Two if by Sea Read Online Free Page B

motion of his hand. Mmm . Now she knew where that old cliché came from. Tall? Check. Dark? Tanned like he hadn’t a care in the world. Handsome? Oh, yes.
    This one had a beautiful profile, with an angled nose, defined cheekbones, and enough muscles to bench press her all afternoon. She shifted on her feet.
    The man standing to his left held out his hand. “Damon Whitfield. Pleasure to meet you.” Daphne swallowed. Damon Whitfield had blond hair long enough to wrap her fingers around. His dress shirt was tailored so well that it showed off his sculpted chest, and the rolled sleeves revealed forearms made of skin over steel. Damn .
    These two owned the cruise ship? Impossible.
    She took his hand and ground her teeth to hold back a shiver. “Daphne Meadows. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Whitfield.”
    “Call me Damon, please.” He motioned to the other man. “This is Tony Gareaux. We own the Stardust.”
    Tony held out his hand and Daphne took it. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. Goosebumps .
    Did they bathe in pheromones? Coat their fingers in some chemical to turn women on?
    Daphne never got lightheaded or dizzy because of a man. But these two? Ridiculous. She pulled away and pushed her shoulders back. They weren’t going to butter her up with visions of all-night orgasms. Not if they were going to make her life difficult.
    She plastered on a PR smile. “I’m sorry if I caused a disturbance at the pool.”
    Tony raised an eyebrow. “My employee said you had an issue with a male guest?”
    Daphne nodded. She felt like a kid called before the principal. “I was on my way to my cabin when a man by the pool stopped me. He said a few things, I tried to blow him off, he groped me. I didn’t appreciate it and I expressed my displeasure.”
    Tony glanced at Damon with an unreadable expression. “Meaning?”
    She rolled her lips over her teeth. If a client had called with this story, Daphne could’ve spun the scene a million different ways. But for her, the truth was the best. “I called him an asshole and pushed him in the pool.”
    “Do you think that was an appropriate response?”
    “When a man grabs my boob and tells me a good fuck would loosen me up, throwing him in the pool is too nice, to be honest.” She ran her tongue over her teeth. “I should have kneed him in the balls.”
    She didn’t know if it was the shock of the whole morning—first running late, then Rachel bailing, and then that jerk. But she’d gone off the rails. Everyday all day, she played the nice girl for her job. She’d made a career out of never making a ripple in the world, and always being the epitome of reserved and self-contained grace.
    If it wasn’t some celebrity who’d gotten his nose out of joint and yelled at a tourist, it was some real estate developer caught in a scandalous love affair. And she’d helped them all. PR wasn’t the glamorous life some made it out to be. She might have perfected the fake, soothing voice and the placid grin. But underneath it all?
    The real Daphne preferred a more direct approach. They wanted to kick her out? Great. It was exactly what she wanted.
    Tony ran his fingers over his lips. “What do you think the result of all this should be?”
    She wrinkled her nose. “Isn’t that your decision?”
    “I’m asking for your input.”
    Daphne blinked. From the room and the fancy suits and the way they commanded attention, she’d assumed the pair of them would take charge. Ask her opinion? It never crossed her mind. She relaxed her posture. It all might work out after all.
    She tried to keep the excitement out of her voice. “I think you should find a way to escort me off the ship immediately and send me back to LA.”
    Damon cocked his head. “Why is that?”
    “I’ve assaulted another guest. I should be punished.”
    Both men regarded her in silence and Daphne had the feeling more than her actions were on their minds.
    At last, Tony spoke. “You’re awfully eager to leave