Girl on a Plane

by Cassandra O'Leary

  Savouring her chocolate cake, she licked her spoon, allowing all her ideas to show plainly on her face. She savoured the way he swallowed and cleared his throat.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The hotel’s elegant function room was packed, a sea of glamorous people parting to allow them entry. Gabriel grasped her hand and she followed slightly behind him, swaying in her high heels as he cut through the crowd like a yacht sailing through clear water.

  Sinead took in the scene. Would she fit in with the elegant crowd? They were a mix of Gabriel’s business colleagues and potential clients from London’s socialite set. People milled around, chatting and laughing. The lights were low, except for a spotlighted stage at the far end of the room. Black chiffon curtains lined the entire wall behind it and silver accents shimmered around the Global Village logo on a lectern.

  The cocktail party was already in full swing. In fact, it had nearly swung. A bunch of young women exploded with raucous laughter nearby and others were busting out funky dance moves on a dance floor on the terrace.

  She was out of step with the late night, hedonistic vibe. Sinead and Gabriel were fashionably late. Striding in after ten o’clock on the arm of the only-very-recently-former CEO had stirred everyone’s interest. Gabriel was a handsome and eligible bachelor, making him, and them, the centre of attention. This was the first official company event Gabriel had taken her to. Women and men alike were sizing her up, assessing whether she was right for him. Had she passed the test?

  She glanced at Gabriel, resplendent in a tux without a tie and slightly ruffled hair. He hadn’t been worried about arriving on time. He’d been more intent on ‘relaxing’ with her in his hotel suite and she hadn’t exactly fought the idea. Making up after their misunderstanding over Kitty had been an absolute pleasure, for both of them. She’d been wrong to assume what had gone on between Gabriel and Kitty. So wrong to think the worst of him.

  He’d shown her how much he wanted her. Gabriel’s focus and concentration was impressive, in the boardroom and the bedroom. After nearly a whole day barricaded in his suite at Gabriel’s mercy, and sometimes, with him at her command, Sinead was the good kind of exhausted. Bone weary, jelly-legged and sporting a silly grin which anyone with half a brain could interpret from across the room. She was nervous, but also stupidly happy.

  Gabriel leaned in and whispered close to her ear. “Have I told you how beautiful you look in this dress?” He ran his hand up and down her bare arm and his gaze tracked the curves of her body, making her skin tingle as if he’d tickled her with a feather.

  “I think you may have mentioned it upstairs when you helped zip me up. Thank you for the dress, by the way. I love it.”

  Sinead hadn’t wanted to go back to her flat, even to find a dress. When Gabriel had invited her to accompany him to the cocktail party, she’d had a minor what-to-wear freak-out. The little black dress was waiting in a glamorous black and silver box on the bed when they returned from lunch. Apparently the concierge service extended to shopping for stunning designer dresses, at least for super-rich businessman types.

  Actually, Gabriel had asked about her favourite designers. She’d assumed they’d have to visit loads of shops until they found the right dress. But they were saved from having to traipse all over London. The Karen Millen design in the box was gorgeous, with a plunging neckline bordered by sparkling silver and jet black beads and a slim pencil skirt. Sophisticated but not overdone. Perfect.

  Then he’d presented her with a double string of black pearls with a dainty silver clasp shaped like an angel. She’d almost cried. She may have sniffled a bit. He’d selected the necklace for her personally a few days ago, choosing something unique. The handwritten message on the enclosed card still sent shimmers of pleasure through her:

  These reminded me of you. Special and sensual, with a rainbow of hidden colour to discover when you look closely. A treasure to keep forever. Your Gabriel.

  His words had her melting, wanting to tell him how her heart belonged to him. She held back, needing more stable footing before she put herself out there any further. And she still hadn’t told him about Bridie’s situation or the possible threat from Padraig. It hung over her like a dark thundercloud, but she hadn’t wanted to ruin things with Gabriel. Bridie hadn’t called her back, but she pushed it to the back of her mind.

  Padraig had tainted so much in her life, she didn’t want him to stain this new relationship with Gabriel too. Gabriel had been so attentive, she’d been wrapped up in their bubble again, safe from the dangers out there in the world.

  So instead of blubbering or laying her feelings on the line with Gabriel, she’d tried on the pearl necklace and the selection of filmy lace and silk lingerie that arrived with the dress.

  Now, touching the pearls at her throat, skimming her fingertips over their smoothness, heat rose in her belly. She remembered how pleased Gabriel had been with his personal fashion show.

  The noise of the party swirled around them, but she looked up at Gabriel and everything else faded away.

  “What’s the naughty look for? I like it,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Mmm. I was remembering when you gave me the necklace.” She sighed when he pressed his lips against her throat for a moment.

  He hummed against her skin, then stepped back. “Hold that thought for a while. We need to say a few hellos now we’re here. Let’s grab a drink and find Ryan.”

  She nodded, craning her neck to see where Ryan might be.

  Gabriel snapped up two glasses of champagne from a roving waiter. He passed her one and she took a sip. Gabriel spotted Ryan, leaning against one of the French doors leading out to the terrace. He had a circle of people around him, hanging on his every word.

  She and Gabriel crossed the room hand-in-hand. They approached the group and Sinead noticed Charlotte standing nearby, frowning into her drink. Charlotte was quiet, perhaps feeling a bit out of place. Much as Sinead had felt when she first arrived. When Gabriel let go of Sinead’s hand to slap Ryan on the back, Sinead sidled up to Charlotte.

  “Hello, Charlotte. Excuse me if I’m talking out of turn, but are you all right?”

  Charlotte glanced at her. “Hi. I’m a bit tired I suppose, working late with Ryan. We’ve been analysing this hostile takeover issue.” Charlotte’s smile seemed forced, and the expression didn’t reach her eyes. She downed her remaining drink in a final gulp.

  Taking a sip of her drink, Sinead wondered about Charlotte’s comments. Sinead hadn’t heard anything about a hostile takeover, but it didn’t sound like good news. She and Gabriel hadn’t had much time for business talk. But she sensed there was more going on with Charlotte.

  Sinead’s gaze followed Charlotte’s, looking over to where Ryan held court. The group of men and women gathered around him laughed at some joke he’d shared. They were too loud, too eager for his approval. Gabriel stood beside Ryan, then poked him in the ribs with a low laugh. A pained expression crossed Charlotte’s face when she caught Ryan’s eye, but she covered it quickly.

  Sinead noted the furrowed eyebrows and apparent confusion on Ryan’s face. She guessed he hadn’t noticed Charlotte was feeling out of sorts.

  “I have to get going. Excuse me,” Charlotte spoke in an aside as she brushed past Sinead.

  “Hope to see you again soon,” said Sinead.

  No one from the group seemed to notice Charlotte leave. But Ryan stared after her, his eyebrows cinched together. She didn’t know what to make of the silent exchange. Before she could think about it further, Gabriel moved back to Sinead’s side.

  “Sinead, I’d like to introduce you to our London team,” Gabriel began, then reeled off a list of names. They all merged together.

  The team members were friendly and a little drunk, telling tall tales about this win or that project, of little interest to an outsider. She didn’t absorb the details, but she noticed Ryan searching the room.

  “If you’re looking for Charlotte, she said she had to leave. I don
’t think she was feeling well.”

  “Ah, right. I might call her in a while.” Ryan grinned, a cheeky glint in his eye. “Well, Sinead. It’s great to see you again so soon. I hope you’re looking after Gabe here.”

  Ryan elbowed Gabriel in the ribs so he let out a huff of air – a literal ribbing. Sinead didn’t understand why men had to bash each other to be friendly, but the comfortable camaraderie between the pair was good to see.

  “I’m doing my best. Gabriel’s been taking wonderful care of me these past few days. And I don’t want him to go home to Melbourne.”

  “Irish, you’re selling yourself short. I’ve never been better cared for than by you. And we’ll see each other soon. I promise.” Gabriel wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

  Ryan rolled his eyes and groaned, but it was good-natured teasing. “You two are sickeningly loved-up. Don’t mind me, I’m jealous as shit. I wish I had a stunning woman like Sinead to keep me warm at night.” He paused, checking out the crowd near the exit. “Speaking of stunning women, I should try to find Charlotte. Back soon.”

  Sinead and Gabriel glanced at the retreating Ryan, then met each other’s eyes.

  “Loved up, hey? Is it so obvious?” Gabriel asked, eyes on her.

  Heat slunk up her throat and across her cheeks. Her heart wobbled. Had Gabriel meant to use the word “love”, or was it the sexy image that grabbed him? Because there was a whole lot of sexy going on in his blue-eyed devil’s stare. Ignoring the L-word for now, she moved closer to his side.

  “Gabriel, you’re getting me all hot and bothered. In public.” She pressed her body into his, then wrapped her arm around his waist, drawing him closer.

  Gabriel chuckled then placed his hand over hers. “I’d like to explore the ‘in public’ thing with you. Sometime.”

  She shivered although she was far from cold, as a host of delectable mental images presented themselves. “Aye, that sounds grand.”

  He moved his hand down lower on her hip.

  Trying to distract herself before her hormones took flight and jumped on him, she changed the subject. “Charlotte mentioned a hostile takeover, but I got the sense she was hostile towards Ryan. She seemed down, or she could’ve been sick.”

  Gabriel nodded, smoothing his hand over her hip. “Yeah, Ryan seemed a bit off when I called him today. I figured it was the discussions with the Board. I’ll give him advice when he asks, but Ry needs to take the lead as CEO now. I’ll ask him about Charlotte though. She seems like a nice woman, smart too. It’d be a shame if Ry messed things up and pushed her away.”

  They were wrapped up in their own little bubble, deep in conversation, when someone on a microphone announced Gabriel Anderson was “in the house”. Sinead looked up at him, to see a puzzled expression cross his face.

  “I wasn’t expecting speeches. Where’s Ryan got to?”

  They both scanned the crowd but before Sinead could answer, Gabriel was being escorted to the stage at the other end of the function room by a young man with slicked-back hair. Michael from PR.

  As soon as Gabriel’s back was turned, Sinead’s senses went on red alert, prickles at the back of her neck warning of someone lurking behind her. Lurking, or loitering with intent to annoy the hell out of her.

  Slowly twisting her head to the left, Sinead found Kitty, glaring at her. She’d obviously been waiting to talk to Sinead without Gabriel nearby. Sinead had known the woman would be here, since she’d organised the event. Gabriel had already warned her. That didn’t mean Sinead had to waste time talking to Kitty.

  Sinead didn’t want to give the woman the time of day, so she faced the stage where Gabriel stood front and centre before a microphone.

  “Welcome everyone to the launch of the Global Village Europe office. We’ve heard London calling for quite some time, so it’s exciting to be here and see this new branch of the company becoming a reality.”

  Sinead’s attention floated away and Gabriel’s speech faded to background noise, when Kitty moved close enough to strangle.

  She whispered into Sinead’s ear. “He’s magnificent, isn’t he? So commanding and … what’s the word? Dominant. He could have anyone he wants. You know he probably has bagged half of the women here. London’s best and brightest. It would take an exceptional woman to hold onto him. Don’t you agree?”

  Sinead refused to be intimidated by this woman who’d flung herself at Gabriel but been rejected. Sour grapes were the flavour of the evening as far as Kitty was concerned.

  Calm as you like, Sinead tipped her head to the side and simply stared at Kitty. Sinead didn’t belong to London’s elite set, but she was tougher than she appeared and she’d win a staring contest hands down.

  Sinead held the other woman’s gaze, willing Kitty to wither and die. If not die, at least get the hell out of her way for good.

  Kitty’s mouth pinched into an ugly pout. “Nothing to say, Sinead? I must say, I’m disappointed. Won’t you at least defend your boyfriend’s honour? His reputation precedes him, and he has a big reputation. Extremely big. Which I was happy to confirm in the flesh when I saw him naked. If you hadn’t arrived I would’ve had him. He was ready for me, if you take my meaning.”

  Sinead’s mouth popped open in shock before she could control herself. Her blood thumped through her body and her fingernails clenched into the palms of her hands. The thought of Kitty looking at Gabriel that way, it was too much to bear. Itching for a fight, she barely stopped herself from slapping Kitty back to whatever rock she crawled out from under. Instead, she held her head high and gave the woman some parting words to ponder.

  “Kitty, if Gabriel wanted a woman who was begging for it, he could find one on a street corner. It may surprise you to know he prefers a stronger woman. Someone who loves him and wants to take care of him. Get out of my sight. I won’t waste another word on you.”

  Sinead turned to face the stage, crossing her arms. Kitty’s rough exhalation of breath, still too close to the back of her neck, made her skin crawl. “Bruce Champion is going to crush him.” Kitty spat the words.

  A moment later, the woman was thankfully gone. Sinead didn’t know what Kitty was on about. Whoever that Bruce person was, he sounded like bad news.

  Then it happened. They locked gazes across a crowded room, a moment she’d read about in all the best romance novels. But this wasn’t romantic. It wasn’t Gabriel flooded by a spotlight who captured her attention, it was a shadowy figure, barely visible where he leaned against a large column to the right of the stage.

  Something about the way he stood made her mind click and whirr. The set of his beefy shoulders and the contained rage and strength, helped her recognise him despite the poor lighting.

  Padraig.

  He was there, across the room. She swallowed, her feet glued to the spot.

  Okay, okay, okay.

  She could run, but where? Taking a gulp of air, she squeezed her hands into fists by her sides so her nails dug into her palms.

  Why was he at the party? Did he really follow her, or was there some legitimate reason for him to be there? He was an almost-famous footballer in Ireland. Perhaps he’d been invited? No, she didn’t believe it was coincidence – he had to be there to cause trouble for her and Gabriel. She was stupid for ignoring the danger. Why hadn’t she told Gabriel about Padraig already? Gabriel would have made sure she was safe from harm.

  “How are you doing over here?” The deep, resonant male voice was far too close to her side and she jumped, suddenly scared and confused. Her hands trembled.

  When she sucked in a breath and glanced to her right, she found it was Ryan who’d spoken. He stood only a few inches away. “Oh, Ryan, you startled me. I saw someone I used to know. At least, I think it’s my ex standing over there.” She waved towards the side of the stage.

  Both Padraig and Gabriel watched her from their respective positions across the room. Padraig’s gaze was a malevolent force, a magnet sucking her strength from her body, leavi
ng her jittery. His dark eyes glittered in the low light.

  On the stage, Gabriel inclined his head and shot her a familiar, lopsided smile she realised was for her alone. He calmed her, made her a tad steadier.

  “Someone you used to know, like the song. The ex, is he a friend? Do you want to go and talk to him, get re-acquainted?” Ryan waggled his eyebrows. It would’ve been funny, if she hadn’t been on the verge of fainting dead away.

  She crossed her arms, bracing herself. “No, he’s no friend. I wouldn’t ride him into war. I’m not going near him. Ryan, he’s bad news. Could you get Gabriel for me?” Her voice shook and Ryan obviously understood she was serious. Serious and nervous.

  He patted her arm. “Don’t worry, I’ll have him back in no time.”

  Ryan strode towards the stage, a man on a mission. She was alone, although she was in the middle of a crowd. She tracked Ryan’s progress through the guests, up the steps on the left side of the stage and across to Gabriel.

  Michael the PR rep was speaking, announcing a marketing and social media campaign, but the details buzzed in her ears like white noise.

  Ryan tapped Gabriel on the shoulder and spoke in his ear, then Gabriel’s eyes found hers. Gabriel’s jaw clenched, his shoulders stiffened, thunderclouds seemed to hover over him. After a word to Ryan, Gabriel descended from the stage and moved in her direction. But she lost track of him when he dodged around a large group of people, blocking her sight line.

  Her eyes flicked across to where she’d seen Padraig standing, but only a dark shadow remained. Where was he? Her heart stuttered in panic and she clenched her fists tight again, before she lifted her right hand to the necklace Gabriel had given her, stroking along the strand. The cool, smooth surface of the pearls was comforting to touch.

  Craning her neck to find Gabriel over people’s heads, she let out a low gasp when something touched her. Grabbed her. A large, hot and familiar hand grasped her waist from behind.