“Saved by the phone once again,” I grin. Lifting a hand, I smooth out her hair, trying to make her look presentable.
“Yeah. She must have a weird sixth sense.” Her eyes linger on my lips before she shakes her head. “I better go before she sends out the calvary.”
“That’s a good idea. She terrifies me.”
“I’ll see you on the next flight?” she asks, as if I would change my flight schedules now.
“Absolutely. Let me know when you get to wherever you’re going.”
She nods her agreement. “Thank you for today, Bentley. I’ll call you later.” With that, she’s out of the car. She pauses long enough to get her luggage from Sam, then she’s walking into the airport.
Sam slides into the driver's seat. “You’re welcome.”
“You’re such an asshole,” I mumble. I’m grateful he gave me a few moments with her, but I think I miss her more now. “Any chance you can take me home?”
“Of course.” He glances in the review mirror, “What kind of jackass would I be if I made you call an Uber to get you home after that.”
“You saw?” I hope Jolene doesn’t realize that. She’ll be mortified.
“The tint is dark, but not that dark.”
“Whatever,” I roll my eyes. “Let’s get out of here.”
We’ve only been on two physical dates, but she’s wormed her way into my thoughts. There’s no way I will be able to sleep tonight. I pull my phone off the seat and open up my text messages.
Bentley: You up for coming over and playing video games.
Derrick: Yep. Be there in two hours. Is it cool if Darcy comes?
Bentley: I assume that means Cam & Travis will be coming, too…
Derrick: Probably.
Bentley: Come on then.
They are the distraction I need to get my head out of the gutter. Or at least I hope so. They better not come at me with relationship advice.
Eighteen
Jolene
I can’t stop thinking about that first kiss, or the ones we’ve shared since. Over the past few weeks, I swear it looks like I’ve gotten lip injections from how swollen they are. We’re like teenagers making out as much as we can when we see each other. It’s not uncalled for since we rarely see each other. Video calls over the phone don't count and are nowhere near enough. Now, more than ever, I wish I had a job that didn’t require me to be gone so much. If that was the case, though, I wouldn’t have met him. I don’t think we would have ever crossed paths. I just wish I had more time that I could see him.
My relationship with Bentley feels like it did when I was with Carter, but different. All the giddy newness is there, but it feels like more. Like things could really progress with us and that thought terrifies me. It’s probably not right that I’m comparing the two, but it’s hard. I thought I had more with Carter, except I didn’t. I wasn’t the one meant for him. Fear pulses through my veins, and I need to tamp that down. They aren’t the same.
Lana pulls me aside before passengers leave the plane. “Are you going out with Bentley tonight?”
The man in question is sitting in the middle of the center aisle. It warms my heart that even though he has the ability to fly first class, he doesn’t. He chooses to fly coach so he can see me. “Yeah. We have a reservation for dinner.”
She waggles her eyebrows at me. “Are you going to take it to the next level? I mean, you don’t even have to go to a hotel tonight because we’re home. You can just take him straight to your own bed.”
“Oh my God, Lana.” I move to hit her in the arm, but she backs out of my reach. “What the hell is wrong with you? You don’t just talk about that stuff kind of stuff in a room full of people.”
“Technically, we’re in a plane,” she smirks. “Besides, they can’t hear us. Most of them are too busy getting their crap together,” she leans closer to me, “so are you going to?”
“I don’t know. Maybe? Probably?” I can’t believe I’m having this conversation right here. What if one of the other attendants hears me? “I’m not going to specifically plan for it. If it feels right, then we’ll act on it. I’m not going to screw him just because. I need to know that he’s not like most other men.”
“That’s good and all, but from what I can tell, he’s a solid choice. I’ve been checking the gossip articles as much as you have, and anytime I’ve seen him mentioned he’s been with that guy he usually travels with. Or he’s with his team. There’s definitely been a lack of scantily clad women. I think that means he’s the real deal.”
She has a point. I’ve been watching the articles like a hawk and nothing has shown up since we started dating. ‘We’ll see. I know he has to go to the team hotel for a meeting. That should give me enough time to go home and clean just in case.”
“I don’t see how your apartment could be dirty. You’re almost never home.”
“It’s usually just dusting. But I need to make sure there’s no dirty laundry on the bathroom floor.”
“Seems legit,” she nods in agreement. “Well, it’s time to wish these passengers farewell. Well, most of them.” The devilish quirk of her lips tells me she has no doubt in her mind that I’ll be having sex tonight.
I roll my eyes and push past her. I can’t even with this woman. I swear if I had an angel on one shoulder, she’d be the bad influence on the other, but I love her like a sister. Sometimes more than my actual sister. She’s been there for me more times than I can count, and when I don’t want her there.
I stand by the plane exit, waiting for the passengers to leave, offering goodbyes and hoping they have a great trip. Most of them are waiting for another plane to reach their destination, but some are here to take in the sights. Little as they may be.
As per usual, Bentley waits until he’s the last one to get off the plane. “Are you ready for our date tonight?”
He slides his arm around my waist and pulls me close to him. He leans in for a kiss then stops, remembering I’m still on the clock. “Yes, I’m ready. I can meet you at the restaurant.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind coming to get you first.”
I shake my head before he can argue anymore. “I’m sure. It’s dumb for you to pay to come to my place and then go right back downtown. There’s no sense in it.”
“Okay,” he pulls back from me. “I’ll see you in a few hours. Hopefully, this team meeting won’t take too long.”
Glancing around me, I make sure nobody is watching and I give him a quick peck. “I’ll see you soon.” He grabs the handle of his suitcase and makes his way down the narrow hall.
“Yeah,” Lana whispers from right behind me. I jump. Where the hell did she come from? “You’re totally getting laid tonight.”
“Shut up.” I don’t say anything else. I grab my luggage and get off the plan. I don’t care if she is right, she doesn’t have to be all weird about it.
Our reservations are at a top end steakhouse. I told him I didn’t need anything fancy, but he felt bad that we’ve only been eating fast food, or whatever the hotels offer. As far as going out is concerned, I’m a pretty simple girl. I don’t need all the bells and whistles. As long as I’m enjoying my time with him, I'm perfectly happy.
I spot him as I push through the crowd of people. I can’t believe so many people are braving the cold weather, but I get it. This is normal for us. Bentley is standing outside the restaurant door with a heavy jacket on. “Hey, you beat me here.”
“I almost wish I hadn’t. It’s freezing out here,” he says through shaky lips. I can almost hear his teeth chattering.
“It’s not that bad out here.” It will be later, though. We’re supposed to get a wave of snow flurries overnight. Nothing brutal, but I’m not telling him that. I’m not sure he’ll be able to handle it.
“Speak for yourself,” he says as he pulls me close to him. His lips cold against my cheek. “This Texas boy doesn’t handle this weather well at all. Hell, it was still in the sixties when I got to the airpo
rt.”
“We can go inside now. Then you won’t be such a crybaby.” My mouth spreads into a wide, teasing grin. “Besides, I’m hungry. I didn’t have time to eat before I came.”
“I’m not a crybaby. But yes, let’s go. That meeting drained me.” He pulls the door open wide and a blast of hot air hits us. He waits for me to go ahead of him, but stands in the doorway for longer than necessary.
“You know there’s heat in here, right?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Taking a step forward, he puts his arm around my shoulder and leads us to the host stand. A woman in a black shirt stands behind the podium and she’s looking down at a seating chart. “Hi, we have a reservation for Bentley.”
She doesn’t even look up to greet us, instead she runs her fingers over the tablet in front of her, searching for our reservation. “Yes, I have you right here. If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you seated.” She still hasn’t bothered to make eye contact. It’s a little annoying and reeks of poor customer service. My job is in this line of work and I always pay attention to the passengers who fly with us. Well, except Bentley. I tried my hardest not to notice him. It’s good business and keeps people happy.
“She seems kind of rude,” Bentley leans down and whispers in my ear. At least I’m not the only one that feels this way.
“I thought so, too. Maybe she’s having a bad night?” I’m not sure why I’m making excuses for her, but a shitty day can definitely affect how you respond to people.
“Here we are,” she finally looks up and smiles. Maybe she heard us. “Your waiter should be with you shortly.” She’s already heading back to the stand before we seated.
“That felt odd,” Bentley says as he pulls my chair out.
“I agree.”
“Oh well, we’re here now. Let’s make the best of the rest of the night.” He takes his jacket off, hanging it over the chair, and sits across from me. “What did you do when you got off work?”
“Not much,” I shrug. “Cleaned the apartment and did some laundry. The usual when I get home from back-to-back flights.”
“I don’t see how you do it.”
“Do what?” I’m looking over the menu while we wait on the server.
“Stay gone all the time.” It’s a question I’ve never been asked before. Few people care to know, or they think I’m living the dream. Jet Setting off to various locations and doing what I please. While most of it is true, it’s also tiring. I’ve never mentioned to anyone else that I’ve been wanting to do something else for a while. Something that doesn’t require me to be gone most of the time. It gets old coming home to an empty apartment, or only being home a day or two a week.
“It’s not always easy. Especially with times like now.” I set the menu down and continue, “Dating is the worst part of it unless you’re also dating someone in the same line of work. But it’s not much different for you, is it? You’re away from home a lot when you play out of town.”
“I’m still home a majority of the time. And there’s off season when we rarely travel for the team.” He pauses, as if he doesn’t want to say what he’s going to, but throws it out there, anyway. “Is that why you dated that pilot? Because he was in the same line of work?”
Honestly, I was wondering when this question would come up. He has to be wondering what happened. Especially after that awkward scene the day I met him. “Sort of. I mean, I was attracted to him, along with all the other flight attendants. Being with him for that brief time almost ruined my friendship with Lana. Luckily, she was there for me when it all ended. I thought I would be the one that changed him and made him settle down. Turns out…I wasn’t.” I take a deep breath, knowing what I’m about to admit will be a punch to the gut for him. “It’s why I was so resistant to dating you.”
The waiter chooses that moment to approach our table. “Can I interest you in one of our wines?”
He nods to me, and I look over the list, not really paying attention to the selections. I point to one, and I have no clue what it is, but the description says it’s sweet. The waiter nods and disappears again. For such a fancy restaurant, the service is slow.
“What do I have to do with him?”
“You’re a lot alike. After you approached me for a date, I looked you up. I needed to know what I would be getting myself into.” This may hurt him just as much as the previous statement, but he should know why I had my reservations. “All that came up was pictures of you leaving clubs, and bars, with various women. There was never a repeat. That isn’t something I wanted for myself.”
“What changed your mind?” He leans across the table, trying to get closer despite the flowers taking up space in the middle. He wants in on the secret of why.
“Seeing you with that little girl.” The memory makes me smile. It was probably the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. This big sports dude admitting his own fears to a child to make her feel better. “And the way you always help people with their luggage after a flight. Someone that selfish wouldn’t go out of their way to help people.” I reach across the table and place my hand on top of his. “That is why I gave you a chance.”
“I can’t promise that I won’t piss you off at times but I’ll do my best.” Bentley turns his hand over and grips mine in his. As much as this conversation wasn’t what I expected, his hands are strong and warm. I expected them to be sweaty after all the questions he had. He’s as cool as a cucumber.
I laugh as the waiter comes back with the wine. “I think you pissed me off more when you were chasing me so hard. I kept waiting for you to back off and determine I wasn’t worth the effort.” Or tired of wanting something that wasn’t attainable. Though, he knocked that out of the water with his dates. I’m happy I gave him a chance.
“I’ve already told you; you are worth so much more than you realize.” Excuse me while I melt into a puddle of goo. He’s told me once before, but I’ve never had anyone try to accommodate my life so well. Not Carter. Hell, not even my parents. He wins on that aspect alone.
“Good, that means Lana won’t have to kick your ass if this all falls apart.” I wink at him before taking a sip of the wine. His eyes lock on my lips touching the glass, and I want to know what’s going through his head. If the heat and intensity of his gaze are any indication, then it’s what else he’d like my lips wrapped around.
I almost spit out my wine the second the thought hits my brain and end up choking. “Ma’am, are you okay?” The waiter bends down until we’re at eye level with each other.
I wipe my hand across my chin and nod my head. “Yeah, it just went down the wrong pipe.”
“We can leave if we need to,” Bentley offers.
“No,” I wave him off. “Let’s order our food. I’m fine, I promise.”
“If you say so.” He turns his attention to the waiter and places his order. I don’t even know what I want but I just say whatever he’s getting. “You’re putting a lot of trust in my food choices.”
“You haven't steered me wrong yet. Besides, this place is a little stuffy for my tastes.”
“Mine, too,” he agrees. “I wanted to do something special for you, though.”
“I appreciate it.” I tap my finger against my chin. I know what I’m going to say, but I don’t know what his response will be. “Do you maybe want to go back to my place after dinner?”
“See,” he grins. “You should have led with that. We wouldn’t be in this overpriced restaurant if you had.”
“And that is why I didn’t.” I hope I’m not making a colossal mistake. I don’t remember the last guy I brought home. Carter never even saw where I lived since most of our hookups happened while we were traveling. This is the next step in seeing where things go with me and Bentley. I also know we’ll end up in my bed. I’ve seen him in practice clothes and casual wear. But the slacks and button-up shirt he’s wearing right now would look so much better on my floor.
Nineteen
Bentley
The b
last of frosty air as we walk out of the restaurant is enough to make me wish I was back in Texas. It gets cold there, but not like this. Tiny white flurries fall from the sky and I can’t deny how beautiful it is. Snow rarely happens in Austin, and when it does everyone loses their minds. Nobody can drive in it and most schools shut down for that reason. Living in this kind of cold is not my idea of a good time.
I wrap my arms around Jolene and pull her closer to me, her back against my chest. It does nothing to warm me up, but hopefully it gives her some warmth. “Do we need to grab a cab or Uber?” The small alcove in front of the door protects us from some of the wind.
“Actually, I drove.” She looks up and hits her forehead on my chin. “I’m parked right around the corner.”
“Lead the way.” We walk for a few feet with her still wrapped in my arms in front of me. It’s difficult. We look like waddling ducks.
Finally, she swoops out from under my arm. “It’ll probably be faster if we walk side by side.”
“Oh, uh, yeah. You’re right.” The loss of contact sucks, and the bitter cold hits me in the chest. It’d be wrong of me to suggest that she come back and protect me from it, right?
“You can hold me again while we wait for the car to warm up,” she winks. It’s a small consolation, but worth the wait. “Let’s go.” She grabs my hand and pulls me behind her.
We aren’t strolling along at a leisurely pace. It’s a quick walk and I’m worried I’ll slip and bust my ass. Because that is what women find attractive. I concentrate with everything I have and will my feet to stay steady. There are always chances of slipping in sweat when on the court, but you can see those glistening spots on the floor. The lighting is dim from the snow flurries and shadows of others passing by us on the sidewalk. I can’t see any signs of slickness. Let’s hope that means nothing has accumulated and we make it to her car safely.
Big Baller : A Hero Club Novel Page 13
