by Lilly Wilde
I’d done just enough to both get fired and involve RPH in a sexual harassment scandal. Aiden must be aware of the legal ramifications given his legal background. I couldn't simply ignore what happened; I would talk to him and ask that he ignore my lapse in judgment and continue our professional relationship. Simple enough. Although it sounded simple, I suspected Aiden would push the envelope with this. I just couldn't predict how far he would push it. I honestly couldn't imagine his acquiescing when he had been more than clear of his intentions on numerous occasions.
The missed call earlier was from him; more than likely an effort to initiate another seduction and ultimate conquest. Maybe, just maybe, I was jumping to the wrong conclusion, but after replaying the last few moments of our time together this afternoon, I doubted it. The way he looked at me when the elevator doors had closed, he wasn’t through with me. Not nearly. If only I hadn’t had the unfortunate need to go back to the office for Adam. And in doing so, giving myself to Aiden, giving him exactly what he had wanted. I grabbed my clutch and gave myself a pep talk for what was sure to be a tumultuous evening.
My anxiety amplified as I drove along Route 93 toward the docks. I neared Atlantic Avenue following the signs for Rowes Wharf and the Boston Harbor Hotel; my palms sweating. Turning towards Rowes Wharf, I arrived at the docks, following the line for the valet attendants. Stopping beside the attendant, I noticed the steady stream of people crossing the access ramp to board the Odyssey. I took one last glance in the mirror and opened the door to an evening that was certain to be a turning point. As to the direction of the turn, well that depended on Aiden… and the thought of him having that type of control was a source of absolute disdain.
I gradually made my way aboard the Odyssey, my heart in my throat. Entering the main deck of the yacht, I spotted Raina and inconspicuously eyed the others in search of Aiden. Wow! Raina looked really pretty in her smart short black organza cocktail dress. It had a soft neckline adorning shiny sequin motifs with a white bow tie at the waist. I’d never seen her dressed in anything like this before. She was usually ultra conservative. But perhaps like me, she was feeling risqué tonight.
“I love your dress,” I said, reaching her.
“Thank you Miss Cason, it’s not too much is it?” she asked nervously.
“I think it’s perfect. You look beautiful,” I mused.
“Thank you. This isn’t something I would normally wear or even buy but it was a birthday gift from my sister. When I told her about tonight’s party, she insisted that I wear it.”
“Well I think it was an excellent choice.”
She smiled, noticeably relaxing. “Look at you, you look like a runway model, but then again you always look so gorgeous.”
“I seriously doubt I have any resemblance to a runway model but thanks for saying it all the same,” I replied smiling. I wondered how Aiden would respond when he saw me this evening. Would he still find me appealing or would he treat me as he did the other women at RPH? He was cordial; sometimes witty but it was obvious he had no real interest in any of them. Although I should be comforted by the thought of him finally treating me like a colleague, part of me relished the attention he couldn’t seem to help but bestow me. Yes, I know that was contradictory to what I was thinking earlier but I had to admit, he was someone I could seriously fall for given a different set of circumstances. I’d never felt that before- the feeling that I wanted something more than sex from a guy. I actually never allowed myself. But Aiden, he made me do things and think things that were outside of my control. I didn’t like it.
“Miss Cason, would you like to play black jack with us?”
“Hmmm?”
“I was saying that Bailey and I were going to try our hand at black jack and wanted to know if you would like to join us,” Raina asked. I had been too lost in my Aiden-induced daze to notice that Bailey had joined us.
“Sure, that sounds like fun,” I replied
“Hi Bailey, you look ready for a night out on the town, that dress looks amazing on you,” I said.
“I was just thinking the same thing about your dress Miss Cason, you look incredible,” she added quickly lifting her eyes from my boobs. I hope that wasn’t an indication that I was revealing too much.
“Thanks Bailey.”
“Where did you find your dress?” Raina asked Bailey as we turned to find the black jack table.
“I actually bought this last season from Barney’s. You wouldn’t believe the deals you can get at the end of the season and my husband told me long ago that if I wanted designer dresses like this, I’d have to shop after the season,” she said laughing.
It was a black silk crepe sleeveless tulip dress with a box pleated bubble skirt with a perforated hem. It was extremely fitted at the waist accentuating her slim figure. The high-backed four inch pumps were perfect for the dress, giving the appearance of super long legs. Unlike Raina, Bailey was more than confident in both her appearance and in her choice of this evening’s clothing ensemble.
As we entered the relaxed, festive atmosphere of the Odyssey’s game room, I found myself excited for the first time this evening. There were gaming tables dispersed throughout the room - blackjack, roulette, poker, baccarat and my favorite, craps! I wasn’t an exceptionally good player but I loved the anticipation and excitement that coursed through my body when I grabbed the dice; everyone anxiously waiting for me to throw the number that would help them buy “baby a new pair of shoes”.
Scantily dressed waitresses busied themselves taking drink orders and distributing drinks. I hoped they weren’t the true-to-form watered down drinks that were synonymous with gambling arenas because I would need less dilution if I were going to make it through this night in one piece.
Cheers erupted in the crowded area that held the slot machines. We followed the sound of the merriment to see a large group of RPH employees congratulating a lucky winner; it looked to be Jennifer. I couldn’t be sure because she wasn’t the same Jennifer I saw within the walls of RPH. She, too, was another unrecognizable character for tonight’s festivities.
Bailey led us to a table with three empty stools; two of which were situated side by side. Bailey and Raina assumed those two leaving me to sit at the end. Taking our seats, we passed the dealer some bills in exchange for chips. I was seated at the end of the table, meaning I would be the person the table relied upon for a payout. I hated sitting here because if you caused the entire table to bust, the nasty looks are thrown your way like knives.
The first two hands were easy wins, not requiring any type of strategy due to the cards being dispersed in favor of the table. I’d play a couple more hands and stop before I caused anyone at the table to lose and toss the blame my way, besides I wanted to play craps. Blackjack was my second favorite table game but the exhilaration factor was missing. Jackpot winners on slot machines may be the loudest individuals in the house, but nothing was quite like the collective excitement that builds at a craps table.
Another bout of cheers erupted to the right of the blackjack table. I glanced over and immediately found Aiden; standing beside the bar speaking with Adam and Blake. He was his normal gorgeous self, although there was nothing normal about his level of hot! He was dressed in white slacks, white dress shirt – top buttons undone with no tie and a sky blue dress jacket. He looked perfect; casually standing with his arms crossed, laughing. Obviously uninterested in the conversation with Adam and Blake, he casted a series of fleeting looks about the room; his eyes finally resting on me…our eyes momentarily glued to each other. I severed our connection and stood to grab my chips. Without a word to Bailey or Raina, I made a beeline for the bar. I knew I needed to talk to him but I needed a drink to calm my nerves and my libido before approaching him.
Three drinks later, I was standing at the craps table – another delay in the inevitable conversation I was to have with Aiden. After four lucky rolls of the dice, I’d started to relax and enjoy myself again; until an unwelcomed player joined the oppo
site end of the table.
He tossed several bills toward the pit and the dealer shouted “check change one thousand.” He waited on approval from the pit boss and slid Aiden’s chips to him. How would he have money to toss around like that? I was fully aware of his mediocre salary and he didn’t earn nearly enough to risk one thousand dollars of it. Maybe he saved every dime for those times when he wanted to throw caution to the wind.
I was still the shooter and the stickman slid the dice back to me as he announced that the point was nine. I grabbed them and placed them side by side with the four and the three facing up and tossed them to the end of the table.
“Nine. Shooter rolled nine.”
The players quickly scooped up their winnings as the stickman pushed the dice to me again. I repeated my normal setup of the four and the three and tossed the dice toward the opposite end of the table. They bounced off the back wall and landed on nine again. Cheers erupted around the table. I would have enjoyed this much more had Aiden not been there…watching me. His eyes lingering on me, he told the dealer to place all of his chips on nine. What was he doing? I grabbed my drink from the waitress and absorbed the enthusiasm around me. The stickman hadn’t passed the dice to me yet because of all of the new bets that were being placed. This was the part where I would always crap out- everyone upping their bets based on a few lucky rolls. I decided to stop while I was ahead as I hated when such a huge build-up resulted in massive disappointment. After the dealer stopped taking bets, the stickman pushed the dice towards me and I shook my head and motioned for him to pass them to the person beside me.
“No, you should finish your roll, you’re on a hot streak,” said the person to my left.
I shook my head and looked over to see that it was Greg. “Too much pressure,” I told him.
“Miss Cason, I have a lot of money on you and from what I’ve seen you do extremely well under pressure.” Aiden had walked around the table and was now standing beside me.
I looked at him and glanced around the table at the expectant faces and reached down to grab the dice.
I sighed. “Ok, but this is the last time…whatever happens, you asked for it.”
I was about to toss the dice.
“Wait, aren’t you forgetting your dice ritual?” Aiden asked.
Huh? Oh, quite frankly yes, I had forgotten, given the intensity of my emotions, which were tremendously heightened given his proximity. Damn, he smelled good. I smiled as I pictured the image of a mindless cartoon character involuntarily floating as her nose led her to the most exquisite of smells. That’s exactly how my responses had been for this man, mindless and involuntary. I situated the dice with the four and three on top, tossed them and closed my eyes awaiting sounds of disappointment but was relieved and shocked when I heard cheers instead. I opened my eyes to the excited faces around the table.
“Nine! We have a hot shooter tonight folks,” the dealer announced as he began swiftly distributing the winnings.
“I knew you could do it,” Aiden whispered in my ear.
Just like I’m sure you knew you were going to fuck me. I thought to myself. I turned toward the table.
“Ok, that was the last roll for me everyone.” I reached over the top of the table to collect my winnings.
There were several compliments shouted–“good shoot”’,“don’t go”,“one more roll”-as I stepped back and walked away, relieved that I made that last nine and was placing some distance between Aiden and me.
I grabbed an agenda from one of the hors d’oeuvre tables and saw that it was almost time to assemble on the upper deck for dinner. Entering the sky lounge, I was immediately taken to a different venue. The lighting was not as bright as on the main deck, allowing the moonlight to spill into the room. Massive windows encircled the room providing a fantastically calming view of the moonlit water. Dining tables were arranged throughout the room, enclosing what resembled a recessed stage. Positioned on the left edge of the stage was a lectern embossed with the Odyssey’s logo. I looked for the table designated for RPH executives only to discover we were to be seated by departments. Damn. I hurriedly scanned the room for my departmental staff in hopes of manipulating the seating arrangement. I spotted Raina and Bailey walking in and was about to approach them as Adam appeared asking me to start the evening’s festivities as he had decided to present the closing statements for the event. Before I could object, I saw that Zoe, Raina and Bailey had taken their seats at our table, as had River and Josh. There were only two chairs left, leaving Aiden and I sitting beside each other. Damn! Was Adam determined to keep getting me fucked?
CHAPTER SEVEN
I half-heartedly walked to the center of the room toward the lectern. I spoke with Blake and Adam until it was time to begin. The room soon filled as the other staff gradually filed in. I approached the microphone and asked that everyone take their seats. My communication to everyone was brief- including a welcome, purpose and applause for a job well done. Blake followed my introduction with details on the company’s growth and overall progress of the year’s strategic plan.
I ultimately returned to my table and saw that Aiden had been seated. Reluctantly, I assumed the available chair. The waiters began circling the room and commenced with drink and dinner orders. As our waiter detailed the preparation for the veal francese, Aiden leaned toward me and I stilled immediately.
“I didn’t have a chance to tell you that you look absolutely gorgeous tonight,” he whispered.
“Thank you,” I replied, relaxing marginally. I was expecting something much more overt given today’s indiscretions. I removed my phone from my handbag and checked that it was on vibrate before I placed it on the table. I wanted to keep close contact with April until we had both reached St. Barts; I also wanted to be aware of any last minute flight changes. Hopefully the app for the airline was no longer having update issues and I would be able to receive up-to-date information without calling the airline directly.
I noticed Aiden fidgeting with his phone as the waiter approached to take my order.
My phone flashed a light indicating a notification. After giving my order to the waiter I saw that I had received a text. It was from Aiden.
*As beautiful as you are in that dress, what would it take to get you out of it?*
And it started. So much for my miniscule hope that he would back off now that he had gotten what he wanted.
*Let’s not start this again.*
*Is that an order or just a suggestion from one co-worker to another? *
I waited a few minutes and decided to reply.
*I’m not interested in playing games with you. Today was a mistake. You should forget it happened. I have. *
*The only mistake was not fucking you harder.*
I dropped the phone in my lap and shifted nervously in my chair, my hands intertwined repeatedly as I attempted to think my way out of my predicament. I browsed the room, corner to corner, as if I was waiting for something, someone.
I decided to ignore him and not entertain his wayward thoughts. As I placed my phone on the table, his hand found my thigh. I gasped and Bailey looked towards us, I smiled at her and she thankfully redirected her attention to the center of the room.
I was on edge as it was and the heat from his hand sent a stream of suggestive sparks directly to Virginia. She was such a traitorous bitch! I struggled to adjust my leg in the opposite direction of Aiden, hoping to remove his hand without the others noticing the impish exchange. Aiden replied by holding tighter, his fingers firmly grasping my thigh. I glanced awkwardly at him, hurling a warning glance that he coolly ignored as he directed his attention to Raina and Bailey.
“Are you ladies enjoying the evening?” he asked, casually sliding his hand higher, pushing my dress up. I was absolutely fuming but had no idea how to free myself of this position. I picked up my phone and sent him a text.
*You are seriously pushing it! Remove your hand from my fucking thigh!*
A few moments later, he che
cked his phone and replied.
*If I were pushing it, you would know it. That was made fairly obvious earlier. Besides, my hand is very comfortable, I think I will keep it where it is.*
Bastard!
Bailey, Raina and Aiden dove into a conversation about the party, gambling and the yacht. I reached down to pry his hand from my thigh but there wouldn’t be a way to move his hand without my jerking it away and causing the others to notice. What had happened since yesterday to cause him to be so unrelenting and forceful with me? I reached down and pinched him; surprised when he responded by pinching my thigh in return. I jerked my leg slightly at the unexpected sting and realized he would not release my thigh until he was good and ready. I nervously surveyed the room to determine if anyone had noticed the weirdness at our table. There was obviously nothing discreet I could do about it. I had to endure the irritation and deal with him later in private.
I turned to face the others, defeated. Giving up, I placed both hands on the table and joined the conversation. Raina was filling us in on her plans for her upcoming vacation to Hawaii with her family. After five minutes or so of idle chatter, our drinks arrived and I immediately took a sip of my vodka cranberry. The waiters brought our meals a short time later and I was offered a refill which I gladly accepted.
The alcohol was beginning to affect me; I noticed I was less anxious about Aiden sitting next to me so I continued drinking and enjoying the meal. Aiden’s hand was still on my thigh; occasionally he made soft circular motions. I pretended not to notice hoping he would see that he was having no effect on me and remove his damned hand. No such luck.