Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
W hen he’d received his confirmation of room accommodations for the cruise, Alexander hadn’t really known what to expect. The last time he’d been on a cruise ship had been for his parents’ twentieth anniversary and he and his brother had been forced to share a stateroom together. He’d spent as much time outside of the room as possible, returning only when it was time to sleep. Channing had never been much of the ‘sharing’ type, unless you counted the line of women who had shared his bed during the cruise and Alexander had been hard pressed to find any time to sleep in the middle of the revolving door.
But this, this was an entirely different situation. After the steward had shown him to his room, he’d taken the time to sit and relax for the first time in weeks. He’d left the remote on the bedside table and looked out through the parted curtains to see the sky stretching out into the horizon. There weren’t any clouds in his vision, but it was the seemingly ending blue that caught his interest the most. Like a freshly cleaned white board in the boardroom of Wen Publishing, it was a sky full of possibilities and options. Just what he needed after Sela. Oh, Sela had been beautiful. A pageant queen with a family background so entrenched in American Industrial wealth she sparkled like firecrackers under the stars, but every time they talked, she tried so hard to please him she would have nothing to say.
Dropping his legs down over the edge of the bed, Alexander got to his feet and crossed to the bathroom, tugging at the knot of his tie and pulling it loose as he twisted the faucet on.
The hot water was a brilliant rush of energy against his skin and shocked him out of the bad memories. He didn’t need to think about Sela. She was behind him.
What he had to focus on was the upcoming welcome dinner.
It was exactly the kind of situation that put him on edge. When he dealt with someone in the matter of business or possible relationships, he did his homework. He didn’t just toss their name into the browser, no he dug into their past to make sure he knew who he was dealing with.
No, he didn’t have compromising photographs or videos, but in his world, information was key.
So, while he couldn’t know who he was about to meet as his potential match, he did his homework on the matchmaking service. They were the top. There wasn’t anyone who could do half of what they could. And he really needed help.
He wanted a wife. He wanted a family.
He was just tired of weeding through the endless pool of women that always seemed to be there as options, but no one had really come close to his heart, getting under his skin in a way that made her a part of him and not an irritation.
And he’d been around the world a number of times, and no one had managed more than superficial conversations and smiling at cameras on red carpets.
Just once, he wanted-
Beep Beep Beep
His phone alarm sounded from the main room, and he blew out his breath. It was time to start getting ready. The staff was going to bring up his evening suit, freshly pressed. Crossing to the bed, he turned off his alarm and picked up his toiletries case from his suitcase before heading back into the bathroom.
He was looking forward to the evening. After that… he’d see.
One step at a time.
The men were expected to show up early for the introductory dinner. That didn’t bother him. He was used to showing up early to most events. It wasn’t just to be considered on time, he liked to have some time to get his bearings and to make sure there weren’t any surprises.
In his experience, surprises didn’t work in his favor.
One more turn and he’d be at the assigned meeting room for the men. If truth be told, he was looking forward to meeting the other men. Knowing that he wasn’t the only man rolling the dice on his future with this cruise helped to relieve some of his… worry. He wanted to know who else was in his situation.
Oh, he’d seen the happy, smiling faces in the advertising brochure. It was reassuring, but there was that worry. The ‘what are people going to think about me’ or the ‘what if I can’t make this work either’ thoughts that had plagued him since agreeing to the cruise. He just didn’t want to be-
The elevator along the wall chirped a little electronic ping and he slowed his steps to allow the elevator to empty.
Several men exited and one of them met his eyes with a nod. They were wearing suits similar to his, all designer, all impeccably tailored. The one surprise of the group was a woman on the arm of the oldest gentleman in the group. He only caught a glance here and there of her as the group turned and moved off along the hallway, but what he did see, he liked. Her heels were demure, but the length of leg he saw beneath the uneven length of her hem was surprisingly muscular. Athletic perhaps, but still beautiful in its form. The hand that laid across the older man’s coat sleeve was slender and don’t ask him how he knew, was graceful even though it was still.
H e wasn’t a man who poached from other men, but there was something inside of him that hoped she was there with her father, or perhaps a friend of the family.
She turned her head to look up at the older man and laughed, the echo of her laughter reached Alexander’s ears and left him with a strange feeling in his chest.
He started forward, wondering if he might be able to get an introduction before he had to meet the other men in the conference room.
"Alex?"
He stopped short when he heard someone call his name.
"Alexander?"
The voice sounded… familiar. And he turned slowly on his heel.
"Alexander Wen! I would know you anywhere."
And he knew her too.
"Blair?" It wasn’t really a question.
Blair Sexton had been a colleague for years. The lead editor at a competing publishing house, they’d had a friendly rivalry over acquisitions and sales, but they’d never ‘quite’ crossed the line into low blows like some other competitors had. "What are you doing here?"
She struck a pose that made her look like she was standing on the red carpet of the Academy Awards in a couture gown. "I’m here to see you, of course."
He saw the gleam in her eyes and narrowed his gaze at her. "To see me."
Blair walked toward him, her legs on magnificent display between the mid-thigh hem of her dress and her sparkling shoes. "That’s right, Mister Wen. I’m your match!"
Well, that was unexpected.
Looking over his shoulder, he gestured in that direction. "I was heading to the room for the introductions… but you’re telling me-"
"You’re mine, Alex." She laid her hand on his shoulder and her chin on her hand so she could look into his eyes with a coquettish lift of her brow. "So we can bypass this little… production, don’t you think?"
He smiled at her brash announcement, but he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. "How do you know?"
She gave him a look that said he wasn’t keeping up. "It’s the same way I got Andrew Karstairs to publish his book with us last year. I did my research."
Alexander opened his mouth to ask a question, but she rolled right over him.
"You’d be surprised the things I know… and the people who get me that information." She leaned back and kept her eyes fixed on him as she slid her hand from his shoulder and trailed her fingertips over his bicep and down to the bend of his arm. "I’m not a woman who likes to walk blindly into any situation, Alex. You should know that by now.
"Before I even agreed to go on this cruise, I made sure to take a good look at the options in their databases. And as soon as they matched us up in their computer, I knew about it." She tugged on his arm, and he moved along with her down the hall. "You really should get better people, Alex."
He didn’t say much for a few moments, letting all of the pieces fall into place before he spoke. "You’re telling me that you hacked their computers?"
She tilted her head back and laughed.
The slight toss of her head brought his attention to the diamond earrings dangling from her earlobes and against the warm tan she always seemed to have regardless of the season. When she turned her head to meet his eyes again, he could see the flint-like gleam. "Oh, please!" She gave him a little wink. "I have people for that. You won’t find me squinting at a computer screen."
There was a surety in her voice and certainty in her eyes. Alexander knew from experience that she was not a woman who liked being questioned.
Tilting his head to the side he gave her a long, considering look. "So, what are we to do now if you’ve… bypassed the ‘blind date’ part of this evening?"
Sliding her arm through his, she cuddled up to his side with an elegant sigh that was just short of ennui. "I suggest we go to the dining room where the women were told to gather. I know the chef. He’ll make sure we’re fed."
But of course she knew the chef. Was there someone Blair didn’t know on this ship?
"Why do I have the feeling that you’re trying to get me into trouble?"
" Moi ?" Her laughter was a little more like a bark than he’d remembered and the sound pinched at the base of his neck. "You darling man! I’m trying to get us both in trouble."
He heard the meaning in her tone and understood exactly what Blair was trying to tell him, but while they knew each other for years, a relationship, emotional or physical was not something he was going to rush into. He wanted real. He wanted heartfelt. And he certainly wanted the kind of long term love that people jokingly referred to as ‘Happily Ever After.’ His parents had stumbled into it in their time, he was determined to find it… somehow.
As they began to walk, Alexander turned to look at her and while she was extraordinarily beautiful, there was something that was bothering him. "Blair?"
"Hmm?" She almost purred the sound.
"If you had someone sneak a look into the computer, what chance is there that you made sure we were matched together?"
With her free hand, she gave him a whack on the arm. "Alexander Wen! I can’t believe you said that!"
He gave her a pointed look and she managed to soften the stark outrage of her expression. They both knew how competitive she was.
"Fine, I can see why you would ask the question, Alex." She leaned into his arm as they continued to walk and looked up at him through the long lengths of her bangs. "But other than discovering the match ahead of time, this is all Martina’s doing."
He believed her. For the moment.
But a woman capable of hacking into his office computers was someone worthy of caution. He’d make sure to speak to Martina as soon as possible and make sure everything was on the up and up, but there was something to the idea of the match, he supposed. He’d always admired Blair’s drive. He just hadn’t known exactly how much effort she put into getting what she wanted.