Page 3 of On the Fly
“I don’t believe you. No one’s ever complained of me snoring before.” Which was a lie, so she added a quick, “Good thing you’re so wrapped up in whatever you’re listening to. I couldn’t have bothered you that bad.”
That had him chuckling and relaxing back in his seat. That ominous chuckle must be humor, not condescension or whatever other negative thought could be placed there. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“I’m not listening to anything. These guard against unwanted conversations. I heard every exhale loud and clear,” he said. He then replaced the headphone over his ear, as though tuning her out again.
Two things occurred to her simultaneously.
One, he was handsome. She’d noted he had a cute face as she’d stumbled to her seat earlier, with his blond hair, longer on top but pushed off his face, and those piercing blue eyes. Those irises were the color of the crystal clear sky out the tiny plane window…the window she’d avoided looking out of, so she didn’t try to calculate exactly how far they had to plummet if anything went wrong with the metal tube hurtling through the sky. But he rated as more than cute. That strong arm she’d drooled on led to broad shoulders and a powerful physique. If those sprawled legs were any indication, he was tall too. Really tall.
The second revelation she’d had was that he settled her nerves. She wasn’t near as anxious as she had been. This second conclusion had her boldly reaching over to lift the earphone from his ear to continue their banter. “Why’re you traveling to California?”
“I thought the headphone would’ve been enough, but then I added I didn’t want to talk. I think I was pretty clear.” He scowled at her, but she could see the barest hint of amusement in his eyes.
She looked over at the kid next to her on the other side, a little girl engrossed in her iPad. She needed a distraction and the child wouldn’t work. Plus, she didn’t speak kid well, so she turned back toward the guy. “No, I got what you meant. It’s just if you don’t want me turning next level panic mode again, you should probably talk to me.”
He let out a frustrated sigh and lifted the headphone again, seemingly ignoring her, but he did say, “If you’re so scared, why’re you on this plane in the first place? There’s so many other ways to get from point A to point B…”
“I work for the airline. Isn’t that crazy? I work for a company whose product terrifies me. I mean an unrealistic, unhealthy fear from the company that pays me—”
“You work for Rora Air?” There was such a deep disbelief in his voice that she paused mid-sentence and laughed, which was remarkable given where she was sitting.
“Yeah, funny right? I’m in charge of their social media.” Every time she said those words out loud, they seemed crazier than before. This time, with her aboard a plane, maybe the words were the pinnacle of stupid. “I met the owner at an event in Georgia. I guess he has a house somewhere nearby.” She looked over at the guy whose intense gaze was pinned straight on her. “By the end of the evening, he’d offered me a job. He promised me I wouldn’t have to fly, and the salary was crazy good, so I took it.”
“Did you sleep with him?” The outrage in the guy’s voice again stopped her from rambling, but she needed the mindless dialogue right then. If he could stop interrupting her, he wouldn’t have to say another word, then she’d carry the conversation herself. Besides, what a pervy question. Only a hardcore misogynist would think a woman couldn’t get a job without screwing the owner.
She shook her head and crinkled her brow. “He’s like ninety, of course not. He was a nice old man.” They stared at each other, his feeling as if it penetrated her very being, and he certainly didn’t look like he believed her. “You’re inappropriate. He’s married. Of course, I wouldn’t sleep with him. Who does that?”
“Where did you meet him?” For some reason, she had garnered all this guy’s attention, and he didn’t seem pleased. He even turned, as if getting a closer look at her.
“Why the third degree? Put your headphones back on.” She waved her hand toward the device. “You stopped helping.” She closed her eyes and sat back in the seat.
Several seconds later, she could still feel him staring at her and cracked open one lid then both as she stared at him staring at her. Who was this guy? A prosecutor? He spoke a million words with his eyes, and she interpreted them all to mean he thought she was lying.
Emma gave in. “I was at a golf tournament with a friend who won VIP tickets. Mr. Jorgensen attended the dinner that night, and he was seated next to me. He asked a lot of questions about my background and education.” She cracked a smile at the memory of the dapper old man. “A bit curious like you are, but with tact and grace.” She smirked at him before continuing. “After we chatted for a while, he offered me the job.” She lifted a hand when he took a deep breath and opened his mouth. “And before you say anything more, I have multiple degrees and am certified in every social platform.”
“How long ago was that?” He narrowed his eyes at her.
“Almost three years ago.”
“Huh.” Clearly, he didn’t believe her at all.
“Stop looking at me like I’m lying. Mr. Jorgensen told me I wouldn’t have to fly to handle the social media, so I took the job. And I haven’t flown a single time until today.” Emma let out a resigned sigh. “He recently died, and I didn’t feel comfortable begging off an upcoming business meeting when I know positions are on the line.” She groaned and looked around the packed plane. “I thought about quitting, but then my stepsister’s wedding in Napa coincided with the company’s corporate meetings. The timing worked out, so I’m going to both. I hoped I was past all this, but I might have to drive home. I almost couldn’t board. It was horrible…”
“You seem well enough now,” he said. It was a bit unnerving to have him still staring at her like she were mutated cells under a microscope, so she closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Who cared what he thought?
~~~
He was pretty sure his old man had screwed her. His father’s legendary reputation for friendliness with his staff led Ander to do the opposite. He handled things by the book, on the up and up as much as he possibly could in his life. Honesty and integrity were important to him. He spoke his mind, told the truth whether or not the person liked hearing it.
If he took over this business, and since he’d gotten on the plane, it seemed that course was inevitable, these were things he’d change. A position as important as the company’s social media expert shouldn’t have been decided while sitting at a dinner table, chatting idly with a prospective employee.
His gut told him his father had hit on her. She was pretty, not the same kind of pretty as the bombshells with fake boobs that served in flight. She had barely any makeup on, and her beauty shone through in a natural way. Her sun-kissed brown hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves. The thick tresses called for him to run his fingers through them, but of course, she was a stranger. One who’d, potentially, slept with his father. He narrowed his eyes as he studied her again. She was different from his father’s usual type. She was more his own type, truth be told—except for the crazy fear, the drool currently wetting his sleeve, and the insistent rambling.
“How old are you?”
“How old areyou?” She didn’t look at him. Sassy. That was different for his old man too. He usually liked his women meek and agreeable.
“It’s strange to just hire someone like that.”
