Kapitel 11: Chapter 11
He liked when she smiled at him for just being able to read the label on a bottle of olive oil.
When she told him that she was excited to explore the ship, the first thing that came to Gio's mind is that he wanted to see her expressions of excitement. He wanted to know how she would react when she saw the gardens and the lounge that moved from one deck to another. He wanted her to smell the aroma of the many restaurants and exclaim that she wanted to try the food.
He would see the excitement of families and couples as they toured the ship but had long ago stopped longing for that same connection with someone. No, that wasn't true, he had just buried it or sought a replacement in empty sexual encounters with women at the various ports. After a while the ship became just a place to work. It was only through the eyes of someone like his guest that he could feel the experience renew itself.
"There will be a muster drill at four p.m.," he reminded her as she prepared to explore on her own.
Sidney paused, "Should I come back here?"
"Yes. I will escort you. That is one of my services," he quickly added. He looked forward to seeing her expression as she was shown the behind the scenes areas of the ship by the Captain and his crew.
"Okay. See ya in a bit." She left the room wondering if she was supposed to say that to her butler. This butler etiquette was mystifying. But she had to admit that she didn't hate the experience of being around a sexy Italian man.
After leaving the room she decided to utilize a different set of elevators closer to her room. She went one deck lower and ended up at the outdoor fairgrounds.
She saw several people with tall glasses of fruity iced drinks. It was a hot day and she decided to get one and be damned if she had to pay out of pocket for it.
"Your card, ma'am?" The young brown skinned man asked her. She dug through her purse and came up with the black card that the butler had given her. Gio—not the butler.
When the young man saw the card his brow shot upward and then his eyes moved over her as if to appraise her. Did he think that a black woman couldn't have a black card?
"How much is the drink?" She asked to get him moving.
"No charge ma'am. Drinks are part of your VIP package."
She nodded, remembering that it had been one of the small details that she had wanted when selecting this ship. Back then it had been important, now it didn't matter. She didn't enjoy drinking alone.
After she received her drink, she continued her exploration hitting several other decks on the large ship. A buffet was set up in one of the dining rooms and Sidney's stomach began to grumble as she checked out all the different types of food from all over the world. She couldn't help herself and ended up loading up on a plate full of food.
After the strong fruity drink, the plate of exotic food and the impromptu walking tour of the ship, Sidney felt ready for a nap. She sat among the crowd of happy, excited families and stared out the large picture window at the pier and the sea beyond. She wondered what her life could have been if only…
II
Gio checked the time. It was after 3:30 and while he had a lot of control over things, he could not allow his guest to be excused from the muster drill. He was just preparing to give her a call when the door opened.
He looked over the balcony of the loft and saw her drop down onto the nearest sofa.
He came down the stairs. Sidney's head was thrown back and her eyes were closed. She looked thoroughly exhausted.
"Did you enjoy your tour, ma'am?"
She looked at him with hooded eyes. "It was wonderful. This has to be the most beautiful ship in the world."
He suppressed a grin. "It's actually ranked in the top ten for beauty and food."
She yawned into her fist. "Sorry. I'm beat."
He checked his time. "We should get to the muster drill. We wouldn't want to keep the Captain and his crew waiting."
Sidney pulled herself to her feet. "The Captain is taking us on a behind the scenes tour? How long is that going to take?"
"Allow for approximately one hour." he replied. "It's considered a high point of your cruise package."
"Pshaw," she said dismissively, surprising him. He suppressed his grin. "I don't really care about all that. How long is the drill for everyone else on the ship?"
"Maybe fifteen minutes—but everyone must attend the drill because we also go over what to do in the event of an emergency-"
"Oh, I understand," she interrupted, "but can't I just go to the one given for the other cruise members? If there really is an emergency I can still report to the lounge, right?"
Her big brown eyes seemed to appeal to him. And if it had been anyone else he would have cocked his brow up at them in disapproval for even suggesting such a thing. But once he missed a beat with his response, he knew that he would do as she asked. After-all, it wasn't as if she was begging to skip it.
He gave her a serious look and she began to look disappointed. "I'll call down to the Captain's crew and indicate that you will be joining the muster drill for the Fairgrounds deck."
She suddenly smiled, and he was happy for his decision to bend the rules. He excused himself to make the call from the kitchen and Sidney announced that she was going to change her shoes. Wedged heels were not optimum for a casual stroll on a cruise ship.
When she got to her room she hurried to the closet for her suitcase before remembering that Gio had already unpacked for her. Her dresses were hanging neatly, and her shoes had been placed in the shoe bin.
Okay, I can get used to this.
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein