Deceit and Love

"That was beautiful."He opened his eyes and looked up. Elle was standing there.

"What are you doing here?" his voice turned out to be harsh. Not that he intended it to be. "This is a private deck." He frowned. This woman had him turmoil enough and now she was here, standing when he was trying to let her go. What the hell was fate playing on?

"I got lost." She said panicking. It must have been his face expression. "I'll leave." She turned to go.

"You won't find the way back if you don't know where you are headed to." He said to her and she stopped in her tracks. He didn't say anything further. A frown still played on his forehead. Both of them just stared stubbornly. It was Elle who finally sighed and let her shoulders slump.

"I am sorry about what happen this morning. It was rude of me to talk to you like that." She was still standing and he was sitting on his lounger with his guitar his hand draped around it. Augustus still said nothing. He was gauging her expressions. They were giving mixed signals to him; resistance and attraction both. He didn't want to take the 'wrong signal' as she said it. He was waiting for her to clear the air between them because he was afraid he would think from his dick instead of brain.

"I...I'll leave you to do whatever you were doing. I shouldn't have disturbed you." She said and was about to take a step back.

"Stop, Elle." He said in a grave voice and stood up putting his guitar down. He walked up to her. When he was just half a feet close to her, he bent down a little until he was at her level, and then said, "It's okay to give in to a few things you want sometimes. You don't have to be so hard on yourself all the time." Maybe he was comparing his life with her. He too was thinking to loosen up last night before he met her, didn't he? "Sometimes we forget how good it is to let go of the control and let things fall in place with the time as they may."He was lecturing her about life. Ironic. His own life was a mess but maybe in process of making her understand, he too would get the meaning. "We have bounded ourselves into too many unnecessary obligations that we don't know what we are missing in the process of accomplishing the responsibilities." Whoa. He sounded like a philosopher now. What other facets of his personality Elle would unveil, he wondered. "Let it go and live in the moment for once. I am not asking you to jump into my bed." His dick stirred at the mention of it but he continued. "All I ask for us is to get to know each other. Am I asking too much?" he asked. Her eyes were so innocent that he felt them boring into his soul. He could feel her breath quicken. His own heart beat was running wild. Her closeness had that effect on him. He saw her eyes going dilate. Damn. If she kept looking him like that, he would lose his control. She hadn't said a word. Was she even listening to whatever philosophy he had just dished? He had to play his next card carefully. This was a game he wanted to win. "Have dinner with me." He hadn't sounded like he was asking her. He just said it. She looked into his eyes as if looking for a divine signal if she could trust him or not. And then she nodded. One barrier down; he sighed in relief.

Chapter Three

Augustus caressed his chin with a small smile as he saw Elle threw back her head and gave out a throaty laugh. This woman was mesmerizing. Her every little thing she did was getting her under his skin. Her pale blue eyes danced with humor and her cheeks were all flushed with color. He himself had never smiled or laughed so heartedly before. She was easy to talk to once she let her guard down. She told him that she was originally from Savannah but lived in New Jersey at the present. She worked at Albertsons and had a degree in accounting. "Why do you work at the supermarket when you can someplace better?" he asked her. It had surprised him. "I don't know. Maybe I am waiting for the right offer." She shrugged. "I thought you were just waiting for the right guy to come along." He said teasingly. "Yeah, that too." She laughed and then stared at him. "So how did you end up getting on The Royal Cruise?" The cost of the fare wasn't affordable for a girl who worked at a supermarket. He saw her drift off to someplace. Her face lost all the color and her eyes went all sad and fearful. "Elle?" he sat straight. "What is it?" he placed his hands over her and asked. "What are you thinking?" his voice made her come back to the present. He frowned at her expression. "You alright?" he asked in concern.

She slipped her hand off immediately and said, "It's nothing." She said in a cracked voice. "I won the ticket in a Radio Program." She answered his earlier question.

He didn't buy her answer because he had known that the tickets were only sold through online site of his company. But he didn't say anything to contradict her and apparently she didn't know that he was the owner of the cruise. But this question had her demeanor all changed. She had suddenly gone all cold and had pulled herself back into the shell like she had been that morning. He didn't cared how she got here. All he cared was that she was here on the cruise and she was with him. He was willing to let go his inquisition. Maybe his marketing team had held some contest which he hadn't heard of. He had allowed a massive campaign for it. It wasn't necessary that he should be aware of each and every ticket detail that who got it and how. He pushed it away and focused his all energy and creativity on trying to bring her back at ease but she kept herself reserved and didn't talk about herself anymore.

"I'll retire to my room now. I had a nice evening. Thank you so much, Augustus." Elle got up to leave. He too stood up. He hadn't gotten much luck into getting her back to her own easy self and now she was about to leave. He didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow but he d=wanted to end tonight with a good note. "The pleasure had been all mine. I'll escort you down to your room." He gestured her to lead.

"Oh you don't have to bother." She said. Her eyes shooting up in alarm. His brow furrowed as he said. "It's no bother, Elle." He opened the door for her. They both walked out of the dining hall and started towards the other end of the cruise where rooms were. He made sure that no contact was made from his behalf. No accidental brush of arms. No touching of fingers and absolutely no caressing. Now that he had spent time with her, he wanted more. He wanted more of Augustus - Elle time. This getting to know each other was beginning to appeal him where he wasn't just thinking of her in his bed. Those other urges of his body could wait a little longer. Elle was a good company and he wanted her to be herself with him. He loved it when she joked and laughed and smiled with all her heart. This originality was getting to him like nothing had gotten to him in the field of the opposite sex. He wanted to explore more that what were the possibilities of them. Could they take it further or was it all just inside his mind?

They stopped at one of the rooms' door and Elle unlocked it. Opening the door, she turned to him. "Good night, Augustus." She said looking with her big eyes up to him. He wasn't going to read what her eyes were saying. He had spent the whole day making guesses and he was nowhere going to put in his instincts in action. He knew what he wanted but what mattered was that what Elle wanted and he had already left the ball in her court. It was her turn to make the strike and he would let her decide what she wanted and when she wanted.

"Good night, Elle." He brought his hand up and cupped her cheek. He felt her lean in a bit to his touch. He brushed his thumb pad on her cheek bone making color rise on her soft skin and then dropped his hand. All he wanted was to kiss her but he didn't want to jeopardize what little trust she had built in him. It took all his self control and energy to take is steps back. Elle looked up at him as if in disbelief. "I'll see you later." He smiled and then walked off.

Do not turn back Knight! Do not mess what you have built. Let her go to come back to you. Just keep walking nice and steady. Do not panic and do not turn. You are doing just fine. Three more steps, come on you can do it. As he walked away from her door, he kept telling himself. As he turned around the corner, he heard the door shut and he let go of his held breath. What would the world say if they knew how he was feeling inside? He needed to get a grip on himself.

"This is fine. Let the control room know that we are going to anchor at Florida early morning tomorrow and hand this over to them. Make sure you see it is attached to one of the systems till then."Augustus handed over the small hard disk chip to George, his security head. This small device contained the information that was worth millions of dollars. It carried all the codec of his cruise. The sensitive information inside, if placed into the wrong hands, could put the entire cruise along with its passengers on risk of detriment."We have contacted the headquarters in Florida and New York. They know our route plan. I have personally spoken to the Chief Warrant Officer Beighley." He was walking with George as he talked when he collided with someone coming from the other side. Soft breasts touch his stone hard chest and a spark of familiarity ignited in him. His arms circled around the body of the collider reflexively to prevent her from falling. "I am so sorry." He looked down to see it was Elle in his arms -half bent, breath hitched and eyes wide. A sight, he could very much get used to. He was surprised to see her here of all the places.

"Elle, what are you doing here?" This whole area was dedicated to the security and computer department. No passenger was allowed to get in here. Only authorized staff was to come in.

"Augustus." She breathed his name and her eyes got panicked as she saw him. "Are you okay?" he asked before setting her straight and letting her go. As much as she felt good in his arms, he had to put distance in between them or else the consequences wouldn't be his fault. "Oh, I was just touring around the cruise and ended up here." She said hurriedly, straightening her black body fitted t shirt and ran a hand on her already perfect hair. Nerves, he guessed. She was looking at him in utter surprise. He frowned at her words. Who would want to come to control rooms? There were far better places to tour."George, please let Theo know about our brief detour." Augustus said to George and then eyed the device, "And take care of this."

He then took Elle's hand and said, "Come, I'll show you around better places of the cruise."

"What detour were you talking about?" Elle asked as he took her to the elevator.

"Oh it's just a little stop at Florida. Something needs to be dropped there." He said pushing the call button. When he saw her face, he could sense that her mind was processing something. "What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing, I am just wondering when we will reach there." She said giving him a brief tug of lips. He didn't mistake it as a smile.

He frowned but answered anyway. "It will be early morning. You won't even feel like we stopped by. Everyone would be sleeping by then."

"Where exactly in Florida, if I may ask?" She asked. Her voice wasn't eager but he knew she was curious. He didn't find any reservation in humoring her so he told.

"Orlando." She just nodded.

"Come." He took her hand and stepped out of the elevator.

He took her to see the more lavish and luxurious part of the cruise. He felt so glad to have it and share it with someone who wasn't after his money or anything. This mingling with a girl who isn't making up a charade was a complete novelty experience for him. And sharing his dreams and achievements with her; it was like a kid showing his favorite toy.

"You have learnt quite much about it in just two days." Elle asked. The awe reflected from her voice.

"It's more than two days, sweetheart. I have dreamt of it all my life." Augustus said looking down at the cruise from the top deck. She stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean?"

"What?" He asked.

"What do you mean by what you just said?" she asked. His brow furrowed at her question.

"I have dreamed of this cruise since the better part of my life. That's why I had it built and I know every corner of it." he said, not knowing where this conversation was leading.

"You built it?"She asked, unbelief lingering on her face.

"Not technically. But yes, this is my cruise." He said.

It was Elle's turn to frown and she looked at him unbelievingly. "You are Augustus Knight?" She asked in a low whisper. "Yes." She started biting her lips. She muttered something under her breath. What he could make out of it was 'This had to fuck up somehow.' He frowned, probably misjudging her words. "Whats happening Elle? Don't you want to be with me?" he asked. This was certainly not the response he was expecting. Being in a isolated space with her on one of the romantic spots of the cruise and having her bite her lips, the situation wasn't very helping either. "Tell me." He tipped her chin up until she was looking in his eyes. "You don't like me for who I am?" he caressed her lips. He looked down to her lips where his thumb was and then back to her eyes. He couldn't fathom what was going inside her mind. She never failed to surprise him. He just told her who he was and her face told him that all she wanted to do was run away from him. This was definitely a reaction he hadn't gotten from someone in a very long time. Last time it was when he was just a street guy, not the Augustus Knight.

"No, it's not like that. I am just a bit overwhelmed." She masked her feelings and smiled at him. It wasn't the same one he had gotten previously. He didn't believe in her words. "It's no big thing for you to worry about. I am the same guy, okay? It shouldn't make any difference to you. Alright?" he cupped her face and made her look up into his eyes. She didn't answer. "Alright Elle?" he insisted. He didn't want her to act any other way just because she now knew who he was. He wanted that same kind of interaction between them as it was before. "Tell me Elle that it's okay with you. Please, I need you to feel comfortable with me like you have been. I don't want it to create any difference between us." He was persuading her. Her face was like as if she was in some kind of pain. He was the owner of this cruise and yes he was a billionaire but what was the big deal about it? Why would she react so out of league about it? Technically she should have been flattered. But when he looked at her, she was anything but flattered. And her no response was irritating him more than anything else. "See, I enjoy being with you and I like to think that you feel the same. So can we please let it go and resume our..." he struggled for the appropriate word but when nothing came, he said, "Our tour." She finally let a small smile appear on her face and he sighed in relief. He had won the argument - if it was one. "Come, let's go down the main deck." He took her hand and led her back.

She was quiet after that, he noticed but didn't understand why. She didn't seem very excited to know that she was with aka Augustus Knight aka owner of The Royal Cruise. This was so much different from what he had received from other girls like her before. He was unable to fathom that why all her demeanor was suddenly so distant and distracted. He expected her to be excited over all the services that cruise provided and pour questions about it but all she asked were technical questions. When he asked her, she said, "I am more of a technology person. I prefer gadgets over heels so you can imagine how it is for me." She grinned at him. He was more glad over the fact that she was coming back to her usual self. It wasn't until then, that he realized how much he wanted her to be at ease with him despite of knowing his status. "So what else preferences do you have?" he asked her as they sat for lunch.

"Uh...Hamburgers and coke over 3 course meal?" she said pointing her eyes at the menu they were handed. Augustus laughed.

"Hamburgers and coke it is then." He said to her and ordered their meal. "What else?" he rested his elbows on the table and his chin on the uplifted knuckles.

"Sun over rain." Elle's eyes shined as she talked. "Flowers over chocolate, meet up over phone calls and jogging over Facebook." She shrugged and smiled at him. "What about you? Fancy cruise over sleek cars, eh?" she asked him with an amusing grin.

He chuckled. "I prefer blue eyed brunette over the rest." He said looking at her intensely. Her cheeks burned with color and she looked away. God, what things that little effect on her face did to him, he sucked in a breath in awe. She was mesmerizing to the levels he never knew existed. Their lunch was served and both of them dug into their juicy hamburgers.

"God, these are the finest burgers I have had in a long time." Elle moaned as she chewed the last fries on her plate. He chuckled. She ate like a horse and he loved seeing her like that. She wasn't conscious about being seen eating too much or doing it unlady like. She licked the sauce from her finger and sucked it a bit. His cock stirred to attention immediately. He adjusted in his seat. "Remind me to send a note of appreciation to the cook." He said what came into his mind. He wanted his mind to distract from the erotic images that were blurring his thoughts. She looked at him wide eyed like he had said something entirely impossible for her to do. Her face got impassive and she stowed the napkin back on the table carefully before getting up.

"Thank you Augustus for the tour and the lunch. It was nice spending time with you." He hadn't said something difficult, had he? All he asked was something he didn't mean literally. And even if he had, then he was sure they had come some way since their first meeting. He could ask her for a reminder of something, couldn't he? Or so he had thought. "Why are you leaving?" he too got up. Her reactions were driving him insane now.

"I'll just head to my room. I am tired. I'll see you around." She started walking away. He saw her leave.

This was the third time she had done this, shutting him out. No, this time he won't let her get away like this. He had enough. He had sensed that she was attracted to him but why she was resisting him so much, that he had no idea of and he wanted to end the mystery now. He followed her out.

She was a few feet away from him so he didn't called her out, just fastened his pace to catch up with her. This woman was making him chase her down every time they meet. He was just about to call her when they had exited the dining area and were out near the swimming pool which was empty at that time. And then everything happened in a blur of the eye. She was walking along the pool and he was a few steps behind when a little puppy jumped into Elle's way barking at her. She got startled and jumped back and lost her balance in the process. Her foot slipped and she was falling.

"Elle!" He called out before closing the distance between them and extending his hand for her to catch.

"Augustus!" she caught his hand but the tiles were too slippery that he too couldn't maintain a balance with her weight going down and less friction between floor and his shoes. The next moment, both of them were in the cold water, embraced around each other. She was hugging him tightly.

"Elle?" he called her name softly. She didn't answer. He could just feel her shiver against his chest. "Elle, are you okay?" she managed to nod her head. He swam back to the edge, taking her along.

He saw her lips were all blue and she was shivering badly as they stepped out of the pool. "God, Elle, look at you. You are trembling." He immediately snatched a big towel from the lounger and wrapped it around her and hugged her close and started to rub her arms to get her heated. He himself was dripping wet so it wasn't helping the situation much here. "Come; let's get you some warm clothes." He said to her but she was clearly in no state of moving. He bent and then picked her up effortlessly in his arms.