Voyage To Submission (18 page)

Jack remembered he’d gone back because he
was pissed. And he needed to get rid of his hard-on before he saw the others.
Several times he’d tried to talk to Andy about the incident, but she was too
slick to pin down. Even now, he wasn’t completely sure what had changed. Of
course, now he knew she had known about the nickname and the forced date. In
his eyes, it had not been like that. He volunteered because he wanted the
chance…to what?

Good question. He would have bet money he
had not planned to make it with Andy. She wasn’t that kind of girl. None of the
girls in their group fit the category, which was why the guys had been careful
about getting involved with one of them. Ray and Gayle, on again, off again,
had been the glue for four years. They had continued it since then, as well.

He wasn’t a person to waste time on
what
if
and
should have
. But he did wonder what might have happened if he
had made love to Andy on the beach. Would they have ended up together?

Jack drifted to sleep on that thought.

* * * * *

Jack was pissed and at this point he didn’t
give a rat’s ass who knew it. Very reluctantly, he agreed to come to dinner
with the group. Both Ray and Gayle decided to sit on either side of him. He
wasn’t eating and he’d had two drinks before dinner. His humor wasn’t
improving.

Things had been bad since he had awakened
this morning, quite late, and alone in Andy’s bed. Assuming she was downstairs,
he had jokingly put on the see-through peignoir she’d worn the previous night
to go in search of her. Hard to know who was more shocked as he came down the
staircase—Henderson or himself. Maintaining what he could of his dignity, he
asked about Andy.

“Ms. Bond left for an appointment, sir. She
did not say when she would be back, but she did leave instructions for which
gown to prepare for tonight.”

Jack did give Henderson his due in that not
once did he smile, grin or even curl his lips. But he was still foggy from
sleeping so late. “Dinner?”

“Yes, sir. Ms. Bond told me she is dining
with the Duke in the Queen Anne Suite. Although, since he is occupying both
suites this cruise, I guess it should be called the Queen Victoria-Anne Suite.”
Henderson had looked at Jack, as if anticipating an appreciative comment. When
none was forthcoming, Andy’s butler cleared his throat. “I understand the
Captain will be dining with them as well. I hope Ms. Bond has a good time.”

Jack didn’t bother to add his good wishes.
He still reeled under the fact Andy was going to dinner with that guy! What the
hell was she thinking? Had last night meant nothing to her? Henderson’s voice
caught his attention.

“May I order you some breakfast, sir? Ms.
Bond requested I get you anything you might require, as her guest.”

Jack wouldn’t have thought he could feel
worse. He did. All of a sudden, he felt like her gigolo! Angrily he turned on
the stairs, calling back over his shoulder. “Sure, order me up enough for two.
Oh, and a friend of mine will be coming by in a bit.”

Sleepy and his brain in a fog, Jack still
sat on the bed ten minutes later when a chuckle drew him back to the present.

Ray stood just inside the bedroom. As Ray
walked towards him, his friend held out a sack where he’d stuffed Jack’s
clothes and shoes. The closer he got, the less able he was to hold back his
laughter.

“Go on, damn it! Get it over with!” Jack
finally said.

Ray guffawed as Jack took the sack. “I must
say your page caught the guys’ attention.”

“You didn’t tell them anything, did you?”

“Uh, no. Just you needed a favor.”

“Thanks. Where’s Gayle?”

“She’s with Andy. They are having a ‘girls’
day out’ and warned me to be ready in time for dinner.”

“So, that’s where she is.”

“Guess I don’t have to ask how your night
ended,” Ray smiled as Jack started to the bathroom.

Jack turned, holding the sack in front of
his crotch. “My night was better than my day.”

Ray laughed again. “Don’t tell me you went
looking for Andy wearing that and found Henderson instead?”

Jack pointed a finger at Ray. “You can’t
tell anyone about this, no one!”

Ray groaned. “Not fair, man.”

“You want me to tell Gayle about the belly
dancer?” Jack threatened.

Ray deflated, defeated. “Okay, okay. Hurry
and get dressed. Henderson said your breakfast would be here in a few minutes.”

“I’ll just take a quick shower and shave
later.”

Gayle touched his arm, drawing Jack’s
attention.

He had noticed her new haircut, a little
longer than Andy’s, but with the clipped back. Realizing she was talking, he
tried to focus.

“I’m ordering you some dinner, Jack. You
must eat something.”

He considered arguing, but decided it
wasn’t worth his effort. “Okay, whatever you’re having is fine.”

Tony, who sat across from the three of
them, reached across the table for a slice of bread. “We’re planning on going
to the dungeon party for a while tonight. Are you going to come, Jack?”

“Yeah, I will go to see what’s happening.”
He saw no reason to elaborate he was only going to look for Andy. Exactly what
he would do when he saw her, he was not altogether sure.

Danny set down his menu. “What was the
favor you needed this morning, Jack? Ray didn’t say before he took off.”

Jack heard Ray, seated beside him, start
coughing and then cover his mouth with his napkin. He looked at Danny as he
spoke though. “Nothing too important.”

“We were all gonna tag along, but then we
decided to get some sun.”

Ray coughed again.

Jack turned to glare at his friend. He had
neglected to tell him he was almost surprised en masse. Wouldn’t that have been
a treat?

Just then, Ray glanced over and broke out
in boisterous laughter. No doubt his so-called friend was imagining the same
scenario.

“What’s so funny, Ray?” Gayle asked,
leaning forward.

The others were quick to pick up something
was going on.

“Share the joke, man!”

“Now we’re all curious. Come on, Ray, give
over!”

Liz, who was seated across from Ray, looked
from Ray to Jack. “I smell a mystery.”

Jack saw Ray opening his mouth and he
butted in quickly. “No mystery, just a little mix-up and I needed to be bailed
out.”

Gayle laughed. “Will I be able to tickle
the truth out of Ray?”

Abruptly, Ray stopped laughing. “No, uh,
honey. It’s not important. Now, what is everyone having for dinner?”

Seeing Ray discomfited made him smile for
the first time that day. Taking a deep breath, he tried once more to stop
thinking about Andy and what she was doing right now, and with whom.

* * * * *

Andy had one formal gown. It was an
iridescent material, which looked like black satin most of the time, but every
so often, with a certain move or change of light, the dress became a beautiful
emerald green. In her ears were emerald, straight-line dangles, and her neck
was bare. The dress was mid-calf length, strapless, and where it dipped low
between her breasts, she wore an emerald green pin. The pin had been a present
from the woman she had worked for as a companion, and the earrings she had
splurged on after she sold her first book.

Her knees were knocking together when she
stood outside the Queen Anne Suite at precisely seven-thirty. The door was
immediately opened by a middle-aged man, dressed more formally than Henderson
usually was. His bow was perfect.

“Good evening, Ms. Bond. His Grace is
waiting. We are delighted you could join us this evening.”

“Thank you, Mr. uh—”

“This is Giles Fitzhugh, Andy. I call him
Giles, but he is a stickler and prefers Fitzhugh.”

Andy held out her hand to Giles, but he
looked at her hand rather uncomfortably. After a moment, he shook her hand.

Peter came forward, joining them. He patted
the older man’s shoulder. “I’m convinced, Giles, that Ms. Bond is an American
and used to a more relaxed way of doing things.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“I think that is a polite way of putting
it. It is nice to meet you, Fitzhugh. Did you come with the suite like my
Henderson did?”

Peter laughed, quickly coughing. “Giles has
worked for my family for quite a few years.”

“Oh, darn. I’m sorry.”

“I take no offense, miss. Now, sir, if you
will allow me, I will bring your cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.” With another
precise bow, Fitzhugh departed.

Andy looked at Peter. “Well, I feel stupid.”

“Not at all, Andy. He’s the stickler for
protocols, not me. Come into the sitting room.”

Andy gasped as she saw the wide vista of
windows. “This is unreal. Are we at the front of the boat?”

“Yes, this is the ship’s fore, and your
suite is aft.”

“That’s probably why I keep getting lost.
This suite seems awfully big though.”

“I took both suites for this cruise. The
dividing wall was removed, which gives the magnificent view. You should come
back during the day when you can more fully appreciate it.”

“Halfway across would be pretty cool, but
this whole—” she paused and gestured with her hand from one side to the other.

“Your drinks, sir,” Fitzhugh announced from
behind them.

Andy turned and accepted one of the martini
glasses. She took a sip and wrinkled her nose.

Peter took a sip and gave the butler a
thumbs-up signal. “Perfection, as usual, Giles.”

“Thank you, Your Grace, but I don’t think
Ms. Bond agrees.”

Andy flushed, feeling surprised her
expression had been noticed. “I’m not much of a drinker…of any kind of alcohol.
I lean towards Long Island Iced Tea, because it tastes like tea. Oh, and Kahlua
is good, too.”

“Which would you like Giles to make for
you?” Peter offered quickly.

“Please, don’t go to any trouble for me.
I’m happy with a glass of water.”

The doorbell rang. Peter smiled, taking the
cocktail serving tray from Giles. “You get the door, old boy. I’ll serve the
drinks.” He added his glass to the tray.

Giles turned away to do his boss’ command.

“Did he just roll his eyes?” she asked
quickly, keeping her voice low.

Peter grinned. “Yeah. He really hates it
when I reverse roles. When I really want to get under his skin, I go out to the
kitchen and start rumbling around. Drives him crazy!”

“Can I help with something?” Andy offered,
laughing at the idea of the Duke and a sink full of dishes.

“Yes.” Peter nodded towards the glass he’d
set back on the tray. “You can hold onto my glass while I serve the others.”

Andy nodded, picking up the glass.

“Oh, one quick sip before I face the
troops?”

Andy laughed and lifted the glass to his
lips.

He took a sip. “Ah, sustenance at last.
That Giles really does make a good martini. Do you think I should give him a
raise?”

Giles had just reentered the room,
preparing to introduce the next guests.

Andy saw him lift his eyebrow at hearing
the Duke’s question. She only took a moment to consider, but she winked at
Giles across the room. “Yes, I really think you should. Double it even! He is
most definitely worth his weight in gold.”

Peter coughed, glancing over at Giles. “How
much are you paying her?”

“Obviously, the lady is not only bright and
intelligent, she comes from good breeding, as well.”

Peter laughed, nodding his head. “On that
point, we agree. Welcome, one and all!”

The doorbell sounded again, and Giles
turned to answer it.

“Hello, John, Marisa. I’m glad you could
join us tonight. Would you care for one of Giles’ delightful martinis?”

After that, Andy found it hard to keep up
with arrivals, but finally she was sure all of the Duke’s guests had arrived.
Peter returned and set her glass down and retrieved his. He offered his arm and
took her around the room, introducing her to everyone. The Captain was very
polite and quite dapper in his white uniform. She quickly learned his wife was
traveling this time, since the date covered their wedding anniversary.

Andy was very happy to discover the
Williams had been invited to the dinner as well. There was a lot of chitchat
before dinner, but eventually Giles announced it was served.

Andy had never seen so many courses to a
meal. She found the experience fun, strange and delightful. She kept making
mental notes about certain things she wanted to remember for use in a future
story. Only once did she reach for the wrong fork, but Peter, who was seated at
the head of the table on her left, cleared his throat and picked up the correct
one for her to see. She felt her cheeks flush, but he only shrugged.

After dinner, Peter announced they were
having a traditional English evening. The ladies were to retire to the sitting
room and the gentlemen would linger for a glass of port and a fine cigar. As
Andy and the other women stood, Peter smiled and promised they would be brief.

In the sitting room, Andy ended up on the
sofa in between Margrit and the Captain’s wife, Carol. She was surprised to
find Carol was quite down to earth, and a grandmother. Right before the men
returned, the Captain’s wife leaned over and invited both Andy and Margrit to
attend the private anniversary party on the sixth night of the cruise. After
they agreed, in less than two seconds, Carol told them they would receive the
party particulars at their suites.

About thirty minutes later, the party broke
up, with Ethan and Margrit staying behind at Peter’s request. Together they
decided to walk to the Dungeon Party. Once inside, Andy knew she’d see Jack
before too much longer. Suddenly, she knew her avoidance technique all day long
might have worked during the daylight hours. But now she was going to have to
face him, and she wanted to run in the other direction. Her excuses for
accepting this dinner invitation with Peter suddenly seemed less important. The
fact that it was an experience that most likely would never be repeated and
served as great research only worked if Jack knew about her career. Now she
regretted not revealing all to him.