Chapter 1

The swirling feeling brewing in my stomach wasn’t unusual when the plane started to lift off; however, I prayed St. Michael’s Prayer and hoped we would be in the air soon. I have never liked the take-off on a flight. Once in the air, I was fine, but the whooshing bobbing feeling you get when the plane defies gravity and launches you towards the sky is a little bit rough for me. Ooh I sucked in some air trying hard to suppress the nausea. I said three Hail Marys and one Our Father for good measure.

I’m Taryn O’Kelly, I’m an event coordinator and I own Amazing Memories Event Planning in Silver Springs, Colorado. I am 5’ 5” on a tall day. I want to identify as brown, however, my auburn hair, green eyes, and Irish heritage say otherwise. I recently started trying to tan on my own instead of using the spray-on stuff. It is slow going but I have high hopes.

Six months ago, I was involved in a sketchy situation and nearly lost my life because of a murder that happened at one of the weddings I planned. After my recovery, I decided that I needed a little vacation. My boyfriend, Alex, thought a cruise would be relaxing. So here I am, fighting off extreme nausea while our plane leaves the Denver Airport, headed for Miami, FL. The flight is three and a half hours long. We brought my computer so we could play card games to kill time.

Alex grabbed my hand, “Just breathe,” he said in his usual calm, quiet tone. “Take off is the most dangerous part. Once in the air, the landing is easy.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I asked. “I know it’s dangerous, that’s why I am saying extra prayers! I wish you were flying the plane. Remind me again why we are flying commercial?”

Alex is a pilot, he flew us from Silver Springs to Denver in his company’s jet. He is mysteriously handsome, muscular, has the olive skin I wish I had, dark almost black hair, and honey-colored eyes that make you melt when he gazes at you.

He is the reason “Tall, Dark, and Handsome” exists.

“Because the jet is not mine and renting a plane is too expensive. Dan’s company had no reason to be in Miami, otherwise we could have piggybacked the trip.”

“Right, I’m calling Dan and filing a complaint. I nearly died saving his wedding; you should get that plane whenever you want.” Ooh, I sucked in more air trying to breathe through my sloppy stomach.

Suddenly, the softest lips touched mine, a gentle cupping of my breast, and a warm hand on the side of my face and neck. I melted, Alex had a way of making me feel like there was nothing else in the world but us. Nothing to fear or worry about, just us. His honey brown eyes gazed into mine and we were in the air.

The flight was uneventful, except Alex and I were like a couple of high schoolers giggling, making out, and playing card games. We weren’t disruptive to the others on the plane. We were in our own little world, a world where nothing could go wrong.

As we approached the Miami Airport and started our descent, my stomach problems were slowly returning. I said another little prayer as we landed.

The passengers were antsy to get off the plane. Everyone was jockeying to get in line. It’s not like all the cramming would get us off quicker.

We deboarded the plane and headed to baggage claim. We had to catch the shuttle to the cruise port. The ship was leaving that evening. The cruise would take us to George Town, Cartagena, Aruba, and Half-Moon Cay before heading back home. Alex and I planned it together; we booked several excursions and tours.

I couldn’t wait to get on that ship. The past few months have been busy. Reporters and social media had blown up about the woman stuffed into a piano. The case had opened up a bigger investigation and led to several other human trafficking and drug busts.

I had no idea what I had been involved in could be so big. Since Alex was the original PI in the case, he had been busy helping with the other investigations. We needed time to just be us. A soft large hand grabbed mine, swallowing it.

“Earth to Taryn, what are you thinking about? You are staring into space.”

“Oh, I was just thinking about these last few months, and how I couldn’t wait to get on the ship.”

“I can’t wait to get you into a bikini. Come on, I got our bags,” he smiled.

We stepped through the airport doors into the Florida paradise. A rush of warm air blasted us. There was still snow in Colorado.

“I love the warm tropical air, although it doesn’t smell as fresh as Colorado air. It smells a little…” I trailed off.

“Yep, It’s gator smell,” Alex announced, taking a deep breath.

“Ew… that’s not what I meant,” I playfully smacked his arm.

He laughed, “Does moist and earthy sound better?”

“Maybe,” I wrinkled my nose.

Alex leaned in and kissed me. “We have a shuttle to catch.”

The warm sun on my skin made me feel alive. Colorado winters get to be way too long. It was nice to see flowers and hear the birds chirp again.

I grabbed Alex’s hand and we hustled to the shuttle. After loading our bags, we settled into the 14-passenger shuttle bus and waited for it to depart.

Once our shuttle was full, the driver, who barely spoke English, nodded his head, and said, “We leave for port now.”

Traffic in Miami was horrible. Our shuttle driver should have been a NASCAR driver instead. He swerved in and out of lanes, honking and dodging cars. I am pretty sure he drove on the grass median at some point. Somehow we made it to the ship port without incident.

Alex unloaded our bags, helped an elderly couple get theirs, and guided me to the ship’s check-in. The ship’s stewards took our bags, letting us know they would be in our room before departure. We were free to roam the ship’s decks but could not go to our cabins until 4 pm. It was only 3 pm and I was already tired. We went to one of the lounges and ordered drinks and an appetizer to hold us over until the buffet was open.

The lounge was decorated like a 1920s speakeasy, and light jazz was playing over the sound system. Our bartender was dressed like a flapper girl, her long dark hair pinned back with a feathered clip.

I ordered an amaretto sour, Alex a margarita on the rocks without salt, and a plate of nachos to share. We took our drinks and snacks to the outdoor seating. I could not get over how wonderful the sun felt on my skin, and how beautiful the flowers and the palm trees were.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” I said. I didn’t want this moment to end. “It’s so peaceful and stress-free.”

“Thank you, for coming with me. We both needed this trip. It’s going to be great,” he replied.

“Yes, just you and me.” As I leaned in to kiss Alex, a voice cleared.

“Taryn! Alex! What are the odds? It’s such a small world,” smiled Robert.

“Eek!” I jumped in my seat, startled and dismayed at the sight of him.

“Robert, how…? What…? I….?” Frustrated, I rolled my eyes, blew out a sigh, and stared at him. Alex didn’t appear to be very excited either.

“Really, you had to have planned this,” I finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

Robert is my ex-fiance, friend, and possible stalker. He has a way of showing up wherever I am, at the most inconvenient times. He is tall, blond, and the equivalent of Barbie’s Ken doll. He is also rich, annoying, and has a sex addiction. The sex addiction is why we are exes. It would have been fine if he was addicted to just me. However, that’s not how Robert works. He is addicted to all women who bat an eye at him. And with his looks, it’s a lot.

Last year, he was a suspect in the case I was involved in. We have patched up some of our differences, however, we could not reconcile one. The part about how he loves me and I should be his. Alex has even worked on adapting to his obsession with me. I guess he loves me more than he dislikes Robert.

“I did not,” Robert protested. “But I am willing to upgrade your room to a balcony,” he said with a goofy grin.

“How do you know I don’t already have one?” I replied, sipping on my drink.

“Because I know you. You wouldn’t waste your money on one when you feel like there is so much to do and other things to spend your money on,” he grinned.

Crap! He was right. I was too cheap to waste money on a bigger room. I wanted to spend my money on the excursions. He doesn’t think of these things because he has too much money.

“Well, you are right, I don’t have one, but I don’t need one either. Thank you,” I said, turning my nose up to him.

“Okay, suit yourself. I will see you guys later!” Robert sauntered off.

Alex stared at me. I couldn’t see any expression. Just an unreadable face staring at me.

“Sorry,” I said.

“For what? This seems to be the norm for us and that annoying turd,” Alex said.

I took a sip of my drink as he called Robert a turd and choked. I was violently thrown into a coughing fit, I gasped and started laughing. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

“I’m glad you have a sense of humor about this!” I giggled.

“I’m not sure I have a choice in the matter. The guy is a pain in my ass,” he groaned.

“Mine, too,” I agreed.

We sat quietly, sharing our nachos, and basking in the sunlight until it was time to participate in the onboard safety presentation.

Robert came sauntering up to us, wearing flip-flops, swim trunks, and his life vest. He had a martini in his hand. He looked like a handsome buffoon. What a dork, I thought.

“Hey!” He waved. “All checked in for the safety training?”

“Yep, looks like you already know what to do,” I said. “But I think you may need to keep that life vest on for the remainder of the trip.”

“Just in case you fall overboard,” Alex added, with a sly grin.

The safety presentation was long and boring. Once it was over, Robert went to flirt with the deckhand that had given the presentation. I am sure the cute nerdy tourist look he had would work well for him. Alex and I were off to the pool. We had the later dining slot so we had time to swim and check out the ship.

The Serendipity of the Sea was a mid-size cruise ship. It had 2000 rooms and 1500 staff on board. There were 3 lounges/bars, the 1920s one we had just shared nachos at; a modern, sleek, almost space-age bar; and a classic pub-style bar. Each lounge had trivia games, Name That Tune, The Love and Marriage Show, and other silly fun things to do. They all had a small stage for a live band. The casino on the ship had a bingo hall, Black Jack, Texas Holdem, and Craps tables. We also get to see a different Broadway show each night of the trip.

The ship was decorated in several shades of blues and greens. It reminded me of pictures I had seen of the Caribbean waters. There were silver and gold accents everywhere. I couldn’t help but feel a little like royalty while walking around the ship. It was so beautiful.

We killed a decent amount of time and headed to our room to change for dinner. Our cute but tiny stateroom was plain, nothing elaborate like the rest of the ship, your basic hotel room, only about a quarter of the size. We didn’t care, it was just so good to be on the cruise. I noticed our towels were folded into elephants and placed on our bed. Each elephant had a little chocolate in its trunk.

“Look,” I pointed at the little towel elephant. “How cute!”

“I see something else that’s cute,” Alex’s gentle, sexy voice said. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck, across my back, and up the other side before spinning me around and kissing me on the lips. I felt as though my legs had turned to Jello. His huge hands, so warm, so soft, ran up and down my body. I succumbed to his touch, falling on the bed, willing him to have his way with me.

I could have stayed in bed with him the rest of the evening. It felt so nice to be wrapped in his arms. However, our dinner reservation was quickly approaching and I didn’t want to miss it. I groaned, untangling myself from him.

“We need to shower,” I whispered.

“Are you sure you don’t want to skip dinner and stay in tonight?” Alex asked in a low, sexy, alluring voice, pawing at me to stay in bed.

I rolled over and kissed him on the cheek. “I want to get dressed up and maybe go dancing later,” I said, scooting off the bed and heading for the shower.

Each night the ship had a theme and tonight was Black Tie. We showered and dressed for dinner but not without a little distraction on both of our parts. I wore a sexy little black sling dress with “diamond” encrusted stilettos. Alex wore a black suit, a silky black shirt, and a blue tie. His dark skin looked golden against the black suit.

“You know my original offer still stands,” Alex eyed me.

“I am sure it does, and normally I would say yes, but I got dressed up and want to go out,” I said. “However, I will make you a deal. I won’t wear underwear if you take me to dinner.”

“Deal, but I can’t promise what will happen to you when we return if you do that,” he grinned.

“It’s a risk I am willing to take.”

“You are so hot,” he whispered in my ear as we walked out of our stateroom.

“You have no idea,” I smirked.

“I plan on finding out,” he said, offering me his arm.

The dining room was on deck 7 of the ship. Alex pushed the button on the elevator, going up. We waited quietly as a crowd of hungry passengers grew behind us. The elegant swirling blues and silver patterns were muted by red carpet-worthy suits and dresses.

We walked into the dining room, my arm linked to his. The tables had white tablecloths with black overlays. Under the plates were gold chargers matching the gold-stemmed wine glasses.

We scanned our room card at the little podium where the Maître d’ greeted us.

“Good evening, Mr. Alex and Miss Taryn. Please follow Jorge,” the little Filipino woman gestured towards our waiter who escorted us to our table. We carefully weaved through the tables until Jorge stopped at one next to a window. The view was spectacular. The city lights lit up the ever-shrinking shoreline as we drifted further away from land. Jorge would be our waiter for the entire cruise, and this would be our table.

“Tonight’s main dish choices are lobster tail with buttered mashed potatoes and roasted veggies; Cajun Linguine with your choice of chicken or shrimp; and Blackened Mahi Mahi on a bed of wild rice with roasted veggies,” Jorge explained, as he handed us the menu. We would also choose an appetizer and a dessert.

Jorge had a very dark complexion, with dark hair and dark eyes. He couldn’t have reached 6ft tall. He had a very thick Spanish accent. It was fun to listen to him talk.

I was torn between the pasta and the Mahi Mahi. Lobster wasn’t my thing. While I was thinking, we ordered glasses of Riesling.

“What are you getting?” I asked, glancing at Alex.

“Hmm, let’s see. I was thinking of the lobster tail. What about you?” He replied. 

“Oh, she’ll have the pasta, Taryn loves pasta.” A familiar but annoying voice answered for me.

“Robert, why are you here?” I grumbled looking up at him. He was standing very close to me.

“Oh, we are table mates,” he smiled.

“No way! On a ship with 2500 people, we are table mates? No no no! Go away!” I flagged Jorge down.

“Excuse me, this man is lost and needs to find his table,” I said.

“What’s your room number?” Jorge asked

“B1147,” Robert replied, smiling.

“Oh,” Jorge sounded surprised, “you are here at this table. This is Miss Taryn and Mr. Alex,” he gestured towards us addressing Robert.

“Mr. Robert is one of your table mates for the cruise,” he explained to us, pulling out the chair next to me for Robert to sit.

My jaw dropped, and Robert’s finger lifted my chin. I slapped it away, glaring at him.

“This is not going to work, Jorge,” I said. “Mr. Robert and I know each other and need to be kept separated. Can you please move us?” I asked, more like begged.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Taryn. We can not change the table arrangements,” Jorge said, his voice trembling.

“Alex, are you going to be okay with this?” I asked.

“It doesn’t look like I have a choice, however, Mr. Robert needs to have some rules.” He directed his attention to Robert and said, “No looking at Taryn in this vicinity.” His hands made a swirling motion across my bikini area. No memory lane, flirting, touching of any sort, no commenting, no…”

Robert interrupted. “I got it! No making Taryn feel like she chose the…”

I Interrupted Robert, “No talking about anything but the weather, Robert!”

Jorge was looking at us slightly confused but oddly amused.

“Okay, Mr. Alex, Mr. Robert, and Miss Taryn, we eat now? Yes?” Jorge interjected.

“Yes, yes, we eat now,” I said.

I ordered the Mahi Mahi just to prove Robert wrong.

There were two more seats at our table. I wondered if they would remain empty or if the mystery table mates would show up.

Since we had to be together we made the best of it by ordering different appetizers and desserts so we could taste them all.

Oddly enough, Robert behaved himself, only looking at my eyes and face and talking about the weather. He did veer off to discuss the different destinations we were headed to. Of course he had already been to many of them. He was happy to give his expert advice on what to see.

Alex looked bored. I quickly finished my dessert, creme brulee, a favorite of mine, and ushered Alex out of there, saying good night to Robert. We were off to the Broadway show of the evening and then probably back to the room for another romantic encounter!