A/N: Forgive my tardiness in updating this next chapter. I had a busy Friday, more than I was expecting to have. So with that being said, the last update to A Royal Summer will possibly be posted late, but it will be posted. For now, I hope you all love this next chapter, there is an Emma and Regina scene here, and they will end up stranded soon. ;) Happy reading and don't forget to review. No reviews, no update lol
The music changed to something slow and more sensual, to which Emma and Lily were enjoying, dancing with one another. Lily held a drink in hand as she began to dance around Emma, enjoying the blonde's movements.
"Lily! Come here, we have more tourists coming in!" A female voice called out, waving over to the brunette.
"I'll see you later, Em." She told the highly intoxicated blonde before walking away. Duty called.
Emma continued to dance to the music all on her own, not minding it one bit. A drink in hand. She now found herself wearing a pair of shorts and a blue t-shirt. Her green, droopy eyes caught sight of Regina and Daniel as they joined the dance floor, dancing happily as ever. Of course, due to her level of intoxication, Emma couldn't recall that she was the same woman she had flown up here. All she could think of was that she was a very beautiful woman.
"Hey, I'll be right back, I'm going to get some drinks." Daniel smiled, giving the brunette a kiss before walking away.
"Don't be long," she smiled, waving to him as he waved back, blowing a kiss in her direction.
Emma could see that the woman she had been eyeing was finally left alone, and worked up her courage and level of intoxication to move in and dared to talk to her. She danced her way up to the bar, her eyes trained on the beautiful brunette, where she sat all alone.
"I always thought that Makatea was a very beautiful place, but with you here, it is even more beautiful." Her words slurred out as she said this.
Regina jumped in her seat, becoming startled by the sudden voice beside her. It wasn't until she caught sight of the blonde pilot that she recognized her and noticed the almost empty drink in her hand. She chuckled at the given compliment, not knowing why but even if the woman was drunk, she had succeeded in making her blush.
"How long have you been in Makatea?" A drunken Emma asked.
"You're kidding me, right?" Regina's brow raised, making eye contact with the blonde.
"No." Emma shook her head, awaiting an answer, looking utterly clueless.
"You brought me here. Today. Five hours ago." Regina blinked, wondering just how drunk the pilot was.
"Oh…" Green eyes closed, a hand came up and smacked against the blonde's forehead.
Regina chuckled.
"I'm sorry," Emma breathed, giving the brunette a drunk but apologetic look. "I'm so sorry. So much has happened since-" attempting to sit on a bar stool, the blonde's behind slipped from the seat, her arm, which held on to her drink, stopped her fall by catching herself against the bar.
"Wow!" Regina's hands instinctively caught the blonde by her waist, helping her stand. "Are you alright?"
"Shit… I slipped." Emma slurred, pulling the stool back underneath her and managing to have a seat.
"Nothing gets by you, does it?" Regina chuckled after using Emma's same words as before, finding the woman's drunken state a little endearing.
The blonde pilot chuckled, taking the last sip of her drink before neglecting the empty glass on the bar.
"So, where's your sexy co-pilot?" Regina asked, looking around to see if she could spot the girl's familiar face.
"Oh, she's busy with the tourists." She rolls her eyes as she says this.
"You make it sound like you don't like us. Tourists, I mean."
"Oh, no. Like the saying goes… 'Never bites the hand that feeds…'" Her eyes narrow in thought, trying to remember how the saying goes. "Your mouth or- whatever."
Regina shared a chuckle with the drunken blonde.
"Besides, they're good for a laugh." Emma admitted, shrugging one shoulder.
Brown chocolate eyes raked across the blonde's body. "You're a big laughter, are you?" She saw Emma nod, raising her hand ordering another drink. "And here I thought you were quite grumpy when we met."
"Oh, well…" Emma rolled her eyes, beckoning her to scoot a little closer, which Regina did, enough to smell the booze on her breath. "Between you and me…" Her voice was soft, "I can enjoy a good laugh as much as the next person."
"Is that right?" Her brow raised, seeing Emma back-up a little as she took a sip of her new served drink. She plucked a peanut from a bowl that was placed before them, popping into her mouth.
She nods, gulping down the amber liquid, feeling it burn its way down her throat. "Oh, yeah. You see, the thing that really annoys me is, these tourists," she leans in again. "They come here looking for 'the magic.' Expecting to find the romance," she rolls her eyes as she says this. "Like they can't find it in any other place."
Regina stares at the woman for a moment, her green eyes droopy, but still making serious eye contact with her. She could sense a bit of pain in her spoken words, but decided not to ask questions over something so personal.
"Sounds to me like you've given up on romance." She stated.
The drunk pilot shrugs, taking another sip.
"Besides, I think people can find romance here. It's as good a place as any." Said Regina.
"It's an island," Emma chuckled. "If you don't bring it here, you won't find it here."
The brunette's brow raises once again. "That's very deep. A pilot and a philosopher. Who knew."
Emma couldn't help but lock her gaze into the woman's beautiful brown eyes. Maybe it was the drinks in her system, but the woman was beautiful. "Let me buy a drink." She offered.
"Oh, no, that's not necessary, but thank you." Regina chuckled, shaking her head. "Besides, I'm here with someone. My fiancee." Her eyes lock on green once again. "Don't you remember him? He flew in your plane with me."
The blonde shrugs with an apologetic and clueless look to her. "I meant both of you."
"No, you didn't." Regina glares, her brow raised.
A tiny smirk formed at the corners of Emma's lips, her finger pointing directly at the brunette. "You've dated girls before, haven't you?"
Regina uncomfortably shifted in her seat at the question. Because truth was-
"Sweetheart?" Daniel glanced over at Emma before looking back at Regina. "Is everything alright?"
"Oh, hey!" Said Emma, squinting her eyes as she tried to remember the man's name.
"Daniel." He stated.
"Daniel! Right!" She snaps her fingers, raising her glass. "Let me buy you a drink."
"Oh, that's very-"
"Let's go." Regina was quick to stand from her stool, grabbing Daniel by the arm and dragging him away.
"Oh, but we're leaving. Maybe some other time." He smiled at the intoxicated blonde.
"Alright, well maybe some other time I'll buy you a drink," she murmured her slurred words, waving the couple off. "Okay- bye." Lastly, a tiny smirk forms on her lips before she chugs down the rest of her drink.
"What was that about?" Daniel asked once they were alone.
"Nothing. She was just a little intoxicated, that's all."
"Yeah, I could tell. Was she hitting on you?" He asked.
"No, of course not."
"Are you sure? Because from afar it looked like she was hitting on you."
"No- well… maybe a little."
"What?" Daniel's eyes grew wide.
"It's nothing for you to worry about." Regina pulled him back once he wanted to try and go over to where Emma was still sitting. "Daniel, don't make a scene." She glared at him.
"But, she-"
"She is drunk, she doesn't know any better. It was all a simple mistake. She didn't even recognize me."
"Are you sure?" He asked, equally glaring.
"Yes. I'm sure. Let's just go back to our room, okay?" Regina smiles.
"Well, she's lucky she's not a guy or I would have put her in her place right about now." He smiled.
"Oh, yeah?" Her brow raised.
"Hey, I don't just go to the gym just to watch old guys sweat, okay?" He shares a laugh with the brunette as they head toward their room for the rest of the night.
Regina hummed a delightful sound, her eyes closed despite having her sunglasses on as she and Daniel laid out on the beach the following day. He had decided on wearing just a pair of blue shorts and go shirtless, while Regina decided on trying out her two piece black bikini in hopes of getting a nice tan. With this vacation she was sure to escape reality and it was exactly what her and Daniel needed.
"This sure is paradise, isn't it?" Daniel breathed, feeling pretty content.
"Yes, it is." Regina hummed, a smile tugging on her lips. "You can just feel that Vitamin D soaking into your pores out here."
"You sure can." Daniel's hand ran smoothly across the brunette's bare thigh. "Maybe a little too much for me, I'm beginning to feel a little toasty over here."
Regina's head looked up, "Would you like me to rub some cream on you?"
Daniel smirked, looking at the brunette from underneath his sunglasses. "I would love nothing more."
"Stop it," she chuckled, playfully smacking his arm.
"Ms. Mills?" A woman called out to her, standing before her.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but you have a phone call over at reception."
"Oh," Regina quickly shuffled out of her beach chair.
"Who on earth would be calling you here? It's our vacation time." Daniel protested.
"I have no idea. You just stay, I'll be back."
Regina quickly walked over to the resort, heading over at the bar and ordering two more drinks to be taken to Daniel before heading over to reception and picking up the phone.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Regina! Thank God," Mallorie plopped down on the couch of her office. "Listen, darling, I know you are on vacation, but I wouldn't be calling you if this was a dire emergency."
"Oh, no, Mal-" She rolled her eyes, already feeling a headache coming on.
"The photo shoot is on, but it's an availability nightmare." She stood up to pace around her office. "Vendela and Evandor Holyfield only have a mutual seventeen hour window. If we don't get them now, nobody's available for four months and we lose them for the May cover."
Regina's brow furrowed. This was the last thing she needed right now. On her vacation! "I'm sure there has to be somebody closer who's life you can screw up."
Mal plopped onto her coffee table in the center of her office. "That's the ironic thing, dear. There's not. Venedela's in Sydney. Evander's in Osaka. I threw Jefferson on a plane this morning to Papeete."
"Tahiti?" Regina's brows hit her hairline.
"Yes. They are all coming to you. All you have to do is fly back to Tahiti, baby-sit the shoot, and fly back out. Fifteen hours at the most. I promise."
"Mal…" Regina released a heavy sigh, "This is so complicated. Daniel proposed to me last night."
"Oh, my God! This is so exciting! Gina, I am happy for you!" Mal was actually smiling, which made Regina smile.
"Well, thank you, but- the point is, Mal, what kind of message am I sending to Daniel if the day after our romantic engagement I am leaving him to go on some photo shoot?"
A pen was heard dropping onto the coffee table as Mal deflated. She picked up the phone, taking the brunette off of her speaker and leaned back in her chair with her phone right near her ear.
"An excellent message." She said matter-of-factly.
Regina rolled her eyes, knowing she wasn't about to let this go.
"Regina, this is the perfect opportunity to establish parameters."
"Oh, God," the brunette murmured, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I read somewhere that 38.6% of women are pressured into quitting their jobs in their first year of marriage."
"Mal," Regina blinked. "You read that in our magazine and we made it up."
"Oh, please, Gina. Please, please, please, Gina, please?" Mal waited.
After another eye roll, Regina said, "Alright. I'll do it."
"Oh, good!" Mal grinned. "Do you have a way back to Tahiti?"
"Sure, I can-" Regina groaned, realizing that in order to fly back to Tahiti she would have to ask for the annoying pilot's assistance yet again.