A NIGHT ON THE SHIP.

Chapter 1

*****

SORA:

"Get your lazy ass off the bed before I dump cold water on you."

I groaned, burying my face in the pillow. "Try it and I'll make your life a livin’ nightmare."

"You are my roommate, that is a livin’ nightmare, shorty, now move! We got a gig."

These words alone made me sit up so fast one would think I just heard an explosion. A gig?

"Yes, a gig," Jade said as he paced slightly in the middle of our cramped room. "It's a fancy-ass ship party. You know, rich people, big tips."

I ran a hand through my hair, staring at him. "But since when do people like us get fancy-ass gigs?"

Jade grinned. “You know…”

"You mean since you started lying about how overqualified we were."

"Sora, I didn't lie! I just told them what they needed to hear. And why the fuck do you need a qualification to wait tables for crying out loud? And for your information, we have been waiting tables since we were nineteen, and if I say we are qualified.. WE ARE QUALIFIED!"

I sighed, stretching my legs on the bed. The room was small, barely enough for two small beds and a cracked table, but this was home, and it was way better than living on the streets. I wouldn't trade this for anything else.

"But wait… how the hell did you even hear about this party?"

Jade didn't say anything and wouldn’t meet my gaze either.

"Wait… please… Please tell me it wasn't James."

"It… it kinda was, but I promise…"

"James is a crackhead. Last time he told us about this kind of thing, we freaking got arrested. Have you forgotten?"

"I didn't, but I've spoken to people and this is legit, I promise you."

I buried my face in my hands. I felt the weight of the bed go down as Jade sat beside me. "You have nothing to worry about, you dumbass. We got the gig for tonight, and it's legit."

As much as Jade could be an asshole, I didn’t know what I would have done without him.

"Fine," I finally said.

He smiled. "But imagine if we get arrested again…"

We stared at each other before we both burst out laughing.

After thirty solid seconds of laughing, I asked, "Do we need to rent those ridiculous suits, or…"

"Oh, don’t worry about that. I have someone who can hook us up with something way fancier. Not those cheap things we use."

I shot him a look.

"Sora, learn to live a little. Remember, you only get to be twenty-two once."

When we arrived, I couldn't believe my eyes. The ship was massive, and I could swear there was no difference between this ship and the Titanic. It was decorated with lights and it was glorious. Just being here alone felt like a privilege.

"Damn," Jade said, standing next to me, looking around. "Some people do have money."

"I'm not sure we should be here, Jade," I said, looking at the lights above us.

He held my hand, our eyes meeting. "Tonight we do. Let's go get ready."

We were led to a private room and got ready. Once I was done, I stared at myself in the mirror, half my face covered with a black-teamed bird mask. And immediately, I stepped out. A tray was handed to me. I was already used to waiting, so I didn't panic. I was way too good at this.

The crowd was alive. The music was soothing, and I was already getting tipped. I just couldn’t stop smiling. Jade winked as he passed by me, tray in hand. Looks like I wasn’t the only one having a good night.

"You!" I heard someone call. My heart skipped a beat. It was the head waiter. I quickly walked toward him. I just hoped he didn’t think I was slacking off.

When I was close enough, he thrust a silver tray into my hands. I glanced down at the crystal glasses filled with dark liquor, something that probably cost more than I pay in a year’s rent.

"VIP section, upper deck. And listen very carefully: you don’t speak. Only speak when spoken to. People of your level and status do not have the right to talk to the kind of people on this ship."

I only gave a nod, biting back my response. I was used to it. I just wanted to get this night over with, get paid, and go get myself a milkshake and boba.

I adjusted my mask and made my way toward the upper level, passing velvet curtains and guarded doors until I reached a quieter, dimly lit section.

The moment I stepped inside, I instantly felt it.

No.

No, no, no..not here. Please, no.

My pulse spiked.

Every instinct in my body screamed at once: Alpha.

The man stood by the railings, dressed in a black robe, still masked, but that didn’t matter. I could feel him. The way his warmth pulled at me, my thoughts slowly became foggy.

My feet slowed against my will.

I told myself I could fight this, leave the tray and walk away but my body refused to listen. When he turned, and our eyes met, I forgot how to breathe. I stepped closer and set the tray down, my hands shaking.

"You're shaking," he said.

And his voice… God, his voice.

It was smooth, deep, wrapping around me like a warm blanket. I hadn’t realized how close we were until his hand accidentally brushed against mine.

I felt electricity pass through my bones and I sucked in a deep sharp breath, fighting back my heat.

"I… sorry," were the only words I managed to say.

He tilted his head slightly, studying me. "Don’t be."

The way he said it made me lose even more control. He leaned in, and his scent washed over me. I've heard how intoxicating Alpha's pheromones could get and here I was inhaling him first hand, like a drug I’d never wanted anything in life more than him. And I think he knew that.

Then he leaned forward and pressed his nose to my pheromone gland and took a long deep inhaler. I felt his entire body tremble, when his gaze met mine again they were burning like amber, shooting shock waves into my very core, my knees buckled.

This Alpha was in his Rut and he has forced my Heat out of me in just a blink of an eye. My body burned, and I craved something I wasn't sure was normal.

Slowly, he ran his thumb down my bottom lip before his mouth captured mine in a passionate kiss. His hands were already unbuttoning my sheet.

His touch felt amazing, like nothing I’d ever felt. I couldn’t resist, so I let him have me.

~~~

"Sora… Sora!" I felt water on my face. When I opened my eyes, I was back at Mrs. Cheng's restaurant.

"You don’t have the luxury of sleeping, boy! Get back to work!" one of the cooks said.

And just like that I was back to reality.