Billionaire At Sea

4

Mia

“Damn, I need to start watching more baseball,” murmured Ridley, staring at Damian as he headed our way.

“Close your mouth. You’re drooling,” Michael said in amusement.

I couldn’t blame her. He was drop-dead gorgeous, even with his slightly crooked nose, which I learned afterward, was the result of a fly-ball.

“Even you must admit… he’s hot,” she whispered to me.

I nodded, noticing that we weren’t the only ones checking him out. As Damian moved toward us, he seemed draw the attention of almost everyone in the room. Tall, broad shoulders, wavy, dark brown hair, and eyes that were a vibrant shade of blue.

Michael stood up. “Look at what the cat dragged in. How’s it going, Mr. Stryker?”

“Very well, Mr. Blake,” he teased back. They shook hands, smiling at each other like long-time friends. “Sorry, I’m late. Did you already order?”

“Just our drinks,” Michael replied. “I’m glad you could make it. By the way, this is my sister Ridley and our dear friend, Mia.”

“Ah… my two gourmet chefs,” he said, his eyes twinkling as he shook Ridley’s hand. “Ridley, I know we’ve spoken briefly on the phone. It’s wonderful to finally get to meet you in person.”

“You as well. We’ve heard so much about you,” she said, her voice higher than usual.

I bit back a smile. She’d always been nervous around handsome men, even as beautiful as she was. Not only that, this one was filthy rich and had an impeccable taste in clothing. The gray wool suit he currently wore was no exception. It was obviously a designer, and his tie clip had to cost more than the expensive two karat ring I’d thrown back in John’s face.

“Oh, hell,” he replied, glancing at Michael in amusement. “And they’re still willing to cater for me?”

“These two don’t scare easily,” said Michael, smirking.

“That’s a relief. I can’t really cook and I doubt we’ll be able to order out when we’re in the middle of the ocean,” he replied, turning toward me with his hand extended. “Hi, I’m Damian.”

“I’m Mia,” I replied, as I shook his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Have we met before?” he asked, studying my face. “You look very familiar.”

“No. I don’t believe so,” I replied.

“Are you sure? I hardly ever forget a face. Do you live here in Miami?” he asked.

“Yes. Born and raised here,” I said.

“Interesting,” he replied, sitting down on the other side of Ridley. I could smell a hint of his cologne, a light woodsy scent that was very nice. “Maybe it will come to me. I know I’ve seen you somewhere.”

The waiter took that moment to return with our drinks. Damian ordered a beer along with a slew of appetizers.

“Sorry. I hope you don’t mind,” he said, loosening up his tie. “I haven’t eaten since this morning and I’m fading quickly.”

“No problem,” said Michael, smiling. “You’re buying anyway, right? Go to town.”

Damian smiled. “Of course I’m buying.”

“I’m just giving you s**t. You’re my guest this evening, Stryker. If you even think about paying for this food, I’ll take it as a personal insult,” said Michael.

He laughed. “Fine. I’d hate to get on your bad side. Speaking of money, my assistant should have deposited your funds into the account number you gave me over the phone, Ridley. As far as the food goes, have the merchants bill me directly or save your receipts so that we can figure that out as well.”

“Oh. Gosh… thank you,” said Ridley. “I didn’t realize you’d pay us so quickly.”

“I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly and you were locked in,” he replied, winking. “No backing out now.”

“We wouldn’t dream of it,” she answered.

“Famous last words,” snickered Michael.

“No. Those will probably be – ‘What in the hell were we thinking by getting on board this nutcase’s ship’?” said Damian, chuckling.

“Okay, now you two are scaring me,” said Ridley.

“Don’t worry, little sister. You’re going to have the time of your life. Wait until you see his yacht. He took me out on it last summer. It’s breathtaking. Not to mention enjoyable, especially when the captain kicks it down.”

“Thank you,” said Damian. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“Hell, yeah. It was a blast,” he answered.

“Good. I’ll have to invite you back,” said Damian. “Maybe next month sometime?”

“I’m there,” he replied, grinning. “Just say when and I’ll clear up my schedule.”

“I’ll look at my calendar and give you a call tomorrow,” Damian said.

Michael nodded. “Sounds good.”

Ridley took a sip of her drink and then asked Damian if he captained the yacht himself or hired someone else to do it.

“I have in the past, but not for this trip,” he answered. “There will be an entire crew on duty.”

“Understandable,” she replied. “I’m sure you’d like to relax and enjoy yourself with the guests.”

“Exactly. Speaking of our trip, have you come up with a menu yet?” he asked, eyeing a waiter carrying a tray of mouthwatering steak and lobster.

I cleared my throat. “We’re working on it. Do you have any special recommendations or do you know if any of your guests have allergies?”

“Not that I’m aware of. They’re all full grown men, however. If they’re allergic to something, I’ll leave it to them to avoid whatever it is that might not agree with them,” he replied. “I guess what I’d like to see is plenty of seafood along with food favorable to guys with big appetites.”

“Man-food,” said Ridley, glancing toward me. “In other words… things that go good with beer?”

Damian chuckled. “Exactly. Nothing too fancy. You know like… chicken wings, nachos, burgers, pizza, steak, ribs.”

“Okay, what about breakfast or brunch?” asked Ridley, pulling out a pen and small pad of paper from her purse.

“Eggs, pancakes… sausage and French toast. Hash browns. Maybe some fruit on the side. Items like that. Again, nothing too fancy, although, I’m not against egg soufflés, crepes, or frittatas, if that’s what you specialize in. Most of these guys are used to eating big, hearty meals.”

“Noted. By the way, who is the guest of honor?” asked Ridley, smiling at him.

Damian smiled back. “You’ll find out when you’re on board. I promised him I wouldn’t divulge the information.”

“He’s famous then?” she asked.

“Just a little,” Damian replied, his eyes glittering.

“A baseball player?” asked Ridley.

“Enough,” said Michael. “Quit antagonizing him.” He looked at Damian. “Sorry. My sister can be a real pain in the ass when it comes to secrets. She just has to know everything.”

“He’s right. It’s an annoying habit. I’m sorry,” she said, blushing.

“It’s okay,” he answered. “If I could tell you, I would. I’ll give you a hint, though, he’s been on stage and screen.”

“Really?” said Ridley, glancing at me. “How exciting.”

“Just don’t ask me anything else about the guy. That’s probably more than I should have admitted,” said Damian.

“Has he been in anything recently?” asked Ridley.

Michael and I both groaned.

“He said ‘no more questions’ about the guy,” reminded Michael firmly.

“I know,” she replied, as the waiter returned with Damian’s beer. “I’m just so excited about next week.”

“Good,” said Damian. “So am I. It’s going to be a lot of fun. For all of us.”

“That’s what I keep telling Mia,” said Ridley. She looked at me. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

Damian, catching that, looked at me. “I’m sorry, you have some concerns?”

“No. Not at all,” I said quickly.

“She was just a little anxious about the event you’re hosting,” admitted Ridley, who obviously didn’t know when to stop talking.

“You know – a bachelor party.”

I gave her a warning look.

“Ah. Well, you can be rest assured that there’s nothing for you to worry about,” said Damian. “My guests will act like gentleman around you and if they don’t, they’ll answer to me.”

“I’m not worried at all,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed. “I just–” I stopped abruptly. I wasn’t about to tell him about my ex and what had happened.

“I understand your concern,” he said, after taking a sip of his beer. “It’s a bachelor party and they’re known to get out of hand. This one is going to be more of a weekend of vacationing among friends. We’re going to fish, eat, and drink. As far as raising some hell, if we do, I assure you, it’s not going to affect you girls. I will personally make sure of that.”

I relaxed.

“Besides… the yacht is large enough that if we start swinging from the chandeliers and acting like fools, you’ll be far from it,” he said with a wink.

“What’s a bachelor party without a little craziness anyway?” added Michael, raising his martini glass. “I say we make a toast right now.”

We all raised our drinks.

“What’s the name of your boat?” Michael asked.

“Home Run,” he replied. “Big surprise there, right?”

Ridley chuckled. “Because that’s what life is all about, right? Going all the way and scoring big?”

“Exactly,” said Damian.

“Couldn’t agree more. So… here’s to ‘what happens on the Home Run, stays on the Home Run’,” said Michael.

“And here’s to Mia making a homerun, on the Home Run,” whispered Ridley.

I kicked her foot.