Chapter 5
I hated flying—not being in the air, but the turbulence.
Nervous butterflies fluttered around in my stomach as the pearl-colored limo delivered me to the airport. Garrett hadn’t been at the office the last two days, but he’d left me a mile-long to-do list that had kept me too busy to hone in on my fear.
Pulling into the terminal, I scrolled through the weather app for one last check. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw it promised clear skies with zero chance of rain. The car stopped at the curb and the driver opened my door. Stepping out, I saw Garrett waiting for me.
Adrenaline zipped through me and I forgot to breathe. Clean-shaven and wearing fitted black trousers with a button-down dark grey shirt that hugged his broad shoulders perfectly, he looked like a wickedly delicious sin. No tie, no jacket, all man.
Aviator sunglasses hid his eyes, and a smile teased the corner of his mouth. He swept his tongue over the seam of his lips as I stepped forward. I didn’t want to feel attraction, but there was no turning it off.
It was there, loud and clear.
He sauntered toward me, reaching to take the handle of my rolling garment bag from the driver.
“One bag?”
“We’re only going to be gone for two days.”
“Most women pack enough to last a month for a three-night stay.” He looked over the rim of his sunglasses.
I shrugged. “I’m not most women.”
“I’m beginning to see that. Nice dress, by the way.” He cracked a smile. “And that’s not intended to be anything more than a compliment.”
I wore a cobalt blue dress with a halter neckline and had thrown on a white cardigan to cover up my arms and exposed shoulders. I almost laughed thinking about the lacy baby blue thong underneath—far from basic white cotton.
“Thanks.” I think.
We boarded the private plane and my mouth fell open at the lush cabin, the interior done in camel and creams. Garrett led me to two seats facing each other with a table in between before he removed his sunglasses.
“Have a seat. I’ll put our bags in the compartment.”
In the back of the cabin, a flat-screen television was mounted to the wall and a leather sofa sat opposite it. An array of bottles of liquor lined a shelf behind the bar, and a desk fit for a corporate office sat across from it.
I should have known he’d fly better than first class.
As I took a seat in the oversized chair, a flight attendant spoke to Garrett with an inviting gaze and a pouty mouth. Desire oozed from her light blue eyes as she silently begged for a morsel of attention, but he didn’t give it, and I couldn’t stop my lips from curling into a smile as I turned my attention to the small window.
“Comfortable?” He sat across from me.
“Yes, I’m fine. Do you own this thing?”
“No, it’s chartered. Mine is a Cessna, a smaller scale plane I have for my personal use.”
“I didn’t know you were a licensed pilot.”
“Every chance I get, I’m in the air. There’s nothing like the freedom of an endless sky, flying into the depths of a cloud, and the vivid colors of the sunset. It’s magical, and it’s me controlling the magic with my own two hands.”
Who is this man and what did he do with the ass I first met?
“I was a little surprised you took off two days with all that’s going on. Everything okay?”
“My Gammy celebrated her eightieth birthday and my family had a party for her.”
So the Tin Man wasn’t so unfeeling after all. He had a grandmother who meant more to him than making sure La Amory Sands was a go. I didn’t know why a little piece of me cared about that fact, but it certainly did.
The captain’s deep masculine voice filtered through the speakers. “Mr. Mitchell, Ms. Sheridan, welcome aboard. We’ll be departing in five minutes and expect to arrive in St. Thomas at five twenty-five this afternoon.”
Locking the seatbelt in place, I tightened the slack and swallowed hard.
Please let this be a smooth flight.
Ready to ascend, I pulled a pair of ear-buds from my purse.
“You won’t have time for those. Once we get in the air, we’ll go over the itinerary along with some other work.” Garrett pulled his laptop from its brown leather case.
“I’m glad. I’ve been wondering about the schedule so I can find some time to sink my toes in the sand.”
His whipped his head up, jaw flexing. “This is a business trip, Brooke, not a vacation.”
I had the feeling this was going to be the longest flight in history, not to mention more like a trip to hell instead of a tropical paradise.
The engine revved and the plane lurched a bit before moving along the runway. I swallowed my fear, determined to keep a straight face. Reaching into my satchel, I withdrew a yellow notepad and pen.
“After I complete my required time in the Garrett Mitchell boot camp, you should consider Greta for your assistant. I think she’d be fantastic.”
He raised his eyebrow. “Greta hasn’t ever been an assistant.”
“Neither have I, but you like me so much you don’t want to let me leave,” I teased.
“I never said I liked you,” he said in a playful voice, arching his eyebrow. Amusement danced in his expression, and dear God, that husky voice.
I couldn’t breathe.
I forgot all about the plane taking off.
I forgot all about my fear of flying.
There was nothing but my stomach tumbling and the tingles spreading to all the right places. I jerked my head down, picking up my pen—anything to break the spell he put me under.
“Greta can do the job. I know she can. When we get back, please sign the transfer…or better yet, make the call to HR now. Tell them you’ll sign electronically.”
He opened his mouth then closed it, staring hard into my eyes. I squeezed the pen firmly between my thumb and index finger.
“George said you can do the job, and I need you to do it. Case closed.”
“Unless I walk out,” I challenged.
“You won’t do that. Where else will you work without a good reference, Ms. Sheridan?” he countered, all playfulness gone.
“Remember when you said you’d try not to be an ass? Well, try harder.”
He took a long look at me before throwing his head back and laughing. “Did you just call your boss an ass?”
“Just agreeing with you, Mr. Mitchell. I don’t do blackmailing very well, and I trust Jennings would side with me on this as well.”
“I’m sure he would. I’m sure George would as well,” he clipped out. “Just take notes.”
“I get you need an assistant, but why do you want me to stay put when we can’t get along? Why can’t you just put Greta in the position, let me go back to George, and forget this ever happened?” I shot at him.
“I don’t know why I listened to George—you’ve been more trouble than good. You said you didn’t know how to fail, but since you want to quit, you’ve proved you do know how to fail. Now take notes, Ms. Sheridan.”
The attendants served us wine and a cheese tray while we went over the inspection report. After a couple of hours, I had a list of things to address on the tour of the premises.
The captain came over the speaker to say, “Mr. Mitchell, it looks as though we’ll be flying through the outskirts of a small storm that’s developed. Everyone should take this time to buckle back in until further notice.”
My beat wildly in my chest and I swallowed back the nausea. Through the small window, miles and miles of water promised nowhere to make an emergency landing, nowhere to go but the deep blue sea.
“There’s no reason to worry. We’ll be fine.” He leaned forward, placing his hand on top of mine. There was a softness in his voice and concern in his eyes.
The first jolt made me drop the silver pen, and I watched it roll on the floor as I grasped the armrests. Holding on, my knuckles blanched as my body lurched forward with the second and third jumps of the aircraft. Panic rose in my chest as I started breathing hard and fast.
Somewhere in all the vigorous bouncing, Garrett slid into the seat beside me, quickly fastening the seatbelt. I closed my eyes, trying to suppress the unpleasant nausea as he slid his strong arm around my shoulders. As he pulled me against him, I kept my hands on the armrests, holding on for dear life until my fingers went numb.
“We’ll be okay. It’s just wind in the clouds causing the annoying turbulence.”
I shook my head, biting my lip to keep from letting out a shriek as my body lunged forward with another drop. My skin paled as I envisioned the plane coming apart midair.
“Brooke, you’re hyperventilating. Slow your breathing down. Open your eyes and look at me. The pilot is trained to handle the wind. He’s the best of the best, and he’s already above the clouds to help smooth things out. Trust me, I promise we’re going to be okay,” he coaxed, holding me tighter. “Take a deep breath, in through your nose, and slowly exhale like you’re blowing out a candle.”
I sucked in a big breath then let it out slowly as he’d instructed.
“That’s good. Again,” he coached. “It’s easing up.”
Finally, the bouncing around stopped and we were coasting along smooth and easy.
“Looks like we’re through it.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, unable to open my eyes.
“Don’t apologize. It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
His deep gentle voice sent deep calm through me. Peeking through my lashes, I found his eyes trained on me with a softness that took me by surprise.
“I’m not great with rough flights.”
“I see that. You should probably take something to ease your nerves. Why didn’t you at least tell me?” He withdrew his hold, sitting back in the seat.
“I don’t have a prescription and didn’t have time to see my doctor before we left, what with the short notice and never-ending to-do list from the boss and all.”
“You should have told me.”
“Why, so you’d have something else to complain to Jennings about?” I chided.
Garrett’s head snapped up, giving me a clear view of his frowning face. “You think that little of me?”
“Does it matter what I think?”
The captain’s voice resonated throughout the plane. “We’ll be landing in approximately thirty minutes, Mr. Mitchell. The forecast is sunshine with a temperature of eighty-nine.”
“It matters.” His voice was gentle, soft, and quiet.
God his eyes are beautiful. They were so warm…beautiful…alluring. His gaze drifted downward, stopping at my lips and making my heart trip over its own beats.
Garrett suddenly rose, returning to the seat across from me, his jaw twitching. Turning, I faced the small window, seeing nothing but the intensity in his stare.
The plane began descending, preparing for landing. Absently rubbing my hands down the fabric of my dress over my thighs, I drew in a deep breath, ready to feel my feet on the ground.
“It’s okay, Brooke. We’ll be on the ground in just a few minutes.”
“As long as we don’t get tossed around again, I’ll be okay.”
“That’s why I like to fly my own plane—I’m in complete control.”
“No surprise there since you like to be in control of everything.”
His eyes darkened and I blushed when I realized the words had flown out of my mouth.