Story of Us trilogy 01: TouchStone for Play (52 page)

He’s asking me? “Yes, people who are in
love of those who have broken up. The forgive-me songs
you
sent me were
very special.” I smile appreciatively and settle my hand on his knee.

“Yeah right, but it took me all night to
find them. No-one has that much free time and that’s what I’m thinking. What if
there was a website where you could punch in a type of song like, say, ‘forgive
me’ or ‘I love you’ or even ‘You bastard, I hate you,’ wouldn’t you use it if
it saved you time?”

“I suppose so, it does make sense and
people might get back together and fall in love more quickly if they didn’t
have to trawl the internet looking for songs.”

“Ok, then I’ll get a couple of my website
designers to look into it, but you think it’s doable, right?” He seems
genuinely excited at the prospect of getting it off the ground.

“Why not? You could even call it
‘HeartBeats’©, say it, sing it, send it© … or something like that? It’s just an
idea.”

“That’s a brilliant idea. I’ll give you a
million for it.” Why is he lifting his brows expectantly? “What do you say?”

I’m happy to play along. “Make it four and
you’ve got a deal.” I snigger, not giving any credence to the conversation.

“Ok, I’ll meet you halfway. Two million
and we’ve got a deal.” He’s not smiling. Instead, his eyes are intense and he’s
totally focused on me.

He can’t be serious?

“We’ll shake on it.”

He takes hold of my hand and grips it
firmly. “We have a deal. I’ll transfer the two million pounds into your account
on Monday morning.” He steps up from his seat and heads off in the direction of
the wash room.

“Pardon me?”

When he returns, I’m still unsure of what
just happened.

“What’s the matter?” He sits himself down
opposite me and returns to his iPad. He knows perfectly well what he’s doing.

“You weren’t serious were you, about the
money?” I’m trying to catch his eye but he’s being purposely evasive.

He launches one of his rocketing stares in
my direction. “Of course I was, I’m always serious when it comes to money, besides
it’s a sound business proposition and I already have the skills base to launch
something like that. “ He smiles gleefully. “Did you think I was messing
around?”

I nod.

“Well, Miss Parker, you just sold me your
idea for two million pounds and I think, quite frankly, you should have held
out for more. I’m good for it.” He squeezes my knee affectionately. “Now we’re
business partners with benefits.”

“We are?” I smile nervously, nibbling on
my thumb nail, “Does that mean you’ll want to see my Mission Statement?” I’m
feeling playful.

“That’s not usually how I operate, but in
this instance I think I may be persuaded to take a look at it.” He’s sitting
back in his chair, arms folded, darkening eyes, utterly adorable.

I turn to check out the cloud formations
and start to laugh. “You have more money than sense,” I reproach him, refusing
to believe a single word.

“Be that as it may, give it twelve months
and you’ll be wishing you’d asked for more.” He lifts up his chin and looks
confidently around the jet, before settling his gaze on me. “How are you
feeling?”

“Rich!” I answer, shrugging my shoulders
and sniffing the air.

“I’ll get my legal team to sort out
paperwork and bike it over to you on Monday. Then we’ll celebrate.”

“Why not, it will be my treat.” I grin
from ear to ear. This
is
for real.

“I don’t think so, I said I’d take care of
you and I meant it.” He isn’t joking.

“I thought you meant between the sheets?”
All this talk of sex and money has me feeling rather needy. I think he can
tell.

“I meant take care of you in every way.”
He’s eyeing me so closely it makes me wonder how this conversation will end.

“I see, so the two million pounds finding
its way into my bank account was you taking care of me?”

“No, that’s the going rate for
entrepreneurial ideas. It might make money in its own right or serve as an
advertising platform, either way it won’t be a loss leader. I’ll see to that.”

I’m not convinced. “I think you’re doing
it to make me feel better about being engaged to you and bringing so little to
the table, so to speak, and that’s ok. But you don’t have to dress it up for
me. I know what people will say: you’re a catch and I’m a gold digger.” Saying
those words saddens me, but it’s true.

He’s shaking his head from side to side.
“Oh Beth, it’s not going to be like that, you’ll see.”

Why do I think he has something up his
sleeve? I squint and tip my head on the side, “What aren’t you telling me?”

The fact he’s simply holding up his hands
like an innocent man facing a firing squad only reinforces my suspicion.

“Will I like it?” I try a different
approach.

“My lips are sealed.”

Undeterred, I fold back the small table
between us and lean over to him, resting my knees on the floor. “And can your
lips be unsealed?” I ask, tracing the outline of his perfect mouth with the
fingers of my right hand.

“That depends.”

Here it comes …

“On what?” I smirk, feeling his thighs
tensing under my hands.

As if I didn’t know.

“On how persuasive you can be.” He places
his hands either side of my face and slides his fingers into my hair. “I’m
willing to trade your mouth for mine.”

No way!

“You want a BJ right here, right now?” My
voice increases in pitch slightly, revealing not only my surprise but the
intensity of my arousal. The idea of being caught at any moment is an enormous
turn-on. Is he feeling it too?

“What about Ben and Jerry in the cockpit?”
I realise my faux pas the moment the words fly from my mouth.

A flash of a smile appears. “They can get
their own blow jobs.”

I laugh out loud and his toothy grin sets
my insides alight. “Just as well, I don’t think I could manage a hat trick.”

“I’m very pleased to hear it.” He’s
blinking and wincing at the thought, and that only makes me laugh more.

Now I’m giggling, a blow job is completely
out of the question. “If you keep cracking me up, I won’t be able to do it for
laughing.” I place my hand against his cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” He pulls my face to
his. “Forget the blow job. You’ve unsealed my lips by making me laugh.”

He raises me off the carpet and sits me
back in my chair. “Ok, here goes … I’ve had my people issue a press release,
announcing our engagement. It will hit the newsstands tomorrow and the internet
news services today, so don’t be surprised if you have a couple of press
photographers hanging around your apartment this week.”

It takes me a couple of seconds to process
the information. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to do something like
that?” I’m not unhappy about it, but I would like to have been consulted.

“Because you would have said no.”

I throw him an indignant look.

“See, I was right, but you have to take
into account who I am Beth, my position. What happens in my life makes the
news, we’re news. Better to issue a press release and hand over a photograph
than wait for some arse hole to make up a story and hide away in the bushes
waiting to catch us unawares.”

I give him a sideways glance. “A
photograph?” He’s spoken of his Achilles heel, now he’s found mine. “Which
photograph?”

“The one of us on the terrace last night,
you looked a million dollars.”

“Two million dollars,” I interject
sarcastically, watching the humour fade from his eyes.

“Behave! This is the real world Beth, I
don’t make the rules I just operate in it and so do you now. Get used to it?”

He’s actually chastising me. “And where’s the
romance in that,” I demand, feeling the sting of his words blistering my skin.

He takes my hand. “Why are you so upset?”

“Oh Ayden, for such a smart guy you really
don’t have a clue do you?”

He’s beginning to lose his cool, he shakes
free of my hand and begins to pace.

“Do you realise your family and my friends
will find out about our engagement from the newspapers; you did all this behind
my back and you even set it up last night with the professional photographer,
didn’t you?” I break away. “We could have planned this together. Anyway … why
didn’t you propose then, we had the candles, the stars, poetry?”

“I was going to, that was my plan. I had
the ring in my pocket the whole time, but
someone
decided to go and turn
themselves into this hot babe and
someone
tied my hands behind my back
and my feet to a chair, and fucked the shit out of me.”

I’m finding it impossible to keep a
straight face, so impassioned is his protestation; I’m having to fold my lips
into my mouth, to stifle bubbling laughter.

Poor baby
.

Slightly out of breath, his rant
continues. “I couldn’t speak, let alone propose. So it’s not entirely my
fault.” He shares a wicked smile. “But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not
complaining.”

I match his ridiculously hot smile.
“Neither am I but ...”

He rolls his eyes.

“… But look at it from my point of view.
One of the most memorable events of my life, you proposing, feels like it’s
been staged; you’ve had your script and I’ve just been strung along like an
extra. That’s why I’m upset?”

I watch him moving back and forth. For the
first time in forty eight hours, his hand finds his neck and he is visibly
tense. I’ve said enough.

“So, alright, I was a little hasty and
maybe I should have run it by you, but I wanted to tell the world, is that so
wrong? I fucked up the proposal and now I’ve fucked this up. I’d better just
stick to what I’m good at.”

I stand, take hold of his biceps,
struggling to keep him in one spot long enough for our eyes to meet. “Don’t
beat yourself up about it Ayden, you’re good at this, at us. You’re used to
flying solo, I should have realised that.” I take his hand “But you have a
co-pilot now. You have me. Come and sit down.” I lead him to the sofa area and
lift his chin, witnessing his disappointment. “I was surprised, but I’m ok with
it now. Your intentions were honourable and you were right to plan ahead.”

“You have to keep reminding me to include
you Beth, it’s a reflex action. Do you want me to try and pull the press
release?” He means it.

What a preposterous idea “No, you’ve got
enough on your mind without that, besides Charlie won’t believe her eyes.” I
force a cheerful smile.

“Ok, but lesson learned. I’ll discuss this
kind of thing with you next time.” He kisses my lips with gentle devotion.
“Thank you for letting me off so lightly.”

I twist my engagement ring around on my
finger. “Maybe I haven’t, maybe a suitable punishment will be waiting for my
naughty boy who makes me want to do naughty things, when he comes back from
Hong Kong?” I fix him with a girly stare which goes some way towards
reinforcing my sensual threat.

He kisses my hand and runs it from his collar
bone, down to his heart. “You can’t go making threats like that Beth. I won’t
get through the day picturing you in that outfit with my belt around your
neck.”

He grins in such a way I feel my insides
melting. “Then you shouldn’t have been so impulsive,” I whisper, brushing my
lips over his. “Now we are officially an item, your word for the week and
forever is “we.” Got it?”

“Yes, Miss Parker.” I love playful Ayden.
He breaths into my ear, sensuously. “I suppose
we
won’t be getting a
blow job now?”

I gaze upon eyes that are alive with a
mixture of laughter and desire. “I’m afraid not. We’re about to land.”

“Damn! I’ll ask them to circle for half an
hour,” he growls, pretending to leave the seat and holding back a loving smile.
“Come on,
we
need to buckle up.”

I take his hand and stand by his side,
straightening his sweater and smoothing out his hair. “I like it when you say
the word ‘we,’ it makes what we have seem real somehow.”

“Oh it’s real baby, and tomorrow you’ll be
able to read all about it.” He winks and leads me to my seat. “Brace yourself!”

I throw him a baffled stare. Does he mean
for the landing or for the press release? Before I can ask him which, the Captain
announces we will be landing in ten minutes.

I fumble with the seat belt and distract
myself from my least favourite part of the flight by examining this gorgeous
man sitting opposite me. He is totally relaxed and utterly fuckable in his
slate grey sweater and pale blue jeans which are just about managing to contain
his fading erection. My Mr. P. is the embodiment of male perfection and, by the
look on his face he knows that’s exactly what I’m thinking.

“Assessing?”