by Louise Bay
It must have just been an odd sound of the boat.
I reached out for the door handle so I could leave before I got caught but froze at the sound of a man clearing his throat on the other side of the bedroom door. Shit. We were only a few hours into this charter, and our guest might be about to leave. I glanced over my shoulder. For a second I considered hiding in the closet but that would just get me into more trouble. The jangle of the keys on the other side of the walnut divide meant there was no going back.
I pulled open the door and came face-to-face with Hayden Wolf.
Six
Hayden
I hadn’t been on this boat a full hour and already things weren’t working out. I’d given specific instructions that these rooms down here were to remain locked and that I should have the only keys. “What are you doing down here?” I snapped at Avery, trying to stay calm, but my fingernails were digging into my palms.
Avery swallowed and bowed her head in a gesture that in any other situation I might have found arousing, but right now, I wanted answers. “I’m sorry. I was just checking you had everything you needed. Providing fresh towels, freshening up your room. That’s all.” She lifted her arms to show me the hand towel I’d used once that she was grasping.
“Everything I needed? What I need is privacy—people keeping out of my business.” Should I just pack my bags and leave? I glanced behind her at my room. What had she been doing in there? I’d taken so many precautions. “Why are you snooping?”
“Mr. Wolf, it’s my job to make sure you have seven-star service on this yacht. I take that responsibility seriously.”
“But what I requested was privacy. You told me I had the only keys.”
“You do, but of course I have a set. I don’t count. I’m invisible if I’m doing my job. I’m here to get you what you want before you realize you need it—to anticipate your desires. I’m not going to wait to be asked to change your towels or empty your trash. I’m not doing my job if you’re focusing on anything other than what an incredible time you’re having.”
I sucked in a deep breath. She might have passion for what she did, but it wasn’t what I’d asked for. “I’m going to have an incredible time if I can get my work done privately without having to be worried that the requests I make aren’t being adhered to.”
She winced as if ignoring the wishes of a guest was actually painful to her. She looked contrite and seemed genuine, but I’d lost confidence in my ability to judge people. “I’m sorry if I’ve done anything that you didn’t want me to, and if it was up to me I would be happy to give you my key, but if you want to stop me from having access to your room then we need to speak to Captain Moss.”
The last thing I expected was for her to suggest we go to her boss. “You’re saying he insists you change my towels before I notice them?”
“No, he leaves that stuff to me. But he’ll have different concerns. He’s in the wheelhouse.”
She led the way upstairs and I tried not to notice the way her near-perfect bottom filled out her khaki skirt. Any other time in my life, if I’d been faced with a woman as beautiful as Avery Walker, especially one who said she wanted to anticipate my desires, she would have been naked and pinned underneath me within thirty minutes of meeting her. I got the impression Avery didn’t realize how alluring and sexy she was. It kind of oozed out of her, in every step she took, every movement. But I wasn’t about to lose my focus over Avery Walker. I wanted to know what these concerns of Captain Moss were and why the hell my simple request for privacy had been ignored.
Avery knocked, then waited for Captain Moss to answer before opening the door. We might not be in the Royal Navy but there was a very clear chain of command. We took two steps up into a bright, semicircular room overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Captain Moss’ eyes slid from Avery to me. “Mr. Wolf. Is everything alright?”
Avery clasped her hands behind her back and glanced at me.
When I didn’t speak, she explained. “Mr. Wolf found me refreshing his room and is concerned that I have a key,” she said, and shook her head, pressing her full lips together.
Captain Moss nodded. “I see.”
He either wasn’t surprised or was well used to keeping his emotions in check.
“Do I need to be concerned?” he asked Avery.
“Not from what I saw,” she replied.
I’d lost the train of this conversation. It sounded as if Avery had been searching my room. “I thought I was clear that two rooms needed to be secure and that I was to have the only set of keys,” I said.
“Well, I’m sure you want Avery to be able to do her job. And even if you didn’t, there’s no way I can be shut out of any room on this yacht. Let me explain,” the captain said, gesturing to banquette seating at a small, polished oval table overlooking the ocean.
I took a seat, careful as always not to let my frustration show. Captain Moss took a seat the other side of the table.
“As captain, I’m subject to an enormous amount of regulation. A room I do not have access to—whether that’s directly or through my chief stewardess—is not acceptable. What happens on this boat is my responsibility.”
“You’re saying that you snoop on all your guests?”
“Absolutely not. And it is not our intention to snoop on you. As chief stewardess, Avery has a set of keys so she can do her job and ensure you have the best possible stay. I’ve worked with her before and she’s as straight as a die—I trust her completely. But I asked her to see if we needed to be worried about anything. You bring drugs on board this boat and I’m out of a job.”
“Drugs?” I asked. Did I look like I did drugs? Was my suit a little too loud?
“As an example. Anything illegal.”
“I’m not doing anything illegal.”
“Surely you understand how your repeated requests for the utmost privacy go beyond what we’ve come to expect and as such raised our suspicions,” the captain said.
I blew out a breath. I wished I was here to kick back and relax, that I didn’t give a shit about the locked doors and couriered packages that I’d begin to receive. Jesus, they’d really think I was dealing drugs when that started.
“And I don’t mean I just wouldn’t get to captain this boat. I would lose my license and my career would be over. The stakes are too high for me to take unnecessary risks.”
I knew that feeling. I was staring at the very real possibility of my business burning to the ground if I didn’t make the next eight weeks count. I’d had Moss thoroughly vetted along with all the crew. His reputation was beyond reproach and was the reason I chose the Athena. He was just showing me the extent of his integrity. “I’m not here to do anything illegal. I’m here to work. Being as successful as I am makes me a target for people who want to know things before I want them public, and I’m taking every precaution,” I explained.
I glanced at Avery, whose whole body seemed to sag with relief, although her expression remained the same. She had a veneer of personable professionalism, but I had a feeling that what lay beneath was worth getting to know.
“I run a financial services business,” I continued. “The regulator would shut me down if I took part in anything illegal.”
“I understand, but I have to take precautions in the same way I’m sure you do.” Captain Moss glanced at Avery. “Rest assured, you’re in trustworthy hands. If you don’t feel comfortable with anyone else, you can completely count on Avery.”
I nodded, understanding Captain Moss’s position, but I no longer believed I could completely count on anyone other than my brother, although I wasn’t about to say that. “I have nothing to hide from you, but I have good reason to need to keep my business affairs private.”
“Perhaps we can reach a solution that works for both of us. As you requested, Avery is the only member of crew permitted on the bedroom floor and the only crew member to have access to keys to the bedrooms. You have my reassurance on that. And Avery’s.”
Avery no
dded. “Absolutely. I’ve already informed the rest of the crew that I’m the only one to go down there.”
“You’ve vetted her. You know she’s trustworthy. If the only thing you don’t want her to see is your computer and some papers, I can assure you that she’s not going to be looking at anything like that. When cleaning, she won’t touch anything on your desk and you’ll be able to tell if she does, right?”
Captain Moss seemed reasonable and he was right, everyone on this yacht had been vetted by Landon. I could definitely leave my papers in a way that it was obvious to tell if they’d been disturbed and I really didn’t have anything else to hide. “I want to be clear that she doesn’t touch my desk. At all. Not even to clean it. If anything’s moved then I’ll be extremely disappointed.” I could leave highly sensitive things in my briefcase.
“I won’t touch a thing on your desk, Mr. Wolf. You can be assured of that.”
Her breathy voice and her desperation to please me was too much and I found myself softening. “And I want you to have the key on you at all times. No setting it down where someone else could pick it up,” I said, trying to keep my tone terse.
Avery nodded. “No problem. I always keep it attached to my belt.” She pulled out a jangle of keys from her waist that seemed to be on a retractable key ring.
“Well, that’s agreed then.” I patted the table with my palm before standing. “I don’t want any deviations from this plan without my express permission.”
“Absolutely and thank you for your understanding,” Captain Moss said as he shook my hand.
I liked the loyalty and trust Moss had shown Avery and the mutual respect they clearly had for each other. It seemed genuine, and I knew it was hard to find. That had me taking a risk on them. I hoped this time I was right to trust my instincts and put my faith in Avery Walker.
Seven
Avery
“You expecting it to do a little dance?” Chef Neill asked, lifting his chin toward the boiling kettle.
I’d been staring into space trying to figure out how I was going to make it to shore as often as I could to call my dad. I snapped back to reality, grinned at Neill and poured hot water into the French press. “Clearly taking my time waking up this morning,” I replied.
“Shame our guest doesn’t have the same problem.”
“Right? What time did he come up?” I asked, nodding my head at the door of the galley toward the main deck where Hayden was sitting.
“No idea. I got here about ten minutes before you. He was on his laptop already by then.”
He wasn’t kidding about it being a working vacation. “I guess that’s what sober guests do.”
Neill groaned. Hayden had drunk half a glass of wine with dinner, but there’d been no tempting him with more, and he’d declined an after-dinner whiskey.
“At least there were no complaints about the food,” I said. He’d cleared his plate and I kinda liked the lack of fuss. I imagined him and his brother around his parents’ kitchen table doing the same thing when his mom served up meatloaf or something. It must be his family that kept him grounded.
“There weren’t many compliments either.” Neill, like most chefs, was sensitive about the dishes he prepared and as his friend I hated seeing him lack confidence because his cooking was amazing.
“Honestly, he is British and you know they can be more reserved about this stuff. And I think maybe he’s not focused on food.” Given Hayden Wolf’s insistence that he didn’t have any food preferences, I was pretty sure that Neill could serve up mac and cheese and Hayden Wolf would be happy with it. He didn’t seem like the typical spoiled millionaire who would order lobster or caviar just because they could, then inevitably waste it because they were too drunk, which led to them grabbing my ass, also just because they could.
I pushed down the plunger of the cafetière. Mr. Wolf didn’t seem as entitled as most guests. Wasn’t interested in exercising his power by telling us all how high he wanted us to jump.
“It just makes my job so much harder.”
I was going to try to coax a little more information from our mysterious guest so I could keep him and Neill happy.
“Do you want me to take that?” August asked as she came into the galley, tucking her polo shirt into her skirt.
“No, it’s fine. I’ve got it,” I replied. I was more than happy to take him coffee. Maybe he’d decided to take off his shirt. Not that I’d check him out or anything.
“He’s such an asshole. Thank God there’s only one of him and that he didn’t bring any friends,” August said.
I didn’t like the way the rest of the crew were so hard on him. I knew we always were with guests, but Hayden had done little to deserve it. He wasn’t making our lives hell in the way that some guests did.
I raised my eyebrows. “What’s got you in such a bad mood?”
“Nothing. I just heard he shouted at you yesterday,” she said.
I glanced up at Neill. Had the two of them been gossiping? The galley was the center of the boat and the chef always knew more than anyone else about what was going on.
“It was a misunderstanding,” I said. I knew Hayden’s frustration wasn’t directed at me personally. It wasn’t him being spoiled.
“If he shouts at me, I’ll shout back,” August replied in a singsong voice. “I don’t care how rich you are, you should treat people with respect.”
I tilted my head. “If you shout at a guest for any reason, I’ll fire you.” Hayden Wolf hadn’t exactly shouted and even if he had, he had a reason to be pissed.
She rolled her eyes. This was August’s second season and frankly, I wasn’t sure she had the even temper required to be interior crew on a superyacht. Hopefully, if I led by example, I’d be able to knock some of the rough edges off her.
“I’m serious, August. The guests who can afford yachts like this tend to be under a tremendous amount of pressure. If they lose their temper from time to time, it’s our job not to react.”
She shrugged but didn’t argue.
“Get started on the laundry, please” I said, picking up the tray of coffee and heading up the staircase to where Mr. Wolf sat on the main deck.
“Good morning, sir. Coffee, juice, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal,” I said as the doors slid open. I bent and put the tray on the table beside his chair, glancing at him to check his reaction. With his muscular, bronzed legs and slightly curly hair that had seemed straighter yesterday, he looked like any other guest. I couldn’t imagine he took much care in shopping for clothes and, given the way he’d reacted to me offering to unpack for him yesterday, it seemed unlikely he had a stylist or someone to buy them for him. Perhaps his expensively rumpled linen shirt, which was still on unfortunately, and French blue shorts had been bought by a girlfriend.
“Because I’m British?” he asked, indicating the Financial Times.
Clearly he wasn’t a morning person. “No, sir, we have that on board for all our guests.”
He slid his laptop to the end of the lounger. “You don’t need to call me sir. Hayden is just fine.”
“I was wondering,” I said, tucking the tray under my arm. “Chef Neill would really appreciate some guidance on your food preferences. Is there anything in particular you’d like to see on the menu?”
“I was serious yesterday when I said I don’t mind.”
Neill was climbing the walls with this guy’s lack of concern about mealtimes, and I hated to see him so stressed. I glanced out over the water. The haze of the sun sitting on the horizon blurred the coastline as though some kind of force field existed between the water and the land. “It’s going to be a scorching hot day. What about I get you fruit, yogurt and toast for your breakfast? A chicken, goat cheese and pomegranate salad for lunch and then what about sirloin steak in a watercress sauce for dinner?” I was pretty much suggesting my favorite foods.
A beat of silence passed as I waited for a response. He might think I was being too pushy and get irritated
. Some men—I found it was the less confident ones—would react badly to a stewardess trying to steer them in one direction or another.
“I think that sounds like you just read my mind and described my favorite foods.”
I wanted to tell him they were mine but that was probably too familiar. “Reading minds is part of the package,” I replied, trying not to show how delighted I was at his reaction.
The corner of his mouth curled up and I wondered if he’d be a good kisser. “Good to know. I might have a use for that kinda skill.” He paused, almost as if he was going to say something, but then pulled his laptop back onto his knee as I mentally high-fived myself at getting this guy to engage a little, to loosen up. He stopped typing. “And actually, if you can throw in some carbs somewhere, that would work.”
“No problem.” I was about to walk away but I wanted more for Neill than just today’s menu. And it was my job to ensure Hayden Wolf had what he wanted.
“I guess in your business you like working with people who want to give their best. People who give one hundred percent, and are great at what they do?”
Hayden looked up from his laptop, frowning.
“Well, the crew want to do the same for you, and our mind-reading ability only goes so far. We want to give you our absolute best. Neill is a fantastic chef. This boat has amazing facilities—Jet Skis, a pool area that we can set up in the ocean that safeguards against jellyfish. We even have an inflatable banana.” I paused. “Although that might not be your thing.” It was difficult to imagine Hayden Wolf doing anything just for fun, but I was sure he’d go to his grave without sitting astride an inflatable banana. “We’re here to give one hundred percent. And we like what we do. I know you are incredibly busy, but if you could give some thought to your preferences sheet, maybe it will provide you with a little light relief between phone calls.” I set down a blank form I’d printed off in the wheelhouse earlier. “This is an unusual charter for us—just one guest, eight weeks.” I shrugged. “We would be really grateful for a bit of direction.”