Ivorie's Surprise [Golden Dolphin] (Siren Publishing Classic) (18 page)

“I think you would rather that the captain not turn Eugenia over to the Brazilian police, who would certainly file charges against her. A stay in a Brazilian jail in the Amazon would not be a pleasant experience for someone of Eugenia’s delicate sensibilities.” Boy, that was laying it on thick. He chuckled to himself. “There would also most likely be a trial, which I doubt would end well for Eugenia, and would be very embarrassing for your family. I can see the headlines.
‘New York Heiress Charged with Brazilian Kidnapping.’
It wouldn’t be pretty.”

“No, of course, I wouldn’t want Eugenia turned over to the local police. Trying to extricate her from that situation after she’d been arrested and charged would be a diplomatic nightmare.”

“John, I really think she needs psychiatric help. A rational person would not go to these extreme lengths to resurrect a failed romantic relationship. She had an innocent woman kidnapped and held captive in a remote jungle location while trying to board a very well-guarded luxury yacht illegally. The whole scheme seems delusional.”

“What would you suggest? I have no idea what to do for her.” John was now starting to sound worried and unsure of himself. “Her mother will be beside herself with worry.” Drew knew that Eugenia’s parents, while rather snobbish and self-absorbed, were really not bad people.

“I would suggest that either you come and get her in Brazil, or you send someone to pick her up and take her back to the States. The ship will be in Manaus on Friday. That will give your family attorneys three days to arrange for her to be admitted to a private psychiatric facility where she can hopefully get some help. I can’t in good conscience ask the captain to take responsibility for her for any longer than that. He’s doing me a huge favor as it is. Eugenia and her and accomplice, Frank Conklin, are currently under guard, which is taking the ship’s resources and manpower.”

“That fool Frank Conklin is involved in this? I was relieved when Eugenia stopped seeing him. He’s just a low-level thug with big ideas. I never understood what she saw in him.”

“John, get back to me as soon as you’ve made your plans. The ship docks in Manaus at nine o’clock in the morning on Thursday and departs again Friday afternoon at four o’clock. You will need to have taken custody of Eugenia by then, or the captain tells me he will be forced to contact the authorities. I won’t have any more influence over the situation at that point.”

“I’ll get right on it, Drew. Please do what you can for Eugenia. Her mother and I would greatly appreciate your help in this matter.”

Drew disconnected the call and turned to Con and Ivorie. “Well, I think he’s motivated to get Eugenia back to the US. Con, I really do appreciate your help with this. Please just bill me for the additional costs incurred in this whole mess. I don’t expect the ship to pick up the expenses.”

“I’ll talk to management about that. I’ll let Jamie Devereau tell me what he wants done. In the meantime, we have the situation under control. I think we should just let the two of them stew in their own juices for now and see what Mr. Cartwright comes up with.”

The
Golden Dolphin
—Departing the Port of Santarém, Brazil on the Amazon River, October 15, 2013—Tuesday, Early Evening

The
Golden Dolphin
left Santarém on schedule at six o’clock. The crew arranged an impromptu party on deck to celebrate Ivorie’s rescue. Ivorie stood against the rail watching the scenery pass. She felt Drew’s eyes skim her body and the long, translucent white silk caftan, shot with gold threads, that was held against her body by the stiff breeze stirred by the ship’s passage. The setting sun felt warm on her skin as it glinted off the hair blowing back from her face. Once they had traveled a short distance up river, the jungle had closed in against the river banks again. She was delighted as she watched the river dolphins swimming beside the ship and playing in the wake.

Despite the peacefulness of the river scene, Ivorie was still anxious and on edge just knowing that Eugenia and Frank were on board and being held several decks below her feet. Rationally, she knew the situation was under control, but she still felt as though she needed to look over her shoulder.

Just then Jenni walked up behind her, and Ivorie jumped. “Ivorie, calm down. You look like a cat about to jump out of its skin.”

Chris tried to help by assuring Ivorie that he had personally checked it out and that there was an armed guard standing outside the cabin where they were keeping Eugenia and Frank. Ivorie knew that they were both being kind and trying to settle her down, but she wasn’t completely reassured. “Do you want to see for yourself? Do you want me to walk down there with you?”

“No! I don’t want to get anywhere near them. I trust the captain. Intellectually, I know he’s got it under control.” She saw Drew looking at her with concern in his eyes. “I’ll be fine,” she said, trying to sound cheerful if not confident.

Chris joined Drew on the rail, and Ivorie and Jennie went to the ladies’ room. “Oh, Jenni, I’ve got to get a grip on this. Please don’t let Drew know that I’m still upset. He thinks it’s all his fault, and I don’t want him to feel any more guilty than he already does.” Jenni gave her a reassuring hug, and they went back on deck and joined the guys.

After several champagne toasts, a sumptuous buffet dinner served on deck, cocktails, and dancing, Ivorie and Drew left while the party up on deck was still in full swing. All she could think about was sleeping in her own bed.

“I’ll see you in the morning. Breakfast in your suite? We probably should spend a little time in the office.” Ivorie blushed when she thought about what they had done in the office the last time they’d been in there. She didn’t think she’d ever see a desk again and not remember him bending her over the edge…“We’ll probably have the revised drafts of the Riverstone contracts for you to review tomorrow.”

When she started to turn down the corridor to her own cabin, Drew grabbed her hand. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To bed, Drew. I’m really tired. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I want you to sleep with me in the Master Suite. I’ve asked you before to have the steward move your things upstairs. I want you with me, Ivorie. I’d feel much better if you were sleeping next to me. Please?”

She hated to disappoint him and felt herself slowly but surely giving in. Why was it so hard to say “no” to him? “Okay, for tonight. I’m still not ready to move upstairs though. I think we both need a little space.”

* * * *

Drew pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently on the forehead. He brushed her hair back. “I just want you with me. I guess I’m still unsettled after everything that happened today.” Drew felt emotionally battered, as though he had been in a fight for his life. And, in effect, he had been. He was beginning to realize that his life and Ivorie’s were inextricably tied together. He just didn’t know if he could trust his own judgment and emotions after all that had happened in the last few weeks. It had left him feeling vulnerable and not like his usual confident self. It was a feeling he was not used to and did not like. He hoped it would pass soon. Everything that had happened today just underlined the seriousness of his lapse in judgment.

The
Golden Dolphin
—Manaus, Brazil on the Amazon River, October 16, 2013—Wednesday 9:00 a.m., Day Eleven of the Cruise

The ship had made its stately passage up the Amazon, stopping Wednesday morning for a short visit to Boca da Valeria, a small Indian village on the tributary Valeria River. The wooden houses and the thick tropical flora of the rainforest on the hillside above the southern bank of the river provided a colorful backdrop as the local inhabitants paddled canoes out to the ship anchored offshore to sell their native crafts. Ivorie and Jenni were delighted to finally have the opportunity to purchase the hand-loomed blankets and lace that they had been searching for in the Santarém market. The raucous calls of the local wildlife, including monkeys and parrots, provided a noisy backdrop for the good-natured bargaining.

“I like this so much better than the market in Santarém. Obvious reasons aside! This is definitely the work of the local people, and I like being able to support that local industry.” Ivorie ran her hand over the yards of intricate, handmade cotton lace. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do with it, but it was so beautiful she couldn’t resist it.

“These blankets are exactly what I was looking for,” Jenni replied. “The boys will love them.” Ivorie saw Drew and Chris looking on indulgently as they bargained for the local wares. The Indians in the various canoes bickered loudly for their business.

The
Golden Dolphin
left the Indian village in the afternoon and continued upriver to the small inland city of Manaus, arriving early on Thursday morning. They were surprised to see a modern city with high-rise buildings, an international airport, and a busy port set in the middle of the rainforest. The juxtaposition was startling. Ivorie and Drew watched the docking process with interest from the upper deck railing while they waited for the Turners to make their appearance for a shore excursion to explore the city.

“I’m sure the captain will be relieved to turn Eugenia over to her father. I had a text from John Cartwright that he had arrived late yesterday in Manaus with a nurse to take Eugenia home where he’s arranged for her to enter a treatment facility. We can go ashore as soon as I speak with him and make sure he’s taken control of the situation. I know I could leave it in Con’s capable hands, but I can’t do that and just walk away.”

Ivorie could see that Drew was conflicted but relieved to be able to turn the responsibility for Eugenia over to her father. He must have had feelings for her at one time. It gave Ivorie a poignant tug in the region of her heart to realize that Drew had loved Eugenia. She hoped with all her heart that he didn’t still have feelings for her regardless of his protestations to the contrary. “What about Frank Conklin? Is the captain just going to turn him loose?”

“Didn’t ask, don’t want to know,” Drew answered succinctly. “I can’t say I’ll be unhappy to have both of them off the ship.”

“Me either. I guess Frank is a big boy and can make his way home on his own.”

“Ah, there’s John getting out of that taxi at the dock. It looks like he has a male nurse with him. I don’t envy him the conversation he’s about to have with Eugenia. Will you wait for me here while I go down for a few minutes?” Ivorie just nodded her assent. They watched as the tall, gray-haired man with the uniformed nurse at his side was greeted at the gangplank by Captain Cortelis and Gregory Dempsey. They disappeared into the ship. She had no desire for a final confrontation with Eugenia and Frank.

A half hour later, Ivorie watched from the top deck as Captain Cortelis, Greg Dempsey, and Drew escorted John Cartwright and what appeared to be a heavily sedated Eugenia off the ship. The nurse helped Eugenia into the waiting taxi while John Cartwright and Drew shook hands. Mr. Cartwright shook his head, embraced Drew, and followed his daughter and the nurse into the taxi, which promptly pulled away from the dock. A few moments later, Frank Conklin, looking somewhat the worse for wear, was escorted off the ship. The ABs on duty at the gangplank said something to him which Ivorie could not hear, and he quickly got into a second taxi and left the dock.

* * * *

Drew rejoined Ivorie on the top deck. “That wasn’t pretty. I hope they can help her. She’s still insisting we can straighten out our problems and live happily ever after. She can’t be dealing from a full deck.” Drew could see that Ivorie heartily agreed although she didn’t voice her opinion.

“Have you decided if you’ll go with me to Casa da Agua Azul upriver? Greg and Natasha are going. He’ll be taking the Riva and a couple of ABs for security on the trip. It will be perfectly safe. I hope you’ve decided to go.” Ivorie looked pensive, and Drew was afraid she was going to say no. “Jamie tells me the house is absolutely gorgeous and shouldn’t be missed. It was built by a German rubber baron in the late 1800s—Wolf Schulz’s great-great-grandfather or something like that. It’s in the middle of a working rubber plantation. It should be an interesting experience all around.” Drew looked at her anxiously.

“I’ve thought about trying the D/s thing, and I would like to see a real rubber plantation. I’d feel better about it if the Turners were going, too.” He could see by the hopeful expression in her eyes that she wanted to go, but she was still a little uneasy, and he knew she would feel more comfortable if Jenni were there.

When Jenni and Chris joined them on deck, he said, “Can I interest you guys in spending the night at a rubber plantation upriver? It’s a high-protocol D/s event at the home of Wolfgang Schultz, a member of Jamie Devereau’s club in New Orleans. It’s by invitation only, so I have to clear it with Greg Dempsey first. He and Natasha have also been invited. I don’t think it will be a problem to stretch the invitation to include another couple.” Drew explained that there would be a formal dinner followed by a Dominant/submissive event in the house’s private dungeon.

Jenni and Chris looked at each other in delight before they simultaneously answered, “Yes!” Ivorie and Jenni immediately fell into a discussion of what clothes to bring and then rushed down to their cabins to pack for the overnight trip.