Chapter 4 #2
By the time Mark left the book fair, he had a bag full of autographed books, a lifetime supply of pens, a dozen or more promo cards with website URLs or QR codes, and a bright blue, 3-D printed dinosaur shaped like a dick that stood no higher than two inches tall, which was going on his desk as soon as he got home.
He’d also learned more than he expected about the different genres of LGBTQ+ romance novels, because when TL said authors loved talking about their books, she wasn’t kidding.
As a tech guy, he’d never given much thought to the creative arts, but hearing about the writing process had given him a better understanding of what went into the books he read and a deeper respect for the people who wrote them.
He’d also gotten to meet a couple of audiobook narrators, and he could have stood there and listened to them read from a phonebook so he could hear more of their soothing, captivating voices.
His slow tour around all the tables had taken up more time than he thought, and while he wanted to take another lap to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, his stomach’s insistent growling forced him out of the fair and to the nearest lunch buffet instead.
By the time he returned to his cabin, it was mid-afternoon, and he was ready to relax–but not there.
He wasn’t about to remain holed up in his cramped little cabin when he had the entire ship at his disposal.
Instead, he changed into his swim trunks, a T-shirt, and sandals, and then gathered up a beach towel and one of his new books and headed for the smaller pool again.
That one was quieter and less crowded, and that was why he went there instead of to the main pool.
The possibility of the handsome lifeguard/excursion specialist being on duty had nothing to do with it.
The pool was busier than it had been the last time he’d visited, but there were still lounge chairs available, and he sneaked a furtive peek at the lifeguard on duty as he went to claim the nearest one.
Sure enough, it was the same guy, and Mark offered a weak smile and a little wave when he got caught looking.
The lifeguard grinned at him, then sauntered over. He stopped next to Mark’s chair and raised his sunglasses to the top of his head, favoring Mark with a warm brown gaze.“Hey there! Been keeping busy today?”
Mark held up his book — the one with the silver fox on the cover — to show it to the lifeguard. “After I got my excursion ticket, I spent way too much time and money at the book fair.”
The lifeguard leaned down to look at the cover, and he was close enough that Mark noticed his nametag. “Terry” peered at the cover, then straightened up. “That’s a hot cover,” he admitted. “If you’re into silver fox daddies.”
“Not particularly? But, I mean….” Mark gestured to the cover, because the picture spoke for itself. “It got my attention,” he added with a sheepish smile.
“Understandable,” Terry agreed, and Mark fancied a certain tension in him eased a bit. “I heard about the book fair, but crewmembers can’t attend. I’m glad you go to indulge, though. Would you let me know if you would recommend that one? I’ll see about picking it up back in port.”
“Why can’t you attend?” Mark asked. He could understand if there were restrictions on what the crew could do, especially where guests were involved, but the book fair seemed like an innocuous enough event that it shouldn’t be a problem.
“It’s one of those rules, to keep guest events just for guests,” Terry said, giving a slight shrug. “I mean, we’re here to work, and I’m fine with that. It’s one reason you don’t see us eating in the dining room or taking up seats at the shows, or dancing in the disco.”
“Gotcha.” Mark nodded, understanding the rule even if he didn’t entirely agree with it.
Something about it reminded him of the whole “upstairs, downstairs” caste system, and he had an instinctive drive to rebel against it.
“Well, I bought a bag full of books, so depending on how many I get through before the end of the cruise, I can give you some recs.”
Terry grinned as if Mark had offered him to do him a huge favor. “Thanks! I’d appreciate it. I always prefer recommendations rather than browsing for myself. Largely because I don’t get as much time to read as I’d like, so I don’t want to waste any of it not finishing a book.”
“Understandable,” Mark said, trying to ignore the little embers sparking at the sight of Terry’s smile. Terry was already handsome, but the way his face lit up made him almost irresistible.
And Mark had to resist. Cruise rules aside, Mark had no business thinking about a relationship.
Ryan’s parting words about Mark caring more about his work than the people in his life had stung, but Mark was self-aware enough to know Ryan had been right.
He was also well aware he hadn’t changed any of the habits or behaviors that had driven off Ryan, so getting involved with someone else was just asking for another failed relationship.
Even so, he realized he’d held Terry’s gaze a little too long, and he glanced away, clearing his throat awkwardly.
Terry, as if sensing Mark’s sudden discomfort, stepped back. “Well, thanks again. I better get back to guarding the hot tub,” he said, his tone droll. “No one is going to drown in two feet of water on my watch!”
“I feel safer already.” Mark tried to smooth over the awkward moment with a friendly smile. “I’ll let you know how it goes with the hot daddy,” he added, lifting his book.
“Perfect.” Terry gave him a jaunty salute, then wandered back toward the other side of the pool, stopping to chat with a couple of the other guests who greeted him.
Mark sneaked a couple of last, furtive peeks at Terry’s pert ass being hugged by his red swim trunks before forcing himself to focus on his book.
But as hot as the daddy on the cover was, he couldn’t hold Mark’s attention the way Terry and his sun-bronzed biceps could, and he ended up reading the first chapter twice before anything sank in.
Maybe he should go to the bigger pool from now on instead. He wasn’t looking for a cruise hook-up, and there was probably a rule about that kind of fraternizing between crew and guests, so there wasn’t any point in putting himself in the path of temptation.
But he was a grown-ass man who could handle being around a sexy lifeguard for a few more days, and he liked this spot. It already felt like “his” spot on the ship, and he didn’t want to relocate somewhere new.
It would be fine. He’d relax, read his books, maybe have a drink or two, and he would keep his eyes to himself.
Everything would be just fine.