Chapter 17
KATE
“He’s coming to get me right now. Like, he’s literally on his way.”
I’m throwing things in my suitcase, praying I’ll be able to zip it up.
“Whoa, why are you so freaked out?” Mel asks, looking up at Nikolai with a question in her gaze.
“I’m not ready! He suddenly wants to fly out tonight, like it’s no big deal. I haven’t even shaved. I was going to clean Speckles’s tank. I thought about getting a car wash—”
Mel starts to help me fit the random shoes and purses I don’t need on this trip into the worn bag.
“I can clean his tank. Here, look at me.” She grabs my shoulders, forcing me to be still. “Take a deep breath.”
She guides me through the inhale, and I close my eyes as I release it.
“Are you sure you aren’t just a little nervous to be with him all weekend?” she asks, rubbing her hands over my shoulders.
“I like him . . . so much,” I whimper. “And he doesn’t feel the same.”
“Oh, honey, I know you do. I’m sorry about my dumb idea with the lingerie thing. You could still get sick?”
I look down at my chipped fingernails, realizing belatedly that I should’ve gotten a manicure. I’m going to stand out like a sore thumb at this wedding.
Nikolai walks up beside me, giving me an awkward side hug. “You know, maybe you should really go to prove that you can do it. Think of it as a little vacation.”
Mel half-smiles at his attempt to cheer me up, and I’m glad she’s found a sweet guy.
“With the bikini I packed you, you’ll have no trouble finding a man to keep you company on that island.” She winks at me as a knock sounds on the door.
“Ugh, that’s probably him.” I run over to Speckles’s tank, picking him up to kiss his shell. “Please don’t forget to—”
“I know, I know. I still have the book-length text about his care saved in my phone. He’ll be fine.”
I zip up the suitcase the rest of the way before opening the door to see my boss standing there in his navy suit and aviator sunglasses. It’s like looking at a live cover of GQ.
“Hi . . . I’m ready. This is my roommate, Mel.” I almost tack on that she was there that night at the bar, catching myself just in time.
She stands up and extends her hand. “Hi. Nice to meet you. My boyfriend just went to the bathroom, or I’d introduce you.”
I look around to see that Nik has disappeared.
“Hey, do you have my laptop?” I ask her as Luke grabs my suitcase, trying to roll it even though one wheel broke off long ago.
“Oh, yes! Here it is.” She sticks it in the case for me along with the cord. I give her a brief hug, and she whispers in my ear, “You got this, babe. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I follow him out the door.
“Nice to meet you, Mel,” he says right before I shut it.
He’s carrying my bag in one hand, which completely astonishes me because I know how much it weighs. The driver opens the back, and Luke deposits it into the SUV. I quickly climb into the back row through the open door.
Silence envelops the car as we head out of the city. The traffic is a slow, Friday evening crawl. It’s nearly dinnertime, and my stomach starts to rumble loudly. I’m mortified at the sound, faking a cough to cover it up.
“Let’s stop at Moria’s,” Luke says to the driver, whose bald head bobs in the rearview.
“Do you like burgers?”
I nod.
“I’m starving. Theirs are the best in the city, but I don’t have the patience to drive here unless I have somewhere to be on this side of town.”
I nod again, hands clasped in my lap.
He calls in an order for three burgers and fries, getting a side of onion rings and grilled jalapenos. The driver runs inside the tiny, hole-in-the-wall restaurant to grab it.
I wish he’d turned on the radio first. All I can think about is my failed attempt at seduction earlier this week, the elevator moment today, and Becky’s confusing revelation. It feels hot enough in here to bake cookies.
“I didn’t realize you were drunk,” he says out of the blue.
I tilt my head toward him as he suddenly picks up where we left off in the elevator. He’s still wearing the sunglasses, looking out at the passing cars.
“I’m kind of a lightweight.”
“You seemed . . . barely tipsy. I wouldn’t have—I don’t usually take women home.”
It dawns on me that he thinks I was too inebriated to be capable of making the decision to sleep with him.
“Oh, you didn’t—I was fine with it. I mean, yeah, I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to approach you without the liquid audacity, but I wanted to jump your bones when I first walked in.” Big mistake, clearly.
I clap my hand over my mouth as he turns toward me.
Why don’t I carry a muzzle around for myself?
He’s staring at my mouth as the car door opens and the driver appears.
“Shit, I had to wait forever for the onion rings.”
Private jets are something I’ve only ever seen in movies, but his doesn’t exactly look like any of those.
As I walk up the stairs, I notice windows around the outside that look much different than the ones a commercial airplane has. Once inside, I realize that they form skylights from the floor up and around to the ceiling.
“This is the small one, but you can have the bedroom.”
I try not to let my jaw hit my knees at his words. Airplanes have bedrooms?
He collapses into the cream leather seat as a redheaded woman in a tight uniform approaches with a sultry smile.
“Good evening, Mr. Bradshaw. Can I interest you in a beverage?”
Or anything he might want, I imagine . . .
“Bourbon. Miss Dawson?” He looks up at me as I take the seat across from him.
“Wine?”
“Cabernet,” he instructs.
He remembers my wine preference.
“If you’d like a tour, Rachele can show you around. Once you get tired, the bedroom is the door straight that way.” He gestures behind me.
I blow a breath, trying to relax. “Okay . . . how long is the flight?”
“About ten hours.”
The gorgeous Rachele returns with our drinks, seeming to bend over unnecessarily to deposit mine on the little table next to my chair.
“Anything else?” she purrs to Mr. Bradshaw.
He shakes his head.
“Let me know.”
I shift in my chair, wishing for a noose.
This is a vacation. This is a vacation.
Luke switches to business mode, once again my boss. “Mr. Lim is a special client. He’s been in the business for years, and we’re looking into merging our branch in Seoul with his company to allow him to manage it.”
I reach into my bag to pull out a notebook and pen, once again in the PA position. “Okay, so you want me to take notes?”
“I also want your opinion on him. If anything about his character strikes you as odd, I’d like you to tell me.”
I stare at his profile in shock. Is he serious? He wants my opinion?
“Oh . . . okay, sure.”
I take down another gulp of the wine, and my forgotten phone buzzes in between my legs, causing me to jump up.
His gaze lingers on me for a moment, and I give him an awkward half-smile as I pull the phone out to check the message.
Fred
Do you want to grab dinner this weekend? I know a good seafood place.
I type out a response, smiling at the invitation. Despite my lack of enthusiasm to meet up with him, it’s nice to be asked. I can’t even remember the last time Stephen took me on a date.
Kate
I wish! I’m headed out of town with my boss for a work trip. Rain check?
Luke clears his throat. “So, how long have you known Mel?”
I put the phone down to answer, “Since I was in middle school. She was the one who would always stick up for me when kids were mean.”
“Why were the kids mean?”
I shrug. “You know, kids just are sometimes, especially when you don’t have a mom around to fix your hair and dress you all cute.”
He stares at me for a moment before crossing his ankle over his knee. “So, she’s a good friend?”
“The best. Although maybe not always a good influence.” I’m thinking of her pushing me to approach him in the bar and packing me a scandalous bikini.
He sips from his glass, leaning back against the leather. “I used to have a friend like that.”
I wonder if he’s talking about Reid, the one who died.
“What happened to him?”
He silently studies me for a few moments before looking away. “He died.”
“I’m sorry . . . when?” I feel guilty asking a question I know the answer to.
“A couple of years ago.” He shifts in his seat, finishing off the drink and rising.
I resist the urge to pry. I can’t imagine how it would feel to lose Mel. I can’t shake the uneasy feeling in my gut from learning about the unusual circumstances surrounding Reid’s death that Becky described. I’m insanely curious to know what happened.
“If you need anything, just ask Rachele,” he says, leaving me alone.
He disappears into the abyss of the jet, going behind a door opposite of the bedroom he directed me to earlier.
I wait for another thirty minutes, finishing off my wine and inconspicuously listening for any concerning noises. I feel like I’m back in the office the first day his sister came to visit, wondering if they were going at it on top of his desk.
You’re not together. You have Fred now. The thought depresses me even further.
I stand up, retreating to the back of the plane.
I find the bedroom, opening the door to reveal a king-size bed in a room that I can hardly believe is inside of an airplane.
There are windows circling from floor to ceiling, similar to the ones in the main cabin.
There’s a mirror, nightstands, and an actual closet.
Who needs a closet on their private jet?
I open the door leading through the back to find a bathroom with two sinks and an entire shower.
“Sweet baby Moses . . .”
After exploring, I figure this could be my only chance to take a shower on an airplane. The water gets hot instantly, and I nearly forget where I am.
After changing into a tank top and boy short underwear, I crawl into the luxurious bed with silk sheets.
This is insane. Who knew people actually lived like this?
My mind won’t rest. I lie awake for hours, trying to make sense of the information Becky gave me and refusing to think about what Mr. Bradshaw could be doing with Rachele. Is he going to sleep somewhere else? Does this plane have a servants’ quarters they’re snuggling up in?
With anxious thoughts about the location of the other passengers, I finally drift into a fitful sleep.