Little White Lies Read online

  Madalyn let herself relax, moving to the music and belting out the lyrics. His body swayed in time with hers, close, but not touching. She could smell his intoxicating cologne mixed with his own uniquely masculine scent. It emboldened her. She turned and began grinding her behind provocatively while swaying her arms high above her head to the music.

  The mood between them ignited when he placed his hands firmly on her hips feeling her every move. She leaned against him wanting to feel his muscular chest against her back. She was shocked by the desire rolling through her body and turned around to face him.

  Their eyes locked; his moved slowly down until they stopped, gazing intently at her lips, and she instinctively knew he was going to kiss her. She felt his hand snaking its way up her bare back while his other hand held her hip and they continued to sway to the music. She had never been so turned on by a stranger. She gazed into his eyes and her lips parted slightly in anticipation. She didn’t know this man, but she knew she wanted to feel his warm tongue grinding on hers.

  Someone bumped into Madalyn from behind, pushing her hard against Royce and the moment was lost. What the hell? She fought the urge to cry out in frustration. She swung around to see Liz and the gang grinning at them and dancing wildly to the song. It must’ve been a favorite of theirs too. Madalyn glanced up at Royce, directly into smoldering green eyes. They held such promise it nearly took her breath away. Susie grabbed Madalyn’s hand and twirled her into the middle of their group. Oh, what fun must be in store for her this week!

  • • •

  It was two o’clock in the morning. Madalyn felt tipsy and horny as hell. Royce was holding her hand as they stumbled back to their rooms in happy silence. She hadn’t had this much fun in a long time and wanted it to last.

  She was going to ask Royce to come into her room. It was about damned time that she had her first fling. When they stopped at her door she turned to face him. He was so tall. In her high heels, her eyes were level with his neck. She was trying to muster up the courage to ask him in when she felt his hand on her chin raising her face to his.

  He was definitely going to kiss her now.

  She waited in breathless anticipation. Her nether region came alive with a slow aching sensation while she watched his face lower and felt the feather light touch of his lips on hers. Oh, yes, that felt good. More please. Her hands circled around his head and thread through his hair, pulling him closer to her. She parted her lips and welcomed his warm tongue into her mouth. He explored with tantalizing swirls of his tongue, and then caught her bottom lip in his teeth, tugging it gently. Madalyn melted against him, her knees weak with desire. She needed to catch her breath.

  “Come inside,” she begged. Her voice was hoarse with her growing need.

  He gently smiled down at her and closed his eyes, shaking his head from side to side as if in pain.

  “Why not?” she groaned.

  “Because you’re drunk,” he sighed, as if pointing out the obvious. “When I make love to you, I want to know it’s what you want. I can’t be sure it’s not the alcohol talking.”

  “Please?” she tried again, gazing at him with wide, imploring eyes.

  “No,” he said, caging her against the wall with his arms.

  “Why do you have to be such a gentleman?” She leaned her forehead against his chest. His scent filled her nostrils and sent warm shivers through her body. She kissed the small patch of his bare chest peeking through his open shirt and tasted his salty sweat on her lips.

  Royce groaned and stepped away from her while he fished her key out of her purse. He opened the door and pushed her through the entrance with a pert spank on her butt.

  “Go to bed!” he growled and closed the door.

  She stumbled into her room. Her heels were too high. She lay down on her bed and it immediately started spinning. But the bed was firm and she snuggled in on her side to get comfortable. She was way too drunk to get undressed. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. She drifted off to sleep with thoughts of dark wavy hair and deep green eyes when it hit her.

  Oh!

  He had said “when” I make love to you. “When” is not “if”.

  She was going to let a stranger into her panties. What would people think of her then? She tried to recollect what Jeanine had said to her this morning when she convinced Madalyn to come on the cruise alone, but in her inebriated state it was difficult. Oh, yes, “Tell the world to screw-off and do what you want!”

  “Screw-off world, I want Royce.”

  And with that, Madalyn collapsed, falling asleep within seconds.

  Chapter Four – The Plan

  Madalyn squinted as she stepped out onto the Cairo Deck despite her dark sunglasses and floppy white hat. She hadn’t been this hung over in a long time. Thankfully, the aspirin was finally starting to take effect. The deck was packed with passengers; a handful of people even sat at the bar enjoying their first drink of the day. Ugh! It was ten thirty in the morning. She settled into a lounge chair next to Susie and smoothed her blue-and-white-striped sundress over her legs.

  “Spill the beans,” Susie said when Madalyn sat down. “Did you do Royce last night?”

  “No!” Madalyn laughed and shook her head. “But not from a lack of trying. Apparently, he has something against taking advantage of inebriated women.”

  “Imagine that,” Susie said. “Chivalry is not entirely dead!”

  “Humph,” Liz said, looking over the top edge of her sunglasses. “You never told us how you met Royce.”

  Madalyn adjusted the back of her lounge chair at a slight angle. “We met briefly on the bus ride from the airport but then I stumbled into him on my way out of the dining room last night. Literally. He asked me to go for a drink. The rest is history, baby.”

  “You make it sound so easy,” Susie said.

  “Oh, please. Look who’s talking! You guys met Mike and Jason on the bus ride over from the airport.”

  “True,” Liz conceded. “But Royce is in a league of his own.”

  Susie nodded in agreement. “So what does Royce do for a living?”

  Madalyn paused. What did he do again? There had been quite a few drinks and a lot of dancing between the Scorpion Bar and the Oasis.

  “He said something about helping with his family’s pharmaceutical business.”

  “Where’s he from?” Liz asked. She leaned in Madalyn’s direction to hear the full scoop.

  Madalyn shrugged her shoulders. “I think he lives in Chicago.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Old enough to know Saturday Night Fever?”

  The crease between Liz’ eyes deepened. “What did you two talk about all evening?”

  “The usual stuff,” Madalyn said. “He asked me all kinds of questions about where I live, what I do, and my family.”

  Susie turned to Madalyn with exasperation. “Aren’t you curious about him?”

  “Sure,” Madalyn said. “But I was drunk and distracted by his sex appeal. Give a girl a break!”

  The ladies burst out laughing. Yes. That they could understand.

  Madalyn sat back in her chair to silently ponder Susie’s question. How much did she want to know about Royce? Madalyn was pragmatic. In six days, he would go back to his life and she would go back to hers. She knew the basics: he worked long hours for his family business in Chicago, he had a brother, his father died several years ago, he was probably in his late thirties, and he loved to dance, flirt, and joke around. Wasn’t that enough? Besides, she had just ended her last relationship. Couldn’t she relax and have a good time? Was that wrong? It was time to redirect the conversation.

  They talked about living in New York City versus Chicago. New York sounded exciting, but Madalyn was shocked at the cost of living. Even though Liz was an accountant for a large financial institution, and Susie was an architect, they still had to share a tiny apartment. Was the trade-off worth it? Chicago was cheap in comparison, and seemed to offer many of the same perks
.

  Madalyn finally peeled off her sundress and lathered her hands with sun lotion, spreading it evenly over her legs, and making her way up her body. Susie ordered the first round of drinks, and Madalyn resigned herself to the fact that she was going to gain ten pounds on this trip. It helped to keep telling herself it was a vacation.

  The hot sun felt delicious on her skin. She closed her eyes and it wasn’t long before her thoughts drifted to Royce. Wild, animal attraction instantly came to mind. Who knew she could feel this way? It was exciting. It was unnerving. Had she ever felt like this with Charlie? No, not if she was completely honest with herself. Her relationship with Charlie had been more subdued. It had grown over time out of a mutual respect and love for one another. Maybe this was lust at first sight? One thing was for certain, Madalyn had never wanted to be in a guy’s pants after one evening. Until now.

  She rolled over onto her stomach to even-out her tan, and after a few minutes, she asked Liz to put some sun lotion on her back and shoulders. She hated sunburns. The lotion was cold when it hit her skin, making her jerk, and it tickled something fierce. Liz rubbed the lotion into Madalyn’s skin. It felt so good—those big, strong hands rubbing all over her back. Huh? Her eyes flashed open. She looked over her shoulder, directly into green sultry eyes.

  “Good afternoon beautiful,” Royce murmured in her ear. “Did you sleep well?”

  She smiled lazily back at him, “Yes … after the room stopped spinning.”

  He poked her in the middle of the back. “I told you!”

  Madalyn giggled. “How did you sleep?”

  “Restless,” he whispered. “It was hard to settle down after tasting your lips. You definitely left me wanting more.”

  He leaned back to turn to the other ladies. “Hey Susie, Liz! How are you ladies? I’m glad to see you two survived the Oasis.”

  The heat of the sun held no comparison to the heat gathering in Madalyn’s nether region. How could he say that to her and then act as if nothing had happened? She wanted more too.

  “Good morning, Royce,” they said in unison.

  “Where did you leave your shadows?” he asked while he continued to rub Madalyn’s back.

  Liz laughed and put her hand over her eyes to shield the sun. “Jason and Mike are probably just waking up. We agreed to meet them here around noon today.”

  “Madalyn,” he murmured in her ear. “Will you join me for lunch at King Tut’s Buffet?”

  Her stomach grumbled. How embarrassing. Could he hear that? She glanced up at him and watched his mouth turn up slightly.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “Yes,” she said, chuckling. She was famished. She rolled onto her back preparing to get up and Royce held his hand out to help her stand.

  She felt his appreciative stare on her body and was glad she had worn the yellow bikini. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he smiled down at her. What she wouldn’t give to know his thoughts at that moment.

  She turned away from him, slowly bending over to grab her sundress so he had a full view of her rear. She hoped he liked what he saw because she was ready for “when” and wanted him to know it. She slipped on her dress and shoes and grabbed her purse. Ready to go, she turned to him and found a knowing smirk on his face.

  “I see you’ve been drinking,” he said, casually turning his eyes to her empty glass.

  He knew her game. She made a mental note. No drinks for Madalyn tonight!

  “Later, ladies,” he said, nodding his head at Susie and Liz, and then he placed his hand at the small of Madalyn’s back, guiding her in the direction of the restaurant.

  • • •

  They sat at a small round booth in the corner of the restaurant watching everyone fill their plates at the buffet. Madalyn had loaded her plate with a variety of meats, salads, and side dishes. She ripped a small chunk off her croissant and glanced over at Royce. He was staring at the mound of food on her plate. She suddenly wished she had used a little more restraint.

  “I like a little meat on my women,” Royce said and popped a fork full of pork tenderloin in his mouth.

  Madalyn tried to ignore his comment. Was he being a smartass again? She wasn’t even “his woman”—not that she wasn’t ready to jump at the opportunity.

  “Really,” he said, smiling over at her.

  Madalyn dug into her food to hide the warm blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks, and pretended for a moment that if she couldn’t see him, then he couldn’t see her either.

  “Especially in the rear,” he added smoothly.

  She choked on her food, grabbing her drink to help wash it down. When she looked up to gauge his reaction, he appeared so innocent—except he couldn’t quite hide the upward curve of his lips. He played the flirting game very well. Maybe he was out of her league?

  “Were you able to speak with the concierge?” he asked, taking pity on her and allowing her time to recover. “About changing your seating arrangement?”

  Madalyn sighed and spread chicken salad on a piece of her croissant. It was delicious: finely chopped onion and celery with just a touch of dressing.

  “The ship is sold out,” she said and sat back against the bench seat. “Or so they say. It’s too bad. I was looking forward to the formal dining experience. You know, ‘Fiesta night’ and stuff. It sounds like a lot of fun.”

  Her bottom lip jutted out involuntarily. Why couldn’t the ship offer the “dine at your pleasure” seating arrangement she had read about on other cruise lines? Then she’d be able to sit wherever she wanted. The “dine at your pleasure” option hadn’t seemed important when she’d booked her honeymoon cruise. Who would’ve guessed she’d dump her fiancé?

  “Maybe there’s another solution,” Royce said softly.

  “What are you suggesting, Royce? Is there a magician on board who can pull a husband out of his hat for me?” It came out harsher than she had intended, her sarcasm fueled by her overwhelming disappointment.

  “No magic necessary. I’ll volunteer,” Royce said.

  Her jaw dropped and she turned her head slightly to stare in wide-eyed shock. Something must have lodged in her ears. Or maybe the music in the restaurant was too loud.

  “Come again?”

  A small smile played on his lips. “You heard me.” He leaned back in his chair and casually drummed his fingers against the table, as if they were discussing the weather. “I’ll pose as your husband.”

  Royce had rendered her speechless. They really needed to stop doing this to each other. Never in her wildest dreams would she have concocted such a plan. She had known him for less than twenty-four hours. What possible motivation could he have to offer such a solution to her predicament? She had already made it clear he was going to make it to home base; had even begged him to run there.

  “Why on earth would you want to do that?” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

  He leaned over, catching her pouty lower lip with his teeth. He slowly rubbed his tongue along it, then gave it a little kiss and released it. “To get rid of your pouty lip,” he murmured.

  Breathe, Madalyn.

  “Look, I don’t know a single person on this ship apart from you,” he grinned. “Think of it as … a crazy adventure. I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”

  Madalyn tried to recover from the sensation of his tongue on her lip. She couldn’t help the silly grin that appeared on her face at the thought that she had inspired him to be reckless.

  “I love a good challenge,” he continued, rubbing his hands together. “Why not live a little, Madalyn?”

  He relaxed back in his chair, letting her mull the idea over. She struggled to wrap her brain around his proposal. Yet, it seemed as if he had already embraced it. Was she overthinking this?

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Madalyn. I enjoy your company. You want to eat in the formal dining room, and I can help you accomplish that. It’s that simple.”

  Then why did it feel so
wrong? It was a matter of personal integrity. Madalyn rubbed her hands repeatedly against her thighs in a rhythmic manner, contemplating his offer.

  “But we’d be lying to all of those people!” she cried. Damn her big mouth.

  “Is that little Miss Goody Two-Shoes talking right now?”

  “Very funny.”

  But the aching in her stomach confirmed he was right. Jeanine’s words rang in her ears. You don’t know any of these people; so who cares? Well, Madalyn cared. She wasn’t in the habit of going around lying—especially about herself. What if she slipped up and they found out?

  “Well?”

  Madalyn felt the beat of his foot tapping furiously under the table.

  “I feel like we’re in junior high school and you’re jumping off the bridge, asking me to join you,” she said while the corners of her mouth lifted.

  “Jump with me, baby!”

  She searched his eyes wishing she could better understand his motivation. Her own motivation was clear. She had paid a lot of money for this cruise, and deserved to fully enjoy the experience, didn’t she? Not to mention that he was so damn handsome, and made her feel wonderful, tingly things inside that she hadn’t felt in a long time. If he posed as her husband, wouldn’t they have to spend a lot of time together? Maybe that was worth lying for?

  She gave him one last chance to back out. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  He nearly bounced up and down in boyish anticipation with an ear splitting grin.

  “Ok then, game on!” she said.

  If she was hell-bound, then her new mantra may as well be “screw-off world I’m doing what I want”.