CRUISE TO ROMANCE (12 page)

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Ryan made it in record time to
Neptune’s Court where a lavish buffet breakfast was just getting under way. 
Mike fell in behind him at the fruit line and hummed the whole time they made
their selections.  Row after row of freshly sliced cantaloupe, honeydew,
papaya, and guava were spread out before him.  In the middle of the large
display, bowls of fresh strawberries sat waiting to be spooned out.  On either
side, individual bowls with fresh orange segments or grapefruit halves were
lined up for the taking.  Ryan took some of everything, including the
watermelon chunks at the end.  He would come back later for the rest of the
breakfast.

After finding a table next to the
windows, Ryan signaled the waiter to bring coffee.  Mike settled in next to
him, facing the windows and the ocean.  Ryan noticed the waiter and other food
service personnel were dressed casually in black slacks with tropical print
green and beige shirts, adding a festive air to the atmosphere of the dining
area.

He glanced down to the plush
carpeting featuring pink shrimp, crabs, and starfish and wondered, not for the
first time, how quickly the news of his affair would spread among the men. 
Right now, he was angry.  Almost too angry for words.  He would love to wipe
that smug expression off Mike’s face, but this was not the time and place for a
physical fight.  But it was coming.  When he looked up, Mike was watching him,
waiting for him much like a patient cobra waits for its prey.

“Just what do you think you’re
doing sleeping with Jennifer?”  Mike asked in a low ominous tone.

Ryan bristled.  He instantly
resented his brother’s intervention.  “It’s my business, Mike, not yours, so
butt out.”

“Ordinarily, I would.  But I
happen to like Jennifer.  She deserves better than what you’re giving her.” 
Mike leaned toward Ryan.  “I’m willing to bet she doesn’t know you’re thinking
about getting back together with Diane.”

Ryan could feel his anger bubbling
to the surface.  “Yes, thanks to you, dear brother, she knows that Diane wants
to get back together with me.  So what?”  Who was Mike to become Jennifer’s
champion?  “I’ve told you, keep out of this.  I mean it Mike.  I don’t
interfere with your personal relationships—don’t interfere with mine.”

Mike sat back and studied Ryan
for a moment.  “Sorry Ryan, but I can’t.  I’m right in the middle and I don’t
like it any better than you do.”  He sipped his coffee and watched Ryan’s anger
mount.  “You’re falling in love with Jennifer, and you are toying with the idea
of renewing a relationship with Diane.  You may even talk yourself into
believing you still love Diane.  That’s not good.  I know you only too well. 
You’ve got your life all logically charted, from your marriage partner to your
children, and probably through old age.  Guess what?  Life just doesn’t go
according to plans.  When are you going to see you can’t control everything and
everyone?  One day all that control is going to backfire on you.”

“You don’t know what you’re
talking about, Mike.  Your behavior has certainly not been exemplary.  Here you
are playing with Sheila when you really want Helga.  I don’t see you going
after her.  Instead, you’re stringing Sheila along with that colossal ego of
yours.  Maybe you should try being more responsible,” Ryan retorted.

“Maybe, but we’re not talking
about me now, we’re talking about you.  I hate to see you make a mistake and
end up with the wrong woman, but if that’s what you think will make you happy, then
I’ll stay out of it.  But I won’t let you hurt Jennifer in the process.  It’s
that simple.  Back off.”

“Back off?  That won’t hurt her? 
Keep out of this, Mike.”  Ryan tossed his spoon down on the table, his appetite
gone.  “I don’t want Jennifer hurt either.  You do anything to cause her the
slightest pain, and you’ll answer to me.”

“Then end it with Diane and I’ll
back off,” Mike stated calmly.

“You’ve never liked or approved
of Diane,” Ryan accused.  “Why not?  What has she ever done to you?”

“I would tell you, but I don’t
want you slugging me in public,” he answered with a grin.

That Mike didn’t like her was no
secret among the brothers, but none of them knew why.  Mike, the carefree
playboy, usually kept his opinions and business to himself, hiding behind his
charm and good looks to escape heavy-duty talks or situations.  Ryan paused,
and for the first time realized his brother really had a reason for his
aversion to Diane.  “It’s time, Mike.  Why?”

“Diane came on to me after you
two became engaged.”  Mike frowned, then added, “More than once.”

“And?”

“And nothing.”  Mike glanced out
the window before continuing. “Do you really think that I would sleep with your
girlfriend behind your back?”

“Of course not.”  Ryan rose from
the table.  As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over.  He’d heard
enough.  “I’m heading back to my cabin for my diving gear, see you on the pier
in thirty minutes.”

 Ryan turned and strode out of
Neptune’s Court, once again missing the humor dancing in his brother’s eyes.

On the way back to his cabin, Ryan
mulled over Mike’s confession, wishing that he didn’t believe him.  He felt
disloyal to Diane by believing his brother, but he wasn’t surprised by the
revelation.  Considering he had found her in another man’s arms, he would
believe anything Mike told him.  Diane was young and extremely beautiful. 
After he broke off the engagement, he wondered if he’d been too hard on her. 
Maybe she’d just wanted to be sure she was making the right decision before
committing to him.

Regardless of Mike and his
threats, he didn’t believe Mike would interfere.  It was totally out of
character for his easy-going brother.  In spite of Mike’s demands, he
definitely intended to enjoy Jennifer’s company.  She knew theirs was a
short-term romance and she still wanted him.  Since Jennifer was a lure he
could no longer resist, he wanted to spend more time with her.  She was sweet
and funny.  Her quick intelligence never ceased to amaze him.  They could share
good times together without getting hurt.  He would have to be more careful and
keep a close eye on his passionate nature.  He was an accomplished lover, for
heaven’s sake.  Only a novice would act as desperately as he had last night. 
Time to take his own advice and act responsibly.  Seducing virgins was not his
forte.  But now that he had seduced one, he needed to make things right and fun
for her.

Mike was wrong though, he wasn’t
falling in love with Jennifer.  Nope.  Not him.  He was much too experienced to
fall in love with a first timer who would want to enjoy a number of
relationships before she settled down.

Ryan slipped the key card into
the door and entered his cabin.  The steward had already cleaned the suite and
left the sheer curtains drawn to help keep the air-conditioned cabin cool.  The
suite was one of the best the ship offered.  The bedroom held a queen-size bed
and had a separate sitting room with a sofa bed and fireplace.  The hot tub
could be accessed from the bedroom and the large adjacent balcony as well as
from the sitting room.  He thought of how wonderful it would be to bring
Jennifer here and make love to her in the privacy of this elegant stateroom.

The temptation was great.  It
would make their time together romantic and memorable.  For a few minutes Ryan
fantasized about how he could set the suite up to be a lovers’ hideaway.  The
thought of Jennifer here, on his bed, naked and wanting, made him hard.  There
wouldn’t be any more unwanted guests to embarrass them.  A light, simple love
affair was just what they both needed, he decided.

With that decision made, Ryan
felt an easing of the anger and tension boiling beneath his deceptively calm
exterior.  He changed to his swim trunks and pulled loose-fitting deck pants
over them.  He slipped on his shirt and found his underwater camera, wishing
that Jennifer was going along.  What a lovely distraction!  After Ryan gathered
his diving gear he called Jennifer’s cabin, but there was no answer.  Too
late.  She’d probably left for the island by now.  Well, he would see her
later.  With that thought, he grabbed his gear and headed out the door.

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Jennifer was delighted at the
history and beauty of Basseterre, the capital of the island of St. Kitts,
British West Indies.  It was a picturesque Caribbean town with traditional
Georgian architecture and exotic tropical plants abounding.  She spent the
morning hunting for spices, discussing recipes, and enjoying the peaceful calm
and tranquility of the town.  After lunch, she purchased a tour that took her
and a handful of camera toting tourists out to Old Road Village, where it has
been reported that Christopher Columbus landed on his second voyage to the New
World in 1493.  After a brief stay at the village, they continued on through
fields of waving sugar cane to the Lodge Great House and Botanical Gardens.

Jennifer marveled at the Lodge,
virtually untouched for nearly 300 years, where she explored the rooms and
viewed the original styled furniture.  But her favorite moments were in the
botanical garden where she discovered more than forty species of Hibiscus.  She
tried to envision herself living in St. Kitts on the sugar plantation, but
couldn’t.  No, in spite of her domesticity, she was definitely a modern woman.

Holding her shopping packages
close, she disembarked the minivan at the pier and generously tipped the
knowledgeable guide.  The trip was just what she needed to dismiss the
emotional distress created early this morning.  By getting her mind off her
friends, she felt a welcome relief.  Shopping for spices and discussing recipes
left her feeling renewed.  As she walked up the gangway, she wondered what she
needed to do to get her emotional equilibrium back.

She smiled at the young crew
members in their crisp white uniforms when she reached the security
checkpoint.  One crew member took her cruise card and inserted it in a computer
that checked her photograph and cabin information.  Another slipped her purse
and packages through X-ray.  Within moments, she was escorted past the
checkpoint to the elevator bank where she waited for the next available
elevator to take her to her deck.

The answer was simple, she
decided, when she stepped into the elevator and studied her toes until reaching
her deck.  Concentrate on her book.  That’s why she came on this cruise in the
first place.  Cooking and creating made her happy.  It was foolish to look to
others for one’s happiness.  At the chime, she stepped out and headed for her
cabin.  Jennifer wished she had more time alone to regroup and plan.  She
should have never gotten involved with Ryan in the first place.  He was much
too sophisticated and experienced for a woman like her.

Inside the cabin, Jennifer tossed
her bundles on an easy chair, turned to the dressing table, and looked at her
reflection.  Her face was flushed from the heat, her soft brown eyes sparkled
with excitement from day, and her hair was tousled and wind-blown.  If she
didn’t know better, she would have thought she had just gotten out of bed after
a couple of hours of vigorous lovemaking.  Well, that just wasn’t in the cards
for her.  Not on this trip.  She just spent the most incredible night of her
life with a wonderful sweet man.  But she wasn’t fooled.  It was just sex.   No
love, no commitment, no happily ever after.

She, the innocent virgin, the
domestic mouse, had turned into a self-assured young woman out to fulfil her
needs with the man she loved, and had forced the issue.  She, the plump little
cook with the voracious appetite, had succeeded in seducing an unwilling man. 
Unwilling for whatever reason, she was leaving him alone.  No more seductions. 
Chef Jennifer, had better things to do!

Jennifer laughed at her
silliness, stripped off her clothes, and headed for the shower.  Tonight she
planned to eat alone, go to see a movie, and turn in relatively early.  It may
not sound like the most fun, but it was a plan.  Soon she would talk to the
galley’s big cheese, Chef
Commendatore
Mario Ruscelli, and firm up the
date for that wonderful meal for the Captain.  That her friends would be
invited was of no consequence.  They could decline if they chose to do so.  She
couldn’t care less.  It was a big ship and not all that difficult to stay out
of each other’s way.

Getting over Ryan should be
easy.  After all, this was a business trip.  She was going to do what she did
best—create recipes.  Her memory for taste sensation was truly exceptional. 
Somehow she was instinctively able to blend delicate flavors with the unusual. 
It was her trademark.  With her cooking skills she could create some of the
most delicious and tantalizing recipes anyone ever experienced.  Jennifer
sighed and turned on the shower, allowing the warm water to sluice over her
body.  Unfortunately, she thought, she would never be able to create a recipe
for romance.

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Up at the crack of dawn, Jennifer
walked the sports deck for her daily exercise.  Helga was already up and
exercising her small class of early-bird passengers.  At the end of her
two-mile walk, Jennifer paused to watch the exercising on the deck.  When Helga
motioned for her to join in, she eased in behind the others.  Helga looked
beautiful in her bright white shirt and Bermuda length shorts.  Her long blonde
hair was carefully styled in a French braid and she wore no makeup to enhance
her golden tan.