Perfect Timing

by Brenda Jackson

  “You’re sick?”

  She tried nodding again but couldn’t. She blinked a third time and the blurring in her eyes began clearing as her gaze stayed focussed on the man. She took in his facial features. Although she felt half-dead, and probably looked it as well, she could definitely make out the fact that he was attractive. Very attractive. And he looked very familiar.

  “Like what you see, Maxine Chandler?”

  She blinked again when she remembered that same husky voice and those identical words spoken to her one day years ago in school when she’d been caught staring. She forced herself to study his features more intently. “Christopher Chandler?”

  He smiled down at her. “Yes, in the flesh.”

  She wished she had the energy to tell him he wasn’t in the flesh when he had clothes on. Questions immediately began flooding her mind. But then another bout of queasiness hit her, this one worse than the others. She closed her eyes after mumbling softly. “I’m going to throw up, Christopher.”

  Her words prompted him into action when she placed her hand over her mouth. He quickly picked her up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom and lowered her in front of the commode where she immediately released her lunch from earlier that day. When her stomach was completely empty the first thing she thought was that maybe she would live after all—if she didn’t die of embarrassment first. Of all the people to find her in such a sickly state and come to her aid, it had to be Christopher Chandler, the boy she’d had a crush on during her entire senior year of high school.

  All thoughts fled from her mind when she heard the sound of the toilet being flushed, and felt strong firm hands picking her up off the floor and a warm washcloth wiping her face.

  “Feeling better now, Maxi?”

  “Yes, much better, thanks,” she replied, as she looked into the face of the man who had been her rescuer. It had been ten years since she’d seen it last but those years seemed to have agreed with him. He was handsome as ever. “Christopher, what are you doing here?”

  “I should be asking you the same thing.”

  She frowned. “I’m here for the class reunion cruise.”

  “So am I.”

  That information surprised Maxi. In fact if she hadn’t been feeling so bad she would have laughed out loud at the absurdity of what he’d just said. He would have been the last person she would have expected to attend the class reunion since he’d never gotten along with the majority of their classmates. Most of them had been outright mean to him which made him retaliate with his anger, fists, or both. She’d always thought their mistreatment of him downright cruel and on numerous occasions had told them so, especially Ronald Swindel who’d been the class bully and who’d gone out of his way to make Christopher’s life at school a living hell. Local rumor claimed that Christopher’s mother had gotten pregnant from some sailor passing through town. Deborah Chandler, who had always lived on the wild and reckless side, found solace in other men, staying out late at night and at times gone for days, leaving Christopher to fend for himself. Since the kind of life he’d been born into hadn’t been his fault, Maxi had never treated him the way the others had. Therefore, she felt completely comfortable in saying her next words. “I’m glad you came. It’s good seeing you again, Christopher.”

  Christopher smiled as he stared down at her, looking for signs that somehow she’d changed over the years. But deep down he knew she’d remained, as she’d always been—a person who’d gotten along with everyone. A part of him felt the sincerity of her words. “It’s good seeing you too, Maxi, but what’s wrong with you?”

  Maxi was grateful he had gotten her to the bathroom before she had thrown up on herself. “Motion sickness. I’ve never been on a cruise before. The ship’s doctor gave me some pills to take and—”

  “Why are you in my cabin?”

  Maxi blinked. “I’m not in your cabin. This is my cabin.”

  Christopher frowned. “Are you sharing it alone?”

  “No, I have a cabinmate. What about you?”

  “I’m alone. That’s the reason for the one bed.”

  “Oh. Do you think there could have been some sort of a mix-up?”

  He couldn’t help but grin. “Possibly. It wouldn’t be the first time where you and I were concerned now would it?”

  She shook her head, remembering. “Like the time the substitute teacher sent me to the principal’s office to get a paddling you were supposed to get because she got our names mixed up?”

  “Yeah, and like the time Mrs. Meadows gave you my grades and gave me yours. Boy, was that comical,” he said laughing. The one thing he remembered about Maxine Chandler was that she was different from any of the kids in school. She had been one of the smartest but she had never acted stuck-up like the other kids had. Nor had she ever treated him like he was some sort of disease that might be contagious. He remembered the day Mr. Thompson had assigned the two of them to work together on a science project in their senior year. The other kids had teased her by saying working with him was an automatic zero. Instead of asking the teacher for another partner, she had ignored their classmates’ words and jotted down the directions to her house for him, like there was nothing wrong with bad boy Chandler from ghettoville visiting her side of town where most of the middle and upper-class Blacks lived. Because Maxi had not put him down or asked that he be removed from the project, he had worked his butt off to make sure they had gotten a decent grade. He’d been just as surprised as she had when they made first place. Of course everyone figured she had done all the work and said as much. She tried convincing them otherwise, stating it had been a joint venture. But just the thought that she didn’t try taking all the credit for the project had earned her his respect and admiration. It had also made him that much more infatuated with her. Leaving town after graduation had been for the best. There was no way that Maxine Chandler, the smartest girl at school—and he’d always thought, the prettiest—would have gotten involved with him.

  “Let me get you back in bed while I find out what’s the deal with our cabins.”

  Maxi marveled at how easily he was able to carry her in his arms as he gently placed her on the bed. She watched him cross the room and pick up the phone, thinking how good he looked in his designer jeans and shirt. They were a far cry from the tattered and worn-torn clothes he used to wear to school.

  She studied his transition from boy to man. He had changed. Grown older. In her opinion his features had always been chiseled masculine perfection. Now they were even more so with his high cheekbones, strong chin, full lips, and straight nose. And there were lines around his eyes that hadn’t been there before. He had gotten taller and the breadth of his chest and shoulders radiated power and strength. And as impossible as it may seem, he was more handsome than ever before. He’d said he was on the cruise alone. Did that mean he was still single? He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring but that didn’t mean anything these days.

  He was so absorbed in making the phone call that he didn’t look up for a long moment. It was long enough for her to continue her close study of him. His nose was slightly crooked from the time Ronald Swindel had broken it. Some say the two had been fighting over Lorraine Brown. Christopher had gotten a broken nose and Ronald had gotten a broken arm.

  Maxi’s gaze moved over him, downward. He was firm at his stomach and hip, and his muscular thighs were like tempered steel and looked like the type that could wrap themselves around a woman’s waist and hips real tight while they made love. A deep tint covered Maxi’s face. This was the first time she’d thought of a man in a sexual way since Jason’s death. She inhaled deeply, thinking her racy thoughts must be the result of the medication she’d taken.

  She forced her mind back to the real issue at hand—the mix-up of their cabins. From the conversation he was having on the phone with the cruise ship director, she got the distinct impression that he was a man who was use to being in authority, in control, and having his concerns taken care of to his satisfaction
immediately.

  “What did they say?” she asked when he had hung up the phone. She could see the frustrations outlined in his features. Evidently whomever he’d spoken to had told him something he hadn’t wanted to hear.

  “There was some sort of computer glitch. Since we have the same last name and were booked under the class reunion group, the system apparently assumed we were married and placed us in the same cabin.”

  “Oh,” Maxi said. “But they are finding me another cabin, right?”

  “They indicated they will try but according to the person I spoke with, this ship is booked to capacity. Their only hope is if there have been ‘no shows,’ and they won’t know that until later this evening.”

  Maxi lifted a brow. “And if there aren’t?”

  Christopher sighed deeply before answering. “Then they will check to see if anyone who is paying for a single cabin wants a cabinmate.”

  “And what if no one does?” she asked, desperately.

  He shook his head. A lot about Maxine Chandler hadn’t changed. She still believed in asking a lot of questions. She used to drive their teachers batty with her constant stream of inquiries. But her endless questions had never bothered him. In fact those were the times he’d actually paid attention in class because he’d always liked hearing the sound of her voice, low-pitched and smooth. And then when he’d gotten to the age where he appreciated the opposite sex, he would enjoy watching her mouth move when she would ask her questions. Her mouth had the most delectable set of lips that he had ever seen on a woman. They were full, luscious, and soft and he’d always imagined, kissable. Even now the sight of them was holding his gaze captive.

  “Christopher? What if no one does?” Maxi repeated, reclaiming his attention.

  Then I guess we’re stuck with each other for the next seven days. He felt a sense of panic surge through him as soon as that thought popped into his head. He didn’t want to be stuck with Maxi or any woman for seven days. That fact had become crystal clear in his mind when Tori had made the suggestion to join him on the cruise. He didn’t want any woman to invade his personal space and especially not the one lying on his bed watching him with those same gorgeous brown eyes he used to drool over in school. He needed to distance himself from Maxine Chandler and fast. Step away. Regroup. Get the hell out of there.

  “I’m sure they’ll find you adequate accommodations for the duration of the cruise,” he heard himself say as he slowly began walking backward to the door. “I wouldn’t worry about it. They should have at least one cancellation.” He opened the cabin door. “I’m going to go personally talk to the ship’s director. I’ll take it to the captain if I have to. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll be back later.”

  He then quickly left the room.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Maxi released a deep breath, unaware she’d been holding it until the door had closed shut behind Christopher. A part of her wondered if she had just dreamed the whole thing. Was bad boy Christopher Chandler actually here for their high school class reunion?

  Although he’d always been nice to her in school, she had seen him in action with other students several times to know that he could be hell on a stick when he wanted to be. He’d carried a chip on his shoulder, a rather big chip; one placed there because of circumstances beyond his control and he had fought back the only way he’d known how. He had trusted no one and believed in nothing. And he had fought with a society that had scorned him. When he’d left Savannah a number of the locals had said “good riddance,” but she had sadly thought, “what a loss,” because during those six weeks they had spent working on their science project, she had gotten to know another side of him. It had been a side that had wanted to belong although he’d tried hard not to show it. And because of the time they had spent together and becoming what she thought of as friends, it had hurt when he’d left without saying goodbye.

  She couldn’t help wondering what he was doing after ten years. Was he still fighting society or had he gone on to make something out of his life regardless of his less-than-desirable childhood?

  Closing her eyes she began feeling drowsy again. She would let Christopher deal with getting them separate cabins since he didn’t seem too pleased with their predicament. Right now all she wanted to do was sleep. She would deal with Christopher Chandler when she woke up.

  Nancy Watson, the cruise ship director, thought that even her worst days hadn’t prepared her for the likes of the man whose brooding dark eyes were boring into her. She held his gaze unswervingly, determined not to let him intimidate her any more than he already had. She had apologized for the computer mix-up at least a half dozen times but he still wasn’t satisfied. And telling him that there were no vacant cabins had only fuelled his anger.

  “Mr. Chandler,” she said with smooth politeness, hiding with a plastic smile the aggravation that was eating her up. She refused to lose her cool, which could possibly mean losing her job as well. “I understand what happened has placed both you and Ms. Chandler in a very awkward situation. However, at the moment there is nothing we can do. We did contact a few of those with single cabins and the ones who have responded indicate they prefer their arrangements to remain as they are. We haven’t heard from a few others yet, but will let you know as soon as we do.”

  Placing him in an awkward situation wasn’t the half of it, Christopher thought. As a kid in grade school Maxine Chandler had fascinated him. As a teenager in high school she’d made him aware of his raging hormones. Now as a man there was no doubt in his mind that she could be the one woman who could get under his skin, and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

  “And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?” he snapped.

  Nancy Watson didn’t think he was a person who would appreciate being told what to do, but since he’d asked, she would oblige him. “You and Ms. Chandler evidently know each other since you’re both in the same class reunion group. I suggest the two of you work something out. Although we don’t make a habit of assigning opposite sexes to the same cabins, coed sleeping arrangements are common practice and maybe it will work for the two of you.”

  His gaze became hard as stone. “It won’t work for the two of us. I’m a person who likes my privacy. Had I wanted a cabinmate, I would have requested one. Since I didn’t I would appreciate it if you do whatever you can to see that I spend my time on board this ship the way I had intended. Alone.”

  Satisfied that he had made what he wanted absolutely clear, he walked out of the woman’s office then headed for the nearest bar, feeling the need of a stiff drink.

  As he slipped onto a barstool he couldn’t help wondering if someone up there didn’t like him. The bartender came up to take his order. “Yes, sir, what would you like?”

  “Brandy.”

  The bartender nodded and walked off. Christopher rested his arms on the counter and wondered what he would do if the ship’s director wasn’t able to find Maxi another room. The possibility of sharing a cabin with her was too much to consider. He hadn’t been prepared for the sight of her, and he hadn’t been prepared for those protective instincts he’d always had where she was concerned kicking in. And more than anything, he didn’t like the way his body had responded to her when he had carried her into the bathroom. The last thing he wanted was to feel any kind of attraction to her.

  And that was the crux of his problem.

  It seemed he had known Maxi forever, and with each passing year as he got older and older, he couldn’t help noticing things about her that went beyond the obvious sexual ones. Like the way she would always have something nice to say to him when the other kids did not, or the way she would try including him in school activities when the other kids would not have dared. And she never appeared intimidated by him like some of the other girls, at least the ones who weren’t trying to talk him into taking them to bed. It had been amusing how during the day they would ignore him around school but then at night, some of those same girls would come around to where he lived
and try and talk their way into his pants. And usually he would oblige them just for the hell of doing so. But not once had he allowed anyone to get close to the real Christopher Chandler.

  Except for Maxi.

  He sat there, listening to the faint sound of music in the background while he remembered that one particular night. After six weeks of spending the majority of their evenings together doing research on their project, they had done a test run on their experiment to make sure it worked. It had. Deciding to celebrate their success, Maxi suggested that they go grab a hamburger or something. However, not wanting to ruin her reputation by being seen out with him, he had talked her into ordering pizza instead. While sitting on her parents’ back porch under a moonlit sky eating pizza and sipping Cokes, he had shared a side of himself that no one else knew. He had told her how he wanted to leave town and make something of himself and would work like hell to achieve that goal. She had said something to him that night that had forever touched him. “Anyone can say what they want, but it will take hard work and sacrifices to actually get what you want. You’ll have everything you want, Christopher, because you are strong and determined. I truly believe that because I believe in you and what you are capable of doing.”

  She never knew how much her words had touched him. Throughout most of his life his dreams had been torn away from him. As a child he’d felt ashamed of who and what he was—the son of the woman who’d been known as the town’s whore; a dirt-poor illegitimate kid that none of the other parents wanted their children to associate with. And then after the scandal involving his mother and the mayor broke out, things had gotten even worse. He would never forget reading the newspaper headlines about the sordid, sleazy affair. But with those words Maxi had spoken to him, she had given him pride. Not only pride but hope and deep determination to prove her right by becoming successful.

  Although he’d left town the day after graduation without even telling her goodbye, he’d kept her words in the back of his mind all the while he’d worked part time while attending college full time. And later when he and Gabe had taken over Regency Builders and later after changing the name to The Regency Corporation, he had worked hard day and night to make it even more successful. So in a way he owed a part of his success to her.