Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

***SIMON***

S imon wasn't quite sure what was happening. Women didn't turn him down, it just didn't happen, and he wasn't about to let this be the first time. Reaching out, he put his hand on the woman's arm, "Invite your friend to come with us," he said, grinning at her. "I can handle you both. It will be fun, you'll see."

The look she gave him made the grin fade, and when she looked down at his hand on her arm, he removed it, stunned that his joke had failed so spectacularly. Then it suddenly hit him, he understood what was wrong, and it had nothing to do with him, he wasn't losing his touch, he was just trying to touch the wrong person. He usually had a good nose for that kind of thing, but he'd miscalculated this time.

"Oh, I get it, you're here with your girlfriend," he said, accentuating the word to make sure she knew that he understood. "A romantic getaway for two, no hard feelings, I was barking up the wrong tree."

The woman stared at him for a few seconds, her face full of disbelief, then she started to laugh, "You are so pathetic," she finally said when the laughter died away. "You're so conceited you think the only reason I turned you down is because I'm a lesbian. Well, I've got news for you buddy, I like men, a lot, just not men like you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go below and check on my friend, who also likes men, by the way."

Frozen in shock, he watched the woman walk away, then looked over at the back of Montgomery's head, hoping he hadn't heard them. Just the thought made his cheeks burn with humiliation. Calling the woman a few choice names in his head, he turned around and looked out at the ocean, cursing himself for agreeing to come to the island. Nothing had gone right since he'd boarded the plane, and it didn't look like it was going to get any better.

By the time they pulled up to the dock on the island, he'd worked himself up into a good snit, and he baled off the boat as soon as it was tied off, then marched up to Max, who was waiting on the dock. He'd never been treated with such disrespect, and he wasn't going to stand for it; he was a Nelson, after all, part of one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in America, maybe even the world. That woman should have been flattered that he'd even bothered talking to her. Instead, she'd insulted him like he was some common creep off the street.

"What kind of place are you running here?" he asked, not even bothering to greet his old friend. The captain was flat out rude to me. He refused to put my luggage on the boat, and then he wouldn't get me a cold drink when I was dying of thirst. I want him fired. Send him back to wherever you found him. He doesn't know his place."

The smile on Max's face slowly disappeared, replaced by a look of annoyance. "Well, hello to you too, Simon," he said. "It's so nice to see you."

"Well, what are you going to do about the captain?" he asked. "Don't tell me you're not going to do anything. You'll never make it in this business if you let your employees treat your guests this way."

Max let out a long sigh, "I'll look into it, but I warned you when you agreed to come that no one would be waiting on you like you're used to," he said. "Montgomery is a gifted sailor, and it took me months to convince him to come work for me. I don't know what happened between you two, but it isn't his job to load your luggage or get you cold drinks."

"Then you should put someone on the boat to do those things," he said, now annoyed at Max too. "What kind of luxury resort makes you get your own drinks?"

"This isn't a luxury resort," Max said. "Didn't you read that email I sent you?"

"You know I don't bother with stuff like that," he said. "Details aren't my thing. Someone usually takes care of that stuff for me."

"Well, they won't be for the next two weeks," Max said. You're on your own here, Simon. You'll have to carry your own luggage, make your own bed, and clean up after yourself."

"That doesn't sound like much of a vacation to me," he said, glaring at Max. "You can't honestly think I'm going to do all that."

"I was thinking that you could act like an adult while you were here and enjoy a little island life," Max said. "But I can see that I was wrong. You need a babysitter just like a child."

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, but didn't want to admit that Max was right, "I'm not a child, and I don't need a babysitter," he said, then grinned at his friend. "Unless she's young and hot."

Max let out a long sigh, then shook his head, "You never change, do you?" he asked. "Do you ever think about anything but women?"

"Not really, it's a way of life," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Speaking of women, there were a couple of real winners on the boat with me. One of them was flat out hostile when I suggested she should go to dinner with me, then she got all offended when I suggested she was a lesbian. I mean, what was I supposed to think? She turned me down for dinner, it's a logical conclusion."

After staring at him for a long time, Max looked over at the boat, "I don't even want to know how that conversation went," he finally said, then looked back over at Simon. "Why don't you go on up to the village and get something to drink? I'd better go do some damage control."

"You're ditching me for that……woman?" he asked, shocked. "She called me pathetic."

"I'm guessing she had good reason," Max said, then pointed toward a collection of huts. "The village is right up there, don't worry about your luggage, I'll take care of it."

***Kira***

"I hope that jerk is gone," Kira said, helping Mary Beth gather up her things. "I really don't want to talk to him again, he makes me want to throw up. I still can't believe he assumed that we're a couple just because I told him no when he asked me out to dinner."

"You know those kinds of guys, Kira, you injured his pride, he was just trying to save face," Mary Beth said, with a shrug of her shoulders. "I'm sure you got your point across and he won't bother you again, although I would like to get a look at him."

"What a waste," she said, shaking her head. "He's absolutely gorgeous, curly blonde hair, green eyes, and a body that would make any woman feel a little thrill."

"Even you?" Mary Beth asked, then laughed when her cheeks turned pink. "Now I really want to see this guy. "

When they emerged from the cabin, Montgomery was waiting for them, "I hope you're feeling better," he said. "You had me scared there for a second."

"I'm sorry about that, I'm feeling much better," Mary Beth said. "I didn't mean to cause such a ruckus; I forget to eat sometimes."

"It was no problem, you were one of the best passengers I've ever had," Montgomery said, smiling at Mary Beth. "You didn't make a peep the whole trip."

They all laughed, "Let me help you off the boat, ladies," he said, leading them over to the gate. "I hope you enjoy your stay on Heart of the Ocean, it's a beautiful place."

"Thank you, Montgomery," she said. "I'm going to look into those sailing lessons you mentioned; they sound like a lot of fun."

"But it's hard work, too," Montgomery said. "Don't expect to just sit around and soak up the sun if you're going to sail; you're going to get a workout."

"I haven't been hitting the gym for nothing," she said, grinning at him. "I'm up for the challenge."

"Then I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning for your first lesson," Mongomery said. "Nine o'clock sharp, and have a big breakfast, you're going to need it."

She walked away from Montgomery with a big smile on her face, "Well, look at that, you haven't been on the island for five minutes, and you have a date already," Mary Beth said, grinning at her. "I thought I was the one who was going to cut loose on this trip."

"It's not a date, and I'm not cutting loose; it's sailing lessons and nothing more," she said, then saw the look on her friend's face. "Mary Beth, I'm serious; he's just a nice guy who wants to teach me to sail. Don't forget this is what he gets paid for; there's nothing going on between us."

"Well, it wouldn't hurt you if there was," Mary Beth said. "You need to have some fun for a change, let your hair down, and a wild romance with a sailor would be just the way to do it."

"Mary Beth, that's not why I came here," she said. "I just want to rest and relax. The last thing I want to think about is men. I've had enough of that for a while."

"I'm not talking marriage and happily ever after and all that, I'm just suggesting you have a little meaningless sex," Mary Beth said. "You know, no strings attached, vacation sex."

She looked over at her friend, "Oh, Mary Beth, that's not exactly me, and you know it," she said, smiling at her. "Besides, I'm a mom now. What kind of parent would I be if I jumped into bed with a man I barely know."

"So, get to know him first. You've got two weeks here, that's plenty of time," Mary Beth said, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Look, Kira, I know that Edward did a real job on you, I know how much he hurt you with his lies, but you can't shut half the world out because of him. There are lots of good men out there, men who would be happy to share your companionship for a few weeks, and they'll treat you with the respect you deserve."

She studied Mary Beth for a second. No one knew better what she'd been through over the last year. She'd been there with Kira every step of the way. "I promise to try," she said. "That's the best I can do."

"Well, that's all I can ask for," Mary Beth said, linking arms with Kira. "Now, let's go find Max. He and I were hot and heavy there for a while in college. I wonder if any of that old spark is still there."

"Mary Beth, what are you planning?" she asked, then shook her head. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

Mary Beth laughed, "Come on, Kira, I'm single, he's single, we're both adults," she said. "What's a vacation to a tropical island without a little romance? You'll see, it's the air or something, it loosens you up, and I'm ready to get loose."

"How about we find our cabin before you get too loose," she said. "I'm ready to hit the beach, I've been thinking about this for weeks. I'm going to watch the sunset every night and the sunrise every morning."

"As long as I'm doing it from bed, that sounds good to me," Mary Beth said, grinning at her, then she started to wave. "Oh, look, there's Max."

She followed Mary Beth's gaze up the dock and let out a little groan, "And he's standing there with that jerk, Simon," she said. "It looks like they know each other."

Mary Beth studied the two men as they walked up the dock, "He does look familiar. He might have been friends with Max when we were in college," she said. "You weren't kidding. He is hot."

"I told you," Kira said, shaking her head. "But he's a huge jerk so that ruins it. I almost wish I didn't know, at least then I could enjoy looking at him."