Page 10 of Below Deck Billionaire
Yes, he was officially in hell.
Distracting himself with breakfast, Theo served himself two helpings of lobster benedict from the warming plate in the centre of the table and a mountain of perfectly cooked mushrooms, attacking the food with gusto. After his call with Ari last night, he hadn’t had much of an appetite and was, consequently, starving.
‘Tiff tells us you two know each other,’ Kelly said conversationally.
Theo glanced swiftly at Tiffany. He hadn’t expected her to be candid about their prior relationship. In fact, he’d thought she’d probably not say anything, given the dynamics of a boat crew all living in such close quarters could sometimes get tricky.
But this way was better. He didn’t like lying to anyone, even by omission. And he didn’t want his crew to somehow find out another way. It would make it seem like he and Tiffany had colluded to keep it under wraps, which might lead them to wonder why.
‘Yes. My brother is married to Tiffany’s best friend.’
‘That’s an amazing coincidence,’ Maria said, looking between the two of them.
Tiffany raised her mug for a sip as she said, ‘It’s a small world.’
She was being very polite and circumspect. Her polished cruise boat persona, he supposed. Not the wickedly candid, exceptionally funny and surprisingly potty-mouthed woman he’d first met at the wedding. Something she hadn’t apologised for at the time. In fact, it had been almost like she was daring him to take exception to her rougher edges.
But if this last two months had proved anything, it was that Theo Callisthenes was always up for a dare.
Frankly, her take-me-or-leave-me act had been a novelty. And a woman not bending over backwards, not hanging on his every word or laughing at all his jokes and actually having an opinion, had been the clincher. Theo hadn’t even been aware he was after a novelty. Until he woke to find the other side of the bed empty.
But there was definitely something about a woman who could saygiant Greek dick in me– yeah, that had played on loop in his head ever since – without batting an eyelid.
And she was on his goddamn boat for the next two months.
‘So, what’s the plan, boss?’ Ivan asked, turning his attention to Theo, who could have kissed the man’s fuzzy Scottish face even if it did take him a second or two to decipher the accent. He was getting better at it but sometimes Theo only got every second word.
‘We’ll head straight to Mykonos after breakfast. That’s about six hours. There are no berths available in the harbour so we’ll anchor offshore, and Simon, you can take the tender tomorrow morning to pick up my guests.’
Simon nodded. ‘Can do, boss.’ His Canadian accent was a stark contrast to Ivan’s and much easier to understand. Although the way he kept smiling at Tiffany was really fucking irritating.
‘They’re old friends from London who’ve been at some kind of international financial forum in Mykonos.’
Theo had attended university with them and he’d been working his ass off for two months to clear the decks for this week. Of course, he was still contactable if needed.
He was always contactable.
‘And yes,’ he said with a grin, ‘by that I mean they’re all pasty white English bankers.’
The crew, including Tiffany, laughed.
‘So sunshine and island-hopping is definitely required. I’m keeping the schedule loose and making up my mind where we go at the start of each day depending on the weather. It’ll be a start-stop journey, just dropping the anchor wherever looks good. They’ll probably want to use the slide and jet skis I imagine during the days, probably tender over to whatever island is the nearest. Then at night?—’
Theo finally glanced at Tiffany, who was regarding him over the rim of her mug. Just the sight of her across the table from him thrummed through his blood. It was hard to believe that after months of thinking and dreaming and fantasising about her, he could literally lean over and touch her.
He wouldn’t have to shut his eyes any more – she was just there.
Hell, he could call her over the radio at his whim if he wanted. Not that he would because already that thought was conjuring all kinds of very unhelpful images about how she might obey – or disobey – captain’s orders and what kind of punishment he might have to mete out for flagrant disregard of his instruction. Which was not only highly inappropriate, but the last thing he needed was a raging hard-on while talking schedules with his crew.
‘That’s where you come in. My friends, who seriously should know better given how much they know about money, like to gamble. So, I’m taking on a blackjack table and a roulette wheel as well and a tonne of chips in Mykonos. The saloon will become a makeshift casino for the week.’
One magnificently arched eyebrow lifted. ‘Are they playing for sheep stations, as we’d say back home, or for bragging rights?’
‘Bragging rights. Trust me, none of them need the money.’
‘Thanks.’ She nodded. ‘Good to know.’
Theo swore he could see her calibrating her expectations as he watched. It didn’t surprise him that she was taking everything in her stride. He’d pulled her personnel file at three o’clock this morning – no, he didn’t care how dodgy it was – and found nothing but high praise for her work ethic and her ability to keep a cool head when things got tense around a table.
