Page 37 of Personal Disaster

I press my lips together because the Uber driver doesn’t need to know I have a million questions.

And Marcus is already fully aware. Out of the corner of the my eye, I see his mouth twitching. He’s enjoying this. Well, that makes one of us. I don’t even know what thisis.

Marcus thanks the driver, shoulders my bag, and offers me his hand. “Coming?”

“Well, obviously,” I murmur. “This could be a great story.”

He laughs. “For our grandkids or a newspaper editor?”

“Why would you make me choose? Both sound like excellent options. I mean, depending on how this playsout.”

He stops in the middle of the quiet terminal and kisses me softly, his hand squeezing mine between us. “I’m picking you up at the airport and taking you to my place. Nothing headline worthyhere.”

“Mmm.” I glance around. “I was expecting more of the, uh, pick-up truck variety of ride. Not James Bond helicopter, or whatever you have planned.”

He laughs. “No helicopter. And next time, I want you to tell me you can come out here, so I can flyyou.”

I push at his chest. “No! I’m not having you buy me plane tickets so we can have sex. Even if it is awesomesex.”

He doesn’t move. “Really awesome. But I wasn’t talking about a plane ticket. I mean, I can flyyou.”

“Oh. Oh. You mean…literally…you can fly me…” My eyes go wide. I can’t help it. That is not a normal offer. “I’m good with Delta. Me and economy class, we’re like…” I twist my fingers together. “Plus all the points, you know. I like those.”

“Sure.” He grins. “Are you freakingout?”

“Yeah. You own ajet.”

“A smallone.”

“You just fly yourself around wherever, like other people take acar.”

“Something likethat.”

“So last night, when you calledme…”

“I’d flown to Washington. I had a nap, and I flewback.”

“I thought you made excellent time. But then you distracted me with your penis and I forgot to ask aboutthat.”

“My penis?” He’s laughing at me again. Should I have said cock? Delightful erection? The vocabulary rules for dating way outside one’s socio-economic status is not clear. He owns ajet.

Marcus is in fact the guy I thought I might uncover for a juicy story. And then I went and fell madly in lust with him instead. “Can we not have this conversation in the middle of an airport?”

His grin gets wider. “Sure. Let’s go have it on the plane. Do you want to sit in the co-pilot’sseat?”

My laugh only has the tiniest edge of hysteria to it, and I’m quite proud of myself. “Sure. That sounds super normal.”

We stop at a desk where Marcus signs off on a flight plan, then we head outside.

There’s a little plane right in front ofus.

It’s…cute.

And small.

And we’re totally getting onit.

Marcus has a plane.

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