CHAPTER 13
CHANEL

I woke up the next morning to another day at sea. The ship had cast off from our first dock and was headed for the horizon again. I rolled over and saw that Ana was already awake and headed to the bathroom to get ready for breakfast.

“Don’t forget the auction is this afternoon at lunch and then the date will be tonight,” Ana called to me from the bathroom.

I groaned and shuffled in beside her to brush my teeth. “I’d almost forgotten about that damn thing,” I said.

Ana laughed. “Not a chance sister, you’re doing this.”

“I know, I know. Hey, you know Tommy signed Rhett up too,” I told her.

“Good. Now he can’t bet on you, and you can spend some time with someone other than him,” Ana said.

I rolled my eyes. “Come on Ana. It’s been nice, and I’ve been enjoying myself. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Ana sighed. “I guess, but still, I wish you’d put yourself out there a little more.”

I shook my head and continued getting ready for breakfast. I told myself she just didn’t understand the connection Rhett and I had. She hadn’t understood it in high school, and she didn’t understand it now. Ana had never been one for commitments, and she thought they were a waste of time. I wasn’t going to change her mind on that, so I didn’t even bother. And there was no way in hell I was telling her about the bet Rhett and I had made. I got warm all over just thinking about it.

We finished getting dressed and headed to breakfast. My eyes scanned the room for the guys but didn’t see them. I felt a tinge of disappointment but tried not to let it get me down.

“How about we do a spa treatment after breakfast? Get you all shined up for the auction and your date?” Ana suggested.

“That actually sounds really good,” I said.

We finished breakfast and went over to the elevators, chatting about the rest of the day’s events.

The elevators opened to the most tranquil level I could’ve imagined. The walls were painted in maroon, and there were silver and floral accents everywhere. There was a cheerful woman who greeted us at the desk and very few customers sitting around in chairs. I approached the desk and scheduled a full day of services for both Ana and me. Then we sat down and waited our turn.

We started off with the manicures and pedicures. We were given glasses of wine to sip on while the massage chairs loosened us up, and it was phenomenal. Ana and I were chattering away about all the things we would do once we docked in Curaçao the next day. We wanted to explore the shops, but this time, we also wanted to spend some time on the beaches. Ana wanted to try snorkeling, and I wanted to experience the crystal-clear waters filled with wildlife. We decided to do all our food that day on the island so we could experience all the things their culture had to offer.

Then, we were off to get our massages.

The two-hour massage was fantastic. Ana and I were in the same room, moaning and groaning as our bodies loosened up. I had no idea how tight all my muscles were, and I could feel my back popping and releasing the tension from my body. The massage was toe-curling good, and as we turned over onto our backs, I felt Ana reach for my hand.

“I love you, girl.”

“Love you, too, Ana.”

We stripped down to our bathing suits and wrapped our bodies in the plush robes that were waiting for us after the massage. A private essential oil steam was waiting for us on the other side of the deck. Then we would go straight from there into a hot tub where we could sit and drink as long as we wanted. That was what I was looking forward to. The hot tub was right by one of the best views of the boat. I could look out over the deck and see miles into the horizon.

“I don’t know about you, but I feel great,” Ana said.

“This was definitely needed,” I said.

“We’re gonna be so fresh for Curaçao. I might make the decision to walk around in a damn bikini all day.”

“We’ll need to get you a wax for that,” I said.

Ana slapped me playfully as the bartender brought over our drinks.

“Alright, there’s no putting this off any longer, lets go get you ready for the auction,” Ana said once our drinks were done.

“Good God, I feel like such a piece of meat,” I said as we started back toward the elevator.

“Maybe if you’re lucky, someone will slather some butter on you and eat you up,” Ana cackled.

I snorted and slapped her arm. “You are not right in the head,” I giggled.

“Tell me something I don’t already know,” she said.

We got back to the room and I let Ana fuss over me while I sat back and laughed at her excitement over this whole auction business. I knew she had had the best of intentions when she’d signed me up. Neither of us had expected that I would reconnect with Rhett on this trip, and certainly not so quickly.

As Ana chattered on and on about how much fun this was going to be and how I really needed some new prospects in my life, I couldn’t help but think about how good it felt to be in Rhett’s arms again. He was everything I remembered him being in high school, only better. He was stronger, smarter, sexier, and even more confident, but not in a bad way.

The way I felt when his arms were around me was undeniable. I felt safe, I felt wanted, I felt cherished. And when his lips were on me, well, that was a whole other bucketful of sensations. The thought of it had me clenching my knees in desire.

“Hello? Earth to Chantel,” Ana was saying. “Are you even listening to me?”

I shook the previous thoughts from my head. “Sorry,” I said. “I’m just still really relaxed from the spa treatments I think. I must’ve zoned out.”

“Mmmhmm,” Ana said, looking at me like she was unconvinced. “Any way, what do you think?” she asked.

“About what?”

She rolled her eyes and pointed to the mirror. “About how you look, dummy,” she said.

I looked at myself in the mirror and almost did a double take. I hardly recognized myself. Ana had curled my hair and piled it up on my head in little ringlets. My cheeks were tastefully rouged, and my blue eyes popped with the hint of shadow she’d expertly applied. Lastly, the swipe of cherry-red lipstick across my full lips made me look like a damn bombshell. I couldn’t deny it, I looked good.

“Damn Ana,” I said.

“I know, right?” she giggled. “Seriously, you’re going to raise so much money.”

I couldn’t help but think back to my little bet with Rhett. Whoever raised the most amount of money got to do whatever they wanted with the other for one night. I had to stop myself from imagining too much or I was going to get all hot and bothered all over again.

“Now, here is the dress I grabbed for you to wear,” Ana said, holding up a deep royal blue shift dress from my closet.

I was actually surprised that it was one of my more conservative dresses. When she’d told me that she’d volunteered me for the auction, I’d thoroughly expected Ana to grab the sluttiest dress I owned for the event. I was grateful that she hadn’t.

Once I was dressed, I looked myself over in the full-length mirror and couldn’t help but smile.

Oh yeah, I thought. This bet is as good as won.