Out of This World
by Sheryl Doiron-Powers
Genre: Paranormal Romance
“Need a break from the frigid Canadian temperatures? Need a pick me up?”
Janessa stopped ignoring the advertisement.
“Need a break away from it all, filled with the adventure of a lifetime? Are you still single? Out of this World Cruise Lines has just the adventure package to break you out of your winter doldrums! Check out our singles adventure packages at www.outofthisworld.ca today and have the best winter break of your life!”
Singles cruises. It sounded kind of cheesy, but the adventure part sounded like just what she needed. She definitely wanted out of her cold, lonely world for a while. Throwing caution to the wind, she booked herself a ticket, never imagining for a moment just how far her vacation would take her from the life she had once known.
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Excerpt 1
The ladies entered the ballroom together, with their confidence levels at an all-time high. More than a few heads turned as they made their way to the bar for a little more social lubrication. They decided to be totally cliché, and each ordered two pina coladas, one for each hand. Abigail snorted with laughter as Janessa told the bartender their choices. He had the courtesy to smile and pretend it was the first time he’d heard that joke before handing the girls their glasses. Drinks in hand, the ladies found a table and took a seat. The ever-present cruise director advised them all to drink responsibly and have a great time before handing them off to the DJ.
“We’re going to dance until we fall down,” promised Janessa.
“Well, I’m not a very good dancer, but I’m going to take your advice and cut loose and enjoy myself.”
“Damn straight, Abigail! Let’s go!”
She pulled her towards the dance floor. Neither of them had heard this song before, but the beat was catchy, and both ladies busted a move. It was early, and they were the first brave souls on the floor. The DJ gave them a shout-out and prodded the others to get up and dance. Taylor Swift’s latest hit thumped through the room as several ladies headed towards Janessa and Abigail, and before long, the floor was crowded with happy dancers.
A slow number came on, and Abigail was immediately snatched up to dance. Janessa made her way to the bar and got herself a Bahama Mama, and perched on a bar stool. She surveyed the dancing couples with a smile and decided Abigail looked ecstatic. Her eyes were drawn to one of the wait staff who was picking up glasses at the tables around the edge of the room, the tray he carried loaded with an impossible number of glasses. His foot hooked in the leg of a chair, and he tripped. While the tray managed to stay in his hand, the majority of the glasses were catapulted forward.
Janessa grimaced as she waited for the crash of broken glass to follow. Righting himself quickly, the waiter flung his empty hand forward, flattening his palm as he spread out his fingers. The glasses froze in midair. She blinked hard in disbelief. When she opened her eyes again, all of the glasses were on the tray. Her eyes shifted to the drink in her hand. She quickly set it down on the edge of the bar and looked back at the waiter. He smiled, nodded at her, and continued to clean the tables.
I must have gotten too much sun today, she thought as she shook her head slightly in an attempt to clear it. No more drinks for me. I’ve clearly had more than enough already. The song wrapped up, and Abigail practically bounded toward her in excitement.
“Oh my gosh! Someone asked me to dance! I’ve never had anyone ask me to dance. I’m so excited I could pee,” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “Wait, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine. No worries.”
“Someone will ask, you just wait and see. You look fantastic.”
“Oh no, sweetie, it’s not that at all. I just had the strangest thing happen. I was sitting at the bar with a drink when—”
“Excuse me, miss, the director would like a word,” interrupted a waiter.
“Umm, okay,” Janessa said haltingly.
The two ladies followed along behind the waiter. He led them through a maze of hallways to the director’s office. “He would prefer to speak to you alone. I will wait out here with Miss Abigail to escort you back.”
Janessa walked into the office hesitantly. She could not fathom why on earth the director would want to speak to her. Perhaps it was because of that call about the basket. She hoped not. She dreaded having to discuss that topic. She just knew she’d die of embarrassment.
“Please shut the door and have a seat, Miss Lavigne,” he commanded gently.
Excerpt 2
When they arrived, Haeran walked her to her hut and followed her inside. He crossed into the bathroom and began to fill the whirlpool tub, adding several essential oils, which filled the room with an exotic scent.
“Ummm, what are you doing?” she asked with a touch of anxiety.
“Filling the whirlpool for us,” he answered. “You may leave your swimsuit on if you feel you must.”
She relaxed at his statement but stayed rooted to the spot. When the tub was full, Haeran turned on the jets and left the bathroom for a moment. The sound of strange, yet relaxing music filled the small hut.
“Getting in?” he asked when he re-entered the bathroom.
“Oh, yes. Sorry, was just waiting for you,” she said in an attempt to cover her shyness.
She stepped into the tub and sank down onto one of the built-in seats. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back as the heat and smell of the oils made her shiver with pleasure.
“This is wonderful,” she said as she opened her eyes.
Her intake of breath signalled her shock at seeing Haeran dropping his swim trunks. Her face colored, and she didn’t know whether to avert her eyes or not. Haeran seemed unconcerned with his nudity until he noticed her mouth gaping open like a goldfish.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“You’re naked,” she said. “You just surprised me, is all.”
“You have seen me naked already. I showed you through images,” he said.
“Those seemed unreal—this is a whole different thing,” she said.
“This is more unreal. I am still projecting a human form. It is not really me, but rather what I want you to see.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I did not want to shock you,” he stated.
“You shocked me the moment you dropped your shorts,” she said with a laugh. “May as well dive right in.”
“Dive right in?” he asked, slightly puzzled. “This pool is entirely too shallow for diving.”
“Just an expression for jumping right into a situation,” she explained with a laugh.
“As you wish,” he said.
Haeran’s skin shimmered for a moment before darkening to an iridescent shade of purple with dark blue undertones.
“Like a chameleon,” Janessa said aloud and without thought. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound rude.”
“It is rather like a chameleon,” he said. “It was not rude. It was just the first thought that came to mind.”
Her eyes travelled down his body and came to rest on his sex. She guessed that hadn’t been a dream either. Her eyes widened as Haeran walked slowly down the whirlpool stairs and came to sit beside her. Janessa realized she was sitting there with her mouth hanging open like an idiot and snapped it shut. She tried to look more casual but knew she likely looked anything but.
“No, you do not look like an idiot,” he said. “And I apologize for reading the thought, but you were practically screaming it,” he said, and kissed her cheek.
Confused by his ability to make her feel alternately nervous and relaxed at pretty much the same time, she thought back to the men she had dated and tried to remember if any of them had ever made her feel this way. Unable to come up with a single one, she realized every man she had ever dated had either irritated her to the point of distraction or bored her to tears. Never had she felt this level of excitement or nervousness in her life. She thought this must be what her friends had meant by butterflies and breathtaking kisses as Haeran claimed her mouth in a steamy kiss that raised her body temperature through the roof.
Sheryl Doiron-Powers is a diverse Canadian writer who dabbles in many genres including horror, young adult, science fiction, creative non-fiction, and everything in between. She decided to return to school as a mature student and graduated with distinction from St. Thomas University in 2016, where she studied Communications and English. Encouraged to try her hand at writing by her professors, she entered a concentration in creative writing and has been writing ever since. She currently lives in a small community just outside of Fredericton, New Brunswick with her horror writing husband, Joe Powers. She holds her three children and six grandchildren close to her heart, even when life takes them on their own adventures hundreds of kilometers away.
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