In Flight (Up In The Air #1)

CHAPTER FIVE

Mr. Persistant

I spun almost immediately to glare at Stephan. “Traitor,” I said to him, my words slurred.

He threw his hands up, giving me his innocent look. “I didn’t give out your number or anything. He asked if we were going out tonight. I just told him where. No harm done.”

I mouthed a few choice words at him. I felt a hard cheek press to the hair near my ear and knew it was Mr. Beautiful himself. “Mr. Beautiful, huh?” he whispered in my ear. I knew my whole body was bright red with embarrassment. “I’m going to take that as a compliment, though I have to say, it’s a new one.”

“Hello, Mr. Cavendish,” I said stiffly, without turning.

“I told you, call me James. Or Mr. Beautiful, if you prefer. You can save the Mr. Cavendish for when we’re in private.” It was the second time he’d said that, and I just couldn’t tell if he was teasing. Did I even want to know? I wondered. No, I told myself firmly.

I tried to just ignore everyone for awhile after that. Except for Melvin. Him, I tried to flag down to get another drink, but he was ignoring me. Vaguely, I could hear Stephan and James chatting amiably at my back.

James hadn’t moved, and he was standing close enough to my back to indicate that he and I were together. He was so close that it made the skin of my back tingle. If I shifted even an inch backward, we’d be touching.

I turned my head slightly and saw that the co-pilot had been forced to move away from me. He was looking between Stephan and James, an odd look on his face. He didn’t know what to make of the situation. I didn’t really care what he made of it. I was just relieved that he seemed to get the picture that I was clearly not available.

I lurched suddenly to my feet. I had expected to be a little unsteady on my feet, but it was much worse than I’d thought. I had to clutch the bar for several moments to gain my balance.

“Whoa, careful there, Buttercup,” Stephan was saying to me.

I felt a hard arm going around my waist for support, and I knew it wasn’t Stephan. “Buttercup?” James asked him, his voice amused.

I looked at Stephan, who was looking a little sheepish. “It’s an old nickname, from when we were kids. Bee will have to tell you the story sometime.”

“I look forward to it. Does she drink like this often?” James asked casually, but I thought there was a slight edge to his voice. He was still just talking to Stephan. About me, and in front of me. It was infuriating.

“All the time,” I said loudly.

“This is the first time she’s had a drink since the month she turned twenty-one,” Stephen said quietly. “At least two years ago.”

James’s mouth was at my ear again. “You remember what I told you about lying to me,” he warned softly. “That’s two.”

He’d said he’d put me over his knee. “He’s a kinky bastard,” I thought drunkenly.

Oops, I’d said that out loud. Luckily, only James had heard. He laughed, showing even white teeth. He hadn’t taken it as an insult. He nodded at me, making very solid eye contact. He agreed.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I declared loudly.

“I’ll help you get there, Buttercup,” James told me. Stephan rose as we moved, as though to help. James waved him down. “I’ve got her.”

And he did. He wrapped my arm around him and took the brunt of my weight as he led me effortlessly through the crowd toward the restrooms.

“Why are you here?” I asked him bluntly.

“Well, I came here because I very much want to f*ck you until neither of us can walk. I want you so bad I can’t see straight. But since that won’t be happening now, I’m staying to make sure you make it back to your room in one piece.”

“Why won’t that be happening now?” I asked him. I knew it was a bad question, one that implied that I was disappointed that it wouldn’t be happening, but I was just too drunk and curious to care.

He looked at me, brow raised. “I won’t touch you while you’re impaired. Never. I just don’t do that.”

“So you give up?” I challenged, but it came out as more of a whine.

He surprised me by kissing the top of my head. “Far from it. I still intend to f*ck you senseless. Just not tonight, Buttercup. And I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from ever getting yourself into this condition again.” His arms and the kiss had been soft and sweet, but his words and his tone were icy.

What a strange man, I thought. How could someone sound so cold while calling me Buttercup?

I stopped suddenly. We were against the wall now, close to the hallway that led to the restrooms. I turned in his arms, pressing up against him. He sucked in a breath at the sudden contact. I looked into his eyes. He looked back, his eyes hard. “Yes?” he asked me sharply.

“My condition isn’t your business, James.” I emphasized his name. It was the first time I’d used it.

His gaze was steady. “I intend for it to be my business.”

“You don’t want to date me, you said,” I told him.

He sighed. “It’s true. But I want other things. I at least want the chance to talk to you about what I do want.”

“So talk,” I told him.

“We will talk. When you’re sober. And when we have some actual privacy.”

I wagged a finger at him, then stood on my tiptoes to be sure he heard me as I spoke directly into his face. “That doesn’t sound like talking.” My words were slurred, and he visibly flinched.

He hated how drunk I was, I could tell. He had a real serious problem with it. My extremely drunk mind started to hatch up a drunk scheme to use that to my advantage. If he didn’t like drunk, I would show him some drunk behavior that would scare him off for good. I nodded at him, turning away. Just as soon as I went to the bathroom, I was gonna make him run the other way in a hurry.

I used the restroom. It was a sign of how drunk I was that I was proud when I used the bathroom successfully and without a mess.

I was washing up when Melissa came bursting through the door, looking excited. “Who is that gorgeous man?” she asked me breathlessly. She was the most animated I’d ever seen her without a man she liked in the room. Of course, that’s just because she happened to be talking about one right at that moment.

I didn’t have to ask who she was talking about. “That is Mr. Beautiful,” I said. I was going for a breezy tone, but I heard my voice, and knew it just sounded drunk and slurred.

I walked out before she could ask me anything else. James took my arm before I could even locate him. “Have you ever been so drunk that you can’t look yourself in the eyes when you see a mirror?” I asked him. It was a serious question. I was really that drunk. He just looked at me.

“Answer me, James,” I tried to order him.

“No,” he said immediately.

“Dance with me,” I told him. Time for operation ‘Hot Mess’. He hated drunk. I’d show him drunk.

“No,” he said firmly.

“Fine. Somebody’ll dance with me. Just you watch.” His hand tightened on my arm when I tried to walk away.

“No, they won’t. If you have to dance, it’ll be by yourself tonight.”

I gasped at him in outrage. I was momentarily distracted when we walked back out into the huge bar and found it had considerably less people than it had when we went in.

“Whats’appened to all the people?” I asked. My slur was getting more pronounced, but I couldn’t seem to help it. I looked at him. He just shrugged. “Is it that late?” I pondered, reaching into my small handbag for my phone. “Where’s ma’phone?” I mumbled.

“You left it at the bar,” he told me. I started to lurch in that direction. He stayed me, holding my phone in front of my face. “I grabbed it for you.”

I snatched it from him, glaring. I glanced at the face of it, pushing the front button to show the time. “S’only eight clock. Why d’ya spose everyone is leaving? Is something happening? Are they closing?”

His only answers were shrugs. His hands were in his pockets. I studied him, suddenly realizing how bored and detached he looked. I recalled what he’d said about only sticking around to make sure I got back in one piece. “You don’t have to stay here. I’m just fine.”


He pulled me against him suddenly. I stiffened, but he just pushed my cheek into his chest. “You’re an infuriating woman,” he said into my hair. I tried to shove away from him for that comment, but I couldn’t seem to budge him. “I would be happy to walk you back to your room, but I’m not leaving you here when you’re acting like this.”

“You don’t know anything about me. I may act this way all the time,” I said, but the words were muffled into his shirt.

He was wearing the softest T-shirt I’d ever felt. I was suddenly nuzzling against it. I realized that I hadn’t even seen what he was wearing. It wasn’t a suit, and I hadn’t even gotten a chance to check him out.

I pulled back, looking with fascination at his casual attire. His shirt was a navy V-neck T-shirt with a small pocket over the left side of his chest. Right over his nipple, I thought. It was fitted, showing off his sleek muscles. And it was sooo soft.

I started running my hands over it, and he didn’t stop me. He wore casual gray slacks with navy running shoes. He looked positively edible.

“Someday soon I’m going to tie you up and tease you just the way you’re teasing me right now, with no hope for release for at least a night.” His voice was soft and earnest. His words stilled my hands immediately. Apparently I wasn’t doing a great job of scaring him off. Yet.

I snapped my fingers at him as I got an idea. I was steadier on my feet as I pulled completely out of his arms. Just a few minutes without imbibing was improving my balance.

“I have a surprise for you,” I told him ominously, and stalked toward the Karaoke DJ.

I whispered my request in the strange man’s ear, and he nodded, shooting a look at James.

I put a finger over my lips. “Shhh. It’s a surprise for Mr. Beautiful.”

James watched me stoically as I climbed onto the tiny stage. Surprisingly, there was no one in line, so I got to go immediately. Before I’d gone to the bathroom there had been a line nearly out the door of people waiting to perform. Now the place was just getting emptier by the second.

That was fine with me. This hot mess of a show was all for James Cavendish.

I couldn’t help it. I started to giggle as the first notes of S&M came on and I saw his eyes widen. I got myself under control enough to start singing to it when the words came on the screen, shooting him sassy looks and even throwing in a little bit of wiggling to the beat. I even bent down to flip my hair at a small pause in the song. Oh, lord, that almost knocked me off the stage.

He moved closer at my reckless action, as though to catch me if I really did fall off.

I got a little off track when Melissa strutted over and started talking to him. Did she really have to stand so close to him? Apparently, she did. She even pressed against him as she spoke into his ear.

He didn’t seem to mind either, talking to her now more than he was watching me. It seemed to be a very serious conversation for two people who had just met. Or did they know each other?

That’s it, I decided. I was going to find out.

The music hadn’t even stopped when I stomped off the stage.

James gave me a small smile as I approached. Melissa wasn’t touching him anymore, but she was still standing way too close to him.

“Thank you for the surprise, Bianca. I won’t forget that for as long as I live.” His voice was warm and full of good humor. Dammit. That had not been what I was going for.

“Do you two know each other?” I asked abruptly.

James looked a little surprised. “We just met. She works with you, right?”

“So what were you talking about?” I asked pointedly.

“She said she was a good friend of yours. I was asking her about you.”

I looked at Melissa. She looked a little miffed, but hardly deterred. If she had any clue how much James was worth, she’d really be all over him.

I toyed with the idea of telling her. That might solve the whole situation right there. For reasons I didn’t want to analyze, I decided against it almost immediately.

She studied me briefly, and her expression brightened. She grabbed my hand suddenly, all bubbly girl again. “Come on, chicky,” she said to me fondly, leading me back to the Dj.