At the age of seventeen, Angelina moved to Los Angeles from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with dreams of becoming the next Hollywood starlet. Just like many naive young women before her, she fell into the clutches of an unscrupulous promoter who promised that starring in a few porn movies would greatly improve her chance of discovery in the motion picture business.
Angelina had an eye-catching figure. She had a slender build with uncommonly large 38 DD breasts that were not implanted, like so many other porn stars’. Her long raven hair fell in gentle curls around her ivory shoulders, framing a beautiful face that was a combination of Cherokee Indian and Genovese descent. She had full, voluptuous lips and captivating dimples when she smiled, but her green eyes became her trademark. Angelina was known simply as Jade in the pornography industry.
After several hard-charging years in porn, Angelina finally realized that she would never shake the reputation of being a sex starlet to become a real movie star. She was encouraged by others in the profession to enter the lucrative business of high-class prostitution, and joined a renowned escort business that connected her with wealthy clients able to afford her $5,000-per-night services. It was in this capacity that she was first introduced to Alastair Holloway.
Even though she was warned early about Holloway’s extremely volatile temperament, she seemed to be one of the few people who could calm his edgy, highly explosive personality. She could also withstand his abusive behavior, remaining detached from his searing, inflammatory remarks. She tolerated Alastair’s boorish behavior, aware that she possessed a degree of power over him that few enjoyed, probably due to his infatuation with her physical beauty. She had no delusions about the permanence of their relationship; she could be summarily discarded with the same impulsiveness that drew her into his life.
But Angelina was also a pragmatist, realizing that at age thirty-three, she needed to leverage her income potential while her beauty still lasted. When she was invited by the aged billionaire to be his mistress, she didn’t hesitate to get off the street, choosing the pampered life of luxury for however long it would last.
This decision had served Angelina well. In the three years she had been his mistress, she had made a veritable fortune investing her compensation into Alastair’s business recommendations. Because of his concern for her well-being, Angelina had gained a rare respect-if not love-for her benefactor, which seemed to be mutual, although this familiarity did not completely insulate her from his acerbic personality.
“Mr. Holloway, is this a convenient time?” Captain Suarez asked while knocking gently on the mahogany door to the master stateroom. He stood patiently in the hallway, prepared to return later in case Holloway was indisposed with Miss Navarro.
“Come in, Eduardo,” Holloway replied. He never addressed the captain by his formal title; to do so would acknowledge the man’s stature above that of his own on the ship. Even though Holloway understood the captain had absolute authority to direct staff and define operational priorities, he could never allow anyone to feel superior to him in his presence.
“Where’s my dinner?” he snapped as the captain entered the room.
“It will be delivered directly,” Captain Suarez replied, trying to stay as composed as possible. “The chef has prepared some fresh halibut at the request of Miss Navarro. He waited until you were settled to complete the preparation. No more than five minutes, I’m sure, sir.”
Holloway rounded on the captain in the center of the stateroom, a look of contempt on his face. “Please tell me Marlon’s off the ship and we’re presently underway. It appears we’re still anchored. This isn’t your boat…I suppose you’ll pay for the damages to my ship if we get caught in the hurricane,” he mocked, trying to bait the man into a verbal confrontation.
“As you correctly surmise, Mr. Marlon has just disembarked. We were at anchor when you landed, but are presently making about five knots. The engines were idling to be ready as soon as you arrived. We will, of course, sail throughout the evening and I expect to be off the coast of Florida early tomorrow morning. The current path of the hurricane is still heading toward Cancun. If this track holds, it will provide us a wide berth to escape any possible navigational difficulties. You can expect a very peaceful evening, sir,” Captain Suarez concluded, hoping he had addressed Holloway’s most likely concerns.
Holloway clapped his hands, but not to show appreciation. “You think you’re so clever, Eduardo. But don’t think for a moment I’m one bit impressed by someone finally meeting my meager expectations on this fucking boat. I wonder what the shit I was thinking when I bought it…it doesn’t produce one thin dime for the bottom line.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, sir. The Jurassic is a beautiful ship.”
“Don’t start that with me, mister. You’re all fucking freeloaders. I suppose you’d love me to sell it, wouldn’t you? I imagine you dream of a new owner. Well, believe me, you won’t have to wait much longer,” Holloway fumed, upset with the captain for no apparent reason.
“Nothing could be further from the truth, sir,” the captain calmly replied. “None of our staff would want another owner,” he truthfully stated. “You’re hardly ever here…which means Jurassic is mostly ours to enjoy. Too bad you can’t see what a magnificent vessel she is, sir. There is none other quite like her.”
Captain Suarez knew he was on thin ice. It was not like him to be insubordinate, but someone needed to stand up to this ceaseless bullying. Besides, if he were fired, he could seek other employment where his wide breadth of talents would be far more appreciated. A position like his would be hard to come by, but he refused to be obsequious merely to give Holloway the satisfaction.
“Well, at least you’re honest about it, Eduardo…disrespectful, but honest. I know how you all feel about me, and the luxury you enjoy at my expense.”
Alastair turned his back on the captain, ending the discussion. “I expect to be notified the minute anything changes with this storm, understand? Now get out…take us to Florida,” he groused, perturbed by the way Eduardo had calmly put him in his place. He hated the man standing before him, dressed in his white uniform, the gold epaulets shouting dignified authority. He decided to fire him as soon as his $100-million investment was out of harm’s way.
“You can count on it, sir. I wish you and Miss Navarro a good evening. I will remain at your disposal should you need anything from our staff,” he stated with a modest bow from the waist, backing toward the door without turning his back on his employer.
Captain Suarez sensed that this would surely be the last time he would skipper the beautiful Jurassic. So be it, he thought, as he gently closed the door behind him.
SEVENTEEN
Bernalillo, New Mexico
Sarah Marshall stared out the picture window of her expansive, tan-colored adobe home. A sudden movement caught her attention. A roadrunner darted a zigzag path across the shallow ravine near her backyard, closely pursued by a coyote desperately trying to run the bird down. She broke a thin smile and thought: Beep, beep. The hapless young coyote hadn’t yet learned he was outmatched in the roadrunner’s native sagebrush habitat.
Sarah took pleasure in the view from her home. She could see the southern end of the Sandia Mountains that dominated the small town of Placitas, just north of Albuquerque. The traditional Southwest adobe home sat high in the foothills overlooking the Rio Grande Valley below. The view from Placitas was especially alluring at night with thousands of lights shimmering in the desert air. She and Ryan had fallen in love with this area of New Mexico, rejecting the more metropolitan lifestyle of Albuquerque, where they were both raised. Placitas offered the perfect combination of open space and quiet solitude, which Sarah craved, and a close proximity to family and friends-Albuquerque was only thirty-five minutes away.