The Wrong Thing To Do Ch. 04

"Target," she said, smiling at his hidden compliment.

"Target my ass!"

"Okay, so probably it's designer."

"You're propagating the opposite of what you were telling me to do before. "Have fun," you said. "Get a girl pregnant," you demanded."

"Heh heh, I don't want you to shift drastically to one side and turn into an oil baron dictator. I'm just trying to get you balanced," Abbey said, squinting her eye and using her hands for effect.

"I was actually planning to include a Law degree on top of my MBA when I get to Harvard to add some, yes, balance, even though it adds an extra two years. At the end of the day, big whoop, I have lots of money. Like you said before you turned into Buzz Killington, I'm goanna have fun with what I have. My reason will alleviate my insanity and keep me in equilibrium."

"You mean you're going to have fun and be normal?"

"Something like that."

"Good, just as long as you're self-regulating and you're not leaving it to the market to regulate you."

"I'm going to get changed," Mark said, finally ignoring Abbey. He made the decision to get dressed upon hearing the word Beluga being chatted about, smelling the smoked salmon hors d'oeuvres, and seeing the hordes of women arriving, along with celebrities like Lebron James, Kate Upton, Amber Rose, and the night's DJ, Wiz Khalifa.

In his master stateroom, having put on his black pants and black and white tuxedo jacket, Mark now struggled with the final piece, his bow tie.

He heard a knock at the door of the master stateroom. "Where's Edward? I'm surprised he isn't here?" asked Abbey.

Mark let her in as he tried again to tie his bow. Abbey began to assist, mastering the knot with her quick little fingers as he spoke. "You know Caroline Levite?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," she confirmed.

"He's hanging with her right now."

"Really?"

"Yes!" Mark reconfirmed.

"Is it serious?"

"We'll see."

She began to stare into his eyes, her lips moving towards his. He pulled back ending her advance. "I don't want a relationship, Abbey."

"Neither do I. Come on, you called me here!"

"It wouldn't work, right now. I just want to be friends with you. I appreciate your honesty. You always tell me the truth," Mark said, leaving the stateroom. In his mind, Mark knew this was not the end of him and Abbey, that like her, he just needed a little fun first.

Entering the main lounge Mark saw a sea of known and unknown faces. The music was pounding while Whiz Khalifa mixed up a storm.

Looking about the room Mark saw Richie with his head not seriously in the game and Enrique with Kate Upton's tongue down his throat. Then he saw that Edward had finally made it—Edward and Caroline were heading toward one of the thirty staterooms.

Once inside a stateroom, Edward started to kiss Caroline's neck and slowly began to remove the strap of her dress until she stopped him.

"Slow down," she said, pulling away.

Edward paused and she saw the surprise on his face. 'I am going slowly,' he said.

"I like you."

"What then?" Edward exclaimed, his stomach knotting

"I want to do this slow and right because I like you. I only met you today so I don't want to rush this. You understand, right? What happened with you...just know it was different. I actually really like you. Nod if you understand."

You want to date me?" Edward asked, stunned by her words.

"Only if you want to; I'm not going to be presumptuous."

"Are you kidding? You're incredible!" Brushing his hand into her hair he continued, "It's not just that you're beautiful but you're a beautiful person." He took hold of her full left breast, signifying her heart.

Caroline was all smiles, gleefully fighting parts of her that wanted to jump. She felt fireworks shooting through her. She thought to herself, 'one more sign might just push me over the edge,' as she and Edward kissed by the large porthole.

Mark soon gave the skipper the order to take the yacht for a short journey along the Florida coast and stood in the party-filled room watching Elsa flirt with Ciara.

He collected two glasses of Dom Perignon rosé from a passing waiter, knocking the first crystal wine glass back until he had downed all its contents. He then brought the other glass with him up to the DJ's booth and delved in as it were. In the mélange of faces, he spotted Abbey who gave him a nod. Holding up the glass, from his side vision he saw Ciara smacking lips with Elsa. But still his eyes turned back to Abbey like magnets—not now, but someday—he thought.

"To no regrets and a night full of boundless happiness." Like divinely designed clockwork, Kid Cudi's Pursuit of Happiness began to beat out of the speakers just as fireworks shot off from the bow, illuminating the blackened night sky. Mark looked out at the sea of feminine eyes and eager lips following his every twitch and turn.