Sleeping With My Boss: A Standalone Novel (An Alpha Billionaire Romance Love Story) (A Dirty Office Romance) (40 page)

Chapter
Thirty-Five

Austin

Despite
the fact that my brain was spinning with all the information I'd ingested on
the commercial flight that brought me to the corporate jet in Los Angeles, as I
boarded the plane the first thing I did was look for Emily. I had told Bax to
find the same crew that had flown over with me earlier in the week and I knew
that he'd moved hell and high water to find them and get them here.

As I entered the cabin, I looked toward
the back of the plane and saw her there standing next to the redhead whose name
I couldn't recall to save my life. I smiled at Emily and started to walk toward
her. She nodded without smiling and looked back at me with an expression that
gave nothing away. She looked beautiful, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Emily," I smiled warmly as I
offered my hand. "It's good to see you again."

"Mr. Marks," she said as she
shook my hand quickly and then dropped her hands down to her sides. "It's
always a pleasure, sir."

"And Ms. -" I held my hand out
to the redhead as a confused look flitted across my face quickly replaced by a
smile. "I'm sorry, I don't know your last name."

"Trish," she smiled as she shook
my hand. "It's okay, we didn't meet last time around. Please excuse my
co-attendant here, she's had a rough day."

"Are you okay, Emily?" I asked
genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine, thank you, Mr.
Marks," she said with a weak smile. "Thank you for asking."

Trish elbowed her in the side and she
looked up into my eyes for a moment, but that was all it took for me to see
that something was going on. It suddenly came flooding back – how she'd pushed
me away and said she wasn't interested. Now, I'd pulled her onto this flight
and away from her life in Las Vegas. Maybe what I was seeing was her resentment
at being on asked to return to Sydney on this flight.

The captain announced that it was time to
prepare for take-off, so I got myself situated and told the two interns that
Bax had sent with me to find seats and get comfortable. Then, I settled in and
waited for the plane to get airborne. I ran various scenarios through my head,
finally thinking,
Forget it, we're not
fifteen year olds and I'm not going to chase after a woman who doesn't want me.
I'm the head of a multi-billion dollar corporation! I don't have to do this!
But down deep, I knew that I was hooked on Emily in a way that I'd never been
before and that I was going to follow the path wherever it led – even if that
meant I was going to find a dead end.

Chapter
Thirty-Six

Emily

When
I saw him enter the plane, I felt myself inhale sharply and hold my breath. He
looked so handsome in his usual suit-minus-tie with the shirt open at the neck,
five o'clock shadow at noon, and messy dark curly hair that I had to fight to
keep from staring. He walked across the cabin smiling and said hello as he
stuck his hand out, I shook it and returned the greeting, but I kept my eyes
lowered, afraid that he'd read everything in them if I looked up and let him
see.

"Are you okay, Emily?" he asked
with genuine concern.

"I'm fine, thank you, Mr.
Marks," I said as I offered a weak, unconvincing smile. "Thank you
for asking."

Trish said something to him and elbowed me
in the side as she did, but I didn't hear her. I was lost in the memory of the night
Austin had pulled me to him and brushed my lips with his. I couldn't forget the
way my body had been drawn to his and the way my pulse had raced as his lips
touched mine, and I couldn't forget the way he'd occupied my dreams every night
since then. I shook my head to clear the thoughts that were flooding my brain
and threatening to lead me right back into his arms.

"Pssst, Princess," Trish
whispered as she poked me in the arm to get my attention. "Get ready for
take off!"

"Oh, yeah, right," I said as I
took my place in the jump seat in the galley and belted myself in.

"You okay?" she asked from the
seat across the way. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine, just a little..." I
trailed off as I thought about how to explain what I was feeling.

"A little twitterpated, I'd
say," Trish smiled as she nodded at me. "It's okay, Princess, you can
like the boy. He's hot and he's got good manners. I approve."

"Oh great," I rolled my eyes at
her as the plane began picking up speed in anticipation of assent. "I'm glad
that I have your approval, I was so worried that I wouldn't and that I'd have
to proceed without it."

"Smart ass," she giggled as we
lifted off the ground and headed up into the clouds.

Once we were at the proper elevation, we
both undid our restraints and prepped the cabin for the first round of drink
and snack offerings.

"You go take care of him," Trish
said as she looked over at the section where Austin was sitting reading a set
of papers with great interest. "I'll get the peanut gallery."

"Trish!" I whisper yelled.
"No! You serve him, I don't want to even go there."

"Oh, yes you do," she said with
a knowing smile and a gentle shove. "Oh, yes you do."

I shot her a death look and stuck my
tongue out before pasting a smile on my face and stepping out into the main
cabin.

"Mr. Marks, is there anything I can
get you right now?" I asked in a quiet voice trying not to startle him.

"Huh? Oh, yes, I'd like a club soda
with lime and a sandwich or something," he said as he looked up and smiled
at me adding, "And aren't we on a first name basis now?"

"Um, I suppose we are, Austin,"
I said giving him a bright smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. "I'll
get your drink and lunch. Do you have a sandwich preference?"

"I'd like a BLT, Emily, if that's
possible," he said in a way that suggested more than just a sandwich. Just
then, I had a flash of the blonde in the hotel lobby pop into my head, so I
swallowed hard and smiled as best I could.

"Sure thing, I can do that,
Austin," I replied before I turned and walked back to the galley where I
asked the cook to prepare the BLT. He had it ready by the time I'd poured the
club soda and added a thick slice of lime to the edge of the glass, and I carried
the tray out to the cabin.

"Would you like this set up on the
table, sir...Austin?" I asked.

"No, just put it down here on the
table next to me," he said gesturing toward the table that was between his
seat and the window. I raised an eyebrow as I realized how close this would
require me to stand, but I knew what my job entailed, so I bent over and put
the tray on the table next to him. I could smell the faint scent of his cologne
and it made me feel weak as I set the silverware and napkin on the table before
putting the plate and his drink next to it.

"Is...is...is that all you'll be
needing, sir...Austin?" I stammered still bent over as I tipped my head
and looked at him.

"Oh no," he murmured as he
looked over at me and raised one hand to push a stray lock of hair out of my
face. "It's not near what I'll be needing."

"Oh!" I exhaled closing my eyes
for a moment as I felt the tips of his fingers brush my cheek.

"I don't know what I did to make you
run, but whatever it was, I'm sorry," he said softly.

"It's...it's...it's not you," I
stuttered as I searched for the words to explain my situation without driving
him away.

"Then what is it?" he asked
simply. "Tell me, please?"

"Austin," I began as I opened my
eyes and looked into his miserably. "Please, don't...I can't..."

I pulled back and stood up as I held his
gaze. "It's not you. I swear it's not you," I repeated adding,
"I want to, believe me, I want to." Then, I turned and quickly walked
back to the galley where I collapsed into one of the large chairs and put my
hands over my face as I tried not to cry.

"What's up, Princess?" Trish
asked as she came bounding back from the cockpit where the captain and co-pilot
had just finished placing their lunch orders. "Whoa, what's going
on?"

"He wants me. I said no," I
choked out as I swallowed hard to keep from sobbing. "I can't do this,
Trish! I want him, but I can't!"

"Oh, honey," Trish said as she
walked over to the kitchen and handed the chef the orders before she came and
kneeled down in front of me. "Stop this, right now. Tell me what
happened."

I told her exactly what had happened and
what he'd said, and then how I'd run away. Trish smiled and patted my hand as
she calmed me down. Then, she stood up, grabbed the orders for the cockpit and
walked up front, saying she'd be right back.

"Princess," she said as she
returned to the galley. "That boy is up there in the cabin looking just as
miserable as you look sitting back here. Go up there and just talk to him. Tell
him the truth. What's the worst that can happen?"

"He'll hate me," I said
miserably.

"Well, if you keep playing games with
him like this, then the outcome will be the same," she said, shaking her
head. "So, go up there and take control of the situation and let him know
what's going on. Who knows, maybe he'll understand."

"You think so?" I said in a
small voice.

"It can't be any worse than the two
of you moping around miserably for the same reason," she said with her
hands on her hips. She pointed to the cabin and said, "Go talk to
him."

I got up and walked out of the galley into
the cabin. I shyly approached Austin and said, "Can I talk with you for a
minute?"

"Sure, what do you need?" he
asked in a business-like tone that almost sent me running back to the galley,
but Trish stood guard in the doorway and shook her head as she mouthed,
"TALK."

"Um, I just wanted to explain what's
going on," I said nervously.

"Okay, then why don't you sit down
and let me listen to what you have to say," He smiled as he gestured to
the chair across from him. "I'd love to hear you explain."

I sat down on the edge of the chair,
unsure about how comfortable I should get when I was technically an employee,
but he smiled and urged me to get comfortable, so I sat back, took a deep
breath, and began explaining. It took me nearly an hour to tell the whole tale
of my situation and why I was hesitant to let things between us go any further.

"So, you're saying that you're
attracted to me, too?" he asked.

"Uh huh," I nodded as I blushed
and looked away.

"But you don't want to do anything to
disrespect your husband, even though he's kind of gone out of his way to
disrespect you. Am I right?" he asked.

"Well, when you put it like that, it
sounds kind of like I should hook up with you," I said defensively.

"No, I'm not saying that at all,"
he said. "I'm just stating facts. You won't disrespect your husband even
when he's chosen to disrespect you."

I nodded, not knowing what to say.

"That sounds like you've got morals
and values and that you're loyal to people you care about," he said. "I
don't think that's a bad thing."

"You don't?" I asked surprised
at what he'd said.

"No, I don't," he replied.
"I think it means that you are a decent human being and someone who is
trustworthy. And that makes you even more attractive."

"Thank you, sir...Austin," I
said as I blushed again. "But what happens now?"

"Now?" he asked and then
grinned. "What happens now is that I give you space to figure out what you
need to do about that husband of yours, but keep reminding you that I'm here
and I’m interested."

"Wait, what?" I said while
shaking my head, unsure if I'd heard him correctly.

"I'm going to keep trying to win you
over," he said grinning widely. "I'm a good guy, but I'm not an
idiot. You're someone exceptional, Emily, and I like exceptional people.
Especially when they are as beautiful as you are."

"That sounds an awful lot like two
dogs pissing on the same fire hydrant," I said grimly. "I don't see
myself as a fire hydrant."

"What?" he said and then quickly
understood. "Oh, I'm not going to push you, I'm just going to offer you
options. We'll be friends. How about that?"

"Oh right," I said with a raised
eyebrow. "A billionaire playboy with women at his beck and call is going
to be just friends with one of his young flight attendants. That sounds like a
stellar plan."

Austin burst out laughing so loudly that
Trish came out to the cabin to check on things. I waved her off with a smile as
I turned back to the handsome man sitting across the aisle from me and said,
"Austin, if you think you can be just friends with me until I figure out
what to do about my situation, then I welcome it. But I don't think that's
going to be easy...for either of us," I said, giving him a knowing look.

His eyes widened as he caught my drift and
then a smile spread across his lips. "Can't blame a guy for trying, can
you?"