Annihilate Me 2: Vol. 1 (26 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

After a night of eating and
drinking with all of our guests—including Cutter, Max, and Amy, who
joined us in the living area—Alex and I were the first to retire to our
bedroom.
 
We wanted to go to bed
early so we could wake up refreshed to discuss any potential strategies with
Blackwell and address any issues Tank had when it came to security before we
landed in Manila—and especially before we landed in Singapore.

“Are you ready for bed?” Alex
whispered in my ear.

“I’d feel better about going to bed
if Daniella wasn’t moving in on Cutter.
 
That girl is unstoppable.
 
Look at her, for God’s sake.
 
She’s practically sitting in his lap at this point.”

“Blackwell will put a stop to
her.
 
But Cutter also will
intervene—if she becomes too aggressive, I’ve asked him to be direct with
her, and he will be.
 
So, how about
some sleep?
 
You need your
rest.
 
I worry about you and the
little one.”

“Just get me through the morning
sickness, and I’ll be fine.
 
But
look at everyone.
 
They’re having a
great time.
 
Won’t we be considered
a
buzzkill
if we leave this early?”

“Maybe for a moment we will, but
that doesn’t mean that the party won’t roll on.
 
And besides, we won’t even hear them at
the rear of the plane.
 
Our suite is
soundproofed.”

I raised my eyebrows at him.
 
“It is?”

He raised his eyebrows back at
me.
 
“In fact, it is.”

“Is there a lock on the door?”

“I can bolt it shut if I need to.”

“Well, then, Mr. Wenn.
 
You might just have to have your way
with me before we drift off into the ether.
 
I told you that I’m a hormonal mess.
 
Seeing you in that suit all evening has
made me unreasonably needy.
 
And
you’ve been hands-on all night.
 
You’ve been touching my waist, caressing my back, placing your hand high
against my inner thigh, and even stealing your share of kisses.
 
I’m a hot mess.
 
If this girl is going to get any rest,
you’re going to have to exhaust her first.”

“Who knew that married sex could be
the hottest sex?”

I raised my hand.
 
“That would be me.”

He grinned at that.
 
“It would be my pleasure to service you,
Mrs. Wenn.”

“Oh, look,” I said.
 
“Magical words falling down from the
heavens.”

“What are you two whispering
about?” Daniella asked.

“Just that it’s probably time to
tuck in and go to sleep,” Alex said.
 
“We have a lot to prepare for before we land in Singapore.
 
Tomorrow morning, your mother, Jennifer,
Tank and I will need to meet in the conference room to discuss strategy.
 
For us, this is a business trip,
Daniella.
 
For you, Alexa, and Lisa,
it’s fun.
 
And we want you to have
fun.
 
We want you to explore the
city and see how great it is.”

“Can Cutter join us?” Daniella
asked.
 
She was sitting next to him
on the couch— with perhaps only a foot between them.
 
“After all, we might need protection.”

“How about if you sit across from
Cutter?” Blackwell said.
 
“I’m tired
of you inching your way toward that poor man.
 
Be a lady, for God’s sake.”

“It’s not as if I had a role
model,” Daniella said.

“Please,” Blackwell said.
 
“If only you were as clever as you
thought you were.
 
Now, move it.”

“Fine.”
 
Daniella stood up and took the chair
that faced Cutter.
 
She spread her
legs wide in a way that was nothing short of borderline pornographic, and then
crossed her legs at the knee.
 
It
reminded me of Sharon Stone in “Basic Instinct.”

“But that doesn’t answer my
question?” Daniella said.
 
“Who
knows what kind of hoodlums will be lurking around this place they call
Singapore.
 
The name of that joint
alone suggests poverty.
 
We need
protection.
 
My vote is for Cutter
protecting us.”

“My vote is for someone to pull out
your tongue and cut it off with a nail file,” Alexa said.

“And my vote is for you to shower
and use some antiperspirant before you get into my bed tonight.”

“
Our
bed.
 
And I have showered.
 
And I have used an
antiperspirant—one that’s socially conscious because it’s not an
aerosol.”

“I don’t care how you tend to your
pits, love.
 
I just don’t want you
to continue to smell like horse shit, dead leaves, and bark.”

“Just be glad that my bark isn’t a
bite, bitch.”

At that, Daniella merely shrugged
her shoulders.
 
“
Whatevs
.
 
Do we get Cutter or not?”

“That’s up to Tank,” Alex
said.
 
“He’ll decide our security
needs in the morning.”

“I totes need security,” Daniella
said.
 
“If only to save my mother’s
money.
 
Cutter can intervene if I go
overboard—which I likely will.
 
He could be there to protect my mother from any kind of gross
overspending, which could happen without a moment’s notice.
 
He could take me in his arms and say,
‘Daniella—think of your poor, stricken mother.
 
Don’t you think that you’ve spent
enough?
 
You must think about her
future—and your own.
 
Stop
this madness while you can.’”

“Jesus,” Alexa said.

“Shut up, Alexa.
 
Cutter knows I’m just kidding.
 
Don’t you, Cutter?”

He looked up at her and met her
eyes with his own.
 
“Of course I
do,” he said.
 
“I know that what
you’re saying isn’t serious, Daniella.
 
It’s just a joke.
 
No one
would behave the way that you’re behaving if this was anything more than a
joke.
 
I get it.
 
I think we all know that it would be
ridiculous if you were being serious, which obviously you’re not.
 
So, don’t worry about it.
 
You’re just having your share of
fun.
 
Some might not get it, but I
know you’re no fool. You’d certainly not willingly come off as one.”

And with that, Daniella went pale.

“
Oooooh
,
snaps,” Alexa said.

“Security will be settled by
morning, Daniella,” Alex said after giving Cutter an approving nod.
 
“In the meantime, Jennifer and I are
going to bed.”
 
As he stood up to
leave, he reached for my hand, and I followed.
 
“So, we’ll see all of you tomorrow?
 
Barbara and Tank, we’ll meet at seven in
the conference room.
 
Does that work
for you?”

They both agreed.
 

“Lisa and Tank, the couch is
comfortable—I promise.
 
There’s a full mattress under there, and you won’t feel any bar against
your back.
 
So, sleep well, OK?”

“We’ll be fine, Alex,” Lisa
said.
 
“Thank you again for asking
me along.
 
I can’t wait to
experience Singapore.
 
I’m very
grateful.”

“You belong here.
 
I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
 
He winked at Tank.
 
“And neither would he.
 
So, goodnight all.”

As everyone around wished us a
sound sleep, Alex and I already were moving down the cabin, and then we were
gone.
 

*
 
*
 
*

Early the next morning, a rap came
at our door.

“It’s Amy,” our flight attendant
said.
 
“I know you wanted to get
ready for your seven o’clock meeting.
 
It’s five-thirty now.
 
That
should give you enough time to shower and change.
 
Your clothes are pressed and ready for
you just outside the door.
 
I’ll
have coffee and breakfast prepared by the time you come out.”

“Thank you, Amy,” I said.
 
“We’ll be about an hour.”

“Please take your time.”

“Would you mind waking Blackwell
and Tank?” I asked.
 
“They’ll need
to share the other bathroom, so they’ll likely want to be woken now.
 
We’ll all have breakfast together.”

“They’re already awake and
showered, and have had their breakfasts, as have Lisa, Cutter, and Max.
 
Would you like me to wake Daniella and
Alexa?”

“Oh, God, no,” I said.
 
“No, no, no.
 
Let them sleep as long as possible.
 
Let them sleep until noon if they want.
 
When they’re awake, we’ll handle it from
there.”

“I understand, Mrs. Wenn.”

“Please call me Jennifer.”

She didn’t respond to that, but I
heard her walk away.

“I hate being called anything
formal,” I said to Alex.
 
“I’m no
better than anyone else on this plane.
 
She should be free to call me by my first name.
 
Everyone should.
 
But no one will listen to me except for
Tank.”

“That’s because you
are
Mrs.
Wenn,” Alex said to me as he turned onto his side and scooped me into his
arms.
 
“And our employees are
professionals—they take their jobs seriously.
 
Besides, I rather enjoy hearing ‘Mrs.
Wenn.’
 
I’ll never grow tired of
hearing it.”

“Remind me of that when I’ve hit
nine months and I look like a pot-bellied pig.”

“You’re not going to look like a
pot-bellied pig.”

“Fine—an over-stuffed
turkey.
 
You’re going to want to
baste me with drippings and stick peppercorns in my gut.
 
I’ll be a Butterball by Thanksgiving.”

“Why are you so hard on
yourself?
 
You’re carrying our
child.
 
You’re going to be as
beautiful then as you are now.”

“Look, I know what I’m about to
become—a pig at a trough.
 
But
as long as you’re fine with it, I’m fine with it.
 
Blackwell, on the other hand, wants me to
wear a corset.”

“She was just joking.”

“Was she?”

He smiled at me.
 
“I think you know that she was.”

“I don’t think I told you this, but
she agreed to be called ‘Grandmother’.”

“You don’t say?”

“Our child needs one.
 
She’ll be perfect.”

“Beyond the news of our pregnancy,
that’s the best news I’ve heard all week.
 
Knowing Blackwell, she’ll probably have him or her in Brooks Brothers or
Chanel by the time we leave the hospital.”

“I didn’t even think of that, but you
are so right.”

He nuzzled his lips against my neck
and kissed it.
 
“How do you feel
this morning?”

“After last night?
 
Fantastic.
 
You were amazing, as usual.”

“I aim to please.”

“Do you think anyone heard us?”

“Not at all.”

“I screamed out your name at one
point—somebody must have heard that.”

“No, they didn’t.
 
I know this plane.
 
Our suite is airtight.
 
I made sure of it when I bought it.”

Diana had been alive then.
 
He’d likely wanted privacy.
 
Maybe he was right.

“We’ve got time, you know,” I said.
 
“Feel like another round?”

He crawled on top of me, and
already I could feel the heavy weight of his erection against my belly.
 
“Is that even a question?
 
Let me show you again how much I love you.
 
Let me show you again how happy I am
that you’re going to have our child.”