Page 22 of Forbidden Desires

I couldn’t bring myself to ask the questions that were buzzing around in my head, and Eric seemed too preoccupied to entertain a conversation. But judging by his serious demeanor, this didn’t seem like a casuallet’s go meet my parentssituation. This seemed almost…dire. Which made me feel as though I was sitting on pins and needles all the way to the airport.

When we arrived, rather than go through the usual airport route, we pulled around to a different lot, where there was a small, private plane on the tarmac. Eric must have called ahead of time because he hadn’t been on his phone the entire ride there. His eyes had been fixated on the road, his hands wrapped tight around the steering wheel.

There didn’t seem to be a good or right time to broach the subject of…everything, even as we pulled up next to the private plane.

Eric spoke with the pilot, and I was led toward the plane by the valet after he returned from stowing away our bags. He was sharp, well-kempt, and had a smile that I’m sure would be dazzling if I wasn’t so out of sorts.

Going through the motions, one moment I was outside of the aircraft, making my way up that inclined staircase that led inside, and the next I was seated. No matter how luxurious I thought the leather seats probably were, I couldn’t actually get comfortable. I couldn’t allow myself to really feel the plushness, or let the AC keep my sun-dried skin cool because it was too warm with anxiety that I couldn’t think of anything else other than what would happen when Eric got on the plane. Would he speak to me? Would he be wrapped up in his own thoughts too much as he was on the drive here? Would there be a good time to even consider asking him what it was I was doing here and why?

It didn’t even occur to me until that moment that I had agreed to this without asking for details. That I just trusted Eric when he said that he needed me.

After a short while, a stewardess came by to offer me a drink and ask if I would like something complimentary to eat. I declined, my stomach in knots, and Eric eventually made his way onto the plane. He took the seat adjacent to mine on the other side of the aisle and stared ahead stoically.

Silence.

More silence.

The announcement from the pilot that we were about to take off and that it would be a two-hour flight came through the intercom, in that perfectly packaged pilot’s voice that always put people at ease. It did little to soothe me, though, as I sat there in the quiet save for the low rumble of the plane’s engine.

It was a modestly staffed plane. Other than the initial question of whether or not we wanted food and drink, we weren’t bothered. The crew seemed to know when to leave Eric to his own devices and seemingly, his guests as well. Their discreet actions made it so there was a sense of privacy between the two of us, but it didn’t make me any more inclined to ask the questions that I wanted, and it didn’t seem to make Eric any more inclined to speak, either. At least not until about a half hour into the flight.

“I’m sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused,” he said, his voice startling me so that I glanced his way, while he stared straight ahead, his body still tense. “And not fully explaining myself. I understand in situations like this, it’s not the ideal spot to be put into.”

Finally, he looked over to me. His eyes were tired, puffy underneath and reddish in the whites of them. He hadn’t been crying, I didn’t think. But he certainly hadn’t had a decent amount of sleep, either.

He cleared his throat. “If you’ll give me this flight, and let me get us checked into our hotel, after we get settled I can explain everything I need of you on this trip. Please?”

This was the first time that he had ever asked for anything quite like this. Something personal, and clearly, emotional. I nodded. “Of course.”

In normal situations I wouldn’t have trusted a client to whisk me away like this, on such short notice, clearly in some kind of distress. It was asking to be compromised, roped into something that you legitimately didn’t want to do. But Eric…there was something about the imploring way that he looked at me that tapped directly into my compassionate side.

Knowing I’d get answers soon enough, I laid back, closed my eyes, and let the hum of the plane lull me to sleep for a nap.

I was wokenup by the soft nudge of someone at my shoulder, and a gentle, “Miss? We’re about to land. Mr. Maxim should be out of the bathroom shortly. He’s freshening up. You’re welcome to do the same, Miss Greene?”

I blinked, eyes somewhat bleary, and shook my head. Maybe I’d take the initiative on the plane ride home, but honestly all I wanted at this point was a long soak in a bath and we certainly didn’t have time for that kind of freshening up while on a plane.

“No, thank you,” I said, my voice hoarse from sleep. “I’ll just wait for Eric.”

The stewardess smiled and gave a nod, continuing on her way.

When Eric exited and returned to his seat, I was buckling up to prepare for the descent. His hair was smoothed back, not a strand out of place. His suit had been buttoned up properly and not open, haphazard, like it had been when he’d picked me up. Most notably, his eyes were no longer puffy and red like he had lost sleep for several days, but alert and awake behind a pair of silver framed glasses that I had yet to see him wear—even though I’d discovered a while back that he wore contacts—but gave him a very distinguished, attractive look.

He gave me a courtesy nod as he buckled himself back in. The only thing close to words spoken was a sigh as he leaned his head back against the head rest.

If our driveto the airport had been quiet and awkward, then our ride from the airport in Baxterville, New York was just the same. We didn’t speak, and I hung back when we finally arrived at The Ville Hotel, where we would be staying. It was modelled after Grecian architecture, pillars and archways everywhere. Gold motifs and lots of red and royal blues, purples, and greens. I wished that I had been able to admire the scenery more as we came to our room, one of the apparent two penthouse suites that the hotel boasted.

“Eric—” I started as the door closed behind the two of us. Now that we were alone, I wanted the answers he’d promised.

“I’m going to take a shower,” he said, abruptly cutting me off before I could say anything at all. “There’s two, if you’d like to take your own.”

I frowned as I was dismissed as though this wasn’t a huge inflation of our contract. I resisted the urge to follow him down the hallway, deciding that if I was going to actually have to put my foot down with this man, at least I would do it when I was freshly washed and pampered in the kind of amenities that a five-star hotel like this would offer me.

I took my toiletries into the bathroom that Eric didn’t occupy. His shower sounded from across the suite as I started mine up, and I craved to be in that shower with him, too. The first proper out of state trip that we’d taken together, and it was shrouded in all of this mystery and uncertainty…

I sighed, looking around the bathroom. It was decked out in marble, and was large enough for a walk-in shower, and a free-standing marble tub. The countertops were all white granite, and the mirrors were the shiniest, most reflective I’d ever seen. Like the rest of the hotel, there were accents in gold, and I could not help but give a wistful little huff.

“Wish I could really enjoy this shit,” I muttered irritably.

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