Page 11 of Below Deck Billionaire
Not that she’d have to worry about that this next week.
Dragging his attention from her, Theo continued to outlay the plan. ‘At the end of the week we’ll be dropping them back at Piraeus and probably staying on in Athens for a bit while I attend to business. Then I think we’ll head for Crete.’ He looked around the table at each of his crew. ‘That work for everyone?’
Technically, as boss, the opinion of his crew wasn’t actually a factor in his decision-making. He was certainly nowhere near as egalitarian in the boardroom. But this wasn’t a commercial charter situation which happened regularly throughout the tourist season when Theo wasn’t on board and for which the crew were trained.
This was the owner entertaining friends, which meant it would be a more informal, relaxed trip for everybody. And, in his experience, a happy crew made for smooth sailing.
There was a round of nods as well as a wink from Simon in Tiffany’s direction, which made her smile and made Theo’s blood boil. Standing abruptly, he reached for a pastry off the central platter. It was light and flaky and he knew Maria would have cooked it fresh this morning, and it was a better choice than jabbing his elbow hard into Simon’s ribs.
Addressing Ivan, he said, ‘Departure in thirty?’
‘Aye.’
And then, forcing himself not to look at Tiffany, Theo left them to it.
* * *
At ten thirty that night, Theo found himself on the main deck aft in nothing but a pair of shorts, a beer in hand, which he’d swiped from the bar fridge on the way through. It was a warm night and he was in holiday mode.
The crew had returned in the tender around eight after exploring Mykonos. He’d just stepped out of the shower but, even muffled, their happy, relaxed chatter told him they’d enjoyed their afternoon off. He hadn’t gone out to greet them or check on them, staying in his suite, but he had heard the occasional noises as the deck crew had run all their usual night-time checks as well as Maria puttering around in the galley, which was not far from his suite.
Trying to distract himself from thinking about what Tiffany was doing, he’d caught up on some non-urgent emails and read through several files Ari had sent him for his signature until the noises stopped and silence had descended an hour or so later. The crew had obviously decided to turn in early given it would be their last chance for a week.
Theo knew he should probably sleep too – English bankers apparently turned into party animals on a Greek superyacht – but he wasn’t sleepy.
In fact, he was back to feeling restless, again.
Preferring not to identify the reasons for this continued discombobulation, Theo had tried to channel it into work but had only been mildly successful when he’d given up an hour later. And so here he was, standing at the back rail instead, drinking beer and wondering yet again why he’d taken the bait and let Ari goad him into this ridiculous dare.
He sure as shit wouldn’t be alone right now if he hadn’t.
Although nor would he be on theNerida, which he had enjoyed immensely these past two months. For the life of him he couldn’t think why he hadn’t opted for a floating office before. God knew there were all the bells and whistles he needed to run the company, and he was never far from shore in case he needed to get to the mainland for a meeting or an emergency.
Or a booty call.
Faint music from a nightclub on the promenade carried across on a light breeze, which ruffled his hair as Theo took in the lights of Mykonos. They shimmered across the water, popping from the shoreline and the hills behind as well as from the multitude of boats at anchor.
He knew the island well having spent many memorable times here as a kid. So fond were his memories of Mykonos that, when the Konstantinides controversy had hit the fan, he’d purchased one of the whitewashed villas that adorned the hillside behind the old town and holed away from a while. Ari had also lived in it for a time when he’d needed to shut the world out and wallow in his grief.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get to visit it as often as he’d like but he loved that it had become the go-to place for family gatherings. Several times a year, the Callisthenes clan would crowd onto the large terrace overlooking the Aegean, marvelling at the view and taking advantage of the infinity-edged pool that cantilevered out from the hill.
There’d been many a good time over the years and Theo’s long-term plan was to retire here. One day…
Apart from the distant music and the gentle lap of the sea against the hull, it was absolutely silent on the water, which Theo always found soothing. There was just something about being surrounded by an ocean. Its resilience was comforting. Civilisations had risen and fallen but it had always been here.
And then, at night, there were the stars.
Turning his back on the light pollution from Mykonos and the surrounding boats, he looked up to find them punctuating the inky night like strings of luminescent pearls nestled in black velvet. The sky had always been here too, and it wasn’t going anywhere, either.
A clunk sounding overhead interrupted Theo’s thoughts and he frowned. It had come from the sundeck. Something must have fallen because the crew had all retired to their cabins. Taking another swig of his beer, he pushed away from the railing and took the stairs to the sundeck two at a time.
It was dark up here too except for the low glow of strip lighting and the starlight. But Theo’s eyes were adjusted to the night and he could easily make out the shape of a woman bending over, mopping something off the decking with a towel and cursing in a loud whisper.
‘Fuckity, fuck, fuck.’
Tiffany. Of course. It had to be Tiffany.
Theo pulled up short as he stared at her ass which, given her current stance, was only just covered by a baggy T-shirt. He’d held that ass in his hands as he’d driven inside her, and God help him as he stood here staring like a fucking teenager, he remembered every soft, round contour. Hell, he still dreamed about how good it had felt in his palms.
