The Power Trip

  Guy was loving every minute of the goings-on. One day, when he wrote his tell-all book, this would make a fine chapter. Yes, it could go right next to the chapter about the garment tycoon who one year had rented a luxury yacht, filled it with hookers, and barely got them off the day his wife and children arrived. The crew had had to hustle that day.

  Ah, fond memories of life at sea . . .

  * * *

  ‘We missed all the excitement,’ Lori said to Cliff over breakfast.

  He smiled at her across the table, white movie-star teeth in full bloom. ‘Maybe we’re lucky, sweetie. Wouldn’t want to get involved.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Ashley chimed in, pushing scrambled eggs across her plate. ‘I’m glad I wasn’t there. I can’t stand seeing men fight.’

  ‘Me too,’ said Lori, taking a bite of toast.

  ‘Does anyone know what it was all about?’ Ashley asked, curious to get the details.

  Jeromy shrugged his shoulders. ‘Extremely childish, if you ask me. And most disrespectful to our host.’

  ‘What about your hostess?’ Bianca said, joining the table with Luca right behind her.

  ‘Naturally I meant you too,’ Jeromy said, wondering where the hell they’d been. He did not appreciate Luca running off with Bianca. Were they talking about him behind his back? He certainly hoped not.

  ‘I’m really glad there were no paparazzi around,’ Cliff said, reaching for the orange juice. ‘’Cause if there were, everything would’ve been my fault. I’d be splashed all over TMZ with Harvey making rude comments.’

  ‘Or if it was the bloody English press, I’d be the one to get the shitty end of it,’ Taye interjected, staking his claim to fame. ‘They get off on blaming me, it’s a national sport.’

  ‘You’re both wrong,’ Bianca said grandly. ‘I can see the headlines now – SUPER-MODEL CAUSES FIGHT BETWEEN RUSSIAN OLIGARCH AND AMERICAN SENATOR. I always get the blame.’

  ‘Aleksandr wasn’t involved, was he?’ Ashley asked innocently.

  ‘Doesn’t matter,’ Bianca said, tossing back her long dark hair. ‘All they’re after is a headline to sell their story. Believe me, they like nothing better than putting my photo on the front page. Preferably in a bikini.’

  ‘She’s right,’ Luca agreed.

  ‘How positively juvenile!’ Jeromy said with a peevish toss of his head.

  Mercedes listened to them all as she hovered near the table ready to serve. She’d already figured out what was going on. The day before, she’d eavesdropped on Flynn’s conversation with the Senator’s wife. Well, it didn’t take a genius to realize there was history there. The Senator had a hard-on against the journalist ’cause he figured the guy was out to fuck his wife. It was simple, only these cabrons didn’t get it. They were too self-obsessed.

  Late last night she’d sent her latest report to Cruz. He needed to know if she thought any of the guests would put up resistance. As far as she could tell, the journalist was the only one with balls, and she’d already checked that he had no weapons. The rest of them – easy street. Although she’d discovered that Aleksandr kept a loaded gun in his bedside drawer. And Kyril could be a slight problem – only slight, for Mercedes knew exactly how she would handle him when the time came.

  After dinner the night before, she’d taken Kyril a mug of hot chocolate. She was working on a hunch that he might like it.

  Right again. The big man had drunk it down, smacked his lips and informed her it was good. Then his beady eyes had inspected her cleavage once again, and she’d known she was on the right track.

  Hot chocolate and a flash of tit. She had Kyril’s number.

  * * *

  ‘Hey,’ Flynn said, walking out onto the private terrace of Aleksandr’s stateroom. ‘Nice digs.’

  Aleksandr put down the sheaf of papers he was reading and nodded at Flynn. ‘I cannot blame you for last night.’ he said gruffly. ‘I also cannot condone what you did.’

  Flynn didn’t give a damn what Aleksandr thought. If it wasn’t for Sierra he would have gotten off the yacht as soon as possible. But no, he wasn’t about to walk out of her life again, not until he knew exactly where they stood.

  ‘In Russia we toast with vodka, to make the peace,’ Aleksandr went on. ‘Is that possible?’

  ‘Sure,’ Flynn said, Hammond’s words still ringing in his ears. She never loved you – and she never will. What a fucking piece of shit.

  Aleksandr buzzed for Guy. ‘Bring vodka and fetch the Senator,’ he ordered. ‘Now.’

  As usual, Guy jumped. Last night’s activities certainly broke the monotony of being on a yacht. A bit of excitement was always welcome – sometimes things went along too smoothly.

  Ten minutes later, Hammond appeared wearing dark shades and a scowl.

  ‘We put this nonsense to rest,’ Aleksandr stated firmly as Guy handed out shot glasses filled with vodka. ‘We toast to peace and harmony.’

  Flynn threw his vodka back, as did Hammond. They hardly looked at each other. Hatred lingered in the air.

  Aleksandr nodded sagely. ‘Today is the day for water sports,’ he said, standing up. ‘Come, gentlemen, we have many toys to play with.’

  * * *

  The day passed filled with a flurry of activities, including riding the Jet Skis and WaveRunners, water-skiing, and exploring the crystal-blue waters of the Sea of Cortez.

  Everyone threw themselves into having fun, everyone except Jeromy, who claimed his English skin was far too delicate to be exposed to the elements.

  ‘C’mon, mate,’ Taye encouraged, climbing back on board after his third trip on a Wave Runner. ‘You dunno what you’re missin’. It’s fantastic.’

  Jeromy rolled his eyes, indicating his lack of enthusiasm. ‘Oh, I think I do know what I’m missing,’ he said, with a supercilious smirk. ‘Extreme sunburn and aching muscles.’

  ‘Party-pooper,’ Taye said with a good-natured shrug.

  Luca hauled himself aboard next, bronzed and beautiful as usual. ‘Another race?’ he said to Taye, shaking droplets of water from his mop of blond hair.

  ‘You’re on,’ Taye said, always up for a challenge.

  Jeromy stared at the two specimens of manhood standing before him. They were both in perfect shape. Taye, all gleaming black skin and defined muscles. Luca, so edible in his tight swim shorts, leaving nothing to the imagination.

  Jeromy felt aroused. Random anonymous sex was as necessary to him as a full meal, and usually, on land, he could pick up someone to satisfy him. Now he was trapped on a yacht, so where could he find the temporary satisfaction he craved?

  The answer came to him in a flash. Guy. The entertainment director. He was gay, wasn’t he? He was there to serve, right?

  The women were lolling on a giant hooded inflatable Lilo bobbing around in the sea. It held four people – so Lori, Bianca, Sierra and Ashley had taken up residence. Flynn and Cliff had gone scuba-diving, while Hammond was at the pool, sitting with Aleksandr and Xuan.

  Jeromy took advantage of everyone being occupied and approached Guy. ‘Kindly accompany me to my room,’ he said. ‘There is something I have been meaning to show you.’

  ‘Should I call the housekeeper?’ Guy asked, wondering what was up.

  ‘No, no, it’s something that you should see first,’ Jeromy said, smoothing down his beige linen shirt – Tom Ford, of course.

  ‘Right,’ Guy said, following the uptight Englishman down the stairs to the stateroom he shared with Luca.

  As soon as they were inside the room, Jeromy quickly turned, slammed the door shut and placed himself in front of it.

  ‘What can I help you with?’ Guy enquired, imagining complaints about cleanliness or not enough towels – which was really not his problem.

  ‘Here’s what you can help me with – this,’ Jeromy said, unzipping his shorts while still blocking the door.

  Guy took one look and was immediately horrified. A guest exposing himself was the last thing he’d expected.

  Jerom
y shook his penis free, a long thin weapon of destruction. ‘Suck it,’ he commanded. ‘You know how to do that, don’t you?’

  Guy recoiled. Oral sex was not part of his job description. This untoward demand was unexpected and degrading. He was shocked.

  ‘I’m . . . I’m sorry,’ he stammered, almost speechless. ‘I . . . I . . . can’t.’

  ‘Don’t be sorry,’ Jeromy said roughly, while continuing to block the door. ‘Simply do it, dear boy. It’s a cock you’re looking at. You’ve seen one of those before, haven’t you?’

  ‘I can’t—’

  ‘Oh yes, my dear boy, you certainly can,’ Jeromy said, feeling the need for an urgent release. ‘Because if you value your job, you’ll do it, and you’ll do it fast. Or perhaps you would prefer me to tell Mr Kasianenko that you came onto me, then we’ll see what he does about that. My instinct is that he’ll fire your arse, and I’m sure you know I’m right.’

  Yes, Guy knew that he was. Reluctantly he fell to his knees and did what the bony Englishman required.

  Sometimes a man had no choice but to put his job first.

  * * *

  ‘Tell the truth,’ Bianca sighed, languidly trailing her hand in the calm blue sea. ‘Isn’t Aleksandr the sexiest man ever?’

  No, Lori was tempted to say. Cliff possesses that title – courtesy of People magazine.

  ‘He’s pretty damn sexy,’ Ashley chirped, blond hair piled on top of her head, bosoms fighting to stay hidden beneath the confines of her minuscule bikini top. ‘But then so is my Taye.’

  ‘You got that right,’ Bianca agreed, thinking of her one night of lust with Taye and savouring the distant memory. ‘Taye’s a hot one. I’d hang onto him if I were you.’

  ‘I already have,’ Ashley said with a crazed giggle. ‘My husband’s besotted with me – in case you hadn’t noticed.’

  ‘Oh yes, I’ve noticed,’ Bianca said. ‘He walks around with a permanent hard-on, or is that just his normal package?’

  Ashley managed a quick blush. ‘I am a lucky girl, aren’t I?’ she said, giggling again.

  ‘You certainly are,’ Bianca said, turning to Lori. ‘How about you?’ she asked. ‘Getting any closer to snagging Cliff?’

  Oh damn. Not again. Why was everyone questioning her about Cliff’s intentions? ‘Didn’t I tell you? I’m too young to get married,’ Lori answered, going for the flippant approach.

  ‘A girl is never too young to pin the guy she wants,’ Bianca advised. ‘If he asks, you gotta say yes.’

  ‘I’ll remember that,’ Lori said, as Bianca shifted her attention to Sierra.

  ‘How long have you and Hammond been married?’ Bianca asked the Senator’s wife.

  Sierra was lying back, enjoying the sun while trying not to think about the inevitable confrontation with Hammond, which was yet to come. She’d heard about last night’s altercation between her husband and Flynn. No details – only something about Hammond insulting all journalists and Flynn striking back.

  She wished she could talk to Flynn, find out exactly what had happened, but she couldn’t do that. The two men were already at war; no need to add fuel to the fire.

  ‘A few years,’ she answered vaguely.

  ‘It must be so exciting being married to a Senator,’ Ashley enthused. ‘And an attractive one at that.’

  Don’t forget horny, Lori was tempted to say, but once again she stopped herself.

  ‘Yes,’ Sierra said quietly. ‘It’s a lot of work though. Fund-raisers, endless functions, meet and greets. It can get quite tiring.’

  ‘With plenty of perks, I bet,’ Bianca said, thinking that if Sierra ever became First Lady, she wouldn’t mind being best friends. A night at the White House sounded like a fun plan. ‘And of course, you’ve got all the designers offering you incredible outfits, right?’ she added.

  ‘And you get to meet the President, don’t you?’ Lori said, slightly in awe.

  ‘Taye an’ I met the Prime Minister of England a couple of times,’ Ashley said, joining in. ‘We’ve also been to a tea party at Buckingham Palace. Prince William loves Taye, goes to all his big games.’

  ‘What kind of tea party?’ Lori asked curiously.

  ‘It’s a Brit thing,’ Ashley said. ‘All outrageous hats, and tea and crumpets in the Palace gardens.’

  ‘Wow!’ Lori exclaimed. ‘Sounds fancy.’

  ‘Oh, it is,’ Ashley said boastfully. ‘Only special people get invited.’

  Sierra felt it was time to move on. She slid quietly off the Lilo and into the calm blue water. After a few moments, she swam to the side of the yacht where a deckhand helped her aboard.

  And there was Flynn, sitting on a bench with Cliff, the two of them just having finished scuba diving.

  ‘How was it?’ she found herself asking.

  ‘Incredible,’ Cliff said. ‘A must-do. I’ve been around, and I’ve never seen an underwater scene like it. It’s a wonderland.’

  Her eyes met Flynn’s – the connection between them was white-hot.

  Flynn dragged his eyes away as he stood up and reached for a towel.

  ‘Would you care to give it a try, Mrs Patterson?’ one of the deckhands asked.

  ‘Why not?’ she said quietly.

  ‘I can dive with you,’ the eager deckhand offered, handing her a snorkel, mask and fins.

  ‘That’s okay,’ Flynn said quickly. ‘I think I’ll go back in.’

  ‘You’re gonna love it, Sierra,’ Cliff encouraged.

  ‘I’m sure I will,’ she murmured.

  ‘I’d come back in, but I’m going to find Lori,’ Cliff said. ‘She’ll really get a thrill.’

  Sierra barely heard him, because now Flynn was staring at her again, and this time he held the look.

  Their eyes locked, and in those few seconds she knew that everything was about to change.

  She still loved him, there was no doubt about it.

  Chapter Sixty

  Eddie March was livid that Hammond had failed to call him back. He was in the middle of handling a major crisis, and the Senator could not be bothered to pick up a satellite phone – or whatever there was on the yacht he was so busy cruising on.

  The Byrne family were getting even more restless, and to top everything off, Hammond’s fifteen-year-old illegitimate daughter, Radical, had been thrown out of her Swiss boarding school, and was on her way back to New York.

  Radical was a nightmare, and Eddie was in no mood to deal with her too. The Byrnes were enough work. Keeping them from going public was getting increasingly difficult. He’d even offered them money until he could sort things out. ‘We do not want money,’ Martin Byrne had informed him with a steely glare. ‘We want to hear the Senator’s side of the story.’

  So do I, Eddie thought.

  He tried calling the yacht again, and this time he was told that the Senator was unreachable.

  ‘Where is he that he’s so unreachable?’ Eddie demanded.

  ‘Exploring the ocean,’ the First Officer replied. ‘I will certainly see that he gets your message.’

  Exploring the ocean indeed! While he, Eddie March, was shovelling the shit. It wasn’t right. If he didn’t get a call back soon, he was telling the Byrnes to do what they liked.

  Hammond had created a mess, and it was up to him to deal with it.

  Chapter Sixty-One

  The underwater paradise was so peaceful that Sierra forgot about everything and managed to lose herself in the array of marine life. She was fully occupied marvelling at the vivid colours and incredible shapes of the numerous fish, although she was fully aware that Flynn was in the ocean with her – and that made everything perfect.

  When they finally surfaced, he reached out for her hand, and as they touched, the electricity between them was startling. They bobbed in the water facing each other.

  ‘You okay?’ he asked, wishing she would open up to him.

  ‘I will be,’ she replied softly.

  ‘We need to talk some more.’

&
nbsp; ‘I know,’ she murmured. It felt blissful, being near him.

  Another intense look.

  The spell was broken when Cliff jumped into the sea with Lori, and the two of them swam over to join Flynn and Sierra.

  ‘Found her!’ Cliff crowed. ‘Now I’m gonna show her the wonders that lurk below.’

  ‘Boasting about your crown jewels again,’ Lori quipped, treading water beside him, her red hair piled on top of her head.

  ‘Funny girl,’ Cliff replied, and they smiled warmly at each other.

  Lori was delighted. Things were definitely looking up.

  Sierra moved away from the group and swam towards the yacht. She couldn’t avoid Hammond any longer. It was time to decide how they would handle the situation. No more threats. No more cowering. With or without Flynn, she had made up her mind that once this trip was over, she would free herself of Hammond forever.

  * * *

  ‘I told Flynn to have his girlfriend lay off asking you for money,’ Bianca said, snuggling close to Aleksandr as they lay out by their private lap pool. It was after lunch, and they’d left their guests to their own devices.

  Aleksandr pushed her away and sat up. ‘You did what?’ he said, raising his heavy eyebrows. Bianca was interfering with something that didn’t concern her and it annoyed him.

  ‘I simply told him to get Xuan to stop bugging you,’ Bianca said. ‘It was getting to be too much.’

  ‘Too much for whom?’ Aleksandr asked, his tone sharp.

  ‘Well, for me actually,’ Bianca answered, narrowing her green eyes. ‘This trip is supposed to be all about you and me, and every time I turn around, there’s Little Miss Do-Gooder bugging you for money for another of her precious causes. I can’t take it.’

  ‘You shouldn’t have done that,’ Aleksandr said, his face darkening. ‘It is not for you to decide who I speak to, or what we speak about.’

  Bianca frowned. ‘Excuse me?’ she said haughtily. Was Aleksandr actually scolding her?

  ‘You heard me,’ Aleksandr said, getting up and walking inside.