Hearts Afire. Deborah Fletcher Mello

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      Chapter 3

      Something in the glass she was holding was guiding Maitlyn’s hips in a sexy shimmy that had the full attention of every man in the room. The reggae band performing on the stage had her mesmerized as she commanded the dance floor, her sensual moves in sync with the beat.

      Zak had taken notice of her the moment he’d walked into the ship’s nightclub. He had sat alone, and the ice in his drink was beginning to melt. A few days had passed since he’d last seen her and as he watched her from a table in the far corner of the room he thought back to earlier in the week when they’d first arrived together.

      She was still strikingly beautiful. Her distinctive traits acknowledged an African-Asian ancestry. Her features were soft and delicate against her warm complexion. Her eyes were slight and angular and her nose whisper thin. Her cheeks were full and high with deep dimples, and she had the most perfect, most kissable lips of any woman in the room.

      Her attire was conservative, a stark contradiction to the sultry gyrations that had the men in the room hovering around her like flies. Her loose, black cotton, button-up blouse and wide-legged slacks did nothing to flatter her figure. But with each shake of her hips a man could just imagine the lush curves and warm skin her clothes covered. As Zak found himself imagining, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

      Across the room Maitlyn had finally taken a seat at one of the front tables. Three men sat down beside her, each of them vying for her attention. Zak knew two of the men by name. Frank Barber was an attorney from New York City, and Gerard Bruner was a doctor from Zimbabwe. Both were opponents he’d be going up against in the poker tournament. The third man seemed most intent on diverting Maitlyn’s full attention away from her other admirers. For a brief moment she seemed quite enamored with the blond-haired man, with his striking good looks and deep blue eyes. And then suddenly she didn’t; something in her glass no longer fueled her fun.

      Zak’s radar suddenly engaged as he leaned forward in his seat. Although most of the room wasn’t paying an ounce of attention, he sensed that something wasn’t quite right as he closely observed the man who was pulling Maitlyn to her feet. Without giving it a second thought, Zak crossed the room in quick strides to where they’d been sitting.

      “Ms. Boudreaux, can I be of some assistance?” he asked, cutting an eye at the man who had one arm around her waist and the other clutching her elbow.

      Maitlyn shook her head from side to side. “I don’t feel well,” she murmured softly. Her eyes rolled skyward, her lashes fluttering.

      “I’ve got this, thank you,” her companion snapped as he moved to leave.

      Zak took a step to block his path. “And you are?” he questioned, meeting the man’s annoyed gaze.

      “None of your business. My wife said she wasn’t feeling well.”

      “Your wife?”

      “Do you have a problem with that?”

      The two men still seated at the table came to their feet. Frank Barber spoke first. “Mr. Sayed, it’s good to see you.”

      Zak’s gaze remained focused on Maitlyn’s new friend. He didn’t bother to respond.

      “Mr. Lloyd, this is Zakaria Sayed. Mr. Sayed, this is Alexander Lloyd and the young woman is a friend of ours. She’s not feeling well, and he was just helping her to her cabin.”

      Zak nodded ever so slightly. “Well, the young woman came on board with me, not Mr. Lloyd. And since she isn’t married, I know that Mr. Lloyd can’t possibly be her husband. And the fact that he lied makes me question his intent.”

      The blond-haired man bristled. “She’s a very close friend.”

      “I don’t feel so good,” Maitlyn repeated again in a brief moment of lucidness.

      “We appreciate your help, Mr. Lloyd, but I’ll take her from here,” Zak stated matter-of-factly.

      “I can take her—” the man started.

      Gerard Bruner interjected, cutting a stern eye at his friend. “Not a problem, Mr. Sayed. We were all just trying to be of some assistance.”

      Zak cast a brusque eye at the man, then gestured for one of the cruise ship’s employees. The man was at his elbow before he could even lower his arm.

      “Yes, sir, Mr. Sayed. Is there a problem, sir?”

      “Have the ship’s doctor meet me in my suite, please. Ms. Boudreaux isn’t feeling well,” he said as he moved forward, gently pulling Maitlyn from the other man’s grasp and sweeping her up into his arms. Instinctively she wrapped both of her arms around his neck and laid her head onto his broad chest.

      “Yes, sir. Right away, sir,” the man gushed as he hurried off.

      The man introduced as Mr. Lloyd scowled. Zak looked from Bruner to Lloyd again, who looked down, nervously adjusting his collar. Without another word, Zak turned an about-face and carried Maitlyn out of the club.

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