JESSA
From the moment I walk back through the doors after my “break” with Anton, all eyes stay riveted on me. No one wants to ask. No one is brave enough—or dumb enough.
Well, maybe one person.
“So,” Molly says, cornering me the moment I send out the last dessert plate, “what did he want with you?”
I look up, realizing that I’m standing at the center island and everyone else has formed a loose circle around me. Anders and Cory avoid my eyes disapprovingly, Lisa is enthusiastic for details, but the envy in Molly’s fisted hands is hard to miss.
“Nothing,” I mumble casually, wiping down the countertop. “He just wanted to see if everything was in order for dinner.”
Anders snorts loudly. “Right. Nothing sus about that.”
I frown. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve worked with Chef Anatoly a dozen different times on this yacht,” Anders tells me. “Not once was he called up to the deck during a dinner service. Matter of fact, I’m pretty sure he woulda gotten his ass kicked if he’d set one toe above board.”
I look around at the five of them. “Why does it feel like I’m being interrogated right now?”
“Oh, pish, ignore the clucking hens,” Lisa says, waving away my concern. “Those two just love that surly old goat Anatoly. Don’t pay them any mind. Typical men, unhappy when a capable woman is in a position of power.”
I glance at Cory and Anders to gauge their reaction. Anders is staring daggers at Lisa, but Cory is looking directly at me.
“You don’t want to get involved with someone like Anton Stepanov,” he warns quietly, for my ears alone. “The man is dangerous.”
“What did he want with you?” Lisa asks again.
“Nothing.”
I don’t even understand why I’m feeling this guilt. I owe these people nothing, right? We’re just crossing paths temporarily. In the very near future, we’ll be nothing but distant memories to each other. No obligations. No responsibilities.
But that’s not it. Maybe it’s not guilt after all.
Maybe it’s fear.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Anders drawls. “He wants to bang her. Maybe he already has.”
My jaw sets firmly. “Seriously, what is your problem? Even if that were true, it would be none of your business.”
“Oh my God!” Molly gasps. “Did you have sex with him?”
I ignore her completely. Thankfully, so does Anders. “Like Cory said, the man is dangerous. We may work for him, but it’s only so we can collect the fat paycheck at the end of the night.”
“Which is exactly what I’m doing, too.”
“Except none of us were invited above deck,” he points out.
I roll my eyes. “Jealous, are you?”
He shakes his head. “More like disgusted. Disgusted that women can be so easily blinded by a little charm and a handsome face.”
His bitterness is palpable. But if I look past that, I can see some genuine concern there, too. I’m not the only one who’s afraid of Anton.
“There’s nothing going on between us, okay?” I insist. “I took this job last minute because I needed a distraction.”
“I’m sure he gave you a good one,” Anders mutters cruelly.
“Anders,” Cory barks. The younger man falls silent almost immediately.