5. Taylor
Five
Taylor
After returning the car to storage, Jake and I are in a cab heading back to the crew hotel. As much as he teased about not coming back to the hotel, we both know it’s for the best.
The silence in the cab is deafening, an awkwardness in the air that both of us can feel as it permeates the comfort and normalcy we both felt just minutes ago. There was something so secretive, something so defining about being alone together, and unlike in the past, this time together wasn’t about hooking up.
The strange sense of loneliness that pooled heavy in my chest after seeing Dean has returned, and when Jake’s fingers brush the bare skin of my arm, I feel a lump form in my throat.
This could be it. The last time I will feel normal, the last time I will be with Jake alone, and a part of me suddenly wants to invite him up to my room, to ask him to stay. But I know that hooking up with him won’t keep him.
“I had fun today,” he whispers, but his voice still rings through loud and clear in the quiet confines of the cab.
“Of course you did. You got to stare at me in a bikini,” I quip back, trying to quell this overwhelming urge to tell the cab driver to slow down, to help me drag this ride back to the hotel out just a little longer.
Jake smirks at me, his fingers trailing over the exposed skin of my thigh now and leaving little fires burning everywhere he touches. This would’ve normally been an opportunity to shove his hand away, to tell him he’s being inappropriate, but there’s a chance that all of this will disappear tonight.
I’ve never been the Cinderella type. The clock strikes midnight far too often.
“It was definitely a bonus.”
The cab arrives back at the hotel sooner than I would like, negating the solitude I feel, and knowing the hotel bar will be filled with most of the crew from our plane and other pilots and flight attendants I’ve met along the way, I bail first. My legs move quickly to the trunk, grabbing my bag before Jake even has a chance to exit.
There will never be a place where my reputation doesn’t precede me, and I catch a glimpse of the crowded bar through the large glass doors of the hotel. Before I pull the door open, I look over my shoulder and see Jake standing near the curb, his bag at his side. He looks stunning, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and for a split second, I think about throwing caution to the wind and getting back in that cab with him.
Seeing him shirtless today, his perfectly defined chest, his flat stomach accented by the outline of each abdominal muscle; it’s something that is burned into my brain and as much as I’m off bringing men back to my hotel room, I sure as hell don’t want anyone else to have him either.
But that’s about to go to shit. Even though he’s said he hasn’t hooked up with the flight crew, it’s coming.
Selfishness won’t win out over earning back my self-respect.
I look back toward the glass doors, calling out, “Thanks, Jake. Enjoy your night.”
With my hand on the door, poised and ready, he calls my name. It falls from his lips in a harsh tone with an air of desperation trailing at the end, as if he’s struggling with how to end this too.
“Meet me for breakfast tomorrow.” There’s no question in his tone, no wondering if I’ll say yes. It’s a demand, a request for this thing we have going to linger just a little longer.
“What time?” I ask without preamble, without a moment’s hesitation.
“Seven?”
I don’t have a chance to answer because, in that second, a car pulls up and out comes a few of the flight attendants from our plane and some guys they’ve obviously picked up. But that doesn’t stop them from blatantly hitting on Jake. I don’t turn around to take in the scene that’s now unfolding and as I’m entering the hotel, I catch, “Were you just with Taylor Patterson?” There’s simplicity to the question, but I don’t miss the snide tone that’s hidden below the surface. “People say she’s the reason they call it the Friendly Skies.”
There’s a laugh, one that doesn’t come from Jake, but it doesn’t matter. He now thinks he’s just another guy in a long list that came before him.
Before him…
I’m not one to wait around wondering what else will be said, what other judgments will be made. While I’ve always enjoyed the company of the flight crew, girls can be petty, and I’ve met my fair share. It doesn’t matter what I’ve accomplished or what my title is or that I’ve turned over a new leaf; my reputation holds firm.
So I don’t hang around to see what more is said. I just walk into the hotel and up to the front desk to check in, but damn me because as the woman at the desk is locating my reservation, my eyes wander to where Jake is still standing and chatting with the flight attendants. And now I’m left filling in the missing pieces on my own.
Even though it’s not late, only a little past eight, I take my key and head to my room with the intention of hiding out there until morning.
It’s your typical hotel room: king-size bed, small desk, flat-screen TV, and a bathroom. I toss my bag onto the desk and flip on the TV, but after about ten seconds of flipping I find nothing, and boredom is already beginning to set in.
In the past, I would’ve hit the hotel bar, but I’m not really up for company, so I head to the one place I know I won’t encounter anyone I know.
The hotel gym.
I walk in, and find it empty which is unsurprising given the hour, so I put in my earbuds and hop on the treadmill.
I’m about thirty minutes into my ten-mile run when the door swings open and in walks Jake with that perfectly cocky smile on his face, all straight white teeth and dimples.
I yank one of the earbuds from my ear and shoot him a filthy look. “Are you stalking me?”
“You make that sound like it’s a bad thing.”
“In most places, it is,” I quip back, this playful banter making it hard to concentrate on my run.
“Mind if I join you?” he asks, motioning to the treadmill next to mine.
“If I said yes, would you leave?” My head is cocked to the side as I await his answer, my run slowing to a jog.
“You wouldn’t mean it though.”
He hops on next to me and takes a look at what the digital display on my treadmill is set to and sets his one higher.
I close my eyes and shake my head as I begin my run again with Jake picking up speed next to me.
“Don’t hurt yourself,” I tell him, as I watch him run effortlessly, his form impeccable, every muscle in his body flexing, and the room suddenly feels a hell of a lot warmer than it did just five minutes ago. Why does he have the body of an Olympic swimmer with the mind of the devil?
“A little wager,” he says, slowing to a jog next to me, but I shake my head and continue running.
“I already played your game today,” I say, cutting him off, but my breathing has grown labored and it’s not due to the running.
“And you’d be lying if you said you didn’t have a great time.”
“Fine. What’s the wager?”
What am I getting myself into?
“For every mile I run faster than you, you have to…”
Again, I cut him off. “If this is about sexual favors you can keep on running until you find someone else.”
He laughs, his head falling back, but when he looks over at me, his deep green eyes pinning me in their gaze, I practically shoot off the back of the treadmill.
“I think you have things a little wrong here, Taylor. I’ve spent a total of twelve hours with you and already you fucking own me. You don’t even realize it, but it’s me who’s on my knees.”
I swallow hard, trying to process his words, but also knowing the attraction was there right from the get-go. I tried to ignore it, but it was nearly explosive in that small corridor of the pilots’ lounge and after spending today with him it has only grown.
“You don’t want me, Jake. I’m messy. And after what that flight attendant said to you outside the hotel, I can’t believe you’re even still here.”
I’m now standing on the sides of the treadmill as the belt hums methodically, drowning out the sound of our labored breathing. Both our chests are rising and falling rapidly, and I can’t imagine it has anything to do with running.
He stops, turning his body so he’s now facing me, his eyes burning with desire and mine mirroring uncertainty back at him.
“We all have our vices, Taylor. Maybe you’re mine.”
“It only takes one vice to drown out all your virtues.”
“Then let me drown.”
The gym was supposed to cool things down, make it so I could sleep tonight, but this has taken a turn toward crazy town and this train is moving far faster than I want it to.
All aboard…next stop my hotel room! Where minding the gap has a whole different meaning.
I shake my head, attempting to clear my now-clouded head and remind myself what started this whole conversation.
“Your wager?” I ask, my words muttered on a hard exhale as the seriousness of his words hang heavy in the air.
“Ah, yes, that’s where we were,” he says, as if he’s just as grateful for the change. “I was saying, for every mile I run faster than you, you give me an hour of your time tomorrow. That doesn’t include breakfast because we already finalized those plans.” He winks at me, proud of his ability to clarify all loose ends.
“I was a cross-country runner,” I shoot back, holding my head a little higher. “What happens if I outrun you?”
“I guess you’re off the hook then. But I don’t see that happening. In the Air Force, everyone has to choose a sport. I’ll give you one guess as to what mine was.”
“Interpretive dance?” Now it’s me who’s smirking at him, and he shifts a little, a hand shoved into the pocket of his gym shorts.
“Just run, Taylor,” he growls, upping the speed of his treadmill, but the smile he’s trying to hide slips through, and he gets a head start on me.
“That’s not fair!” I yell, my words echoing in the nearly empty gym. “You’re very distracting!”
“And you’re not? For fuck’s sake, I’ve been watching your tits bouncing for the last ten minutes.”
I burst out laughing and pull my tank over my head, tossing it on the floor in front of me so I’m only running in a sports bra and shorts.
“Who’s the cheater now?” he calls out, mimicking my move and pulling his shirt over his head, exposing his tanned and muscular body that is now glistening with sweat.
Fuck me, I’m going to lose!
I up my speed, glancing over at Jake’s display as I see he’s only a few seconds ahead of me. I’m running faster than I ever have, my arms pumping, my feet slamming hard against the belt, but despite all this, he comes up ahead on that first mile.
“Fuck yeah!” he screams out, throwing a fist in the air. “Take that! One hour!”
It’s hard to concentrate, the tears from my laughter now stream down my cheeks as I watch him celebrate.
“That’s only the first mile. I’m going to fucking annihilate you on the next nine.” I point a finger at him and narrow my eyes. What he doesn’t know is I’m highly competitive, but I’d have spent tomorrow with him regardless. I just want the bragging rights.
Our faces are flushed, our chests heaving and our bodies are dripping with sweat, but neither one of us slows, if anything I’ve gotten faster and when I look over, I’m only a tenth of a second behind Jake for mile two.
I pull in a deep breath and push myself harder. He will not win this one, and when we hit mile two, it’s me who takes it.
“Yes!” I scream out. “Suck it, Campbell!”
“Fuck!” he yells back, his hand slamming against the handle of the treadmill, but his pace never slows, his form never falters.
I can’t get distracted now, my focus needs to remain on beating him for the next eight miles, but I’m not sure I can. My pace has been set far higher than I’ve ever run, but when I look over at Jake, his focus is nearly impenetrable. He’s going to beat me on this next mile, and I’ll be damned if I lose to him.
“My thighs are going to be so sore tomorrow!” I yell out above the whirring of the treadmill, above the pounding of our shoes. “Especially the inside of my thighs.”
“Shut up, Taylor!”
“What’s the matter, Jake? You thinking about my sweaty thighs? All wet and tight…”
“Fuck, no!” Jake screams as I overtake him once again, and my laughter fills the room. “You’re a damn cheater, Taylor Patterson!”
“Mile three is mine and I hope you and your hand enjoy those two hours you’ll be spending alone tomorrow.”
Jake has now regained his focus, blocking out my words and turning his head so he can’t even catch a glimpse of me out of the corner of his eye. He’s in this for the long haul, but so am I.
We’re approaching mile four with Jake in the lead and I’m running so fast I swear my heart is going to rip through my chest as it screams at me to stop pushing it so hard.
The look of determination is written all over Jake’s face and just as he’s about to kill me at mile four a voice rings out above our labored breathing, startling Jake. I watch as he stumbles, his knees hitting the belt on the treadmill, but luckily it comes to a screeching halt before more damage can be done.
Skinned knees and a bruised ego are bad enough.
“Holy shit, Jake!” I yell, stopping my treadmill and jumping off so I can crouch down to where he is. “Are you okay?”
There’s a woman standing over us, her hands on her hips and a look on her face that’s strikingly similar to the look my mother gave when my brother and I were caught jumping off the roof of the house into our swimming pool when we were kids.
“I’m the manager of the hotel,” she says, not caring in the least that Jake has the knees of a six-year-old who has just learned to ride a bike. “We can hear you all the way in the lobby.”
“Okay, we’re sorry,” I say, but it comes across as insincere when I can’t stop laughing at the image of Jake flying off the back of the treadmill. My hand shoots to my mouth, covering it as I try to stifle the laughter that keeps slipping through.
“The gym is for all guests, and I can’t imagine anyone else wanting to use it with the two of you screaming in here like…like… banshees. And also, we have a strict dress code for our gyms. Shirts must be worn at all times.”
Without waiting for us to acknowledge her words, she storms out and before the door even has a chance to close, we’ve both erupted into laughter. Jake’s doubled over, laughing so hard tears are streaming down his cheeks, and it’s taking everything in me not to piss myself.
“Banshee? Who uses that word?” I ask, through ragged breaths.
“I don’t know, but I almost had you,” he replies, a finger pointed in my direction, his face attempting to turn serious, but his beautiful smile is plastered on his gorgeous face.
“Almost had me? You never had me.” I wink at him, and he steps closer, and for a second, I think he’s going to try and kiss me. My heart rate skyrockets, beating hard and fast in my chest, my body calling out for him to end this game of tease we have going on.
His fingers slip under my chin and he raises my face so he’s looking right into my eyes. The intensity in the room bounces around and rattles my body. It’s like a jolt of lightning, sharp and striking.
“It doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning’s winning.” Now it’s him winking at me, his fingers gliding down my neck as he traces a path from under my chin to my collarbone and down my arm.
“ The Fast and the Furious ,” I murmur, not realizing that quoting that movie could be so goddamn hot.
“A favorite of mine.”
“Mine too.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Taylor. Breakfast at seven, and then I have two hours.”
I’m standing there all hot and bothered as Jake begins to walk toward the exit. It takes my brain a few seconds to catch up, and I call out, “We never finished.”
“I already won.”