asked.
“No,” Maggie said quickly. Ben frowned. “What? Let a girl have her secrets. No peeking in my suitcase.”
“Okay, okay,” Ben said, hands up in defeat.
Maggie smiled at him then stepped into the bathroom. She started to close the door and stopped in mid-movement.
“Oh. My. GOD!” she cried out. “There’s a tub in here bigger than your minivan!”
“And that tub will get some use tonight too,” Ben said as he went to the wall and popped open one of the closet doors. He stared at what was inside and then shook his head over and over, faster and faster until his face was red with anger. “That son of a bitch. That stupid son of a bitch.”
He grabbed out a crimson silk shirt and stomped into the bathroom.
There was already steam filling the room as Maggie stepped into the shower stall and sighed.
“On second thought,” she said as she saw Ben come in. “Maybe you should join me.”
When Ben didn’t answer, she wiped the condensation from the shower glass and frowned.
“What are you holding” she asked “Benjamin? What is wrong?”
“It’s a crimson silk shirt,” Ben nearly snarled.
“Okay… Is that bad?” Maggie asked. “You like crimson, don’t you? I wear it all the time and you always compliment me on it.”
“Yes, I do like it,” Ben said. “But I don’t wear it. Not anymore.”
“Not anymore? What does that mean?” Maggie asked.
Ben stomped out of the bathroom as Maggie called after him. With the shirt clutched in his fist, he yanked open the cabin door and stormed out into the passageway. He turned to the right and blindly started rushing through the ship.
Upstairs, down stairs, around corner after corner. He found two media rooms, a small ballroom, a full bar done up to look like an Irish pub, a billiards room which confused the hell out of him, a formal dining room, a not-so-formal dining room, a solarium maybe (he wasn’t sure), and finally the steps that led up to the bridge.
“You!” Ben roared as he threw the shirt in Nick’s face. “You son of a bitch!”
“Dude, chill,” Nick said, tossing the shirt aside. “What is the problem? You like crimson. You love silk.”
“You know exactly what the problem is!” Ben shouted as he got up in Nick’s face.
A man in nautical dress standing by the wheel moved towards the two, but Nick held up a hand and he stopped.
“Ben, I’d like you to meet Captain Marcus Staggs,” Nick said, pushing Ben back a couple feet. “He’s the guy that keeps us from crashing into rocks and shit.”
“Not that there are many rocks out in international waters,” Captain Staggs replied. “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Clow.”
“International waters?” Ben asked. “Why would we possibly need to go out into international waters, Nick? Would it have to do with why my closet is filled with crimson silk shirts? Shirts you know I always wore at the table?”
“Yeah, I was going to break the news to him at dinner, Staggs,” Nick said to the captain. “But I probably should have told you that.” Nick reached out and took Ben by the elbow. “Let’s go have a drink, dude. We could both use one.”
Ben yanked his elbow free and pulled his arm back like he was going to hit Nick. Nick just stood there, ready to take the hit. After a couple of seconds, Ben calmed down and shook his head.
“Screw you, Nick,” Ben said as he turned and stormed off. He stomped down the stairs. “Turn this boat around! We are going home!”
Captain Staggs looked at Nick. Nick shook his head and rolled his eyes.
“We aren’t going home,” Nick said.
“Sir, I can’t keep a man here against his will,” Captain Staggs said. “That is kidnapping. I’d not only lose any chance of staying on this ship when you sell it, but I would probably go to jail.”
“No one is going to jail and I already promised you that part of any sales agreement is for you to stay on the ship,” Nick said. “It’s all good. Ben gets a little heated
“No,” Maggie said quickly. Ben frowned. “What? Let a girl have her secrets. No peeking in my suitcase.”
“Okay, okay,” Ben said, hands up in defeat.
Maggie smiled at him then stepped into the bathroom. She started to close the door and stopped in mid-movement.
“Oh. My. GOD!” she cried out. “There’s a tub in here bigger than your minivan!”
“And that tub will get some use tonight too,” Ben said as he went to the wall and popped open one of the closet doors. He stared at what was inside and then shook his head over and over, faster and faster until his face was red with anger. “That son of a bitch. That stupid son of a bitch.”
He grabbed out a crimson silk shirt and stomped into the bathroom.
There was already steam filling the room as Maggie stepped into the shower stall and sighed.
“On second thought,” she said as she saw Ben come in. “Maybe you should join me.”
When Ben didn’t answer, she wiped the condensation from the shower glass and frowned.
“What are you holding” she asked “Benjamin? What is wrong?”
“It’s a crimson silk shirt,” Ben nearly snarled.
“Okay… Is that bad?” Maggie asked. “You like crimson, don’t you? I wear it all the time and you always compliment me on it.”
“Yes, I do like it,” Ben said. “But I don’t wear it. Not anymore.”
“Not anymore? What does that mean?” Maggie asked.
Ben stomped out of the bathroom as Maggie called after him. With the shirt clutched in his fist, he yanked open the cabin door and stormed out into the passageway. He turned to the right and blindly started rushing through the ship.
Upstairs, down stairs, around corner after corner. He found two media rooms, a small ballroom, a full bar done up to look like an Irish pub, a billiards room which confused the hell out of him, a formal dining room, a not-so-formal dining room, a solarium maybe (he wasn’t sure), and finally the steps that led up to the bridge.
“You!” Ben roared as he threw the shirt in Nick’s face. “You son of a bitch!”
“Dude, chill,” Nick said, tossing the shirt aside. “What is the problem? You like crimson. You love silk.”
“You know exactly what the problem is!” Ben shouted as he got up in Nick’s face.
A man in nautical dress standing by the wheel moved towards the two, but Nick held up a hand and he stopped.
“Ben, I’d like you to meet Captain Marcus Staggs,” Nick said, pushing Ben back a couple feet. “He’s the guy that keeps us from crashing into rocks and shit.”
“Not that there are many rocks out in international waters,” Captain Staggs replied. “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Clow.”
“International waters?” Ben asked. “Why would we possibly need to go out into international waters, Nick? Would it have to do with why my closet is filled with crimson silk shirts? Shirts you know I always wore at the table?”
“Yeah, I was going to break the news to him at dinner, Staggs,” Nick said to the captain. “But I probably should have told you that.” Nick reached out and took Ben by the elbow. “Let’s go have a drink, dude. We could both use one.”
Ben yanked his elbow free and pulled his arm back like he was going to hit Nick. Nick just stood there, ready to take the hit. After a couple of seconds, Ben calmed down and shook his head.
“Screw you, Nick,” Ben said as he turned and stormed off. He stomped down the stairs. “Turn this boat around! We are going home!”
Captain Staggs looked at Nick. Nick shook his head and rolled his eyes.
“We aren’t going home,” Nick said.
“Sir, I can’t keep a man here against his will,” Captain Staggs said. “That is kidnapping. I’d not only lose any chance of staying on this ship when you sell it, but I would probably go to jail.”
“No one is going to jail and I already promised you that part of any sales agreement is for you to stay on the ship,” Nick said. “It’s all good. Ben gets a little heated
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