Five: The Ludus Club

Roman was telling the truth when he said he was on that cruise for a job. He was 26 years old, single, and prefers women who are older than him. When he spotted Olivia by the side of the pool, his mind was fixed on her. She's beautiful. He couldn't get her off his head.

When he said he wasn't following her, he was lying. The first thing he did after the initial sighting from the upper deck was to find out who the strikingly attractive woman in blue whose eyes have met him and send shivers down his spine.

Adele Leighton, suite 401, staying alone, and nothing more. He had to conjure up his own theory based on that limited information. Suite 401 was a confirmation that she was a lady of leisure, only those who come from a certain social class can afford that cabin if it can be called a cabin at all. It resembles a Presidential Suite in a New York fancy apartment.

She was alone, which ignited many speculations in him. But he was much too intrigued to make his own assumption so he took the courage to approach her at dinner that night.  She wasn't interested, which made it even more challenging for him, she was not a lonely rich woman looking for a boy toy. Now he had to pursue her.

The next morning he was out with his camera knowing she will be having breakfast and continue her day to look for dolphins. With his wits and charms, he found out her itinerary for that morning through the front desk, claiming he needed to interview her for the company profile.

He took candid pictures of her at the dining table enjoying her fruit salad, a piece of toast and smoked salmon with cheese, and a good cup of hot coffee. He zoomed in her lips as she devoured her meal. The tip of her tongue slowly caught the red ripe strawberry from her fingers. The sunlight reflected from the window onto her face. Her long lashes blinked solemnly sheltering the gentle sadness in her eyes. She was gorgeous.

At the deck, her hair was blowing in the wind along with her sheer white cover over her bathing suit. It was a breathtaking view from where he stood, he felt something warm in his lower belly. He took some pictures too before her hat flew off to his chest.

Adele Leighton ... the more he talks to her, the more he wants to know. As if his whole existence on that boat was to find her. Like a hunter to his prey, only the prey has gotten under his skin and crawled into his vein, and he's yet to find out if she was toxic or venomous.

**********

He took snaps of his surroundings at the Club that night. It wasn't the usual nightclub scene like the ones they have on land. Onboard of Ludus, the club was lit with dim yellow lights. The room resembles a small wedding hall with tables on the sides filled with Hors D'oeuvre, cocktail drinks, chips, peanuts, and what have you.

People are standing around talking to each other in friendly manners dressed in beautiful clothes. The middle part of the room was cleared for them to dance later in the evening. There's a stage where a band is playing soft music and an MC directing everyone how the event was going to go. It was more like a cocktail party.

Roman checked his camera every once in a while to see if he got good shots of the beautiful people in that room. Flirtatious eyes looking back at him from the girls he's been in contact with since he took the job for Ludus.

He was a freelancer, and some of those girls were employees at Ludus's office. They volunteered to be the models for the company profile, other than the free luxurious trip on the cruise, they were doing it to be close to the handsome photographer that will be on board with them for 9 days.

Girls are fun, but also clingy. They're whiny and entitled because they don't know what they really want, not yet. Women, on the other hand, are more composed, well-balanced, well-rounded. With older women, relationships are less dramatic because they are emotionally more stable and don't give a shit about silly things men do that girls find annoying.

He finds himself more comparable with women who are older than him. They have so much more to offer because of their life experiences, they don't look for men to take care of them because they know what they want. And in Adele's case, he was hoping that what she wanted was him.

When Adele finally stepped into the Club wearing a casual designer's outfit, his heart fluttered. He felt his stomach turned, then he realized just how infatuated he was with the brunette who looked even better without make-up on. He held his breath for a second and gathered his composure before approaching her. He had to snatch her away from the get-go before anyone else tried to talk to her.

"Look who finally shows up," he spoke softly near her shoulder from the back.

She was startled, "Oh ... God ... I didn't see you there," she burst out in a laugh not realizing she was slowly driving him insane with every little thing she did. She put one hand on her chest to steady her heartbeat.

His eyes fell softly on hers, he smiled, "I'm sorry, didn't mean to startle you ... glad you can make it."

She raised an eyebrow and tilted one side of her lips, "I don't really have anything better to do." She looked around, "This is definitely not what I expected, I thought there will be loud music and laser beam attraction or something."

He chuckled, "Not at all, I told you it's more fun this way, people can actually talk to each other."

She nodded, she tucked her hands in her jeans pockets.

He could tell she was hiding her nervousness too and that was a good sign. He's not the only one who was anxious. He stole a shot of her timid expression.

She raised her palm, "Oh no, please ... no pictures."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it ... it's my job and you look ... stunning."

She looked at him for a moment. The way he said it was honest, he wasn't saying it to be polite, he said it because he felt something from looking at her. She smiled, "Thanks." She wanted to reciprocate, but she didn't want him to misconstrued it for flirting. She knew she had to be very careful with this man and not let him think there could be more than what they're doing, socializing.

Roman was tip-toeing around her, he didn't want to come off as aggressive. He could sense her reluctance since the beginning but his desire for her is growing too strong to ignore. He showed her around the room, introduced her to every dish served on the tables. He tried to impress her with his knowledge about every single detail of artworks that were hanging on the walls and the artists behind them.

He made sure he was the only person she would know well enough on the ship to come to for everything she needs. They ended up at the bar to enjoy some drinks. Another gentleman was there, his head turned to look at the beautiful woman sitting next to him. He soon turned away when Roman gave him a sharp look, a gentleman's code for their territorial marking.

"For new friendships," Roman proposes a toast.

They clinked their glasses together.

"I hope you don't mind some company, I know you're here to enjoy yourself," he took a sip of his drink. "Only women who are independent and courageous would take on a solo trip for nine days, I really admire you for that."

She smiled, "Thank you ... I used to go on solo trips all the time when I was younger."

He raised his brows, "That can't be too long ago."

She laughed softly, she was immune to men trying to seduce her with sweet words, but with Roman, she was letting her guard down a bit. "I haven't done this for a long time ... I kinda miss it."

"Who wouldn't? Solo trips are the best, you can go wherever you want, and do the things you like without consulting a traveling partner or ... debate about where you want to eat, and most importantly ... you can meet new people."

There was a sparkle in his eyes whenever he looked at her that made her nervous.

"True ... but ... I'm not looking for anyone ... I'm just here to loosen up."

He pursed his lips, she was warning him to stay back and he finds it amusing.

"I've been working day and night for months setting up my new business, I thought it would be nice to take a break before it opens next month," she sipped on her drink.

"That's fantastic ... What business are you running?"

"An interior design studio ... I do home decor and renovation."

He nodded, "What is it called?"

She shrugged, "I'd rather not say."

"Why? Is it a secret?"

She was struggling to find the right words to say, she didn't want him to know who she really was. "No ... I just prefer not to share it, I hope you understand."

He thought about it for a moment. She was harder to pursue than he thought. "Of course, in any case ... I wish you all the success for your business, I'm sure you deserve it."

They clinked their glasses again.

"Since you are here to loosen up," he extended his hand, "Would you like to share a dance with me?"

She blushed away, "Oh ... no ... I'm not ... I can't."

"Come on ... this will make you less tense from all the hard work you did and the humongous tasks that are waiting for you back home ... I'll try not to step on your toes."

She hesitated. She really didn't want to dance with a stranger. But his eyes ... his smile ... he was breaking into a cute dance move just to get her to step down from her stool and let go for a little while. He made her laugh.

"I promise, I won't try anything stupid, come on ... Adele ... just enjoy yourself with a dance, it's not like you can dance on your own ... it's just two strangers who are traveling alone trying to have fun with each other." He reached out to her again and waited for her to take his hand.

She looked at him. Deep down inside she knew it was a terrible idea. He has a face she couldn't quite look away from. He was a charmer, if she took his hand, there will be more of it to come in the next few days. She wasn't sure how well she could handle the situation. On top of that, he was young. Much too young to be hanging out with her.

Roman was spinning around in front of her and moving with the music, "I hope you're not planning to sit there all night and drink the bar dry," he laughed. "I would have to carry you back to your room and that would be worse than dancing with me, don't you think?" He tried again for the third time.

She took a deep breath and finally took his hand. She pressed her lips together, "Fine ... just this once."

His face bloomed with joy, he nodded. Although, she could see he was hiding a condescending smile because he knew it would not be the only time.

He twirled her around and let her land between his arms. He carefully placed his hands on the small of her back. There are no words to describe how thrilled he was to be that close to her.

"You know ... one of the miracles in life is to find the perfect person when you're not even looking," he said to her with a playful smile.

She shied away from his gaze. He was doing the very thing he promised he wouldn't do.

"You know I'm talking about me, right?" he added.

She laughed lightly, and covered his mouth, "Shut up."