11. Batten Down the Hatches
Chapter 11
Batten Down the Hatches
Sam
I ’ve officially lost my mind. Bringing the girl—woman—I keep thinking about to the bridge to talk to her alone. But I can’t help myself. Watching her look at the owner’s son like he was a piece of meat made me want to gouge the kid’s eyes out. His, not hers. And killing the owner’s son isn’t a way to get recommendations for another boat.
I’m holding my breath, and the air in my lungs burns to come out. “Have a seat,” I huff. I honestly have no idea what I’m going to say to her, because I’m crossing a line. She needs to do her job. And that is going to involve talking to the men. Even Rocky’s son, who, contrary to Rocky’s opinion, doesn’t walk on water.
Right. I turn to her. She’s keeping her eyes down, but then she looks up at me. I can’t tell if she’s upset, angry, or confused. And that’s worrisome to me. I decide to forgo mentioning my opinions on what happened on the sundeck. I stare at her. I can’t talk. Calming down first is my only option.
“Good news, isn’t it?” She breaks the silence, scooting back onto the large bench that takes up the whole back of the wheelhouse.
I have no idea how long I let the silence linger. But it’s still not enough time to let me cool off about the way he looked at her. I want to snap Easton Rockwell into a pile of driftwood. Which might take a bit of effort because this kid is built. But... “It is good news. The extra time will help both Calvin and Anders finish up the rest of the electrical. And it’s certainly good news for your department too.”
“Just getting those boxes out of our way is half the battle. Shayla is amazing. She’s working her ass off.”
“I’m glad to hear it. You’re both doing a great job.” I nod like I’m talking to a neighbor over a fence, not the girl I’m obsessing over. It’s not healthy, but I can’t stop.
“Where’s Penny?” She jumps up and peeks around the side of the captain’s chair.
“She’s in my cabin. She’s a good listener, but when someone lies on the floor, she wants to lie on them too. With Anders camped out under the control panel, she’s been a pest.”
A triple knock, Anders’ signature. Shit. I know Haley wants to talk about Brianna, and I want to talk to her about the playboy down on the sundeck. “Come in.”
“Hey Cap. Sorry, I wasn’t sure if you were done. We’re still trying to sort it out. I can come back.”
“No, it’s fine. We’ll move to my office.” My office, cabin, and bedroom are all the same thing. We walk the few steps down the corridor to my cabin, and I hold the door open for Haley. Her hair brushes my arm as she walks in. The lock clicks shut behind her.
Haley perks up. “These are nice captain’s quarters. I still haven’t seen every room on the yacht yet. It’s so not how I like to do things.” Penny jumps off her bed and runs to Haley. Penny’s head leans against Haley’s leg. “Well, hello there. It’s nice to see you too.”
“Lie down.” My tone is firm, and Haley’s cheeks seem to redden. But Penny trots off to the corner of the room between the bed and the wall. She flops to the ground, her head resting on her paws.
“She’s such a good girl.” Haley crosses the room to the porthole.
“I had them change the layout of the cabin when they were outfitting it. With Rocky’s permission, of course.”
She turns from the window and nods. “It works.”
“I’ve never liked having my bed in the corner of the room—it’s too hard to make it—but on rocky moorings, I like having the wall.” I’ve had my bed shoved into the alcove made for the desk. And my desk is anchored on the other side of the room. There was a huge horse painting labeled to go in my room, but I hung it in the main salon before we even left Singapore.
“The best of both worlds. And it gives Penny a little nest next to your bed. She must like that.”
“She does.”
Haley is the first crew member I’ve had come into my cabin for a chat. I imagined myself sitting behind my desk and the stew or deckhand sitting in the chair across from me, but I don’t want to put any distance between the two of us. The idea is crazy.
Penny has wandered over. She leans against Haley’s leg.
“Have a seat.” I move the chair closer to Haley so as not to disturb Penny. I sit on the edge of the bed. I should get up—this feels far too intimate.
And I’m the one close to crossing a line.
“How is Brianna working out?” I clasp my hands together, resting my elbows on my knees. It is the pose I do to let my dog understand my hands are not available for petting. It also happens to be somewhat intimidating. I unclasp them and sit with my hands on my legs.
“I wouldn’t know. She hasn’t been out of her cabin. She told me yesterday that she had jet lag. Today she told Shayla she had to sleep off a migraine.”
“Oh, those can be bad. Do you want to find out if she needs a doctor?”
Haley frowns at me. “I can do that.”
Such a good sailor. “What do you really want to say?”
“I don’t want to say anything bad about her. I’ve only met her for a few seconds. But that’s the problem. She’s lazy, and even when she does come out of her cabin, I’m sure Shayla and I would do a better job without her. I can’t let her stay in there. It’s going to drive Shayla crazy. And I understand why. But I’m going to try to train her.”
“I know you will. Charlie said you turned around one of the worst stews on board.” Seriously, my brother wouldn’t shut up about Haley. He told me if I didn’t hire her, he’d tell our mother about what happened to her heirloom Christmas tablecloth, and that’s a story that doesn’t ever need to be told.
“If she never comes out of her cabin, how can I train her?”
“If she never comes out of her cabin, how can she cause any problems?” I half laugh. It’s not appropriate, but it makes Haley smile at me again. Fuck, this is messed up. I’m going to have to find a way to pull back these inappropriate feelings for her. “I’m afraid we are going to have to ride it out. If tensions between Shayla and Brianna get overblown and you can’t handle it on your own...” I raise my eyebrows.
“Maybe Easton could talk to his dad?” She shifts slightly in her chair, coming closer to me.
I tighten my stomach muscles. “I don’t think that will be necessary. If it becomes?—”
This time she giggles. A soft nervous giggle traveling straight to my cock. “You should see your expression. I’m sorry, Captain. I didn’t know Easton would tell his dad.”
“I understand. I don’t feel stepped on. And I was there too. I could have stopped him. But the real question is why did he do it? Why do you think Easton was willing to challenge his dad and stick himself out there?” I raise my chin to her. I know why he did it. He wants in her pants like almost all the crew. Like me.
“He’s not a fan of his soon-to-be stepmother. One more day without her makes him happy. They might be at a five-star hotel with killer views, but she’s not here. And on top of that, doing something to make Candy angry will give him a deep-seated, childish thrill.”
Shit, that’s a good answer. The thickening of my cock has knocked a good decade off my age and forty points off my IQ. “Possibly there might be another reason.” Because I’m sure the SOB was eyeing her like a trophy.
“What? I don’t get your... Are you saying he did it for me?”
I cock my head and give a small shrug.
“Captain. He’s an Olympian and a billionaire and soon to be the new CEO of his family’s business. He’s not interested in me.”
“I think he is. I can tell you’re a professional. You know what to do.”
Her shoulders square. “I would never lead a guest on.” She leans forward, her feet fidgeting.
I’ve made her uncomfortable. She squirms in the chair, and in doing so, she’s squeezed her incredible breasts together. The V-neck crew uniform is something that I need to look away from, but I don’t.
“Yes, I understand.” I hold her gaze. I see the moment it clicks for her. At least, I think I do. She can tell I’m attracted to her. And I’m fucked. As long as I don’t do anything that can be construed as something crossing that line all the way... But I’m hovering, man, I’m hovering awfully close.
“Captain Sam, just so you know, I’ve never had a relationship with a guest. I once dated a bosun on the boat, but that ended. And it ended poorly. He broke my heart. Broke me, really. I’m not going to do anything to embarrass you or this ship. It wasn’t my plan to have a boat romance again. Or any romance.”
“I never thought you would. Your resumé is impeccable, your references are perfect, and Charlie raved about you—and the only thing my brother raves about is himself. So no, Haley, I don’t think you would do anything to embarrass me or the ship. I was more concerned about what the junior might want to do to you.”
“If you trust me, why are you worried about what Easton might or might not do?” She drops her arms to the seat and leans back. It’s hard to not notice how nicely her uniform hugs her chest. Is she doing this on purpose? Her eyes flit to the floor and then up at me.
“Men like him like using their position to get what they want.” They want her in a certain position: her ass in the air or on the bed. Again, I’m not any better than them.
She smiles. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me. I get where the line is between flirting for a tip and staying in bed after turndown service, and I don’t cross it with passengers. Not that anyone has ever tried.” She nods and stands.
“I find that hard to believe.” I stand too. But Penny’s long body corrals us together.
“I would never cross it.” She shakes her head.
“No, Haley. I find it hard to believe that no one has ever tried to make you.” Fuck, I find so much about her hard.
A nervous laugh bursts out of her. “Well, I’m not lying. I guess I don’t see it. We’ll have to agree to disagree.” Her smile is slight and shy.
But something simmers in her as a spark pulls me in. How? How can she not see it? “I really enjoyed talking to you last night. You’re witty, funny, and compassionate when it comes to your coworkers.” I’m drifting into rough waters without a motor. “And there are men who will take advantage of your age.”
“I’m not a child, Sam.” She smooths down her shorts. I feel the indecision in her step when she moves forward. “I liked getting to know you last night too.”
Her bare toes are inches away from me. There’s a bit of a game of chicken going down, and the music of my erratic beating heart isn’t letting me walk away from the damn challenge.
Penny wanders off. There’s nothing keeping Haley from saying goodbye. Even with the extra day, we both have a lot of work to do. Her big toe touches mine, and her coconut scent swirls around me, hardening my cock against the zipper of my pants.
“You have something on you, just there.” Her hand reaches for me.