“TRISTAN!” She yelled. “I’ve had enough! Fuck! I can’t even turn my head for a minute and you’re putting your dick in her throat! Seriously Tris, it’s enough disrespecting me like this!” Sophia was practically whining now.
I stumbled as I pulled away, the hot flush of humiliation washing over me. I scrambled to cover my bare chest. Tristan thundered as he adjusted himself and turned to face her. “Sophia, enough! We are not together. Just because we had sex a few times does not mean we are together forever! When will you understand that?”
Sophia pulled herself up and stared both of us down. Her eyes were like ice and I shuddered wondering what she had next up her sleeve. I was seriously scared of this woman.
“You’re right Tris. Silly me,” she smiled. “You’ve fucked me… Victoria… and now her. I’m guessing the only one you haven’t fucked around here is Rachel, and that’s probably only because she’s rather plain looking. But honestly if you couldn’t find anything else, I’m sure you would. You know Adriana…our guy here is quite the ladies’ man. A different woman in every city. I’m surprised his dick hasn’t fallen off yet. Keep that in mind the next time you put it in your mouth.” Sophia shook her head in fake disgust as her blonde curls bounced around her head.
I was stunned, silent and still half naked.
“Anyways Tris, I wasn’t coming in here to fuck up your little dirty rendezvous. I came back because your WIFE called. She’s looking for you again. Sophia held out a cell phone. I noticed her Cheshire Cat smile had returned as her eyes locked in on mine. “Shall I tell my SISTER that you’re otherwise indisposed?”
Sophia winked at me as everything inside me ceased to work.
“You’re a fuckin liar and a shit disturber Sophia. I swear, one more incident like this and I’ll fire you myself!” Tristan thundered. I thought he might hit her the way he charged across the cabin, hands outstretched. But instead, he simply took her by the shoulders, spun her around and forcefully pushed her back out the way she came.
Strike three Tristan. Strike three.
I was in a fog. His touch had been erasing my feelings about Sophia. I could even deal with him being a player. The way he looked at me made me ignore the uncomfortable feelings that rose up in the pit of my stomach. But now, I felt bile rising in my throat. The thought of him fucking every woman he worked with made me sick– but MARRIED? To Sophia’s sister? That had gone too far.
Grabbing my clothes, I got up, dressed as fast as I could manage, and made for the exit as well.
“Adri! No!” He blocked my way for the second time that day. “Please, I’ve been waiting for you ever since that day we kissed behind the hangar at your dad’s flight school.”
His words stopped me in my tracks. “Excuse me?” Fury was already boiling inside me, but his words now made it spill fast and furious like lava over the top. “What kind of games have you been playing with me asshole?” I spat, shocked that he had known all this time.
“Me? Honey you’ve been doing the same. You’ve known exactly who I was since day one, and you used it to your advantage. I haven’t been hiding like you have…ANA.”
“Fine, maybe I didn’t want to tell you who I was initially, but it was only because you didn’t seem to remember!” Tears were now pouring through my eyelids and rolling down my face.
Tristan took a quiet moment before answering. “I didn’t have to remember, Adriana because I had never forgotten.”
“Really? Well, I wonder what your WIFE would think about that statement!” It was the only retaliation I had, and I was going to use it.
“I don’t know what you think you were doing, maybe just scratching an itch from long ago? Because from where I’m standing, it seems like you just wanted to add another notch onto your lying, cheating-ass, belt!! I can’t believe I fell for it.”
I had nothing left, the tears were now flowing, and I wouldn’t be able to stop them. I had to leave before I broke down even further or hit him from how angry I was. I turned and ran and I didn’t stop until he was completely out of earshot. Fuck my carry-on. I would get someone to get it for me later.
Chapter 19
Tristano Ricci
San Francisco
I’d fucked up again. As I drove home, I couldn’t stop replaying the scene in my mind. It had been perfect until Adriana had looked at me, like I was dirt.
Sophia. Fucking Sophia. At every opportunity, she chose to fuck me over and revel in her creation of all this mess. I had to deal with her first. I was going to make sure she never worked on my flights again.
My mind had become a tornado of thoughts and emotions. All of them swirling around in my head at warp speed, turning my mind into a war zone. I needed back up.
“Call JM,” I instructed my Bluetooth as I entered the freeway. JM would be able to help me through this.
It rang three times before I heard that familiar voice. “Ehh Tris! Ça fait longtemps! It’s been a while man!” Jean-Marc’s voice was light and happy. It was good to hear my best friend’s voice again.
“Oh dude, you have no idea what’s been happening lately. So much to catch up on,” I began.
“Aie, vraiement? Wow. Okay, hang on I’m at the shop now, but give me a second and I’ll head into the back so we can chat,” JM offered immediately. JM was the epitome of loyalty and a really good friend. It wasn’t the first time he’d dropped everything at a moment’s notice for me.
“Thanks man, I need it. And sorry about the time. I hadn’t even checked before calling. Just got off a flight,” I said, realizing what time it was. “What are you doing at work at this hour anyway?”
Montreal was on the east coast of Canada, making it three hours ahead of San Francisco time. I felt like shit, I had just called him at three in the morning.
I heard JM open the door to his office and slam it behind him. “Yeah. It’s late but Lex and I are packing up. Heading out on a trade show tour soon, and we’re shipping materials. But anyway, tell me what’s going on with you?”
I proceeded to tell him about Adriana and the disasters that had only gained momentum, causing more and more damage as they went. Once I had started there was no stopping me. I was on autopilot and just kept spewing it all out and then some. JM was silent, so silent that I had forgotten he was there.
“Shit man, you have it bad.” Those were the only words that came out of his mouth as I stopped to breathe for a moment.
“Yeah I know it’s a bad situation. I want you to tell me what I can do about it!” I grumbled, my hand slamming down on the steering wheel.
JM laughed. He laughed so fucking hard that I thought for a second that he was distracted with something else. Until, I realized that he was laughing at me. “Tabarnak Jean-Marc!” I cursed at him, my Montreal roots showing as they always did when we spoke.
“I can’t believe it. Tristano Ricci. Finalement!” JM chuckled.
“What?” I was exhausted and exasperated. I didn’t have the patience at this hour that he clearly did.
“You’re so in love with her bro.”
His words were like an uppercut; knocking my head back and making it spin. For once I was silent. “What?” I whispered.
“Eh Tristano, I’ve known you since we were kids. I know everything about you. I know how you think. And dude…you’re in deep with this Adriana chick. I remember you talking about her years ago. Now go fucking call her and fix this mess.”
“Shit man, I think you’re right.” My vision suddenly cleared as I acknowledged his words.
I’d stopped the car at the side of the road. My eyes focused only on the Audi insignia on the steering wheel. I’d been feeling completely confused and helpless, but JM had suddenly made it all clear to me.
The word “love” sounded partly insane and partly perfect, as I rolled it around inside my head. A combination of fear and exhilaration. Certainty and uncertainty. But most of all, it felt right.
Now the tricky part would be getting Adriana to talk to me again.
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Chapter 20
Adriana Acosta
San Francisco
After spending way longer than I normally would have in the terminal bathroom, I dried my tears and pulled myself together. This was just stupid. He was just a guy, no different than any other. Despite my attraction to him, there was really nothing more than that. He’d just been looking for a good time and I guess I had too. It was time to be a big girl and move on. Except all I could think about incessantly in my head was HE had a wife… HE had a wife… HE… HAD A WIFE!
As I made my way through customs, I stopped to grab a coffee before making my way to the car park. Nothing like an expensive brew to jerk me back to reality. I needed to focus on my next move. I wasn’t sure if this had been a temporary flight change, or if the airline was going to suggest I stay with Tristano’s crew. But I knew there was no way I could work with him again. Not with the explosive chemistry between us, and certainly not after hearing about his marital indiscretions. That had really disturbed me. It had been the last straw on a really confusing seventy-two hours.
Then there was Sophia. I couldn’t be in the same room with her again either. Not that she would mind. She clearly wanted me away from Tristan, and at this point, I was happy to oblige. I needed to make sure that it never happened again.
My Acura hummed along as we both made our way home. Between the drama and the jetlag, my eyes kept on threatening to close. Despite the coffee, I was fighting to stay awake.
First order of business was a nap. Then, in the morning I’d call the airline and insist that I get back on my old commercial route. Anyone else would have been happy to stay private. I knew that it was a huge opportunity to give up, but I had no choice. It was worth my peace of mind. In fact, maybe it would have been better if Tristano Ricci had stayed in my mind as a fantasy, and we’d never met in person. It was surely wishful thinking at this point though.
Finally, I turned onto my street and pulled up to my condo. I loved my home. It was a simple two-story condo that had been redesigned by my friend and roommate Cara. She was an interior designer and our condo was some of her best work. I loved coming home to the navy blue, yellow and white colors that decorated our little home. I had told her that beach front coastal was my preferred style, and she had gone to town with the idea. It was cozy and beautiful, and always made me happy to come home to.
Although Ava and Samantha were still my best friends and had been since college, we were all scattered across the world and didn’t get the chance to see or speak as often as we would have liked. Even Tanya and Krista who were like sisters to me at work, lived their own lives as did I, once we were home. This was why Cara was so important to me. She was the friend who I confided to about all the daily struggles of life. Her busy design schedule didn’t leave much time for friendships outside of work. So together, we had each other for lazy Sunday night movies on the couch, and someone to share our work and men related problems with.
“There you are!” Called Cara as she ran down the steps, wine glass in hand.
“Hey Cara,” I responded quietly. “It’s after midnight. Why are you up?”
“Meh, just came home from a shitty date,” she answered. “Wine?” She offered.
I was exhausted, but suddenly a second wind of pain came rushing through me. I hugged her hard and happily took the wine glass. Cara laughed and hugged me back. “You missed me that much huh? How was Tokyo? You were gone longer than you expected right?”
“Yeah the layover was supposed to be twenty-four hours, but there were all kinds of complications, and we ended there for forty-eight hours instead,” I mumbled, as we climbed the steps up to the house.
“Well that’s fun! Did Krista make you and Tanya take advantage of that and party too hard?” Cara asked as we made our way inside.
“Well kind of, but there was a hell of a lot more than that too,” I offered.
“Sounds juicy! Tell me more!” Cara asked, as we settled into the couch bringing the bottle of wine with us.
I kicked my pumps off, and grabbed my favorite, soft, navy blue blanket and wrapped it around myself. The fatigue was giving me the chills and so were the nerves of having to repeat the entire story. I knew she wouldn’t judge me, but hearing the story come out of my mouth all over again wouldn’t be easy either. Taking a long sip of wine and a deep breath in, I began.
As I described what had happened, tears welled up in my eyes. At first, I thought it was my contacts, the second time I wondered if it was a travel bug that I’d brought back with me. But by the third time, I had to acknowledge it. My chest contracted as I said his name, and tears flowed freely down my face. I knew it wasn’t any of those excuses. And by the look on Cara’s face, so did she.
“Oh honey!” She cried out sympathetically, as she reached over to hug me. Burying my head on her shoulder I accepted her comfort and let it all out. Exhaustion had taken over my physical and emotional state and it sent me sobbing into Cara’s shoulders for what seemed like a really long time.
“Adri…” Cara began after a long pause. “I know this has been really hard on you and I don’t deny that it has sucked balls. But maybe, just maybe this seems worse than it might otherwise be–all because you had some romanticized expectation of this guy? I mean seriously, no disrespect my friend, but you only knew him for a short while when you were in high school?”
“I know!” I lamented. It seemed crazy. My face dropped into my hands as I nodded in agreement.
But yet…the way he looked at me sometimes, I swear he could feel it too. “You’re right Cara, I’ve thought the same…” I trailed off. I wanted it to be true. I wanted so badly to brush off these incidents and never think of Tristano Ricci again. But something inside me made me hesitate. Every time I even thought of closing the door on this craziness, something stopped me. It was his eyes. Instantly, my mind went back to how he seemed to stare so deeply into my soul. It was that moment that always transported me back to that very first kiss. And then, the second, and now the third… Fire ignited inside me, just thinking about it. That feeling of his hands on my body and how it made me crave him more and more. He was becoming an addiction that grew stronger with every passing second.
But…the mind often justifies what the heart already knows.
“I get it Cara and maybe I’m getting confused because we have great chemistry… but I can’t deny that it made me wonder if he really is the one.” Embarrassment washed over me at this confession.
“Uhh yeah babe, it’s chemistry,” Cara confirmed. “You just told me he fucked everyone he worked with; they all still flock around him like flies to honey– AND he has a wife at home? Oh, and he’s married to the other one’s sister??”
I groaned. When she put it like that, I knew she was right.
“He’s trouble, Adri. Of course, this doesn’t mean he isn’t a rock star in bed. Sounds like he probably is,” Cara continued. “But from everything you’ve just told me, it really is just chemistry, girl.”
I thought about it and tried to accept Cara’s conclusion. I knew she was right. It had to be just chemistry.
Cara got up to get more wine and I took advantage of the moment alone to search Tristano up on IG. I regretted it instantly.
Tristano Ricci certainly took advantage of his pilot status that was for sure. Interspersed with pictures of him half naked; pilot shirt open and showing off those rock-hard abs, there were pictures of him with a different girl in every possible location across the globe. The jet-setting-life seemed to suit him. Drinks with friends at bar in Sydney, on the beach with a bunch of half-naked girls in Tahiti. Is that one his wife? Whispered my subconscious as I focussed in on a photo of a beautiful blonde cuddled up to him on a couch. Somehow, I’d been focusing on how he made me feel and what had gone wrong between us. But that was all irrelevant now. The only thing I needed to remember now, was the reason I had run out of that plane. His WIFE.
Chapter 21
Tristano Ricci
San
Francisco
After last night’s phone call with JM, I knew I needed what needed to be done. I had no other option but to find Adriana and explain. I wasn’t letting this go. First, a phone call to my boss Richard. He was the one in charge of assigning the pilots and flight attendants to their routes. He was a good guy and had helped me out many times before. Back when I’d wanted Sophia on my route, Richard had been the one to take care of it. Unfortunately for her, she’d more than outstayed her welcome.
“Rich! How’s it going man?” I began as soon as he picked up.
“Hey Tristano!” He responded, putting on his fake Italian accent and making me chuckle. “Crazy day today but being that you just got off a late international flight, I’m surprised you’re calling. Did the new girl not work out?”
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