All the Pretty Poses (Pretty #2)(15)
Author: M. Leighton

And I don’t plan to.

Ever.

When we go below decks to the staterooms, Karesh begins assigning rooms. I get a glimpse inside each one we pass. They’re all outfitted with queen sized beds, rich cream duvets and carpeting that appears to be six inches thick. They’re nicer than my bedroom at home, which I was quite proud of until today.

Soon, everyone is getting settled in their room and I am following Karesh by myself to another part of the ship.

“These are the crew quarters,” he says. “And since you’ll be working for Mr. Spencer during this voyage, your accommodations will be located here.” We pass several narrow doors, one of which is open and I can see inside. Two sets of bunk beds dominate the room, one against the wall to the left, the other against the wall to the right. I gulp. I’m a very private person and it really didn’t occur to me to ask about living quarters. But, it’s too late to ask now. We’ve already left Los Angeles behind.

We pass an area he explains is the crew lounge. It’s a large room with a kitchenette against the back wall and a long table that separates it from the living area. The main space holds three sofas, two chairs, and a big screen television that’s mounted to the wall. Several people are gathered around two men playing at a foosball table that’s pushed into a corner. None of them bother to look up as we pass, for which I’m intensely grateful. I need to get my bearings before meeting the others.

Karesh continues on to more rooms, finally stopping beside the very last door. He opens it and sweeps his arm forward, an indication that I should precede him. So I do.

This room is different than the others. It’s lighter, this one having a small, high window on one wall, and it has one full-sized bed rather than the bunk beds that line the walls in the others. There is a small sink in one corner, as well as a soft round chair that appears to be bolted to the floor. I hold my breath, almost afraid to ask if this one will be mine.

“This is where you’ll be staying,” Karesh divulges.

“Really?” He nods his head and smiles.

“Really.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek, running my hand over the countertop that surrounds the sink. “Please don’t take this as a complaint, but why do I get a room like this? What about the other rooms?”

“Mr. Spencer asked that you be given this room.”

“Did he say why?”

“I only do as I’m told, ma’am. I don’t ask questions.”

I nod and smile. “I understand. Well, thank you. This room is…is…it’s great.”

“I’m glad you approve,” he says pleasantly. “Your bags will be here shortly. If there is anything else you need, feel free to ask. Just dial 300 from any phone on the ship. I can arrange to have any necessities obtained for you once we reach Hawaii.”

“We’re going to Hawaii?”

“Yes, that’s our first stop, where we’ll drop off Mr. Spencer’s brother and his companions and pick up our clients.”

“Oh, I see. And then where will we be going?”

“French Polynesia, ma’am,” he answers.

“Oh,” I reply vaguely but enthusiastically. I have no idea what kinds of destinations lie in French Polynesia. That’s what happens when you don’t finish high school. The GED program skips a lot. “It sounds amazing.”

“Oh, it is,” he assures. “I’ll leave you to freshen up. If your bags aren’t delivered in ten minutes—”

He doesn’t even have time to finish his sentence before he’s interrupted by a young, fit, blond guy. “Sir, I have them.”

“Perfect timing, Brian,” Karesh says, stepping out of his way. “Brian, this is Kennedy. She’ll be in entertainment. Serving as well if extra help is needed. Kennedy, this is Brian. He’s the on-board trainer and the person who will be keeping you conditioned during your stay.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Brian.”

“Likewise,” Brian says with a broad smile.

Karesh nods to me. “I’ll see you in one hour for dinner in the rotunda.”

“Thank you, Karesh,” I say before he walks off. Smiling, I turn to Brian who’s holding my big suitcase. “I’ll take that.”

As if it weighs nothing, Brian picks up the case with one hand, keeping it out of my reach as he holds me off with the other. “Nope. I’ve got it. I’ll be working those muscles of yours soon enough.”

He gives me an engaging smile as he walks past me to deposit my suitcase on the bed. He turns, dusting off his hands, and winks at me. “Welcome aboard, Dorothy. You’re not in Kansas anymore.”

I’m surprised when he kisses my cheek on his way back out the door. I’m sure I’m wearing an expression that says as much as he closes the door behind himself, leaving me standing in the middle of my new room, pondering his strangely familiar behavior.

In the quiet moments following his departure, I realize three things about Brian. One, I don’t think he meant anything derogatory by the Dorothy comment. Two, something in my gut tells me he’s g*y. And three, I like him already. That seemingly-innocuous trio of tiny details puts me at ease and gives me a better outlook on the coming summer than any I’ve had so far.

Finding someone that I can be friends with has never been easy for me. Trust issues aside, I’m reserved right up to the moment I feel very comfortable in someone’s presence, which makes it difficult for people to get to know and like me. It’s something I learned long ago and have come to terms with. It’s also something that has made me appreciate those who I can call “friend,” those who gave me a chance, who stuck it out until I loosened up. They’ve turned out to be some of the best people I’ve had the good fortune of filling my life with, and I treasure them. It’s probably no coincidence that they’re all older people, like Tanny, Malcolm and Clive. I get the feeling that I’ll soon be adding the much-younger Brian to that list, though. And I’d like nothing more than to be right. We’ll see how that goes. But for now, he’s managed to make me feel welcome and at ease, and I desperately needed that.

I go about getting settled in my room, quickly discovering that there are all sorts of interesting uses of space, like storage for instance. There are drawers tucked under the bed and under the sink, which is a good thing. I didn’t bring that much stuff, but I wouldn’t have enough room to store it all if I’d been given one of the group rooms, especially once I see that the closet is full of clothes already.