The New York City Aquarium. Madeline knew, through the random facts she had been gathering over the past few weeks while piecing together her boat tour, that the Aquarium was one of the oldest continually operating aquariums in the United States. It was located inside Castle Clinton, a short walk from the pier where the boats launched.

Originally built between 1808 and 1811, Castle Clinton was designed to hold 28 fully armed cannons, built to help protect and defend New York City. However, given its ideal location, it quickly became an entertainment center as well, with restaurants and gardens opening as early as 1823. In later years, before the creation of Ellis Island, Castle Clinton was used as New York City’s original immigration center. And then, on December 10, 1896, the New York Aquarium opened its doors. With an average of 5,000 visitors per day, this was the kind of place Madeline needed on board to really make her business successful.

Madeline had already contacted the aquarium’s manager, a slimy man but the name of Luke Montefiore. A phone call to arrange a meeting had left Madeline with a bad tasted in her mouth; he reminded her too much of her ex-husband. He had seemed almost amused by Madeline’s business quests like he was humoring her by even agreeing to meet with her. She’d wanted nothing more but to reach through the phone and slap the man, but instead, she’d forced herself to stay charming and calm.

She’d done a bit of research and learned that the true director of the aquarium, and therefore Mr. Montefiore’s boss, was a man named Charles Townsend. She wasn’t afraid to utilize Mr. Townsend if and when necessary, but since Montefiore ran the day to day operations of the place, she had decided to start there.

As she approached the building with Gavin, she realized this was really the first time he would see her actual work. Sure, they’d held up the jewelry store for a bit of fun, but this was different and far more important to her. If she could link the aquarium and her boat tours, her marketing would double overnight.

Smiling softly at Gavin, she filled him in on what she already knew. “The man we’re meeting with seems to think my boat tours are just a silly girl’s dream. I had a brief phone conversation with him and to say it didn’t go well would be an understatement. My goal today is obviously to try and convince him that it’s anything but that. Nicely, if possible.” The grin she flashed showed that she was also willing to take the not so nice route if she had too.

She motioned towards the front door, her voice teasing slightly as she asked him, "Are you ready for another adventure?"

Gavin removed his sunglasses and slipped them into his shirt pocket as he walked into the building. 

"Are you ready for another adventure?"

Gavin simply grinned. Of course he was.

"So... any sharks here? Other than the man you're looking for?"

Madeline shrugged at his question, pulling open the front door and heading inside along with a crowd of other people.  "I'm positive they have a shark tank. What kind of aquarium wouldn't have a shark tank?" That was obviously a ridiculous thought to Madeline, and she grinned as she chuckled softly. "In fact, once we deal with this so-called manager we can go find it."

She made her way to the front desk where they were selling tickets. She told the staff there that she had come to meet with Mr. Montefiore. They pointed up a flight of stairs where Madeline could see there were some offices located on the second floor. She was surprised they gave such easy access but once she and Gavin got upstairs she realized why. As she pushed open the office door she saw there was another secretary waiting. This one was busy filing her nails and she didn’t even look up when Madeline and Gavin entered. Madeline once again asked for Mr. Montefiore and only when she asked a second time did the secretary finally look up. “And who should I tell him is asking?”

“Madeline, from Southern Charm Boat Tours. I spoke with him on the phone yesterday.”

“Take a seat and I’ll tell him you’re here.” The secretary used her file to point to the couch and Madeline had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. As she turned around, her back to the secretary, she gave Gavin a look that said something along the lines of ‘can you believe this chick?’

She sat close to Gavin, letting her leg brush against his as she waited. She whispered when she spoke to him, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “Maybe I can convince Mr. Montefiore to give us some after-hours access to the aquarium. We could explore the place in private.” She winked before turning her attention back to the secretary, who was still paying them absolutely no attention.

Finally, after about five minutes or so of waiting, a back door opened, and an older, shorter, balding man appeared. As he approached the two of them, Madeline stood, a charming smile gracing her face.

“You must be Madeline,” he said, his voice caring the same amused tone it did on the phone. She wanted to slap the smirk off his face but of course, she refrained.

“Yes sir, and you must be Mr. Montefiore,” She extended her hand but when he took it, instead of shaking it he brought it back to his lips. She had to keep herself from flinching.

When he noticed Gavin standing next to Madeline, the man smiled, the kind of smile that said he’d known all along that there was a man attached to this project. He extended his hand to shake Gavin’s while he spoke: “And you’re the real decision maker here I’m sure, Mister…?”

Gavin draped his arm around Madeline's shoulders as he leaned back and rested in the chair. His voice rumbled, as he spoke low to avoid being overheard.

"After hours sounds fun. And we are totally going swimming here... maybe not with the sharks, but still."

Gavin looked down at Montefiore's hand, then looked up at him with a raised eyebrow- and kept his arms folded.

"Byrne. Gavin Byrne.  I'm the eye candy. She's the decision maker."

Mr. Montefiore seemed thrown off by Gavin's reaction. He awkwardly dropped his hand, stumbling over his words as he tried to make up for the mistake he'd just made.

"Oh. Yes, of course. Well, follow me back to my office, please."

Madeline grinned at Gavin, giving him a rather pleased look. She'd need to remember to show him just how pleased that small act had made her later when they were alone. 

When they got into the office, the older man pointed at the two chairs in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat. Tell me again about this business proposition of yours? I know we spoke yesterday but I do get a lot of phone calls every day." Mr. Montefiore moved to his own chair, taking a seat and fiddling with some papers. It was clear he felt that he was humoring her at this point. Again, she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. 

"I and a business partner have launched the Southern Charm Boat Tours. The boats will launch from right here in Battery Park and from Brooklyn Bridge Pier. They provide an hour-long tour around Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and even Governor's Island. I was hoping to make a deal with your Aquarium. We could provide some free advertising during the tour and in turn, you could do that same. Maybe we could even sell tickets to the tour right here, a two for one sort of deal?" Madeline smiled warmly despite her dislike of the man. She hoped he would see the value of this offer and not make this difficult. 

But of course, things were never that simple. He looked at her for a moment before responding. "The Aquarium is already one of the most popular tourist attractions here in New York City. We don't need any further advertising Ms. Madeline. And we would hate for our visitors to feel any sort of pressure to buy tickets for other attractions when they visit us.”

He smiled at her, almost mockingly. “So, I do thank you for your visit, but I don’t think we’ll be interested in what you’re selling right now.”

Did he really think he would dismiss her that easily? Madeline laughed a little, shooting Gavin a glance. Now he’d really see her in action; if it were anyone else she’d worry about leaving a bad impression, honestly. But Gavin would understand her tactics.

She stood, but she made no move to leave. Instead, she walked around the man’s office, which clearly made him a bit uneasy. She found what she was looking for on a bookshelf near his desk – it was a framed picture of a woman and two children.

“What a lovely family Mr. Montefiore. Tell me, what does your wife Agatha think about your ongoing relationship with your secretary?” She asked this question so bluntly, so very nonchalantly, that the older man seemed stunned.

“Excuse me?” His eyes narrowed as he stared at Madeline, as if not believing what he heard.

“Your secretary. You know, that one out there, filing her nails, doing very little real work. Surely you don’t expect us to believe you’re keeping her around because she’s good at her job?” Madeline looked at the picture once more. “Agatha seems like such a lovely woman too. And I’m sure an excellent mother to Robert and Christine. Oh, and I wonder what Mr. Townsend would think if he knew what you did in this office after hours. That is your boss right, Charles Townsend?”

The man was silent, which caused Madeline’s smile to grow.

“You see Mr. Montefiore, after our rather off-putting phone call yesterday, I did a little research into you and your life.” Her voice was wicked now, and she was having far too much fun with this, but truly nothing bothered her more than a man who spoke down to her simply because she was a woman. “You see me as some silly little girl with some silly little business. But instead, I happen to be quite powerful. And my boss, sir,” She emphasized that word, walking over to the desk and sliding up next to him. She placed the picture directly in front of the old man, her legs crossed as she propped her elbow on her knee and placed her head in her hand. “My boss is one of the most powerful men in New York City. And I know he would certainly appreciate a man who helped me to succeed. Because when I make money, he makes money. So we can do this one of two ways. Either I blackmail you and threaten you into doing everything that I want. Or we make this profitable for the both of us. Which one will it be?”

The fact that she was even giving him a choice was rather nice of her, but she’d rather have a good working relationship with the man than a strained one. It would make future arrangements easier if they didn’t have tension between them. She waited, her fingers tapping on her knee to show that she was not going to be very patient.

“Well. It seems I did indeed underestimate you, Ms. Madeline.” He looked down at the picture of his wife and children, sighing. “Tell me again what you’re proposing?”

“It’s simple really. Both here and at our ticket booths, we will offer a two for one special. People pay a slightly reduced amount then what they would pay for the two tickets separately, therefore encouraging them to buy a ticket for my boat tour. Given your off-putting behavior and the fact that you made this so much more difficult then it needed to be, the loss of profit margin will come out of your half of course. But, to show that I’m not all bad, I will give you a….five percent cut?”

He didn’t really have much room to argue. “Very well,” he said, resigning himself to his fate. “But you leave Agatha out of this.”

“Of course. I’m a woman of my word Mr. Montefiore. You keep true to our deal and your wife will go on never knowing that you fuck your secretary before going home for dinner.” He flinched at her vulgarity, which made giggle.

“Oh, and two more things. We’ll be putting up some posters and signs to advertise this new deal. And,” She glanced back at Gavin, winking at him before looking back at the old man. “My friend and I would like after-hours access to the aquarium.”

The old man glanced up at that, frowning. “Afterhours access? Now that will be difficult, it’s not safe…”

“Don’t worry about our safety. We won’t harm your property, but really, what better way to get a good view then not having to battle the crowds? It’s not optional Mr. Montefiore.”

He frowned but eventually nodded. She hopped off his desk, smoothed out her dress and grinned.

“I’m so pleased we could come to an agreement. My people will be in touch shortly to deliver some of our tickets here to your ticket desk.” She headed towards the door, waiting for Gavin to join her before heading into the front office. She gave the secretary a small wave goodbye before heading back out onto the stairs. Once the door closed behind her, she burst into laughter, looking at Gavin.

“Did you see the look on his face? The sexist bastard couldn’t believe he’d been outplayed.”

Gavin mostly stayed quiet during the discussion, mostly just staring at Montefiore with a disconcerting focus. He grinned, though, as Madeline revealed the affair. As they left, Gavin paused for a moment near the secretary, leaning over the desk toward her with an admonishing look.

"You can do much better."

With a wink, he quickly caught up to Madeline.

"Eh, that guy was an asshole. Not like you'll even be costing him money, with the people you're bringing him. Seems like things worked out."

Gavin was already glancing around as they entered the aquarium. No sharks yet.

“For now. Something tells me this isn't quite over yet.” The man had caved easily, almost too easily. Maybe he really did fear his wife learning about his affair, or maybe he was going to try and turn this on Madeline later. She’d need to be wary of Mr. Montefiore or she’d end up outplayed herself.

“Anyways, now that work is done, it’s time for fun,” She winked, heading down into the aquarium and looking at the various signs. She saw nothing that mentioned sharks but realized all the exhibits had names like Sea Cliffs, Underwater Adventures or Ocean Wonders. Pursing her lips in thought, she shrugged and glanced at Gavin. “Any guesses?”

Asking him to pick a direction felt oddly familiar, although it did work rather well the first time. “Or I could spin around in a circle and we could walk whatever direction I stop.” She grinned, although she was quite serious about the offer. What fun was life if you couldn't be silly sometimes? 

Gavin shrugged.

"What's he going to do? Push you in a shark tank. I'd rescue you."

He winked and laughed- both at the idea of Madeline needing anyone to rescue her and the fact that he was very tempted to go swimming with any sharks he came across. As Madeline threw out guesses, Gavin nodded confidently.

"Think you need to spin in a circle."

When she was almost done, Gavin immediately appeared beside her and linked arms.

"Kidding. Just wanted to see you twirl. We're obviously going to the one that says adventures..."

Madeline laughed as she twirled, ignoring the glances from the other people who walked past them. “Aw, you’d jump into a shark tank for me Gavin?” She winked, knowing full well he’d jump into a shark tank just for the hell of it. Besides, Montefiore could try such a thing, but he’d never succeed.

“Somehow I knew that’s the one you would pick. I can’t promise that’s where the sharks are, but adventures seem to end well for us so it’s an excellent choice.”

They had plenty of time since she’d made sure they would be left alone once the aquarium closed. The underwater adventures, as they would soon find out, was an area of the aquarium designed to make the visitor feel like they were actually underwater. The lengthy hallway they walked down was dim, the only light coming from behind the glass that surrounded them, not just to the side but even above. Behind the glass was one of the most expansive underwater settings Madeline had ever seen. There were all sorts of fish of all different sizes and colors swimming in the tank, with eels and seahorses and other sorts of water creatures. Every which way you turned you would catch a glimpse of something swimming away.

“Wow,” Her voice expressed a true wonderment as she stopped and turned, trying to take it all in. “I never knew a place like this existed. It's so beautiful.”

After a moment, she looked back at Gavin, smirking slightly. “I don’t see any sharks though. Guess we’ll have to keep looking.”

Gavin walked through the underwater tunnel with wide eyes. It was a little disconcerting at first, but he quickly got used to the feeling of taking a walk a mile under the sea. Gavin noticed a bench in the long, empty hallway.

As Madeline moved ahead of him, he looked at her with mischief in his eyes.

"Or... we could stay here a bit. It's beautiful, as you said."

Walking up behind her, Gavin rested a hand on her hip with a smirk.

"Certainly... a unique location. The sharks could wait, if you wanted."

When she felt his hand on her hip, she turned to face him, grinning. She snaked her arms around his neck, leaning forward and brushing her lips against his gently. "I'm pretty sure you're the one that wants to go swimming with the sharks. I'm just here to watch." 

Madeline smirked, kissing him again, letting this one linger a bit longer. She was hardly a timid woman and was far too used to simply going for whatever it was she wanted. And right now, she wanted Gavin.

"Besides, we're hardly in a rush."

Gavin kissed her with a smile; he was thinking about the bench that was behind him, but, as she said, they were in no particular rush. As they kissed, he gently steered her across the floor until her back came into contact with the cool glass of the tank. As his hands dropped lower, he removed the strap of Madeline's yellow sundress with his teeth before tracing a trail of kisses down her bare shoulder. As he did so, he made awkward eye contact with a confused looking pufferfish. Grinning, he winked at it- then returned to his work.

Madeline shivered slightly, a mixture of the cool glass on her back and the feeling of his teeth and lips on her skin. Her hands slipped under his jacket, running along his chest as her fingers deftly opened some of the buttons of his shirt. She could feel the rush of excitement starting its slow build as his kisses left her breathless and yearning for more. She forgot where they were, not that it really mattered. 

She relaxed against the glass, her mind focused only on that moment and the pleasure that awaited them. 

Closing his eyes for a moment, Gavin savored Madeline's kiss- and the way she bit his lower lip, only reluctantly letting him go. Moving adroitly, he switched shoulders and soon had the other strap removed. As he helped slide the dress down her lithe, toned body, he looked up and saw the pufferfish hovering over Madeline's shoulder, staring at him.

With a barely concealed frown, he lifted up Madeline and, as she wrapped her legs around him, he gently slammed her back against the glass, hoping it would scare the damned pufferfish away.

Off came the dress, sliding to the ground. She pushed his jacket off too and finished off the last of the buttons so his chest was exposed. Her nails grazed his skin. The suddenness with which he lifted her and slammed her back against the glass startled her, but not in a bad way. Nothing wrong with a little roughness. 

Her legs wrapped tightly around him, she pushed her fingers through his hair, kissing him harder. Her tongue explored his mouth and she was blissfully unaware of the little spectator fish that seemed to be distracting her partner. 

Gavin had one foot in heaven, as Madeline had wrapped her legs around him and he was staring up at her, tracing his catlike tongue along her chest. But every time he opened his eyes, the pufferfish floated up past Madeline's shoulder- or beside her- or underneath her. 

Gavin reached down and unbuckled his pants, letting them slide to the floor. Moving towards Madeline again, he pushed her back against the glass again, hoping to scare the fish away. 

Instead, a second pufferfish seemingly appeared out of nowhere. 

Gavin couldn't contain himself, releasing a primitive, frustrated growl. Madeline latched onto his earlobe with his teeth before whispering "it's that good, huh?"

Gavin firmly shut his eyes and focused on Madeline, holding her thighs as he finally found his rhythm, driving her back against the glass with a regular, gentle motion. 

As he found his rhythm, Madeline clung to him, her hands running through his hair and down over his thick shoulders and along his muscular arms. Her nails lightly scrapped against the skin of his back as her body enjoyed each sensation.

She had no idea what was happening behind her so naturally she was quite pleased with his growls and they only made her cling to him more as she whispered his name, nibbling at the flesh of his neck with her teeth. 

Gavin had kept his eyes closed for a few minutes, entirely focused on Madeline's body as they slowly increased speed, building to a crescendo. Despite being close to finishing, Gavin couldn't hold off on opening his eyes any longer. When he did, his mouth dropped open, and the fact that Madeline's tongue quickly slid inside it didn't stop his eyes from widely staring at the scene in front of him. The regular, gentle thumping against the glass seemed to have attracted nearly every fish in the area. Madeline looked like some sort of sea goddess, surrounded by dozens and dozens of fish who were staring at her, drawn by the vibrations or the noise.

And was that...

"YES!"

Gavin couldn't help but yell out in pleasure. Madeline seemed to take it as a sign that he had finished, as she began moving slower- but a shark had just glided past the glass as well. 

With a giant shit eating grin on his face, Gavin considered not saying anything. But... no, if he didn't show her, she'd never believe him later. 

Taking a few steps back from the wall, still holding Madeline, Gavin spun her around so she could see over his shoulder and catch sight of all the fish- and the shark. 

Tired, Gavin sank to the ground, not caring as he lay on his back with Madeline on top of him; he tilted his head back so he could see the fish... although he soon returned them to Madeline. As she sat on him, staring at the fish, Gavin grinned.

"Do you see what I've been dealing with here?"

Then he got back to work. 

When he spun her around, Madeline gasped. What in the world? There were dozens of fish all gathered around right where her back had been just a moment before. Had this been going on the whole time? She would have laughed if she didn't see the shark that was already swimming away. One would have thought that the shark would have scared the fishes away but no, they seemed rather enthralled with what Madeline and Gavin were doing together. 

They were on the floor next and Madeline, knowing now what had him distracted this whole time, worked a little harder to keep him focused. Not that it wasn't the most epic sort of distraction, but still - Madeline was competitive by nature. 

A short time later and they were climbing back into their clothes, both undoubtedly still a little awed by the fish and their behaviors.

"I honestly think if we ever tried to share this story, not a single person would believe us. Hell, if I hadn't seen it myself I wouldn't have believed it. I guess it's a good thing fish can't talk."

After she dressed she also stole his jacket, as the sundress she wore was perfect for the hot weather outside on the pier, but not so great for the cool inside of the aquarium. She pulled him in for another kiss, grinning. 

"So do we continue the adventure and go find these damn sharks? We know he's in here somewhere." 

Gavin was buttoning his shirt, rolling up his sleeves, and glaring at the pufferfish...  but when Madeline brought up the sharks he shot a look back at her.

"You didn't see it?! The shark was right there."

He pointed at the glass, before returning his scowl to the pufferfish.