Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
And blown it all to shit.
CHAPTER 4
PUCCI
Jamie
Present day…
With Nora at his heels, Jamie stalked to the cockpit and knocked on the glass.
The captain was at the helm.
The chief officer came to the door.
“Uh…sir—” the man began.
Jamie was not the kind of man who asked for a manager. There was something abhorrent about that to him, the idea that anyone would feel so entitled they couldn’t deal with the person they were dealing with and negotiate terms, and instead demand to speak to a superior.
If those negotiations didn’t go your way, and the result was unacceptable, you simply didn’t patronize that establishment again.
It took little effort to understand why he felt this way. His father probably asked for a manager everywhere he went. Though, Jamie had personally seen him do it repeatedly while he was growing up.
But in that moment, considering the circumstances, Jamie pushed through the officer, Nora at his back, and he addressed the captain directly.
“Respectfully, I request, at your earliest convenience, you turn us around.”
“I’m sorry, sir, that isn’t possible,” the captain replied as Nora came to stand by his side.
And fuck him, the tangy, warm, orange blossom, jasmine and vanilla notes to her perfume always fucked with his head.
It did it in the lounge when he got close to her, regardless of how insanely pissed he was at her.
It was doing it to him now.
Jamie powered through her sexy-as-all-hell perfume.
“Can you explain why that isn’t possible?” he requested.
“I have my orders,” the captain announced.
Jamie fought grinding his teeth and asked, “And those orders would be?”
The captain stepped away from the helm, dipping his chin to the chief officer who took over, before turning fully to Jamie to address him.
And you had to hand it to the guy, he looked wildly uncomfortable.
“I was told you’d make this request, and I was told, under no circumstances was I to cut our tour short.”
“My daughter-in-law gave you that direction,” Jamie surmised.
“Well—”
“I can make it worth your while to violate her order,” Jamie stated.
“I know who you are, sir, and I know that you can.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “However, I don’t believe you can make it worth countermanding Hale Wheeler’s standing counteroffer.”
He heard Nora gasp.
And this time, he ground his teeth.
Because Hale was a member of the family.
And he was the richest man in the world.
Literally.
Jamie glanced at Nora, and both of them walked out of the bridge. They stood outside it as Jamie pulled out his phone and immediately called Hale.
Hale, who was supposed to be there with Elsa, and their new son Laird. Along with Mika and Tom. Genny and Duncan. Chloe and Judge. Alex and Rix. Ned and Blake. Sasha, Matt, Sully, Gage, Dru, Cadence…
And he and Nora.
Plenty of people around to run interference.
Not anymore.
Hale answered within two rings.
“Jamie—” he began.
Jamie cut him off. “Call the captain and have him turn this ship around.”
“I can’t.”
“You can,” Jamie asserted.
“Right, those mega-yachts are floating climate disasters, which wouldn’t be my choice…ever, but with that said, you answer to Chloe if I do that shit,” Hale returned.
“You cannot tell me you’re going to strand Nora and I alone on a boat for a week for a vacation we didn’t buy into because you’re afraid Chloe is going to pitch a fit.”
Hale had sounded guarded.
Now he sounded amused. “You clearly haven’t witnessed Chloe pitching a fit.”
“Nora, nor I, are finding anything funny,” Jamie warned.
“I think maybe, and I say this with the utmost respect, you both should take this time we’ve given you to find out why you don’t,” Hale returned.
Could he have a new phone airlifted to him if he threw the one he had into the Hudson?
A uniformed woman approached and spoke to Nora, saying, “Hello, I’m Amy, and I’m your chief steward. Would you both like to be shown to your cabins? We’ve settled you in. Dinner will be served at seven, which is a little under two hours from now, with cocktails before, and you might want to refresh and dress.”
Trust Chloe to charter a yacht where they had to dress for dinner.
He had no doubt he was prepared, since Dru had commandeered his assistant and taken over his packing.
Christ, his own daughter was involved in this disaster.
“Sounds like you’ve got things to do,” Hale said in his ear, and yes, he again sounded amused.
Nora was staring at Jamie helplessly.
Seeing that look on her face, a look she’d probably never assumed in her whole damned life, his fury escalated.
But he jutted his chin at her and said, “We’ll have dinner. I’ll take care of this. We’ll be home later this evening.”
“All right,” she said shakily and followed the steward.
Jamie watched her go before he turned his full attention to Hale.
“You don’t understand what you’re doing with this, Hale.”
“I think we know exactly what we’re doing, Jamie.”
“You’d be wrong.”