Read Ivorie's Surprise [Golden Dolphin] (Siren Publishing Classic) for Free Online

I’m going to smack your butt. Let’s see if that will help you keep your focus.”
    “You’d better be kidding, Mr. Blessingame…” Before she could finish her sentence, he had grabbed her arm, whipped her around, and planted a single stinging smack on the backside of her snug jean shorts. She gasped. “I guess you weren’t kidding, Drew.”
    “Much better, Ivorie. Now, let’s have breakfast before it gets cold.” He turned and walked to the door and opened it for her.
    She followed him wordlessly. Ivorie was stunned. No one had ever done that to her before. She couldn’t say he’d hurt her. It had barely stung, but it was a shock to her sensibilities nonetheless. Drew pulled out her chair, politely seated her at the table, and removed the covers from the breakfast plates. He poured her a cup of coffee and said, “I didn’t mean to stun you into silence. Say something.”
    “If you do that again, I’ll break your arm off at the shoulder and throw it overboard.”
    He laughed. “Well, at least you’re still with me. I won’t do it again without your consent. Probably. If you call me Mr. Blessingame again in that tone of voice, all bets are off.”
    “No problem, sir.” She smirked at him. She was sitting firmly on her butt and thought that afforded her some protection.
    “Don’t push your luck, Ivorie.” He chuckled. “Well, you certainly seem to have grown some teeth since you boarded the Golden Dolphin . Why do you think that is?”
    “We’ve only interacted in the office, Drew. The atmosphere there is not conducive to showing any spunk, or personality for that matter. You might consider that in your interactions with staff in the future.”
    “I know I’m a perfectionist, but am I that much of a monster?” He looked perplexed. Apparently he had no idea what effect his tirades had on the office personnel.
    Ivorie looked at him for a moment, trying to judge if he really wanted the truth or if he just wanted to be placated. The look in his eyes told her to be honest. “Yes, you are a monster. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t indicate your preferences or correct an employee, but you can be brutal. I don’t think a typo in a first draft is cause for the roof to fall on someone’s head.”
    He looked pensive. “I’ll take that under advisement. Eat your breakfast. I’m not going to rip your head off your shoulders…and throw it overboard.” He finally grinned. “I think we may just get along, Ivorie James.”
    After they had finished breakfast and second cups of coffee, Drew said, “Do you want to go ashore and see some of Key West? We’re not scheduled to leave until five o’clock. Or would you rather spend the day at the pool?”
    “Is this an instance where you want to know my preference? If so, I’d love to see some of Key West. Maybe visit the Hemingway House and have lunch at Sloppy Joe’s Bar? I was planning to do some sightseeing if I got a chance.”
    “Okay, call the bridge and request the tender to take us over to the dock while I get dressed. The tender will probably be going back and forth all day picking up the last passengers anyway. Did you want to change or go like that? It is Key West after all. No need to get dressed up.”
    “I think I’ll make the call from my cabin and change into something a little nicer.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Drew and Ivorie enjoyed their tour of the historical Hemingway House and grounds. They stopped for lunch at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Ernest Hemingway’s favorite Key West watering hole.
    They both agreed that it would be fun to enjoy at least part of the Halloween blowout known as Fantasy Fest at the end of the month. It was Key West’s week-long version of Mardi Gras, and the costumes were reputed to be totally outrageous. The ship would be back in port on the twenty-ninth.
    After a satisfying lunch of conch fritters and spicy conch chowder with huge hunks of Bahamian bread washed down with ice-cold beer, they continued their