Running From Destiny (20 page)

“I’ll call Chase tomorr
ow and reschedule for Thursday. No, wait. Shit! I don’t know what to do!” I say, pulling my hair through my fingers. About that time my cell rings. “Who could that be?” I ask as I grab my purse and dig for my phone. It’s Chase. Wow. Talk about coincidence.

“Hello?”

“Ally, hey it’s Chase. Just wanted to make sure you made it home okay.”

“Aww, thanks. That’s sweet.
And yes, I made it home just fine. Thank you for dinner tonight, I enjoyed it.” I tell him, rolling my eyes at Heather.

“Listen, I have to cancel this weekend, something at work has come up and I have to go o
ut of town at the last minute. Can we try again when I get back?” He asks.

“Su
re thing. Where are they sending you?” I ask him,

“Detroit.
Something to do with GM and I have to go to corporate. Not exactly my favorite place to go, but hey, At least it ain’t winter, because it gets damn cold there.” He chuckles.

“No prob
lem. Just give me a call when you get back. Have a good trip. Bye Chase.”

“No
fucking way!” Heather boasts. “You need to find out if Jackson knows who this guy is, because this is too weird. You just left him an hour ago and NOW he suddenly has to cancel? Sounds fishy to me, Al.”

“Yeah, no doubt.
I wouldn’t think he would have even gone back to the office after dinner, so unless his boss.....” I say,

“Or Jackson...” Heather says
.

“Yep, I smell a rat for sure.
How in the hell does he do this? He must be following me or having me followed or something. Well, he made my decision for me, I’m not going to New York. In fact, I am going to call a courier and have these tickets delivered back to his office tomorrow. No note, no nothing. He’s a smart man, he’ll figure it out.” I hope.

Chapter 17

The rest of the week is uneventful. No calls from Jackson or Chase and I have been so busy on this remodel, that I haven’t had time to think about much besides work. This project has been a thorn in my side; the owners can’t seem to decide on anything. I keep going back and forth and back and forth, taking new samples and picking up their discarded ones. I’m hauling more samples in the building now, looking around wondering if Chase is going to come rescue me again. He doesn’t of course, because his “job” sent him out of town.

I still wonder if that was really the case, or i
f Jackson got involved somehow. I sure hope I am wrong, but the evidence against Jackson is piling up. It was just too coincidental that Chase canceled our date right after Jackson showed up at my apartment. He must really think I am stupid. It’s intriguing, but at the same time it pisses me off. He really needs to discard this Alpha male personality if he wants to see me again.

Or does he? He confuses me so much.
I want him to go away but at the same time, I want him around. No man has ever made me feel this way, bad or good. Maybe I’ll head to the beach over the weekend, just to get away for a while. Or, do I go to New York like Jackson wants and add to my confusion? Shit. Decisions to make and they’re ones I don’t want to have to make.

I drop off the samples and go over the materials with the project manager and he tells me he will get back to me, but he
likes what I brought this time. Maybe they will finally settle on materials and we can get on with the schematics.

It’s Thursday evening
, so I head home for the night. I should be on my date with Chase, but plans change so I go home and call Heather. “What am I going to do?” I ask her. “I want to see Jackson, but I also don’t want to give in to his demands.” I hear Heather sigh on the other end.

“Al, you know what I think.
I would never pass up a free trip to New York City for anything. But you and I are so different. You need to go with what you feel in your heart, not your head. I think you need to see where this thing can go, but I understand your frustrations. He’s different than what you are used to, which is why I think you need to see what happens. Go to New York, have your dinner with Jackson and if things don’t go right, change your ticket on Saturday and I’ll come pick you up at the airport.”

“I don’t know Heather.
If I give in, I’ll seem weak and desperate. Those are two feelings I am not comfortable with. If he really wants to be with me, he is going to have to fight for me. I’m not going to make it easy on him and he’s used to getting what he wants. My flight is at three o’clock tomorrow and I haven’t even requested to leave early.”

“Sounds like you already made your dec
ision, Ally.” Heather tells me. And she’s right, I have.

I get ready for bed an
d crawl in between the covers. The ceiling fan is on high so the whooshing sound soothes me. I watch the spinning blades and they hypnotize me into sleep.

The alarm clock goes off way too early and I slam my hand down on the clock radio next to my bed and ro
ll my tired ass over to get up. I feel better since I’ve made my decision. And, once I make a decision, I don’t change my mind. After I shower I go into my closet to get dressed, walking right by the suitcase that I will not be packing.

I get into the office a little early, which is surprising for a Friday morning.
Traffic is usually a bitch on Friday, but today was amazingly calm.

As soon as I get to my desk, I pull out the envelope Jackson left on my coffee table and write h
is office address on the front. I call the courier to come by and pick it up to deliver to him. He may not even be in, but his assistant will let him know that the package comes in. I don’t reply to his note or anything. Since the office is close to mine, I know he will have it within the hour. I decide to keep myself busy with work instead of dwelling on what might happen once he gets the envelope.

I check my voicemail and I have a message from the Ravinia project manager that they have decid
ed on what I brought yesterday. Dark mahogany floors, creamy beige carpets and bold browns and blues on the walls. I construct the final agreement and get it faxed over to the project manager and once they fax it back, I submit the order. Thankfully CAD has already finished their build-out model, so I have measurements and all the information I need to place the order.

This takes me most of the day and before I
realize it, it’s five o’clock. I take a deep breath and grab my belongings and head toward the elevator. I start feeling guilty and nervous as the elevator descends into the parking garage. I’m the only one on the elevator and as it gets closer to the bottom, my heart starts beating faster. I feel like it’s going to beat right out of my chest. Not sure why, cause as far as I know Jackson is already in New York, but then again, I have no idea.

The doors open and all I hear are my heals
, clicking on the pavement. I tried to park as close as I could to the elevator, but my car is still a few rows away. As I approach my car, I see him. He’s leaning against my car with his arms crossed over his chest in a menacing pose. I stop dead in my tracks and just stare at him. He’s a sight for sore eyes, his hair is messy as if he has been running his fingers through it in frustration. He’s wearing suit pants, but his white button down is open at the top and his tie is loosened. He’s holding the envelope and he doesn’t look happy.

I fight the urge to r
un, but slowly walk toward him. I have to, he’s leaning on my car. I almost turn to go back into the building, but he’s already seen me so I’m stuck. “What’s this?” He asks as he waves the envelope in my face. “You’re supposed to be on a plane, Alexandra.”

“I’m not going, Jackson.
I thought you would understand when I returned the tickets to you.” I say to him, my eyes lowering toward the concrete floor. I swear I hear him growl low in his throat. It’s such a sexy sound that I feel my panties moisten. I really need to get a grip on these feelings, it’s not attractive.

“Alexandra, I am not too proud to beg.
I may not do it often, because I don’t have to. But you are worth begging for. Come with me this weekend and if things don’t go like you want, you can come home on Sunday and I will leave you alone. Forever. Please, Alexandra. I want to make things right.”

“Make what right?
There is nothing to make right because nothing is wrong. You had to do what you had to do, and that’s your business. I’m nothing but a plaything to you and I have more respect for myself than to continue.”

“Is that what you think?” H
e says as he stalks toward me. His hands go to my face and his lips are on mine in an instant. He takes my bottom lip between his teeth and pulls, sucking gently which causes my lips to involuntarily part. He slides his tongue in, and tangles it with mine. My body is betraying me again because I just can’t pull back from him. “Does that make you feel like just
a
playthin
g
Alexandra? Cause you are so much more to me than that.” He says as his green eyes penetrate my blue ones.

I can’t look away from him.
Those emerald pools are sparkling and sincere. As I come back to my senses, I realize my hands are on his chest and my knees are weak. His strong hand is still on my face and he is looking me over like I’m a special gift. I don’t know if I can deny what I feel for this man. I don’t even know why I feel like this since I hardly know him, but he sends tingles through my body, igniting a flame that has long been burned out.

“Come with me, Alexandra.
We’ll get to know each other, something we haven’t done yet. I will tell you everything, and then you can decide how you want to proceed. The ball is in your court and I will respect whatever decision you make, after this trip.”

I pull back from him, my hands burning from where they w
ere pressed against his chest. I look up at him and see sincerity, pain and desire in his eyes. I suddenly can’t say no to this man. Before I even answer him, his cell rings. “Bentley.” He answers, still looking at me. “Yes, get Lola ready, we’re on our way.” He says into the phone before disconnecting the call. His voice jars me out of my trance.

“I didn’t pack anything and I have already missed my flight.” I tell him.

“Don’t worry about that. We will get you what you need. Come, let’s go.” He says as he takes my hand, pulling me toward a sleek, black BMW parked a few spaces over. “What about my car?” I ask.

“I’ll take care of it.”

He opens my door and waits for me to be seated before closing it. I watch him glide in front of the car to the driver side, looking confident.

He slides his large frame into the car
and we exit the parking garage. I don’t know what to say to him, so I keep quiet for a few minutes. He is focusing on the road and trying to navigate traffic. Instead of exiting on to I85 South toward the airport, he gets off at Chamblee-Tucker Road. Okay, so now I am confused. “Where are we going?” I ask, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the car.

“PDK. We’re taking my plane.” He tells me.

“You have a plane?” I am in awe.

“It’s a corporate jet, yes. We have somewhere to be in New York and there is no time for a commercial flight.

I’ve only been here once to eat at the 57th Fighter Group restaurant for a company Chr
istmas party a few years ago. He drives straight on to the tarmac at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport, almost to the door of a small jet. He parks and gets out of the car, but I sit still staring at the jet that sits before me. This is so surreal that I can’t move, feeling like I’m in a movie or dreaming or something. Things like this don’t happen to people like me. I know, I need to quit doubting myself, but when I am faced with things like this, I can’t help it.

“Ally, come on.” Jackson is at my door holding out his hand, a signal that it’s time to get out of the car
.

“Wow.” I say.
My vocabulary once again limited. “What kind of plane is this?” I ask, pretending to know something about planes, which I obviously don’t, but its conversation.

“It’s a Cessna Citation CJ4. It’s also my baby.”
He smiles as he gazes toward the shiny white jet. We stop on the tarmac at the steps leading to the plane and Jackson motions for me to go ahead as he stops to speak to someone, maybe the pilot. “Ally, give me your car keys.” He says before I ascend the steps. I dig into my bag and hand them to him. He tells the person where my car is located and for him to pick it up and take it back to my apartment.

He then follows me up the stairs.
I stop at the top looking in, “Amazing.” Is all I can say.I figured I’d better stray from th
e
WOW’
s
and broaden my vocabulary a little.

“Have a seat, Alexand
ra. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll join you as soon as we’re in the air.” He says as he heads toward what I assume is the cockpit.

“Wait, where are you going?”
I ask him.

He looks at me, “I have a plane to fly.” He says, turning back arou
nd, a subtle smile on his face. He’s flying the plane? Holy shit! I then realize I am going to be alone during takeoff and landing, and if you remember, I am not a fan of take offs and landings. Flying is one thing, but.....shit.

I choose a seat at the front, closest to the cockpit
so he will hear me if I scream. As I sit, the soft, tan leather envelopes my body and I wrap the seat belt around me as I hear the engines start.

A young woman comes from the rear and asks if I would like something to drink while we prepare for
takeoff. She tells me her name is Missy. “Do you have wine?” I ask her. She chuckles.

“Not
a fan of flying, Ms. Sanders?” I just shake my head.

She turns toward the galley and comes back w
ith a crystal glass of Shiraz. “Thank you.” I say as I take a big gulp, almost swallowing the entire glass before she walks away. If I keep that up, I will be too plastered to go anywhere. The cool wine calms me some and I notice that the plane is moving. Missy is buckled into a seat in the back of the plane, probably waiting until we are at cruising altitude to move around.

I place my glass in the holder and hold on, because the plane’s engines are getting louder and we jerk forward and I don’t want to spill the
wine on the light beige carpet. I still don’t know what Jackson has planned, so I close my eyes and feel the weight of my stomach drop as we take off.

Jackson comes on the radio announcing that I can take off my seat belt and move about the cabin if I want, but I decide to stay se
ated, and keep my seat belt on. I am not comfortable with moving around when we’re twenty thousand or so feet in the air. When Jackson opens the door from the cockpit, he scans the cabin looking for me, thinking I’ll be roaming around. When his eyes find mine, concern takes over. “Alexandra, are you okay?” He asks as he sits down next to me, peeling my fingers off of the hand rest.

Still overwhelmed
by all of this, I say nothing. I can’t even look at Jackson, my eyes glued toward the front of the plane. “Alexandra?” He asks again as he squeezes my hand. The pressure and warmth of his hand finally get my attention.