Captain Silver Fox, page 5
After a few more short remarks and an encouragement to make the next cruise a success, the captain closed the meeting. Carol was done with him as well, so Brantley walked out of the theater. He had a long list of to-dos to check off, and he’d better get started on that.
“Brantley, a word please.” Captain De Vries’s tone was as icy as the hand that wrapped around Brantley’s biceps and pulled him into a storage room.
De Vries switched on the light, then turned the lock on the door. Brantley took a deep breath. He knew what was coming, and it wasn’t going to be pretty.
“Did you know who I was?” De Vries asked.
“No. I had no idea.”
The captain’s face lost most of its stern expression, and he took off his hat and dragged a hand through his hair. “I was hoping that was the case.”
“I was initially placed on the Persephone, so I thought I’d be serving under Captain Marquez. When I heard I’d be serving here, I only had time to read a quick bio of you with a teeny picture in black and white.”
Brantley knew he didn’t have to explain himself but he wanted to. The captain deserved that much from him, since he clearly was as unhappy with the situation as Brantley was.
“What a fucking mess,” De Vries said.
“I know. I wasn’t happy either when I recognized you.”
It wasn’t the whole truth, because on some deep level he had been happy to see Silver again, but not like this. Not under circumstances where they could never be Silver and Bentley again but had to be captain De Vries and the assistant hotel director.
“I don’t sleep with my crew members. Ever. Or passengers, for that matter.”
Brantley nodded. “Same. I understand what we have to do…Captain.”
De Vries’s eyes softened even more as he put his cap back on. “I’m sorry to put you in this situation, especially considering you’re a new staff member. Please know that I’ll do my best to be impartial if we ever have dealings with each other.”
“I assume we will at some point, and I trust you to be fair. We may only have spent a few hours together, but I’m a good judge of character.”
They met each other’s eyes, both of them smiling. “So…Bentley?” De Vries then asked.
Brantley’s smile widened as he shrugged. “Old nickname from high school. My dad is British and when he moved to the US, he brought two old Bentleys, which he lovingly restored. He loves old cars, and my parents have a huge workshop next to their house where he’s always tinkering on his cars. My friends loved it, and he was always happy to teach us something or let us watch.”
“Ah, gotcha. It fits you…much like your real name.”
Brantley couldn’t resist. “And you, Silver?
The captain shifted his feet, looking a little uncomfortable. “I’m sure you’ve found out my nickname even with the little research you did.”
“Not of your own choosing, I assume?”
“Hell no. Brody…” He stopped, something flicking over his face. “Captain Leslie, my staff captain, coined it a year or two ago. It was a joke, but it stuck, and now I can’t escape it.”
“So you decided to embrace it and call yourself Silver on your…escapades?”
Silver shrugged. “I needed something easy and memorable…then thought why the hell not?”
“My guess is it doesn’t hurt with the twinks either, a name like that.”
Ah, there it was, that cheeky, lop-sided grin that turned the stern captain into a sexy man. “I can neither confirm nor deny the veracity of that statement.”
Brantley grinned. “Riiiiiight.”
He stilled as he was caught in the man’s gaze, his eyes the dark blue color the sky took right before dusk fell. Brantley licked his lips, his mouth parched and his lips dry. Silver’s eyes dropped to his mouth for a second or two, before he straightened his shoulders and looked away.
“I’m sorry, Brantley. I wish we’d met under different circumstances.”
Brantley couldn’t hold back a sigh. “Me too, Captain.”
5
The day before embarkment was always crazy and even more so when he’d just come on board, but today was the absolute worst. Fox was known for his laser-sharp focus, but it was failing him spectacularly. His thoughts kept drifting off to the incredible coincidence of Brantley being one of his new employees. How the fuck was that even possible? He’d gone all the way to West Palm Beach to avoid running into crew members and yet here they were. What a total fucked-up situation.
The good news was that Brantley was handling it as well as Fox could’ve hoped. He’d been a captain long enough to know which people were gonna cause drama or trouble, and Brantley wouldn’t be one of them. He’d been as upset about it as Fox but equally professional.
But what bad luck it was that out of all the hookups he’d had, it had to be Brantley who was off-limits to him. They’d shared such a great connection, and Fox had secretly hoped there’d be a repeat encounter at some point. The sex had been off the charts hot, but more than that, it had been so casual, so easy and comfortable. Like they’d known each other much longer, and yet they’d still had that chemistry, that sexual spark that made for hot sex.
Gah, life sucked sometimes, and this was a case in point. Though to be fair, if this was his biggest problem, he really couldn’t complain.
“Captain?”
Brody’s voice yanked Fox out of his thoughts, the tone indicating it hadn’t been the first time he’d tried to get Fox’s attention.
“Yes, sorry, what was that?”
Brody stepped closer. “Are you all right?” he asked, his voice low enough so none of the other officers could overhear. “You’re distracted.”
See? This was why he couldn’t do the whole dating thing, even aside from Brantley being his employee. It was already distracting him, taking away his focus, and they weren’t even dating for fuck’s sake.
“I’m fine. I had a personal situation earlier, but it’s all solved now.”
Brody looked at him for a few more seconds, then nodded. “Okay. You know you can talk to me, right?”
Fox put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “I know, but thank you. Now, what were you saying?”
“We’ve completed the risk analysis for the whole trip, and there are some areas you should have a look at.”
Brody pulled up a screen and they both bent over to have a look at the nautical map. The rest of the afternoon flew by with meeting after meeting and filling in reports in between. Still, Fox’s thought kept circling back to Brantley despite his best efforts and stern admonishments to himself to focus on his damn job.
It was late by the time he went to the captain’s suite, but he still woke up refreshed the next morning. He was used to it now, the short nights and interrupted sleep. He was lucky that he did fine on six hours of sleep and could catch up with short naps whenever he had the chance. And at least he had his own suite, unlike most of the crew who shared cabins with at least one other person and for lower level jobs, as many as four or six. And his suite was a hell of a lot roomier, even if it was still small compared to hotel suites.
The morning passed by quickly and before he knew it, it was time to start the embarkation process. He tried to be visible as much as he could during each cruise, and this was an excellent opportunity. Fox checked himself in a mirror, ensuring his uniform was spotless, before heading to the promenade deck where the first guests were already assembling.
A couple stood on the deck, looking around while holding hands. The excitement on their faces was clear as they pointed out things to each other. These were the type of guests Fox loved. “Welcome aboard the Athena,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Captain De Vries.”
“Oh my god, you’re the captain of this boat? Honey, look at him,” the youngest of the two men said. “He’s so handsome.”
Fox grinned. It was going to be a fun week.
“Why, thank you.” He winked at the older man, who seemed a little embarrassed. “It’s a requirement for this job, you know?”
That had them all laughing, and he spent a minute with them before moving on and talking to more guests. It was a good mix of couples and singles, and he’d even seen two what looked to be triads. In terms of age, they were all over the place as well, which was usually a good sign. Too many young people meant drinking issues, usually, while the sixty-plus folks were often bananas, the term the crew used for bad tippers.
He was on his way back to the bridge when he heard his voice. Brantley. Fox stopped to listen, even though he probably shouldn’t.
“I’m sorry you don’t agree with the gay lifestyle, as you put it, but that’s not relevant for your job. You were hired to serve guests regardless of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or anything else.”
“I know my first amendment rights,” an angry male voice spat out.
“This has nothing to do with your freedom of speech and everything with discrimination. You can’t refuse to serve a guest because he’s too…flamboyantly gay, I think you called him?”
Fox balled his fists. Was this guy serious, whoever he was? Did he really think this would fly? His hands itched to step in, but he held back. He needed to give Brantley the space to handle this himself. Handling personnel issues was an important part of his job.
“He was wearing makeup, for fuck’s sake. Nail polish, too.”
“Yeah, so? How is that hindering you in doing your job?”
“He was flirting with me,” the man said, and it didn’t sound like his anger was diffusing.
“I’d imagine the female guests usually do the same. Do you object to that as well?”
“It’s different.”
“How? In neither case anything can come from it, and in both you’re protected by the code of conduct the passengers agree to when booking. They can’t touch you, act inappropriately, or sexually harass you in any way regardless of their gender.”
“It’s still different. I don’t want no faggot flirting with me.”
Brantley had kept his cool so far, and Fox respected him for it, but this employee—whoever the hell he was—had just sunk to a whole new level. Fox dug his nails deep into his hands to refrain from stepping forward.
“That is not an acceptable word to use for anyone, let alone a guest. I’m gonna have to report this to Carol for disciplinary measures. Tread lightly now, or you’ll face the consequences.”
The man scoffed. “You’re new. This is what, your second day on the job? Do you really think they’ll take your word over mine? I’ve worked here for three years now, and I’ve never had any issues.”
“That’s good to hear, but you do have a problem now. And I am confident my report will be taken seriously,”
Another scoff. “It’s one faggot protecting another.”
Fox’s body shook with anger. He didn’t have much of a temper, but once triggered, people better be nowhere near him. Yet he still held back, wanting to let Brantley handle this himself. No matter how much he wanted to step in and protect him from these vile accusations, he couldn’t. Word would get around and it would diminish Brantley’s authority with the crew.
“That’s it,” Brantley said, his voice remarkably calm. “You’re fired effective immediately. We cannot and will not tolerate these slurs on this ship. You need to come with me right now to get your stuff and move out of your cabin.”
“It’s never gonna hold up, not when I deny everything. It will be your word against mine, and you’re the new guy.”
This was the perfect moment to step in, Fox decided. He’d had enough and he reckoned Brantley had to have reached the end of his patience as well.
“Actually, he has a witness,” he said, stepping around the corner.
Philip—and Fox did recognize him now, a handsome blond guy who always flirted excessively with the ladies and scored the best tips as a result—stood frozen to the ground.
“Brantley’s decision stands, and you are to leave my ship immediately. I will file the case with HR myself, since I overheard your use of that homophobic slur. Twice.”
“But…but, Captain,” Philip sputtered.
Fox couldn’t afford to loosen the grip on the bubbling rage inside him. If he did, he was bound to say or do something he’d regret later, no matter how justified. “Was I not clear?” he said, his eyes narrowing and his tone so full of ice and disdain that it caused Philip to take a step back. “Get the fuck off my ship. Now.”
Philip took one more look at Fox’s face and then hurried off without another word. Brantley let out a sigh. “Dammit. Not how I wanted to start my career here.”
Fox put a hand on his arm, and a slight pulse of electricity shot through Fox. Why did he have this weird reaction to what should be an innocent touch? So damn annoying. “This is not on you. I heard most of the exchange, and you were fully within your rights. If anything comes from it, you have my full support.”
“Thank you. And thanks for not stepping in earlier. It means a lot that you trusted me enough to let me handle this myself.”
He lifted his eyes to meet Fox’s, and that spark flared again, that zing in the air. Fox frowned. What was that?
“Captain,” Brantley said, and Fox’s frown intensified. Why was Brantley adding that?
“I’m sorry, sir. I should’ve used your title.” Brantley stepped back, his cheeks flushed, and Fox’s hand dropped from his arm. “It won’t happen again, Captain.”
Fox stared at his retreating body, his brain stuck in some weird limbo where it was both analyzing the unusual effect Brantley had on him as well as wondering why he’d walked off like that. Then it hit him. Brantley must’ve thought Fox’s frown was aimed at him, for not properly addressing him. He sighed. Wat een klotezooi. What a fucking mess…and the cruise hadn’t even started yet.
The whole incident with Philip had left Brantley more shaken than he’d felt comfortable admitting to Carol. She’d apparently been informed by Captain De Vries and had sought him out, doing a thorough debriefing with him before offering nothing but empathy and praise for the way he had handled it. An isolated incident, that’s what she’d called it, assuring Brantley that the cruise line itself was LGBTQ positive and that De Vries had zero tolerance for any kind of hate and discrimination.
Brantley wanted to believe her—and truth be told, his research had confirmed the cruise line was LGBTQ friendly both in theory and in practice—but it was hard to let the incident slide. It had only been his second day on the job and to be faced with that much hate already, it had jarred him.
Though if he were honest, he was as much upset about the weird interaction with Silver. Captain De Vries. Dammit, he really should stop calling him Silver, because that’s not who he was. Not here. Not on this ship. Not ever again, probably. And maybe that was the most upsetting thing of all.
He couldn’t explain his frustration because he wasn’t looking for a relationship. He’d tried a few years ago, and it hadn’t even lasted three rotations before Rick had ended things. He hadn’t cheated on Brantley, that much he was certain of, but he’d been unable to deal with the long-distance aspect, and Brantley couldn’t blame him.
It required a lot of understanding and trust to make anything like that work. Plus a lot of effort, and right now in this phase of his career, Brantley wasn’t willing to put in that effort. He wanted to make it to hotel director, and having a boyfriend would all but throw a wrench in that plan. And aside from that, he didn’t need the inevitable drama and heartbreak. Fuck knew a breakup could be impossible to come back from.
So why did the situation with the captain bother him so much? He’d been fine not knowing who the guy was except for an amazing one-night stand. Why was he upset now to discover he was his boss and they could never hookup again?
Maybe it was because Captain De Vries had been so strict with him, silently demanding Brantley drop all informality, even when it was just the two of them, and use his title. The man had earned it, and under any other circumstance, Brantley would never disrespect a captain, but this had felt different. But of course, that was all in his head. De Vries probably wanted to forget that whole night between them had ever happened.
He rubbed his temples, wishing he could shake off what had him feeling so gloomy. He was usually so excited and energized right before sail off. And the passengers he’d met so far had been amazing. Hell, a gay cruise, what could be more fun than that? These were his people, his tribe, his happy place. He shouldn’t let anything ruin that. Not even the knowledge that he had to forget all about the sexy captain and focus on his damn job.
He straightened his shoulders and raised his chin. He had this, dammit. He wasn’t some lovesick puppy whose heart got broken by his first crush. He didn’t do breakups and heartbreak. He was a grown-ass man and he had more important things to pay attention to than some guy, no matter how hot their encounter had been. The job, that’s what he would focus on. Satisfied he’d gotten himself back on track, he hurried off to check in with his room manager to see if all the guests were happy with their rooms.
Embarkment went off without a hitch, and they only had to admonish a few guests to participate in the required safety drill before they announced sail-off. The decks were packed with passengers, all eager to see the ship leave the port of Miami. When the ship pushed off from the dock and the ship’s horn deafened them all with its loud blasts, cheers went up, and Brantley smiled. He loved this part.
Loud music played over the speakers, and guests hung over the railings to watch, drinks in hand as they enjoyed the sail-off party. Some waved, though to whom was never clear, and others posed for the inevitable Titanic-style pics. Brantley had stopped getting frustrated with those a long time ago. They’d become part of the routine now, much like many other aspects he once considered annoying.
Slowly, the ship maneuvered out of port, its speed increasing as it made its way in between the apartment buildings of the south tip of Miami Beach and Fisher Island toward the ocean. One couldn’t fully appreciate how big the ship was until it passed ten-stories apartment buildings and dwarfed them. God, he’d never grow tired of this exhilaration of serving on an ocean liner this size.
