"Sounds good to me, but how about we get the coffee at the airport while we wait. You know there's going to be a long line waiting for that flight." He went into the bathroom and took a deep breath. The affect he had on her wasn't lost on him. So she was interested. Part of him wanted to cross the room and take her in his arms. Hell, he wanted to take her to bed. Good thing they had a plane to catch, and the sooner the better. He had to ignore the way she licked her lips. He splashed cold water on his face. Lots of cold water.
After he calmed down, he brushed his teeth. He couldn't remember wanting a woman that bad before. What was it about her? She wasn't his usual type. He preferred blonds. But that red hair sure did something to him. He'd never dated a redhead before. Usually he stayed away from them. He'd never met a redhead who didn't have a volatile temper. One thing he didn't need was a temperamental woman. And Wendy sure fit the bill.
But for some reason he wanted to throw all caution to the wind. He wanted to know her better. Sure, he wanted to take her to bed, but he wanted more. That scared the hell out of him. What he didn't need was a relationship with a redhead. She'd already showed her temper. Yet, she also presented a challenge. And one thing he loved was a challenge. He never shied away from one. In business or in his personal life. Somehow, he knew he wouldn't shy away from this one either.
He came out of the bathroom, grabbed his shirt and caught her looking out of the corner of his eye. She's attracted to me, can't deny that. The look in her eyes screamed desire. If nothing else, she wanted him. Oh, yeah, she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Problem is, he didn't just want a quick one night stand. He wanted a long term relationship. He doubted she'd even give in to her desire to sleep with him anyway. She didn't appear to be that kind of woman. Hell, she'd already made it very clear she didn't want a man in her life. Didn't have time for one.
What made him think she'd give into the temptation to go to bed with him? Nope, not her. Just from that one conversation he knew she was self-disciplined. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't give in. Now that presented a real challenge. He buttoned the last button on his shirt and looked up at her. The desire hadn't lessened.
"Ready?" he asked as he grabbed their coats off the hangers.
"As I'll ever be." Wendy took her coat from him, hooked it over her arm and grabbed her carry-on bag. "I sure hope we don't have to sit at the airport all day waiting for a flight."
"I wonder if we shouldn't have got up earlier. I have a funny feeling that line is going to be a long one." Bill picked up his duffel bag, did a quick scan around the room and followed her to the hall.
"Glad we asked for the airport shuttle to pick us up." Wendy said.
On the elevator, Bill watched her facial expressions change. From desire to confusion to downright disgust. With him? Maybe with herself? Whatever it was, he had to figure a way to break through it. She wasn't the type to go in for a casual relationship, and she wasn't ready for a serious one. Not at this point of her life, he believed she said. So, how to change her mind? He'd like to take her to dinner while they were in Florida, but she was there on business, and she'd made it very clear she didn't mix business with pleasure. In fact, she said she didn't have time for pleasure.
At the airport, he held the door while she climbed out of the shuttle. He resisted the urge to take her hand again. Not easy to do under the circumstances. She almost tripped on the way out. But he gave her space. They hurried to the ticket counter, and he let out a big breath. The line wasn't nearly as long as he feared.
"Do you suppose this is a good omen? Not that I believe in omens. But, either everyone already went through the line and we're late, or no one else wants to get on this flight," Wendy said.
Bill couldn't believe his eyes. The line was actually shorter than yesterday. Yesterday, he didn't have to stand in line, since he'd pre-registered through the internet. Unfortunately, today he wasn't as lucky.
"We'll see in a minute." Bill followed her through the maze of posts and ropes to the counter.
Wendy finally approached the counter, Bill stood right behind her. Hopefully, they'd get seats next to each other. It was obvious Wendy would have preferred he wait his turn, and even tried to ignore him.
"I'd like to rebook a flight to Fort Myers." Wendy turned sideways away from him.
The lady behind the counter looked at them. "Both of you?"
"Yes," Bill said before Wendy had a chance to reply.
"It doesn't matter if it's the same flight," Wendy quickly interjected.
The woman punched some information into her computer. "I have two seats on Flight 675. It leaves at 8:45. You still have time to make it."
"We'll take it." Bill wasn't about to give Wendy a chance to refuse.
"Our luggage from last night, will they be able to get it on the plane?" Wendy asked.
The clerk shook her head. "I believe they've already started loading the luggage." She printed out two tickets and handed them to Bill. "Gate D."
Bill looked at the tickets. Two seats next to each other, talk about luck. "We'd better hurry. They're going to be boarding soon."
Wendy followed Bill and grabbed one of the tickets from him. They stopped at the security gate, took off their coats, set them in the tray and set their carry-ons next to it. He hated all this security. A necessary evil, he supposed. Better to do this than to have the plane hijacked. Or worse, another nine-eleven.
They went through the security device and waited for their stuff to come out the other end. Thank goodness, they had a flight.
"Damn it." Wendy snapped her fingers.
"What's wrong?"
"My samples are in my luggage, somewhere in the baggage compartment. This trip does absolutely no good without those samples. That was the main reason for me going to Florida," Wendy said. "This is totally insane. I should have thought this through before I rebooked the flight. If the luggage didn't arrive I have no reason to go."
"But you can still meet with your client."
"I should have called my boss and explained it to him. Maybe it isn't too late." She took out her cell phone and punched in the number.
"I'll get us a couple coffees." Bill figured she needed her privacy. Besides, he needed a cup.
* * *
I nodded and walked away. Good, I didn't need him listening to my conversation. Nick's phone rang and rang. No answer. Not even his voice mail. That wasn't like Nick. He always had his phone turned on. Great, now what? Guess I'd have to get on the plane and explain it when I got there. Maybe I could have the office overnight another batch of samples. I still didn't understand why Nick didn't just do that to begin with.
I punched in the number to my office. "Alex, this is Wendy. I need a big favor. I need you to get identical samples that I had and overnight them to Nick."
"Don't tell me yours was one of the flights that got cancelled." Alex said.
"Yep, lucky me."
"Oh, no. You didn't have to spend the night at the airport. Did you?"
"No, I was fortunate enough to get a room." No point in telling her I had to share it with a hunk. Alex would never understand why I didn't take advantage. Hell, Alex didn't understand why I didn't date. No one did. Even my family. They just didn't realize how important my career was to me.
"Do you have a flight out now?"
"Yeah, I'm about ready to board. So find those samples and get them sent ASAP, okay?"
"Will do. You have a great flight. Oh, and Wendy..."
"What?"
"Try to have a little fun while you're there. Take in some sun. Bask in the warmth. Live a little."
I groaned. The usual advice. Live a little. I was living. It wasn't my fault if no one agreed with my lifestyle. It suited me.
"Right. Okay, bye." I clicked off the phone before Alex had a chance to say anything else. Alex was a good friend, and we did a lot together. I'd trust her with my life if it came down to it. But I was damned tired of everyone trying to run my life.
Why couldn't th
ey accept me the way I was? I didn't need a man to complicate things right now. That's what men did. Complicated things. They needed attention, and I didn't have time to share my attention with anyone.
Men wanted homes, families. They wanted the little woman to be there with dinner on the table when they came home from work. Look at my sisters. The lifestyle suited them. They had kids, beautiful homes. Homes I helped decorate.
But they didn't have the kind of careers I wanted and that was fine for them. Okay, so Emily taught school. That was great for her. She worked when the kids were in school. When they were home, she was home, other than a couple days a year when she had to be at school for conferences or whatever. Then Jake took over. Good job for my sister. It suited her.
Emily was a good teacher. But that wasn't for me. I didn't want to stay home with kids. I loved my job. And I often worked nights. What husband would put up with that?
Nope, until I established my own business and could set my own hours, I didn't want a man, let alone kids. I loved my nieces and nephews. Loved them dearly and truth be told, sometimes I envied my sisters. Amber, the romance novelist, worked from home. She set her own hours, and if her kids were sick, she didn't have to take a day off work to attend to them. Not that Amber didn't work hard, but once she published her fist romance novel her career really took off. It seemed she cranked books out faster than most people can think. Five, sometimes six a year.
Besides that, Jake and Kevin were great husbands and helped more than the average bear. They thought nothing of doing laundry or making dinner. So it worked for my sisters.
And Allie, well that poor girl couldn't wait to get married. That's all she ever talked about. How many times had we tried to talk some sense into her? Allie needed to finish college before she thought about marriage. She needed some kind of career to count on. A back up plan of sorts.
Even Emily and Amber knew that. If anything ever happened to Kevin or Jake, they could take care of themselves. Heck, Amber could start her own web design firm if she wanted to, even now. Not to mention the royalties from her books.
How many times had all three of us ganged up on Allie? Even our parents begged her to finish school. Although, God only knew what any of us were worried about, Allie didn't even have a serious boyfriend.
Sometimes, I thought Allie said stuff like that to get a rise out of us. Looking for attention more than likely. Poor kid felt neglected since the grandkids came along. Not that Mom and Dad neglected her. Ha, far from it. If anything, she was spoiled rotten. Hell, even Emily, Amber, and I spoiled Allie. Always had. Yeah, poor little Allie. Baby of the family and neglected. I had to stifle a laugh.
But face it– my job was more demanding than my sisters. I had to meet with clients at all hours. Whatever suited them. Sure I tried to schedule the meetings at reasonable times to suit myself too, but more often than not I gave in to their demands. It wasn't unusual to meet with a client at seven or eight in the evening. After all, most of them had careers too. And the ones that didn't had other responsibilities. Charity events or club projects. Just because they were undeniably wealthy didn't mean they sat around all day and did nothing. Nope, I didn't have time for men.
"Hey, they're calling our flight for boarding." Bill handed me a cup of coffee and shook me back to the present. I put my phone back in my purse, stood up, took a sip of coffee and hurried to the boarding gate.
Bill found our seats and stored my carry-on in the overhead compartment along with his duffel bag. How ironic that we had seats together. Heck, I'd hoped we wouldn't even get on the same flight. What was it I said about omens? That I didn't believe in them. Shoot, I didn't even believe in fate. Maybe I was starting to believe after all. Whatever you wanted to call it, I didn't like it.
I leaned back and stretched my legs as much as the area allowed, which wasn't much. One of the things I hated about flying. Why couldn't they give you some decent leg room? I glanced at Bill's long legs. Maybe I should quit complaining. At almost six feet tall, he looked anything but comfortable.
The whirr of the motors started and the plane moved forward. Grasping the arms of the seat, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and leaned back. Another thing I hated about flying. Taking off and landing.
I tried to clear my mind as the plane lifted off the ground.
Chapter Seven
I gripped the armrest and closed my eyes. Worst part of flying, taking off and landing. Bill's hand covered mine. Great, just what I needed, I hated showing fear. Bill probably thought I was a big baby.
A small electrical shock went through my body when he squeezed my hand. But, it felt like it belonged. I imagined his hand over other parts of my body and shivered at the thought. What was going on inside of me? I didn't like these feelings he evoked in me. Yet, I wanted to experience more. Wanted to feel his fingers run through my hair. Wanted to feel his hand roam over my body. Heat crept to my face. What was this man doing to me? What kind of hold did he have on me? Thank God, once we got to Florida I could tell him goodbye and forget about him.
Not that he'd be easy to forget. But forget I would. He didn't fit into my plans for the future, and I knew if I continued to see him he'd turn my life upside down.
Nope, once we landed I'd go off my own way and never see him again. I only hoped he didn't suggest a dinner or something. I didn't know if I was strong enough to refuse. Part of me wanted to spend time with him. Wanted to get to know him and that was better left undone. Somehow, I'd have the strength to say no. Hadn't I resisted men up to now?
Sure, but not a man like Bill. He was everything I'd want in a husband, if I was looking for a husband. But I wasn't. Not right now anyway. Maybe someday farther down the road. Way farther.
I leaned back and tried to relax. Aunt Sophie managed a career and raised kids, something in my inner mind whispered. Why can't you?
Sure, Aunt Sophie managed her career quite well, but she was married to a gem. Uncle Matt liked staying home and playing house husband. Besides, his large inheritance allowed him to stay home and pursue a freelance writing career as well as care for their children.
He successfully wrote and sold articles to magazines and newspapers. They had an agreement. It didn't matter if she worked long hours, as lawyers were prone to do. Uncle Matt had everything under control. Aunt Sophie didn't have to clean the house or make dinner. If one of the kids got sick, she knew they were well cared for. Theirs was an unusual marriage.
Bill wasn't the type to stay home, clean the house and raise the kids while I was out with clients until all hours. Hell, I didn't even know if he'd help with the housework.
Good grief, what was the matter with me thinking about Bill and marriage. He hadn't even asked for a date. If he did, would I accept?
I knew there could be only one answer– I had to refuse. I couldn't take the chance of becoming involved with him. It'd be more than a casual affair. Nope, if I agreed to see Bill again, it'd turn into a serious relationship. I'd been disciplined up to now, I'd just have to stand firm. Besides, his career was as demanding as mine. We both worked strange hours.
Darn, I wished I thought to take my book out of my bag before I let Bill stow it? I supposed I could ask him to get it, but I really didn't want to bother him. Better I feigned sleep. At least he wouldn't want to carry on a conversation. He had ignored the fact that I was reading at the airport, he'd probably ignore it now too. At least while I had my eyes closed, he didn't speak to me.
Unfortunately, the flight attendant chose that moment to ask if I wanted something. I tried to ignore her, but Bill touched my arm.
"Wendy, would you like coffee or juice?"
"Huh?" I opened my eyes. "Oh, yes, thanks." I sat up and pulled my tray down. Great, now what? My arm still felt warm where he touched it. I needed to get far away from him. The farther the better. Maybe I should have taken the next flight. At least he didn't insist on talking.
I glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and caught my breath. He was openly
staring at me. And that look on his face, made me weak in the knees. Good thing I didn't have to stand. I'd seen desire before but, good Lord, this was beyond any I'd ever seen. Pure lust that's what it was. Pure unadulterated lust. Shivers ran up my spine. How the hell was I going to sit next to him for the next hour and a half?
I finished my coffee and wound my napkin into a tight ball. Maybe I could hide out in the bathroom. Yeah, right. Spend an hour in the bathroom that would work. Where was my brain? Nothing to do, but try to ignore him. I closed my eyes again, wishing I could really fall asleep.
* * *
Bill couldn't help but notice Wendy feigning sleep. Poor girl was terrified when they took off. At least she hadn't pulled away when he put his hand over hers and squeezed it, but he wondered if she even felt it. Her grip on the arm rest didn't loosen any. Once they were in the air, she seemed to relax a little even though her hand still trembled under his, and he took his away. No point pushing it. Besides, he didn't want to embarrass her. Was the trembling due to her fear of flying or his touch? He'd like to think it was from him.
Obviously, she didn't want to talk. Okay, he could deal with that. When the flight attendant came to ask if they wanted something, her breathing changed, but she still pretended to sleep. He couldn't help it, he had to touch her, and that gave him the perfect excuse.
Bill couldn't take his eyes from her. He swore she was the most beautiful, most sexy woman he'd ever met. Okay, maybe she wasn't the most beautiful, but something about her drew him. He wanted her. Hell, he wanted her the moment he set eyes on her, which probably accounted for the fact he fell over when she slowed down. He'd been following her ever since he first saw her. He couldn't believe his luck at being on the same flight. Kismet? An omen? He wasn't sure.
All he knew, somehow he had to get to know her better. He had a feeling she'd refuse if he asked her out when they got to Florida. But maybe, just maybe, if he suggested they have lunch on the way to their perspective hotels, she'd agree. He wondered where she was staying. He reclined his seat and closed his eyes. May as well relax. She wasn't going to talk to him, that much was obvious.
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