Twenty-Four Days

  * * *

  Twenty-four Days

  Copyright © 2009 by Janet Albert

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

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  About the Author

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  Twenty-Four Days by Janet Albert

  Copyright © 2009 by Janet Albert

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Parts of this work are fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or events is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN 978-1-935053-16-3 (eBooks)

  eBook Conversion July 2010

  Cover design by Donna Pawlowski

  Published by:

  Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC

  4700 Hwy 365, Suite A, PMB 210

  Port Arthur, Texas 7764

  Find us on the World Wide Web at http://www.regalcrest.biz

  Published in the United States of America

  Acknowledgments

  I thoroughly enjoyed writing this book. The idea came to me when I was surfing the net and I came across a number of cruise ship itineraries. Since I'm in the medical field, I started reading about cruise ship medicine and this story began to take shape in my mind. It grew and grew and well, this is what it became. I hope you enjoy it.

  Thanks to Cathy LeNoir and all the wonderful people at Regal Crest Enterprises for taking a chance on a new author. A special and heartfelt thank you goes to my editor, Pat Cronin, for making an arduous process almost seem like fun and for helping me to make this into a better book. You taught me a lot of things I'll never forget. I'd also like to thank Brenda Adcock for her input and Donna Pawlowski for the beautiful book cover.

  My partner, Mary, deserves my special gratitude for reading all the drafts of this book again and again and for listening to me and encouraging me to continue writing even when I had my doubts. Everyone should have a number one fan and your constant love and support mean the world to me.

  Thanks to my wonderful beta readers, Norma Serrato and Donna O'Hara-Lewis. Norma, thanks for your keen eye, your invaluable suggestions and your friendship. Donna, thanks for offering to read this even though it's not your kind of story and thanks for thirty plus years of friendship.

  I would be remiss if I failed to thank a couple of authors who helped and supported me since I started writing. Gerri Hill, I can't tell you how much I've appreciated your support and your words of wisdom. You're a kind and intelligent woman and I hope I can write books as well-crafted and enjoyable as yours. Lori

  L. Lake, thank you for your kindness and generosity and for being my cyberspace mentor as well as my informal writing coach through your wonderful web site and your articles on the craft of writing.

  Most importantly, I'd like to extend my deepest gratitude to the readers and faithful fans of lesbian fiction all over the world. Without you, this would all be for nothing.

  This book is dedicated to Cathy LeNoir and everyone at Regal Crest Enterprises, because this is my first and because you all made it happen.

  Chapter One

  The Mediterranean port city of Civitavecchia, Italy

  MIRANDA SET HER bags down on the massive concrete pier and stopped to study the ship from a distance. Rising eleven stories above sea level, she seemed to scrape against the sky, her staggering length and breadth impossible to comprehend from such a vantage point. Towering royal blue letters in a fancy script spelled out the name, Sea Goddess, on the gleaming white hull, while beneath the name clusters of blue stars with long flowing red tails danced merrily across the bow.

  "She's a beauty, isn't she?"

  Startled from her thoughts, Miranda turned to see who owned the low, sensuous voice that had soaked into her solitude like the warmth of the Mediterranean sun. Gorgeous was the first word that entered her mind, a word she instantly dismissed as too poor a choice to describe the woman who stood before her. "Uh...uh, yes, very," she managed to say. Then, thinking her reply insufficient, she said, "She, the ship I mean. I look at her and I can't help but think she's dying to break free of her moorings."

  "Now that you mention it, she does look a bit restless. She's probably dying to be cruising out on the open seas instead of sitting here doing nothing, and who can blame her? That's what she was born to do--to see the world--and so far, she's hardly been anywhere."

  "I've been on cruise ships before, but I've never been on one quite this magnificent or this new. It never ceases to amaze me that something so incredibly massive can float. I know the scientific principles, but still..."

  "I find it amazing, too, and let me tell you, she can move. Before her first cruise, the captain told us that she's capable of gliding across the surface of the water at cruising speeds up to twenty-six knots." The woman caught sight of Miranda's bags. "I sure hope you're not one of the new passengers, honey, because if you are, you've arrived way too early. The passengers aren't scheduled to start boarding until Wednesday at noon and we aren't leaving until that evening, at six sharp."

  "I know. I'm not a passenger. I'm here to work on the ship." Honey?

  "Hey, that's great. I work on the ship too. My name's Jamie, by the way."

  "I'm Miranda." She wiped her hand on her jeans and stuck it out in front of her.

  Jamie shook it vigorously. "Nice to meet you Miranda." A second later, she raised her wrist and glanced at her watch. "Oops. So sorry. I'd love to talk, but I've gotta run." And run she did, like a gazelle, toward the ship. "Have a good day." She threw the words into the silence between them, waving goodbye with her hand held high in the air.

  Miranda watched Jamie's finely shaped backside fade into the distance, wondering where she worked and if she'd ever see her again. Shrugging her shoulders, she lifted her bags, walked to the end of the pier and proceeded straight up the gangplank.

  The instant she stepped inside the ship, a member of the hospitality crew greeted her. He was a handsome young man with neatly trimmed dark hair and deep set eyes. Obviously, he considered the task of handling the arrival of new staff and crew members an important one and by his demeanor, Miranda understood that he took his assignment seriously. He looked so earnest and proud that she almost thought she heard him click the heels of his spit polished shoes together as he saluted her.

  "Hello, Miss." He smoothed the front of his starched and spotless white dress uniform. "May I be of assistance to you?"

  "I believe so. I'm the ship's doctor."

  "Yes, Doctor..." As he slid his index finger down a long list of names attached to his clipboard, he said, "You are...here you are, Dr. Miranda Ross?"

  "That's me.
" Miranda smiled at the pleasant young man. He spoke English well, but his easily recognizable accent left no doubt in her mind that he was Italian.

  "I am Enrico Borelli. Welcome aboard."

  "Nice to meet you, Enrico," she said as she offered him her hand.

  He lifted her hand and barely touched his lips to it in a feather light kiss as he bowed slightly from the waist. "Did you arrive in Rome this morning, Doctor Ross?"

  "No, I arrived last Thursday. I wanted to see some of the city before I reported to the ship because I've never been to Rome before." She omitted telling him that she'd flown home for a two week break before beginning this new assignment, to visit her family and look at a house she thought she might buy. "I spent all of Friday, Saturday and Sunday seeing the city."

  "Very good. Everyone should visit the Eternal City at least once in their lifetime. It is very beautiful." He smiled broadly, nodding his head. "You loved it, yes?"

  "Yes, I loved it. I saw the places I've always wanted to see but someday I'd like to go back and spend more time there and see more of it. I take it you've been there?"

  "Yes, many times. My family lives near Rome and when I'm not working on the ship, I go there by train," he informed her. "I have a lady friend there."

  "Then you do know the city?"

  "Yes, I do. I hope you didn't eat too much gelato."

  "Not unless you consider eating some every day to be too much. I had the gelato instead of having lunch, though, and I burned most of it off by walking around all day. At least that's the excuse I gave myself."

  He laughed. "What flavors do you like the most?"

  "All of them, unfortunately, but my favorites are Pistachio and Chocolate Hazelnut." As they talked, she glanced around at the interior of the ship, amazed, as always, by the extreme opulence of the cruise ships.

  "She's beautiful, yes?" he asked, as if he had read her thoughts.

  "You're the second person who has said that to me today and yes, she's magnificent." The ship's interior elegance would rival any five star resort hotel anywhere in the world. "It's too glitzy for my tastes. It has way too much glass and chrome and too much red and gold, but as far as cruise ships go this is one of the prettiest I've ever seen."

  "She was built on the northern Adriatic coast at the Monfalcone shipyards here in Italy by Fincantieri. They are the most famous builders of cruise ships in the entire world." He beamed with pride as if he owned her himself. "She cost over three hundred million American dollars."

  "Wow," Miranda responded accordingly. "Now that's impressive."

  "That is a lot of money." He pointed to the name plate on the lapel of his blazer. "You remember my name, Doctor. I am at your service. Anything you need, anything at all, you ask for me."

  "Thanks, Enrico. The same goes for you. You have a problem or you need my help, you come and see me, okay?"

  "Okay, grazie. But, I hope I will not need your help." Enrico grimaced.

  "I understand. I hope you don't either."

  "You will love this cruise. We go to some of the world's most beautiful places." Enrico pressed the tips of his index and middle fingers against the tip of his thumb, kissed them noisily and offered the kiss up to the heavens. "Magnifico."

  "I can hardly wait. This is my first time on the Mediterranean circuit." She pointed to her bags. "Can I trouble you to ask someone to take these to my cabin? I need to check in with the captain to let him know I'm here. Then, before I do one more thing, I need to get something to eat because I foolishly skipped breakfast."

  "No problem. Leave them here with me. When you get back to your cabin, they will be there waiting for you." Enrico flourished his hand and bowed at the waist.

  "Great. Now, do you have any idea where I might find Captain Carlisle?"

  Enrico waved to another worker and signaled for him to come over. "Marcus, take Dr. Ross to the bridge to see the captain."

  "Okay, Enrico. No problem." Marcus flashed a row of straight white teeth Miranda's way. "Come with me, Doctor."

  "Just a second." Miranda turned to Enrico. "Thanks for all your help. You've been very kind. Remember what I said. If you need anything..."

  "I remember. Grazie." Enrico bowed once again.

  Chapter Two

  WHILE THE SHIP sat in port for several days, the entire staff and crew prepared for the upcoming Wednesday evening departure which would mark the onset of the next cruise. Every inch of the ship had to be cleaned and polished from stem to stern and any needed repairs and routine maintenance had to be performed. The crew unloaded tons of garbage and brought on enormous quantities of supplies and food, all of which had to be put away.

  Jamie Jeffries, the head fitness trainer, and her staff worked to ready the fitness center, one of the most popular and most used areas of the ship. The fitness center had to be prepared, for the next onslaught of passengers. The ship was built to carry nineteen hundred and fifty passengers and based on past experience, a substantial number of them would line up on the very first morning of the cruise to check out the gym, sign up for classes and schedule private sessions with a personal trainer.

  Jamie had never worked in a fitness center like the one on the Sea Goddess. It adorned a good third of the top deck of the ship like a brilliant crown, bejeweled with aqua-tinted glass walls set in sun-kissed steel. Its majestic rows of exercise machines faced the curved glass walls, affording the guests a breathtaking view of the sea and sky while they huffed and puffed their way to a state of health and well-being.

  "Jamie, where would you like me to put these?" Alicia, one of the fitness trainers, shouted from the other side of the gym, holding up one of the new flexible body bars she'd just unpacked.

  "Right over there." Jamie pointed to the mirrored wall in the rear of the weight lifting room. "Stand them up against the wall by the free weights."

  Jamie finished what she was doing and walked over to join Alicia. "We've got a couple of boxes of new balance balls and stretch bands in the back room. Would you mind getting one or two of the other trainers to help you put a few more of them out with the rest of the floor exercise equipment?"

  "Sure no problem. Can it wait until first thing tomorrow morning?"

  "I don't care when you do it as long as they're out before the cruise begins."

  "They will be. I can't wait until we get a new set of guests. I love these lesbian cruises and I really love all those sweaty women in tight, skimpy work out clothes."

  Jamie studied her sexy co-worker. Alicia's girlish, almost innocent appearance belied her uninhibited and mischievous nature. She was into her body and since she'd joined the cruise ships, she had embarked on a rigorous sow your wild oats campaign nearly as physically demanding as her fitness regimen. "You're too much," Jamie told her.

  "You should talk. Everyone who lays eyes on you stops dead in their tracks. I've seen people look you over from head to toe and then go back for seconds. I've seen more than one mouth hang open. I've seen women practically drool. They can't help themselves."

  "Come on, Alicia. You're exaggerating." Jamie rested her hands on her hips. "It's true I get more than my share of offers, but..." Jamie smiled. As always, Alicia's greatly embellished observations amused her. "Wait a minute. I didn't know you were watching them watching me."

  "Well, it's kind of hard to miss, and besides, I kind of enjoy watching you. "

  Jamie laughed a low throaty laugh. "Can I help it if some people think I'm sexy?"

  "First of all, it's not some people and secondly, it's not a matter of opinion. You are sexy. In fact, you girl, are some serious eye candy. To prove my point, look at you in that top and those shorts, with that body and those legs. Jesus, do you have any idea how you look? You're a poster girl for the benefits of fitness training, a vision of perfection."

  "Enough..." Jamie raised her hand. "Enough already. I'm glad you think so, but just remember, I wasn't born this way--I had to work hard to get my body to look like this. Who knows, maybe I have a higher testosterone
level than most women. I'm just physically fit, that's all."

  "That's not all and physically fit is an understatement. It might begin to describe how you got that body of yours, but you definitely weren't standing in the back of the line when they handed out the good looks, I can tell you that."

  "Okay, I think you've said more than enough. You can cut the flattery and you can quit flirting with me. Aren't there enough women around to ogle at?"

  "No. There's never enough." Alicia laughed out loud. "I'm simply admiring you and telling the truth as I see it. I think you're a knockout and you're sexy as hell."

  "In that case, I'll simply say thank you, Alicia." Casual encounters were easy to come by on the ships and Jamie often found herself under the watchful eye of many an admirer. Almost on a daily basis, someone came on to her or asked her out on a date. Usually it was one of the lesbian passengers, but sometimes it was a staff member or even one of the men on the ship.

  "I'm happy to see you can accept a few compliments."

  "I can, but I do hope you think of me as more than eye candy, as you so tastefully described me."

  "Of course I do. You know that, don't you?"

  "Yeah, I guess I do. Now, since we're about done for today, do you want to work out for a while? Maybe an hour or so? After that, I thought we'd get cleaned up and get some lunch. I feel like having a big salad with grilled chicken."

  "What a surprise. That's all you ever eat. That or cottage cheese and fruit."

  "That's not true," Jamie clarified. "I'm only strict about my diet when I'm working. I eat a lot of other things when I'm off. Sometimes I even eat ice cream or pizza."

  "Are you serious? Please tell me it isn't true." Alicia opened her mouth wide and covered it with her hand, but not enough to hide the smile lifting the corners of her mouth. "Please don't destroy my ideal."