Chapter Three
Ian
I swore I felt her even before I saw her as I entered the doors of the private jet that would carry me to New York City. I’d sent my staff ahead, on an earlier flight since I wanted this time to remain largely undisturbed. I had plans with one Stacia Langton, even if she didn’t quite know it just yet.
“Welcome to …” She paused, those copper-toned eyes widening in surprise.
I felt a small smirk cross my lips. She wasn’t expecting it.
“M-Mr. Zerlinger, welcome to—”
“I think we’re past the formalities. Please, call me Ian.”
Her perfectly arched eyebrows nearly touched her forehead. Immediately she began shaking her head. I could’ve sworn I saw a blush on the toffee-colored cheeks.
“That would not be professional of me, Mr. Zerlinger.”
“We’re beyond professionalism at this point. Given your little display last night.”
“My display?” A wrinkle appeared in between her eyebrows, demonstrating her incredulity, but it was quickly masked by a pasted, polite smile. “I apologize for my words—”
I held my hand up, stopping her forced apology. She didn’t mean it and I didn’t need to hear it. Plus, she was right. I was an asshole. It was a character trait I fully owned.
“We can skip the apologies. I didn’t request you as my flight attendant for your phony apology. I did so to make a deal.”
A frown marred her plump, rose pink colored lips. “You requested me?”
I nodded as I proceeded to unbutton my dark blue suit jacket.
“Why?”
“I just said I have a proposal for you.”
“What kind of proposal?”
The intrigue coupled with skepticism I heard in her voice called to me.
“The next month and a half is going to be extremely busy for me. I have numerous engagements, holiday parties, etcetera. According to your superiors, you have requested to pick up extra hours during this holiday season when most people are trying to get off. This leads me to believe you have extra time on your hands. Which makes you available to travel with me on each flight as well as accompany me as my date on my outings.”
Her mouth dropped slightly, confusion covering her face. “Wait, you spoke with my superiors?”
I shrugged. “Of course. I needed to do a background check to ensure you weren’t a nutcase.”
“But yesterday was Thanksgiving. How did you even ge—”
“Trust me, the CEO of your company is more than willing to take the call of one of his biggest clients, even on a major holiday. At any rate, we’ll be flying to New York today and staying for three days. I have three evening engagements that you’ll need to attend with me. I have already had my assistant begin putting together a wardrobe for you. I pegged you as five-six and a size four. Is that correct?”
“Wa-wait, what? Who said I’m going anywhere with you? Why on Earth would I want to?”
I narrowed my eye at her. I enjoyed a challenge as much as any CEO of a top performing company would. “Because, Stacia, as I’ve previously stated, your employer is very receptive to my needs. So, if for example, he were to get a call from me telling him how one of his employees was extremely disrespectful and unprofessional to me, he wouldn’t hesitate in letting that employee go. Even if that employee had an impeccable seven-year work history with his company.” I stared pointedly at her.
Her lips bunched up angrily. “Are you threatening me with my job?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
No need in lying about the obvious. I wasn’t above hard bargaining when necessary.
“Now can we get on with this or do you want to continue to pretend as if you’re offended for a while longer?” I questioned in a semi-bored tone.
“H-how do you know I wasn’t planning on taking time off to spend with family?” she questioned, placing a hand on her shapely hip. It didn’t go unnoticed the way the navy blue dress she wore clung to her curves.
“I’ve already stated, I’m well aware of the extra hours you’ve requested during this time of year. As well as the fact that you repeatedly checked your cell phone last evening, frowning each time as if you didn’t receive the call you were expecting. Both of these signs point to the fact that you are likely not planning on visiting family, or they you, over the next few weeks. Now, can we talk about tonight’s outing?” I sat down in my seat and looked up at her expectedly. I didn’t miss the expression of sadness that quickly crossed her face. Her eyelashes lowered as she presumably thought over my request.
I was growing impatient.
“Stacia, I—”
“Okay, fine. I’ll play tag along with you over the next few weeks, as long as your events don’t interfere with me doing my job. And you have to promise me that if I do this, you won’t go to my boss and tell him about my telling you off.”
A genuine smile touched my lips. That was an unfamiliar, but for some reason, welcomed feeling. The same sensation that she’d left me standing with the previous night had returned. Which was why I was sitting here, asking a damn flight attendant to be my date at some very exclusive events over the holiday season when I could’ve had my pick of any woman. This was the first woman to make me feel anything in … well, forever. But I still wasn’t anybody’s fool.
“I don’t make promises, Stacia.”
“But you will make this promise, Ian.”
I raised my right eyebrow before letting my eye scan her body from head to toe. For a brief second I caught a flash of defiance in those chocolate eyes of hers before it was gone. I took in her toffee-colored, smooth skin. The long hair that was styled in barrel curls as it rested against her shoulders. The neat way she’d wrapped the silk blue, red, and white scarf around her neck—those were the charter company’s signature colors. The form fitting navy blue dress that stopped just above her knees. Unfortunately, her legs were covered by nude stockings, not allowing me to see how smooth her legs were, but I was certain they were just as smooth as the rest of her exposed skin.
“Agreed,” I finally pushed out. “You uphold your end of this agreement and your boss will not hear anything out of me.”
She noticeably exhaled. “Good. You have yourself a date, or a number of dates, I guess.”
“Once we get in the air, I’ll tell you what is to be expected from you over the next month and a half.”
I took one last lingering look at her before proceeding to plant my gaze on the papers covering the table in front of me. I felt Stacia’s gaze linger on me for a few seconds before she strolled off toward the front of the plane. I sighed in satisfaction. For the first time in a long time I was actually looking forward to the holidays.
****
Stacia
I can’t believe I agreed to this, I thought as I stared at myself in the full-length mirror in my hotel room. I was adorned in a red, shimmery, sleeveless dress that hugged my body with ease and went all of the way to the floor. The bottom hem just grazed the floor when coupled with the black, strappy, six-inch heels I was to wear for the night. I had no idea how, but Ian had somehow given his assistant my perfect measurements because the dress fit as if it were made for only me. I ran my hand down the side of the dress, more so to calm my nerves than to smooth out any wrinkles. There were none.
I inhaled and rechecked my makeup, ensuring that the highlight I’d chosen for the evening looked good paired with the red lip and light smokey eye. I’d chosen to wear my hair in an updo because I presumed it looked more elegant, as it showed off the slope of my neck.
“Oh!” I startled when a harsh knock sounded at my door. Even before seeing, I knew it was Ian. He had a presence that you couldn’t help but be overtaken by, even with a couple of inches of hardwood separating us. “Coming!” I answered as another harsh knock at the door sounded.
Slightly breathless from quickly stepping into my heels, rechecking myself in the mirror, and hurrying to the door, I yanked it open, pausing at the sight of Ian in a black tuxedo.
I could’ve sworn I saw his eye widen in surprise? Shock? Appreciation? I couldn’t discern the look before it disappeared. He ran his thumb along his bottom lip, looking me up and down in that discerning way he often did.
“We’re late,” he stated brusquely, but at the same time extended his arm for me to take.
Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around his, stepping out into the hallway and shutting my door behind me. “I hope you’re not expecting any apologies from me. I was waiting on you to arrive at my room as you’d instructed me to do,” I retorted a little more saucily than I’d intended.
I stopped short as Ian’s steps faltered as he turned toward me, staring yet again. His gazes locked on mine for a moment before simply nodding. “Touché,” was all he said before adjusting my arm around his and continuing down the hall toward the elevator once again.
This man was an enigma to me. And, of course, that left me even a little more intrigued.
“Remember this is the Christmas Tree Lighting Gala. There will be a number of important business contacts I’ll be meeting this evening. Among the most important are Nikola Collins and his brother, Andre. Both should be here with their wives. My assistant provided you with the profiles on them, correct?”
I nodded just as the elevator doors chimed, alerting us that we’d arrived on the ground floor.
“Did you read them?”
“Of course,” I retorted, slightly offended. As soon as we’d gotten off the plane, we were greeted by Ian’s limo driver who held a pretty hefty folder out to me. Inside were the names of the various events he’d expected me to attend with him over the next few weeks, as well as the profiles of the important business contacts he was meeting with and the names of their spouses. On the drive to our hotel I was instructed to read over every profile, memorize it as much as possible, and glean from them anything I could use as conversation starters.
“Good. Your job is to not embarrass me. If you can’t do that, it’s best you just keep your mouth closed at all times.”
This time when I stopped short it was at my insistence instead of Ian’s.
“My job is a flight attendant for a private airline. My job is to ensure passenger comfort and safety while they are onboard one of our company’s planes. My job is not to be your escort, but since you’re blackmailing me I have no choice. But don’t ever confuse this with my job.”
Ian’s face darkened as he stepped closer, crowding my space. However, I wouldn’t let him intimidate me. Men like Ian Zerlinger got off on even the slightest hint of fear.
“Your snarky and quick comebacks can be construed as cute on occasion, but make no mistake, I’ll only give you so much wiggle room to put me in my place, as you seem to think that’s what you’re doing. You could lose much more than your job, Stacia.” His voice was low and calm as he made the thinly veiled threat.
Why did the gleam in his eye coupled with his nearness cause goosebumps to rise along my arms? And they weren’t a result of fear.
“Let’s go.” He moved from in front of me, and for the first time, I saw the ballroom we were entering. Despite Ian’s coldness of a few seconds ago, a warm feeling moved through me as I took in the winter wonderland theme of the gala. White Christmas trees adorned in red and gold decorations lined the walls. Crystal snowflakes hung from the ceiling, and the tables were decorated in beautiful white china and crystal ware.
“Ian!”
My date stopped, causing me to pause as well as we turned to the female voice that’d just called his name.
“What took you so long? We’ve been waiting. The Collinses arrived fifteen minutes ago.”
I felt Ian’s response even before he opened his mouth. His arm tightened around mine ever so slightly as his body stiffened. Somehow, I knew that meant his anger was rising.
“Jamie, I’m sure you must’ve forgotten who you were speaking to in all of the excitement of the gala. I’ll let it slide this time, but make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he stated coldly.
I looked from Ian’s stern profile to the brunette that’d accompanied him the day before to the homeless shelter. Her eyes widened in shock before they quickly darted in my direction, narrowing. For some reason her hostility seemed to be aimed at me as opposed to the man who’d just handed her a verbal lashing. Odd.
“I will speak with Nikola and Andre eventually. For now, my date and I will be making our rounds.” And with that, Ian started off in the opposite direction Jamie had been trying to lead him in, tugging me ever so gently as our arms were still linked.
“She seemed upset.”
“She’ll get over it.”
“I thought you wanted to speak with the Collinses,” I noted.
“I do and I will. But both men just arrived from Atlanta not long ago. I surmise neither one wants to be bombarded with business inquiries within minutes of entering the gala. I sure wouldn’t, and I’m very familiar with those who try to do so. They don’t tend to get very far with me. We’ll give the Collinses time to relax a little. Champagne?” He casually changed the conversation, offering me a glass of champagne that he’d pulled from a passing waiter.
“Thank you.” I took a sip of the bubbling drink. It went down smooth.
“How is it?”
“Delicious. I can taste the fruitiness without it being too sweet.”
“That’s our rose champagne. I thought it’d be perfect for holiday events. Glad you approve.”
“This is one of your champagnes?”
He nodded. “All of the beverages tonight are courtesy of Zerlinger Beer and Spirits.”
“Good for you.”
“No, good for the company. This is one of our busiest times of the year.”
“Hence all of the engagements you have.”
“Precisely.” He nodded. “Come, I want you to meet someone.” Instead of holding his arm out to me, he took my left hand in his right, in a much more intimate move than before. And somehow it felt natural and right.
Over the course of the next two hours, Ian introduced me to a whirlwind of people. Thankfully, I was good with names and faces and was able to keep track of just about everyone, most of whom hadn’t been in the folder I was given earlier.
“Nikola,” Ian greeted Nikola Collins, a few hours into the event.
I could tell right away Nikola was a man who owned whatever room he walked into. At approximately six foot two inches, he was just an inch shorter than Ian, though he was slightly bulkier—not bulky per se, but a larger frame than Ian’s runner’s physique.
“Zerlinger.” Nikola tilted his head, a neutral expression covering his face. Did these type of men ever smile? I’d noticed early on how Ian rarely smiled.
“I was wondering when we’d run into one another.”
“I chose to give you time to settle in. How’s your stay in New York so far?”
“It’ll be better once I’m on the plane back home.”
“Still not a fan of New York?”
“Neither of us are,” a female voice interjected.
Without even looking, Nikola’s right arm raised up, encircling the shoulders of the woman I knew to be Devyn Collins, his wife. I’d had pictures of Nikola, his wife, his brother, Andre, and Andre’s wife, Stacey, in the folder I’d been given. It didn’t go unnoticed how Nikola’s face softened in the presence of his wife. The heated gaze they shared even caused my heart rate to speed up a little bit.
“Devyn, a pleasure as always.” Ian nodded.
“Same here, Ian. Hello.” Devyn looked to me, smiling.
“Nikola and Devyn, I’d like you to meet my date, Stacia Langton,” Ian introduced.
Nikola extended his hand. “Pleasure.”
“Mr. Collins, Mrs. Collins,” I greeted, shaking both their hands.
“Please, call me Devyn.”
I smiled.
“All right, Zerlinger, I’ll give you ten minutes, then we’re calling it quits for the night,” Nikola stated.
“That’s our cue to leave so the men can talk business,” Devyn said to me, a wide smile on her face.
I looked to Ian who nodded. I followed Devyn’s lead as she sauntered a few feet away before stopping and turning to me.
“Enjoying yourself?”
“As much as possible.”
She let out a small giggle. “I know, right? The decor is beautiful, but these events always tend to be a little bit stuffy for my taste.”
“I know what you mean, though you seem to fit right in.” I’d seen Devyn schmoozing a little bit earlier with the wife of the mayor of New York City.
She shrugged. “You get used to it after a while. So how’d you and Ian meet?” she questioned, then took a sip of champagne.
“Oh. Well, uh, through a friend.”
She tilted her head, staring at me inquisitively. “Like a set up?”
“Yes, sort of. How about you and Nikola?” I quickly asked.
“At work.”
“You worked together?”
“Not quite. I was his brother’s assistant at their company.”
I nodded. “Talk about mixing business with pleasure.” I almost slapped my hand over my mouth, silently cursing myself for my somewhat bold statement. However, I was relieved when Devyn simply giggled.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
I relaxed a little more as Devyn and I talked. She seemed personable and was easy to get along with. My heart squeezed when she pulled out her phone to show me pictures of her and Nikola’s adorable children. They’d had a set of twins, and a little girl a year after the twins. The oldest were barely three years old.
“They’re so precious.”
“They keep us on our toes.”
My head perked up as Nikola’s deep voice chimed into the conversation. I swore I saw stars in the man’s eyes as he peered down into Devyn’s phone screen, gazing adoringly at his three children. The look didn’t change one bit as he raised his eyes, meeting his wife’s.
“We’re leaving. Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Langton. Zerlinger.” Nikola nodded at Ian and I.
“Nice talking with you, Stacia. Enjoy your stay in New York,” Devyn tossed over her shoulder as her husband practically dragged her toward the door.
“He was anxious to get out of here. Talk didn’t go well?” I questioned Ian.
“Went very well. He just despises these things almost as much as I do.”
I looked at Ian who was staring ahead. His perfectly square jaw was outlined by the neatly trimmed hairs of his beard. “Dance with me,” I blurted out before even thinking.
Ian turned to me. “What?”
“Nat King Cole’s ‘The Christmas Song’ is playing. It’s a universal rule that whenever this song is playing, you can’t sit it out.” I didn’t know what’d come over me. Probably the nostalgia of the holiday season. I truly loved this time of year. And if I was forced to spend it with this grouch I was going to make the best of it.
To my surprise, Ian put up no argument as he guided me toward the dance floor, pausing once we were in the middle to wrap a long arm around my waist. I moved into him willingly, placing my free arm around his neck just as Nat King Cole’s deep voice began singing of chestnuts roasting on an open fire. I was impressed with the ease at which Ian took the lead and kept in step with the music.
I was doubly impressed and caught off guard when Ian stepped back and easily spun me around in a circle just as Cole sung about kids from one to ninety-two.
“You’re pretty smooth there,” I complimented.
“Took ballroom dancing as one of my electives at boarding school.”
“Really?” I questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“It was either that or swimming and I chose dancing.”
My mouth parted to ask another question but we were interrupted by the assistant to the mayor of New York City. He told Ian something in his ear.
“I need to speak with the mayor briefly.”
“Go, I’ll be all right.”
He nodded before heading off.
I walked off the dance floor and found a waiter who passed by holding a tray of eggnog with nutmeg sprinkled on top. Unable to resist a glass of eggnog, I swiped one. As soon as I took a sip I realized it was a spiked version of the traditional holiday drink. However, it went down smooth. I enjoyed this more than the champagne I’d tasted earlier.
Feeling a little out of place, I moved to where I saw a glass door opening that led to an outdoor patio space. It was quite chilly in New York this time of year and I was wearing a sleeveless dress, but I needed fresh air more than I needed to feel warm. Stepping over the door’s threshold I felt a little bit lighter as the music faded to the background and the murmurs of the people inside fell away. I inhaled deeply, looking up into the night sky. I always admired New York. For a while I’d wanted to move here once I turned eighteen. Growing up in Connecticut, it was popular among the younger crowd to move to the City once we graduated high school.
“Enjoying the scenery?”
I turned to see Ian standing only a few feet away from me. I hadn’t even heard him sneak up on me.
“The City’s beautiful this time of year.”
“So they say.”
I shook my head. “Cynical much?”
“Absolutely.”
“How can you not be overcome by the joy in the air this time of year?”
“Easily. People constantly holding their hands out will make a cynic out of anyone.”
I pushed out a puff of air. “Is that what the attitude was about at the homeless shelter yesterday? Thinking those people were just holding their hands out for a free meal.”
He shrugged. “I suppose.”
I shook my head. “Maybe you should widen the circle of people you surround yourself with then.”
He gave me a pondering look. “Perhaps I should.”
“Actual friends might do you some good.” I didn’t know much about Ian, but I could definitely tell he wasn’t the type to have close friends.
“When I was thirteen years old, the boy I’d thought was my best friend since I was five years old decided he’d had enough of our friendship. He started hanging out with a new group of friends. One day we’d gotten into a fight. His group and my group. Before I knew it a rock was thrown, landed in my left eye. Not only did I lose a friendship, I lost an eye and fifty percent of my eyesight along with it.” He stepped closer, towering over me. “In the hospital that night, all my father said to me was, friendships that don’t make you money or grant you more power are a waste of time.”
He paused, looking at me intently.
“I don’t need friends.”
I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times, not knowing how to respond to what he’d just revealed.
“Let’s go.” Ian didn’t give me much time to think before he was wrapping his arm around mine and walking us back into the gala. Guessing we were leaving, I quickly placed my now empty glass of eggnog on the tray of a passing waiter.
“Ian!”
We stopped and turned to see Jamie moving toward us hurriedly, just before we were at the ballroom’s exit.
“Where are you going? I thought we were going to talk some more to the mayor tonight. ”
I caught the way she’d said we as if she were the one who was supposed to be on Ian’s arm instead of me. She briefly cut her gaze to me before looking back to Ian and softening her gaze.
Whatever.
“Mayor’s tired and has a number of hangers-on surrounding him. We will speak more at the opera house tomorrow evening.”
“What about Andre Collins? You didn’t get a chance to speak with him.”
“I spoke with Nikola. The three of us are having lunch tomorrow, but I’m sure you were already aware of that,” Ian chastised. “We are retiring for the evening.”
“Congratulations, sir, you’re standing under the mistletoe,” a passing waiter stated to Ian.
I glanced upwards, and sure enough, Ian and I were standing right under the mistletoe that hung above the entranceway.
“So I am,” Ian stated, slowly lowering his head to stare down at me.
I was certain Ian would brush off the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. I was wrong.
“Ian, I don’t think—”
Jamie’s words fell away as Ian’s lips came barreling toward my upturned mouth. A sharp intake of air moved through me as soon as our lips touched. A kiss that I thought would last for less than a second, seemed to go on indefinitely. But I didn’t mind. Ian’s lips were much softer than I’d suspected. And at that moment is when I realized that I had, indeed, thought about Ian Zerlinger’s lips before.
He raised his head, ending the kiss. I caught how he ran his tongue along his lower lip as if savoring the kiss. I couldn’t believe the intense desire I’d felt at that moment to grab his head and lower his mouth to mine again.
“I will see you in the morning.” His words were addressed to Jamie but his gaze was planted on me.
I let him direct me, taking me by the elbow and leading us to the elevator. He didn’t remove his hand from my elbow until we arrived at my hotel room’s door.
I fumbled a little as I attempted to pull out the keycard to my room. Somehow, I managed to find it and insert it into the door, unlocking it.
“Get some rest. We will meet tomorrow at noon for lunch in the hotel’s restaurant,” Ian stated before stepping back to move onto the elevator.
“Your father was wrong,” I blurted out, turning to him.
He halted and turned to me, forehead wrinkled, eye narrowed. His arm went out, holding the elevator door open.
“I’m sorry about what your ex friend did to you but we all need friends even if they can’t provide money or power.”
Ian raised his head, but remained silent just before nodding.
“Sleep well,” he stated, and stared at me as if waiting for me to enter my room.
“Sleep well,” I responded before entering and shutting the door behind me.