Carmen Green - This Time for Good

“No. You look funny carrying my purse on your shoulder.”

Relief filled him and he realized he’d braced himself to be criticized by her. He thought she was going to complain that he’d embarrassed her or treated her badly. He’d heard it all before.

But not Alexandria. She was oblivious to her sex appeal. He handed her the pink purse. “You shouldn’t leave your bag lying around.”

“Thanks for rescuing me. I’ve been practicing how to become more assertive. But sometimes I get intimidated and the right words don’t come out.”

She had to practice being assertive? He’d never met a woman who didn’t know how to assert her opinion about any and everything. And she’d handled her family pretty well considering they were all crazy.

“How were you going to be assertive against those men,” he asked, looking at his watch, noting they only had about five minutes. Still, the quiet hallway was better than the main area of the airport.

“I would have said, ‘If you don’t get out of my way, I’m going to hurt you.’”

He tried to keep his smile hidden. “Hurt them…” He chuckled. “How?”

She put her hand on his shoulder and lifted her foot behind her. He endured her closeness and looked over her shoulder.

“This heel is a spike, and they had on those cheap flip-flops. One step in the right direction, and they’d have been on their knees.”

“You’re right about that,” he said, liking the length of her hair, the feel of her hands on his shoulders and the closeness of her body to his. He cleared his throat. “It’s time to board.”

Turning, Alexandria started back up the hallway. Hunter trailed, watching her sexy heels. He stopped his gaze from continuing, because this relationship would end in less than a day.

Once settled on the flight, he pulled out his cell phone and listened to his messages.

There was no first-class on this flight, so they sat together, Alexandria continuously pressing buttons on her phone during the trip.

“Did you ever figure out the problem?” he asked.

“Someone had it cut off.”

“What?” Hunter said.

“My phone’s cut off. I’m trying to figure out how to pay it if it’s cut off, but I don’t know any bank account information. Marc paid our bills, I think, or maybe the accountant. May I use your phone? I need to call Mr. Feinstein.”

Hunter handed it over, thinking high living at its worst. Alexandria fumbled through her BlackBerry, her hands shaking.

“Take a deep breath,” he said, covering her hands with his. “Everything is going to work out.”

“No it isn’t, Hunter. My husband might be dead, I have a brother-in-law I don’t know, and my phone is off. My world is coming to an end and everybody knows it but me. Do you not see how serious this is?”

The older couple in the seats ahead of them turned around and looked at Alexandria. “You’re being rude,” she snapped at them. “This is a personal conversation.”

“You’re the one who’s talking loudly,” the woman said with a scraggly voice and quickly turned around.

Hunter leaned close to Alex. “If you don’t want people to hear what you’re saying, just bring it down a little.”

“We’re practically in their laps. It’s hard not to hear each other, but it’s rude not to pretend.”

He got real close again, breathing in an intoxicating blend of jasmine and lavender. “Look, everyone knows your business because you keep putting it out there.”

“Your breath is tickling my ear.”

He couldn’t tell her what part of her was tickling his libido. “Just trying to share some wisdom,” he said, eyeing the two-carat diamond and the pretty lobe it was attached to.

“Hello, it’s Alexandria Lord Wright-Foster,” she said, holding the pillow close to her mouth.

She pushed her shoulder forward, her head back and looked at him.

Hunter nodded, letting her know no one else could hear her but him.

“I have a problem,” she told the person on the phone. “Service to my BlackBerry has been disconnected. Can you have it reactivated within a half hour? Thank you. Yes, I’ll call you first thing tomorrow. We can discuss all the finances then. Thanks, goodbye.”

“Problem solved,” he asked, accepting his phone.

“Yes.”

She still looked troubled, but pulled a little bottle from her bag and stopped the male flight attendant with a girlie flip of her fingernails. “May I have a bottle of water?”

“In just a few minutes. Ooh. Is that little ditty bag from Neiman’s? The new misting and moisturizing solution?” he asked as she slid the tiny container from the velvet bag.

“Yes. You need a little freshening?”

The attendant’s eyes lit up like Christmas had come again. “Always.”

He hurried to the front and got an eight ounce bottle of water. On his return, he carefully poured about a dropper full into Alexandria’s mister and she shook, then squeezed the atomizer at her face.

Hunter looked closely, but didn’t see the difference.

“Hunter, do you want some?”

“No way.”

Her purposeful blinks and pursed lips seemed to say that she was going to ignore him, and she passed it to the attendant. “You can have that as a present.”

The attendant practically leaped for joy as he misted his face and neck. “Wow, thanks. You’re so adorable.” He touched Hunter’s shoulder. “Don’t you just want to eat her up?”

The image that comment evoked was too dangerous to consider. He cleared his throat. “How long is the flight?”

“Thirty minutes. I’d better get back to work. Thank you, doll,” he said to Alexandria, and hurried about his duties.

Alexandria folded her hands, sat back and closed her eyes.

“What are you doing now?” he asked.

“Thinking important thoughts.”

“Of course you are.” He sat back and tried to do the same, like how soon was he going to get back to Atlanta and his real life?

Hunter signaled the limousine driver who held a placard with their names on it. He’d retrieved their luggage, except for the dog.

“Alexandria, come with me.” Hunter escorted her to the car and watched her slide against the seat, then swing her legs inside the limousine.

There was such class about her, but he wondered how much trouble she was capable of stirring up? He’d seen just a bit of it, but he wondered if this was the calm before or the eye of the storm.

He shut the door then went to the trunk with the driver. “What’s your name?”

“Frazier.” The driver shook his hand and they stored the bags in the trunk.

“I’ve got everything except the dog. Here’s the slip.”

“I’ll get him now.”

Hunter nodded, baffled as to why Chris had chosen a black stretch limousine for an airport run. It was overkill.

Climbing inside, he sat next to Alexandria who was in the middle of the backseat and hadn’t moved an inch since she’d gotten in.

“I need to talk to Chris,” Alexandria said.

Hunter realized he shouldn’t have gotten in. The car was dark and private, and intimate.

“You will, very soon.”

“Now, Hunter. I want to talk to him now.” She didn’t raise her voice as her father did, but her intention was no less direct.

“Chris is busy and can’t talk to you until this afternoon. We only have time for you to get to the hotel, shower, change and ride to the chapel.”

“He’s not dead. For some reason, he canceled my phone.”

Alexandria pulled out her phone and began to dial Marc’s number again.

Hunter covered her hands with his, eased the phone away and pocketed it. She looked down as if he’d just performed a magic trick. “Hunter?”