by Claire Adams
"I'm going to keep trying to win you over," he said grinning widely. "I'm a good guy, but I'm not an idiot. You're someone exceptional, Emily, and I like exceptional people. Especially when they are as beautiful as you are."
"That sounds an awful lot like two dogs pissing on the same fire hydrant," I said grimly. "I don't see myself as a fire hydrant."
"What?" he said and then quickly understood. "Oh, I'm not going to push you, I'm just going to offer you options. We'll be friends. How about that?"
"Oh right," I said with a raised eyebrow. "A billionaire playboy with women at his beck and call is going to be just friends with one of his young flight attendants. That sounds like a stellar plan."
Austin burst out laughing so loudly that Trish came out to the cabin to check on things. I waved her off with a smile as I turned back to the handsome man sitting across the aisle from me and said, "Austin, if you think you can be just friends with me until I figure out what to do about my situation, then I welcome it. But I don't think that's going to be easy...for either of us," I said, giving him a knowing look.
His eyes widened as he caught my drift and then a smile spread across his lips. "Can't blame a guy for trying, can you?"
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Austin
Once Emily had explained what the situation was, I understood that if I wanted to win her over, I was going to have to take it slow. This was not going to be the least bit easy, though.
Sitting across from me on the plane, she looked so beautiful in the plain fitted dress with her hair pulled back and just a touch of makeup highlighting her big soulful eyes. I wanted her to let her hair down so I could run my fingers through it as I slowly caressed every inch of her curvy figure. That one kiss we'd shared had unleashed a desire in me that I'd never felt before, and I was now willing to do anything to ensure that, in the end, she'd be with me.
"So, you're saying that you're attracted to me, too?" I asked.
"Uh huh," she nodded, and I noticed that she was blushing as she looked away. She was so sweet, but when I kissed her, I knew she wasn't a virginal innocent. There was a passionate woman under that calm demeanor, and I wanted to unleash her.
"But you don't want to do anything to disrespect your husband even though he's kind of gone out of his way to disrespect you. Am I right?" I asked.
"Well, when you put it like that it sounds kind of like I should hook up with you," she said defensively.
"No, I'm not saying that at all," I said, being careful not to overstep my bounds for now. I was going to have to go slow and keep the pace steady until she figured out what to do about her crumbling marriage. "I'm just stating facts. You won't disrespect your husband, even though he's gone out of his way to disrespect you. It sounds like you've got morals and values and that you're loyal to people you care about. I don't think that's a bad thing."
"You don't?" she asked surprised at what I'd said.
"No, I don't," I replied. "I think it means that you are a decent human being and someone who is trustworthy. And that makes you even more attractive."
"Thank you, sir...Austin," she said as she blushed again. "But what happens now?"
"Now?" I grinned. "What happens now is that I give you space to figure out what you need to do about that husband of yours, but keep reminding you that I'm here and I’m interested."
When she got up after a bit more conversation and went back to the galley, I inhaled deeply, knowing that this was going to be a difficult tightrope to walk and, at the same time, feeling invigorated by the challenge. Nothing had ever come easy to me, not once in my entire life, so I had learned how to put my head down and work hard to get what I want. I was fairly sure that Emily's marriage was headed for an end, but I knew better than to bank on it. So for now, I would focus my energy on solving the problem with the Sydney crew and on finding ways to actually be with Emily.
Knowing that she wanted me, too, made this even more challenging, but I wasn't going to shy away from it. Not when there was so much at stake.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Emily
Once the planed landed and we were back in Sydney, Trisha and I headed to the hotel to get settled for the next five days. We had five free days to ourselves and nothing holding us back from exploring the city and picking up the items on Trish's mother's list of requests. It amazed me how quickly she'd come up with a new list, but Trish just rolled her eyes and sighed.
I was in my room, a much smaller one than the last time I'd been here, when I heard a knock at my door. When I opened it, there was a bellhop holding a huge floral arrangement on the other side. He handed it to me with a card and said he'd been told to wait for a response. I took the arrangement inside my room and read the card. The vase was full of grevilea, kangaroo paw, flannel flowers, and smokebush – a true native Australian arrangement and it was stunning. The card attached to the arrangement read:
Emily--Looking forward to getting to know you and enjoying your company. Will you join me on my boat tomorrow afternoon around 2pm for sailing and dinner on Depot Beach? -A.
"Tell him the answer is yes," I called out to the bellhop. "But he's going to have to tell me where his boat is!"
"He said to tell you that there would be a car waiting for you downstairs," said the bellhop.
"Oh, he did, did he? Pretty sure of himself," I muttered.
"He said you'd say that, ma'am." The boy grinned. "And, he said to tell you that he wasn't sure of himself, he just likes to be prepared for all eventualities."
I laughed out loud and gave the boy a big tip before closing the door. As I looked at the arrangement and thought about tomorrow's boat trip, I felt guilty. I grabbed my phone out of my purse and quickly tapped the screen and brought up Tommy's number and hit the dial button.
"Hello?" a woman's voice answered. When I didn't say anything, I heard her say, “Oh shit, it's your wife!"
"Em?" Tommy said a little too loudly. "Hey Em, how are ya?”
"Who was that?" I asked in a cold tone.
"Who? Oh, that was one of the girls in the shop," he said a little too quickly. "I left my phone on the dock, so she picked it up for me."
"Don't lie to me, Tom Warner," I said. "You know that I always know when you are lying."
"Em, don't do this right now, please?" he said quietly. "Just not right now, okay?"
"Why is there a woman answering your phone when I know full well that you are NOT AT WORK!" I yelled into the phone. I was furious with him, not so much for cheating, as for lying to me about it and knowing that I knew he was lying.
"Emily, let's just calm down and talk about then when you get home," he said way more calmly that I expected.
"Are you cheating on me, Tommy?" I asked.
"Em-" he began.
"Are you cheating on me? Answer me," I demanded. "I want to know."
"Em, look there's more to it than that. Let me explain when you get home," he said.
"Forget it, we're done," I said with a trembling voice. "We are so done, and I don't need to come home and have you lie to my face in order to know that."
"Emily, don't say that," he pleaded.
"Go to hell," I said as I disconnected the call and then blocked all calls and incoming texts from his number. I knew he'd start blowing up my phone trying to explain away his inexcusable behavior, and I didn't want to hear it. I looked over at the flowers on the table and felt guilty that I'd judged Tommy so harshly, but angry because I'd exercised restraint when I hadn't wanted to and he hadn't returned the favor.
I knew right then that we were on a downward spiral to the end of our marriage. The question was where would it all end?
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Austin
The next afternoon, I was standing on the deck of the boat that would take Emily and I on a tour of Sydney Harbor and then head up the coast to Depot Beach where we could do some bird watching and see the groups of kangaroos that spent the day sleeping on the beach. I'd arranged for us to have
a private dinner on a small beach near the water complete with a white tablecloth, candles, and a four-course meal cooked on the beach by one of the hotel chefs. It had taken some serious persuading (and money, but I had plenty of that) to get things together so quickly, but when I was determined, I got things done.
Emily came marching up the plank dressed in a low-cut peach sundress with matching sandals carrying a sun hat that would shade her entire upper body. I smiled as she stepped onto the boat and then felt a little alarmed as she marched over to me, threw her arms around my neck, and kissed me on the lips.
"What in the-" I said as I pulled back to look at her.
"Let's do it," she said in a business-like tone.
"Do what?" I asked, completely confused about what was going on.
"It, you know, let's do it," she said sounding more angry than seductive. "Let's go have sex. Here. Now."
"Emily?" I said as I put my hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. "What is going on?"
"My husband is cheating on me," she said matter-of-factly. "So, I figure it's my right to cheat on him."
I looked at her as she held her chin up and dared me to take her below deck, but as I held her shoulders, I could feel her trembling under my hands. She was angry and scared, and she was trying to play the big dog card to make the hurt go away.
"Emily, I can't do that," I said shaking my head. "And, you don't want to do it, either."
She stared at me defiantly before the tears began to well up.
"You don't, do you?" I asked in a gentle tone. "You don't want to do it like that."
She raised her hands to cover her face and for a moment, she wept silently. I didn't get the feeling that she wanted me to do anything more than hold her shoulders in my hands, so I stood stock still until she'd stopped and looked up at me again. Her tear-stained face made my heart ache, and all I wanted to do was take her in my arms and tell her it would all be okay, but I knew doing that would cross a boundary neither of us was ready to cross just yet, so I held her gaze, not knowing if she would agree to continue with the tour or walk off the boat.
I stood waiting.
Chapter Forty
Emily
I stood on the bow of the boat with the breeze blowing my hair back from my face as I looked out over the water. Standing close enough to be able to lean over and speak into my ear, Austin narrated the sights we were seeing. He'd dealt with my reaction over finding out that Tommy was cheating on me with a great deal of restraint and right now, I was grateful.
We were on his yacht in the middle of Sydney Harbor, touring the sites. The boat was unlike anything I'd ever seen before, not that I'd been on many boats in my life, but this one was extraordinary. It was a Mangusta Oceano super yacht that looked like a white orca whale. As we sat on the front deck, a crew member brought out chilled glasses of champagne and we toasted – to what I wasn't sure, but Austin seemed to be trying to find a way to help me forget about the awful scene with Tommy and show me that it was okay to have a good time. He soon took over the role of tour guide as we sliced through the deep blue waters of Sydney Harbor, leaving a white wake behind us.
"Over there is the Sydney Opera House," he pointed out. "It's got quite a history since it took almost twenty years to build."
"Oh wow," I said as I marveled at the beautiful white sails rising up off of the building on the edge of the harbor. "That's amazing!"
"It really is." Austin nodded as he looked at me then quickly shifted his gaze back at the opera house. "The designer won a contest in 1957 and it took an entire year to knock down the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot before they could start construction. They finally started in 1959, but it took until 1973 for the whole thing to be complete."
"It took almost fifteen years to construct that?" I said in awe as we made a second pass by the opera house. "It looks like a group of white sea shells stacked up against one another."
"It does doesn't it?" he nodded. "The funny thing is that for as white as it looks, it's actually a chevron design that mixes glossy white tiles with matte cream-colored ones."
"How do you know so much about this?" I asked, turning to looked at him.
"I have to know a lot," he said as he shifted so that he was facing me as he looked down. The distance between us was incredibly close and I could feel him wanting to bridge the gap. I wanted him, too, but I was afraid of what would happen if he did.
"I see," I said swallowing hard and looking back at the building. Then cheerfully, I asked, "What else do you know?"
"Let's see, I know that the Sydney Harbor Bridge was built in 1932 and was modeled after the Hell Gate Bridge in New York," he said with a smile. "And I know that Port Jackson is the largest natural harbor in the world!"
"My, my, my, you're just a wealth of knowledge, aren't you?" I laughed as I playfully patted his arm. I wanted to keep my hand on him, but I quickly withdrew it when I felt the strong muscle bulging underneath his shirt.
"I know a few things," he said as he held my gaze until I looked away.
"Like what it's like growing up with all this money?" I blurted out then gasped at my directness.
"No, actually I have no idea what that would be like," he said shaking his head. "I grew up dirt poor in Brooklyn. Just me and my mother in a small apartment in Bushwick. I didn't know what money was like until about five year ago when I inherited all this."
"Wait, you inherited all this, but you didn't grow up with it?" I asked. "How does that happen?"
"Well, it's a long story and I'm not sure it's really that interesting," he said looking away.
"It's one I'd like to hear," I said softly. "I mean, you know all of my secrets, so why not share yours with me?"
I watched his face as the emotions flitted across it and wondered what he was thinking. Did he think I'd judge him or was he worried that if I knew the story, I'd reject him? I waited, wondering if he would talk to me or if he'd close off and head back to the safety of being the tour guide.
"My father never met me," he began in a voice so quiet that I had to lean in to hear him. "My mother was one of his many secretaries and mistresses. The deal was that she got everything she ever wanted, so long as she maintained a low profile, and she did. Until she got pregnant with me. Then, he got angry because he felt she went back on the deal."
"That's awful," I said shaking my head. "How could he do that to someone he loved?"
"I'm not sure if my father ever actually loved anyone," he said sadly, setting down his champagne class and twisting the edge of a decorative pillow on the couch where we sat. "Well, except himself. He was a self-absorbed man who loved money and the thrill of the chase. He was an absolutist, so you were either for him or against him, there was no middle ground."
"If you never met him, how do you know so much about him?" I asked, trying to ease some of his stress. "My mother told me a lot about him, but she only told me the good things," he said with a wry smile. "It wasn't until I inherited his empire that I learned about the other side of his personality, and honestly, I'm still learning."
"But if he didn't want you, then why did he leave you his company?"
"That's a great question, Emily," he said. "I still don't know that I have an answer to that one. All I know is that I was the only child in any of his marriages or affairs. His wife never had any children and I guess my mother was the only mistress who dared to defy his edict. So, I've often thought that I inherited everything simply by default."
"That has to be a strange feeling," I observed. I watched him become more agitated as he spoke. It was obvious that this was a topic he didn't often discuss. "I mean, to have a father who doesn't acknowledge you, but who leaves you his entire world."
"You're telling me," he said, laughing uncomfortably. "I have this weird split between an inferiority complex and a God complex. I feel like that kid who made a birthday wish to win a million dollars only to have it come true, and now I don't quite know what to do with it."
"What about
your mother?" I asked. "Is she still alive?"
"Oh yes, very much so," he said laughing. "In fact, she's probably going to call me any minute and check to see if I'm still alive."
"Why? Are you that much of a risk taker?" I laughed.
"No, not really," he admitted. "It's just that I've been traveling so much that I haven't called her and she likes to keep tabs on me. She worries."
"What is there to worry about?" I asked. "You seem so utterly normal."
"Thanks, I think," he grinned.
"Yes, it was meant as a compliment," I laughed as I touched his arm again. This time, I left my hand there for a little longer than I should have. His arm felt so strong and solid, and I flashed back to the night in the penthouse when he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me so lightly. I inhaled sharply and then pulled my hand back as if it has been burned.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Uh huh," I nodded, gulping air and then following it with champagne. I didn't think about the fact that I was rapidly downing alcohol, but if I had, I'm not sure it would have stopped me. "But really, why does she worry?"
He stared at me very intensely for a few seconds and then said, "You seem like someone who is trustworthy and can keep a secret, am I right?"
"Austin, if you're worried that you'll tell me something and I'll go spill it to the tabloids or something, you don't need to," I assured him. "I'm not that kind of person, and no matter what happens, I'm not going to talk about you to anyone – except maybe my mother, who sounds like she came from the same background as your mother!"
"It's entirely possible," he laughed and then stopped. "My mother is this weirdly open 'citizen of the world,' as she calls it."
"Ahh, okay, your mom's a hippie," I teased as I patted his arm again. I left my hand resting on his forearm as he spoke.
"Hardly, but sometimes she acts like one," he laughed as he moved his hand up to cover mine. Neither one of us looked down or said a word, but we knew. "The secret is that I think I'm fighting off a hostile takeover at the company. I'm not sure, though. The guys who worked for my father back in the day were not happy about me being named CEO, and they have plotted and schemed to get me out of the leadership role since day one. We all know it, but we play the game as though they aren’t doing what they're doing, so it's hard to know if what's going on here is sabotage or just a weird coincidence."