Romantic Acquisition Page 0,39
eight, cocktails are in the main lounge in twenty minutes. Dress up in something fancy,” he said and pulled the door closed.
Kate stared at the door he’d just left and tried to figure out what had just happened. She was on a boat for an undetermined amount of time going to an unknown destination with a group of people she’d probably only heard of via the evening news with a wardrobe that she hadn’t picked out with a man she wanted more than anything in the world but was the ultimate playboy and probably wanted things other than what she wanted and therefore she should avoid like the plague.
Where had she lost control?
Taking a deep breath, she looked around her stateroom. It was lovely, she had to admit. The bed was draped in white, with a sheer white canopy surrounding two sides. The pillows were stacked up against the headboard and looked inviting but she avoided them, knowing she’d just sink into their plushness and hide for hours.
The carpeting was thick and white and there were two large white chairs with a dark wood coffee table in front of them. She saw several doors and opened the closest one. It was a bathroom done in white and black marble, larger than her bathroom at home and definitely more elaborate. Another door revealed a fully stocked bar and refrigerator filled with snacks, fruit, juice, bottled water, wine and beer. The last door was filled with clothes that made her gasp in delight. There were several cocktail dresses, some sun dresses, shorts, shirts, slacks, sweaters and shoes to match every outfit. A dresser was also filled with lacy underwear, bras, thigh high stockings and three bathing suits, all two piece and all looking extremely skimpy.
Besides the bathing suits, she loved the whole wardrobe. Whoever had chosen the dresses definitely had her tastes in mind.
She looked at the clock and realized that she only had ten minutes before Carlo was expecting her up on deck for drinks. She suspected that if she wasn’t up there, he’d come back down and get her. She glanced through the cocktail dresses and chose a blue strapless dress that looked both elegant and daring. The bodice was fitted with a scalloped edge but the skirt flared out ala 1950’s with layers and layers of fabric holding it up.
Kate tried it on and fell in love with the wonderful piece. She spun around and watched her figure in the full length mirror, loving the way her legs floated out from underneath the filmy fabric. She felt like a movie star in the dress.
Pulling her long hair off her neck, she twisted it simply in a French twist, leaving soft tendrils to float down the sides. The shoes were sparkly and high, adding a few inches to her height.
It took her thirty minutes to get ready and she was worried about Carlo coming to get her. So she rushed out of the room and tried to find the main lounge. She got lost twice and was redirected by a crew member each time.
There were already five people in the lounge, including Carlo, by the time she finally found the right room. The men were dressed in tuxedos and two other women were dressed in cocktail dresses. Carlo immediately stood up and met her in the doorway where she stood, nervous about entering such an intimate setting. It looked like everyone already knew everyone and she was the only stranger.
But Carlo eased her fears by introducing her to everyone, including their host, Prince Jamil Ali Hassan of Hurtrain, a relatively small country in the Middle East that was strategic for it’s oil reserves and it’s place in the Mediterranean Sea, if Kate’s geography knowledge was correct.
Prince Jamil was with a beautiful blond woman who introduced herself as Melissa Atkins, a stock broker from New York. The other couple was another college friend of Carlo’s, Lord Phillip Pender, Earl of Daton and his lady friend, Ashley Morgan, a model from New York City. As soon as the woman’s name was mentioned, Kate remembered seeing her on the runways and the latest cover of a fashion magazine.
Both Prince Jamil and Lord Pender were handsome men, both tall and appeared very fit. Kate could tell that they were used to living this kind of lifestyle and it amazed her that some people could take this kind of splendor for granted.
Within a half hour, Kate felt as if she’d known the other four people