After I’d made arrangements for Addison to stay with Larry and Annette until Monday, it seemed as though a whirlwind of controlled chaos took me and held me from the second Jim and I left his home.
How the man pulled off all of the shit that happened between calling for his driver and managing things with his personal assistants, I would never know. I would also never attempt to understand how this man operated so calmly in the midst of what I would have had to sit and take a month to plan out.
We made a quick stop by my house for me to change and get last-minute travel items. Once I’d thrown my toiletries in a bag, I went to my dresser. Knowing time was of the essence, I tossed in random comfy shorts, tanks, bras, shoes, jeans, and whatever the hell else I could grab to put in my small duffle bag.
Jim was understandably on the phone the entire trip from my house to a private airport. I took this time to get on the phone with Addy and hear all about her day at the zoo. They were heading to the movies next, and as always, hearing Addy’s excitement made me delighted that she was enjoying her weekend. It made me look forward to this trip more, knowing that she was having a blast with her grandparents, which she always did when Derek’s stupid ass was out of the picture.
The driver pulled into the private airport and drove the car to where a sweet-ass helicopter was. I watched in awe when a man in a dark suit walked briskly toward Jim’s door right as Jim hung up from his call.
“Henry.” Jim shook the man’s hand, stepping out of the car. “Good to see you. Thanks for handling everything last minute for me,” he said, reaching his hand back for me to place mine in.
“Never a problem, Mr. Mitchell,” Henry answered while I stepped out of the car. “Will there be anything else aside from what is already on our itinerary?”
“Yes, I do have something else,” he said, his hand clutching mine. “I want the security detail to back off a bit. England was too much. I practically had to pay them off to allow me some freedom,” he said with a half-laugh. “Other than that, is everything arranged at the hotel, then?”
“Yes, and your suite is reserved where the conference will be taking place,” the man answered. “I’ll inform and update the men in your security detail about your preferences.”
Jim’s hand slid across my lower back. “Very good. This is Avery Gilbert,” he said, keeping his CEO, authoritative tone. I certainly was at James H. Mitchell’s side. “She will be with me throughout the entire trip. Ensure the detail has their eye on her as well,” he finished by taking my hand back into his.
“Absolutely, Mr. Mitchell,” he answered and smiled at me. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Gilbert.”
I returned his smile, more nervous than anything, but playing along. Jim and I walked toward the helicopter, where Jim’s driver had returned from placing our bags. This was beyond surreal. Jim’s phone rang, and he took the call as we stepped onto the aircraft.
I’d never been in a helicopter before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I definitely didn’t expect it to be this massive and luxurious. The smell of leather reminded me of the fragrance in Jim’s luxury cars. Four large chairs sat at the front and back of the cabin while the middle area—with hardwood floors—had leather couches lining the windows that stretched along the entire cabin. It was more than high class—this was ludicrous wealth.
Jim guided me to buckle up while continuing to throw out some more instructions about the event we were heading to. I buckled myself in, and followed Jim in chilling out at the back of the helicopter in the two captain-like chairs. This was so fucking badass.
I glanced up to see a monitor that showed the flight patterns on it. The sun was setting, and I don’t think this rushed trip could’ve been planned better. I felt excitement wash over me when I heard the engines come to life, and the shadows of the blades start spinning slowly before they whirled into a blur. The next thrill was when the cabin lights dimmed and an indigo-blue light backlit the area we sat in. The light was muted enough to set off the elegance throughout the helicopter, but it also enhanced my view outside of the windows.
With grace, the chopper gently rose from the ground and hovered for a few seconds before it dipped forward and veered off to the right. I watched the ground below us growing farther away as the helicopter glided through the air, and it was so smooth that I felt nothing but the adrenaline coursing through my body.
We made a few banking turns, and then the ocean was beneath us. The coast was to our left, and the lights flickered off the waves as they rolled into shore now that the sun hid behind the horizon. Jim’s hand covered mine, and his thumb tenderly rubbed over the top of it, pulling me out of this extraordinary experience I was enjoying.
“Care to join me for a drink?” he asked, pointing toward the sofa at my right, and facing the windows that gave the view to the coastline. “God, I haven’t said two words to you since you accepted this invite. Please forgive me for that; this last-minute shit has had me strapped to the phone since taking over this event.”
“I completely understand. What are we drinking?” I asked, unbuckling and standing up, following him to where he had a bottle of champagne, and then a man walked out with a tray of cheese, crackers, and fruit.
“I’m having a bourbon. You can have this champagne or anything else you’d like.”
I eyed the food tray and thought I’d tease him, being that it was my first time talking to him since this whole thing was set into motion. “I might have to back out on dating you again,” I said, picking off the tray. “I can’t do this lavish lifestyle stuff,” I shoved a piece of cheese in my mouth, “at all.”
He smiled and laughed. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring this helicopter through a drive-through window, or I’d have you eating burgers, fries, and a shake instead.”
I took the tall glass of bubbly and sipped it. “It’s why I can’t be your lady, Mr. James H. Mitchell,” I said with a dramatic sigh. “I can’t eat like a bird. I thought you and I established this a while ago.”
Jim took the glass of bourbon he’d poured and sipped. “I will ensure a buffet of food is waiting for you in our rooms when we arrive. The hotel will cater to any and all food cravings you have until you have no other option but to date me because I know how to feed my woman.”
I pinched my lips, trying to hold on to teasing Jim, but not able to take my eyes off the glorious coastline view. “Might work,” I said, my mind drifting to the beauty of cruising through the air over the ocean. I settled into his side on the couch. “This is remarkable.”
“But the food sucks.” He kissed my temple. “I’ll have to find time to make this right.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder. “And how do you plan on doing that?”
“Well, I see it like this: I miserably failed as your host at my place, and now this helicopter food situation almost has you walking out on me again. Let’s just say I wasn’t finished with you at my house before the SOS call came in. I’m still planning on what we never finished after our little warm up session out by my pool.”
“I’d like to see you try to fit in,” I leaned up to whisper in his ear, “us fucking.”
Jim grinned and kissed my lips. The flavor of the bourbon in his kiss sent a jolt of energy straight between my legs.
“You think I can’t find a way to take my lady before, possibly during, and after this charade tonight?”
“I shouldn’t challenge you.” I laughed, taking another sip of my drink. “I watched you pull this whole thing off like it was nothing.” I studied his eyes—sparkling and radiant—before I turned to face him on this sofa. “I have to know. Are you good at hiding stress, or is this shit normal for you?”
“My brother always tries to pick my brain to figure out how I remain calm in complicated or chaotic situations. My only explanation is that I don’t allow chaos to govern my mind. I wouldn’t be able to maneuver through them if my mind escalated to an unhealthy level of stress. I know it will be handled, and that is the goal I strive for while confronted with things I believe would stress or upset others.”
“Wow.” I smiled at him. “Makes sense as to why you didn’t knock Derek’s ass out after he threw a punch at you.”
“That was much simpler. I knew if I engaged the man, especially while he was not in his right mind, it would only fuel what I knew he wanted. I chose not to give him any credence whatsoever while trying to upset me.” He took another sip of bourbon. “I quickly learned that my weak point with that man is you. Without question, I would fight back, knowing between right and wrong, if he were to attempt to harm you or Addy.”
“Well, the prick is in jail.” I rubbed his leg. “Don’t worry your handsome self about him hurting Addy or me. Just getting away from him helps me.”
“Yeah,” he said. “And Addy? She’s okay with Mom skipping town on her?”
“She doesn’t care where Mom is at the moment.” I leaned against him. “She’s had an awesome day at the zoo and will be ready to crash by seven tonight after the movies. She’s having a little party of her own.”
Jim chuckled. “Good. She and you both deserve a little fun, don’t you think?”
“We’ll see how much fun a speaking event can be.” I laughed.
“Yeah, you gave me a glimpse of your shit show yesterday, so you get mine tonight and tomorrow.” He ran his hand over my arm. “However dull the event might be, I swear to God, you’re not leaving Palm Springs without me fucking you senseless while we’re there. I’ve waited far too long for that, and after this afternoon?” He exhaled and licked his lips. “Your ass is mine when I get the first chance. Mark my words on that.”
“And now you’re working me up.”
“Good,” he said, reclining against the sofa. “I need you wet and ready for your man when we get in that room.” He gently ran his hand over my hair. “Perhaps we can enjoy a hot shower together? It might be the only place where it’s private when we first arrive.”
“Doubt that. I’m fairly sure that after this helicopter ride, your hotel room will be a house of its own.”
