by Kelley, HD
“I’m sorry, Isabella. I have to deal with an emergency.” He took my hand and we walked toward the elevator.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” he said as we stepped inside. He pressed a button on the control panel then stepped back out. “This will take you to the Lido deck. Your cabin is near the bow.”
“What about the meeting with the crew?”
“It’s been cancelled. I’ll pick you up at ten for a late dinner.” And just like that Mr. Control Freak was back.
My nerves were frayed by the time I found my way back to my cabin. I’d been wrestling with thoughts of Alec and professionalism and my job all day, our earlier interaction only making it worse. I opened the mini bar in search of something that might calm me down. When I saw the small bottles of Chateau Ste. Michelle inside, I couldn't help but smile. I pulled a bottle off the shelf and poured myself a glass, beyond ready to leave the stresses of my life behind.
After finishing the tiny bottle I still had some time to kill so I decided to check voicemail. The automated voice announced I had two new messages. I skipped over the first message when I heard Spencer’s voice. He was the last person I wanted in my head right now. The second message started to play. “You’re officially single,” the caller said. “Your divorce was finalized earlier today,” he continued and I finally put the pieces together, Mark, my divorce attorney. I listened to the message again to make sure I’d heard him correctly. Divorced. It was over, done, finished. Nineteen years of marriage, gone, just like that. Tears filled my eyes and I couldn’t stop them, not this time. I collapsed on the bed and cried myself to sleep.
A knock on the door woke me. Shit. Alec. Our dinner plans. I scrambled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to wash away the evidence of my tears. A more insistent knock sounded through the cabin and I hurried to open the door.
“Isabella, what’s wrong?” Alec asked as soon he saw me. He stepped into the room, forcing me to take a step back.
I shook my head, not wanting to get into it, knowing I wouldn’t be able to hold the tears back if I did. “It’s nothing.”
He held my head between his hands and stared into my eyes. “I don’t like half-truths, Isabella. Now tell me what’s wrong.”
Alec’s words were my undoing. I buried my face into his chest, unable to stop the tears now. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close.
“Tell me what’s wrong?” Alec said. “And I want the truth this time.”
I closed my eyes tight. I didn’t want to talk about my divorce with him, not now, maybe not ever. But I already knew he wouldn’t let it go. “My divorce was finalized today,” I blurted out.
Alec held me at arm’s length, looking right into my eyes. “And you’re having second thoughts?”
“Yes, no, I don’t know.” I pulled my hands through my hair. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad the divorce is over. It’s just, well, nineteen years is a long time. It feels weird to know my marriage is really over.” Alec wrapped his arms around me and pressed a kiss to the top of my head before pulling away. “No, please don’t go,” I whispered as he moved toward the door, all concerns of professionalism forgotten, at least for the moment.
Alec opened the door and picked up a large gold box that was resting against the door jamb inside the hall. “Get dressed,” he said, handing me the package. “I’m taking you to dinner.”
Grabbing a tissue from the nightstand, I dried my tears. “What is this?” I asked hesitantly, remembering the last time I opened a package.
“It’s an apology, for the picture.”
“But you already bought me an apology gift.”
“No, you bought yourself a gift that I paid for. There’s a big difference.” The sharpness in his tone made me blush. “Now, open the box.”
Damn, he’s demanding. I lifted the lid, gasping when I saw the metallic gold Oscar de la Renta that was inside. I pulled the dress from the box. “Alec, it’s beautiful,” I gasped.
You can’t keep that! my inner voice snapped. I knew she was right but I at least wanted to touch it. I’d never held a dress that expensive before, let alone worn one.
“Get dressed, Isabella. I’m hungry.”
“Alec, this dress is too much. I can’t accept it.”
He put his arm around my waist and pulled me into his chest, his eyes piercing through all the pain and confusion I’d been feeling. “I want you to wear this to dinner, Isabella. And I want you to hurry.”
I bit my lip, an enormous grin on my face. “Control freak!” I laughed, but took the dress into the bathroom to change anyway.
After fixing my makeup and twisting my unruly hair into a bun, I finally emerged from the bathroom. I’d tried to hurry given how hungry Alec said he was. So when I found him lounging on the bed, watching highlights from the earlier hockey games on his phone, it surprised me.
Alec must’ve felt me staring because he looked up, and his mouth dropped open. “Stunning,” he said simply. I was sure he was talking about the dress but the compliment made me blush anyway, or maybe it was the guilty feeling of accepting such an expensive gift from a man I barely knew.
I pulled my strappy heels from the wardrobe and slid them on. Alec bent down and fastened the strap around my ankle. My insides quickened when he touched me and an involuntary gasp escaped. Looking up at me, he smiled, clearly enjoying the effect he had on me.
“Let’s go,” he said after he finished buckling the second shoe. I didn’t argue. My stomach was growling now too.
He led me to the Da Vinci dining room, a large, open space on the sixth deck. Di Vinci’s art adorned the walls; Virgin of the Rocks, Madonna of Carnation, The Last Supper. I looked around the room as Alec led me to a small booth near the window. The passengers hadn’t boarded yet so the dining room was empty. We were completely alone with the bottle of wine chilling tableside. My heart beat faster, butterflies fluttered.
I slid behind the table at the circular booth and Alec sat on the other side. He filled the two wine glasses that were on the table, handing one to me, lifting the other. He took a long drink, his eyes never leaving mine.
With a nervous smile on my face I lifted my glass and took a long drink. “Thank you for this amazing dress,” I said finally.
Alec lifted my hand in his. “It’s only a dress, Isabella. You make it amazing.” His words made me blush again and I looked away. “Don’t do that,” Alec scolded, tugging on my chin until I was facing him again. His touch made my heart skip a beat and my breathing quicken. Without warning Alec leaned in and kissed me, a soft, sweet kiss, right on the lips sending a tingle through my body. I tried to pull away but he held my face in both hands and kissed me harder, sliding his tongue past my lips this time.
My body was on fire, my panties soaked by the effects of that one kiss. I pulled away again and this time he let me go. “Alec,” I said breathlessly. I wanted him to keep kissing me but I knew if I didn’t stop him now it would be too late. “We can’t do this.”
The waiter arrived with our dinner before either of us could say anything further. Alec sat back in his chair, that wicked grin of his spreading across his handsome face. I wondered what he was thinking but I didn’t dare ask. We were treading in shark infested waters and I needed to steer the conversation to a safer place.
“How’s the emergency?”
Alec’s expression hardened and he pulled his hand through his hair. “It’s being handled,” he said coolly. He refilled his wine glass and took another drink.
Great, I’d touched a nerve. I changed tacks again. “So, what made you start a cruise line?”
He pulled both hands through his hair this time. I’d expected that to be an easy question, but apparently I’d touched another nerve. “It was a wedding gift for my ex-wife.”
His confession surprised me. None of the research I’d done said anything about a wife.
Shaking his head as if clearing some awful memory, he continued, “But she ran off with my financ
e manager after they embezzled millions of dollars from me.”
“Why did you keep it? Why not just sell?”
“Believe it or not, cruise lines aren’t exactly in high demand.” He took another drink. “Plus, selling would put the jobs we created at risk. Some of our staff members left other jobs for this opportunity, others relocated, uprooted their lives, their families’ lives, all to work for Ultimate. I owe it to them to see this through.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed you to be the humanitarian type, you know, being Mr. Control Freak and all.”
“Oh, Isabella, you have no idea.”
I wondered silently what he meant, but I didn’t ask. I wasn’t exactly having good luck with conversation tonight. “What made you want to buy all these companies, anyway?”
“I’m an investment banker. That’s kind of what we do.”
He really was clandestine. Maybe that was why I hadn’t been able to find out anything about his motivations already. But I’m Izzy James. Digging into issues, discovering the unknown, that was what I did. “How’d you get started in investment banking then?”
Alec took a long drink from his wine glass, stalling maybe. I kept my eyes fixed on him, preparing myself to wait him out, no matter how long it took.
“I was a real handful growing up,” he said finally. “My parents died when I was young, so I moved to New York to live with my aunt.” He paused and took another drink. I raised my eyebrows, urging him to continue. “As if losing my parents and little sister wasn’t bad enough, I had to leave my friends behind too. I felt completely lost and started rebelling, vandalizing street signs, breaking into cars, stupid stuff really.
“Well, one day I got caught smashing the window of a pretty expensive sports car. The police officer had me cuffed and in the back of his cruiser before I even heard him coming.” He shook his head, a small smile on his face. “Boy, was my aunt pissed,” he laughed.
Intrigued by his reaction, I tilted my head, ready to hear more. “Turns out, the owner of the car was a high-profile investment banker. And when my aunt told him about my parents he took pity on me, agreeing not to press charges in exchange for a little hard labor. Needless to say I spent the next three months mowing his lawn, pulling weeds, trimming trees, anything he could find to keep me busy. I guess he got used to having me around because when he ran out of yardwork for me to do he started teaching me about investment banking. Eventually, he helped me get into Bendheim then gave me my first real job after I graduated.”
“So, in a way, breaking into cars saved your life?”
His smile grew. “I guess you could say that.”
“What happened to your parents?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth I wished I could take them back. Alec’s smile faded instantly. His whole body tensed and the grip on his wine glass tightened to the point I was worried he might actually snap the stem.
“There was a home invasion,” he sighed. “I was the only one who survived.”
“Oh, Alec, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
He took a deep breath. “It’s okay. It’s just not something I typically talk about.”
I reached across the table and covered his hand with mine, the enormity of what he’d just said really sinking in. Not just about his parents death, but that he’d shared this intimate detail of his life with me. “Thank you for trusting me with that, Alec.”
When he looked up at me there was sadness in his eyes that tugged at my heartstrings. I didn’t know what else to say. Luckily, Alec came up with the answer for me. “I’m done talking about me. I want to talk about you now,” he said, and I didn’t argue, even though there were so many questions I wanted to ask. They’d have to wait for another time. “Did you always want to be in public relations?”
“All I really knew when I left for college was I didn’t want to be a rancher,” I said honestly. “I changed my major dozens of times those first two years. By the beginning of my junior year, I was getting pressured to declare a major I would stick to. My dad had always told me I was a natural problem solver so I picked PR and went with it.”
“Do you like what you do?”
“Actually, I do. I love my job, or maybe I just love working, but whatever it is I’ve been happy at Dimarco.”
“Have you ever thought about doing anything else?”
“Not really, but after that picture maybe I should start considering a new career,” I teased.
Alec shook his head. “I really am sorry about that.”
I wanted to tell him it was okay, that this dress, this night, more than made up for it. But that would’ve been a lie. He’d almost cost me my job, and I had no idea if my kids would ever forgive me.
“What were you like when you were a little girl?” Alec asked, changing the subject.
Good, another easy question. “I was never much of a ‘girl’ growing up. I was raised by a single father and we owned a cattle ranch. I worked hard every day.”
“That helps explain your feistiness, but certainly not your lack of discipline.”
“Lack of discipline,” I snapped, unable to stop the words from spewing out of my mouth. “I happen to have an abundance of self-discipline, I’ll have you know.”
“I’ll try and remember that,” Alec laughed.
I rolled my eyes, momentarily forgetting he wasn’t a fan of that, but we were so far over the line of professionalism I didn’t really care at that moment. He refilled both our glasses, that wicked grin settling on his face. “Although, your refusal to stop rolling your eyes at me suggests the exact opposite of what you’re saying.”
“Yeah, well, that’s a lack of tolerance. It has nothing to do with discipline.” I picked up my glass and took a long drink.
Alec laughed even louder but thankfully changed the subject. “Were you able to see your mom often?”
A deep sigh escaped, involuntarily. My pathetic excuse for a mother was the last thing I wanted to talk about. “Judy walked out on us when I was five and I haven’t heard from her since.”
Alec lifted my hand to his lips. “I’m sorry, Isabella,” he whispered, his breath warm against my skin.
I jerked my hand back. “Don’t feel sorry for me,” I snapped, his pity an unwelcome intruder. “I survived just fine without her.”
Alec grabbed my hand again and held it tight. “Isabella—” he breathed. His eyes closed and by the time he opened them again he was pulling me to my feet. “Let’s dance.”
Before I could object we were walking arm-in-arm toward the dance club at the ship’s stern. We spent the next three hours dancing, talking, and getting to know each other better. He told me about his ex-wife, “Charlee loved my money. She never loved me,” he said. I told him about Spencer’s affair, leaving out the part about the pictures. We talked about the twins’ plans after graduation and about how much my life was changing. We laughed, I cried, he teased. And by the time he walked me back to my cabin I felt as though I’d known him for years.
“I had a great time, Alec.”
He moved closer. Instinctively, I stepped back until I was pressed against the door of my cabin. “Me too,” he whispered, his lips inches from mine. I closed my eyes, waiting, wanting him to kiss me again even though I knew it was wrong. My divorce may have been finalized but that didn’t change the fact that he was still my client.
Before I could object, Alec lifted my arms over my head and kissed me. Softly at first, his tongue circling mine. I knew I should push him away, but I couldn’t. It’d been so long since I’d been touched like that. Passion burned deep inside me. He pinned my wrists against the door with one hand, his other hand trailed down my side, and I didn’t object then either. I wanted him, right there, right then.
Without warning, he released my arms and pulled away. “Isabella, I’m sorry,” he said, unable to look at me now.
No, please, don’t stop, I wanted to say but his kiss had left me breathless.
Alec opened my door, the door I’d been lea
ning against, and I had to step back to keep my balance. Pressing a soft kiss on my lips, he whispered, “Goodnight, Isabella.”
My eyes found his and were begging him to stay. But he closed the door instead, leaving me standing alone, wondering what just happened, wanting more.
I stepped out of my new dress and hung it in the wardrobe before getting in the shower. Thoughts of Alec were still fresh in my mind. His gorgeous green eyes, his grin, that kiss...my insides tingled just thinking about him. Maybe I was just lonely, but that night I felt things I hadn’t felt in such a long time.
Maybe you just need sex, my inner voice chimed in, getting straight to the point. I tried to shake her off but she made a good point. It’d been over four months since I’d had sex, no wonder this control freak had me practically begging.
Chapter Eight
When I woke the next morning I felt refreshed after a full night’s sleep. I started a pot of coffee in the tiny coffee maker and fired up my laptop. I wanted to run through the boarding process checklist one more time before Tim arrived so it was fresh in my mind. If he even thought I’d been doing anything other than working last night it’d make for one rough weekend. It didn’t take me long to get dressed and by the time the coffee was finished I was able to get right to work.
I’d gone over the process several times and was just about to shut my laptop down when a knock at the door caught my attention. Tim wasn’t expected until later, so I knew it had to be Alec. An involuntary smile crossed my face and I had to remind myself again that he was a client. Even still I couldn’t shake the smile.
A quick look through the peep hole revealed it wasn’t Alec, but rather the porter who’d helped me to my room yesterday. I opened the door with a cheerful, “Good morning.”
“Good morning, ma’am,” he said with a smile of his own. Handing over a black hinged box and an envelope, he added, “These are for you.”
“Thanks,” I said hesitantly, wondering what this was all about. The porter offered no clues either, simply nodding and walking away after transferring the items to my hand. There was only one way to find out now, open the box.