Jo grabbed the trophy with both hands, tipping the silver cup up and drinking long and deep from the contents. The champagne threatened to spill over and she let it, not caring how much she wasted down the front of her shirt. There was plenty more where that came from. Tucked into her back pocket was $1180 cash- her share of the $13000 the Seawolf had won over the past five days.
The best part was hoisting the trophy over the heads of the a.s.sembled crowd with Paul holding the other side of it. She grinned, took another swig of the ice-cold champagne, and pa.s.sed the trophy on to Jenny, who happily buried her head in the silverware.
And the worst part... Jo looked around the deck of the Sea-wolf, which was packed to the gunwales with the crews from the other boats in their cla.s.s.
The worst part is Cadie isn"t here to share in it, she thought, sobering. Typically, Naomi had pocketed her share of the winnings and, along with Kelli and Larissa, had disappeared into the night, dragging Cadie behind her. She looked like she was about to burst into tears, Jo remembered. d.a.m.n, I wish she was here. She worked just as hard for this as the rest of us.
She gazed around at the marina, which was fully booked for the biggest night of the regatta. Over 200 yachts and motor launches snuggled up to each other. There were several other parties on different boats across the marina, as the winners of each cla.s.s hosted their own victory celebrations. Lights twinkled against the dark backdrop of the island rising behind them in one direction, and the open waters of Whitsunday Pa.s.sage in the other.
Jo sighed. There are a couple of green stars I"d like to see twinkling right about now, she thought wistfully. But she didn"t have long to get introspective as a loud war-whoop announced the arrival of Paul by her side.
"We did it, Skip!" he yelled, picking her up bodily and spinning her around. "We kicked their b.u.ms!"
Jo giggled. "Put me down, ya big goon." He complied and she reached up to ruffle the big man"s blond curls. "We got lucky, Paulie. That"s all."
"That"s bulls.h.i.t, Jo-Jo," he protested, waving his stubby of beer wildly. "We could"ve given it away when we blew the mainsail. But we didn"t. You put us in the right place at the right time so we could have a go when we got a chance." He kissed her soundly. "And now Jen and I have enough for a honeymoon as well as a big party."
She grinned at him cheesily. "My pleasure, big fella," she said, patting him on the belly.
Someone below decks cranked the music up and soon the boat was rocking as 70-odd happy sailors settled in for a big night of partying. The skipper of the Bombardier-a bearded man with a pot belly-sauntered up to Jo and bowed deeply.
"Congrats, Jo-Jo," he said graciously. "You got us a good one. Jen"s just told me half your crew was a bunch of rookie Seppo tourists. You must"ve been training the b.u.g.g.e.rs for weeks."
Jo beamed from ear to ear, proud of the makeshift crew. "Actually, Jacko, we only decided on Wednesday to give it a go." She laughed as his jaw dropped.
"Well, b.u.g.g.e.r me," he said. "All power to you, Skipper, you deserve it." He shook her hand and pumped it vigorously. "We"ll get you next year though," he added, wagging a finger at her as he headed back into the crowd.
Don"t count on it, Jacko, she thought happily.
It was almost midnight as Cadie wandered back down the hill towards the marina. Parties were still in full swing all over the harbor, and she grinned at the thought of finally joining the Seawolf crew in its celebration.
She and Naomi had become separated in the crush of the dance party on the other side of the resort and she"d opted to make her way back to the boat, rather than try and find the increasingly intoxicated senator.
That"s my story and I"m sticking to it, she thought with a smile as she caught sight of the Seawolf. Is that... She laughed out loud as she recognized the figure halfway up the mast as Paul, hanging happily in a harness, singing his head off. Looks like it"s already been quite the night. Her eyes swept around the deck. No sign of Jo though.
She walked up the gangplank and waved at Jason and Toby who yelled their greetings as they cha-cha-ed past.
I"ve gotta get out of these heels, Cadie thought, as she stepped into the c.o.c.kpit and down the companionway. She emerged into the cabin to find Jo sitting with her back to her, head propped on the back of the sofa. n.o.body else seemed to be around, so Cadie tiptoed forward and slid her arm over Jo"s right shoulder, pulling the skipper close as she ducked down to whisper in her left ear.
"h.e.l.lo, sailor," she burred, kissing the rim of Jo"s ear softly.
"Mmm, h.e.l.lo gorgeous," Jo responded, tipping her head back even further to look up into green eyes. "You managed to sneak away, huh?"
"Mhmm, something like that." Cadie smiled down at the dark-haired woman, letting her fingers tangle in the long locks. Oh, I can"t resist. She bent again and took Jo"s mouth pa.s.sionately, her tongue probing as bolts of desire rushed through her as Jo responded in kind. Strong hands reached up and cupped her head, pulling her closer.
Jo groaned into the contact, aroused beyond belief by the blonde"s initiative. d.a.m.n this sofa, she thought blearily, wishing she could just pull Cadie over the back of the sofa and into her arms.
Cadie could taste champagne on the skipper"s tongue and she smiled as she gently pulled away. They rubbed noses and she kissed Jo lightly. "You all done partying?" she asked.
Jo leaned forward and picked up a cup of coffee. "No fenr," she answered. "Just getting my second wind," She loaned back and watched Cadie ease her high heels off her feet with a happy groan. "How about you?"
"Well, I"m done wearing these torture devices," she said. "I"m going to change into something more comfortable." She laughed at Jo"s raised eyebrow. "Not that comfortable, darling," she said, patting the skipper"s shoulder. "I want to get some fun in before Naomi figures out where I am."
Jo nodded. "Okay. I"ll see you back on deck." Jo drained her cup and stood up. "Unless... um..." She grinned wickedly. "Unless you need some help in there." Casually she wandered over to where Cadie was laughing, one hand on the cabin door.
"Oh, Jo-Jo, my love. Don"t tempt me." Cadie stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jo softly again. "But the way my luck is running, Naomi would swim by and crawl up through the head just to see what I was up to." She smiled regretfully as Jo nodded her agreement.
"Come up and celebrate with us, Arcadia," the tall woman said softly. "We missed you." She paused and cupped the blonde"s cheek again with a gentle palm. "I missed you."
Cadie pulled on her jeans. As she had been doing for close to a week, her mind turned over the problem of what to do about Naomi"s threats and demands. And as had happened every time, she ran into a brick wall. She smoothed down her shirt distractedly and looked around the cabin.
The drugs are the key. She"s threatening to plant drugs on the boat and blackmail Jo with them. So... She spun in a slow circle. She wouldn"t keep the drugs on her because...well, just because that"s too big a pain in the a.s.s for Naomi. And she"s barely set foot in other parts of the boat. I doubt she even knows where the crew goes at night. That leaves the main cabin, where anyone could stumble over it, or...in here.
She glanced down at her watch.
Just after lam. My guess is she"s going to be at least a couple more hours. Plenty of time to search this room from top to bottom.
Chapter Eleven.
The cell phone rang with obscene volume so close to Jo"s ear that it brought her upright with explosive speed. She cracked her head on the ceiling of the cramped crew quarters, driving her back down onto the bunk, hands pressed to her temples.
"Oowww. f.u.c.k."
She scrambled to silence the offending gadget. Sleepy hands fumbled as m.u.f.fled curses floated up from below where Paul and Jenny were curled up in a sodden ball together.
"h.e.l.lo?" Jo mumbled into the speaker, hoping she"d pressed the right b.u.t.ton.
She had.
"Is that Jo Madison?" came an unfamiliar male voice.
"It"s her pitiful outer sh.e.l.l speaking," Jo replied, wondering just how a hangover could possibly feel any worse.
"I"ll take that as a yes, then. Look, it"s Constable McDonald here, from the Hamilton Island police." Jo"s hangover got worse instantly. "We"ve got three of your pa.s.sengers here. One of them claims to be a US senator."
Jo groaned, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Are they lost or something?" she asked, wishing fervently the man would just go away. "Want me to come and collect them?"
"Oh no, Miss Madison, you misunderstand. They"re not lost. They"re arrested."
At the same time Jo was slamming her head into the ceiling of the crew quarters, Cadie jolted back to consciousness, face down, head buried under a pillow. You couldn"t really call that waking up, she thought fuzzily.
"Oh G.o.d," she groaned, not knowing quite what had woken her. Blearily she lifted her head, shoving the pillow off the bed with a flailing arm and revealing disheveled blonde locks. A sharp pain knifed through her brain. "Oh Jesus, Uke me now." Someone mean and vicious was pounding jungle drum between Cadie"s ears and it took half a minute for her to realize someone actually was knocking on the cabin door. "Come on in," she mumbled into the mattress.
Jo pushed open the door and gingerly stepped into the cabin. Her own skull was still feeling hollow. She walked carefully around the small piles of discarded clothing Cadie had obviously left on her way to bed. The tall skipper was stopped in her tracks by the sight of the pet.i.te blonde. Cadie wore a very brief set of pajamas, sporting tiny Winnie the Poohs.
Or is that Winnies the Pooh? Jo thought disjointedly as she took in the sprawled figure on the bed. The sheet was twisted around one of Cadie"s legs and the other was exposed all the way to the bottom of the blonde"s shorts. Now there is an instant hangover cure. Jo brightened considerably.
A bloodshot green eye peeked out from behind s.h.a.ggy blonde locks. "Are you the vindictive b.i.t.c.h who spiked my tequila with more tequila?" Cadie asked hoa.r.s.ely.
"That depends," Jo said, managing a half-smile at her friend"s obvious discomfort, "was that before or after you started that game of Fuzzy Duck?"
Cadie moaned piteously and Jo decided to be merciful. She stepped forward to help the blonde swing her legs over the side of the bed and sit up. Cadie had obviously been in no fit state when she put on her pajamas as the b.u.t.tons were misaligned, giving her a slightly off-centre look. My G.o.d, could she be any more adorable? She crouched down in front of Cadie and placed her hands on the smaller woman"s knees, relishing the warmth and softness under her fingertips.
Being upright seemed to make Cadie feel better and she reached up and swept her errant hair back off her face with one hand. The other she placed on top of Jo"s. For a few seconds the two women just enjoyed each other"s presence, reveling in their connection.
"Hi," Cadie said softly, smiling down into twinkling, if somewhat tired, blue eyes.
"Hi yourself," Jo replied. "Quite a night, wasn"t it?" She found herself in no particular hurry to break the news about the senator. Can"t think why.
"Mhmm. And I sure made up for getting to the party late, didn"t I?" Cadie winced as a memory of a particularly vigorous round of limbo resurfaced. "I guess my image as a perfect young lady is shattered for good, huh?"
Jo replied by leaning forward, placing herself squarely between Cadie"s legs. Funny how it doesn"t bother me when she does it, Cadie thought as a gentle wash of desire chased the worst of the hangover away. Jo"s hands slid up the blonde"s thighs and came to rest on her waist. Dark hair spilled against her chest as Jo planted the gentlest of kisses on Cadie"s breastbone, nuzzling a path between the folds of her pajama top.
She smells so good, Jo"s mind whispered as she brushed her lips across soft skin.
Cadie wrapped her arms around Jo"s shoulders, resting her cheek on the top of Jo"s head in a gentle hug. "Mmm you feel so good," the blonde murmured. She felt Jo smile.
"I was just thinking the same thing," Jo replied, letting herself float in a golden haze.
Suddenly Cadie"s brain caught up with the rest of her and green eyes blinked wide. "Ummm, Jo?"
"Mmm?"
"Where"s Naomi?"
d.a.m.n. Jo sighed and reluctantly pulled away from the blonde. She sat back down on the floor, resting her weight on her hands. "Well, that"s actually why I came to see you," Jo said carefully, unsure just how Cadie was going to react to the news.
"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this," muttered the blonde.
"Naomi, Larissa, and Kelli have been arrested for being drunk and disorderly and are currently sleeping it off in the Hamilton Island lock-up."
Cadie"s hands flew up to cover her eyes. "Aargh. s.h.i.t, Jo, this isn"t good." She dropped her hands and glared at the sprawled woman who was obviously having a hard time keeping the smile off her face. "It"s not funny."
Despite her best efforts, Jo"s grin widened and Cadie felt a giggle welling up from deep inside. "Stop it, Jo, don"t you dare laugh."
Wicked blue eyes twinkled back up at her through long dark lashes and Cadie felt the corners of her mouth twitching up into a matching grin.
"Stop iiit."
In a rush, laughter exploded from both women. Cadie doubled over while Jo collapsed back onto the floor, both helpless for a solid half-minute of merriment.
"Oh G.o.d," Cadie moaned, wiping tears from her face with the backs of her hands. "It"s not funny, really, darling. She"s going to be so p.i.s.sed."
That brought another hoot of laughter from the prostrate skipper. Running footsteps sounded above them as someone came aboard and then scrambled down the companlonwny.
"Skipper!"
"In here, Jen," Jo called back, sitting up. The Seawolf hostess trotted into the cabin, taking in Cadie"s disheveled appearance and Jo"s casual posture on the floor with barely a fleeting grin.
But then she was all seriousness.
"We"ve got trouble, ladies," she said, holding out a copy of The Weekend Australian, the country"s biggest, most prestigious newspaper. Splashed across the front page in glorious color was a six-column photograph of the Republican Senator from Illinois, hair askew, and eyes glazed. She held a martini in one hand, and a redhead-Kelli, looking like something the cat dragged in-was tucked under her other arm. Above the unflattering photo the headline screamed "Underworked, overpaid and over here!"
Even Jo winced. She handed the paper to Cadie who blanched and went very still. "That really isn"t funny," the blonde murmured. "This is the national paper, yeah?" Jo nodded quietly. "So the television networks will get to the story. And if the networks get it, word will get home before lunchtime."
"I went up to the resort to pick up some supplies," Jenny said. "There"s already a pack of journalists waiting outside the cop shop."
Jo looked up into pleading green eyes. Awww, s.h.i.t, how am I supposed to resist that?
Jenny was reading the accompanying story. "The good news is, there"s no mention of Cadie, so there"s a fair chance they think Kelli is the girlfriend."
Cadie groaned. "Not back home they won"t. So not only will they think Naomi"s a lush, they"ll think she"s cheating on me, too. Great, just great." She flopped back on the bed, arms crossed loosely over her eyes.
"Jen, go roust Jason and Toby," Jo said. "I have a feeling we"re going to need some spin control on this." She paused for thought. "Cadie, are Therese and Sarah criminal attorneys?"
"No," came the m.u.f.fled response, "but they"ll do. She"s going to need a lawyer."
Jo turned back to Jenny. "Get them up, too, mate."
"Aye aye, Skip," the crewmember said on her way out.
Jo ran her hands distractedly through her mussed hair as she tried to figure out what to do next. She looked up at Cadie who had pulled a pillow over her face and was trying desperately to shut out the world. Jo pulled herself up, then sat down on the bed and stretched out next to the blonde, propping herself up on an elbow. "Sweetheart."
"Tell them all to go away, Jo-Jo, pleeease?"
Jo smiled, reaching out a hand and sliding it under Cadie"s pajama top, searching for the soft skin of the blonde"s firm belly. Once there she started slow, soothing circles with her fingertips.
Cadie groaned subvocally. "Boy, you"ve really got my number, haven"t you?" she muttered sleepily, still holding the pillow over her face. Jo reached up and pulled it away, tossing it behind Cadie and smiling down at the blonde. "They"re not going to go away, are they?"
""Fraid not, gorgeous," Jo said softly. Her hand drifted back under Cadie"s shirt and she leaned down until their lips were just brushing. Tender b.u.t.terfly kisses nibbled at the corners of the smaller woman"s mouth and she let herself float in the tingling glow of Jo"s attentions. "I would give anything for some uninterrupted time with you, darling," the skipper whispered as their breath mingled. "But somehow..." Doors slammed out in the cabin and Jason and Toby could be heard yelling at each other. "...I don"t think today is the day."
"Cadie!" Jason called, and Jo rolled away from Cadie, standing up and walking out into the main cabin before the blonde could reply. "She"s getting dressed, mate," Jo said quietly, watching the American hurriedly pulling on a shirt with one hand while he tried to read the newspaper with the other. At least he hasn"t noticed I was in her cabin. AH I need is a report on that to the senator.
"Christ, this is a nightmare," he said worriedly. "What do we know, Jo?"
Jo shrugged. "Not much more than the story says. The cop told me they were at the dance party on the other side of the resort. There were a couple of thousand people. There was a bit of a scuffle late in the night and the cops moved in and grabbed who they could. Apparently there was some Ecstasy doing the rounds but he didn"t find any on our three girls. But as you can see," she nodded at the newspaper, "they weren"t exactly clean and sober."
Jason cursed under his breath and handed the paper to his partner who had just emerged from their cabin. Toby whistled softly, adjusting his gla.s.ses and running a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. "Have they been formally charged, Jo?" he asked looking up at the skipper.
Jo nodded a greeting to Therese and Sarah who arrived at that moment. "I"m not sure, mate. He said they"d been "arrested." Whether that means formally charged, I don"t know."