“Why are you looking at me?” I spew out like throwing a punch. A twinge of confusion flickers across his face.
“Your beauty.” An annoying smile curls on his pink lips.
“Will you give it a rest?” I grimace in disgust at his mocking me. Enough is enough. I’d rather him be a loathsome jerk than mock me like a classless ass.
“What—“ he cocks his head upon the interruption of the flight attendant who serves us a round of drinks.
Without hesitation, he lifts the glass to his mouth. I react immediately, as if my cautious second nature exists for the sole purpose of protecting him. The reaction alone makes me cringe, but I persist against my better judgment because I can't not care about someone I've known for six years.
“You shouldn’t drink anything you haven’t mixed for yourself!” I exclaim as he smirks and takes a sip anyway.
“Please, Ms. Lee, all of my employees are extensively vetted. I can assure you of that.” He takes another sip, the same smug look on his flawless face.
I narrow my eyes and shake my head in aggravation. I can’t be mad at him, though. It’s still my fault for thinking I’d be fine after what we did. To be fair, a lot of alcohol came into play last night, but it’s still no excuse for my recklessness. I was just the next secretary to check off his list of conquests. I guess it's pretty twisted— my protecting him is like preparing a lamb for slaughter. Only keeping him safe to lock him away.
I can see the look on ol’ officer Fine’s chiseled face when I tell him I got a new job. As much as I’d like to fantasize about that being the end of my mess, I know it’s far more complicated than excusing myself from the equation. I’m stuck in this terrible cycle of wanting and waiting. Both were equally awful, unavoidable fates.
* * *
Somehow,I managed to sleep the entirety of the plane ride. When I awake, we’re on the ground, and the sound of chatting amongst Vince and his security guards grows louder as I become cognizant.
As I reach for my purse, Vince stops speaking and turns to me.
“Are you ready, Ms. Lee?” I glance at the guards, who are looking away from us as if they’re not eavesdropping.
“Are we here already?” I look out the window to the early morning light glistening off the runway.
“Just landed. Welcome to Rome” He gives me a smile and hands me my purse, placing it on my lap. I hate that he’s being nice. It makes me think he wants something. I guess he does, but he’s not getting it.
“Sir, there’s no way around it. They’re asking you to go through the airport for security measures. I apologize for the inconvenience.” One of the security guards informs Vince before I even have a chance to stand.
He lets out an aggravated sigh and gives him a nod before helping me up and out of the plane. A swarm of security meets us at the bottom of the plane and escorts us to a large black car a few feet away. When we arrive at the airport doors, only two of the guards holding our bags are allowed inside with us, and we begin our winding walk through international airport security.
“You slept a long time. Are you feeling alright?” Vince tilts his head down and speaks quietly as we slowly move through the line.
“Yes. I think it’s because you exhaust me. It’s the only explanation as to how I could have fallen asleep so easily.” I smirk up at him, and his eyes smile as he licks his bottom lip.
“Right, the insomnia. It’s probably why you’re always so unpredictable.”
“Unpredictable?”
“Yeah, haven’t you heard?” I cock my head sarcastically like I’m a news anchor listening to her co-host as he continues. “Yeah, they say people with insomnia are more likely to suffer from chronic, inconsistent behavioral issues.”
“Oh? I haven’t heard that.” I play along, rolling my eyes as we approach the guard checking passports.
“Ah, well, it’s a fairly new discovery.” He dryly remarks with a straight face, and I scoff at his British humor. He chuckles when he sees my reaction, causing my stomach to flutter. I have to let out an embarrassingly loud sigh because I’ve become so flustered. I see from my peripheral he’s biting his lip, and I whisper a prayer I can make it through this trip without giving in to his charm.
After we’re cleared, we lose sight of his security, and I’m beginning to worry that we’ll have to survive by what’s left in my purse. A half a pack of sugar-free gum, my wallet, and an assortment of random things I won't remember I have until I go digging for those mentioned previously.
“I could have sworn they were right—" out of the corner of my eye, a black-masked man is sprinting across the clusters of crowds. At first, I don’t understand what’s happening, but when he reaches in his pocket, closing in on us, it’s clear he’s gunning for Vince.
A primal move explodes from me, as if not protecting Vince will be my end. (Which is honestly embarrassing at this point.) I launch forward with more force than I have ever mustered in my arms, and I swing my clunky purse through the air, smacking the guy so hard he falls to the ground.
Vince quickly grabs my wrist and pulls me out the door, where somehow security has spotted and caught up with us a little too late. Vince begins yelling, threatening their careers, while I stand nearly ready to pass out from my rapidly beating heart.
A car screeches up to us, rolling up over the sidewalk, and we are quickly ushered to it. Everything is blurry, and I’m trying to comprehend what just happened. Vince reaches for my hand as the car peels away, and we’re swerving in and out of lanes to get to the hotel.
“Thank you.” He begins playing with my fingertips, and somehow the feeling it evokes brings me back to calm. I meet his sincere eyes with a nod.