*Shelby*The sun was streaming through the glass doors of the balcony when I finally opened my eyes. My head was pounding from a lack of sleep and caffeine. I wanted to order coffee up to my room, but I needed to shower too badly to wait. After running all the way to the yacht and then sitting in the sauna with Michael, I was salty with dried sweat.I probably should have showered last night, but, after reaching my room in the early morning hours, I collapsed on the bed and had fallen asleep in my clothes.I walked into the bathroom, expecting to look like a mess from all the events of the night, my clothes were extremely wrinkled, but I was surprised to see my hair still looked flawless.“I wish I could afford to get a blowout more often,” I said to my reflection, pulling on a few strands as I admired the style.I put my hair up and stepped into the hot water of the shower, washing off the previous day. I stood under the steaming water until I was getting a
*Shelby*The clock read 4:30 pm before I finally got out of bed and dressed for the day. I picked out a form-fitting sundress with a delicate blue shell pattern along the hemline.It was one of the pieces that Michael purchased for me at Amorebelle. I wasn’t used to wearing dresses, but I wanted to look nice when I saw him. I carefully did my makeup at the vanity table in my bathroom, purposely emphasizing my eyes, which were my favorite feature. As I stepped back and looked in the mirror, I was impressed with my own appearance; I looked like I belonged–almost.I made my way to Michael’s secret deck. My heart pounded against my ribcage as I got closer. I stopped as I rounded the corner to the private location; all I could see was the back of Michael’s head as he was holding a phone to his ear. The muscles in his shoulders were tense, and I could tell by his low tone that the conversation was not a pleasant one.“What do you mean he is threatening to contact m
*Michael*I made my way up to dinner alone. I silently wished Shelby would be joining us. She was one of the only ones in the group that I actually cared to have a conversation with. However, it might be for the best that she wasn’t coming. I found myself always drawn to her, and if I weren’t more careful, Lauren would catch on to my interest in her friend.I knew that would not go over well.I was the last one to arrive, and I took the only seat available next to Lauren’s new fiance, Todd. “I never got the chance to congratulate you on the engagement last night,” I said as I shook Todd’s hand. “I rushed out because I had an urgent business matter I had to attend to.”I hoped that would adequately explain my quick departure the night before. I felt a little guilty that I had not stayed to celebrate and instead took off after Shelby to make sure she was okay.If I was being honest with myself, my evening spent with Shelby, talking in the sauna, was
*Shelby*“I am a normal person,” I said again, with a smile as we walked. Reggie looked at me and raised a single eyebrow with skepticism.“You don’t believe me?” I asked.“Right, because us normal people get invited to one of the largest private yachts in the world as guests all the time. You don’t have to pretend you’re not rich to fit in with the crew. They will like you because you are actually nice,” Reggie said.“I am the furthest thing from rich,” I laughed.“Oh, yeah? Prove it,” Reggie said with a teasing smile on his face.I quickly pulled out my phone and found a picture of me and my two roommates in our apartment and showed it to Reggie.“What does this prove?” he asked.“This is a picture of me and my two roommates, Lin and Aubrey; we are sitting in the living room of our one-bedroom apartment. I am a bartender at a little dive bar, and I currently have two hundred and thirty dollars in my bank account,” I said matter of factly.
*Shelby*“Get your ass to bed before I throw you off my ship.”I fumbled for the doorknob at my back, and the door swung open behind me, almost causing me to trip backward inside. Michael followed me into the room a few seconds later, leaving Todd out in the hall.I thought that this was probably for the best because Michael looked like he really might throw Todd over the side of the ship. Michael locked the door behind him, and I made my way to the bed and sat down, trying to catch my breath. I felt safer with Michale here.He came over to me and placed his hands on each side of my face looking into my eyes. Worry swam in his, and I nearly pulled his mouth to mine.“Did he hurt you? Shelby, you have to tell me if he hurt you.”“I’m fine, really. I’m just a little shaken up, but I will be okay.”He continued to hold my face in his hands as if he were inspecting it to reassure himself that I wasn’t hurt. I had to keep my eyes focused on his so t
*Michael*Once I’m in the hall, I open the text message that interrupted my conversations with ShelbyLucille: Do you know someone named Blaine?That simple sentence made my stomach drop. He was now contacting family members.I made my way back to the privacy of my office for the second time in the same night. I closed the door behind me before dialing my cousin Lucille’s number. “Michael, I am so glad you called me. I just had the strangest conversation with someone named Blaine. I was just getting out of the bath when I got a call from an unknown number. Now, usually I don’t answer the phone if I don’t know the number, but I gave my information to this adorable man at the coffee shop earlier today, so I figured it was him.”“Lucille, this is important; I need you to tell me exactly what Blaine said to you.” I had to keep Lucille focused on the topic; she’d always been a talker, but at that moment, I couldn’t politely listen to all of her stories in the
*Shelby*The last thing I wanted to do was run into Todd, especially after his actions the night before; I thought it would be wise to avoid him completely. Book in hand, I headed to the secret deck off of the dining room balcony, where I had shared a few quiet moments with Michael.I figured it would be the best place for me to hide out and also possibly run into Michael again. He had left in such a rush the night before; I was curious to find out what’d happened.I checked down the hallway before speed walking to the dining room. As soon as my hand hit the doorknob, Lauren’s voice sounded behind me.“Shelby, I have been looking for you everywhere!”I turned around quickly, and I was relieved to see that Lauren was alone. She was wearing a one-piece swimming suit in navy blue with the bust line cutting down to her belly button. She had a white sun hat placed on her waves of perfect curls and a pair of Chanel sunglasses to complete her beachwear.“Lauren,”
*Shelby*“I am so sorry; we didn’t realize you were out here. We will give you some privacy,” Reggie said as he kept his head down and shuffled through the sand back to the dock.“We aren’t leaving for a few more hours,” Michael said, holding my gaze as tightly as I was holding the open book to my chest. “Take your time and enjoy yourself. I will make sure no one comes down and bothers you if you would like to resume reading.”Michael winked at me and then followed Reggie back to the dock. I watched him as he walked away, his neatly pressed linen button-up fluttering gently in the breeze. Once he and Reggie were at a safe distance, I grabbed my shirt off of the lounge chair next to me and slipped it over my head.I let myself fall backward on the plush cushions and closed my eyes, imagining Michael undressing me the way he had done with his eyes when he realized I was wearing nothing save for my bralette. A wave of heat rushed through me at the th