Working Desires: A Dirty Office Romance Boxset

by Hazel Keys

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

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

  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, Sofia, it’s your money,” said Samson.

  “It’s okay, Sofia, 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.” Sofia’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.” Sofia pushed the money across to me. I nodded and added it to my pile.

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

  The table erupted with complaints and arguments, with Tristan, Troy, and Suzy shouting the loudest. Alex said nothing, I noticed. Samson appealed for silence. “I’m sorry, Tara. 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 Tristan. “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 Samson who, having said his goodbye, was needed elsewhere. I hugged and kissed Sam, the bosun, and Mike, the first deckhand. Troy, 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. Sofia came next.

  “I’m so sorry, Tara,” 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 Sofia 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 Alex 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 Suzy and Tristan. Within seconds, tears were streaming down all our faces. We all hugged each other.

  “You cows!” wailed Tristan. “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 Suzy. “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 back.

  “Tara!” called Tristan. “Don’t let any bad meat past those lips!” Suzy burst out laughing.

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

  Chapter 19:Seth

  “Find her, George,” I spat. “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.”

  George 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. Jay Money 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.

  “Jay,” 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 George.

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

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

  George turned to me. “Mia 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 Mia and, possibly, Valentina. Although there was nothing to stop Valentina stealing George’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 George 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.” George 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 Clancy’s firm. They’re proceeding with the hostile takeover.”

  I sat still for a moment, dumbstruck. George 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 Wainwright! I knew he was never going to play along with us.”

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

  “What the hell, George? Who is it?”

  “Mia Wong,” he said at last.

  Again, I sat stunned. Mick, Jay, and their girlfriends, across the table, were eating and laughing, with no clue to what George and I were discussing. I barely felt George 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 Jessica, 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 George 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?”

  “Imagin
e if you’d actually married her!” cried George 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.” George 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 George, uneasily.

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

  Chapter 20:Tara

  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 Seth 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 Simon 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.

  Simon thought for a few moments. I had plenty of money, the amazing tip from Seth’s charter and the cash from the five others I’d done aboard Venus 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, Simon 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 had first arrived in Aruba. It had taken me ten days to confirm my position on Venus, 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 woman eating dinner by herself, Simon 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. Simon 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 Venus. Simon and I spent that long weekend talking, surviving mostly on rum, and making love over and over again. I’d told Simon 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 Radisson family, and just stay in this bar with Simon forever. However, when it came time to join the crew, I knew that Simon 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 Simon 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, Seth might still find me. I shook my head, banishing that ridiculous thought from my mind.

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

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

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

  “Is nice kiss,” smiled Simon 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 Simon and the barflies until things got busier and my shift started. It wasn’t long before I told Simon all about Seth and the charter. Understanding my feelings for him better than I did, it seemed, Simon said he hoped Seth 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 Seth 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 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 Tara, 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 alright…

  “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.”

  Seth 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 Simon, 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 Seth 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.

  Simon 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 Simon. He might wish us well, but banging right in front of him seemed a little cruel. I whispered into Seth’s ear for him to follow me, and led him upstairs to my makeshift bed.