"Good for her. Probably shouldn't be working at a bar, though."
"She's perfect for it."
"She probably gets plenty of tips."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing."
I glared at him but didn't say anything else, getting annoyed already. It'd barely been an hour and he was pushing my buttons hard.
Things had been strained between the two of us ever since we'd gotten off the yacht. The image of his naked body, his huge, hard cock standing erect in front of me, kept coming back over and over. As soon as I'd gotten back into my room, breathless and soaking wet, I'd had to touch myself until I came. I'd had to get that image out of my head.
But that didn't help. Most of the time, Nate was either lying around drinking beer by the pool or going for long, crazy runs. He was practically never wearing a shirt, which made it so much harder than it had to be. He was my stepbrother and that was all there was to it.
Besides, my dad was stepping up his dating pressure. I didn't know why, but he really wanted me to meet a bunch of young, eligible men he knew, probably because he didn't think that I was capable of meeting and marrying the proper guy.
I was sick of him pushing the same lame investment banker onto me over and over. Okay, it wasn't literally the same guy, but I had used the wrong name more than once, to everyone's embarrassment. They were all named Chet or Michael, and they all loved boats as much as my dad did, and they all loved cocaine most of all.
That was pretty much all you needed to know.
And yet, despite Dad bringing around eligible men all the time, the only guy I couldn't get off my mind was so supremely not-eligible that it made my skin crawl. He was rude and crude and muscular and serious and loved to make fun of me, and he was also my stepbrother.
Nate began to slow the boat down and brought it to a stop.
"Why are we stopping?" I asked him.
"Map says to."
"Okay, any clue why the map says to?"
He shrugged. "Nope. We should probably go down and help Tommy out, though."
I stood up and rolled my eyes at him while he dropped the anchor. I walked down onto the deck and leaned up against the railing as Tommy began to pass out fishing rods. He showed everyone where the bait was and where the beer was and basically stepped back to let the men cast out and teach their women how to do it. It was all pretty old fashioned, but I didn't mind.
"Does it usually go like this?" I asked Tommy once he joined me.
"More or less. It's an easy job."
"Ever have any problems?"
He sighed and looked off into the distance. "No, but I've heard rumors."
"Rumors about what?"
"Pirates."
I stared at him for a second and then burst out laughing. "Like with eye patches and peg legs?"
"No. Pirates with speedboats and machine guns."
"You're serious?"
"They're rumors, but sometimes rumors are true. Apparently, there are some pirates that patrol these waters and like to board boats and steal everything they have." He paused, looking away. "Sometimes they steal the women, too."
I gaped at him. "There's no way that's true. What about the coast guard?"
"It's a big coast. They can't be everywhere."
I opened my mouth to reply, but suddenly I heard my name called out.
I looked over and spotted two guys in their mid- to late twenties. One was smiling at me and the other was busy casting his line out over the edge.
"Friends?" Tommy asked me.
"Never met them before in my life."
The one guy waved me over, and I reluctantly pushed off the railing and walked over to him.
"Hi," I said. "Do I know you?"
"No, you don't know me."
"How do you know my name then?"
"Well, this is a little awkward, but your father invited us out on this trip. He said you'd be here. I assumed that was you based on his description."
I nodded and smiled at him. That made sense. These were probably two more of his young business associates, and he probably thought I'd like to meet them. Maybe have their babies.
"Well, I'm Claire, but you know that already."
"Claire, I'm Joshua." He held out his hand and we shook. I noticed a small red tattoo on his wrist in the shape of a broken heart with a dagger in the top. It was tiny, barely noticeable, and it disappeared under the sleeve of his dress shirt as soon as he pulled his hand away.
"So what brings you out here?" I asked him.
"We're investing in your father's new club." Joshua looked at his friend. "My rude business partner here is Alfonse."
Alfonse glanced at me. "Call me Al."
"Okay, Al. Nice to meet you."
He nodded once and went back to fishing.
"Sorry, he's not very friendly," Joshua said, wearing a winning smile.
I was taken aback at how straight his teeth were. He was handsome in a conventional way, like every guy Dad brought around. And like every guy, I wasn't really interested in him at all, but I knew I had to play nice, otherwise I'd get a stern lecture.
Besides, these were his business partners. I needed to put on a good face and help Dad out by making them happy. That was my unspoken job every time he had clients around.
"That's okay, so long as he's having a good time."
Al grunted and Joshua laughed. "He seems pretty content. Anyway, do you work on boats often, Claire?"
I laughed, shaking my head. "Not at all. Honestly, my dad just wanted me to get some good work experience this summer, and so here I am."
"Ah, I'm not surprised. Your father seems like a tough one."
"He definitely is. But he's also a really good guy, or at least everyone says so."
"What do you say?"
I smiled, looking out over the ocean. "He's my dad. He's the best."
Joshua grabbed a beer from the cooler and offered me one. I declined and he returned it, cracking his open.
"I have to admit, I was surprised when I first saw you."
"Surprised?"
"Yes. Over how attractive you are."
I smiled but inwardly cringed. Was this guy for real? I was the daughter of a business associate, and he was hitting on me?
"Well, thank you."
"No, thank you. I'm glad your father decided to introduce me to you."
"What else do you have planned for this weekend?"
"Oh, nothing special, just looking in on some assets I have."
"Assets?"
"Properties. Businesses." He paused to sip his beer. "Things of that nature."
"Sounds exciting."
"Oh, it is very exciting. I live a very exciting life." He stood very close to me, his breath coming heavily.
"I hope you're having a good time while you're in town," I said lamely.
"I would if you agreed to spend some time with me."
I turned white and looked around, suddenly wishing someone would give me an out, but everyone was too busy fishing to pay me any attention. Where the hell is Nate? I thought to myself.
"I don't know," I replied.
"Say yes. I will show you an incredible time. It would make me very, very happy, and I'm sure it would please your father as well."
I didn't know what to do. The idea of going out with this guy repulsed me, or maybe that was just the motion of the boat. Either way, I had absolutely zero desire in seeing him ever again.
But I couldn't just say no. That would be rude and would make my father look bad. If this was an investor in his new business, then I had to at least make an effort to make him happy.
"What did you have in mind?" I said slowly.
"You, me, and the beach," he said softly. "I'll bring the wine. You just bring your pretty face. We'll see what happens from there."
"I don't know," I said.
Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me. Joshua looked up, and a strange look came over his face for half a second.
"This guy bothering you?" Nate grunted.
I turned around. "Oh, Nate. This is Joshua, one of my dad's business associates. Joshua, this is my new stepbrother, Nate."
Nate and Joshua shook hands, and Nate held on for half a second longer than was normal, looking Joshua right in the eye. There was a strained tension between the two men. Nate was clearly the larger of the two, taller and broader, with muscles like crazy. Joshua was smaller and wore an expensive suit, his hair gelled up and styled.
"Good to meet you," Joshua said.
"Likewise."
"Joshua here was just inviting me out. I'm sure you'd like to come too, Nate."
Joshua gaped for a second before composing himself. "Uh, yes. I'm sure that'd be great."
Nate stared at Joshua for another second, his body imposing and serious. "I'll think about it."
"Great," Joshua said, "just great. I'll let you two get back to work." He quickly turned away, returning to Al.
"Creep," I muttered.
Fortunately, though, I was almost positive we would never hear from Joshua again, or at least about that little trip he wanted to take me on.
"That guy bother you?" Nate asked me.
"Just another banker asshole my dad is trying to set me up with."