on top of everything else,it was a humiliating experience to have to rough-dry her hair and have a cursory rub down while the wretched man stood there watching her, his arms folded across his bare chest.
by moonlight he looked almost as dark-skinned as the polynesian steward. the light bronzed the powerful muscles which had scooped her out of the sea. his face was largely in shadow. but after one rebellious glance she did not look at him again until, moderately dry, she wrapped the towel round her body to cover the unflattering black swimsuit.
"this way" he turned on his heel and led the way up to the top deck.
as she followed him she combed her hair with her fingers, trying to tidy the tousled mop resulting from her hasty towelling.
a brief survey of the upper deck showed that it had three main areas. towards the stern it was open to the sky. then came the section covered by the awning. this was furnished like a luxurious terrace with comfortable chairs and chaises-longues and white-lacquered woven cane tables.
Amidships the deck enclosed with walkways on either side. as they passed along the starboard side, going in the direction of the bows, she glimpsed through the windows on her left a dining-room with one long table, clothed but otherwise unlaid, surrounded by about ten chairs.
A little further along he went up a short flight of steps leading to an even higher level. there he opened a door and switched on a light. a moment later she was inside the bridge, overlooking the bows of the vessel and another triangular deck with half a dozen sun-beds arranged round a splash pool.
"sit down, miss kim" he indicated a swivel seat on a metal stem bolted to the deck.
when jenna sat in it she realised that it was the Captain's seat, adjusted to suit his long legs. her own legs weren't short, but her feet couldn't rest on the deck. they dangled like a child's, making her feel even more at a disadvantage.
she decided her only hope of retaining any dignity was to admit she had been foolish and to apologise.
before she could open her mouth, he said, with a snap,
"most of the accidents which happen to visitors to these islands are caused by their own stupidity. you're not a child, miss kim. you should think before you act. from now on, for your own safety, don't swim except in daylight and never on your own. the danger from sharks or barracuda isn't high if swimmers use some common sense. but only a few days ago a local fisherman trapped several sharks close inshore. you're lucky i saw you out there. even if nothing worse had happened to you, you'd have found yourself trapped in the water and having to shout for someone to come and pull you out, and that would have woken the whole ship. you should have made sure you could get out before you went in"
"I'm sorry i put you in the position of having to risk your own safety" she answered stiffly.
"but if what i was doing was so dangerous, i'm surprise you didn't stay on board and whistle to attract my attention. waking up a few people would seem a more sensible act than risking your neck for me,Captain"
his lips compressed in hard line. anger flashed in the cold steel-brown eyes. clearly he wasn't accustomed to being answered back.
edging herself off the chair, she stood up and, with frigid politeness, said,
"will you excuse me? my wet bathing suit isn't comfortable. i'd like to go and change"
as she would have walked past him, he stopped her by stepping infront of her.
"one last piece of advice, miss kim. you're going to be on this ship for a number of weeks. you'll enjoy the trip more if you don't put anyone's back up... particularly mine. of you're asked to do something, do it. if you're warned not to do something... don't. and please try to act considerately towards the stewards and the stewardess. Mrs lee is single-handed at present she'll be kept very busy when the rest of Mr Dennison's guests fly in. you can help her by keeping your cabin in reasonable order and not expecting her to press your dresses at short notice"
"i don't know why you should think me deficient in basic good manners, Captain jung" she said hotly.
"it seems to me that is your failing. you've been noticeably antagonistic since the moment we met"
the tall Korean didn't reply for a moment. he seemed to be making a decision.
finally he said, "there are more laudable ways for a girl to get on in the world than by looking for a rich protector, miss kim. for instance, by working for a living as most of your sex do"
it was obvious he was referring to hana's statement at the small boat harbour yesterday afternoon.
jenna said, "my sister was joking, Captain jung. i'm amazed you took that remark seriously i'm not looking for a rich husband, and i'm sure my sister is marrying Mr Dennison for his personal qualities, not his money"
he said drily, "you haven't met Mr Dennison yet, have you?"
"what do you mean by that?"
he gave a slight shrug.
"it was merely a statement of fact. go and get changed, miss kim. you don't want to get a chill on your day aboard"
he stood aside to let her pass.
YOU ARE READING
The perfume of love (rain-bi)
Romancekim jenna was delighted to be invited on a sailing holiday from the south pacific to Australia with her sister kim Hana and her fiance. but she was horrified when she arrived to join them and found that the fiance was a millionair who wanted a glamo...
