by Daisy Allen
“Well, what do men do when they’re happy? I can’t very well giggle,” he asks once as he slides in next to me.
“Sure, you can.”
“I’d rather not.”
“How ‘bout you chortle?”
“That sounds like something a drunken uncle called Wilfred would do at Thanksgiving.”
“So, Wilfred you’ll be for the rest of the day!”
“Ready, Mr. Ashley?” Henry asks through the screen.
“Ready, Henry.”
It’s an exchange that seems different compared to the other mornings and I look at Kaine out of the corner of my eye.
“Yes, my sweet?” he asks, glancing down at his phone, avoiding my eye contact.
“What’s going on?”
“Why do you think something is going on?”
“You... and him...” I jab my finger in Henry’s direction. “Something’s off.”
“Maybe Henry had a good night. Hey, Henry!”
“Yes, sir?”
“Did you have a good night last night?”
“Not particularly, sir, no.”
“What about this morning? Did something good happen?”
“No more than usual, sir. Just happy to be at work.”
“There! THAT!” I say, jumping up in my seat and pointing at Henry again. I can see him glancing at me through the rear-view mirror.
“That what?” Kaine asks, raising his eyebrows high.
“That thing he said. No one is HAPPY to be at work. Something’s going on.”
“I’m sure Henry is the one exception. Isn’t that right, Henry?”
“It is my goal in life to work for you forever, Mr. Ashley,” Henry replies, loyal to the end.
“See?” Kaine grins at me.
“Men!” I scoff at them both and settle back in the seat. Kaine grins, and reaches under the seat for a paper bag.
“Here you go, birthday girl,” he hands it to me. And the grease stain spreading on the bottom of the bag gets me excited.
“What is this? Oh my God, it smells delicious.”
“It’s... well what do you think it is?”
“My favorite!” I reach into the bag and pull out the piping hot hash brown. “Hmmmm, birfdaysaredabest,” I mumble, my mouth already full.
“Whatever you say, sweetness.”
I munch on my food, moaning as the greasy potato coats my fingers and I lick them one by one.
“Jade.”
I’m too engrossed in my breakfast to reply.
“Jade!”
“Hmmm?” I answer through my moans.
“Can you please stop making that sound?”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to start having fantasies every time I drive past a McDonalds! You eating drive-thru hash browns is not the image I want getting me hard... but you’re not helping.”
“Can’t help it. Best fast food ever.”
“You know, I can afford to give you absolutely anything you want for breakfast.”
“Fine. Build me my own McDonalds hash brown dispensing machine next to the bed please.”
“Done!”
I go back to my breakfast, trying to come up with a way to make Henry and Kaine give up the secret they’re hiding before we get to my workplace.
“Hey, why are we turning down here?” I say when Henry passes my intersection.
“Isn’t this the way to Teterboro airport?” Henry replies.
“Wha? Why are we going there?”
“Well, that’s where planes take off from, don’t they?” Kaine joins in cryptically.
“What’s going on?” I whine.
“I don’t know, I’m not the one driving.”
“Henry! What’s going on?”
“I just work here, miss. I don’t make the plans.”
“What’s going on?!” I scream again, the excitement sending me into a state.
“Shhh, don’t get too excited, or else we’ll be seeing that hash brown again,” he makes a disgusted face. “How long is it to Teterboro, Henry?”
“Traffic’s not too bad today, Mr. Ashley, I’m guessing another 40 minutes.”
“Perfect, just in time for my conference call. Sorry, babe, you’re going to have to be quiet for the next 40 minutes.”
“But, I...” I start, just as there’s a ding on his telephone.
“Yes, gentleman, sorry I’m late. I had to attend to some business. Nothing serious, just a special day for someone. Now, where are we on the contract with Petenham Industries?” He grins at me and I mouth “evil bastard” at him, making him cover his mouth as he bites back a laugh, his eyes dancing with mischief.
I sit back and look out the window, and I wonder if it’s fair that someone could be this happy.
***
“Sweetness, we’re here.” An elbow nudges me in the arm and I swat at it.
“Shhh, Jade sleeping. Bye bye.”
“So, I’ll board the plane by myself, shall I?”
The words penetrate my slumber and I jerk awake. “Plane?”
“Yeah, that one.” Kaine points out the window to a charter plane sitting on the tarmac, the stairs lowered and a flight attendant standing on a short red carpet.
“Oh my God, if you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’m going to push you into that plane’s propeller.”
“Er, planes don’t have propellers anymore, sweetness.”
“Some do!”
“Not ones of that size. Now, how about we just take this one surprise at a time? First, let’s board the plane, those peanuts aren’t going to wait for just anyone!”
I stare at him, my mouth wide open for a minute, trying to process. It’s been years since I last flew on a plane, anywhere. It’s simply been a luxury I just couldn’t afford. Not to mention not wanting to leave New Yorkin case Gabriel would need me.
“Where are we going?” I ask, trying to process it all.
“Somewhere special,” is all he gives me.
“Kaine.”
“Happy birthday, Jade.”
I kiss him, hard and fast.
“LET’S GO!” I yell and jump out of the car and run to the plane.
“Good morning and Happy Birthday, Miss Sinclair,” the flight attendant greets me. “Please, right up these stairs,” she says and points to the open plane door.
Kaine wanders up behind me, carrying the purse I’d left in the car in my excitement. “Go on, then,” he encourages me.
I teeter on my heels up the small stairs, turning around just before I climb in, the wind whooshing through my hair, blowing it all over my face. A feeling of euphoria floods me, and I laugh, the sound disappearing into the sky. It’s the freest I’ve ever felt in my life.
“Come on, Ashley! Or we’re going to take off without you!” I yell at him as he remains watching me from the ground.
He grins and hands the flight attendant my bag then runs up the stairs after me. I squeal and duck into the plane, stopping as soon as the extravagance of the interior greets me.
“Wowwww,” I let out a slow breath, taking it all in.
It’s a large luxurious plane, with about 12 seats in all. Oh, but what seats they are! They’re laid out in single rows, with a wide aisle in between. Each is a single leather recliner, and there’s a table in between each row. There’s luxurious wood panelling along the skirts of the plane walls, and large tv screens on each side.
“Hey, is there room for me?” Kaine whispers into my ear as he comes up behind me.
I spin around and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing his cheek wildly, over and over.
“Whoa, whoa! Careful or else you’ll push me down the stairs!” He laughs and presses his hands against my back, pushing us both into the middle of the plane. “So, is this okay?”
“Okay? This is... this is... like no private plane I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Oh, been on a lot of private planes, have you?” he winks.
I throw him a look, “You know I’m a peasant, don�
�t tease.”
“No, you’re a queen. Mine,” he says, and presses a kiss onto my palm.
There’s a mechanical whirring and the plane grows a little darker, as the stairs pull up and lock into place.
Kaine pushes me towards the middle rows of chairs and into a seat. I’m so excited I can barely sit still and he admonishes me as he tries to do up my seatbelt.
“Stop squirming!” he scolds, not sounding mad at all.
I hold still as long as I can before twisting to peer out the window again.
“Where are we going?”
“Well, where do you want to go?”
I think about it for a moment, my mind fogging up with city names and towns I’ve never thought I could visit.
“I know,” I finally say.
“Where?”
“I want to go somewhere, you’ve never been before. I want to see you experience a new place for the very first time.”
“I’d hoped you’d say that,” he says, which makes no sense. He presses a button on the remote in his seat and there’s a buzzing of the intercom.
“Yes, Mr. Ashley, this is the captain speaking.”
“Captain, we’re ready. Location... where we discussed.”
“Yes, sir. We’re next in line to take off, but we should be in the air soon. It’s a bit windy out, but we should make good time.”
Kaine presses the button on the remote and the buzzing stops.
“You ready?” he asks, looking almost excited as I feel.
“Yes! Except I don’t even know where we’re going.”
“Well, you picked a place I’ve never been. So, I did.”
“But... you already discussed it with the pilot. How did you know I wasn’t going to say something else?”
“Luck?”
“So where are we going?”
He reaches over and takes my hands in his.
“Harrisonburg, Virginia.”
I can’t believe what he’s said. I turn and stare at him, the hoodie is pulled back and he’s smiling. I shake my head, unbelieving. He nods and runs his thumb along my cheek.
“No...”
“Yes, we’re going to go celebrate your birthday. With family.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
HER
You know how they say when you die, you see your life flashing before your eyes? Pictures of people you love and videos of your most memorable experiences?
I hope mine will just be a slow-motion re-enactment of my flight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Harrisonburg, Virginia, on my 28th birthday.
The first fifteen minutes of my flight are spent staring out the window in awe.
Watching as the houses and factories of New Jersey grow smaller and smaller as we ascend to the sky while the heavens soar closer and closer.
Finally, at cruising altitude, I sigh and sink back into my seat. Kaine reaches over and taps me on the knee.
"Happy?"
"Happy," I reply and hope he can see it in my eyes.
"Good. Hungry?"
"Always!"
"Okay, but you can't eat too much, your grandmother will kill me."
The mention of my family makes my heart squeeze and I clap my hands together.
"I can't believe I get to see them today."
"When’s the last time you saw them?”
"About a year and a half ago. It was during one of Gabriel’s good periods. He was even working as an office messenger, so we paid for them to come visit and take in a show. It was great.” I smile at the memory.
“And you haven’t seen them since then?”
“Not unless you count their tiny faces on facetime, no.” I stare out the window, at clouds floating by, without a care. “How did you do this?"
"Don't ask. Just enjoy."
"Fine. Now, you were saying something about a snack?"
He laughs and presses the button. The flight attendant comes out, holding a tray.
"Mr. Ashley, Ms. Sinclair, how has the flight been so far?”
"Wonderful, thank you. What've you got there? It smells great.” I crane my neck to see what her tray holds.
“Just a selection of light snacks. Mr. Ashley said you had a big lunch planned,” she replies, placing the tray on the table in front of me.
Family, food, a private plane charter, and Kaine.
Best birthday ever.
***
Two finger sandwiches and a gin martini later, I dab at my mouth with a napkin, rubbing my happy stomach.
"How long is the flight?" I ask Kaine.
"Not much longer, about 30 minutes, I'd say.” He looks up from his phone. I can’t imagine what he had to do to just take off, while his company is so busy preparing for their launch.
“So...” I start, an idea already brewing in my mind. I get up from my chair and perch on the arm of his.
“So...?”
I lean over and kiss him on the neck. There’s an instant growling in his throat.
“Careful. You've been torturing me enough as it is with that dress you're wearing. I'm about a single sideways glance away from ravaging you.”
I grin and ignore him, nibbling gently at his jaw, my hand reaching between his legs.
"Jade," he growls again. "I mean it. I have no self-control when it comes to you."
"Good. Because right now, I’m the one in control."
I stand up and spin his chair to face the aisle running down the middle of the plane. Nudging his knees closer together, I wriggle my hips and reach under my dress to slide my panties down my legs. Dropping them onto my now empty chair, I pull the hem of my tight red dress up almost to my waist, then swing a leg over to straddle his lap. His hands come up to rest on my thighs, his eyes pinned on me, wondering what's coming next.
I kiss him, hard and deep. Our mouths open almost as soon as they touch; his tongue is hot and wet in my mouth. He tastes sweet, fruity, like the jam on the muffin he just ate.
His hands come up, hot against my back, pushing me in closer as I grind down on his groin.
“I just want you to know, I’m really enjoying my birthday so far,” I whisper into his ear as I reach between us, fumbling with the zipper of his pants.
Pushing my hand away, he frees his cock. He's already rock hard. I round the head of his cock with a fingertip wet from my mouth.
“Fuck,” he growls and the word catches in his throat.
It's enough to spur me on and I raise myself up on my tip toes, edging closer to him. Positioning myself over his hardness, I brace my hand on his shoulders, drawing circles with my hips, teasing the tip of him with my rapidly throbbing sex.
"Jade. Let me inside you. I want to fuck you," he moans as I lean in running my lips along his jawline.
"Soon."
"No, now. I told you I have no self-control."
'But do you have control over me?"
He lifts his hips, trying to enter me, but I pull back, giggling softly.
“It would appear... not,” he growls, his eyes dark and dangerous.
“Then stop trying... and just enjoy,” I lean over and whisper into his ear.
I lower myself down on him again, the tip of his cock pressing against the rim of my pussy. I'm talking a big game, but all I want is to sink right down on his cock.
And it shows. He sees the flicker of need in my eyes, and he grins at me.
"So, you want a tease, do you?" he taunts me.
I bite my lip, feeling the power shift. I try to press down on him, needing to feel him fill me but it's his turn to pull back.
“Sweet, sexy Jade. Did you really think you were going to get away with teasing me?”
“Kaine... please,” I whimper.
He wraps his arms around my waist and stands up, picking me up with him.
I wrap my legs around his waist and he supports them while he lowers me to the floor. As he pulls my legs off him, he spreads them wide apart.
Sliding down my body until he's kneeling between my legs, he blows a stream of a
ir over sex. I shiver as it cools and I feel my pussy contract.
I want him so much it hurts.
"Fuck me Kaine."
“I will, baby, don't you worry. But first, I want to hear you beg.”
There's a finger light caress of the aching spot between my legs, but it's enough for me to release a long, deep moan.
"Ahhh, Kaine. No, please."
"No, the words are, ‘Please, Kaine, fuck me, I’m begging you.’"
I push down, hoping to make contact again with whatever it was that touched me. But there's nothing. He’s moved.
I reach down and grip the fabric of his hoodie, my urgency growing, and he chuckles.
"Sweet, Jade, you are so sexy, do you know that?"
He lowers his mouth back down and this time, it's a tongue that circles my clit, then pulls back.
"God, fuck!" I growl.
"Nope, still not the right words, baby."
His tongue returns to my clit and this time he presses hard against it, grinding the pad of his tongue against me, pushing me closer and closer to climax.
I've never felt so alive in my life.
Then he's gone again. I reach down, trying to reach for my clitoris, to give me the relief I need, but he gently pushes my hand away.
"Kaine. I need to... I want to... I want to come."
"Oh, you will. But not until I'm ready."
"And when will that be?"
"When I hear the words, Jade. You know the words I want to hear."
A finger slides into me, and my hips buck of their own accord. I swallow, my mouth filling with saliva, as my pussy floods with arousal.
What was I thinking trying to tease him? Of course he has total control over me,
My breath is ragged but I barely notice it, his finger is twisting and bending inside me, awakening every inch of me.
The stimulation is something... but it's not enough. I know what I need and I know what I need to get it.
"Kaine..."
"Say it, baby."
“Ahhh, fuck, Kaine..." comes my involuntary moan again when as his finger pushes deeper inside me, and I'm almost seeing stars.
"Say it, sweetheart, and I’ll give you everything you're needing,” he promises.
"Please, God, fuck me, Kaine, I’m begging you."
The finger pulls out and he's on top of me, and before I can take a breath, he slams his hips against mine, driving his cock into me.
"Oh, my God!"