Brianna woke early the next morning. She wanted to look very good for her excursion to Aruba with Nikolai. She took a shower, dried her hair as straight as it would go, then applied a little makeup. Then she put on her prettiest , flirty sundress that she had bought that day at the mall.
She packed a bag to take with her. She threw in a bikini, which she hoped Nikolai would like. It was a little black thing that tied at the hips. Very risque, she thought. She added some suntan lotion and a big fluffy towel. She then waited impatiently for Nikolai to come pick her up.
After an hour of ever growing trepidation, and lots of checking her look and her bag, a knock came on her stateroom door. She quickly ran to it and threw it open. Nikolai stood in the hallway dressed casually in a pair of khaki shorts and a nice shirt that buttoned down the front. He had a bag of his own.
"Good morning, Brianna. I hope you slept well. I tossed and turned all night, just waiting for the morning to come so I could take you to the beach. Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Yes," she said too quickly, then tried to seem more composed. "Yes, I'm ready. I think I have everything."
Putting out his arm to her, he led her from her room.
They stopped by one of the outdoor cafes and ordered a small breakfast. They talked about their plans for the day. Nikolai explained that he had been working this route on the cruise ship for several years. Aruba was his favorite island. Although it was a desert, it had the most beautiful water and beaches. He had already arranged for the two of them to take a cruise on a boat to snorkel, then they would go to eat a late lunch at the Hilton, which had a wonderful patio overlooking the ocean. He told her the island had a lot of colorful lizards which were everywhere. The patio restaurant was full of the cute little creatures running all over hoping for a crumb or two from the patrons, which was something he loved to do. As he spoke, Brianna watched his face. She could see that he sincerely loved the little lizards, so she became excited about the prospect of watching him feed the little animals.
After breakfast, they headed to the dock. A taxi was waiting, and Nikolai hailed it quickly. He gave instructions to the driver where he needed to go, and then turned to look at Brianna. She was sitting with her hands in her lap, looking out at the scene beyond the taxi. He watched her for a minute, then slid closer to her and took her hand in his. She turned and smiled at him. He smiled back, and thought how he could make her want him as much as he wanted her. He didn't think it would be that hard to sleep in her room that night. He was pretty sure he had her.
The morning was a lot of fun. Brianna loved snorkeling and watching the beautiful fish. The water was warm and very clear. She had never seen such a lovely shade of blue before. Even though she had picked the wrong cruise, she didn't regret her trip at all. Nikolai was proving to be not only handsome, but very attentive. She liked the way he looked at her when she revealed her little black bikini. It gave her a thrill that went from her heart down to somewhere she didn't expect. Hmmmm, maybe she would have a ship romance after all.
When the snorkeling cruise was over, Brianna and Nikolai headed to the Hilton for lunch. They walked into the lobby and saw that they were hosting a group of models and photographers. People were walking everywhere, moving cameras and clothing from the lobby to waiting vans in the front of the hotel. Brianna thought it was very interesting. When she was a young girl, she had dreams of being a model. She loved the idea of traveling to exotic locations and posing for pictures beside beautiful streams or a gorgeous beach. Nikolai went to the host and asked for a table for two on the patio. Within moments, they were at a table gazing out at the Carribbean sea. "Lovely," Brianna thought. A little group of lizards came running under her chair and she giggled. Nikolai smiled at her reaction.
Lunch was a light fare that Nikolai had chosen. They had a crisp white wine that complimented the finger sandwiches. After her second glass, Brianna excused herself to use the ladies' room. Walking into the hotel lobby, she was too busy looking for the restroom to notice the tall model and a man with blond hair who were being directed to a table on the patio.
After a few minutes in the ladies' room, Brianna returned to the table. Nikolai stood when she neared the table, and pulled her chair out from the table. Brianna loved a man with gentlemanly manners, and Nikolai seemed very adept. She smiled at him, and proceeded to sit in her chair.
At that moment, she heard a woman who sounded very distressed speaking to someone behind them. There was a tree in a large pot separating the two tables. The woman was saying that she needed the man to trust her. The baby was his. Didn't he know she loved him and wanted to marry him. She wanted to raise their baby together, just as they had always planned. Her modeling career was important to her, but the baby and the man were so much more important to her.
Brianna, who was not in the habit of listening to other people's conversations, couldn't help but hear the woman's comments. She seemed to be addressing the entire restaurant instead of just her companion. Nikolai rolled his eyes at the woman. "Some people don't know when to keep their private business private. I'm glad I'm not that man." and he laughed at his own statement.
It was hard to hear the man's reply. His voice wasn't carrying as loudly across the patio as the woman's. After a few more minutes, the woman began to cry. Brianna was feeling very sorry for the woman. Obviously, the man didn't feel the same about his baby as the woman. "Men....." she thought. "Why do some men think it's okay to get a girl pregnant, and then turn away as if it isn't his problem?" She was glad she had never been in such a horrible situation. "Poor girl," she thought, but in all fairness to the man, she felt that it took two to tango.
After that weird exchange between the couple on the opposite side of the tree, Nikolai captured her attention again. They enjoyed feeding the lizards and drinking their wine. With the other couple forgotten, Brianna enjoyed her lunch. She was having a very nice time with Nikolai. He seemed to be enjoying her too, so she let the afternoon pass without any worries. After all, she was in the Carribbean. "No worries" was the slogan, and she bought into it.
After they finished lunch, they rose to leave the patio. Brianna realized that she would need to visit the ladies' room again. Nikolai walked with her to the restroom. When she came out a few minutes later, Nikolai was no where to be seen. Brianna decided that he must have gone into the men's room. Brianna heard the men's room door close. She was waiting right outside of the little hallway which lead to the restrooms. She was smiling , expecting to see Nikolai as he walked out. Instead she had the surprise of her life. Walking around the corner was Colin. He saw Brianna and stopped dead in his tracks. "Hi," he said. "What are you doing here?" he asked, feeling a little stupid. He just couldn't think of another thing to say.
"I'm on a cruise. Aruba is the last island before we head back to Puerto Rico. What are you doing here?"
Before he had a chance to answer, a tall, beautiful woman walked out of the ladies' room. She saw Colin speaking to a mousey brunette she didn't know. "Colin, darling. Who's your friend?' Amber asked. "I don't think I've ever had the pleasure...."
Colin turned as Amber wrapped her arm around his waist and kissed him on the ear. "Amber Thornton, this is Brianna Gordon. We know each other from home. Brianna, this is my fiance', Amber Thornton."
"It's a pleasure, I'm sure, Brianna. What do you do at home? Do you work for Colin?"
"No, I don't work for Colin. I only know him because we both frequent the same book store. It is a pleasure to meet you too."
At that moment, Nikolai came back into view. He was smiling, carrying another bottle of the wine they had shared at lunch. " Brianna, there you are. I bought another bottle for us to enjoy at the beach." It took him a moment to register that she was standing speaking to another couple. He thought when he first saw them that they were all just waiting for friends in the restroom or something. Once he realized that wasn't the case, he raised his eyebrow at Brianna. "Hi, I'm Nikolai, how are you?"
"Colin, and this is Amber. We are fine. Brianna it was lovely to see you again. I hope to see you at the book store again." With that Colin turned and took Amber's arm to lead her away.
Brianna stood frozen for a second still feeling shocked by the entire incident. Nikolai wondered what that was all about, but decided he didn't really care. He was ready to uncork the wine and see how frisky Brianna would become once he had his hands on her at the beach.
"Come on, Brianna. Let's go. The day is going by, and we have only a few more hours at the beach." Nikolai said as he took her hand and walked her out of the hotel lobby.
Colin, who had been standing near the reception desk, watched as Nikolai took Brianna's hand and led her away. For some reason, he began to feel very angry. Even Amber's antics weren't enough to make him feel the way he did right now. He was seething. He couldn't believe he had just seen Brianna, and she was with another man. A tall blond with perfect features and a perfectly seductive Russian accent. He was no fool. He could see that this "Nikolai" was interested in a lot more than swimming at the beach.
Brianna let Nikolai draw her away from the hotel. She was going over the scene in her mind. Then it hit her. The couple on the other side of the tree was THEM! Not only was it true that Colin was back with his beautiful model, he was going to be a dad. She felt miserable. Completely hopeless, and she knew she had looked like the biggest fool. Well, if that was the way of things, then she was going to make this day the best day ever. She turned to Nikolai and smiled up at him. "Last one to the beach is a rotten egg!" she yelled as they both ran to the shore. Nikolai let her think she was winning, but just as she approached the edge of the water, he scooped her up in his arms and walked out into the water where he threw her in, dress and all. She came up sputtering. Nikolai helped her up, and as she was about to strike him in the chest he pulled her near and whispered in her ear, "I wanted to see how beautiful you are when you are all wet, and I'm not disappointed." He then pulled her close and began to kiss her very hard on the lips.
Colin, who had walked out onto the patio, stood staring as he watch Brianna kissing another man. He hit his fist against a tree. "Ouch!" was all he could say. He turned and went back to his hotel room. Once he arrived he called the airlines and arranged for a flight back to the states. He was done with women, they were all the same! Opportunists who lied at every turn. He rubbed his hand and wished he'd never come to Aruba. But more than that, he wished he'd never met Brianna. Colin started throwing his things into a bag, rang the front desk for a car, and stalked out of his room. Good riddance, he thought as he left.
She packed a bag to take with her. She threw in a bikini, which she hoped Nikolai would like. It was a little black thing that tied at the hips. Very risque, she thought. She added some suntan lotion and a big fluffy towel. She then waited impatiently for Nikolai to come pick her up.
After an hour of ever growing trepidation, and lots of checking her look and her bag, a knock came on her stateroom door. She quickly ran to it and threw it open. Nikolai stood in the hallway dressed casually in a pair of khaki shorts and a nice shirt that buttoned down the front. He had a bag of his own.
"Good morning, Brianna. I hope you slept well. I tossed and turned all night, just waiting for the morning to come so I could take you to the beach. Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Yes," she said too quickly, then tried to seem more composed. "Yes, I'm ready. I think I have everything."
Putting out his arm to her, he led her from her room.
They stopped by one of the outdoor cafes and ordered a small breakfast. They talked about their plans for the day. Nikolai explained that he had been working this route on the cruise ship for several years. Aruba was his favorite island. Although it was a desert, it had the most beautiful water and beaches. He had already arranged for the two of them to take a cruise on a boat to snorkel, then they would go to eat a late lunch at the Hilton, which had a wonderful patio overlooking the ocean. He told her the island had a lot of colorful lizards which were everywhere. The patio restaurant was full of the cute little creatures running all over hoping for a crumb or two from the patrons, which was something he loved to do. As he spoke, Brianna watched his face. She could see that he sincerely loved the little lizards, so she became excited about the prospect of watching him feed the little animals.
After breakfast, they headed to the dock. A taxi was waiting, and Nikolai hailed it quickly. He gave instructions to the driver where he needed to go, and then turned to look at Brianna. She was sitting with her hands in her lap, looking out at the scene beyond the taxi. He watched her for a minute, then slid closer to her and took her hand in his. She turned and smiled at him. He smiled back, and thought how he could make her want him as much as he wanted her. He didn't think it would be that hard to sleep in her room that night. He was pretty sure he had her.
The morning was a lot of fun. Brianna loved snorkeling and watching the beautiful fish. The water was warm and very clear. She had never seen such a lovely shade of blue before. Even though she had picked the wrong cruise, she didn't regret her trip at all. Nikolai was proving to be not only handsome, but very attentive. She liked the way he looked at her when she revealed her little black bikini. It gave her a thrill that went from her heart down to somewhere she didn't expect. Hmmmm, maybe she would have a ship romance after all.
When the snorkeling cruise was over, Brianna and Nikolai headed to the Hilton for lunch. They walked into the lobby and saw that they were hosting a group of models and photographers. People were walking everywhere, moving cameras and clothing from the lobby to waiting vans in the front of the hotel. Brianna thought it was very interesting. When she was a young girl, she had dreams of being a model. She loved the idea of traveling to exotic locations and posing for pictures beside beautiful streams or a gorgeous beach. Nikolai went to the host and asked for a table for two on the patio. Within moments, they were at a table gazing out at the Carribbean sea. "Lovely," Brianna thought. A little group of lizards came running under her chair and she giggled. Nikolai smiled at her reaction.
Lunch was a light fare that Nikolai had chosen. They had a crisp white wine that complimented the finger sandwiches. After her second glass, Brianna excused herself to use the ladies' room. Walking into the hotel lobby, she was too busy looking for the restroom to notice the tall model and a man with blond hair who were being directed to a table on the patio.
After a few minutes in the ladies' room, Brianna returned to the table. Nikolai stood when she neared the table, and pulled her chair out from the table. Brianna loved a man with gentlemanly manners, and Nikolai seemed very adept. She smiled at him, and proceeded to sit in her chair.
At that moment, she heard a woman who sounded very distressed speaking to someone behind them. There was a tree in a large pot separating the two tables. The woman was saying that she needed the man to trust her. The baby was his. Didn't he know she loved him and wanted to marry him. She wanted to raise their baby together, just as they had always planned. Her modeling career was important to her, but the baby and the man were so much more important to her.
Brianna, who was not in the habit of listening to other people's conversations, couldn't help but hear the woman's comments. She seemed to be addressing the entire restaurant instead of just her companion. Nikolai rolled his eyes at the woman. "Some people don't know when to keep their private business private. I'm glad I'm not that man." and he laughed at his own statement.
It was hard to hear the man's reply. His voice wasn't carrying as loudly across the patio as the woman's. After a few more minutes, the woman began to cry. Brianna was feeling very sorry for the woman. Obviously, the man didn't feel the same about his baby as the woman. "Men....." she thought. "Why do some men think it's okay to get a girl pregnant, and then turn away as if it isn't his problem?" She was glad she had never been in such a horrible situation. "Poor girl," she thought, but in all fairness to the man, she felt that it took two to tango.
After that weird exchange between the couple on the opposite side of the tree, Nikolai captured her attention again. They enjoyed feeding the lizards and drinking their wine. With the other couple forgotten, Brianna enjoyed her lunch. She was having a very nice time with Nikolai. He seemed to be enjoying her too, so she let the afternoon pass without any worries. After all, she was in the Carribbean. "No worries" was the slogan, and she bought into it.
After they finished lunch, they rose to leave the patio. Brianna realized that she would need to visit the ladies' room again. Nikolai walked with her to the restroom. When she came out a few minutes later, Nikolai was no where to be seen. Brianna decided that he must have gone into the men's room. Brianna heard the men's room door close. She was waiting right outside of the little hallway which lead to the restrooms. She was smiling , expecting to see Nikolai as he walked out. Instead she had the surprise of her life. Walking around the corner was Colin. He saw Brianna and stopped dead in his tracks. "Hi," he said. "What are you doing here?" he asked, feeling a little stupid. He just couldn't think of another thing to say.
"I'm on a cruise. Aruba is the last island before we head back to Puerto Rico. What are you doing here?"
Before he had a chance to answer, a tall, beautiful woman walked out of the ladies' room. She saw Colin speaking to a mousey brunette she didn't know. "Colin, darling. Who's your friend?' Amber asked. "I don't think I've ever had the pleasure...."
Colin turned as Amber wrapped her arm around his waist and kissed him on the ear. "Amber Thornton, this is Brianna Gordon. We know each other from home. Brianna, this is my fiance', Amber Thornton."
"It's a pleasure, I'm sure, Brianna. What do you do at home? Do you work for Colin?"
"No, I don't work for Colin. I only know him because we both frequent the same book store. It is a pleasure to meet you too."
At that moment, Nikolai came back into view. He was smiling, carrying another bottle of the wine they had shared at lunch. " Brianna, there you are. I bought another bottle for us to enjoy at the beach." It took him a moment to register that she was standing speaking to another couple. He thought when he first saw them that they were all just waiting for friends in the restroom or something. Once he realized that wasn't the case, he raised his eyebrow at Brianna. "Hi, I'm Nikolai, how are you?"
"Colin, and this is Amber. We are fine. Brianna it was lovely to see you again. I hope to see you at the book store again." With that Colin turned and took Amber's arm to lead her away.
Brianna stood frozen for a second still feeling shocked by the entire incident. Nikolai wondered what that was all about, but decided he didn't really care. He was ready to uncork the wine and see how frisky Brianna would become once he had his hands on her at the beach.
"Come on, Brianna. Let's go. The day is going by, and we have only a few more hours at the beach." Nikolai said as he took her hand and walked her out of the hotel lobby.
Colin, who had been standing near the reception desk, watched as Nikolai took Brianna's hand and led her away. For some reason, he began to feel very angry. Even Amber's antics weren't enough to make him feel the way he did right now. He was seething. He couldn't believe he had just seen Brianna, and she was with another man. A tall blond with perfect features and a perfectly seductive Russian accent. He was no fool. He could see that this "Nikolai" was interested in a lot more than swimming at the beach.
Brianna let Nikolai draw her away from the hotel. She was going over the scene in her mind. Then it hit her. The couple on the other side of the tree was THEM! Not only was it true that Colin was back with his beautiful model, he was going to be a dad. She felt miserable. Completely hopeless, and she knew she had looked like the biggest fool. Well, if that was the way of things, then she was going to make this day the best day ever. She turned to Nikolai and smiled up at him. "Last one to the beach is a rotten egg!" she yelled as they both ran to the shore. Nikolai let her think she was winning, but just as she approached the edge of the water, he scooped her up in his arms and walked out into the water where he threw her in, dress and all. She came up sputtering. Nikolai helped her up, and as she was about to strike him in the chest he pulled her near and whispered in her ear, "I wanted to see how beautiful you are when you are all wet, and I'm not disappointed." He then pulled her close and began to kiss her very hard on the lips.
Colin, who had walked out onto the patio, stood staring as he watch Brianna kissing another man. He hit his fist against a tree. "Ouch!" was all he could say. He turned and went back to his hotel room. Once he arrived he called the airlines and arranged for a flight back to the states. He was done with women, they were all the same! Opportunists who lied at every turn. He rubbed his hand and wished he'd never come to Aruba. But more than that, he wished he'd never met Brianna. Colin started throwing his things into a bag, rang the front desk for a car, and stalked out of his room. Good riddance, he thought as he left.
Brianna and Colin continued. You can find the first part under February. I hope you enjoy it!
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