Seduction of Steel: The Complete Series (11 page)

A representative of the cruise line began speaking over a bullhorn.

“May I have your attention, please.  We regret to inform you that due to legal action, the
Ocean Enchantment
has been temporarily removed from service.  We do not know when the ship will be permitted to sail again.  Those of you who are within 90 days of the end of your contracts will be released.  All others are to meet with the agents in the next room.  They will provide you with your next ship assignment. 

Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience.”

The room erupted in chaos of conversation.  No one had ever heard of anything like this happening before.

Jessica realized that her time on a cruise ship was over.  Her contract had been terminated.  She was free to return to whatever life she had before.

Kristin still had six months left on her contract, so she gave Jessica a quick hug.

“It's been great, Jess.  I wish you well with your writing, or whatever it is you're going to do next.”

“Thanks, Kris.  Good luck with your next ship.”

The cruise line had arranged transportation to the airport for anyone who wished to fly home.  Jessica decided that it was probably time to return to her apartment and her roommate, Amber.

At the Miami airport, Jessica bought a one-way ticket home and checked her bags.  She noticed that she still had about two hours before her flight was to leave, so she decided to get a bite to eat before she went through security.

She found an interesting Cuban restaurant and grabbed a seat.  While she was looking over the menu, she heard a familiar voice.

“Excuse me.  Is this seat taken?”  It was, once again, Ryan.  Jessica's heart fluttered for a moment as she looked him over.  He was clean shaven and looked positively dreamy.  Jessica had a huge smile on her face.  She just
knew
that Ryan had something to do with this morning's events.

“Ryan!  The cruise ship...it's been impounded.”  Jessica was almost beside herself with happiness.

“I know.  I just saw it on the news.  It has to do with the lawsuit over the drive system.  The information I provided to Eastern Shipworks was a big part of that.  I told you that I was telling the truth.”

“I'm so sorry that I didn't believe you.  I was under pressure from the cruise line, the police....everybody.  I just didn't know what to do.” 

Ryan saw a tear coming from her eye, and reached over to wipe it away.

“It's OK now.  I'm not in any kind of trouble.”

“I'm happy to hear that.  I was so worried about you.  So what will you do now?  More spying?”

“Well, it is sort of what I do, but I don't have a regular schedule.  It's not as though I work a regular, 40 hour week.”

“How do you find these jobs, anyway?”, she asked.

“I'm pretty well connected in a number of industries.  The work finds me.  What about you?”

“I'm just going home to Denver.  Customer service isn't really my calling”, she said, laughing.  “I think my days of working on a cruise ship are permanently over.”  She smiled at him.

“I'm not doing anything for a while. Why don't you spend a few days with me in Miami?”, Ryan asked.

“That's nice of you, but I really just want to go home right now.  Besides, I just paid a lot of money for a one way ticket.”

“I can cover that for you.  Being a spy actually pays pretty well,” he said with a grin.

Jessica did like the idea of spending a few days with Ryan, and the thought of just lingering in a hotel and making love whenever it suited them was pretty appealing, especially after all the stress she'd endured over the past few months.  At the same time, she was just worn out.

No, it's time to move on and go home.

“Not this time.  I'm sorry, but no, I have to go home.”

They chatted for a while longer, and Jessica realized that she needed to get to her gate to catch her flight home.  Ryan escorted her to security.  They held hands as they walked through the concourse.

“May I call you?  I'd love to see you again.”

“Absolutely.”  She gave him her cell phone number.  “When will I hear from you?”

“You never know.  I travel a lot.”

Ryan then gave her one of those unforgettable kisses.  His soft, moist lips met hers, and that head-to-toe tingling returned once more.  They shared the most passionate of kisses for a moment or two.

“I have to go now.  Goodbye, Ryan.”

“Goodbye, Jessica.”

She showed her boarding pass to the security agent, and then turned to look at Ryan one more time.

He was gone.

Jessica shrugged and went on to her gate to catch her flight.

As she flew home, she stared out the window, thinking that perhaps she should have stayed in Miami for a few days.  What would be the harm?

I'm exhausted right now.  What I really need is to go home and get some rest.

Still, the thought of spending some extra time with Ryan was pretty appealing. 

When will I see him again?  Will I seem him again, ever?

Even as her plane landed, Jessica wasn't sure she'd done the right thing by returning home right away.

-------------------------------------------

Jessica arrived home without incident, and she and Amber quickly got caught up on each other's news.  She spent a few days catching up on sleep, mail, and laundry.

A few days later, she sat down with her laptop and began typing:

The Sea Thief

Chapter 1

To look at Bryan Robbins, you'd never suspect that he was an international spy.  Sure, he had good looks, standing six feet tall with wavy brown hair and piercing hazel eyes, but he also had this disarming quality that suggested that there was nothing dangerous about him...

Jessica beamed.  She was a writer again.

The End of
Seduction of Steel

Vegas Encounter

Chapter 1

...Bryan looked into Jennifer's eyes.  “I love you...but I don't know when I'll see you again.”

Jennifer brushed away a tear.  “It's OK. I understand.  If I have to wait ten years or more, I will.  I love you, too, Bryan.”

Bryan kissed her once more and then he was gone.  With the authorities just one step behind, it was only a matter of time before they caught up with him.

But Jennifer knew in her heart that he was a good man and that she'd see him again.  Perhaps soon...

End of The Sea Thief, Part One.

-------------------------------------------
             
             

Jessica Steel hit the “save” key on her laptop with a self-satisfied smile on her face.  After suffering months of agony from writer's block, she finally was able to finish her next book.  Granted, she had to spend months on a cruise ship to find the inspiration she was looking for, but the time spent in the Caribbean was entertaining, she met some interesting people, and she was able to take huge volumes of notes that she might be able to use later for other books.

She had also met Ryan Stevens.

Jessica smiled again as she thought of Ryan.  She'd met him on the ship and thought he was just a mechanic.   Not that she cared.  He was gorgeous, strong, and had a pair of piercing hazel eyes that made her weak in the knees. 

They met for a couple of dates and had engaged in some sex that was so steamy that just thinking about it had Jessica squirming in her chair.  Yes, Ryan was quite the lover.

He was also, as it turned out, an industrial spy who was on board the ship to steal some software from the ship as evidence for a lawsuit.  For a short time, Ryan's legal problems became Jessica's legal problems, but the authorities eventually sorted all of that out.

Jessica finished her time on the ship, and Ryan kissed her goodbye at the Miami airport, promising that she'd hear from him again.

That was a month ago, and she'd returned home to Denver.  She hadn't yet heard from him.  Not by email.  Not by text.  Not by phone call.

She wasn't too concerned about it.  After all of that time away from home, Jessica had a lot of catching up to do.  Her residual income from her previously published books had helped pay the rent at the apartment she shared with Amber Mitchell, so that wasn't a problem.  But she had months of mail to catch up to.  She had friends and family she hadn't seen in quite a while. 

She also had quite a bit of writing to do.  The whole adventure with Ryan and the spying and the dreamy Caribbean settings gave her just the inspiration she needed to get writing again, and Jessica was confident that
The Sea Thief
would once again put her at the top of the best seller lists.  With luck, she could create an entire series of books based upon her adventures with Ryan, thus ensuring a steady income as well as helping her avoid another run of writer's block.

Jessica could submit the book for publication tomorrow.  For now, she wanted to spend some time with her roommate and celebrate the completion of her book.

Amber came in the door of their apartment just a few minutes later, fresh from her job at a local coffee shop.  She'd been working there for about two years and loved it, as she was quite outgoing and it gave her a great opportunity to meet people.  She'd met her boyfriend Jason there, and they'd had a steady relationship for some time now.  

“Hi, Amber.  Good day at work?”  Jessica asked.

“Typical.  Sold a lot of coffee.  Had a few guys flirt with me.  Fortunately, none of them were creepy today,” she said with a laugh.  “How was your day?”

“I just finished my new book, and I'm ready to celebrate.  Wanna go out for a drink?”

“Sure.  Just give me a few minutes to clean up, OK?”

A half an hour later, they grabbed a table at The Light House, a local bar.   They each ordered a drink and got to chatting.  Jessica had been home for a month, but as Amber was often working and Jessica had been busy writing, they'd yet to really spend much time talking.

Amber and Jessica had a lot of catching up to do.

“So, how are you and Jason doing?” Jessica asked.

“We're doing great.  He's been promoted at the auto parts store.  I'm hoping that he'll propose before too long.”  She pointed to her left hand.  “I'm ready for this finger to have a ring.”

“That would be nice.  I think you two make a cute couple. It would be great to see you married.”

“I keep dreaming... anyway, tell me more about Ryan.  Is he really a spy?  Kind of like James Bond?”

“Yes, he apparently is a real spy and his work usually involves industrial secrets of some sort.  I don't think he's like James Bond, though.  I don't think there's a lot of danger involved.”

“Isn't all spy work dangerous?”

“Well, yes and no.  It's not as though Ryan goes around sabotaging factories or anything.  He told me that most of his work was actually kind of dull.  Sure, he has to go sneaking about, but most of his work ends up being resolved by lawyers.”

“Still, it sounds more interesting than a boyfriend who works at an auto parts store.  It might be worth keeping in touch with him just to get more story ideas.  Have you heard from him since you got back?”