*Alejandro*
I glanced at Anna as we made our way back to the hotel. She was quiet, and it seemed like she was creating some distance between us, trying to hide her emotions behind a wall. And I didn’t like that.
“Hey love, are you alright?” I asked her, grasping her hands in mine.
She nodded, looking out the window. The anger I’ve been restraining since the incident was barely contained now. No one makes my girl feel bad about herself.
I didn’t say anything about the matter, though. She was going through enough mental stress right now, and I didn’t want to add to it.
“Come here, love.” I pulled her closer to me, and she leaned into my embrace. We remained that way until we got to the hotel.
After freshening up, we settled into bed. “Do you think we should go on the boat cruise?” She asked as she lay on my chest, tracing my abdominal muscles. That was the first thing she had said to me since we left the restaurant.
“Of course,” I replied as my hands caressed her head softly. “Or you don’t want to go?”I added when she didn’t say anything more.
“You do know the invitation was a mockery, right? They just wanted to test us to see if we’re together.” Her voice had taken a sad tone.
I sat up, bringing her into a sitting position with me. “Which is why I want to go with you, to shut them up. But I understand if you don’t want to go. If you decide to go, I’ll always be with you, and no one will dare mock you again. That, I can promise.”
She held my stare for a while, and I suddenly became nervous. But then, she smiled and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. “Thank you so much, Alejandro.”
I laid down and brought her along with me, returning to our initial position. We lay there in silence, just enjoying each other’s company.
“But what about the investment we’re here for? We can’t just abandon it for a boat cruise,” she asked, panicking.
I just chuckled and reassured her that we’ll get it even if we’re not around. “And even if we don’t get it, it’s just a small business anyway. More will come, love.” After all, this business trip was just an excuse to spend time with her.
And with that, she relaxed into my hold. The next evening, a text came in. The location where we’ll be boarding the boat was sent, along with the time.
Anna quickly packed a few clothes in a suitcase for the both of us. We were only going for three days anyway. As soon as she was done, we got on the road.
I assessed the boat as we boarded and chuckled to myself. It was an expensive boat, alright, but if this was the boat they wanted to use to flaunt wealth, then they were far cheaper than I thought.
I kept my thoughts to myself, though, as Anna and I were directed to our cabin, where we were told to settle down for the time being.
The cabin we were given had a view that overlooked the ocean, and Anna stood by the window, enjoying the scenery. I stepped behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist as we looked into the water.
She sighed and leaned back against my chest. After a while, she arranged our things in the closet while I showered.
I got out of the shower and saw Anna sitting on the bed, scrolling through her phone. Her head snapped up as soon as I entered, and I could see the desire in her eyes as she fixed her gaze on my abs.
“Come on now, love. We have to get ready in thirty minutes, and there’s no time for what you’re thinking,” I teased.
She blushed like I knew she would and hurried into the bathroom. A knock sounded on the door minutes later, and I opened it to find one of the boat crew members waiting to take us to dinner.
We followed him to the boat deck, where we found our host already seated along with six other people, I counted. The deck was brightly lit, and we exchanged pleasantries with every one of them as dinner was being served.
“Let’s play a game,” one of the ladies shouted. We were all relaxing after dinner, enjoying the night ocean breeze. Anna was resting on the crook of my arm, and she stiffened slightly when the lady spoke. I later learned that her name was Laura.
I leaned into Anna and whispered, “Let me know when you get uncomfortable. We’ll leave, okay?”
She nodded and sent a small smile my way. I knew she was not keen on being here, but I wanted her to enjoy herself. This was her first time on a boat, and I wanted her to enjoy the experience.
After some seconds of whispering amongst themselves, everyone was in. Laura called the staff that had served us dinner and instructed them to bring in vodka and nine shot glasses for each of us.
The game was a truth or dare game. Cliche, right? But the twist was that you can only have one truth after two dares.
As soon as the rule was stated, I looked over to Anna to confirm if this was comfortable for her. She nodded back at me, suddenly looking nervous.
I wanted to prod deeper, but I didn’t want her to get uncomfortable or think I didn’t trust her enough to make decisions for herself, so I just left it at that. She would let me know when she wants to leave.
The game started with everyone taking a shot of vodka. The first round of dares was mild.
When it got to my turn, Laura was the one to dare me. “I dare you to give her a French kiss,” she said, referring to Anna. I don’t know why she didn’t just say her name, but I didn’t dwell too much on it.
My mind was focused on the kiss. I had wanted to kiss her since I saw her in the short gown she had on to dinner. Turning slightly to face Anna, I cupped her cheek with one hand. The other hand stroked her palm reassuringly as I leaned in to kiss her.
“Wow. That was intense,” Laura commented, and I hoped that was enough to make her believe Anna and I were an item. Not like I needed to prove myself to her.
Anna was dared next by Fred to take two shots of vodka. She grimaced as she did it, and the game moved on to the second round.
I watched in amusement as Laura was dared to remove her dress. She pursed her lips as she performed the dare. Thankfully, she was wearing a bikini under her dress.
Fred was also dared to perform ten pushups as a joke from one of his buddies. He also didn’t look eager to do it, and I stifled my laughter when he slumped down after five pushups, unable to continue. Because of that, he had to take a shot of vodka.
“You’re so out of shape, buddy. We should go hit the gym together when we get back.” The guy who had dared him taunted, and Fred glared at him before he took his seat.
Even though he tried to act nonchalant, I knew his ego had taken a huge blow. He had embarrassed himself in front of his girlfriend and their friends, not to talk of strangers, me and Anna specifically.
It got to my turn, and the lady who was to dare me apparently couldn’t find a hard one to give me. Her words, not mine. She groaned about it and thought hard before finally settling on me going shirtless. Simple enough, I thought.
I removed my shirt and laid it beside me on the armrest.
“Oh my, look at those abs.” The lady commented, and I ignored her, not wanting her to start getting ideas.
“Can I trace them?” She asked, and my eyes shot to her, irritated. No one except Anna is allowed to touch my abs.
“No,” I replied to her question with a clipped tone. My arms were still wrapped around Anna, and I could feel how she stiffened against me when the lady asked the question.
I leaned into her and whispered, “Don’t worry, love. I know how much you love to trace them in bed before you sleep. Do you think I’ll let anyone else come near your territory?”
She blushed and playfully slapped me on my bare chest. I knew she was doing that for the show so the lady could see that she was the only one allowed to touch me.
I drew her close and whispered, “Have I mentioned how much I love your possessiveness?”
Embarrassed by the fact that I had caught on to her intentions, Anna blushed as she buried her face in my chest.
I wanted to continue taunting her but decided against it, especially when I saw that all eyes were on us. My whispers were not that quiet, and almost everyone heard what I was saying.
I didn’t feel an ounce of embarrassment, though. I hugged Anna’s small frame tighter against my body as they continued to stare.
“Oh, I’m so jealous now. When will I have a man that treats me like that?” One of Laura’s friends commented that even though her boyfriend was sitting beside her,
I saw the poor man stiffen as she talked, and I shook my head in pity, deciding not to make any comment. But in my head, I thought, “She’ll never have a man like me because she would never treat him the way he deserves to be treated.”
It was obvious she was a golddigger, and although I would never judge anyone, I found myself feeling sorry for the guy.
“It’s her turn for a dare. Why is she hiding her face in your chest?” Laura asked irritatedly when everyone had quietened down. I had forgotten Anna was supposed to be dared directly after me.
That explained why they were all focused on us to the point that they heard our conversation.
Anna raised her head slightly and looked into my eyes. I was shocked when I realized she was tipsy. So, she was a lightweight? That explained why she only always took champagne or non-alcoholic drinks at events.
I wanted to ask if she was feeling well enough to continue the game or if she wanted to retire to our cabin, but before I could ask the question, Laura butted in.
“I dare you to make out with Steve over there.”
Anna jolted in my arms as if shocked by the question, and this time around, I stiffened as anger and possessiveness enveloped me.
“N-no. I’ll drink…” Anna slurred as she reached for her shot glass and tipped it backward. She rested her head back on my chest until the next round, which was the truth round when she was asked who had disciplined her.
She pointed at me, and I smiled and reminisced. “Alejandro, I need to use the restroom,” Anna whispered as she got up and swayed a little.
“Should I come with you?” I asked with concern, but she shook her head.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it,” she replied and stalked off.
I waited for her to return; minutes later, she still wasn’t back. That’s when I looked around and realized Steve had left at one point. My mind was no longer focused on the game after Anna left, so I didn’t see him leave as well.
I immediately excused myself to go find Anna. I had a bad feeling about this, and I knew I wasn’t overthinking when I heard her pleading with someone to leave her alone. Her voice was muffled. The fuck?
I opened the door to the restroom, and I didn’t even think twice before smashing my fists against Steve.