*𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐏𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐃*
After a short-lived marriage with the cold and arrogant billionaire Ronin Logan, Carmen Price is eager for a break. Her attempt to unwind leads her to another wealthy billionaire, Simon Walsh. Little does she know...
Yet the first thing out of her mouth was, "I didn't pack."
Simon had no right to look so pleased. Or smug. Or handsome. "Well, I might have taken the liberty of convincing your lovely friend Molly to do it for you."
Carmen's mouth fell open. "Wait, what?" Yet, the shock was short-lived and was quickly replaced by even greater bewilderment. "When did you...how did you...why am I learning about this...now? No. Wait. How did you even convince her? In fact, when? And she agreed?" Wow! There was simply too much for Carmen to catch up on, so she sat down at the nearest lounge chair, fingers running through her now frizzy hair.
Carmen had never made so many hasty decisions in her life, let alone in such a short period of time. It was overwhelming, to say the least. For a split second, she even felt nauseated enough to want to puke. But as she sat there, nibbling on her bottom lip, fiddling with her clutch, the feeling eventually passed and she looked up at him from behind those lush eyelashes.
"I hate to say this, Simon. I truly do, but the fact is that I'm terrified."
Her eyes welled up with tears, but she fought them back, not wanting to make the situation any more dramatic than it already was. She knew it wasn't fair to him, but she couldn't lie to him either. That was the most important promise she had made to herself after her divorce from Ronin, that she would be honest with herself and others about her feelings.
"I'm scared that it's happening too fast." She said to him, having to force the words because of all those timid voices in her head. "I'm scared that you literally came out of nowhere and I don't know how to handle this. You. Sometimes I feel like everything is wrong, that the person I'm trying to be isn't actually me. But then I think about it a bit more and remind myself that in the past, I had lived every moment of my life for the happiness of others. Because the prospect of offending someone had been so terrifying to me since childhood, I let people treat me any way they saw fit. I let them walk all over me. Time and again. Again and again. I gave them the power to hurt me, to take me for granted, and to treat me with contempt. But that's not what I wanted for myself. I don't think anyone deliberately does." Regardless of how hard she tried, tears streamed down her face, one after the other, a steady dribble of tiny diamond-like droplets.
"Sometimes I worry if I'm making the same mistake again, that I'm once again letting others control my life. I'm letting them manipulate me as they wish because I cannot muster up the courage to say no. That it has become a subconscious part of my personality to put myself last—"
"Carmen," Simon said, sitting on the table in front of her and taking her hands in his. "I sincerely apologize if I upset you in any way. My purpose in bringing you here was not to make you think that you're obligated to do as I say." He looked deep into her eyes as if he wanted her to believe every word he spoke, as if it would be devastating if he let this misunderstanding fester between them.
He pushed some curls away from her face. "I have done many things in life, Carmen, I won't lie to you, but tonight my aim was not to control you or take advantage of you in any manner or form. The only thing I had in mind was to make you happy. And if this suite, cruise, or getaway does not make you happy, I will not force you to stay. This is my cruise. It leaves when I say so, and it doesn't when I don't. Do you understand what that means?"
Carmen shook her head, not entirely sure.
He brushed her tears away, studying the expanse of her lovely face which seemed to glow in the moonlight. "That means you still have control over your will. If you want to stay, we will; if you do not, we will not—"
"You can't say that." She knew he wasn't lying, but he couldn't annoy that many people just for her. Her stomach dropped with fear at the prospect that he could even entertain such a ludicrous notion. "There are thousands of people outside waiting for this cruise to leave. You can't do this to them."
"Yes, they are, and it would undoubtedly sour their moods if this cruise were to cancel tonight. But one thing that you don't know, is that I don't give a fuck about those people. Carmen, you're here as my date, and I'll be damned if I do anything tonight that upsets you in any way."
"You'll really do that for me?" She cocked her head to the side, wondering if he was toying with her, for how could it be? It had to be a joke, shouldn't it? Yet the intense look on his face and the invincible sincerity in his eyes led her to believe he was indeed capable of doing something so reckless, that too with so much grace and elegance, no one would ever question his authority. "Or are you just saying that to keep me from making a fuss?"
Simon chuckled, lifting her chin with his index finger and sweeping his thumb across her bottom lip. "Try me."
Carmen didn't have to since something told her he wasn't trying to be funny. Instead, she removed his hand from beneath her chin and leaned back, finally resting against the plush recliner. Another gust of sea breeze swept around her, pushing her hair to fly everywhere.
Her gaze locked on him, playfulness in them. " Who are you, Simon Walsh? You're not real. You simply cannot be. Tell me what planet you are from. I promise your secret is safe with me."
Simon let out a smile of his own before standing back up and straightening his suit, not a single strand of his hair out of place. Probably the perk of having short hair, causing Carmen to be a little envious.
"I don't believe in playing all of my cards at once, Ms Price. What's the fun in that?" He teased, chuckling as he took her back inside and shut the glass door behind them. He turned to face her. "Speaking of which, you still have time to think about it. Choose wisely. I have to address a crew meeting in exactly five minutes, but I'll be back in twenty and ready to hear whatever you've decided. Sounds great?"
Uncertainly once again weighed heavy inside her; the back of her neck prickled. "It's a huge decision to make. I don't think I can—" She tried to reason with him, not wanting to be put in a position of being able to determine the destiny of everyone on board that night. It was a scary thought to have, too much power for someone who was still getting used to trusting herself.
Simon turned around one last time before finally walking out of the door, looking at her as if he knew she could do it. "Maybe that's how you learn, Carmen. That's how you learn to prioritize yourself and choose happiness."
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A/N: Simon really being charming and my heart can't take it lmao I look forward to your comments and votes :) Consider following me on wattpad, Inkitt or Insta for latest updates on new books and updates <3
