The Driven

Chapter 34

Thea

When she arrived at the yacht, the crew were waiting for her with smiles on their faces. Thea beamed in response and followed the deckhand that rushed to help with her bags. She settled in the masters bedroom and took a nap as soon as her head hit the soft pillows.

She explored the interior of the yacht after waking from the nap. It was done in dark tones and the rooms looked cozy, she was beginning to forget that she was on open waters. The breeze from the ocean cooled her usually frantic thoughts and there was a stillness she couldn't explain in the atmosphere.

Thea followed the aroma wafting in and found herself in the kitchen, the chef stopped chopping as soon as he sighted her, he cleaned his hands with a rag and welcomed her in. Thea blushed at how polite everyone was, she opened the refrigerator and ducked her head in to reach for a pack of orange juice.

"Hungry?" the chef asked, when she nodded he continued, "I'm making fish and fries for dinner, good enough?"

"Perfect," she responded then took a stool. "I'm Thea, what's your name?"

"Cold." She laughed. "Funny, ehn?" he asked.

She swallowed the juice in her mouth and shrugged. Cold chuckled and she sat in silence as he made salad. He looked to be in his mid thirties with the skinniest set of arms she'd ever seen on anyone. If he ate his meals, she couldn't tell and it obviously didn't show.

Thea was convinced to eat on the deck on the promise that the food tasted better while watching the now dark water. She went with Cold's opinion and took her food with her outside. The boat rocked lazily on the water and she stretched on her chair after eating half of the extremely spicy meal. The cool sea breeze raised goosebumps on her flesh as she sipped on a glass of dry wine, and she took the scarf around her neck to cover her bare arms.

Thea was shook awake by one of the crew members and she walked lazily to her room, she took a quick bath and turned in for the night. By mid morning, she stood on the deck with her hand shielding her eyes from the sun as they sailed to a dock. Thea clapped and everyone followed suit, they cheered and she hurried to her room to get changed.

She couldn't wait for her feet to touch land, Thea hurriedly wore a sundress and added sunscreen and a bucket hat to her handbag. The dinner wasn't until tomorrow and she was going to use the free time presented to her to explore the town. Judging by the crew's conversation, it had a lot to offer. She'd overheard them talking about a certain barbecue spot and she couldn't wait to taste the food.

Thea skipped out of the yacht and walked past fish vendors. She scrunched up her nose as the nasty smell of raw fish assaulted her senses. Thea increased her stride and found a cab as rolls of sweat began dripping down her exposed back. She pulled her hair into a ponytail while requesting that the driver crank up the AC.

Thea returned to the boat tired and slightly sunburned. She chatted with Cold for some minutes as they discussed the places she went for sightseeing. There was a waterfall the cab driver had taken her to and she'd been so tempted to skinny dip in the cold cascade. She'd ended up taking pictures of the water and watching in envy as people swam underneath it.

Thea gulped a chilled bottle of soda and talked about playing with dogs at the animal shelter she'd found on her way back to the boat. The cab driver had pointed it out and she'd stopped to take a look. The dogs and cats in the shelter were all so adorable and she'd been tempted into almost adopting a Lhasa Apso. The sad look in the dog's eyes haunted her and she was presently contemplating going back to get him, he could be her little baby.

The captain walked into the kitchen as she talked with Cold. Thea raised a hand in salute and he smiled, he was one of her father's oldest staff and she used to climb on his back as a kid whenever he came to the house. He still looked agile but the warmth in his eyes had disappeared ever since he lost his wife to cancer.

"Let's go out for dinner." Cold was looking a bit offended and she covered her mouth. "To unwind and meet people. I have nothing against your food, Cold."

The captain laughed at their interaction before speaking. "There's a great barbecue spot in town and you don't have to cook tonight, Chef."

Thea waited for Cold to say something and he looked from her to the captain before putting the mixing bowls and spatulas back in the cabinet.

"I was going to cook chicken and bacon pasta but I guess we could all use a little break."

Thea's face broke into a wild smile and she placed the soda on the counter before going to her room to take a much needed shower. She straightened her hair and used too much hairspray, she was in the mood to socialize and she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She'd stopped dyeing her hair black and the ginger color her hairstylist had suggested suited her pale skin too well.

She ran her fingers through the thick tresses and felt the micro links providing fullness. Thea used lipgloss and wore a sultry silk gown, she was in a new town and she was really open to meeting a sensible guy.

"Emphasis on 'sensible'," she said aloud.

She slung her Prada bag on her shoulder after spraying a healthy dose of flowery scent on her pulses. The Captain whistled as she stepped to the deck and Cold rubbed his head when she strolled towards them.

"Do you have a target in mind?" he asked.

"What, no."

Thea laughed throatily and watched as the Captain gave some instructions to the Chief Engineer. She left the boat with the Captain, Cold and the deckhand. Thea made a mental note to ask for the deckhand's name, she was used to calling the Captain 'captain' since she'd known him for years but that didn't apply to everyone.

They arrived at the barbecue spot and Thea spotted a book store beside it that got her attention. She asked Captain to order for her while she went in to find some good reads. Thea picked the two latest releases from her favorite author and asked for them to be delivered to the yacht in the morning.

She walked out of the store and made her way to join the crew at their table. Cold had come to tell her while she was skimming the back of a novel that their table was outside, he mentioned that there was no way she could miss it. He was right, she spotted captain laughing about something Cold said before a tall figure blocked her view of them.

As the wind blew her hair into her face, Thea pushed the voluminous length back to the side with the subtle swing of her head. She almost lost her balance as she came face to face with Hank.

No fucking way. 'Lord, no,' she screamed in her mind.

Thea's heart hammered in her chest as they stared at each other. His arm was somehow around her waist and she remembered she'd missed a step as she recognized him. Thea moved out of his grasp and sat on the empty chair set out for her.

She couldn't tell how long it took Hank to take their order and she couldn't remember what she ordered except that she'd muttered something and Cold had listed a whole bunch of other things. Thea politely excused herself from the table and went in search of the rest room.

She was on her way to the rest room when she saw Hank behind the counter holding a baby while a woman stood beside him. He dropped a kiss on the baby's forehead while the woman rubbed his back. When she stood on her toes to peck him, Thea sped walked into the restroom and shut the door behind her.