Letting Go!

Sinking down on the empty bunk, Emma said, “It was so amazing standing outside on the dock beside the huge ship, knowing I was the one going aboard. All kinds of possibilities seemed to be beckoning me. When they sounded a horn somewhere on the dock, it actually gave me a shiver.”

“That’s right. It’ll be an adventure, if I can only find my…oh, I found it.” Tina gestured triumphantly with a traffic-stopping red thong that she’d pulled out of her overnight bag. “What do you think? Is it seductive?”

“Is it legal in these waters?

“I hope not.”

“It has occurred to me that I might be boarding the Titanic.”

“What are you talking about?”

Emma ran her hand over one of the flowers on the tropical-print bedspread. “The seduction thing—everything—this might backfire big-time. I might be miserable.”

Somehow Tina had to help Emma get back her confidence. So she took a chance. “Could it get any worse than the thing with Brad?”

Emma grimaced.

Tina shot the thong bottom across the room like a rubber band.

Emma ducked. She almost smiled. “I can’t imagine how,” she admitted.

“Then you’ve survived your version of the Titanic and now you’re moving on. This hypothetical guy we speak of will never see you again. So it’s up to you whether you cut him loose before or after you go back to your cabin. Seductive is just being open to the possibility of sex. It’s a state of mind. And when you’re trolling, men can feel your vibes. Let them drool all over you, dance with you, romance you, but remember, you’re in charge. Don’t choke. Enjoy it.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way.”

Tina smiled. “You think too much. This time just feel your way.” She ran her hands down the curve of her waist.

Emma’s face lit up and Tina wished her friend could see herself when she was animated. Those ocean-blue eyes sparkled and she had a killer smile. “The men on this cruise aren’t gonna know what hit them,” Tina said with satisfaction.

“I’ll bet I could get a thong bathing suit in the ship’s store.” Emma picked up the suit bottom and shot it back at Tina. “I’ll bet I could get just about anything a girl could want on a singles’ cruise to paradise.”

“And we’ll get a tattoo, a henna one to celebrate our adventure.”

“That would be cool.”

“But you have to have the adventure first. Remember you’re going to be eating dessert first. And on a cruise you can order as many desserts as you like—tall, dark and handsome for the first course, athletic, tanned and blonde for the second and a Latin lover to go with your coffee.”

“And everything’s included in the original price so I can pig out without any guilt.”

“Especially since what you have in mind won’t be fattening. You’ll be working it off.” Tina winked.

Emma’s grin stretched across her face.

Tina knew the only thing holding Emma back was her lack of confidence in how men perceived her. Maybe it had to do with her classic look, that girl-next-door phenomenon. Emma had no idea how much the new haircut did to get rid of that pesky image. Get her into a thong and the men would come running. Emma was going to get her chance and Tina was going to enjoy watching the show.

As they unpacked and discussed what Emma needed from the ship’s store, they were called away to participate in the ship-wide emergency drill.

Emma thought that everyone, including the usually sophisticated Tina, looked silly in the bright yellow life jackets, trooping up on deck to stand in line beside their assigned lifeboats. Afterwards, Tina and Emma went to the ship’s store, which was packed with baubles, and people, from all over the world.

Emma barely noticed when the ship left port because she was trying on a pretty pair of thong underwear, which cost a considerable amount considering how little it covered. And then, tugging self-consciously at the emerald-green-and-gold bathing suit that had caught her eye, she finally let Tina peek in the dressing room. “I don’t think I have the figure for this suit.”

“Oh yes you do.” Tina nodded decisively.

A few hundred dollars later Emma had a vacation wardrobe consisting of two thong bikinis, two pretty wraps to go over the revealing thongs and an extra little black dress, even tinier than the one she already had. And three pairs of thong underwear.

“It’s a thong thing.” Emma joked as she pulled out her credit card. “I love the underwear but I can’t believe I’m going to wear the bikini in public.”

“Fewer tan lines. Just think of it as exceedingly practical.” Tina stood in line behind Emma with another thong bikini and a sundress.

Hungry from the shopping spree, they grabbed a quick lunch at a restaurant that boasted a huge salad bar, and then took their food out on the deck.

“Look at that endless horizon. And we sure are speeding along. Amazing that we’ll be in the Bahamas before dinner.”

“It’s not that far from Florida,” Tina responded pragmatically.

“It’s a different world. Out here on the ocean it feels like the sky’s the limit. And anything else is just a restriction we put upon ourselves.” Emma waved her fork at the view from the railing of the ship.

“True. But speaking philosophically—” Tina turned away from the view of the ocean to look at the men spread out on lounge chairs across the deck “—I prefer the old adage, so many men, so little time.”

“Seven days ought to be enough time to work through a few of them,” Emma said with a giggle.

Tina sat back. “Yes, a whole week to enjoy mindless, commitment-free release. No legal briefs, no clingy clients. Let even a hint of something real-life interfere with my vacation and I’ll be running in the other direction.”

Emma laughed.

“Anyway, I don’t believe in true love. It’s a myth to make the drudgery of child rearing bearable. I’m going to eat my salad before it gets limp and then scout out the ship. You can stay here and feel all philosophical if you want to.”

Emma moved reluctantly from the view of the ocean, telling herself she’d get plenty of time to look. “What mindless, meaningless activities are we going to engage in tonight?”

“We’re going ashore, girl.”

They explored the ship, booked their excursions and then stopped in the salon to make appointments for manicures and massages. When adventure beckoned, they were going to be ready for it.

2

THAT EVENING Emma could hardly believe she was actually in a bar on the little island of Grand Bahama, lost in the beauty of the local scenery while the sun dipped behind the ocean in a gorgeous sunset that made her glad to be alive.

She felt tingly-nervous. She’d left Tina holed up in a restaurant a few doors down with a handsome man. Tina had been far too preoccupied to be interested in the sunset, or anything else. Emma had felt uncomfortable with the two of them literally falling all over each other.

But wasn’t that what she’d come for? To do more than enjoy the sunset? To share it with someone? To find romantic attraction—that spur-of-the-moment, knock-you-off-your-feet sensation?

Fingering the unfamiliar length of her hair, she wondered where to start.

She considered some of Tina’s not-so-subtle techniques. If Emma could emulate instead of hesitate then maybe she’d get past all the things that inhibited her.

She’d just pick out a good-looking man and talk to him. But not in the way she’d initiated conversations before. This time she wanted to pique the guy’s interest, the kind of interest that would lead to a night of romantic intimacy.

Only one problem. She tapped her finger against her chin. This meeting couldn’t actually lead to an interlude because the passengers were supposed to be back for the captain’s cocktail hour at eleven o’clock. The ship sailed again at midnight.