“Mitchell, you said?” Her dad looked at Evan before turning his gaze on her. “Didn’t you just start a job with Mitchell Industries?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, I’m Evan’s helicopter pilot.” Simple and truthful, she could do this.
“You hired your fiancée?” Dad asked Evan.
Cassie heard the censure in his voice. Her father hated nepotism.
“Yes, sir. She was the best candidate for the position,” Evan replied, obviously he was sticking to simple answers as well.
“So, when the hell did this whole engagement business happen?” her dad demanded.
“I know it’s sudden, Dad, but it just felt right,” Cassie said before Evan gave away too many incriminating details.
“Huh…that’s how it happened with your mom and me.” His tone suddenly softened, and his eyes seemed to focus on something in the distance. “She was the prettiest little thing I’d ever seen in that flowery dress. I knew she had to be mine.”
He turned his attention back to Cassie, and his gaze seemed to take her in from head to toe. “Getting engaged to a moneyman seems to have improved your wardrobe choices. I haven’t seen you this girly since your high school prom.”
Heat rushed to Cassie’s cheeks. She didn’t know which was worse—her father calling Evan a “moneyman” or bringing attention to her new more feminine look.
Evan draped his arm around her shoulders. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” he responded before Cassie could come up with anything.
“Yeah,” Dad nodded, “she’s got her mother’s looks.”
Warmth surrounded her heart at her dad’s unexpected compliment.
“And she’s a talented pilot, as well,” Evan added, giving her a light squeeze.
Before the flattery got too thick, she redirected the conversation. “What did the doctor say, Dad?”
“I told you already, I’m fine. They dicked around with my medications and sent me home. You really didn’t need to waste your time and money coming here.”
“I had business nearby.” Evan stretched the truth with that one, unless he considered Texas in the same neighborhood as the Caribbean.
“Well, you’ve seen with your own eyes I’m still on my feet, and it’s growing late. You should get on a plane back to New York.” To Evan, he said, “I’m sure busy men like you have something important scheduled for Monday morning.”
Cassie rose from the sofa. She recognized a goodbye when she heard one from her father. “I’m glad you’re okay, Dad. I’ll give you a call midweek…” She stopped herself from saying, “to check up on you”. He’d hate that, especially in front of Evan, who he was so obviously trying to impress with his machismo.
“No need to waste money on extra phone calls. I can wait until our regular call at the end of the week.” Her dad struggled slightly to get to his feet, as if his leg muscles were weak.
Cassie clasped her hands tightly in front of her to prevent herself from reaching for him. Then she walked with Evan to the front door. Glancing out of the picture window, she realized the hired limo was still parked at the curb. What a waste of money to have him sitting out there, waiting for them.
Cassie smiled inwardly. She sounded like her father.
With her hand on the doorknob, her dad stopped her with his words. “Now that you’re an engaged woman, I guess you don’t hug your old man anymore.”
A lump lodged in her throat as she turned to face him. “Never, Dad. I’ll never give up hugging you.” She stepped into his hold, burying her nose in his shoulder as she inhaled his woodsy aftershave. His big palms patted her back a few times as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. Before she’d gotten her fill of him, he cleared his throat and pulled away from her.
“Let me know when this wedding is taking place…if you want me to escort you down the aisle.”
Afraid to speak and start the waterworks that threatened, Cassie merely nodded her head.
“We’d be honored to have you give Cassie away at our wedding,” Evan supplied the words for Cassie’s thoughts.
“Good. Okay. Then we’ll be in touch.” Her dad ushered them through the door.
“Bye, Dad,” she managed to force out before the door shut behind her and Evan as they stood on the front porch.
Without speaking, Evan led her down the steps and across the yard with a hand at the small of her back to where the limo driver stood with the door open for them. She slid across the black leather seat and dug in her purse in vain for a tissue before any tears could slip free. The car door shut after Evan slipped in next to her.
Offering her a white handkerchief, he rubbed her back with his other hand.
“Thanks.” She took the cloth and carefully dabbed under her eyes at the accumulating moisture, using her iron will to keep the tide at bay.
The limo moved away from the curb, and she cast a last look at her dad’s house, her fear for his health plaguing her mind.
“He’s quite a force of nature,” Evan commented.
“He’s not normally that bad.” She felt compelled to explain. “He doesn’t tolerate any weakness, in others and especially not in himself. He hates being sick. I’m sorry he was rude to you.”
“I wouldn’t call it rudeness so much as directness.” Evan’s hand reached up to cup the back of her neck. “More importantly, how are you?”
At his gentle touch and kind words, she lost her control. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks faster than she could catch them with the hankie. “I’m going to lose him.” She voiced her biggest fear, followed by a sniffle.
Gathering her in his arms, Evan tucked her head under his chin. “Hopefully, not for a long time.”
Wanting to believe his words, Cassie relaxed in his embrace and gave herself over to her escalating feelings for this man who was so much more genuine and sincere than the shallow playboy she’d once thought he was. His kindness was nearly as potent as his sensuality, as she fell completely under his influence.
After this was all over, she wondered if she’d be able to glue herself back together when Evan shattered her heart.
Chapter Ten
In the backseat of the limo, Evan held Cassie snuggled into his side and stroked her arm as she came to terms with her father’s health condition. Her old man had certainly made an impression with his Master Chief personality. He hadn’t been quite what Evan was expecting, but he thought he pulled off his role as Cassie’s fiancé passably well.
When Cassie seemed more relaxed, Evan pulled out his cell phone with his free hand and thumbed Dan’s number.
“Yes, sir,” his assistant answered.
“We’re heading back to New York tonight. Can you meet us at the airport in an hour and a half?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Thanks.” Evan ended the call.
“It only takes twenty minutes to get to the airport.” Cassie looked up at him expectantly, her lashes wet from her tears.
He rubbed a stray drop from her cheek. “We’re having dinner first.”
She glanced down at her sundress. “I’m not dressed for anything fancy.”
“Where’s your favorite pizzeria?”
She rewarded him with a bright smile that cleared away some of her sorrow. “Eugene’s.”
“Eugene’s? That’s a pizza place?”
“The best pizza place in South Texas.” She moved out of Evan’s embrace and left him wanting, but he wasn’t willing to explore exactly what that meant.
“So, where’s Eugene’s?”
She gave him the address, so he could instruct the driver while she dug through her purse for her makeup bag.
He admired the way she bounced back from her emotional setback. Within a few minutes of applying her magic potions, she was fresh-faced and ready to appear in public, not a trace of tears anywhere.
At the restaurant, Evan relaxed with Cassie over a divine pepperoni pizza before he entered into the discussion of their engagement announcement and schedule arrangements. The
y had to compare calendars and figure out how they would proceed with their public showings.
Cassie took a sip from her soda then set the tall red plastic cup on the table. “I want to keep my own apartment,” she announced.
He considered it for a moment. “Yes, I think that would be best. That will actually help maintain an air of respectability, which is so important to Xavier.”
Swallowing his last bite of the cheesiest pizza in the world, Evan thought more about the appearance of their relationship. “Maybe you should stop working as my helicopter pilot.”
Cassie’s spine snapped straight, as her eyes fixed on him. “Absolutely not. I’m not giving up my job.”
“It will look strange to Xavier to have you working for me, especially in such a—”
“Don’t say it, Evan,” Cassie warned.
“You don’t know what I was going to say,” he protested.
“Such a masculine, unfeminine job? That’s it, isn’t it?”
“No. Actually, what I was going to say was along a different line, but now I realize it wouldn’t sound any better. So, I’m going to keep it to myself.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded gravely. “Yes.”
She cracked a smile. “Okay, I’m dying to know. What were you going to say?”
He shook his head slowly and gave her a mock sad look. “I’m sorry. I cannot tell you.”
“Evan, you’re such a tease.” She laughed, and he couldn’t stop his own grin from spreading at her infectious good mood. “I promise not to get mad. Now, will you tell me?”
He paused an extra few seconds to increase her frustration. She really was fun to tease. Finally, he said, “It’s not that big of a deal. I was just going to say that it might look strange to have you working for me in such a subservient role.”
Her brows shot up to her hairline. “Sub-subservient?” she sputtered. “I’m your pilot, not your submissive.”
The lighting in the restaurant must have been playing tricks with his vision because he could have sworn her eyes heated with her last word. His groin tightened at the images popping up in his mind—her dressed in a red bra and panties, lying on satin sheets with her hair tumbled around her and a black mask over her eyes, her wrists and ankles bound with red silk ties, soft gasps coming from her mouth while he teased her with a long-handled feather.
He studied the woman across the table from him. Could Cassie really be interested? It didn’t seem to fit with her self-defense responses when they were in San Miguel, but she hadn’t fought him since that incident at Xavier’s house. Maybe she was softening under the force of his charm.
Again, he was struck by how multifaceted she was. He didn’t think he’d ever get a complete view of her, but he was enjoying the exploring. If she were a sub, she would be the most interesting one he’d ever had.
She stared at him, waiting for his reply.
Without saying a word, he took out his wallet and dropped some bills on the table. Then he stood and approached Cassie’s chair. Her eyes widened, and she licked her bottom lip. He offered his hand, and she took it as she rose from her seat. Tugging her behind him, he left the restaurant and got into the backseat of the limo with her.
Damn, he wished they were going to spend the night in Texas. They wouldn’t have the privacy on the plane for what he wanted to do with her.
The driver shut the back door, and Evan decided to use what little time they had between here and the airport to test his theory.
Cassie was uncharacteristically quiet as she watched him.
“Sit on your hands,” he instructed her in a quiet, but firm voice.
She shivered, but didn’t move her arms. He watched and waited. Finally, she inched her hands under her thighs, and he thought the zipper in his pants would split from the sudden force of his erection. This hard-shelled woman, who’d literally fought off his earlier advances, was responding to his directions. The fact that he’d earned her trust was a powerful turn-on.
He steadied his breathing to regain control. Then he skimmed a finger lightly down her neck, over her bare chest and across the soft rise of her breast showing in the V-neck of her sundress. Her chest rose and fell more noticeably as her breathing grew faster.
He skimmed his finger across the other breast, up her chest and neck. Her pulse fluttered under her skin at the base of her throat.
Yeah, she was getting a thrill from this, and he was painfully hard himself. He was teasing both of them mercilessly, and they weren’t going to have an opportunity to finish this anytime soon. They had a flight back to New York waiting for them with his worthy assistant on board as chaperone. But that was also good, he wanted her to want him, to beg him, and the force of his attraction to her was likely to have him giving in too soon. Something he never was tempted to do with other subs. Being forced to wait was good for both of them.
He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “This is just the beginning, my darling.”
Her body shook with another set of shivers as he backed off, returning to his seat, trying to ignore the uncomfortable pressure in his pants. He stared out of the side window as if he were ignoring her when in actuality he was all too aware of her spicy floral scent and the heat of her skin next to him.
Without warning, her fingers grazed his erection, and he nearly jumped out of his seat.
Laughing softly, she turned to face him and pressed her palm against his hard length. “I’m looking forward to the middle part, my darling,” she mimicked him with a sultry tone.
The limo pulled up to the private entrance at the airport, and Cassie sat back in her seat as if nothing had happened between them.
Oh, the little minx wanted to play. Evan grinned. He didn’t usually enjoy sassy subs, but Cassie was definitely different than his other play partners. She was feisty, and he suspected he would have to work hard to earn her submission. His blood raced at the thought of the challenge she represented, reminding him of the thrill of getting behind the wheel on the racetrack.
This was turning out to be one hell of a fake engagement.
* * * *
Cassie squirmed uncomfortably in the leather airplane seat, heading back to New York City. She was exhausted by the whirlwind weekend, but she was too throttled up to fall asleep, even with a soft blanket, a pillow, and a nearly horizontal reclining seat. The damn man sitting next to her had successfully aroused her into a bundle of excited nerves with his little game in the back of the limo.
Oh, how she wished they had some privacy to get to the middle part of what he’d started. Hell, they needed to go all the way to the end because stopping in the middle was bound to be as frustrating as this build up with no release.
Maybe she should excuse herself to the bathroom and take care of her needs herself.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Evan and hoped he was equally uncomfortable, but she didn’t think he was.
As soon as they’d reached cruising altitude, Mr. Jacobs had handed Evan a ream of papers to read to prepare for his morning meetings. Based on the lack of a tent pole in his pants, the business reports were enough to distract Evan from his earlier excitement.
It almost made Cassie wish she had a stack of boring reports to read, anything to get her mind off of the man at her side and the sexy game she was anxious to continue playing with him.
He’d amazed her when he’d picked up on her inclination towards power play. Most men assumed she liked to stay in control in the bedroom because of her strong personality outside of it. But that was actually why she liked the man to take charge in bed. She didn’t want to be in control of every aspect of her life. She wanted to relax and let someone else take the lead. It gave her the freedom to enjoy the moment without having to orchestrate it, but it was risky to put herself in such a vulnerable position, as she’d learned from her time with Trent. She’d thought he was her perfect partner, but he’d used her needs against her, making her fall for him then kicking her to the curb when he grew
bored.
She worried she was making the same mistake with Evan, but so far, Evan hadn’t shown any signs of being callous like Trent. In fact, Evan had been extremely caring and sensitive to her in the limo when she’d broken down with her worries for her father. Then, again, maybe he was better at luring women into his bed by hiding his true self. Mentally and emotionally, she wasn’t ready to take this gamble, but physically, her body was begging.
She squeezed her legs together under the blanket, trying to alleviate the need to be touched, but it wasn’t working. The more she tried to ignore it, the more she thought about it, and she was getting some pretty steamy visuals of her and Evan imprinted on her brain.
Just as she made the decision to get up and take advantage of the privacy of the bathroom, Evan huffed softly and slipped his hand under the edge of her blanket. His warm fingers skimmed up her leg, dragging the hem of her sundress to the top of her thighs.
Her breath caught in her chest as hot desire flooded her veins. “Evan?” She stared at him. Was he really going to initiate something here with Mr. Jacobs a few feet away at the back of the plane?
“I can’t concentrate on these reports with all your wriggling,” Evan spoke in a low tone as his finger stroked softly over the gusset of her panties.
Cassie bit back a moan and willed herself to stay still. This was so much better than taking care of things herself; she grinned.
“Tell me what you need, Cassie,” Evan ordered.
She stilled, knowing what he was asking of her. He was establishing his dominance, and she had to decide if she wanted to go down this path with him. The risks seemed greater than the temporary benefits, and she closed her legs on his hand. “I don’t need anything,” she said, as she tried to shove his hand away.
His fingers tightened around her leg. “Look at me, Cassie,” he said, using a deeper voice than she’d ever heard from him.
And shit! It sent warm heat rushing to her core.
He used his left hand to lift her chin. “Look at me,” he repeated more firmly.
TheBillionairesPilot Page 10