“You should call Barron,” she says, limping along. “I may need some help to get on board.”
If there was ever a time for the earth to open up and swallow me whole, it would be now.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Resigned, I pull out my cell phone and press the button to call James. Each time the phone rings, I want to hurl.
How did I go from avoiding Barron McClelland to having to explain how I practically crippled his mother?
Chapter Two
Barron
“Do you think you can manage a smile?” Holly sets a martini in front of me before taking a seat.
“You have me sitting at a bar to watch a few hundred passengers march by, and you expect me to be thrilled about it?”
Her lips pull into a particular smile that usually hides a giantfuck you. “I have you sitting at The Martini Bar. It’s going to be the most popular spot on the ship,” she clarifies.
With her considerable PR experience, I have no doubt she’ll make it successful.
“You’re at the place you need to be in order to be seen. So don’t be an asshole around these people.”
“I have no intention of making a spectacle of myself.” I reach for the martini and grimace. My preference runs to a drink where the smoky liquid offers a pleasant heat as it slides down my throat. Instead, I get this.
Annoyed, I toss the mint leaves aside and take a drink of the damn concoction then reconsider. I don’t know what this is, but it’s pretty damn good.
“That’s why I didn’t tell you,” she declares. “These people didn’t come here to go on a cruise, Barron. They passed two other ships along the way.”
She glances at the stream of passengers boarding, some with celebrity status and a sizable entourage in tow.
“Barron McClelland.” Someone says my name loud enough to be heard over the constant chatter.
“Barron?” Someone else picks up.
There are several women sizing me up, which annoys the fuck out of me.
“They came to be a part of your world. Because even with all the records they sell and all the games they win, they’ll never match your portfolio.”
I grunt in reply, but she’s not wrong. The social sites throw around words likeelusive multibillionaire,most eligible, andon his way to being the richest man in the world.
“They paid a goddamn fortune for the privilege,” she points out.
There’s no arguing that. At minimum, the luxury line runs twenty-five thousand per head, the price tag guaranteeing a certain exclusivity. Not that any one of them would want the press to learn they’d cheaped out at the base rate.
TheIce Maidenis the crown jewel of my business empire. I committed my heart and soul, along with a sizeable amount of my earnings, into the project. But I didn’t use a single cent of family money in the process.
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” I mutter.
“Your investors, the ones who poured millions into this venture, will love it.” She picks up her glass, her lips grazing the rim as she tastes. Her resulting smile reeks of satisfaction.“Besides, we only need to parade you around a couple of times a day. The scarcity itself will make you more fascinating.”
Fascinating.I tighten my jaw. I should beam with pride. Instead, I feel like a contestant at Westminster. Which is precisely what she was aiming for.
If it wasn’t for the fact she’s so good at her job, I would have fired her ass years ago.
“Oh, it’s Barron,” filters in from the crowd heading to the elevator.
“Can you pull off being aloof?” Holly asks. “We want to avoid looking bored this trip.”