Hayden

I hadn’t been on this boat a full hour and already things weren’t working out. I’d given specific instructions that these rooms down here were to remain locked and that I should have the only keys. “What are you doing down here?” I snapped at Avery, trying to stay calm, but my fingernails were digging into my palms.

Avery swallowed and bowed her head in a gesture that in any other situation I might have found arousing, but right now, I wanted answers. “I’m sorry. I was just checking you had everything you needed. Providing fresh towels, freshening up your room. That’s all.” She lifted her arms to show me the hand towel I’d used once that she was grasping.

“Everything I needed? What I need is privacy—people keeping out of my business.” Should I just pack my bags and leave? I glanced behind her at my room. What had she been doing in there? I’d taken so many precautions. “Why are you snooping?”

“Mr. Wolf, it’s my job to make sure you have seven-star service on this yacht. I take that responsibility seriously.”

“But what I requested was privacy. You told me I had the only keys.”

“You do, but of course I have a set. I don’t count. I’m invisible if I’m doing my job. I’m here to get you what you want before you realize you need it—to anticipate your desires. I’m not going to wait to be asked to change your towels or empty your trash. I’m not doing my job if you’re focusing on anything other than what an incredible time you’re having.”

I sucked in a deep breath. She might have passion for what she did, but it wasn’t what I’d asked for. “I’m going to have an incredible time if I can get my work done privately without having to be worried that the requests I make aren’t being adhered to.”

She winced as if ignoring the wishes of a guest was actually painful to her. She looked contrite and seemed genuine, but I’d lost confidence in my ability to judge people. “I’m sorry if I’ve done anything that you didn’t want me to, and if it was up to me I would be happy to give you my key, but if you want to stop me from having access to your room then we need to speak to Captain Moss.”

The last thing I expected was for her to suggest we go to her boss. “You’re saying he insists you change my towels before I notice them?”

“No, he leaves that stuff to me. But he’ll have different concerns. He’s in the wheelhouse.”

She led the way upstairs and I tried not to notice the way her near-perfect bottom filled out her khaki skirt. Any other time in my life, if I’d been faced with a woman as beautiful as Avery Walker, especially one who said she wanted to anticipate my desires, she would have been naked and pinned underneath me within thirty minutes of meeting her. I got the impression Avery didn’t realize how alluring and sexy she was. It kind of oozed out of her, in every step she took, every movement. But I wasn’t about to lose my focus over Avery Walker. I wanted to know what these concerns of Captain Moss were and why the hell my simple request for privacy had been ignored.

Avery knocked, then waited for Captain Moss to answer before opening the door. We might not be in the Royal Navy but there was a very clear chain of command. We took two steps up into a bright, semicircular room overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Captain Moss’ eyes slid from Avery to me. “Mr. Wolf. Is everything alright?”

Avery clasped her hands behind her back and glanced at me.

When I didn’t speak, she explained. “Mr. Wolf found me refreshing his room and is concerned that I have a key,” she said, and shook her head, pressing her full lips together.

Captain Moss nodded. “I see.”

He either wasn’t surprised or was well used to keeping his emotions in check.

“Do I need to be concerned?” he asked Avery.

“Not from what I saw,” she replied.

I’d lost the train of this conversation. It sounded as if Avery had been searching my room. “I thought I was clear that two rooms needed to be secure and that I was to have the only set of keys,” I said.

“Well, I’m sure you want Avery to be able to do her job. And even if you didn’t, there’s no way I can be shut out of any room on this yacht. Let me explain,” the captain said, gesturing to banquette seating at a small, polished oval table overlooking the ocean.

I took a seat, careful as always not to let my frustration show. Captain Moss took a seat the other side of the table.

“As captain, I’m subject to an enormous amount of regulation. A room I do not have access to—whether that’s directly or through my chief stewardess—is not acceptable. What happens on this boat is my responsibility.”

“You’re saying that you snoop on all your guests?”

“Absolutely not. And it is not our intention to snoop on you. As chief stewardess, Avery has a set of keys so she can do her job and ensure you have the best possible stay. I’ve worked with her before and she’s as straight as a die—I trust her completely. But I asked her to see if we needed to be worried about anything. You bring drugs on board this boat and I’m out of a job.”

“Drugs?” I asked. Did I look like I did drugs? Was my suit a little too loud?

“As an example. Anything illegal.”

“I’m not doing anything illegal.”

“Surely you understand how your repeated requests for the utmost privacy go beyond what we’ve come to expect and as such raised our suspicions,” the captain said.

I blew out a breath. I wished I was here to kick back and relax, that I didn’t give a shit about the locked doors and couriered packages that I’d begin to receive. Jesus, they’d really think I was dealing drugs when that started.

“And I don’t mean I just wouldn’t get to captain this boat. I would lose my license and my career would be over. The stakes are too high for me to take unnecessary risks.”

I knew that feeling. I was staring at the very real possibility of my business burning to the ground if I didn’t make the next eight weeks count. I’d had Moss thoroughly vetted along with all the crew. His reputation was beyond reproach and was the reason I chose the Athena. He was just showing me the extent of his integrity. “I’m not here to do anything illegal. I’m here to work. Being as successful as I am makes me a target for people who want to know things before I want them public, and I’m taking every precaution,” I explained.

I glanced at Avery, whose whole body seemed to sag with relief, although her expression remained the same. She had a veneer of personable professionalism, but I had a feeling that what lay beneath was worth getting to know.

“I run a financial services business,” I continued. “The regulator would shut me down if I took part in anything illegal.”

“I understand, but I have to take precautions in the same way I’m sure you do.” Captain Moss glanced at Avery. “Rest assured, you’re in trustworthy hands. If you don’t feel comfortable with anyone else, you can completely count on Avery.”

I nodded, understanding Captain Moss’s position, but I no longer believed I could completely count on anyone other than my brother, although I wasn’t about to say that. “I have nothing to hide from you, but I have good reason to need to keep my business affairs private.”

“Perhaps we can reach a solution that works for both of us. As you requested, Avery is the only member of crew permitted on the bedroom floor and the only crew member to have access to keys to the bedrooms. You have my reassurance on that. And Avery’s.”

Avery nodded. “Absolutely. I’ve already informed the rest of the crew that I’m the only one to go down there.”

“You’ve vetted her. You know she’s trustworthy. If the only thing you don’t want her to see is your computer and some papers, I can assure you that she’s not going to be looking at anything like that. When cleaning, she won’t touch anything on your desk and you’ll be able to tell if she does, right?”

Captain Moss seemed reasonable and he was right, everyone on this yacht had been vetted by Landon. I could definitely leave my papers in a way that it was obvious to tell if they’d been disturbed and I really didn’t have anything else to hide. “I want to be clear that she doesn’t touch my desk. At all. Not even to clean it. If anything’s moved then I’ll be extremely disappointed.” I could leave highly sensitive things in my briefcase.

“I won’t touch a thing on your desk, Mr. Wolf. You can be assured of that.”

Her breathy voice and her desperation to please me was too much and I found myself softening. “And I want you to have the key on you at all times. No setting it down where someone else could pick it up,” I said, trying to keep my tone terse.

Avery nodded. “No problem. I always keep it attached to my belt.” She pulled out a jangle of keys from her waist that seemed to be on a retractable key ring.

“Well, that’s agreed then.” I patted the table with my palm before standing. “I don’t want any deviations from this plan without my express permission.”

“Absolutely and thank you for your understanding,” Captain Moss said as he shook my hand.

I liked the loyalty and trust Moss had shown Avery and the mutual respect they clearly had for each other. It seemed genuine, and I knew it was hard to find. That had me taking a risk on them. I hoped this time I was right to trust my instincts and put my faith in Avery Walker.