Page 44 of Devoured By You
“After you.”
Spittle gathered at the corners of Sloan’s mouth, his face redder than was healthy for a man of his age. The entire restaurant was agog, following the events without knowing the details of what had brought about this kerfuffle.
“This isn’t over, Kingcaid,” Sloan said as if he were a mafia boss in a B-movie.
Blay didn’t engage him, nor did he respond to his attempted threat. He followed Sloan and the man he’d called over, who, I guessed, might be security. My shoulders sagged. I took a step to go after him. Aspen put out her arm, stopping me.
“Let him handle it.”
“I don’t want to cause trouble for him. He told me how important it is for this cruise to be a success.”
“Blaize won’t tolerate that kind of behavior, regardless of the consequences. Besides, everyone in the know is aware of what a pathetic old man David Sloan is. His opinion won’t carry much weight.”
“I can’t believe people like that exist.” I shook my head. “Why would Blay let him on the ship?” My comment came out more accusatory than I’d meant it to.
Aspen looked at me as if I were a baby fawn witnessing the realities of the world for the first time. “We can’t discriminate against people just because we don’t subscribe to their preferences. Sloan is a sleaze, but his companions are all over twenty-one.”
She had a point, even if I didn’t like it. “Ugh.”
Addison grabbed a passing server. “A round of margaritas. And make them strong ones.”
I counted every minute that passed until Blay reappeared, his expression unreadable as he moved through the restaurant toward our table. I rose to greet him, an apology on my face. If I hadn’t made a fuss, then I wouldn’t have forced Blay’s hand into dealing with a difficult situation.
“I’m so—”
He placed a finger over my lips, silencing me. “Excuse us, ladies.” Gripping my elbow, he steered me out of the restaurant.
“What happened?” I asked as we entered the elevator.
He pushed the button for deck nineteen, one above where my suite was located. My heart constricted, and prickles crept along the back of my neck. He was taking me to his suite.
“Mr. Sloan will be leaving us when we dock in St. Maarten in the morning.”
I gaped, my mouth forming the perfect “O” shape. “You’re throwing him off the ship?”
He nodded. “I warned him about what he said to the bartender this afternoon, and—”
“I told you not to do that.”
His lips twitched. “I like the idea of you ordering me around, but you should know I’m not the obedient type. You might need to… punish me.” He curved both hands around my neck and pressed his forehead to mine. “I made my expectations clear, and Sloan ignored them. What he does behind closed doors is not my concern, but I will not tolerate that kind of behavior in front of my guests, and especially in front of you. He’s fortunate I didn’t throw him overboard for what he said.”
Blay hadn’t done this solely for me. He’d done it to secure the reputation of his business. But that didn’t stop me from pressing my lips to his.
“Thank you.”
His eyes twinkled. “If it’s gratitude you’d like to give me, I have the perfect idea.”
Chapter 17
Blaize
Strawberries and cream, and Jill.
My heart rate hadn’t dropped below one ninety since the altercation with Sloan. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d let anger consume me to the extent it had when he’d called Jill, her friends, and my cousin mutts. The only thing that had stopped me from smashing his face against the wall was the likelihood that such actions would lead to my downfall. Far better to exercise control, regardless of how difficult, and use other avenues of retribution. Hence the decision to off-load Sloan at the first opportunity.
I’d preempted the potential PR disaster with a call to the department that handled such things, as well as calling Dad and updating him. He’d agreed with my decision to kick the fucker off my ship. Not that I’d had a doubt he would, but it was good to hear it from the old man directly. I had a security detail stationed outside Sloan’s penthouse, and the second we docked at seven o’clock in the morning, a team would escort him onto dry land.
Good fucking riddance.