"Watch your step." Nickolas walked behind a blindfolded Grace."You know how much I don't like surprises. Are we there yet?" They had been walking for a while now and she was getting suspicious about the so-called surprise. "Almost. You gonna love this one." He was praying he hadn't gone off the mark. They took the last step and he stopped them both. Grace could smell the salt In the air. It reminded her of the smell that was a permanent fixture in their old basement. "Now you can open them." He let go of the cloth that was covering her eyes.When Grace opened her eyes, she couldn't stop blinking at the sight in front of her. "No!" She screamed in delight. "Yes." He couldn't stop grinning as he took in her happiness. The yacht had been an impulse purchase but he was glad he had bought it. "I thought since we met on a cruise ship, for our second honeymoon, we could recreate that experience on a more intimate scale." He was usually very confident but in the past months, he had be
On a cold night in Hamburg, Germany, a cruise ship could be seen making its way into the port of Hamburg. They watched it make a steady approach. She was the Black Venus, on a world cruise around the world.The waves were tossing and beating against her, and no one could be seen on deck, just the massive ship swaying from side to side amid the brewing storm. But more than the raging waves outside were the raging emotions of one of the Black Venus occupants.Grace was one of the assistants who went everywhere the ship sailed. She was one of the most efficient and trusted employees the ship had.Mr. Morgan, the owner, and captain of the ship had personally asked for her to be left at the Hamburg harbor to take care of his private affairs on the ground and would arrange for her to board the next ship coming home.Any other day, Grace would have been excited at the news to go on land, to have some time to herself, do a bit of shopping, and most importantly, walk on solid ground. Whenever t
[Six months later]Grace adjusted her coat one last time and took a deep breath before pressing the bell at No 5 on the hill.For a while there was silence, then faintly she could hear footsteps in a distance growing closer as they approached the door. She felt a sudden edge to run.The door swung open, and an elderly man stood looking at her.“Good afternoon, Miss Moon,” Mr. Monrow smiled at her. “We have been expecting you,”He reminded grace of her grandfather. He was a warm man with greying hair at the temples, and a round handsome face with permanent laughing lines. Instantly she felt at ease with him as he led her through a long passage.The outdoors didn’t resemble the indoors. From the outside, the house was intimidating and cold. With a clean lines landscape, manicured lawns, and flawlessly trimmed trees. But everything inside this home was warm and welcoming, although still very big, the Meyer mansion was a family home, with antique pieces and family portraits scattered aroun
Nickolas hadn’t said a word since she stepped foot into the room. He just sat staring, Mesmerized by her, she looked more beautiful than he remembered. She was fuller, her skin was glowing, and even her hair was thicker and glossier. the breakup hadn’t affected her as much as it had him. Slowly getting up from his chair, he stood in front of her, taking her hands in his, he was now towering over her, his face a mixture of confusion and sadness, fighting to keep his smile. He searched her eyes as if looking for answers to an unspoken 'why' question. He stood so close that grace was afraid that if he took one more step, he would bump right into her. “It's good to see you, Gracie,” he said showing her to the couch. He went to the bar and fixed them both a drink. Now that she was seated, she could have a proper look at the man she had been thinking about since she abandoned him on that fateful night. This man wasn’t the same Nicko she remembered from the ship. He looked older, tired and
Grace didn’t know whether she should get up and leave or sit and wait. she couldn’t tell how the meeting with Nicko went. Grace had rehearsed so many conversations with herself for this moment. but now that she was here she was at loss for words. or maybe it was the fact that she did not get the desired response from Nicko? he didn't respond he just...left. it was as if there was an invisible bridge between the two of them. one was standing on the other side of the bridge shouting to the one on the other side, but could not read the body language of the person on the one side of the bridge.she knew for a fact that he got the message of what she had come here to convey, but that was about it. he didn't say or show any emotion about how he felt about the news. he didn't say anything at all. she couldn’t read him. He was a closed book. How easier life had been on the ship. how easy was their communication? they could talk for hours on end, she longed for that bond again. to just talk to
Nickolas knew that morning that Grace was coming to see him, to discuss an important matter. He had finally given in to meet her after months of countless calls and emails that she sent to his secretary. In all honesty, he only agreed to the meeting out of curiosity. He could not possibly imagine what was it that she would want to talk about after the way she left him.One minute they were making plans about their future in his suite and the next minute she vanished. without even the audacity to leave him a pathetic note. The rest of his cruise had been tarnished, he wanted nothing to do with her until recently.The moment she walked in, Nickolas was taken aback by how beautiful she was, and had grown in the last few months.He could not trust his legs to hold him up, so he remained seated until the buzzing in his head subsided. When he felt brave enough. He Stood in front of her, taking her all in. it took everything he had not to kiss her and start again where they left off on the sh
The Next morning Grace woke up feeling refreshed. She could not remember the last time she slept like that. Maybe it was the soft bed and everything in it. Shaking off some sleepShe tried to remember what happened last night. The last thing she remembered, was being on the couch in front of a fire, enjoying Mr. Monrows pastry treats before everything went blank. Now here she was, dressed in a baby-soft night dress. Turning on her side, she knew she needed to pee.Jumping out of bed.Then realized her mistake, when a pair of strong arms caught her before she could fall. Gently Nickolas placed her back on the bed, not taking his eyes off her.“Are you okay?’’ he said hoarsely “you need a doctor.”“No...I got up too fast.” waving her hand at him“Come let me help you to the bathroom” he took her arm and put it over his neck, he guided her to the room's en suite. “You do know that I can perfectly walk,” she said stealing a side look at him.He looked like he had just woken up. His hair wa
When she woke up from her nap Nicko was gone, she looked at the watch next to her bed, and it was almost lunchtime. The breakfast tray from this morning had also been replaced. either James or Nicko had come in when she was sleeping.Feeling refreshed after the morning's activities, She got out of bed and went into her closet to find something to wear, a white summer dress caught her eye. It was the perfect outfit to go with her mood. Then take a tour of the grant Meyer mansion in search of Nicko. Wherever he was in this big house. They still needed to talk.*****Nicko tried to concentrate but he could not get anything done. His mind kept on going to the events of that morning. He felt angry at himself for letting his feelings take over like that. He had not gotten any of the answers that he needed but already jumped into bed with her.He was very aware of how his financial standing could be used against him. Everyone knew who Nickolas Meyer was. His desperation for an heir meant that