LITMIR.BIZ

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folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

      “Your warning is duly noted,” Damian drawled. “I’m going to shower. I’ll meet you guys at the grill in half an hour,” he called over his shoulder as he headed for his room.

      Once there, he stripped, turned on the shower and stood under the warm stream. While he was washing, his thoughts wandered back to the woman on the deck. Yeah, she did make him smile, and laugh, too. He frowned. He hadn’t even thought to ask her name. Again. “I’ve really been out of the game a long time,” he muttered, shaking his head. Next time, he promised himself.

      * * *

      Karen woke up Monday morning, read over the list of ship activities and found a morning Zumba class. She didn’t make it to the gym as often as she liked, but so far, things were still holding firm. Since she planned to enjoy herself over the week, she figured she might as well offset some of those calories by taking the exercise class. She arrived on the crowded deck just as the class began, found a spot near the edge and jumped into the routine. Halfway through the session, she had second thoughts about her choice. The muscles in every part of her body burned, and she could barely catch her breath.

      “Lord, have mercy! I don’t know what I was thinking, interrupting my sleep for this torture session,” the woman next to her said, breathing heavily. “You can best believe I’m not doing it again. I’m gonna need an extra cocktail later on to make up for this.”

      Karen let out a tired laugh. “I hear you.”

      When class ended, Karen trudged back to her room and collapsed on the bed with a loud groan. Knowing she needed to shower, she lay there awhile longer, then dragged herself up and into the bathroom. In the shower, she let the hot water stream over her aching muscles until they loosened up. After washing up, she slipped on a robe and pulled out her novel.

      When she glanced up and checked the time, she realized it was almost time to meet Janae. Karen discarded the robe and put on her red halter dress. She used the flatiron to style her chin-length hair so that the strands fell in soft layers, framing her face. She told herself she wasn’t taking extra care with her appearance just in case she ran into Mr. Eye Candy again, but she knew it was a lie. At the last minute, she slicked her lips with gloss, stepped into her jeweled sandals and left.

      Janae was already waiting when she arrived.

      “Girl, I can’t believe you beat me here,” Karen said. “Your sexy husband let you out of his sight?”

      “Barely,” she answered with a chuckle. “He told me the rehearsal wouldn’t last more than a couple of hours and that he’d find me as soon as he finished.”

      “Well, let’s not waste time. I’m starving, and I know you need to eat. Gotta keep up your strength.” They burst out laughing and headed to the buffet.

      There were so many offerings that Karen had a hard time choosing what to put on her plate. She settled on a mixed green salad, baked tilapia with lobster cream and smoked Gouda macaroni and cheese topped with panko bread crumbs. She placed the plate on a table, then went back for a drink.

      “I see you got the tilapia, too,” Janae said when she returned.

      “That lobster cream smelled heavenly, and I couldn’t resist.” They ate in silence for a few minutes before Karen asked, “Do you miss San Jose and teaching?” Janae had taught a special education class at the same school where Karen taught, but she’d recently relocated to Los Angeles, where Terrence lived.

      “Not too much. So far, I like LA. Some days I miss teaching, but Terrence turned one of the rooms in the house into an art studio, and I’ve been painting.”

      “Girl, those landscapes are breathtaking. I know you don’t like the spotlight, but have you thought any more about a gallery showing?”

      “You know me too well. Terrence has been great keeping the tabloids out of our business, so it hasn’t been as bad as I thought. But, to answer your question, I have thought about it. I actually have an appointment with a gallery director when we get back—someone Terrence’s grandmother knows.”

      Karen’s eyes widened. “Oh, my goodness. Are you serious? That’s fantastic. You know I’ll be at your first show.”

      “She has to like the pieces first.”

      “Please. She’s going to love them. I’m so happy for you.” Karen’s and Janae’s family had been trying to convince Janae to pursue an art career for years.

      Janae shrugged. “We’ll see. Enough about me. What’s going on? You mentioned something about Andre. I thought you guys broke up a few months ago.”

      She set her fork down on the plate and expelled a harsh breath. “We did. Before I left Friday, he called wanting to talk.”

      “Did you talk to him?”

      “No. I let it go to voice mail. I don’t have anything to say to him. He was the one who decided I wasn’t good enough for him and sought out someone more to his liking, so...anyway, I’ve decided to put men on the back burner and focus all my attention on getting into administration. Hopefully, an opening will come up soon.”

      “You told me about that.” Janae angled her head. “With all the programs you put in place last year for the fourth-grade team, I can see you as a school principal. Didn’t you present district wide?”

      She chuckled. “Yeah. But maybe I should start as an assistant principal or counselor first.”

      “You know, you can have a relationship and still pursue your goals.”

      “Look who’s talking. If I remember correctly, you were the same way before you met Terrence. Weren’t you always saying, ‘I have my teaching and painting and that’s enough’?”

      Janae pointed her fork at Karen. “And you were the one telling me to get back out there and try again after Lawrence and Carter. Now I’m giving you back your own good advice.” She waved a hand. “You’re on a cruise ship with dozens of fine men, and I’m sure at least one of them will be more than happy to help you jump back into the saddle, so to speak.”

      Karen’s mouth gaped. “What happened to shy little Janae? Being with Terrence has got you acting all wild.”

      Janae laughed. “Hey. What can I say? The man knows how to—”

      Karen held up a hand. “Stop. I do not need to hear this. You know I’ve loved Monte his entire career, and it’s hard enough not having lustful thoughts about him as it is without hearing details regarding his sexual prowess. The man is downright sexy.”

      “Actually, if I remember correctly, your description of him went something like rich milk chocolate skin, dark brown eyes, full, sexy lips framed by a goatee and over six feet of rock-hard muscle.”

      “I can’t believe you remember that,” she mumbled. “Anyway, now that you’ve ruined my fantasy, I’ll just have to concentrate on work. Besides, I haven’t met anyone who comes close to being that fine.” As the words left her mouth, an image of the man she had met the first day popped into her mind, along with a strange sensation that had her heart pumping. She wondered if he was married. He had been with two other men and she didn’t see any women, but that didn’t mean anything. What if he was single? Karen glanced around the room. With hundreds of people on the ship, she’d be lucky if she saw him again. Sighing softly, she resumed eating.

      “There are plenty of handsome men roaming around here.” Janae folded her arms. “As a matter of fact, I don’t think you’ll have a problem finding someone to spend time with.”

      Karen arched an eyebrow upon seeing the sly grin on Janae’s face. “Really? And what makes you think that?”

      “For one thing, I noticed several guys watching you when you were fixing your plate.” A smile played around the corners of her mouth. She leaned forward and whispered, “For another,

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