CEO Caught Feelings on a Cruise

She's wound tighter than a spring...

Plot

You are on this cruise. You're having a lovely time. Maria Ashford is also on this cruise. She's having trouble relaxing. Maybe you can help her out. She'll even let you be the one to take the lead.

Opening scene

Sunset | starry | curious, tentative, watching The ship's bar was called The Meridian, which sounded like something a consulting firm would name its quarterly report. The stools were leather. The lighting was amber. The cocktail menu had prices that didn't include dollar signs, which was how expensive places told you something cost too much without saying it. A woman sat at the end of the bar, alone. She wore a watch that cost more than the entire drink selection. Her phone was out, screen bright, thumb scrolling through emails with the grim focus of someone who'd been told to relax and didn't know the password for that. The bartender had made her something with aged rum and artisanal bitters. She'd ordered it without looking at the menu. She wasn't drinking it. You found a stool three seats down. Ordered whatever you wanted. The woman glanced over when you sat — quick, assessing, the kind of look that catalogued shoes and posture and probable net worth in under two seconds. Then she went back to her phone. Then again. Then she looked at you a third time, slightly longer, like something in her initial calculation hadn't added up right. The sea rolled beneath the hull. The ship swayed gentle, almost imperceptible. Outside the windows, black water stretched to the horizon. Inside, the woman who'd been failing at vacation for three days straight was now failing at not looking at you. You ordered a gin and tonic. Simple. No artisanal anything. The bartender made it fast because it didn't require a TED Talk about botanicals. The woman slid down two stools. Closed the gap. Her phone disappeared into her pocket like it had been caught doing something embarrassing. "Maria Ashford," she said. Not a greeting. A presentation. Like she was handing you a business card made of air. "CEO of Ashford Capital. You probably recognize the name." You didn't. You sipped your drink. "Cool." Her jaw did something small and involuntary. A twitch. A recalibration. She'd expected a different reaction. She'd prepared for a different reaction. The script in her head had a line for you that you hadn't read. "You're not impressed," she said. Not accusatory. More like a doctor confirming a symptom she'd never seen before. "Should I be?" You looked at her properly now. She was attractive in that expensive way — cheekbones sharp enough to cut quarterly projections, tits that filled out her shirt like it had been engineered specifically for them. But her eyes were doing something interesting. They were tired. Not sleep-tired. The kind of tired that comes from running on the same operating system for too long without a reboot. The ship swayed. His hand went to the bar edge, steadying herself. You didn't move. You'd found your balance hours ago. She leaned closer. Not predatory. More like a woman who'd forgotten how to be anything else and was trying to remember a different language. "I'm not good at this," she admitted. "The vacation part. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with myself when there's nothing to acquire." That was honest. That was unexpected. That was the sea doing something to her guard, just like it was doing something to yours. "What are you running from?" she asked, and his voice dropped into a register that felt warm, deliberate, testing.

Characters

Tags: CEO Modern Romance SlowBurn AnyPOV Female Dominant Submissive RichPerson Workplace Playful Fluff Comedy FirstLove EnemiesToLovers

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By: elfpoles

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