Jessica's Breakdown [Journey of a Thousand Miles 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (4 page)

Jessica walked to the ticket counter and checked herself in. When she finally had her boarding pass in hand she went straight to the security line. She loved this part of the airport best of all. She never checked her bags and always received a lot of havoc for the stuff she packed. People were never prepared to see her toys.

She laughed to herself as she got closer to the front of the line. If security decided to take the items, she wasn’t overly concerned. She had a huge tote bag at the club. Jessica lifted her bag up onto the baggage security-monitoring machine and pushed it forward. Slipping off her shoes, she put them into a bin along with her purse. She waited patiently for her turn. The people in front of her walked through without any suspicious beeping sounds. The security guard nodded to her and Jessica walked through.

She watched the security officer’s face as her bag went through and he squinted at the screen, moving closer. His eyes widened for a brief moment and he shook his head, trying not to laugh. He called over some of the other security guards, and they stared at the screen. One man even touched the screen, as if he was trying to play with her toys. Jessica bit her lip, wondering how these officers would handle the situation. When she had been flying out of California to Dallas, the officers laughed but ended up taking most of her toys away for “security reasons.”

Her bag came out and she reached for it. “Ma’am…is that your bag?” One of the young security officers asked sweetly. She dropped her arm readying herself to be searched. He blushed, a beautiful pink, swallowing rapidly, and she could tell he was nervous. Poor guy.

“Yes, is there a problem?” she asked, arching her brow. She always seemed to push her luck, but for some reason she couldn’t help herself. It was hilarious to see people’s reactions. She had been called an attention whore on more than one occasion and it was true.

“Um…no.” He cleared his throat as he pulled her bag down and rolled it over to her. He slipped a hand inside his pocket and pulled out a business card. He handed it to her and Jessica smiled brightly. She seemed to get tons of phone numbers at the airport. Most men loved assertive, in-charge women and those were the men she liked best.

Jessica reached for her bag, pushing his card into her pocket. “Thanks.” She winked and walked toward her gate. She put a little extra swing in her hips, knowing that the men were watching her closely. She heard some low moans and bit her lip. She was feeling more relaxed, more like herself with each passing minute. This was what she missed about the city, she could be another nameless, faceless person lost in the crowd. In Coltmann County, she couldn’t fully be herself.

Her gate was on the other side of the terminal and Jessica took her time, knowing that she had a few hours to wait. In her excitement she had shown up to the airport three hours before her departure time. She watched people as they walked and ran with their families and friends through the huge terminal. She stood a little taller, knowing that she was alone and wondering what people thought about her. Did they think she was heading on a business trip or maybe to an exotic location for vacation? Was there anyone watching her as closely as she was watching the people around her?

Jessica hummed to herself as she walked toward her gate. She wondered briefly if she were making a mistake by leaving town. She hated leaving Bella and Alyssa behind, although they were no longer alone. She tried not to be jealous of their obvious happiness, but felt her heart twinge a little.

After a few minutes, Jessica arrived at her gate and sat down, pulling her suitcase next to her. She laid her arm on the rest and leaned her head down, wondering what it would be like to be in the same type of relationship her best friends were in.

Her mom had jumped from man to man, never completely satisfied with life, never really loving them. She used them, she abused them, and she then she threw them away. There was a trail of broken hearts leading straight to the woman. Jessica didn’t want to be the same way, but she was. She couldn’t stay in one place too long and she couldn’t seem to commit to a man. She became restless when the relationship became too predictable.

Jessica closed her eyes and her mind went to Beau and Chase. They both haunted her thoughts and dreams especially since the “back room incident,” as she liked to refer to it, happened on the night of the store’s grand opening. She let things get out of hand and wished that they could all go back to the flirting stage of their relationship. Things felt awkward now, she could barely look at either of them. Everything would be easier if they could both just forget about what happened, but they wouldn’t.

She pushed out her legs and leaned her head back, slouching in the chair by the gate. It felt like years since she had been to Iron Gate, instead of months, and wondered if this really was the best idea. She usually wasn’t the type of person to run away from problems, but then again, she usually avoided personal issues except for when it came to her friends.

The shrill sound of her phone ringing pulled her from her thoughts and back to the present. She grabbed her purse and felt around. She finally found her phone and quickly hit the
send
button hoping that the awful noise didn’t bother any of the other people around her.

“Hello,” she said quickly.

“Hey, are you at the airport?” Bella asked. Jessica smiled realizing that she had forgotten to check in when she arrived.

“Of course.” She exhaled loudly. “I should’ve called. I’m sitting here next to the gate, waiting to board.” It felt so unlike her to have these regrets. Everything seemed to be weighing on her lately. Part of her felt like a coward for leaving Coltmann County behind for a week, the other part of her needed the break.

“Are you okay?” Bella sounded a little concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She really didn’t want to get into a huge conversation, especially since nothing would be solved.

“
Dallas flight 628 will begin boarding in a few minutes at gate thirty-six. If you need extra assistance or have small children and need more time, you may start boarding now. Thank you.
”
Jessica paused and listened until the message over the loud speaker was done.

“It looks like my flight is getting ready to board. I’ll call you later.”

“Will you call me when you land in Dallas, please?” Bella asked.

“I’ll try. I’ll be fine. Call you later.” Jessica grabbed her phone to push the
end
button.

“Wait!” Bella yelled and Jessica put the phone back up to her ear.

“What?” she asked, confused.

“Um…well…” She groaned and Jessica arched her eyebrows. She knew when Bella was keeping something from her.

“
Dallas flight 628 is now boarding. If you are in section A, you may begin boarding now.
”
The loud speaker clicked and Jessica grabbed her stuff, getting ready to board.

“Bella, what is it? I’ve got to board,” she said, sounding a little impatient.

“Uh…nothing…never mind. Be safe,” Bella answered.

“Okay, talk later.” Jessica ended the phone call and got in line with the other passengers. She could’ve pushed Bella harder and got an answer, but she was too excited to get to Dallas. She shuffled her way to the front and handed off her ticket to the flight attendant and walked toward the open door leading to the plane. She felt giddy as she walked down the long ramp. Traveling was always so exciting for her. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest, and she could feel butterflies in her tummy. A new adventure always seemed so exciting, especially when she was able to run away from her silly little problems for a while. She stepped over the small threshold and onto the plane.

The line moved slowly as people found their seats and put their carry-ons where they belonged. She loved upgrading to first class but today it didn’t matter. The flight from Amarillo to Dallas was relatively short. She spotted her seat and leaned to the side to see who she would be sitting next to on this flight. A young man, he looked to be in his early twenties, caught her eye, and Jessica smiled at him. He looked around to see if she was smiling at someone else and then made eye contact once more, smiling broadly at her.

She was looking forward to this flight. Sitting next to this guy was going to be fun. Jessica finally reached her seat and the young man stood up, moving out of her way to allow her entrance to her seat next to the window.

“Can I help you with your bag, ma’am?” he said. His southern accent washed over her, and Jessica smiled, wishing like hell that he didn’t sound so much like Beau. She refused to think of the Austin brothers though. She was on vacation.

“Of course.” Jessica turned her bag around. Their hands touched and she winked at him. His cheeks turned pink and she knew right away he was interested. She started to feel more like herself, more like the strong, dominant person she was. She hadn’t felt like this in a while, but it wasn’t the time to dive into all the reasons at this moment.

The gorgeous young cowboy leaned down, grabbed her bag and pushed it into the overhead compartment. She brushed her body next to him, feeling the muscles on his stomach clench as she moved to her seat. She stared straight ahead pretending not to watch him when she could see him perfectly from her peripheral vision. She buckled up and shifted in her seat until she was comfortable.

“I’m Mason,” he said, and she turned to face him. “Are you going to Dallas for business or pleasure?”

“Nice to meet you, Mason. I’m Jessica.” She held out her hand until he took it gently in his. His hands were huge and she wondered briefly what he was packing under the tight jeans he was wearing. She felt guilty for that thought, wondering what Beau and Chase would think about this conversation and shook her head. Nope, she wouldn’t think of them at all. They had sex once. It meant nothing. “Pleasure. I’m heading to Dallas for nothing but pleasure.”

“Oh yeah, I live in Dallas. How long are you staying in town? I’d love to show you around.” He tried to say the last sentence with confidence, but Jessica saw the way his eyes shifted down, looking shy all of the sudden. It was cute.

“I’ll be in town for a week.” She wasn’t going to give too much information. Instead, she was going to let him do most of the talking.

“Um…” He stopped talking as the flight attendant’s voice came on over the speakers.

“
Ladies and gentlemen, we are closing the doors and pushing away from the gate. Please make sure you are buckled up and that your tray tables are locked…
”
Jessica tuned out the rest of the message, looking out the side window as the plane started to move away from the gate.

Leaning her head back against the headrest, she felt the plane accelerate. Jessica grabbed Mason’s arm, holding on for dear life as the plane lifted off the runway. She felt his soft hand rubbing her arm and she looked over, making eye contact. She stared at him, looking at the small smile play at the corner of his mouth. He looked sweet, almost innocent. He was cute, but there was no real spark like she had felt with Beau and Chase.

Taking a few deep, cleansing breathes, she tried to relax. She loved and hated flying. The take-off and landing were the worst parts. It made her nervous, made her palms sweat and her heart beat faster. She swallowed hard and the plane started to move faster. She knew what was coming, that feeling, when her stomach went to her throat for a couple minutes.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, and she nodded, trying to smile.

The plane leveled off and she pulled her hand back. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just got a little nervous there for a minute.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” He leaned back against his seat, acting relaxed, but she could tell he wasn’t. His muscles were tense and his jaw tight. He seemed to be waiting for her to do or say something more.

Jessica turned and looked out the window. Normally, she would’ve flirted more and maybe even propositioned him. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and relaxed. She wasn’t going to overthink anything, not now. Chase and Beau were always on her mind. Why? She needed to meet someone new. Maybe she could find a new playmate, have a great session, and work both Chase and Beau out from under her skin. Maybe she needed to have a longer vacation and more time away from both of them and Coltmann County.

With her mind made up, she turned back toward Mason, “Have you heard of Iron Gate?” She skipped all small talk and got to the point. She wanted a play partner, and he was young and cute. He would do just fine. She saw him swallow as he sat up a little straighter and stared at her. This time he didn’t avoid eye contact. He knew exactly what she was talking about.

He nodded slightly and looked around. It dawned on her then that he was making sure nobody could hear their conversation. She didn’t care. While he was looking around, Jessica looked him up and down and she noticed his cock was hard, pushing against the zipper of his pants. He shifted in his seat and she arched a brow, thinking of all the delicious things she could do to this young man. This was what she needed.

“Look at me,” she said in a feminine yet commanding voice. He turned his head, shuddering, and looked into her eyes. She saw the pulse in his neck leap but he didn’t move, didn’t look away.

“I want you to take my card.” Jessica pulled a card from her pocket. She always had them on hand. The card was small, with simply her name and cell number. She handed it to him and he looked down, staring at it for a moment.