TheBillionairesPilot (12 page)

God, she’d really love a shower right
now. Sponging off in the ladies’ room had been completely unsatisfying this
morning. Her scalp was starting to itch from her unwashed hair. If Evan were
going to confront her today, she’d feel so much better if she was clean and in
fresh clothes.

After returning to the small interior
office she shared with Ron, Cassie entered the notes in the online flight log
about their aborted trip. Then she sat back in her desk chair, staring at the
soaring planes on her screen saver.

“So, are you going to tell me what led to
you getting a giant rock put on your finger?” Ron asked from his desk next to
hers. “I assume it’s from Evan since you spent the weekend together, which must
have ended this morning.” He waved at the suitcase tucked under her desk.

“Ah, yeah.” She stuck her hands in her
lap, feeling embarrassed. She hadn’t even considered the impact her engagement
would have on her relationship with her co-worker. Wishing she could give Ron
the honest story, she had to use the phony one instead. “It happened quickly,
but Evan and I could tell we really liked each other.”

“And he proposed after three days?” Ron’s
grey eyebrows rose up his forehead as he looked at her skeptically.

“Haven’t you heard of love at first
sight?” She deflected with a question of her own, hoping she wouldn’t have to
tell any more lies about the details of the weekend.

Ron’s face broke open with a wide grin.
“That’s how it happened with Patty and me. One look at her and I was a goner.
Congratulations!”

“Thanks,” she said, trying to put some
enthusiasm into the word. She didn’t think it sounded too convincing, but Ron
didn’t seem to notice. What was it with all the older men in her life suddenly
confessing to having found love at first sight, first her father, now Ron?

“I need a coffee. Want another?” He
gestured to her empty cup.

Cassie’s stomach burned already from the
first cup she’d had this morning without food. “No, thanks. I’m going to run
down to the bakery.” She stood from her chair. “I skipped breakfast. Do you
want anything?”

Ron’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “A bear
claw.” He reached into his back pocket to pull out his wallet.

She waved away his offer. “I got this
one.” She patted her own wallet in her pants pocket.

“Thanks,” Ron said as she left their
office and headed down the hall to the elevator bank.

She may be temporarily homeless, but she
still had enough to buy breakfast. She stuck her hand in her jacket pocket,
running her fingers over the reassuring crisp edge of the folded check. And
once she got to the bank on her lunch hour, she would have enough in her
account to re-secure her apartment.

Feeling more like her life was under her
control, she reached for the down elevator button.

“Ms. Maynard,” Mr. Jacobs called to her as
he approached from the opposite hallway. “Mr. Mitchell requires your presence
in his office.”

Cassie cursed under her breath. She’d
really hoped Evan would postpone this conversation.

She turned to Evan’s assistant and tried
not to blush as she thought about what he’d walked in on her doing, not too
long ago. So much for keeping up the appearances of a platonic arrangement.
“Thank you, Mr. Jacobs.”

She followed him down the hall to the
executive suites with the burning in her stomach switching to nausea, which was
ridiculous. She’d been in such worse situations in Afghanistan. Meeting with
Evan was nothing compared to the Medivac flights she’d done with RPGs gunning
for her bird.

Swallowing hard, she knocked on Evan’s
office door.

“Come in,” he called out.

She turned the doorknob, threw back her
shoulders, and prepared to face whatever censure he chose to dish out about her
financial situation.

He looked up from his desk as she
entered. “Shut the door behind you.”

Damn, he hadn’t even tacked a
please
on his request. It felt like their relationship had changed course again, and
not for the better this time.

But what business was it of his where she
slept? Their engagement was a complete lie. He didn’t have any basis for
telling her what she should or should not do in her personal life. They hadn’t
formalized any real relationship. The nausea in her gut subsided as her anger
grew hotter.

She approached his desk and stood
practically at attention. She would not show any discomfort or any weakness.
She stilled her fidgety fingers at her sides.

He watched her from narrowed eyes. “I see
you’re taking the offensive.” He spread his arms out at his sides, palms up.
“So, let me have it.”

That wasn’t what she’d been expecting at
all. She hadn’t come here to attack him. In fact, she’d been expecting quite
the opposite, to be on the defensive as he attacked her mishandling of her
finances and her decision-making abilities.

“Well, I’m waiting,” he said when she
remained silent.

“I don’t know what you want from me,
Evan. You called me to your office, not the other way around.”

He dropped his hands to the top of his
desk and used them to push himself out of his chair. “Okay. Let’s have that
conversation now.” He walked around his desk and gestured toward the leather
sofa at the other side of the office.

She chose one of the armchairs instead,
while he sat on the couch with a frown marring his forehead. “What exactly do
you think we need to discuss, Evan? I don’t see how my financial situation is
any of your business.”

“When we became engaged, everything about
you became my business.”

“My personal life is still personal.”

Evan shook his head. “You aren’t getting
it, are you. Once you agreed to wear that diamond,” he waved at her left hand,
“everything personal became public. I’m one of the most eligible bachelors in
the city, and the paparazzi can’t get enough.”

“Paparazzi?” The nausea reappeared with a
vengeance, and she swallowed convulsively as saliva flooded her mouth. “I
haven’t seen any.”

“That’s because they haven’t gotten wind
of the story yet, but as soon as our engagement goes public, so does everything
about your life.”

“Oh, God,” she groaned. “I don’t think I
can do this.”

“I’ve read your background check and your
complete financial record.”

Her cheeks burned with shame, even though
it really shouldn’t matter what he thought of her situation. She didn’t owe him
any explanations.

“Are there more skeletons in your closet
I should worry about the media exposing?” he asked.

Slowly, she shook her head. “No, there’s
nothing worse than the debt I’ve fallen into.” She couldn’t imagine Trent would
ever publicize the details of what they’d done in the privacy of the bedroom,
and there was no other way the paparazzi could find out about her fetish
activities.

“And your debt is easy to remedy with my
engagement gift to you,” Evan said.

“What engagement gift?” She looked at him
warily.

“I’ll make arrangements to have all your
loans paid off.”

“No!” she practically shouted. “You can’t
do that.”

His eyebrows rose as he studied her. “Why
not?”

“I can’t take that kind of money from
you.”

He nodded. “I expected you to say that,
so we’ll call it a loan. I guarantee my interest rates will be a hell of a lot
lower than what you’re paying right now on your three maxed out credit cards
and two car loans.”

“I
will
pay you back every cent,”
she insisted.

“I know, but tell me one thing.”

She hesitated. “What?”

“Why are you paying off a car loan for a
dead man?”

“He was my co-pilot,” she answered
quietly.

“Shit,” Evan cursed under his breath.

“He left a wife and two kids. It’s their
only car, and Marilyn hasn’t found a job yet to make the payments on her own,”
she explained.

“So, you got evicted from your apartment
in order for her to keep her car.”

“She’s not going to be able to keep it
for much longer if I don’t make the next payment.”

“I already told you. I’m paying off your
loans, including that one. But I’m not putting her car payment in the total
that you’ll pay me back.”

“You can’t ask her for the money.” Panic
swelled in her chest. “She doesn’t have it.”

“Do you really think I’m heartless?” He
gave her a disappointed look. “I’m not asking either of you to pay me back for
that car. It’s a small donation to thank the family of a fallen soldier for
their sacrifice.”

“Oh,” she answered softly.

“Do you still have the check I gave you
this morning?”

“Yes.” She patted her pocket.

“Here’s one to add to it.” He pulled
another from his jacket pocket. “I want you to go directly to your bank right
now. I’ve called ahead and instructed them to credit your account immediately
without waiting for the checks to clear.”

“You called my bank? How did you know
where my accounts are?”

He tilted his head and gave her a
disbelieving look. “I have your complete financial history in a folder on my
desk.”

“Oh,” she said again and dropped her gaze
to her lap, feeling like the class dunce.

“You’re taking the rest of today off to
get your finances in order. After you deposit these checks, you’re going to use
the funds to pay off all your debts. Am I clear?”

She was tempted to answer him with a
“Sir. Yes, Sir,” but she refrained from pushing him. He was being way more
reasonable than she’d anticipated. She didn’t like that he was paying off her
debts, but he was going to let her pay him back. That’s what was most
important, to maintain her independence and dignity.

“Cassie?”

“Yes. I understand. I’ll get everything
straightened out.” She stood and took his offered check. “Thank you, Evan. And
I promise to pay you back as soon as possible.”

“I know you will.” He stood and walked
with her to the door of his office. He put his hand on the knob before she did.
“And one more thing, Cassie.”

She looked up into his dark brown eyes.
“Yes?”

“I don’t ever want to hear that you’ve
slept anywhere other than your bed…or mine, again.” His gaze was hot and
direct. “I’ve already spoken to your landlord. He’s expecting cash this
afternoon, and I sent a crew to your building to get your stuff out of the
basement and back into your apartment.”

“I could have moved it on my own.”

“Yes, but it would have taken you all day
and probably part of the night as well, and that would be too late.”

“Too late for what?”

“For our dinner date tonight. When you
finish organizing your finances, take a nap. You look exhausted.” He ran a
thumb along the top of her cheek. “Then, I’m picking you up at seven. Dress
fancy. We’re going to Toulouse. The paparazzi will be following us, and it will
be the perfect time for you to flash that rock as an announcement our
engagement.”

“Oh, hell,” she whispered. Being the
center of attention for all those photographers scared her more than any war
zone she’d even flown into.

Evan lifted her chin with his finger.
“You’ll be fine. I’ll be at your side.” Then he lowered his head and kissed her
lightly on the lips. The sweetness of his touch was more devastating to her
senses than any passionate kiss they’d shared so far.

He raised his head, and she stared at him
dumbly. Smiling with his signature cocky grin, he said, “Go on now. You’ve got
business to take care of today.”

She took a step back so he could open the
door, and thankfully, she didn’t trip over her feet as she walked out of his
office because her head suddenly felt floaty and unfixed from her shoulders.

Chapter Twelve

“
You
don’t understand… I killed my father.” Evan’s words were spoken softly, but
Cassie heard them easily enough. She also heard the devastating pain in his
tone.

At their secluded table in the fancy
French restaurant, she leaned closer towards him and whispered, “You said he
died from a heart attack. How could you have killed him?” They’d been sharing
personal stories about how they’d disappointed their parents in one way or
another when Evan had dropped this bomb.

“I left,” he explained. Under his finely
styled suit jacket, his shoulders drooped. “I was off pursuing a stupid dream
of racing cars. I left my parents.”

“That’s what kids are supposed to do.”
She quickly reassured him, wanting to reach out to touch him, but she didn’t
know how he felt about public displays of affection. Even though they were
having a fairly private dinner, they were still surrounded by strangers who
could easily take a picture with a cell phone and post it all over the
Internet.

Evan shook his head and avoided making
eye contact. “He was waiting for me to get the racing out of my system, so I
could join him in the business. The pressure of holding the company together
during the recession was killing him. I should have come back years ago and
taken the burden off of him.”

“You’re not responsible for your father’s
choices,” she insisted. “He could have found someone else to assist him to
alleviate some of the stress, couldn’t he have?”

“He was waiting for me, and I didn’t
return until after he died.” His voice was filled with self-recrimination.

“Why do you think he was waiting for
you?”

His fingers played with the handle of the
knife lying on the table next to his plate. “He always told me the business
would be here for me.”

“And it is.”

“But he’s not.” He lifted his eyes to
meet hers. The anguish etched into the lines of his face stole her breath.

She couldn’t hold back anymore,
regardless of whether or not anyone was watching. She reached out, placed her
hand over his, and squeezed gently. “I’m sorry, Evan.”

He glanced down at their joined hands.
The giant ring on her finger sparkled in the candlelight. “Damn, I got all
maudlin, and we’re supposed to be celebrating our engagement for all the world
to see our joy and happiness.” When he raised his face, he had a plastic smile
in place.

“That’s kind of a scary look for you.”
She squeezed his hand harder. “Can’t we postpone the announcement?”

“No, the sooner the better. It needs to
be tonight.” He gestured to her half-eaten veal. “Do you need more time to
finish your dinner?”

Her stomach clenched at the thought of
parading around outside in front of the paparazzi, who waited for them to leave
the elegant restaurant. Earlier, Evan had ushered Cassie inside with a quick
wave and smile to the photographers. He planned to treat whomever remained
after their dinner with the breaking news of their engagement.

“I don’t think I can manage another
bite,” she admitted, pressing a hand against her stomach, “but I hate to waste
this incredible piece of meat. Do you think it’d be gauche of me to ask for a
doggie bag?”

“Not at all. In fact, I think that’d make
the picture more interesting and give the media some insight on who I’ve chosen
as my bride.” Evan raised his hand and signaled for their waiter, who stood
discretely at the back of the restaurant, waiting to fulfill Evan’s needs.

“What kind of insight?”

“My fiancée shows off her huge diamond
while holding a doggie bag—what a perfect image of extravagance and
frugality.” He grinned like a little boy trying to get away with a prank.

She couldn’t stop a matching grin from
tugging up her lips. “It won’t embarrass you?”

“Not one bit,” he said.

And she fell a little more head over tail
rotors for him.

After making sure she had her bag of
leftovers, Evan escorted Cassie to the front of the restaurant. He paused with
his hand on the small of her back. “Are you ready for this?”

“Not one bit,” she repeated his words,
“but I understand it’s a part of my job.”

He winced slightly at her words. “I’m
sorry to have to put you through this. I really appreciate your efforts.”

She patted his arm. “It’s okay, Evan. I
can handle it.” She turned toward the entrance. “Let’s go face the vultures.”

He kissed her cheek and pushed open the
door.

The flashing bulbs of a gazillion cameras
blinded Cassie. Panic tightened her throat until it was hard to swallow. She
froze in the restaurant’s doorway.

Evan stepped forward with his hand
raised. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to introduce you to
someone very important to me.”

He tugged gently on her arm, helping her
to get her feet unstuck. “I’m pleased to announce that Ms. Cassie Maynard,
formerly an officer in the United States Army and the best helicopter pilot
I’ve ever had the privilege to fly with, has agreed to be my wife.”

His words flowed so smoothly and easily,
but she supposed he must have had lots of practice talking with the media if he
really was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the city. Plus,
he’d been a race car driver; presumably, he’d had to deal with the media in
that role as well.

She pasted on a smile she hoped didn’t
look as bad Evan’s earlier plastic one, as questions were shouted out at her.
She sent a pleading look to Evan, totally unprepared to actually speak to this
mob of reporters. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pulled her in
tightly to his side.

Before she realized what he intended, he
settled his mouth over hers. Flashbulbs lit the night with a new frenzy. Evan
paused with his lips on hers for a few moments, as if to give the photographers
plenty of time to capture a good image while Cassie stood fixed in place,
unable to respond to Evan’s embrace. Then he eased away while still maintaining
his hold around her waist.

The reporters closed in on them, shouting
rapid-fire questions.

“How long have you been dating, Mr.
Mitchell?”

“Ms. Maynard, why did you leave the
army?”

“When did you two first meet?”

“Is it true Cassie traveled with you to
San Miguel?”

“How long has Ms. Maynard been working
for you?”

“Ms. Maynard, what did your father say
about your fast engagement?”

“Evan, what does your family think about
your choice?”

The noise and the flashing bulbs were
suffocating. Cassie could barely catch her breath. And how did some of them
know about her trip with Evan to San Miguel and then Texas?

Cripes, this was worse than she’d
expected. She didn’t know how she was going to keep doing this several times a
week for an indeterminate length of time. She clung to Evan’s arm around her
waist, as if he were her anchor.

“I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen,” Evan
addressed the media representatives in a loud firm voice. “We won’t be
answering any questions tonight, but I promise to send out a press release
tomorrow.”

Forcing the mob to part with one arm
outstretched, Evan ushered Cassie forward to their waiting limo at the curb.
She slipped into the backseat, grateful to have such a quick ending to that
chaotic scene on the sidewalk. Evan slid onto the seat next to her and draped
his arm around her shoulders.

“I’m sorry I froze like that,” she
apologized as she tucked her doggie bag down by her feet.

“You did good for your first time in
front of the vultures,” he said, using her word. “They can be slightly
overwhelming if you’re not used to it.”

“Slightly overwhelming? I’ve never felt
so overexposed in my life.”

He chuckled softly. “No, that’s when they
print pictures of you sunbathing
au naturel
.”

“Oh, you didn’t… They didn’t.”

He laughed deeper this time. “Oh, yeah. I
did, and they printed them, but I was much younger at the time. I chalk it up
to my rebellious phase.”

Her laughter caught in her throat as she
imagined what those pictures looked like and wondered where she could find them
online.

He skimmed a finger lightly along her
jaw. “Now that we’re finally alone, I can get a proper reaction to my kiss.” He
palmed the side of her jaw and drew her face toward him.

She lifted her lips to his and
surrendered herself to the heady scent of his citrusy cologne and to the
appealing feel of his solid muscles under her hands as she grabbed his biceps.
Her girl parts fluttered with the lust he was building with his deep,
penetrating kisses. The gentle touch of his fingers over her cleavage displayed
by her halter-top cocktail dress sent goose bumps down her back.

His kisses chased all rationality from
her thoughts, and she was nearly ready to straddle him in the back of the limo.
Then the car stopped, and Evan eased away from her mouth.

“I believe we’ve arrived at your home,”
he said. His eyes studied hers intensely. “Will you invite me up for a
nightcap?”

Cassie hesitated. If he came up to her
place, she knew exactly in which room they would be drinking their nightcap.
Was she ready to break her personal pledge to keep this business arrangement
platonic? Well, mostly platonic, when she considered what had happened on the
flight back from Texas. She’d certainly been willing to break her vow that
night when he’d taken her home, but she’d been overtired and her
decision-making had been impaired. But tonight, she was rested and sober.

“What about Tony?” she asked.

“I’ll send him home and take a taxi when
it’s time for me to leave,” Evan answered smoothly, making her wonder how many
other women he’d gone through these same moves with.

But this was definitely not the time to
be thinking about him with other women.

She ran her fingers up his arms, over his
broad shoulders, and into his thick dark hair. “Would you care to join me for a
drink upstairs?” Her voice came out low and sultry, like nothing she’d ever
heard from herself before.

“I thought you’d never ask.” He flashed
her his most confident grin before instructing Tony over the intercom to take
the rest of the night off. Then, he jumped out of the limo and grabbed Cassie’s
hand.

Together, they ran like teenagers for the
front door of her building. Her fingers shook as she worked the key into the
lock, and Evan chuckled softly in her ear. “A little excited?”

She brushed her hand across the front of
his pants. “Like you’re not?” she teased him back.

Finally, the door was open, and they were
headed up the three floors, but Evan didn’t wait until they reached her
apartment before he slipped his hands under the hem of her dress and caressed
her outer thighs as she preceded him up the stairs.

She nearly stopped on the second floor
and jumped him, but the thought of Mrs. Clive opening her door and catching
them had Cassie moving faster up the last flight of stairs.

She fumbled again with her key in the
lock as Evan distracted her with his hands exploring under her skirt. Her knees
wobbled when he skimmed across the front of her panties just barely touching
her clit through the satin.

She turned in his arms and reached for
the front of his pants as his mouth came down hard on hers. As she unbuckled
his belt, they stumbled through the open doorway, and Evan shoved the door shut
behind him with his foot.

Walking backwards, she led him to her
bedroom as she unbuttoned his trousers, and he slid her dress up over her hips.
Their tongues dueled for dominance as they maintained their lip lock.

In her bedroom, she broke their kiss in
order to lean over and push his pants down past his hips, but he grabbed her
wrists, stopping her before she could reveal him.

“No. You first.” His voice held the same
commanding tone he’d used back in Texas, in the limo and on the airplane. “Take
off your dress.”

Damn, her body responded so hotly to his
dominance. Her skin flushed and her panties dampened.

Even though she was willing to submit
most eagerly to his demands, she also knew there was power in her compliance.
They both knew, due to her combat training, she was perfectly capable of
gaining the upper hand physically if she chose. But right now, she chose to
follow his instructions.

Maintaining eye contact with him, she
reached behind her neck for the halter-top ties and undid them slowly, hoping
to get him as heated as she was. His eyes darkened as his lids lowered
slightly. He had the sexiest bedroom eyes she’d ever seen.

She hadn’t needed a bra under the
halter-top, so she was half-naked when she dropped the ties to her sides. Evan
looked like a starving man standing before a Las Vegas buffet as he watched her
reach behind her back to unzip the bottom half of her dress. She let it fall
around her feet and stood before him in just her black satin and lace panties
and her heels. For a moment, her nerves jangled as she waited for his approval.