Page 36 of Reckless Encounters

Mile High Club here you come.

Me

Yeah, you must be high.

Sloan

He upgraded you, that’s sweet. Don’t be a brat.

Me

If you only knew.

Nine

“Thanks for the upgrade, boss,” I say as I slide into my seat beside Parker. In first class.

He smirks at my greeting. “Well, I couldn’t let a Pierce sit amongst the peasants in good conscience.”

Asshole.

Today, he is dressed in casual black jeans, and to my surprise, a white t-shirt. The material clings to his every muscle. The lighter fabric against dark ink covering his tan skin is sexy as sin.

“You, Mr. Cole, are the one I could never imagine sitting anywhere but first class,” I retort as I adjust my neck pillow.

He doesn’t look at me when he speaks next, and the tone of his voice tells me his words are nothing but the truth. “Not that long ago, I couldn’t even afford to fly coach, much less first class.”

It is a known fact that Parker is a self-made billionaire who has worked his ass off to get to the top. A college baseball legend who was hurt his senior year, losing his chance at the MLB. But the connections he made in baseball allowed him to get himself on the real estate map in New York City when he helped Eli along with other former teammates and friends of friends buy their homes. After that, his business took off, but still, you don’t go from broke to real estate sales to one of the top investors in the city without hard work and dedication.

And yeah, so, I may have done my research after the first night I officially met him. He was an asshole from the start, but I was immediately and unfortunately intrigued. If I’m being honest, it started long before that night.

Busying myself with my seatbelt, I don’t look at him when I respond. “Look at you now, you could have your own private jet if you wanted one.”

“Spoken like a true princess,” he grunts.

I roll my eyes and dig into my carry-on. Parker mimics me, also pulling out his headphones.

We settle into a comfortable silence as the plane prepares for take-off. I can’t help but wonder what type of boring podcast or Audible he’s probably listening to while I blast my EDM playlist I have downloaded on Spotify just for airplane mode.

But apparently, the jokes on me because my AirPods stop working mid-song. Fuuuckk. I forgot to charge them before my flight.

Parker looks over at me curiously. I wave him off and continue searching for my charger. The flight from Charlotte to JFK is only a little over an hour, so I decide to give up and try to take a nap. Until the stewardess stops by, offering a drink menu. Parker has his eyes closed so he doesn’t see her. I scan the menu and know exactly what he would order without asking.

“Yes, I’ll take Titos and Sprite and he’ll have The Macallan 12.”

She comes back a few minutes later. “Here you go,” she says, sitting mine down first, which draws Parker’s attention as she serves him his drink. Surprise flashes in his eyes as he removes one of his ear buds.

“What is this?” he asks, his question direct but his tone soft.

“The Macallan 12, sir. Is that okay?”

“Yes, it’s perfect, thank you,” Parker says, and I watch his throat swallow the first sip.

The stewardess shifts her attention back to me. “Good choice. Let me know if either of you need anything else.”

“Ordering for me now, Legs.” He smirks at me.

“Your drink order is no surprise to anyone who has spent more than one evening with you. Plus, I didn’t want to interrupt whatever murder case file you are taking pointers from right now.”

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