Prosecco & Paparazzi (The Passport Series Book 1) (31 page)

“This just keeps getting more and more surreal!” he said.

“It certainly does,” I replied.

Not knowing what else to do, I stood frozen in place. Tiziana rushed back over to us with a big smile painted on her face and quietly said, “Bella, take that terrible look off your face. Everything is fine. I promised you that Ted would handle things. Liam, let’s take Charlotte to the boat.”

“What happened to Brynn Roberts?” I asked, too curious for my own good.

Tiziana smiled and pointed at something in the distance. “Last minute cancellation!”

My smile became genuine. Brynn would have made my life hell. After a few steps, I felt the butterflies settle and my heart slow down. I swallowed a deep breath and threw my shoulders back. Looking Liam in the eyes, I announced, “What the fuck! Let’s do what we came here for.”

He sniggered and patted my bum with a grin. “Exactly! Don’t let that bastard get to you. Remember, you came here to get answers and make him regret being such an arse.” Tiziana diplomatically didn’t join in and let herself be diverted by the decadent surroundings.

The pep talk did the trick. Deciding to initiate the first move, I slowed us all to a stop and turned to wait for the others to catch up with us. When they did, Tiziana re-introduced Liam to Des, and both of us to Gemma. She’d skillfully overlooked any connection between Des and me.

Gemma, with a sly grin, said, “Charlotte, I believe you’ve met Des.”

“Yes, I have.” Instead of shaking Des’s hand or kicking him in the balls, I coolly returned my attention to Tiziana and Ted, saying, “I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink.”

With that, our entourage paraded toward the yacht. A passel of men with suitcases and a gaggle of paparazzi brought up the rear. Many gawkers watched us as we passed.

With a toss of his head toward Ted and Des, Liam whispered to us, “I bet they’re wondering who the hell those
other
people are.” Tiziana and I laughed until we cried. I squeezed Liam’s hand, needing to say thank you, knowing that I wouldn’t make it without him.

On board, the crew took the suitcases to our cabins, and Ted directed us to the outside bar at the back of the boat.

“We’ll be pulling out in just a few minutes, once the crew has us settled,” he said over his shoulder as he opened a bottle of Silvano Follador prosecco. I barely registered the dry, crisp Italian wine as it slid over my tongue.

I was still absorbing the fact that I was politely sipping prosecco less than twenty feet from the man from whom I wanted retribution. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a virtual cattle stampede and barely managed to pass my glass to Liam before being assaulted by Hillary, Marian, and Kathleen.

Tiziana joined in, and we danced around and hugged and talked all at once. The hugging and dancing moved in Liam’s direction, and he was quickly absorbed into the mass, giving himself over to their enthusiasm—another reason why I loved the man.

I overheard Ted explaining the connection between the five of us to Gemma and Des, while Tiziana talked a mile a minute about all her plans. Quickly, I glanced in Des’s direction. Much to my surprise, he was looking at us with what could only be described as kindness. A moment later, he looked away and replied to a comment Gemma had made.

The rest of the day was a complete indulgence. First, Liam and I disappeared down to our cabin and changed into bathing suits.

Once back on deck, we found Des putting up with questions from Marian and Kathleen. When Marian produced a camera, I heard Des deadpan, “I’ll let you have your picture. But if it makes it to the tabloids, I’ve had it. My career will be in ruins. I haven’t seen the inside of a gym in, well… months! What do you think, Gemma? Dare I risk it?”

While Gemma reassured him that he looked fine, she gave him a final once-over before adding, “Mind you, next to Hugh Grant, you look positively flabby!” She roared with laughter.

“Bitch! He’s never seen the inside of the gym, I’m sure. I should know better than to ask for support from you, you bloody cow! I’m going to leak to the media that you’ve had a breast lift, a tummy tuck, and one of those new facelifts. Maybe I’ll add a bum lift and liposuction, as well!” Their banter continued for a few minutes as Marian and Kathleen laughed along with them.

After the laughter died down, Gemma declared, “I’ve had enough of this abuse. I’m going to converse with more civilized people.” She picked her glass up and wandered toward us. Liam and I sat with Hillary, Tiziana, and Ted.

I stared at her from behind my sunglasses and quietly said to Liam, “Her legs are as long as I am tall!”

“I can measure, if you like,” he happily offered.

“Get near her legs and you’re going overboard,” I said with a smile as she drew near.

She joined us as we lounged in the sun and managed to engage Hillary in conversation, who, until that moment, had remained her usual aloof self. Gemma and Hillary found they had various social and charity activities in common. From listening to their conversation, it was clear that they had been in the same circles for quite some time but had never met.

“And what about you, Liam? What line of work are you in?” Gemma asked. I listened to the two of them talk for a bit, but, between the sun and the sparkling wine, the conversation became a comfortable buzz in the background. My thoughts turned to Des and what I should make of the current situation. I was fantasizing about him admitting to being an ego-maniacal horse’s ass when I became aware that the conversation was directed at me.

“Charlotte! Lost in thought?” Hillary prompted me.

“Oh, sorry, I was just daydreaming. What did I miss?”

“Gemma was wondering what you made of the media circus over the holidays,” Liam responded, a hint of concern in his voice.

I quickly dashed a look at Des, thankful to see him firmly engaged in a conversation with Marian and Kathleen.

“Oh, don’t worry! He’s really quite reasonable!” Gemma said, observing my glance.

“Well, reasonable I wouldn’t know about. As for the media circus, there’s nothing in the world that would induce me to go through that again. It was awful. All the innuendo and lies.”

“Well, I think you handled it remarkably well. From what I’ve heard, it was all a misunderstanding,” Gemma replied, as she shot Ted and Tiziana a quick glance.

Realizing the second group was coming over to join us in the sun, I hoped she would drop the subject. Fortunately, Tiziana was a formidable opponent in the attention-seeking department.

“Darlings, we need to decide what we’d like to do for dinner. The chef is prepared to make us a lovely meal, or, if you prefer, we can find some delightful place in Saint-Tropez!”

My brain was so busy thinking about Gemma’s comment that I let the others decide what we would do.

Tiziana announced, “I’ll tell Monsieur Lambert that we’ll be in the dining room at 9:00. That should give us enough time to pamper ourselves and have a cocktail on the upper deck. The sunset is spectacular from up there.”

I decided to retreat to a quiet place to think. “I’ll see you all in a while. I’m going to go have a dip in the tub.” I tied an aqua blue sarong around my hips and picked up my bag.

Before leaving, I gently squeezed Liam’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

Tiziana said, “Charlotte, I’ll walk with you.

After stepping through the heavy double doors, we entered the coolness of the yacht’s interior. She started to talk as soon as they shut, her voice conveying her anxiety. “Bella, are you all right? Don’t worry, everything is going well. Everyone seems to be having a lovely time.”

Walking down the marble spiral staircase that was awash in the pure light of the Mediterranean coast, I answered honestly, “I’m assuming Ted has talked to him, and that a truce has been called since we are onboard?” Tiziana nodded. “He hasn’t said a word to me. I need to think about what I would say if he did.”

At this point, we were walking down a wood-paneled corridor to the guest cabins. We stopped in front mine.

“Yes, well, let’s hope it goes smoothly.” Her voice was anxious.

“Tiziana, it’s okay! No one wants to ruin your special party. We’re here to celebrate your beautiful life and lovely wedding.” I felt guiltier by the minute; my being there might cause regret. I knew she had to return to her guest. “Listen, the strangest thing happened. Gemma was talking to me about what happened in Chamonix. She said she’d heard it was all a misunderstanding. Do you know what she means?”

Another flitter of concern wrinkled what had been her smooth brow. She shook her head no. “Perhaps Ted talked to her. He knows Gemma from long before, when she and Des were dating. I can ask him.”

“No, don’t! Like I said, it’s all okay.”

With her usual enthusiasm, Tiziana threw her arms around me and kissed my check. “Thank you, bella. I’d better go speak to the chef. Put on something colorful and sexy. We want to dazzle them tonight!”

I vowed to positively sizzle.

“Ciao!” She released my arm and floated in the direction of what must have been the ship’s kitchen.

Entering my room, I threw my bag on a chair upholstered in a brightly colored fabric. I crossed the room and lay down on the bed. My brain raced, wondering what Gemma Newley knew. While lying there thinking, the day’s heat and excitement took hold, and I fell asleep trying to decide how I was going to find out.

I woke with a start when Liam gently nudged me out of a deep sleep. I quickly noted he had a bath towel wrapped around his hips. He leaned over and gave me a gentle kiss while I inhaled the smell of soap and cologne.

“Hello, Sleeping Beauty!” he said, smiling down at me.

“
Mmm
, that makes you my prince,” I said in a sleepy whisper.

I looked around the room, taking in my semi-naked boyfriend and then the clock. I sighed, “I’d better get a move on it. I promised Tiziana I would sizzle tonight.”

“You always sizzle!” He pulled me to my feet and snaked his arms around me, wearing only a delicious grin on his face, the towel having fallen to the floor. I let myself be distracted for a few minutes. It was only when I felt my knees buckle that I returned to the present.

I gently pushed Liam away and headed to the bathroom. He teased me about a wasted stiffy while I twizzled the water taps of the shower.

Warm water ran over my head and down my body. I was on autopilot when a soapy hand began to lather me. Suds and bubbles trailed over my breasts and across my belly, then dripped to the juncture of my legs, where I felt a warm flutter ignite. I moaned my appreciation and leaned back against him.

He slid his hands upwards. “Just to help you sizzle.”

“God, you’re good.” I whimpered.

Impossibly, less than an hour later, I was showered, fluffed, and dressed in a snug-fitting midnight blue off-the-shoulder dress. My feet were adorned with strappy silver sandals. I’d spent a lot of time getting my hair piled on top of my head, a few curls cascading down.

Just as Liam and I joined the group, I said quietly in his ear, “I don’t have any underwear on.”

His hand trailed down my backside and he slapped my bum.

“Who’s sizzling now?” I asked over my shoulder into his green, smoldering eyes.

Just then, Ted said, “Charlotte, you look like Aphrodite.” I took a cosmopolitan from him and accepted a kiss on the cheek.

“She’s mine!” Liam said good-naturedly. He pointed to Tiziana. “
That
one’s yours!”

She beamed a smile that dazzled Ted. He gripped his chest and staggered to her side. “Kiss me!” he demanded.

After they shared a kiss, he turned to the assembled group and raised his glass. “To the ladies! We men endeavor to deserve you. To the men! It’s my hope that you’re as happy as I am.” We all raised our glasses cheerfully, and the evening celebration was underway.

We watched the sun descend into the Mediterranean, looking for the last flash of color on the calm sea’s surface. For a brief moment, we stood silent in our appreciation. Once the last flash of light was gone, the burst of a thousand twinkly lights lit the boat up. We all “
oooed
” our appreciation and the chatter became lively once more.

It wasn’t until after dinner and we had returned to the deck that my mind wandered back to what Gemma had said earlier.

I stood at the rail, wondering what to do, wishing I had talked to Liam about this instead of falling asleep. I felt a presence beside me and looked to my left to see Des leaning on the railing, cocktail in hand, staring out at the water. My heart did a flip, and my mouth went dry. Too late to talk to Liam now, I thought.

The silence between us was like a third person. My mind raced through the many things I had wanted to say, but no coherent thought made its way to my tongue. He leaned his left elbow on the rail, swiveling his body toward me. Oddly, my brain registered that he had a healthy glow from the sun. He tried to break the silence, starting and stopping a few times, a frown across his face.

“Charlotte, or perhaps I should say Ms. Young, although that seems frightfully formal given the party atmosphere.” He looked at me through his eyelashes. “Well, then, I know this is awkward for us all, but I think it best for Ted and Tiziana if we manage to get through this.” He let out a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. “Look, I want to say, you know, bygones should be bygones and all that.” Then he held his hand out, as if a handshake would make everything better.

My mind reeled in confusion as I stared at his hand. The opportunity I had been waiting for had presented itself, yet I felt more confused than angry. I didn’t know what I wanted to say. A quick thought flittered through; perhaps not everything needed to be said that night. In the midst of my confusion, I did figure out that, while I didn’t know where to start, complete absolution in the form of a handshake wasn’t happening.

Suddenly Frank Sinatra flooded the airwaves, and Liam appeared out of the darkness. “Charlotte, I need to dance with you!”

He then registered Des’s proffered hand and looked at me. The two men studied each other. I looked back at Des, waiting to see if there was more explanation to come. A heartbeat or two passed before my brain accepted there wasn’t. I took Liam’s hand and let myself be led away, calmed by the crooning of “Fly Me to the Moon.”