“What would you think about going up on the deck for a while? There’s all kinds of things to do up there,” I asked as he was scarfing down his food.
“I can’t go up there. Do you see how I’m dressed? I’d stick out like a sore thumb.”
“I’ve already thought of that. I saw what everyone was wearing while I was up there so I went into the gift shop to get you some civilian clothes. I’m sure there’s not a single piece of clothing you’d ever choose to wear in a million years, but you’ll fit right in with everyone if you wear them.”
I handed him the bag of clothes so he could take a look at what I purchased.
“Even if I put these on, I still can’t come out of the room. They’ll know I’m not supposed to be here and check into who I am.”
“No, that’s the thing. You have no idea how many people are up there. There’s thousands of people up there. It would be impossible to know who is and isn’t supposed to be here without going through security at a port or something.”
“Fuck it, we can give it a shot. It would be nice to get out of this room for a while.”
CHAPTER 7
BEAST
What the fuck was she thinking? The clothes in the bag had to be some kind of sick fucking joke. She had to be fucking with me. If I put them on, I would look like the biggest fucking idiot on the ship.
“There’s no way I’m putting this shit on,” I said defiantly.
“It’s either that or stay cooped up here in the room. What harm is it going to do? It’s not like any of your biker buddies will ever see you in these clothes.”
She was right. I didn’t have a lot of options. Fuck, I hate it when she’s right. I’m way too big of a guy to be cooped up in a small space for an extended period of time. When this shit started, I thought I was already going to be off the boat after less than two days. Now I was looking at another full day at least. I was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the tiny room. I eventually gave in and agreed to wear the clothes she bought me so that we could get out for a while.
I hated the clothes she bought me. If someone were to buy that for me under normal circumstances, I would ask what the fuck was wrong with them. I don’t know if I would even use them as rags for working on my hog. Still, I put them on, more for her than myself. I had put her in a really fucked up situation and she had handled it like a bad ass. I felt like I owed it to her.
Looking in the mirror, I cringed at the sight of my bulging biceps trying to break through the sleeves of the cruise ship t-shirt. As if that wasn’t bad enough, there was a pair of shorts in the bag as well. The shorts were floral print. Did I fucking look like a guy who would ever willingly wear floral print? Well, I’m not. I’m completely sure my brothers would kick my ass if they caught me wearing shit like this get up.
I walked out of the bathroom feeling like a complete fucking idiot. Even wearing the ridiculous clothes she bought me, I was still going to stick out in the sea of people.
“These clothes can only do so much,” I said to her. “I’ve got these tattoos up and down my arms and several of them are very distinguishable. All I need is for one wrong person to see them and I’m fucked.”
“I’ve already thought about that. You’re really not going to like this, but I did buy you one more thing,” she handed me another bag.
Oh, fuck me. I didn’t even want to look at what it might be. As horrid as the clothes were that I already had on, I could only imagine what was waiting for me inside the bag. It had to be something bad enough that she only planned to show me if it became completely necessary. I reluctantly opened the bag and looked inside.
“Are you shitting me? You want me to wear this fucking thing?”
“Yeah, I think it will really complete the look. Don’t you?” she laughed.
“I’m not putting on a fucking plaid flannel shirt. You might as well write douchebag on my forehead with your lipstick.”
“Well, it does have long sleeves so it will cover up your tattoos but it’s thin enough that it will be comfortable in the sun. You can wear it without getting hot.”
I thought about it and then just said fuck it. I already looked like a fucking buffoon, I might as well finish it off.
“I swear to God if one motherfucker says a word to me about my clothes, I’ll break their fucking nose.”
“Nobody is going to say a word to you. You’re going to look like everyone else up there…only bigger. Seriously, nobody is paying attention to anyone else. Everyone is just focused on enjoying their own vacations.”
Begrudgingly, I put the shirt on along with the stupid fucking fisherman’s hat she bought me. I looked like a first class tool. Paige went into the bathroom and changed into her bikini. She packed some things into a bag before we headed out the door.
Once we were up on the main deck of the ship, I understood what she meant when she said I would blend in well. Many of the men on the ship looked like their wives and girlfriends visited the same gift shops that Paige had just shopped at for me. What the fuck are these guys thinking? Somehow, they all seemed to be having a good time despite the fact they all looked fucking ridiculous. Just as she had told me, everyone was going on about their business and enjoying their fun, not paying any attention to me whatsoever.
Paige found us a couple lounge chairs on the far side of the pool. It was in a shaded area so none of them were being used, making me feel more comfortable since we were quite a distance from most people. As fucking stupid as it probably sounds, it was nice to look up at the sky and see the sun without worrying about who was coming to look for me. Sure, the feeling would only be temporary but it was nice for the moment. Looking around, it was clear that I was with the hottest fucking broad on the ship. Her tits and ass looked fine as hell in that bikini and I had the best view of in the house. Of course, my view was much nicer the night before. I was already looking forward to going back to the room so I could get my dick wet again. Until then, I was cool with watching her as I downed a few cold ones. Life was good, even if it wasn’t going to last.
§
Having to watch that tight ass and her sweet tits bouncing around in the water all day made my dick tingle as I thought about sinking it into her soft, sweet spot again. As soon as we got into the room, I grabbed her and kissed her.
“I’ve been waiting for this all fucking day. Take that bikini off and get on your knees.”
“I need to take a shower before I do anything. I hate the way my skin smells when it has chlorine on it.”
“What the fuck? I didn’t ask you what you wanted to do. You can take a shower when I’m done with you,” I growled in her ear as I grabbed her hair.
“No, I’m going to take a shower right now. Oh, and just for the record, that alpha male bullshit doesn’t fly with me.”
“Are you fucking serious? I don’t know who you think you’re talking to. I don’t let the club whores speak to me like that so I’m sure as hell not going to let you do it.”
“A club whore? You think I’m below a club whore? Let me tell you something, I am nobody’s whore. I’m not your whore and I’m sure as fuck not a club whore. I don’t know why you think you can talk to me like I’m some bimbo who drools over you because you wear leather and ride a bike. If you can’t speak to me with some respect, don’t bother talking to me at all.”
She grabbed one of her bags and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I was left in stunned silence. I wasn’t used to someone taking that tone with me. If one of the club whores had talked to me like that, there would have been some grave consequences for her. For a chick, she had a lot of balls.
I was hoping she’d be cooled off by the time she got out of the shower. I expected her to walk out of the bathroom wearing some sort of sexy nightgown, ready to apologize for the way she spoke to me. Instead, she came out wearing an oversized t-shirt. She walked past me and climbed right into bed without saying a word. Even though she didn’t do it on purpose, the shirt was sexy on her. Wit
h the way she was laying, the bottom of her ass peeked out at me, practically begging for me to part her legs and pound her. I slid into bed next to and started to rub her ass.
“Don’t!” she snapped as she pushed my hand away from her. “I just want to go to sleep. Tomorrow can’t come fast enough for me.”
I rolled over and tried to fall asleep as well, trying to figure out what the fuck she meant by that statement.
The next morning, I woke up to find that I was alone in the room. Naturally, I freaked the fuck out. I had clearly pissed her off the night before so I was sure she was ratting me out to someone. When she came into the room with coffee for both of us, I was shocked.
“Apology accepted,” I said to her as I took a swig from the cup. She darted an icy glare in my direction.
“Apology accepted? You think I’m apologizing for something? I don’t have anything to apologize for. You were the one being the asshole last night. I just thought it would be nice to get you some coffee since you’re going to have a long day.”
“A long day? You got something planned?”
“Yeah, I’m going to relax and enjoy the rest of my cruise. You’ll be getting off the boat when we get to Belize.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? What happened to all the bullshit you said about wanting to help me?”
“I changed my mind. Now I just want you to get off the boat and leave me alone. I want you out of my life forever.”
“I can’t fucking believe this. I could have gotten off the boat in Honduras. I had someone waiting there to help me. You didn’t want to me leave. You said you wanted to help me, and all that other shit. All you’re doing is fucking me over.”
“Listen, it’s not personal. I’ve just had some time to think and it was a stupid decision to say that I could help you. I think the situation you’re involved in could get dangerous and violent, and I don’t particularly want to be caught in the middle of—whatever it is you’re in to. I’ve never been in any kind of trouble before and I’m not going to let you change that.”
“Fuck it then. If that’s what you want, then I’m out of here. When does the boat dock?”
“In about four hours. Until then, I’m going to go hang out by the pool. Good luck, Beast.”
§
There was only about two hours until the boat docked in Belize and I was sitting in the room by myself realizing just how fucked up the whole situation was. Of course, I played a big part in how everything was going downhill. I had this sweet girl who was willing to help me and all I did was shit on her. I had to assert my dominance and show her how I controlled things. I can’t help it. That’s the way I’ve always done shit; it’s in my nature. It’s part of my reputation and where I come from, reputation means everything. If you don’t act like a fucking man, you’ll get treated like a bitch and that ain’t happening.
I thought I had seen the last of Paige, and that thought fucked me up inside. I don’t usually give two shits about feelings, mine or anyone else’s, but this was different. She had me all twisted up. They always say think with your head, not your heart. Problem was, I was thinking with my head—just the wrong one. And okay, I guess my heart, too. In only a couple of days, I’d started to fall for this chick. The thought of never seeing her again pissed me off and made me feel dejected. Of course, I’d never dream of telling her any of this. That’s the exact type of shit that men don’t say.
Unexpectedly, Paige came into the room. She was soaked from head to toe.
“What the fuck happened to you? Someone throw you in the water?” I asked.
“No, it just started pouring out there. It was bright and sunny one minute and then storming the next.” She grabbed a towel to dry herself off.
I continued sorting my bag in preparation for my departure. Looking at her and realizing that I was about to see the last of her made the gloomy weather outside seem like sunshine. I felt like I should say something to try to make everything right. I wasn’t going to apologize because that’s one thing I never fucking do, but I felt like I needed to say something to her.
“I just want you to know that I don’t think you’re beneath the club whores. It was just something I said because I was frustrated.”
“Yeah? That’s why you said all that mean stuff last night?”
“Where I’m from, the people I hang with, that’s just how we are. My whole family is crude, including me. Certain types of girls cater to guys like us and we kind of get used to it. When we encounter a girl like you, it’s easy to forget that you’re not all the same. Fuck Paige, you’re the complete opposite of any club whore I’ve ever seen and you deserve to be treated better.”
“Wow, I didn’t expect to hear any of that from you. I want you to know that I appreciate you saying it. I’m sure saying something like that is hard for you. Anyway, we’ll be docking in about 90 minutes. Just wanted to let you know so you can be ready.”
CHAPTER 8
PAIGE
For the first time, I started to see a different side of him. I wasn’t sure if he was just trying to say what he thought I wanted to hear in order to get me to let him stay or if he truly meant what he was saying. What I did know was that when I told him he would be and the next port in 90 minutes, there was a look of pain on his face. I wouldn’t say that it was sadness necessarily but it was as close as I was probably ever going to see him come to showing genuine emotion.
He didn’t realize it but I was testing him. I was watching his movements and mannerisms. I was waiting to see if he flew off the handle when I told him he was still getting off the boat. It was actually what I was expecting to see. What I saw instead surprised me. What I saw was the first glimpse of a real human trapped inside of his massive body. Maybe he wasn’t a monster after all. Maybe, just maybe he wasn’t the monster I thought he was when he grabbed me from behind and told me to shut the fuck up on the night we met. He said it himself, he didn’t intend to take a hostage on the boat. I just ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
At lot had happened in the last couple of days. You really get to see different sides of someone when you are locked in a tiny room with them for 72 hours. You even get to see sides of them they don’t necessarily mean to show and are, in fact, not even aware that they are showing it. It was at that moment that I realized he never opened up to anyone. I probably knew him better than any other woman in the entire universe, except maybe his mother. But even that was a big maybe. I decided that I wasn’t going to make any decisions just yet. He had said what he wanted to say but still hadn’t apologized to me. I wanted to see if he would come right out and tell me he was sorry for the way he had treated me the night before.
§
We were only about twenty minutes away from the port in Belize and he still hadn’t said sorry. He had said a lot of things and groveled in his own special way but he never said those two magic words that I had been longing to hear. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn’t going to happen. He simply wasn’t going to say that he was sorry. In his mind, he had already apologized. To him, telling me that I wasn’t like the club sluts was his way of telling me that he didn’t mean what he said and that he was sorry. I was willing to accept that and let it drop. The truth was, I didn’t really want him to go. I really did want to help him but I wasn’t sure how I could do it. It would take a little more time for me to come up with something but first, I had to prevent him from getting off the boat. I wasn’t going to tell him I wanted him to stay just yet though. I was still a little pissed about the night before. It was my turn to make him sweat a little.
§
The boat docked and Beast was waiting for the surge of people to get off the boat before he made his move. He told me that security was going to be on high alert with so many people getting off the ship at once. It would be easier to pose as an employee and sneak off after the rush to disembark. I decided that enough was enough.
“Beast, you don’t have to go anywhere. I don�
�t want you to go. I was just pissed off last night. I really do want to try to help you.”
“Jesus Christ, you’re gonna be the death of me by the time all this shit is over. I can’t do all this back and forth shit. I know you’re a woman and all, but fuck. We’re talking about my life here. Are you going to get pissed at me again and tell me to fuck off at the next port?”
“I know. I know you can’t do that. Being cramped in this small space, the frustration of the whole situation…it just… I can’t explain it.”
“I’m not sure I should stay. I still don’t know how the fuck you think you’re going to be able to help me.”
“That’s something I’ve been thinking about today. I think I’ve come up with something really good. You were able to sneak onto the boat by posing as an employee so maybe you’ll be able to sneak off as an employee too when we get to Galveston.”
BEAST (A Coyotes of Mayhem MC Novel) (Motorcycle Club Bad Boy Romance) Page 5