AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Who was the woman?"
"She's the young lady that accompanies those four older women in here and down in the dining room."
"Ah, her. I hope you don't mind, but I have to ask. Is there something going on between you and her?"
Dane leans against the bar, wiping his hands with the towel as he twists his bottom lip. "Why do you ask?"
"I've seen the two of you talking together. Your body language and facial expressions look strained, almost like you're both angry or irritated. It seems indicative of something more than a typical passenger and crew conversation." Luis leans forward, his elbow on the bar. "Honestly, your interactions look pretty personal."
"I didn't realize it was so noticeable." Dane expels a heavy breath and tosses the towel on the bar. "I didn't really want tomention it, but she's the woman I had dinner with in Budapest on my night off."
Luis gives a low whistle, his eyes shooting wide with surprise. "How did that come about?"
"It just happened. I ran into Brittany outside her hotel and then again later that evening. We ended up having dinner together."
"Was that all you had?" Luis cocks his head, his gaze intense as he waits for Dane to answer.
Dane stands there, unmoving, as he decides what to say. He can lie and tell Luis they only had dinner. But Luis is an intelligent man, and Dane can tell he already knows something is up. On the other hand, if Dane admits to a sexual relationship with Brittany, he's at risk of Luis getting him in trouble. Dane decides to take the gamble and confess. His face tenses as he shakes his head. "No, I spent the night with her."
"Damn, you know fraternizing with the guests isn't allowed, right?"
"I'm aware, although that all happened before I found out she was a passenger on the ship, and she found out I was a member of the crew. That little discovery had us both surprised."
Luis is quiet for a moment as he appears to mull over what Dane just said. "Well, it obviously wasn't planned, and it did happen before she was officially a passenger. So unless something else happens, there's technically no violation." He suddenly grins and cocks his head at Dane. "So she's your intriguing American? The woman you said you'd like to see again but told me it wouldn't work out?"
"That's her," Dane laughs. "Talk about a small world or bizarre coincidence, depending on how you view it."
"Well, this is the last cruise of the regular season. So, who knows, maybe something will work out between you two."
"Nah, I don't see that one happening. Brittany's a little pissed at me at the moment. And, no, I'm not going to explain. Trust me, it's a long story. Besides, we head in opposite directions as soon as the cruise is over. So, it would be pretty impossible for anything sustainable to work."
"That's too bad."
"Yeah, I think it is. I like her," Dane says with a twist of his lip.
"Well, enough of the intrigue. Back to work." Luis strides away, stopping to check on a group of guests listening to the pianist play another oldie.
Dane scans the bar, spotting the gentleman sitting with his wife, holding up two fingers and pointing to their drinks. Dane nods and reaches for the gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. He makes the couple two more negronis.
"I feel bad you have to deal with jerks like that," the woman says when Dane sets their drinks down.
"Thanks. There's one on every cruise, but most aren't nearly that bad. Maybe that guy had a really horrible day. Who knows?"
"More like a horrible life with the way he constantly complains," the woman says, snickering.
"Well, regardless of the guy's reason, I thought you handled him just fine." The man grins and raises his glass. "And if the woman you were talking to were still here, I'd give her a toast. She was pretty damn good at putting that jerk in his place."
Dane nods, a sprinkling of a smile at the corner of his mouth. Now that the shock of Brittany's outburst—more like a reaming—had worn off, Dane had to agree with the man. She was like a verbal tornado, ripping the complainer to shreds.
The guests slowly trickle back to their cabins, and Luis, Mitre, and the piano player call it a night. Taking his time, Dane quietly hums while he cleans up the bar. With everything spruced up and back in its place, he heads through the sliding glass door and down the stairs.
He pauses in the reception area and looks toward the passenger cabins, the little devil on his shoulder prodding him to walk down the empty corridor and quietly knock on Brittany's door. Having her so close feels like unending torture. Every time he sees her, she reminds him of the night they spent together—the sexual things she did to him and how she made his body respond. She was naughty, playful, wild, and exciting, lighting a fire in his veins that her mere presence never fails to reignite. The two of them so perfectly matched in bed. And God, how he wants her again. The thought of her naked body pressed against his makes his cock stiffen, begging for her touch. But it's late, he tells himself, and what would he say? And he doubts she'd be receptive to him anyway. Her barely veiled anger toward him has been abundantly clear.
But what if she was receptive? What if she wanted him as much as he wanted her? She did let it spill that she liked him and wanted him to touch her again, and he was confident he could slip into her room without any of the crew or passengers noticing—if she were agreeable, of course. But she was tipsy, he reasoned, her condition evident in her voice and scathing chattiness. Would she still feel the same way when she was sober? Or would she hate him even more?
Dane takes a step forward, then another. He's soon standing in front of Brittany's cabin door. He raises his hand, and it's poised to knock—then he drops his arm. If his timing is off and she's still angry at him, it could sabotage his chance of having another wild night with her before the cruise ends, and that's the last thing he wants.
He turns away and hustles down the staircase next to her cabin to the crew's quarters.
