One step too far…

The bed was luxurious and comfortable, offering me much needed solace from the sickening wash of my thoughts. I let my eyes wander across the cabin ceiling and allowed the gentle sway of the ocean to sooth me. The room belonged to Giovanni and was the only bedroom on the boat. It was his private yacht after all, so one wouldn't expect him to receive overnight guests.

Browns and reds seemed to be the theme. It was a modern room with beige carpet and expensive wooden panelling on the walls and cupboards. The huge, queen size bed was very obviously the centrepiece which was covered in copper coloured silk bed linin and red pillows to match. Above the bed was a single rectangular window that looked out onto the top deck and then to my front was a desk and a sliding door that lead out onto Giovanni's private viewing deck and then another door provided access to his ensuite bathroom. The room had the feel of a hotel as it contained only necessities and no personal items whatsoever which led me to believe that Giovanni didn't spend much time on his yacht. It was a shame really, it was a nice boat.

After crying into Giovanni's expensive suit, he'd brought me here to recover from the ordeal, telling me to rest while he finished performing business with his guests. It felt like I'd been here all night but in all retrospect it was probably only a couple of hours. A contrast to the mess I was before, I now just lay there in silence, listening to the yacht's engines change pitch and draw to a halt in front of the pier. From my position I could make out the lights of the city on Cinnabar Island, indicating that the party was now over and the guests were probably being escorted from the yacht to their expensive cars… which also meant that we would also soon be on the move back to the hotel.

I hesitantly pulled myself upright and slipped from the bed, making tracks for the bathroom to freshen up. All I could taste was a horrid mix of alcohol and vomit and my hair now hung all over the place in messy clumps. I searched the cupboards and stumbled upon mouthwash and toothpaste which I put to immediate use. Then making an attempt on my hair there was little more I could do but to pull out the entire bun and just let it hang loosely over my shoulders. I made a point of fluffing it up a bit but in the sea air it seemed to do nothing more than just hang there. So I gave up. It was the end of the night. I was sure Giovanni would forgive me for having messy hair.

By the time I stepped from the bathroom, I noticed that Giovanni now stood alone on his private deck. The guests were all gone and we had started to move again. One of his hands gripped the rail and the other a drink as he watched in silence the city that gradually got smaller the further away we went until it was nothing more than twinkling lights on the horizon.

"Where are we going?" I stepped through the sliding door.

"I need to get away from people for a bit," he said quietly, not taking his eyes off the moving scenery. "So I want to spend the night on the water."

"I understand." I nodded and turned to leave him alone. "I won't bother you."

But he stopped me. "Delia, I need to talk to you."

He turned around and leaned back on the rail. His tuxedo jacket was open and his bowtie now hung from his neck in an open string. But it was his eyes that watched me, making a journey up and down my dress and then stopping on my hair.

"I've never seen you with your hair down."

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, I brushed it with my fingers, unable to ignore the way he watched me and at the same time unable to fully make eye contact with him.

"It's alright, it's quite… nice." He gave me a gentle smile and I couldn't help the blush that formed on my cheeks.

"Thank you," I said slowly… carefully before quickly changing the subject. "Did your negotiations go well?"

Giovanni's smile turned hungry. "Yes. Exceptionally well. I have a fossil and extra financial backing for the project. And not only this, but with your help I was able to root out our little impostor problem and deal with it."

He watched my composure change at the mention of Logan and I found myself having to look away. Giovanni simply smirked and made his way over to a table that contained an expensive bottle of drink which he poured into two glasses.

"I had my people do some digging on Logan. The books came up empty, which means he was commissioned by the government but didn't officially appear on its payroll." He handed me a glass.

"What does that mean?" I frowned.

"He is what we call a rat: a character who used to work in organised crime but when the authorities caught up with him, struck a deal. He was working for me at the time and they proposed that he work for them to usurp my fossil shipment. Logan was never a 'model' citizen."

I finished my drink in a single gulp and the buzz went instantly to my head. His words were strangely comforting.

"So he was already a bad guy anyway?" I whispered to which Giovanni nodded.

"You can rest easy, Delia. Your family is safe."

The mention of my family allowed for a small smile to escape my lips. "Don't ever make me do that again."

Giovanni chuckled. "You know, your minor indiscretion set aside, you are probably the one person I can truly trust, Delia. I can advance you much further in this organisation. I'm willing to put you on a proper payroll and place you by my side as one of my executive staff if you wish. This would include a significant pay increase and benefits."

I placed the glass back on the table. "Giovanni, I don't think I could accept an offer like that. I don't have that kind of… skill."

"You are more skilled than you may realise. I see people for their potential in what they can offer to this organisation."

"But Team Rocket is still a criminal organisation," I gently fought. "And I am still morally opposed."

"Or perhaps you're just afraid of it," he argued back.

"With good reason."

He simply smirked, completely unfazed by my refusal. It wasn't as if he minded keeping me on as his personal assistant. Hell I was the only person within a thousand mile radius able to keep up with his strenuous work schedule.

"If that is your decision, then I must make an insistence of my own."

"Oh?"

"If you need money then you need to stop making purchases on the company card and come to me." He raised his eyebrow, his tone going low and serious. "Candy's lacy wonders boutique?"

I would have spat my drink if I had it on me. Heaving in a gasp, my hand went to my mouth and my face went a deep shade of red. "Y….yes…." I stammered. "I will pay you back. I… well… er… I forgot to pack my… you know what…"

"Again?" Giovanni gave an exasperated sigh. "Everywhere I take you, you forget to pack your underwear. With the amount of lingerie I've bought you over the months, one would think we were dating."

I had to bite my lip I was so embarrassed. I couldn't look at him, especially as I knew in that moment the thoughts that went through his head involved me and my lingerie. The silence that ensued screamed awkwardness, but then when I glanced back at him, I noticed the glimmer that appeared in his eyes. I don't know if this was the first time he'd thought on it or not, but I could suddenly see that he wanted something. And when Giovanni wanted something, he got it…

But then again, even as he moved closer and his hand came up to brush the hair from my face, I did nothing to resist him. Before I knew it our lips were mere inches from touching. Both of us just seemed to linger like this. Giovanni's fingers trailed through my long hung hair and found their way to the back of my head where there he held me, his lips plunging into mine and sending the sensation of fireworks that exploded right through my body. And as I allowed him to explore me in this way, his free hand soon started on a journey of is own down to my hips. In a motion that seemed so natural, I pressed myself into him which resulted in an approving grunt from Giovanni. My hands slipped beneath his jacket and traced the lines of his torso. I barely had the time to realise that he was no longer wearing his gun holster before I pushed at his jacket which he easily shrugged from his shoulders and discarded to the floor. Not taking his lips off mine, he guided me in a slow dance across the deck, and back through the open sliding door… back into his private room…

However innocent I may have been at the time, I was still very well aware of the situation and what was to take place. He was my boss and about ten years my senior but right then none of that seemed to matter to either of us. We both wanted it and gave ourselves freely, making love on the ocean. And then as the passion faded and I lay there next to him, listening to him sleep, I came to realise what this really meant. I'd just crossed a line and could never go back. I'd now become the mistress of the most powerful man in the underworld.