Heath stalked in past the receptionist, stomped down the hall to Pierre’s office, and quickly shut the door behind him.
Pierre, a genial, round-faced man with skin the color of nutmeg, glanced up from behind his desk, where he’d been typing on a laptop. “What’s wrong?” he asked when he saw the expression on Heath’s face.
“You have Hammersmith on board too?” Heath demanded angrily.
Pierre looked a bit sheepish. “The Shangri-La Corporation wanted to ensure that we had all our bases covered.”
“This does not cover all our bases,” Heath growled. “This creates confusion and disorganization. Do you not see the problem in hiring multiple security agencies and failing to inform them of each other’s presence? You need a well-coordinated team working together, not two teams bumbling around working against each other. Not to mention that the Hammersmith agency is known for its nepotism, and all the owner’s family members are idiots. The owner’s nephew, Tom Hooper, is on board today, and he’s an absolute jackass.”
“We don’t have multiple security agencies, just two.” Pierre’s tone was placating.
“That’s one too many.”
Pierre sighed and shut his laptop. “I advised against it. I was overridden. There’s nothing I can do about it,” he said. “We have the Hammersmith agency covering the Pleasure Island section of the ship, just in case we were wrong about who the real target might be. There are several less likely possibilities there, but they are still potential targets, so Hammersmith will be watching them.”
“If Hammersmith screws things up for everyone, which they usually do, it’s on you guys, not us,” Heath growled, and he stormed out of the office to find Jake and report back to him. This was beyond stupid, and with the internet and all communications shut down, they couldn’t even contact Shifters, Inc. headquarters to tell them about it.
He debated whether he should have told Pierre that a newspaper reporter was on board posing as a companion, but he decided against it for the time being. He no longer felt that sharing intel with the Shangri-La security team was the smartest option. And for all he knew, Tonya might really be there legitimately working as a companion.
Grumbling, he headed towards Jake’s quarters, which were on the next deck up. He felt an odd sensation tugging at him, though, pulling him back towards the Hawaii Deck. Tonya needed him. Now.
What the hell – he might as well find her and demand to know what she was doing there. He hurried back to the Hawaii Deck, heading in the direction of where he’d seen her last. He shoved through the foliage, pushing past passionately entwined couples and ignoring come-hither glances from strolling female companions.
He heard a feminine shriek coming from up ahead, followed by angry male shouting.
He broke into a jog, rounding a corner and bursting through an alcove, where he saw a heavyset, angry man rubbing his face and Tonya indignantly yanking her bikini top back into place. He shook with the effort of keeping his beast under control.
Heath hurried towards her, but Tom Hooper stepped between two clumps of foliage and beat him to it. He walked up to the man and said to him, “Sorry, she should have told you that I claimed her for the duration of the cruise. She just hasn’t changed her lei yet.”
The man turned and stomped off, and Heath saw a look of bewilderment on Tonya’s face.
Was it possible that she had boarded the ship without understanding the rules?
Tom Hooper leaned towards Tonya with a leer and said something that Heath couldn’t make out. He saw her face turn pale and her mouth fall open with shock. Tom leaned over and tried to cup her buttock in his hands, and Tonya stumbled back with a shriek. Before Heath could stop himself, he’d gone bear. Exploded out of his clothes, towering seven feet tall, long, curving claws shooting from his paws…
Tom took a few more steps back, mouth opening in shock as Heath lumbered towards him. He was human. The last thing he’d want to do was tangle with an enraged bear.
Heath could have taken his head off with one swipe of his claws, and he wanted to, but instead he forced himself back into human form. He was stark naked now, but on a ship like this one, that wasn’t too big a deal.
A crowd was gathering, drawn by the commotion. Great. Just what Heath didn’t want – to stand out like a big, hairy sore thumb.
Heath raked Tom with a dangerous glower, then put his arm around Tonya’s shoulders. It felt so right there, he wanted to pull her in closer and bury himself inside her.
“Actually, she’s apparently very forgetful today, because I claimed her before you did.” Heath’s voice rolled out in a growl. Tom opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, Heath leaned forward and said, his voice low and dangerous, “If you give me a hard time about this, I’ll tell Shangri-La security that you smuggled a reporter on here, compromising the privacy of all of the guests so that you could get laid.”
Tom went pale, swallowed hard, and directed a furious scowl at Tonya before he turned and stalked off without a word.
“You – come with me,” Heath said, grabbing Tonya’s arm and hauling her off with him.
* * *
As Heath hauled her into his room, Tonya cast one last longing glance at the distant horizon. The shoreline had vanished hours ago, and there was nothing but the endless rolling blue sea. She was trapped here, and in way over her head.
They walked into the room and Heath slammed the door.
She glanced around his cabin and, despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Wow. This is pornoriffic. My cabin looks nothing like this,” she said.
“Hold on while I get dressed,” he growled, and stalked over to an enormous closet. He quickly dressed, standing with his back to her. She knew there was no point in staring at him, but she couldn’t help herself. God help her, the man had the most perfectly sculpted ass she’d ever seen. And those muscular legs, the mighty thighs…she wanted them wrapped around her so badly that she swallowed a whimper of frustration.
He turned and walked over to the well-stocked bar, buttoning his silk Oxford shirt.
“Well, this is different,” Tonya observed, looking him up and down. “Usually you’re more of a jeans and sneakers kind of guy.”
Heath shrugged and poured himself a whiskey. “Want one?” he asked, glancing over at her.
“It’s a little early, thanks. What is all this claiming business?”
He let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Let me guess. Tom got you fake credentials and smuggled you on board. And he didn’t tell you what you were in for.”
She flushed, shamefully. “He called me up last night and told me that something massively newsworthy was happening on this ship, and he could get me fake papers to come on board. He swore this would be the biggest story of my career. I really, really need a big story if I ever want to get hired at the Telegraph, so I agreed without really reading the fine print. I’m supposed to be something called a ‘companion’.” She grimaced in dismay at her own stupidity. “I had no idea what that meant. So now he’s told me that means that anyone can claim me to do anything they want with me, so I have to be with him this whole week, and if I protest he’s going to tell the ship’s security that I smuggled myself on here and he’ll deny that he helped me.”
Heath’s face flushed with anger. “That dickwad. Let me explain how this cruise works. They hire beautiful men and women like you to act as escorts for the passengers. If you’re available, you’ll be wearing a green necklace. Green means go. If a passenger wants to claim you for the duration of the ship, and you agree to it, then you get a red necklace, and nobody will mess with you. Of course you have a choice; Tom was lying when he said anybody could do anything they want to you. The ship’s passengers are very clearly informed of the rules. They can’t hit on the wait staff or the maids or any crew member who is not wearing a green necklace, and they absolutely cannot force themselves on anyone.”
“Oh.” Tonya stared at him in amazement. “Di
d you just call me beautiful?”
Heath looked at her, puzzled. “Of course you’re beautiful. You know that.”
No, she really didn’t, but it was nice to hear it. Especially from him.
“Go on,” she said. “Some of the passengers weren’t exactly the most attractive people I’ve ever seen. What if all the companions refuse to be with them?”
“The ship’s passengers are expected to tip the companions very generously every day. Stingy passengers end up feeling very lonely. Of course, the companions also receive generous compensation for their time on the ship, but it’s nothing in comparison to the tips.”
“Isn’t that kind of illegal? They’re paying for the companions to have sex with them?”
“They pay in Mardi Gras style beads, which the companions can use to shop in the ship’s stores.” Heath shrugged. “There are a lot of high-end luxury boutiques on board. That’s how they get around it.”
“So…” Tonya looked worried. “Where does that leave me?”
“That depends.” Heath’s tone was stern. “You do understand that there are people on here who have very public profiles, who want to enjoy themselves in privacy?”
“I’m not here to expose anyone’s sex life,” she said indignantly. “I’m not a tabloid reporter, for God’s sake. Tom told me that he was here to thwart some kind of attack on a political figure. That’s the only reason I came.”
She had almost declined, in fact, even though she’d never been on a cruise ship before. She’d wanted to stay behind and help Bridgit figure out what to do about her a-hole family, but Bridgit had insisted that she go.
“I can’t discuss why we’re here,” Heath said. “I can keep you from getting in trouble with ship’s security if you agree to stay out of the way and not try to do any investigating. Many people’s lives are at stake here, and if you interfere, you could expose our entire operation.”
She nodded. “I solemnly swear to stay out of the way.” And she mostly meant it. She had a feeling that Heath was a bear of his word, and no story was worth risking lives.
“Well, the only way for you to keep your cover and not get hassled by shipboard security is if I claim you for the rest of the cruise. That means you move into my cabin and pretend that you’re with me.” He grabbed a red lei from on top of a chest of drawers, and she saw that there were half a dozen of them there.
“So you could claim multiple companions?” Her eyes widened.
“Hey, it’s a pleasure cruise. However, I’m only going to claim you.” He draped the necklace over her head. Just as she was feeling a warm glow sweeping through her at the idea that he only wanted to claim her, he added, “Of course, this doesn’t actually mean I’m claiming you. I’m just doing it to help you out.”
“Of course,” Tonya said stiffly. “Well, thanks for helping. I’ll go fetch my luggage now.” Heaven forbid that the bear would actually want to have sex with her. Good thing he’d made his intentions – to avoid her – very clear.
She thought Heath looked puzzled. “I have to go talk to someone. I’ll meet you back here in one hour,” he said.
Tonya turned and left the room without answering, and let the door slam behind her.
* * *
Heath watched her go with mingled exasperation and confusion. What was she upset about? If he didn’t know better, he could have sworn she was offended that he’d said she didn’t have to sleep with him. It wasn’t as if she liked him; a rich girl like her would never be interested in a street thug like him. She’d made it clear plenty of times what an enormous jerk she thought he was. Having Tonya close by was getting harder and harder for him to deal with, and having her sleep in the same room as him without him being able to lay a finger on her was going to be torture.
Oh, there would be certain advantages to it; he could easily rebuff everyone’s advances and claim he was doing it because he had already claimed a companion. But how would he be able to concentrate with her so near and yet out of his reach?
Maybe he could go off and distract himself with the available women on the boat…God knew there were plenty of them, and he’d been given stacks and stacks of beaded necklaces to tip with, so he could fit in.
Any other time, the idea of no-strings-attached sex with a beautiful woman would have been the perfect tension reliever, but he realized that he had no intention of being with anyone on this trip. If he couldn’t have Tonya – and she’d made it pretty clear that he couldn’t – then he didn’t want anyone.
Also, he wondered if it would upset Tonya if he were out fooling around with other women. Oddly, he suspected it would. Was she interested? Until he’d sensed her hurt feelings a minute ago, he could have sworn she wasn’t.
With a heavy sigh, he headed to the bathroom. Maybe an ice-cold shower and a quick self-satisfaction session would help to relieve his pent up frustration a little.
Chapter Six
The maid, a petite, pretty girl with a heart-shaped face and masses of black ringlets, was pushing a cart full of clean linens down the hallway – or trying to, anyway.
An overweight passenger, his belly spilling over the waistband of his shorts, was harassing her and had her backed up against the wall.
Tonya stomped over to him, boiling with anger. “Listen up!” she barked at him. “I am not in a good mood, and you do not want to mess with me right now. The lady’s not interested. Back the hell off before you find out what the phrase ‘crazy like a fox’ means.”
“You’re a companion,” the man blustered. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
A security guard rounded the corner and stepped directly in front of the man, placing himself between the maid and the angry passenger. “Actually, she can. All of our employees, including the companions, have the right to say no, which you knew when you signed the agreement required of all our guests. If we see you imposing on any of our staff again, we will revoke your rights and you will be confined to your quarters for the duration of the trip.”
“I paid a fortune to be here! And I can’t help myself, I have a maid fetish!” the man whined.
“We will deliver half a dozen French maid uniforms to your cabin immediately…modeled by very attractive companions. With feather dusters. I am sure that you will be very generous with your gift beads. Will that suffice?” the security guard asked, his tone leaving no doubt that he meant business.
“Cabin 3127. I’ll be waiting!” the man said eagerly, and he hurried off.
The security guard nodded to Tonya and the maid. “If you have any further problems, contact security immediately.” Then he strode off.
“Thank you,” the maid said gratefully to Tonya, in a heavy Italian accent. She glanced at her red lei. “I see you’ve been claimed already. That’s lucky; nobody hassle you.”
Tonya shot a dirty look at the portly passenger, who was scrambling up a stairwell, hurrying back towards his cabin. “I’d have turned that jerk down anyway. No amount of beads would be worth that.”
The maid laughed. “I know, right? I am Antonia. Thank you again for help. I know we are allowed to say no, but they also say keep customers happy, and I am afraid for lose job. This boat, I no like. But good money.”
“I’m with you there,” Tonya agreed. “This is my first and last trip on a pleasure cruise. Well, I’m staying with a passenger in Cabin 4255 if you want to go grab a drink any time that you’re off. I’ll have plenty of free time.” At Antonia’s puzzled look, she added, “The guest who claimed me is, uh, busy doing work in his cabin a lot. So this will be kind of like a paid vacation.”
“You are good person. I meet you tonight at the Tropical Rainforest Bar at eight? I have gift for you,” Antonia said.
Tonya laughed. “Oh, I’ll meet you there, but you don’t have to give me anything.”
Then she headed off to meet Heath.
* * *
Heath watched Tonya walk across the room towards him. The dinner banquet was sumptuous. Guests had the option of sitting a
t the tables, or reclining on loungers and letting the companions feed them as if they were at a Roman orgy.
In the middle of the room there were long tables stretched out, where naked men and women lay with appetizers carefully arranged on their bare bodies. Passengers were lined up to eat the appetizers off them. They laid down necklaces of beads next to the companions who were acting as living food platters.
Tonya had changed into a green wrap dress that emphasized her generous cleavage and her soft, rounded tummy. He could see men watching her with admiration as she walked by, and he also realized that she didn’t even notice. She really wasn’t aware of how beautiful she was. He felt a sudden fierce yearning to show her exactly how sexy and desirable she was. If only she didn’t hate him.
“You look stunning,” he told her as she approached, and he lightly rested his hand on the center of her back.
“Thank you,” she said, blushing. Okay, she didn’t look too horrified.
He bent down to brush his lips over hers and felt her stifle a whimper of pleasure. The blood roared through his body and he felt himself swelling, hardening, the way he always did when she was near. Was it the sex-drenched atmosphere on the ship? Was she just finally starting to warm to him?
“You…you don’t have to do that to keep up your cover,” she murmured. “Nobody’s really paying attention to us.”
“I know. Maybe I just wanted to.”
Her eyes widened in surprise at that, and he led her over to his table. He’d selected it strategically. He wanted to sit with his back to the wall, facing the doorway, and the three people who were considered most likely to be targets were seated near him. There were a dozen other Shifters, Inc. agents in the room, some disguised as waiters and waitresses, some as guests. There were several of their employees working in the kitchen, including a wizard who could detect the presence of poison.
Reshef was sitting very close to Heath’s table. He was a handsome man with a mustache and goatee, olive-skinned and with shiny black hair like a silent-screen gigolo. He was surrounded by beautiful women and bodyguards. Heath realized that many of the women were of the larger, more voluptuous variety. Reshef and one of the bodyguards were staring at Tonya, whispering to each other.
Shifters, Inc. The Bear Who Loved Me (A BBW paranormal romance) Page 4