The sun shimmered over the open deck, painting the ship in gold. Ruby stood near the gangway with her tablet in hand, scanning her checklist. She wore her usual navy polo tucked neatly into beige slacks, a smile prepared but distant in her green eyes. The three guests she'd been assigned were already approaching: young, sun-tanned, and laughing too loudly for this early in the morning.
They looked like they'd walked straight out of a luxury fitness retreat: lean muscles, mirrored sunglasses, and the kind of confidence that came with too many compliments and too much money. Ruby had seen the type before. They always thought the world bent a little easier for them, and sometimes, it did.
~ Ruby: "Morning, gentlemen. I'll be showing you around today and making sure your experience is seamless."
~ Guest 1 (Jason): "Perfect. You're exactly the kind of welcome I was hoping for."
He said it with a wink. Ruby smiled politely and moved on with the introduction.
~ Ruby: "We'll start at the infinity pool, then I'll take you through the sports deck and private lounges. If you have any preferences, just let me know."
~ Guest 2: "As long as it ends with a cocktail, I'm happy."
~ Guest 3: "Do we get to try out the hot tubs?"
~ Ruby: "Of course. Everything is included in the VIP package. I'll make sure you get the most out of your day."
The three of them followed her through the corridors. One was distracted by his phone, the other curious about the ship's specs, but Jason, the flirty one, stayed too close.
His cologne followed her like a shadow, rich and overbearing. Every time she slowed, he matched her pace, his shoulder almost brushing hers.
~ Jason: "So how does someone like you end up working here? You're not just eye candy, right?"
~ Ruby: "I'm part of the entertainment department. We handle guest experiences, activities, performances."
~ Jason: "Sounds fun. Do you ever… entertain off-hours?"
She didn't answer that. Just gestured toward the next area with cool professionalism.
The hallway opened onto the upper deck, sunlight gleaming across glass railings and sea-blue cushions. She continued speaking, outlining the ship's features, but Jason's attention wasn't on the tour.
She could feel it: his eyes on her profile, the way he took too long to respond to what she said, as if her words were background noise to whatever fantasy he was spinning in his head.
The tour continued. They visited the exclusive viewing deck. Jason kept trying to get her attention: standing closer than necessary, making casual comments about her appearance, brushing against her arm when he leaned in to ask a question.
At first, she stepped aside subtly, hoping he'd catch the hint. He didn't.
She stayed composed, but the discomfort itched under her skin.
She'd dealt with persistent guests before, usually drunk or just harmlessly awkward. But Jason wasn't sloppy. He was calculated. Charming in the way some men were when they believed charm entitled them to something.
When they stopped for fresh juice by the sundeck bar, ,he leaned casually on the counter beside her.
~ Jason: "You know, you're the prettiest thing I've seen on this ship. What time do you get off tonight?"
~ Ruby: "I'm working a full shift."
She didn't look at him. Just took a sip of water, eyes flicking over the tablet in her hand.
~ Jason: "Then I guess I'll have to come back tomorrow. Unless you make an exception."
She turned her face to him, still calm, but her expression sharp now.
~ Ruby: "I'm here to do a job, Mr. Blackwell. And I take it seriously."
~ Jason: "I'm just being friendly."
~ Ruby: "There's friendly, and there's inappropriate. Please don't confuse the two."
She said it clearly, without raising her voice, the kind of tone that left no space for misunderstanding.
He raised his hands in mock surrender.
~ Jason: "Alright, alright. No harm done."
But the look in his eyes said he wasn't done.
He lingered as they moved toward the next deck, still smiling, still trying to lighten the mood but the redhead didn't engage. She kept her responses short, informative, professional.
Behind her smile, a tightness had settled in her jaw.
Why did they always do this?
Why did some men believe that a woman doing her job well was some kind of invitation?
She focused on the next part of the tour. Pointed out the luxury cabanas, the towel service, the champagne buttons built into the armrests.
~ Guest 2: "This place is unreal. Like a five-star hotel floating on a dream."
~ Ruby: "We try to make it feel that way. Let me show you the VIP lounge before lunch service starts."
As they walked, Jason slowed his steps. He let his friends go ahead, claiming he wanted to take a photo of the sea view. She stopped a few paces away, checking her itinerary.
That's when she felt it, his presence behind her, too close again.
~ Jason: "One minute. I just wanted to say… you're really something."
Before she could react, he leaned in and kissed her.
Just a brush of lips but it was enough.
Her skin went cold.
She pulled back sharply.
~ Ruby: "You have no right to touch me without permission."
He looked surprised. Embarrassed, maybe.
~ Jason: "Relax, I was jus..."
~ Ruby: "You crossed a line."
She stepped back, her voice low and tight with controlled anger.
~ Ruby: "I'm a professional. I'm not here to flirt. I'm not here to play. I'm here to do my job and you just made it harder."
Jason looked around, suddenly aware of how public the deck still was. His charm was slipping.
~ Jason: "Look, I didn't mean to..."
~ Ruby: "You kissed me without asking. That's not a compliment. That's not harmless. That's disrespect."
She stared him down, green eyes steady as the ocean behind her.
~ Ruby: "Go rejoin your friends. The tour's over."
He hesitated, then finally walked away, shoulders stiffer now, charm shriveled.
The young woman stood frozen for a moment, her heart thudding, her breath shallow. The breeze shifted her red hair across her cheek. She pushed it back with a trembling hand.
She didn't cry. She didn't crumble. But something in her hardened.
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🛳️ 🛳️
🛥️ 🛥️
⛴️ 𝑵𝒐 𝑺𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒓 ⛴️
🚢 🚢
⛴️ ⛴️
🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️
Ruby kept walking even after he was gone, her pace brisk, breath caught somewhere high in her chest. She didn't know where she was going exactly, only that she needed to move, to not be seen standing still. People passed her, sun-soaked and smiling, but their laughter felt like a distant echo.
The hallway curved toward the guest elevators, but the redhead turned into a side corridor and slipped into the nearest crew restroom. The cool air inside hit her like a wave. She locked the door behind her and leaned both hands on the edge of the sink.
She stared at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were pale. Eyes a little too wide.
She forced a breath through her nose.
"You're okay. You didn't do anything wrong."
Her voice sounded small in the tile-lined silence.
She ran cold water and splashed it onto her face, then patted it dry with a paper towel. Her fingers gripped the edges of the sink tighter than she meant them to.
It wasn't the first time she'd been harassed: the smiles mistaken for something else, the friendliness interpreted as interest. But this time felt different. More violating. He'd touched her. Kissed her. At her job. In public.
And still, part of her feared the consequences.
She pressed her eyes shut, breathed deep through her nose.
After few minutes, her face was calm again when she looked up, pale but composed. She could go back out there.
She unlocked the door and stepped into the hallway, adjusting the radio clipped to her waistband. She hadn't taken more than a few steps before a static crackle erupted in her earpiece.
~ Voice: "Ruby Walker, please report to the Captain's office immediately."
Her entire body locked up.bHer stomach dropped.
For one awful second, she thought maybe Jason complain or worse someone saw? Did it look like she encouraged it?
She stood frozen in the middle of the corridor, pulse hammering in her ears. A few crew members passed her, but no one seemed to notice the way her hand had gone white around the tablet she still carried.
She swallowed hard. She couldn't spiral. Not here. She smoothed down her shirt, adjusted her earpiece, and straightened her spine. Whatever it was, she'd handle it.
She took a breath and turned toward the Captain's office.
The door to the Captain's office loomed like a verdict.
The redhead hesitated for a fraction of a second before knocking twice, sharp and clear.
~ Evander: "Come in."
She pushed the door open.
The room was immaculate as always: dark wood, brass fixtures, a framed map of their route on one wall. Captain Evander stood behind his desk, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his expression carved from stone. The blinds were half-drawn behind him, casting sharp slashes of light across the floor.
She stepped in, closing the door behind her.
~ Ruby: "You asked for me, sir?"
He didn't answer immediately. Just stared at her. Like he was calculating something.
Then he tossed a small tablet onto the desk, it skidded across the polished surface and stopped just short of her hand.
~ Evander: "Care to explain what I just saw on the security footage?"
~ Ruby: "Security footage?" her stomach turned cold.
~ Evander: "Don't play coy."
His voice was like ice. She blinked, caught off-guard by the venom in it.
~ Evander: "A guest. One of your assigned guests. Hands on your waist. Pulling you in. And you..."
He paused just long enough for the silence to sting.
~ Evander: "....letting it happen. Let him kissed you"
Her lips parted in disbelief.
~ Ruby: "I didn't let anything happen..."
~ Evander: "Don't lie to me."
His words cracked like a whip.
~ Evander: "Don't you have any shame flirting with passengers like it's some damn dating show?"
~ Ruby: "That's not...That's not what happened."
She could barely keep up with her heartbeat, her voice shaking from a cocktail of anger and shame. He hadn't even asked. Hadn't given her the chance to explain.
~ Evander: "If you're looking to seduce wealthy men, Miss Walker, I suggest you do it off my ship."
The words hit like a slap.
He kept going, relentless.
~ Evander: "This cruise has a reputation. I've spent years building a standard. We don't hire gold diggers in uniform. We don't tolerate staff who blur lines. This is a job, not a playground. I won't have the entertainment team turn into a spectacle."
She felt the tears sting, but she didn't let them fall. Her hands clenched at her sides.
~ Ruby: "Are you seriously calling me a gold digger?"
Her voice cracked under the fury swelling in her chest.
~ Ruby: "Because some guy put his hands on me without my consent? And your first reaction is to assume I wanted it?"
Evander stared at her, jaw tight.
~ Ruby: "You didn't even ask what happened. You didn't check in. You just assumed."
He opened his mouth, but she cut him off too angry now, too hurt.
~ Ruby: "You don't know what it's like. Walking around smiling all day, being polite while some man corners you and thinks you're just decoration. He kissed me, Captain. In front of people. And I told him no. I told him I'm working. That I'm here to do my job."
Her voice was rising now, raw and trembling.
~ Ruby: "But you looked at ten seconds of footage and decided I must've asked for it. That I must be unprofessional because I smiled too nicely or didn't scream."
Evander's expression flickered, the first sign of doubt but it was too late.
~ Ruby: "Do you think I want to be touched like that? Do you think I signed up for that kind of attention?"
Her breath was ragged now. Her hands shook, fists at her sides.
~ Ruby: "I've worked my ass off trying to prove I belong here. I've stayed up late fixing things I wasn't even trained to do. I've cleaned up other people's mistakes just so no one would say I couldn't handle this job. And today, someone crosses the line, violates my space, and instead of support, I get accused of whoring myself out for fun?"
The Captain flinched but she didn't care.
~ Ruby: "You humiliated me. Not just with what you said. But because it came from you. I didn't expect warmth, or kindness, or some pep talk. But I thought you were fair. That you'd listen. I guess I was wrong."
The silence stretched long between them.
His shoulders had lowered slightly. His arms weren't crossed anymore. He looked like he wanted to speak but Ruby wasn't finished.
~ Ruby: "You don't get to speak to me like that again. I earned my place here. Every hour. Every goddamn guest."
She exhaled, suddenly exhausted. Emotion still buzzed through her like static, but it was out. All of it.