“David, I’d like you to meet, Alayah Collins, our hair and makeup stylist. She’ll be on hand for any of the guests to utilize her services on the cruise. She will also personally be styling the couples who are being spotlight recorded for the promo vid.”

I watch as the man I seduced in the club shakes Alayah’s hand. He tips his white hat to her and she smiles, a vision of perfection as she says hello. When the two men turn to me, the man in the white hate doesn’t even look at me.

“Hello, I am Jake Victor, the entrepreneur of this business venture. This is my long-time friend, David Andrews, who will be producing the promotional video. David, this is our clothing stylist, Alex Keys.”

“Hello,” I stick out my hand and David just looks at it. The tension in the room is palpable and Alayah and Jake look at each another as David shakes my hand for less than a second, then turns away. This has got to be one of the most awkward introductions I have ever been through. It means having to work for this man for the next three days, trapped on a cruise ship with no escape, is going to be a nightmare at best. At worst, it’s going to mar my reputation in the industry if David decides to blow the whistle on our little tryst. I can feel my skin break into a sweat and I clench my jaw as David smiles at Alayah again.

“Right. Well, why don’t the two of you go ahead and find your cabins, and take half an hour to settle in, then we’ll meet deck side to hold a meeting with the rest of the crew and the wait staff,” Jake smiles although it doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s looking between David and me, clearly picking up on the tension there.

I nod without saying another word before picking up Alayah’s bag and walking out the door. I can feel the lump in my throat. I don’t cry often, but this mess could potentially be a disaster if word gets around, and Jake already senses the tension in the air. He’s going to want a smooth sailing cruise and as a personal friend of the producer, my money is on him siding with David if it comes down to a battle of reputations. Of course he’ll side with the man doing the promo vid. There are plenty of other stylists in the industry. They could fly out to the helipad if things with me and David go south.

But what really bothers me is that I thought David had been okay with what happened last night. He’d certainly seemed to enjoy himself. I figured when he took off in a hurry he was a little scared, and that was fine. It wasn’t like it hadn’t happened before. It’s tough coming out and even tougher accepting yourself, never mind the rest of the world. If David is still in the closet, I totally get it. There’s just one thing I don’t handle well and that’s being publicly shunned and shamed. By snubbing me, he’s done just that, and it hurts.

I bang through the corridors in a mood. I can’t help it. When my temper gets going, I don’t want to be around anyone.

We finally make it below deck. I find my cabin and Alayah’s is right next to mine. She’d been following me silently, but I have the feeling I’m about to get the third degree, so I gesture for her to enter her room and follow in after. It’s a simple cabin, beige and tan, with navy blue accents, the nicer ones having been reserved for the guests. I figure mine is a mirror image. There’s a private bathroom and a sizeable bed with a desk and chair tucked into the corner. Second class cabin, I’d wager.

I set Alayah’s bag on the floor and exit while she’s checking out her bathroom to open my room. My assumption was right, it’s the mirror image of her cabin, only my color scheme is brown and green. I set my bag down on the chair and flop onto my back on the bed. I throw an arm over my eyes and try to erase the image of David on that bench last night, thrusting his hips up toward my mouth, and it only causes my dick to go semi hard. It’s going to be a long three days if I can’t get that encounter out of my head. I groan and hear the door creak open.

I peek out from under my arm and then let it fall back into place. “Now is not a good time, Alayah.”

“No, I imagine it isn’t. You and the producer have history, which means it isn’t going to be a good time this whole cruise,” she’s so perceptive.

I sigh and sit up. “You can’t let it get around. The entrepreneur already suspects. I could see it in his eyes. He’s been in the scene for a while. Probably knows David is gay, even if David doesn’t. We hooked up at a club last night.”

“Damn it, Alex!”

I stand and begin pacing. “How the hell was I supposed to know, Alayah? I mean we hooked up, no strings attached, and it wasn’t even a full hook up. I went down town, and he freaked and bolted.”

“This is going to be a train wreck,” she flips her hair, crosses one leg over the other, and drums her fingers on my desk. The sound is deafening, and the bright, cheery color of her nails is irritating me.

“You’re telling me.”

“So what are you going to do?” she asks.

“My job. I’m a professional. I’ve been in this business over ten years and I am not going to let one little tryst ruin it. But you can’t tell anyone, okay?”

I look at her solemnly and she looks affronted. “Alex Keys, there has never been a time where you’ve had to call my loyalty into question, so boy let me tell you that you better not start doing it now!” she stands, pointing one of those bright fingernails at me, and I gulp and nod. They aren’t so cheery anymore.

“I’m sorry, Alayah. I’m just…”

“You’re hurt.”

I glance away. She’s so close to being like a sister to me, she can read my emotions even if I don’t want her to.

“Yeah. I get it. I was in his place once. I’m out and proud now, and I understand how he might be hesitant to come out, given our profession, but there’s a difference between freaking and running away like last night, and then shunning someone who’s gay because you’re uncomfortable with yourself.”

“Aww, honey. I get it. But remember, he’s new to this. He might not know how to act appropriately, and maybe that’s not him trying to be rude, maybe he really just doesn’t know any better.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I sigh and sit back down, kicking off my shoes. “I don’t mean to be rude myself, but I think I’m going to take a shower, clear my head,” I peel my socks off and she crinkles her nose.

“Mhmm. I’m sure it’s just the one head you need to be clearing,” she stands and walks to the door before I can respond. “It’ll all work out, Alex. Just remember to be respectful and professional.”

“Yeah, I know,” I stand, gather my socks and open the cloth hamper bag from my own luggage. I toss the socks inside as the door clicks shut, then I step into my bathroom. I turn the shower head on and look in the mirror at my reflection. I do look a bit peaked, as Alayah had said earlier, then I realize what I need to do. I step under the spray and turn the water as cold as I can stand it, let it wake me up and refresh me, then I turn it as hot as I can stand it to wash and rinse off.

The semi I’m sporting gets agitated with thoughts of David and I reach between my legs, letting the soap and my grip work their magic. It doesn’t take me long to come. The images of David from last night, how innocent he looked, are fresh in my mind. Then when he ran off on me, I got a serious case of blue balls, which left my teeth on edge, and I sat in the corner bench behind the curtain drinking until I couldn’t feel them or the sting of rejection.

My lust is quickly replaced with anger, which turns cool on the inside. I climb out of the shower, body still quivering, but towel off and wipe at the condensation on the mirror. My skin is red and swollen, but by opening it up with the steam, I look a little better. I reach into my bathroom bag and grab a small pouch, pulling out some essentials Alayah taught me to use to slay in the looks department. I style my hair, a look she advised because if I look too put together, it might make me look stuck up, and then I return to my room, where I pull something off one of the racks that had been delivered.

I decide to go with fitted jeans and a button-down, sculpted shirt which not only shows off my ass and my abs, but with a tie that I pull on and loosen the look screams I-don’t-care casual, even with the dressy accents. Before I leave my room, my cool interior assesses the effect of the look, and I smile when I see the accessories on the rack. Two can play David’s game.

I walk over and grab the black fedora off the rack and pull it low over my eyes. Where he is white, pure and innocent, I add a touch of darkness and mystique. I’m still hurt and I never condone pressuring someone into doing something they don’t want to. But I have an issue with someone who gives the go ahead, then comes back to say the other person was in the wrong. Even if he hasn’t said it, David has sent that message loud and clear.

I make my way topside, where the rest of the crew is assembling. Alayah is already there and she’s toned down her attire to be more relaxed and cruise ready. She’s sporting a bright sun dress and sandals, high heels of course. Her hair’s tied back in a low ponytail off her neck and she’s wearing a large, wide-brimmed sunhat and sunglasses. Sunglasses. That was the thing I forgot. I shrug and pull the fedora a little lower.

“Someone’s conflicted,” she murmurs, looking me up and down.

I can’t help it. As much as I don’t want to look for him, I find myself scanning the crowd until I find David, who’s at the head of the meeting, talking with Jake. He hasn’t changed and he looks uncomfortable in the heat of the day in his suit. Even Jake had thrown on a polo shirt and some khaki shorts.

We all wait patiently and then, when the last few stragglers of the crew make their way to the back, Jake clears his throat and begins to address the crowd.

“Thank you for all being here today. I’m pleased to welcome you to the maiden sojourn of Vincent Voyages aboard the Victor. Now, now, I know it’s customary to name a boat after a woman, but this company is geared toward appealing to our male guests,” he pauses, and everyone chuckles. “Now before we sail off, I’d like you to turn your attention to my good friend, David Andrews, who’ll be producing the promotional video. It’s going to take all of you to ensure the cruise sails smoothly and we get the best footage available so we can promote the business and keep our jobs, right?” he claps his hands and turns to David, who nods before speaking.

“First, I’d like to address the cruise crew. Thank you for ensuring the ship will run smoothly. I know it wouldn’t be possible without your abilities, so everyone, let’s give them a round of applause,” the crowd claps and the captain tips his cap to everyone. The engine crew and the rest of the crew look bored, but David continues. “To the dining crew and concierges, I would like to stress how important it is that we keep our guests happy. Whatever they wish is of the utmost importance. Let’s face it, happy models make beautiful models. Whatever they need, get it for them. I know they’re high maintenance guests, but I’m sure we’ll all survive three days,” everyone laughs more heartily than at Jake’s joke, because we all know what a pain in the ass actors and models can be.

“Next, I would like the salon on the middle deck to be devoted to the hair and makeup stylist, Miss Alayah Collins. That room will serve her needs. If other guests not scheduled for shooting need their hair or makeup done, the salon stylists who are employed on the ship have graciously and temporarily set up shop in one of the conference rooms which has access to a full bathroom,” everyone nods and looks around.

Alayah frowns at me and asks David, “Where should Alex set up the wardrobe? There are almost a dozen racks. He’ll need a lot of space, and the schedule of the models who are shooting and at what times.”

David tugs on his collar and smiles politely at her. “Yes, of course. Now, if none of you have any other questions, that’s all for now. Please see me for additional details.”

Everyone looks confused for a moment, as he never answered her question, but then they slowly start to dissipate. I stand there, shocked speechless and angry to be ignored and dismissed. I was willing to maintain professionalism, but he just took it to a whole new level of low. I feel the heat in my cheeks blush, and I march up to Jake without even looking at David.

“You’re the man in charge here,” it’s more a demand, a statement to be heard and recognized.

“Well, David is the producer…”

“Yes, of course,” I spit his own words back out at him without even looking at him. “But you’re the one who will eventually have this business, so that makes you in charge. As head of the stylists, I need to know where to set up my work space,” I place a hand on my hip and wait. Jake looks at David, but I tap my foot.

“I suppose you should have the racks brought up to the ballroom. There are changing rooms backstage and all the performances have been put on hold for this trip. There’ll be ample space back there.”

“Perfect,” without another word, I turn on my heel and walk away. I’m so angry my eyes are burning from unshed tears, and I can’t even look at David. I can’t imagine what the next three days are going to be like. If it’s anything like the last hour, it’s going to be a nightmare and I find myself wanting off this ship now. But Alayah squeezes my arm and knows enough not to say a word. I notch my chin up a little higher and continue to walk away, not letting David see the blush of embarrassment on my face, or the one tear of rejection that slips down my cheek. I swipe it away before anyone sees, and vow that will be the only one I let fall on behalf of David Andrews.