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give him any
more compliments," Darby retorted impishly. "Rowan will be getting
above himself."
    Teel laughed, delighting in
the Irishman's company.
    "We're going to anchor at
Moon Bay today," he told her. "It's very beautiful there. Chazz
wants to do some diving." Darby lifted the tray from Teel's lap. "You
won't be able to dive, but you can sunbathe and swim."
    "Darby," Teel
groaned. "I must get back to work soon. My vacation will be up in a couple
of days. Besides, I should get in touch with my school and let them know I'm
all right."
    "Not to worry. Chazz took
care of that after he called your aunt. He says, among other things, that he
discovered you have more vacation time coming to you. He wants you to have a
nice rest on board the Deirdre."
    Teel jerked upright, wondering
what Chazz had said to the school and her aunt and angry at his
high-handedness. "Who said he was in charge of my life?" she
demanded. "I'm not one of his lackeys."
    "Aww now, Sister, you've
hardly been treated like a lackey." Darby grinned at her glowering face,
then ambled off with her tray, whistling out of tune.
    Teel gazed across the sapphire
waters. "He still has a hell of a nerve," she whispered, clenching
and unclenching her hands on the arm rests. "I'm not ungrateful for his
care of me," she murmured to herself, "but I'm damned if I'll allow
myself to be manipulated by a... a womanizer." She took a deep breath and
lay back to rest. She would need all her strength to tell Chazz Herman just
what she thought of his methods the next time she saw him. Not that she wanted
to see him. She did not. She yawned, not wanting to think of him.
    They anchored well
off the beach at Moon Bay. The crescent-shaped harbor with its swath of white
sand leading to the clear blue water was a tropic jewel. As she leaned over the
rail, Teel could see almost to the bottom of the bay. Fishing boats, sail
boats, and power boats with water skiers swaying behind them all decorated the
bay with creamy wakes.
    Off to one side was a section
delineated with orange flags that Darby explained was for diving. Neither power
boats nor sailing vessels were allowed in this area. Only a few craft
designated as diving boats moved within it.
    Darby helped Teel down the
ship's ladder into the dinghy, not even allowing her to carry the string bag
that held her personal belongings. He assured her that Rowan had made a nice
lunch for her.
    Darby pointed to a cabana on
the beach that several crew members had set up for her. "It's there you
can sit when you come out of the water," he explained, scowling at her.
"And don't be forgetting that your skin is still sensitive, so use the
lotion and don't sit in the open too long." He cocked his head. "But
I will be saying that your skin has a nice golden color. Ah, but it is your
hair that is the most beautiful, with them red and blond streaks in it."
    "You're a flatterer,
Darby," Teel accused him, laughing.
    He cleared his throat,
embarrassed. "Now, Sister, don't you be shy about swimming. That's a nice one-piece
you have. No one will know you're a nun."
    "Nuns swim, Darby."
Teel smiled at him as he spread out a blanket for her. She didn't tell him that
she had often posed in bikinis during her stint as a model because the
photographer thought her narrow-hipped, long-legged look perfect for
bathing-suit ads. Not even to Darby would she reveal that she was not a nun. As
long as she was on Chazz Herman's yacht, she felt safer in the disguise.
    Darby sat with her for a few
more minutes, reminded her of the suntan lotion, told her to swim near other
swimmers, and pointed out a crowd of people. "I'll be back later in the
afternoon, Sister," he told her.
    Teel called to him as he
turned away. "Is Chazz diving with his other guests?"
    Darby made a face at her and
nodded, then left.
    At first Teel just lay back on
her elbows in the shade of the cabana, watching the skiers and the swimmers.
She didn't want to look toward the orange-flagged area. Several