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Chapter Three
Once in his luxury suite, Jake had to admit that the comfort of the three rooms would make his voyage enjoyable. His visions of being penned in a tiny space where he couldn’t pace or spread out had given him second and third thoughts about going along with this cruise idea Leo forced on him. After the last few vicious months he’d suffered over finalizing his invention, both were habits he’d adopted.
Starting a new business, building it into a billion-dollar, overnight success and dealing with the aftershock of getting bought out by the big guys wasn’t only mind-blowingly stressful but a constant, minute-to-minute drain of keeping his razor-sharp edge continually keen.
Fast forward to the present, who knew that the next app he’d begun, as an idea for a safety measure for folks in today’s dangerous world, would have such huge repercussions down the road? Even when he’d been a street person, through choice rather than need, he’d been aware of the many useful ways it would be helpful. But he’d never let his mind explore the unlimited possibilities.
Guess the government had other ideas. The Pentagon had pursued him with such diligence, he’d finally agreed to meet with them. Other countries, he’d ignored, refusing to discuss any and all offers.
Remembering the first time the idea had struck him as being feasible, he let his mind wander into the past. He’d work for months perfecting the idea, formatting and building the program. Researching the web for anything similar and finding his idea to be one of a kind, he’d discussed it with certain trusted friends – one who hadn’t proven as trustworthy as he’d believed.
She’d shared Jake’s secret to certain others who now wanted him working for them. All hell had broken loose, and he still felt shattered when his thoughts took him there.
Seeing his hands shaking from the old PTSD symptoms, he forced his mind away from the past and decided to start unpacking. He took his time spreading his belongings into drawers and closets, all the while wearing his wireless earphones, he played rock music through his phone. Soothed, he let his mind wander back to earlier when he’d watched Miss Perfection down on the dock.
Something about the girl had his imagination creating fantasies. Like how she’d look across a candlelit table or laying naked in his luxurious, king-size bed. Such sophistication made him wonder what her behavior would be like when she let her hair down.
His mind drifted back to the street and revisited the moment. He knew about Jimmy Choo shoes, and hers were definitely from that marketplace. Her white outfit with the short-skirted suit showing her tanned legs made his mouth water and the clever flared jacket that matched, leaving a fair amount of her chest available to the eye, had left him short of breath.
The tanned mounds of flesh, lovingly displaying delicate chains of silver that decorated her soft-skinned neck, would provoke any sane male from the sheer femininity. The sight drained a man’s brain, leaving his tongue hanging, drooling, and his eyes crossed.
Goodness, he had it bad. And he didn’t like where his mind was taking him. Grinning, he felt like a youngster before his first sexual experience when girls were still a mystery and body perfection important.
Nowadays, after the many escapades he’d experienced, especially lately, he cared more for character and a kind heart than he did for sexual attraction.
Of course, for a shipboard romance, a hot body did have its importance. Grinning at his foolishness, he hung his suits still in their garment bag in the closet and thought he saw a movement that was strange and didn’t belong. Turning off the music, he stood and listened and only heard the noise from outside the cabin.
Approaching the outer door, he opened it to see a lot of people milling around in the long hallway and twigged he’d be hearing even more disturbance most likely until the ship sailed.
A blonde with big tits and an even bigger come-on smile sauntered past with a little hand wave that he responded to until he saw what he was doing. Quickly closing the door, he shook his head at the foolishness and went to the bar where he found crystal glasses, a bucket of ice and his favorite scotch. Blessing Leo for his thoughtfulness, he poured a good shot and headed into the bedroom.
Tired of his disciplined behavior, he grabbed his wireless buds, took his latest political biography and turned to the cushioned lounge chair on his large balcony.