He eyed me intently and licked his lips. “As much as I would love dessert, you told me to have you back at a decent hour so you could rest. That’s just what you are gonna do. Good night.”
As he walked off my porch, I imagined myself swinging him around, planting a seductive kiss on him, and us inside up against a wall. Too bad it was only my imagination.
I waited for him to get into his car and leave before I let myself inside and fell asleep thinking about that daydream.
Chapter Ten
ALEXANDER
As I drove away, her smell lingered in my car, the aroma pleasing to my nostrils. She needed rest, and tonight she was going to get it. We would have plenty of time together. Ella was special, no doubt. Why no man had snatched her up yet was surprising. She was perfect.
I parked my car, took the hotel elevator, and swiped my key card. I put on sleeping clothes and plopped down on the bed with the remote. What did I want to watch? Surely, there would be something interesting on still. As I turned the TV on, it was a cop show right off the bat, my favorite. I loved watching crime shows; something about them intrigued me. The hunt to find the perpetrator probably. The suspense of not knowing who did it and putting clues and evidence together to bring that person down. When I was younger, being a cop was my dream, then working my way up to detective someday. Dreams changed though.
Somehow, I drifted off to sleep but awoke to the sound of my phone ringing.
“Hello?”
“Get up! We need you here. Mr. Klietz sent an email and will be in-house today to discuss some new projects. Sorry for the short notice. The plane is on standby at the airport for you.”
“What time is it?” I asked.
“It’s five,” Shawn responded.
Still groggy, I kicked the blanket off me and stood up. “Okay, let me pack. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
I rushed trying to get everything packed. Ella wouldn’t be happy about me having to leave, but I needed to at least let her know.
I pulled out my phone and dialed her number.
“Hello?” she answered groggily.
“Sorry to wake you. I just wanted you to know I’m about to get on the plane. A couple of things came up. I’ll call you tonight when you get off.”
“Okay.”
“Go back to sleep. Talk to you later,” I said before hanging up.
I grabbed my suitcase, took the elevator down, checked out, and headed to the airport. Mr. Klietz was a huge investor, and I had to be there when he showed up. Shawn was good at what he did, but Klietz preferred to deal with me directly. Thank God, he sent an email first. My speed erupted when I got on the interstate; good thing there were no cops around to catch me.
I parked and turned off my engine, then I slipped out with my suitcase and headed toward the plane. The captain was waiting for my arrival.
“How long?”
“Wheels up in five, sir,” the pilot responded.
He was prepared. I liked that. We needed to save any time we could. By the time we arrived, it would be close to make it before Mr. Klietz. Shawn would stall for me if I didn’t get there in time.
I made a quick call to Shawn. “I’m leaving now. Hopefully I’ll make it. You know what to do if I don’t.”
“Yup. See you in a couple of hours.”
I got seated and buckled and poured a glass of orange juice while enjoying a scone. I wouldn’t have time to eat before the meeting, so it was a good thing the plane was stocked.
“Prepare for takeoff,” the pilot said over the loudspeaker.
The funniest thing, when I first got the plane, it was never used. I didn’t like flying, or rather had never flown before. Shawn talked me into going on a trip to Tampa with him. We ended up taking the plane, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Flying didn’t even bother me anymore with all the traveling I did now. You just learned to get over your fear.
After we got in the air, I pulled out my laptop to get some work done on the way. Once booted up, my inbox was flooded. Mr. Klietz had emailed me directly letting me know he would be in the office around eight. He would make it just in the nick of time. Instead of replying, I just marked it read and moved on.