Trapped in Paradise Read Online Free PDF Page A

about it. I’ve been tripping all afternoon. I was on the elevator and realized Rochelle Alers was standing beside me. I just about fainted.” She turned her cell phone screen for Saundra to see. “Look at this picture I took of you two. Would you like me to send it to your phone?”
     
“Oh thank you, I’ll have to forward it to my sister. She’s a huge romance fan.” She gave her the cell number.
     
“I’m not trying to get into your business.” She keyed in Saundra’s cell number. “But why would you let one bad relationship turn you off relationships all together?”
     
The price of this picture was a little bit too high for Saundra, but it was too late. There was a no return policy on it.
     
The young woman lifted her hands slightly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked such a personal question. Don’t answer.”
     
“Oh no. It’s okay. I wish I knew the answer.”
     
“It’s such a calm night. Give it some thought. I’m sure it’ll come to you. By the way, my name is Reba.”
     
“I’m Saundra, pleased to meet you.”
     
“I hope to see you at the conference.” She stuffed her cell phone into her back pocket. “Let me get back inside and see who else I can just about faint over.” She chuckled and headed for the door.
     
Saundra relaxed on the lounge chair and looked over the calm sea. The sun had set a while ago, yet she still hadn’t gone to her room. She had been told the porters would place her bags outside of her door. She smiled, thinking she might just want to head on down to her room before she had to purchase a new wardrobe.
     
Why is it so hard? Why can’t I move on? She picked up her purse and the two books she’d carried around with her. With four more days of her cruise left, there was plenty of time to do some serious internal scanning for the answers.
     
As beautiful as it was large, the Destiny was a magnificent ship. Whoever wrote the brochure wasn’t kidding when they said the ship was as long as three football fields. Saundra would venture to guess she had walked just about all twelve decks. Once she finally found her room, she was past ready to call it an early night. Just as she had been told, her bags were sitting outside of the cabin door.
     
She slipped in the keycard and entered the room. To her surprise, tall, dark, and all too fine was exiting the bathroom with nothing on but a towel wrapped around his waist. A million and one thoughts flashed through her mind in the blink of an eye from full-blown lust to, “Am I being stalked?”
     
He stopped mid-stride.
     
“What are you doing in my room?” they said in unison.
     
 The confusion in his eyes verified he wasn’t some sort of high-tech, psycho stalker, but that didn’t explain why he was in her room.
     
He brought her bags into the room fully through the narrow entranceway and closed the door. “What’s going on?”
     
Dazed, she sat on the bed. No author would write a plot this unbelievable. “This isn’t adding up. This is past coincidence. Cruise lines don’t make this type of mistake.” She closed her eyes as tight as she could and prayed harder than she had in years that what she thought happened hadn’t really happened.
     
“I was supposed to fly first class but switched to coach,” she said timidly. “When I boarded, the seat next to yours was empty. Was it ever filled?” She peeked his way.
     
He shook his head no.
     
Dread filled her. “There’s only one explanation.”
     
“Miranda,” they said in unison.
     
“She’s dead meat!” Saundra pounded the bed and rose. Fury at an all time high, she paced the thin walkway from the door to the window. “What in the world was she thinking? Who does she think she is? How could she?” she verbally shot off faster than a speeding bullet. “Trapped. I walked right into her trap.” So disgusted she trembled, she bit out, “I knew she was up to something. I knew it!”
     
 “I had a feeling she was up to