Page 28 of Lucky Shot
“I hear there are athletes on board.” He looks around as if he can spot one.
“Not a sports fan, huh?”
He snorts. “In as much that I watch some of the playoffs. Imightrecognize a name here or there. Maybe I could tell you if a city has a sports team. Not which sport, mind you. I live in upstate New York, and I know New York has like a hundred teams. I couldn’t tell you the name of one or even their colors!”
I laugh, shaking my head as I take another sip of my drink.
“You?”
“I’m a hockey fan,” I tell him. “Like you, I watch the playoffs of other sports when I can. Unlike you, I can probably name several players and what team they play for.”
He grins. “Have you recognized any of the athletes?”
There’s a chance he’s playing me, but I really don’t think so. “Yeah,” I tell him and scan the crowd. “Though I don’t see any close by.”Except me.
He hums and looks at the yacht again. “I bet that thing is amazing. How many people do you think it takes to operate it?”
“Twice as many as they allow guests,” I tell him, knowing that for a fact.
“Seriously?”
I nod. “Yep. Outside of the Captain’s crew, there are cleaners, cooks, entertainment, safety crew.” I wave a hand. “So yeah, there’s roughly two crew members per guest.”
“Damn. How much do you think it costs?”
“For three weeks, it’s about as much as a lower middle-class citizen makes in a year,” I say, and am slightly horrified at that.
“Damn,” he murmurs. “I’d like a tour. Though I wouldn’t dare touch anything. I’m sure the carpet costs more than my life!”
I chuckle and take a sip. We’re quiet for a minute before he looks at me with slightly narrowed eyes. Then his gaze tracks down my body and I realize I’ve given myself away. “You’re from the ship, aren’t you?”
I nod. “Yep.”
“And not a crewman.”
“Nope.”
“Well, fuck,” he says, chuckling as he takes a sip. “Hockey, right?”
I laugh. “Yes. Though I was serious about the others. I have friends in other sports, but I don’t have time to watch or attend their games as I’d like to sometimes.”
“The seasons overlap, right?”
“Sometimes. But again. Life is busy.”
“What’s the ship like?” he asks.
“Just as you think it is. Overly ostentatious. Stunning. There’s every water toy you can imagine. Swimming pools. Dance floors. Bars.” I shrug. “Honestly, I’d be surprised if you could name something it doesn’t have.”
He sighs wistfully and stares at the Opulence for a while longer. “I probably sound like a whiny bitch, don’t I? Mooning over it.”
“Nah,” I tell him. “I get it.”
“The tradeoff of being rich and famous is being in the spotlight everywhere,” he notes.
“Something I enjoy about Kala is that I’m not readily recognized. But yeah. My life is watched, tracked. Both because I’m an athlete and because I’m a gay athlete. Here… I’m just another face.”
“I’m not sure I’d like the trade. Not enough money to get to experience these moments often,” he says and gestures to the island in general. “Or enough money that the news finally finds you interesting and you’re constantly watched.”
