“Don’t you ladies look outstanding,” Xander said to the group. As he helped Melanie and Annie onto the helicopter, he stopped Natalie. “You look stunning.”
She gave a curtsy and answered him in the accent of a true southern belle. “Why thank you, kind sir, it’s nothin’ but a lil hocus pocus.” She laughed. He laughed with her and followed her onto the chopper. The five of them strapped in. The rest of the team would travel with Sam by car. They had other business to tend to. The ladies traded their extravagant hats for headphones so they were able to communicate with everyone in the helicopter. The pilot fired up the engine and three rotor blades began to spin with a grand swooping sound above them.
The captain tapped into everyone’s headphones. “If everyone is ready to go, Mr. King, we will get you all on your way.”
Xander gave the pilot a thumbs-up and the pilot announced a travel time of only twenty minutes. Xander noticed that Natalie once again gave the chair a nervous clutch.
“First time in a helicopter?”
She looked down at her hands and gave a nervous laugh. It seemed to be a natural reflex for her, one she didn’t even know was happening.
“How’d you guess?” She smiled, her voice was distorted as it passed through the chopper’s com system.
The helicopter shook for a moment, then began a gentle rise away from the bluegrass below. Xander wasn’t all that crazy about helicopters himself; too many of his SEAL team missions had been carried out from them.
At least this time I won’t be exiting by squirming down a rope. No rage-crazed terrorists waiting below, either.
Xander glanced around the cabin and everyone seemed content as the chopper tilted its nose toward Louisville. They leveled off at around nine thousand feet, any higher than that and the cozy unpressurized cabin wouldn’t feel so comfortable anymore. Almost as soon as they were up, they were on their way back down. The three majestic spires on the grandstand at Churchill Downs their pointed peaks toward the bright blue sky. Severe clear today, son, his dad would say to him when not a single cloud could be found. He knew his dad was looking down on him today. Proud. His dad always loved going to the track. In hindsight it was probably more about spending time with his son than actually betting on the horses. A billionaire betting pennies on ponies wasn’t lost on Xander, even at such a young age. His dad hated losing money.
A crowd of thousands gathered below them. They looked like an army of ants swarming into their hill. The helicopter made its way over row after row of stables until it hovered over a bare patch of grass just off to the side of all the hoopla. Xander couldn’t help but judge every landing by its softness, just a habit he and his fellow soldiers became used to because it would help put their minds at ease with each mission they carried out. Even on a day with perfect conditions, it wasn’t easy to come to a smooth landing in a helicopter.
“Nice one, Harry,” Xander announced with approval. Even Xander was impressed by his pilot’s control. The helicopter came to a stop on the grass like your head as it hits the pillow. Immediately, the smell of horses came to the noses of the group, a smell Xander loved. It was most likely a mixture of hay and horseshit, not a combination that would be loved by most. The pilot shut off the engine and as the rotors slowed their way to a halt, Xander popped the door open and began helping everyone down to the ground. They were greeted with a smile by a Churchill Downs official.
“Mr. King, my name is Rory. I’m in charge of making sure today goes as smoothly for you as it possibly can.”
Rory was a lanky young man, couldn’t have been a day over twenty-one. His thick combed-over dark hair fluttered in the breeze of the last few turns of the helicopter’s rotors. He extended his hand and darted his eyes around the faces of the group with the excitement of someone who had just been told he would be escorting around a movie star all day.
Xander shook his hand. “Rory, call me Xander. This is Natalie, Kyle, Annie, and Melanie.”
“Wow, Natalie Rockwell. It is such an honor. You are so beautiful!”
“The honor is mine, Rory, and thank you. Aren’t you sweet. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Mr. King—Xander, your sister and your niece arrived just a bit ago and we have shown them to the owners lounge upstairs. And if you don’t mind me saying, I’m a huge fan of King’s Ransom, the horse and the bourbon. It’s all my friends and I drink,” Rory went on. He spoke almost as fast as they could listen. His nerves might have been getting the best of him.
“Thanks, Rory. Glad you all like it. Give Melanie your address later and I’ll send you guys a case,” Xander told him as they followed Rory toward the stables.
“That’s awesome, sir. Thank you! My buddies are so jealous that I get to hang out with you guys today. Anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. Oh, and speaking of King’s Ransom, you have about a half an hour before they need you in the media room. Would you like to see him? I went by his stall earlier and he was having a little snack.”
“Perfect.” Xander replied, then turned to everyone, “Does that sound good to you all?”
Natalie smiled, “I can’t wait to meet the man of the hour!”
Kyle and Annie agreed and they followed Rory to the entrance of the stables. They entered the metal barnlike structure through the back door so as to avoid the media that lurked around front. King’s Ransom was the darling of the day. In the weeks leading up to the race, ESPN had done several features of the Kentucky-bred favorite. They even shot a piece at the house before Ransom was moved to Louisville earlier in the week. Gary—Ransom’s trainer—thought it would be best to come early and let him acclimate to these surroundings. It also gave him the chance to run some extra furlongs on Churchill’s track. The media seemed especially keen on Ransom for several reasons. First off, there was the dizzying amount of cash Xander had laid out two years ago on the untested yearling. Second, he had multiple Derby winners in his lineage. And lastly, he was just a gigantic horse. More freight train than Thoroughbred as his head feverishly bobbed its way down the track over his seven foot frame. The only thing missing was the warning whistle. His midnight-black coat made him all the more ominous. The media had just been captivated by him.
Rory led them down the dirt-covered walkway, passing stall after stall of beautiful horses. Millions of dollars’ worth of horses. Normally, because of the sheer volume of horses parading in and out during the morning there would be manure land mines to avoid all along this path, but because of the type of people that owned these animals, Churchill had dedicated workers to follow the horses around and make sure it all barely even touched the ground. It reminded Xander of the summer his dad put him to work on a friend’s farm. It wasn’t the most fun he’d had making money, but he loved the horses. It was the chicken shit that really ruined his day.
“This is so exciting, Xander. Thanks for being a little crazy and inviting us along,” Annie spoke up from the back of the pack. The ladies walked gingerly along the path in an attempt to keep from kicking up dust on their pretty shoes.
“Absolutely, Annie, I love bringing first-timers. Lets me live it a little for the first time again myself. It doesn’t hurt that y’all are so damn gorgeous either. You’ll make my stock rise.” Xander winked at Natalie as she walked beside him.
“You surprise me, Xander,” Annie answered. “Most good-looking rich guys are too full of themselves to be romantic souls. Now that I’ve gotten to know you a little, you seem like you might be all right.”
“Awe, Annie, that was sweet. Can y’all believe that we just met last night? Seems like a week ago.” Natalie said.
“Did I just hear a ‘y’all’?” Kyle laughed.
Xander laughed. “I believe you did. She’s gonna fit right in today.”
Natalie gave another curtsy.
As they approached the end of the stables the air became a little less stuffy. The main stable door was open and it let a much needed breeze blow through. The chatter of voices and snapping cameras reached their ea
rs as they turned the corner to the first stall on the second row.
So much for avoiding the media.
A man in a seersucker suit and a tan straw hat approached them as they approached the commotion.
“You want me to get them out of here, Xander?”
“If you think you can without making a stink.” Xander hugged the man, then turned to Natalie. “Not sure how they will react seeing you here, Natalie. I’m sorry, Gary, this is Natalie and Annie. You know K and Melanie. Ladies, this is Gary Trudough, the engine that makes King’s Ransom run.”
Before they could say hello, one of the members of the media noticed Natalie and drew everyone’s attention to her.
“Natalie Rockwell? Is that you?” A woman in a blue dress asked. “Natalie, what are you doing here with Mr. King?”
Natalie stepped to them like a pro. Mainly because she was exactly that. Xander figured she had swarms of paparazzi following her for most of her adult life. A trip to the grocery store was news in Hollywood when it was Natalie Rockwell.
“Hello everyone. This is Xander’s day,” she said. Then she walked over to the stall that read “King’s Ransom”. “More importantly it is this beautiful boy’s day. I’m just a friend lending some support.”
“Natalie!” A member of the media shouted. “Natalie, how long have you known Mr. King? Are the two of you, together?”
Gary stepped in as Natalie smiled and repeated she was only there for friendly support. “Okay, all right. Thank you all for coming over. King’s Ransom will be available again in an hour. We will let you know. Thank you.” He ushered them toward the exit of the stables.
“Mr. King! Mr. King!” Another reporter shouted. “How long have you and Miss Rockwell been a couple?”
Xander just smiled. “The only couple in here you should be worried about is a couple of sad Thoroughbred horses that are going to be watching Ransom’s ass as he crosses the finish line in front of them. I’ll give you all the details on that at the press conference in fifteen minutes.”
The crowd of reporters gave an understanding laugh and made their way out of the stables to give him and his friends some privacy. King’s Ransom gave an approving whinny at the peaceful silence they left in their wake.
“I see this isn’t your first rodeo with cameras and questions,” Xander said to Natalie.
“You have no idea,” Annie chimed in. “This girl crosses the street in Beverly Hills and double that group of cameramen would be nipping at her heels.”
“True story.” Natalie smiled. “You get used to it.”
“I’d end up kicking every single one of them in the teeth,” Kyle jumped in. “That or take a dump right on the sidewalk in front of them. Really give them something to talk about.”
They laughed as Xander nodded his head, knowing full well that was the absolute truth. “Anyway, Natalie, Annie, meet King’s Ransom. Ransom, this is Natalie and Annie.”
The giant horse let out a breath of air and nodded as if to say hello. His stance one of gallant confidence, his black eyes a quiet fury.
“He is magnificent, Xander. Wow, you said he was big, but, my god, he’s as tall as two of me!” Natalie marveled, admiring the black beauty.
“That’s not saying much,” Annie joked.
Natalie made a pouty face and stuck her tongue out at Annie. They all shared a laugh.
“Xander,” Rory spoke up, “I hate to interrupt, but you might want to start over toward the conference room.”
“Of course. Would you be kind enough to show them to where we’ll all be spending the day? Maybe get them a bottle of champagne?”
“Absolutely. And there is already a bottle of Veuve Clicquot on ice, chilling as we speak.”
“Good man, Rory. All right you guys, I won’t be too long and I’ll be right up to the box. Rory, make sure you take care of this pretty lady in my absence,” Xander said, kissing Natalie on the hand and handing her off to him.
Natalie sent Xander an air kiss and with a smile she walked out of the stables along with the rest of the group. Xander made his way out into the Kentucky sunshine behind them. Various colored roses lined the cobblestone walkway beneath his feet on all sides. Sprinkled in were some fully bloomed dogwood trees bursting with their signature white and pink buds that spattered like a painting against the backdrop of the grandstand. The sun began to bake on the shoulders of his suit and he could feel the warmth all the way to his skin. Sam was waiting ahead at the entrance to the conference area. She looked especially pretty today, but he knew that after years of complimenting her it would fall on deaf ears if he were to say so.
“All right, Xander, everything is set. We have to go with plan B, however, because we couldn’t bring in everything we needed for your weapon,” Sam told him, all business.
“Sounds good. I told you plan B was more suitable for this son of a bitch anyway. Do we have confirmation that he is here yet?”
“We do. Kulakov arrived alone, twenty minutes ago. He will be easy to spot; he’s wearing a rubbish plaid sport-coat with a dreadful pair of striped trousers. He looks as if he dressed himself in the bloody dark.”
“Okay, Sam.” Xander laughed. “Just tip Kyle like we discussed and he will let me know everything is in place when it’s time. I’ll see you in the winner’s circle?”
“I’ll see you back at the house when the job is finished. I’ll leave the winner’s circle for you and Natalie,” Sam replied.
“Ooh, what’s this? Do I detect some jealousy, Samantha? I didn’t know you were so in love with me…Humph, all this time…” he joked. Sam just turned up her nose and walked away. It was eleven by then, so Xander straightened his tie and walked into the press conference.
This Owner’s Box Will Do Just Fine
Natalie took in the scenery on her walk with everyone to the owner’s box. Though she thought them gorgeous, she wasn’t interested as much in the dogwoods and the roses as she was the dresses and hats. She just loved the grandeur of this day, much more than she had anticipated. It harkened back to a time she felt was far more romantic than today. Maybe that was the appeal of Xander. She was used to the redundancy of the big city. Redundant in a way that she hadn’t even realized until she came here. It sounded silly to her, even as she thought it, because Los Angeles offered so many different things to ever be considered redundant. But to her, they were all the same things. She’d often wondered how many perfectly lit lounges and super-fun nightclubs a nearly thirty-year-old woman could stand anyway? She longed for charm. So far, the charm of this day was suiting her just fine. She got to wear a new dress, a fun hat, fed a baby horse, rode a four-wheeler, a helicopter…had a kiss. And what a kiss it was. It reminded her of a line from the movie Hearts in Atlantis when Anthony Hopkins, as Ted Brautigan, told young Bobby that his kiss with Carol Gerber “would be the kiss against which, all others in your life would be judged…and left wanting.” She feared this to be true of her first kiss with Alexander King. She couldn’t imagine another kiss would ever measure up. Natalie smiled at the thought and laughed at her own hopeless romantic plight. It did, however, seem as though Xander at least shared her romantic soul.
They walked up a set of concrete stairs and outside through a short tunnel. The concrete roof of the tunnel gave way to the massive wooden overhang of the classic Churchill grandstand. In front of her sprawled an amazing view of the track. Beyond the dirt track and the white railing lay a gorgeous display of roses, colored and shaped to form the words The 141st Kentucky Derby. Beyond that, a colossal video screen that marked the beginning of what she remembered someone calling the infield. There looked to be a carnival of sorts happening inside that grass-covered inner ring of the track. Hot dog stands, bands playing, and swarms of people all came together under the deep blue Kentucky sky. She’d heard on several occasions that it always ended up an out of control party in there. By the time the actual run for the roses took place in a few hours, as she’d been told, half the 80,000 some odd people in there would
n’t even know there was a race going on. Bourbon had that effect on people. Natalie had felt those effects far too many times in her life for the idea of the infield to be appealing to her now.
No, thanks. This owner’s box will do just fine.
“Well, are y’all excited?” Kyle bellowed as he walked them into the box and began to work his way into the champagne. There were ten chairs in the all open-air box that could be situated any way anyone saw fit. On the two tables that were fastened to a short wall sat a couple of ice buckets, chilling the champagne. Another couple of buckets held bottles of Xander and Kyle's very own King’s Ransom Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. A few mixers and some extra ice were in a couple of buckets on the ground. The races had yet to begin, but hordes of people had already packed the place full of drinking and laughter.
After meeting Xander’s sister, Helen, and his adorable niece, Kaley, Natalie noticed Kyle pouring some champagne, but what really caught her eye was the way Annie was looking at him as he did so. Annie was a lot like Natalie when it came to relationships. There had been some tough ones and they’d left both of them scarred enough to be really wary when it came to men. Kyle had an infectious personality, so she could see why Annie was drawn to him. Unfortunately for Natalie, the last couple of guys she’d met who’d had such boisterous personalities kept wanting to share it with other women. Lots…of other women.
“Well, what do you think? A little overwhelming, huh?” Melanie asked.
“It is, but in a good way. I don’t really know how to bet, though. I’ll probably make a fool of myself,” Natalie replied.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Xander will have you up and running in no time! Pardon the pun!” Melanie laughed.
Whiskey & Roses (The Xander King Series Book 1) Page 7