Page 3 of The CEO
The band starting up drowned out the rest of his conversation and she stood still for several minutes, waiting for the men above to move so she could make her escape without being seen. After a few extra minutes of shuffling her feet to kill time, she sidled along the deck and took a few steps back toward an open door.
“Watch out.”
The owner of the low voice stood so close a warm breath caressed her ear and she jumped and whirled around, her heart pounding as she stared into those familiar indigo eyes barely inches away.
“You startled me.” She glared, desperately trying to hide her embarrassment for being caught eavesdropping.
“Sorry. Maybe if you watched where you were going we’d stop bumping into each other like this? By the way, I’m Zac McCoy.”
He stuck out his hand, unaware she’d heard every word of his damning conversation and she’d like to keep it that way.
“Lana Walker.” She placed her hand in his, unprepared for the jolt that shot up her arm as his fingers closed over hers, and she yanked hers out of his grasp, flustered by the residual tingle buzzing from her fingertips to her shoulder.
His eyes widened as he stared at her hand. Great, now he thought she was rude as well as clumsy. Way to go with the first impressions. Not that she had any intention of impressing him after what she’d just heard. Not that he’d contemplate impressing him if she hadn’t. Old clothes, minimal makeup, and boring brown hair weren’t exactly designed to impress any guy let alone someone in Mr. Tall, Dark and Nautical’s league.
“I need to finish unpacking, so if you’ll excuse me?” As she pushed past him, her bare arm brushed his and the strange buzzing returned with a vengeance, spreading through her body and confusing the heck out of her. She had no idea why her body was behaving like this.
Okay, so that was a lie. Jax the Jackass had been her sole boyfriend, the only guy she’d ever slept with, and once he’d dumped her and she’d fled to Sydney, she’d had two less than memorable dates with co-workers. So her reaction to sailor boy had to be purely physical considering she hadn’t been this close to a guy in seventeen months.
He nodded, his expression inscrutable. “I’ll leave you to it. Nice meeting you.”
Lana mumbled a non-committal answer and sent him a half-hearted wave, glancing over her shoulder as he walked away, her curious gaze lingering on parts it had no right scoping out.
She had a thing for guys in uniform. Always had, starting way back when a young sailor had given her a flower after she’d dropped an ice-cream cone and cried, a clumsy five year old who’d never forgotten her first crush. Her mom’s warning at the time, to steer clear of men like that, hadn’t meant much considering she didn’t know what ‘that’ meant back then.
Now, seeing the white cotton outlining Zac McCoy’s butt as he strode away, she knew exactly whatthatwas and it sent her scurrying for her cabin.
Banishing the encounter from her thoughts, she showered and dressed for dinner. Beth had crammed her case with designer dresses and shoes but Lana would never have the self-assurance to wear half the sexy stuff her cousin had packed so she settled for her one good dress, a plain black coat dress cinched at the waist, complemented with her cousin’s sparkly ebony stilettos.
Beth had pestered her for a complete makeover, though the thought of a radical haircut and new wardrobe was way too intimidating for a girl who equated latest fashion with the occasional update of her tortoiseshell spectacle frames. So Lana had settled for a sedate trim to her blah-brown hair and swapped the specs for contacts, and Beth had been appeased when Lana agreed to take her shoe cast-offs.
As for the rest of Beth’s advice on how to boost her self-confidence? She’d take it one step at a time in these damn uncomfortable shoes.
* * *
Lana enteredthe Coral Dining Room and barely had time to notice the giant chandelier, the string quartet, and the gleaming silver place settings, before the maître d’ whisked her to a table where two seats remained vacant.
She sat and let the other occupants introduce themselves, a couple in their forties and two other women, hoping they wouldn’t expect her to make small talk. She was lousy in social situations like this, preferring to sit and listen than opt for idle chit chat.
She listened to their friendly banter while perusing the extensive menu and as the empty chair on her right was drawn back, her skin prickled. The type of skin prickle associated with the hives she’d been unfortunate to have several times when a strawberry came within a whiff of her.
However, this prickle had nothing to do with fruit. This time, something far more dangerous to her health—well, her peace of mind—caused her skin to flush and tingle.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Zac McCoy, the Public Relations manager. It’s great you’ll be joining me for meals at my table. On behalf of the ship’s company, the captain, and the crew, we hope you enjoy your cruise.”
Fate liked to play jokes on her. Maybe she should take out a lottery ticket and be done with it.
Resisting the urge to surreptitiously itch the flushed skin behind her ears, she tried to ignore her erratic pulse that shifted into overdrive the minute he sat down. She toyed with cutlery, pleated her napkin, and successfully avoided looking at him until the table introductions reached her.
“How are you, Lana?” He flashed that killer smile, blue eyes glinting with amusement.
“Fine, thanks.”
That’s it, slay him with scintillating conversation. For a businesswoman who gave presentations weekly—as painful as it was speaking in front of her peers—she was doing a marvellous job appearing like a brainless bimbo.
While the voluptuous blonde on his right distracted Zac, she couldn’t resist sneaking a peek. Smooth, suave, and sexy, he was exactly the type of guy any sane woman would stay away from: a glib, good-looking charmer with the body of Adonis and a face designed to turn heads. Something like Jax with his people skills—and look how that turned out.
As dinner proceeded, Lana remained silent, toying with her food—a tender eye fillet smothered in a delicious mustard sauce she’d usually devour—and faking polite smiles. She’d never been a flirt and sitting next to a guy like Zac had her tongue-tied. Probably for the best, as she doubted he’d be interested in the latest marsupial display in the Australiana gallery or hearing her expound the virtues of digital cataloguing, though her reticence was barely noticed as he maintained a steady flow of conversation, captivating everyone at the table.