Pirate's Treasure Read online

  Lindy sat with her hands in her lap. She was waiting for the test result and all she could think about was Andrew and Sofie. Lindy had no doubt why the men around town had taken to using the nick name “There She Blows,” for Sofie. But Andrew, he had never seemed the type to jump in bed with somebody who easily jumped in bed with everybody else. He had certainly changed from the man she thought she knew. The man she thought she was in love with.

  Andrew never pretended to be anything. He was honest, most times brutally honest. He certainly had always been proud of who he was. Maybe she just refused to see who he really was. Maybe he was the type of man who would jump into bed with Sofie.

  “Miss Wilshire?” Dr. Wilson’s voice lulled her from her thoughts. He had finally ended his personal phone call and was apparently ready to discuss her results.

  “I’m sorry. I guess my mind is elsewhere.” No guessing needed; her mind was wrapped around her own stupidity. “You were saying…” she hoped he would take the hint and continue speaking because she had no idea what he was saying.

  “I was saying,” he said with a slight hint of annoyance, “your iron levels have improved, but they’re still low. You’re one step shy of anemic.”

  She wasn’t worried. She had been down to a count of eight and survived just fine.

  “You’re not taking this seriously. You’re at a low level and we need to get those levels up.”

  “Yes, I know.” Eight hadn’t killed her; thirty-six should be fine. She wasn’t in anyway negating the seriousness of the situation. Healthy red blood cells carried oxygen to vital organs and muscles, without which she could die. “I have been taking the pills. I’ll keep taking them.”

  Doctor Wilson must have been satisfied because he didn’t continue his lecture.

  Lindy picked her bag up and with car keys in hand, left Doctor Wilson’s office. Next appointment—three months. “Grand,” she mumbled as she left.

  “Andrew!” She nearly froze in her tracks. “What are you doing here?”

  “You’re sick.”

  “You’re supposed to be working.” Since he obviously wasn’t working she wondered just who exactly had taken the afternoon tour out. “Who’s manning the Night Owl?”

  “How bad is it?”

  “That depends on what you did to the afternoon tour.”

  “Don’t get smart with me, kid. You have…that is you’re at…you’re seeing…” He seemed to be having some difficulty.

  “A doctor.”

  “Oncologist,” he snapped.

  Lindy looked back at the office door. “Oh. No. Hematologist,” she added. “They’re in the same office.”

  “What the hell is wrong with your blood?”

  She scrunched up her nose. “Nothing.” What did he mean what was wrong with her blood?

  “Then why the hell are you seeing a hematologist?”

  “None of your business. What are you doing here?”

  “I followed you.” His tone told her he felt as if he were stating the obvious.

  “Shouldn’t you be doing something…or someone?” She mumbled the last apart, but he heard her.

  “Sofie and I have nothing going on. Nothing,” he added for emphasis. She looked him over trying to deduce if she saw any hint of dishonesty. She found none.

  “Good to know.” She smiled deviously. “You do love me. It’s why you followed me here to tell me.”

  He laughed. “I followed you here because I wanted to know what you were up to.”

  She pouted. “Then why’d you make a point of telling me you weren’t having a thing with Sofie?”

  “You think I want it going around that I let Sofie anywhere near my dick? I’d never be able to get laid after that.”

  She grinned. “Oh, but you did let Sofie near your um...” she pointed southward.

  “My dick,” he finished. “And don’t you dare tell anybody she even got her fingernails close.”

  “Well if it’ll keep you from getting laid…”

  She laughed before walking away. She was back in the game and she fully intended to win. He wanted to get laid; she could take care of that. Of course she wanted to be more than just sex. Then the idea hit her. Men liked the chase and so far she had been doing all the chasing. Now that she knew the problem she also knew the solution. The solution was to get Andrew to chase her. She had a vague idea on how to do it too.

  “Andrew Bateman you’re already mine.” She drove down the roadway plotting her next move. The trick was to get Andrew to chase her and to allow herself to be chased. “How does one get a thirty-six year old man to chase them?” She turned up Cherry Drive and parked in front of her father’s house. Taking a moment to formulate her plan, she sat idle in the driveway.

  Nick was an older and wiser man. He and Andrew were the same age so she was sure Nick could give her some tips. Her only question now was should she trick him into coming down on the guise of scientific research, or should she tell him the truth? “The truth,” she mumbled. Keep it simple was a great motto. She turned off the ignition and finally went inside the house. As she expected, her dad was already alert.

  “What are you plotting?”

  “Daddy,” she spoke in her sweet little girl voice. “I want to take a friend out for two weeks along some of the outer islands. Just to explore the marine life,” she quickly added. “I’d like to take the Night Owl.” She knew the answer would be no way in hell, but she at least had to make the effort look good.

  “Now I know what you’re thinking, but it’s just a couple weeks and since the North Star should be back in commission by then we can afford to be one boat down.”

  “No.”

  Exactly what she expected. Going out toward the outer islands probably conjured up images of pirates.

  “Dad, we won’t lose any business. Andrew can take the North Star out for the day trips and Vincente can take the night. See, problem solved.”

  “Problem not solved. You remember our deal.”

  “It’s just a couple weeks.”

  “You think that will stop pirates?”

  “Dad…””

  “No. You’ll go out with Andrew.”

  “Dad! I know how to captain a ship. You taught me well.” She could tell it was an argument he couldn’t deny. She didn’t actually want to win this time. It wasn’t as if she were dying to steer the boat. She did that often enough. She wanted to prove herself as being able to captain alone, but right now her plan would only work if her dad kept up the over protective act.

  Captain Morgan wrapped his arm around Lindy. “I’m not undermining your talent and skill. Just humor an old man.”

  She sighed; this was the first sign to him that she was on the brink of caving in.

  “I trust Andrew to keep you safe. Besides, you’ll want to spend as much time as you can with your friend.”

  “True. Okay, Daddy. We’ll do it your way.”

  “So who is she?”

  “What?”

  “Your friend, who is she?”

  “Oh, he.” She smiled inwardly. She was absolutely sure Andrew would hear about this too. “Thanks, Daddy.” Now she just needed to talk Nick into helping her. That shouldn’t be too difficult. The allure of a free couple weeks in paradise should be enough. On top of it all, he could explore the marine life and help her out in the process. She had no doubt Nick would say yes. If she had any doubts she certainly wouldn’t have set events in motion before speaking with him.

  She checked her watch for good measure. “Oh, I’m late. I have to go.”

  Nick should be on vacation. He never taught summer classes. To be on the safe side she called Nick from her cell phone. She pleaded her case, played up the positives for him and didn’t stop until he uttered the words, “I’ll be there.”

  Chapter Three

  When Andrew suggested she invite this Nick guy out he wasn’t serious. Now he was stuck for two weeks with the five ten, one hundred sixty pound man. Sure, this was a paid gig for him,
but two weeks watching the bastard touch and caress Lindy was going to be hell. He could have backed out, but if he thought two weeks watching them would be hell, two weeks with his imagination would have been the fifth circle of it.

  Andrew leaned close to Lindy. She smelled fresh like soap and grapefruit. “How well do you know this guy?”

  “Oh we were—”

  “I mean how long?” He rephrased the question because he had no desire to hear how intimately involved they were.

  “Years.” She stated. “We started dating my second semester in college, and we dated about five years.”

  He nearly chocked. Five years! Hell, they were practically married. Did she live with him too?

  “The problem was that I was a student and for many of my classes, I was his student. There are rules about that you know, so we had to be discrete. Therefore marriage was out of the question.”

  Well at least he knew she hadn’t lived with him, but was she saying she would have married this guy? The thought sent a strange feeling through him—it wasn’t a good one.

  “And now?” He grumbled.

  “Now? I’m not his student anymore.” She walked away to help Nick load the last of his bags onto the North Star.

  Now Andrew was just downright pissed. Had he been responsible for Lindy wanting to rekindle her past relationship? “Idiot,” he mumbled. Even worse, Captain Morgan had insisted they take the North Star since it was built for night cruises it would be more comfortable. Unfortunately, it had also been designed for honeymooners. He wondered if Lindy and Nick planned on sharing the honeymoon suite. Outside of the captain’s quarter there were only three other rooms—a small cabin for staff, a middle grade cabin for children and teens, just in case they had honeymooners with children along for the trip. There was the most spacious cabin—the honeymoon suite with a walk in shower built for two, a king size bed and a sitting area.

  What were the odds the Professor would take the cabin designed for children? Slim. Andrew thought of making a no sex rule, but Lindy was the kind of woman who hated to be told what to do. Unless it was a life saving command she would probably disobey just to prove she could. Hell it would be saving his life, but he doubted she would care about that.

  Lindy walked over to him, pulling him out of his thoughts. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Then why aren’t we moving?”

  “What?”

  “Everything and everybody is on board. We can go.”

  He ignored the obvious matter of fact tone she used. “Where is he sleeping?”

  “Honeymoon cabin. I think it will be more comfortable.”

  “Are you sleeping with him?”

  “Andrew, he’s been in town for one morning that’s not really—”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He snapped. She was planning to sleep with him. Why did he care? He shouldn’t have cared. He wanted her to date somebody else. No, he didn’t. That’s just what he told himself to keep his distance. He didn’t want her to date anybody—especially not this guy.

  “No. I’ll take the crew cabin. Or maybe the children’s. I can still fit in a twin, and it might be more comfortable.”

  “I thought you might share the honeymoon cabin.” He could have kicked himself for planting the idea.

  “The voyage is young and anything can happen.”

  Not on his boat it wouldn’t. He would see to that. “We can cast off once you have everything below.”

  She looked at him as if he were crazy. “We’ve already put everything below.”

  He looked around deck. They certainly had put everything below. They must have done it while he was lost in the nightmare thought of the Professor and Lindy enjoying the honeymoon cabin.

  “Are you okay? If you’re sick, Vincente can take us.”

  No, he wasn’t okay, but he wasn’t sick either. “I’m fine.”

  “Okay. So are we going now?”

  “Yeah,” he mumbled.

  “Great.” She turned away slightly. “Nick, we’re getting ready to go now.”

  “Perfect,” he yelled back. “I can’t wait to start exploring.”

  Andrew could have sworn there was something sexual behind Nick’s words. Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing, but he doubted it.

  “Well, if you need me let me know and I’ll be happy to help. But if you don’t need me, I’m going to play hostess.”

  As long as she meant hostess in a purely plutonic way he could live with that. “You deserve a vacation,” he said.

  “Great. I was hoping you would say that. We’ll be back up later.”

  He watched Lindy drag the Professor below deck. He needed to refocus his attention and that meant paying attention to the task at hand. “Let’s get moving,” he said to no one other than himself.

  Andrew watched Lindy lounge on deck in her sexy, black and white bikini. She had her hair down for the first time in years. Usually she wore it pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck, or in a high ponytail. Today it was completely loose, falling much longer than usual. Why hadn’t she worn it that way for him? Why hadn’t she worn that sexy bikini for him?

  Images of Lindy on top of him with her hair brushing against his skin as they made love took over his mind. Her sexy bikini quickly became replaced with the proverbial birthday suit, his hand fisted in her hair. God, the fantasy was giving him the hard on of the century.

  Andrew watched the professor smooth sun block on Lindy’s back. He never imagined he would envy any man, but right now he envied the professor’s position. Andrew would have given anything to work that liquid gob of lotion over Lindy’s smooth body. He knew he couldn’t make that fantasy a reality, but he really didn’t want another man to do it either.

  “Andrew, Earth to Andrew.”

  She was talking to him, he finally realized that. She was no longer engrossed in frolicking with the professor.

  “Do you want some water or pop?”

  “Pepsi,” he said.

  “Coming right up, Captain.”

  That was the first time she had ever addressed him as captain. Sure, she always introduced him on a tour as Captain Andrew Batement, but when it came to addressing him she always called him Andrew. Hearing her call him captain provoked another fantasy, one where he showed her how much skill this captain had.

  “So, how much longer before we reach the islands?”

  They had only been on the ocean two hours; he couldn’t possibly be bored already.

  “Nick,” Lindy’s voice was sweet as honey. “You never were good at waiting. It’s about a day, but there’s a little cove that we’ll stop in for the night. We can go ashore if you want.”

  “Just be back before it gets dark.” Andrew sipped his Pepsi before putting the glass back in the cup holder.

  “Why?”

  “Oh it gets dark out here quick, Nick.” Lindy pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Trust me; you do not want to be in a floater trying to find your way at night.”

  “He can leave the lights on. I’d love to see sunset with you from land.”

  “We don’t leave lights on,” Andrew bit his tongue to hold back the anger in his tone.

  “I’m sorry, Nick. I keep forgetting you’re not a field guy. Leaving the lights on at night is like a beacon for pirates.”

  “Pirates?”

  “There hasn’t been much activity in these parts.”

  “But that doesn’t mean they’re not out there.” Andrew quickly added.

  “It’s safer with the lights off.”

  “We can stay on the beach. I’m sure Andrew can survive one night without us.”

  Andrew could survive any night without the professor. He just didn’t want Lindy left alone with this guy. He was about to find an excuse to keep them on board when Lindy spoke up.

  “We can sleep on the beach at one of the other islands. I need a warm bed tonight.”

  Nick pulled her close. “Will my bed do?”

&n
bsp; Hell No!

  “We’ve had two hours on the ocean and you think I’m just going to fall on my back for you?”

  “No. I was hoping you’d be on top.”

  “Nick!” Lindy slapped his shoulder.

  Andrew wanted to knock him flat on his behind, but he restrained himself.

  “You’re still as impossible as you were back when—”

  “When we were lovers?”

  Andrew’s grip on the helm tightened. “Isn’t that unethical, seducing one of your students?”

  “Andrew,” Lindy’s voice was anything but playful. “Nick you’ll have to excuse Andrew. He tends to think of me like a kid and often feels the need to protect me.”

  “Understandable,” Nick said. “I’m just as protective of my little sister.”

  Lindy was nearly fuming. What was Nick thinking? “Just as protective of his little sister.” She didn’t want Andrew to think of her as a little sister. If she wanted little sister status she wouldn’t have blown two hundred dollars on the sexiest two piece swimwear in the store. She wouldn’t have searched through her closet for hours to put together the best and sexiest outfits for this voyage.

  Lindy sat down beside Nick. “What are you doing?”

  “Helping.”

  “No you’re not. I don’t want little sister status you know. And you’re touching me too much.”