The Ruthless Gentleman(14)

I pulled open the door and came face-to-face with Hayden Wolf.





Six





Hayden


I hadn’t been on this boat a full hour and already things weren’t working out. I’d given specific instructions that these rooms down here were to remain locked and that I should have the only keys. “What are you doing down here?” I snapped at Avery, trying to stay calm, but my fingernails were digging into my palms.

Avery swallowed and bowed her head in a gesture that in any other situation I might have found arousing, but right now, I wanted answers. “I’m sorry. I was just checking you had everything you needed. Providing fresh towels, freshening up your room. That’s all.” She lifted her arms to show me the hand towel I’d used once that she was grasping.

“Everything I needed? What I need is privacy—people keeping out of my business.” Should I just pack my bags and leave? I glanced behind her at my room. What had she been doing in there? I’d taken so many precautions. “Why are you snooping?”

“Mr. Wolf, it’s my job to make sure you have seven-star service on this yacht. I take that responsibility seriously.”

“But what I requested was privacy. You told me I had the only keys.”

“You do, but of course I have a set. I don’t count. I’m invisible if I’m doing my job. I’m here to get you what you want before you realize you need it—to anticipate your desires. I’m not going to wait to be asked to change your towels or empty your trash. I’m not doing my job if you’re focusing on anything other than what an incredible time you’re having.”

I sucked in a deep breath. She might have passion for what she did, but it wasn’t what I’d asked for. “I’m going to have an incredible time if I can get my work done privately without having to be worried that the requests I make aren’t being adhered to.”

She winced as if ignoring the wishes of a guest was actually painful to her. She looked contrite and seemed genuine, but I’d lost confidence in my ability to judge people. “I’m sorry if I’ve done anything that you didn’t want me to, and if it was up to me I would be happy to give you my key, but if you want to stop me from having access to your room then we need to speak to Captain Moss.”

The last thing I expected was for her to suggest we go to her boss. “You’re saying he insists you change my towels before I notice them?”

“No, he leaves that stuff to me. But he’ll have different concerns. He’s in the wheelhouse.”

She led the way upstairs and I tried not to notice the way her near-perfect bottom filled out her khaki skirt. Any other time in my life, if I’d been faced with a woman as beautiful as Avery Walker, especially one who said she wanted to anticipate my desires, she would have been naked and pinned underneath me within thirty minutes of meeting her. I got the impression Avery didn’t realize how alluring and sexy she was. It kind of oozed out of her, in every step she took, every movement. But I wasn’t about to lose my focus over Avery Walker. I wanted to know what these concerns of Captain Moss were and why the hell my simple request for privacy had been ignored.

Avery knocked, then waited for Captain Moss to answer before opening the door. We might not be in the Royal Navy but there was a very clear chain of command. We took two steps up into a bright, semicircular room overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Captain Moss’ eyes slid from Avery to me. “Mr. Wolf. Is everything alright?”

Avery clasped her hands behind her back and glanced at me.

When I didn’t speak, she explained. “Mr. Wolf found me refreshing his room and is concerned that I have a key,” she said, and shook her head, pressing her full lips together.

Captain Moss nodded. “I see.”

He either wasn’t surprised or was well used to keeping his emotions in check.

“Do I need to be concerned?” he asked Avery.

“Not from what I saw,” she replied.

I’d lost the train of this conversation. It sounded as if Avery had been searching my room. “I thought I was clear that two rooms needed to be secure and that I was to have the only set of keys,” I said.

“Well, I’m sure you want Avery to be able to do her job. And even if you didn’t, there’s no way I can be shut out of any room on this yacht. Let me explain,” the captain said, gesturing to banquette seating at a small, polished oval table overlooking the ocean.

I took a seat, careful as always not to let my frustration show. Captain Moss took a seat the other side of the table.

“As captain, I’m subject to an enormous amount of regulation. A room I do not have access to—whether that’s directly or through my chief stewardess—is not acceptable. What happens on this boat is my responsibility.”

“You’re saying that you snoop on all your guests?”

“Absolutely not. And it is not our intention to snoop on you. As chief stewardess, Avery has a set of keys so she can do her job and ensure you have the best possible stay. I’ve worked with her before and she’s as straight as a die—I trust her completely. But I asked her to see if we needed to be worried about anything. You bring drugs on board this boat and I’m out of a job.”

“Drugs?” I asked. Did I look like I did drugs? Was my suit a little too loud?