Read Online The Tiger's Mail Order Mate (Paranormal Shifter Romance) by Jade White - Free Book Online

he was and how to help him minimize fatalities. At least Sonja had all the knowledge to help him wrangle his tiger self.
    Sonja got up and walked to the wheel. “Hey, how about you snooze and I’ll get us to the island. I’ll make sure we pull into the main pier and as soon as the tourists leave the ship we’ll go on and talk to the captain, sound good? Tourists usually spend a day at a stopover so we have time to get in and get hidden before any of them come back.”
    Russell smiled and yawned. “Thanks,” he said as he stepped away from the controls. “Changing always wipes me out, especially if I...”
    “Yeah...” Sonja said uncomfortably, “Let’s not talk about that part, okay?”
    “Okay.” Russell replied as he spread out on the fibreglass bench. He pulled the wool blanket over him, closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Russell startled as he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, we’re here.” Sonja said, as the sun crept over the eastern horizon.
    He sat up and rubbed his bleary eyes and looked around. He saw the cruise ship moored at the pier. No one had woken up yet so the area was deserted. Russell tied the boat to the dock and hopped off, followed by Sonja.
    “So, should we make a beeline directly to the ship and see if we can sneak on before the locals wake up?” She asked.
    “Sounds like a plan to me. I see one of the deck hands about to lower the gangway.” He replied as he casually strolled down the boardwalk. As much as he wanted to jog towards freedom, he didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention.
    They reached the gangway and walked up to the man who was standing at the top. “Excuse me, sir,” Russell greeted, “I was wondering if you guys needed any more help, my lady friend here is a good housekeeper and I’m no slacker in the kitchen. I can definitely wash dishes and chop up stuff for the chef.”
    “We had a couple of people ditch us at our last stop.” The man said, looking around to see if anyone was listening. “We could use you, for sure, how much are you wanting to be paid, just so I can let the captain know, I’m one of the chief stewards, so I’m the one who hires the new folk”
    “Nothing except a bed and food for each of us.” Sonja replied. “We don’t even care if we get tips.”
    “The way it works is, all tips get put in a pool and divided up among the crew at each stop. You’ll get some cash, regardless.” The steward said as he ushered them into the belly of the ship. “The crew sleeps down here. We have the racks for men and racks for women, it’s kind of set up like the navy. Shared quarters. There is always someone sleeping in here at all times, so be quiet and respectful and you won’t make any enemies.” He looked pointedly at Sonja, “and you, miss, if you have any special friends that buzz, don’t use them, we’ve had a few complaints about other women being kept awake at night.”
    Sonja looked at the steward with an arched eyebrow and nodded.
    “Alright, I’ll go to the main office and get you your contracts while you two get settled in. After you sign, I’ll bring each of you to your assignments and you can get to work. We do most of our work while the guests are ashore. It’s just more efficient that way.”
    Sonja and Russell nodded as they went to their respective bunks to put their stuff away. Sonja took a bit longer to put her things away and Russell grew worried. He breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the women’s quarters. “What took you so long?” he asked.
    “I still have that SD card, remember? I don’t want anyone finding it.” She explained.
    “Makes sense. I guess we’re supposed to wait here until the steward comes back with our uniforms, I guess. I’ve never wanted to go on a cruise, to be honest. I spent enough time at sea with the Navy to last a lifetime.”
    “Well think about it this way.” Sonja purred as she draped her arms around his shoulders. “One last trip to