by Anthology
“Rules are meant to be broken.” He once again enabled my irresponsible behavior.
“I need to talk to him. I need to know, if we’re going to continue to play with fire, what will happen when we get burned? He has a lot more to lose than I do. I can pick up and start over. I have a few measly months under my belt. He has years. He’s worked very hard for his success, and he deserves better than me ruining his career.”
“Stop it!” he barked so loudly that I jumped. Ricky looked around the lounge, daring anyone to glance our way. In a low, harsh whisper, he said, “Look at me.” He waited for me to meet his gaze. “You are not a loser or a scatterbrained floozy. You are an ambitious, fearless, kind, loving, compassionate, talented, gorgeous young woman who is making a huge impression on the cruising world and who will go very far in her career. As far as Marco goes, I’ve never seen him this happy in seven years. He cares about you very much. Do you love him?” I wasn’t ready to admit that to Ricky or anyone. Of course, I loved him. I looked down at my plate and he said, “I thought so.”
“It’s complicated.”
“There’s nothing complicated about falling in love. People cause the complications.”
“Ricky, it’s not as simple as you make it.”
“Maybe not, but love deserves a chance, even if some corporate suits say otherwise.”
“Those corporate suits say yes or no to our careers.”
“It’s a fucking job, Rebecca. You’ll get another. He’ll get another. Such is life. Say I’m right.”
“You’re right,” I immediately repeated just to appease him. He gave me a scathing look, not at all convinced.
“Don’t ruin a good thing.” He shoved a French fry in his mouth and smiled deviously. “Now tell me all the details of your beach outing, and leave nothing out because I’ll know.”
I laughed and threw a grape at him. “You need to get your own sex life and stop living vicariously through mine.”
“This way is much more fun. No chance of catching an STD, and I get to hold what I want over Marco’s head.”
Chapter Twelve – Marco
I COULDN’T BELIEVE HOW fast time was flying by. Another departure was upon us. My staff was doing a fantastic job. Most importantly, I was enjoying every moment I spent with Rebecca. Our time on the beach was a gift. We hadn’t been able to steal any alone time after St. Maarten, and we were due. As soon as Ricky arrived, I planned on grilling him for this week’s itinerary, and I wasn’t referring to the one regarding the ship.
I was neck-deep in paperwork. It’s how every week began and ended. On the first ring, I distractedly picked up my phone.
“Puglia.”
“Mr. Puglia.”
The raspy, stick-up-her-ass voice came over my phone like nails on a chalkboard. I could tell her voice anywhere. “Aida.”
“Can you come over to headquarters?”
“Now? I have a cruise to prepare for.”
“I am quite aware. Regardless, I still need you to come here as soon as possible.”
The blood in my veins ran cold.
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
They knew. There was no other reason Human Resources would have me running over to Corporate just hours before departure.
Fanculo!
We were so careful. How the hell did they find out?
I left a message on Ricky’s desk phone and asked him to keep it to himself. Even though I suspected, I was hoping this impromptu meeting was about something else. Robotically, I left the ship, hailed a cab, and fifteen minutes later was sitting in the same conference room where we’d offered Rebecca the job.
“Thanks for coming right over,” Aida said. I was happy no one else was here. True, Aida ran the human resources department, but the fact that her boss wasn’t here was a good sign. She watched me suspiciously as I sat stone still. There was no doubt this shrew was sporting a hard-on for some reason... It was written all over her face.
“What’s this about, Aida?” I asked, cutting right to the chase.
“There’s been a formal complaint filed against you and Ms. Stanton.”
“What’s the complaint?”
“Are you and Ms. Stanton currently engaged in a sexual relationship?” The way she said it made it sound so dirty.
“I have the right to ask who filed such a complaint.” I avoided the question.
“A member of your staff filed one anonymously. They fear backlash and refuse to come forward. They included a specific time and day that Ms. Stanton was seen arriving and leaving your stateroom.”
“This is ridiculous. Do they have proof? Otherwise, it’s their word against mine. How do I know it’s not a vindictive way to punish me for some reason?” Dina immediately came to mind. She couldn’t know for sure. She must have suspected and took a chance that it was true. How the fuck did she see Rebecca coming to my stateroom? Either way, she was fucking with our lives and that wasn’t acceptable.
“At this time, this is merely an informal discussion. So, you’re denying the accusations?”
“I’m merely requesting information that I feel I have the right to know.”
She pursed her lips in disapproval, causing the wrinkles around her mouth to deepen. I sat calmly, waiting for her next move. My insides were anything but calm. I felt like I could throw up. My brain was rambling off a million thoughts, and they were all in Italian. I needed to keep things professional, but the urge to tell this woman to go fuck herself sat on the tip of my tongue.
“Mr. Puglia, based on the complaint and your refusal to confirm or deny, I need to inform my supervisor. We would have to bring Ms. Stanton in for questioning. Sunset Cruise Lines has strict policies restricting relations between superiors and their staff. Sexual harassment is not something we take lightly here at Sunset. If she felt her job was on the line or threatened in any way, we would be forced to proceed with disciplinary action. The same holds true if it’s reverse harassment and she were blackmailing you for any reason.”
“Unless it’s consensual,” I interrupted.
“It’s still against company policy. Either way, we need to question Ms. Stanton.”
“This is ridiculous. She’s a valuable employee to this organization who has worked tirelessly at performing her job responsibilities above and beyond expectations. I refuse to have this fabricated story blemish her reputation.” My cool façade began to crumble as my face turned beet red.
“So, once again…are you denying the allegations?”
“I’ve been blindsided and have the right to know how this affects my job before I answer any questions that I feel are merely to appease your curiosity. There must be a policy to protect innocent victims from malicious lies.” I was absolutely bluffing, and I hoped to God she didn’t realize it.
“Well noted.” She handed me a folder and said, “Although you were supplied this when you accepted the job as cruise director, here’s another copy of the policy detailing relations between executives and their staff.”
“I want to know exactly what would happen to Ms. Stanton in either circumstance.” When I asked, my voice sounded shaky to my own ears.
“Well, if you and she are indeed having a relationship, Ms. Stanton would be formally questioned to be sure there weren’t any harassment charges against you. She would then be transferred to another position within the company.”
“On a different ship,” I voiced out loud.
“Yes.”
“What if I were to request a transfer? Could this be kept confidential?”
“I would still need to question her. If she were to confirm it was indeed consensual, then I would file your transfer request immediately.”
“Would her staff or coworkers find out?”
“No. The information would remain with Human Resources, and her file would be marked confidential.”
“Fine. When would you need my formal statement?”
“When you pull back into port next weekend, you and Ms. Sta
nton would meet with me to discuss your options.”
“And in the meantime?”
“If there is something going on, then I suggest you refrain. Otherwise, since you’ve been warned, I’ll be forced to follow through with disciplinary action.”
***
WHAT CAUSED SMART people to make stupid mistakes? How could I even think that my relationship with Rebecca was a stupid mistake? How could I not?
I prided myself on being a very levelheaded, logical, and intelligent man. I knew going in, there was a huge risk. I pushed it aside, and that was a stupid thing to do. I guess deep, deep down inside I’d never considered feeling something for her. In my defense, I never went into a relationship with thoughts of eternal love. Looking back, of course, I would have fallen for Rebecca. She was utterly perfect in every way. I knew the day I met her that she would be trouble for me.
Stupido!
Now we both faced termination from the jobs we loved. I fucked up.
I paged Ricky and waited for him to finally make an appearance. When I needed him, of course, he was missing in action. In the meantime, I combed through the policy, hoping a loophole bounced off the pages and smacked me in the face. I read through it twice, and no such loophole existed.
Ricky walked in, looking stressed and anxious. It wasn’t a look that suited him. He shut the door and sat across from me.
“What the hell happened?”
I quickly filled him in and watched his expression turn from anger to fear.
“Fuck. How the hell did this happen? We were so careful.”
I shrugged but didn’t bother to respond with words. Everything I wanted to say would need translation, and I was too tired.
“It’s that bitch—I know it,” Ricky went on.
I absolutely agreed, but I didn’t voice that out loud. “We may never know. It doesn’t matter. I feel completely responsible for this mess.”
“We knew this could happen. You’ll just explain you and Rebecca fell in love.
“Ricky, they don’t care. What the hell was I thinking? Non stavo pensando con la testa giusta.” When I realized I had slipped back into Italian, I explained, “I wasn’t thinking with the right head.”
“Don’t try to pretend it was just physical, Marco. I won’t let you do that. You two found something beautiful in each other. It’s not fucking fair that it comes down to a stupid policy.”
“It’s a policy we knew existed and we blatantly ignored. A policy we knew could get us fired.” I scrubbed a hand over my face, hating myself more and more with each passing minute. “It’s my fault. I need to tell her. The alternative is I ignore her all week, and I won’t hurt her like that.” I let out a sarcastic huff when I realized that I already had hurt her. “It’s a no-win situation. I got her into this mess, and I need to fix it.”
“I clearly remember a conversation where she said she was a big girl, and she knew what she was getting herself into. It’s no one’s fault that you two fell for each other. It’s fucking life!”
“Ricky, we need to keep it professional,” I warned him.
He glanced toward the door and muttered an apology. “Marco, some things are more important than a job.”
I met his eyes, wanting so badly to agree with him. Instead, I ignored his comment and said, “Schedule a meeting with her later tonight. A real one.”
“She’s going to want to know what it’s about.”
“Lie. Tell her that you don’t know.”
He shook his head, “No way. She’ll never buy it.”
“Does it matter?” I asked, losing my patience. Glancing at my watch, I added, “It’s getting late. We have work to do.”
“What we have is a shitload of pretending to do, and it’s complete bullshit.” He stood and walked toward the door. “There has to be a solution.”
There was, I thought. There was only one solution.
Chapter Thirteen – Rebecca
SOMETHING WAS GOING ON. My first hint—Ricky was acting strangely. My second—I hadn’t seen Marco all day. When I finally saw him, he was back to avoiding me. Not in the normal, pretending kind of way, but in the way he did when I had just started working for him. This time his avoidance was much worse…because I wasn’t merely attracted to him; I was now in love with him.
When Ricky said Marco needed to see me in his office later in the day, my heartbeat raced from nerves. I knew Ricky lied when he claimed he had no idea what it was about. He squeezed my hand and said, “I’ll talk to you later,” before walking away without a backward glance.
I moved through my tasks in a daze. My staff even noticed my distraction and asked if I was okay. I feared the worst and worried things were about to change drastically for Marco and me.
The look on his face when I stood at his office door caused my legs to shake.
“Come in,” he said without emotion.
I automatically went to close the door, but he stopped me and asked to leave it open.
Wordlessly, I sat across from him while trying desperately to control my erratic breathing.
“Rebecca, I was called into headquarters this morning by Aida Henson. It seems there has been an anonymous complaint filed against us, alleging an inappropriate relationship. We will both need to meet with Human Resources when we return to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday.”
“What?” I asked, stunned. I heard what he said and watched his emotionless face deliver the news, but my brain wasn’t registering the enormity.
He repeated his prepared statement, only slower and with even less emotion.
“Marco…” I looked at him, feeling defeated.
He shook his head and slipped me a folded piece of paper. His eyes widened, prompting me to read it.
Bella. I was told I couldn’t interact with you other than in a professional manner until we met with personnel. Please don’t be scared. I will figure this out. In the meantime, proceed as normal and wait for further instruction.
I folded the note and stuffed it into my pocket. “I can assure you, Mr. Puglia, that I am completely committed to my job and intend to cooperate with management in every way.”
He nodded sadly but remained silent. I could feel his eyes follow me as I left his office. How was I supposed to go about my day or my job knowing we’ve been exposed…yet not knowing who it was who contacted personnel? He said to proceed as normal? My legs were shaking so badly I could barely walk in a straight line. Acting normal wasn’t going to be easy.
I checked my watch and figured out I had about thirty minutes before dinner. I made my way to my cabin to think this through. Once there, I shut the world out from my thoughts and focused on the situation.
With every week that passed, I knew we were just living on borrowed time, and we needed more time. When we started this, either it wouldn’t work out between us and no one would be the wiser…or we’d progress into a committed relationship. I never expected to be “outed” before then. We were extremely careful. The fact that someone tipped off management scared me. How much did they know, or did they merely suspect something was going on?
After our date at Orient Bay, I decided I would give up my job in a heartbeat. Ricky was right. Love didn’t come around so easily for everyone. Marco may not have said those exact words yet, but I knew he loved me. I could tell. I wasn’t expecting a proposal, maybe just a promise. Could I eventually see myself married to Marco? Absolutely, but it was just too soon. Either way, I’d have to move to a different department, and I was fine with that until we figured out our next move.
Now everything between us hung in the balance, and I felt responsible. He could be facing some serious repercussions from our actions. I needed to make it very clear to them that this was consensual, I pursued him, and all responsibilities remained with me.
Now, if only the moment of truth weren’t a week away because, with every moment that passed, my bravery was compromised.
***
STUCK BETWEEN SLEEP and a semiconscious state, I rolled
over, ignoring the sound I heard. When another faint knock echoed through my cabin for the second time, I knew I wasn’t dreaming. It was only one a.m., although it felt like I had been asleep for hours. My heart raced when I opened the door to Marco.
He quickly pushed past me and quietly shut the door.
“Marco, what are you doing here? You can get into more trouble.”
“I don’t care. I miss you.” He wrapped me in his arms and held me tight against his body. “I can’t stand this. The more they keep us apart, the angrier I get.”
I clung to him, never wanting to let go. “Marco, there’s so much I want to tell you.”
“Me too, bella,” he whispered against my hair. With a single finger, he lifted my chin until I looked up into his eyes. “First thing I need to say is I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head at his apology. “This wasn’t all on you. We both knew what we were risking, but, Marco, I can’t say that I regret it.”
His eyes scanned my face, confusion mixing with sadness. “How can you not?”
“Do you regret it?” I asked, scared to hear his honest answer.
“No,” he immediately responded. “I can’t say I do. But things are different for me. I can very well walk away with a slap on my wrist and a reprimand. I fear this will tarnish your future with Sunset.”
“Then I’ll leave Sunset.”
He shook his head forcefully. “No. You love this job. You finally found your calling. I can’t have you give that up.”
“I feel the same way,” I responded with so much emotion, my eyes welled up with tears that I wasn’t expecting. “This is your career that you’ve worked so hard at. It’s not fair that we can’t be together.” He gave me a small smile before kissing my lips gently.
When he broke our kiss, I buried my face in his chest to catalogue the feel of his soft shirt, his scent, and the way his arms felt around my body. I needed to remember it all when we were apart. He lifted me without warning and placed me on his lap as he sat on my bed.
