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There was a soft knock on the door, and then it opened, and standing with a tray in his hand was the steward. “Good morning, madam, did you sleep well last night?” He placed the tray on the table, and on it there was a container with a lid, under it a plate containing food Christian had ordered for me. The utensils were wrapped in a decorative napkin with the initials CK. The glass had the same initials in gold on it. Everything on the yacht wore gold lettering with CK embossed on it. Everyone and everything, except me, and I wondered when that stamp of possession would begin.
I stared at the steward who appraised me with his eyes. I expected to have lunch or dinner, I didn’t know which, not to engage in a conversation about how well I slept. I wasn’t sure of the time, because there were no clocks, and I had no cell reception to depend on. I could check the horizon, or ask someone, and I had been afraid to do that.
Me afraid? That was a new one too. However, there had been many firsts for me since I’d been alone with a strange man I happened to marry out of desperation.
For that I blamed Max. The steward cut through my thoughts with a smile, and he was standing over the food removing the lid hiding a rare steak and some vegetables, expecting me to taste it. I refused to do what was expected of me, and turned to him.
“How do you know I want to eat now? I didn’t ask for food. I’m not hungry.” I pouted, but I was sure it was wasted on him. He glanced at me with a raised eyebrow as if those were the only words of English he knew. I knew he was displeased with me, but I didn’t give a fuck.
I suspected he spoke more than one language, unlike me who knew one universal language—English.
I’d seen him several times a day, and that was all he would say every morning and evening, then he would leave the food and exit the room. When I was sleeping and that was often, someone entered my room and removed the uneaten food.
At least I wasn’t locked in, however, for what it was worth, I might as well be. I was still a prisoner because water surrounded this boat. I sauntered over to the food he’d placed on the table, raised the top and leaned in to smell it. I sat and began to cut into the steak when another knock was louder, and Christian didn’t wait for me to invite him in.
When he closed the door behind him, he stood in the same spot, smiled with a closed smile, and the strange glare in his eyes sliced through me. “You are beautiful. I never would have known you were this lovely if I didn’t have you here in the flesh.” The way he said flesh, and his eyes widened made my skin crawl.
It was strange thinking of him as my husband, because Max was the only man I’d envisioned being my husband, and if he was gone out of my life, then I knew I would never want another man.
Christian was twenty-five, five years my junior, not that much, I guessed, and what could he possibly want from me when he should have been chasing younger single women, and a virgin or two. Maybe he was because I seldom saw him during the day, and never at night.
I really didn’t give a fuck, I was thinking when I chased his words with my eyes, but I didn’t hear him talking. I saw him cross the room and stand near me. He raked his fingers through my hair and made some comment, but I didn’t hear him because my mind was lost on Max and my children.
Christian leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. I thought it was the least I could do to raise my face and offer a kiss, but he wanted more, and I could see it in his eyes, and he wasn’t at all hard on the eyes, and after all, I was his wife I had to convince myself.
Was I justifying my reason for being married to him, and I was feeling hot with sexual desire about now. Hell, yes. Normally I would be close to Max, waking up and turning over in my sheer gown, with Max between my legs asking me not to shave because he enjoyed the look and smell of my clit and— I heard Christian’s voice, and I was relieved. I didn’t like thinking about Max now. It was too late, and I had to make the best of a bad situation. It confused me when all I thought about was how Max made love to me. I would never be happy as long as I had Max on the brain.
“I bought you some clothes I’d like you to wear. I’m having a party. Someone will—”
“I thought I was dressing in this gown for a party and for you.” I turned to show him how cool and relaxed it was. It was white and made of cotton with a slit in the back, and cut low in front.
“Oh, that’s for me,” he said, kissing my shoulder, then my cleavage. “I love when you go through the trouble of dressing up for me, but I had some special clothes flown here. I chose the ensemble, because I want you to look special. I want everyone to see the beautiful and exciting Alexandra. You know, with men like me and my friends, we’ve heard about you, and you’re a prized—”
“Now I’m like a prized cow?” Christian raised an eyebrow, and his expression changed. His forehead furrowed, but he didn’t say a word. He lifted his head, and turned his back to me. “Why didn’t you consult me? I would have had the opportunity to choose what I wanted to wear.”
He frowned, his forehead made a deep V before he turned in my direction, then he raised an eyebrow once more. Clearly he didn’t like what I was saying to him. That signaled he wanted to be in control. I wasn’t used to being controlled, and he knew it. I had inadvertently expressed to him how I’d fought against Max monitoring me. He pretended he understood, but now I saw that was his way of gaining my confidence.
He didn’t mumble, but bit his lip as if that would stop him from exploding. I could see his eyes moving when choosing his words. “I’m sorry. Next time we’ll go shopping at one of the ports, but I had these flown in for you, and I want you to wear them. I want you to wear one tonight.”
“Tonight?” I questioned. “I’ve never seen you at night, and when can I go out on deck? I haven’t been introduced to your crew, and you said there are forty people on this boat. I’d like to talk to someone.”
“It’s not a boat, it’s a vessel, my beloved,” he said, tightening his jaw. I never knew he read the bible, and I doubted he had, unless he’d been asking for forgiveness for something he’d done in the past.
Who said beloved these days as if he was out of the first century, and who gave a fuck if it was a boat or vessel, I wanted to say, but I refrained from doing so as long as he had me captive on this fucking boat. I glanced at him, and damn, but he was cute. Maybe I could play along with him, and perhaps tie him up and give him the Blackstone treatment. Turn him into what I want and control him, I thought.
I really shouldn’t think like that. I didn’t want this man, but I did want to take my frustrations out on someone, if not Max, then Christian.
“We should have arrived in port shouldn’t we,” I asked, when I rose and sauntered around, kissing Christian lightly on his lips. Standing playfully showing off my gown, twirling around like a ballet dancer. He offered me a forced smile, while I offered him a deceptive one. He pulled me into him and placed his arms around me, then I glanced out at the open sea. “Do you think I can go sightseeing when we dock?” I whispered, turning on the balls of my feet to face him. “The shoreline from what I can see looks beautiful. There are homes and it even has a yacht club.”
“You can’t leave. I have my reasons,” he snapped as I bit my bottom lip before pursing it, and trailing my manicured finger along the lines of his mouth. I stared into his eyes, but he lowered his eyes as if I had power over him. But I couldn’t see this power even if it had been a false one the way I’d seen it with Max. It diminished once Max became unreasonable and wouldn’t listen to me.
There was something in Christian’s eyes, his closed smile which led me to believe I didn’t mean anything to him. I couldn’t say I was surprised, because I felt nothing for him as well, but I did think my sexual appeal would last longer than a few months, especially since we’d never been intimate, and he thought I’d been desirable as he’d said on more than one occasion.
He was pretending he was interested in me, but there was a coldness behind his kind of warmth, and I felt it when he touched my hand, and placed his lips on mine. He wouldn’t give in to me on anything I requested, because I didn’t represent what I thought—a wife, a sexual partner.
Then I’ll have to insist and take my freedom, I thought, offering him a closed smile in return as I ran my palm over his smooth unshaven skin. My feelings consumed me once more, but this time I heard him, or I was reading his lips. I didn’t know which.
“I’m inviting guests to board my yacht this evening, to feast their eyes on my beautiful wife, and my new yacht, of course.”
Of course, that’s why you’re planning this party, I thought, not believing a word of it.
“And there is one more thing,” he added.
“What is it?” Christian stared at me with his dark grayish-blue eyes. His eyes were mysterious, like a man with a tortured soul that couldn’t find peace, and I saw his soul in that one hooded glance. When I concentrated on his face and locked eyes with him, it appeared deceptive and evil, but maybe I’d been seeing too much evil lately to know the difference.
Christian’s face was young, beautiful, and handsome, pretty almost, but those eyes were hard and dark, and he tried to hide them by looking down when he spoke to me. Sometimes when he didn’t want to answer questions or acknowledge me, his forehead would furrow followed by a wide grin.
Oh, he is indeed a good actor. I wondered what he had been hiding behind those deceptive good looks.
All his mannerisms and false gestures didn’t bother me, because I hadn’t planned on hanging around much longer. I just needed the money he’d promised me if I remained his wife for a suitable length of time. My time line was different than his I supposed, and I didn’t want to upset things now by asking him how long he would hold me captive on this fucking boat.
Walking away I found the chair in front of the table holding my uneaten food. “You need to eat, sweetheart.”
“I thought you liked me the way I am.” I was barely a size six. Down from a size eight because of all the worry and problems of finding myself homeless because of Max, and being alone and not having Jonas to keep me company. From the reflection from the patio doors I was probably looking at a size three.
“I have these strenuous things that I love to do, and if you’re going to keep up with me you have to be fit and in shape,” Christian announced, as if I was a friend he’d challenged to a mile race up a mountain.
“Like what?” I questioned. What could it be? He didn’t look like a runner or climber. His body had muscles, but they were natural and the rest he’d gotten from a home gym, and a trainer.
I’d never seen him completely without all his clothes, however, he’d seen me numerous times. I wasn’t sure what the rest of him looked like. Jonas had said he’d heard disturbing things about Christian, but Jonas never divulged exactly what those things were, and I’d never pressed him further.
Knowing Jonas, it could be any number of deviant things from sexual-asphyxiation to tying up women, and keeping them in a dungeon. But there are no dungeons here, I thought. But I could be wrong. With a ship this large and a crew that appeared to be motivated to keep quiet, there could be any number of things going on.
Christian stood behind me and rested his large hands on both sides of the chair I was sitting in.
My food was getting cold now as I stared down at the second plate I’d been given as an alternative to red meat. That plate contained small sandwiches without crusts, and caviar.
He leaned down and I felt his breath on my neck, when he said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Blackstone—”
I interrupted him before the remaining words fell from his mouth, and he moved away to gaze out at the sea.
My pulse raced, my heart beat loudly, and I swore Christian could hear it from where he stood in this enormous bedroom the size of the first floor of my apartment in New York.
“Why would you invite my husband?” He twisted his body around for a second, gazed at me as if he could bore through me. I stared at him, he swiveled back and looked out at the water surrounding us, but only for a second. I wished I could read his mind. His expression wasn’t hard to read when he turned to face me in a quick motion. He wore a horrible grin where his face never moved, but the sides of his mouth curled upward, and when that grin faded he raised one eyebrow, questioning my ill-timed response.
“You’re no longer his wife. You belong to me,” he growled. With those few words he’d expressed what he’d intended to do, and how he felt about me. I was his. A piece of merchandise he had overpaid for, and he was intent of getting the use out of it if it was the last thing he did.
I could only hope I’d figure out how to get away from him with my body and soul intact.
As quickly as he’d turned to face me and make his declaration, he swiveled around on the balls of his feet, crossing the room, once again standing at the large glass door staring out and away from me, when he said, “I’m going scuba-diving today before my guests arrive.” Then he aimed a wide warm smile. “Do you want to come with me?” It was amazing how he could go from warm to cold in seconds.
Of course, I wanted to go down under the sea with just him and me, and the sharks. A good way to rid yourself of a disagreeable wife, or convince her she could be thrown in the ocean if she opposed him.
“You know, Christian, I think I told you that I’m afraid of the water. I can swim, but I choose not to.” A satisfied grin crawled across his full pink lips.
“I forgot, sweetheart. We’re just going to have to do something about that.” I glared at him because this should be the last place I should be caught—on a vessel surrounded by water and terrified of it, and now Christian.
“If it’s okay with you, I will use the pool on the bottom deck and get in some practice.” He didn’t object and I took that as it was okay as long as I didn’t go ashore.
Max owned a few yachts, and he’d tried for years to get me to travel with him, and now I’d do anything to be with him on our yacht. I guessed it was too late now. There were some things you couldn’t wish away, and some things you couldn’t go back to. I stared at Christian with his back to me leaning on the railing looking down and around.
What Christian didn’t realize was I’d dealt with men like him before— handsome, rich and spoiled. I wished I wasn’t wrong about him, and he could be reasoned with like all the other sexual deviants who would give their souls for something kinky as hell, and I hoped I had enough kink in my toolbox to satisfy him, until I could rid myself of him for good.
An announcement came for Christian in my stateroom from the captain, and I was saved by the bell once more.
“There’s a problem, Alex. They need me.” I couldn’t imagine what they needed him for when this state of the art vessel actual sailed itself. But then Christian was the kind of man who wanted control of everything he’d owned, including me.
When he strolled to the door, he said, “You should be dressed by nine to meet my guests, and not wearing any of the clothes you bought, but only what I’m sending to your cabin.” And he turned, opened the door, and left me shaking. Not by his words, but by the smirk covering his face after he’d pursed his lips and ghosted a kiss to me.