Chapter 5 You'd be surprised

They are currently confronted with exactly what Jaali feared.

While on the phone with the senior manager, Jaali discovered that there had been an interruption to the system at the very moment Ida and Avery submitted their request for the service. The trouble is, they clicked on the submit button at the same minute, and the computer recorded it as one, giving them the same booking schedule.

Obviously, the computer cannot be blamed for this error. This problem was brought about by the staff's lack of order.

"What do you plan to do with us then?" Avery inquired, his brow furrowed and his face stern. His hand was motioning a hand to Ida, who was standing beside him and was equally concerned about the situation.

"The senior manager told me that one of you should cancel and make a request for another schedule," Jaali explained, ashamed that he had to be the one to face these two billionaires. He couldn't help but feel small in front of them.

"That's fucking bullshit," Avery complained, shaking his head in disbelief.

Ida looked at him, rather awkwardly, remembering how she fantasized about this man giving her oral sex the night before. She began to wonder how it would feel to be submissive to him after hearing him curse and sound angry. Her knees might weaken just thinking about it.

"Another option you have, Mr. Jacques, is to request a refund."

"Money isn't everything in here," Avery emphasized. "I don't want a refund even if you double it," he said, evidently dissatisfied with it all. It is unusual for him to raise his voice out of frustration, and the situation provoked it.

"I traveled eight hours from Paris, stayed for a few more, just for you to make me cancel?" Avery questioned, putting a downcast look on Jaali's face. He understood the man's frustration, but he couldn't do anything about it.

"I am not going to cancel, that's it," Avery said before turning to face Ida.

"What?" scoffed Ida. "I wouldn't cancel either," she stated firmly, searing Avery's gaze. "You traveled eight hours? Well, I traveled thirteen hours." "If anyone squandered more time here, it would be me," she explained.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, but one of you really needs to cancel," Jaali remarked, calming the tension between Avery and Ida. "And it needs to be determined before 8 p.m. or both of you might lose it," he added. "It is also specified on the terms and conditions that the yacht would depart without waiting for the passenger if he or she does not appear after an hour of grace period."

"Why is your service so strict?" Ida inquired, heaving a long sigh. "Those terms and conditions are basically making things more burdensome."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Mitsuko, but I wasn't the one who developed it."

"I am not backing down," Avery stated, side-eyeing Ida once more. "I don't care, we're both going to miss it."

"Neither will I back down," Ida growled, rolling her eyes.

Jaali was the one who was the most stressed out of the two. Both Ida and Avery appear to be arrogant, unwilling to lower their pride. It's a typical occurrence among the wealthy.

"The yacht is large enough," Jaali replied, immediately drawing the attention of the two. "If neither of you wants to give way, the solution is reduced to one," he continued.

"You're fucking kidding," snickered Avery.

"I might get fired for doing this, but if I don't deal with this problem and provide the two of you with service contentment, I'll get fired as well," Jaali reasoned, clearly without a choice. "But, if you can keep the peace together within the yacht, things may go nicely for me as well."

"Peace," Avery said quietly, staring at Ida. "Is that even doable with this bossy-looking woman?" he wondered, tilting his head.

"So..." Jaali began, "what can you two say about getting on board together?"

Fortunately, the flight to Lamu only took about an hour and a half. It would be quite inconvenient for Jaali if they were to miss the trip. Dealing with two billionaires would be difficult. Even their company would crumble if these two teamed up to take them down.

"Two people on board?" Feye, Jaali's coworker, inquired, his face indicating something.

"Yes, so what?" Jaali answered, nonchalantly, but he was worried on the inside.

Feye was perplexed, as if he didn't understand what was going on. He stepped closer to Jaali, making sure no one else could hear. "You know that's not allowed," he said quietly.

Jaali cleared his throat and looked around. "I know, but I'm taking a gamble," he replied.

"Why?"

"I don't want to lose my job."

"You're going to lose your job if you keep doing this!"

"That is, if the company finds out about it," Jaali reasoned, breathing heavily. "If this works and the company has no idea what happened, then everything should be good."

"You're not making sense," Feye pointed out.

"Those two are fucking billionaires, Feye, and they'd damn me to hell if I didn't let them do anything they want," Jaali replied seriously. "And it's not just me; it's you and the entire company."

"Just be mindful that this is risky, Jaali."

"I know. But trust me on this one."

While the yacht continued to sail the seas, the night descended deeply. Avery enjoyed viewing the peaceful skies and feeling the breeze brush against his skin. This is exactly the kind of pleasure he was looking for.

"If I could just remain here forever," Avery said quietly, resting his elbows on the upper deck railing. His shirt was partially undone, causing it to flutter along with the flow of air, exposing his chest.

Avery had no idea Ida was watching him from the lower deck. The woman remained inside for an extended period of time, doing something that Avery was perhaps uninterested in.

"I've met beautiful men, but this one stands out," Ida mumbled, now fully decided to shoot her shot to bring them closer.

Avery sat on one of the lounge chairs with one leg raised above the other, lazily humming a tune. He didn't want to do anything but rest, and he was clearly getting it. Not until he heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Thinking it would be Ida, he stood up and approached the railing again to watch her come up.

"Hi, there..." Ida greeted Avery as she took the final step up to the upper deck. "I'm Ida, Ida Okino Mitsuko," she said.

"Avery," the man responded, introducing himself, over his cold shoulder.

"I cooked something," Ida said casually. "Would you like to join me for dinner?" she said from a safe distance.

"It was due to a scheduling error that forced the two of us to be on the same yacht," Avery began briskly, putting both of his hands inside his pockets as he turned to face the woman. "Just one passenger should be aboard at a time," he continued, his eyes staring like a tiger's.

"I know," Ida answered gracefully, nodding her head slightly.

"The yacht is spacious enough for two people to not make contact," Avery said, his gaze dispassionate. "Even though you're here with me, I'm hoping for some peace and quiet," he explained. "So, please, let us mind our own business and pretend we're shadows to each other."

Hearing that, the woman finally let out a sarcastic bit of a laugh. She edged closer to Avery, not backing down from the harsh stare he was giving her.

"Big boy," Ida said, placing one hand above one of Avery's broad, well-built shoulders. She took a deep breath before gliding her fingers above the man's chest and up to the collar of his deep blue button-up dress shirt.

"You can't act this shitty while I'm trying to be nice to you," Ida said as she drew him closer to her face.

Avery clenched his teeth as he gazed down at Ida's hand on his shirt. "You clearly have no idea who I am," he grimaced, grabbing Ida's wrist, and tugging it off him.

"You're right, just as you have no idea who I am," Ida responded boldly. "I'll tell you what," she muttered, "you don't intimidate me, so get rid of this tough attitude if that's all you've got to show."

"Don't challenge me, woman," Avery murmured, finally putting on a little smile.

Just as Ida thought those eyes would be destructive, she was proven to be mistaken, as it was Avery's smile that would most like to bring her to her knees.

"I've got so much to show you," he added, leaning down to breathe in her ear, "you'd be surprised."