Chapter 18 #3
That was over. No more waiting.
I pulled out another cigarette from the pack Damon had left me with. He was right. Rose wouldn’t open up to me until she felt safe, and my interaction with others played a key role in the matter. I thought about what Damon would do, how he would speak, and then I responded accordingly.
So, when Professor Rossi proposed a joint project, I listened to his proposal instead of chasing him away.
Miles asked if I could write him a recommendation letter. I told him it would be on his desk on Monday. He seemed surprised but quickly ran away in fear that I would change my mind.
Professor Christine Lewis suggested we go out for coffee to “complain” about our students. It wasn’t the first time she had made this suggestion, but she was being more transparent when she placed a hand over my chest. Instead of telling her no like last time, I merely excused myself.
A representative from the school newspaper sought a statement regarding the university’s claim to develop a non-addictive opioid alternative by the end of the year. Last time, I had growled at them. This time, I redirected the press to cover the best student-faculty party of the year.
I kept up the facade until one of the female students bypassed the antics and shoved her breasts against my back.
“Did I give you permission to touch me?” I snarled, ending the theatrics.
Everything came to a screeching halt. Even the bartender stopped rocking the cocktail shaker in her hands and watched the woman in question. The embarrassed hormone monger—a brunette with glitter smeared across her chest—backed away with trepidation. “I-I?—”
“I-I, what?” I snapped. “You go around sexually assaulting professors and think it’s all right? Is that it?”
She turned beet red, eyes darting in all directions, hoping someone would swoop in to save her.
“Get lost,” I hissed.
She ran away without hesitation, and I was done with the charade.
Rose had no idea what I was enduring for her sake, yet she hadn’t so much as glanced my way. This was ridiculous. Hundreds of women groveled for my attention, yet one shy girl’s inattentiveness was eating away at me. She was put on this earth to humble me in the unlikeliest way—by doing nothing.
When I glanced up to find Rose, the group had dispersed. Sean and Matt were at the bar, and Amelie was taking selfies. I turned in the opposite direction to see a wave of dark hair slinking away toward the staircases.
Rose?
I left my drink at the bar, stealthily moving through the crowd to avoid drawing attention to myself.
The second floor of the yacht was off-limits and barricaded with ropes, which explained why Rose chose it to find solace.
She liked large parties because she didn’t have to carry the conversation.
Her new look had catapulted her into the unwanted limelight, and the attention had quickly gotten old.
The electricity was turned off in the downstairs area to discourage guests from wandering, and the only light came from the moon. It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust. I searched for Rose in the shadows and found her on the balcony overlooking the water.
I made sure to make the wood creak under the soles of my dress shoes so she would hear me coming. Rose didn’t react well to surprises in the dark.
She turned just as I reached her. “Hi,” she said breathlessly, eyes wide. “You’re here.”
Why was she surprised to see me?
“Were you expecting someone else?” I asked, barely keeping the bite out of my voice.
She shook her head.
“You’ve snuck onto the only floor that’s off-limits. I guess I shouldn’t ask whether you were having a good time at the party—hiding so soon after arriving late.”
She frowned. “I didn’t arrive late. I arrived two hours ago to help set up the party. Then I went to the lower deck to talk to the captain about a safety check. He didn’t like that.”
It was then that Rose managed the unthinkable—she made me laugh.
It wasn’t the sarcastic laugh that scared my staff, but a wholehearted one that took even me by surprise.
I chuckled for the first time in ten years.
“Of course you arrived early to set up and do a safety check.” None of my staff would have had the good sense to take the initiative, but Rose would never leave anything to chance. I laughed again.
She seemed happy, too. Receptive.
Fuck, Damon’s advice worked. Shedding my sternness and engaging in brainless chatter with other insignificant people made Rose see me in a new light. I had exercised patience with her, but I never thought of doing so with others as well.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t miss it. Plus, I love boats.”
I opened my arms to gesture at all the empty rooms on this level. “Then pick your favorite room and stay the night. Each guestroom has a unique theme.”
“Are you staying the night, too?”
“That’s my suite.” I nodded at the wooden door behind her. “It’s unlocked if you want a tour.”
She blinked, and I realized I had gone too far with the insinuation. I opened my mouth to say something that would put her at ease, but then she rose on her toes, banded her hands around my neck, and pulled me in for a kiss.