Sinfully Rich: A Steamy Billionaire Box Set

by Vivian Wood

  Bowing my head, I keep the same smile on my face. “Whatever you would like, sir.”

  He just laughs, walking over to Gabe and clapping him on the arm. “Well done. I feel safer already, Captain Gabriel.”

  Gabe gives him a small smile and looks at his watch. “Speaking of which… we should go over some safety regulations very quickly. Then we can set sail before the sun starts on its downward trajectory.”

  “Whatever you say, Captain Gabriel!” Alejandro says. “Just promise me you’ll keep the vino flowing…”

  Gabe smiles stiffly. “Of course. Luna, will you just let Emma know when you get downstairs that they are ready for another round?”

  “Of course.” I bow again, making a hasty exit.

  I scurry downstairs to the bathroom again, almost running into Malkia on my way out. She gives me a look.

  “Are you doing okay?”

  My cheeks warm. “Totally. I just have to go tell Emma to refresh some drinks…”

  I slink away down the hall, feeling very watched. But since I’m not doing anything wrong, what can Malkia even really say?

  The pain in my lower body doesn’t stop, but neither does the stream of little tasks slow down. By the time that the guests are finally settled in bed, I’m about to drop where I stand.

  My head pounds, my back is killing me, and I’ve run through half the sanitary napkins that I brought for the entire trip. Malkia spots me leaning on the kitchen island, trying to breathe through another set of cramps.

  “I’m not even going to ask if you are okay,” she says, startling me.

  I straighten, clearing my throat. “It’s just a particularly bad round of menstrual cramps,” I explain, my face going hot. “Nothing serious, I promise.”

  She looks at me for a long second, her dark eyes uncertain. Then she shrugs. “Go ahead and go to bed, then. If they are really just cramps you should feel better after some rest.”

  I almost sag with relief. “Thank you, Malkia.”

  Her lips lift. “See you early in the morning, Luna.”

  Hustling myself to my room, I visit the bathroom one more time, shoring up the dam. Then I change into my pajamas and crawl into my bunk.

  I’m already asleep by the time my head hits the pillow.

  11

  Gabe

  The next morning, we set sail just as dawn breaks. The yacht is moored off the coast of Neah Bay, at the furthest tip of the United States. It’s only a couple of hours before we will be in waters that belong to Canada.

  After waking and dressing in the dark, I slip down the hallway and make my way up to the main deck. I lean against the railing and shiver as I look out at the dark water. It’s cold this morning, almost cold enough for the jacket that I have slung over my shoulder. There is no moon to speak of, so the sky seems like an endless dark expanse. Water and sky blend together into a twilight morass.

  At this exact moment, I miss Michelle so badly that my teeth ache from it.

  “Gabe?” Malkia calls softly. She flips the switch that illuminates the stairway. The soft light radiates out into the darkness that surrounds me.

  I turn to look at her. My words are quiet against the early morning hush. “I’m here.”

  She comes up with a thermos, unscrewing the cap. Fragrant steam escapes the cap, smelling like fresh coffee. She pours a little into the cup formed by the cap, handing it over.

  I take it, more grateful than I’ve felt about anything in a good while. “Thanks.”

  She shrugs, shivering as the first rays of light turn the darkness a vague gray. “It is my job, Gabe.” She pulls the zipper of her parka up as far as it will go. Malkia is always cold.

  “Where is your beanie?” I ask.

  She offers me half a smile. “I will be wearing it today, that’s for sure. I do not have such luxurious locks on the top of my head to keep myself warm.”

  She nods to my hair. I smile as I sip my coffee. “No, I suppose not.”

  There is a noise from the deck below, several thuds and a yelp of pain. I sigh.

  “I am going to go check on that,” Malkia says, handing me the thermos. “I should be back up to help you cast off soon.”

  “Thank you.” As she heads downstairs, I head up to the pilothouse on the upper deck.

  I check my watch; it’s 4:48 in the morning right now. At five, I’ll pull up the anchor so that we can set sail. I stand behind the wheel and look out at the sea. It’s calm, as I would expect here in a bay. It has to get pretty crazy out there beyond the land for it to affect these sheltered waters.

  As I start going through my checklist in my head, I find the sweet spot. Too busy to worry about anything other than the task at hand, but not so busy that I’m frazzled. If I could just live in these moments… especially as the sun rises on the boat but almost everybody is downstairs getting ready…

  I would be satisfied, I think. Maybe I wouldn’t be a whole person, but at least I wouldn’t have to go through any more heartache.

  I’ve had enough of that for a lifetime.

  As the sun peeks over the horizon, officially making a showing of itself, I pull out of the bay. The clients aren’t up yet, nor would I expect them to be. But Malkia is up here, slouching against the wall of the pilothouse and looking somber.

  Standing at the wheel, I look at her askance. “Everything is running smoothly downstairs?”

  Her lips curve up. “It seems that way.”

  “Sorry, um…”

  I turn my head and see Luna in her yacht uniform. Her dark parka jacket and black skirt cling to her body just as I’d imagined when I ordered them for the voyage. Swallowing, I turn back to steering the yacht.

  “What is it?” Malkia asks, pushing off the wall.

  “Emma is asking for you, Malkia,” Luna answers. “She says that she can’t find the table linens.”

  “Ah,” Malkia says, heading down to the lower deck. “I will be back as soon as I straighten this out.”

  Glancing behind me, I see that Luna is still hovering in the doorway of the pilothouse. At the moment, she seems to be ignoring me in favor of staring out at the horizon. I look forward with a sigh.

  “Are any of the clients up yet?”

  She steps forward into my line of sight, shaking her head. “No.”

  “Hmm.” I frown. “I guess if I had the money to charter this yacht for almost a month, I wouldn’t worry about what time I got up either.”

  Her brow lowers. “They are on the first morning of their vacation. Can you fault them for wanting to sleep in a little?”

  I slide a skeptical gaze toward her. “I hate wealthy people. You wait and see. I bet they’ll treat you like they treat the rest of us sooner rather than later.”

  She scoffs. “You are painting with a broad brush, Gabe. Not everyone is like that.”

  Reaching toward the colorful instrument panels, I press a couple of buttons. “You’re rich, then?”

  Her cheeks flame scarlet. “My family is, yes. Not me personally.”

  I roll my eyes. “This is going to be a reality check for you. Just because you are a doctor doesn’t mean that rich clients won’t treat you like shit. You wait and see. I know what I’m talking about.”

  She shakes her head. “I didn’t realize that you were classist, Gabe.”

  A scowl overtakes my face. “What? I am not.”

  “You are!” she declares. “Hating people just because they are wealthy is the definition of classist.”

  I feel a hot, dark center forming in my chest. “Look here, sweetheart. Just because you are a rich little daddy’s girl does not make me classist.”

  Her face contorts. “Don’t call me that!”

  I smirk. “Which part? A daddy’s girl? Or is it sweetheart that is getting your panties so tangled up?”

  She glares at me. “Both.”

  “I happen to like sweetheart.” Folding my arms across my chest, I enjoy toying with her. “It suits you, I think.”

  She makes
an aggravated noise, looking like she wants to strangle me. “I swear, if you weren’t my boss…”

  I chuckle. “You’d do what, sweetheart? You’d make me pay?”

  “You… you’re…” She balls up her fists. “A dick, to start with. And a bully, too.”

  I shake my head. “I think rich people everywhere can take it. Besides, they’ve got you to stand up for them, apparently.”

  Luna wrinkles her face. “I wouldn’t go that far. I’m not pro-wealthy people. I’m just against saying any group of people are inherently evil. Within reason, of course. I’m not going to say like… that there are probably good people that identify as neo Nazis or anything. They suck, obviously.”

  I cast an eye over her. “Anybody ever tell you that you talk a lot?”

  Her cheeks go pink and she drops her gaze. “Only everyone I met for my entire life.”

  Her answer makes me snort. “I bet that hasn’t ever deterred you in any way though, has it? A lot of people probably find it quirky and charming.”

  She sneaks a look at me. “I’ve found a way to make it work for me, if that’s what you mean.”

  My lips curl upward. It’s hard to be upset with someone with such an upbeat personality. Shaking my head again, I look out the windows. “So exactly how rich are we talking? Did you grow up in a castle? Or were you more like a semi-wealthy big old McMansion kid?”

  Blushing, she looks away, refusing to meet my gaze. “My extended family does have castles, yes. But I spent most of my time here in Seattle, being raised by a team of nannies.”

  “Well, fuck me,” I say, looking at her with a little surprise. “I was mostly kidding about living in a castle.”

  She wrinkles her nose. “Again, they are owned by my extended family. The royal bloodline looks down on us, I’m pretty sure.”

  “Royal bloodline?” I echo, stunned. “Wait, seriously?”

  She gives her head a little shake. “I’m like… technically I think forty-sixth in line for the Norwegian crown. A lot of people have to die before I’m even an option.”

  “So what you’re saying is, I should be calling you princess instead of sweetheart?”

  Luna’s cheeks flush. “I will definitely strangle you if you start calling me that.”

  I have to admit, as shocking as it is to hear the news that the girl in front of me could be a royal with a lot of bad, bad luck… it is fun to tease her about it.

  “Hm.” It’s easy to sit back with a considering expression on my face, like I’m just now making up my mind about her.

  “Seriously,” she says, sending me a threatening look. “Can we please change the subject?”

  “Of course, your highness,” I say.

  She makes a face and leans over to smack me on the arm. “You are the worst, just so you know.”

  Grinning, I glance ahead again. She settles in right next to me, leaning against the instrument board. I can actually feel her body heat from this far away. It’s pretty distracting having her here, but I can get away with it for a little while.

  “What would you rather talk about?” I ask.

  As I speak, the sun nudges its way above the horizon, spreading warmth across an otherwise dark landscape. When I glance up at Luna, her eyes are fastened on that little bit of sunlight.

  “It’s beautiful,” she murmurs, her voice awed. “Don’t you think?”

  I take a moment to soak her in. Her eyes are turned forward, giving me an unusual glimpse of Luna in profile; her blonde hair tucked up in a chignon, her smooth brow and proud nose, her pink lips and stubborn chin. She’s tiny, all her features vaguely elfin.

  “Yes,” I find myself agreeing. “Very pretty…”

  Though I’m not sure whether I am talking about the landscape or something much, much closer. She glances at me, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

  “It’s nice to know that we can get along while we are stuck in each other’s space.”

  Arching a brow, I cock my head at her. “What did you think this voyage would be like?”

  She gives a little shrug. “I wasn’t sure. You’re hard to read, honestly.”

  Normally I would consider that to be a good thing, but I’m not sure this time. I like being hard to read, but… “Why did you sign up for it if you thought there was the potential that we wouldn’t get along?”

  Luna rolls her eyes. “I had to. There was no other choice… except just not to do an internship this summer. And that wasn’t acceptable to me so…” She looks at me. “Here I am.”

  I just nod and make a vague sound of agreement. Her brows knit and she bites her lip. When she speaks, her voice drops to a whisper.

  “Are you glad that I’m here, Gabe?”

  Our eyes meet. That energy that flows and crackles between us seems to pull at us both, binding us closer together than ever. Her expression is earnest, without a trace of deception.

  Am I glad? My mouth puckers a little.

  “I’m honestly not sure,” I tell her. “I’m supposed to be worried about the boat, not wondering what to make of you. I’m the captain here. The boss. And you are an employee of mine…”

  I let the thought trail off, unsure how I would even answer her any differently if I could.

  A flicker of displeasure and hurt ripples across Luna’s face. She breaks eye contact with me. “I see.”

  She straightens, moving to leave. On impulse, I reach out and snag her by the wrist before she call pull away. She looks back at me.

  I look at her very seriously. “Luna. It’s not just you that would be affected if I were distracted from doing my job. You get that, right?”

  Her lips pinch together. She seems disappointed with my words. “Of course, captain.”

  My brows descend and I open mouth my to explain. But that’s the moment that Mal opens the door behind us with a clang.

  “Hey, Gabe—" she starts. Then she sees the way that Luna tugs her wrist from my grasp. “Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt…”

  Luna pulls herself up, smiling brightly at Malkia. “I was just going to head downstairs anyway. He’s all yours.”

  I refuse to watch her leave as she skirts past Mal. Instead I look forward, my thoughts churning like the deep, dark ocean.

  12

  Luna

  A day into our trip, I look out over the deck, inspired by the amazing scenery all around. We sail north, mostly sticking close enough the coastline that I can make out the broad strokes if not the details.

  The stark navy of the sea. The crisp white caps that appear in it occasionally, more frequent as the waves reach the rocky shores. The rugged brown soil, rising and falling with no regularity. The greenest pine trees everywhere, with the occasional brown bear or white tailed doe just visible beneath the branches.

  Everything seems so saturated with color, more so than back in Seattle at least. The winds grew brisk yesterday, cutting through my clothes with ease. Today I got wise to the weather and have been wearing my parka all day.

  There isn’t much for me to do just now. It’s after breakfast and the dishes have been cleared away. The clients have settled in the lounge downstairs and they were playing a rousing game of canasta the last time I checked.

  “Enjoying the view?”

  I turn my head and see Malkia coming upstairs, zipping her parka as she emerges onto the deck. I smile.

  “Actually, yeah. I really am. I was just looking at the coastline and sort of marveling.”

  Malkia nods, rubbing her hands together for warmth. “British Columbia is breathtaking. I always stare out at the ocean, though. I find it so…” She pauses for a second to think. “Enchanting, I suppose? It is soothing to just listen to the lap of the waves and watch them roll under the yacht.”

  I look behind me to the open sea. “I hadn’t thought of looking out there.”

  Malkia squints at the ocean. “I think there are dolphins or orcas out there right now.”

  “Really?” I walk across the boat, coming to th
e railing. Here there is less to look at and yet more at the same time. The endless sea, turning from navy to a grayish blue closer to the horizon. The sky stretches to meet it everywhere I can see.

  “There,” Malkia says, touching my shoulder and pointing. “Look.”

  She points at the sea. I squint where she indicates, staring at the water. At first, I only see the ocean rising and falling.

  Then I see a flash of something under the water, something sleek and gray and gleaming.

  “Oh!” I say, growing excited. When I turn to look at Malkia she’s heading back down the staircase to go belowdecks.

  I guess I’m going to have to be excited by myself. I stand on the deck, both hands clenching the rounded chrome of the railing, and stare.

  One of the gray bodies surfaces for a moment. They are porpoises, I think. They move so gracefully and quickly, easily outpacing our yacht.

  Malkia reappears from downstairs, leading the guests in her wake. “Luna can show you the creatures. Right Luna?”

  I smile at the way the children run up to the railing, clinging to it breathlessly.

  “Where? Where are they?” demands one boy.

  Turning back to the ocean, I spend about ten minutes pointing out the porpoises.

  The children gather around me, yammering and asking questions.

  Malkia steps in to answer anything I can’t, grinning all the while. I notice that Gabe peeks his head down from the pilothouse. He seems to be in a dark mood though, frowning at all of us.

  So I just don’t even say anything and let him vanish into his solitude again.

  As I stand there against the railing, I notice that one of the younger girls seems to be having trouble breathing.

  Touching her shoulder lightly, I check upon her. “Are you okay?”

  She nods, but she also puts her head down to her chest and lets out a wheeze.

  “Okay,” I say, putting my hands on her shoulders. “Let’s get you downstairs. Do you have asthma?”

  The little girl nods, wheezing again. “Yes.”