Graham (Obsessed Alpha 3)

Chapter One

Graham

I brush my hands on my slacks, wiping the sweat off them before my potential buyer arrives to inspect the ship. Owning a cruise line was never in the cards for me, and I’m eager to unload it onto the first interested party. I’m one of the many people who get seasick, but this baby belonged to my father.

His ridiculous idea of putting his retirement and my inheritance into a cruise tours business made no sense to me. I blame it on his widow who talked him into writing her into his will and buying outrageous things. She made out very well and took off as fast as she appeared. I didn’t like or trust that harpy for shit. It makes me wonder if he didn’t just die from a heart attack, but I didn’t care to look too deep.

Luckily, I never needed his money, having made my own fortune by thirty without his assistance. Owning a multi-million-dollar tech firm took a lot of my time to keep successful, but I loved it. However, his untimely death left me with the sudden need to handle the sale of the cruise line while still operating my business. For the next two weeks, I’ll be working remotely as I get everything settled. Rearranging my schedule to accommodate this wasn’t ideal, but it had to be done.

I wait on the pier next to the gangway that leads to my cruise liner, scrolling through my emails on my phone. A text pops up from the buyer, alerting me that he’s on his way. I nod and respond. Tucking my phone into my pocket, I look up, and he’s already headed toward me. I Googled the man after receiving an email from him expressing interest in purchasing the cruise ship. “Hello, Mr. Christakos. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet me personally. I’m not interested in what others say about the properties I buy. I prefer to inspect them myself.” He’s more like me than I expected. Even his physique resembles mine.

“Not a problem at all. Are you ready for the tour?” I ask as we shake hands. I choke on the words, remembering how much I hate being on the ocean. My stomach lurches, but the pill I popped seems to be doing its job, and it settles back down.

He pulls his hand back, cocking one brow up at me. “Absolutely, although you look a little green around the gills. Are you well?” The suspicious look on his face makes me laugh. Some of his dealings aren’t clear cut and clean like mine, so I suppose it would make the guy nervous. He’s got nothing to worry about when it comes to me. I don’t know anything about him that a simple search revealed. His business is none of mine.

“I’m not a fan of ships of any kind,” I confess, making him relax a little. I hadn’t expected to look as shitty as I felt, but I laugh it off.

“Understand that. It explains why you’re so quick to sell it. At first, I thought it had some leaks, but seeing as you’re heading out on a cruise, I guessed wrong. So, your seasickness works in my favor.” It’s his turn to chuckle. Several people, particularly women, stare at us, smiling with arched brows.

I ignore the audience of curious onlookers and say, “Hey, I’m willing to part with it at a discount.” A steep discount if it saves me the trouble of managing two companies at once. I already work more hours than I should.

He rubs his hands together like a money-hungry shark. “Show me the way.” A crew member holds open the ropes for us to board, closing it behind us as I lead the way onto the ship. “So if you’re queasy on ships why buy one?”

“I didn’t. My father did. He was Graham Hamilton II, and I’m the third. He recently passed away, and I inherited it,” I explain as I walk past the deck chairs and lead him into the three-story atrium. I figure it’s best to start the tour off with one of the best features of the ship. It towers high and holds everything passengers could want in it except an actual clothing store. It has a gift shop with a bunch of random essentials people tend to forget along with some souvenirs with the cruise logo on it.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks. It’s okay.” He can sense that I’d rather leave it there. Not wanting to make him feel like he brought up a sore subject, I add, “So let’s get this over with. I took some nausea meds, but there’s no guarantee how long it lasts or how effective they are.”

“Say no more. I like my suit.” He claps my back with a laugh. I lead the way around the ship on a grand tour, hoping to entice him as quickly as possible. He makes some notes on his phone and roams through the cabins and along the corridors, taking in all the little things that seemed innocuous to me. The ship is preparing to depart in the next hour, so the passengers are about to board. As we finish the examination, he and I pull off to the side.