was a little more than
intimate. We both know more about each other than couples who meet
after two dates. I know you’ve been checking me out and researching
all about me and I’ve been doing the same with you. I just didn’t
know we would meet so soon in this way.”
“ Yes, which brings us back
to your needing a wife.”
His jaw clenched and he looked
away disgusted. Had she said the wrong thing? She’d hit a nerve
hadn’t she? They were having fun and she had to bring up this wife
thing. Was he in some kind of trouble? Oh, why did she open her big
stupid mouth? When will she learn to shut up?
“I didn’t mean…”
“It’s nothing,” he said as if
trying to save the moment. “What are your plans for the next couple
of weeks?”
“I…um…well, I was hoping to
start working at the new job.”
“ The official opening is
not until next month, and besides you’re not qualified.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because I know.”
“How do you know?” Elsie felt
her muscles twitch in her face.
“In the back seat, grab the Home
Pleasures catalogue.”
“ Sure,” Elsie said
reaching back to feel the smooth heavy catalogue with pictures and
descriptions of toys to pleasure its customers.
“Now…when we board the
plane…”
“The what?”
“The plane, my dear. Do you
really think I’m going to drive to Niagara Falls now?”
“Um…no.”
He stifled a grin as he
parked near a hanger of the private airport.
All Elsie could think to
herself was—Oh. My. God! She was going on
a private plane.
“ It’s 400
mile s to the Falls from here. That’s a
seven hour drive. We can fly on my jet in forty-five.”
“Forty-five minutes?”
He nodded as he drove
closer to the hanger where the Kincade A2200 awaited.
God, this man oozed money
and power. The sun was setting beautifully and the darkness was
settling in so romantically. Elsie didn’t know what to think. She
felt as if she were in some sort of weird fantasy dream or
something or a movie.
“So this is how you live?”
“ Like what?” he said as he
walked briskly towards his destination after parking his car. One
of his men in a nice suit met him and greeted her also.
“ You do things on the spur
of the moment,” she finished.
“Life is to be lived when you’re
alive, my dear. You can’t do too much from the grave and you never
know when you’re going to leave this beautiful world. Enjoy every
second of it while you can.”
She grinned sheepishly as she
boarded the plane.
“I have my pilot’s licence but
Andre will be flying us tonight.”
“ Oh, okay.” Elsie was
gobsmacked. Would she have been nervous if Carlos was flying?
Probably not but at least his attention could be completely on her
and not on the skies.
There were two pilots and
one flight attendant who seemed to know
Carlos very well. How often did he do this? Was she the only woman
he’d brought up there? Or was this a weekly or monthly
thing?
“ By the way, I don’t often
bring women up here.” His salacious grin melted her insides
and confirmed to her that he must’ve been
some sort of mind reader.
She felt relieved and her deep
sigh was obvious. So obvious, Carlos chuckled. His dimpled grin and
smiling grey eyes sparkled and made her feel so warm in her heart.
She was really beginning to enjoy this. When was the last time
she’d ever done anything exciting like this?
Oh, boy, Dee would be
shocked if she knew what Elsie was up to now.
It was true that Elsie’s mother’s last days were horrible
and to think her mother worked her butt off her entire life as a
single parent to provide the best for her and hadn’t lived to see
the fruit of her labor. Working two jobs and never taking a
vacation. Elsie squeezed her eyes shut and tried to dull the pain.
That was not how she wanted to live her life. She loved her mother
and wished she could have given her everything she’d deserved,
including a nice long vacation…but…
“What’s on your
Elmore - Carl Webster 03 Leonard