Chapter 16
Exitingthe car on the tarmac of the airfield, a small white private jet sits pretty waiting for us and I feel as if I should pinch myself. I never grew up not knowing what it was like to go without; I was privileged but grounded. I wasn’t spoiled. My dad was comfortable but only because he worked hard for it. They all did. Keaton, Kaleb, Nate and my dad. They hardly took leave, they worked with what they had and built their little empire.
“I am so glad you agreed to come,” Sage smiled, linking her arm through mine as we walk towards the jet. I glance over my shoulder at Keaton, his eyes on me as he talks to Dex.
“Thank you for asking me, I have never been away from New York, so this is amazing,” I smile at her as she greets the captain.
“Miss James,” he nods at her as we climb the stairs.
“This your plane?”
She looks over at me and gives a small nod, stepping into the luxurious interior.
“Mine and Dex’s.” I follow her to the set of four seats, Keaton sits next to me, Dex next to her. He scoops her hand up instantly, pressing his lips to the back of her hand and you can see how much he adores her with every fiber. “I grew up with not a lot; I worked two jobs, and it was just me and my mum,” her eyes cast down for a moment, “we got by, she couldn’t work and I had to earn the money and I was more than okay with that. My mum gave me everything she could whilst I was in school, so it was only right I returned the favor.” Her face turns up, a sad smile ghosts over her lips for just a moment. “Then I met Rhaegar,” Dex scoffs beside her and she returns it with a roll of her eyes.
“He was her sugar daddy,” Dex just comes out with it, his British accent thick.
“For a short while…” her cheeks turn pink against her pale skin.
“Wait,” Keaton shuffles in his seat, his hand so close to mine and it’s killing me not having his fingers locked through mine.
“Here we go,” I mumble.
“You used to date his dad… how did this happen? Were you two exes, or was it just a coincidence?”
Sage laughs softly, letting her head fall back and rest on her seat.
“Dex was a client of mine; it was agreed with Rhaegs that I would still work and do my clients.” Dex smirks.
“She did still do her clients—me, I’m her client,” he laughs, and she swats him with the back of her hand.
“It got a little much, Dex became a little more obsessive and before I had formally met him, he used to make himself known. Bumping into me at my place of work, meeting me at the club, it got a bit weird…” she raises her brows, “then, I was set to meet Rhaegar’s son. I was excited but nervous. I was young, twenty-three at the time and I was possibly going to be this kid’s step-mum.”
“Woah,” Keaton whistles through his teeth.
“Oh, it gets better mate, trust me,” Dex wiggles his brows up and I can’t stop the giggle that bubbles out of me.
“So, I wanted to get him a toy, his dad said he loved trains so I got him this cute steam train. We arrived at the restaurant back home in London, and as we’re shown to our table… guess who is sitting there with a smug as fuck look on his face,” the excitement in her voice is present and Dex watches her, hanging on every word that passes through her lips.
“No fucking way,” Keaton bellows, laughing. “Shit, so not only were you with his dad, you were with your sugar daddy’s son too!”
“Yup, and well… things just sort of blurred from there. Dex helped my mum get the help she needed, and he helped me too. I didn’t want to be a dancer, I didn’t want to give lap dances. I had a dream and that was to have my own car garage, to be a mechanic. I love cars, and Dex helped me achieve that dream. I owe all of this to him…” she pauses for a moment and twists in her seat. “I owe all of this to you,” her eyes glass over and Dex grips her chin, tipping her face back slightly.
“You owe me nothing Little One, this was all you.” I turn to look at Keaton, a sad smile tugs at my lips. “You make your own fate…” he says softly, before whispering, “baby.”
“But, I like to help out with the clubs. It’s fun and I get to meet people who are so much more than a dancer, people who remind me of myself,” Sage’s eyes narrow on mine now, Dex’s hand slipping between her thighs. “Like you, don’t tell me your dream was to be an exotic dancer,” her eyes lift to the announcement that croons through the jet, telling us that take off is imminent.
I rub my lips together and shake my head softly.
“Then chase your dream, Ari. Don’t get stuck in a rut because it’s easy. Your dreams are achievable, they’re in your reach… you just need to not give up.”
I nod, and then I nod again.
“Don’t stop chasing,” she leans over, placing her hand on my knee and I find comfort in her words.
We’re over halfwayinto our flight, lunch has been served and the champagne is flowing.
“Are you two not married?” I ask, my brows pinching as my eyes bounce between both of them and Sage shakes her head. “I did think that when the captain greeted you with ‘miss’.”
She laughs.
“Nope, not married yet. I mean, I want to… but it’s not the be-all and end-all for me.” She turns her face to look at Dex, “Where this man… he—and I make no joke—has weekly wedding magazines delivered to our house; he says he will take me shopping then we end up in a bridal boutique…”
“What? I’m a romantic.” He bats his lashes.
“Yeah…” she pauses, a blissful sigh leaving her, “you really are.”
“Apart from in the bedroom, of course,” he declares and Keaton leans across and spuds him.
Honestly.
Children.
“What about you Keaton? A man of your age… married? Kids?”
And I feel Keaton shuffle next to me, my eyes pinned to his side profile, but he doesn’t look at me.
Fuck, he is handsome.
“I was married once; never again.” He shakes his head, dropping his eye contact with Dex.
“Bad ending?”
“Loveless marriage. She was a narcissist. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a saint. Far from it, probably a bit narcissistic myself. But we brought the worst out in each other. We were toxic as fuck and that was not what I, or she, wanted. We parted amicably.” He shrugs a shoulder up as if completely unphased. I had never heard this side of this story. Just that she was a bitch. He used to call her Satan. Never knew her real name. Knew her as Auntie Satan. She was a bitch though, then, when I was a teen, he told us they were splitting.
“Fair play,” Dex nods a couple of times.
“Never been in love, don’t think I am capable of such a feeling…” he pauses for a moment and swings his head round to look at me, blinks a few times and I see soft waves lapping against a beach, calmness. Complete stillness.
“Shit, this has got deep,” Dex laughs and orders another round of champagne.
We hit a bout of turbulence and my heart falls from my chest, my stomach flipping and making me feel nauseas. Sweat beads on my brow, and even though it was merely minutes, it felt like hours. I have never been on a plane before; I didn’t know what to expect.
Smiling, I excuse myself from my seat and walk to the back of the plane and with each step, my nerves make me feel sicker. Pushing through the door, I make it to the toilet just in time to throw up the contents of my stomach.
Shit.
This was not ideal.
I stand, my hands shaking softly as I turn the faucet on and wash my hands before splashing my face with cool water. Staring at myself, I look washed out suddenly.
I’m not alone long when there is a soft knock on the door.
“One minute,” I call out, my voice quivering.
“It’s me baby…”
And my skin pebbles.
Sliding the lock across, I pull the door slightly, his worried eyes on me, his brows creased.
“Are you okay?” he pushes through the door, hands cupping my face as he holds my gaze and I feel the sting at the back of my eyes.
“Motion sickness; the turbulence set it off… scared me to death,” I whisper, and he pulls me into him, enveloping me in his embrace, my ear to his chest so all I can focus on is the steady beat of his heart.
“It’s okay baby, I’ve got you.”
And that’s how we stand until I am ready to take my seat.