Page 1 of Secret Baby Next Door
Chapter 1
VALENTINO
“What the hell is taking so long?”
It was now twenty-three minutes and forty-two seconds past the scheduled flight departure time of eleven-thirty-five.
I was getting pissed. It wasn’t a mechanical issue that was grounding us.
No. We were late in taking off because of someone who couldn’t be bothered to show up on time. Lack of consideration for other people’s schedules infuriated me.
I sipped my bottle of water, wishing it were a beer. I hated flying, always had. Although seated in first-class, my long legs were folded up in front of me. No matter which way I positioned myself, it was impossible to get my six-foot, three-inch frame comfortable. The only saving grace was that the seat next to me was open. I was already dreaming about being able to stretch out after the plane took off—a beer, or maybe whiskey, in my hand.
People were getting antsy. A quick look around was enough to see that I wasn’t alone in my irritation. Passengers whispered to one another in hushed tones.
“I don’t see why we can’t just take off,” I heard a woman say behind me to whoever she was with. “It’s ridiculous to hold up the whole show foroneperson.”
A small smile formed on my lips knowing that I wasn’t the only one with that sentiment.
I watched as the flight attendant rose from her seat. The worried expression on her face as she looked over the first-class section let me know that she was picking up on the tension.
“Good morning everyone and welcome to flight seven-four-one-eight to New Haven. I want to inform you all that, um…”
She trailed off. Everyone, including me, watched her carefully, hoping for any good news.
“Well, to let you know that we still haven’t seen our tardy passenger.”
Groans came from the passengers—me included.
“I know it’s frustrating, but things happen, you know? Today it’s this passenger running late but tomorrow, it could be you.”
I shook my head. My job as an orthopedic surgeon had taken me all over the world. Never once had I been late for a flight, and it’d been a simple matter of always planning for contingencies.
This flight had been scheduled to leave at eleven-thirty-five. So, naturally, I’d arrived at nine-thirty—plenty of time to account for any hiccups and, if there weren’t any, have some breakfast while going over literature for the New Haven conference.
Really, all I wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately, I’d realized on my way to the airport that I’d forgotten my sleep mask, which would make getting some rest on the flight a little harder. Still, I was determined to snooze my way through it. Flying was one of the few things that managed to break my generally cool disposition—another reason I hated it.
Looking for something to do to pass the time, I turned my attention to the window. Nothing out there was all that exciting—the usual tarmac sights of men and women in reflective vests loading luggage and guiding planes off the runway. The sky was slate gray in the distance, promising snow that I’d likely miss.
“Sir?”
The flight attendant's voice snapped me out of my daydreaming. “Hm?”
She was leaning in more than necessary, infringing on my personal bubble. She also wore a smile on her face that was more flirtatious than professional.
“How are you?” she asked. “Can I get you anything?”
“How am I? Fine, I suppose.”
The answer seemed to please her. “Good. I just wanted to check and make sure you were doing alright with the delay and all.”
“I’ll be better once I have a drink in my hand.” I was joking, but not really.
She laughed. It was a strange laugh—far more intense than my somewhat lame crack ought to have warranted.
“Well, I’ll make sure to get you whatever you need once we’re up in the air. Be it a drink or…whatever else it is you might want.”
Her words took me by surprise—no way she’d be implying anything inappropriate. Then again, the way she was standing, the way she was looking at me, it sure as hell looked like it.
