Laid 2 Rest Two Halves of a Whole (19 page)

Before Maya could answer him, another male spoke up, bringing our attention over to him. “It’s only the first night and you two are already in trouble. Thank goodness we were here to rescue you.”

OMG… I knew that voice too!

I turned and locked onto the most beautiful, chestnut-colored orbs staring lovingly down at me as if I were the only woman on the ship. “Jay?” I whispered, “But… but… what are you doing here?”

“Me… miss an opportunity to be alone
with you
… NEVER! Besides, I thought you two might like a male escort just in case you got yourselves into a sticky situation like this one. Jazz, you remember my friend Bobby. Bobby, this is Jasmine’s best bud Maya,” Jay said with his arm draped protectively around me.

I had met Bobby several times before. He was one of Jay’s assistant coaches. Bobby nodded to me in greetings, but grabbed Maya’s hand and planted a kiss on the back of it.

Wow, do guys still do that?

I watched Maya melt as he pulled her away from us to dance. He was exactly her type and she was his. Jay and I had talked about introducing them several times before, so I knew exactly what he was up to and that he had planned this out well. Bobby would keep Maya preoccupied this entire trip while he got to focus solely on me.

The little booger!

“Sorry I’m late, love,” he said checking out my outfit, “Dressed like that, you’re making every girl in here envious.” He spun me around so he could get an eye full…
or two.

“Stop playing around, you big goof ball. How did you do it? How did you manage all of this? Oh and by the way, I still deserve half the credit if Maya and Bobby hit it off.”

“Look at them. They’re perfect together,” he said, watching them dirty dance just a few short feet away.

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. I’ll be stuck sleeping in the hallway at this rate!”

“Like I would ever let that happen.
You’ll just have to share my bunk.
Now stop standing there and put those sexy legs to use.”

Dragging me over to the others before I could refuse… the four of us danced until it hurt.

Jay walked me back to my room alone since Maya and Bobby were nowhere to be found. No surprise there, huh. I cracked the door to my suite open slightly and listened for a moment, but heard nothing. “I think it’s safe,” I told Jay, relieved. “Maybe they’re out strolling in the night air getting to know one another.”

We both started laughing hard, knowing full well that was unlikely. Jay stepped forward, grabbing my hands and held them up against his hard chest. “You’re radiant tonight. I’m so glad you decided to take this trip. I think it was just the thing you needed. All I wanted was to see you smile again.” He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. Then after a minute, he whispered goodnight and left.

I was getting undressed when there was a sudden knock on the door. Foolishly expecting that Maya had just forgotten her room key, I opened the door without even checking first, dressed in only my black lace bra and panties.

“
Helllllo there,
” Jay said in a low tone with his cheeks full of dimples. “I found the others
quite busy
in my room. It looks like I’m the one sleeping out in the hallway tonight, unless you know of a place I could rest my poor little head,” he pouted with his lips poked out.

“Get in here already,” I snapped as I drug him into the room before anyone else saw me half-naked.

It was strange that I didn’t feel embarrassed or have the need to cover up and hide my body from him. I believe I was getting just a little too comfortable around him and had better draw a line before we got our wires crossed.

Retrieving a plump, white bathrobe that was hanging behind the bathroom door, I felt a little less exposed as I walked back into the room just to find it empty. I stood and stared, wondering if he had left when I saw the sheer curtains move from the subtle breeze blowing outside.

Jay was sitting out on the small balcony on a comfortable looking sofa that I didn’t even notice we had until just then. The moment I stepped thru the glass, he pulled me onto his lap, wrapped me up tight, and pointed out into the distance before I could make a single peep.

My eyes followed the direction of his long extended finger. The sun in all its splendor was just beginning to rise. We watched in awe as the huge orange fireball peeked its head over the water setting the sky ablaze. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I have watched hundreds of sunrises, but not one of them could remotely compare to this.

As it moved higher and higher into the sky, it turned the ocean into a spectral rainbow of vivid colors that danced playfully on its flat surface… a sight that I never wanted to see end.

I woke up to find that Jay and I had dozed off out on the balcony. The morning air was surprisingly warm and the birds chirped happily, as the ship grew closer to the shore. A huge smile lit up my face as Cannes, France came into view. “Wake up, wake up. Look. We’re here. Wake up, will you?” I squeaked out over excitedly, nudging Jay awake.

“Didn’t we just fall asleep?” Jay groaned grumpily back at me.

“Come on! Who needs sleep? We’re in France. Can you believe it?” I said, untangling myself from him and headed straight for the bathroom.

I had a head full of bubbly, vanilla scented shampoo when Jay stepped into the shower with me.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Is he fucking insane?

The wires have been crossed. I repeat, people. The wires have been crossed… oh my Lord. The freakin’ wires have been completely blown to smithereens!

“Here, let me do that for you,” he said, working his hands thru my wet hair, massaging my scalp lightly. I could feel every sud run down my bare back and down the drain as if it were in slow motion. “There now, doesn’t that feel good?”

Hell yeah,
it does. A little too damn good, in fact!

He rotated me around so he could continue lathering me up with soap from head to toe, making sure I was clean.

That every inch of me was squeaky clean.

I was so shell-shocked that I just stood there like a bloody idiot, flabbergasted that we were in the shower together. Butt naked!

Jay ended up having to wash himself off since I had failed to do it for him.
Folk’s pleez
… I’d lost all normal function of my limbs altogether. Besides, I haven’t even bothered to look up yet because I was terrified to become lost in those gorgeous orbs of his. Like the good girl that I was, I kept my eyes locked on his chest, concentrating super hard to make sure that my eyes didn’t shift
downwards
… if you know what I mean.

Jay cut off the water, stepped out to wrap me up in one of the ship’s extra thick, fluffy towels and began drying my stiff body off. Only once I was dried to his satisfaction did he start tending to himself.

I still hadn’t moved a muscle yet, when he said, “Love, breathe!” That brought me back to myself and I let out a huge breath of air. “That’s my girl,” he said, pushing me out of the bathroom. “Now go and find something as pretty as you are to put on. France is out there waiting for us, remember.”

I nodded slowly, still in disbelief. I had just taken a shower with another man. A man who wasn’t my husband. So naturally, I was a little horrified. Did I just break any of my wedding vows by being in there?

Shit, Shit, Shit.
Well, it’s a little too late now!

Jay threw back on the same stuff that he had worn yesterday since his suitcase was stuck in his own room somewhere on this ship. I dressed myself quickly in a pair of beige capri pants and a white tube top with tennis shoes so I would be comfortable walking around all day. The itinerary read that we would be docked until later tonight; allowing all the passengers a chance to disembark and explore the city if they wanted to, and then we were headed off to Italy.

We stopped by Jay’s room first so that he could get changed which turned out to be right next to mine.

Figures!

Maya and Bobby were sipping on coffee out on the balcony when we entered the room. “There you two are. We were starting to get
worried
,” Maya said, winking at me.

I knew exactly what she was worried about, but she knew how I felt about cheating spouses so the thought shouldn’t have even crossed her mind.

Don’t mention the little shower situation to her, okay. That will be our little secret.

I observed the other two closely as they laughed and touched each other playfully. It was disgusting! They were in that first stage of puppy love already. That early phase of the relationship when people cannot seem to keep their hands off each other, when the planets align themselves, and the angels sing.

Wonderful.

Well, at least someone’s getting laid on this trip because it sure in the hell isn’t me; the shower is where I draw the line for real.

Lord, give me strength!

We found a quaint little french bakery close to the bus that was going to take us on a tour of Cannes Castle. A “must see” from what the brochure said. The smell of the fresh baking pastries filled the air with the most delicious aroma that I couldn’t help but take huge lung fulls of the stuff.

Their item selection was so vast that we all selected something different so we could share. Our tray overflowed with a cheese and fruit tart, a strawberry filled crepe, a cream horn, a chocolate croissant, three cups of coffee for them, and a mug of hot cocoa for me. Yum.

“This is so good, guys,” I said after biting into the puffy, chocolate filled pastry, “I loved these when I was a little girl,” I added, drooling down my chin.

“What do you mean when, you’re still a little girl, short stuff,” Jay snorted at me.

“Ha ha very funny. I’m only short next to mammoths like you.” I countered, sticking my tongue out at him.

Cannes Castle sat on top of a hill so we had to hike up a steep incline. However, the guys threw us girls onto their backs and raced up the hill like little kids. It was great. I laughed so much that my sides ached. We spent the whole day touring the site then sat outside in the courtyard, soaking up the sun as we took in everything around us. The Castle had the best view of Cannes from up there and I was so glad the ship suggested that we visit it.

By the time we got back to the boat, the sun was beginning to set, and we were starved, so we made our way over to the Terrace Grill to have dinner.

“Maya, check out who’s here,” I said, nodding off to the right of me.

I watched her eyes lock on his, as his locked onto hers. The short bald man nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Bobby standing behind her. Turning abruptly, he left the restaurant, apparently not hungry anymore. We both doubled over laughing. I guess he won’t be bothering her anymore, huh.

After dinner, we returned to my suite to relax a bit after an exhausting day. We could all feel the lack of sleep catching up with us from the day before. Maya and Bobby excused themselves to the room next door, leaving Jay and I alone again.

Settling myself down on the bed, I removed my shoes and socks, and stretched out my toes. My feet did hurt a little from pounding the pavement all day. Jay being a sweetheart pulled them into his lap and started to rub them for me as I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up fully dressed lying with my head buried in the side of his warm neck. Without thinking, I pressed my lips to his skin.

Boy did that get his attention!

Before I knew it, he was laying on top of me. I stared wide-eyed at him as he stared lovingly down at me. He wasn’t sure what that kiss meant and neither did I for that matter. The pull between us was growing stronger… it would soon be too much to resist.

Not wanting to push me too far over my limits, he broke the hold he had on me with his eyes, and kissed the tip of my nose gently instead. “How about a trip to the spa? How does that sound?” he asked.

Woohoooooo
was all I said as he pulled me from the bed. We buzzed the room next door to see if they wanted to join us, but they told us to go ahead without them and that they would meet up with us later.

Dang, you would think they were on the freakin’ honeymoon.

Jay booked us a two-hour long couple’s massage, not wanting to let me out of his sight for a minute. The two female therapists worked in unison, each starting at our heads. I really missed massaging my clients, I thought sadly to myself as the therapist began rubbing my scalp…

I had to stop myself from shaking because the room suddenly grew frigid. “Can you turn the warming pad up for me please?” I asked the girl, but when I got no reply, I opened my eyes to find that I was now outside, completely surrounded by gleaming white snow.

Shit not again!

I looked around confused because I appeared to be floating in mid-air. A vicious wave of nausea washed over me as my motion sickness kicked in. I tried to bring a hand up to cover my mouth to stop from vomiting, but discovered that I couldn’t move it. All I seemed to be able to do was rotate my head around and with my luck…
I’d puke right down the front of myself any second now!