Twenty-Three

Jackson

Waking up in Cory's arms had become one of my favorite things in only a couple of days. I didn't need alcohol or anything else to fall asleep, all I needed were his arms to hold me, and mind-blowing sex didn't hurt either. "I know you're awake," he said from behind me.

"I don't think I've slept so good in years. Must be all that fresh air," I lied.

"Must be," Cory said and kissed my shoulder.

"The fact you fucked me into oblivion before feeding me had nothing to do with it," I said, making him laugh.

"What time do you work today?

"They told me the same time as yesterday, what about you?" I pulled him over, so we were facing each other.

"Same for me too. Charlotte Amalie is a nice port. The ship can pull in right at the dock so guests will be back and forth until we leave. Most of them will come back to the ship to eat so we're still on the same schedule."

"Is there a party tonight?"

"Yes, I think the theme is Roman Empire, so that should be fun. I bet they make the staff wear some sort of costume too," Cory said with a grin.

"Are you working at the party?" I was still trying to figure out how the ship's schedule worked. Especially on days we were in port compared to days at sea. This was the first time I'd be going into port, and since I was supposed to be leaving the ship today, I was a little on edge.

"I don't think so, but I might be on cleanup afterwards. It depends if they're short or not."

"Does everyone work the same schedule every day?"

"Some do, some don't. The maintenance crew have their own schedule that isn't based on passenger schedules, but our schedules are based around them. There's an early crew for breakfast and early morning activities, but they don't work the late-night parties." Cory stood then, with his hands on his hips. "Let's go get some breakfast. Johnny will be shocked to see us this early."

"He works later too, right?" I asked and stretched before standing.

"Yes, he usually does, but he's an early riser so even if he goes to bed late, he's always up early. Plus, he's always on drinks or bartending, so they put him where it's busiest. The party will be busy after dinner, but it's only ninety-minutes and he doesn't have to worry about clean-up. Sometimes he just stays behind to help."

Cory's phone pinged with a text message, and he grinned before going to the door. He walked back holding a cellophane wrapped package. "They sent you some uniforms." He tossed them on the bed and the two of us got dressed for the day.

"Great, although I really haven't minded wearing your clothes."

"I know I've said this before but let's go to the lost and found before work. I'm sure there's clothes there you can use. Not that I mind you wearing mine, but unless we want to do laundry every few days we'll need more."

"I really don't mind doing laundry," I said, willing to help out wherever I could. "You'll just have to show me where it is."

"Maybe we can do it tomorrow morning. I mean we have the same schedule so far, I doubt it'll change much," Cory said. We stepped out of the cabin and walked to the crew mess hall. It was packed now compared to how dead it was here last night. There was also a chef making waffles which sounded really fucking good to me.

"Hey, Rana, why are they making you cook downstairs this morning?" Cory asked him and both of us waited for them to cook.

"I was there early, and they asked if I would mind. It's a nice change," he said with a smile. Almost all the employees I'd met so far seemed happy with their jobs. It was definitely hard work, but they all took everything in stride and made the most of the weeks they were on shift. "I saw you were in the kitchen yesterday. Are you washing dishes again today?"

"Yes. I finally got caught up, I don't want to let it get behind again," I said, and it was nice to be included in a conversation that didn't involve getting another drink or who looked like an easy hookup.

"The boss said you did a great job. They were really freaking out when Orlando's wife went into labor."

"I'm glad it worked out."

As he passed us each a waffle onto the plates, we were holding, he asked, "Are you going to continue with the cruise line?"

"I'm not sure. I love it, but I've only been here a few days."

"I took a vacation with NautiCaribbean and decided I wanted to work for them. That was five years ago," he said and waited for my reaction. "I haven't regretted that decision at all."

"Wow, that says a lot. I don't think I've ever wanted to work anyplace I've stayed on vacation." When I was a kid we traveled a lot, always to the nicest places, but it felt so stifling. I wasn't allowed to go to the pool and play because someone might judge my family by how crazy I got at the pool. Sometimes they put me in the kids' club at a hotel while they went out on excursions or did activities I wasn't interested in. Being the youngest sucked.

"Maybe you didn't stay at the right place," he said with a big smile.

"You could be right about that," I said, and the three of us laughed. "I guess I'll see you later in the kitchen."

"I'll be there, I'm on sauces today so I'll be at the other end of the kitchen, but I'll be thinking of you when I need clean dishes."

"See you later," I said, and after Cory and I added eggs, bacon, and fruit to our plates we walked over to where Johnny was already seated. "Hey, you were right, he is here."

"What?" Johnny said looking up.

"I told him you're an early riser no matter how late you work." Cory sat next to me, and a look passed between us. A look I knew Johnny noticed. When he bowed his head and snickered, I knew for sure. "He's onto us," Cory leaned in and said just loud enough for Johnny to hear.

"Oh, I've been waiting for it to happen since day one. No one hates someone that much without either falling in love or kicking their ass. And I haven't seen any ass kicking." Johnny took a sip of his coffee while looking at each of us.

"Well you're not wrong," I finally said, making Cory laugh.