Atlantis Allure An Anthology.

Viola Grace.

To our faithful readers...

A TALE OF A TAIL.

Paula Calloway.

"You're not serious. We planned this since my parents' funeral two months ago!" Miranda glared at the proffered masculine palm. Anger and hurt battled for control of her response. She wanted to drop to her knees and beg him to stay with promises of his heart's desires, even if it meant a daily gym trip, but dignity hindered.

"I'm very serious and the lack of s.e.x since your parents' funeral is the icing on the cake. I need a shapely wife I can show off, not a cushy couch." Rodger wiggled his fingers. "My ring."

"You never held me and let me cry it out!" The cool trickle of a tear down her cheek tipped the scales in his favor. She yanked the golden band from her hand and flung it past him toward the door. "Take it and get out! Shove it down your new girl's throat. I hope she chokes." With her arms crossed over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, she turned her back and bit her lower lip to keep from falling apart.

"You cried it out on your own, darling." He snickered. "Face it, babe, the only man who'll take an interest in you is one of equal size."

Miranda decided loneliness was far better than his callous words. "I never want to see you again. Goodbye and good riddance."

Rodger scoffed. "You won't, babe, but you could be nicer about this."

"I'm not the one who dropped the bomb of a sordid affair with some scrawny wh.o.r.e."

"Angela is the trophy I can show off in public. You're an at home hide-away, a woman one keeps on the side for warm cozy nights."

The slam of the door opened the floodgates. Miranda spun, rushed to the door and grabbed the k.n.o.b, but didn't turn it. "I will not beg." Her hand lowered to her side, she pivoted and leaned her back against the warm barricade. "Why is it so hard for men to understand some women aren't designed to be thin? Some women have... padded curves."

Her gaze fell on the pair of sea cruise tickets tucked in the side pocket of her purse. "What's to stop me from going alone?" She crossed the floor and s.n.a.t.c.hed up the tickets. "I'll just claim the refund for his ticket, add a little funds and enjoy a luxury suite. Yeah, that's what I'll do." Her decision made, she smiled, grabbed the phone, and dialed the travel agency.

A week later.

Miranda appreciated the cabby's help with her luggage. She handed him a twenty-dollar bill. "Thank you." His tipped cap and flashed smile brightened her day until the fluttering white flags, which marked the pa.s.sage to the gangway with twin red hearts, reminded her it was a lover's cruise and she lacked a lover. Her silent scold a prod, she picked up her two suitcases when a steward approached.

Derrick bowed, straightened and proffered his hand. "If you give me your ticket, miss, I'll help you to your cabin."

"It's Miranda." She surrendered the clutched paper. "I'm in cabin seven A."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miranda. I'm Derrick. That cabin is one of our finest rooms." The steward collected her bags and set them on a luggage trolley. "This way."

Miranda followed him down the pa.s.sage, up the gangway, then through a large opening where the sight before her almost cost her footing. Overwhelmed by the size of the ship, she halted and sucked in her breath. She peeked over the edge of the dock. Her gaze traveled the height of the stern and the bridge structure from the water.

She shivered. "Any taller and it might reach the sky." Overhanging the ship stern stood a fantail, which tiered down from numerous decks and stopped halfway. The black hull and white superstructure verified it an ocean liner and not a floating resort. A blare from the horn echoed across the bay when the cruise ship signaled intent to depart.

Derrick cleared his throat. "She debarks in thirty minutes. Shall we continue?"

Miranda nodded. "Oh yes. She's impressive."

"One of the most elegant ladies in the fleet."

She paused in the grand lobby. The atrium extended upward for six decks with unrivaled elegance and regal colors. Embellished alabaster work, red-carpeted marble staircases and gla.s.s elevators bedecked interior. Posted signs marked offices and desks. High above, fourteen cabins overlooked the great foyer. Chatty crewmembers lined the lobby.

Derrick cleared his throat. "This way."

Miranda placed her hand on the luggage rack to avoid a misstep. "It's beautiful."

He moved slower. "The pamphlet and other information do her an injustice."

"Very much so." Balconies and retro-styled decor recreated the nostalgia of the great liner era. Striking snow tiger-print carpets adorned corridors. Staircases boasted wall panels with integrated dark and blonde wood veneers. Common rooms displayed a majestic style decor reminiscent of old world with crimson carpets and dark wood veneer. Permanent exhibits of murals, paintings and various ship models bedecked staircase landings and community areas and depicted a nautical museum at sea.

Derrick chuckled. "And now the introductory verbal tour while on the way to your cabin. It's not a thrill like the guided tour, but is now required of us since the day a pa.s.senger was reported lost at sea and later discovered raiding the ice-cream freezer."

Miranda almost laughed. "Such is my luck."

"I hope not."

She listened, while her escort rattled on about facilities, shops, location of the best views and something about waves breaking over the bow. The rest of gibberish included information on more important places like the medical center.

Derrick opened the door of her cabin and stepped aside. "The ship's main deck s.p.a.ce is on the Sun Deck, the Promenade and the terraces at the stern."

Miranda entered the modern and s.p.a.cious room. A large window offered an ocean view while the opposing balcony proffered an interior view. "A mini kitchen and fully stocked bathroom, including slippers and robe. How sweet." Feminine giggling drew her attention to the open door. A pa.s.sing couple dampened her spirits and the rest of the room lost its appeal. Something about laundry and dinner brought her back to her rambling escort.

"You are welcome to dine in any hall, but the best is the Oyster's Pearl. The daily evening menu offers the choice of five appetizers, three salads, seven entree's and nine desserts with low fat and vegetarian options."

She flinched while he unloaded her suitcases. "Thank you. I think I'll head up top and watch the dock disappear."

"Allow me to accompany you." Derrick escorted her to the promenade deck. "Good day, miss."

Miranda nodded at his departure, then leaned on the elaborate rail. She stared across the depths with an occasional peek at the various couples gathered along the railing while they waved at those on sh.o.r.e. The sound of the horn blared across the bay and the ship left port. When the other people departed, she sighed at the approach of a new steward who bowed.

"h.e.l.lo, my name is Michael. May I get you anything?"

"Anything not tall, handsome, rich, arrogant or a combination thereof."

Michael cringed. "I meant from the bar, miss."

Her laugh soft, Miranda turned her attention back to the seawater when it sloshed against the ship's hull. "I'm fine. I need some fresh air to clear my head." His footsteps faded from her ears as the harbor faded from her sight. She inhaled a deep breath of briny sea air and released it with a sigh. The pain in her chest too much, she wished for the wind to sweep away her ache while the water washed away her loneliness.

Two days later.

After almost falling over the railing the day before and saved only by the swift reaction of a nearby steward, Miranda avoided the stern. Embarra.s.sed by the incident, she blamed the fresh sea air and disappeared for the rest of the day. She shivered at the recollection of how all-too mesmerizing the ship's long trailed wake proved.

The full wrap-around deck provided wooden steamer chairs, but failed to hold her interest. She slipped through the door at the bow where the open deck allowed people to stand on the foremost point of the ship. Taken by the beauty of the sea, she leaned on the rail and watched the hull of the powerful ship part the water.

Reef spent many centuries swimming the cruise ship lanes and savored the forbidden taste of human emotion. He often swam near the surface while women walked the deck high above or leaned over the railing, their minds open. Various emotions flooded him and he deciphered most. Hate and love seemed more a choice than an emotion, which flared or faded.

He enjoyed his share of skinny, slender, plump and more, but always found his attention drawn to the beauties least likely to break. Often, he longed to touch a woman with shapely and squeezable curves. Over the years, he learned of human cruelty, how physical appearance meant more than a steadfast heart and of the painful loss of love.

This trip, Reef focused on one delight more than any other, for he enjoyed the shapely beauty's numerous visits to the ma.s.sive ship railing. Bothered by her forlorn expression, he longed to witness her lips curve. Just one glimpse of a smile, even if for a mere second, to light up the beauty of her face.

Her pain drew him ever farther from the watery depths. His urge to empathically link with her too much, he relented and mentally brushed her mind. Their initial contact twisted him in pain. Feminine anguish jolted him with vicious force, ripped through him with violent power and rocked him with brutal energy.

Reef broke the link and waited a moment to regain his wits. He never understood why fragile humans inflicted such misery upon themselves, but realized the action his ancestors took to protect his empathic race proved for the best. The wind flirted with her white cotton sundress and teased him with a view of her s.e.xy upper thigh while a sandaled foot peeked over the edge.

Wary, he raised his guard and linked again. He mingled with her mind and slipped through her memories. Joy and laughter rang through his mind and curved his lips in a smile. Caught in the euphoric pleasure of her reminiscences, he circled just below the ship and glided through the water with effortless flips, spins and twists.

Her memories darkened with pain and Reef felt her sorrowful losses, wretched hurt and empty loneliness. His heart went out to the woman. He longed to cup her face and caress her lips with his while he tasted her sweet essence. He wished to see paradise in her eyes and savor heaven in her arms.

Enrapt with her, he despised how such a beautiful creature endured loneliness and wished to make her smile or even laugh with joy. He halted and gazed up at her again. The gentle wind lifted and tossed deep waist-length auburn strands of silk so it glittered with red highlights as sunlight danced amid her rich dark tresses.

Lured by deep sapphire blue eyes, Reef flicked his tail and continued his rising glide. Tempted by her full succulent red lips, he shuddered. Delicious curves shaped her delightfully full figure. Hunger rose within his body. The beautiful creature stole his breath while he spiraled toward the oceanic surface. His heart skipped a beat at the idea of her touch.

Her enticement too strong to resist, he utilized a single powerful stroke of his tail and soared upward. The connection of his empathic link bound their minds and he revealed himself. His every move seductive, he called her in a voice of pa.s.sion. He sought to pique her interest enough to gain her attention even if for a single beat of his heart.

The sea foam parted, shifted and swirled in an exotic dance with the waves. Miranda leaned forward and stared down into the water. Drawn to the elusive hypnotism of the aquatic depths, she closed her eyes and inhaled the salty air. A vision of piercing green eyes peered back from somewhere in her thoughts.

She leaned farther forward and her mind whirled. A strong nose broke the shadowy surface followed by luscious dark lips, mesmerizing sea green eyes and a handsome face with delicately pointed ears, which fanned back from the cartilage. Subtle powder blue tinted the striking male countenance and muscle ripped flesh. Shoulder blade length white hair swept over broad shoulders and fanned out in the water around the sea being.

The rise of the man from the darkness revealed a brawny chest, slender waist, taut stomach and narrow hips. Miranda expected powerful legs, but instead furrowed her brow at scales, which covered a long ma.s.sive tail that slowly fanned the water beneath him. The green-tinted silvery scales ended with a flowing white tail.

His smile's warmth and the gentle lure of his beckoned hand compelled her to lean closer. Unbalanced, she opened her eyes. Blinded by the burst of sunlight, she grappled for a hold, missed and plunged over the edge, but no scream left her lips. The slam of the water darkened her vision.

The instant her headlong plummet placed her in danger of the propellers, Reef rocketed for the surface. He seized her waist and yanked her unconscious body clear with a mere second to spare when the ship's hull skimmed past. A twist of his body and a hard, swift stroke of his tail pushed them deeper. Her sandals slipped off and sank. His ability to surface for her to breathe risked their contact with the spinning blades and coerced his decision.

With the back of her head cupped, he clamped his mouth over hers. His other forefinger and thumb gently pinched off her nose while he sucked the seawater from her mouth and forced a breath of air into her lungs. The softness of her lips invited, tempered the force of his mouth and stirred his hunger. Human emotions were a potent energy most of his people feared too close a contact with. He wanted her, needed to feel her and desired to sample the forbidden paradise his kind long ago turned their backs on.

Reef inhaled the seawater through his nose so his aquatic form separated and removed the water from the oxygen. Unable to deny how sweet the unconscious woman in his arms tasted, he slid his tongue along hers in a deliberate caress and held her body the length of his while they briefly spiraled downward.

He breathed oxygen into her lungs until the ship pa.s.sed overhead. A swift hard flick of his tail brought them to the surface. With their oral embrace broken, he released her nose and gazed at the beauty he never intended to steal, but wasn't certain how to return at the moment.

Miranda shivered at the gentle brush of a forefinger across her lips, the warmth of a powerful arm under her back and a large hand on her waist. Her eyelids fluttered open and adjusted. Something shielded her face from the sun. "What-why-" She gawked at the shrinking ship. "Wait!"

Reef kept his voice soft. "They are unaware you fell and I doubt their ability to hear you."

She stared for mere seconds, then splashed water in his face. With a hard kick, she put distance between them, flipped onto her belly and sought one good stroke. All forward momentum ended when a hand seized her ankle and tugged enough to hinder her escape. "Get away from me!"

"Stop floundering, water sprite, for I can and will swim circles around you if need be."

Dragged backward, flipped onto her back and released, Miranda gaped at the colorful being. The man's effortless floating a.s.sured her his water agility equaled nothing less than a graceful athlete on land. Her gaze drifted down to a bare muscled chest and powerful arms. If they met on the ship and his color were normal, it might be a different story. Here in the water with bluish skin, he unsettled her every nerve. She narrowed her eyes and realized her vision from the railing now floated mere feet from her.

Her gaze settled on his face and she swallowed hard at his handsomeness. His raised eyebrow earned her shiver. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" At his headshake, she dug her arms deep beneath the liquid surface and pushed against the water. She drifted back another foot and squinted to peer below the surface for a moment. The slow smirk on his face filled her belly with b.u.t.terflies. "You're a... merman. Oh my..."

Amused, Reef folded his arms over his chest and quietly studied the panicked delight. "Atlantean."

"Um, no, not possible. Atlanteans were highly intelligent bipedal people." Miranda lifted her chin when a wave splashed her face. Kept afloat by her waving arms and kicking legs, she continued her struggle and backed away. "Your white hair and sea green eyes are normal, but you have a green tail, your skin is blue, Atlantis sank and its inhabitants are rumored legendary myth."

"Interesting." His chuckle warm, his gaze tracked her several more yards. He tilted his head and noted her dress hinder her movement. "Atlantis sank in appearance. The manipulation of time and s.p.a.ce is a benefit my people have enjoyed for several millenniums and we can shift into any water creature desired."

Her chin dipped in the water. She kicked harder. Her hope of escape in her ability to distract, she sought to keep him talking. "What do you mean?"

His every muscle tense in preparation to s.n.a.t.c.h her from the ocean's death grip, Reef spread his arms over the surface. "We'll talk all you want if you let me work for both of us." He extended his arm. "Give me your hand."

Miranda shook her head. "I don't think so." She rolled over and made a mad dash in the opposite direction.

"Woman." He dove down beneath, sped after her and surfaced directly before her. The sweep of his arm around her waist pulled her tight against him and kept her afloat. "Your escape attempts are a waste of energy we can put toward more enjoyable activities. Relax."

She put her palms flat on his chest. Startled by the warmth, she pushed. "Let go."

Reef refused to relent. "You're floundering again, little water sprite."

Miranda gaped and blinked several times. "Little? Better open your eyes, mister. I'm what most men call big."

He winked. "Pleasantly plump."

"P-pleasant? Not only are you... odd, but blind!"

"Really." Reef plunged beneath the surface and swept his gaze over her figure. Delicate bare feet and shapely legs kicked furiously to keep her head above water. Rounded backside, curvaceous hips and an ever so slightly indented waist aroused. Determined feminine kicks and the water current lifted her dress and revealed white panties. Full b.r.e.a.s.t.s floated while she bobbed. He surfaced behind her.

Miranda gasped when a powerful arm embraced her waist. "Hey-"

"Hush. You tire. My strength is yours." Reef nuzzled her shoulder. "And you're right it's not pleasantly plump... it's pleasingly perfect."

Such a warm tone and kind words had never graced her ears before. She stilled in his grip, her voice a whisper, "Let me go." His arm tightened.

"I don't want to."