Read Online All the Pretty Poses by M. Leighton - Free Book Online Page B

She’ll be in
entertainment. Serving as well if extra help is needed. Kennedy,
this is Brian. He’s the on-board trainer and the person who will be
keeping you conditioned during your stay.”
    “It’s nice to meet you, Brian.”
    “Likewise,” Brian says with a broad
smile.
    Karesh nods to me. “I’ll see you in one hour
for dinner in the rotunda.”
    “Thank you, Karesh,” I say before he walks
off. Smiling, I turn to Brian who’s holding my big suitcase. “I’ll
take that.”
    As if it weighs nothing, Brian picks up the
case with one hand, keeping it out of my reach as he holds me off
with the other. “Nope. I’ve got it. I’ll be working those muscles
of yours soon enough.”
    He gives me an engaging smile as he walks
past me to deposit my suitcase on the bed. He turns, dusting off
his hands, and winks at me. “Welcome aboard, Dorothy. You’re not in
Kansas anymore.”
    I’m surprised when he kisses my cheek on his
way back out the door. I’m sure I’m wearing an expression that says
as much as he closes the door behind himself, leaving me standing
in the middle of my new room, pondering his strangely familiar
behavior.
    In the quiet moments following his departure,
I realize three things about Brian. One, I don’t think he meant
anything derogatory by the Dorothy comment. Two, something in my
gut tells me he’s gay. And three, I like him already. That
seemingly-innocuous trio of tiny details puts me at ease and gives
me a better outlook on the coming summer than any I’ve had so
far.
    Finding someone that I can be friends with
has never been easy for me. Trust issues aside, I’m reserved right
up to the moment I feel very comfortable in someone’s presence,
which makes it difficult for people to get to know and like me.
It’s something I learned long ago and have come to terms with. It’s
also something that has made me appreciate those who I can call “friend,” those who gave me a chance, who stuck it out until I
loosened up. They’ve turned out to be some of the best people I’ve
had the good fortune of filling my life with, and I treasure them.
It’s probably no coincidence that they’re all older people, like
Tanny, Malcolm and Clive. I get the feeling that I’ll soon be
adding the much-younger Brian to that list, though. And I’d like
nothing more than to be right. We’ll see how that goes. But for
now, he’s managed to make me feel welcome and at ease, and I
desperately needed that.
    I go about getting settled in my room,
quickly discovering that there are all sorts of interesting uses of
space, like storage for instance. There are drawers tucked under
the bed and under the sink, which is a good thing. I didn’t bring that much stuff, but I wouldn’t have enough room to store it
all if I’d been given one of the group rooms, especially once I see
that the closet is full of clothes already.
    I can only assume they are for me. Not only
are they brand new and all in my size, but they look like things
I’d wear to dance. My style exactly. Whoever Reese has working for
him is very good!
    Among the costumes, though, are some
beautiful gowns and very nice formal wear. I don’t know what I’m
expected to wear the items for, but I suppose someone will tell me
when the time comes. For all I know, Reese may have his service
staff wear things like that. On a boat like this, nothing would
surprise me.
    But for tonight, my first night on board with
no idea what to expect at dinner, I dress in something of my own—a
pair of soft moleskin pants in chocolate and a sleeveless blouse in
cream. It’s the kind of outfit that can be worn in a wide variety
of situations without making me stand out.
    I brush out my hair until it hangs in shiny
waves around my shoulders and give my lips a fresh coat of gloss.
Other than that, I’m going as is. I have no one to impress.
    After only five minutes of being cooped up in
my tiny room with a window that I can’t see out of unless I stand
on the bed,