The Power Trip

suite, Bianca settled on the main deck with Aleksandr by her side, and a glass of champagne in her hand, ready to greet their guests.

‘This is paradise,’ she commented, taking in her surroundings and realizing how lucky she was to have found a man like Aleksandr. Not only was he a fantastic lover, but he was so very good to her and rich rich rich! Not that his money mattered, she had plenty of her own. However, it made a welcome change to be with a man who did not expect her to pick up the bill.

‘It certainly is,’ Aleksandr agreed. ‘And there will be more surprises to come.’

‘I can’t wait,’ she said, clinging to his arm. ‘Tell me everything.’

‘Be patient, my love,’ he said, lifting his glass to clink it with hers.

‘I’ll try.’

‘Try hard.’

‘You shouldn’t keep me waiting,’ Bianca said with a captivating smile.

‘Ah, but that’s exactly what I should do,’ Aleksandr responded. He knew how to keep Bianca interested.

Ashley and Taye were the first guests to arrive. Bianca was pleased. She and Ashley were sometime friends, and she couldn’t wait to show the glamorous yacht off. She gave Taye a quick kiss on the cheek and hoped that he’d forgotten about their one night of lust many years ago.

Apparently he had, for he never said a word, not that he would in front of his wife.

‘This is amazing!’ Ashley squealed, taking in her surroundings. ‘Your name is on the boat and everything! How fantastic is that?’

‘My gift to my lady,’ Aleksandr said with an enigmatic smile. ‘Bianca deserves only the best.’

Some gift, Ashley thought as she quickly checked Aleksandr out. She found him to be a somewhat imposing man with his close-cropped dark hair, grey at the temples, and heavy-set features. He was attractive in a very manly way. A bit frightening really, like the mysterious villain in a Hollywood action movie.

‘This is so exciting!’ Ashley said, continuing to enthuse as she and Bianca sipped champagne.

‘I know,’ Bianca agreed, smoothing down her Azzedine Alaia tighter-than-tight dress. ‘The whole yacht thing was all Aleksandr’s idea, and I’m here to tell you that I’m loving every single minute!’

‘Who wouldn’t?’ Ashley said, experiencing a sharp stab of envy.

‘I know,’ Bianca agreed. ‘It’s quite overwhelming.’

‘Can I ask who else is coming?’ Ashley asked, plucking a smoked salmon canape from a passing stewardess.

Before Bianca could reveal who the other guests were, Luca and Jeromy were escorted aboard.

Spotting her old friend Luca, Bianca flung herself at him with screams of excitement. ‘Look at you,’ she yelled. ‘Big fuckin’ star! And don’t we love it!’

Luca was as delighted to see her as she was to see him. He’d known Bianca long before he was famous, and she’d always been a loyal friend to him, especially when he’d come out. He embraced her energy and spirit, and he considered her to be very special, even though they never got to spend as much time together as they would like.

‘You look outrageous,’ he said, taking a step back to admire her. ‘Could your dress be any tighter?’

‘You know what they say,’ Bianca responded with a cheeky wink. ‘If you got it, put it on show!’

‘I’m all over that!’ Luca said, grinning.

Ashley sauntered over to Jeromy. ‘Bet you never expected to see me here,’ she said with a distinct note of triumph.

‘Lord, no!’ Jeromy exclaimed, hardly able to conceal his surprise. ‘When did you get invited?’

‘The same time as you,’ Ashley retorted, delighted to stick it to him. ‘Taye had the invite in his pocket all through that dinner we had. He thought if he kept it hidden, he’d get lucky later on.’

‘And did he?’ Jeromy asked caustically, not thrilled with the calibre of guests. He’d expected so much more than Ashley and Taye, although he soon changed his opinion when Cliff Baxter and a vibrant young redhead appeared. Aha! A full-bodied movie star. Nice one. Jeromy launched into full smarm.

Lori stood back and checked out the other guests, while a tall, skinny, anonymous Englishman played kiss ass with Cliff.

She noticed Luca Perez and was immediately smitten. He was so gorgeous with his quiff of blond hair and golden tan. Then there was super-model Bianca with her deep caramel skin and delicious green cat-eyes. The Russian man, their host, was an overpowering presence in a very quiet, almost sinister way. And Taye Sherwin, the famous Brit footballer. What a hunk, although his wife wasn’t exactly Miss Friendly. When they were introduced, Ashley Sherwin had sniffed out a hello as if it was giving her a migraine.

Bitch! Lori thought. I’m not good enough for you, but I bet my boyfriend is.

And bingo! Lori was right. Ashley cracked a big smile when introduced to Cliff. ‘I love all your movies,’ she simpered, tossing her long blond curls and sticking out her boobs. ‘I’m such a big fan.’

You should see his cock, Lori thought. Or maybe not. She’d often taken note of Taye Sherwin’s print commercials in all the best magazines, and he was certainly not lacking in the big dick department. Either that or he was stuffing socks.

Lori grinned. Fun with the rich and famous. Little Lori Walsh was doing well for herself. Maybe the Russian had a billionaire friend she could hook up with. After all, she was the soon-to-be-ex of a major movie star, that had to count for something.

Flynn and Xuan were almost the last to arrive. Flynn might not be famous, but every woman’s eyes swivelled to check him out. He was dead sexy in an edgy way. Not perfect by any means, but he had the look. The two-day stubble, intense ice-blue eyes, lean body and longish hair. Cliff Baxter was classically handsome. Taye Sherwin, boyish. Luca, gorgeous but gay. Aleksandr, an overpowering presence. And then there was Flynn. The most attractive man on the boat.

Hot, Lori thought.

Delicious, Ashley thought.

Damn! Bianca thought.

And while everyone was lusting after Flynn and wondering exactly who he was, Hammond Patterson made his entrance, trailed by the lovely Mrs Patterson.

Flynn glanced over and suddenly felt his world spin out of control, for to his shock and surprise he was staring straight into the eyes of the love of his life.

* * *

15 years earlier

By the time he was twenty, Flynn Hudson had been with more girls than he could remember or even count. It wasn’t that he chased them, it seemed that they were always coming onto him — and he had no logical reason to turn them down. What the hell, he was young, fit, and enjoying himself while studying Economics, Journalism and World Affairs at UCLA in Los Angeles.

Flynn lived in a house on Westholm Avenue with several other guys. They were a rowdy bunch who liked to use Flynn as the bait to get girls. It always worked. Flynn took the prize, and they shared the leftovers. They all joked about it, except Hammond Patterson — commonly known as Ham — who often argued that he was the main attraction considering his dad was an important congressman, and that he too was going into politics.

Ham was the peacock of the group, forever boasting about his conquests and insisting on sharing graphic sexual details whenever he got a girl into bed.

Flynn and Ham did not get along at all. Ham was jealous of Flynn, and it showed. Flynn considered Ham to be a major asshole.

Flynn’s American grandparents lived in a large house in Brentwood, and sometimes he’d spend the weekends hanging out there.

One memorable weekend while his grandparents were safely in Palm Springs, his buddies had persuaded him to throw an open-house party. It wasn’t Flynn’s idea, but he got talked into it by Arnie, one of his best friends.