Page 24 of Total Ship Show

As the elevator doors close and I get that last glimpse of her, I’m rewarded with the sound of her caught-off-guard belly laugh and it is everything.

Kohen:Did you make it to the ship? Are you a lonely mother fucker or did you succeed in what you were looking for?

Me:Koh, I might be the luckiest son of a bitch you ever met.

Kohen:I’ll take that to mean you found a girl? Or something happened and your family didn’t make it on time?

Me:I found a girl. And she’s hot. AND…she laughs at my goddamn jokes!

Kohen:Marry that girl, Aris!

Me:LOL! Right?

Kohen:Where did you meet her?

Me:Airport. When she dropped her sparkly pink dildo and I picked it up.

Kohen:*GIF of black dog turning its head* You’re joking.

Me:I never joke, Koh. Jk, that’s a lie obviously. But no. Not joking. Incredible story and just so happens we ended up on the same ship. It gets better. Tell you more later.

Kohen:You are indeed a lucky son of a bitch. See ya.

CHAPTERSEVEN

ADRIENNE

The elevator doorcloses to whisk me down a few more decks and I immediately feel a twinge of loss. Aris and I were having so much fun together today I sort of hate to leave him even if it is just for the night. When the elevator doors open there is a small group of partiers waiting to get on. Dressed in all sorts of sparkly outfits from crop tops to miniskirts, these ladies are definitely ready to party.

“Excuse me, ladies.” I smile at them as they form a path between them for me to get through. “Thank you so much. Have fun tonight.”

Many thanks from each of the excited women allow me a moment of reprieve. A momentary reminder of the fact I’m on a party ship to live life, let go, and have some fun this week.

And thank God I found a guy willing to have some fun with me.

This cruise might be just what I need to reconnect and recharge before another busy fall season of auditions. I’m content and smiling as I round the corner to head to my stateroom but stop in my tracks when I see the couple standing outside the door next to my room.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I whisper, cringing to myself. I know I lied to Pippa about already having been to my stateroom, but I never once considered her room number when she told me.

Fuck.

Pippa leans against the door, her lips locked with my douchebag of an ex. His hands roam up her sides and then he lightly pulls at the strap of her dress. Pippa giggles and then I watch James open their room door and retreat inside.

Gross!

As soon as I know they’re in, I sprint to my room and unlock the door practically throwing myself inside. I cannot afford to be spotted by Pippa and James without Aris next to me. There’s no way I’ll be able to talk myself out of why we’re not sharing a room. I hop into the shower and close my eyes under the warm water, trying as hard as I can to allow my stress and anxiety over this trip to wash away. The thought of another whole day spent with Aris getting into whatever mischief comes our way brings a smile to my face and a spark of nervous anticipation to my chest.

Tomorrow can’t come fast enough.

Stepping out of the shower, I dry myself off and wrap my body in a towel. I grab my cell phone and shoot a text to Dove and Joaquin.

Me:YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHO IS ON THIS CRUISE! That’s right…it’s Dildo guy!! Omg you guys, I can’t WAIT to fill you in on everything that happened today but let’s just say this is gearing up to be a spectacular week! Hope to talk to you both soon. Love you!

Knowing they may not see my text and I may not get a response until we’re closer to our next port, I lay my phone on my nightstand and plug it in to charge overnight. Since there’s nobody here with me and I’m feeling kind of free, I pull off my towel and climb into bed completely naked, eager for the feeling of the cool sheets against my body. I don’t always get to sleep naked at home. Partly because I live with Dove and who knows what company she might bring home, but also because I never know when someone is going to pull the damn fire alarm in our building. Could be a stupid kid. Could be someone high on their drug of choice or someone could smell Mr. Horner’s burnt chili from the hallway and pull it as a precaution. Tonight though, I’ll snuggle comfortably in my cool room and hopefully dream of Dr. Hottie McFuckme and those friendly gray eyes as I drift off to sleep.

“Oooooh yeah, Jamesey…yeah. Yeah. Yeah.”

Jamesey?

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