A Lion Ready To Pounce.

Ashley looked up when the door opened. She was so startled to see Tanaga standing there that she almost dropped the microphone. The crew all stood looking at the open door, their eyes wide. The room fell silent. Everyone seemed afraid to even breathe at the sight of their boss standing in the doorway like a lion ready to pounce.

No one spoke a word. You could've heard a pin drop as they watched, frozen, waiting for him to react. Ashley noticed the way the crew responded to him.

She looked back at Tanaga and suddenly raised her eyebrows. Drunkenly, she thought to herself, What? Do you think you're the only one who can raise your eyebrows and make ugly faces? Psh… So can I! The influence of the alcohol was making her feel abnormally courageous.

Moments passed by in this eerie silence. No one was speaking. No one even seemed to be breathing as they waited for Tanaga to come in and say something.

They found themselves in a quandary of sorts because as they waited for Tanaga, he was waiting for someone to invite him in.

After what seemed like several minutes passed, and still, no one did anything. Ashley was beginning to worry this might go on forever. Still feeling courageous, she put on the biggest smile she could manage, showing off her perfectly straight, white teeth. Her big smile revealed the two deep dimples on her rosy red cheeks, which made her look even more enticing to Tanaga.

"Hi, honey! Did you miss me?" She asked, walking closer to Tanaga, still smiling. She was trying her best to entice him, intentionally shaking her backside as she walked. When she reached Tanaga, her exaggerated strut threw her off balance, causing her to tip over right into Tanaga's chest.

He was taken by surprise as she slammed into him. "Ashley, what the fu…" was all he got out before the butler stopped him. The butler, aware that the entire crew was watching, cut his boss's words short when he whispered in his ear. "Sir, I don't think you want to scold Mrs. Jones in front of the entire crew."

Tanaga looked around, and his butler was right. He quickly changed antics, adjusting the tone of his voice before he spoke again to Ashley.

"Sweetheart, it seems like you might've exceeded your limits. I think you should call it a night," Tanaga gently coaxed Ashley as the crew listened to every word.

"Yes, ma'am. We should call it a night. We can do this again another time." A crew officer interjected, "There's always tomorrow, am I right?"

In her mind, she thought, there might not be a tomorrow for me. I better enjoy it now while I can. She opened her mouth to say something back, but Tanaga didn't give her a chance.

He covered her mouth with his hand and led her out of the lounge without saying a word to his crew.

"What the hell? Let me go! I wasn't done singing yet !" Ashley shouted in frustration, Tanaga's hand still over her mouth.

"Come on now. Stop squirming like that. You look so cute right now. If you keep it up, I might not be able to control myself, and I'll have to kiss you right here, right now. Is that what you want?" Tanaga whispered in Ashley's ear. He thought she would calm down and stop trying to escape his grip to keep him from kissing her.

"What's it going to be? Are you going to be still and cooperate, or should I kiss you right now?" Tanaga whispered in her ear, gently kissing it this time.

Ashley, heavily under the influence of alcohol, wasn't feeling afraid of anything. She was feeling so brave she wouldn't be intimidated by the devil himself right now. So, she kept resisting, trying to speak around the hand that covered her mouth.

"What are you doing? Get your hand off of me, you jerk! I don't want to go with you!"

She screamed desperately in Tanaga's ear, nearly leaving him deaf, though he didn't understand a word she'd said. When he still didn't move his hand away from her mouth, Ashley bit it.

"OUCH!!!" Tanaga's cry of distress was loud enough to wake the dead. However, he still managed to keep his hand over Ashley's mouth. He decided it was best to get her to the safety and privacy of their cabin as quickly as he could. She fought him all the way, but finally, he managed to get her in the room.

Once inside, he quickly locked the door. He couldn't endure the pain from her biting his hand anymore. He pulled his hand away from her mouth and turned her around, so they stood face to face. He took her face in his hands and slowly leaned down, kissing her gently.