LOVE'S ABANDON

CHAPTER 2

Chase kept his eye on Maggie as she worked the largest dining area. The booth he found was dimly lit, and he slinked back into the seat. A number of the yacht's crewmembers knew him, as well as most of his guests. Disguised in baseball cap and dark glasses, he held his head low in order to sneak in. No one paid him any mind.

This was unlike him, never having to disguise himself before. However, since he heard that the girl had no interest in knowing him, he felt challenged to know about her. Doing it incognito was best.

Since seeing her earlier that day, she was all he could think about. His eyes pierced the dimness to find her scurrying through the crowded tables, serving drinks. She'd changed into a pair of skinny jeans that hugged her slender body like a second skin. She had her hair pulled back from her face, revealing her cheekbones and sensuous neckline.

As she approached his table, he lowered his head. His heart started racing, taking him unawares. Its erratic behavior was a foreign reaction, never before experienced in this manner. She planted a smile on her pretty lips, stopping a few feet away.

“Hello, can I get you anything?” she asked, in her sweet voice.

“Ah,” he cleared his throat. “Scotch... on the rocks.”

“Will you have a meal with that, sir?”

Should he risk having a meal? He'd have to take his disguise off. No, he'd wait until he returned to his cabin, though he was famished.

“No,thank you,” he said with a smile, trying to lower his voice. “Just the scotch.”

“I'll be back shortly,” she replied, hurrying towards the bar.

True to her word, she was back within a minute with the order, along with a complimentary bowl of nuts. Chase could not help but be pleased at how thoughtful she was.

Nursing the drink, he watched as she meandered through the tables. On one occasion, she stopped at a table close by to take the order. As she scribbled on her notepad, one of the men patted her a*s.

Chase's blood curdled in his veins. Instinctively he rose, then checked himself. He watched as Maggie leaned close to the man, whispering in his ear. Chase saw a flicker of discomfort cross the man's face. This made him grin, leaning back into his seat,curious as to what she said to the p*****t.

She moved off, fetched the order, returning to serve the table with a smile. He sighed, still curious to know what Maggie said to the guy. Another girl came to his table and he ordered a scotch.He was tempted to wait for Maggie, but she was busy with other tables. After about half hour she returned to check on him.

“Are you okay? I see you've ordered. I'm sorry I was busy, so I asked Emily to serve you.”

Absently he removed the shades as he found it difficult to see through the already dim room. His heart jumped around his chest making him nervous. He'd never been unsure of himself before, yet here he was, at a loss for words. She waited a few seconds, still holding her smile.

“I'm fine, thanks,” he finally managed. His voice sounded strange to him, like he'd swallowed a frog.

Her pleasant smile brought heat to his belly. “Would you like something else?” she asked. “Are you sure you don't want something to eat. The chef is really great.”

His stomach was doing backflips and he was tempted, but that would mean removing his cap. He could not risk it.

“Just another drink, and I'd prefer you to bring it.”

She nodded and started to move off. “What's your name?” he asked, though he knew it well. He just needed to hear her voice once more.

She paused, turning with a smile. “Maggie.”

“That's a pretty name,” he replied, his heart now racing like a sprinter down a hundred meter track.

“I'll be back shortly,” she told him before moving off.

***

As Maggie made to move off, the man in the baseball cap asked her name. Usually she was uncomfortable getting too friendly with the guests, but there was something about him that put her at ease. He was alone, well-mannered and appeared shy. Certainly not the loud rambunctious perverts who thought it was okay to feel up the waitresses.

She paused, turning to face him with a smile on her lips. Then she caught the smile that creased the corners of his mouth and something strange happened, her stomach fluttered. It was a passing feeling, but one that left an impression.

“Maggie,” she replied, steadying her eyes on his mouth.

Only half his face was visible beneath the wide brim ofthe cap, but the part she could make out told her he was an attractive man. He had a day-old stubble on his face, with angular jaw and full sensuous lips.

“That's a pretty name,” he replied. His voice sounded hoarse to her, that she couldn't tell whether it was his normal tone.

The weirdest thing about the encounter was, in that moment she was nervous, feeling her confidence slip away. A few minutes earlier, one of the patrons slapped her a*s. She knew he was drunk, and though she wanted to smack him silly, she didn't. She leaned in and with all the confidence in the world asked him, “Are you sure you can handle this black booty?”

He quickly withdrew into his shell. Apparently, he wasn't man enough to respond. It was a trick she learned from her friend Shequana, a real ghetto queen. The vivacious, big busted girl with a butt the size of a stadium told her that's she should always remain confident as a woman. She told her that when a man, any man, wanted to sexualize her like a piece of meat, she should ask them that question.

So far, she'd asked exactly four men that particular question, three whites and one black. Of course, none of them had responded. According to Shequana, the men who did this to women had issues with their masculinity. They did this to boost their egos because they weren't confident as men. Real men who could handle their business respected women. She was right.

The guy in the baseball cap hinted of a man who respected women. The bar was busy and it took more time to fill the order then normal. When she returned to the booth, her customer was gone and in his place was two hundred dollars.

Picking up the money, she looked around to see if he was still around somewhere. A quick scan of the hall proved futile. This was a big tip for only having a couple of drinks. The guy didn't even have a meal. What was even stranger was that he had not mingled with any of the guests.

The cruiser was a place for the wealthy to have fun, a lucrative business for Chase. On any given weekend, there was more than one hundred and fifty guests on board, plus the crew. As far as Maggie knew, the cost per cabin was ten times that of her college fees. The eighty guest cabins always house two to three guests. From what she knew, no cabin was single booked.

This was the exact reason she found it strange that this particular guest was alone, unless he'd had enough of his companion. She giggled at the thought of him hiding from his girlfriend, or maybe a boyfriend.

As for her boss, she heard he was a philanderer holed up in his cabin with several women, two or three, maybe four. For three months, she'd worked the Chasmac and was yet to see him. She didn't even know what he looked like. But it didn't matter to her. Doing her job well was of utmost importance. In fact, based on his reputation alone, she had no desire in meeting him.

What Maggie was curious about was, why was this guest alone? He didn't seem to fit in, not even taking off his cap. It was as though he was hiding from the crowd. Could he be a celebrity who didn't want to be seen?

She returned to the bar with the drink and pocketed her tip. Troy, the bartender who was preparing cocktails, glanced her way. Her shift was about over and she needed some peace and quiet. She needed a shower and maybe a walk on the lower deck.

“I'm off,” she told Troy. “See you tomorrow.”

He smiled, his even white teeth showing. “See you in the morning Maggie.”

She didn't like the way his eyes traveled over her as he spoke. With hastened steps, she left the dining area and took the exit to the left of the bar counter. Once inside the stairwell, she relaxed. Within a few minutes, she was inside the cabin that she shared with another girl who was now on duty.

George made certain that only one occupant of each employee cabin wason duty at the same time, allowing privacy for the other occupant. There were only a few hours overlapping which could be spent on deck or in the employee dining area.

After a much needed shower, she changed into shorts and t-shirt. The night air was cool, so she pulled on a jacket, in case it got chilly. Just outside the employees cabins was a deck which led up to the captain's bridge and beyond that, she had no clue.

She knew the yacht was large and usually referred to as a ship, but she hadn't paid the size much mind, until now. It was no smaller than a small cruise ship. Once when her high school had a field trip, they visited a cruise liner docked at the Tampa Harbor. It was like being in a city on the ocean. The ship had everything: a mini mall, restaurants, night club, sports facilities and three swimming pools! This vessel was just a bit smaller, but had similar amenities.

Her stroll took her along the captain's tier, then back down to another level she had never been before. No lights were on in this section, which signified mystery and seclusion.

She found she liked this part of the cruiser. The voices of the guests filtered to her, but not enough to disturb the tranquility. There were other boats at sea which she could see from her vantage point. One was close enough that she could hear Beethoven playing. The music was soothing, relaxing her after a long day on her feet.

A movement to her right made her turn. Someone entered the deck from a hatch she hadn't noticed, coming to stand a few feet away from her. Her heart gave a small leap,and started beating rapidly. Her hand flew to her chest, as she tried to calm her nerves. What was she to do now?

Peering in the dark, she made out that it was a male figure. She turned to leave before she realized she had to pass by him in order to get to the captain's floor.

Not knowing what to do, she inched away,hoping he would leave. When he turned to the door from which he came, she blew out a relieved breath. However, instead of him disappearing, he stopped at the door and then a dim light flicked on a few feet away,barely lighting the area.

“I'm sorry I scared you, I didn't know someone was out here," he said. His voice was deep and smooth.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to venture this far,” she apologized. “I'll be going now.”She made a step forward, her heart beating fiercely out of fear.

“It's a beautiful night, isn't it?” she heard him say.

What was he doing? Why was he trying to talk to her? “Y-yes it is,”she stuttered.

Moving quickly, she brushed passed him, but he spoke again, making her halt her steps. “Would you like to stay and talk? I promise I'll stay at least three feet apart from you.”

She whipped around to face him. “Why... why would you want to talk to me? I... you don't know me.”

“You're Maggie, you served me today.”

Her eyes widened, closely scrutinizing the six feet plus stature of the man before her. His face was partially obscured from wearing a baseball cap. The dim light also made it difficult to see anything more than the shade of his dark blue jeans and black top. What she could see was the breadth of his shoulders beneath his polo shirt, how his biceps bulged as he plunged his hand into his jeans pocket.

“You?” She was surprised. “You were in the corner in the baseball cap?”

“Yes, I hate crowds,” he replied, touching the tip of his cap.

Unable to see his face, she could not tell if he was someone famous or not. From what she could see, he had the physique for which many men would die. A few professions ran through her mind as she wondered who he was. Was he a musician, athlete, actor or just some random millionaire? She was afraid to ask his name. Maybe he trusted her because he knew she would not ask personal questions. She decided to trust him, and allow him to trust her.

Having a conversation in the dark with a man whose face you could not see, was never a wise decision. Still, Maggie was not afraid of the man she'd served earlier. The yacht was pretty secure, having a dozen or more security personnel, so she knew if she screamed someone would come to her rescue.

“Okay,” she smiled. “I'll stay a few more minutes. I'm an early sleeper, so I must be in bed soon.”

“I promise, I won't keep you,” he replied.

She went back to the rail, inhaling the cool sea air. It was refreshing feeling the sea breeze on her face, in her hair.

“The night is indeed lovely,” she observed, turning her face up to the sky.

The twinkling stars and half moon told her that the night was indeed fair. Never had she seen a night like this or enjoyed it in this way. She'd never dreamed of being on a yacht and having a rendezvous with a stranger, because this was how it felt.

The feeling she had in her stomach from earlier in the dining hall returned tenfold.As they continued to talk about the stars, astrology, the ocean, sea critters and movies made featuring these creatures, the butterflies returned to her stomach. Her eyes kept glancing his way, and though she could not see him clearly, her heart made a few violent jolts when his head would turn her way.

“I've always liked the sea, there's something mysterious about it.” His voice was smooth and rich, Maggie liked the sound of it.

Unwittingly, she found herself getting closer to him until they were about two feet apart. She turned,taking in his profile, liking his presence. He was comfortable to be around,not asking any personal questions or making passes at her, something she'd come to expect in the opposite s*x.

“Yes,there is, isn't there?” she said, her breathing a little shallow. “I've always been fascinated with mermaids and other sea myths.”

He turned as she did. It was as though their eyes connected in the dim light.

“I don't think they're myths,” he said. “Somehow, I get the feeling a mermaid is watching us right now.” She detected amusement in his voice.

Maggie settledher eyes on the rippling surface of the dark waters, her imagination wandering far below to the deep. Could there be real half-human creatures living below?What if those stories she'd heard as a child were real?

“I liked the Little Mermaid,” she said in a quiet tone.

“Finding Nemo,”he said.

She looked at him wide eyed. “You watched Finding Nemo?”

“Yep, my cousin has three kids. I took them to the movies and they insisted on watching that. Of course, I had to watch it too. It was fun.”

“I would never take you for a guy who watches Disney movies,” she laughed.

“Me neither, but don't you tell anyone,” he teased.

She smiled. “Your secret's safe with me.”

An hour later, Maggie found that she was completely relaxed and enjoying the conversation, so much that she was reluctant to tear herself away. But she must, as she had the early shift in the morning.

“I have to go,” she said, her voice soft. Her heart was heavy, a feeling she didn't often experience.

He turned to face her fully, the deck light showing the lower half of his face. Though his face was partially visible, she could not make out the color of his eyes. However, the flecks of light from them made her intake her breath. Like butterfly wings, her stomach fluttered as his eyes seem to pull her in.

“Good night,”he replied, holding out his hand to her, his tone soft and low.

Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his for the handshake. As their hands touched, a rush of heat sprinted up her arm, causing her to withdraw quickly.

“Goodnight,” she breathed, breaking away. Hastening her steps almost to a trot, she placed a hand on her racing heart.

“I'll perhaps never see him again,” Maggie groaned, as she made it to her cabin.

Disappointment settled in her chest as she lay her head on her pillow. Her mind went back to the past hour, the ease with which they conversed.

She never asked his name, because he was a guest on the yacht and she was just a server. It was not her place to fraternize with the guests. If George found out she'd be reprimanded severely and she could never allow Mr. McMillan to know about this. She must avoid this man at all cost during the balance of the time at sea if she wanted to keep her job.

That night, her dreams were filled with mermaids and sea nymphs, meeting and kissing, stolen looks and gentle touches.