Show Me The Ropes ~ Lothario Series ~ Book 2 (17 page)

“You’re the only doctor I want to see. I’ll never get enough of fucking you, Dr. Enright.” He punctuated the statement with another slide of his cock.

“One more time, Mr. Wolfe, then we have to have food and water or we might die of dehydration.”

“Let’s make it a good one, then.”

* * * * *

“I can’t wait to get in the shower.” Fallon leaned against the doorjamb while Richard slid the keycard to open her cabin door. After everything they’d done, she felt as loose-limbed as a puppet. Every step, every movement required focus and a conscious decision.

Richard opened the door and pushed Fallon in ahead of him. His hands circled her waist, halting her progress. The door snicked shut behind them and Richard closed the distance between them. His lips found the spot on her nape guaranteed to make her knees buckle. “Aaahh. . . . ” The sigh escaped as desire hit her hard and fast. Her knees gave way and she sagged against the solid wall of muscle behind her.

“I want you.” His lips and tongue nuzzled behind her right ear.

“Richard.”

“Yes?” He flexed his hips and his erection ground against the small of her back.

“Don’t you have things to do?”

“Maybe. I don’t care.” One hand slid inside her sarong to cover her breast. Her nipple responded and her eyelids dropped.

“Shower.”

He took her one word for an invitation. Somehow, he propelled them to the miniature bathroom and within a few seconds, their sarongs landed on the floor and the two of them squeezed into the shower stall. Richard shielded her from the spray until he’d adjusted the temperature, then he switched places with her so warm water massaged her shoulders and sluiced down her back.

“God, you are beautiful.”

Richard’s hands glided over her wet skin. His eyes followed the path of his hands. Fallon closed her eyes, shutting out everything but the feel of his hands on her body. He’d never touched her with such reverence, as if he was truly seeing her for the first time, as if he had forever to explore. When his hands cupped her breasts as if they were fragile orbs, she thought she might die.

“Beautiful.” Richard brushed his thumbs over her nipples and they grew painfully hard. He shifted. His hair brushed against her chest a millisecond before his lips closed over her left nipple.

“Ohhh.” Fallon collapsed against him, cradling his head in her hands, holding him to her breast. “Oh God, Richard.” He took her extra weight, slipping one hand beneath her ass as the other sought purchase behind him. He fell back against the opposite wall, but his mouth never left her breast. When he’d braced himself, his free hand returned to her other breast.

Fallon held Richard to her breast and did her best to press the rest of her body against his. Her legs parted over one of his thighs. He lifted his leg so she rode the thick muscles. Her pussy slid over wet skin and the crisp hairs on his leg teased her clit.

“Richard,” she begged, dragging in a lungful of steam-laden air.

He hummed against her breast and flexed his leg, driving hard against her core. His mouth left her breast and his hands found her rounded cheeks, spreading her and supporting her at the same time. “Ride it out, sweetheart.”

Fallon arched her back so her breasts brushed against his chest.

“That’s it, reach for it.” She slid along his leg, mindless now, seeking the release she knew was near.

It hit her hard and fast. Richard lifted her and turned them so her back pressed against the side wall of the shower, and held her there until her tremors subsided. “You are magnificent.” He kissed her then, slow and sweet and so unlike any kiss they’d shared before that she wanted to cry with the beauty of it. His palms bracketed her face, his thumbs swept feather light across her cheekbones.

At last, Richard ended it. He held her upright with one hand and filled his free hand with liquid soap from the dispenser on the wall. Fallon floated in a sensual haze as he spread the spring-scented lather over her skin. His touch was tender, his ministrations reverent. Her heart filled with love and threatened to burst with it.

“I need you.” His words whispered across her consciousness as he nudged her legs apart and entered her. Her body accepted him easily and her arms curled around his neck as she gave herself to him, body and soul.

Fallon slid the arch of her foot up his calf to his knee. Richard slipped a hand beneath her thigh and raised her until both legs wrapped around his hips. She shifted her weight off the wall and Richard staggered, losing his footing on the slippery tiles. His shoulder grazed the frosted glass door as he fought to regain his balance.

He turned and Fallon’s feet hit the wall behind him. They bounced around the soaped slicked stall like marbles in a pinball machine, until they finally came to rest sideways against the far wall. They were both breathing hard from the experience, still intimately joined. Richard buried his face against her shoulder and laughed. The vibration shook his entire body and Fallon felt it deep inside her.

“Oh!” Her eyes went wide. “Oooohh!” Richard flexed his hips and soon they were both laughing and making love at the same time.

They dried each other between kisses and caresses. “I didn’t know shower sex could be so much fun.”

“Fun? We almost fell through a glass door, but yeah, it was fun, wasn’t it?” Richard wrapped his sarong around his hips.

Fallon secured her towel around her and stepped out of the small bathroom. “Look! The photo is here!” They’d been too preoccupied to notice the photo from the club had been delivered to her cabin.

Richard slipped his arms around her from behind and peered over her shoulder. “It turned out good.”

She stared at the photo. The photographer had captured her in the midst of orgasm. “Do I really look like that?”

“Yes. You do.”

“I’m. . . . ”

“Beautiful? Sexy? I can’t look at that and not want to take you to that point again. Can you see now why I get so much satisfaction from giving you pleasure?”

“I. . . I didn’t know. I wish you could see yourself when you come.”

“What do I look like?”

“Like this,” she pointed to the photo. “Only it’s more intense, more. . . something.”

Richard’s hands dropped away and he stepped back. “It feels like I’ve died and gone to heaven, and I’m perfectly happy with the fact that I’m dead. It’s a good way to go.”

Fallon turned and met his smile. “Well, don’t go expiring on me yet. I’m not through with you, not by a long shot.”

“I can’t think of a better way to go than with my cock deep inside you.”

“Me either, but let’s not be in any hurry.”

“I’m not. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“I’ve got to go. Vacation is nice, but as long as I’m onboard I’ve got responsibilities.”

* * * * *

Richard sifted through the stack of messages on his desk. Unless one of them was from a pirate captain demanding to board ship, he couldn’t care less. Fallon filled every crevice of his mind. He’d taken her back to her cabin, shared the crowded shower with her, which led to a slippery encounter that left them both laughing and sated. She’d insisted on using her own shampoo and the sweet apple scent still clung to his skin and made it impossible for him to concentrate on business.

A couple of pink message slips caught his attention. No matter how distracted he was, the ship’s safety wasn’t something he could ignore. He considered their importance, and decided Sean and Drew could wait. If indeed they had found the saboteur, then she posed no danger to the ship. That left the summons from the Bridge.

After a short conversation with Captain Whittier, Richard relaxed, confident of the crew’s ability to handle any change in the weather. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t hurt to go behind the scenes and make sure the staff was prepared for rough seas. Fallon was going to meet him at Zeus’ Temple for the Chocolate Buffet, so he had time to do his job before they met up.

He changed into his crew sarong, a short turquoise wrap embellished with the ship’s logo, traditional male and female symbols intertwined, and below that, his name, underscored with the words, Cruise Director. The staff and a few celebrity savvy passengers knew of his dual status as Co-Owner of the ship, and he liked it that way. In a perverse way, owning a floating den of iniquity had been a good thing. All those gold-digging women who’d flung themselves at him and Ryan after the sale of their internet-dating website now had to purchase passage on the
Lothario
if they wanted to get close to either one of them. Luckily, many of them either didn’t have the money, or weren’t willing to go to those lengths to pursue them. In that way, the
Lothario
had provided him with the freedom to do as he pleased. He had to admit, he was going to miss it. At least he’d have Fallon on his arm when he went out in public now. That alone would go a long way toward discouraging other women.

With Fallon on his mind, and the faint reminder of her clinging to his skin, he took his private elevator to the lower decks. Many of the crew had been on the ship from the beginning, and Richard felt a responsibility toward them, much like family. Without them, the ship wouldn’t exist, and he and Ryan made sure they were treated accordingly. The pay was good, benefits above average for the industry, and as owner-operators, they made themselves accessible to their employees. The idea that one of the crew might be responsible for the incidents that had occurred over the last few months made him both sad and angry. There had to be more to it. He couldn’t think of a single reason an employee would jeopardize the safety of the passengers and crew. The thought made him sick to his stomach. Whoever it was, they had to be stopped before someone got hurt.

He did the rounds, making sure everyone from the kitchen staff to the cabin stewards was aware of the possible weather conditions. Certain deck areas were closed off until the ship passed into calmer seas, and loose items on the decks had to be secured. In truth, the crew had the situation well in hand, and he did little more than listen to their plans and reports, and thank them for a job well done.

Confident that the ship was prepared for the inclement weather, he took the crew stairs to Deck Three. The security office rivaled the most modern Las Vegas casino’s when it came to surveillance equipment, and the vault harbored an impressive arsenal capable of repelling a pirate fleet, if need be. Just beyond the cramped, alcove lined floor-to-ceiling with video monitors, was the holding area. Sean Callahan, Ryan’s brother, rose from his seat at the control desk to shake hands.

“What’s up?” Richard’s eyes strayed to the petite woman behind the heavy wire-mesh. Red-hot anger shot like lightning through his system. “What’s she doing here?”

Sean glanced at the holding cell. “Drew found her. Her name’s Crystal Braxton. She’s a repeat passenger, and we checked. She was on all the cruises that had incidents.”

“
She’s
the one?” What the fuck?

“Well, she confessed, and she’s been on every cruise where an incident occurred.”

“Did she also tell you she’s a stalker, and insane?”

“No. She didn’t mention that. I take it you know her?”

“Yeah, I do. I had a. . . relationship with her on our maiden cruise. She came aboard with her boyfriend, Vernon Cannon. She was looking for an upgrade, and she thought I was it. She’s done her best to make my life miserable ever since, but I honestly didn’t think she was capable of arson.” At least her confession absolved the crew. That was a relief. “Did she give a reason why?”

“Apparently, Vernon Cannon is a hot-shot oil guy from Oklahoma.”

“Yeah, I know him. He’s a real asshole.”

“She says she’s working for him now. I think originally he was hoping the annoying little incidents would convince you and Ryan to sell the ship, and then when you put out feelers about selling, he was hoping to drive the price down.”

Richard walked over to the cage and peered in at their prisoner. She was a gold-digger, through and through. He’d made the mistake of taking her to that session with Fallon, and regretted it ever since. She’d become a thorn in his side, repeatedly booking sailings alone, and coming on to him at every opportunity. The last time, he’d forbidden her to come aboard again, but she’d slipped by him this time, undoubtedly because he’d let Jason take his place greeting the passengers.

“You won’t take no for an answer, will you Crystal?”

“Why should I? One of these days, you’ll see that we’re meant to be together. That snooty sex therapist will never give you the time of day. I saw her with you. If you think she’s going to hook up with the likes of you, you’ve got another think coming.”

Unease skittered across his skin. “What are you talking about?”

Her face contorted, and for the first time Richard saw something in her eyes that made his blood run cold. “You think I didn’t know what was going on? The way you were looking at her the whole time I was sucking you off? I knew, and I’ve made it my mission in life to see that you pay for it. You and your educated whore.”

Fallon. Dear God, the crazy bitch knew about Fallon. Richard hardened his resolve. No good would come from arguing with an insane person, and Crystal was definitely insane. “You can tell your boss, Mr. Loose Cannon, that his plan didn’t work. I’d turn the
Lothario
into an artificial reef before I’d let him get his hands on it. And stay the hell away from Dr. Enright.” With that, Richard turned and headed toward the door. He stopped to speak with Sean. “Turn her over to the FBI in Miami. Let them know she’s also been stalking me, and I’m willing to press charges.”