Chapter 20 – Young Girls Forbidden Love Series: My Best Friend’s Daddy

Filed to story: Young Girls Forbidden Love Series: My Best Friend’s Daddy

“Then how did you end up as one of Lauren’s friends?”

“Lauren and I were roommates during our first few years at NYU. I think Lauren was placed in the regular dorm rooms to teach her what it was like to be a regular person or something,” I said, only half joking. I still hadn’t figured that one out. Maybe her dad was trying to teach her a life lesson.

“Anyway, she hated it and dropped out her sophomore year, but we remained friends and have been in and out of touch over the years. She randomly invited me on this vacation, and I accepted. I didn’t expect the yacht to be quite this big, though.”

Once I was done with my explanation, we were on the lowest floor of the yacht. I was surprised at how nice the staff area was. Perhaps I’d been expecting it to be like a scene from the lower decks of the movie ‘Titanic,’ but the lowest level of the ship looked like walking into a lobby of a four-star hotel.

We made our way into what must have been the staff dining room. There was a large group of people surrounding a circular table in the middle of a game of cards.

Music was playing in the background, and snacks and beer littered the table. It looked like this was going to be the most comfortable I’d been on my trip so far.

“Everyone be nice; we have a newcomer,” Reggie said as he pulled out a chair for me.

The mood changed slightly as I sat down, and Reggie sat next to me. I realized I was still wearing the sundress that Michael bought me, and I must look like I was made of money.

“Hey, I’m Max,” said a man with black hair and olive skin.

“Hey, Max. I’m Shelby,” I stuck my hand out to shake his, and he smiled.

“Nice to meet you, Shelby. Tell us about yourself.”

“There isn’t much to tell. I’m a bartender at a little hole-in-the-wall in New York, and I’m trying to put myself through law school,” I said nonchalantly.

“What bar?” a girl across the table asked.

“It’s called McGregor’s.”

“No way! I’ve been there before,” Max said. “You have the best nachos!”

I laughed. “Yeah, we do. I would eat an entire plate by myself if no one were watching.”

I felt the entire table relax as they all realized that I wasn’t like the rest of the guests on the yacht.

“What are we playing?” I asked, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

“Strip Poker.”

My throat went dry at the thought of undressing in front of a room full of strangers. I was afraid to swallow the piece of popcorn I had just placed in my mouth.

I looked around, and everyone was still fully clothed, and my heart rate started to slow. Max smiled, clearly finding enjoyment in my shock.

“Max, don’t scare her off already,” Reggie chuckled. “Do you want a beer, Shelby?”

************************************

“You would not believe what one of the ‘Richies’ asked me today,” Brenna said; she was a maid with sandy blonde hair and flawless winged eyeliner.

“Oh, this is going to be good. Brenna always has the best stories,” Reggie leaned over and whispered to me. After a few beers and a hand or two of actual poker, everyone was seeming completely at ease with me.

“I was cleaning up a wine glass he’d dropped, and he started hitting on me. Obviously, he has no idea what the real world is like, so he started asking questions as a way to talk to me.”

“Oh no,” Max said with a laugh.

“He asked me about living on the bottom deck of the yacht, and I told him how it took some getting used to because we are below the water down here. Then he asked me how we used our balconies if they were underwater.”

I snorted into my glass, glad I hadn’t been taking a sip of the beer at the moment, or it would have been flowing out of my nose. I set my beer down and asked, “Oh, please tell me you had a good comeback.”

She smiled brightly, “I told him we could only use them at low tide. Then he nodded and said, ‘That makes sense.’ I swear they are all clueless.”

Brenna started laughing, and the whole table joined in, but by the time I caught my breath, I had tears in the corners of my eyes. I had not laughed like this the entire time I’d been on the ship.

“No offense Shelby; I know Lauren is your friend and all, but how do you stand spending time with them?” Max asked.

“Oh, trust me, it is a challenge. I sneak off by myself whenever I get the chance. No one seems to really notice, especially after Lauren’s engagement.”

“Oh, man, her fiance is a real tool, isn’t he?” Brenna added.

“He is a social climber too, so they are actually a great fit,” Charlotte said. Charlotte was one of the older staff members and hadn’t said much throughout the night.

“Well, that makes sense about the fiance, but do you mean Lauren is one too?” Max asked.

They seemed to have forgotten that I was there, or at least they forgot that I knew Lauren personally. However, I kept my mouth shut not because I wanted to know more, but because I was trying to act as if I didn’t care too much.

“I started working for Mr. Astor when Miss Lauren and the horrible woman she has as a mother first came around. That same day, the staff was all told that Lauren was Mr. Astor’s daughter and to make sure she had everything she needed. Marmie, Lauren’s mother, spent the whole day ordering the staff around like she was the owner of the house,” said Charlotte.

“From my experience with Marmie, that sounds about right,” Max offered.

“Lauren was raised by another man by the name of Winston Radcliff. Some of the staff had been around when Mr. Astor first brought Marmie around. The rumor was that Marmie threw Mr. Astor aside for Radcliff right after she found out she was pregnant because Radcliff could offer her a better position in society.”

I could not imagine someone who had the chance to be with Michael choosing another person over him. I couldn’t help but ask, “What did Winston offer that Michael couldn’t?”

“Radcliff was the next in line for an earldom. It turned out that the earldom came with a shabby little estate that cost Winston his fortune to keep standing. The marriage quickly turned sour, and when the earl died, Marmie was just as quick to get a paternity test for Lauren.”

“It’s why some of us call Marmie the wannabe princess,” Brenna said.

“Exactly,” Charlotte said. “In my opinion, Mr. Astor was better off not knowing the truth. Marmie always shows up asking for more money. Lauren has always wanted something, even though Mr. Astor buys her more than she could ever need.”

“Was Michael in love with Marmie?” I asked, not knowing if I really wanted the answer.

“No, I don’t think he ever really loved her. Maybe he could have found a woman right for him if Marmie hadn’t been around for the last fourteen years, scaring away every decent woman he has dated. She thinks that if she can keep him single long enough, he will fall back in love with her, but Mr. Astor will never forgive her for what she did.”

I nodded and turned to see Reggie staring at me with a strange, almost hurt look on his face. He turned away from me before I could ask him what was wrong.

“Well, I think I’m going to head to bed,” Brenna said, and the others all stood up to follow.

“You should come play cards with us again, Shelby,” Max said.

“Absolutely! We are here every night, and you are welcome to join us,” Brenna added.

“Thank you. I will.” I was happy to know they’d welcomed me as one of them.

I said a quick goodnight to everyone and headed back up the stairs to the upper decks. Reggie’s room was on the lower deck, so I walked by myself. It must have been later than I thought because the lights in the pool area were already turned off.

I felt silly rushing across the dark deck, but it made me sort of nervous being alone on such a big ship. I was careful to avoid the deck chairs this time, and I was relieved to make it to the doors leading into the guestroom corridor.

“Where the hell have you been, Shelby?”

I stopped dead in my tracks and didn’t want to turn around. I knew that tone of voice from countless arguments.

It was Todd, the last person on the entire ship that I would want to be alone with. I slowly turned, knowing I was going to have to face him eventually.

He stumbled a step towards me, and I backed up to avoid a collision if he fell.

“Are you drunk?”

“I believe I asked a question fir-first,” Todd stuttered.

“I was playing a game of cards with some of the crew.”

Todd laughed and rolled his eyes at me. He again stumbled a little closer, and I was trapped between him and my door. He leaned forward and placed an arm on either side of me, blocking my escape.

I could smell the alcohol on his breath as he laughed. He was beyond drunk.

“Just like Shelby. A yacht full of every amenity you could want, and you spend your time with the help.”

“Get off of me, Todd!”

“You know you still want me,” Todd said, lowering his face closer to mine. I pushed against his chest, trying to get him off.

Todd was suddenly ripped backward, so forcefully I knew it had not been of his own doing. Michael was standing behind Todd with a fist full of his shirt.

“Get your ass to bed before I throw you off my ship.”

<< Previous Chapter

 

Next Chapter >>