13. She took my bloody airplane!
THIRTEEN
SHE TOOK MY BLOODY AIRPLANE!
Alessio
Only my family and friends can rattle the cage in which I keep my beast locked. Luckily, my family is small, and my family members are my friends. Hence, I can count on one hand the number of people who can disturb my peace.
The governess isn’t one of them.
Yet, she’s shaking the cage where I keep my beast away from everyone. Inside the proverbial cage, my beast is warm, well fed, and reading books written by dead military generals. The warning sign on the cage says: DO NOT DISTURB.
Lake Wilder can’t read the signs.
If she could, she would quit stalling because it’s pissing me off. I understand that Val is paying her well, and Leo is adorable, but I said what I said, and I’m unkind to those who do not obey my simple orders, especially when I’m also fighting against such orders myself.
I want her to stay so I can fuck her again.
Not only do I want to fuck her again, now that she’s disobeying me, I also want to bend her over my knee. The image of her red bottom and dripping pussy make me want to break down the bathroom door, shove my cock down her throat, and make her choke on it.
Good thing she decided to come out.
Box of feminine products in hand, Lake’s standing at the door jamb, sweating profusely while biting her lip. Her gaze drops to the phone in my hand, which has been vibrating nonstop for the last fifteen minutes. It’s not any one of my three people, which means whoever it is can wait while I deal with my governess.
Leo’s governess , the beast in the cage corrects. So smart, this beast.
“Are you ready?” I ask her.
She nods. “Sorry for the delay.”
“Everything will be all right, Ms. Wilder.” Unless she keeps stalling. “You’ll have your passport and a pleasant flight back to the US, where your family will be happy to see you. Your life will go on. If your belly hurts, it’s because of nerves. Can I get you something for that?”
Medicine.
Chewable.
Spanking.
Correct answer is C, my beast supplies. (Told you it was smart.)
She shakes her head. “I’m fine.”
“Excellent. Can we get moving now? The plane needs to clear the runway. We’re not the only people who use our airport.”
She moves toward the exit, and I rush past her so I can open the door for her. I keep my hand on the door, wondering if she’ll duck under my arm. There’s something disturbing about the way I feel when she’s near me. Like I want to keep her near me all the time. She’s not my pet.
But she could be. A bunny?
The governess doesn’t move from her spot next to Leo, and my nephew stands next to her, his chin quivering. The pair of them are a stark reminder of why I keep my family small and why only family members are allowed into our spaces. No boyfriends for Val. No girlfriends for me. Leo gets attached, Val gets attached, and then, when people leave us, I’m left to pick up everyone’s broken pieces along with my own.
“Leo, go take a nap with your aunt.”
“She’s not here,” the governess says.
I frown. “She’s probably already in bed. He’ll sneak into her room.”
The governess shakes her head. “Val left the house.”
“Why didn’t… Where did she go?” How could my sister leave my nephew when she knows I’m departing for a trip? It makes no sense. I ignore the hundreds of notifications and dial my sister, who doesn’t pick up.
Can’t ignore the notifications anymore. I move through them and see that most of them are missed calls from my pilot. She wouldn’t. No way. I call the copilot. No answer.
The airport’s ground service answers me on the third ring.
“Good afternoon, Jakomo. Is my plane ready?”
“Just taking off, sir.”
For fuck’s sake, Valerina! God damn it.
I slam the door, then open it and slam it again. If I grind my teeth any harder, I’ll break my jaw. Lake’s looking at me wide-eyed, but not innocent. Not innocent!
Val talked her into stalling me so she could take my damn plane. My pilots don’t fly unless I authorize the flight, and since I authorized it before they knew who was boarding, Valerina just walked up and they took off. Not that they could have refused her, but the plane wouldn’t have been ready unless I ordered it.
“Mr. Angelini?” Jakomo prompts.
“Yes, I’m still here.” I clear my throat. “Was she alone?”
“I believe so.”
“How many suitcases did your guys load?”
“One.”
I snort. “Thank you.” I hang up.
My sister packs five suitcases for a weekend in Paris. If she packed one, she fled in haste, which means she planned her exit in haste, likely within the last hour. If I had to guess, it was after Val interrogated the governess about why I fired her. Once the opportunity to leave the house presented itself, she took it. I have to give it to my sister for outsmarting me more than once.
I open my mouth to confront Lake, but think better of it because my nephew is watching me. I have to behave and keep that beast caged. Which means I can’t interrogate Lake about my sister because that’ll upset my nephew. She’s grown on him.
Damn it! Damn her and Val! “Fuck,” I bite out.
“Fuck,” he repeats.
And there you have it. This is why I keep my house in order. I want to be unbothered. Undisturbed. Unfuckwithable. But people won’t let me be.
“It’s okay, Uncle. We’re still here.” Leo hugs my leg and rests his head on my hip.
Leo’s more affectionate toward people than I’d like him to be. He gets that from his mother. She was kind, but easy prey for a manipulative man who only wanted her for her wealth. When my sister came to me for money, I released her share from the family fund, even though I could’ve simply refused since I knew about his gambling addiction.
He gambled away several million dollars in Vegas while I cared for my nephew. Shortly after they returned from Vegas, Giulia was struck by a car. When debtors called in his debts, he committed suicide. Leo stayed with me, and, for better or worse, I can’t part from him long enough to send him to boarding school. I might just build a school that will serve as my residence as well if it allows me to watch over him until I die.
I pat the top of his head, and he looks up with my dead baby sister’s eyes. People say the color of his eyes is like mine, but that’s only because they don’t know what Giulia’s looked like. They were a shade darker than mine. Almost as if her empathy for others colored her eyes into a warmer shade of blue.
“Can Lake stay?” he asks.
“I’m staying,” I tell him.
“And Lake?”
“We’ll call Fiona.” That’s Leo’s nanny who covers for us on the rare occasions Val or I aren’t here.
“Fiona started her studies in Paris,” he reminds me.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, hoping the pain will help me refocus on Ms. Wilder’s departure, but Leo’s already smirking, probably because he can tell I’m about to fold.
“Fine.” I march to the kitchen. “But then we go with plan B.”
“What’s plan B?” he asks.
“Risk capital.”