Chapter Five

POPPY: He bought me coffee. I need you to convince me that it"s no big deal.

Heather: It"s REALLY not a big deal since he bought coffee for everyone.

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POPPY: Do you think it"s possible that they"d have broken up without you knowing it?

Heather: No.

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POPPY: My mind already knows this isn"t a big deal, but my heart seems to be allergic to logic. He noticed I had my hair cut. It"s still NOT a big deal, right?

Heather: No. It"s STILL not a big deal because he also noticed George"s new necktie, but you don"t hear him saying Mr. Rossfield is in love with him, do you? Oh, and one thing you should know about Mr. Rossfield: he"s got a photographic memory, and he"s obsessed at keeping it "sharp".

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POPPY: He told me he was in a bad mood. He obviously didn"t want me to think he hated me or something. He cares about what I think, but I know you"re going to say nothing he does is a big deal.

Heather: But this is a big deal.

Poppy: I can"t believe you just said that.

Heather: Because it"s true. You do remember that the last person who tried to kill him was the one who used to cut his hair? So of course he"d care about what you think.

Poppy: I"m starting to get this feeling you"re having so much fun bursting my bubble.

Heather: I"m just keeping my end of the bargain. *angel emoji*

Poppy: Typo spotted. Should"ve been *devil emoji* #ftfy

Heather: Well, if you"re really going that far...did I mention that he was in a bad mood because of his girlfriend? Because guess what? SHE"s the one he really cares about. #boom

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POPPY CLOSED HER EYESafter reading her entire chat history with the billionaire"s secretary. It was her way of putting on some mental armor prior to heading out, along with a heartfelt prayer to keep her from doing anything she"d regret.

Dear God, I still don"t know if it"s okay that I keep working for him. I"ve done my best never to let him linger in my thoughts. But I don"t know if that"s enough. Is it alright if I keep working here until I"ve paid off my loan? Please give me a sign if I should quit. Amen.

Poppy dropped her phone back into her pocket and pasted a smile on her lips before going out through the salon"s back exit.

"Morning, Ms. Cortez," the billionaire"s chauffeur greeted her with a respectful tip of his hat. "Ready to go?"

"Hi, Monty. Where are we heading today?"

The older man"s eyes twinkled at her. "Let"s just say you"re in for a surprise."

And Monty was certainly right, with Poppy torn between laughter and tears when she realized where he had driven her to.

"Seriously?"

Monty only grinned. "Told ya you"d be surprised."

The sailboats she had seen when going to the beach were around thirty feet in length, maybe fifty feet tops. The one in front of her was easily thrice as big, and all Poppy could do was wave weakly back at Heather when the other woman emerged from the side deck.

"Come on up," the other woman called out to her, and one of the crewmen assisted Poppy aboard.

"A sailboat, Heather? Seriously?"

"This is actually more like a smaller-sized yacht," the billionaire"s secretary clarified.

"So not the point," Poppy groaned.

"I don"t see what the problem is. I"ve checked your medical records, and you"re not the type to get seasick—-"

"Still not the point. This is a sailboat."

"Cruise ships have their own beauty salons—-"

"Good for them, but I"m not trained to do this. And especially not in this weather—-"

"Today is the only free time he has—-" Heather raised her hand to stem Poppy"s protest in advance. "I know you"re going to think I"m exaggerating, but what you"re doing is vital to Mr. Rossfield"s sanity."

Poppy was about to roll her eyes when she realized that Heather was actually serious. "Great, just great. Now I"m even more nervous—-"

Heather laughed. "You"ve got this, Poppy."

"But what if—-"

"Relax, Ms. Cortez."

Poppy nearly tripped as she whirled around upon hearing the familiar voice, and her heart thudded against her chest when she saw the billionaire emerging from the lower deck.

"You may not trust yourself right now, but I do. You won"t mess up, so stop worrying."

Poppy could only nod, having become tongue-tied at the sight of him. It was her first time to see the billionaire dressed in something other than a suit, but he was still beautiful and hot as ever in his white button-down shirt and pants.

"Ready if you are," the billionaire drawled, and Poppy belatedly hurried after him.

It took Poppy longer than usual to get her makeshift workstation in order, but the billionaire didn"t betray any sign of impatience while waiting.

"I"m so sorry, Mr. Rossfield," she stammered. "You can take your seat now."

A huge wave crashed against the hull as she turned towards him, and her lips parted in silent horror when she realized she was about to lose her balance.

No, no, no!

The next thing she knew, she was already on the billionaire"s lap, her breasts crushed against his chest.

Nooooooo!

Poppy jumped to her feet as soon as she felt her nipples pucker into life.

"Are you alright?"

Poppy didn"t even think of what she was doing. The moment she saw the billionaire was about to turn to look at her, she grabbed hold of his head and forced him to look back.

No way would she let him look at her while her nipples were still fully erect.

Heather did her best not to laugh as she watched things go from bad to worst for Poppy. But when her curious gaze turned to Valerian, and she saw the taut expression that darkened his features—-

Oh no.

The next twenty minutes seemed to last forever, and Heather quickly called for a cabin boy as soon as she saw Poppy untie the barber cape layered over Valerian"s broad shoulders. "Could you escort Ms. Cortez to the saloon below?" She mustered a smile for Poppy, saying, "I"ll join you in a bit."

Heather waited until she was alone with Valerian before confronting him. "You know. Don"t you?"

Valerian"s face turned expressionless, but this didn"t fool her at all.

"I saw the look on your face. How long have you—-"

"From the start."

Heather"s jaw dropped. "And you"re okay with it?" The Valerian she knew would"ve gotten rid of Poppy right away, if only to avoid unnecessary complications.

"Don"t look so surprised. You knew from the start as well, but you"ve also let her stay, and likely for the same reasons I have."

"Then..." Heather needed to spell this one out, for Poppy"s sake. "You also believe she won"t ever cross the line?"

"She"s too nice to ever do so."

The casual indifference in Valerian"s tone suddenly made Heather feel guilty. While keeping Poppy on their payroll saved her from worrying about Valerian"s safety, the same thing likely made it more difficult for the other girl to get over the billionaire.

Was it time to let Poppy go?