We all looked at each other with wide eyes. I wanted to believe she was kidding, but I knew she wasn’t.
Kicking off my flip-flops, I started to pick them up when Pen whispered in my ear, “Don’t look now, but I swear that hot crew guy is staring at your ass.” Of course, I looked because that’s what you do when someone tells you not to look.
His dark chocolate eyes were indeed settled straight on my ass. I wanted to shake it at him to see if I could get more of a reaction out of him but fought the urge. It was nice to feel desired, and it made my lips tip up as we followed the girls onto the boat.
I tried not to gawk as we toured the yacht, but damn, it was hard not to. It was beautiful and elegant, with every surface white and glass with gold as the accent color. We all eyed Zelda’s bedroom after seeing the size of the others. She had a large bathroom with a tub you could relax in.
Zelda spun on her heels. “Alright, girls. Let’s get our suits on and then reconvene on the bathing deck in twenty minutes.”
“I’ll have the crew bring your suitcases as quickly as possible. When would you like to have lunch?” Ophelia looked to Z.
“In an hour. You can serve us while we lay out,” Zelda said as she sat on her bed.
“We can do that. Do you want something simple then?” Ophelia’s tone said the answer to that should be a resounding yes.
“Something to keep us cool,” Zelda replied.
“Okay,” Ophelia drawled out. “I’ll tell the chef you’d like something to keep you cool while you sunbathe.”
Pen and I linked arms as we headed to our room.
“Maybe we should throw her overboard, and we can share her room,” Pen whispered conspiratorially in my ear.
“Then who’s going to pay?” I shot back, and hip-checked her.
“Good point. I don’t even want to know how much she’s paying. At least we’re sharing a room, and it’s a decent size. I can’t imagine sharing a room with Reagan or Scarlett.”
Me either. Reagan was too high maintenance for me, and Scarlett was too quiet. Maybe she’d break out of her shell the longer we were here and once she got to know us.
I looked around our room. There wasn’t much space with our two beds and our luggage that had already been delivered scattered all over the floor as Pen started going through hers, but I didn’t plan to spend much time in here. I wanted to enjoy the sun and the salty breeze as much as possible.
“Yeah, Reagan was already looking a little green, and there was no way in hell I was sharing a room with her if she’s going to be sick the whole time.”
“Maybe it’s because she saw someone’s ape feet,” I giggled. Opening up my suitcase, I started to look for one of the swimsuits I’d packed, but couldn’t find them. “Pen,” I called as I started to unpack everything to find my swimsuits.
“Yes?” She drew out the word in a giddy tone, letting me know she was up to something.
“What did you do?” Turning around to face her, I put my hands on my hips and tried to look stern. It was impossible when I saw the red dental floss she was holding up. “That’s what you’re wearing?”
“No.” She shook her head before she started to crack up. I could barely understand the words as they came out of her mouth because she was laughing so hard. “It’s what you’re wearing.”
“I had to have heard you wrong because there’s no way in hell I’m wearing that.” I turned back to my suitcase, desperate to find the suits I’d packed. “Now tell me what you’ve done to my suits.”
Pen rolled her lips to try and hide her smile. Her whiskey-colored eyes sparkled with mischief. “How mad would you be if I told you I hid them in the back of your closet so you wouldn’t find them?”
“Are you saying all of my swimwear is in the States?”
“I bought you new ones.” She pulled out a brown paper bag that had been hidden in her suitcase.
“Let me see,” I snatched it out of her hands and started to pull out one suit after another. They ranged in colors from the red that still hung from her fingertips to black and teal. “Pen,” I cried. “I can’t wear any of these.”
“Why?”
“You know why.” My voice came out high-pitched and squeaky.
“You have a banging bod and need to get all the shit that Brock spewed to you over the years out of your head.”
“I know, but it’s not easy.”
Brock had been the jealous type who never wanted me to dress sexy or show my body. After a while, it became easier for me to dress the way he wanted me to than to fight with him on it. Now I was used to wearing clothes that covered my body.
“Why do you care? You’re never going to see these people again. Show everyone what your momma gave you.” She shimmied her boobs, making me laugh.
She was right, but if I wore any of the suits, I’d be showing more skin than anyone had seen in years, and I wasn’t sure I was prepared for that.
“Let’s start you off with this one.” Pen picked out another bag from her suitcase and pulled out something black. “Now, this is a one-piece with strategic pieces cut out of it.”
It looked like strips of fabric that were somehow all connected. Still, it was more than the others. I didn’t have a better option until we were someplace I could buy another that was more to my comfort level.
“When we go to shore, I’m buying one that I approve of,” I said as I took the slightly less offending swimsuit from her.
“I expect nothing less,” she laughed. “Now go get suited up, and I’ll meet you upstairs.”
I lifted a brow at her order. “And what are you going to do?”
Penelope let out a sigh as she sat on her bed. “I’ve got to check in at work. There’s this new band they want to sign and—” She clapped her hands, ending her train of thought. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just something I need to take care of before I can enjoy the next few days.”
Giving her some privacy, I stepped into our tiny bathroom and let Pen do what she needed to do. Pen loved her job and had recently been promoted. I knew it was hard for her to leave right now, but she’d made it work, wanting me to be able to celebrate my divorce with this luxurious trip.
Back up on deck, I searched for the girls but couldn’t find them anywhere. How long did it take to put on a swimsuit? Even with all my procrastinating, I was the first one out?
“Stella?” Pen yelled from behind me as Ophelia stepped up to me with a tray of flutes filled with Champagne. “Would you like another glass of Champagne, or would you like something different to drink?” Ophelia asked.
“Champagne’s fine for now. Thank you,” I responded as I took a flute before I turned around to find Pen walking toward me.
Ophelia offered her a drink as well, but my eyes were stuck on the hot guy who greeted us before we came aboard. He slowly started to pull his shirt over his head to reveal golden washboard abs, unlike anything I’d ever seen before.
My body started to overheat as more skin was revealed. Leaning back, I tried to catch my breath, but I must have miscalculated because one second, I was experiencing the joys of ogling the crew, and the next, I was falling.