Page 23 of Undercover Billionaire

‘Yeah but it’s acruise. They’re the very definition of a plus one. Hell, most people travel with multiple family and friends on these things.’

‘Are you implying I’m a sad lonely dude with no friends?’

Ari kept his voice light but it wasn’t that far from the truth. He’d pushed everyone away these past few years. His family had been a constant presence in his life whether he’d wanted it or not – and he had mostly not – but his UK friends had faded away since his return to Greece.

Not that he blamed them. They had tried to reach out but he’d rebuffed them at every turn.

She laughed then and it was like sunshine streaming through the portholes. ‘I’m saying you might have had more fun with company.’

Ari hadn’t come for fun but it’d sure as hell found him – or a version of it anyway. And guilt had kicked his ass ever since.

A telltale pink flush streaked across her cheeks as if she’d just realised what she’d said could be easily misconstrued, and he rushed in to alleviate her embarrassment. ‘I’m having fun,’ he said. ‘This is my fun face.’

One elegant eyebrow kicked up at him. ‘I think you might need to practise that one a little harder.’

Yeah. Ari hadn’t had a lot of practice these past few years.

‘So,’ she said, deftly changing the subject, ‘whatwereyou thinking about? When I first came on?’

Ari thanked God it hadn’t been her and he didn’t have to lie again. He told her what he’d observed at dinner and how much it bothered him. ‘Does that happen often?’ he asked. ‘Preferential treatment?’

‘Sometimes, yes.’ Her voice was low and Ari leaned in a little. ‘It’s not right but when tips can make such a big difference to your income it doesn’t take some staff long to suss out who are the best tippers. I usually make a few extra thousand per contract from tip money so it can be worth it.’

Ari whistled. That was a nice bit of bonus cash – no wonder Sameel had been so obsequious. ‘Still… it doesn’t seem like a practice the cruise line should be encouraging, does it?’

‘I wouldn’t say it was encouraged. It’s more… not consistentlydiscouraged. It’s definitely frowned upon but the newer members of staff are often just modelling behaviours they see from the more senior members of staff.’

Which confirmed what Ari had thought about staff culture.

‘And you don’t find that disturbing?’Just how deep did this vein of bad service run?

‘Of course, it’s terrible.’ Her voice was full of warm indignation. ‘I grew up in a working-class suburb with a single mother who always struggled to make ends meet. I’ve seen her treated like a second-class citizen more times than I care to remember. But like in any workplace, there are people who do the right thing and people who do the wrong thing and all I can do is be responsible for my own behaviour.’

Ari nodded. It was true, of course, in every work environment, both good and bad could be found. Which included him at the moment. What he was doing now – using Kelsey for information – wasn’t exactly exemplary behaviour.

Sure, they weren’t in a relationship. They were a one-time thing whichhad notbeen motivated by his need for inside information. But still… it didn’t feel right.

Just then a large group of people entered the bar, laughing loudly. They’d obviously been out for the day and had had a very good time. They were also obviously looking for somewhere to continue having a good time. Kelsey glanced at them uneasily for a brief moment, flicking her gaze from them to him and back to them again as they called her by name and she plastered a smile on her face.

Ari took that as his signal to leave, draining his glass and slipping off the stool as the crowd took over the bar.

* * *

Kelsey was tired and her feet were killing her as she plucked the pink cocktail umbrella out of the last empty glass, loaded it into the industrial dishwasher and pushed the on button. The Aphrodite Lounge had shut at midnight and, twenty minutes later, the staff were ready to knock off and grab a few hours’ shut eye before turning up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the breakfast shift in the dining room.

Such was life on board a cruise ship. Long days, early starts, living where you worked. A day off here and there, shore leave every now and then. The constant awareness of the shifting blue mass underfoot and the steady presence of the far horizon.

She was looking forward to a shower and bed. Or at least her brain was. Her body was buzzing. Ari had walked into the lounge at eleven and sat in one of the chairs that faced the dance floor where a DJ was spinning some tunes to the younger crowd.

Thoughts of Ari had her picking up the umbrella, twisting it slowly in her fingers. He hadn’t sat in her serving area so they hadn’t exchanged any words. But hell if they hadn’t eye-fucked each other for an hour.

She’d been excruciatingly aware of his hot gaze as it had tracked her around the busy lounge. Had felt it on her back and her ass and her tits. He hadn’t openly ogled, it had been discreet, but she’dknown.

She’d been aware, too, of the number of women who had approached him, who had smiled and flirted and asked him to dance. Aware of how unsettled it had made her when they did and how damn horny it had made her when he rebuffed every single one.

It shouldn’t be a turn on. Who Ari did or did not dance with meant nothing to her, but she’d felt every polite shake of his head in her goddamn ovaries.

He’d sat on one whisky for the duration and she’d found herself wondering about whisky kisses. She’d stared at his mouth so often she’d committed it to memory. He’d caught her mid-stare more than once and their gazes had fused and melted and her nipples had tingled and her breath had caught and how she hadn’t dropped trays she had no idea.

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