Page 27 of Dirty Empire

He smiles before rushing across the water to get to me. I let out a scream as I run as fast as I can against the pool water to escape what will for sure be another toss across the pool.

***

“Our plane leaves at what time?” I ask. We’re sitting at the breakfast table, talking over coffee. Maverick seems to be in a rush. I just want to enjoy my cup of coffee and rest with him.

“Eight a.m. Are you ready?” He asks, already fully dressed and flipping through his emails. I quickly learn that he’s a little type-A when it comes to traveling. He had one of the staff members pack my bag two days earlier, and he insisted we had to leave early, even though he has a private plane, so it isn’t like we have to deal with a crowded airport.

“I will be. Can I finish my breakfast first? I’ve never seen someone so uptight about a vacation.”

I was starting to consider our mornings together sacred. He usually spent a large part of the day working in his office or going to meetings. The only time we sometimes got together was eating breakfast and drinking our coffee together. He looks so handsome in the morning light. Those dark piercing eyes ruffle my feathers every time. He hasn’t tried anything with me yet, but every time I’m around him, I have to change my panties. He’s waiting for me to take the first step, and that will probably be sooner than later.

He grumbles something under his breath, but I ignore him and look out the window at the beautiful property. After a while, he stands and drops a kiss on my mouth. The smell of fresh soap and his cologne surround me. I want to bottle up his scent and keep it to myself.

“One hour,” he warns before leaving me alone in the dining room.

An hour later, I have it together, and I’m ready to go. Maverick has been sitting around in the lounge area. He’s twiddling his thumbs in angst. He’s calm and calculating when it comes to business. Today, though, he’s like a little kid.

A black SUV is waiting outside the house. We climb in, and the staff loads up our suitcases. The drive to the airport isn’t very long. At the airport, we’re escorted to the private runway. Maverick owns a couple of private planes, but this one is top of the line. A Cessna that retailed for twenty-six million, according to the plaque on the wall next to the emergency door. Two young stewardess welcomes Maverick and me aboard. The captain enters from the cockpit as we’re being seated.

“Nice to see you again, sir.”

“Hey, Michelle,” Maverick responds. “Nice to see you again. This is Hazel.”

“Nice to meet you,” the captain says, offering her hand out for me to shake.

“Nice to meet you too,” I say, giving her hand a shake.

“We’ll be taking off in just a few moments,” the captain assures us before retreating to the cockpit.

“A female pilot and an all-female crew, very cool,” I say.

The stewardess offers us some beverages along with a breakfast menu.

“Women’s equality.” He grins at me.

“Is that what it is?”

I wonder if Maverick has slept with any of his staff. Since I’d caught him masturbating, I doubt that he’s sleeping with anyone else, but my insecurities flare up anyways. I don't have a reason to be jealous, but I am. They say jealousy is the fear that someone else is going to take your happiness away. And I have to admit I’m very happy with Maverick. The happiest I’ve been in a long time. After everything that happened with Miles, it’s like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. It will take a while to get over that.

“I’m not part of the Mile High club if that’s what you think.”

How did he read my mind like that?

I swallow. “Good to hear.”

He scoots closer to me, his lips coming to my ear. His breath tickles my neck as he speaks. “But I don’t mind joining if that’s what you’re into.”

I clench my thighs together as he pulls away from me and sits back in his seat. He wants me to make the first move.

He grabs a book from the table in front of us. His hand rests on my thigh as he reads. I relax under his touch.

“All you have to do is ask,” he says, not sparing me a glance as he reads. The offer is tempting, but I’m still nervous about being intimate with him again.

Shortly after that, the plane is ready for departure. We took to the air and began the three-hour flight to Puerto Escondido; a beautiful, quiet fishing village tucked away on the Pacific Coast in the state of Oaxaca. I slept through the entire trip. My body was exhausted even though I’d gotten plenty of sleep last night. Maverick woke me with a kiss to my forehead.

“We’re here,” he says.

In my mind, I assumed Mexico to be a third-world environment with poverty undermining its economy. As we exit the plane and a driver takes us to Maverick’s house, I realize this part of the country exemplified a tropical paradise. The automobiles, while not Range Rovers and Teslas, were modern, the buildings nicely constructed. People walk the streets leading to the five-star resort. The driver drove down a long winding road to a modest house. At least modest compared to his estate in Tahiti.

---