LOVE on The Horizon (Breaking The Rules #1) (12 page)

“You can’t be serious with this?” I stalled, not coming up with a single suitable comment in our favor.

“We are extremely serious, Mr. Puglia.” He turned toward Rebecca and said, “Ms. Stanton, would you mind stepping outside while we talk to Mr. Puglia?”

“This isn’t his fault.” She attempted to plead my case, but Chet shook his head.

“Ms. Stanton, please.”

Rebecca stood on shaky legs and wordlessly left the room.

Once she closed the door, he and Aida leveled me with their condescending glares.

“Someone is obviously trying to sabotage our careers,” I claimed pathetically. “I have every right to know who on my staff sent you this video.”

“It was sent anonymously. You must understand the real issue here is that you are an executive and she works for you. Your refusal to comment on your relationship, along with this video, leaves us no choice but to proceed as policy states.”

“What happens to Rebecca?” I asked impulsively. My question just confirmed in a few words what they’d been trying to prove. But what was the point of continuing with my charade? My plan was moot. Our careers hung in the balance. I called their bluff and lost.

“This is all on me.” I voiced my thoughts out loud. “I will take full responsibility as long as she gets to stay. I don’t want her losing her job.”

“Ms. Stanton can remain in her position, provided this doesn’t occur again.” I immediately considered it ever happening again. Would it? She would never fall into something like this again…I tried to convince myself. “She is officially on warning. This incident has been documented in her file.”

“And me?”

“Your employment with Sunset Cruise Lines has been terminated, effective immediately. You are to pack your personal belongs and you’ll be escorted off the ship.”

The air that was trapped in my lungs suddenly felt toxic. I fought to maintain my composure as panic swelled with every breath.

“That’s it? My employment credentials mean nothing? The seven years of service I dedicated to Sunset mean nothing?”

A flash of sympathy crossed over Holt’s features, but it was gone as quickly as it came. “I’m sorry. Company policies must be enforced. There’s nothing I can do.”

“
Mr. Puglia is no longer employed by Sunset
.”

“
Mr. Puglia is no longer employed by Sunset
.”

“
Mr. Puglia is no longer employed by Sunset
.”

“
Mr. Puglia is no longer employed by Sunset
.”

That’s all that ran through my mind, over and over, the entire way from Corporate to
The Horizon
.

“
Mr. Puglia is no longer employed by Sunset
.”

Panic propelled my legs to run as fast as they could through the terminal, into the ship, and toward his cabin. I needed to see him before he was escorted out of my life. I needed to tell him…

I had no clue what I was going to tell him.

I wasn’t prepared, even though I knew this could happen. In my plans, we were transferring to a different ship to start our relationship properly, publicly, without sneaking around. Yet, here we were, forced to never interact again simply because we fell in love?

Huffs of air and muttered apologies were all I could utter as I ran my way to Marco. If I missed him, I didn’t know what I would do. They held me for so long, forcing policy after policy down my throat. Scolding and reprimanding me like a naughty child. All I could think as they disciplined me was, yes, we knew it was wrong, and still I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.

These past months that I’ve spent with Marco have been the best of my life. Finally working my dream job during our time together was a bonus. It was he who had me waking up with a smile and falling asleep with visions of kissing a tanned, stunning Italian. How will I smile without him?

The unanswered questions that plagued me made me feel desperate as I ran like a lunatic. A small crowd was gathered at the purser’s desk with Marco in the center. I halted in my tracks, as if I’d seen a ghost. He smiled at some of our team and nodded at others. He shook hands, gave hugs, and wished them all the best. The one person suspiciously missing was Dina.

Beside Marco stood a Sunset Cruise Line security guard who waited patiently for Marco to say his good-byes.

His eyes met mine, forcing my breathing to become even more labored. Most eyes followed him as he walked toward me. It felt like hours before he finally reached where I stood rooted to the ground.

“Rebecca,” he said my name with so much emotion, it unleashed my tears.

“Were you going to say good-bye?” I asked in a voice I didn’t recognize.

“I was hoping I’d see you.”

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know yet.”

His professionalism suddenly eclipsed the emotion he fought back. Only when looking into his dark brown eyes could I see all the hurt he was feeling deep inside. I watched as he raised his hand slightly, only to bring it back down to his side. I stepped closer, and he stepped back.

“
He’s protecting me
,” my heart reminded as insecurities rushed to the surface. I had no idea what to do or say.

With his back to his staff, he looked directly into my eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry. Promise me you’ll do what makes you happy. This job made you very happy. Do it well, for me.”

“You made me happy.”

“No, I ruined everything for you.”

I ached to hold him, wrap my arms around him, and cry for him. Instead, I shook my head in disagreement with his statement. “No.”

“I did. I’m sorry.” He lowered his already hushed tone and added, “I love you.” Without a backward glance, he walked past me and out toward the exit.

People continued to mill around the main lobby as passengers boarded the ship, so obviously happy to start their vacations they had no clue I was so obviously crushed. The rest of our team dispersed to start their departure duties. Through the crowd of bodies, a pair of eyes was trained on me.

Ricky.

He rushed to where I remained frozen in despair and wrapped his arms around me. When my body began to shake from the sobs I could no longer contain, he took my hand and led me away from inquisitive eyes.

I never spoke as I allowed Ricky to drag me directly to Marco’s office. Once there, he pulled me inside and shut the door.

“I can’t believe he’s gone. Ricky, I should have done something for him.”

“What, sweetie? What could you have done? Their decision is the wrong one. Even still, you couldn’t save Marco. You can say fuck them as well as their policies, though.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two envelopes. “He made me promise to hand-deliver this to you,” he said, handing me one of them.

I clutched it to my chest, wanting to connect to Marco, knowing his hands had been holding it.

“Here.” Ricky offered the second envelope.

I took it, asking, “What’s this?”

“Airline tickets, just in case.”

I thrust the envelope toward him. “Ricky, I can’t…”

Pushing my hand away, he barked, “Stop with the can’t. I know you two better than you know yourselves. Please, don’t do something you’ll forever regret. This is just a job, and you’ll find another. You may never find love like this again.” He gripped my arms, forcing me to stare into his pale blue eyes.

“It may just be a job, but it’s one I need. I can’t afford to leave this. I have nothing.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I have tons.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just hear me out. The flight is out of Miami and it leaves tonight. I assume his flight is out of Fort Lauderdale, but I’m not sure since I wasn’t allowed to assist him. Knowing Marco, he’s heading for Rome to think. Go to your cabin, read his letter, and make your decision. The emergency staff meeting starts in an hour. I’ll cover for you until then.”

Tears continued to roll down my cheeks when I agreed to his command. He kissed my cheek and pushed me out the door. Avoiding public areas, I made my way and frantically opened my door to get some privacy.

With shaking hands, I ripped open the envelope and began reading his words.

Bella,

I wasn’t prepared for what occurred today. I don’t have much time to organize my thoughts, so forgive me if my words are scattered. The most important thing I need to say is that I do love you. I never wanted this to hurt you, yet I led you directly into harm’s way. I can’t apologize for loving you, or for giving in to my need to have you. All I can apologize for is getting caught and for almost ruining your career.

Call it denial, or simply not caring about the consequences, but now that we are facing them, I feel like I should have done more to protect you. I failed you in that respect, and I’m so sorry. You finally found yourself at Sunset, and maybe it was unfortunate for you to have found me as well. I can only consider myself lucky to have met you and loved you. These past few months have been the best of my life.

For the first time, I pictured a future. I’ve never looked past the end of the current itinerary we sailed on. The future was always an unknown mystery that I had no desire to mold, shape, or change in my favor. That is, until I met you.

I decided to go home, take some time, and consider my next move. I will not ask you to give up your job, life, or even aspirations for me. Please finish out your contract. It’s more than half over and it will help you transfer to another cruise line. At that time, if you choose to follow me, I’ll be waiting. If you choose to follow your professional dream, I understand. Either way, I love you very much, and I support you no matter what you decide.

Marco x

I read it over and over and over. An excruciating pain settled in my chest, forcing even more tears to flow. Why couldn’t he just tell me what to do? What if he had? If he had asked me, or even demanded for me to follow, would I?

My job and Marco were so entwined, I felt like I was caught in a web. How could I be happy here without him? How could I pick up and leave everything for a man I barely knew?

I wasn’t a stranger to making reckless choices in my life. Those that I had made in the past paled in comparison to the options I was forced to decide between now. Ricky’s words kept smacking me in the face. “
It’s just a job. You’ll get another. Don’t do something you’ll regret.
”

Yet, giving up my life for Marco scared me to death. I couldn’t expect him to stay here with me. I had nothing to offer him but a mountain of college loans. And if I were to give everything up for him, would my family ever forgive me? My splintered relationship with my brother could crack beyond repair.

I wanted to escape the sadness that engulfed me, but I had no idea which path to choose.

My head said my job and security.

My heart said Marco and the unknown.

In a daze, I hauled my ass to that fucking staff meeting. Lawrence Grolt, the acting CD, was a sleazy character from the corporate office who made my skin crawl. I knew it wasn’t fair to judge him so harshly and so quickly in my current frame of mind, but the thought of working for him made me nauseated. Inquisitive eyes focused on me when he mentioned Marco and the unfortunate chain of events.

He didn’t keep us long, but it felt like we were in that room for hours. He asked for our cooperation during this transition. That it would be difficult to fill such big shoes, but he was committed to doing the best he could until Sunset determined Marco’s permanent replacement. It wouldn’t be hard for my new boss to read my thoughts because they were clearly written all over my face. But Grolt avoided my gaze, confirming he knew the truth.

Of course, my name wasn’t brought up, but there wasn’t a doubt based on the looks my coworkers were sporting that the rumors were running rampant. Sunset management simply said that Mr. Puglia decided to leave the company for personal reasons, and they wished him only success in his future.

Wasn’t that kind of them?

On several occasions, I had to bite my tongue to refrain from blurting out the truth and that it wasn’t a fucking crime to fall in love!

After a nauseating pep talk, Grolt ended the meeting. Everyone dashed out of the room behind him except for Dina. She remained seated, smiling like the cat that swallowed the canary.

“What the fuck do you want?” Ricky asked through gritted teeth. He crossed his arms and waited for her to speak. I clenched my fists, wanting nothing more than to punch her in the face.

“Do I detect a problem here?” she asked, looking directly at me.

I refused to respond. Ricky had no problem saying, “Yes, you do. Watch your back, Dina.”

“Is that a threat?”

“A promise.” He sat back, casually putting his hands into his pockets while smirking arrogantly.

She turned her gaze back to me. “If you have a problem with my job performance, maybe we should take it to Human Resources.”

“Because you’re so chummy with them?”

“Ricky.” I couldn’t handle him getting fired as well. This bitch would have no problem focusing her evil on him. His loyalty to Marco and his friendship with me put a big-ass target on his back.

“Dina, no one has an issue with your job performance.” I tried to appease her. When she smirked obnoxiously, I added, “It’s your attitude that needs adjusting.” I couldn’t help myself. She was poking a dragon.

“Attitude?” she asked with a sarcastic laugh. “How would you know? You’ve been too busy to assess my attitude or my job performance. Let me ask you, Rebecca, now that Marco is gone, who will get you to your next promotion?”

“What are you talking about?”

She let out an evil laugh. “You strolled in here with enough experience to fill a fucking thimble, yet you got the job, no problem? Your skills must be very convincing.”

“What are you insinuating, Dina?” Ricky asked what I was thinking.

“That job was mine. He was mine! You came in here and seduced him to get it. Marco was always a sucker for big tits.”

“You bitch.” Ricky stood so fast that his chair flew backward behind him. “You crazy bitch!”

Dina stood and tilted her chin up with purpose. “Brilliant, not crazy. He dug his own grave thinking with his cock. You can’t blame him…it’s who he is. He led me right to her. And now, it’s only a matter of time before she digs her own grave.”