The Accidental Honeymoon

by Alice Toby

  The couple exit the car and walk into the building with their bodies closer together than usual. Karin is not nearly as self-conscious as she was before. And anyone observing the two would not doubt for a moment that they are a couple. They enter the elevator and trade mischievous smiles and giggles as they rise up to the fourth floor. When the elevator doors open again, Karin realizes that it is time to go their separate ways.

  “I guess I’ll see you later,” Karin tells her fiance as she heads off to the conference room.

  “You can come hang out in my office,” Ryan invites.

  Karin is speechless. She didn’t think that Ryan would allow her to be this close to him around the office. The young intern joins her boss in his vast corner office. When they get inside, the Karin relaxes on one of the two large sofas.

  Ryan quickly morphs to CEO mode. He examines the local papers on his desk while his personal assistant gives him the rundown on what needs to be done for the day.

  “The sales reports are on your desk,” Ryan’s assistant tells him.

  “Thanks, Anna.”

  Karin watches her fiance get to work. She is fascinated by the look on his face. He is intense. She loves to watch him think. When Ryan looks up at her for a moment, she quickly turns her head away, afraid that she is being too creepy. She grabs a nearby pad and a pen and pretends to take notes.

  “Ryan. Are you busy?” Author asks as he stands right outside the CEO’s office.

  “Come on in, Author.”

  “So I have been talking to Ed over at IBS.”

  Ryan gives Author his full attention. “And?”

  “He has been talking to his board and you may have the votes to be CEO after the merger.”

  “What do you mean may have the votes?!”

  “Ed thinks you have about eight of the twelve votes from the IBS board of directors. But those votes are not set in stone.”

  Ryan drops some papers on the desk and shakes his head. He looks around his office and gives a passing glance at his Napoleon bust.

  “I want to meet with their board of directors.”

  “When?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m getting on a plane, I’m going to New York and I’m going to seal the deal.”

  “Alright. I’ll make the call.”

  Author leaves to call the CEO of IBS. Ryan paces his office like a caged tiger. Karin wants to give her future husband a word of encouragement but she doesn’t want to break his concentration. Ryan hops on his skateboard and slowly rides it around his office.

  “What do you think they are afraid of?” Karin asks.

  “They think I’m too young. And I’m not that young. I’m 36. The thing is, everyone over at IBS is at least 50 years old. They still see me as a kid.”

  “They had to be young once,” Karin jokes.

  “I don’t think any of them were ever young!” Ryan jokes. “Well, I take that back. Their founder was actually 28 years old when he started IBS back in 1935. William Watson. A certifiable genius. He built a the first accounting machine - in his spare time - while working at Bell Telephone. Of course, everyone back then wore suits and were grown-ups.”

  “So, William Watson was a visionary guy, kinda like you.”

  “Mentioning me in the same sentence as William Watson is about as nice a compliment you could have possibly given me,” Ryan tells her. The couple exchange flirtatious glances and for a moment, it appears as though Ryan was going to skate over and give Karin a kiss. Just when the impulse is about to hit him, a burst of an idea runs through his head. “I know how to sell myself to IBS,” Ryan proclaims. He presses his assistant’s button on his desk phone.

  “Yes, Ryan?” the assistant answers.

  “I’m leaving for New York in two hours. I want my jet fueled for takeoff by noon.”

  “Okay. Should I book accommodations?”

  “Have my residence on Central Park East prepared for my arrival.”

  “Will do.”

  The CEO turns to his fiance and asks, “So Karin. Do you want to go to New York?”

  The young woman’s eyes light up. She has only been to New York a few times. And the idea of going on Ryan’s private plane makes her head spin. “Yeah, sure.”

  “Alright, we’ll be going in a few hours. You’ll probably need to grab a change of clothes. On the other hand, we can go shopping for clothes when we hit the city,” Ryan states.

  Everything around the office begins to accelerate quickly. News spreads fast that the CEO is headed out of town. Though 99% of the people in the building are not aware of exactly why. Anxious department heads want to get any last minute approvals from the boss before he heads on his plane.

  Karin watches as the head of Marketing presents a final cut of the new Sat-Phone TV campaign. Ryan carefully watches each spot and makes some minor comments. Afterward, a design team shows off some packaging for a new laptop. Ryan gives them some quick notes as he gathers his stuff and gets ready to hit the road.

  “Author and Michelle should be coming with me,” Ryan calls out to his personal secretary. Karin checks her watch. It’s 11:30. Ryan mentioned that he wanted to be in the air by noon. She doesn’t know he is going to pull that off.

  “Um, Ryan. It’s 11:30.”

  “Okay.”

  “You mentioned that you wanted to be in the air at noon.”

  “I know.”

  “So you only have half an hour.”

  Ryan laughs. “We’re not flying commercial. It’s not like we have to show up two hours early and remove our shoes for the TSA agents.”

  Ten minutes later, Ryan gathers his messenger bag. “Alright. Let’s fly!” Ryan tells Karin. The young intern gets up and joins her future husband. Just outside Ryan’s office, the President of Emperor as well as Author, the company General Counsel join the CEO and Karin. The three senior execs make some light chit-chat as they head down to the first floor. For them, this is routine. For Karin, taking a private jet across the country is a bit of a shock.

  When the group exits the office, a stretch SUV is waiting for them. The group enters the vehicle which quickly speeds off of the Emperor campus. The SUV takes the short five-minute drive to the Palo Alto Airport. Karin looks out of the window as the SUV makes it way through a private entrance towards a private airport hangar. When the SUV stops, Karin notices a large Gulfstream jet less than fifty feet away from the vehicle.

  Ryan escorts Karin out of the SUV. The group walks straight to the Gulfstream where their luggage is already being boarded. Karin looks at her watch. 11:57 a.m. She shakes her head and laughs. She never wants to fly commercial again! The group enters the Gulfstream. Much to Karin’s surprise, the jet resembles more of a hip lounge with cool blue ambient lighting and overstuffed black and red leather seats.

  Ryan sits down at one of the jet’s sofas and invites Karin to sit next to him. The intern cozies up next to her future husband. She is practically resting her head on his chest. Michelle and Author relax in captain’s chairs while the flight attendants prepare drinks for the passengers. The door to the cabin is closed. The jet begins to taxi backwards. Karin looks at her watch. 11:59 a.m.

  As the jet rolls down the runway, one of the three flight attendants asks the intern if she would like anything to drink. At first she was going to ask for some ice tea. Then she noticed that everyone else inside the jet is partaking in wine.

  “Do you want to split a bottle of Pinot Noir?” Ryan asks Karin.

  “Why not?” Karin laughs. This is just too much for her to take in. The flight attendant quickly pulls out and uncorks a bottle of 1990 Romanee-Conti. Ryan and Karin are each given a glass. The flight attendant pours each of them a glass of the pinot noir. The couple toasts and takes a sip from their glass as the Gulfstream settles on the runway.

  The Gulfstream’s jets fire and propel the craft down the runway. The fifty million-dollar jet lifts itself into the Northern California sky. Karin lo
oks at her watch one last time. It’s noon, exactly. Then she looks at Ryan. She thinks to herself, This man has complete control of the world around him.

  ****

  Karin can’t stop smiling. She gets up and walks around Ryan’s private jet and marvels at the size and opulence of the Gulfstream. She also appreciates the fact that her future husband has decked out the jet in his own personal style.

  “The designer of the Virgin Airlines lounge in London designed the interior for me,” Ryan explains. “I love to think of this jet as my own little private club or lounge.”

  “This certainly looks like a party plane.”

  “Oh, you don’t even want me to tell you what I have done on this plane.”

  “I’m not shy or frigid. You could tell me.”

  “Look, even though our pending marriage is not real, I still feel strange telling my future wife what I did up here.”

  Karin laughs. Her imagination flares with the thoughts of what possibly could have taken place on the plane.

  “So do you like the plane?”

  “I have to confess, I am overwhelmed.”

  “Oh, you’ll get used to it. I was overwhelmed when my life changed so drastically out of college. You become comfortable with it.”

  Karin has never been the materialistic type. In fact, she used to look at the young, professional guys who shopped at the Northface to be less desirable than the scruffy, somewhat irresponsible and slightly dangerous guys she would meet at the bars or local clubs. But she looks at Ryan and sees the best of both worlds - a wealthy guy with a hint of unpredictability and danger.

  “So, we’ll be landing in New York at around eight p.m. Would you like to grab dinner somewhere?” Ryan asks Karin.

  The young woman looks around wondering if the CEO is talking to everyone on the jet. Then she realizes that Ryan is talking to her specifically. “Sure,” Karin responds somewhat nervously. She doesn’t know if Ryan is asking her out on a date.

  “Are you into French cuisine?”

  “Well, um, to be honest, I don’t think I have ever been inside a French restaurant.”

  “Oh, well, I think you’ll like Daniel on 65th Street. I always try to grab a table there when I am in the city.”

  “I feel like I’m being spoiled.”

  “Life is too short to not spoil yourself every once in awhile.”

  ****

  Ryan Wilde’s Gulfstream arrives in Teteroboro airport at a little after 8 p.m. Karin can’t get over the fact that flying across the country can be this relaxing. She doesn’t even feel the least bit fatigued. The Gulfstream taxis up to a private hangar where a couple of Bentley sedans are waiting for the group.

  “So where are you guys staying?” Ryan asks his President and General Counsel.

  “We’ll be at the Mandarin Oriental.”

  “Fancy!” Ryan exclaims.

  “Well, not as fancy as your place.”

  “You could have stayed over at my place if you asked.”

  “I don’t think I could handle another one of your Manhattan house parties.”

  “Well, I’m about to be a married man. Those parties will have to come to an end. At least for the time being!” Ryan jokes.

  The group exits the plane. Michelle, the Emperor Technologies President gets into one of the Bentley Mulsannes with Author Stevens while Ryan and Karin take their own car. The cars make their way from the small airport in New Jersey over into Manhattan in under 20 minutes. Karin looks out of the window and stares at the giant buildings. She feels as though this is all a dream. “I can’t possibly be living this life,” Karin tells herself. The young intern watches as the Bentley makes its way to the Upper East Side. The vehicle turns onto 67th Street and stops in front of a large five story white marble townhouse.

  “Here we are!” Ryan tells his future wife.

  The driver gets out of the vehicle and opens the door for Karin. She looks up at the giant, imposing building. It is a complete contradiction to Ryan’s West Coast home. This Upper East Side mansion screams wealth, power and status. It is the residence that only a billionaire could call home.

  While Karin stands in near reverence to the structure, Ryan walks towards it as though it was some summer rental in Daytona Beach. “I think you’ll like it here,” he tells Karin casually. The young woman is still in too much shock to say anything. She follows her future husband into his Upper East Side residence. The entryway is a dizzying array of Italian marble, and granite busts of Roman Emperors man every corner. Thick columns of pure marble guard the foyer. The entryway is Imperial to say the least.

  Ryan leads Karin to one of the home’s three elevators. They ride up to the fifth level. Ryan leads his future wife down a hallway. “I called ahead and made sure your suite was ready. I hope you don’t mind the park view,” the Ryan tells Karin coyly. The young woman opens the door to a bedroom with an unobstructed view of Central Park. She just shakes her head, convinced that the universe is playing a giant trick on her.

  “You really know how to impress a girl.”

  “I also know how to make a girl throw dishes at my head. Just ask any of my ex-girlfriends,” Ryan jokes.

  “I don’t even know how I am going to sleep in this room.”

  “Why, is there too much light coming through the window? I can call the Mayor and have him shut off the street light.”

  “No. No. I think I’m just going to spend the entire night staring at this room.”

  “Oh, no. This room has a really nice bed. You’ll be in lullaby land as soon as your head hits the pillow. Never mind, sleep. Let’s dine.”

  ****

  Much to Karin’s amazement, Ryan arranged to have a change of clothing waiting for the young intern in her bedroom. Laid on the bed is a black dress, which is just her size. She checks the label - Prada. At the foot of the bed is a shoebox, also from Prada. She smiles and undresses. After taking a long, relaxing shower, she gets dressed and looks at herself in the mirror. “This guy has some good taste in clothing,” Karin tells herself.

  The young woman notices that the hemline on the dress reaches the middle of her thigh. While it is not short by club standards, one could define this dress as provocative. She puts her right leg out, admiring the definition of her thighs. As an avid snowboarder, the 21-year old’s legs have always been the best part of her body. She loves the fact that the dress also somewhat conceals her middle, which she despises as being a little too wide for her frame. Overall, Karin thinks she could kinda look like the sort of girl would who be seen with a billionaire.

  Karin walks out of the bedroom and makes her way towards Ryan’s master suite. The doors to the master suite suddenly open. Out walks Ryan in a suit. Karin just stops and stares at him. The normally casual tech company bad boy is always seen in jeans and a pullover shirt. She stares at Ryan as he walks towards her with his dark suit and confident swagger. She is turned on.

  Ryan looks his future wife up and down. “I like the way that dress looks on you.”

  “Thanks. You really know women’s fashion.”

  “Oh, I just picked out the sexiest black dress from the Prada catalogue.”

  “Thanks. Well, you don’t look so bad yourself,” Karin responds in her attempt to understate how hot she finds Ryan.

  “Thanks. I like putting on a suit in New York. Are you ready for some dinner?”

  “Yes. Yes, I am.”

  The couple makes their way out of the town home and takes the Bentley to Daniel’s just a few blocks away. They walk into the upscale Upper East Side establishment as though they are on a first date. The maitre d’ looks up from his appointment book and just stares at Ryan for a moment. He is speechless. “Mr. Wilde. Welcome to Daniel. This way please,” the maitre d’ tells the couple.

  As the two walk into the dining room, heads begin to turn. Karin can hear the muffled conversations come to a stop. She notices that everyone in the room is looking in their direction. She becomes self-conscious. For a moment, she is
wondering if there is something wrong with her dress. Then Karin realizes that everyone is staring at Ryan.

  The couple is seated in the center of the dining room. The “power table” at Daniel. Karin feels as though she is on display. People continue to stare. Ryan appears aloof at the attention. It is only when Karin points out all the turned heads that Ryan looks around and acknowledges the diners with a slight nod. The wealthy patrons appear to be returning the nod as though satisfied that Ryan Wilde “recognized them.”

  “They were staring right at you as soon as you walked into the restaurant,” Karin points out.

  “Yeah. I get that all the time. I guess I am used to it. I hope you can get used to it.”

  Karin giggles. “I’ll try.”

  Ryan suggests to Karin that they try to Chef’s tasting menu. As a girl from a middle-class background, she has no idea what a “tasting menu” consists of but she is game to try anything that her future husband suggests.

  “I like the tasting menu because you get a little bit of everything. It’s like a little surprise coming to your table every few minutes.”

  The young intern begins to sample foods that have never touched her tongue before. She feels a rush of exhilaration as each dish is presented to her. Ryan casually enjoys his meal as though this were an everyday occurrence. Karin carefully savors each bite as though it were her last meal.

  When the dessert arrives, Karin feels as though she has to say something. Between the flight on the private jet, the dress, dinner and all of the acts of generosity, the young intern believes that some show of appreciation is warranted. “Thank you, Ryan.”

  “What? The dinner? It’s not big deal. I’m glad you liked it.”

  “No. No. For everything. I feel as though I’ve been, I don’t know, transported to this world where I’m being spoiled at every turn.”

  Ryan leans in. “No. I need to thank you.”

  Karin leans back on her chair. She can’t really comprehend what Ryan is saying to her. “Why would you thank me?”

  “Because you are helping me. You are helping convince people that I am mature enough to run IBS and Emperor Technologies. You are helping me fulfill my dream.”