Author's note: This is going a little too slow for my liking, but I'm really trying to make this story as logical as possible... I'm not a suspense writer.

THANK YOU to those who reviewed my chapters so far! I love you, and someday, when I win a billion dollars, you'll be rewarded. LOL

Chapter 5: Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Gordon

Ryan sighed and glanced at his watch for what felt like the hundredth time.

Women were all the same.

"Mani!" He called, groaning in frustration when he got no answer.

He scratched his eyebrow nervously, letting his eyes travel around their cabin once more. It was amazing, even better than on the pictures they'd seen. It was furnished with a large king sized bed, a small sofa, a plasma screen TV, a dining table and a good sized bathroom. They also had a personal balcony, where two long chairs and a small table were set up. Everything was stylish and classy.

Ryan looked towards the bathroom when he heard movement coming from inside, but the door stayed closed. He sat on the bed, forcing himself to take long deep breaths.

They'd only boarded the ship a few hours ago, and his doubts about the two of them getting along were only growing stronger. She was a good actress, there was no denying it. She'd started acting like the perfect wife the moment they'd stepped onto the ship, just like she'd promised. She'd smiled all the time, held his hand, let him put his hand on the small of her back and whisper in her ear.

But the problem was her eyes. She was a good actress, but a bad liar. He could see everything in her eyes. Her smiles never once reached her eyes, except for a few times on the plane when he'd made her laugh for real.

Mani had gone back to acting like her delightful self the moment they'd stepped foot in the cabin. He'd kept his cool and decided to give her some space. He knew she needed time to adjust to being his "wife". But they simply didn't have that time. So they'd sat on opposite sides of the room and had spent a couple of hours studying their documents again. Then, they'd started getting prepared for their first dinner with the other passengers.

That's when she'd told him she had to get ready and then locked herself in the bathroom. She'd been in there for a billion years. "We're gonna be late!"

"Alright, alright, don't get your panties tied up in a bunch." She shouted as she opened the door, still trying to put one of her earrings on.

Ryan opened his mouth to retort but was left speechless as his eyes took her in. She was wearing a black strapless dress that reached her knees. The dress was tight enough to show her gorgeous curves and shimmered when the light hit it in the right angle. Her legs were toned and shapely. She'd let her long dark hair down, the soft curls framing her face. She wasn't wearing too much make up, but just enough so that her deep brown eyes popped out. She looked like a very stylish woman, but her freckles reminded him of her childish attitude.

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked him, frowning.

"I'm trying to see what took you so long."

"I had to shave my legs." She wrinkled her nose. "Winters in Canada can get REALLY cold."

Ryan grinned and shook his head. She really had an answer for everything. "Erasing image from my mind…. Done! So, are you ready to do this?"

"Get out of this cabin? Definitely."

"No. I meant becoming Mrs. Ryan Gordon."

She snorted. "I don't think I'll ever be ready for that." She sighed and cocked her head. "But ready or not, I guess I don't really have the choice anymore, right? Let's get going."

Ryan stopped her as she was about to open the door. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

He gave her a little wink. "Well I'm not letting my wife go out to dinner without some expansive jewelry."

Mani rolled her eyes at him and sighed dramatically. "Almost forgot about that."

Ryan turned around and opened a flat square box, taking out a gorgeous diamond necklace, with matching earrings. "Come here."

She reluctantly walked over to him and turned around. She lifted her curly hair to give him better access, letting him put the necklace around her neck. She then took off her old earrings and replaced them with the expansive ones that matched the necklace.

She turned around and gave him a tight grin, looking slightly tense. "It's weird knowing this necklace alone could pay my rent for a year."

Ryan chuckled and winked. "And we're not done." He reached for something in his left pocket and took out a small black velvet box. "We're forgetting the most important rock."

Mani's eyes grew wide as Ryan opened the small box, showing her the most amazing diamond ring she'd ever seen. "What happens if I lose it?" she asked, unable to take her eyes off the ring.

He took her hand and put the ring on her finger. "Don't lose it." He put the velvet box on the table behind him and gave her a confident grin. "Let's go, sweetheart." He told her, offering her his arm.

The brunette forced a smile to her lips and wrapped her arm around Ryan's. As much as she found him annoying, right now, he was the only person she could count on except herself. She felt more nervous than she'd even been, and knowing he was right there with her was the only thing making her do all this. "Let's go!"

Ryan led her out of their cabin, mentally repeating all the information he'd learnt. They HAD to be perfect for all this to work.

They both stayed quiet as they made their way to the dining area, smiling politely at the other passengers they crossed. They could hear the entertaining music and chatter coming from the large room as they approached the entrance. They stepped inside and paused to take a look around. Many couples were already sitting at their tables, sipping on costly drinks and talking excitingly. They'd already decided to sit in the middle of the crowded room, the best spot if they wanted to make sure to be noticed if someone was there to find them.

Mani squeezed Ryan's hand and lent over to whisper in his ear. "Here we go, honey." She murmured, lightly kissing his lips when he turned his head to look at her.

Ryan hid his shock perfectly and smiled at her before leading her to their table. They thanked the woman who'd brought them there and sat down, smiling at the other passengers sitting close to them.

"Good evening! My name is Vincent, and I'll be your waiter for the evening. May I get you something to drink?"

"Sure! I'll just have a glass of red wine. Honey?"

"I'll just have my usual, baby."

Ryan gave her a tight grin, cocking his head slightly. "Right! The lady here will be drinking red wine as well."

Mani smiled brightly at the waiter and mouthed a thank you. She then turned her attention on him, ignoring his accusing eyes as she extended her hand towards him. "I hate red wine." She whispered, still smiling at him.

Ryan took her hand and leaned towards her, forcing what he wished was a loving smile onto his lips. "No surprises, got it?" he whispered.

The brunette imitated his move, moving a little closer so that they would look like a couple whispering sweet nothings to each other. "I never promise anything. Ever."

Ryan let out a long breath through his nose and lifted her hand up to his lips. He planted a soft kiss to her skin and brought her hand back down, not letting it go.

"You two are adorable."

They both turned their heads towards the voice, noticing a slightly older couple sitting very close to them.

"You're newlyweds, aren't you?"

Ryan laughed and shook his head. "Well, as a matter of fact, no, we aren't. We've been married for a year."

"I would've sworn you were just married. How about you, George?"

Her husband rolled his eyes at her, nodding his head in agreement just to humor her.

The woman, who looked like she was in her early 50's, gave them a warm smile. "My name is Lisa Faulkner and this is my husband, George."

"Ryan Gordon." He turned his warm hazel eyes on his partner. "This is my wife, Emmanuelle."

"You can call me Mani."

"Are you two on this cruise for a special occasion?" She asked, most probably hoping for a cute romantic answer.

Ryan glanced at Mani and cleared his throat. The mission was officially starting now. "Well, we got married a year ago, but instead of going on one honeymoon, we decided to go on many different trips throughout the year."

Mani squeezed his hand, taking over. "I absolutely love travelling. We heard about this cruise and decided it was something we both wanted to share together."

"You too are so cute."

She smiled. "He's so busy all the time, we need these trips to get real quality time together."

Before long, Ryan and Mani were deep in conversation with the nice couple, reciting everything they'd been told to learn. They told them about Ryan's restaurants, about how much he'd gone from working as a waiter to owning the most popular restaurants in Boston. Mani made a joke, telling them the first thing that had attracted her to him was his money.

Thankfully, Lisa was a very curious woman. She asked them one question after the other, wanting to know everything about her two new companions. Georges, on the other hand, seemed to wish he could close his eyes and reappear someplace else.

At the end of dinner, Mani and Ryan had bid them good night and had left to go back to their cabin. As soon as Ryan shut the door, Mani threw herself on the bed, moaning. "Oh my GOD, I thought this night would never end."

Ryan chuckled and loosened his tie. "I think we could never have been luckier."

The brunette lifted herself on her elbows and raised her eyebrows. "Lucky? I don't think that woman took a breath the whole time we were there."

He shook his head and sat on the bed to take his shoes off. "No, I meant we were lucky to have met the person with the biggest pie hole on the whole cruise ship. I'm sure this time tomorrow, half the passengers and half the crew will know something about us." He stood and took off his suit jacket.

Mani sat straighter and kicked her shoes off, frowning. She looked around the room, and then at the bed, and then at the small sofa. "We have a problem."

Ryan turned around, frowning. "What?"

"There's only one bed."

"I don't know what you're thinking, Mani, but there's no chance I'm sleeping on that sofa for ten days. I may not be Michael Jordan, but I'm not a midget." He pointed at the bed. "That bed has plenty room for both of us to sleep in it and still have to yell at each other to be understood."

Mani groaned and crawled off the bed. Part of her wanted to fight for the bef, but the other part was too tired to start. That second part won. "Fine. I sleep on the right side." She grabbed her night bag and locked herself in the bathroom once more.

"Sure, sweetheart." he muttered.

XXXXX

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