5. Khaleya
I cannot believe he actually bought these damn bags. I did not expect him to actually buy them, let alone two. I ran my hands over the smooth material, practically having an orgasm from the touch alone.
“I just can’t stop looking at them. It’s crazy because I planned to give you a piece of my mind when you got on here.”
His brow rose at my response.
“What’d I do?” he asked.
“When I mentioned I had a nine-to-five to get to, you could have easily told me it was with you.”
He leaned back in his seat with a smirk, then craned his head to the side.
“Would it have mattered?” he asked.
I opened my mouth to respond, then closed it. It wouldn’t have mattered, but I sure as hell wasn’t getting ready to tell him that. So I smiled and carefully placed each bag back into their protective coverings, then back into the bag I’d pulled them from, placing the bag beneath the table.
“It could have. Maybe I could have gotten up a little later since it was just you.”
He laughed and looked away for a moment.
“You damn well know you wouldn’t have come to work late because I told you the flight was with me.”
I leaned forward with both my elbows on the table, and he followed suit, meeting me halfway as he held my stare.
“You want to bet? I don’t even like you that much.”
His right brow lifted as he smiled, then laughed. “Is that right? Well, good, because I can’t have my fake girlfriend falling for me anyway.”
I reached out and dragged the tip of my finger down the length of his jaw.
“Oh, trust, it’s not me who we need to worry about falling. I’m not the one who brought a stranger bags worth over five grand a piece.”
He reached out and gripped my wrist, startling me. I could admit it caused my confidence to shake a little when he brought my finger to his mouth, then placed a kiss against it.
“Money has nothing to do with emotions, Doll. Oh, and those bags are worth over fifty thousand each. In case you needed to know, for investment purposes.”
My jaw dropped at how casually he talked about the cost of those damn bags.
I glanced down at his hold, which was now causing a response I couldn’t put my finger on.
All I knew was I needed him to release his hold before we stepped over a line we couldn’t come back from, before the ink ever touched the dotted line.
“You think I can have my hand back, Mr. Blackwell?” I asked.
He smiled and released his hold on me.
The seatbelt sign chose the perfect time to turn off. I quickly removed my seatbelt and stood to do anything other than be in his presence for the moment.
“Excuse me for a moment. One of us still has a job to do,” I reminded him.
As I walked past him, I could feel his eyes glued to my ass. But I wasn’t going to turn around to check it out. I needed a moment by my damn self.
I went by the pilot’s cabin to check on them, to see if they needed any water or anything. Talking to the pilots gave me a minute to evaluate if being his fake girlfriend was a good idea. I needed to message Da’ana. She would tell me everything I needed to hear.
“Fuck, I’m on this damn plane.”
The pilots turned to face me briefly with wide eyes.
“You alright?” Jameson asked.
“My bad. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I’m good. No problem. Y’all okay up here?” I asked.
They looked at each other, then back at me briefly, before returning their attention to the monitors and skies ahead.
“I’ll take a water,” Jameson said.
I turned and walked from the pit to head to the wet bar to grab a water. I glanced over in Myheir’s direction, only to catch his eye.
“Did you need another water?” I asked.
“Nah, you good. You can come back over here though, once you’re done doing whatever you’re about to do.”
I nodded and turned to head back into the cockpit to give Jameson a bottle of water. I took as much time as I could without it looking like I was trying to stay away from Myheir. When I came back out, I took the seat across from him.
“Now that you’re done playing around, I have a few questions.”
I craned my head to the side with a tilt of my mouth and a raise of my right brow.
“Who said I was playing around?” I asked.
Myheir chuckled and leaned forward. “You really want me to answer that? You know what you were back there doing, Khaleya. Don’t insult my intelligence, Doll.”
I rolled my eyes and waved him on, as if to say continue.
“I need to know everything a boyfriend would know. The shit you would only tell a boyfriend.”
I released a breath and tilted my head to the side.
“When you put it like that, I’ve never really thought about that. So just ask me what you want to know.”
He nodded.
“Alright. What do you like to do?”
“That’s easy. I love to try new food, travel, come across new fragrances, and honestly live life. It’s why I became a flight attendant,” I responded.
“That’s cool. So tell me about your family.”
Although my family is chaotic and they can be annoying, the smile that came to my face would tell a different story. They always showed up when I needed them, and that was all that counted to me. Family was supposed to get on your nerves sometimes.
“They’re everything to me, but they also get on my nerves. I think that’s the best way to describe them. But they’re here whenever I need them. Which is why we can’t be around them too much. They would know this isn’t real.”
Myheir lifted his brow, then leaned back into his chair with a smirk.
“What about all of this wouldn’t they believe?” he asked.
I shot my head back and burst into laughter. I don’t think he knew how crazy all of this sounded.
“There’s no way my family would believe I would leave my flying lifestyle to date a millionaire. Simple as that.”
Now he was laughing, and hard. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms against my chest. I didn’t say anything that damn funny.
“Really?” I asked.
He held his hands up with a smirk.
“You really think I’m a millionaire? Doll, look around. Your average millionaire isn’t chartering a plane this size as regularly as I do.”
“You’re such an arrogant asshole.”
He nodded with a smirk, then picked up his bottle of Fiji to take a sip.
“I’ve heard that a time or two. I hear the reason you think it won’t be believable. Tell me how we can change that.”
“Well, first, relax. Are you always this uptight? And maybe don’t act like you’re the prize instead of me.”
He shrugged his shoulders, then frowned.
I held my hand up to stop him before he said anything.
“Just an observation. No need for us to go back and forth about it.”
Myheir leaned forward with a smirk, then placed his arms against the top of the table.
“You used to running shit, huh?” he asked.
I pressed my tongue against the inside of my cheek to hold back what I really wanted to say. Because if he really wanted to know, I did, and would with him as well. He came to me, not the other way around.
I shrugged my shoulders in response. “What do you think?”
“Sounds like I’m going to have a time finding out. Now, when we land, I have a few errands I need to run, but I have dinner reservations for us at—”
I held my hands up to stop him with a laugh.
“I haven’t even signed the contract yet. Who said we were going to dinner? I have plans, sir.”
“Yeah, with me,” he responded confidently.
I chuckled. “Yeah, alright.”
He shrugged, then picked up his bottle of water. I scrunched up my face in disgust. This man was beyond arrogant. If I was ever concerned about feelings getting involved, I’d have nothing to worry about as long as he stayed just as he was.
after the flight
“Take a ride with me. I’ll get you to where you need to go,” Myheir said.
I’d just gotten my bag and cleaned the plane. I thought he would have left by now, since he said he had a meeting to get to. But no. He was sitting in the backseat of his SUV, waiting for me.
I don’t know why everything this man said sounded like an order. But he was going to learn today, his money didn’t move me. Granted, I was preparing to pretend to be his girlfriend to get my business off the ground.
But nobody in their right mind would turn down risk-free money. No one. The problem was, this wasn’t entirely risk-free. There’s something about this man that tested every bit of patience I had.
I gripped my hips and tilted my head. “Didn’t I tell you I have plans?”
He chuckled and ran his thumb across his lips.
“I recall you saying that. But that doesn’t mean I can’t offer you a ride. Now get in.”
Before I could say a word, he’d opened his door and was stepping out of the truck.
I rolled my eyes and glanced down at my Uber app, then back at him. If I stuck to my guns, I’d be standing in this damn lot for another thirty minutes.
I groaned, and his smile widened.
“Stop smiling. I’m accepting the ride because it’s supposed to rain, and I don’t want to be out here waiting,” I said quickly, pulling the first excuse I could think of out of my ass to save face.
I had no clue what the weather was supposed to be like today, but he didn’t need to know that.
His smile slipped into a smirk as he strolled toward me. His walk alone had me wet and stuck in place.
Myheir reached for my bag, taking it from my hands before holding out his free one.
“You know you aren’t my fake man yet, right? And there’s nobody out here to see us.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
He chuckled and leaned down, his mouth close enough to my ear to send a shiver through me.
“I’m quickly learning that you like shit to be difficult, Doll. That’s fine with me, but understand this—I love a challenge. Once I decide I want something, I don’t let it go. So keep it up, and maybe this shit won’t be temporary after all.”
I uncrossed my arms and tilted my head to the side.
“Is that right, Mr. Blackwell?”
“It is, Ms. Mathers.”
I closed the space between us again and reached up, slowly stroking the hair along his chin.
“I don’t take you for a gambling man. But if I were you, I wouldn’t bet on that unless you’re prepared to walk away from this empty-handed.” I let my fingers linger for another second before pulling them away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, the driver is waiting.”
I stepped around him before he could respond, feeling his eyes follow me the entire way. The heat of his stare settled across my back and lingered on my ass as I climbed inside.
I slid across the cool leather seat until I reached the opposite door.
“Sir, I’m going to The Lennox on Grand,” I told the driver.
He smiled at me through the rearview mirror and nodded. “That’s on the way. I’ll get you there in no time.”
“Thank you, sir,” I replied.
He waved me off. “Please, call me Dom.”
Before I could respond, Myheir interrupted.
“Aye, Dom, don’t make me put my foot in yo’ ass,” he warned.
I covered my mouth to hold back my laughter. Something was seriously wrong with this man. I turned toward the window, determined to give him anything but my attention.
“Sorry, sir,” Dom replied as he pulled away from the curb.
“Flirting and shit like he don’t have a job to do,” Myheir mumbled.
The rest of the thirty-minute ride passed in silence. When Dom finally pulled in front of my hotel, a bellman approached to open my door, but Myheir lifted a hand to stop him.
He glanced down at his watch before looking back at me.
“I’ll be back at seven to take you to dinner. Wear a dress. This place calls for one.”
I held his stare for a moment before bursting into laughter and shaking my head.
“For a man who runs multiple businesses, listening clearly isn’t one of your strong suits. Have a good day, Mr. Blackwell.” I reached for the door handle. “Oh, and enjoy your dinner.”
I opened the door and grabbed my bag from the floor. The moment I stepped out, the bellman took it from me.
I followed him toward the entrance without sparing Myheir another glance, even when he called my name.
“Khaleya.”
I stopped and looked over my shoulder.
A slow smile spread across his face.
“Oh, we will.”
I rolled my eyes and continued into the hotel.
I guessed tonight would be Mr. Blackwell’s first lesson in not always getting his way.