His friends laugh as they clap him jovially on the back.

"Maybe next time, man."

Diamond chuckles. He'd been buying the blond sitting alone beside the bar a drink every night for the past three nights. And she'd yet to look up.

Catzi pouts prettily at Diamond. She rests her hand over his hand holding the tumbler.

"My drink could use a refill," she says trying to recall his attention.

Diamond smiles indulgently at Catzi as he calls the bartender over to take her order. They'd done business often together and she had made it very clear that she was available if he wanted to take the relationship to another level. Diamond was flattered by Catzi's invitation. Catzi is a very beautiful woman with ash black hair and she had amethyst eyes. But he found it unprofessional and frankly too distracting to mix business with pleasure.

Once her drink is refreshed again he turns his back to the bar and leans back with his elbows propped behind him for support. Other women looking over would see a strikingly handsome man with fair hair and light blue eyes. He had an oval face that ended in a square jaw. Tonight he's wearing a grey suit with a black dress shirt, unbuttoned at the collar.

"Hey, sorry about my sister," Andrew says as he joins him.

"It's alright. She likes having a good time. I can understand that. Can you call George over?"

Andrew shrugs his shoulders at his sister when she looks over at him. Beer in hand he walks over to the maître d' and asks to have a word. Diamond looks over at them as they approach.

"The young lady sitting at that table over there, I see you sit her there each night. Is she on this ship with someone?"

"No sir, Miss Starr, to my knowledge has come aboard alone."

"And her first name is?"

"She is booked under the name Serena Starr, sir."

Diamond takes out his wallet and slips the maître d' a hundred dollar bill.

"What room is she staying in?"

When George looks askance for being asked such a question Diamond slides him another hundred.

"304, sir."

Diamond downs the remainder of his whiskey. Everyone had a price it was just about finding it. He felt the burn of the alcohol all the way down. He'd made a living taking advantage of that simple fact. Too bad it left a bad after taste.

"That's all George, thank you for your assistance," Andrew says recognizing his buddy's characteristic dismissal.

"See that flowers get delivered to room 304," Diamond says as he closes his tab with the bartender.

"Sure." Andrew answers, knowing that it was him that Diamond was addressing and not the bartender.

After Diamond leaves the room Catzi gets up and walks up to her brother and pinches him hard.

"Ow! What's your problem Catz."

"My problem, what's my problem? You are just letting him slip through our fingers," she whispers sharply to him.

"He's not interested, Catzi. Maybe you can ask Prisma to join us for drinks next time," Andrew says bitterly as he leaves Catzi glowering at the blond gazing blankly into her wine glass.

Darien's fingers work deftly at the buttons down her back.

The chiffon gown falls from her shoulders to pool around her feet. His hands skim her skin, stroking her down her arm and over the curve of her hips. She's on fire. He takes her into his arms and he's dancing with her again. He unties his bow-tie and tosses it aside.

"You're so beautiful," he says.

She's breathless. He walks over to turn on the sound system. Gentle jazz fills the room. When a shutter blows and the chill night air flows in, she loses sight of him for an instant. When she looks for him by the sound system, he's not there anymore. She walks over to the open shutter and in the moonlight, she sees him below, in the terrace. He's dancing again, but with someone else.

"Darien," she tries to call to him but no sound comes out.

He kisses the woman in his arms and she's screaming now, but he doesn't hear her. Suddenly, he turns and he's looking up. He looks directly at her and she knows he sees her.

Serena wakes with her pillow damp against her face. She looks over at the clock; it was only 6:35 in the morning. She shuffles into her bathroom and looks in the sink in disgust. A bottle of pinot grigio lies there empty. She looks at herself in the mirror, grimacing. She didn't even remember bringing the bottle back to the room. There were bags under her eyes. Her long hair was in matted and tangled. 'Who is this pathetic creature.' She wonders not for the first time.

At least this was some improvement from the last two days aboard. The first day she'd spent the whole day in her stateroom. She'd ventured out for dinner because she was hungry and returned to bed soon after. Baby steps she told herself, but she was already sick of this mopey pathetic version of herself. When she gets to the door she sees that the day's agenda has been delivered beneath the door since she'd had the do not disturb sign up. She saw that there was a yoga class by the poolside set for 7:30 in the morning and figured that there wouldn't be too many people in a class so early in the morning. When she steps out, she sees the dog walker running after two yippy little Pomeranians that somehow got off their leash. Serena cracks a smile. The motion feels unnatural on her face.

The yoga makes her feel better. Her muscles are looser and she can stand straighter and at least pretend to be fine for another day. Now to do something about her hair. Serena walks to the concierge desk. They tell her that there is a hair salon along Promenade A. She was tired of coping alone. Darien had a fiancée to help him through any memories he may or may not have of her. She was tired of her phantom lover at night and tired of her hair. Darien used to love her hair. He'd always said it looked as if it was spun out of real gold. At least two things she was tired of were within her control. She was going to cut her hair and start talking to strangers and maybe if she was brave enough, when the gentleman bought her a drink tonight, she would look up and walk over to meet him.

The hairdresser admonishes Serena for the disarray Serena has left her hair in. But perhaps she sees the tears hidden, so close to the surface, behind Serena's eyes, that it makes the hairdresser suddenly stop her tirade.

Darien always said that it would be a travesty for her to cut her golden mane. Serena watches as the layers come off. Her head feels so much lighter already.

"Still shorter, miss?" The hairdresser asks.

"Yes, I don't want any of it," Serena says.

"He can't be worth it. No man is worth ruining yourself over."

Serena doesn't respond and the hairdresser continues as if she hadn't raised the unwelcomed opinion.

"Stop!" Serena says quietly. When she was young she loved going to watch old movies with her mom. Their favorite actress had been Audrey Hephurn and her hair looked very Hephurn-esque.

"Oh, that's lovely. We'll just curl it a little along the ends and you'll look just like Meg Ryan in what's that movie?"

"No please don't. I don't want to look like Meg Ryan. I like it how it is right now. Please bill it to room 304. Thank you very much."

The hairdresser watches as the sad girl leaves her salon. She'd only been trying to help. But there was no helping those who weren't ready.

Serena touches her hair curiously. She completed one task and felt better for it. All she had to do now was be brave when the glass of wine came.