by Harlow Layne
I couldn’t believe I was going to die when I’d been on the boat for less than an hour. It served me right for doing something so extravagant when I could have just gone to the spa for a day to celebrate my divorce.
Just when I started to run out of breath and things were starting to become dark, strong arms wrapped around me and started to move me back toward the light.
Coming to the surface, I coughed and spluttered as I was dragged toward a smaller boat where two of the crew were pulling us by a rope. I tried to turn in the arms of my savior but was held too tightly to move. Instead, I lay back and let them do their job. I was never going to live down falling over the edge of the boat. I was already embarrassed enough I didn’t want to see the girls when I got on board or face the crew, all because a guy took off his shirt. It wasn’t like he was taking off his pants and let me see the graciousness that hung between his legs.
Now that would be a dream, wouldn’t it?
Maybe I could hide in my room until we docked, and I wouldn’t have to face anyone. Yeah, I was delusional. Maybe I drank more ocean water than I thought.
One of the guys picked me up from under the arms and dragged me onto the boat. Wrapping a towel around my shoulders, he stepped out of the way as the person who saved me, and the reason why I fell in the water, pulled himself out of the water.
“Her lips are blue. Give her your damn shirt,” my savior barked out as he squatted down in front of me. “Are you okay?” When I only nodded as my teeth chattered, he grabbed another towel from the seat next to me and wrapped it around me. “We’ll be back on board in a few minutes, and we’ll get you warm, I promise.”
“Thank you…” Fuck, I still didn’t know his name.
“Remy, ma’am. I’m just doing my job.”
“Do you often have to save women who fall overboard?” I asked with my teeth still chattering. When did the wind pick up?
Remy shook his head and gave a signal that seemed to mean to hurry up. The wind picked up, and the water misted my face. Moving to sit beside me, he looked toward the boat as we quickly came upon it.
“I have to say you’re the first, and hopefully the last person I have to save from going overboard.” His jaw ticked as he looked straight ahead.
Was that a reprimand? It wasn’t like I meant to fall over. Maybe Mister Body of a God should keep his clothes on while on deck, so no accidents would happen.
In a matter of minutes, I was helped off the little dinghy and back aboard the yacht, where I was met by the waiting crew and my friends. Penelope immediately wrapped me in her arms. “I’m so glad you’re okay. One minute we were sipping our Champs, and the next, you were gone.”
I didn’t need my best friend to remind me of my folly. I would have done anything in that moment for none of them to know what happened to me and to be able to hide it from them. They’d likely keep an extra set of eyes on me for the rest of the trip since I was now a liability.
Leaning into Pen as we walked to my cabin, I asked. “How many people saw that catastrophe?”
“Do you want the truth or—”
It was bad, I knew it, but I still interrupted her. “The whole truth.”
“Everyone but one of the stewardesses.” Penelope’s face was a hopeful grimace as she looked at me.
Kill me now.
2
Remy
“Remy, Remy, Ophelia, can you come to the galley?” I hear through my earpiece.
I groaned as I helped Scout and Owen load the boat they’d taken out earlier when we had to save one of the guests.
“What’s that about?” Scout asked on a grunt.
“No idea,” I answered back as we finished. “Are you guys good from here?”
“We’re always good.” Owen smiled and pulled out a cigarette. “Especially if we can take a ten-minute break.”
“Take a break, but then be ready if the ladies need any help serving dinner.” The wind had picked up, and it was a little choppy. Not enough to cause us to dock, but enough to knock you off your balance if you weren’t careful. And climbing stairs with multiple plates in your hands while the boat sways could be difficult.
“Roger that,” Owen saluted me.
I looked heavenward. I’d told him multiple times I was no longer a Marine, but he continued. Maybe if I told him why I was no longer in the military, he’d understand and stop, but I couldn’t talk about that time in my life. If I did, my mind went to bad places, and I couldn’t let myself go there and be in charge of this boat. I wouldn’t—couldn’t put anyone’s life in danger ever again.
Heading inside, I made my way down to the galley to find all the stewardesses’ eyes on me along with Dean, our chef. “You need me?”
Ophelia gave me the once-over and smirked. We’d hooked up once a couple of years ago when I got trashed. Since then, she’d been looking for our next hookup and hadn’t caught on that it wasn’t going to happen, much to her dismay.
“The primary has requested that you eat dinner with them.” I went to object, but she held her hand up and smirked. “You have to since you saved her friend’s life.” Ophelia finished the last like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.
“You can’t say no,” Kylie, the second stew, said as she sat plates down for Dean to start plating.
I knew I couldn’t say no since we were required to do anything the guests and especially the primary asked of us, but I’d still try to talk my way out of it.
“I’ll go change,” I murmured as I turned on my heel and headed to the room I shared with Dean. We had the only room that didn’t have a bunk bed. Our beds were on each side of the tiny room with a walkway between that was about a foot wide.
After pulling my formal black uniform out of the closet and slipping it on, I sat down on my bed and took in a deep breath. It was hard to find private time when everyone shared a room, so I took it when I could. I had a feeling it would do me good to help center myself before I had dinner with the guests.
Since I didn’t have time for a shower and knowing I didn’t have long before someone would come looking for me if I didn’t get to the aft deck soon, I slicked my black hair back and applied another layer of deodorant and a splash of cologne.
“Scout, Scout, Remy,” I called through the walkie-talkie.
“Scout here,” he said.
“I’ve been asked to have dinner with the guest, so you’re in charge until I relieve you.”
“I won’t let you down,” Scout said.
I knew he wouldn’t. He was a great senior deckhand, and Owen would listen to him. They were a dream crew.
Heading upstairs, I squared my shoulders and put a smile on my face as I stepped through the door to outside, where all the ladies were laughing loudly. The moment their eyes landed on me, they quieted—all except the primary whose eyes were glassy from drinking all day.
“There’s the man of the hour,” she stood and clapped. The rest of the ladies followed. Stella blushed as she stood and lightly clapped. “Please have a seat.” Zelda motioned to the chair that was across from Stella.
Moving to stand at the head of the table, I tried to persuade them to let me go. “Ladies, I appreciate the offer, but surely you don’t want lame ol’ me to join you.”
“Of course, we want you. You saved our sweet Stella,” the primary said a little too loudly. She was buzzed, going on drunk. I had a feeling O was making the drinks tonight. She liked to pour them strong in the hopes that the charter guests would go to sleep early. “Right, Stell?”
The woman of the hour bit her bottom lip as she hid behind a curtain of long, shiny black hair. “Please join us,” she finally said as quietly as a mouse.
It was obvious she was embarrassed about what happened earlier. I mean, it wasn’t often you heard of people falling overboard while drinking their second glass of Champagne.
Not wanting to humiliate her further, I pulled the seat out across from her and sat down. Looking down the table at everyone, I gave them my
best smile. “Thank you for having me. I have to admit, this is my first time being asked to join any guests for dinner.”
“I can hardly believe that with looks like yours,” Zelda purred. I held the urge to cringe and back away. She had one too many rounds of plastic surgery, and she was actually hard to look at.
“You’ll be fine as long as you have good table manners,” the one I thought was named Reagan said.
Stella swung her head toward her friend with narrowed eyes. The woman next to her with caramel-colored hair turned to Stella with her mouth in an ‘O.’
“That was rude. I’m sorry,” Stella apologized for her friend.
I waved it away. It was, but I’d heard worse. All I could do was grin and bear it.
The girls at the other end of the table went back to chatting with each other while our end stayed silent.
Luckily, the stews brought out our dinner plates. I was grateful I hadn’t been invited to a seven-course meal. I planned to gracefully bow out after the dessert and get back to work. Scout was supposed to work late tonight and would need a break before he was up almost all night.
“How long have you been working on yachts?” The caramel colored haired woman asked across from me.
“Only a couple of years,” I answered back as I took a bite of my steak. It melted in my mouth, and I let out a little hum of delight.
“Do you eat like this every night?” Penelope asked before Stella glared at her. “What?” She mouthed to her friend beside her.
When Stella saw me watching them, she smiled and went back to eating. Was she so shy because I saved her?
“Not usually, but I never pass up a meal made by our chef.” Guests didn’t understand how busy chefs were. I swear I never saw Dean not cooking.
“You might not have him for long. If he keeps serving us food like this, I’m going to snatch him up and hire him as my own personal chef.” Zelda smiled wide.
I couldn’t imagine having enough money to be able to do that. Although most of the people who chartered yachts for vacations probably already had maids, butlers, and chefs on the daily, I didn’t like it when they flaunted wealth like Zelda did a moment ago.
“I’d be happy for someone to cook a can of soup for me every once in a while,” Stella told Penelope out of the corner of her mouth.
“You’ve got to find yourself a good man. Maybe a chef,” Scarlett spoke up. She seemed pretty quiet, and it was easy to forget she was here. I had a feeling she liked it that way. She probably knew everyone’s secrets.
I looked at Stella’s left hand and found it ringless. All the women seemed to be single if their naked ring fingers were any indication.
“I don’t need a man, but I would be happy to get laid by someone who knows what they’re doing,” Stella practically yelled.
I nearly spit my food out at her declaration. Even though it was strictly against the rules, I wouldn’t mind showing her a good time.
Ophelia was definitely making the drinks tonight. Halfway through her margarita and Stella was finally starting to let loose. Her cheeks were flushed from alcohol, and she couldn’t stop her deep brown eyes from landing on me every few seconds, only to then look away.
Even though it wasn’t smart, I couldn’t take my gaze off Stella. She was gorgeous with her big brown eyes with long eyelashes that fanned her freckled cheeks. Plush pink lips that I couldn’t stop imagining wrapped around my thick cock.
There was an uncomfortable silence when everyone was done with their plate and was waiting for dessert. Wanting to give the stew girls a little more time before the guests started to complain, I asked. “Where do you all live?”
“We all live in LA, well, Stella doesn’t live there yet, but will soon,” Zelda answered for all of them.
“If you don’t live in LA, where do you live?” I asked Stella.
She rolled her lips before she answered. “In Oasis.”
Was I supposed to know where that was?
“It’s a small town in the desert a couple of hours away from LA. It’s where I grew up, but as soon as I find a place to live in LA, I’m getting away from there. Where do you live?”
I shrugged because I didn’t really live anywhere. “On boats.”
“Do you work year-round?” she asked sweetly.
“No, but close. When I’m not working, which isn’t often, I stay with family or friends. There’s no point in me paying rent or a mortgage on someplace I’m never at.”
Sitting up taller in her chair, Stella nodded. “Makes sense. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?”
“As crazy as it might seem since I’m on the water so much, I’d want to live by the ocean. I don’t mean to be picky. I’d live by any water. A lake, the gulf, or the ocean.”
With each word I spoke, Stella’s face lit up. “I love the water. Maybe I should live on the beach.”
“Yes!” Penelope clapped. “That would be perfect. When I need a break from the city, I’ll come and stay with you.”
“It’s decided.” Stella jumped in her seat.
Maybe making life-changing decisions while drinking wasn’t the best idea, but what did I know about their lives.
“Oh, I have the best real estate agent. When we get back, I’ll hook you up.” Zelda wagged her eyebrows at Stella, and for some reason, I didn’t like the implication of Zelda trying to hook up Stella with that guy.
“Have you ever thought about living in California?” Penelope asked me with a smirk on her face.
“I’m not opposed to it.” I couldn’t be a bosun for the rest of my life, and I didn’t see ever wanting to be a captain, so eventually, I needed to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Until then, I wanted something to keep my mind off my days of being a Marine, and to make some good money, so once I decided on what I wanted to do with my life, I could find a place to rest my head.
“You should think about it.” Penelope nodded like it was a done deal. Was she crazy? I guess she loved living in California, but I hadn’t even visited the state. “Where do you come from?”
Stella nudged her with her elbow. “Geez, Pen, what’s with all the questions?”
“I’m just trying to get to know our very good-looking dinner guest.”
I could feel my cheeks heat up with all their eyes on me. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. If I don’t want to answer, I won’t.” Like about my days in the military. “I grew up in a small town in Florida. We lived about two hours away from the gulf.”
I missed my dad waking me up early. We’d arrive at the water right as the sun started to rise over the water and fish until noon. Those were the days.
“Did everyone know everyone’s business where you grew up?” Stella asked with a bite. I wondered what had happened to her to make her want to leave where she’d always lived.
“You can’t sneeze without the people on the other side of town saying, ‘bless you.’” Everyone knowing everything that happened every second of your life was what made me not want to go home.
“Stell and I know all about small towns.” Penelope frowned at her friend.
“Let’s not go there.” Stella threw back the rest of her margarita and slammed down her glass. “Remember, we’re celebrating and putting the past behind us.”
I knew that was easier said than done.
Stella raised her glass. “More margs!”
The stews walked out at that moment with dessert in their hands. There were many times when I helped serve, so it was strange being on this side of the table.
“Tonight, the chef has bad for you a chocolate lava cake with a salted caramel sauce,” O said as she plated the dessert in front of the primary. She always made sure the primary was served first since they were responsible for our tip.
Zelda held it to her nose and took a long, drawn-out sniff. “This looks to die for.”
“I’ll be sure to let the chef know. Would anyone like another drink?” she asked as she circled the table and collected the empty
drink glasses.
“Yes,” Stella held her glass in the air, “I’ll have a glass of white wine. Whatever you’ve got. I’m not picky.”
“Are you sure you should be switching to wine?” her friend asked her. “You don’t want to get sick.”
“I can’t drink a margarita with a lava cake. That would make me sick.” Stella scrunched her nose up as if the thought was disgusting.
It wasn’t appetizing by any means.
“I am not holding your hair back later if you get sick.” Pen raised her glass to Ophelia. “I’ll take another glass of Champagne.”
“I’ll be right back with your drinks,” O said with what I knew was a fake smile on her face. She didn’t like that she wasn’t mixing up drinks and getting them drunk. I would never understand O. If the guests were plastered the entire time, they weren’t going to leave us with a great tip. They needed to enjoy the experience as a whole.
“So Remy, is it?” Penelope asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Is that short for something?”
“No, just Remy.” All my life, everyone thought my name was short for Remington, but my mom only ever planned to call me Remy, so she said there was no point in naming me something different. There was logic there.
“Do you have a girlfriend or a significant other?”
I almost choked on my bite of cake. Did she think I might be gay or married? I don’t have a ring on my finger. While there’s nothing wrong with being gay, I didn’t think I put off those vibes.
“No, my lifestyle isn’t conducive to having a girlfriend.” I caught Stella relax at my words. Did she like that I didn’t have a girlfriend or that I didn’t want one?
Stella and Penelope seemed to have a wordless conversation that I enjoyed watching as they stared each other down. Every so often, one of their brows would raise, or a lip would twitch, but that was the only sign of movement. After that, they remained quiet, and I was disappointed they were done with me.
With everyone eating the amazing dessert, it wasn’t long before everyone’s plate was left without a crumb. While I wanted to leave earlier, now I wished I could stay. I knew I couldn’t, though. I had to give Scout a break.
