yacht, and held out his hands to Nicole. As she placed hers into them, she noticed her father stick his head out of the entrance hatch. No doubt he’d heard the commotion of everyone arriving at once. Trisha had been right. His expression was murderous. She was almost inclined to do a double-take and head straight for the Sheraton, but he motioned to her, urging her to join him below.
“Want me to come with you?” Philip asked. He was still holding her hands and reluctantly she withdrew hers.
“I’m sure he wants to talk to me alone.” She was certain Philip had wanted to say something else to her, but because the others were within hearing range must have thought better of it. Robert was already there when she entered the galley. Father and son both had their blonde heads bent over some technical devices on the navigator’s desk.
“I wish I knew what was wrong with this. The damn thing was working fine on the way down, but all its reading now is gobbledygook,” Peter muttered crossly, holding up the small digital display unit.
Nicole frowned. He was already in a bad mood. Peter Cameron hated nothing more than malfunctioning equipment, which meant that whatever he wanted to talk to her about would be presented in the worst possible light. She cleared her throat nervously.
“Oh there you are. Would you mind leaving us, Rob, and ensure no one else comes down here until I say so,” Peter commanded.
“Yeah sure,” Robert agreed, totally oblivious to what was about to go down. Her brother seemed to live in a world of his own, and sometimes Nicole wished she could switch off as easily.
Once they were alone, Peter faced his daughter, placing one of his hands on his hip. He was still leaning against the work bench, but the casual stance was contradicted by the hard set of his features. A muscle worked at his jaw, a sure sign he was furious.
“I can’t believe you went off with that man, Nicole. How far did he go? Did he seduce you?”
“Dad!” Nicole gasped, stunned by the contempt in his voice.
“Answer me, damn it.”
“No, he didn’t seduce me.”
“But he kissed you. He touched you, didn’t he? Didn’t he?”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“There’s everything wrong with it when it’s with my daughter on my yacht.” He reached for something in the tray beside the bench. It was one of her slide-combs. She’d discovered it missing when she arrived back at her room, but thought she’d lost it on the street. Peter threw the evidence down onto the table top, but Nicole didn’t move to retrieve it.
“How far did he really go, Nicole?”
“We just sat watching the fireworks. That’s all. We didn’t come down here,” she insisted.
“You’ve got a set of keys. He would have known that.”
“I don’t believe this. I’m twenty-two, Dad, old enough to know what I’m doing.”
“I don’t think so. He works for Legal Aid. Did you know that?”
“Yes. He told me. But what’s that got to do with anything?”
“I should have looked further into his background. People don’t work for a government organization like that unless they can’t make it in private practice, which begs the question, what does he have to hide?”
“Philip has nothing to hide, and he likes what he does.”
“He likes pawing you too, and I want it to stop. He’s got no respect, no manners, and above all else not an ounce of class.” Nicole made to protest again, but her father went on. “Look, I can understand why you’d be taken with him. He’s a handsome devil, and no doubt can be charming when he wants to be, but I don’t trust him. He’s after something, but he won’t be getting it from us... I want you to stay away from him from now on.”
Nicole saw red, and it wasn’t the color of her hair. “You can’t make me,” she raged.
“But I can make things pretty damned difficult if you do.”
Nicole didn’t doubt he’d try. She almost hated him at that particular point in
“Want me to come with you?” Philip asked. He was still holding her hands and reluctantly she withdrew hers.
“I’m sure he wants to talk to me alone.” She was certain Philip had wanted to say something else to her, but because the others were within hearing range must have thought better of it. Robert was already there when she entered the galley. Father and son both had their blonde heads bent over some technical devices on the navigator’s desk.
“I wish I knew what was wrong with this. The damn thing was working fine on the way down, but all its reading now is gobbledygook,” Peter muttered crossly, holding up the small digital display unit.
Nicole frowned. He was already in a bad mood. Peter Cameron hated nothing more than malfunctioning equipment, which meant that whatever he wanted to talk to her about would be presented in the worst possible light. She cleared her throat nervously.
“Oh there you are. Would you mind leaving us, Rob, and ensure no one else comes down here until I say so,” Peter commanded.
“Yeah sure,” Robert agreed, totally oblivious to what was about to go down. Her brother seemed to live in a world of his own, and sometimes Nicole wished she could switch off as easily.
Once they were alone, Peter faced his daughter, placing one of his hands on his hip. He was still leaning against the work bench, but the casual stance was contradicted by the hard set of his features. A muscle worked at his jaw, a sure sign he was furious.
“I can’t believe you went off with that man, Nicole. How far did he go? Did he seduce you?”
“Dad!” Nicole gasped, stunned by the contempt in his voice.
“Answer me, damn it.”
“No, he didn’t seduce me.”
“But he kissed you. He touched you, didn’t he? Didn’t he?”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“There’s everything wrong with it when it’s with my daughter on my yacht.” He reached for something in the tray beside the bench. It was one of her slide-combs. She’d discovered it missing when she arrived back at her room, but thought she’d lost it on the street. Peter threw the evidence down onto the table top, but Nicole didn’t move to retrieve it.
“How far did he really go, Nicole?”
“We just sat watching the fireworks. That’s all. We didn’t come down here,” she insisted.
“You’ve got a set of keys. He would have known that.”
“I don’t believe this. I’m twenty-two, Dad, old enough to know what I’m doing.”
“I don’t think so. He works for Legal Aid. Did you know that?”
“Yes. He told me. But what’s that got to do with anything?”
“I should have looked further into his background. People don’t work for a government organization like that unless they can’t make it in private practice, which begs the question, what does he have to hide?”
“Philip has nothing to hide, and he likes what he does.”
“He likes pawing you too, and I want it to stop. He’s got no respect, no manners, and above all else not an ounce of class.” Nicole made to protest again, but her father went on. “Look, I can understand why you’d be taken with him. He’s a handsome devil, and no doubt can be charming when he wants to be, but I don’t trust him. He’s after something, but he won’t be getting it from us... I want you to stay away from him from now on.”
Nicole saw red, and it wasn’t the color of her hair. “You can’t make me,” she raged.
“But I can make things pretty damned difficult if you do.”
Nicole didn’t doubt he’d try. She almost hated him at that particular point in
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