Page 1 of Faking It at Sea

1

JUNE

“What is this?” I asked, holding up the bundle of unfamiliar white fabric I’d found stuffed in my suitcase.

Missy gave me a mischievous smirk from where she was sorting through her own cache of cruise-ready clothing. “It’s a dress.”

“I can see that. What is it doing in my stuff?”

“What do you think? Shorts and tank tops aren’t going to cut it on this trip, June Bug. You need dresses on a cruise. That goes double when it’s an adults-only Caribbean cruise.” She tossed a ball of peach fabric onto the plush mattress in front of me. “Better yet, make that triple.”

Another bundle flew across the bed, shimmering in the wash of sunlight spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows in our ridiculously posh suite. Missy grinned at me like we were still those awkward tween girls sneaking into her brother’s high school parties.

A lot had changed since then. By the time my thirtieth birthday rolled around, we were polar opposites. She was on the heels of her second divorce and still convinced her happily ever after was out there somewhere, while I’d pretty much given up on the idea that I would ever find my one.

Sure, I’d dated a few guys long enough to sleep with them, but the connection I wanted—that undefinable spark—was never there.

Shaking out the silver gown, I winced at the strategically placed cutouts. “There is no way in hell I’m wearing this.”

“You’re right.” She marched around the king-sized bed, her straight blond locks swaying as she snatched it out of my hands. “This one is all me, but you are wearing the others.”

“Missy,” I said, shaking my head. “You have to stop spending money on me. I can buy my own dresses.”

She held up a manicured hand to shush me. “Three words: Adults. Only. Cruise.” She spread her arms out wide and spun in a slow circle, encompassing the spacious suite with its unhindered view of the open sea. “We are on a luxury cruise ship headed for paradise, with endless cold drinks, plenty of hot men, and if they’re very, very lucky, lots of mind-blowing sex.” She smacked her own pert ass and gave me a little wink.

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Missy was my ride-or-die girl, and her mood and confidence had always been infectious.

Still, sex with a total stranger that I would never see again? That was a hard pass.

The only reason I’d agreed to come on this trip was because she surprised me with the all-expenses-paid cruise for my birthday. A trip that was no doubt funded by the hefty settlement she received after catching her sleaze ball of a second husband in bed with another woman.

How was I supposed to say no? Especially when I knew she needed this trip more than I did.

I picked up the white dress and held it against my body. “All aboard theInfinity Voyager.”

“Yass, girl.” She smiled, and it was the first one I’d seen in a long time that wasn’t tinted with sadness.

“About the sex...” I ran my hand over the expensive looking duvet hugging her king-sized bed. She’d gone all-in with a two-bedroom suite, but that didn’t mean I had any desire to spend the next four nights listening to her get railed.

She shook her head. “Oh, honey. Not in here. This suite is a testosterone-free zone. If we get freaky, we do it in their rooms.”

I let out a sigh. “Good.” Because I wasn’t looking forward to coming back to the room ready to crash at the end of the day only to find her riding some random guy on the couch.

I’d seen that show in college. Once was enough.

Missy held up a pair of rose gold metallic heels before setting them next to the dresses. “These will go perfect with the peach one.”

“Please tell me you’re just letting me borrow them,” I said. That was one nice thing, when it came to shoes, we could share. Clothes? Not so much. As much as I might have learned to love my body, the laws of physics weren’t flexible enough to allow my curves to shimmy into her smaller clothes.

“If it makes you feel better, sure.” She shrugged and tossed another dress my way. This one was pitch black, slinky, and it felt like sin the moment my fingertips brushed the fabric. “We’ll start with those three. If you need more, we’ll hit the on-board boutique.”

“Missy, this is too much. We’re only here for four nights.” Plus, I was a grown woman with a good career, and perfectly capable of buying my own clothes. Just maybe not from the stores where she shopped.

“This is your first cruise, and it’s my first trip as a newly single woman. That means we’re doing this in style.” She flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “Besides, I can afford it.”

There was no point arguing with her logic. Her ex-husband might have turned out to be a bastard, but at least he was a wealthy bastard.

“In that case, thank you.”

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