7. Welcome to Napa #2
The flight attendant came by one last time. “Sir, we’re landing.”
“I know,” I say quietly, then nod toward the human sandbag on me. “Just give me a minute.”
The attendant gives me a look that says not my problem, but she keeps it polite. “Take your time.”
Maybe Aurora was right.
“Ms. Rodriguez. We’re here.” I gently shifted my arm. She slides further onto me, making it worse.
“Ms. Rodriguez?”
Nothing.
“Aurora.”
Nada.
“Rabbit,” I whispered. “Get the fuck up.”
Still nothing.
I exhaled through my nose, then did what I had to do: I unbuckled, braced my feet, and slid an arm behind her back. Her body was warm and soft and annoyingly light for how much trouble she causes.
I lifted her but not a bridal carry. I moved her like I’m moving a very mouthy piece of furniture. Her head lolled against my shoulder. She made a tiny sound then settled again.
I stepped into the aisle with her in my arms and a few people stared like this is cute.
It is not cute. I feel like a kidnapper.
At the gate I spotted my assistant before she spotted me, which was easy because she held her clipboard and scanned faces with the determination of somebody who never had an orgasm.
Lav’s in her mid-to-late twenties, neat afro pulled back, glasses that make her look even more serious than she already is.
Navy blazer.
Sensible shoes.
A tote bag that I knew had emergency pens and chargers inside it. Just an all around dork but, in a good way.
Her eyes landed on me… then on Aurora in my arms.
She froze but recovered so fast I almost respected it.
“Mr. Sinclair,” she greeted. “Welcome back.”
“Lavender. You got the car?”
“Yes, sir. The SUV is waiting at curbside. I have the hotel details and the itinerary printed.” She gestured to her clipboard then her gaze flicks to Aurora again. Like she was seeing a fallen angel. “Is Ms. Rodriguez… alright?”
“She’s asleep,” I said.
Lavender’s brows knit. “Asleep or… sedated?”
I looked at her. “Do I look like someone who’d drug a woman, Lavender?”
“No! No! Not at all!” She pushed her glasses up. “It’s just some people do take a lot of drugs to get through a flight. Others do the… medically committed sleep when they—”
“Lavender. She’s knocked out,” I cut in. “Like a toddler after a tantrum.”
“Oh.” she nodded, absorbing it. “Understood. Would you like me to call for a wheelchair?”
“No.” I adjusted Aurora’s weight then started walking. “I got her.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lavender fell into step on my left, matching my pace though her legs were way shorter.
“I need you to handle her luggage,” I commanded.
“Yes, sir. I already coordinated with baggage claim. Ms. Rodriguez has… multiple items.”
“Multiple, huh?” I repeated. “How many?”
Lavender cleared her throat. “Thirteen checked bags. Twenty-six garment boxes. Five hat cases. One… pet carrier.”
I paused mid-stride. “Pet carrier?”
“Yes, sir.” Lavender flipped a page. “The dog’s name is Chewy. Breed listed as—” she squints “—‘Pomeranian poodle mix’.”
I stared forward. I forgot about the fucking rat.
Lavender hesitated, then offered, in her most helpful tone, “I packed an extra lint roller.”
I looked at her and I couldn’t tell if she’s joking or dead serious. With Lavender, it could go either way.
“Mr. Sinclair, would you like me to… take her?”
“You?” I glanced at her little arms. “With love, Lav—no. This may be too much for you to handle.”
She nodded quickly. “Correct. Yes. That’s—yeah. No. That makes sense.”
We reached the baggage claim entrance and the automatic doors slid open.
Getting the bags was a slow, humiliating movie.
Aurora was awake enough to blink now, but not awake enough to hold herself up. I left her draped across a chair.
Lavender stood beside the carousel with her clipboard, counting bags as the attendant slid them into the cart.
“Nine… ten… eleven…” she murmurs.
I rub my forehead. “Why does one person need thirteen bags?”
Aurora lifted her head slightly. “Because I’m just a girl.”
No way that little concoction on the plane had her acting like this.
Lavender whispered to me, “She’s still drowsy, sir.”
“I can see that.”
“Should we offer her water?”
“You can try, but she’ll decline,” I said. “Make sure some are in the car, anyway.”
She noted that on her clipboard.
Finally, the pet carrier gets wheeled out. I heard the dog before I saw it.
Aurora perked up immediately. “Chewyyyyyy.”
“Great. He survived.” I grimaced.
Lavender stepped forward carefully, crouching as if she’s approaching a wild animal.
“Hi, Chewy.”
The thing barked at her and she flinched, then straightened, face composed. “He seems… vocal.”
“He seems like a fucking rat,” I muttered through gritted teeth then turned to its owner. “Hey, if that thing’s gonna be a problem we might as well ship ‘em back to New York. He pisses in my car or bites my people and he’s done.”
Aurora flipped me off.
That little—
Marlon… Swallow it. Pay her dust. Because if you don’t…you’ll combust.
Lavender tried to lift the carrier and it didn’t budge. “This is heavier than expected.”
I stepped in, grabbed the handle, and lifted it easily.
It barked at me, “Hey hey hey! Shut the fuck up.”
And he did.
Aurora squinted at me. “You’re so fucking mean, Marlon. Don’t rough him up like that!”
“You shut up too, I’m sick of both of y’all.”
Lavender’s phone buzzed and she checked it. “Mr. Sinclair, the driver is at curbside. I can have bell services assist with the luggage.”
“That ain’t gonna be enough.”
“I can request additional support.”
“Please do.”
Lavender nodded seriously and sent the text.
“Come on,” I said to Aurora. “Get up.”
“I don’t feel good, Marlon.”
“Yeah? But I bet you felt real good flipping me off, right? That’s twice now.”
“You told me to shut up at least twenty. You’re lucky that’s all I did.”
I laughed once, then looked over at Lav to see her still on the phone. Then I stalked over to Aurora. She sat up when I stood in front of her, unrefined eyes meeting mine in defiance.
“And what else could you do to me, Rabbit?”
Her eyes narrowed at me. “Look, I’m not into the mind games, okay? I said I don’t feel good so I’m not walking.”
“So what, you just gonna sit here forever?”
She crossed her arms and leaned back. “Shoulda thought of that before you drugged me.”
“Listen to me you little ingrate.” I bent to get in her face. “You mouth off to me more than anybody I have to deal with. Related or otherwise. This is not how I do things. I don’t repeat myself. I don’t like defiance. When you agreed to come here, you agreed to do as I say. Now. Get. Up.”
She leaned in also. “Make. Me. Marlon.”
The magical words.
I put her over my shoulder in an instant.
“Ay! Ay!” Put me down!” She drummed into my back like it was supposed to do something. “I didn’t agree to this!”
People stared.
“Nothing to see here folks,” I announced to passers by. “Just a member of the upper class not getting their way.”
We got to curbside, where the SUV was waiting and I dropped her ass on the pavement.
“Do something stupid, and the dog gets left.”
“You ain’t got the nuts, nigga.”
“You know I do. So shut it.”
The finger again.
“That’s three.” I warned. But she held up the one on her other hand anyway.
I point at both, “Aight, bet.”
Lavender started organizing the bags with military precision. She called over two porters, then three. Then—God help me—five?
“Ay! Be careful with that one!” Aurora yelled, pointing. “That’s my skincare and unless you’re planning on going to Korea to replace it, you better not break a single fucking bottle!”
“Didn’t I say be quiet?” I yelled back.
Lavender checked her list.
“All items accounted for,” she commanded, relief softening her voice. Then she added, almost shy, “This is… a lot.”
“A lot is an understatement,” I say, sliding the last bag in.
Aurora lifted her head again. “You’re lucky this is only my summer items.”
I slammed the trunk with more force than necessary. “You’re so…”
Don’t. Ignore her.
Lavender opened the rear door for her but Aurora looked at me like I’m supposed to carry her again.
I stared back. “Walk.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“I can’t, Marley. I’m still dizzy from all the drugs you gave me. It’s still slowly working its way out of my system.”
“Sir!” Lavender gasped. “You really did drug her?”
“It was half of a pill.”
“And alcohol.”
Lavender stepped in quickly. “Ms. Rodriguez, I can help—”
“She. Can. Walk.” I shut all the arguments down. “Get in the car.”
“Make me.”
I stepped to her and she perked up, running by me before I could grab her and hopping in the seat, slamming the door shut.
“Exactly.”
As we pulled away from the airport, Lavender glanced back politely. “Ms. Rodriguez, we’ll be dropping you at the Archer Hotel in downtown Napa. Your suite is already confirmed. Check-in is under Mr. Sinclair’s account.”
Aurora hummed. “Ouu, a suite? Maybe you do like me, Marlon.”
I kept my eyes on the road.
Lavender cleared her throat softly, like she’s trying to pretend she didn’t hear that.
Fish out of water, that one—professional to the bone, but still blinking through the madness.
By the time we got to the Archer, the sun was low and my patience was lower.
Lavender got out first and spoke to the bell desk, leaving us in silence.
“Marley, I—”
“Don’t speak to me.”
“Oh, come on. I only wanted to apologize. I’m sorry.”
“You’re not.”
“I am,” she leaned over the chair and whispered in my ears. “But you know you did this to me, right? You got me acting like this. I was a regular woman before you had me. Now I’m dicknotized.”
Her whispering was still loud and I knew the driver was looking at us crazy.
“Yeah?” I met her eyes in the rearview. “If this is how you gone act off that little shit we did, you can forget about it happening again.”
“Liar.”
“Wanna bet?”
“I do,” She ran her tongue over the tip of my ear and surprisingly I didn’t pull away. “I bet I’m in your bed by the summer’s end.”
I readjusted. “Don’t touch me, Aurora.”
“Why? Is it making you hard?”