Chapter 16
Sixteen
Serena
“So, how are things going with Bentley?” Hazel asks me as we board the plane. “Good, I’m assuming.”
I stow my bag and suitcase in a compartment and grab the cleaning supplies. “I’m sure the attendants on the previous flight already did this, but I feel the need to do something to keep myself occupied. “Things are going really well. We’ve had a couple of phone dates.”
“How exactly does that work?” She’s fixing her hair, getting it out of her face, and walking down the aisle instead of helping me clean anything. “I mean, seriously, what can you do over the phone? Unless…you’re doing something naughty.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me and I want to smack her.
Bentley has joked with me about it, but I always change the subject.
It’s not that I don’t want to be physical with him.
He’s hot as hell, and I have a feeling he knows how to satisfy women.
I just…I’m not ready to hop into bed with him.
Even though I know him better than I did before, I still don’t know if I can trust him.
“You’re just as bad as the dudes who only think about jumping into the sack. ”
“I happen to think I have an amazing sex life. I don’t have to love the guy…he just needs to pique my interest.” She finally grabs some cleaning products and wipes down the armrests on the other aisle. “When will you see him again?”
“I feel like you should know the answer to that since you gave him my schedule.” I wasn’t going to tell her I know what she did, but the opportunity presented itself.
She stills. “I’m not sure what you mean?”
“I’m not mad.” Well, I was for about two seconds, but it’s not a horrible thing. I do like the guy. “He let it slip during our first phone date.”
“Whew,” she sighs. “I was worried you would hate me. But you definitely needed that extra push. You sure as hell weren’t going to do it yourself.”
“Thanks. I think.” We finish our cleaning and straighten up the refreshments. Now, we wait until it’s time to welcome our new passengers. “Anyway, we have a layover in Austin, and I’m planning to see him before the flight that he’s on. We probably won’t do much since there isn’t much time.”
“I know some things you can do that don't take too long,” she winks.
“Hazel, if it isn’t going to take very long, I’m not sure I’d want him in my bed.”
“You have a point there.” The pilot comes over the intercom, letting us know passengers are about to board. “Well, let’s get this show on the road. You have a hottie to see.”
Even though we’ve talked frequently for over a week, this is the first time I’ll see him since we were in Chicago.
Nerves eat away at me, and I hope he still wants to see me.
Why is dating so hard? Better yet, how are we going to greet each other?
A hug and a kiss seem too forward, but I want to feel the press of his lips against mine.
I mean, it’s not like we’re total strangers.
We’ve eaten dinner together over multiple phone calls. We’ve even cooked together.
The first passenger walks onto the plane and shakes me out of my thoughts.
I can worry about that when we get closer to Austin.
For now, I have a job to do, even if I’m beginning to wish I had a steadier job just so I could see Bentley in person more often.
As crazy as it sounds, I’m growing fond of him.
The plane touches down and the wait for the passengers to get off is torture. On one hand, I want them to hurry so I can see Bentley. On the other hand...I want them to take forever because I don’t know what to expect. Will he be waiting for me inside the airport, or will I have to find him?
With all the passengers gone, and the cleaning done, it’s time to meet up with Bentley. I grab my suitcase and bag while checking my phone. There aren’t any texts from him, and I’m worried he forgot about me.
Hazel throws her arm around me as we make our way through the airport. “Are you ready to see your man?”
“I’m not sure I’d call him my man just yet. We’re still getting to know each other.” There’s a bathroom up ahead and I steer us in that direction to change. “Besides, I haven’t heard from him yet. Who knows if he’s even coming?”
“I’m sure he’ll have something amazing planned for you.”
“Are the two of you orchestrating things behind my back again?” I rush into the stall and start peeling off my clothes. “Now that we’re dating, you don’t have to do that anymore.”
“Nope. I have no clue what he has planned for you.” She reaches her hand over the door for my uniform so I can change into my normal clothes. “I haven’t talked to him since I sent him your schedule. Everything else has been all him.”
“That’s good to know,” I murmur, pulling my shirt over my head. “What am I going to do if he doesn’t show up?”
“You’ll call me, and we’ll go grab lunch somewhere close by.”
I pull up my jeans and slide my feet into the Vans I keep in my carryon. I pull the door open and wave my arms as if I’m on display. “How do I look?”
Hazel nods her head and grins. “Amazing. Like the girl next door, but not trying too hard. You just need one more thing.” She reaches above me and pulls the hair tie out of my hair. My hair fails down my back. “There, that’s better. You’re ready to go now.”
We walk out of the bathroom and toward the entrance. A man stands by the front door with a sign that says Serena. “What are the chances there’s another Serena coming off a flight right now?”
She shrugs, “I mean there’s a possibility, but I’m going to say it’s slim. We should go see if it’s for you.”
The guy with the sign is looking around the airport. Obviously, whoever hired him didn’t give him a description of the person they are picking up. “I don’t know if I should go up to this guy.” That could be someone else’s ride, and I’d feel terrible if I took it by mistake.
“No worries,” Hazel chirps. She rushes to the man in question, barely stopping before barreling him over. “Sir, can I ask who sent you to pick up Serena?” She points to the sign as if he doesn’t remember.
He takes a step back from her, uncomfortable with how much she’s in his personal space. “Yes, I’m the driver on standby for the Austin Rattlers. Bentley sent me to pick her up.”
Whirling around, Hazel throws her hands on her hips and gives me a satisfied smirk. “I told you he wasn’t here for another Serena.”
I hate admitting she’s right, and I refuse to give her that victory. A pang of sadness hits me in my gut. He couldn’t even come get me himself? He had to send the driver for his team to do it for him. “Okay, so I guess I’m going with this mystery man and hoping he takes me to Bentley.”
Hazel puts an arm around my shoulder, almost having to stand on her toes.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure there’s an excellent reason for sending a driver.
If anything looks sketchy, send me your location on your phone and I’ll come in for the rescue.
” Her whisper is just loud enough to be heard by the driver, and he raises an eyebrow.
“I’ll be fine,” I force a smile. “I’ll see you before the next flight out. Meet you at the gate?”
“Yep,” she squeezes me one more time. “Have fun and try not to be too mad at him for not picking you up himself.”
“Are you ready, Ms. Serena?” He holds his hand out for my suitcase. Wow. He called me “Ms.” I don’t think anyone has ever called me that in my life. It must be a Southern thing, but it makes me feel old.
“Sure,” I pass the rolling suitcase over to him. “Mr.…” I let my voice trail off, waiting for him to supply his name.
“You can call me Sam.” We stroll out of the airport as if we aren’t on any kind of schedule. I only have so many hours before I have to be back at the airport. There isn’t time to dawdle. Not if I want to spend any sort of valuable time with Bentley.
“Where is Bentley?” Maybe Sam can give me a clue.
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Why?” He leads me to a sleek black car and opens the door for me. I lean against the door, waiting for him to answer me.
“He said it’s a surprise.” Okay. I guess that’s the only answer I’m going to get. I slide into the backseat and he closes the door. After stopping for a second behind the car, he gets behind the wheel. “It’s nothing bad, I promise.”
“If you say so.” I put on my seatbelt as Sam pulls into traffic.
Tall buildings loom above us, and I’m pretty sure we’re heading into downtown.
I spot the capitol building, and I would love to tour it one day.
Next time I’m in Austin, I’ll plan on stopping by.
I’ll drag Hazel along with me even though she hates that sort of thing.
A few minutes go by and we pull up to a rectangular building that is nowhere near as tall as the ones surrounding it. Before I can even reach for the handle Sam is at my door, pulling it open. “What is this place?”
“You’ll see.” He gestures for me to follow him.
“What about my suitcase?”
“It’ll be here. I’m your driver for the rest of the day.” Is Bentley really that important to have his own personal driver?
I shove my hands in my pockets as he leads us into the building.
This whole thing is weird. As we walk through the hallway, I hear bouncing coming from somewhere ahead of us.
Surely Bentley doesn’t have a game today.
This place isn’t exactly where I’d picture a professional team playing.
We enter a gym, and a group of guys is playing basketball.
They seem like giants compared to me. My eyes search the court until I find him.
He’s hard to see with most of the guys towering over him. He’s tall, but he’s not that tall.
Sam points toward the bleachers, “You can sit up there. They’ll be done soon.”
I do as he says and notice a group of younger guys sitting at the opposite end. They are focused on the team bouncing the ball on the court. Bentley doesn’t notice my arrival, of course. His head is in the game, or maybe practice.
Sports have never really been my thing. I would catch a few minutes of a game if I was at a bar with Hazel, but other than that, I’ve never sought out a game to watch.
I can see why people gravitate toward basketball, though.
It’s fast-paced, and my head swivels from one side to the other trying to figure out what they are doing.
Someone blows a whistle. The guys on the court split up into two groups and head toward the side of the court.
They are passing water bottles around, and the thought of sharing a bottle with someone sends a shiver down my spine.
Their lips never touch it. But I didn’t even share with my siblings growing up.
I don’t want their germs mingling with my germs, thank you very much.
Less than a minute passes and they are back on the court.
Something on the wall catches my eye, and it’s the scoreboard.
There are literally seconds left in the game.
I wish I had gotten here sooner to see Bentley play more.
He obviously wanted to share this moment with me.
Wanted me to see this part of his life and how passionate he is about it.
The buzzer sounds, and the players split up again.
The group Bentley is with give each other high fives and are talking smack to the other team.
His eyes lift up and search the bleachers and he smiles wide when he sees me.
He holds a finger up, letting me know he’ll come over in a moment.
The man with the whistle waves his hand toward the young men sitting on the bleachers and they rush the court.
They are wide-eyed and murmuring to each other.
This must be their first time seeing them, too.
Bentley pulls one of the guys away from the group and stalks toward me.
He looks hot, and not because he just finished playing.
His arm muscles are on full display thanks to the sleeveless shirt he’s wearing.
I’m almost certain the temperature in here went up ten degrees.
I lift my hand to fan myself, but force it back down.
It’s too early for him to know that he has this effect on me.
Hell, it’s too early for me to even be feeling this way toward him.
Shit. This man is already working his way into my emotions and we’ve only been on one proper date.