: The Phone Number

Looking at herself in the mirror, Kenzie bit her lips before taking a full turn. The dress Andrew had delivered to his suite was exactly who she was.

It was a comfortable off-shoulder pink dress and almost hugged her frame. Its flowing skirt reached just an inch above her knees. It was simple yet brings out the beauty in her.

Kenzie was willing enough to wear her red dress again and walk to her own cabin, but Andrew insisted that she wore something else. He did not want her to look like; she slept in another man’s room… which really did happen.

Except nothing happened.

After a knock on the door, she opened it and Andrew took a peek, asking, “Are you ready?”

Andrew, wearing a plain white t-shirt that semi-hugged his muscular frame, looked terribly gorgeous and while Kenzie had seen him change into this shirt, she can’t help but complain, ‘How can he looks so good in a simple shirt!’

‘Good thing I’m also smoking hot. We just… compliment each other,’ she calmly convinced herself.

As the two walked to the other side of the ship, where Kenzie’s economy room was located, plus several stories below, Andrew’s attention was on her. As for everyone else around them, they could not help but stare at two beautiful people walking alongside each other.

Andrew’s hand was always behind her back or around her waist. He was always clearing the path for her, calling the attention of any passersby that blocked their way.

They both agreed, they could use a good afternoon rest after their drinking escapade last night and Kenzie was not about to sleep in Andrew’s bed, not even if he offered to sleep on the couch.

Arriving at Kenzie’s cabin, Andrew bid goodbye, “Well, I guess I’ll see you later tonight. Dinner?”

Kenzie smiled brightly and answered, “Yes, dinner is lovely. On you? You are the rich one here.”

She bit her lip, thinking, ‘I’m not necessarily taking advantage, right? The guy pays for dinner. It’s always been that way.’

“No problem,” he replied. “Rest well... Just Kenzie.”

Andrew leaned forward and pecked the side of Kenzie’s cheek. She flushed and felt a strange sensation in her abdomen at the feel of his lips.

When Andrew pulled away, their eyes met, and they stayed still for a second or two, just staring.

“I guess I better leave,” Andrew suggested under his breath. He grinned and added, “Unless you are up for a staring contest which I am absolutely up for."

Chuckling, Kenzie looked down and answered, “Yes, I need to get some sleep. Thank you for walking me to my cabin."

When Andrew’s tall and sexy figure slowly retreated, Kenzie somewhat felt disappointed. Then it hit her! How were they ever going to meet up?

“Andrew! Wait!” She called, walking fast to catch up with him.

‘Wait. I’ve never offered my number to a guy before, let alone ask for his number!’ She thought about how to say it casually.

Kenzie pursed her lips and looked up to his light brown eyes and inquired, holding back a giggle, “Did I ever… did I ever help you with that phone book you are writing?”

Andrew chuckled, flaunting his sexy dimples, and replied, “Yes, you did, sweetheart. You willingly gave me your number.”

“I did?” She asked, panning her eyes from left to right, suprrised. “Hmmm… I just don’t remember I guess.”

“But I’m glad you helped me out with my manuscript! You were a big help,” he teased. “It’s going to be a best seller.”

“Haha! Whatever, Andrew. I guess I’ll see you later,” she said, finally waving goodbye.

*** FLASHBACK FROM LAST NIGHT ***

Andrew was getting nowhere with his phone book. No, sir. Kenzie was not giving him her number anytime soon, even with her already turning red from all the drinks she had consumed at two in the morning.

Kenzie just kept babbling about him, possibly turning to be another guy who might just hurt her. He recognized how she was badly hurt from whatever breakup she went through that she spoke of it in her drunkenness.

That was not important, however. Right now, he needed to get her number.

While he was confident they had formed a certain connection, there was always that possibility that she would hide from him for the entire two-week cruise after that night.

He certainly would not want that. He had to act fast.

Like on cue, a commotion starts distracting them, especially Kenzie, coming from the other side of the bar.

“Looks like a lover’s quarrel,” Kenzie remarked, directing her gaze at another couple, squinting.

“We should never quarrel,” she suggested before giggling.

“Never,” Andrew acknowledged, while he purposely placed his phone at the bartender’s countertop.

The bartender was left puzzled, but Andrew just silently gave him the “Work with me lad, look” and the guy did not object.

Just when the commotion was over, Andrew started looking around the back of his seat and searching from inside his pockets. He hissed, and it caught Kenzie’s attention.

“What’s up with you?” Kenzie asked with a frown.

“Erm… I can’t find my fucking phone,” he answered, getting up and looking down at the floor.

While already tipsy, Kenzie helped with the search and looked at the distant seats.

“Can you maybe ring my mobile for me, Kenzie? That would be a lot easier,” Andrew suggested while still feeling his clothes for any sign of his mobile. “You have W******p? There is no cellular service out here, but you can connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi.”

“Ah.” Kenzie paused for a second, barely able to hold her stance. “Gosh, I’m feeling dizzy.”

“Yeah, I have W******p.” When she finally caught up with what Andrew was asking, she asked for his number and she carelessly dialed it. “Opps! Opps! There you go. Haha! Ringing!”

They both turned to the left at the same time where, not very far, the bartender was shaking his head, realizing what Andrew was up to.

“Oh, my god! You could have said something. It was in front of you the whole time! I’m pretty sure you saw us and heard us, looking for his phone,” Kenzie berated at the bartender, and the guy glared at Andrew.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Honest mistake. The man is busy. My mistake mostly for putting it there.” Andrew quickly grabbed his phone and gave the bartender an apologetic stare. He knew he was bound to give the lad a big tip for keeping his mouth shut.

He helped Kenzie settle back into her seat and placed back his mobile inside his jacket pocket. He then suggested, “One more drink before we call it a night? How about a hard one, this time?”

“Huh?” Kenzie asked, bemused. She rested her cheek against her fist, leaning against the bar.

“Two vodka shots,” Andrew ordered, and handed one to Kenzie.

She was clearly having second thoughts, pouting her lips as she studied the drink. She took it anyway and grimaced dramatically at the end. It was clear to Andrew how she was not good at holding her drinks.

“That was nasty,” she remarked, sticking her tongue out before asking for water. "I guess... I'm just a wine person."

He watched as Kenzie drink a glass of water and then he playfully asked, “So, Kenzie… How about that phone number. Are you ever going to give me yours?”

Kenzie laughed. Her face was red as a tomato before answering, “Not a chance, buddy! You’ll have to try harder!”

With a smirk on his face, Andrew answered, “I knew you would say that.”

From the corner of his eye, Andrew saw how the bartender rolled his eyes at him, but he did not care. He still got her number either way. Besides, what were the chances that Kenzie might not remember it the next day? He was banking that she would not.

Still, it was better than letting Kenzie slip through his fingers... the second time around.

: Sad Blue Eyes

A week before the cruise.

"Are you sure we have everything ready, lad?" Andrew asked his assistant as they were picking up their belongings from inside the Starbucks Coffee shop of John F. Kennedy International Airport.

From the cafe, the two had reviewed the contract offer to the biggest production that may very well give him the CEO seat of his family's company, the KNW Lifestyle Media. They were planning on getting the rights to the series that had become popular in the US, hoping to bring it to England.

The comedy show was called "The Rich Asians." It featured several wealthy Asian families living in the US and their daily lives. The program was sassy, funny, and, surprisingly, included a lot of smart lessons in life. Which was exactly why it was a big hit.

The said series was so sensational in the US that Andrew was sure he would make serious money out of it if aired in Europe.

"Yes, Sir Andrew. We have it all here." Andrew's assistant, Wendell Reyes, clung to the documents and hugged them against his chest. "I'll keep them safe, Sir."

"Alright, Wendell." As Andrew put back his coat, he reminded, "We have one shot at this. We better get this right. Then you and I will both get promoted."

The two flew out to New York just so they could meet the sole producer of the show, Mr. Felix Song, and make a tempting offer.

They heard many stories of the said producer. They were told he was a traditional man, a man with honor and principles. They were told he and his family were not the kind to easily trust their money and hard work with just anyone. Thus, it required Andrew to be present himself, wanting to gain Mr. Song's trust.

He was the best man for the job.

Flying on a private jet, Andrew and Wendell purposely arrived two hours before their meeting so they could have ample time to compose themselves.

Nodding confidently, Andrew picked up his take-away coffee and said, "Let's go. Our limo should already be outside."

"Right," confirmed Wendell, as he placed the documents in his bag.

The two walked confidently, catching the eyes of many women as they made their way out, but just when Andrew thought everything was going according to plan, he bumped into a girl with blonde hair!

It was... a head-on collision.

"Bloody hell! Watch where you are going!" Andrew could not help but get annoyed, feeling the coffee spilled all over his extravagant suit. If that was not enough, he turned sideways and saw how some of his coffee had made their way to Wendell's clothes and bag.

Horror filled Andrew's eyes before turning to the girl who was responsible for all of this.

However, just as he was about ready to berate on her, he immediately caught sight of her wistful blue eyes.

It captured his attention in an instant.

It made him swallow his own spew.

His heart instantly clenched at the sorrow of her electric blue orbs.

Tears welled up in the girl's orbs as she attempted to apologize, "I'm - gosh, I'm terribly sorry. I - I wasn't thinking."

Her pointed nose was red, and her eyes were puffed. It was apparent to Andrew that she had been crying even before she bumped into him.

Almost immediately, his anger faded. "Are you - are you, okay?"

He realized the girl in front of him was in a state of turmoil, more than him... despite being soaked with coffee, and only an hour away from a very important appointment.

Andrew could not help but ponder what made this beautiful girl turn grim. From his point of view, sadness did not suit her eyes.

"It's her! I'm sure it's her!" He heard people say not too far that it made him look up.

He noticed how the girl looked away, hiding her face and covering them with her hands.

"I'm sorry. If I see you again, I'll make up for it, but... I really have to leave. I'm sorry, Mister." And before he knew it, the girl with blonde hair left him in the middle of JFK, stained with coffee all over.

Andrew Kentworthy never made it to his appointment. He couldn't make it in time to change clothes and get new copies of their company's offer to the show, "The Rich Asians."

He lost his big fat opportunity, but that did not bother him one bit. In the days that followed, his mind often drifted to the girl with blonde hair and sad blue eyes.

Somehow, he felt the dire need to make her smile and bring sparks to her eyes, but it was too late. He did not run after her. To him, it was a far worse of a lost cost than the contract for the famous TV series.

Little did he know, fate had it made. They were bound to meet on a two-week cruise... thanks to his grandmother.

When Andrew realized his grandmother had set him up on a date with Madelyn Wilson, he was determined to get off the cruise at one of its island stops. He did not care where or how, but he was banking on returning to work immediately.

However, on the night where he had spent at the bar, he met the same woman who spilled coffee all over him at JFK airport.

Slender hands grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her. She said, "Hi there, sweetie, there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

When she called him sweetie, he was ready to lash at her, but to his shock, that familiar electric blue eyes made his heart stop for a second.

'It's her.'

'It's definitely her.'

'And she doesn't remember.'

Then, in no time, he brought back a skill he once knew in college, one that he had not practiced for a very... very long time; flirting.

A smirk easily formed on his face as he answered, “Well, if it isn’t my lovely wife. I knew you could not get out of bed after what we did last night.”

Andrew figured, whatever game this girl was playing, he was in it to win it!

More than just practicing his humor and his pickup lines, he wanted to make her smile.

When he brought her to the dance floor and had a glimpse of her predicament, he learned she was heartbroken. He stared directly into her expressive orbs and said, “I’m sorry to hear that. His loss, definitely… Sad eyes do not suit you.”

: Wedding Rings

Back to the present.

“Hungry?” Andrew asked Kenzie as he walked alongside her by the corridors. His black hair was without a style, softly moving freely as they made their way to the restaurant.

She smiled with pursed lips, nodding while studying how his shirt loosely hugged his well-shaped body. She pretended to look down at her feet but peered sideways under her lashes, appreciating Andrew's long and masculine legs. They were well hidden beneath his faded jeans.

'Damn.'

Andrew was in simple clothes, yet he still managed to be guilty of being an adonis. How cruel was the world to the other men and how lucky was she to be walking with a possible demi-god? He looked too perfect to be human, or so she thought.

“ I wasn’t sure if you like fancy restaurants. So I decided we could go to a more comfortable – casual one,” Andrew revealed. It was his way of adjusting to her supposed simple life.

“Ummm. Yeah, sure. That would be great.” She immediately understood. “I mean, I – I totally am not for using too many silverwares when eating!"

She sneered towards the end as she gave a fake laugh, "Haha!"

‘Did that make sense? I hope he isn’t taking me to eat burgers and fries though,’ she thought silently because she wasn't really fond of fast food. Her mother made sure of that.

Walking closer to what it looked like an open-air seafood restaurant, Kenzie sighed in relief, but an angry-looking brunette quickly put her easiness to a stop who, out of nowhere, stood in their way.

“Andrew! My father called your grandmother, and he was told you don’t have a girlfriend. Thus!” Madelyn glared at Kenzie, her nose flaring as she declared, “You are not married to anybody. And especially not this one!”

Andrew was quick to push Madelyn aside and protect Kenzie with his arms. He held her tightly and forced her closer to his chest. He reminded, “We were in a secret relationship. I told you this already. We got married in secret and in fact! We are on our honeymoon. I only agreed to meet with you, thinking it was a business meeting while on this cruise!”

“Yes! We are, in fact… in our honeymoon,” Kenzie supplemented. She was already in this with Andrew since last night, she might as well play along.

Madelyn winced, taunting in resentment at the two and carefully studying their body language. Seconds later, she found something strange. Pointing at Andrew’s finger, she said, “Hah! You don’t even have wedding rings! And how about your marriage contract? Where is it?”

While Kenzie felt a lump in her throat, Andrew remained calm, merely shaking his head.

“We don’t need to explain anything to you, Madelyn. As for our marriage certificate, we don’t necessarily carry it with us as we go for dinner.” Andrew retorted. "Now, will you please, leave us in peace."

“Even she has no wedding ring or engagement ring!” Her eyes were fuming with passion, scowling at Kenzie. “It is too much of a coincidence that both of you are not wearing rings!”

‘Okay, Kenzie. Think!’ Kenzie shifted her gaze to Andrew and could tell that he was also formulating a plan. She took the liberty to start by explaining, “We had to take it off.”

“It was getting in the way,” Andrew added.

“Yes,” Kenzie backed him up, despite not knowing where it was headed. “It was… easier without the rings.”

“Getting in the way of what?!” Madelyn had to ask.

“Bloody hell, Madelyn! Can’t you understand? We are on our honeymoon! We were having wild sex, and the rings were getting in the way - getting tangled in the hair, scratching our skins - We just had to remove them!” Andrew gave his defense, squinting at Madelyn.

Yes!” Just as she agreed unwittingly, Kenzie stood frozen in her stance, turning tomato red. ‘What? What did he just say? Of course, he would say something sexual! Pervert and shameless!’

Kenzie could feel several eyes on them, probably having heard what Andrew suggested. She had never felt so ashamed in her life. ‘Wild sex? Seriously? How could wedding rings do so much damage? And he just had to say that out loud!’

“Sweetheart, let’s just go back and get our rings so we can satisfy Madelyn’s curiosity,” without waiting for any reaction from the brunette, Andrew grabbed Kenzie’s hand and sped away. It was clear to Andrew that Madelyn was hell-bent to make her point.

He knew he had to get those... wedding rings.

***

“What are we doing here, Andrew?” Kenzie asked, her tone reflected a hint of irritation.

Opening the door to the ship’s jewelry store, Andrew gently held Kenzie’s hand and answered, “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you don’t have to be upset. They don’t know us and we don’t know them. When they return to their homes, they will forget about the couple who had wild sex on their honeymoon that they had to take off their wedding rings.”

Kenzie’s mouth fell agape while being dragged inside. Andrew, on the other hand, just gave her a wink, followed by his usual sexy smirk.

“You are shameless!” She had to call it out.

“And you probably would not want it any other way,” he answered, chuckling and showing off his dimples.

‘Do I?’ She wondered, still upset, yet finding herself following Andrew’s lead. Her heart sank, realizing... he probably was right. He was fun that way; being shameless!

Heartbeats later, a gentleman attending to the store offered the couple various options for their instant wedding rings.

Several conditions need to be met. One, since they were only pretending, Kenzie insisted that it should be practically priced. Two, unfortunately, the rings, including her engagement ring, had to fit the description in the way Andrew had exaggerated earlier.

The wedding rings needed to be… believable.

“The rings have to have intricate details,” Andrew suggested, caressing his chin while studying the options.

With a hint of sarcasm, Kenzie added, rolling her eyes in Andrew’s direction, “One word. WILD.”

Andrew chuckled, ignoring Kenzie’s remark. He said, “More like a dangerous kind… Something that could potentially hurt.”

“Maybe a little sharp on the edges?” Kenzie added, raising a brow, and only then did Kenzie and Andrew look at each other. They both nodded in agreement before turning to the store attendant.

“Details so convoluted, it would get tangled in the hair,” Andrew described.

“And it must be something you can easily dispose of after its full use,” Kenzie explained, nodding her head. “So tell us, what do you recommend?”

The poor gentleman in front of them was left confused, shifting his eyes from Andrew to Kenzie. His forehead formed droplets of sweat, imagining what the two were up to. His lips trembled as he asked, “Are you… looking to buy a wedding ring?” His voice broke off as he added, “Or… a murder weapon? Ha. Ha.”

Dead air filled the space.

They could clearly hear the store attendant gulping in each second that passed.

Soon enough, however, Andrew cleared his throat and leaned over the glass display. He said to the gentleman in his most serious tone, "Listen, lad. It isn't what you think at all."

"Yeah, it really isn't. Pfft... I mean... How could rings be murder weapons?" Kenzie added.

"Yes, me and my wife... we... we simply have a fetish for going rough and wild in bed - Ahhh!"

A smack went across Andrew's arm and Kenzie yelled, "Andrew!"

Before the two could argue, the storekeeper sighed and assumed, "Oh, so you're also into BDSM. What do you know! Though, I haven't thought of using rings before. Haha! You know golden chains can make a good bondage. Would you like me to show you?"

The couple's mouths fell on the floor. Somehow, Andrew could not make a comeback and Kenzie thought, 'Why did the murder weapon sound better?'