Neptune's Ring (5 page)

Levi laid her head back on Vanessa’s shoulder
as she began to think. She must come up with something very special
for Vanessa’s birthday and she only had a few weeks to plan. She
would have to work with Killian to create something very special
for her.

Levi was completely relaxed as the hot water
soothed her body and she felt her head nodding on Vanessa’s
shoulder. She didn’t realize her eyes had closed until Vanessa
whispered in her ear.

“I think it’s time we said goodnight,
Levi.”

Levi jumped with surprise. “I drifted off on
you didn’t I?” she asked.

“Yes, Love, I am afraid you did,” Vanessa
said with a warm smile. “I think we should head back to the cabin
now and call it a night.”

“Goodnight ladies,” Levi said as she stood
and climbed out of the tub after Vanessa.

“We will see you two tomorrow,” Killian
said.

Vanessa and Levi walked back to her cabin and
Vanessa could see the weariness in Levi’s eyes. Her body was
completely relaxed and the drama and trauma of the past few weeks
had finally caught up with Levi.

When they entered the cabin they stripped out
of their suits and rinsed their bodies in the shower before they
climbed into bed. Vanessa held Levi in her arms as they snuggled
and she used her fingertips to push Levi’s bangs from her forehead.
She leaned down and softly kissed Levi’s closed eyelids and
lips.

“I love you Levi.”

“I love you too Vanessa, I am sorry for
crashing on you tonight, but I am so sleepy,” Levi said.

“We have many more nights ahead of us, so
rest tonight.”

“Thank you baby,” Levi said as she snuggled
closer to Vanessa.

Basking in the comfort of Vanessa’s body,
Levi lapsed into sleep. Vanessa held Levi in her arms and fell
asleep dreaming about their future.

After completing a walk around the resort,
Liz and Nat walked into the office. Susan would be closing down the
club in another hour or so, so they decided to wait up on her to
make the evening’s drop.

“You know we were about to look at some
properties this morning when that damned fire alarm went off,” Nat
said.

“Would you like to take a look at them now?”
Liz asked.

“Are you up to it Sweetie?” Nat asked.

“Of course I am My Love,” Liz said as she sat
at her desk and turned the computer on. “Besides, I know how
excited you get when we dream of a new property,” Liz teased.

Nat chuckled at her lover. “Excited huh?”

“Yes, I can just about hear the gears of your
brain churning away whenever we talk about adding another
property.” Liz waited for the screen to come up as she teased her
lover. “I figure if I get you all wound up and excited looking at
property then you will be too excited to sleep and I can get some
sweet loving tonight.”

“Baby, I get all excited just looking at
you,” Nat said. “We don’t even have to turn the computer on for
that,” she teased back. “We can wait to look tomorrow and slip off
to the room now if you would prefer.”

“That’s ok Nat, I can wait an hour or so,”
Liz said with a grin.

The computer screen came to life and Liz
scrolled down to her previous searches.

“I have found five that I think hold some
potential,” she said.

She clicked the mouse on a link and opened
the first of the pages. The price was right at two and one half
million, but after reading the details on the island, Nat and Liz
felt it was too small for the resort they had in mind.

The next island Nat ruled out quickly. “It is
too far from a decent sized airport and the transportation costs
would be prohibitive,” she said.

The following island was huge a total of
eighteen acres at an asking price of six million. “Nice size and it
even has a beautiful waterfall, but six million is out of our
range.”

Nat sat next to Liz as she opened the next
page. The pictures of this island were gorgeous. There were nice
sandy beaches in every direction on the island, but the vegetation
had been severely changed. Most of the large trees had been removed
from the island, offering very little in the area of protection
from storms and privacy. Liz sensed Nat’s disappointment and held
her breath as she clicked on another page.

Nat bolted straight in her chair as the page
opened up to pristine beaches on an island of ten acres. “Selling
price is three million, but you have to see this,” Liz said.

She rolled her cursor over the list of
pictures and she heard Nat gasp in surprise. She watched the smile
on Nat’s face grow as she moved from picture to picture. The owner
had begun to build a resort and there were fifty guest rooms that
were eighty percent constructed. A salt water pool had been built
and a separate building for a nightclub had the exterior walls,
roof and flooring installed. Both buildings were roofed with
Spanish tiles and the guest rooms were large and had the potential
to be luxury suites.

There was a large pier that led out to
crystal clear blue green water and a boathouse at the end of the
pier that could house a medium sized fishing boat. On the
northernmost tip of the island there was a small house perched on
the side of a cliff overlooking the water. A wraparound porch
surrounded the house giving excellent views of the entire island
from its elevated stature.

“It was the summer home of the owner,” Liz
said.

Nat was speechless as Liz returned to the top
of the picture gallery and handed Nat the mouse to move over the
pictures again.

“What is the catch?” Nat asked after she had
looked at the picture gallery twice more.

“It does seem too good to be true, doesn’t
it?” Liz said. “There is nothing in the listing that stands out as
suspicious and I have read it over a dozen times.”

“Do you agree that it is worth taking a look
at?” Nat asked.

“Most definitely,” Liz said. “Would you like
me to make arrangements with the realtor tomorrow?” she asked.

“Do you think we could fly out on Saturday to
take a look?” Nat asked.

“I will see if I can get in contact with the
realtor first thing in the morning and see what we can get set up,”
Liz said.

Liz looked up at saw Nat grinning at her.
“What on earth are you thinking?”

“You always know when I am thinking
something,” Nat said. “I think we need some partners for this
venture,” Nat said.

“Who do you have in mind?” Liz asked.

“I would like to talk to Levi and Vanessa,”
Nat said.

Liz sighed with relief. “For a moment, I was
afraid you were going to say Simone.”

“I don’t think I can do that kind of business
with Simone,” Nat said. “The past few weeks have been very eye
opening for me.”

“Neither one of us seems suited for the drama
that is usually associated with Simone,” Liz said.

“That is true. So what do you think?

“I think, that you are the most incredible
business woman I have ever met and you have a great sense of people
and potential,” Liz said. “Levi and Vanessa would make excellent
partners. What kind of deal do you have to pitch to them?” she
asked.

“You do know me too well.”

“Well enough to know that you wouldn’t have
brought the idea up unless you had it completely planned out. So
spill it,” Liz said with a smile.

The knock on the door interrupted Nat before
she could start to outline her plan for Liz. Liz walked to the door
and ushered Susan inside.

“Hello, Susan,” Nat said. “Did you have a
good night?”

“It was beyond good, it was fantastic,” Susan
said. “I don’t know what the special ingredient Levi has in the
Tropical E’s, but the guests just can’t get enough of them.” Susan
chuckled. “Karen says she has to buy new wheels for her
rollerblades because she has worn this set out already. I told her
with the tips we have been getting she can buy as many new pairs as
she wants.”

“I am glad you had a great night, Susan,” Liz
said, as she placed the bank bag in the safe.

“I feel like I will be pouring shots in my
sleep,” Susan teased as she turned to go.

“Rest up, so you can go at it again tomorrow
night,” Nat said.

Liz walked Susan to the door and locked it
behind her.

Liz walked back to where Nat was still
sitting in front of the computer, still gazing at the pictures.
With a click of the mouse, the computer screen went black and she
said, “Let’s continue this discussion in the bedroom.”

Nat took Liz’s hand and they entered the
suite from the office and quietly changed to their night clothes.
Liz was the first to enter the bed and she sat resting against the
pillows as she waited for Nat. Nat walked to the edge of the bed
and lit a candle and then turned off the lights. She crawled into
bed and sat in front of Liz, the candlelight flickering across her
face as her eyes sparkled brightly with excitement.

For hours Nat talked with Liz outlining her
plans for the new resort and the amenities they would offer an
extremely exclusive clientele. They discussed the partnership
breakdown that she proposed for Levi and Vanessa and even though
she and Liz would have the greater investment financially Levi
would be in charge of the management of the new property while Liz
and she continued to run Venus Rising. Liz listened intently to her
lover and she was amazed at how thorough Nat had made the plan.

When Nat finally concluded, Liz reached for
her lover.

“As I said earlier, you are incredible, My
Love. So when do we approach Levi and Vanessa?” she asked.

“I thought maybe we could do lunch with them
again Friday and if they are in agreement we could fly together to
look at the property on Saturday if you can make the
arrangements.”

“Consider it already done,” Liz said as she
kissed Nat sweetly.

Nat blew out the candle and crawled in beside
Liz. Her hands caressed her lover as they made love into the early
morning hours and then dozed peacefully cradled in one another’s
arms.

PART FIVE

Levi woke to an empty bed and when she looked
to Vanessa’s side of the bed she saw a rose and a note resting on
her pillow. The note read:

My Love,

It is so good to have you here with me. You
were sleeping so well, I did not want to wake you. I will be
working with Killian in the control room this morning and will wait
to eat breakfast until you awaken and are ready for food. I hope to
see you soon. I love you.

Vanessa

Levi picked up the rose and smelled its sweet
scent. She carried it to the bathroom and placed it on the vanity
as she stepped into the shower. After she dried off, Levi put a
swim suit on and then dressed in shorts and a shirt to use as a
cover. After breakfast, she hoped to get some sun while Vanessa
finished her duties.

Levi left the cabin and when she arrived at
the control room she stopped in the doorway to watch Killian and
Vanessa at work. They were reviewing a stack of reports and Vanessa
was explaining something to Killian. Killian looked up to find Levi
standing in the doorway and smiled at her.

“Good morning, Levi,” she said.

“Good morning ladies,” Levi said.

“How are you, My Love?” Vanessa asked.

“I am starving,” Levi said with a grin.

“We were just waiting on you to arrive,”
Killian said.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“We know, but we wanted to have breakfast
with you,” Vanessa said.

“That is very sweet of you both,” Levi
said.

“We know,” Killian grinned, as she pushed
aside the stack of reports. “Let’s eat.”

The three of them walked into one of the
smaller dining rooms and were seated at a table as Andrea cooked
fresh omelets for them.

“These look wonderful, but you have to tell
me your secrets,” Levi said.

“What secrets?” Vanessa asked.

“How you can eat like this every day and
still be in such good shape,” Levi said.

“Keeping the ship in good working order is a
lot of hard work, and we probably walk and climb several miles a
day,” Vanessa said.

“Having drop dead gorgeous girlfriends adds
good incentive too,” Killian said with a grin.

Levi laughed at Killian’s comment, but knew
she was very serious.

“Ok, next question. Which sun deck would you
recommend?”

“On the top deck, there is a small, fairly
private deck that is the best for sun,” Killian said.

“I hope to do some tanning, while you two
work this morning,” Levi said. “Will you be able to join me later?”
she asked Vanessa.

“We should be finished in no more than an
hour,” Vanessa said. “The final preparations are almost
complete.”

“Speaking of which,” Killian said. “Everyone
has the afternoon off before tomorrow’s boarding. About a dozen of
us stay on board and take advantage of the pool and have lunch then
share a few drinks while we relax at the main pool,” Killian said.
“We would be honored if you and the Captain joined us.”

“We would love to, so count us in,” Levi
said.

“Excellent,” Killian said with a huge
grin.

“Now if you ladies will excuse me, I have a
date with the sun,” Levi said.

She stood and picked up her bag and leaned
down to kiss Vanessa. “I will see you two later.”

Vanessa and Killian watched Levi disappear
into the elevator that would take her to the top deck.

“She is the one, isn’t she?” Killian
asked.

“Yes, my friend, I think she is,” Vanessa
said with a smile. “No one has ever made me feel the way Levi
does.”

“I am very happy for you both,” Killian
said.

“Thank you, now let’s get back to work so I
can go spend some time with my drop dead gorgeous girlfriend,”
Vanessa teased.

Levi climbed a small staircase to the sun
deck Killian had told her about and placed her bag on a table next
to a lounger. She spread a towel and took her shirt and shorts off.
She reached into her bag and pulled out tanning oil and slowly
spread it across the front of her body. Then she eased back on the
lounger and let the rays of the sun warm her as a cool breeze blew
across her body.