buttons of his shirt. Madalyn stared entranced by his calculated movements, as he revealed the black hairs that traveled down his body only to disappear into his pants. She was quite familiar with what she’d find at the end of that dark trail and turned to allow Royce to unzip her dress, anxious to feel his naked skin on hers.
He was in no hurry as he swept her hair to the side and placed wet, lazy kisses along her neck and shoulders. His hot tongue seared her skin and instantly ignited a fire deep within her. Coarse fingers slid inside, against her bare skin and around the sides to cup her ample bosom and coax the hardening buds. She could already feel the need growing in her.
The dress fell quietly to the ground, and Madalyn turned to reveal her nearly naked body to Royce. Black lace panties clung to her hips. His eyes feasted on her like a pack of hungry wolves while he made short work of his pants to stand gloriously naked in front of her. She stepped into his embrace and felt the heat radiating off his hard length.
His hands weaved through her hair, pulling her head back to ready her mouth for his ravenous kiss. He raked his mouth over hers, driving her senseless, her thoughts scattering about the room like red leaves falling from a fifty foot maple on a breezy fall day. She kissed him back, her tongue seeking entrance in a battle of wills, each of them unwilling to let the other claim victory, both wanting to prove they possessed the greatest desire for the other.
Royce wrenched his mouth away, breathing heavily. “I can’t get close enough!”
“Hush … ” Madalyn murmured, lying down on the bed and pulling him on top of her to cover her body in his warmth.
“As you wish,” he sighed.
She cherished the taste of his lips, the feel of his skin and the moan she elicited when he entered her wetness. They made slow, sweet love, petting and tasting, until the deep aching need exploded at their core. She rested her head on Royce’s chest for a long while, neither of them saying a word. He eventually rolled onto his back and reached for the lights to engulf them in darkness.
“Let’s play a little game called I loved it this week when … ” he said, chuckling softly, “ … you checked out my butt as I put your luggage on the bus!”
“Was I that obvious?”
“I felt naked from your eyes undressing me.”
Madalyn smiled a wide-toothed grin in the dark and giggled. She hadn’t undressed him in her mind that time. That first happened at least six hours later when they had gone back to their staterooms to change for the disco.
“I loved it this week when you danced like Tony Manero to Stayin’ Alive at the disco, showing me your playful side and that there was more to you than just a good looking butt,” she said and placed a soft kiss on his chest.
“I loved it when you danced the salsa with me at the Café … letting go of your inhibitions and trusting your instincts,” Royce said.
Minutes passed silently between each new thought as they became sleepier, neither one wanting their last night to end. Madalyn listened to Royce’s gentle snore, certain he had fallen asleep before voicing her final thought.
“I loved it this week when I finally admitted to myself that I’ve fallen in love with you.” And with those words off her chest she drifted into blissful sleep.
Chapter Thirteen – Final Destination
His fingers gently stroked the hair out of her face. It felt so good and she instinctively nuzzled into the palm of his hand. Feathery light kisses dusted her cheek and lips.
“Good morning, beautiful. I’ll always cherish this week with you,” he whispered in her ear. “Get a little more rest.”
A soft smile played on her lips and she tried to stir out of her sleepy state. It must still be early. She could hear the muted sounds of passengers in the hallway, presumably making their way off the ship. It was their last morning together. The thought depressed her and a slow burning ache settled in her heart. At least she had one more glorious morning with this incredible man who had snuck his way into her heart. She turned over ready to snuggle into his warm embrace, but the bed was empty.
Click.
Was that a door? Madalyn sat up in bed and pried her eyes open to look around, confused. Royce was nowhere to be seen. He must have jumped into the shower. She fell back onto the bed again, still not quite ready to wake up.
“Royce, come back to bed, baby,” she called out to him. “We still have some time left. You can shower when you get home.”
Where ever that is! She planned to find out this morning. Screw the “rebound man” theory. Why couldn’t Royce be the man for her? He was funny, charming, sincere, educated, world-traveled, genuine, not to mention gorgeous and hot as hell. She’d be an idiot to let him slip away without at least asking if he was interested in continuing a relationship. Sure, it might be difficult, depending on where he lived. But Madalyn was willing to at least give it a try. Maybe he was too?
Madalyn propped herself up in bed and listened. He hadn’t answered. In fact, she didn’t hear the water running. She hopped out of bed, anxious to talk with Royce and sauntered over to t
he bathroom door, giving it a gentle knock.
“Royce?” she asked and reached for the door handle. It opened easily. Empty. Her stomach twisted in a knot and felt a bit queasy. She ran her hand through her hair and tried to think. He left, you idiot, her subconscious screamed out at her.
No way, she fought back. He must have gone into his own cabin to retrieve his carry-on bag. She turned and opened the interior adjoining door.
“Royce, baby?” she said, stepping over the threshold.
It was dark and quiet. A heavy weight began pushing down on the pit of her stomach. She checked the bathroom for good measure, but it too, was empty. Her hands trembled. She made her way back into her room. Walking straight to the cabin door, she looked out, scanning both directions in the hallway. Nothing. Big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks as the truth registered in her brain.
Holy shit! He left without saying goodbye. No! That cannot be! Every fiber in her body told her it couldn’t be true. Not after the way he had made sweet love to her last night and made up the “I loved it when” game. It wasn’t possible. And yet, the fact remained that he was gone. No carry-on bag in sight. Tooth brush, gone. Not a trace of his existence.
Hot tears burned a slow, steady trail down her checks. Plopping down on her bed she tried to wrap her brain around it and struggled to remember his whispered words just minutes ago. ‘I’ll always cherish this week with you.’ Was that him saying goodbye? Had she misunderstood?
Her body gave in to her sorrow and she was wracked with heart wrenching sobs. She threw herself down on the bed and cried. Her inner demons played with her head and taunted her with the folly of her thoughts. You can’t seriously think he cared enough about you to want to continue in a relationship. He knew you dumped your fiancé at the altar one week ago. He was in it for the sex. He promised to rock your world and he kept that promise. What man wants to commit to a relationship with a woman cruel enough to dump her man at the altar in front of a thousand guests?
Little White Lies Page 15