by Alina Jacobs
"So where are we going?" Eric asked.
"Just around the coast to the Keys and back. It's only a few days. We all have jobs."
"Let's get this over with," Grant muttered.
"It is an impressive yacht," Mark said to Fernando.
"Yes, we have several cabins…"
"I’m not sharing," Carter interjected.
"There's plenty of room. No one has to share."
The boat lurched, and Finn looked around with a frown. "I hope the crew knows what they're doing."
"Relax."
"I don't relax on boats."
"Finn was a big-time sailor," Carter said. "He almost made the Olympic team when he was in high school."
"I peaked too early." Finn sighed.
They watched the waves, and as evening started to fall, the chef cooked them a delicious meal of grilled seafood.
After dinner, some of the female crew handed out more drinks, and they all walked around, exploring the large boat.
"Is that a stripper pole?" Grant asked when they entered one lounge that was below deck. It looked like a club, complete with white leather couches, velvet on the walls, and pulsing LED lights.
The two female crew members who were leading the tour giggled then ripped off their uniforms and started dancing suggestively.
"Whoa," Grant exclaimed, and Eric covered his eyes.
"What's the matter?" Jean-Claude purred, looking at the now-topless women appreciatively. "That's what they're here for." He let his hand run down the full length of one of the women.
Grant glared at him then ordered the girls, "Get out and go put your clothes on."
"This is my bachelor party!" Fernando said as the girls scurried into the next room, clutching their ripped uniforms to their chests.
"Yes, as a precursor to your marriage," Grant told him.
"Brandy understands who she's marrying."
"You should still strive to be a better man," Grant told Fernando.
"You could have had her if you wanted to, but you didn't," Fernando spat.
"Wait, what?" Mark said. "You and Brandy? Does Kate know?"
Grant looked furious. "That's not what happened. It wasn't like that. Nothing—"
The boat jerked and tipped dangerously. They all yelled as they were thrown against the wall and water started pouring into the yacht. Carter pushed Grant off of him, looked up, and saw a large gash in the side of the boat.
51
Allie
As Allie exited the plane after they landed in Miami, she scanned the faces of the other young women. It didn't seem as if anyone really wanted to be there.
"This is my bachelorette party!" Brandy screeched at them. "You all better have a good time."
The flight attendant gave Allie a sympathetic wave as the bridesmaids all squeezed into the waiting luxury SUV.
"What is the itinerary?" Stacy yelled, clapping her hands to punctuate each word.
Kate gave Allie a look that said, This is your fault, and Allie shrank down in her seat.
"I have a boat ride planned, and we'll have dinner and drinks on board. Then we'll head to the hotel. It should be a nice one."
"We're going to party so hard!" Stacy squealed, jumping around Brandy when the car let them off at the marina.
Allie winced every time Stacy's platform heels clomped on the ground.
Brandy turned to the rest of the bridesmaids. "You see this? This is enthusiasm."
"You heard the bride!" Stacy yelled. "Act happy!"
They ignored her and climbed the gangway into the yacht.
"This is really extraordinary," Kate said, looking around appreciatively at the luxury boat.
"Oh, good," Allie said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I didn't want you all to be uncomfortable. I'm sure this is all ho-hum to you."
"Not at all!" Kate said. "This is a very nice yacht."
"It's just for the evening," Allie said. "So I figured we should have something elegant." The yacht gleamed. The seats were a creamy white, and there were drinks laid out.
Liz looked appreciatively at the handsome crew members. "And they have the best-looking people."
One of the men winked at her and handed her a drink.
"I hope they know how to work this boat," Allie said with a frown. She had a bit of experience with boats during her relationship with Bryce. The people she knew who knew how to operate them did not look like supermodels. She made a mental note of where the lifeboats and life vests were.
Dinner was light, mainly salads, cold fish, and ocean-themed cocktails.
"At least it’s a little cooler," Kate said as the sun went down. They lay sprawled out on the deck. One of the crew members was giving massages.
"Relax," Kate told Allie. "You're so tense."
"She's always tense," Liz murmured as one of the shirtless men worked on her arm.
Stacy bounded around the deck. Allie closed her eyes and tried to relax as she let the nice man rub her shoulders.
"I have to admit," she said, "this is the life."
"Absolutely!" Ginny said.
Allie half listened to Stacy. She hoped she wasn't harassing the crew members. She made a mental note to give the men a generous tip.
"Let's go that direction," she heard Stacy say. "That’s the boys' boat! I want to surprise them!"
The boat was going at a fast clip, and then Allie was thrown off the chair as the boat turned hard to the right.
The captain didn't seem as if he knew what he was doing, Allie thought. She had been on enough boats in the swamps with Bryce to know that you didn't want to make sudden motions.
Just as she thought, as the captain turned the boat, the engine choked, and they careened into Carter's yacht. Allie cursed as she was thrown into Kate when the boat lurched.
Picking herself up, she heard screams coming from the guys' yacht.
"Oh no!" Kate exclaimed as she and Allie hurried to look over the side of the boat. The bow of their yacht had impaled the guys' yacht. Allie looked around frantically as their boat tipped dangerously and she heard the rushing of water.
52
Carter
"We've been hit!"
"Where are the life vests?"
"We need to get out! Up! Up!" Finn yelled, tugging at Carter's soaked shirt.
"The women!" Carter yelled back.
The water was pouring in dangerously fast. He took a breath and swam for the door the two topless women had disappeared behind. He could hear garbled screaming on the other side.
He wrenched it open and dragged one girl out then the other, passing her to Finn. They swam through to the stairs. The boat lurched, something fell in front of him, and the lights cut out. It was pitch black now. Carter could feel Finn tug him, and he followed him to the breach. Finn forced his way through, dragging the girl behind him. Carter pushed his girl through and wriggled after.
The boat that had crashed into them was taking water. He saw several figures on the deck and… was that Allie?
"Kate!" Grant yelled, treading water.
No one was wearing a life vest.
The girls' yacht lurched, and Allie was thrown overboard; Carter watched her hit her head then tumble into the water.
He swam over to her and grabbed at her. Before he had a good hold, however, she was caught in a current and pulled out to sea. Without thinking, Carter pushed off after her. It was unnerving, being tugged by the current as if it were a living thing. After a few heart-pounding moments, he was able to catch up with Allie's limp form.
Carter struggled to keep his and Allie's heads above water. He cursed Fernando and Brandy and the crew. He was jolted out of his thoughts as something sharp cut into him. There was a rough rope wrapped around his neck and torso. He feebly pulled at it and gasped for air. His hand hit a buoy.
"Must have been a crab trap," he said. He voice sounded hoarse, and he licked the saltwater from his lips.
"Help!" he called out. He and Allie were far out. He could barely make o
ut the lights of the shoreline.
"Don't panic," he whispered to himself. "Oh God, we're going to die out here. Allie," he said.
She blinked away the water and coughed as Carter slapped her cheeks.
"Think. You're not dead yet." He looked around. They were still drifting, and he didn't know if the Coast Guard would be able to find them in the dark. He also wasn't sure if Allie would make it until morning. She was breathing in little gasping breaths.
"I have you," he said.
"How are we going to get to shore?" she murmured.
"Kick off your boots," he told her. "We're swimming."
"I'm not giving up my boots."
"It's better than drowning," he told her, tugging off her shirt and pants.
"I'm not really in the mood," she said.
"I hope you're joking."
She gave him a weak smile as he kicked off his polo and khakis.
He was a strong swimmer, but it was hard in the dark and the constantly moving ocean.
I'm never drinking again, he thought as he alternated between freestyle and backstroke to look out for any boats. Swimming at an angle to the shore so that he wasn't fighting the current by swimming directly at it, Carter thought he was making some progress. The lights seemed to be closer.
It was almost meditative, being in the relatively warm water.
Allie was having trouble, though; she was lagging several feet behind him.
"Grab onto my neck," he said as he paused to wait for her to catch up. "No, not my windpipe," he said while choking. "Just hold onto my shoulders."
"Can you pull me?"
"Of course." He could feel her arms trembling with the strain.
After what felt like hours of swimming, he reached a beach. There were several people out taking walks. One dog barked at him as he dragged himself and Allie out of the water.
Carter disentangled himself from Allie and pulled her onto the beach after him.
"Excuse me," he said to one couple.
They shied away from him.
"We don't have any money. Sorry," the man said and hurried off with his girlfriend.
Carter sat down on the low concrete wall separating the beach from the sidewalk and tried to catch his breath.
"I'm so thirsty," he rasped. He lay back, trying to keep his head from spinning.
"Carter?" Allie said, concerned.
"You there!" someone said, shining a bright flashlight in his face. "No sleeping! Move along!"
"I’m sick," he said. "Boat crashed." He did not feel well. There were people around, filming him and Allie with their phone cameras. Carter was so exhausted.
"I just need to sleep."
He woke up in the hospital. There was an IV in his arm.
"Good morning," the nurse said as she checked the machine that beeped next to Carter's head.
A doctor came in and looked at Carter's chart.
"My boat crashed," Carter said feebly. "I need—"
The doctor rolled his eyes. "A shipwreck. That's a new one. We aren't giving you any painkillers, by the way."
"I don't want any painkillers," Carter said hotly. "Where's Allie?"
The doctor ignored him and left. The nurse turned on the TV for him and brought him some ice chips. Carter sat straight up as the commercials cut to the news. He watched the shaky cellphone video of the EMTs packing him onto a stretcher and loading him and Allie into an ambulance.
As the station looped the video from the front, the door opened, and his family walked into the room.
Nancy let out a sob and hugged him to her chest, kissing his face.
"Carter!" Grant and Mark said, pushing their way to his bedside. "We thought you were dead."
"Is everyone safe?" Carter asked.
"The Coast Guard came and rescued us and the crew," Grant explained.
"Where's Allie?"
"She's in another wing," said Kate. "You were both really dehydrated, and they were worried about the bump on her head."
"It's probably good you two are hidden in the hospital. Brandy is furious that her bachelorette party is ruined."
"Sorry," Carter said.
Grant laughed. "Honestly, it's for the best."
He didn't see Allie until they were both released later that day. The paparazzi were out in full force as they left the hospital. Wrapping her in a hug, he nuzzled her hair.
"Thank you for saving me," she said in his ear.
He stroked her face.
"Carter saved my best friend!" Stacy shrieked to the camera.
Allie seemed perturbed as her roommate wrapped her arms around Carter and kissed him.
"He's a hero! He saved Allie!" Stacy said as the cameras flashed.
After a quick plane ride, they were back in New Cardiff. Allie perched on the side of Carter's bed, stroking his hair.
"Were you worried about me?" he asked her.
She kissed his forehead and his nose and his mouth. His lips were still slightly chapped, and he winced when the skin pulled.
"I was so afraid you were dead," she told him, trailing her fingers down his face.
"Yeah, I was afraid I wouldn't see you again, either," he told her.
"I should let you sleep," she said finally.
She snuggled under the covers with him. Carter wrapped his arms around her, and she let herself be pressed against him.
The smell of her and the fact that she was there, alive, in his arms made Carter ache. She pulled off her shirt and bra, and Carter luxuriated in the feel of their skin touching. Allie smiled as Carter's erection pushed against her through his boxers, and he rubbed his hand between her legs and felt the wetness.
"I hope this is going where I think this is going," he murmured as she slipped a hand into the waistband of his boxers.
Allie pulled down Carter's boxers and exposed him then rolled on a condom, straddled him, and flicked her hips, letting him slide inside her. Groaning, Carter let his hands caress her hips and backside, and he pushed farther into her. She moved up and down slowly, rotating her hips. Carter arched into her then flipped them both over and pushed her hands above her head.
She strained against him. Carter wanted to hear her say something more than "Thank you for saving me" and "I was so worried." He wanted to hear her say that she loved him.
But he settled for hearing her cry out his name as she came.
53
Allie
At night when she would close her eyes, Allie could see the dark expanse of water all around her. A cold panic would then settle over her as her mind spun out scenarios of what would have happened if Carter hadn't saved her. She had read online that you could survive for days just floating out in the open ocean. She shivered and checked the calendar. She could still be out there right now.
There was a knock on the door. Allie froze. Was it Bryce? She had sent the threatening emails she received from him straight into a folder so she didn't have to see them. She supposed she should have been monitoring them to see if the threats were escalating.
She pulled out the gun she kept under her bed and snuck closer to the door. She looked through the peephole and breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Carter. She stashed the gun.
He grinned at her when she opened the door. "I brought pizza!" he said.
"Why?"
"Because I like you!" he said, putting the box on the small table.
Allie munched on a piece of pizza as Carter explored her apartment. Not that there was much to see.
"This is such a tiny apartment," he marveled. "Look! I can stretch my arms out and touch both walls."
"It's cozy," Allie said. "The rent is good, and it's close to a subway line. A lot of people would kill for this apartment."
"The bathroom is right next to the kitchen," Carter said, opening the door to the tiny bathroom.
"Better than a bathtub or shower right in the kitchen," she countered.
He lay down on her bed. "Are you going to find a better apartment when you find a n
ew job?"
She knew he was mad that she was even considering not working at Holbrook Enterprises, but she didn't want to have that argument again, so she ignored that part of the question.
"Nope," she said. "I'm already paying a ton for this one."
"So," Carter said, stretching out and looking up at her. "I'm your hero."
She leaned over and kissed him. "I'd have died if it weren't for you. Multiple times."
"You can't die multiple times."
She smiled down at him and touched his bruised face. "You're healing up," she said.
Over the next few weeks, Carter insisted on spending the night in her apartment. It was cramped, but she didn't mind since she was still worried about Bryce, even though she didn't want to admit to herself just how scared she truly was.
They didn't spend all that much time there. The internship program was coming to a close, and she, Liz and Carter were hurrying to finish up any projects they had been assigned.
Allie and Liz also had the couple's shower to plan for Brandy and Fernando as well as the rest of the wedding planning.
"Brandy is mad that her bachelorette weekend was ruined," Liz said. "We need to do an extra-good job on the couple's shower and the wedding. We can't have any more screwups."
She and Liz were crammed into Allie's tiny apartment. They were poring over the spreadsheet and the schedule for the wedding. The TV was on mute.
"Look! You and Carter are on TV!" Liz exclaimed.
Allie rolled her eyes and changed the channel. "It must be a slow news day. They're still going on and on about the crash and the speculation about—" She paused.
"Your and Carter's relationship?" Liz supplied.
"I guess."
"Speak of the devil," Allie said as she heard Carter's signature knock on her door.
After she unlocked it, Carter swooped in and kissed her.
"Hi, Carter! I'll see you tomorrow," Liz said to Allie, grabbing her purse.