Secret Attractions at the Office: A Dirty Office Romance (Working Desires Book 2)

by Hazel Keys

  “Apart from falling overboard and being hopelessly embarrassed? Just fine, thanks.” I smiled back. Alex was really nice. He was good-looking, honest, and capable of hilarious moments of self-deprecating humor, but I just couldn’t let myself get involved with anyone right now.

  “I heard about that. You know I would have dived right in after you, clothes and all, right?” he said.

  “I know you would.” I smiled back. I gave his firm bicep a loving squeeze. I so wanted him to think of me as more of a friend than a romantic possibility.

  “Tara,” Alex spoke nervously, “after this charter, do you want to, maybe, go for dinner…”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I could say either "yes" or "no", but neither really did me any favors. "Yes" would be leading him on and "no" would just cause friction that I didn’t have the patience for right now. Luckily, before I could answer, in walked Captain Samson.

  “Alex,” he said, “come up to the wheelhouse, please. Tell Sam I need him too. Are you the only steward around at the moment, Tara?”

  I nodded. “The others are busy with breakfast.”

  “Then you had better come too,” he added, before turning on his heel and marching out. Alex followed him, so I hopped down from the counter to follow Alex, only for Tristan to call me back.

  “Wait, darling,” he whispered to me. “What was all that hush-hush with Alex?”

  “None of your business, Luv,” I said, trying to mimic his British accent.

  “But, did he finally say those three little words to you?” hissed Tristan.

  “Which three little words?” I grinned.

  “Me want sucky…?”

  *****

  In his dimly lit, yet elegantly presented wooden-paneled wheelhouse, Captain Samson stared out of his wide forward windows at the horizon. Alex and Sam were there, as was Mr. Harper, the first mate. I didn’t get into this room very often. Stewards and deckhands had no business up here unless we were invited. And we were only invited to be praised for an exceptional job, or fired for misconduct. The captain smiled a welcome to me and motioned for me to sit on the chair next to Alex. I felt nervous, a knot forming in my stomach.

  Since I joined this crew, two months ago, abandoning my position as chief stew on a Mediterranean yacht and flying down here, lying about my years of experience so I wouldn’t be overqualified for the third steward position that was available on Venus, I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Is the jig finally up? I wondered, have I been found out and am about to be fired? If I was, I was pretty sure Alex and especially Sam wouldn’t need to be in the room. I allowed myself to breathe a small sigh of relief at that thought.

  I quickly decided I may have reacted too soon, because I then noticed a looming darkness in the distance, off the port bow. I could see that the normally clear blue skies of the Caribbean were being smothered by black, foreboding clouds that hadn’t been there at dawn.

  “It’s bad news, I’m afraid,” frowned Samson, his English accent making every word seem slightly more ominous than it needed to be, “a storm, of which we had no idea was headed this way, switched its trajectory in from the Atlantic and is now aimed right at us. Whatever we decide to do, Tara, the guests are going to be having an indoor day today, and it might even be a rough ride. Can you brief the other stewards?”

  I nodded to him.

  “Aruba is sixty miles southeast of us, through the storm, Cap’n,” said Alex, looking at the satellite map on the monitor.

  “He’s right,” agreed Harper. “We’ll never make it if we try to head home.”

  “And even if we did make it to port and try to ride it out,” pointed out Sam, “that’s exactly where the weather will be at its worst.”

  “So, we don’t head back to port,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. The assembled men turned toward me.

  “Go on,” said Samson.

  “There’s an atoll, five miles west, it has a bay facing away from the storm. It’ll give us some shelter,” I told him, pointing it out on the map.

  “She’s right,” smiled Samson. “We might get some thunder, lightning, and rain, but we’ll be out of the worst of the wind and waves. Good thinking, Tara.”

  “How did you know about the island?” asked Alex.

  “We passed it two charters ago. I thought it was pretty.” I giggled. He didn’t need to know that you pick up certain things after seven years as cabin crew.

  “Well, it falls to me to deliver the bad news to the primary charter. Let the rest of the crew know what to expect, will you,” instructed the captain. “Everyone else, to your stations. I think we have about two hours.”

  I headed back below to give Michelle and Suzy our orders, and together we started trying to work out how we were going to keep nine wealthy clients, none of them used to being told they can’t do anything, entertained while we all waited out a hurricane.

  “Toga party!” suggested Suzy. That was pretty much her go-to plan for any eventuality but, for once, Michelle and I thought it might not be the worst idea for this group. “Seriously?” Suzy looked stunned that we’d listened to her. “I was joking! You realize a toga party with this group is likely to turn into an orgy, based on yesterday’s sundeck action.”

  “That’s their business,” said Michelle in her usual "seen-it-all-before" fashion. “The deckhands will be nearby in case things get out of hand. Together I’m sure they could even handle Jay Money if we needed them to.”

  “I was more worried about Tara, TBH,” Suzy smirked. “How do we know she’s going to be able to control herself once her hero starts dancing around naked? Just remember, sexy, all it takes is one quick face-ride to earn you your ticket home!”

  “Bitch!” I snapped, slapping her playfully on the arm. “Like you wouldn’t bend over for Jay Money if he handed you a diamond necklace!”

  “Hey, I may be a slut but I do have standards,” cried Suzy, defensively, “I’d need matching earrings!”

  “Okay,” appealed Michelle. “Can we focus, please?” Suzy and I tried to pull ourselves together. “However, Tara, you were wrong about the breakfasts.”

  “No way!” I was shocked.

  “Yes way,” Michelle continued. “Seth had bacon, not ham.”

  Chapter 11:Seth

  When the captain came by with his unfortunate announcement, I can’t say I was too annoyed. Most of the ladies were upset, no doubt looking forward to another day of baking in the glorious sunshine, and a couple of the younger ones, the sultry Latino Valentina and Jay’s slim blonde Jessica especially, seemed to be acting like the captain was deliberately being no fun, perhaps creating this bad weather just to upset their plans.

  I could tell, though, Samson clearly had years of practice in dealing with petulant one-percenters and was able to calmly pacify them, reassuring everyone present that things would return to normal as soon as possible. His quiet yet firm voice and pleasant demeanor did the trick and he promised the stewards would try extra hard to ensure we all had a great time. As he spoke, the skies darkened noticeably and a distant rumble of thunder added some extra weight to his argument, and he quickly excused himself so he could pilot us to safety.

  Only minutes later, the stewards appeared. All three came in full of smiles and energy, joined by the cute little deckhand, Sofia, holding champagne bottles and glasses. I could feel Mia’s eyes on me as Tara came in last, and I was painfully aware that all four girls, this time, wore only white sheets wrapped carefully around their slim and shapely bodies. Wolf whistles filled the air. Each girl had their hair piled and pinned high on top of their heads, were liberally covered in shimmering golden glitter, and had used a kind of gold paint to draw some ancient pagan symbols on their faces.

  “Nobly gathered Gods and Goddesses,” announced Tara. She’d never looked more stunning, the gold flecks in her hair and glistening on her skin, the golden lipstick and eyeshadow she had used to highlight her beautiful features. She actually does look lik
e a goddess, just like she did in my dream, I thought. She’d clearly drawn the role of compere in this little skit. “Now our Lord Neptune has departed to shelter us from the storm, allow me to introduce your hostesses for the afternoon.” I could see she was quite at home, playacting like this.

  The other girls were bringing in more white, rolled up sheets. “Before you, I stand as Juno, queen and goddess of the sky,” Tara continued, taking a bow. “While this delightful creature is Diana, goddess of the hunt,” she pointed at Sofia, who produced a small plastic bow and arrow as proof. “To my left is the mythical goddess of love, Venus,” Tara indicated Suzy, who raised up to her full height and mimicked the goddess’s pose on her clamshell, from the famous Botticelli nude. “And last,” Tara introduced Michelle, “Athena, the fearsome goddess of war and wisdom. Try not to piss her off.” Michelle waved a plastic sword fiercely. There was laughter all around.

  Some of the other guests were already tying sheets around themselves as togas, while I took the offered champagne. Even George and Valentina were smiling at each other as she stripped down to a bikini and he helped her cover herself with a sheet. Jay Money barely moved, but his eyes widened as more of the girls decided to discard their shirts and tops to wear the togas more comfortably.

  Mia confidently and expertly coiled the white material around her shapely body before shimmying out of her sun shorts, cleverly keeping her underwear hidden from view, then laying a long, bare, and beautifully shaped leg across my lap. I smiled up at her but shook my head as she offered a sheet for me to wear.

  “The nymphs are prepared?” I heard Tara ask in a regal tone.

  “All set,” Michelle called back, as she struggled to pin a tight sheet in place around Coco’s impressive bust.

  “Then we must anoint our gods.” Tara continued. The other three staff produced golden wreaths and stepped toward the male guests. Sofia walked solemnly up to Mick and placed her wreath on his head. “Mercury,” said Tara, “the fastest of all the gods.” He beamed a smile around the room, happy with his title.

  Suzy approached Jay Money. “Vulcan,” called Tara, “god of fire and symbol of male virility.” Jay threw up a gang sign as Suzy crowned him and quietly acknowledged his fertility symbol status.

  “Pluto,” announced Tara, as Michelle placed her golden wreath on George’s head, “god of wealth and the underworld." Valentina laughed and shoved him, knocking his leafy crown off. I couldn’t help a chuckle as he scrabbled around on the floor looking for it. The staff had clearly put a lot of thought into this party.

  “And finally,” I couldn’t help my eyes widening a touch as Tara singled me out and approached. My heart was thumping in my chest as she came, looking me straight in the eye. “My king of the gods with the power of the thunderbolt.” My mouth was dry and my skin felt like it was sizzling. Why did this seem to mean so much? All I had running through my head was the image of her kissing me, last night.

  Tara raised her hands to crown me but Mia stopped her. She looked petrified as her gaze jumped to my girlfriend. Mia smiled a polite smile at her, then gently took the wreath and placed it on my head herself. “Jupiter,” Tara finished, looking as though she finally let out the breath she was holding. Incredibly, thunder crashed in the distance, adding some dramatic meaning to my anointment and causing a gentle laugh all around. “That was supposed to happen,” grinned Tara, regaining some composure and getting a bigger laugh. I looked around the room at all the others. I was the only one still wearing a shirt and pants, but I was determined to stay that way.

  I tried to catch Tara’s eye again. I just wanted some acknowledgment of the kiss from her but, frustratingly, she seemed always busy. I thought I managed to get a quick smile from her at one point, but it vanished just as fleetingly as George asked her for more champagne.

  *****

  Venus seemed to be moving along at a brisk pace now, while rain had begun to lash at the windows. Inside the main guest lounge, however, we were being served lunch. The chef had originally prepped an exotic seafood salad, with crab, oysters, shrimp, and lobster but, considering the weather, at the last minute he paired it with a thick, fish-based soup with plenty of cream, to keep everyone a little warmer. It was so successful, I asked Tristan to come up personally so everyone could all thank him.

  As the afternoon wore on, even once we were moored and sheltering in a secluded bay, Venus was suffering through some choppy waters. The girls kept the party going, but playing twister as the boat lurched from side to side made it a fight for anyone trying to maintain any dignity. Mick and Jay Money mainly seemed to be entertaining themselves as spectators, enjoying the view as Antonia, Coco, Jessica, and Valentina, only wrapped in short togas, bent over and around each other and left very little to the two guys’ imaginations.

  George looked pretty green around the gills for most of the afternoon. The poor guy was not enjoying the rough seas. Mia and I sat at the bar again. However, when Mia finally excused herself, I saw Tara hand the spinning pointer over to Suzy and make her way over to refill my glass.

  “I’ve been longing to talk to you,” I whispered as she poured more scotch. “It’s been so hard, though.”

  She smiled back at me. “It’s okay, we don’t need to talk.”

  “What do you mean? You kissed me, Tara!” I hissed, a little too loudly.

  Tara looked around the room. Thankfully no one seemed to have heard me. “Please don’t,” she pleaded. “I’ll lose my job.”

  “I’m sorry,” I told her. I didn’t want to get her in trouble. I just liked her and I felt like she liked me too. “It’s just… I can’t stop thinking about it…” About you, I was going to say. I opened my mouth to tell her, only there was a sudden and almighty crash right above us, and it felt like the world was ending.

  I had no idea what was happening. I heard a colossal bang, followed by a loud shattering of glass. Then screams. I looked over to see guests and staff alike diving for cover as broken glass rained down on the whole lounge.

  I had only an instant to react. I didn’t think, I just leaped over the bar, grabbing Tara as I flew through the air and taking us both toward the back wall. I couldn’t stop myself landing prone on her but, at least, I could use my body to keep her shielded from anything that might come down on us. We lay still, silently staring into each other’s eyes as I sensed sparks flashing around us and felt pieces of glass bouncing off my back. It was intense. Neither of us knew if this was about to be our last second alive. I wanted to kiss her again. In that moment, about to die, it was all I could think about.

  “Is everyone okay?” I heard Michelle’s strong voice, after what seemed like an eternity. All the commotion had died down. Alarms were going off across the boat and I looked up to see Sofia gather up her toga and run to help the other deckhands. Fortunately, it seemed the glass that formed the skylights in the lounge was made of that toughened safety glass and we now seemed to be surrounded by small, ragged, marble-like pieces capable of doing us no more harm than a little light hail, so happily, there were no injuries more serious than a couple of bruises.

  I got up and helped Tara, then we stood face to face, brushing each other clean of broken glass. “Are you okay?” I managed to ask. Before Tara could answer, Mia appeared, having returned from the bathroom just after the disaster.

  Wind and rain were now whipping their way through the hole in the cabin roof. I looked up and saw the reason the glass had smashed. The top of the main mast had fallen through the ceiling and was now buried in the floor behind the bar, almost exactly where Tara had been standing. There were still a few small flames crackling along the broken, charred shaft, where a bolt of lightning must have hit it. I saw Suzy grab an extinguisher and deal with the small fire, but we could still see the bigger flames on top of the remains of the mast, high above us.

  “Everyone into the dining room please,” called Michelle and, keen to get out of the rain that was now lashing down on us, we quickly obeyed.

  “I
guess you owe him your life again,” said Mia to Tara, not looking at her. She threw her arms around my neck and whispered in my ear, “You’re so sexy when you’re brave. Quite the hero.”

  “Yeah, he’s making a habit of it,” said Tara, quietly. “Please, if you’ll both go through.”

  Before long, the deckhands had safely dealt with the fire on the mast and Captain Samson was addressing us, reassuring us that all was well. Apart from the mast, he told us, there was no damage to Venus and no further cause for alarm. The boat’s radio was now out of order, but the internet was still working and, in case of dire emergency, there was a satellite phone. “That’s life at sea, folks,” he ended with, cheerfully.

  Obviously shaken by the accident, the mood in the dining room was somber. Each couple or, in Jay Money Monarch’s case, threesome, cuddled together while Michelle, Tara, and Suzy served drinks and tried to remain upbeat.

  As the time rolled past three in the afternoon, however, we saw the clouds part and radiant, heavenly sunshine began to scorch the sundeck, steaming away the gathered raindrops with alarming speed. Surprisingly, Mia was first to run back to the light, dragging me with her and discarding her bikini top almost immediately, then demanding I rub oil into her bare shoulders and back. The other girls quickly followed us and soon, with the skies clear and the ocean mirror flat once again, it was like nothing had happened. The stewards went back to their shifts, two serving drinks while one rested below, while my friends returned to their alcohol, sunshine, and sex-fueled frolics again in the lead up to dinner.

  Chapter 12:Tara

  Following the same plan as yesterday, I ate below as Suzy and Michelle served dinner. Our togas were gone, replaced by our stewards’ black, Asian-inspired tunics, and we’d toned down our makeup. Still, I was more simply pushing food around my plate than actually eating. The roast lamb and potatoes Tristan had made for the crew was excellent, of course, I just couldn’t seem to stomach it.