Sensation of the Seas Read online

  SENSATION OF THE SEAS

  by

  Cyndi Redding

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  SENSATION OF THE SEAS

  Copyright (c) 2005 by Cyndi Redding

  ISBN: 1-59836-033-7

  Cover art and design (c) 2005 by Marianne LaCroix

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form without permission, except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law.

  For information, you can find us on the web at

  www.VenusPress.com

  Printed and bound in the United States of America.

  Chapter One

  Victoria St. James’ light blond hair blew across her face, and she tucked the loose strands behind her ear. She didn’t want anything to block her view of the giant, twelve-deck cruise ship that had just docked at the Miami pier. Knowing she’d call it home for the next eight months took her breath away.

  She inhaled the salty air and hoisted her suitcase and duffle bag as high as she could to carry them aboard. So many thoughts and emotions swirled through her mind and left her stomach fluttering. Fear, hope, excitement, expectations... She tried to remind herself not to expect anything more than a job, a place to sleep, and three meals a day. Hell, even convicts received that much.

  Her mind wandered to her ancestors who had come to Australia that way--eight months at sea on prison ships. If they could handle that, she could certainly do this. A cruise ship? She’d better be able to. She had gambled every bit of her life savings on it.

  It wasn’t the biggest in the fleet, but she was plenty impressed with this behemoth known as the “Sensation of the Seas.” Independent at last, she chuckled with inner satisfaction, almost drunk with self-empowerment.

  At twenty-three, it was time to leave home and venture into the world. Maybe not according to her overbearing father, and maybe she didn’t need to travel so far from home, as her worried mother believed, but thank God she didn’t let other people, no matter how well-meaning, decide what was best for her anymore. One thing she was looking forward to was no longer having to climb out of her bedroom window to meet some randy guy and satisfy her normal, young adult lust. She had been told there were hundreds of young, single males on these floating resorts and without prying parents within ten thousand miles, she hoped she could finally find someone special.

  She approached the gangway, grinning. People milled about, and it looked like the majority worked onboard. Several were laughing and disembarking. She was one of the few carrying luggage and getting on. A man wearing a white uniform that bore the cruise line’s logo stood in front of the gangway and said, “Passport, please.”

  “Oh. Right.” She plunked everything down and fumbled with her duffle bag until she produced the document.

  He examined it and looked at the list of names on his clipboard. His eyes traveled over her scantily clad body and he smiled. “Welcome to the Sensation, Victoria.” He handed her a card key and brushed her fingers with his. “You’re in cabin 319. Deck three.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Here, let me help you with your luggage.”

  “No, I can do it.”

  She heaved, dragged and shoved the luggage up the gangway and onto the deck. She had arrived.

  Her heart was pounding as she looked for the elevator that would take her to deck three. Another man in white asked her if she wanted a hand, and as much as she did, she shook her head, determined to make it on her own.

  “No thank you, but, can you direct me to the lift? I seem to be on the third floor.”

  The uniformed guide smiled. “You should take the port stairs. This is Deck two, so it’s only one flight up.”

  “Port stairs?”

  His smile grew into a grin. “They’re right inside. Are you sure you don’t need a hand--or an escort?”

  A bright red blush rose to her cheeks. “N--No. Thank you.” He didn’t seem condescending, but he must think she couldn’t last a round in a revolving door. Well, so what? She’d learn all the details, eventually. She found the stairs and tried to drag both of her bags up with her. They were bloody heavy.

  “Can I help?” a voice asked from above. She looked up into deep-set, dark eyes and a bright smile. His long lashes were black, and his eyes glinted. A dark tan completed the face before her. He didn’t ask again. He simply took her duffle bag and suitcase from her.

  “What’s your cabin number?” he asked.

  He might as well have asked for her phone number. “Three-nineteen,” she said. She felt a familiar rush of adrenaline that accompanied instant attraction.

  He smiled and lifted his eyebrows. “Three-nineteen, is it? I’ll have to remember that.”

  For crying out loud, she hadn’t been on the boat for five minutes, and already, she was in lust. It was almost time to forget about her self-imposed celibacy anyway.

  A young woman came up behind her and spoke with an accent that sounded slightly French. “Watch out for him. He’s after every PYT on the ship.”

  Vicki whirled around and spotted the woman, probably a little older than herself, with chestnut brown hair, dark eyes, and flawless skin. “What does ‘PYT’ mean?”

  The older girl smirked. “Pretty young thing. By the way, if you’re in three-nineteen, I’m your cabin-mate, Simone.”

  “Oh! I’m glad to meet you. I’m Vicki. I hope we’ll have a wicked time together.” They reached the top of the stairs, and Vicki held out her hand.

  Simone wrinkled her nose and ignored the offered handshake. “You sound like an Aussie.”

  Vicki didn’t know what the rotten attitude was about. She had to assume Simone had her reasons. “Yes, I’m afraid I am. Melbourne. Have you ever been?”

  Simone let out a huff. “No. And I don’t think I’ll go there, either.”

  Vicki’s rescuer carried her bags down the endless hall. “Don’t pay any attention to her. Simone is almost over her Aussie and through with her contract. She’ll be going home to Canada soon.”

  “Canada? Is that where you’re from?”

  The girl didn’t answer. Vicki couldn’t help feeling like a dipstick. Of course that’s where she was from. That’s what the young, good-looking man just said.

  Vicki looked his way. “Where are you from? And, I’m sorry, I forgot to ask your name.”

  “I’m Roberto, from Puerto Rico. But my friends call me ‘Ron, for Ron Rico Rum.’ Everyone on the ship gets a nickname, as a sign of friendship. We’ll have to come up with something special for you. Where are you working?”

  Special. Now doesn’t that sound encouraging! “I’m a hairdresser in the spa,” she said. “I guess I’ll be doing a few other things too.”

  Simone laughed. “They’ll have you working like a mule before long. Gizela expects all of her girls to put in ten to twelve hour days and do anything a client wants.”

  Vicki’s mouth went dry. What could that entail? “Anything?”

  Simone let out more of a cackle than a laugh. “Oh, you’re going to be fun. I can tell.”

  This wasn’t the cabin-mate Vicki had hoped for. However, she’d make the best of it. She always did. Once they reached the cabin marked three-n
ineteen, Simone opened the door. Ron deposited the bags outside the room.

  “This is as far as I can go,” he said. “Men aren’t allowed in the women’s cabins. We’re not even supposed to be on this deck.” He bent down to whisper in her ear. “But for you, I’d risk getting caught.”

  Vicki grinned, and Simone rolled her eyes. Once the bags were in and the door was closed, Simone said, “I’m serious. Stay away from him. He’s broken almost every heart on this ship. He pretends he’s completely in love and all he wants is sex with as many women as he can get. I’m surprised at the number of girls who fall for it. Don’t be another fool in his memoirs.”

  “Too right. I don’t need that.” Meanwhile, Vicki wondered what it would be like to have sex without having to sneak out of her house or worry about her parents finding out. She could wait a while longer though. Vicki had taken a vow of...not celibacy, but pickiness.

  She frowned as she thought about how her parents, or rather her drunken sot of a father, had locked her in at night. But, she didn’t let that stop her. She made the most of a low window as soon as they went to bed. They weren’t quiet about their bedtime activities with her father loudly announcing to her mother what he wanted from her and her mother shushing him. Usually he passed out as soon as the deed was done, but Vicki couldn’t stand listening to it.

  It was easy to unlock her window and jump out to meet an anxious lover. She cringed as she thought about some of the wilder weekends that got out of hand, yet her preoccupied parents had never found out about any of them--until the last one. The one that resulted in her flee from injustice.

  Her date had to work nights, so he occasionally left the party early. She assured him she’d find a ride home, and one night she wound up with another guy. On that fateful last night, she didn’t leave the party until dawn. The guys just kept bringing her drinks and taking turns making out and petting with her. She got completely stonkered and came out of a blackout with one guy’s cock in her mouth and another’s in her cunt simultaneously. She didn’t even know their names and the memory sickened her.

  Even though she was shocked and humiliated with her own degree of debauchery, she had to let the last man to fuck her bring her home. It was almost dawn, and she’d never have made it home in time without a ride. He had stood underneath her bedroom window and given her a boost to reentry--right into her father’s furious, red face.

  The guy took off, which didn’t surprise her one bit. One thing she had learned about men was that they never stood by you when the going got tough. But getting caught, berated in the most horrible language known to man, and thrown out on her arse by her own father was the last thing she had expected. She would have preferred a silent beating to the horrible things he had said.

  His disgusting words echoed in her ears from the time she had caught a ride to the bank and emptied her savings account until today, when she arrived in Miami. She had a hard time not believing some of it. But here she had a fresh start. It was time to let the past go, but she’d be more selective about her partners from now on, and she’d never drink that much again.

  * * *

  Vicki glanced around the cabin. She couldn’t believe this small space was supposed to accommodate two people. It couldn’t be more than five paces in length and less in width, yet it held bunk beds, a desk with shelves above, and one wooden chair. On the other side was a built in wardrobe and a few drawers. It looked barely big enough to hold all of her belongings, and her roommate must, of course, have some of the space filled, already.

  Simone sighed. “This has to be your first cruise contract. You brought too much stuff. I hope you’re prepared to throw some of it over the side.”

  Vicki gasped. She loved her clothes and shopping was her passion. At least it had been before she spent all of her money.

  Simone doubled over with laughter until her sun-streaked brown hair showed its dark underside. “Oh, yes. You’re going to amuse me.”

  “I liked your attitude better when you were looking out for me, not trying to make an arse of me.”

  “Oh? Well, let me help you again with some advice I learned the hard way. Below the passengers’ decks it might as well be a singles’ cruise, but whatever you do, don’t fall in love. The fastest way to get fired is to yell, whine and blubber around the passengers. I save my pouts and bad moods for down here. On the upper decks, show me a passenger’s face and I’ll grin like an imbecile. You’ll think I’m Sybil.”

  “Who?”

  “Never mind.”

  Vicki had never equated falling in love with whining and blubbering, but then, she hadn’t really been in love, yet. Her sexual acting out had been just that. Sex. Love and fucking were two different things, and she hoped someday to have both at the same time. And, as far as her attitude around the passengers, Vicki knew it wouldn’t be a problem. She was planning to be her most cheerful, positive self.

  “Well, let’s see if you can get all of this stowed somewhere,” Simone said. “You get half the closet and the bottom two drawers.

  Vicki opened the tiny closet. It didn’t look big enough to hold everything she brought. How would she fit her work clothes and her attractive off duty outfits in here? She had spent hours coordinating skirts, tops, and dresses. “Are all the rooms this tiny?”

  “All except for the officer’s quarters--and the passenger’s cabins, of course. I have the upper bunk, by the way.”

  Ugh. Bunk beds.

  Opening the two lower drawers, she hoped they were bigger than they looked. They weren’t.

  “Roberto said you were near the end of your contract, and then you’re going home. When is your contract up?”

  “We call him, Ron. Can’t wait to get rid of me, ay?” Simone pulled her shirt off over her head. Vicki took one look at Simone’s hot pink lace bra with her dark areoles clearly visible underneath and spun around.

  Simone chuckled. “I have news for you. There’s no room to be modest in these cabins. But if you prefer, I’ll dress for work in the bathroom.”

  Vicki busied herself by tossing her suitcase on her bed and hanging things up in her half of the closet. Simone grabbed a white shirt that matched Vicki’s work shirts and walked around the corner.

  Talking through the bathroom door, she said, “To answer your question, I’m here for another six weeks.”

  Vicki didn’t know if she should ask this bitchy woman any more questions, but why not? She didn’t like her anyway. “So that’s it? You’re not coming back?”

  “That’s the rumor.”

  Vicki stuffed the last of her precious clothes in the closet and grabbed the duffle bag. She heaved it onto the bed and opened one of the drawers.

  Simone came out of the bathroom buttoning her shorts. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’ll come back if I get reassigned to the ship I want--with a raise. Its a little game we play. It works if they need seasoned staff badly enough.”

  More like seasoned and burnt. Vicki studied the space in the drawers and the contents of her duffle bag. “This isn’t going to be easy,” she said.

  “Why don’t you leave that for now? I’ll show you around.”

  Surprised, Vicki said, “Thanks. That would be wicked.” She finished carefully refolding her only cashmere sweater.

  “That is, I can do a fast tour if you don’t mind hurrying up.”

  Vicki shrugged and abandoned her chore. “Okay, let’s go.”

  “The first place you’ll want to find is the crew bar.” Simone led a sprint down the stairs and around the corner while Vicki tried to keep up. They entered the open, well-lit space and she felt immediately welcome. The long room contained tables and chairs and, of course, the bar. It was decorated in bright tropical colors. A few men were drinking beer at the bar. They turned toward her and displayed brilliant white smiles on their jet-black faces.

  “Ah, fresh meat. Welcome,” said one young man with a Jamaican accent. The men around him laughed. “Sit. I’ll buy you a drink,” the spokesman said. />
  “She’s in my cabin. Be nice. If you tease her and make her cry, she’ll keep me up all night and make me grouchy.” Simone lifted her chin as if daring anyone to challenge her.

  The man raised his hands as if to defend himself. “No, mon. We don’t want that.” The other men laughed, smiled, and shook their heads vigorously.

  “We don’t have time to sit and talk right now. Well, I don’t anyway.” Simone pointed to Vicki with her thumb. “She can do what she wants.”

  “I’d like to finish touring, and maybe I’ll see you boys later.”

  Simone rolled her eyes as if Vicki were a tag-along kid sister. She turned to leave, and Vicki followed close behind her.

  She hadn’t noticed the man leaning against the wall before, but how could she have missed him? He was incredibly well built and the light shimmered off his tanned face and shoulders. His eyes were dark and intense, and he looked at her as if he could see through her. She caught her breath and began to tingle. Even though he seemed to be scowling, he was the handsomest, most outstanding man she had ever seen in her life, and something deeply visceral inside of her tingled. She felt her womb clench and her netheregions dampen. Dear,Lord.

  As soon as she and Simone were out of the room, Vicki whispered, “Who was that guy leaning against the wall?”

  “What guy?”

  “The gorgeous one with straight dark hair. Muscle Shirt? Incredible tanned arms and chest? You don’t know who I’m talking about? He must be the best-looking man on the ship, maybe on the planet.”

  Simone looked at her as if she had lost her mind and strode down the long hall. “I saw dark guys, but no one was standing near the wall or particularly handsome in my opinion. Of course, we could have different taste in men. That would be convenient.”

  Vicki thought she’d better drop the subject, for now. It wouldn’t bode well for her roommate to believe she was seeing things. Bloody hell. Maybe she was seeing things. Between the stress of her escape and the miracle of this much freedom, she was probably barmy as a bandicoot. I’d better go back to my bed and lie down.