Just One Look (Launching Love Book 1)

by Deb Julienne

  He felt like Peter Pan soaring through the air and doing acrobatics. It was the most fun he’d ever experienced in his life. Flying through the air with a spectacular view of the island and the ocean, canopy covered jungles all around, and monkeys screeching at them for encroaching on their territory.

  When they returned to the ground and turned in their gear, he found Diana standing before a cage feeding a banana through the bars to the cutest spider monkey.

  She turned to face him with tears in her eyes.

  “What’s wrong,” he said, wiping her tears away.

  “Nothing.” She turned away. “You’ll think I’m stupid.”

  He pulled her into his arms and said, “That’s the last thing I’d think. Come on, what’s the matter?”

  “It’s just that this has been the best vacation I’ve ever had.”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “I don’t know if I can make you understand. My family is fairly well-to-do. I’ve been all over the world with my mother, seen wonders most people would kill to see, but in all that time, we never did anything like this. This cruise has made all the dreams a reality, but at the same time neither my mother nor my father are present to experience it with me. I’m with a man I barely know.”

  “Ah—I see. In that case, it makes more sense than you’ll ever know.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really.” J.J. kissed her. “Come on let’s get some dinner on the way back to the ship.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Diana enjoyed dancing in the shallow end of the pool. She motioned for J.J. to join her, but he was sitting in a beach chair on the deck of the ship, sucking down his second Mai Tai.

  They had enjoyed the sunset at a cute little restaurant patio sharing a plate of nachos and margaritas. By the time they got back to the ship, neither was feeling any pain.

  The purser found her and said there was a ship-to-shore call for her. Why couldn’t her father wait until their scheduled time? Why did everything need to be on his terms?

  She wanted to blow him off, but she had no excuse good enough to ignore him. Might as well get the call over with, and then get drunk. No doubt it would be another rotten conversation with him blasting her.

  Diana made her way to J.J.’s side, dropped a kiss on his lips, and said she’d be back in a few minutes, that it was work and she had to handle it.

  “It sucks that you can’t even have a vacation without them ruining it.”

  “That’s the nature of this beast. Save me a seat. I’ll be back.”

  She followed the purser to his desk and picked up the receiver, sucking in a gust of self-confidence she sadly needed. “Hello, Daddy. What is it this time?”

  “I am your father, young lady, and I don’t appreciate your sarcasm. You’re there on business, not pleasure.”

  “You’re calling me as a boss, not as a father so cut the crap. You know what kills me? You have the fear of flying, not me. I’m here doing what you can’t, but that’s not good enough. I’m doing everything I can think of to give you a full comprehensive report, and all you can do is call at your convenience, not mine, interrupt me while I’m working, and be a general pain in my ass. If you weren’t my father, I’d divorce you.”

  The purser’s face reddened. He went into his office and closed the door. At least now she wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard if something about the sale of the cruise line came up.

  “And if you weren’t my daughter, I’d fire you.”

  Diana laughed into the receiver. “You make it awfully hard to be your daughter.”

  “Same goes for you.”

  “What do you want this time?”

  “I’m anxious to close this deal.”

  “So am I, but do you really want to me to give you a false report or do you want me to keep at it?

  “When do I get your report?”

  Diana huffed into the phone, “When the trip is over.”

  “I don’t understand you. You’re not there for the cruise experience. You’re there to find out if the ship is sound, the crew is competent, and if this is a profitable investment.”

  Diana could just imagine her father using air quotes. “I’m doing that, but you need to understand all that a cruise is. For the complete experience, it’s necessary to thoroughly research every department. That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  Hunter and Manda strolled by, arm in arm. She raised a hand to wave, but they were lost in each other’s company.

  “Surely, at least you have a good idea which way you’re leaning. Toss me a crumb, will you?”

  For once, the ball was in her court. She had the power in her hands and was going to hold on to it for as long as she could. “As a matter of fact, I do have an opinion, but I’d rather not say before I have all the information. You’d want no less from anyone who reports to you, so why is it necessary to harass me until I’m ready to give you a conclusion?”

  “Because you’re my daughter, and I expect you to give me one-hundred percent.”

  “I’ve given you a thousand percent because you’re my father. It’s you who have always cut me short for being a girl.”

  “Not that crap again.”

  “Damned right. You want me to act like a V.P., handling everything about this deal, but you won’t give me the job or the pay, and yet I’m expected to have all the responsibility. You keep using that old stale excuse about the situation needing a man’s strength. Well, I have news for you. I’m a woman, and no man could have done the job I’m doing for you.” Diana, suffused with power, stood up in her own defense. She turned around watching the passengers rushing to the next fun place.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  It was time to go in for the kill. “I’ll make you a deal. I know you’re hesitant about this new venture, bringing the cruise line into Tolliver Enterprises. But I’ll prove to you it’s more than a sound investment and that you’re a damn fool if you don’t snap it up. In exchange, you make me the V.P. of the Marketing for Tolliver Enterprises.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Diana turned and smacked the counter. “That’s your way of saying no. Well, I’m tired of this cat and mouse game. It’s always your way or the highway, but two of us can play that game. At what point did this become a marriage where you get to tell me what to do, when to do it, and how to do it?” Diana was practically yelling into the phone. But it was true. This was exactly how he treated her mother. No wonder her mother pulled away and made a life for herself. “It’s time for me—” Diana looked up to find J.J. staring at her with his jaw wide open as if she’s just dropped a bomb.

  J.J. turned and walked away.

  What had she just said? Then she realized he walked in on a conversation and taken her words out of context. He had no way of knowing she was talking to her father.

  “I’ve gotta go, Daddy, I’ll call you later.”

  “Do not hang up on me young lady.”

  “It’s important.” She hung up and raced after J.J.

  She heard his door slam all the way down the hall. It would have been funny except for the devastated expression on his face.

  How could she explain she was talking to her father about her job? At this point, she had nothing to lose. After the way she spoke to her father, he’d probably cancel the purchase of the cruise line then fire her.

  What difference did it make if she wasn’t happy? And without J.J. in her life, even her job lost its luster. She sucked in a deep breath ready to give the apology of her lifetime.

  Chapter Fifteen

  J.J. slammed the door to his room and kicked his shoes off. He threw open the doors to his balcony and leaned on the rail. How could Diana not have told him she was married? Never in his life had he played around with a married woman, but now this.

  Damnitall!

  Diana Clay had made a fool out of him. Keeping her little secret had done the one thing that he swore he’d never do. Be a party to the brea
k-up of a marriage.

  That’s what his father had done to his mother, and with his secretary no less.

  J.J.’s mother had turned to the bottle, and her life was cut short one night in a drunken binge. Thank God she hadn’t killed anyone but herself. He’d promptly been shipped off to his maternal grandmother who raised him.

  That was the one thing he and Diana had in common, shitty childhoods. Where she’d come from money, he hadn’t. He watched his grandmother work her fingers to the bone to send him to college. The month after he graduated, she’d died of cancer and never even told him she was sick.

  He made a promise on her grave that he’d be somebody and make her proud.

  She’d never be proud of him for this.

  In one fell swoop, Diana had turned him into his father. Lord, he was angry, and he wanted to tell Diana Clay off.

  There was a knock on his door.

  It was probably her, and he planned to let her have it.

  He took a deep breath and went to the door and whipped it open.

  “Before you say a thing, you need to hear me out. It’s not what you thought. That was my father on the phone.” She stared at him.

  He wasn’t sure whether he believed her or not, but held the door open and let her enter. “This better be good.”

  Diana entered the room hesitantly. She started to reach for him, but he pulled away. “It’s true. My father and I have always had a volatile relationship, fraught with anger and hurt feelings, usually mine. I work for him, and that’s why I’m trying so hard to prove myself.” She paced out onto his balcony and stared into space. She turned to face him. “And yet no matter what I do, it’s never good enough, because I’m a girl. When you walked up, I was asking him when this had turned into a marriage, where he—well, you heard it for yourself. Our relationship has always been like that. Tonight, I finally realized why he and my mother didn’t get along. He did the same thing to her before she died. They’d have been better off if she’d just have divorced him, but she liked to spend his money too much. She was just as selfish as he was.” Diana was again the little girl, lost in agony, unsure if she was loved or where she fit in. It showed in her actions and the sadness of her voice.

  J.J. remembered Diana’s comments about swimming with the dolphins. Even if she came from money, it didn’t make her a happy child. She was caught between two selfish parents the same way he was. “I’m sorry your relationship is so strained.” He felt like a bigger fool for jumping to conclusions.

  “Can we forget about family and just enjoy the rest of this cruise? It’s going to be over all too soon, and frankly, I can’t afford to miss another minute of it in a bad mood thanks to my father.” Her tone of voice matched her attitude.

  He wanted to ask her more but decided to let it go. It wasn’t worth another argument.

  “Sure, let’s get out of here.” He put on his shoes, and they spent the rest of the evening dancing the night away.

  They drank more than they planned and fell into bed just before dawn.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Diana and J.J. spent their last excursion strolling along the turquoise blue waters, reef diving, and playing in the shallow water until J.J. flew into the air screaming like a little girl that “it got him.” He danced around the sandy beach while reaching into his pants.

  The ‘it’ was a small sand crab that found its way into the pocket of J.J.’s swim trunks and proceeded to clasp onto his goods.

  They also visited a Mayan Cacao Factory where Diana went on a shopping spree, purchasing several cases to be shipped home. She even managed to get a tour of the facilities and pictures in the kitchen of her making her own creation.

  As they walked around the deck just before midnight, both were hesitant to go to bed, because once they woke up in the morning, the cruise would be nearing its end.

  Diana was so busy trying to suck every spare minute out of their trip that they completely missed the Murder Mystery dinner party, and J.J. was almost late for the final concert.

  “My job is done. It’s time for me to get a real job, and with any luck, I’ll land my dream job, and you’ll land yours. By the way, I’d like to see you again. Where might I find you?”

  “That’s debatable at the moment. I’ve been working in New York, but my job has taken me all over. Depending on what Daddy has in mind for me when I get back, he’ll probably put me in charge of the hotel in the Ozarks.”

  “I’m heading to New York myself. I have a big interview coming up, and I think I’ve got a good chance of landing it.”

  “Enough about work, I can’t deal with it right now. Let’s just enjoy our time together. Please?”

  “Sure, no problem. I get it.”

  When they returned to her room, it was filled with roses. Two vases of long-stem roses sat on the table, a path of rose petals led to the bedroom where the bed was covered in rose petals. Beside the bed were a bottle of chilled champagne and a box of truffles. A small gift-wrapped box sat on her pillow.

  Diana hugged him. “I can’t believe you did all this. Why?”

  “Let’s just say I want this trip to be as memorable for you as it was for me. I know neither of us wanted anything to do with Valentine’s Day when we came on board, but I had to show you how special you are to me.”

  Diana opened the package. It was a white gold necklace with two dolphins forming a heart, kissing.

  J.J. put it on her.

  Diana looked down at where the charm nestled between her breasts then gave him a smile. “Thank you. I’m truly touched.” She kissed him then shoved him back on the bed and gave him the night of his life.

  Their day was full and fun and they spent their last night on the ship together.

  Diana was too antsy to sleep much even if her sleep deprived body craved it. She fell asleep thinking that maybe Henrietta wasn’t so far off the mark. She liked J.J. even if she didn’t love him. Yet. With a bit of luck, some time, and a chance to get to know him better, maybe something would come of it. While she loved the sex, it was the time they spent talking, sharing, going on the excursions, and just being together that made the biggest impression on her.

  She’d never enjoyed herself so much.

  When she woke up in the morning, she was alone, but J.J. soon joined her.

  “I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep, and I didn’t want wake you, so I went to my room and packed so we could spend the morning together until we dock,” J.J. said. “You’re not the only one with a checkered past. I feel like I’m in the best possible place with my life. I want to see you again.”

  “We’ll talk about it tonight. Until then, no talk past the moment we’re in.” She had to find a way to tell him who she really was. Tonight was soon enough.

  When the horn sounded their arrival hours later, they gathered their things and strolled down the gangplank hand in hand. Neither wanted their time to end.

  In the middle of a kiss worthy of a honeymooning couple canoodling on the dock, Hunter yelled, “Get a room.” He nudged J.J. as he and Manda walked past.

  Diana dropped one of her packages during the clinch.

  J.J. picked up the package and handed it to Diana, then turned to Hunter and said, “We’ll meet you at the restaurant in a bit.”

  J.J. turned to Diana and threw his arm around her. “It’s time to celebrate the future, for all of us.”

  Manda grabbed Diana into a hug. “You promised me the trip of a lifetime. Thank you for coming to my rescue that first day and again throughout the rest of the trip.”

  “Are you kidding? I owe you for finding my phantom.”

  Acknowledgments

  Special Thanks to Karan Eleni and Sara Preston. Friends to the end. Here's to TFGN…The Fairy Godmother Network.

  About the Author

  While some say truth is stranger than fiction, Deb Julienne’s experience runs more along the lines of a slap-stick comedy; when life tosses you lemons the only thing to do is to turn it into Limoncello.
Deb’s dream of being published came true with the release of her first book, SEX, LIES, AND BEAUTY AIDS, a romantic comedy, published by Kensington Books in March of 2014.

  As a longtime member of both Romance Writers of America (RWA) and her local RWA Chapter, the Sacramento Valley Roses, she fills the hours she’s not writing romantic comedy and romantic suspense with her day job at a Silicon Valley Corporation and playing in the kitchen concocting her award-winning jams, jellies, preserves, and sauces (with alcohol of course). She resides in her own little bit of heaven in the Sierra Tahoe National Forest Basin, with her husband of 35 years, their three sons and one daughter, and five very precious grandkids and another on the way.

  Connect with Deb:

  debjulienne.com

  Also by Deb Julienne

  Buy on Amazon

  The Twisted Sisters Club Series:

  Sex, Lies, and Beauty Aids

  Sex, Secrets, & Happily Ever Afters

  Love, Lies, & Alibis

  Other books:

  A Splash of Romance (Prequel to the Bronco Boys)

  The Ride of His Life in the Catching a Cowboy: Roped into Love box set

  Burst of Courage in the Like a Firework: A Celebration of Love box set

  All I Want For Christmas (coming soon)

  Bronco Boys Series:

  The Bronco Boys: Sterling in the Cowboy Country box set

  The Bronco Boys: Blake in the More Cowboy Country box set

  Also in the Launching Love series

  Read Cinderella at Sea, book two in the Launching Love series, to see more of Diana and J.J. as they cruise through the Caribbean with their friends.