Free Cruising for Love (The Escape Series Book 2) by Ann Omasta

skin indicates that I am sunburnt––really sunburnt.
    I glare up at the cameraman who is filming me from the shade of a large umbrella. "Why didn't you wake me?" I demand, completely ignoring the strict instructions not to ever interact with the cameras or crew.
    He shrugs his shoulders as if to say he had no choice in the matter. He looks bored, which makes me wonder if he filmed the entire time I was asleep. I wonder if I drooled or snored or did anything else embarrassing. The lounge chair had been exceedingly more comfortable than the bathtub that was my bed last night, so I slept rather soundly––hopefully not too soundly.
    I glare at him as I delicately get up to return to my room. The soreness is already setting in and I fear that I will look like a lobster by dinner-time.

Chapter 16
     
    After taking a cool shower and gingerly donning my robe, I poke my head through the opening in the adjoining door and am pleased to find Syd waiting for me. One glimpse of my charbroiled skin makes him nearly fall out of his chair.
    "Ouch, Girl! What happened to you?" he asks, although it's obvious what has happened. Without waiting for an answer, he starts digging through one of his deep makeup cases. Finding what he is after, he hands me a bright blue bottle of aloe and Lidocaine gel. "Coat yourself in this," he instructs me, "then we'll see what we can do about those raccoon eyes."
    Feeling like a total doofus for allowing myself to get so burnt, I quietly return to my room to comply with his request. I'm pleasantly surprised when the cool gel provides some calming relief to my inflamed skin.
    Hoping that he's not too disappointed in my lack of judgment, I sheepishly return to Syd. "Okay, babydoll," he says kindly. "I found this loose, silky sundress that won't require you to put a bra on those raw shoulders. How does this look for dinner tonight."
    I'm incredibly touched by his thoughtfulness. I try to give him a hug, but when he gently returns it his thighs brush against mine. I screech, "Ack! That hurts!"
    "Sorry, Sweetness," he tells me, and I can tell he is sincere. Turning all business, he says, "Okay, let's see what we can do about this face."
    He uses a gentle touch as he works to tone down the redness on my face. The giant white circles around my eyes caused by the shade my sunglasses provided make for a bit of a challenge. Even though he grumbles about it, when he turns me towards my reflection, I'm amazed at the results. He has calmed the redness, evened out my skin tone, and lightly brushed powder down my neck and décolletage to help blend the vastly different colors of my skin so the areas beyond my ears that had been in the shade no longer looked like they have been dipped in flour.
    Shuffling me next door with the sundress, he instructs me to step into it, so I don't mess up his masterpiece. Glancing into the full-length mirror after donning it, I am horrorstruck to see my reflection. Having heard my gasp, Syd rushes over to see what the problem is.
    One glance at me has him erupting into giggles. "It's not funny," I tell him, trying to sound stern––even though I'm beginning to join him in the hilarity. My face and neck are a dark, reddish tone, the fronts of my arms and legs are deep red, while the back-side of me looks completely white, by comparison. I look utterly ridiculous.
    "What am I going to do?" I wail, once our laughter subsides.
    "Don't worry. I'll take care of you." Syd reassures me, and I instantly feel better. His fix involves having me hold my sundress out of the way while he uses spray tan to even out the remarkable variation in the tone of my skin. "Does that sting?" he asks kindly as he lightly pats the dividing line to blend the colors together.
    I shake my head, just wanting to get this over with. The end result of his ministrations surprises me. He has effectively blended the two vastly different colors of my skin into one dark, lovely shade. "You are a miracle worker!" I gush. "No