December 27th, 5032

“I look hideous.”

“We can’t even agree or disagree with such a statement when you’ve been hiding in the washroom for twenty minutes.” Michael pointed out.

I groaned, looking at my new appearance. My usual bright orange locks had been pinned down and covered by a wig cap – my new hairdo was long, brown hair in loose curls. I left it down for now but if we were going to track this suspect, I’d probably tie it up. I wore bright blue contacts, covering my usual green-blue eye color. I wore a lighter foundation, going light on the contour so I’d have a paler complexion, and I wore a rosy red blush to brighten my cheeks. I wore pink lipstick with clear gloss on top, way off my usual red matte lipstick.

Adding the black two piece and thin black cover-up I wrapped around my waist, I looked very different than my regular bright, stand-out self. I turned around and looked over my shoulder – my birthmark tattoo on full display.

My eyes trailed to the girl in the center; the different elements surrounded her – fire, water, air, earth, spirit. I need Ethan to put a glamour on this, so it doesn’t show.

“Scarlet. Come out or I’m coming in.” I heard Christian announce; his voice sounded just behind the door. I groaned, cursing under my breath.

“I heard that.” He replied. I rolled my eyes.

“Coming.”

I unlocked the door, opening to reveal a mostly naked Christian. I blushed; my eyes already descended to his lower half, which was covered by his dark purple boxers. His sculpted chest glistened with sweat droplets, trailing down his pecs to his solid six-pack. I smirked, licking my lips.

“I know you’re enjoying the view, Miss Locksworth, but I’m in dire need of a shower. Unless, you’re joining me.” Christian seduced; his voice low and daring. I needed a minute to process his invitation.

“Christian! Cut out the seductive crap. I need to make sure Scarlet looks good in her disguise.” Michael called out.

“If you guys are having a party in the washroom, make sure I’m invited,” Junho called out. I snickered; Christian sighed.

“I think I’ll have a rain check for that shower,” I whispered; my hand landed on his bicep. I went on my tiptoes to press a kiss on his lips. He smiled against my lips, deepening the kiss.

“They’re making out, aren’t they?” Ethan commented.

“Can I play the boyfriend instead? I think I’d get stuff done.” Junho complained. Christian pulled away to lean out the doorway.

“You, Jaxson and Michael all got alone time with Scar. Don’t forget about Christmas. It’s my turn to have some fun.” Christian reminded.

“Me too. Remember when we first went out after Scar found out she was a billionaire?” Ethan replied; the sound of typing echoed from the living area.

The others groaned.

“Only Jaxson and Michael got the action. I deserve some affection, too.” Junho reminded. I laughed, already remembering the kiss between Jax and Michael, and also our sexual moment with the three of us.

Of course, we all had our share of alone time in the last six months, but the guys loved to joke about not getting enough of me, emphasizing the joke ever since our Christmas break.

“You look hot by the way.” Christian complimented.

“I don’t look weird?”

“Not even. Very hot. Gotta admit, brown hair suits you.” He replied.

“Better than my orange hair?”

He was silent for a moment as if debating in his mind.

“Nah, I like your orange hair more. Brown hair and blue eyes remind me of your energetic best friend.” He revealed.

“I do not look like Makoto.”

“A little. I think it’s the eyes.”

“She has turquoise eyes. This is sky blue.” I pointed out the difference. He shrugged.

“Blue is blue.”

“Blue is not just blue,” Junho argued.

“Oh no, I’m not getting into an argument with you, water boy. I don’t need you pulling out the blue color wheel and going through every color variation. I’m gonna shower.” Christian exasperated, leaned in to give me one more kiss before we switched places. He gave me a smug smile and closed the door.

“Don’t you go shower; I’m not done!” Junho called out.

“Are you two really arguing about colors?” Jaxson exclaimed, walking into our suite. His eyes locked on mine, taking their time to scan me from top to bottom. I crossed my arm under my breasts.

“I’m assuming you like it. And welcome back.” I greeted. He smirked, slipping off his white sandals and making his way down the hall to greet me. He didn’t hesitate to pull me into an embrace; his lips pressed against mine. I moaned. I loved his dominant nature. He and Christian never hesitated to show their affection for me, regardless of whether we were in private or public.

“You look fucking hot. Brunette totally suits you. But I still like your orange hair.” He admitted.

“Thank you. And yeah, Christian says I look like Makoto.”

Makoto Heart was one of my dear friends, who recently came to LA for the Christmas holiday with her guys, one whom was an acquaintance of mine; Kai Akiyama.

She attended mine and Kai’s Galleria Event and spent her first Christmas holiday in LA. It wasn’t our first time chilling with her, but this time around felt a little more special thanks to the little gift exchange we set up for Makoto.

I wonder if they had gone back home already?

He tilted his head for a moment.

“It’s the eyes and brown hair. You guys are similar heights, too. You’re just two inches taller.” Jaxson noted.

“Scar babe, come down here so we can see you too.” Ethan urged.

Jaxson chuckled, shaking his head, but walked forward; his hand slipped into mine as we made our way to the living room.

With the way our suite was set up, the entrance was only four feet away from the main bathroom. The hallway led to the open kitchen and living room where the others were working on our new case in front of the large window and miniature balcony gave us an open view of the sea. The second washroom was next to our sleeping corridors, having three different rooms. I’d most likely be rotating every night if the boys would agree on sleeping arrangements, or I’d be claiming a room and letting them figure out who was bunking with who. If they behaved, I wouldn’t mind option one.

“Have your moment checking out Scarlet. Then we gotta get into our roles.” Jaxson announced as we entered the living room.

Ethan looked up from his laptop. Michael and Junho, who were talking amongst themselves, turned their attention to us.

“Damn.” All three of them said at once; their synchronized response had me giggling.

“Stop acting like you haven’t seen me in a two-piece before.” I placed my hands on my hips, raising my eyebrow at the three.

“Yes, but doesn’t mean we can’t emphasize the reality that you’re hot as fuck.” Ethan pointed out.

“And ours,” Junho noted.

“Seriously, the gods blessed us for sure,” Michael commented; the other two nodded in agreement. I rolled my eyes, noticing Jaxson’s grin and nodding motion.

“You guys are too much,” I mumbled under my breath.

“Come here, Scarlet.” Ethan gestured, signaling me to come to where he was seated. I gave him a curious look but listened, reaching his side in a few strides.

“What?”

“Sit on my lap.”

“How? Your laptop is in the way.”

He put his laptop on the table next to him, giving me a playful smirk before patting his lap.

“Not anymore.”

I laughed, sitting on his lap. His hands wrapped around my waist; his lips pressed softly against my neck.

“Why does Scarlet get to sit with Ethan?” Junho mumbled.

“Because we had her all Christmas, remember? He and Christian get benefits.” Michael replied.

“That’s right, we do get benefits because you had her for a whole week!” Christian explained as he entered the living room; a towel securely wrapped around his waist.

“You two are just jealous,” Junho replied.

“Can we get back to the case, please? You guys can bicker over Scarlet later tonight. It’s already two in the afternoon. We’ll be reaching the next port in an hour. I want everyone in position by then.” Jaxson ordered.

“Fine.” They all agreed. I smirked at Jaxson who in return, gave me a wink. Christian moved to sit in the chair parallel to Ethan and me; his bare, muscled chest caught my attention.

“You can go put clothes on,” I commented.

“Jaxson said we have to concentrate on the case.” He replied in a hushed tone. The others groaned.

“Anyways. I’ve done a check through of the ship. Kendrick has connections with the head of security in charge of making sure everything goes smoothly. I just had a discussion with him and his team of shifters. He knows we’ll be undercover and is keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity.” Jaxson began.

“Do we even have a picture of the suspect?” I questioned.

Ethan shifted me in his lap, reaching out with his free hand to grab the laptop before placing it on the armrest. His right hand began typing furiously on the keys; his eyes concentrating on the screen.

“So far, all we’ve gotten is a description. Even that doesn’t determine who this guy is. Remember the drug deal we raided a few months ago?”

“Yup. The one where lizard breath and his lackeys escaped, and Scar tracked them down on the motorcycle?” Christian reminded. Ethan nodded.

“This guy was there. He’d bailed out early with a few of his crewmates. One of PINC’s teams tried to track them down, but they got into a sticky situation.” Ethan explained.

“Sticky situation?” Junho inquired.

“It’s believed that one of his lackeys is a succubus.” Ethan acknowledged.

I remember my lesson from Spirit 101 and succubi were bad news. They could easily make you fall in love with them with a simple flick of their internal attraction switch. What was even more dangerous was their effect could be applied to multiple people. It wouldn’t have as strong of an effect, but it could do some good at stopping a group from tracking you down. They would be too busy kissing or demonstrating their sudden passion for one another – regardless of sexual preference.

Unless the individual had strong magic or mental restraints, it would be difficult to ignore a succubus’ attractiveness.

“Oh.” We replied in unison, glancing at one another.

“That...how bad was it?” I asked. Ethan sighed and pulled up a video on the screen. The others crowded around; Jaxson and Christian on my left while Michael and Junho were on my right.

I gasped when he pressed play – my face felt warm as I began to flush. I had the urge to look away but was curious to some of the weird sex positions they were in.

“Let’s just say, this would make some good porn if they weren’t interrupted,” Ethan concluded.

“Um, what sex position is that?” I wondered out loud.

“Seems interesting. Very artistic.” Serenity entered my mind, her curiosity rubbed off on me.

“You should take notes. Especially that position the redhead’s doing with the blue haired girl.” Aurora commented.

I blinked at the two girls on the screen; miraculously having sex with who knows what.

“How...where did they get...that’s not a dildo...” I trailed off.

The boys snickered, Ethan’s face a tad red as he closed the video. I turned to his flushed expression.

“Wait, I wanna watch the rest,” I demanded.

“Later. And not with you on my lap.” He mumbled. I smirked, leaning into him to whisper in his ear.

“Are you hard?”

He stilled for a moment; his body rigid while his hand tightened around my waist, pulling me to rest against him. I tried not to flinch at the bulge in his pants that pressed against me.

“A little.” He whispered back.

“You guys need a room.” Michael groaned, walking away. Junho laughed as Jaxson sighed.

“If they’re getting a room, I wanna join.” Junho proclaimed.

“The case...” Jaxson reminded, again.

“How are we supposed to concentrate after seeing an orgy on camera?” Ethan asked.

“I get this wasn’t supposed to be a work week, but just give me your full attention for five minutes.” Jaxson proposed. We all exchanged glances; Ethan sat up, so my butt was on his knee.

“We’ll continue the rest later.” He whispered in my ear, low enough so the others wouldn’t hear. I turned to face his playful smirk – those green eyes twinkled with mischief and a hint of lust.

“Deal,” I whispered back, returning to Jaxson who waited for us to get serious.

“Okay. What’s the plan?” I went into investigator mode – the others’ eyes transfixed on Jaxson’s, whose face went serious.

“Scarlet. Your alias is Irina Locksworth. Christian will be acting as your boyfriend; Alexander Hamilton.” Jaxson began.

“Don’t you think our names are very...vintage?” I pointed out.

“Old school, more like it,” Christian commented.

Jaxson gave us a look, silencing our debate.

“When we reach the checkpoint, try to remain near entrance C. That’s specifically for the very rich individuals who got a chance to get on this cruise. Our sources are telling us that the suspect is a part of that crowd.”

I looked at Christian, exchanging a nod before we returned our attention to Jaxson.

“You’ll both be wearing communicators. Scar, yours will most likely be hidden by your hair. Michael and Ethan worked on making it look similar to a decorative earring. Like the new trend that’s been going on.” Jaxson explained, walking over to the kitchen island to grab two palm-sized boxes. He approached me first, giving me a pink box and walked over to Christian, giving him a blue one.

I opened it to reveal the device. It looked like those earrings that wrapped around your ear, having multiple dangling jewels - hanging from delicate gold chains.

“These are the new trend people are wearing? It just looks like a tangled mess waiting to happen.” I began attempting to apply it to my ear; Ethan assisted after my third failed attempt.

“There we go,” Ethan announced. I looked at Christian who had an earpiece that looked like a Bluetooth speaker.

“Thank you,” I replied.

“You know how trends come and go. This works perfectly in this case. The speaker is hidden in the jewel that’s connected with a wireless earphone piece. It won’t move around or fall out and it’s waterproof.” Jaxson explained.

“Wonderful,” I replied. Jaxson continued.

“Christian is going to be a businessman who just got back from New York and decided to take you on this cruise as a gift. You’re going with the story that he works around the world and you relax at home working as a writer.”

“And you believe this suspect is going to believe I’m a writer with no content?”

“Got you covered babe.” Ethan tapped a few keys before my profile came up – Irina Locksworth, USA Bestselling Author. I gawked at the author profile.

“How...When? Don’t I need a picture?” I questioned at the interesting logo - a circle sectioned into five pieces; each having an element in one. It looked very similar to the tattoo on my back.

“Nope. You got your brand logo there.” Ethan replied, pointing at the screen.

“I made it. I think it suits you perfectly.” Junho proclaimed; his proud grin made me smile.

“Very original,” I replied. I guess being the Elemental means I get a nifty logo to match. Jaxson smirked, continuing.

“You’ve written eight books so far and have a novella coming up. You’re here to let loose and have some fun after being stuck in your writing cave for months.”

“Got it,” I confirmed, nodding.

“I’ll be blending into the background keeping tabs on both of you. If it comes to a situation where you have to hide, make sure you tell me exactly where you are. I have phones for all of us. You can text or press the emergency button. It will signal us, and everything you say will be recorded. We’ll also be able to track your location on the ship.” Jaxson concluded.

“What about Junho and Michael?” Ethan questioned.

“Junho will keep a close eye on Scarlet. Make sure you’re nearby and get to her side fast if anything arises. Michael, you’ll be doing the same for Christian.” Jaxson explained. I looked back at Ethan who met my gaze.

“And Ethan?” I inquired.

“I’m your eyes and ears, love. Jaxson planted hidden cameras in every blind spot. I’ll be listening to your conversations and if anything piques my interest, I’ll center in and record it all.” He replied.

“Any questions?” Jaxson crossed his arms.

“What’s Christian’s wardrobe going to be?” I turned my attention back to Christian who’d gone back to his seat.

“Cause as of now, he looks exactly the same. Just no clothes.” I commented.

“A towel counts as clothing, Scar.” He answered.

“Not in the public eye. You’d catch so much attention. Not to mention, a few females would be tempted to tug at it.” I retorted. I know I would.

“Totally would,” Aurora replied.

“You two are horrid.” Serenity accused.

“Oh please. You would too. Admit it.” Aurora argued.

“Well...ya...I mean I wouldn’t.” She argued back. I snickered at their commentary. The boys eyed me for a moment.

“Are you having a conversation with Serenity and Aurora of how you’d tug at my towel?” Christian asked. I grinned, relaxing in Ethan’s lap.

“Maybe yes, maybe no. I have to admit, it’s rather tempting.” I replied.

“He’ll be getting a makeover by Michael and Ethan. Can you guys get on that?” Jaxson asked.

“Two minutes,” Ethan mumbled; his eyes focused on the computer screen.

“C’mon Mr. Grey. You need a hair change.” Michael announced, pushing off the wall he relaxed on with Junho.

“You can’t call me that,” Christian mumbled.

“Why not? Scarlet does.” Michael argued.

“Because it’s Scar, and it’s sexy. You saying it makes me cringe.” Christian argued.

“You’re just not into male on male action that’s all,” Michael noted, tapping his shoulder. Christian groaned, shivering.

“Yes, I’m straight! Don’t give me that look. I’m not kissing you. Go kiss Jaxson.” He speed-walked to the washroom.

We snickered; Junho rolled his eyes.

“I don’t see why he gets creeped out.” Junho wondered.

“Christian is as straight as a ruler. I think he’s only fine with the idea that Michael and Jaxson kissed just because we’re friends.” Ethan revealed. Jaxson blushed.

“We were drunk,” Jaxson complained.

“But, did you like it,” Ethan asked.

“Don’t remember.” He mumbled.

“Sure,” Junho replied. Ethan leaned forward to whisper in my ear.

“I have the photos on here. Should we do a recap?” He whispered. I laughed.

“Yes, please! I love male on male action.” I replied, giggling.

“Don’t you dare!” Michael and Jaxson yelled.

“Boo, no fun,” I complained, blinking my eyes innocently. They became flustered.

“I’m going to confirm everything’s in place. Junho! Come with.” Jaxson ordered. Junho sighed.

“See, you got him all embarrassed. Now, I gotta do more work.” Junho complained; his hands slid into his black combat pants. He approached me, leaning in for a quick kiss before heading out with Jaxson.

“Guess I’ll go help Christian. Ethan, put the glamour on Scar’s marking on her back.” Michael reminded.

“Will do,” Ethan replied. Michael walked three steps forward before spinning on his heel and walking back to me. He gave me a kiss – his lips lingered on mine for a few seconds before he backed away.

“Don’t let Ethan distract you. We’ve got forty-five minutes.” Michael gave us a look.

“Ethan doesn’t distract me,” I muttered.

“Exactly. I’ll finish this up and help finalize the look for Christian. Then I can work on Scar’s marking and we’ll be ready” Ethan confirmed.

“Fine. To save time, Christian and I will make our way to our positions. Scar, be careful alright? Don’t set anything on fire.” Michael joked.

“I’ve got the fire under control...” I trailed off when Michael raised his eyebrow. I let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Okay, I’ll be careful.” I replied.

“Good. Let’s get to work.”