I have to think of something else. “You’re a perv.”
He laughs and shuts the door, leaving me to imagine him in the shower, all naked and dripping, the water running down those hard pecs and dripping off his muscular ass and... Oh, quit it! I wasn’t playing with myself, but now that my mind’s heading in that direction, it’s tempting to slip back in under the covers and slide a hand right into my panties.
I don’t, but more out of principle than anything else. Like I’d be letting him win. Well, that and I have no idea how much longer he’s going to be in there. I glance at the clock. 10:52. Outside, the weather’s beautiful, so maybe I’ll grab my bathing suit and catch some sun. Maybe some margaritas if I’m lucky. They don’t seem to bother carding me onboard, probably because of our reservations.
I change quickly before Gavin comes back out, and I’m just about to open the door when there’s a knock on the other side. Opening up, I find another pimple faced steward with a fuzzy attempt of a moustache perched on his upper lip. I doubt he’s even eighteen. Who hires these guys?
“I—I’m sorry, Miss Wilson. Just the wake-up call you ordered.” He seems nervous, but that doesn’t keep his eyes from roaming over my body. I should’ve grabbed my wrap before I opened the door. He’s got to see girls in bathing suits every day, though. Bet that makes work awkward.
“Wake-up call? What for?” I can’t imagine Gavin called for anything like that, and I definitely didn’t.
His eyes never quite make it back up past my chest. “Um... I can’t really say, Miss Wilson. I’m not allowed to.” He swallows, looking uncomfortable.
“Wait, you’re here to wake me up, but you can’t say why?” This is ridiculous.
“It’s per Mr. Caldwell’s orders, Miss Wilson.” Shifting from foot to foot, he looks ready to run away. “I—I think it’s a surprise.”
“What kind of surprise?” I frown, but he doesn’t see it. “Hey, eyes up here.”
Realizing he’s been caught, he quickly straightens and looks at me. Well, a bit off to the side, avoiding meeting my eyes, but closer than before. His face has turned bright red. “I’m sorry. I can’t. I have clear instructions from my boss.”
With a sigh, I let him off the hook. “Alright. Thanks. I’ll let him know.”
“Thank you, Miss Wilson.” He takes off at an almost run.
Gavin’s still in the shower. I’ll tell him about the mysterious arrangements later. Maybe. Or maybe I’ll just enjoy my day in the sun and hope he doesn’t find me. I grab my wrap, a towel and my e-reader, then slide my key card into my bikini top and slam the door shut behind me.
Skipping the elevator, I follow the winding stairs down instead. It feels good to move a little. My flip flops echo off the metal walls. After God knows how many turns, I see a door labeled UPPER FRONT DECK. It’s heavy, but I get it open and step out into the sunlight.
Wow. The deck is in full activity. If it’s not every crew member on the ship, it’s got to be close. They’re all busy setting up tables and hanging decorations. Is there something going on later? Party streamers and brightly colored balloons hang between the white parasols that hover over tables and sun chairs. Someone having a birthday maybe?
“Miss Wilson. Marie. What are you doing out here?” Captain Chuck separates from the crowd, crossing over the deck towards me with long determined strides. He’s wearing his dress whites again. Maybe every day is dress-up day for him. “You’re not supposed to be out here yet. Didn’t Herb tell you?”
“Tell me what?” There’s a conspiracy going on, and eventually someone’s going to tell me what’s going on, right?
“Oh no, you’re not getting me to ruin it.” He smiles broadly. His voice turns formal, though his grin doesn’t fade. “I’m sorry, Miss, but I’m going to have to ask you to keep off this deck until further notice. If you’d like to sunbathe, feel free to use the lower sun deck, or the aft deck, but I’m afraid the upper front deck is off limits until 6:00 PM.” He leans in conspiratorially and winks. “Then of course, your attendance is mandatory.”
Mandatory, huh? Another dinner probably. I wonder what Herbert had arranged for Mom. She’s a lucky woman. “Fine.” I hold up my hands in defeat. “I’ll go to the aft deck. This had better be good, Captain Chuck.”
He laughs. “Oh, it will be.” Then he shoos me off.
I suppose I’ll have to wait, but at least I know when and where now.