Trey barks out a laugh. “We’ll see about that.” His eyes flicker toward me, and I’m suddenly self-conscious. I’m still in my oversized sweater and pajama shorts, but Trey doesn’t seem to mind. He says, “It was good to meet you, Charlie. I look forward to chatting with you again soon, once you’re more settled. Feel free to go to Viv with any concerns or questions in the meantime. Carl, ready?”
Fiona jumps into Carl’s muscled arms, pretending to wail forlornly. “I’ll see you next week, right, babe?”
“Of course,” Carl says, kissing the top of her head.
“I can’t wait,” Fiona purrs. “Be good.”
“I always am,” Carl responds, squeezing her hips. “You know I don’t need anyone but you.”
Well, that answersthatquestion, at least. Carl is a cheating bastard, and Fiona doesn’t know. I glare at the Adonis twirling Fiona around like a ballerina. No wonder he’s in such a good mood. He probably gets off on the sneaking around.
“Race you?” Trey taunts, interrupting the couple’s goodbye.
Carl pulls away from Fiona, a gleam in his eye. He stalks over to Trey, bumping a shoulder against him. I wonder why Trey allows this man to stand near him—he only makes Trey look shrimpy and pale.
“Oh, please, no, not this again,” Fiona protests, hovering behind them. “It’s dangerous!”
“No, it’s not, Fee, don’t be dramatic,” Carl says, rolling his eyes.
I blink as both men start to strip off their clothes. It’s frenzied, fast; a race to get free from garments that probably cost more than my monthly rent.
“They do this all the time,” Fiona explains, her eyes unable to leave her boyfriend’s carved, bronzed body as he shimmies out of his pants, exposing a pair of black briefs. “They dock their boats at Ligia and catch a ride over with someone else. Then in the morning they swim back.”
How often are these dudes staying overnight?
Viv had made it pretty clear in our early communications thatEmpresswas not a coed situation. “This isn’t Hype House or any of that shit,” she’d said. “Empressis classy, with classy people. There’s no drama. No fighting over boys.”
I wasn’t so sure about that now. If watching reality TV has taught me anything, it’s that putting a bunch of young, hot people together in one location is theperfectrecipe for drama.
“That’s a far swim,” I note, peering over at the island.
“Yep, and there’s a riptide and rocks and God knows what else under there,” Fiona complains. “But they insist on doing it. Men…”
Trey goes over to a wicker footrest next to a matching deck chair and opens the top of it, exposing a storage area inside. He pulls out two dark gray bags and tosses one to Carl. “Dry sacks,” he says, noticing my gaze. “Keeps our clothes and phones dry when we swim.”
The men stuff their belongings into the sacks, rolling the mouths closed and buckling them, swinging the bags over their shoulders.
“See you, baby,” Carl says, quickly kissing Fiona goodbye and padding over to the side ofEmpressto stand next to Trey.
Trey glances back, grinning at me.
It’s not until they’ve jumped, muscles exposed to the sun, dry sacks snuggled on their backs, that it hits me. Carl obviously stayed in Fiona’s room last night, but what about Trey?
The two men freestyle toward the dock, arms pumping, water splashing around them as they cut through it.
Unless Trey slept in the crew quarters, which I findveryhard to believe, he shared a room with one of his employees last night.
* * *
When it’s the six of us left on the yacht, Viv gathers us in the living area on the main level for what she calls a “family meeting.”
I sink onto a plush love seat and bite the inside of my cheek when the others choose the couches perpendicular to me, leaving me alone on an island of pale leather.
Viv stands in front of the leather couches we’re scattered on, eyelashes spidered with mascara, appraising us. I take the opportunity to do the same.
Finally. All of the influencers in the same place at the same time. It’s a little overwhelming. Together, they are a decadent collective of looks, fashion, and beauty. Mermaids once again swim to the forefront of my mind, and I can’t help but picture these women as characters from Sage’s book—my book.
They would all look stunning with tails.
