by Claire Adams
“Well, cheers to Declan for making our free-drinking evening possible.”
“Cheers to Declan.”
The interesting thing about getting free alcohol is that it automatically makes me want to drink more than I normally would. I’m not one to waste an opportunity, and by the end of our evening, both Jessica and I could barely walk as we made it to the front of the club and our waiting luxury SUV.
“I’m supposed to leave in like an hour,” I laughed as I lay back on the sleek leather seats. “There’s no way I’m waking up if I go to sleep.”
“How about we just drop you off at Declan’s house?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed at Jessica’s wonderful idea. “I’ll just go there and be earlier. That’s much better than being late.”
We both laughed at the idea, although if we had been sober I’m sure it wouldn’t have been as funny. I scrolled through my phone and found Declan’s address and gave it to our driver. By the time we arrived, I could hardly keep my eyes opened as I walked up to his doorway and rang the bell. It was still dark outside, but the promise of morning was on the horizon, and the smell in the air had changed over to morning mist.
“I’m going home!” Jessica yelled from the SUV. “Have a nice trip. Don’t sleep with that sexy-ass boss of yours,” she yelled as Declan opened the front door. “Crap, drive, drive, drive,” she ordered the driver.
“Sorry,” I said dramatically. “I’m in no shape to go home, and I didn’t want to miss our flight.”
Declan stood in his doorway assessing the situation. He looked at Jessica and her fancy black SUV as they drove away and then he looked at me. His eyes were still tired from his night of sleeping, his hair tussled from his bed, and his short beard was just slightly disheveled. And he stood there with no shirt and his pajama pants sitting so low on his waist that I could see the V of his pelvis.
I swallowed hard as I waited for him to respond, my brain too fuzzy to know if I should say anything else or just wait for him to say something. My eyes drew a line from his lips down his chest to that deep V of his pelvis. I licked my lips as my imagination went wild thinking about what his body would taste like if I pressed my mouth against his chest.
“Emmi. Emmi, are you alright?” Declan said as he shook my arm. “I think you should come lay down on the couch.”
“Um, what did you say?”
“Lay down. You don’t look so good,” he said as he guided me toward his couch.
Declan’s house was surprisingly small for the amount of money he had. I’d expected it to be some sort of mansion. Instead, it was just a normal home in the hills of Los Angeles. The inside was updated recently, and I could see the high-tech kitchen as I walked in and flopped down on his couch.
“Is that a computer screen on your refrigerator?” I asked as I looked over toward the kitchen appliance.
“Yep, I’ll show you how it works sometime, but for now, let’s get you some sleep before we have to leave.”
“Oh, no. I shouldn’t sleep if we are leaving in an hour. You’ll never get me up.”
“It’s okay. Close your eyes for a moment.”
“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I smiled as I rolled over and closed my eyes. “Hey, Declan, can I ask you a question?”
I felt Declan come and sit down next to me on the couch. His hand brushed my hair out of my face as his fingers gently touched my skin. The soothing motion made it hard for me to think straight, but I finally remembered what I wanted to ask him.
“Why are you single? You’re a really nice guy. More handsome than most men too. I don’t understand why you are still single.”
“I think that’s a question with a very long answer,” he said softly. “And right now you need to get some sleep. We can talk about it another time.”
He continued stroking my hair and then I felt him get up. I couldn’t pry my eyes open but I heard him moving around nearby, and soon he had returned. There was a clang of a glass being set down on the coffee table, and then Declan pulled a blanket up over me.
“Can you take these pills before you go to sleep?” he asked.
“What are they?”
“Just some aspirin to fend off your headache when you wake up in the morning.”
“I’m not sure I should take them. I feel like throwing up.”
“Let’s give it a try, then I’ll let you sleep.”
He sat down with me and helped me sit up a little. I held my hand out as he placed two pills there and I slid them quickly into my mouth as I held my other hand out for the cup of liquid that I knew he had placed nearby. As soon as I felt the cold glass in my hand, I put it up to my lips and pressed my head back as I consumed just enough to swallow my pills.
“It’s a good thing I trust you,” I giggled. “I just took two mystery pills with a sip of mystery liquid.”
I collapsed back down on the couch and Declan tucked the covers back around me. I wanted to say thank you to him, but I could hardly bring myself to talk as I started to get sleepier and sleepier. As I drifted off to sleep, I heard Declan whisper something in my ear, but for the life of me I couldn’t make out what he had said.
Chapter 11
Declan
Emmi was right: it was impossible to wake her up after she had fallen asleep. But that whole morning hadn’t turned out like I’d expected it to at all. Rosa’s daughter was sick so she had to back out and the airplane was stuck in Seattle as it waited to refuel because of a delay up there. By the time the pilot called to say he was ready for us, it was nearly noon, and Emmi had been sound asleep the whole time.
“Emmi, we need to get going. The plane is ready,” I said as I tried to wake her up.
She groaned and rolled around on the couch, but I couldn’t get her to even open her eyes. Finally I decided to gather her up in my arms and carried her out to my Jeep. As I placed her in the passenger seat, I was sure she’d wake up from the glare of the afternoon sun, but she did not.
The daylight had warmed the seats and Emmi moaned as she readjusted herself to get comfortable. I waited for a moment to see if she’d open her eyes, but then decided to just keep us moving so we could get to the airport. The pilots didn’t care how long we took, but I personally hated being late. I had hoped we would arrive in Breckenridge with some daylight still to spare so we could get a good look at the property.
I pressed myself into the Jeep as I pulled the seatbelt across her lap and buckled her in. Still, she didn’t wake up. Surely the bumpy drive through the city to the airport would wake her up, but as we made our way weaving in and out of the side streets, Emmi still didn’t wake up. I had to smile at her level of deep sleep. I envied it. Sleep wasn’t something I got much of and I certainly couldn’t sleep while someone else was carrying me or driving me somewhere.
Finally, as we arrived at the airport, I had to wake her up so she could visit with the TSA official before boarding the jet. TSA officials were very lenient when it came to private jets and their passengers, but they did require the passenger to at least be awake and able to answer a few questions before getting onto the plane. The officials had to ensure I wasn’t kidnapping Emmi or something nefarious like that.
“Emmi,” I shook her gently as we parked outside the main private jet building. “Emmi, you really have to wake up or we can’t leave.”
She twisted and moved in her seat and then covered her eyes as she tried to open them. When the sun proved to be too brilliant for her, she resigned herself to sitting there with her eyes closed as she tried to figure out what was going on.
“What time is it?” she muttered as she pulled her dry lips apart. “Where are we?”
I quickly handed her a water bottle and let her sip on it while I opened the back of the Jeep. The airport staff were at my vehicle almost instantly and grabbed our bags to bring them in the building. I waited for Emmi to wake up enough to walk in with me and then helped her steady herself as we made our way into the building.
“Let�
�s just get inside,” I said as I unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her hand. “Do you think you can walk?”
“Yes, of course,” she said, although she still hadn’t opened her eyes. “Why is it so bright out? What time is it?” she asked again.
“It’s about noon. We really do need to get going. Watch your step.”
I guided her into the building and to a chair in front of the TSA officer. This wouldn’t take too much time, and then we’d be on our way to Breckenridge. The seats could lay flat on the plane, so Emmi could go right back to sleep if she wanted to.
“Is she alright?” he asked with concern in his voice.
“Yes, she was out drinking all night. Here’s her identification,” I said as I opened her purse and handed it to him.
“Ma’am, have you been in possession of your luggage since it was packed?”
“What luggage?” she asked in total confusion.
“She didn’t pack her luggage. Her friend Jessica did and brought it to us. Feel free to look through it if you’d like.”
“I’ll glance at it in a second. Ma’am, do you feel well enough to fly?” the TSA officer asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. And if Jessica could have added to the luggage I packed, it’s fine too.”
We spent only five minutes in the office before they went through Emmi’s luggage and then allowed us to board the plane. Emmi finally opened her eyes as we walked across the paved tarmac and up the stairs to the waiting jet. She grabbed onto me and the handrail as we walked up the dozen or so stairs; besides being a little wobbly, she appeared to be functioning perfectly fine.
“Would you like anything to drink?” the male steward, Marvin, asked us as we slipped into the big reclining leather chairs.
“Orange juice and some Tylenol if you have it,” Emmi said.
She looked remarkably comfortable aboard the private jet. Most women I’d taken on jets spent the first half-hour saying how awesome it was. But Emmi had likely been on plenty of jets throughout her life. Even though she pushed away from her father and his wealth as she entered college, she’d been a regular with her father on his travels when she was young. I remembered Teddy talking about how much his daughter loved to travel with him to his projects.
“I’ll take an ice water, please,” I said to Marvin, the steward.
“Sorry I overslept. I hammered it a little hard last night. I don’t even remember how I got to your house.”
“Jessica dropped you off and then sent her car back over with a bag full of your things. She said to tell you she did the best she could with what you had.”
“Ha. Yeah, my style isn’t nearly as colorful as hers. I bet she was disappointed in my gray undertone of clothing.”
“Are you feeling a little better?” I asked.
Emmi had her eyes opened and was looking out the window as I sat across from her. Emmi looked like a picture from a magazine. She still had on her brilliant colored dress and heels as she crossed her legs and found some sunglasses from her purse.
“I’ll be alright. How long is the flight?”
“Only about three hours. You’re welcome to go back to sleep if you’d like. That seat will recline all the way.”
“I might do that. Hey, where’s Rosa? I thought she was coming on this trip with us?”
“She really needs to be coming,” I said with a ton of exasperation. “But her daughter is sick and she can’t. I’ve got her notes, and everything we need is in there. I think we can get the work done. Or at least well enough started until she can come out.”
“Sounds good,” Emmi said.
She looked beautiful as the sun radiated off her face and we moved toward the runway. Emmi was caught up watching the mechanics on the tarmac and the other service workers, and I was mesmerized watching her. Even after having a horrible morning, she looked refreshed, calm, and ready to take on the world.
Her demeanor was very laid back as the plane accelerated and lifted off the ground. There didn’t appear to be an ounce of anxiety over the process of flying. She gently placed her hand on her orange juice cup, threw her medication into her mouth, and then sipped her drink, all while continuing to look out at the ground below us.
“You’re staring at me,” she whispered as she gave me a sideway glance.
“Sorry,” I replied and pulled the newspaper out of my briefcase to read.
My eyes stayed glued on the newspaper as the urge to look up at Emmi built inside of me. First, my pulse quickened, and the throbbing in my fingertips made the newspaper hard to hold. Then my vision became blurry as I desperately tried to read the words in front of me when all I could think about was looking up at Emmi’s bare legs as I heard her adjusting in her seat. Finally, I couldn’t take it another moment and pulled the newspaper down a little so I could look at Emmi while I pretended to still be reading.
The smooth skin of her legs enticed me like a drug. I glanced at them quickly and then tried to read the paper for what seemed like forever, but I couldn’t avoid glancing at the milky white of her legs over and over again.
Emmi seemed oblivious to the fact that I was gawking at her. She sipped her drink and watched out the window before letting her head lie back in the chair. Soon she pushed the lever to recline her chair, and she drifted off to sleep without so much as a glance in my direction.
Her delicate nature on the plane was in such contrast to the woman I’d come to know over the last week. Instead of being fast paced and concerned with every detail, Emmi was relaxed and unconcerned with the details of our trip. Traveling suited her much more than being in an office. I was similar in how I enjoyed being outside the office so much more than I liked the day to day grind of meetings and paperwork.
I wasn’t a big plane sleeper and instead used my time to look over the renovation plans for the chalet. It was disappointing that the cost had shot up so much. The original designs were exciting and innovative. The theme concept was exactly what I’d hoped for, and I wasn’t exactly ready to give up on that idea yet.
As the plane descended into the small airport near Breckenridge, the turbulence was massive. One large bump had me leaving my seat and thrust into the air. I quickly reached over and buckled Emmi into her seat and then sat next to her and put my own seatbelt on. I’d never flown directly into this small airport, and I was quickly realizing why we had always gone to Denver. The descent was steep with mountains on either side of us; my nerves were raw as fear rushed through me.
“Everything alright?” I asked the steward as I noticed he was buckling himself into his seat as well.
“Hope so,” he said without even a glint of a smile to show he was joking.
“There’s a storm coming, the wind is picking up, but we should be on the ground in five minutes. Keep your seatbelts fastened,” the pilot said over the speaker.
I looked over at Emmi, expecting that she’d be awake due to the pilot talking so loudly, but she didn’t appear dazed at all. She was still reclined and peacefully sleeping as our plan pulsed up and down through the air. Each time a gust of wind took a hold of us and thrust us up, I looked toward Marvin to see how he was reacting. As long as he remained calm, I could remain calm; but the second I saw panic on his face, I was sure I would also panic.
The mountains looked like they were only feet away from the wings of the plane as we got closer and closer to the ground. I tried closing my eyes to see if I could tough out the flight that way, but I couldn’t keep them closed. Instead, I found myself staring out the window and watching the tips of the trees zoom past us as we got near the ground.
“Maybe we should have flown into Denver,” I said with a grin.
Marvin gave me a death stare that could have killed me. It had been recommended that we fly into Denver and then take a helicopter to the mountains, but I pushed them to fly directly there. We were already running so late, and I didn’t want to waste a whole day traveling. The pilot insisted he could do it and even suggested it would be easy, which was clearly a
lie. If the pilot had said he wasn’t comfortable with the itinerary, I would have agreed to whatever changes they saw fit.
The plane continued to press forward as the nose dove toward the ground in what I could only assume was a necessary decent to get away from the turbulent air pocket we were in. As we approached the small airport, the pilot leveled out the plane, and before we could breathe out in relief, the plane made contact with the ground. The wing flaps thrust up in the air and the small jet was forced to slow down. I lurched forward from the momentum and instinctively put my arm across Emmi as she jolted away.
“What the heck,” she said as she was finally awoken by the forceful deceleration of the plane.
“Just landing.”
“Wow, that was rough.”
Marvin and I locked eyes, and he shook his head in disbelief, as did I. It was a definite talent that Emmi had to sleep through almost anything.
“Yeah, it was a little rough,” I said with a grin. “Are you feeling a little better?”
Emmi looked out the window and took in the snowy scenery as she seemed to be assessing herself to see if she was feeling better or now. Her eyes looked more connected when she turned back toward me, and she certainly looked like she was feeling better.
“Actually, I feel pretty damn good. Maybe a whole day of sleeping was just what I needed. Do I have any warm clothes with me?” she said with a shiver as her hands rubbed up and down her arms to warm herself.
“Oh, yes. Your friend brought some, but take my coat for right now.” I slid off my blazer and set it on her lap. “We can have them bring your bag in here so you can change before we head to the resort.”
“Where are we staying?”
“Shit!” Suddenly I realized another thing that Margery had always done for me: made my hotel reservations. “I forgot to reserve a room. I’ll just call around and see where we can stay.”