Tyler

“What this means,” I yelled for the third time, trying to make myself heard over the chattering row “is that you’ll be putting three thousand people out of work! That’s three thousand families on welfare, three thousand homes going into foreclosure and about six thousand kids going hungry!” I stared at Banks and the other board members, unable to keep my fists from clenching and unclenching.

“Please sit down, Mr. Harcourt,” sneered Banks, sat in his chair at the end of the huge, black, boardroom table. Through the glass wall, I could see the more junior office workers trying to pretend they couldn’t hear the shouting coming from within our closed meeting, “You’re exaggerating as usual, and you are missing a major point.”

I looked over each of the other men that sat around Banks. All of them wore expensive suits and were either overweight from expensive and excessive living, gray or white haired from age, or both. Banks was both, and his face carried a repulsively arrogant look of scorn, a take away from years of almost always being the richest man in the room. He was part of the old guard. One of my father’s longest-standing partners, and we never saw eye to eye.

I turned to the opposite end of the table, where the prey of these white-haired, dark-suited vultures sat. Mr. Hobbs and his son, Paul, of boat builders Hobbs & Son who, after not having their military contracts renewed, were now finding it hard to keep their business solvent in the current economic climate, building only luxury super-yachts. Mr. Hobbs Sr. was well past retirement age and couldn’t hide it, yet he still wore a determined expression on his face and looked prepared to fight for the company he had spent his whole life building. Paul Hobbs, on the other hand, was nearing forty and had the look of someone that could see his comfortable lifestyle disappearing down the tubes with every dollar that Hobbs & Son went into the red. Both were also dressed in dark suits that, while still respectable, were worth nowhere near as much as those of my board members.

I needed a second to collect myself. Shouting at Banks and the rest of the board only ever served to make them dig their heels in and convince them that I was just a jumped up rich kid not fit to lick my father’s shoes, let alone fill them. I straightened my tie, ran my fingers through my hair and, just to piss them off, chose to remain standing. “Exactly what point am I missing, again, Mr. Banks?”

“We are in this deal together,” he replied. “As the 51% shareholder in HHC, and the son of this firm’s founder, you are as much responsible for the job losses at Hobbs & Son as anyone here.”

I opened my mouth to start yelling again when Henry Osborne, sitting beside me, placed a soft, plump hand on my arm and stood as well. He was the polar opposite of me. Short, rotund, balding, and pudgy-faced, hiding his brown eyes behind thick-lensed spectacles. Despite appearances, we were both thirty-eight, having graduated from Yale together. However, I stayed in shape with a vigorous work-out regimen and a love of extreme sports, while Henry didn’t. He was still my closest friend, though, as well as my attorney and business adviser. I nodded in response to his calming touch and sat.

“Remember, Tyler,” he said, expertly managing to be loud enough for the board and I to hear, as well as quiet enough to be mostly unintelligible to the boat builders at the other end of the room, “selling off the assets and real estate that Mr. Hobbs has managed to collect over the years should bring in just over a billion dollars right now. And they will most definitely be sold, whether it’s now, next year when the old man and his company go bankrupt, or the day after he dies and his son liquidates the entire concern. The only difference is that right now it will bring in five times more than next year, or whenever.”

“I know,” I hissed, “but it’s still too many poor bastards out of work.”

One of the less senior, but certainly fatter, members of the board made a predictable remark about making omelets and breaking eggs. I shot him a hateful look and he went silent. I’d like to see him try and actually make an omelet, the lazy asshole.

“This is how it’s done, Tyler,” insisted Banks, trying a more forgiving, paternal tone, “This is how we make our money, this is how your father made money...”

“Don’t mention my father to me!” I yelled, on my feet again and rounding on him. Mr. Hobbs and his son went wide-eyed at my outburst while, outside the office, HHC employees busied themselves faster, trying to not be seen eavesdropping. “I’ll be damned if I ever do business the way he did!” I saw Banks pale slightly and allowed myself a little smile of victory. A moment passed and I returned his voice to its more normal range. “Henry, tell the board about the plan we worked out.”

Henry cleared his throat and spoke to the whole room this time. “If HHC were to invest in Mr. Hobbs’s business, instead of selling off the assets” he began, “it would take around $100 million right now to increase the workforce and update his facilities to the point where they could be back in profit in three years. According to our projections, that’s a return for us of $50 million on top of our original investment in five years’ time.”

“Meaning Mr. Hobbs keeps his company and his workforce keeps their jobs. I’m sorry Hector,” I smiled at Banks, “it’s a lot less than a billion.” Paul Hobbs choked and coughed on the water he was drinking. “But it’s still profit for HHC, and I think both you and I can continue to survive without another billion dollars, don’t you?”

Banks said nothing, his face locked in a pain-filled rictus of forced acquiescence. I walked down the table to Mr. Hobbs, who slowly and carefully stood. We shook hands. “As the majority shareholder of HHC, I have the power to green light any major decisions all by my lonesome,” I smiled, “and I say we are going to be working together, Mr. Hobbs, sir. What say you?”

The old man’s voice was deep and rough, “I’d say you gotta deal, Mr. Harcourt.”

Hobbs Jr. piped up a protest, which his father quickly but kindly silenced, and there was some grumbling from the board. I ignored them. “Outstanding. Now, we’ve been trying to arrange this deal for six months, I think we all need a break,” I smiled over at Henry. “Do you think we ought to learn something about the superyacht business, old buddy?” He nodded back at me, enthusiastically. “I believe I have a 150ft boat moored off the coast of somewhere, don’t I?”

“You do,” replied Henry, “but I’m afraid she’s in dry-dock, being refitted.”

“Well then,” I turned to my latest business partner, “Mr. Hobbs, with your connections, I was hoping you could steer us toward a good charter...”

Mr. Hobbs smiled back, “I know just the captain to take care of you.”

Misty

The alarm beeped annoyingly, right by my pillow. I reached out and hit snooze, praying for just five more minutes of sleep. It was not to be, however, even though it was only five in the morning. This was the life we’d signed up for.

The light in our tiny cabin came on and Tanya instantly slid down from her top bunk. I tried to turn my head in time but it was too late. Tanya insisted on sleeping naked which never bothered me, except first thing every morning when I was presented with a daily, eye-level and in-your-face view of her hairless and exposed vagina, or a pair of smooth, bare buttocks, before she would disappear into our little shower room. It was certainly not my ideal way of waking up, regardless of how firm, tanned and sexy that ass was.

I could hear tooth-brushing and off-key humming noises coming from the small head that served our cabin, so I hauled myself out of my bunk. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I stared at myself in the mirror on the bathroom door. Jeez, I looked awful. My shoulder-length blonde hair was all tousled and frizzy, my blue eyes bloodshot and puffy, and the close proximity of the mirror was showing me every single open pore and blemish. I let out a long sigh and groped about on the shelves for my Lycra running shorts.

I found them and pulled them on, then stood and turned away from the cabin door. This was a habit I developed after the second-time Brett burst in uninvited, and we ended up nipple-to-nipple. The cabin really was that small. It always amazed how he always seemed to know exactly when one or both of us was half-naked but, of course, never knocked. Sure enough, as I pulled my nightshirt up over my head, I heard the door open and an excited ‘wow-ee’ come from the doorway. I quickly wrapped my arms around my bare breasts and shot Brett an evil, yet playful, look over my shoulder. It was hard to be mad at him. He didn’t mean any harm, he was just being silly and flirty. Our boat’s third deckhand stood there, shirtless, and gorgeous, a solid slab of muscle, all tanned skin and cheeky smiles, with long, wet, brown hair framing his sharp, stubbly face.

“Get the fuck out, Brett!” I snapped at him, as he stared at my bare back, hoping for a glimpse of side-boob. He opened his mouth to reply, but the words caught in his throat as Tanya stepped serenely out of the head, still totally naked and completely unashamed. She gave me the diversion I needed to grab my sports bra and tug it over my tits.

“Morning, handsome,” sang Tanya, as she squeezed her long, lithe body around me. She smiled as she walked slowly, yet threateningly, toward the open-mouthed Brett. She reached him, placed a hand on his firm chest, and effortlessly shoved him out the door, closing it behind her. She turned to me and giggled as the outside corridor was quickly filled with loud complaints and protests.

I smiled back at her. “Will you put some damn clothes on?” I insisted.

“Only if you give me a big kiss first, beautiful!” she teased, playfully caressing her proud and prominent breasts seductively.

“Oh, you bitch,” I laughed. While it seemed to me that Tanya was a tri-sexual – meaning she’d try pretty much anything – she knew I was only into guys. She’d still mess with me every chance she got, though. “Shut up and let’s go, shall we?”

“Just waiting on you!” she called behind me as I stepped into the head and locked the door. As I brushed my teeth, my mind wondered over the two months I’d spent so far crewing this yacht. Part of me wished I could be as outgoing and confident in my body as Tanya, the second steward to my third. There was, after all, not a lot of room for privacy or modesty among the crew, below-deck of Aphrodite, the 161-foot, $20 million luxury motor yacht we all worked charters on. The cramped, claustrophobic crew quarters meant everyone was bound to see your junk or your tits at some point, so why should I worry?

Plus, every night we weren’t on charter usually involved vast amounts of drinking and dancing, as you’d expected from a crew of mostly early-twenty-something beautiful people, working hard in the Caribbean and earning a ton of money. Of course, there was more than a fair share of making out and hooking up going on too, although the latter was not quite as common as you’d think, though. Especially since the morning after would leave both parties trapped on a boat with no way of escape.

And last night had been one of those nights, involving far too much rum and tequila. As the last clouds of drowsiness finally disappeared from my brain, my head began to bang. I drank down a glass of water and struggled to recall the night’s shenanigans. Brett, I thought I could remember, had made out with Sarah, our normally very professional chief steward, who was still an astonishingly attractive redhead despite being over a decade older than most of the rest of the crew. Sarah was normally a little aloof and austere when she was sober but she could certainly party when the mood took her.

Toward the end of the night, I did recollect, a bunch of the younger guys and girls had skinny-dipped off the side of the yacht, leaping laughing and naked into the black Caribbean waters, but that was pretty par for the course on those off-nights.

As for myself, I remembered flirting a little with a guy in the bar we were at, and gradually began to recall responding when Adam, the very sexy ship’s engineer, began to compliment and flirt with me. Oh, God! That was all I needed. Adam was fit, certainly. A little shorter and not quite the Adonis that most deckhands, like Brett, turned into after a length of time at sea, but he made up for it with a really smart sense of humor and a quiet vulnerability. I just wasn’t looking for anything serious. Not right now.

Remembering his interest in me, and the enthusiastic look in his eye as we flirted, my self-confidence began to return a little. I put on some makeup, brushed my hair, and, slowly the face in the mirror returned to someone I finally recognized. A little highlighting around my eyes, a little gloss on my lips, and I started to feel attractive again. And, thanks to getting up at five every morning and running around the boat for ninety minutes with Brett and Tanya, no matter what the weather or how much we’d imbibed the night before, all the tacos, nachos, and binge drinking had only a negligible effect on my body. Thanks to the work I put in, I managed to maintain my flat stomach, firm butt, slim legs, and high bust.

Don’t get me wrong, I was no buff gym-goddess, like Tanya. But Adam still called me a knockout last night, which was always nice to hear. God, I hoped things were not going to be weird between us now, though. It’s seldom a bad thing to have a more senior colleague a little sweet on you, so long as he knows it’s never going to get serious, but I needed to keep my focus for the tasks I had ahead, and the secret plans I could never tell my crewmates about.

* * *

After we ran, Tanya, Brett, and I went back to our quarters and showered for the crew breakfast-meeting. Around the table in the galley was a long, L-shaped couch built into the walls, and we three most junior crew members, along with Adam, were the first to arrive. First deckhand Mike, who displayed his usual early morning bad mood, and Azure, looking typically frumpy in her second deckhand uniform, were next to appear.

It always amazed me just how Azure, short, pretty, and olive-skinned, could fly silently and almost unnoticed about the boat during a charter but, off-duty, she could quickly throw on some heels, a backless dress, and transform into a sultry, hard-partying princess with enough cleavage to get us behind almost any velvet rope. Maybe it was because she was only about five feet tall with no shoes on at work, which was the rule aboard Aphrodite for both crew and guests alike.

The door opened and in walked Captain Harper, all white hair and bushy beard, with Keith, the newly appointed bosun. Tarquin, a Cordon Bleu chef from London, followed them, pristine in his sharp white jacket, and as gay as can be, along with Sarah, who carefully and subtly managed to sit at the bolted down table as far from Brett as possible. They’d clearly just come from their senior crew meeting.

“Good morning, everyone,” Captain Harper’s English accent was crisp as he took a chair at the head of the table “I hope you all had fun last night.” Adam and I exchanged glances, and I saw Brett’s eyes flit over to where Sarah was sitting, although she didn’t flinch. “However, today is a work day, and here’s our charter.”

Keith handed round sheets of paper that had a head-shot and some details printed underneath. When the first sheet circled around to me, it showed a big, African-American guy with a scar on his left cheek and gold where his front teeth should have been. Charming.

“D Cash,” began Keith. Unaccustomed to public speaking, he stopped and cleared his throat before continuing, “as you probably all know, is a multi-million selling rap and hip-hop artist who loves his bling.” I passed the sheet on and took the next one. This was a handsome, clean-looking chap, in his early thirties, who looked incredibly fit but that could have been just the photo. “Paul Richards,” announced Keith, “another billionaire and a motorcycle racer who currently competes at world level in the Moto-GP championship.”

I felt my hands shaking as the third paper was handed over to me. I felt the breath catch in my throat as I looked at the picture. “Tyler Harcourt,” said Keith. “Our primary charter.”

Finally, I thought to myself, the one I’ve been waiting for.

“A billionaire playboy type that does actually take his work seriously,” Keith read from his notes. “As always, don’t forget that the primary is the guy who’s paying. He’s our boss for the next few days and the one that’s going to tip you all.”

I accidentally scoffed to myself but, luckily, no one noticed. Just as no one noticed as I held on to the paper and stared at his picture. Look at him, I thought, rich, handsome, arrogant bastard. My eyes began to stare through the photograph, my mind flashing back eight years, almost to the day.

I was the most popular senior in Santa Monica High School. I had wealthy friends, a BMW convertible, and all the cute boys chasing me. I was all set, eager to head off to one of the top colleges in the country, then carve out a career, maybe in fashion. My father’s successful yacht-building company had given me and my mother a privileged life that made others envious.

The bubble burst, though. Times went bad and I didn’t find out until it was too late. The spare cash dried up and people stopped buying yachts. My dad tried to keep it secret that his business was in trouble, borrowing and dealing, trying to stay afloat until the economy improved. And he succeeded for a while, right up until my car was seized and towed, right out of the student car park in front of all my friends. After that, well, I couldn’t even get a ride home.

Soon, the house went too and, not long after, my mother. She was desperate to get back the life she was used to, I guess, because we woke up one morning and she’d just vanished. I never saw her again. My dad never managed to recover. He was able to explain to me that they lost everything due to a hostile takeover from a huge firm. He told me it was a billion-dollar corporation called HHC, and that the founder and CEO was a guy called Bernard Harcourt.

He also knew that Harcourt had been leaking the problems my father’s company was experiencing, as well as HHC’s secret plans for the acquisition, for months. The result of that illegal move was no confidence in the company, so the share prices dropped and no one dared lift a finger to help the Morgan family business out. Two days after he’d been forced to sign the handover, selling his life’s work for a measly ten thousand dollars, my father shot himself.

So, the way I saw it, Bernard Harcourt and his greedy business practices were directly responsible for my father’s death. The Harcourt family and HHC were murderers and now, at last, was my chance for revenge. Bernard had died three years ago, leaving his son Tyler in charge of HHC, and he was now only hours away from being stuck on a boat with me, for three days.

Barely eighteen, with less than ten grand to my name, no place to live, and no college degree, I’d been forced to go to work so, after a few missteps and dead-end jobs, I eventually went back to the only thing I knew. I found employment on yachts. I liked to think I was smart, attractive, and resourceful, and that helped me build a career as cabin crew on several boats, moving up to becoming the chief steward of a huge yacht in the Mediterranean.

Happily, I found I loved the work and, with tips, the money was good. And the lifestyle allowed me to never need to settle. I had no house, no car, no family. I worked boats constantly, calling each one home, for one season at a time. Any downtime I had was spent in cheap lodgings in whatever port I landed. Jamaica, Nice, Singapore, flipping from one side of the world to the other, chasing the summer vacation seasons. Not too bad at all.

However, when I heard that Tyler Harcourt had chartered a boat, I knew my chance had arrived. Having no home or real family, there was no distractions, nothing to stop me kicking my plan for revenge into action. I jumped ship immediately, flew to Aruba, and pestered Captain Harper to take me on board Aphrodite. I even lied about my experience, knowing he had a longstanding chief steward and I’d never get that job, I went for the lowest cabin crew position to make sure I got aboard. Then it was just a matter of working the few weeks, waiting for Harcourt’s charter to come around.

“Miss Morgan?” called Captain Harper, “Are you still with us?” I jerked upright in my seat and nodded, finally putting down the paper with his face on it. “Mr. Harcourt is paying for his friends and him to have a good time,” he continued. “He always brings his attorney, Henry Osborne, with him and they told us at reservation that there would also be three to five… erm… lady-friends joining them.”

“They landed in Oranjestad yesterday,” Sarah piped up, “and will be boarding at eleven this morning. Stewards, a last look over the guest bedrooms and facilities, please, then into your whites for the charter’s arrival.”

Tanya and I jumped up to obey Sarah’s instructions, as Keith called out his directions to the deckhands. The next three hours flew by as we three stewards inspected the opulent master cabin, with its huge central bed that gazed out on a panoramic ocean view across the bow of the ship, the three plush double cabins amidships and the stern twin room. We made sure the three bars, one on deck, one in the lounge and one in the formal dining room, were stocked with single malt scotch, good brandy, rum, tequila, and Dom Pérignon champagne, and that all the glassware and crystal shone. The deckhands scrubbed the decks, the hull and saw that the three Waverunners, the speed boat, and other assorted millionaire’s toys we carried were ready. The sundeck and the eight-person Jacuzzi were also thoroughly prepared, as they were the most popular places the guests liked to hang out. There were many good reasons that it cost upwards of $200,000 to charter this boat for a long weekend.

Tyler

The beautiful Caribbean sun shone down on Aphrodite as she sat bobbing gently in her slip. Through the distant windshield, I’d seen the crew standing on the lower deck, all lined up in their shining, starched white uniforms, looking extremely dapper. They seemed to be paraded in order of seniority, ready to greet us as we boarded. Now, as the stretched black Hummer pulled to a halt by the jetty, I could just make out the yacht’s outline through the tinted rear windows

Our driver, Geoffrey, opened the door for us to step out. “Don’t forget, ladies and gentlemen,” he reminded us, “you’ll need to remove your shoes as you step onto the landing platform.

I tried to imagine how it must look to the crew, watching another group of privileged one-percenters unloading from some bloated limousine, ready to be waited on hand and foot. D Cash got out first. I struggled as I tried to remember how we became friends. I know we both bought and moved into neighboring houses in Calabasas years ago, right after his first hit album and Grammy Award. He was a total cliché, always surrounding himself with women and bling but, oddly, we had a very similar sense of humor. You didn’t see it much in him, it didn’t suit his image. Late at night, though, after some drinks with only a few of us around, he could be reduced to hysterics over Monty Python or Pete and Dud, just like me.

I looked back up toward the crew and wondered what they were thinking as they watched D Cash, 250lbs of dark-skin covered muscle, dripping in gold, step out of the back of the car. He held out two bear claw-sized hands. One was daintily taken by Britney as she got out, a tall and very thin blonde girl in a light summer dress that plunged right down to her navel, lengthening her slight body, and gently cutting across her small, high breasts.

The other was clasped by Ruby, a dramatically made up African-American woman with, I couldn’t help but notice, probably the most amazing tits and ass I’d ever seen all crammed into the tightest booty shorts and crop top. I was sure I could see a couple of the crew members staring open mouthed as she slinked away from the car. I had never met either girl before and wasn’t sure where he’d found either of them. I think he told me they were in a Jay-Z video he produced last week.

Next to get out was the Paul. He was a few years younger than me, and we were expected to be friends because our families were both rich and went way back. However, we were actually close because we both loved fast cars and, more importantly, motorcycles. We rode together as often as we could. He helped his companion for the weekend, another slim blonde called Veronique, from the limo. Her I knew, because she was a supermodel, and I’d seen her in some of the magazines my family owned. She was almost taller than Paul and me, and dressed in designer label shirt, shorts, and sandals with those huge, round dark glasses favored by models and celebrities everywhere. They linked arms, too, and headed toward Aphrodite.

Henry hopped out next. He was trying to be sweet and assist Bella, a young and beautiful Latino girl out, only to lose his footing and end up with her steadying him. She was clearly out of his league, dressed in casual beachwear that accentuated her slender waist and full breasts, with long, flowing black hair that fell thickly down her back. Henry smiled meekly at her but she looked unimpressed. She couldn’t have been much more than eighteen. I couldn’t say anything to him but it was obvious there’d been an evening of her rejecting his advances in some bar, until he’d offered to bring her down to Aruba for the yacht trip. I felt for my poor friend.

I got an email from the office as I was about to get out. I’d told them to only contact me if it was life or death, so I had to check it. This made Ada, my date for the trip, smile at me through gritted teeth as I told her to go on first.

“Business, darling,” I said, “God knows if I didn’t take care of it, where would that leave us, eh?” I was being arrogant and knew I’d be made to suffer later. She flicked her long, shining, straight black hair, right out of a shampoo commercial, as she turned to disembark. It seemed someone hadn’t got the ‘life or death’ memo, so I slid my smartphone back into the inside pocket of my white linen jacket and stepped out too. I smiled an apology at Ada as she tapped her foot impatiently on the wooden dock.

She took off her sunglasses, the full force of her stunningly sharp features hit me like a truck, along with her attitude. She was a woman who knew she was beautiful and always got exactly what she wanted, every time. She was dressed in a black jumpsuit, open at the top to reveal an impressive cleavage, and gave a quick smile as she linked her arm through mine. We’d been dating three weeks. As heiress to the Showazuki family fortune, she was rich in her own right, devastatingly intelligent, and incredibly good-looking, yet I just didn’t feel very much for her.

I thought she was hot, sure, and I was hoping my physical attraction to her might blossom into something more permanent but, as time wore on, that was looking less and less likely. This trip was supposed to be the setting for our first time sleeping together. All the teasing, groping, flirting and heavy petting we’d managed on the half dozen dinner dates and parties we’d attended leading up to this point in our relationship had certainly got the old juices flowing, so that we were both getting pretty desperate for some kind of release, I just couldn’t see any real relationship developing between us and that saddened me. It made me wonder what was the point of us fucking?

“Are you okay?” she whispered to me, for like the twelfth time today.

“I’m fine, darling,” I lied, also for the twelfth time, “I’m just a bit taken aback by the boat and this magnificent setting.”

That, at least, was true. The sparkling blue water, the golden sun beating down, the rows of different-sized, gleaming white boats rising and dipping in time against the ancient wooden dock, all topped off by the sleek, modern, and decadent form of Aphrodite towering above us, easily the biggest in the harbor, took my breath away a little.

We stepped off the gangplank onto a low platform at sea level, leaving our shoes with Geoffrey who swore we’d find them in our cabin along with our luggage, then climbed some short steps up to the lower deck. It was covered from the sun and looked like a great place to enjoy breakfast. I could see a large room resembling a bar beyond the double doors.

Captain Harper introduced himself to Ada and I, “Welcome aboard, Mr. Harcourt,” he said with a firm handshake, “These are the crew that will take good care of you for the next few days.”

He moved us on down the line, introducing each crew member as we went. The others had all shaken hands with everyone by the time I got there. I met a beautiful thirty-something redhead called Sarah, who welcomed us by offering tall glasses of champagne. Next, a slender and long-legged brunette called Tanya, who flashed me an alluring and slightly suggestive smile, was introduced, followed by the third steward, Misty. For a microsecond, I could have sworn she eyed me up and down with pure contempt. Then suddenly, her eyes lit up and a dazzling smile appeared. She looked so beautiful in that instant, I swear she made my heart skip a beat.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Harcourt,” she curtsied. I couldn’t help myself and sneaked a peek down the front of her shirt as she bent forward. It must have been a shade too obvious, because Ada sharply tugged my hand, pulling me to her.

“If you’d like to follow me, I can quickly show you around our boat,” said Sarah, before leading us off below decks. Still, I couldn’t draw my eyes away from Misty. Her long blonde hair ran down past her shoulders, perfectly framing her gorgeous face. Her sparkling blue eyes dazzled me and her full lips looked intoxicating. I felt like a dumb teenager meeting a playboy bunny. She stood with the other staff, smiling warmly at me every time she saw me staring at her, until I was dragged out of sight.

Misty

Got him, I thought to myself.

He’d noticed me, that much was obvious. Honestly, I was a little surprised. Seeing that Asian goddess on his arm, I never expected him to seem so interested in me. I wondered if this Ada just might be the most completely attractive woman I’d ever seen in my life. Exactly what I’d expected to see with him. In person, though, he was far more handsome than I’d anticipated. It didn’t worry me. I still hated him. I just never expected to find myself even a little attracted to him.

Aphrodite had been underway for an hour, the guests were settling into their quarters, and Sarah and I were helping Tarquin prep for lunch when Tanya stumbled into the galley, giggling.

“Oh, my God! I just passed by D Cash’s room. All three of them are fucking like mad!” she squealed. “You can hear that black girl moaning and that skinny blonde screaming right up on the sundeck.”

“Well, they’re paying guests. No harm in them enjoying themselves,” Sarah said absently, concentrating on pairing a cucumber for the salads.

“Speak for yourself, Sarah,” cried Tanya. “If I have to listen to any more of that, I’m either joining them or I’m gonna need that cucumber and a twenty-minute break in my bunk!”

“Oh! How crass! You are a filthy slut, Tanya,” teased Tarquin.

“Look who’s talking!” she teased him back. Here we go again, I thought, having seen this scene play out once or twice before.

“Can’t you just stop being gay for a second and do me a favor?” Tanya cornered the chef against the walk-in freezer, where he mimed frantic shock and panic. “Please, Tarquin, ‘me so horny’!” she flipped around, lifted her skirt, and exposed her G-string clad behind, “Puhlehehease… stick it in… just for a second… it won’t hurt a bit, I promise!”

“Do you see this, Sarah? This is sexual misconduct of the highest order!” wailed Tarquin, as Tanya ground her nearly naked butt against his crotch, “Vile temptress! Get thee to a nunnery!”

“That’s enough, Tanya,” Sarah scolded her, still smiling.

Tanya pouted and made herself decent. “It’s still not fair, though, is it?” she whined, “We slave away for them, no booze, no sex, while the whole weekend they get to have the time of their lives.”

“Just think about that fat tip waiting at the end, darling,” reassured Tarquin, before rushing over and diving into one of his ovens. “Dozy cow, you nearly made me burn my meat!” he pulled out a lightly smoldering tray of pork cutlets.

“I thought that was what she was trying to do,” I murmured, and the other three burst out laughing again.

“Well, someone’s got an admirer,” said Azure from the galley doorway. We all jumped a little.

“Christ!” breathed Tarquin, indicating desperate heart palpitations. “How long have you been there? I hate when she does that.”

“Who?” I asked, ignoring Tarquin’s theatrics. “Has Tanya found another heart to break?”

“No, silly!” said Tarquin. “We all saw the way the primary was looking at you.”

“Yeah, he didn’t even see me,” Tanya whined. “Which is a pity. He’s hot, I’d jump him in a second...”

“Of course you would, darling,” Tarquin teased again. “Right, this is too much! I see I’m going to have to take one for the team. C’mon, Tanya, you’re disturbing everyone. We are going into that freezer to sort you out. Back in five, Sarah darling, just make sure there’s a hot towel and a fresh appletini ready for when I emerge.” He grabbed Tanya’s wrist and made to drag her off, as she fanned herself and made ‘oh my!’ faces.

I normally loved watching my shipmates messing around and laughing. This time, though, I was distracted. I was thinking hard. Tyler really did seem to like me as soon as he saw me. No one in his position has done that since my family went broke. And he was very good-looking... Come on, Misty! Stop it! I shouted inside my head, him, his family, and all his greedy, arrogant friends. They’re the reason you lost your father, the reason you lost everything.

But what I’d never completely figured out was: How did I exact this revenge? I’d never quite planned that far. I’d dismissed threatening or injuring him in any physical way. When I thought about it, I got angry enough. I just wasn’t that kind of person. Maybe I could ruin him like he ruined my life? Should I get close with him, tear my clothes and cry assault? Sleep with him and cry rape? Technically, neither of these scenarios seemed too difficult to set up, but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to go through with having actual sex with him. It didn’t matter how hot he was, I just wasn’t that loose. Besides, he probably had an army of high-priced lawyers that could make issues like that, and maybe even me, disappear. The untouchable rich.

In the end, I decided to settle for honesty. I get him to really like me, open up to me, then make him see exactly what misery he and his kind had inflicted on me. I would make him feel responsible for the death of my father, for my mother abandoning me, for screwing up my life and having me dropped from the place in society that was rightfully mine.

If I really had managed to get him to fall for me already, I could leave him with a broken heart. If he was so cold inside that he could care less, that I was merely a hot piece of ass to him, at least I’d confronted him. I would be another thing he would have to add to his pile of dirty deeds, collecting and festering until he was ready to be judged by his maker.

Tyler

I undid the buttons of my shirt and lay down on the enormous bed, without taking it off, looking up at the finely carved wooden ceiling. It amazed me how much craftsmanship they put into building these incredibly expensive toys. This particular boat was a special order that Hobbs & Son had built less than a decade ago, and then refitted, over ten months, just last year.

It was actually bigger than the yacht I owned but, as I hadn’t seen The Troubadour since we took a family vacation on it when I was thirteen, I could barely even picture it. That vacation wasn’t exactly on my list of top ten memories, either. I was already on my way into that fucked up, hormone induced state of hating the world that every kid goes through, even before my father began shouting and my mom started crying. For five whole days.

Henry informed me that my boat was still in regular use, hence it's being in drydock for maintenance, and it’s at least paying for its upkeep by being rented out to a wealthy clientele, much like Aphrodite. I idly wondered how much I was charging other rich kids to party their money away at sea.

Ada was in the bathroom. The ocean was gently rocking me, and I’d almost managed to name the tune that was being hammered out by D Cash and his two girlfriend’s rhythmic bangs, grunts, and moans in the cabin to the stern of me. But I couldn’t get her face out of my head. The way the sun danced through her golden hair; the way her big blue eyes seemed to smile at me; the way she softly chewed her bottom lip as she listened to other people talk. For some reason, I found her intoxicating.

“What are you thinking about?” I heard Ada ask from the doorway of the en-suite. I sat up on my elbows and looked over at her. She wore a long, sheer beach wrap, open at the front to reveal a tiny black bikini. Her body was amazing and, for a second, all thought of Misty were banished from my mind. I felt that distinct tingling sensation in my dick as my eyes travelled up her shapely legs, over the pathetic scrap of cloth only just hid her sex from the world, across her flat yet supple stomach, lingered on her full, rounded breasts, also just hidden by a narrow strip of material that barely covered her nipples, up to her fierce, striking, and beautiful, face.

“Just you, babe,” I lied again. She smiled and dropped the wrap to the floor. She stood for a second, allowing me to run my eyes over her nearly naked body, then slowly paced toward me. Each movement was smooth and drawn out as she climbed up and crawled along the bed and into my lap, never breaking eye contact with me. She straddled me and pulled my mouth up to meet hers. I could feel the heat of her soft, barely covered pussy as it pushed firmly against my hardening cock. I squeezed my hands under her butt and found that the back of her bikini briefs covered even less than the front. Ada broke off her kiss with a deep gasp as she sexily forced her intimate parts against mine.

“I’ve been waiting for this for too long,” she whispered breathlessly in my ear, holding my head in her small hands. From the other room, we heard the ecstatic cries of D Cash’s girlfriend, Britney, reach some sort of a crescendo before everything went quiet. I looked up at Ada smiling down at me, when sudden, urgent, and loud groans from Ruby, D Cash’s other playmate, rang out across the yacht with a renewed vigor. “Mm-mm,” Ada moaned as she tickled her soft lips lightly along my neck, sending shivers down my arm, “don’t you wish you could be in there? Aren’t they turning you on?” She spoke softly, kissing and biting her way along my ear, toward my jawline. For a second then, despite the tiny electric flicks of pleasure Ada’s touches were sending off along my skin, all I could picture was D Cash’s big black ass bouncing up and down in front of me. It was not an erotic vision.

“Honestly, no,” I smiled, taking in a sharp breath as she ran her tongue along the sinews that led to my shoulder. “But I think I know what you’re getting at.” She smiled and kissed me again, her tongue urgently exploring the inside of my mouth. She pushed the shirt off my shoulders then, in what seemed to be a fluid and practiced move, she reached down and opened my zipper. She started to slide her hand inside my pants. I closed my eyes and felt her delicate fingers expertly find their way past my underwear, over the tip, to finally encircle my firm and slowly throbbing shaft. I couldn’t help the low moan that escaped my mouth as she touched me, gliding her gentle hand up and down my cock as she softly kissed her way down my neck again. She moved her lips suddenly back to my ear.

“I’m dying to feel your cock in my mouth,” I saw Misty whisper to me, her sun-kissed hair and shining smile as beautiful as ever.

What the fuck…? I shook my head hard and opened my eyes to see Ada gazing down at me. Before I could think, I grabbed her wrist and held her hand still. A concerned look appeared on her face, like I was depriving her of an inalienable right.

“Are you okay, Tyler?” she asked. I’d made her feel like I didn’t want her hand on my dick. It was probably the first time she felt insecure in her life.

The fuck is wrong with me, I thought, she wants me right now, she’s practically begging to blow me, and all I can think of is that fucking stewardess?

I needed to think. Aroused as I was, I was uncomfortable with her sitting on me. I gave her a quick kiss and slowly pulled her hand out from my pants. “I’m fine, babe, I promise. I’m just... it’s just... I wanted our first time to be perfect. You know, champagne,” Ada’s shocked and slightly angry expression began to soften into a smile again, “rose petals, massage oils, that sort of thing, not screwing quickly to the soundtrack of D Cash constantly banging his ho’s.”

“That’s sweet,” Ada replied, before putting her mouth to my ear again and whispering gently, “it just makes me want to do even more naughty things with you than ever before.”

“Awesome,” I stammered, scrambling out from under her. “I’ll get changed. We can spend the afternoon drinking and laying in the sun, kissing, and building the tension until tonight.”

“Will you rub oil on me?” she asked, doing that vulnerable little girl act.

“Of course.”

She grabbed hold of my still hard cock again, through my slacks. I gasped as she roughly pulled me a little closer. “I think it feels like we’ve built up enough tension, personally. But I like your thinking.” She let me go, rolled off the bed, picked up her shades, and swept out of the room in another practiced and fluid movement.

I collapsed back on the bed, horny, scared, frustrated, and relieved, all at once. She was so hot, was clearly going to be an animal in the sack, I was physically capable, but I couldn’t go through with it. A vision of Misty filled my head once more. The fuck am I doing...?

* * *

The captain had dropped anchor far out to sea. I came up on deck to see no land, no nothing in sight. We were definitely in international waters. The sun beat down on the yacht as we had lunch on the top deck. It was wide, floored with immaculate wooden slats, and featured a dozen or so sun loungers, four tables with huge parasols shading them, a long banquet table that we ate around, and a huge hot tub at the back, next to the outside stairs.

Misty was working, serving salmon mousse and lobster tails with a quinoa, mango, and truffle oil salad, while Sarah, the red-headed chief stew, kept us topped up with white wine and champagne for the ladies, plus beer, bourbon, and scotch for the gentlemen. I gathered that Tanya, the other steward about Misty’s age, was taking her lunch break in the galley right then, so she would be able to look after us later when the other stewards were off duty.

Misty was polite, courteous, and very professional. She laughed and joked as she worked, flattering the other guests with a practiced ease while still remaining detached. I just wanted her to engage with me a little. I wanted to find something I didn’t like about her so, maybe, I might be able to stop obsessing and screw my girlfriend. She gave me nothing, though. Her manner toward me was still perfect, her smile was still perfect. She was perfect. I’d never believed in love at first sight. Still don’t. But I wanted this girl, and I couldn’t explain why.

Over lunch, to keep the conversation going, I tried to learn a little about the ladies my friends had brought along. D Cash and his girls sat together. Britney, the thin blonde, turned out to be from Santa Monica, and the voluptuous, African-American Ruby, was from Long Beach. The two girls never sat together, I noticed. They always kept D Cash between them. I found myself wondering if they had sex that way too, then stopped as D Cash’s big butt came back into my mind.

I was next to Britney, with Ada beside me who, unlike D Cash’s girls, had felt it decent to throw her wrap back on to cover her skimpy bikini for the meal. Britney’s sky-blue bikini top and thong were tiny but, although she was well-formed, her slim figure almost disappeared next to Ruby’s outrageously fantastic, porn-star build. Her purple thong disappeared completely between her full, firm butt cheeks and the tiny twin triangles up top were not even large enough to hide her nipples, allowing tantalizing edges of her dark-skinned areola to clearly peek out. Misty and Michele even kept staring, like they’d never seen anyone like her in real life. It was probably a good thing that the male crew members were all currently working below or preparing the water toys, otherwise they were likely to have embarrassed themselves.

Across from D Cash sat Paul and, like a gentleman, he was managing to not stare at Ruby’s generous breasts. Not too much, at least. His fashion model girlfriend, Veronique, was from Italy, and sat beside him in her big sunglasses, her slim and toned body also tastefully covered by a dark-green, wrap. She kept her hand on Paul’s knee, except for the times when she thought the stewards weren’t looking, then she would run her hand up his inner thigh and smile at his sudden gasps of surprise.

Next to her was Henry, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts like the other guys, who laughed along with us but was totally failing to make the young and very pretty Bella feel like one of the gang. She pouted and played with her food. I hoped she would get into the spirit of the voyage soon. I knew Henry was asking for trouble bringing her but I still wanted him to have a good time.

After lunch, we took to the sea on the ship’s Waverunners, fast and powerful jet bikes that would tear across the water, sending great plumes of spray high into the air. All, except Paul, who indicated that messing around with toys like those was not much fun after racing wheel-to-wheel with the best in the world at over 200mph. He drank cocktails in the Jacuzzi while Veronique sunbathed.

There was no way of avoiding it, though. At some point, the crewmen had to be on deck while the girls were soaking up the sun. The two guy deckhands, and even the bosun, all found themselves tripping over their own feet as Ruby and Ada lay topless on the sundeck, their full, round breasts pointing proudly up to the sky even without support. As Henry, D Cash and Britney thrashed around on the Waverunners, Bella, deciding she didn’t need a bathing suit at all, simply cast off her t-shirt and Daisy-Duke denim, to lay down naked next to the other two girls, who applauded her bravery and complimented her on her hot body. Captain Harper, up in his wheelhouse, carefully kept his gaze far out to sea, along the horizon.

Misty

The late afternoon turned into evening and the guests got drunker and friskier. I tried to be professional and successfully ignored Paul taking liberties when oiling up Veronique, letting his fingers slip somewhere entirely inappropriate. I found it hard to continue to hold my cool, though, when I delivered a scotch to D Cash as he sat on the edge of the hot-tub, with his huge black cock in Britney’s mouth and a great big grin on his face. After overhearing various conversations, I was pretty unsurprised to hear that the amazingly sexy Ruby was, in fact, a bone-fide porn-star that had been employed on one of D Cash’s more risqué rap videos, where he had taken a shine to her. Britney, I discovered, was also an adult film worker, who worked in the ‘tiny teen’ niche market, even though she was now twenty-three.

I also noticed, among everything else, that no one was treating Tyler with anything other than a genuine warmth and friendliness. There was no hint of them sucking up to him or him demanding any respect, even from Henry, his employee. He seemed totally unaffected and was just interested in everyone having a good time. It was not how I’d pictured things at all. It has to be an act, I decided.

I just hoped I didn’t get dragged into an orgy. Drinking while on charter or having any kind of relations with the guests were both grounds for instant dismissal. Obviously, part of my job involved being fun and flirty, but I always managed to keep that distance between myself and the paying customers.

Tyler, I realized as the day wore on, had been quietly avoiding me. He was polite, smiling and receptive, but not investing in getting to know me the way he did with Sarah, Tanya, or even the guys. He had been happy to ride a Waverunner with Brett at the helm, showing him what to do, before transferring to a separate one for a three-way race against the deckhand and D Cash. The race ended in victory for Brett, obviously, but there was plenty of camaraderie, bonding, and high-fiving at the finish line. He had even, at her hair-twirling, flirty suggestion, taken Tanya for a spin, her sitting extremely close to him and being friendly enough to prompt Ada into claiming loudly that it was her turn to be driven around.

But with me, I got only as little interaction as he could get away with. To get what I wanted, however, I knew I needed him to feel closer to me. I needed him to like me, to care about me and, within minutes, my opportunity arose.

Keith, Henry, and a freshly-dressed Bella were messing about on the jet bikes about a hundred yards off the starboard side. Tyler and Paul sat at a table, also to the starboard, deep in conversation, while D Cash relaxed, still in the Jacuzzi, where he could comfortably watch the half-naked women as Tanya or I brought him drinks.

I was returning to the open deck area with two new bottles of wine, along a shortcut from the upper storeroom. The route took me along a slim walkway across the very roof of the yacht’s cabins and had no handrail. It was totally normal and I, along with all the other crew, had walked this path hundreds of times and we were all completely accustomed to the danger. I saw my chance, however, as it came to the point where I needed to climb back down onto the deck at the same time as Brett came bounding through the door below me.

Brett, clearly wildly delighted to have been called back up to where so many bikini-wearing beauties were lounging, wasn’t paying full attention to his surroundings as he should have been. I looked over to see Tyler lift his gaze just in time to see Brett push the door open with enough strength for it to smack me as I was gingerly looking to find my step down. It was tough to make it look real but, by the sudden look of surprise on Tyler’s face, he was convinced I just got knocked overboard.

Tyler

It was one of those things you don’t quite believe they are happening until it’s too late. Paul and I were casually chatting about nothing very much when I looked up to see Misty stepping down onto the deck from one of the crew’s walkways. I watched the door open, one of the deckhands rush out, and the door knock into her before she reached the deck. My heart leaped into my mouth as I saw Misty lose her balance, waiver, then fall straight over the side, the two bottles she was carrying smashing against the hull of the boat as she dropped.

“Holy shit!” I cried, causing Paul to look up in alarm. I jumped up out of my chair, rushed over to the side in time to see the spray from the splash she made in the water and, without thinking, dived straight off the side after her. I don’t even think Brett, the deckhand, had even seen her fall off at that point. I heard loud and panicked cries from aboard the boat behind me, as I plummeted toward the waves, thirty feet below.

It wasn’t a bad dive, considering I’ve never trained professionally. I didn’t black out as I hit the water, which was something. The sea was warm and calm, and clear for about six feet. I looked around desperately for her, quickly spotting her just beginning to sink into the darkness. A couple of kicks and I was able to grab her hand and haul her up to me. She floated up easily and I wrapped my arm around her slender waist, before kicking my way back up to the surface.

Another great crash beside me and I realized that Brett had dived in as well. Around us, too, the churned-up trails in the ocean indicated that Keith, Henry, and Bella had seen the commotion and raced their Waverunners full speed back to Aphrodite, and were circling. I finally broke the surface and heard the cheers from up on deck.

“Quick! Quick!” I heard Keith snapping at me, reaching down to take Misty from me. I let him drag her up onto his craft.

“I’m sorry,” I heard Misty moan, so at least I knew she was okay. “I’m fine,” she protested, as Keith slung her across the saddle in front of him. He gunned his motor and sped away from me, and I caught a glimpse of Misty’s face as they turned. She looked shaken but managed to mouth the words ‘thank you’, as Keith headed to the stern of the yacht.

Henry appeared behind me and helped me up onto the back of his Waverunner. He turned in his seat and threw his arms around me. “Give me a heart attack, why don’t you?” he moaned at me. “You don’t always have to be a hero, do you?”

“I’m sorry, buddy,” I patted his back as he hugged me. “Next girl I see drowning, I’ll leave her in the water.”

“Promise?” he smiled, turning around to drive us back to the landing platform.

* * *

Misty was escorted up the steps back to the sundeck by Keith. Brett supervised as I climbed, to make sure I hadn’t hurt myself in the dive, with Henry and a faintly amused-looking Bella. We were made to lay in loungers while the rest of the crew appeared on deck. I thought Captain Harper would be all over me, ensuring I wasn’t going to sue him, his crew, or his employers but, to his credit, he went straight over to Misty, making sure she was okay first of all. It must have felt strange to her, being laid down and fussed over by a group of half-naked girls that she was supposed to be taking care of. There was a cut on her arm where some broken glass had got her, which Sarah attended to with the first aid kit.

Brett had some first responder training as well and was very quickly able to confirm I hadn’t hurt my neck or back, or given myself a concussion when I dived into the water. As soon as Brett was done, the captain squatted down next to me.

“I want to thank you, Mr. Harcourt,” he said, very warmly and offering me a hand to shake. “Only poor captains lose shipmates. I’m grateful you prevented me from becoming a poor captain. However, please let us look out for you from now on?”

“I’ve no problem with that, sir,” I told him, shaking his hand.

Ada shook his hand too, then remained glued to my side. She praised my bravery while simultaneously cursing my foolishness, as she tried to towel me off and cover me with kisses at the same time. I asked her to go and find me a scotch, then made my way over to Misty.

“Are you okay?” I asked her, still out of breath a little.

“I’m fine, Mr. Harcourt,” she smiled weakly up at me, “but you really shouldn’t have dived in like that. You’re so brave…”

Goddamn! I cursed inwardly. I felt my chest tighten and my loins tingle as she smiled directly at me. Why is she so bewitching? Why did I dive in so quickly after her? She wasn’t in any real danger, not with calm seas and a whole crew on hand to save her. Still, she looked more stunning than ever, now. Soaking wet, vulnerable, and helpless. I couldn’t help the feelings I was having. I was physically attracted to her, sure, but it was more than that. Something inside me wanted to care for her too. It felt like there was something in her that called out to me, making me feel responsible for her and that was maybe why I’d been avoiding getting too close with her. I felt like I wanted to be with her, to love her, far more than I wanted to be with Ada. And, right then, I was afraid that both of them could tell.

Misty

While Tanya and Sarah served the evening meal up on the sundeck, I ate chicken and rice in the crew lounge. Captain Harper gave me the night off to recover from my trauma, but I insisted I’d be fine to pull the evening shift and sit up late with the guests, serving drinks and nibbles as required, until the last one went to bed. Tarquin was busy, and the deckhands had already eaten, so I sat and chewed by myself. It was bound to be a long night, but it could be an ideal opportunity to make sure I’d successfully hooked my target now.

I knew I wanted him to leap in and save me. I needed him to. Needed him to become invested in my life and wellbeing but, despite everything, I couldn’t help but feel comforted by what looked like genuine concern. I was flattered that he would risk his life to save mine but I wasn’t, repeat wasn’t, strangely drawn to the sexy way his wet shirt clung to his thick, muscled torso. Nope. Not one bit.

After dinner, Sarah left Tanya and I to serve the guests and retired. She had to be up early to prepare for breakfast and the next day. Tanya mixed drinks and flirted about, looking totally amazing in her evening uniform, an Asian-style black number that pulled tight across her slim waist to really make her heavenly butt and bust pop. And she was getting plenty of attention, not only from Paul, Henry, and D Cash, obviously, but one or two of the girls present allowed their gaze to linger on her sexy body for a little longer than was necessary.

Tyler, though, stayed sat all night at the bar that I was working behind. Ada kept coming and sitting with him, whispering in his ear, then stalking off to go talk with one of the others, but Tyler remained stoically across from me, occasionally letting me refill his glass with 18-year-old Glenmorangie, and largely ignoring his girlfriend.

“Really, Tyler?” I heard Ada breathe softly into his ear. “Isn’t it time we went to bed? After your heroics today, don’t you think you deserve some sort of reward? Or at least a little pampering??”

Ada’s eyes flicked quickly over me but I pretended to be not paying attention. I wanted Tyler to stay at my bar, though. I wanted us to connect. And I felt sure we would, if only I could get him away from that Asian goddess.

“I’m sorry, darling,” Tyler said to Ada, “I’m a little… I don’t know… something about this afternoon. I think I need to have another drink.” He tried to take her aside, “I’m sorry, baby, it just doesn’t feel right. Can we make it up tomorrow night?”

For a second, Ada looked livid, ready to curse him out. She cast such a hateful glance at me that I almost dropped the glass I was drying. How did I end up in the firing line? Then, just as quickly, she returned to calm.

“I can’t promise anything,” she said, loudly enough for everyone to hear, and walked off downstairs. D Cash, Ruby, and Britney slid away shortly after, only minutes before a loud argument broke out between Bella and Henry. As far as I could tell, Bella was berating Henry in Spanish, Henry was apologizing in English, while Paul, who knew both languages, was trying to sort it all out. Mercifully, they decided to go below, so Tanya escorted them. She fired me a saucy wink as she left me and Tyler alone on deck. Like she was giving me the go-ahead now there was no one else around.

Aside from a few interruptions, Tyler and I had been having a light, fun and engaging conversation through the night. So much so that, once or twice, I’d almost forgotten my mission for revenge and nearly divulged a couple of things about my past and my family that might have upset the applecart.

This is weird, I thought as we talked, he’s not arrogant or greedy. His friends seem to really like him. I thought he would be an asshole, bragging and talking my ear off about how amazing he is, but he just isn’t.

“Why are you being so secretive?” he asked, after the third time I dodged a question. “I’ve droned on about my life and my past all night, but I still know so little about you.”

“It’s the dynamic,” I answered with a smile. “The psychiatrist doesn’t divulge anything about herself to the nut-job on her couch, does she?”

Tyler thought for a second, then burst out laughing. I half expected him to attack me for implying he was anything less than perfect, but it was such a joyous, infectious laugh, I couldn’t help but start to laugh with him.

“I do know one thing about you, though,” he said, as his breathing returned to normal. I froze, my heart suddenly thumping in my chest and a horrible cold feeling running through me. Shit! Has he been playing me all along? Is that why he’s being so nice? I felt very scared, and couldn’t have been more surprised if Tyler whipped out a Luger pistol and shot me in the stomach. “I’ve seen you move about this boat all day, and I don’t think there’s any way you could have accidentally fallen overboard this afternoon. You’re too much of a pro.”

I smiled and looked him deep in the eye. This was going to be a gamble. “You’ve got me,” I put my hands up, “The truth is you were ignoring me and I didn’t like it. I wanted your attention. I wanted to see if you’d save me, that’s all.”

“And what if I hadn’t?”

“I grew up around boats, I can swim like a fish.”

“And now that I have?”

I looked quickly around the deck. We were alone. Before I knew what I was doing, I leaned in and kissed him, full on the lips. I held it for as long as I dared, then stood back up straight again. Tyler sat there, still and stunned.

“Okay, closing time,” I sang, not able to look him in the eye. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. Please, leave everything, I’ll clean up in the morning.” And, with that, I trotted hastily away. I didn’t look up until I got to my cabin.

* * *

Did I really do that? Did we really do that? These were the only thoughts running through my mind as I lay in my bunk. Even the quiet rocking of the ocean, usually all but guaranteed to send me off to sleep, seemed like it was mocking me. A creak and the boat rolled to port, did I really do that? A gentle push to starboard, did we really do that? It was like the sea itself was questioning my decision-making skills.

I had kissed Tyler Harcourt, a man I’d chased halfway across the world to confront and exact revenge on. A man whose family was responsible for the ruin of my life and the death of my father. And I had kissed him.

True, I’d had been doing my best to get him to fall for me since he came aboard. Catching his eye with shy smiles; listening to his troubles over drinks late at night; pretending to fall overboard so he would save me. Okay, so that last one was a bit extreme, but the way he didn’t hesitate to dive in after me, it felt good to have someone risk their life for me.

He was supposed to be a carefree billionaire playboy, a corporate monster that made needlessly huge amounts of money acquiring ailing companies and breaking them up, with no regard for the people who rely on those jobs, as his father had done to my father. Yet he leaped straight into the ocean to drag me out. This didn’t add up with the way I’d imagined he’d be.

It's not fair, either, I found myself thinking, that he’s so damned good looking. Despite my confusion and surging emotions, the image of him after he’s pulled me out of the water, his thick, wet hair slicked back off his face, his thin, white cotton shirt gone see-through and clinging to his sculptured chest and hard, defined abs. I even felt a tingle in my most intimate parts. Thankfully, a snore from Tanya in the bunk above broke me from my reverie.

You still know what you have to do, I reminded myself. Maybe the kiss was a good thing. If no one saw, which I was almost sure about, and if Tyler didn’t report me, I wouldn’t be fired and, almost certainly, I’d have him where I wanted him. I just needed to string him along for the day and then I could drop my bomb on him in the evening. It may end up being a private revenge, but if I could see just one glimmer of remorse, regret, or pain in his eyes over the way he’s lived his life and the people he’s hurt, it would all be worthwhile.

Tyler

I lifted the tantalizingly sheer, gossamer fabric up over her head. Her honey-blonde hair cascaded in curls over her delicate shoulders and down her smooth, slender back. She giggled coyly as I spun her around to face me, her arms crossed playfully over her bare chest and a shining smile of pure delight dancing over her enticing lips. She shyly dropped her slim arms and I marveled at the perfection before me. The glittering sunlight played across her naked form as I reached out and gently caressed her soft, rounded breasts. Her eyes closed, that bright smile still enchanting me. My cock felt fully engorged. She reached down and delicately placed her small hand on it.

“God, you’re so beautiful, Misty,” I heard myself whisper. “I’m dying to be inside you…”

“What did you say, baby?” Ada breathed by my ear. She caressed my cheek with one hand, lying on her side against me. Her other hand was gripping my rock-hard shaft.

“Uh… what was what?” I answered, still groggy.

“You’re dying to be inside who?” she teased me, squeezing the base of my upstanding dick enough to cause a slight pain.

“Uhm, all you, baby, you know that,” I managed to smile at her, gasping lightly as she dug her nails in.

“Well, maybe,” she purred, “it’s time for fantasies to become reality.” I felt her hot nipples brush against my skin. gliding down the side of my body as she slid under the covers. I felt her warm tongue touch the tip of me, then her soft lips envelop the swollen head of my cock. Still half asleep, I closed my eyes as the blissful sensation of her mouth on me flowed up through my body, only for my vision of Misty, smiling, naked, and still glowing golden, drifted back into my mind. I suddenly sat bolt upright, throwing the covers off us both.

“What is it?” she demanded.

“Sorry, darling,” I stammered, “gotta pee. You know how it is.” I jumped up and rushed to the bathroom, leaving her naked and kneeling in the middle of the huge, round bed. What is wrong with you? I asked myself, Have you not heard of Blue Balls? They can be fatal, you know?

My heart was racing and I was finding it hard to breathe. Ada was the heir to an enormous Japanese corporation, young, intelligent, and constantly voted by Harper’s, GQ, and Vogue as one of the ten most beautiful women on the planet. Yet I was hiding from her in the bathroom because she was sucking me off. How fucked up was that?

Why couldn’t I get Misty out of my head? Why did it feel wrong to be with Ada, when she was almost begging me to fuck her? It was crazy, I hardly knew the girl, yet I’d dived straight into the sea to save her, spent the whole night talking to her, and felt like the luckiest man in the world when she kissed me. She kissed me. I was too taken aback to do much about it at the time. All I remember is her, suddenly pressing those soft lips against my own, her intoxicating scent filling my senses, the warmth of her skin brushing mine, and me, sitting there like a jerk, thinking all my Christmases had come at once.

Whatever it was, no matter how physically turned on Ada got me, I just didn’t want to be with her. I guess that meant I wanted to be with Misty? Like I felt that letting Ada get me off would be like cheating? Whatever. I needed to think. I was just beginning to wonder how Misty was feeling, she seemed just as thrown off by the kiss as I was, when there was a knock on the bathroom door.

“Darling? Are you okay?” came Ada’s voice.

“Yeah,” I called back, turning on the shower. “I’ll be right out.”

“Well, hurry up. Breakfast is being served.”

I sat on the toilet until I heard her using her hairdryer. I figured there would be less chance of her trying to jump me if she was started on her beauty regime. With any luck, she’d have quickly got herself off while she thought I was in the shower, so I should be able to get dressed and slip out without too much hassle.

I needed to talk with her. It wasn’t fair to keep Ada hanging on. I’m sure sex with her would be amazing and, for fuck’s sake, I was horny enough. But, whether there was ever going to be anything between Misty and I or not, I couldn’t sleep with Ada and be wishing I was with someone else. The truth was I didn’t want to be with Ada. I wanted to be with Misty. And, regardless of if she felt the same way, I had to be honest about that, no matter what.

Only, it was a bad idea to break up with someone as strong-willed and as used to getting what she wants as Ada, while we’re both trapped on a boat in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. I’d have to fend her off until we put into port.

Misty

Having been the final steward on duty last night, I was excused the usual early morning rush to get breakfast prepared. Not that there was ever that much urgency on charter mornings. Often guests wouldn’t appear before ten, usually with a hangover, which left the cabin crew plenty of time to clean up from the night before, re-stock the bars, take care of any produce orders that Chef Tarquin needed, while he was on standby with eggs, bacon, pancakes, fruit, and so on, which he would prepare to order.

Although I wasn’t strictly on duty, I was in the galley anyway. I couldn’t relax. I felt like I’d been awake all night, trying to decide if I’d kissed Tyler to drag him further into my web, or because I wanted to. I guess I must have drifted off eventually because I woke and got up to run with Tanya and Brett as usual. But I knew that lying in my bunk right now was just going to give me more time to think, which was something I was really trying to avoid at the moment. So I washed, ironed, and folded all the laundry, as Tanya and Sarah got ready for the guests to appear, and I sat, keeping out of the way, sipping on a delicious fruit smoothie Tarquin had made for me. The clock just ticked past nine-fifteen when Sarah descended the galley steps.

“Paul and Veronique are up!” she announced, “Apparently, Paul was awake to see you guys running at dawn.”

“Typical sporty-type,” groaned Tarquin, “Horribly disciplined and annoyingly fit. It’s enough to make one physically ill.”

I giggled. Tarquin’s posh London accent only served to highlight his overtly homosexual mannerisms, but he was one of the main reasons all the girls felt so happy and cared for when they spent time in the galley. He was our confidant, our critic, and our gay best friend whenever we needed him to be. Even Azure, the small, quiet second deckhand, spent more time in the galley than the crew lounge. That place was much more of a haven for testosterone and was almost always either populated by deckhands Brett and Mike, Adam the engineer, bosun Keith, or all four of them, shouting, high-fiving, and playing Xbox in their downtime.

“They want egg-white omelets with steamed mushrooms and spinach, plus fruit smoothies. Chef’s choice of ingredients.”

“I get to choose what goes in their smoothies? Oh, joy!” Tarquin clapped his hands together in mock delight. “Hmm, is spaghetti a fruit, I wonder…?”

He made me laugh again. “I think we could have guessed they would have ordered that,” I smiled.

“Wow, check out Miss Third Stew over here,” teased Tarquin as he dropped some fresh blueberries into his blender. “What makes you think you know so much?”

“Paul is a professional motorcycle racer, Veronique’s a catwalk model,” I pointed out. “They’re both going to avoid fat and refined sugar as much as possible. Plus, they would be up earlier because they are both used to partying all night and still making early starts. It’s the nature of their businesses.”

“Never knew you had such a deductive and analytical mind,” said Sarah, without a hint of cattiness. “Go on, then, who will we see next?”

I thought for a moment. This was an odd skill I’d picked up over the years. It was pretty useless but I liked it when I was right. “Tyler, I reckon,” I predicted, “and soon.”

“Your hero boyfriend, you mean,” Tarquin tried to torment me, adding some mangos to his mix.

“Oh, will you shut up?” I squealed at him. He wouldn’t let Tyler’s courageous actions go so, in Tarquin’s mind, we were now some sort of prince charming and damsel in distress.

“Oh, you know you love it! Anyway, go on.”

“Tyler will be out soon, by himself. Ada will make an entrance later and it’ll be a proper entrance. She loves to command a room’s attention. Tyler will order coffee but nothing to eat until Henry joins him, which won’t be long after. Guaranteed those two have breakfast at least six days a week together.” I was sounding confident and the other two were more than impressed with her predictions. “Henry’s girlfriend…”

“Bella,” reminded Sarah over the noise of Tarquin blending up the smoothies.

“Right. We won’t see her after the fight they had last night. She’s too young and spoilt. Henry will order her banana pancakes but she won’t show up to eat them. He’ll send them to her room but she’ll send them back.”

“So, I still have to make them?” asked Tarquin.

“Afraid so,” I nodded.

“Bollocks.”

“At the same time, Tyler will have ham, sausage, and scrambled eggs, Henry will have waffles. Both will have orange juice,” I continued.

Tarquin shook his head at Tanya, pouring the blended fruit cocktail into two tall glasses. “And what of our hip-hop loving guests? D Cash and his two porn-star playmates”

“Ruby and Britney? We won’t see any of them until lunch is ready.”

Adam strolled into the galley just as Tarquin handed Sarah the tray with the glasses on. “Here you are, darling, tell them their omelets will be up in a trice.”

As Sarah headed back up, Adam leaned in closer to me. I hadn’t had a chance to speak to him since our light flirtation the night before the charter. “And how have you been?” he whispered to me with a winning smile.

“Apart from falling overboard and being hopelessly embarrassed? Just fine, thanks,” I smiled back. Adam was really nice. He was good-looking, honest, and capable of hilarious moments of self-deprecating humor, but I just couldn’t let myself get involved with anyone right now.

“I heard about that. You know I would have dived right in after you, clothes and all, right?” he said.

“I know you would,” I smiled back. I gave his firm bicep a loving squeeze. I so wanted him to think of me as more of a friend than a romantic possibility.

“Misty,” Adam spoke nervously, “after this charter, do you want to, maybe, go for dinner…”

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I could say either ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but neither really did me any favors. ‘Yes’ would be leading him on and ‘no’ would just cause friction that I didn’t have the patience for right now. Luckily, before I could answer, in walked Captain Harper.

“Adam,” he said, “come up to the wheelhouse, please. Tell Keith I need him too. Are you the only steward around at the moment, Misty?”

I nodded. “The others are busy with breakfast.”

“Then you had better come too,” he added, before turning on his heel and marching out. Adam followed him, so I hopped down from the counter to follow Adam, only for Tarquin to call me back.

“Wait, darling,” he whispered to me. “What was all that hush-hush with Adam?”

“None of your business, luv,” I said, trying to mimic his British accent.

“But, did he finally say those three little words to you?” hissed Tarquin.

“Which three little words?” I grinned.

“Me want sucky…?”

* * *

In his dimly lit, yet elegantly presented wooden-paneled wheelhouse, Captain Harper stared out of his wide forward windows at the horizon. Adam and Keith were there, as was Mr. Harper, the first mate. I didn’t get into this room very often. Stewards and deckhands had no business up here unless we were invited. And we were only invited to be praised for an exceptional job, or fired for misconduct. The captain smiled a welcome to me and motioned for me to sit on the chair next to Adam. I felt nervous, a knot forming in my stomach.

Since I joined this crew, two months ago, abandoning my position as chief steward on a Mediterranean yacht and flying down here, lying about my years of experience so I wouldn’t be overqualified for the third steward position that was available on Aphrodite, I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Is the jig finally up? I wondered, have I been found out and am about to be fired? If I was, I was pretty sure Adam and especially Keith wouldn’t need to be in the room. I allowed myself to breathe a small sigh of relief at that thought.

I quickly decided I may have reacted too soon, because I then noticed a looming darkness in the distance, off the port bow. I could see that the normally clear blue skies of the Caribbean were being smothered by black, foreboding clouds that hadn’t been there at dawn.

“It’s bad news, I’m afraid,” frowned Harper, his English accent making every word seem slightly more ominous than it needed to be, “A storm, of which we had no idea was headed this way, switched its trajectory in from the Atlantic and is now aimed right at us. Whatever we decide to do, Misty, the guests are going to be having an indoor day today, and it might even be a rough ride. Can you brief the other stewards?”

I nodded to him.

“Aruba is sixty miles southeast of us, through the storm, Cap’n,” said Adam, looking at the satellite map on the monitor.

“He’s right,” agreed Harper. “We’ll never make it if we try to head home.”

“And even if we did make it to port and try to ride it out,” pointed out Keith, “that’s exactly where the weather will be at its worst.”

“So, we don’t head back to port,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. The assembled men turned toward me.

“Go on,” said Harper.

“There’s an atoll, five miles west, it has a bay facing away from the storm. It’ll give us some shelter if it does get this far,” I told him, pointing it out on the map.

“She’s right,” smiled Harper. “We might get some thunder, lightning, and rain, but we’ll be out of the worst of the wind and waves. Good thinking, Misty.”

“How did you know about the island?” asked Adam.

“We passed it two charters ago. I thought it was pretty,” I giggled. He didn’t need to know that you pick up certain things after seven years as cabin crew.

“Well, it falls to me to deliver the bad news to the primary charter. Let the rest of the crew know what to expect, will you,” instructed the captain, “Everyone else, to your stations. I think we have about two hours.”

I headed back below to give Sarah and Tanya our orders, and together we started trying to work out how to we were going to keep nine wealthy clients, none of them used to being told they can’t do anything, entertained while we all waited out a hurricane.

“Toga party!” suggested Tanya. That was pretty much her go-to plan for any eventuality but, for once, Sarah and I thought it might not be the worst idea for this group. “Seriously?” Tanya looked stunned that we’d listened to her. “I was joking! You realize a toga party with this group is likely to turn into an orgy, based on yesterday’s sundeck action.”

“That’s their business,” said Sarah in her usual ‘seen-it-all-before’ fashion. “The deckhands will be nearby in case things get out of hand. Together I’m sure they could even handle D Cash if we needed them to.”

“I was more worried about Misty, TBH,” Tanya smirked. “How do we know she’s going to be able to control herself once her hero starts dancing around naked? Just remember, sexy, all it takes is one quick face-ride to earn you your ticket home!”

“Bitch!” I snapped, slapping her playfully on the arm. “Like you wouldn’t bend over for D Cash if he handed you a diamond necklace!”

“Hey, I may be a slut but I do have standards,” cried Tanya, defensively, “I’d need matching earrings!”

“Okay,” appealed Sarah. “Can we focus, please?” Tanya and I tried to pull ourselves together. “However, Misty, you were wrong about the breakfasts.”

“No way!” I was shocked.

“Yes way,” Sarah continued. “Tyler had bacon, not ham.”

Tyler

When the captain came by with his unfortunate announcement, I can’t say I was too annoyed. Most of the ladies were upset, no doubt looking forward to another day of baking in the glorious sunshine, and a couple of the younger ones, the sultry Latino Bella and D Cash’s slim blonde Britney especially, seemed to be acting like the captain was deliberately being no fun, perhaps creating this bad weather just to upset their plans.

I could tell, though, Harper clearly had years of practice in dealing with petulant one-percenters and was able to calmly pacify them, reassuring everyone present that things would return to normal as soon as possible. His quiet yet firm voice and pleasant demeanor did the trick and he promised the stewards would try extra hard to ensure we all had a great time. As he spoke, the skies darkened noticeably and a distant rumble of thunder added some extra weight to his argument, and he quickly excused himself so he could pilot us to safety.

Only minutes later, the stewards appeared. All three came in full of smiles and energy, joined by the cute little deckhand, Azure, and holding champagne bottles and glasses. I could feel Ada’s eyes on me as Misty came in last, and I was painfully aware that all four girls, this time, wore only white sheets wrapped carefully around their slim and shapely bodies. Wolf whistles filled the air. Each girl had their hair piled and pinned high on top of their heads, were liberally covered in shimmering golden glitter, and had used a kind of gold paint to draw some ancient pagan symbols on their faces.

“Nobly gathered Gods and Goddesses,” announced Misty. She’d never looked more stunning, the gold flecks in her hair and glistening on her skin, the golden lipstick and eyeshadow she had used to highlight her beautiful features. She actually does look like a goddess, just like she did in my dream, I thought. She’d clearly drawn the role of compare in this little skit. “Now our Lord Neptune has departed to shelter us from the storm, allow me to introduce your hostesses for the afternoon.” I could see she was quite at home, playacting like this.

The other girls were bringing in more white, rolled up sheets. “Before you, I stand as Juno, queen and goddess of the sky,” Misty continued, taking a bow. “While this delightful creature is Diana, goddess of the hunt” she pointed at Azure, who produced a small plastic bow and arrow as proof. “To my left is the mythical goddess of love, Aphrodite,” Misty indicated Tanya, who raised up to her full height and mimicked the goddess’s pose on her clamshell, from the famous Botticelli nude. “And last,” Misty introduced Sarah, “Athena, the fearsome goddess of war and wisdom. Try not to piss her off.” Sarah waved a plastic sword fiercely. There was laughter all around.

Some of the other guests were already tying sheets around themselves as togas, while I took the offered champagne. Even Henry and Bella were smiling at each other as she stripped down to a bikini and he helped her cover herself with a sheet. D Cash barely moved, but his eyes widened as more of the girls decided to discard their shirts and tops to wear the togas more comfortably.

Ada confidently and expertly coiled the white material around her shapely body before shimmying out of her sun shorts, cleverly keeping her underwear hidden from view, then laying a long, bare, and beautifully shaped leg across my lap. I smiled up at her but shook my head as she offered a sheet for me to wear.

“The nymphs are prepared?” I heard Misty ask in a regal tone.

“All set,” Sarah called back, as she struggled to pin a tight sheet in place around Ruby’s impressive bust.

“Then we must anoint our gods.” Misty continued. The other three staff produced golden wreaths and stepped toward the male guests. Azure walked solemnly up to Paul and placed her wreath on his head. “Mercury,” said Misty, “the fastest of all the gods.” He beamed a smile around the room, happy with his title.

Tanya approached D Cash. “Vulcan,” called Misty, “god of fire and symbol of male virility.” D Cash threw up a gang sign as Tanya crowned him and quietly acknowledged his fertility symbol status.

“Pluto,” announced Misty, as Sarah placed her golden wreath on Henry’s head, “god of wealth and the underworld. Bella laughed and shoved him, knocking his leafy crown off. I couldn’t help a chuckle as he scrabbled around on the floor looking for it. The staff had clearly put a lot of thought into this party.

“And finally,” I couldn’t help my eyes widening a touch as Misty singled me out and approached. My heart was thumping in my chest as she came, looking me straight in the eye. “My king of the gods with the power of the thunderbolt.” My mouth was dry and my skin felt like it was sizzling. Why did this seem to mean so much? All I had running through my head was the image of her kissing me, last night.

Misty raised her hands to crown me but Ada stopped her. She looked petrified as her gaze jumped to my girlfriend. Ada smiled a polite smile at her, then gently took the wreath and placed it on my head herself. “Jupiter,” Misty finished, looking as though she finally let out the breath she was holding. Incredibly, thunder crashed in the distance, adding some dramatic meaning to my anointment and causing a gentle laugh all around. “That was supposed to happen,” grinned Misty, regaining some composure and getting a bigger laugh. I looked around the room at all the others. I was the only one still wearing a shirt and pants, but I was determined to stay that way.

I tried to catch Misty’s eye again. I just wanted some acknowledgment of the kiss from her but, frustratingly, she seemed always busy. I thought I managed to get a quick smile from her at one point, but it vanished just as fleetingly as Henry asked her for more champagne.

* * *

Aphrodite seemed to be moving along at a brisk pace now, while rain had begun to lash at the windows. Inside the main guest lounge, however, we were being served lunch. The chef had originally prepped an exotic seafood salad, with crab, oysters, shrimp, and lobster but, considering the weather, at the last minute, he paired it with a thick, fish-based soup with plenty of cream, to keep everyone a little warmer. It was so successful, I asked Tarquin to come up personally so everyone could all thank him.

As the afternoon wore on, even once we were moored and sheltering in a secluded bay, Aphrodite was suffering through some choppy waters. The girls kept the party going, but playing twister as the boat lurched from side to side made it a fight for anyone trying to maintain any dignity. Paul and D Cash mainly seemed to be entertaining themselves as spectators, enjoying the view as Veronique, Ruby, Britney, and Bella, only wrapped in short togas, bent over and around each other and left very little to the two guys’ imaginations.

Henry looked pretty green around the gills for most of the afternoon. The poor guy was not enjoying the rough seas. Ada and I sat at the bar again. However, when Ada finally excused herself, I saw Misty hand the spinning pointer over to Tanya and make her way over to refill my glass.

“I’ve been longing to talk to you,” I whispered as she poured more scotch. “It’s been so hard, though.”

She smiled back at me. “It’s okay, we don’t need to talk.”

“What do you mean? You kissed me, Misty!” I hissed, a little too loudly.

Misty looked around the room. Thankfully no one seemed to have heard me. “Please don’t,” she pleaded. “I’ll lose my job.”

“I’m sorry,” I told her. I didn’t want to get her in trouble. I just liked her and I felt like she liked me too. “It’s just… I can’t stop thinking about it…” About you, I was going to say. I opened my mouth to tell her, only there was a sudden and almighty crash right above us, and it felt like the world was ending.

I had no idea what was happening. I heard a colossal bang, followed by a loud shattering of glass. Then screams. I looked over to see guests and staff alike diving for cover as broken glass rained down on the whole lounge.

I had only an instant to react. I didn’t think, I just leaped over the bar, grabbing Misty as I flew through the air and taking us both toward the back wall. I couldn’t stop myself landing prone on her but, at least, I could use my body to keep her shielded from anything that might come down on us. We lay still, silently staring into each other’s eyes as I sensed sparks flashing around us and felt pieces of glass bouncing off my back. It was intense. Neither of us knew if this was about to be our last second alive. I wanted to kiss her again. In that moment, about to die, it was all I could think about.

“Is everyone okay?” I heard Sarah’s strong voice, after what seemed like an eternity. All the commotion had died down. Alarms were going off across the boat and I looked up to see Azure gather up her toga and run to help the other deckhands. Fortunately, it seemed the glass that formed the skylights in the lounge was made of that toughened safety glass and we now seemed to be surrounded by small, ragged, marble-like pieces capable of doing us no more harm than a little light hail so, happily, there were no injuries more serious than a couple of bruises.

I got up and helped Misty, then we stood face to face, brushing each other clean of broken glass. “Are you okay?” I managed to ask. Before Misty could answer, Ada appeared, having returned from the bathroom just after the disaster.

Wind and rain were now whipping their way through the hole in the cabin roof. I looked up and saw the reason the glass had smashed. The top of the main mast had fallen through the ceiling and was now buried in the floor behind the bar, almost exactly where Misty had been standing. There were still a few small flames crackling along the broken, charred shaft, where a bolt of lightning must have hit it. I saw Tanya grab an extinguisher and deal with the small fire, but we could still see the bigger flames on top of the remains of the mast, high above us.

“Everyone into the dining room please,” called Sarah and, keen to get out of the rain that was now lashing down on us, we quickly obeyed.

“I guess you owe him your life again,” said Ada to Misty, not looking at her. She threw her arms around my neck and whispered in my ear, “you’re so sexy when you’re brave. Quite the hero.”

“Yeah, he’s making a habit of it,” said Misty, quietly. “Please, if you’ll both go through.”

Before long, the deckhands had safely dealt with the fire on the mast and Captain Harper was addressing us, reassuring us that all was well. Apart from the mast, he told us, there was no damage to Aphrodite and no further cause for alarm. The boat’s radio was now out of order, but the internet was still working and, in case of dire emergency, there was a satellite phone. “That’s life at sea, folks,” he ended with, cheerfully.

Obviously shaken by the accident, the mood in the dining room was somber. Each couple or, in D Cash’s case, threesome, cuddled together while Sarah, Misty, and Tanya served drinks and tried to remain upbeat.

As the time rolled past three in the afternoon, however, we saw the clouds part and radiant, heavenly sunshine began to scorch the sundeck, steaming away the gathered raindrops with alarming speed. Surprisingly, Ada was first to run back to the light, dragging me with her and discarding her bikini top almost immediately, then demanding I rub oil into her bare shoulders and back. The other girls quickly followed us and soon, with the skies clear and the ocean mirror-flat once again, it was like nothing had happened. The stewards went back to their shifts, two serving drinks while one rested below, while my friends returned to their alcohol, sunshine, and sex-fueled frolics again in the lead up to dinner.

Misty

Following the same plan as yesterday, I ate below as Tanya and Sarah served dinner. Our togas were gone, replaced by our stewards’ black, Asian-inspired tunics, and we’d toned down our makeup. Still, I was more simply pushing food around my plate than actually eating. The roast lamb and potatoes Tarquin had made for the crew were excellent, of course, I just couldn’t seem to stomach it.

“Don’t worry, darling,” soothed Tarquin as he spooned out crème brûlée mixture into a set of small bowls, “I doubt I’d have much appetite after yet another near-death experience.”

“I know, right?” I agreed but, inside, that was nothing like what I was feeling. So yesterday, I thought to myself, that was fun. I fall off the boat on purpose to see if he’ll save me. Today was scary. I would have actually died if he hadn’t tackled me out of the way. That asshole! Why does he have to go and make it so hard to hate him? I need this revenge; I owe it to my father.

Tanya came down the galley steps. “If you’re not up for working tonight, babe, I can cover for you,” she offered, kindly.

“Thanks, Tanya, you’re the best. But I got this,” I told her. I had some stuff to work out.

“If you’re sure?” she smiled. “Then, you’re up.”

Dinner was over and I was left by myself with the guests. It looked as though it might not be such a long night after all. Henry was already doing tequila shots with D Cash and Ruby and, before long, had to retire. Bella helped him to his cabin, but she didn’t look happy about it, yet again.

Paul now had Veronique and Britney in their tiny bikinis, leaning against the yacht’s rail, posing for his camera in front of the glorious sunset. And, even though it was clear skies over Aphrodite, the still-present storm clouds in the distance made the setting sun appear even more spectacular as it lit up the retreating cumulus with fiery oranges and reds. The girls called me over to pose with them for a few shots, and Paul was over the moon, jabbering furiously about his three gorgeous blondes. But, as the shutter kept clicking, the sexy, nearly naked babes began slowly kissing each other, gradually becoming ever more passionate. Not wanting to get caught up in this over-familiar and potentially dangerous situation, I excused myself back to the bar.

I noticed D Cash and Ruby soon slinking off together, while the blonde on blonde make-out session was getting so heated it was becoming embarrassing. It was getting tough to look away, so I had to politely but firmly suggest they retire to somewhere a little more private. Paul was more than happy to escort the two beauties below deck. I wondered, as D Cash had made no fuss about giving up one of his women, if the two playas had come to some sort of arrangement. If so, I asked myself, what were the terms?

“Sorry to be the one to tell you,” Tyler’s voice made me jump slightly as I watched the new threesome disappear below deck, “but you’ve made a pretty huge error.”

Uh-oh! I got that knot in my stomach again, the one that appeared every time I felt like I’d been found out. I summoned my best, reinforced smile.

“Oh really? I never make mistakes, Tyler, you should know that by now,” I told him, as brazen and cocky as I could manage. I poured another large measure of twenty-five-year-old Glenmorangie into Tyler’s glass, as Ada sauntered up to the bar and rested both hands on his shoulder.

“Ada pointed it out,” he offered.

The knot in my stomach grew even larger. I should have guessed. Not only was Ada incredibly attractive, she was devastatingly intelligent. I should have been worried more about getting found out by her. Men will fall for a pretty smile, I reminded myself, it’s the women you are trying to cross that are the real danger.

“Minerva,” said Ada, cryptically. I stared blankly into her beautiful Japanese face. “You guys used Roman gods and goddesses for your party. The Goddess Athena is from Ancient Greece. The Greek capital city of Athens is named after her. In Ancient Roman mythology, Athena is known as Minerva.” She was smiling as she schooled me. There seemed to be no malice, Ada appeared to be merely imparting some knowledge for fun, making pleasant conversation, yet I couldn’t help but feel like she was claiming some kind of a victory. Ada turned to Tyler. “It was one of my favorite subjects when I was at school in England,” she smiled at him.

“Well, I’ll make sure we get it right next time,” I said companionably.

Ada kissed Tyler’s cheek, working her way slowly down his neck. I looked out to sea, trying to give them some privacy. It was full nighttime now and the moon must have been hiding behind the remains of those earlier storm clouds. Nothing but the blackest darkness surrounded the boat.

I heard Ada whispering. “I don’t think I can wait much longer, darling...” she purred, before getting up and stalking off. She watched to make sure Tyler’s eyes followed the movement of her body as she slowly reached the stairs, then laughed to herself as she descended.

“I’ll be right there, darling,” he called after her. “I’ll just finish this drink.” He turned back to me. He let out what sounded like a nervous laugh. “Alone at last,” he stammered.

I gave him a warm smile back. Yup, and now you’re mine, I thought to myself, and was actually surprised by the anger I felt welling up inside me. Sure, he seems nice on the surface, but people like him and his gorgeous lady barely notice the rest of us struggling to get by. Paul and D Cash, they’ve made the most of their talents. They’ve capitalized on being able to do something few others can and reaped their rewards. All Tyler had to do was be born. That’s luck, not talent.

On the outside, though, I kept it as cool as can be. “She’s amazingly beautiful,” I said, nodding to the stairs Ada had disappeared down, “and you guys seem very happy together.”

“We do?” he replied. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so... it’s just, we’ve only been seeing each other for about three weeks.”

“I see,” I smiled. “Well, in that case, I’ll say I’m sure you will be very happy together.” I was trying to stay mad at him, but I was starting to find his odd nervousness around me charming.

“Yes, that’s what everyone says,” Tyler looked back at up at me. He looked straight into my eyes and I felt my heart beat a little faster.

What the hell…? I kept my expression even.

“The truth is, her position is right, her age is right, her fortune is right,” the word ‘fortune’ caused me to grind my teeth. “For me, she just seems to be so... right,” he almost seemed to spit out that last word. He looked back down at his drink, “Sorry, Misty. I must be making you uncomfortable, talking this way.”

I leaned in until my eyes were level with his again. “Not at all,” I smiled. “I told you; when I’m behind the bar, it’s part of the job. Anyway, if I can’t listen to someone who’s saved my life, twice now…”

“Please, will people stop talking about that,” Tyler chuckled.

He drained his glass and I refilled it. After a few seconds of silence, I decided to ask him about his work.

“Do we have to? Really, it’s just another thing that I have to do, because of my father.”

Poor little whiny rich boy, I thought, my resentment quickly welling back up. “He must have been a great man,” I said. Nearly time. Just waiting for the exact moment to hit him with what happened to me.

I saw Tyler’s jaw clench. “He was great at business,” he allowed. “He made billions. But the more I find out about how he made that money, the more I want to do it differently.”

I felt my stomach flip a little. “What are you talking about?” I asked.

“It’s like the deal we finalized before this trip. Henry and I,” he said. “The board, my board, wanted to buy and dismantle this yacht building business.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Flashback images of my father ran through my head. “Would have made us a billion dollars, with a little gray area maneuvering…”

“Like leaking the failing company’s financials to devalue it,” I said, without even realizing I’d spoken.

“Exactly,” he smiled. Then he seemed to really hear what I’d just said. “Wow, there’s really no end to your talents is there?” I didn’t respond, just gave him and enigmatic smile. I was fuming inside. Precisely like your father did to us, ending his life and ruining mine.

“Anyway. Henry and I had to fight them every step. I mean, that would have been three thousand people out of work. I couldn’t sleep knowing I’d done that,” he continued, sorrowfully. “So, I made the board invest in them instead. Way smaller return, but the yacht company survives and all those people keep their jobs.”

I froze for a second, astonished, making sure I had heard what I’d just heard. I’ve had him all wrong. I can’t hold him responsible for the sins of his father, I realized. I reached out and touched his cheek. “That’s the right thing to do,” was all I could say. “And Ada?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is she…” I was struggling to find a delicate way to put it. I gave up. “Is she another thing you have to do, because of your father?”

Tyler snorted, suddenly choking on his scotch. He waved away my concern and recovered quickly. “Ah, Ada. Yes, he’d totally approve of her,” he laughed quietly. “No doubt he would’ve tried to steal her from me. Want to know a secret?” He sniffed, gave an embarrassed smile, drained his glass again, and whispered, “I think she wouldn’t have thought twice about jumping him, either.”

Now, it was my turn to burst out laughing. And not my professional, clipped and clean steward giggle, but my real, throaty, uncontrolled laugh. He laughed with me and a moment later, we were smiling stupidly, gazing into each other’s eyes.

“Listen, I know you’re off limits,” he touched my hand and I felt him trembling slightly. “But maybe, after the charter, I could see you?” He kept his eyes on mine as he waited for the answer.

I felt my heart tightening this time, instead of my stomach. I can’t believe this, my mind raced, I came here to hurt him, but now I feel like I really like him. I never dreamed he could be so vulnerable and so obviously alone. He’s trying so much to mend the damage his father did, even the damage he did to me. Could we really work together? He wasn’t the billionaire tyrant his father was and now I could acknowledge all the feelings of attraction I’d been trying to suppress. “I’d... I think I’d like that,” was all I managed to say.

I was suddenly aware, as we leaned on our elbows, the teak bar separating us and his hand on mine, that our faces were so close. I stared into his stunning, gray-green eyes for what seemed like an age, then took a chance. This time I know it’s real, I told myself. I leaned in toward his mouth, and he did the same. We came so close I could feel his soft breath caressing my sensitive lips, when his phone, screeching angrily from the counter top, made me jump.

“Goddammit,” he hissed as the moment passed us by. I giggled nervously. Tyler read the text message to himself. “It’s Ada, of course,” he told me. I let out the breath I’d been holding as I stood back up looking for a glass or a cloth, anything to look busy. For one instant, I’d forgotten all about his hot, rich girlfriend below deck.

“You’d better go,” I said, trying not to sound downcast. It was a stupid idea. I wanted to destroy him, not sleep with him. Except… now I knew what he was really like. “After all, I am off limits.”

“Misty, come on...” he began.

“No, it’s fine, you’re with her. Maybe you can still call me after the charter and we’ll meet up, like you said,” I smiled, desperate to hide the tears that were forming in my eyes. Get a grip, girl!

“I should go, let her down easy,” he said. I nodded.

He means well but I can’t see that happening. She’s so beautiful, he’ll never resist her. Not while I can’t touch him and she can offer him everything. Forget it, Misty, I thought as he headed downstairs to the master suite, you’ve missed your chance.

Tyler

As I hurried back to my cabin, I rehearsed what I was going to say to Ada. She would be furious, no doubt about that, and I was worried what she might do to Misty. Ada had the resources to make Misty’s professional life very difficult, yet I couldn’t help wanting us to be together. Since the first time I saw her, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. I only hoped I had the balls to protect her.

I was going to have to move out of the main cabin and into one of the smaller, twin berth rooms. Considering how much I’d paid for this trip, that didn’t seem fair at all. But it was the gentlemanly thing to do. I stopped outside my door, took a breath, and walked in.

Ada sat on the bed, one knee up to her chin, her other foot dangling near the floor. She wore only gray briefs and a tiny, tight white cotton undershirt. She looked up from her phone as I closed the door behind me.

“There you are,” she smiled coyly at me. “You were so long I almost started without you.”

“Ada, darling,” I swallowed. I’d spent my life negotiating for billions of dollars with some of the most cutthroat people on the planet, yet this conversation was making my mouth run dry. “We need to talk.”

“Yes, we do,” replied Ada, surprising me. “Sit down honey. We have a problem...” Bewildered, I took a seat on one of the plush armchairs that lined the long round wall of the room. “Baby?” called Ada to the bathroom. Bella, naked except for a pair of white cotton panties, stepped from the doorway. “Poor Bella here,” began Ada, “hasn’t been having the best trip. Henry has been a frightful bore and is now passed out, having paid her no attention for the last two days and nights. She’s lonely and wants to know if she can play with us?” Bella made shy eyes at me, nodding, girlishly holding a finger in her mouth. “That’s all right, darling, isn’t it?” teased Ada, as the young Latina girl crossed slowly over to the bed.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. Ada knelt up on the edge of the huge bed as Bella reached her, and let out a low moan as they kissed open-mouthed. Bella eased Ada’s shirt up over her shapely, firm breasts and sighed breathlessly as the two girls’ uncovered nipples hardened, rubbing gently against each other.

Oh, come on! I could only think as I felt my erection growing. I really want to be with Misty right now, but there’s only so much temptation a man can take.

Ada spun Bella away from her before cupping those full, caramel colored breasts from behind and gently biting her light-brown shoulder. Both girls turned their heads and smiled at me, before Ada lightly stroked her hands down toward Bella’s underwear. The younger girl closed her eyes, letting her head fall back in pleasure as Ada’s fingers pushed their way under the flimsy material, slowly caressing her most sensitive parts. Bella hooked her thumbs under her panties and gently slid them down, stepping out of them and turning back around to face Ada, who again slid her hand over that beautiful bald mound.

Bella bent forward and took Ada’s erect nipple into her mouth, causing her to sigh loudly as she removed her own underwear. Ada lay back and raised a foot so Bella could whip her briefs all the way off and discard them. The Latin beauty then fell to her knees and began kissing her way up Ada’s inner thigh, until she reached Ada’s waiting, willing pussy, pulling sudden gasps of pleasure from both of their mouths.

I was transfixed. These two stunningly sexy temptresses were making it impossible for me to think. All I could feel was a pounding throb from my cock as it threatened to burst out of my pants. I watched Ada’s full breasts heave with every sigh that Bella’s intimate licking and probing brought out of her. As she slipped her night shirt the rest of the way off, Ada’s cries grew louder and louder, as though she was getting close to coming, when she stopped and urgently pushed Bella off her.

“I think we’re forgetting someone, dear,” slightly flushed and a little out of breath, Ada grinned at the other girl. Bella looked over at me, sitting there like an idiot, and smiled seductively. Ada took her by the hand and they both got up and walked naked to where I was still sitting.

“Err... are you sure about this, girls?” I managed to stammer as they both knelt either side of my legs.

“Don’t panic, darling,” breathed Ada, softly, “I liked what you said about making our first time together special.” She opened my fly and reached in, “Well, this is extra special, don’t you think?”

I had no time to answer before Ada pulled out my marble-hard dick and gently eased her full lips around it. Sparks of ecstatic pleasure shot through my body as I pulsed rapidly against her tongue. It took every iota of self-control I had not to just dump my load right then, into her mouth. I’d had days of fending off this exquisitely attractive woman’s pretty hardcore advances, with no release, and I felt about ready to explode.

Bella placed one hand on the back of Ada’s head, gently forcing her further onto me, and pushed her other hand up underneath my shirt. I nearly lost it again as Ada swallowed as much as she could, only managing to comfortably fit about two-thirds of my cock in her mouth. She let me go and jerked roughly with her hand. I couldn’t stop myself from crying out. Ada turned and kissed Bella passionately before, still holding the base of my shaft, easing the other girl’s mouth onto my stiff, thick member.

My head fell back as Bella’s hot, wet tongue enclosed me. I was pretty sure my cock had never ever been this hard before. As the sexy Latin temptress sucked and swallowed as much of me as she could, my cock kept pulsing and throbbing until, as I saw Ada caressing Bella’s gently bouncing breasts with one hand and slowly sliding a beautifully manicured finger into her own wet slit, I knew I couldn’t take anymore. I closed my eyes and, despite everything, I saw Misty’s face again.

I opened my eyes to see Ada had me in her mouth again. Bella had a hand absently groping my balls as she bent down to kiss and lick Ada’s seductively proud breasts. Ada was staring me straight in the eye as she sucked, smiling with her mouth full, and moaning softly to herself. With a superhuman effort, I managed to lean forward and grip her by the shoulders. A brief look of confusion crossed her face, to be replaced with a wide smile of success. I gently but firmly lifted her off me and sat her back on the floor. She must have decided I could finally resist her no longer and was about to bang her to within an inch of her life. She lay right back, opened her legs and invited me in.

“I’m sorry,” I croaked. “I’m so sorry.” I pulled up my linen pants and strode purposefully for the door, never looking back.

“The fuck are you going?” I heard Ada call after me. “It’s that fucking steward, isn’t it? Are you fucking kidding me?” Those last three words built into a desperate, furious shriek that seemed to fill the entire boat.

I stormed down the corridor, ignoring the screams and insults Ada hurled at my back. I marched up to the sun deck, to the bar where we’d almost kissed again, then down the crew stairs to the galley. And there she was.

Misty

I stood up from putting clean dishes away in the low cupboard, my eyes closed as I stretched out the tired muscles in my back. I needed a break. Some time by myself to think about everything. Now I was no longer looking for revenge on Tyler, but actually feeling a strong attraction to him, I was confused and a little lost. And I didn’t think I had any chance of tempting him away from that Ada. When I opened my eyes again, though, there he was, his hair tousled and his shirt undone, standing before me.

“I don’t fucking care if you are off limits!” he spat and crossed the distance between us in two strides.

“Oh, thank God,” I yelled.

I gasped as he lifted me clean off the floor and parked my butt on the kitchen counter. His strength and passion thrilled me as I threw my arms around his neck and pulled his mouth onto mine. We’d finally kissed, hard enough for our teeth to clash, and I crossed my legs behind his butt to pull his crotch hard against my suddenly throbbing sex. His tongue furiously licked and probed the inside of my mouth, and I found myself wishing he was using it all over the rest of my body, too. Oh, my God! I thought, how could I have thought about hurting this man? I could feel the length of him hard against the underwear that was pulled tight over my pussy and, with minimal movements, I was able to grind myself roughly against his firm cock, sending small spasms of pleasure through my whole body and drawing short, sharp gasps from him.

I didn’t want him to hold back. I wanted him to fuck me, right there, as hard and fast is he could. He must have been able to sense my desire because, with both hands, he suddenly seized and ripped open my black dress shirt, then pushed up my bra, freeing my willing, aching breasts for his big hands to paw and grope.

Without breaking the kiss, I reached down and yanked open his pants. They fell silently to the floor and, at last, I was able to grasp, two-handed, his rock-hard dick and pull it closer to me. Tyler’s lips pulled away from mine, let out a long groan, before forcing me backward so he could bite and suck at my eager tits and hardening nipples. My pussy felt so wet I was sure I must be dripping through my underwear. Reading my mind, Tyler urgently yanked my thong to one side, exposing me to him. Still holding his throbbing member in both hands, I guided the point of him impatiently toward my slick hole.

I felt him slide across my soft, wet lips, holding the promise of the ecstatic, hard heat he was about to fill me with. I was dizzy, desperate for the feel of that cock pushing its way deep into the center of me. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we met,” he murmured breathlessly, his grey-green eyes looking deep into mine.

His hands grabbed my ass on the counter as he forced his tongue back into my mouth and, at the same time, rammed his iron-like cock inside me, hard. I screamed with the sudden pleasure of him filling my pussy, my mouth still full of him, and had to break our lips apart again to yell out.

“Oh, fuck!” I cried.

Totally buried in me, right to the hilt, every involuntary twitch of him pulsed against my soft, velvet pussy walls, I felt like I might just come from the sensations. It had been so long and I realized I’d been aching for him to fuck me for days now.

After a moment that seemed closer to a year, Tyler dragged himself out of me, almost all the way, and paused with only the tip of his dick brushing my moist lips, making me shiver. Then, with no more warning, he plunged deep inside me again. He felt so hard and thick, I could do nothing to stop myself shouting and swearing in ecstasy. I locked my legs behind his butt again and pulled him into me, faster and faster. I grasped at his neck, I cried out, and I bit into his shoulder as he hammered at me, harder still.

“You’re so amazing,” he murmured breathlessly, still slamming his hips against mine, “I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.” His violent, urgent penetration, coupled with those words meant I could feel my orgasm right there. I’d been almost hovering on the edge practically since that first kiss. And now he was fucking me and all it could take was one... more... push...

His great strength lifted me off the counter. Nothing held me up but him, his powerful cock in my dripping sex. I screamed again as he drove me down on him, over and over.

“I think I love you,” he whispered into my ear, and thrust into me with all his might, reaching as deep inside me as he could, deeper than anyone had ever been before. I swore loudly again and felt my whole body shudder, as wave after wave of crashing ecstasy suddenly ripped through me. My legs went into spasm, my nails clawed at his neck and I cried out until I felt hoarse.

Tyler lost his strength and collapsed back against the other counter. My body out of control, acting on reflex and instinct, I kept on grinding myself hard on his stiff shaft until he finally groaned and I felt him let loose inside me. Hot seed pulsed from his engorged, iron-hard rod and he showed no sign of stopping. My low moans matching the sensations of him unloading in my pussy, I wondered how much more I could take. But, as we came back to our senses, his violent blasts of come inside me finally died away.

“I knew it!” came a playfully high voice from beside them.

Shocked, I turned as one to see Azure leaning against the wall, giving us a slow, mock applause.

How does she do that? I thought automatically.

We sprang apart and tried to cover ourselves, Tyler cursing as he fought to pull up his pants around his still semi-hard dick. I went to say something, but the tiny, silent girl vanished down the hallway without another word.

“Goddammit!” I swore. “You know she’s off to tell the captain, and probably Ada too.”

“And so, Bella,” muttered Tyler.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” he replied. “And, so what? It’s no big deal, we’re consenting adults.”

“But I’ll be fired,” I made it a statement.

“I guess,” Tyler agreed. “Well, what do you say? Ready to weather a shit-storm with me?

I caught myself smiling. I want to be with him, but that’s mostly my pussy talking. He could take care of me, we could be together but, somehow, I’m sure that’s not what he came aboard this boat looking for. It’s sure not what I came to this boat looking for. This is just too fast. “This is just too fast, Tyler,” I said aloud.

He saw the smile drop away from my face. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we have some stuff to deal with. Different things. And we’re from two different worlds,”

“I don’t care about that,” he growled.

“Right now, you don’t,” I put my hand against his cheek. I could feel tears welling in my eyes. “Can you be sure you’ll feel that way in the morning?” He went to speak, but I silenced him with a kiss. “I’m going my way,” I told him. “You go yours. If this is meant to be, our paths will cross again.”

I turned and ran off toward the crew levels. I didn’t look back.

Tyler

I found myself wandering slowly back to the main cabin. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. My head was spinning and I couldn’t get that short but incredible fuck with Misty out of my mind. She was so beautiful and we just fit together so well. I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. Even with Ada enlisting the help of the sultry Bella to tempt me into bed, all I’d been able to think about was Misty. And I now knew Misty wanted me too.

But that moment of blinding intoxication had passed, and Misty wouldn’t believe I wanted her for real. Can you be sure you’ll feel that way in the morning? those were her parting words. She wouldn’t let me answer. She’s so worried, I thought, about the different worlds we live in. Why should it matter so much that I’m rich and she’s not?

As I drifted aimlessly down the main corridor, a cabin door opened. My motorcycle racer buddy Paul stood in the opening, wearing only a towel.

“Paisan,” he called, “why so down in the dumps? I heard Ada yelling at you. All is not well in paradise?”

I wasn’t surprised. Aphrodite is a big yacht but not so big that it could swallow the screaming of a rejected heiress once she’s been left naked on your cabin floor. “No, Paul,” I replied, not looking up, “I think I may have royally fucked up just about everything.”

“Well, I could offer to cheer you up?” he smiled, kicking his cabin door open all the way. The soft light inside illuminated Veronique, his supermodel date for the weekend, lying face-up on the big bed, her head dangling lazily over the edge, and her long blonde hair tumbling down to the floor, as well as Britney, the slim, petite, adult film actress that had been brought aboard by our other friend, rap star D Cash, sitting back against the pillows at the head of his bed. Both girls were naked and both smiled invitingly at me as I peered in. “I’ve some pretty good wine. Maybe you might be able to forget your troubles?”

I shook my head. I had no desire for sex games. I just wanted to be with Misty. “I’m sorry, my friend, I have some issues to deal with.”

“Fair enough. Your loss, eh?” he smiled, looking back at his two beautiful companions. He nodded to me and went back inside, closing his door.

All too soon, I reached the door of my cabin. I thought about knocking. I’d said I was sorry and walked out. The two girls had been teasing me, tantalizing me until it seemed I couldn’t stand anymore, but I’d just left. Going by her screams and curses that echoed after me as I escaped, she was justifiably mad. Knocking might just give her time to find something to throw at me, I thought, so I simply went in.

Inside, the cabin was dimly lit, just as it had been before. In the large central bed of the opulent, circular room, Ada lay under the sheet. She had put her white cotton nightshirt back on, and her long, straight black hair was spread out across the pillows. She faced away from the door. I couldn’t tell if she was awake or asleep.

“Ada, I…” I began.

“Did you fuck her?” she cut me off without turning around. Her voice was measured, quiet and calm, “Darling, I really don’t care if you did, just don’t lie to me.”

I didn’t want to answer, so I stayed silent.

“Tyler,” she continued, “I know there’s going to be girls throwing themselves at you. You can fuck all of them or none of them, it won’t affect our relationship. Jesus, I know I’m going to bang the odd pool boy or rock star on occasion. It’s fun and I refuse to deny myself that pleasure. But, here you have one of the most pursued and lusted after girls on this planet trying everything just to get you inside her, and you’re off chasing stolen kisses from some jumped-up waitress. What the fuck?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered. “You’re amazing Ada. You’re stunning, smart, successful. Misty is just… I can’t stop thinking about her.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ! Don’t even tell me you’re in love!” she snapped, turning around and sitting up, her voice taking on a much more venomous tone. “Some dumb whore you’ve known for two days? And, in that time, you’ve had to save her life twice!”

“Don’t call her a whore,” I growled.

“Oh please. Invite her in here now. We can fuck her together if it means so much to you. I’ll write her a check. Five thousand ought to be plenty. No, let’s make it ten, as she has to do both of us. Then I get to fuck you, you get to fuck her and she gets a nice big payday. Everybody wins.” Ada’s voice sounded so angry. “Who knows, maybe Misty and I will fall in love, then you’ll know what this rejection feels like.”

Obviously furious, Ada bent over to the nightstand on the side of the bed away from the door. She leaned over far enough that I could see she hadn’t put her underwear back on, the sheet slipping enough to reveal her toned, tanned butt. She noisily snorted back a line of cocaine that I hadn’t realized was there.

“I didn’t know you used that shit. Where did you get it?” I demanded.

“It’s none of your fucking business,” she hissed back. “And don’t even begin to think you’re in any position to tell me what to do.”

I shook my head, resigning myself to having no hope of making peace with her. I thought she might forgive me and realize I just wanted someone else. It happens all the time. But she would never understand. She lives in a world where people just take what they want, who they want and don’t care about the consequences, I thought to myself, they bully, intimidate, or pay off everyone. People like her and my father. Oh, my God! This is what Misty is afraid of! This is what she thinks I’m like, the world I live in. No wonder she bolted.

I said no more to Ada. She snorted back another line as I went into the closet and grabbed my small bag. I couldn’t remember what was in it, I just figured there might be something I could use. Anything I left behind was most likely going to be floating around the Caribbean by sunrise.

“The fuck are you going now?” Ada snarled at me. “Going to go give your stewardess whore a whole three minutes of fun?” I turned back to look at her. Ada’s normally phenomenally beautiful face was contorted into the ugliest mask of hatred I had ever seen. “Or do you think you’ll need me to send Bella over again to help you get it up?”

I turned and walked out, her insults following me down the passageway for the second time that night.

Misty

I didn’t stop running until I got to my little cabin. I ran in, closed the door a little too hard and started sobbing. I didn’t mean to disturb Tanya, asleep in the top bunk, but I wasn’t really thinking.

“Misty,” Tanya murmured, slowly rising from her sleep. She hit the light and her eyes widened as she saw my ripped shirt, torn open by Tyler in the heat of passion. “What the hell happened? Are you okay, did someone hurt you?” Tanya was younger than me but, because of her slightly more senior rank and because she’d been part of the crew for six months and me only two, Tanya always seemed to be on the lookout for me. And, although I was perfectly capable of looking after myself, I adored her for it.

“No, I’m fine, really,” I sniffed.

My makeup was running. I looked down at my shirt. It was ruined. My bra was still pushed up, too, exposing my breasts, where Tyler had shoved it so he could grope, kiss, and lick me. I felt better for a nanosecond, the memory of his hot hands and mouth all over my tits as I crushed his head to my chest, returning, along with the feel of him pulsing hot and hard in my pussy. I pulled off the tattered remains and took off my bra. Tanya handed me a tank-top, which I slipped on before thumping down hard on my bunk. Tanya slid down from the top, slipped on her fluffy robe to cover her own nakedness, and sat down beside me.

“You sure you’re not hurt?” she asked.

“I’m sure.”

“In that case, you’ve been getting naughty with someone,” Tanya teased. “Come on, spill.”

With Azure interrupting us, then dashing off to who knows where, the whole crew would know soon enough. So, I told Tanya. I told her about the kiss the first night, about the near kiss tonight, then about the sudden, desperate fuck in the galley just now.

However, I still couldn’t tell Tanya that I’d specifically joined the crew of Aphrodite to be on this charter, that I was only on board to take revenge on Tyler for what his father did to my family. Or that, in getting to know him, I’d discovered that he was nothing like his father, or that I thought I was falling in love with him.

“That little witch, though,” scowled Tanya about Azure. “She doesn’t have to tell the captain. He’ll fire you.”

“I know,” I said, resigned to the fact, “but who can blame her? Or him? My unprofessional behavior might be enough to screw up the tip for everyone. I should be fired.”

“Don’t say that. It sounds like Tyler really likes you. Maybe this is your Cinderella story,” She sounded so full of hope I had to smile.

“That remains to be seen,” I told her. By now, he’d be back with Ada. They’ll have been fucking like bunnies since I left him. Guaranteed. In the morning, he’ll be like ‘Misty who?’

“Well, if we get through this,” said Tanya, “next time a charter makes you feel all gooey, come tell me.”

“And you’ll what, Tanya?” I smiled. “Take care of my urges?”

Tanya smirked back and gave me a big kiss on the lips. “It’s tempting, but it might make bunking together a little awkward. So, I’ll just listen and tell you you’re an idiot, deal?”

“Deal”

It was rolling toward two-thirty and, even postponing our normal dawn running session, we still both needed to be up before seven, so Tanya popped back up to her bunk and put the lights out.

Lying in the darkness, there was no way I could sleep, though. My mind raced from my fear of what the morning would bring, and the elated emotions I couldn’t help feeling as I remembered Tyler’s hands on me, his arms around me, his mouth on me, and the sensation of his marble-hard cock as it touched my lower lips and then penetrated me. The urgency of his kisses, the passionate strength of his embrace, the way his beautiful dick throbbed in my hands, all those recollections made my body sing. Even after the thundering orgasm I just had, I twisted about with the frustration that I couldn’t have him again.

“Stop playing with yourself and go to sleep,” came Tanya’s mock-stern voice from above. “You don’t want to have to make me come down there.”

* * *

After what seemed like only five minutes’ sleep, Tanya and I were back up and getting ready for work. In the galley, where the crew was gathering for breakfast. Neither the captain or Azure were present, but everyone went suspiciously quiet when I walked in. Tanya strode in behind me and started taunting, teasing, and flirting her way around the room, as she always did, giving the crew no option but to think and talk about something other than me. She’s probably the most amazing girl I’ve ever met, I smiled to myself, before the dreaded call came over the intercom, summoning me to the wheelhouse.

I expected Captain Harper’s normally kind, bearded face to be furious but, on arrival, I found him as placid as usual. He didn’t school me on the right way to behave, merely reassured me that he knew I hadn’t deliberately caused trouble, just been merely blindsided, but rules were rules and he had to let me go.

“I’ve seen you on duty,” he smiled, “and I’ve been doing this for long enough to know you haven’t told me everything about your past employment. I could ask some questions, but I feel like you must have had good reasons to be… economical with the truth about yourself.”

“I never meant any disrespect, Captain…” I began.

“Of that, I have no doubt,” Harper said soothingly, “and it’s all now in the past. I’m sorry, Misty, but you’ll have to be confined to quarters until the charter is over. After that, I’ll see you get your share of the tip and your ticket home. I trust I don’t need to find someone to escort or guard you?” I shook my head. “Off the record,” he said, “I know a little something about what the heart wants. And I think you’ll be okay, my dear.” He winked at me and I hugged him, a tear in my eye.

Tyler

I eventually mustered the courage to go for breakfast on the lower deck. Already there were Paul, Veronique, and Britney, plus Henry. My short, overweight but well-meaning attorney had gone to bed early last night after being talked into doing tequila shots with D Cash and his other porn star playmate, Ruby, much to the annoyance of his date Bella. No doubt her frustration at Henry’s continual failure to show a good time had led to her becoming involved in Ada’s sexy surprise last night. I needed to speak to Henry about what happened. He was my best friend, after all.

As I sat down, Britney and Veronique excused themselves simultaneously. “Was it something I said?” I smiled.

“Are you okay?” asked Henry. “Paul told me about the shouting match between you and Ada last night. What happened?”

“The real question,” I said, really trying to avoid that subject, “is what’s going to happen when D Cash wakes up? Aren’t you the slightest bit worried about him finding out about your little party with Britney and Veronique?”

“No. I squared everything with him,” explained Paul.

“You… You didn’t buy her, did you?” Henry ventured nervously, making the obvious misunderstanding. I snorted a laugh.

“Of course not!” Paul cried. Henry looked relieved. “But I now owe D Cash my Senna Edition Ducati. Was totally worth it, though.”

I shook my head at the Englishman’s nerve, then turned back to Henry. “I have to tell you what happened with Bella last night. It seems Ada managed to talk her into…”

“It’s okay, Tyler. Bella told me,” he said calmly. “She only told me to hurt me, but it came as no surprise to find out she wasn’t actually attracted to me. I’m not an idiot.”

“I didn’t try anything with her. I may have been a little slow to stop her, but…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Henry gave me a smile and a hand on my shoulder, “So, where are you and Ada now?”

Veronique and Britney returned and, pausing out of politeness for Sarah or Tanya to serve, I told them about my feelings for Misty, Ada’s frustration, and that we’d been discovered together.

“That’s why we haven’t seen Misty this morning?” asked Britney.

“Wow. Is so romantic, so passionate,” mused Veronique, dreamily.

“Yeah, but she’s going to lose her job and no one will let me down to see her,” I complained.

“Poor, poor Tyler,” came Ada’s malevolent tones from behind me. I whirled around to see her looking classically stunning. Big shades, big red sunhat and a red two-piece under a sheer wrap. Leaning on her arm was Bella, dressed in her usual denim short-shorts and white crop-top. “Of course, she’s not your problem anymore, darling. She’s fired from this boat and, by this afternoon, she’ll struggle to get a job crewing the ferry that runs the ten-minute crossing between Malta and Gozo.”

I knew she was going to do this. I felt my fists clench, my teeth grind, and I struggled to control my breathing. “Why do you have to do that?” I managed to seethe quietly.

“Because I can,” Ada was yelling now, “and I want you to feel some of the pain and helplessness that I’ve endured these past few days, throwing myself at you and being rejected over and over.”

The other guests shifted uncomfortably.

“I think I’d better go,” I told her, trying to end this encounter.

“I’m not even half done with you yet,” she screamed. Bella stared at me viciously. I slowly stood and approached them, keeping myself under control, just. Everyone held their breath.

“Whatever you’re planning to do to me, Ada,” I said evenly as I walked toward them, “there is, at least, no way you can force me to stand around and watch you do it.” I walked past them to the stairs, leaving them far behind.

* * *

Thankfully, from my point of view, there was only another hour or so before Aphrodite returned to Aruba and the charter was over. I stayed in my cabin and thought about Misty. It’s the craziest thing, I said to myself, this vacation was a chance for a break, to see if Ada and I had a thing worth pursuing. I know it’s all good on paper; a merger between the Harcourt estate and the Showazuki family fortune. But I don’t want to get married because it makes good business sense. That’s what my father would do. Still, I never expected to meet her. I never imagined someone so beautiful, so mysterious, so right for me. I must find Misty.

As soon as the yacht was in dock I heard Ada and Bella disembark, ordering poor Brett, the third deckhand, around and not wanting to wait for the official farewell from the crew. I gathered my things, let the deckhands take my cases off, and went up. I hung around the entrance to the galley and the crew quarters until the others started complaining, just hoping I might catch her, or catch a glimpse of her.

Eventually, though, I was back on the aft deck. The crew was lined up in their whites once again to see us off. The last to leave, I shook hands with each crew member. Sarah and Tanya, the other two stewards, both gave me a quick kiss goodbye. Azure wasn’t present. She was probably a little uncomfortable, to say the least, so I said nothing.

“Well, what can I say?” said Captain Harper, as he shook my hand heartily. “Thank you for giving us a very… interesting charter.”

“I hope it wasn’t too terrible, Captain,” I smiled, pressing the thick envelope into his hand, “I know I caused some problems. Hopefully, this will help you weather the storm.”

“That’s very generous, thank you. Please come back and see us again.”

“I would love to. Please, though, is there any way I could talk to Misty, or get a message to her?” I implored. This felt like the last chance.

“I’m sorry, sir, Misty left the boat as soon as we docked, even before your lady, I mean, ex-lady friend,” shrugged the captain.

Man, I thought, she wasn’t kidding about having to find her. I nodded gratefully to him and trudged off. I followed the others down the jetty to the waiting stretched Hummer and ducked inside. Before closing the door, I allowed myself one last look at the magnificent Aphrodite, gleaming white against the clear blue sky, gently rocking on the sparkling Caribbean waters. My God, I said to myself, what this boat has managed to do.

Misty

Tanya was banging on my cabin door. “Come on, bitch, shake a leg!” she yelled. “Crew meeting and the captain insists you attend.”

I wiped the tears from my eyes. “Be right there.”

I had to go through with it. I quickly touched up my makeup and fixed my hair. When I finally felt I looked half presentable, I took a deep breath and headed for the crew lounge.

There were a couple of knowing glances and shy smiles as I entered. Azure avoided my eyes, as did Adam, reminding me of our recent flirtation. Tarquin and Brett waved hello. I squeezed in next to Tanya, who dropped her hand below the table so I could hold onto it.

“You all know my rules,” began Harper, “everyone who works on the charter gets an equal share of the tip. Now, this was a somewhat extraordinary charter, what with lifesaving, masts hit by lightning, crew members losing their heads…” he didn’t look over at me. “So, I’m happy to say, we have a somewhat extraordinary tip.” The captain pulled out a wad of cash from an envelope. “One hundred thousand dollars,” he announced, slowly and deliberately, and to the accompaniment of a large collective sigh. Tanya involuntarily squeezed my hand in hers. I couldn’t believe it. “That’s right. That’s about five times what we would normally expect from a two-night charter, but there it is. Around ten thousand each.”

Harper counted out one collection of bills and handed them out, then another. He threw a pile of notes in front of Azure.

“Please, Captain,” she said softly, without touching the money, “can I donate my share to Misty?”

Everybody froze. I stared wide-eyed at the small, tanned girl who finally turned her big eyes toward me.

“You can do what you like, Azure, it’s your money,” said Harper.

“It’s okay, Azure, you don’t have to do that,” I told her.

“I feel so bad. I didn’t know what to do when I found you. I didn’t think. I’m so sorry.” Azure’s eyes shone with tears.

“You did the right thing by not taking the chance that you might get yourself into trouble,” I assured her. There were murmurings of agreement around the table.

“It’s the only thing I can think of to say how sorry I am; I didn’t stop to think that you might actually have feelings for him.” Azure pushed the money across to me. I nodded and added it to my pile.

“But, as I was saying about rules,” began the captain, “Misty broke them and I have to let her go.”

The table erupted with complaints and arguments, with Tarquin, Brett, and Tanya shouting the loudest. Adam said nothing, I noticed. Harper appealed for silence. “I’m sorry, Misty. I need you to pack your things and disembark. I’m afraid there’s no reversing this decision.”

I nodded sadly and stood to leave.

“Hey, bitch?” called Tarquin. “You’d better make sure you say goodbye properly before you go.” I turned to see him make a grotesque mime of sucking a big cock, and I couldn’t help laughing.

* * *

Out on the dock, the whole deck crew had gathered, except Harper who, having said his goodbye, was needed elsewhere. I hugged and kissed Keith, the bosun, and Mike, the first deckhand. Brett, who’d been carrying my bags off the yacht, went for a sneaky butt grab as I hugged him, but I decided to go with it, breathing in his huge warmth and masculine smell. Azure came next.

“I’m so sorry, Misty,” she said. “I didn’t think you would actually get fired, and it looks like you actually like this guy. I feel terrible.” I waved away her apologies again and pulled her close. I felt Azure sob as I held her, and took the opportunity to slip her ten thousand back into her outside pocket, hoping she wouldn’t notice until later. I turned to Adam and put my hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry it wasn’t meant to be,” I offered. For a moment, he continued to stare off angrily into the distance until, suddenly, his face softened and he gathered me in his arms.

“Just promise me you’ll be happy,” he murmured. I pulled back to look in his eyes, then gave him a long kiss on the lips.

“I’ll try,” I whispered back.

I turned to Tanya and Tarquin. Within seconds, tears were streaming down all our faces. We all hugged altogether.

“You cows!” wailed Tarquin. “My makeup’s ruined!”

“This is crazy. Why are we crying? We’ll Skype, Facebook, we’ll talk all the time!” I sobbed.

“We’d better,” sniffed Tanya. “I expect first class all the way when you hook back up with your billionaire boyfriend.”

I went to respond but my taxi honked its horn from behind me. I kissed them both, grabbed my bags and strode off the dock toward solid ground. I got to the car and looked back, as the driver loaded my luggage in the trunk. They waved, I smiled and waved.

“Misty!” called Tarquin. “Don’t let any bad meat past those lips!” Tanya burst out laughing.

“Yeah?” I yelled back, “That goes double for the two of you!”

Tyler

“Find her, Henry,” spat I. “I don’t care what it costs, I don’t care if we have to go knocking door to door across this whole fucking island. Find her for me.”

Henry knew better than to argue with me when I was in this mood. “We’ll find her, buddy, don’t worry,” he said.

We drove on in silence. D Cash began to investigate the limo’s minibar. He pulled out a miniature bottle of Smirnoff, which looked even smaller in his big, black hand. He held it between his gold teeth and brought out another small bottle. This time it was a Glenfiddich 15-year-old, which he tossed to me.

“Cash,” I said, catching it, “it’s like one-fifteen in the afternoon.”

“Yeah?” replied the big rapper, opening the small bottle of vodka. “That means it's nine-fifteen in LA, right?” He downed the liquid in one practiced movement.

“Erm… nine-fifteen in the morning,” smiled Henry.

D Cash shrugged before exploring the refrigerator for another. I went to hand the scotch back, but Paul waved to me, indicating he wanted it.

“Are we going back to the hotel?” asked Ruby, sounding tired.

Henry turned to me, “Ada will be there.”

I hadn’t thought that far. We had four deluxe suites reserved at the Ritz-Carlton in Palm Beach, one of which was currently occupied by Ada and, possibly, Bella. Although there was nothing to stop Bella stealing Henry’s suite, so that was probably full too.

“Let’s go get some lunch and figure it out,” I decided.

I had the limo take us to the Hilton Resort and Casino, about a mile down the coast from the Ritz. Traipsing into the restaurant with all our bags made us look like a collection of hobos which, I considered, at the moment was exactly what we were. We took a table that looked out over the pool while Henry hung back to enquire about accommodation.

He came back wearing a very concerned look on his face. He sat down next to me.

“No room at the inn?” I joked.

“No, we’re all set,” he replied, staring off into the distance. “There were only three suites left so I figured you and I could share.”

“Of course,” I told him. “But why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“A phone call from the board,” Henry motioned at my martini. I nodded, so he drained the glass and set it back down, breathing heavily. “They said, and I quote: The situation had changed. You were unreachable.” I remembered that I’d turned my cell phone off. “They had to abandon our plans to invest in Hobbs’s firm. They’re proceeding with the hostile takeover.”

I sat still for a moment, dumbstruck. Henry and I had spent months orchestrating the deal so that we could save the workforce of three thousand people from being laid off. The board had wanted to simply break up and sell the firm, making a billion-dollar profit. I’d forced them, as majority shareholder, CEO, and son of the founder, to invest instead. It was a much smaller return, over a longer period of time, but the workforce kept their jobs.

“That fucking…!” I spat. “Fucking Banks! I knew he was never going to play along with us.”

“That’s the thing, Tyler,” Henry was still breathing rapidly. “Banks stepped down as chairman of the board this morning. Somehow, the new chair is…”

“What the hell, Henry? Who is it?”

“Ada Showazuki,” he said at last.

Again, I sat stunned. Paul, D Cash, and their girlfriends, across the table, were eating and laughing, with no clue to what Henry and I were discussing. I barely felt Henry place his hand on my forearm. He shook me gently and the numbness I was feeling seemed to subside a little. I looked at him, his concerned, earnest face, and giggled. I felt my smile grow wider and I laughed again, louder now. Everyone else at the table smiled at me.

“What is it?” asked Britney, unable to stop herself laughing along with me, as I began to lose control. I was laughing louder and longer, so the rest of the table couldn’t help but join in. Even Henry started to chuckle. I shoved my hand behind my old friend’s neck and pulled his pudgy face close, pressing our foreheads together. We laughed harder and harder, until tears were running down my cheeks.

“They’ve been at work in New York, what, five hours? And she’s already effectively taken over my company!” I managed between sobs of hilarity. “How is that even possible?”

“Imagine if you’d actually married her!” cried Henry and I burst out laughing again, almost falling off my chair.

“Okay,” I breathed, as I finally began to calm down. The Maitre d' had begun hovering and looked about ready to complain that we were disturbing other diners, but he shuffled off as our ruckus died away. “I guess this has just become a working holiday for you and I.” Henry smiled back at me. “I have an idea. You’re pretty much going to hate it,” I continued, “but you’re going to have to work with me on it because my mind’s made up.”

“Okay…” replied Henry, uneasily.

“I’m going to go make some calls. I’ll fill you in soon as I can. In the meantime, Henry,” I ordered, “find me Misty.”

Misty

To be honest, my day was going better than expected. After that tear-filled goodbye at the docks, I asked the guy to drive me to San Nicholas.

“You sure, Miss?” he asked. “This is not the nicest part of the island. You wouldn’t rather go to Palm Beach?”

“I’m not a tourist, and I’m sure,” I replied, firmly. Palm beach, on the northwest coast, was the garden spot, full of luxury resorts and Americans on vacation. And exactly where Tyler and his friends would be. No, I was better off down here, on the south of the island, hidden among the locals.

The driver was right, though. As he dropped me off in the center of what was, at night at least, Aruba’s red light district, I almost questioned my decision. It was not the roughest part of town but, as I stood on the street with my bags, a few native young men noticed me immediately and looked me over, a mixture of lust and hunger in their eyes.

Luckily, my destination was dead ahead. I walked into the incredibly colorful Charlie’s Bar and saw Rufus talking with a couple of the bar flies. He spotted me immediately, stopped midsentence and strode right over. His tall, lean body was so strong there was no way I could stop him from lifting me completely off the ground in an enormous bear hug.

“Missed you, girl,” he rumbled in his thick, Jamaican accent. It was good to see him, to feel safe in his arms once more. I wrapped my legs around his waist. His pure white teeth gleamed like pearls from his dark face as he smiled at my intimate embrace. I kissed him, long and hard, but pulled away when I felt him open my mouth to slip his tongue in. His smile never faded, though. “You still looking damn hot.”

“Put me down,” I commanded. “I’m not here for that.”

“Then what you here for?”

“I need a place to stay and maybe a job. For a little while,” I told him.

Rufus thought for a few moments. I had plenty of money, the amazing tip from Tyler’s charter and the cash from the five others I’d done aboard Aphrodite was in my bag, meaning I wouldn’t need to trouble my bank account for some time. All the same, what I did have would last a lot longer if I could do a little work and not have to pay for a hotel.

Eventually, Rufus smiled that wide smile again. “I got you covered, girl,” he said, picked up my two bags and bid me follow him upstairs. The inside of the bar was just how I remembered it, absolutely covered with posters, pictures, and tacky memorabilia, with historical paraphernalia hanging from the entire ceiling, making it a notable, if slightly notorious, tourist spot. Going up the back staircase, though, the walls became peeling white paint and the air became stifling away from the fans and air conditioning in the bar area.

He took me back up to the room I stayed in when I first arrived in Aruba. It had taken me ten days to confirm my position on Aphrodite, and I’d avoided expensive Palm beach then as well, just in case I ran into any of the yacht crowd; ex-crewmates, ex-charters or former family acquaintances. I’d stopped for a break in Charlie’s while looking for a room in San Nicholas and, obviously, being an attractive white woman eating dinner by herself, Rufus the bar manager had kept me company.

I’d mentioned needing a place to stay and he’d offered me the back room upstairs. It was little more than a chair, a small dresser, some fans, and a mattress on the floor, but it was clean. Rufus let me in and switched on the fans. It was so hot I could feel the sweat beading in the center of my back and running down under my tank top. Thank God I chose to wear shorts, I mused.

We both looked at the mattress on the floor and I knew we were thinking the same thing. We were remembering the three days and nights after I’d landed the job aboard Aphrodite. Rufus and I spent that long weekend talking, surviving mostly on rum, and making love over and over again. I’d told Rufus everything, about my life, what happened to my family, and my plans for revenge. He listened. He never asked anything of me. His firm, tight body responding without fail every time I touched him. Even after he seemed spent beyond exhaustion, I only ever needed to gently stroke his long cock and he was instantly ready for me again.

Nothing mattered in those few long, hot days. I nearly changed my mind about everything. It would have been so easy to forget my revenge, forget the Harcourt family, and just stay in this bar with Rufus forever. However, when it came time to join the crew, I knew that Rufus and I had only been able to enjoy this brief time because we knew it would end. That last fling before heading off on the yacht. I considered it a condemned woman’s last meal, on which I’d gorged happily.

The memories made me smile. I saw Rufus smiling too, and knew he was thinking about trying to sleep with me again. For a second, I was tempted but, just as quickly, I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea, long term. Besides, I thought, Tyler might still find me. I shook my head, banishing that ridiculous thought from my mind.

“I’m sorry, Rufus,” I offered. “I can’t, not now. I understand if you change your mind about me staying.”

Again, Rufus seemed to consider things for an age. “No worries,” he eventually smiled. “You’re welcome as long as you want. I need an evening waitress, ‘kay?”

“Perfect!” I yelled. I flung my arms around his neck and kissed him again.

“Is nice kiss,” smiled Rufus as we broke apart. I nodded. “Do it lower,” he suggested.

I punched him in the chest.

* * *

Two days passed. The evening shifts were fun, lively and went fast enough, but my days were slow. I didn’t really have anywhere to go in the daytime, so I just hung around the bar. I even cleaned or carried a tray, simply because I had nothing better to do. From the time Charlie’s opened, around midday, I sat in the darkened bar, drinking occasionally but mostly simply staying out of the heat, and listening or chatting with Rufus and the barflies until things got busier and my shift started. It wasn’t long before I told Rufus all about Tyler and the charter. Understanding my feelings for him better than I did, it seemed, Rufus said he hoped Tyler would find me soon.

On the third day, the time was rolling around to four in the afternoon and I still hadn’t quite figured out what I was going to do. The hopeful part of me was still expecting Tyler to walk into Charlie’s any minute, while the grown-up part of me knew that it was never going to happen and I should be making plans for my next move.

It’s fucking typical, my brain said, as it often did when I was feeling particularly resentful, everything his family and his father did to me, and he’s allowed to carry on with his carefree life while I, not even having done anything wrong, am probably ostracized from the yachting world and need to find another career. And he’s so rich it wouldn’t even matter if he lost his job. But because he’s so rich, nothing bad ever happens to him. I realized I was fuming and in danger of crushing the glass of water I was holding with my bare hand.

I did what I always did when I felt that way. I wandered over to the classic Wurlitzer jukebox and fed it. I selected Bob Marley and watched the robot arm travel across and pick up the record. I leaned against the glass, feeling it cool on my forehead in the dark heat of the bar, and began to move slowly in time with the music. Dressed in my short-shorts and sandals, my little tank-top with no bra, at least one of the local daytime drinkers must have found it a bit too much. There was a wolf-whistle from behind me. I ignored it. Don’t worry… sang Bob, …Bout a thing…

I congratulated myself on being right. Well done, you knew he wouldn’t come. Gold star for Misty, I said to myself but, just as I thought those words, a familiar voice sounded behind me.

“So, so far you’ve cost me an extra eighty thousand dollars on what I was going to tip.”

His voice was deep, husky, and it made my whole body come alive to hear it. I smiled but didn’t turn around. “Really? How so?” I managed to sound cool and confident, but my heart was pounding like it never had before. …Cause every little thing… Is gonna be all right…

“They told me you’d left, but I knew they’d get your tip to you. I needed to make sure you had enough to be okay till I found you. Leaving ten thousand for everyone was the only solution I could come up with in time.”

I felt him step softly up behind me, so close I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. “Trust me,” I smiled to myself, “they earned every penny.”

Tyler laughed, short but loud. He gently traced his fingers along the backs of my arms until his hands rested on mine. I looked over at Rufus, behind the bar. He gave me a little smile. I blew him a discreet kiss back.

“Well, it’s your own fault. You knew I was off limits and, come to think of it, so were you.”

“You’re right about that,” he said, suddenly spinning me around to face him, “but neither of us is off limits now.”

Our eyes locked and, for a moment, I could feel us gazing deep into each other’s hearts and souls. I was still unsure we were meant to be together but, when Tyler finally kissed me, long and hard, I couldn’t help moaning with the pleasure of it. I leaped up and wrapped my legs around his waist. Again, I found him hard as our covered crotches met. My breath left my body and I couldn’t help grinding myself along the length of him. It felt delicious.

Rufus called out and whistled at us to take it outside. Returning to myself, I realized that this was not the place. It was too public and not really fair on poor Rufus. He might wish us well, but banging right in front of him seemed a little cruel. I whispered into Tyler’s ear for him to follow me and led him upstairs to my makeshift bed.

The journey upstairs, at least, gave me time to remember how angry I was about his position of privilege, my family and the whole bunch of other things that should keep us from being together. We got into the room, Tyler’s face turning to mild confusion as I had him sit on the chair instead of jumping him. I poured two fingers of rum into two glasses. Handed Tyler one and threw mine back in one swallow.

I faced away from him, looking out of my window toward the ocean. “What took you so long?” I asked him.

“You were pretty good at covering your tracks,” he answered. The sunlight poured over me. My clothes weren’t exactly baggy to begin with but, like this, I was pretty sure Tyler was getting a good show, almost as though I was naked.

“Why didn’t you just wait around the corner for me to leave the boat?”

“The captain said you’d left early in the morning. I thought I’d missed you already.”

I smiled. I’d asked sweet old Captain Harper to say that, and he’d been as good as his word. I took a deep breath and asked my next question.

“What happened between you and Ada?”

I heard him laugh again. He told me about their confrontation on the sundeck, Ada’s coup with his board members and the reversal of his decision to invest in Hobbs’s boat building business. The more I heard, the more astonished I felt.

“Wow. She really was the wrong person to piss off, huh?”

“You could say that,” he agreed.

“So, it’s really over between you two?” I wanted to give myself to him, but I needed to be sure.

“I think it’s safe to say that my life may actually be at risk if I set foot in New York or Tokyo, right now.”

Without turning around, I pulled my tank top up over my head and threw it on the floor. I felt my golden curls fall softly down my bare back, as I stayed staring out the window.

“So, why are you still in Aruba?” I asked, softly. “Sounds like you could be bankrupted at any moment.” I heard him stand and step slowly toward me. I crossed my arms over my naked breasts and turned to face him.

“I sold my controlling interest in HHC and stepped down as CEO,” he smiled as he got nearer, his eyes traveling up and down my body with a look of desire in them. “And I invested that money in Hobbs & Son. He has enough capital now to keep his firm going for years. The takeover bid has disappeared, and I’m now executive vice president under Mr. Hobbs himself.” He got within arms distance before I held out my hand to stop him. Tyler gazed at my, now uncovered, full and rounded breasts. “You look more beautiful than I remember,” he breathed.

I gently stooped to peel off my shorts with my other hand. I heard his breath catch in his throat as he saw I wasn’t wearing underwear. Finally standing fully naked before him, I couldn’t help but smile at his reaction, at the look of lust that filled his face.

I guess we’re back here then, I thought to myself, before grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and pulling it apart. He responded by closing the last distance between us and kissing me, hard. Our lips met, almost painfully, Tyler pushing his tongue into my open mouth and gently cupping my face with his big hands. I met his tongue with mine. His tongue was soft, velvety, and lightly spiced with rum. It was almost intoxicating to me and I nearly felt my knees go weak.

I slid my fingers down his hard abs until I could hook them under the waist of his pants. I felt his hands travel lower and caress the soft skin of my breasts, tracing his thumbs across my hardening nipples, before I pulled, trying to yank down his linen slacks.

“Goddam things!” I tore my mouth from him to say. He smiled and undid his own belt. I gave another tug and his pants dropped to the floor. I couldn’t help but bite my lip gently as he pushed down his underwear, until I could finally see him long, hard, and pointing straight at me.

Just the sight of him brought on a deep ache in my pussy. I wanted him inside me again so badly. I beckoned him closer and parked my ass on the edge of the dresser. He approached and I wrapped my legs around him again, hooking my feet together behind his butt, pulling him urgently to me. We both let out a gasp as the soft folds of my waiting hole caressed the throbbing tip of his cock for only the second time.

“I’m dying to be inside you again,” Tyler whispered and, before I could respond, he cupped my buttocks on the dresser, just as he’d done in the galley of Aphrodite, forced his tongue back into my mouth and rammed himself inside me, as urgently as before.

“Oh, fuck!” I groaned once more, as our mouths broke apart. “I can’t believe how good you feel…”

“This time,” I heard him snarl against the soft skin on the side of my neck, “I’m going to fuck you so good you won’t ever want to run away.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but he quickly withdrew then slammed his hips into mine so hard, driving his thick shaft deeper into my willing pussy than he’d ever reached before, and forcing a desperate, drawn out cry from my lips that I was powerless to stop.

My hands went to his head, my fingers twisting into his thick, dark hair, and I dragged his lips down to my chest again, offering up my soft breasts and pointed, eager nipples for him to lick, bite and suck. As he feasted on my grateful tits, he didn’t stop fucking me. His hot cock twitching as he slid smoothly into me, every ridge and vein of him dragging along my tingling, sensitive walls, each sure, steady, relentless movement forcing another delighted sigh or moan from my lips. I never wanted him to stop. I wanted, I needed him to just keep exquisitely penetrating me for the rest of our lives.

Without warning, he suddenly increased his pace. His gorgeous face was quickly level with mine, his mouth open slightly as he began hammering into me more vigorously. The look of pure lust on his face made me shiver, and I felt my pussy clamp tighter around him as a newer, stronger trembling sensation overtook me. I couldn’t stop myself from suddenly devouring his soft lips, drawing his delicious tongue into my mouth as I felt my body begin to melt.

I couldn’t hold back anymore, and I didn’t want to. “Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Don’t stop!” I heard myself yelling as my pussy finally exploded around him, shooting out white-hot pleasure signals through every muscle and fiber of my being and turning my dripping, pulsating body into a grinding, writhing thing.

I felt myself falling back, back toward the dresser. Only my hands, my nails digging into the back of his neck saved me. As the thundering ecstasy pounded through my head, my eyes opened long enough to look down my slim, naked form, passed my breasts as they bounced in time to Tyler’s urgent thrusts, over my tight stomach as it curved to better angle my pussy for him, down to the bare mound between my thighs and the incredibly erotic sight of his great rod rhythmically appearing and disappearing as he slammed it inside me.

“Oh, my God! Oh, fuck!” Tyler startled me by suddenly growling. Somewhere deep inside me, even among my wild thrashing, I felt him tense and pulse.

“I want it, baby,” I managed to breathe. “Shoot your load in my pussy! Give me everything you’ve got!”

He let out a loud, animal roar and I couldn’t help grinding on him even harder, trying to cram as much of his marble-hard cock into me as I could, before his swollen erection finally burst inside me, throbbing uncontrollably as he spilled his hot seed deep in my pussy, shooting out volley after volley until I thought I couldn’t hold any more.

His legs seemed to give out but he still had enough control to guide us toward the mattress. We tumbled slowly until Tyler landed on his back and I just about stayed on top of him, his twitching member still buried inside me. I giggled as we hit the floor, then stayed still. A small gasp escaped my lips as I felt his final shot expelled deep within me, before we both let out a deep, satisfied sigh.

* * *

Still straddling him, I bent forward to kiss him on the lips. “Oh, my God!” I breathed, “and to think I’d decided not to see you again.”

“You really feel that way?” he asked. I looked questioningly at him for a second. “Henry did a lot of digging very quickly to try and figure out where you were.”

That knot began to form in my stomach again, even as I could still feel his dick softening inside me. What has he found out?

“I know about your father, your family, your dad’s business and what my father made happen,” he said. I went to lift myself off him but he held me in place. “And I’m sorry. He was a bastard!” Tyler hissed. “He didn’t care about the thousands of lives he ruined by breaking up companies and laying people off, and he didn’t care about the two lives he ruined more than anyone. My mother’s and mine. She was beautiful, but as soon as she passed thirty-eight he was fooling around with younger women. Girls really. He didn’t even try to hide it. If my mother spoke up he’d hit her. If I tried to help her, he’d punch me. We went to the police, but his lawyers made sure no one knew anything. We became prisoners in our own home until he eventually did the decent thing and died,” Tyler finally seemed to notice that tears were running down his cheeks, “Even then he made sure that my mom got nothing. Everything went to me, but only if I kept running his firm. The only thing I can do is try to not be like him, every chance I get.”

I lay down beside him stroking his cheek softly. “So, you knew I was only looking for you for revenge?” I asked him.

“I figured it out,” he replied.

“And you still came to find me?”

“I fell in love with you. It felt like you’d fallen for me too. I had to find out. Besides,” his mouth shifted into a grin, “I’m now majority shareholder and executive VP of a yacht building company, and I clearly know nothing about yachts. I had to find me an expert.” He laughed as I bit his nipple.

“So, how did you find me?” I asked, kissing my way down his chest.

“Odd thing,” he began, “Henry was trying everything. He hired two PIs, expensive ones, and we got ready for a long wait before we heard anything. But last night we got a message from Rufus.”

“Rufus, downstairs Rufus?” I gasped. I’d almost licked my way down his stomach.

“Yeah. I guess he heard we were looking for you and called us direct, saying you were here.” I heard him sigh as my lips found their way further down still, my fingers gently running along his cock, coaxing it back to life.

I smiled to myself. It felt good to have people that cared so much about me. Rufus, putting his feelings aside so I could be happy. I thought of Tarquin and Tanya, and the kindness shown by Captain Harper. And then I thought of Tyler. I gently licked my way up his stiffening shaft, pausing before taking the head of him in my mouth.

“Does that mean,” I asked quietly, “that you’re not a billionaire anymore?”

“If I say ‘no’, are you going to stop what you are doing?”

“…”