Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 03 - Secrets at Sea (15 page)

“Jack prefers gallivanting around and getting new clients rather than sitting in his office, too.”

The masseuses asked us to turn onto our backs. We obeyed.

“Are you a true Californian or are you a transplant?” she asked.

“I was born in Texas but we moved to California when I was three.”

We spent the rest of hour talking about everything to fill the silence left by the two masseuses. They barely said a word the entire hour. Mostly they frowned at us for talking. Emily would roll her eyes, laugh, and ask me another question. She was easy to talk to. In between the questions, I closed my eyes and enjoyed having my muscles pampered.

When the massages were over, we showered, dressed and left the spa.

Emily waved. “I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

I didn’t want to hurt her feelings but I’d promised Carmelita that Tom and I would join her tonight for dinner. “Tom and I are eating at the Supper Club tonight.”

If it bothered her, I didn’t see it. She smiled. “That’s great. You’ll love its intimate nature. So I guess I’ll see you around the ship.”

“Are you going to the show tonight?”

“I think so,” she said.

“Tom and I are going to play bingo before the show, so I’ll save you and Jack a seat.”

“Great. Thanks, Liza.”

“Thanks again for the massage.”

“You’re welcome.” Emily waved and left.

When I got back to the room, Tom wasn’t there. Virtual golf must take longer than an hour. I forgot to ask him how long he’d be. I checked the daily schedule and didn’t see anything that interested me. There was always the Casino but I didn’t want to be trapped inside on such a nice day. I changed into my swimsuit, applied a layer of suntan lotion, and left Tom a note. I put on a cover-up, stuffed the beach towel that was in the room and my book into my bag, and took the elevator to the pool deck.

I found an empty lounge chair, ordered a Diet Coke, and read my book. It was wonderful just to relax. I’d talked so much in the last hour, my voice was tired. Emily knew almost everything about me from the day I was born until today, although I did leave out the part about my adventures with the clowns and the eating contest. But now that I thought about it, I didn’t learn all that much about her. She asked all the questions and I answered them. That was rude of me. I’d have to make it a point to ask her about herself and Jack.

I read for a while, then closed my eyes and took a little nap. I awoke when something slammed into my lounge chair. A man carrying a stack of lounge chairs stumbled and the stack fell toward me.

He caught his balance and stood up straight. “Sorry, miss. I must have tripped on something.”

“That’s okay.” I opened my book again and began reading.

A few minutes later, Tom walked up. I smiled, set my book down, and asked, “How was golf?”

“It was pretty cool. We got to play the top holes in several major courses. How was the massage?”

“Fabulous. My muscles are all relaxed.” My stomach growled.

“Time to eat again?”

“Yes, but let’s just get something by the pool. I can’t wear my bathing suit into the dining room.”

“That’s okay with me.” He threw his beach towel onto the lounge next to me.

“I don’t want to lose our chairs. Why don’t you go get something and then I’ll go?”

“Tell me what you want and I’ll bring it to you?”

“Really?” I said.

He nodded.

I would like to have said, a little of everything, but I didn’t want to be rude twice in one day. “What are you getting?”

“I thought I’d try the grill.”

“Perfect, I’ll take a cheeseburger.”

“Okay, one cheeseburger with marinated mushrooms and lots of fries.” He stood.

“You know me so well.”

“You’re easy to please, Liza.”

Tom left and I lay back down on the lounge. A few minutes later he returned with my lunch. Again it was yummy!

After lunch we lay in the sun for a while, them Tom said, “I’ve had enough sun. I’m going in for a while.”

I had only two chapters left on my book, so I said, “I’m almost done with my book. I think I’ll stay here and finish it. Where are you going?”

“I’ll wander through the shops and check out the afternoon karaoke. It’s for the kids, but I want to talk to Justine.”

“Who’s Justine?” I asked.

“She’s the lady who runs the karaoke. They’re having a show at the end of the cruise and she asked me to be in it.”

“She did?” I sat up.

“Yeah, but I want to find out more about it before I commit to doing it.”

“That could be cool.”

He hesitated, “Maybe.”

“Then I’ll see you back at the room.”

“Okay.” Tom got up and left.

I leaned back in the lounge chair and finished my book.

The book ended well which made me happy. Life may not be fair, but books should be. In the end the good guys won, the bad guys didn’t, and the heroine got the guy. It was perfect.

I gathered up my stuff and went back to our room. There were still a few hours before dinner, so maybe I should make sure my skirt and top didn’t need ironing. I could take it down to the guest laundry room and touch it up. When I opened the closet, my heart stopped.

“Oh my God!”

Chapter 17

I reached into the closet and pulled it out. It was the black dress from the ship’s shop. Tom had bought it for me. He knew I’d never spend that kind of money on myself, so he had. What a great guy! Draped around the hanger were three bags, one large and two small. Inside the large bag was a pair of black shoes with skinny straps, but not too high a heel. He must have looked at my other shoes to get my size. How thoughtful.

A black lace bra with panties to match slid from one of the small bags. I smiled, knowing exactly what he’d envisioned when he bought them. The other small bag held a square box, thankfully bigger than a ring box. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that kind of commitment. I sat down on the bed and opened it. Inside was a pearl necklace with a diamond teardrop hanging off it and earrings to match. They couldn’t be real gemstones, but were still beautiful.

I glanced at my reflection in the vanity mirror across from the bed. My hair was a mess. I tried to gather it together and put it up, but that dress deserved more than I could do with my hair and the salon would be too expensive.

I dialed Carmelita’s number. She answered right away.

“Hello.”

“Hi, this is Liza.”

“You’re not canceling dinner with me, are you?”

“No, but I need a little help.”

“With what?” she asked.

“My hair?”

She squealed with delight. “Oh girl! Come on over. I’ll throw Brian out and we’ll do your hair and make-up. You’ll knock your man right out of his socks.”

I picked up the box, dress, shoes, and undergarments and walked to Carmelita’s room.

She stood with the door open and grabbed the dress. “This is stunning, Liza. I thought you said you didn’t have anything fancy.”

“Tom bought this for me at the on board shop.” I held up the box and continued, “and the accessories, too. It was all in the room when I got there.

“I love surprises.” She hung the dress over her closet door. “First thing, call Tom and leave him a message. Tell him you’ll meet him at the Supper Club.”

“Why?”

“To make an entrance, my dear. That dress deserves it.”

I dialed our room and left the message.

“Now sit down at the vanity and let’s get started,” Carmelita said.

She pulled and pushed on my hair, gathered it up and placed it in several different places on my head. As she pinned and curled, we talked. This time I would ask some questions.

“So how long have you known Brian?” I asked.

“I met Brian four years ago.”

“Really?”

“Yes, on the worst cruise I’ve ever been on.” She frowned.

“What happened?”

“The guy I came with was an ass!”

“Not Brian?”

“No, his name was Carl and I’d only known him a few weeks so I didn’t know he had a gambling problem. I spent the cruise alone, and because of a hurricane we had to go to Canada instead of Mexico.” She smiled. “But I did meet Brian.”

“Have you been seeing him ever since?”

“No, actually I hadn’t talked to him until a few days ago.”

I shook my head. “Wait, I don’t get it.”

Carmelita smiled. “I was actually coming on this cruise alone because I’m between boyfriends at the moment. Brian called a few days ago and said he was taking the cruise again and asked if I’d like to join him. I told him I was already booked, so we came together.”

“That worked out well.”

Carmelita nodded. “It sure did. Brian’s a nice guy.”

“My parents never told me they went to Canada.”

“They did. Well, maybe they didn’t.” Carmelita put her finger on the side of her chin.

“What do you mean?”

“I think that’s the cruise your dad got sick on.”

I sat up straight, thinking about Adam and his poisoning. “My dad got sick on a cruise?”

“Yes. Actually I think he was already not feeling very well when the cruise started. Then the rough seas made him worse. Your mom and dad barely ever came out of their cabin and when we got to Canada, they got on a plane and went home.”

There was just one cruising couple I hadn’t heard anything about; this was the perfect time to ask. “My mom didn’t talk much about the cruises. But I do remember her talking about the people. I’ve met you, Melvin, and Leslie, but what about Norma and Donald Philips?”

“Oh, they stopped coming a few years ago.” She patted my arm. “Your mom was the glue that held our little group together. She’d always call us in February and make sure we’d booked our cruises and if we hadn’t, she’d hound us until we did. Without her, the group fell apart. She also would reserve the room for our meeting.”

“What meeting?”

“On the first day at sea we’d all get together and talk about what rallies we’d go to during the next year.”

“You were all environmentalists?”

“Oh yeah.” She tugged a comb through my hair. “A big tree-hugger group. That’s how we met.”

“I thought you met on the first cruise.”

“No, we met earlier, in May that year.” She frowned. “Wow, it’s been ten years now. We were all attending a rally. I don’t remember where it was but I do remember the cute little ground squirrels we were trying to save. A huge development company bought the land and had plans to build an entire community right over the squirrels’ habitat.”

She piled my hair higher, and continued, “We all had a lot in common, so we wanted to keep up the acquaintance.”

“So you decided to go on a cruise together?”

“Well, Norma and Donald were already booked, so the rest of us just tagged along. For the next six years we took the cruise together. We’d meet in Long Beach at some dreadful inn.”

“Tom and I stayed there. It’s a little ratty.”

She snickered. “That’s being nice to the place.”

“So why did you stay there?”

“The owner was Donald’s friend and we got the rooms at half price. I kept telling the group I’d throw in the rest of the money if we could just go to a decent hotel. But they all wanted to support Donald’s friend, so we stayed there, year after year.” She frowned. “That was until the dead girl was found in one of the rooms. I told the group there was no way I’d stay there again. And I didn’t. But then, that was the year Adam got sick and died, and your parents were killed. The group fell apart.”

“So part of the cruise was like an annual meeting of your environmental group?”

“Yes. But my favorite part came after the real meeting. We’d go to the nearest bar and drink.” She brought out a curling iron and plugged it in. “Then we’d start planning our revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“Yes, on the big companies who devastate our earth or waste its natural resources. Donald used to work in demolition when he was in the army and he’d tell us what we should use. Norma used to be a cop, but then went into security work. She’d tell us how to get into the places. Betsy was in computers, so she’d use her hacking skills to bypass the security systems. And your dad would figure out a way to keep us out of jail.”

“What about Melvin and Leslie?”

“Well, it may be hard to believe, but they used to be obsessed with exercise. They both were avid rock climbers; they could climb a mountain’s face with just their bare hands, so their part was to actually do the job.”

“And you?”

“I was always the distraction for the guards at the front gate, and the lookout.” She started curling the loose strands of hair.

“What did my mom do?”

“She was the voice of reason that told us we were nuts.” Carmelita smiled.

“And now you and the Mitchells are the only ones left who still cruise?”

“Well, Betsy was supposed to come this year,” Carmelita said and shook her head. “But I guess she changed her mind. And this is the Mitchells’ first cruise in a few years. I don’t socialize much with them.”

“They do quite a bit of it all on their own,” I commented.

Carmelita agreed. “They do like their alcohol.”

“Can I ask you a question about someone else?”

“Of course, I love talking about other people.”

“Tell me about Dorian.”

Carmelita sighed and her smile broadened. “What can I say? He’s gorgeous, sophisticated, refined, has exquisite manners, and is sexy as hell. That man’s eyes can make my entire body quiver with delight from across the room.”

I sighed. I knew exactly what she meant.

She laughed. “I see he has the same effect on you.”

I nodded. “I’ve never met someone like him before.”

“There is only one Dorian Graystone, my dear.”

“Was he part of your environmental group?”

“Oh no, Dorian couldn’t care less about the environment, although he always joined in the drinking. He’s more of a player than a doer.”

“What does he do for a living?”

“Besides drive women crazy?”

“Yes.”

“As far as I can figure out, he comes from money, which he invested well, and lives off the dividends.” Carmelita took each curled strand and pinned them up.

“He doesn’t work, then.”

“Not at anything but making women’s blood boil.”

“He’s good at that, although I question his taste in women.”

“Yes, he does like them young, but over the years I’ve seen him with women of all ages. There’s only one thing that stops him.”

“What’s that?

“I’ve never seen him go after a married woman or anyone with a significant commitment. But anyone without a ring on her finger is fair game as far as he’s concerned.”

“I guess you can add ‘ethical’ to your description of Dorian Graystone.”

“It’s not his most outstanding quality.” A slight smile crossed her face.

I lifted my eyebrows. “You and Dorian?”

“Remember I told you about the cruise from hell?”

“Yes.”

“Dorian was on that cruise too. I was alone every night, since Carl couldn’t stay out of the casino. One night I sat in a back booth in the piano bar when Dorian came in, put a hundred dollar bill into the piano player’s tip cup, and went to the bar. The piano player announced that he would do an entire set of Frank Sinatra songs. Those are Dorian’s favorite.”

Mine too, I wanted to say, but didn’t.

She continued, “Well, he bought a brandy at the bar and then turned around. He glanced my way and then turned back to the bartender. I thought he hadn’t seen me but he had. He brought two brandies over to where I sat. He slid in next to me. He was so close I couldn’t breathe.”

I nodded, remember the way I felt around the man, too.

“He handed me a snifter, touched the lip of his glass to mine, sipped his brandy, and we listened for thirty minutes to the music. He never said a word. Somehow he knew I didn’t want to talk. Finally, I broke the silence and asked him why he was out alone. He’s always has some beautiful woman on his arm.”

“I’ve noticed that,” I told her.

“He said his date had too much champagne and had fallen asleep in his bed. He’d tucked her in and went in search of some good music and a nightcap. I teased him, telling him that now he didn’t have anyplace to sleep. And you know what he said?”

“No, what?” I hung on every word.

“He looked over his brandy glass at me and smiled. Then he said, ‘Your bed is empty’. It was a statement, not a question or even a request for an invitation. He leaned his head back against the seat, closed his eyes, and we sat for another thirty minutes in silence.”

“What happened?”

“When the set was over, he stood up and extended his hand. I took it and we walked back to my room.”

“Okay, I know it’s rude to ask but how was the sex?”

“Have you ever stood inside an erupting volcano?”

“No.” I shook my head.

“Then you’ve never experienced anything like Dorian. He did things to my body that had never been done before or since.”

I laughed, not so much out of joviality but from nervousness.

“I kid you not, Liza. The man is a master of providing gratification.” Then she frowned at me.

“What?”

“Before I go on, you and Tom, you sleep together, right?”

“Of course, I’m not a prude, Carmelita. Just tell me.”

“Okay. You know how sometimes when you and Tom are, you know?”

I nodded.

“And you just wished he’d move to the left a little bit or speed up?”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t want to exactly say it.”

“Yes.”

“Well, Dorian just knows exactly what to do. Several times I was ready for him, but he’d smile, and say, ‘not yet, Carmelita’, in his low and sexy voice. By the time he was ready, I practically, no, change that, I did beg for it! I wore a smile for three days.”

“And afterwards?”

“We went on as before.”

“Why?”

“I’m not what Dorian is really looking for; I was just a diversion for that night.”