CRUISE TO ROMANCE

by Poznanski, Toby

  “Very funny.” Disgusted, Jennifer padded over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine. “Want some?” she asked holding up the Piesporter. At Sheila’s nod, Jennifer poured two glasses and replaced the bottle. She handed a glass to Sheila and sipped hers.

  “Listen, Jennifer,” Sheila said quietly, “According to Mike, Ryan tries to control every aspect of his life.”

  “Oh, great. Now I’m taking advice from baby brother.” Jennifer rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed next to Sheila.

  “No, Jenn, you’re not listening. Maybe it hasn’t been the right place or the right time. According to Mike, Ryan has this thing about making a good impression on the Captain. He doesn’t want any of the salesmen fooling around with the passengers.”

  “Sheila, he owns the company. This cruise could generate a lot of business if it is handled right. He just wants the men to be discreet.” Jennifer sighed and studied her glass. If Sheila couldn’t come up with a solution, who could?

  “True, but he is keeping a tight rein on them. Even so, it doesn’t really matter. He just needs a private place and a little persuasion. Maybe you could get him to drink tonight, then bring him back here. Ryan is obviously attracted to you. How much control can he maintain when you’ve plied him with wine or liquor?”

  “Plenty. We did that the first night. Remember?” Jennifer finished her wine. “Good grief. How am I going to compete with a bunch of exercise machines?”

  “Won’t you try one more time? This time with gusto?” Sheila smiled, then downed the rest of her wine while she waited for Jennifer to answer.

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Not really.” Sheila placed her hand on Jennifer’s shoulder. “If you think he’s worth it, try again. After all he’s a man. He’ll get the right idea.” Sheila handed Jennifer her glass, indicating that she wanted a refill. With a heavy sigh, she asked, “Why is it so difficult for women to find men who are caring, sensitive, and handsome?”

  “I wish I knew,” Jennifer shrugged her shoulders and went back to the refrigerator.

  “They already have boyfriends,” Sheila giggled.

  Jennifer laughed and reached for the wine.

  Sheila shifted uneasily. “Jenn . . . Mike told me that Ryan’s old fiancée wants him back and that she called him a couple of times before the cruise.”

  Jennifer wheeled around with the wine bottle in her hand and stared at Sheila. A foreboding thought swept through her. “Sheila. Do you think that he still cares for her?”

  Sheila sobered at the thought. “I don’t know, Jenn. You may be on to something. He sure acts like a man who’s taken. My advice to you is to move in for the kill as quickly as possible.”

  Jennifer filled the wine glasses and set them on the bedside table between the beds. “You certainly have a way with words, my friend.” Jennifer flopped down on the bed and covered her eyes with her arm. “I really needed to hear that.”

  “Well,” Sheila began, “it would explain a lot—if he’s still carrying a torch for her.” Sheila tossed aside their cruise guide on St. Kitts, their next port of call. The men had already decided to go scuba diving while Jennifer and Sheila shopped and searched for recipes.

  “Yes,” Jennifer admitted reluctantly. “It would.”

  “Well, think it over. I’m going to take a shower.” Sheila got up and picked out her clothing for dinner then headed for the shower.

  After slowly easing off the bed, Jennifer sat at the vanity and applied some eye make-up. Talking with Sheila had really given her something to think about. New dimensions that she hadn’t considered. Ryan was attracted to her. She knew it. Why he hadn’t acted on that attraction was the question. Could it be his old girlfriend? If so, she was going to find out before this cruise was over. Hopefully, she was upsetting herself for no reason. He’d been pretty affectionate today. Why wouldn’t he be tonight? Tonight she had two options for a bedroom and one of them would definitely be used.

  Out of the shower, petite, blonde, beautiful Sheila, carefully stepped into a pale pink confection that emphasized her delicate build and high breasts. She looked like a golden angel and Jennifer wondered why this smart funny woman was still single. It wasn’t that she hadn’t had proposals, so what was holding her back? Funny, she had never even thought to ask, assuming that Sheila was happy with her life the way it was. How utterly thoughtless and self-centered she’d been. Ashamed of herself, Jennifer decided to have a talk with Sheila when they had plenty of time for girl-talk. Maybe Sheila needed a friendly confidant too.

  Sheila twirled in front of the mirror and smiled sweetly at Jennifer. “One more night, Jennifer. If you and Ryan can’t get your act together, I’m going to go after him. After all, I love a challenge and, the truth is, I’d love to win our bet. What woman wouldn’t? Compared to him, Mike is just an hors d’oeuvre. I’ve given you all the slack I’m going to. Time’s wasting and Mr. Gorgeous is prime for the taking.”

  As she walked out the door, Jennifer stood, speechless with her mouth partially open. No. No. No. Sheila couldn’t do that to her, not now. Ryan was hers. Besides that, how humiliating for your best friend to take the man you care for and want. For Jennifer, it was more than a bet to get Ryan in bed. Surely Sheila knew that. Besides, why would she snatch Ryan away from her when she already had Mike? It wasn’t as if the cruise was terribly expensive. The bet had been her idea. Maybe she didn’t like losing, but her attitude and words implied that she’d given Jennifer a head start.

  Well, Sheila couldn’t have him, she thought desperately. But then Ryan was only a man. What man could say no to Sheila when she set her trap so expertly? The men were snared before they even knew it. Just like Mike, they found Sheila intriguing and loved every minute of her attention. Sheila was right though; time was slipping by entirely too fast.

  Jennifer sipped at the remainder of her wine and walked over to the closet. She mentally discarded her initial plans for dressing for dinner. Tonight it was time to bring out the big guns. She found the strapless dress she was looking for, not that it fit her definition of a dress. It was made of black stretch lace with a nude lining. Once on, it settled at about three inches above her knees. Both sides were slit to mid-thigh. To Jennifer, the real beauty of this dress was in its comfort because she didn’t have to wear a bra. The lining was so soft and the lace so decorative that nothing scratched or showed through.

  Helga had assured her that this garment was made solely for seduction; if she wore nothing but the dress, heels, and some expensive perfume, no man would be able to resist her after being in her company for a few hours. It was time to try it out and discover the truth, she thought, as she hung her robe in the closet and slipped into the dress. After studying herself in the mirror, she decided the dress definitely had merit. She wasn’t thin, but she certainly had soft curves. Feeling armed and dangerous, she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. Mr. Gorgeous, look out!

  * * *

  A perfect match. That’s exactly the way he felt, but he probably shouldn’t have said anything to Jennifer. Leading a woman on when there was no chance of a future was not his modus operandi. Not to mention cruel. But he just couldn’t seem to help himself. Jennifer was beautiful, intelligent, kind, sweet, funny, sexy—and on top of that, she could cook. Of course, he never dreamed he’d find a woman like her. She was everything he’d imagined his perfect match to be—except they really had nothing in common.

  His life revolved around exercise and healthy eating. From the beginning Diane had been into exercise, fitness, and low fat health food. Jennifer, on the other hand, never exercised. Hell, she had been gasping for breath today after running one very short block. Ten years from now she probably wouldn’t even be able to run. Diane always ate salads and watched her weight, being careful to eat healthy and low-carb. It was pretty obvious that Jennifer loved to eat and didn’t consider the consequences of high fat, high carb, gourmet food. Not that he could blame her for loving food, but she was not like
ly to change her lifestyle for any man. After all, gourmet cooking was her profession.

  It wasn’t fair to compare Jennifer with Diane, but Ryan found himself doing it. Diane. Beautiful and sophisticated Diane. What had he seen in Diane that was so special? For some time, he’d believed himself in love. Maybe he still was. But his feelings were so repressed that even he didn’t know the answer. But he was pretty sure that Diane’s smile had never warmed him the moment he saw her, but Jennifer’s did. Diane’s voice never sent tremors of longing shooting through his body like Jennifer’s soft voice did. Ryan needed to talk to Diane, to hear her voice, to find out to his satisfaction why she wanted him back. When he saw her again would he want her? Never one to put off the important, Ryan picked up the cabin telephone and dialed Diane’s number.

  * * *

  They were going to have to talk. That repetitive thought had kept Ryan worried all through dinner and now it was time for the coffee and dessert to be served. He still hadn’t made it clear that all he could give her was a shipboard romance. Not love, not forever after. Just a wonderful Caribbean romance. Would she still want him?

  Several times he’d almost suggesting skipping dinner. But a man has his pride and he didn’t have to beg. He, Ryan Treymont, CEO of Exercisetech, lover of women, was lusting over beautiful shoulders and sultry lips. Jennifer was so sensual, from her sparkling personality to her exotic glances. With every bite she took, she had him craving her. In fact, he was downright jealous of that silver fork she held in her shapely hand. Every time it went in her mouth, all he could think about was kissing her. Deeply. He was jealous every time the waiter came over and glanced down at that skimpy little dress made out of wispy black lace. If he didn’t get her out of the dining room soon he was going to go out of his mind.

  He couldn’t remember what they’d ordered for dessert. The cake in front of Jennifer looked as if it had been soaked in a warm bourbon sauce and sprinkled with orange rind. He looked up at the waiter who was placing another dessert in front of him, but staring at Jennifer at the same time.

  “What’s the name of this?” he asked, trying to divert the waiter’s attention away from Jennifer.

  “Seni bei, Signore.” The waiter smiled and returned to the serving island to retrieve the coffee server.

  “I don’t remember that name being on the dessert menu,” he remarked to Jennifer who was trying unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle. “I thought it had something to do with bourbon.”

  “It does.” Her giggles turned to chortling as she patted his hand and tried to answer him. “It’s called bourbon cake, torte del bourbon,” she managed to say before she broke out laughing.

  “Then what did the waiter just say to me?” For the life of him, Ryan couldn’t figure out what he’d said to make her laugh so hard, but he certainly didn’t mind. He could watch while she gasped for breath and that sexy lace slipped a little further down. However, much to his disappointment, she regained enough composure to tell him.

  “Beautiful breasts!”

  At one time he might have laughed too, even tossed out a clever joke to keep the light-hearted fun going. But this time he wasn’t laughing. He scowled. “That wasn’t funny. I’m going to break his neck.” Ryan threatened.

  “No. Don’t?” Jennifer laughed again. “Ryan, the poor man doesn’t even realize what he said. Please don’t start a fight. I love getting such a nice compliment.”

  “From him?” Ryan asked incredulously. “From a man you don’t even know?”

  “Oh, Ryan,” she giggled. “You know how European men are. They’re lovers first and foremost.”

  Ryan seethed. “Just what are American men? Chopped liver?”

  “Truthfully, American men seem to be more oriented to business first,” she replied tactfully. Then she leaned over and put her hand on his thigh. “Would you relax? It’s not worth getting angry over,” she whispered softly.

  The waiter had returned and was busy pouring their coffee. But with her so close, Ryan couldn’t focus on anything but her. He was on fire. That hot little hand of hers was just too close for comfort. Ryan inhaled deeply. Okay. He could do this. He could pretend he wasn’t affected by her nearness. Besides, he really didn’t want to trail his tongue along the edge of her cleavage and pull that lace down with his teeth. No, not really. What he really wanted was to rip that flimsy piece of lace right off her and make love to her right there on the table. Except . . . it was too public. Straightening in his chair, he reached for his coffee. They were going to have to talk . . .

  * * *

  Ryan couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed holding a woman more. Dancing with Jennifer had started out innocently enough. He had convinced himself that he could enjoy the wonderful sensations of her body next to his and not lose his self-control. Well, he was about to prove himself wrong. The skimpy black lace dress she had on was a tease. Feeling frustrated because he couldn’t feel much skin, he felt his hands slipping further and further down her hips to her perfectly well-rounded derriere. Knowing that he shouldn’t be holding her close, feeling that curvaceous body of hers pressed to his, and not doing it, were two different things.

  At his suggestion, they had skipped the Margaritas and, instead, ordered a bottle of white Zinfandel. Which of course, they had already gone through. Being the perfect host and companion, what choice did he have but to order another bottle? Jennifer was not objecting either. Not to the wine, not to the dancing, and not to his possessive hands. In fact, she was cuddled up as close as she could get to him and seemed to be loving every minute of it. Her hands were inside his jacket, slowly outlining every muscle he owned. Considering his build, she might be busy all night. Not that he would mind, but his control could stretch only so far.

  As relationships went, this one was pretty platonic. That, in and of itself, was a first for him. He couldn’t remember ever trying not to end up in bed with a woman. Ironic that he, Ryan Treymont, lady-killer extraordinaire, was unsure of what he wanted.

  Talking to Diane today hadn’t helped all that much. She seemed pleased that he had called and had expressed just how much she missed him and wanted to be with him. Maybe he had misjudged her feelings. Although he had refused to fly back to the mainland early, Diane did get his promise to discuss their relationship with her when he returned home.

  In the meantime, he didn’t want to lose Jennifer. For the first time in his life, he felt in a quandary over two women. While he felt he was being unfair to Jennifer, he couldn’t seem to resist her. She certainly wasn’t trying to resist him, at least physically. That left him the responsible party, like it or not.

  The music ended and he guided her back to the small booth in the cocktail bar. Other couples filled the bar tonight, so he couldn’t kiss her like he wanted to. It was frustrating, holding Jennifer and not being able to kiss her and touch her. But he wanted to keep them in a public place where he couldn’t lose his control or his convictions. Maybe by Sunday he would have a better handle on his emotions and his future.

  As much as he hated to end the evening, they had finished the wine, it was late and he had to go diving tomorrow. “Time to go, Jenn.”

  “Why?”

  “We’ll be arriving at St. Kitts at six in the morning. You know Mike and I are going diving with the rest of our party.”

  “But I’m having such a good time.” Jennifer sighed and began to walk quietly back to her cabin with Ryan behind her. So Sheila was right. He had controlled the whole night so that they couldn’t make love. Now he was ready to drop her off and go back to his cabin. They walked in silence until they reached her deck. Jennifer wished the evening would never end.

  “We’re here,” she told him and handed him the cabin card.

  In her heart, she had wanted him to make the move. She hadn’t wanted to stoop to subterfuge, but stoop she would. Loving him was an experience she didn’t want to miss. She wanted him and she knew he wanted her even if it was only temporary. How a man could stay rock hard for hours
was beyond her knowledge of physiology, but Ryan had. He was going to do something about it tonight while he was ready and needy.

  Ryan opened her cabin door and flipped on the lights for her. He didn’t want to kiss her. Really he didn’t. It was too dangerous. But somehow she ended up in his arms with that voluptuous body of hers pressed against him, demanding unspeakable pleasures. Somehow he knew he would oblige. “Jennifer,” he breathed while some sanity remained, “I can only give you a shipboard romance. No more. You deserve so much more.”

  “I don’t care,” Jennifer whispered in frustration. “Make love to me!”

  With an urgency that had been building all night, Ryan took her mouth with a commanding passion. Jennifer cried out from the beauty of the kiss, and he gave her more. His hands caressed her shoulders gently before sliding down her back to the zipper where he made quick work of opening it. He helped her out of her dress without breaking their hungry kiss. Jennifer thought she would melt, but before her knees gave way, Ryan lifted her onto the bed, grabbed the bed sheets where they had been turned down, and stripped them back. Quickly he opened the sheers at the sliding doors of the balcony and switched off the lights.

  Jennifer could hear him practically ripping the clothes from his body and when he joined her on the bed, his breath was rapid and heavy. Ryan pulled her close to him and began trailing kisses down her body. Everywhere his hand caressed, his mouth followed in a delightful path of passion and discovery. Every chance he got, he gave her a tiny nip. Then his tongue, that clever, clever, tongue, tasted every inch of her, leaving liquid fire racing through her veins and pin pricks of sensation tickling her skin. She could feel that wonderful heaviness in her center opening like a flower to the light.

  Then she was beneath him sobbing when he took her nipple in his mouth and stroked it with his tongue. Of their own will, her legs wrapped around his body and she arched her back.