Take Me Away (Cockpit Series Book 2) Read online

  Brianna got me this job as a trial. It was easy enough, and the late shifts allow me to work a full day on Panda Hearts’ fundraising. I can’t afford to fuck this up, which is why I avert my gaze as I meet his across the room.

  “What’s gotten into you?” Brianna asks, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Nothing, I'm fine,” I lie. What was I supposed to say? Mr. Millionaire over there just saved my ass from an ignorant prick, and now I’m avoiding him because he’s easily the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on, despite being a complete asshole?

  “You’re needed back in the kitchen. They’re about to serve more Champagne.”

  “Okay, thanks, B.”

  “You’re doing great, your shift is almost over.”

  “Thank God,” I mutter to myself.

  “You coming out for drinks after?” And there it is. The dreaded question I knew she was going to ask, it’s the same one she always does.

  Nights out are my idea of hell. I’m not a people person at the best of times, and spending my night in a sweat box crammed full of them is less than appealing. That said, a dry martini with lemonade would go down smooth after tonight’s events.

  So, after working the last two hours of my shift under the intense gaze of the magnetic force that is Liam Parker, I don’t even put up a fight when Brianna tries to twist my arm into a couple of cocktails at Raffy’s.

  While I’m perched high on my bar stool, I glance around and feel like Victoria Beckham at a Spice Girl concert, underwhelmed and out of place. Even as a teenager, big nights out weren’t my thing.

  I swear, if one more guy comes and says something sleazy to me, I am out of here. The last guy that was hovering around was spewing both words and beer from his mouth as he talked to me. It was so disgusting, I almost gagged on my cocktail. Luckily, his friend came and dragged him away before he got a chance to make a proper move on me.

  “Heaven, come dance with us,” calls Brianna from the dance floor, her voice is faint over the blaring music as she waves at me. She’s sandwiched between two men who are double the size of her and resemble a greasy, and not so appealing, version of Aquaman. They’re grinding in unison to the heavy beat and every now and again glancing over Brianna’s head to make sure the other isn’t dropping better moves.

  I shake my head and decide it’s time to order Mr. Uber for a ride home, I have had enough so-called fun for one night. Just a couple of pressed icons on my phone and my ride is on his way.

  Climbing down from my stool, I wiggle my way over to Brianna and let her know I’m leaving early.

  “Bore,” she slurs at me, sticking her ass out to put on a show for the two clowns on either side of her.

  “You’ll regret this tomorrow morning,” I warn her, but she only turns around in response and starts twerking in my direction, Miley style.

  My best friend is my absolute opposite, yet together, we are dynamite.

  Back when I first met her, I wouldn’t have left her out on her own, but now I know better. When that girl gets her party on, she rivals Beyoncé on stage at Coachella, and she could more than handle herself when it was time to call it a night, thanks to her black belt in karate.

  I’d tried out three classes to learn self-defense when I returned from China and hated every second. She can keep her kicking ass classes and I’ll stick to my Pilates and yoga. Our workout routines are just another example of how much we are like chalk and cheese.

  I head for home and push the bar’s door open, only to bump into a tall, thin frame blocking my path.

  “Heaven?”

  Oh fuck. It’s now the moment I dreaded would ever happen, even though I always knew it would. Three years spent hiding in China, then on the one night I go out, I just happen to walk smack bang into the guy who single handedly destroyed my confidence, blow by blow.

  “Richie,” is all I can manage in response. I fight to keep my tone devoid of any emotion, he doesn’t deserve one ounce of my feelings, and I’m not about to give it to him.

  “Back for more?” A familiar cocky smirk spreads across his lips, and it grosses me out, even more than the guy who spat beer at me just a few minutes ago.

  “Bye, Richie,” I hatefully reply, avoiding eye contact and trying to barge past him.

  He blocks my path.

  “Still the same old boring bitch, then? What is it, past your bedtime?”

  I’d forgotten how much his nasty streak cut me to the core. Every. Single. Time.

  Except this time.

  Because three years...

  Because Brianna...

  Because the pandas…

  “I might be a boring bitch, Richie, but at least I’m not an insensitive shithead who is incapable of having a relationship with anyone other than themself. And yes, I’ve come back to Florida; but make no mistake, I’m back for me. In fact, everything I do now is for me. Do you know why?” I tilt my eyes of steel up to meet his dark narrow slits that are now glaring at me. “Because I fucking deserve it. So, you can step aside and watch my boring ass walk away.” His jaw flexes in anger before the penny drops as he realizes I’m not his Heaven anymore. I can see it written all over his shocked face, and the feeling of satisfaction swamps my entire body. Right on cue, my Uber pulls up at the curb, and I storm past him.

  “Everything okay?” the driver asks while I climb into the back of the car.

  “Yeah, thanks.” I smile. “He’s just some guy I used to know.” The explanation is more for my benefit than the driver’s.

  3

  Liam

  It’s Friday morning, and I’m at my downtown office working on a major contract for a client who wants to hire Parker Airlines for their group trip to Paris. It’s not so much about sales anymore, we have the best planes, the best pilots and the best service money can buy, the cream of the fucking crop. Only the elite fly with us, so business decisions like these are more about whether or not we will be accepting the client.

  This contract was an easy one to make, we don't usually accept footballers, but the Texas Tornados are a decent team with respected players, so it’s a win-win situation. We get free advertisement every time a player is photographed stepping out of one of our fleet, and they get the personalized service we pride ourselves on.

  That’s what this morning’s to do list encompasses. Finding out what each player prefers to eat, read and drink. If they have a preference, I make it my personal mission to know about it, and I’m not just talking about whether the players are vegan or not. I’m talking favorite candy, preferred chip flavor, you name it, we will offer it. Nothing is too much for Parker Airlines, and my brothers share this mentality. Literally, which I’ve had to warn them about. Fucking clients is never good for business, but I guess a little pleasure here and there never causes too much damage.

  Unlike our competitors, we take the time to get to know our clients, and I get a genuine kick from giving them the feeling that our planes are a home away from home. It’s a model built on family values, and it shows as my clients come back to me time after time.

  Many of our repeat clients have been with me since I became CEO, and a few, ever since my dad held the reins. Lots of them have become close friends; I love seeing how things change for them as the years go by. Some of them recently got married and started growing their families in the same way I’ve expanded the Parker Airlines brand.

  Ever so often, when I stay in one place long enough to spend a few nights out with my friends, I do get a tinge of loneliness, wondering if I’ll ever settle and find what they have. Even with my drive and passion for the world I’ve built, it’s not easy watching them become husbands and fathers. Changing from boys to men, while I’m on the sidelines, somewhere in between the two. I’m all man, but when I’m out partying and taking different women to bed, I can’t help feeling like I’ve somehow missed the boat in the growing up department.

  With a flick, I open my laptop, scan through my inbox and find myself skimming all of the names I know
to search out what the pretty little thing from last night was talking about. When I don’t find any, I type her name into the search bar. Half a dozen emails from her pop up, all sitting in my junk box. A smile instantly curls at my lips. What do you want with me, little sass bomb?

  I click the first one open.

  Dear Mr. Parker,

  Thank you for taking the time to read this email. I am writing with an exciting opportunity for you and your airline.

  Panda Hearts is a charity supporting the rescue and rehabilitation of pandas.

  In the past year, we have made a positive impact on thirty-seven pandas in China.

  Due to logging and deforestation, these defenseless animals need our support.

  In the coming year, we aim to open a further three reserves where the pandas can live out their days, in a natural and safe environment.

  We ask for your support by being a sponsor of our charity gala, donating as much or as little as you can.

  Of course, in return your name would be included in our quarterly magazine and on our social media sites.

  Kind Regards,

  Heaven Samson

  Fundraising Coordinator, Panda Hearts

  Pandas. Well, I didn’t see that one coming, although I did hazard a guess at eco-warrior. She had that look about her, one I couldn’t put my finger on. My sister has it, too.

  Somehow wild and a little mysterious. I think it was her deep sapphire blue eyes that gave it away.

  As I open the other emails, they are all along the same lines. Each one obviously hand typed by her because an undertone of annoyance and impatience seeps through the words.

  I tilt my head, jerk my shoulders to the side to crack my neck and begin typing.

  Dear Heaven,

  Thank you for your email. At Parker Airlines, we pride ourselves on our community donations and are committed to a number of local projects here in Florida, including our apprentice program supporting young people moving into the workforce.

  As CEO, it is important to me that I have oversight of all of the projects we agree to sponsor and donate to.

  Therefore, I would like to meet with you to discuss Panda Hearts and a potential donation with you further.

  Best wishes,

  Liam Parker

  Chief Executive Officer, Parker Airlines

  How could I type an entire email in a few seconds, yet take more than five minutes to decide whether to send it or not? My finger hovers over the green send icon, and my eyes reread the last few sentences for the hundredth time. With a large breath in and exhaling out, I hit send.

  It wasn’t my usual style, but I have to see her again, and hitting on her at the party was clearly a no go after the way she reacted when I pushed that guy off her.

  This is perfect. It’s a complete get out free card. If I don’t like her, I’ll never have to see her again and can say the meeting was strictly business.

  Then, if I did like her… shit. I haven’t thought that one through yet. I’m not trying to gloat or anything, but I don’t have to think up ways to talk to women, they throw themselves at me all the time, exactly like Emilia had. It wasn’t her that had gone all weird in the last few weeks and wanted something more from our sordid arrangement. It was me.

  Until Christmas, everything was perfectly fine, and I was content with what Emilia had to offer. But, I’d missed her and came home ready to take our relationship to the next level. Whatever that might be. I got my fingers burned along with my ego when I came to my senses and realized that Emilia didn’t feel the same. This wasn’t some friends to lovers romance movie where everything worked out in the end.

  It’s more like a train ride that I wanted to throw myself off just to experience the pain of crashing to the ground. With the help of my parents, I’ve built the American dream around myself, but I need more.

  I need to feel something real.

  The main problem is that I already found my once in a lifetime kind of love, but it’s not with a woman. It is with aviation.

  Planes aren’t easy to figure out, but once you learn everything there is to know about them, there are no surprises. They don’t catch you off guard the same way women do and throw a dozen curveballs in the mix when things are cruising along smoothly.

  My attention settles back to answering the rest of my emails, and I decide to bury my head in the sand for the rest of the day and lose myself in the monotony of work, coffee, and more work.

  4

  Heaven

  There’s no time for a hangover the next morning as my day is quickly filled with tons of paperwork and phone calls for Panda Hearts. The fundraising season is in full swing, and it keeps me busy because within the next two months we will pull in the majority of our donations.

  Unable to concentrate, I send a quick text to Brianna.

  Heaven: Are you alive?

  It takes a few minutes, but she does reply.

  Brianna: Yeah, barely. *Sick face emoji*

  Heaven: Can you do lunch today?

  Brianna: Yes, give me an hour, and we can grab something at Jumbo’s, on the corner. I need those naughty carbs to soak up some of the leftover alcohol. I think I could still be a little drunk at this point.

  Heaven: All right. Meet me in my apartment’s lobby in an hour. C U soon. *Okay hand emoji*

  By the time lunch comes around, I’ve reread the email chain between Liam Parker and me, at least a dozen times, and am going to burst if I don’t tell someone soon.

  We meet downstairs and walk the short stretch to Jumbo’s.

  “You should have stayed out. Did you see the two guys I was dancing with? They had arms like the fucking hulk,” Brianna chatters as we pick up the pace.

  “I thought you weren’t going for that type anymore?”

  “I’m not, but doesn’t mean a girl can’t look, right?”

  “I guess.” I shrug and wish thoughts of Liam weren’t preventing me from thinking up any attempt at a decent conversation.

  “Okay, what’s up?”

  “Nothing,” I quickly reply.

  “Somethings up, I can tell, you’re being weird.”

  “Okay, fine, I’m not being weird, but there’s something major we need to discuss over lunch.”

  “Fuck, I knew it! I thought I saw he who shall not be named in the bar, but it was after you’d gone. So, I just assumed you missed each other. Sorry, Heaven, I should have called you to check on you and make sure.”

  “Oh no, not that. I mean, yeah, I bumped into that dickhead on my way out, but I’m fine.”

  “You’re fine? Just like that, you’re fine?” She folds her arms over her chest and regards me as we come to a stop in the queue for our greasy fix

  “Yeah, I’ve got bigger things to think about.” I giggle at the look of sheer amazement on her pretty face. She knows exactly what Richie put me through, and how worried I was about coming back to Florida and possibly bumping into him. We’d talked about what I’d say, and how I’d handle it. All of the prep work was well worth it because I handled that shit like a pro.

  “Oh yeah, like what?”

  “Like Liam Parker asking me to dinner,” I say, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

  We’re briefly interrupted by taking our turn to order burgers, fries, and our favorite shakes, before finding two seats by the window and dividing out the pile of food on the tray.

  “So, let me get this straight. Liam Parker, as in multi-millionaire CEO of Parker Airlines, has asked my so-called BFF on a date, and I’m only just finding out now, why?”

  “Because it only just happened? And it’s not a date.”

  “I’m confused… What, do you just hang out with him causally now? You know, like you and his gang of rich friends chilling together. If I was your best friend, I would know these things.”

  I laugh at her exasperated expression. “No, he emailed me.” She looks more confused than ever.

  “Go on.” She raises her eyebrows over the top of the giant burger
she’s stuffing into her mouth.

  “Turns out he likes to have a hand in which charities the company donates to, and he wants to meet me, to discuss a potential donation to the gala”

  “He replied to those Panda Hearts emails you said were a waist of your time with Parker Airlines?” She sounds as shocked as I felt when I saw his initial reply.

  “Personally.” I place a hand across my chest, showing off, and we both giggle.

  “Nah, not having that. He’s at that level of richness that he’d only speak to people if he wanted something from them. He must have seen you at the party. Do you want to tell me how that happened when you were supposed to be invisible?” she questions, looking at me with squinty interrogating eyes.

  “I was trying to be invisible, but he did see me. We spoke briefly. He shoved some guy off me, who was being a total jerk, but we didn’t say much to one another.”

  “Clearly, you didn’t have to say much. He’s obviously in love with you already, if he’s sending you personal dinner invitations. This is just… everything. I knew you’d find someone, I’m just gonna take this perfect opportunity to say, `I told you so’.”

  “Steady yourself. I agreed to meet him for dinner, not marry him. Remember, this invitation is to discuss Panda Hearts donation opportunities. It’s not a date.”

  “Shmoosh, dinner… wedding dinner, it’s all the same thing, really.”

  “Right, Bri, whatever you say. I highly doubt I’ll have anything in common with an overpaid pilot. But, I do need something to wear, just in case.”

  “Yes, girl,” Brianna yells out way too loudly. “That’s the spirit. I’ve got the perfect dress, I’ll bring it over tonight, so you can try it on. When are you meeting?

  “Tonight.”

  “Holy crap! On second thought, just come to my apartment after work. You can get ready there, so I can supervise… I mean, help.”