Love and Fire (2 page)

The
room had a carpet that was a swirl of dark blue, teal, light green and pink. 
The way the colors worked together, it immediately caused the mind to think of
the ocean.  The bedspread and curtains were dark blue.  The walls were a pale
pink, so pale they looked cream.  It was more beautiful than she could have
ever imagined. 

Tammy
glanced at the itinerary and saw that for today, it was just loading until 5pm. 
There would be a meet and greet cocktail party on deck B, followed by the first
Captains dinner at seven. 

The
Captains Dinner! 
Tammy didn’t know much about these
things, but she was pretty sure the Captains Dinner was a formal affair.  She
sat on her bed and smiled at how soft it was.  She texted Demetria and waited
anxiously for her to reply.  It only took a quick minute. 

Oh
Mom, I forgot!  Did you pack a dress?  Of course you did, Melissa helped you
after all.  Never mind.  There are TONS of shops on board.  Go buy something!
Go crazy! 
J

The
text left Tammy with a frown on her face.  Did one have to attend the Captain’s
Dinner?  Right on cue her phone alerted her of another text. 

And
don’t even THINK
about not going!!

Tammy
sighed and chewed on her lip.  “Guess I’m going shopping.”  She said aloud.

The
deck for the cocktail party was already covered with wandering people.  Once
again Tammy’s punctuality hadn’t gained her a thing.  Her eyes scanned the
wandering people.  There seemed to be more women than men, possibly three women
to every male.  That was not a promising ratio.  Tammy saw that many of the
women, girls really, were wearing bikinis with sarongs tied around their
waist.  Wasn’t a cocktail party supposed to be elegant?  She did notice a few
other passengers that were dressed more like she was.  She had chosen a blue
dress with matching shawl, but only because the color was so astonishing.  The
blue variation in the fabric seemed to shimmer and move as she moved.  It hung
to her ankles and was sleeveless with a v neck.  Not terribly modest, but not
overly revealing either.  She just hoped the other more scantily clad people
would change before dinner. 

Waiters
in black and whites wandered among the guests with trays of champagne and
wine.  Harder liquor could be found at the bar.  Two long tables were set up
with hors d'oeuvres.  Tammy didn’t want to spoil her appetite, but the sight of
lobster dip was more than she could handle.  She carefully filled a small plate
with a few of the delicacies, and gratefully accepted a glass of wine from one
of the waiters.  She chose a table for two near the pool and set her eyes
toward the railing.  The sun was beginning its descent over the water.  The
sight was absolutely gorgeous.  She began to relax as the clamor of too many
voices and the uneasiness of an unfamiliar setting began to fade away.  Maybe
this was going to be a good thing after all.

Jake
Butler watched the woman with reddish hair pick and choose carefully from the
buffet.  She wasn’t the usual type to catch his eye, but his usual type was
boring the hell out of him.  A busty blonde that was spilling out of her
swimsuit sidled up next to him and asked him what time it was.  It was a cruise
ship, who cared what time it was?  They told people what to do and when to do
it.  Maybe she needed enough time to put on clothes and look like a respectable
woman before dinner. 

“Sorry,
I don’t wear a watch.” 

Her
light laughter caused Jake to wince.  He didn’t care if she saw.  She was just
as phony as the rest. 

“That’s
ok.  What are you drinking?”

Jake
pinned her with a steely glance.  “Why? Are you going to get me another one?” 

Her
smile faltered, barely, but she soon recovered as her friend approached.  “Christy,
who is
this
?”  The friend was also spilling out of her swimsuit top. 
Almost as tall as Jake, her dark hair fell around her shoulders in uneven
waves. 

The
blonde laid a hand lightly on his arm and turned on the charm.  “I don’t
know.”  She cocked her head to the side and smiled.  “What’s your name?” 

“Jake.” 
He said and swallowed the rest of his drink in one gulp.  He stiffened slightly
as a man across the room approached the little table with the auburn haired
woman. 

Damn.
 

“May
I join you?” 

Tammy
looked up in surprise as the soft voice spoke to her.  He appeared to be in his
mid to late thirties, but he suffered from pre mature balding.  There was only
a close cropped half circle of hair going around his head.  His blue eyes had
the uncanny ability to look hopeful and rejected at the same time. 

“Of
course.” 

The
relief was evident as he sat down carefully.  His plate was nearly spilling
over with delicacies from the buffet.  He extended his hand.  “I’m Timothy
Blake.” 

Tammy
took his hand and inwardly groaned at the sweatiness of his skin, and the
softness of his handshake.  “Tammy Smith.” 

“So
what brings you to such a place like this?” 

Tammy
moved her head back and felt a flash of irritation.  “Same reason you’re here I
would guess.  We are lonely divorcees looking for love.” 

He
laughed out loud and a few crumbs fell out of his mouth.  “I’ve never been
married actually.” 

No
shocker there. 
“Oh, well, I was…for quite a long
time.” 

His
eyes became sympathetic.  “Bad divorce?”

“Still
going on.  So, tell me, Timothy Blake, what do you do when you’re not aboard a
singles cruise?” 

His
face lit up and Tammy was sure he was going to tell her about some extraordinary
thing that he did for a living.  “I’m an accountant!” 

“Oh…are
you now?”  Tammy tried to sound interested, not that it would have mattered; he
immediately began telling her all about the new tax codes that would go into
effect the following year.  She could feel eyes on her, more than just the
occasional glace from anonymous people in a crowd.  It was intensifying, and
she turned her head to find the source.  A man stood by the bar with two drop
dead gorgeous women flanking either side of him.  The familiar way the blonde
kept touching him indicated ownership on some level, but the dark haired
woman’s smoldering stares was purely lust driven.  The man wasn’t paying any
attention to them.  Tammy wasn’t sure of his age.  She guessed somewhere in his
forties.  The scowl on his face could only mean that he felt like she didn’t
belong there.  Maybe she had dip on her cheek.  Who knew and who cared? 

She
squared her shoulders and stared back for a few moments.  He was handsome of
course.  Women like that didn’t gravitate towards ugly or even average unless
they could sniff out money.  His open collared dress shirt and sports jacket
didn’t necessarily speak of wealth, but it was obvious he wasn’t hurting either. 
His face looked vaguely familiar.  Or maybe she just hoped it did.  His perfect
features fit well into his tan face.  Black hair showing the beginning of gray
at the temples gave him a distinguished and sexy look.  She had no idea where
he might be from, but he definitely had perhaps Spanish or Mediterranean blood
running through his veins.  Tall, dark, and handsome was the cheesy phrase that
came to mind. 

“Tammy? 
Do you?” 

Tammy
blinked in surprise as she turned her head back to Timothy.  “I’m sorry, that
was rude of me.  What were you saying?” 

“I
was asking if you had any children under the age of seventeen.” 

“Oh
goodness no.  I have a daughter that’s twenty-seven and one that’s twenty-four.” 

“Really? 
You look a little too young for that.”  

Tammy
enjoyed the compliment.  “Thank you.  That’s the best thing I’ve heard in a
while.” 

She
tried to stay focused on Timothy until the announcement for dinner.  She felt
bad that she had trouble focusing, especially since numbers and tax code were
his obvious passion, but she refused to indulge the man at the bar a second
longer.  Let him stare, and scowl, and do whatever!  She had every right to be
on the ship just like him and his pretty little airheads!  But she did secretly
hope that Timothy would be seated at a different table for dinner.

Dinner
was a wonderful affair.  The room opened into a large expanse of tables with
two separate bars.  There were two levels that overlooked the main floor, which
wrapped around the large area in a half circle that reminded Tammy of Timothy’s
remaining hair. 

Tammy
was seated at a round table on the main floor.  Two young women and a man in
his early twenties were seated with her.  An empty chair was to her right, but
no one came to claim it as the captain began his speech to welcome the
passengers.  It was a quick speech, he seemed as eager to eat the lobster as
everyone else.  Tammy tried to seem interested and polite to the young people
she was seated with, and they in turn asked her polite questions and tried to
engage her in conversation, but it was soon apparent that they had far more in
common with each than with her. 

She
was eating her lobster in silence, listening to the chatter from her dinner
partners, when a shadow fell over her plate.   She looked up to see the man
from the bar staring down at her. 

“I
guess I’m sitting here.”  His voice held a faint accent that Tammy couldn’t
place.  She pursed her lips slightly while noticing the star struck look of the
females.  Yes, he was handsome, but he was also older.  What was the big deal? 

“I
suppose you are.”  Tammy tried to smile. 

He
sat down and nodded to the others.  “Hello, I’m Jake Butler.” 

The
others offered their names and reluctantly went back to eating and
conversation, while keeping an eye on him with side long glances.  Tammy didn’t
offer her name. 

“And
who are you?” 

Tammy
could feel impatience welling up within her threatening to choke, or at the
very least, cause a scathing word to leave her lips.  She looked up and met him
eye to eye.  She wasn’t expecting his eyes to look like melting chocolate, and
she certainly wasn’t expecting him to smell so good. 
Dangerous.
  Was
the only word that came to mind. 

Tammy
turned slightly and extended her hand.  “Tammy Smith.” 

He
shook her hand with the perfect amount of pressure.  His skin felt smooth and
warm.  “It’s a pleasure.”  She couldn’t help how her eyes lingered on his
mouth.  His lips were full but not in a feminine way, they were perfect.  Tammy
nodded and focused her attention back on her plate. 

“So,
what do you do, Tammy?” 

Yes,
there was definitely an accent.  “I’m in between….things…right now.” 

The
brunette at the table made a pouty face.  “That sounds like divorce.” 

Tammy
eyed her over her raised fork, but didn’t sense a teasing nor facetious tone. 
“Actually, yes, I am going through a divorce.” 

“I’m
sorry that must be hard.” 

Tammy
could feel an intensity from Jake.  He hadn’t touched his food.  He was
watching her from a casual pose, but Tammy could practically hear the gears of
his mind turning.  “Yes, it has been hard.  Luckily I have two wonderful
daughters that are helping me through it.”  She laughed.  “That’s how I ended
up on this ship.” 

“Aww,
that’s so sweet!”  The brunette, Sandra, smiled at the others, and they smiled
back.  It was a mental agreement that they could go on chatting.  The older,
lonelier woman wasn’t going to break down into a basket case.  What a relief.

Soon
the discussion turned to the several bars and clubs aboard, and before Tammy
could ask to join or make her own hasty retreat, the two women with the young
man in tow, giggled their goodbyes and departed.  Tammy was left with the
possible anorexic man beside her.  He still hadn’t touched his plate. 

“Tammy
would you like…”  That was as far as he got when the two women he was with at
the cocktail party sauntered over to the table.  The blonde had on the
tightest, shortest dress ever, and her dark haired friend had on an equally
tight dress but at least it hung to the floor.  As with the bikini tops, their
abundant cleavage was spilling out for all to see.  And many turned in their
chairs to make sure they
could
see, as the women walked past. 

Tammy
heard Jake mumble something under his breath, and his face darkened. 

“Jake! 
We’ve been looking for you everywhere!”  The blonde beamed at him.  Her eyes
flitted nervously over Tammy, whereas the dark haired woman gave her a slower
appraisal.  Her lips turned slightly as her eyes slid to Jake.  Tammy had
obviously been dismissed as a non-threat.

“We
want to take you to the Lagoon!”

“And
what is that?” 

“The
biggest club on the ship.”  When the dark haired woman spoke, it evoked an
image of smoky rooms with illicit affairs happening in every corner.