Chapter 19
19
I watched him go and wondered what was happening he needed to deal with.
Just like that, my desire to party vanished. The deck and party lights had long since come on and I yawned behind my hand.
My body still hummed from our dancing and the intimacy we'd found together. I stood and wandered to the stern, looking for a quiet spot to wait for Beck. My phone pinged on the way.
It was Fletch.
Hey girl, how goes the battle?
Great. Intrepid is amazing
What'd I tell ya lol
How's the leg? I think your man wants you back
Why? What's happened?
I paused. What made me think that?
Nothing really, just that he's a man's man. I'm sure he wishes you were here
Nah, he's good with you
Did he say anything?
Oh god, did he tell Fletch about us? My cheeks heated and I'm pretty sure they were flaming red. I didn't blush often, but I sure was making up for it now.
Not really.
What's that supposed to mean?
Just, not really. We messaged briefly and that was it. Why, is there something he should tell me?
No! Nothing, just curious.
K. Hang on a sec.
I waited and a few minutes later, then this…
Apparently somethings going down on Intrepid right now? What's going on?
Alarm jumped into my throat. IDK, what? How do you know?
He texted 'shit's hitting the fan'
Damn! I gotta go
Wait! Micki, stay put. He's handling it.
I can't just wait here. I'm responsible, as well you know. Tell me you wouldn't be there if you were here
I didn't wait for a reply and shoved my phone in my pocket. Where was Beck? What the fuck was happening. I shouldn't be kept out of the loop! No way in hell.
Now I had to find him.
I think I knew where this incident was taking place, either in the guest quarters or where that poker game was happening. Both were forward, I took the crew stairs and hallway to avoid guests and it wasn't long before I heard shouts, and things breaking.
The door to the meeting room was ajar. Inside was a confrontation between a bunch of people. Beck and a security guard were trying to get things under control.
It looked like a poker game had gone south. Someone accusing another of cheating, and something about a land deal that sent everyone into fight mode. That was not okay!
I burst into the room and shouted for everybody to shut up but they were too intense and didn't hear me. I refused to stand by and let this happen so I whistled. Fingers between my lips and I let out a piercing whistle that stopped everyone cold. Startled, they all faced me.
"What the hell is going on here?" I demanded and glared at the group of people.
"I can handle this." Beck's voice was steel, he didn't look at me.
"Hardly. You must've been at this for a while and you even messaged Fletch." I retorted.
Beck looked at me, his face thunder. "Fletch texted you and told you what was going on?"
He hadn't really, it was in the middle of our chat when the message came in. "Why shouldn't he tell me because after all I am the captain of Intrepid am I not?"
He was about to argue with me and I put my hand up and faced the men starting to calm down a bit by my interruption.
"We are not in international waters, there should be no game here at all." I looked at the table with piles of money. "Especially with high-stakes betting."
"Micki, I said I'd handle this." Beck moved towards me and stepped in front as if to shut me up. It only infuriated the hell out of me.
Arguing with him right now would be inappropriate. I was the captain and he was the owner. I reported to him. But I was responsible for everything that happened on the boat. I just walked around him and faced the men and women.
"Now, if we had a visit from the harbormaster or the Love Beach Marine unit, you'd be screwed. As would I and him." I pointed to Beck. "He's the yacht owner, in case you didn't know. I suggest you collect your money, forget that anybody was betting here, and get the hell off the boat."
"Nothing is settled yet." A man who appeared to be ready for a brawl replied to me.
"I don't care. It will not be settled here. Everybody take what's yours off the table and go."
"Micki…"
I faced Beck. "What? Were you handling this well? Because I don't think so. Maybe they won't talk back to or get into a fight with me, because I'm a woman." I gave the card players a heated stare. They quickly gathered up their belongings. "Jason, escort these guests down to the launch and make sure they get back to shore."
I turned to the players. "Off you go now."
With muttering and grumbling, and threats against me and Beck about the interrupted card game, they left the conference room.
I was so furious my ears were hot and I was ready for a fight. I looked at Beck who stood there, his face still like thunder. He gave me a look and I knew he was pissed at me and probably the whole situation.
"Never, ever do that again and undermine my authority." He turned on his heel and left the room.
I let out a shaky breath. The adrenaline rush was still high. Sure, there was a hierarchy, he was owner, and I worked under him, but I was captain and responsible for everything on board, what happens to Intrepid, crew and guests and so much more.
So much for our improving relationship after this debacle. If there was ever to be anything more between Beck and me, it was gone.
I went to my cabin, my stomach turned over about our confrontation. The party mood was gone now and I wanted to be alone. Had I been too forceful? I couldn’t stay out of it, nor should I regret it. I was doing my job and if there were consequences then I would deal with them.
In my room, I shed my clothes and stepped into the shower. The whole thing had wound me up and I stood under the water, letting it run over me, doing my best to calm down. I switched my mind off, and let the hot stream cleanse away the negativity.
I don't know how long I'd stood there, and the water began to chill. I turned it off and stepped from the shower wrapping myself in a towel. I half expected to see Beck standing outside the bathroom like he had the first night, but he wasn't.
The bed called to me and I didn't want to think about the after-party cleanup. The following days were downtime to prepare for the next set of guests arriving in a week, friends he was letting use the yacht and he would be away while they were on board.
Stop thinking. Go to bed.
I wound my hair onto my head, utterly exhausted after tonight. Everything caught up with me and was topped off by emotional fatigue from the conflict and the strong drinks from earlier. I slid between the cool sheets with a contented groan. I was going to sleep like the dead tonight.
B eck sat at the desk in his office. He was furious by what had happened. Fights. Arguments. Illegal poker games. But the biggest disappointment was how Micki stepped in when he told her not to. It had embarrassed him, something he wasn't used to, and why he was here with a glass of whiskey sitting at his desk deciding how to deal with it. He hadn't wanted her to get involved. Not because she couldn't handle herself but because well, because he didn't. She was the Captain and was in charge of the boat. In all fairness, it was her place to handle the conflict.
Whiskey and ice clinked in the class. If Fletch had been aboard, he would've been right beside him, the two of them facing off the crowd. Was he being rational about it? Would he have behaved the same way with Fletch?
He knew the answer to that. No, he wouldn't. Then why was he behaving this way towards Micki?
She made him think about things from different perspectives. Things he normally wouldn't give a second thought. But he was and it was all due to her. And that was a good thing.
He knew she was mad at him. She'd been right to call him out because she was a woman.
Would she be in bed now? He grabbed his glass and went out onto his private deck. It was a dark night with nothing to see. The ship lights were off save a few, and the faint clink of cutlery reached him. Security had been told to wind down the party. It was well past midnight and he'd learned long ago nothing good ever happened after midnight.
Beck sighed, feeling the tension ease from his body, and looked up at the stars. Nursing his whiskey.
In the morning. That's when he'd make things right with Micki.