The Spiral Down

by Aly Martinez

  She slapped my chest.

  “Okay, since I have so gravely failed at being your entertainment recently, I’ll give you a quick rundown. His name is Evan Roth. He’s unbelievably hot in that understated nice guy kind of way. He talked me through a flight last week. He has some sort of weird fetish for eighties cartoons but seemed to at least know Star Trek. He thinks I’m bisexual. Hence why he’s flying two female flight attendants in for me tonight. But, really, he’s the only thing on my menu for the evening. I want to have sex with him, but he’s straight, so I did what any horny man would do—I hired him to be my pilot.”

  Levee’s mouth fell open as Sam released a string of expletives.

  “Now, dry your eyes, Suzie Emotional, and act cool, because they’re opening the door.” I grinned.

  I turned back to the plane just in time to see Flight Attendant Jessica come teetering down the stairs in a pair of heels. She battled the wind as it whipped her long, red hair into her face. Her low-cut, cream blouse threatened to fly up, but luckily, her short, black skirt appeared to have been painted on, so at least there wasn’t any danger of catching my first eyeful of vagina. My virginity was safe for yet another day.

  Right behind her was a blonde in a tight, black dress who not even I could deny was stunning. Her long, tan legs devoured the steps as she gracefully exited the plane. Her hair was also caught in the wind, but instead of being a safety hazard as Jessica’s had been, this woman’s looked as though she were stepping onto a completely different type of runway.

  I hated her instantly.

  Because I knew Evan would love her instantly.

  “Fuck,” I whispered as she shot a sexy, white smile in my direction.

  “Jesus,” Levee whispered. “Please tell me that is not your competition for the evening.”

  Gnawing on my bottom lip, I made a quick decision that was no doubt going to suck for me. “No. That’s my new date,” I announced before striding towards the women. “Ladies,” I purred over the wind. “Good to see you again, Jessica.” I briskly kissed her on the cheek then turned to the blonde. “And hello, gorgeous. I don’t believe we’ve met yet. I’m Henry.”

  Her eyes turned dark as she gave me an obvious once-over. “Tabitha.”

  A witch. How fitting.

  Lifting her hand to my mouth, I mumbled, “Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” I didn’t even gag as I kissed the back of her hand.

  Her cheeks blushed as her eyes shifted to Jessica, who appeared none too happy about my interest in her friend. But that’s what she got for bringing a fucking supermodel on a double date. Everyone knows you bring the troll friend in this situation. Shit. I was a man and knew that.

  “Can you ladies excuse me for a moment? I’m going to have a word with our captain.” I jogged up the steps into the plane.

  To my excitement, the door to the cockpit was open and Evan’s broad shoulders filled the doorway. Another man spoke, but it was Evan’s deep, throaty laugh that sent a tingle down my spine.

  “Any chance I can get out of here before you start humping him?”

  My body tensed and I twisted in the small space. A superiorly disgruntled Carter was glowering at me.

  I sighed. “Still cranky. Great. I see you didn’t get laid.”

  His eyes flared wide, but his lips thinned. I made a mental note of the flare but decided not to waste time trying to figure it out. Not with Evan only a few feet away.

  Carter grimaced and landed a paw on my chest. “Don’t say I never gave you anything.” With a hard shove, he sent me stumbling back.

  Directly into Evan. Ass to gloriously hard ass.

  “What the…” Evan cursed.

  Carter called out, “Shit. Sorry, Evan. My bad.”

  Yep. Cranky and all. It was time to give Carter a raise.

  He lifted his hand in a half salute, half wave before disappearing down the stairs.

  “You okay?” Evan asked as I turned to face him.

  Those dark-brown lashes blinked at me as a timid smile grew on his lips but it faltered before it reached his eyes.

  It was still sexy enough to dry my mouth.

  “Hi,” I said when wit failed me.

  “Um. Hi.” He swayed uncomfortably as I stared at him.

  But the truly unnerving part was that he was staring right back at me.

  “Good flight?” I asked nervously. It was a surprisingly unnatural feeling for me.

  “Great.” He lifted a muscular arm and raked a hand through his short hair. It was barely long enough to style—but more than thick enough for me to grip while he was on his—

  “Henry! Let’s go. We’re going to be late!” Levee called up the stairs.

  I lifted a single finger in her direction. “You ready?”

  “For?” he drawled in question.

  I tipped my head. “Concert, dinner, drinks. Listen, change of plans but Jessica is yours. Have you seen her friend Tabitha?” I sucked in a low whistle.

  He furrowed his brow, which caused a sexy crinkle between those gorgeous, blue eyes. “I’m not going to that.” He jerked his chin toward his shoulder at his copilot. “Baez and I are gonna grab some dinner and then head back to the hotel.”

  “What? No. We have a double date. Remember?” Why hadn’t I been a dick to two lesbians so that could have been an accurate statement? It would have made my life so much easier.

  “No,” he said very slowly. “What I remember is telling you that I’d fly them here but, after that, you were on your own.”

  “Right. But then I hired you,” I said flippantly.

  It had been the wrong thing to say. So, so, so wrong.

  “Excuse me?”

  But I was me and apparently an obtuse idiot, so I repeated, “I hired you.”

  His eyes narrowed, and I noted that even that was sexy. I would have wagered that the man was incapable of an ugly expression. But, clearly, that would take more scientific evidence. I’d yet to see his face contorted midorgasm or in the middle of the night with his mouth hanging open and drool dripping from the corner. It was my duty as an American to discover this information. Strictly in the name of science, of course.

  I belatedly realized I was smiling when he growled, “Did you only hire me so I’d go on a date with you”—if he had stopped there, I would have had no choice but to answer honestly. Yes. Thankfully, he kept going—“and those women?”

  Phew. Saved by the details. “What? No!” I adamantly shook my head. “Listen, I guess you’re going to make me say this straight out. As you know, I treated Jessica like a dick, and this little trip was my way to say I’m sorry. But she wasn’t the only one I was an ass to that day. I want a chance to apologize to you too.” I tossed him a charming smile and his eyes instantly flashed to it.

  Interesting.

  A wave of excitement shot like a drug through my veins. This might be easier than I’d originally anticipated.

  “No need to apologize,” he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his navy uniform pants.

  My eyes followed the movement down.

  A soft smile formed on my mouth as I slowly looked back up. “No. Really. I’m embarrassed. Come to the concert tonight. Dinner, drinks, whatever you want. My treat. I might know a guy who can get you backstage.” I winked, raking my teeth over my bottom lip.

  His eyes once again jumped down. “I don’t know.”

  “Henry! Stop flirting. We have to go,” Carter growled.

  Evan’s entire body stiffened.

  Nope. No fucking raise for Carter.

  I shot him a scowl before assuring Evan, “He’s kidding.” I lifted my hand in the Vulcan V as my promise.

  He rewarded me with a chuckle.

  “Come on. Let me show you I’m not completely insane.” I bent at the waist and leaned toward him. A heady mixture of cologne and pure-male musk intoxicated my senses. My lids fluttered closed as I fought back a groan. “I owe you an apology. I called you Maverick.”

  “He’s Navy.
I’m Air Force. But I’ve been called worse,” he replied curtly.

  “Really, Evan—”

  I was cut off by the sound of a cell phone ringing.

  As if he’d been shocked by electricity, he started frantically digging in his pocket. He lifted it to his ear. “Nik? Yeah. Hey, baby.”

  I felt my lips go tight. Nick?

  Was he gay?

  His eyes jumped to mine. My disappointment must have shown, but he seemed to misinterpret it as annoyance.

  Tilting his head to the side in apology, he mouthed, “I’m sorry,” and then said into the phone, “Hey, let me call you back in five minutes. I’m just getting off a flight.”

  As quickly as he’d answered the call, he ended it.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Alexander. That was rude.”

  Mr. Alexander? We were just engaged in some serious straight-gay eye-fucking, and now, he decides to go for professionalism?

  “Boyfriend?” I asked, my voice thick with frustration.

  His clear, blue eyes narrowed menacingly as he corrected me. “Nikki. Girlfriend. I mean…ex-girlfriend.”

  “Right. Of course.” I bit my lip and momentarily looked down at my shoes to hide the smile I was struggling to contain. “I didn’t mean to insinuate—”

  “It’s fine,” he bit out.

  We stared at each other for several beats. His eyes no longer held the levity they had before he’d answered his phone, but there was still something hidden behind that striking gaze. Something I suddenly wanted to figure out.

  “How about this? You go to your hotel. I upgraded you to a suite, by the way. Get comfortable. Change out of your uniform. And I’ll have a driver come get you after the show. We’ll have a late dinner or something.”

  He eyed me suspiciously and then looked back at his phone in his hand. War visibly waged in his head. I just wasn’t sure which side I was on.

  “Yeah. I can do that.”

  A cry of victory escaped my mouth. “Yes! I mean…sounds great.”

  His lips twitched, and unless hope had clouded my vision, his cheeks even gained a hint of color.

  “Okay, then. I guess that’s settled,” he said dismissively.

  “Sure is,” I confirmed with a huge smile, but I didn’t move.

  He slanted his head toward the door. “You should…you know…get going.”

  “I guess I should.” I again didn’t move.

  And I’ll be damned if his lips didn’t twitch again.

  “I’ll see you tonight”—I reached out and glided my index finger over the silver nameplate on his chest—“Captain Roth.”

  His body tensed as he watched my hand, but much to my excitement, he didn’t back away. Not even an inch.

  Oh, this was fucking happening.

  I CLOSED THE door to the two-bedroom suite in the nicest hotel I had ever seen in my life. Baez had nearly stroked out when we’d pulled up. That is until the cab drove away to take him to the no doubt budget hotel Jackson had put him up in. Working for Henry Alexander definitely had some perks. Although, after our conversation on the plane, I was wondering if he thought my working for him was going to come with some perks too. Or maybe he was only a super friendly guy who really was going out of his way to right a wrong with me. But that didn’t explain why I felt the tingle of his presence in my cock.

  I hadn’t been lying when I’d drunkenly told Scott that Henry was fucking hot. All of his blond hair and lean, sculpted muscles. Even if he hadn’t had the voice and the talent he so obviously possessed, he could have easily still graced the covers of magazines. His features were sharp and refined. But, if I had the choice, I’d still favor the strong angle of his jaw covered with a day’s worth of scruff that made him more boy-next-door sexy rather than Mr. GQ.

  He hadn’t looked like that tonight though. Tonight, he’d appeared every bit of the wealthy predator I was starting to fear he was. And, now that I knew he was bisexual, the threat was more real than ever. I was no one’s prey, but I was more than willing to hunt the hunter. Gay, I couldn’t handle. Bi though… Now, that held some possibilities.

  The biggest possibility being that I’d end up losing my job—something I absolutely couldn’t afford. I was less than a week in. Even if I didn’t get fired, a threesome with my big-time celebrity boss wasn’t going to win me any reference letters. No. I needed a cold shower, a drink, and a woman to take the edge off.

  Shaking my thoughts off, I made my way over to the huge basket sitting on the side of the bar. Snack foods overflowed from the edges. Wedged into the center was a white card with my name handwritten across the front. I studied it for a few minutes before strategically pulling at a corner, hoping everything didn’t tumble out like a game of junk food Jenga.

  Evan,

  If you change your mind, I left a ticket to my show for you at the front desk. No pressure, but I know hotels can get boring. Even with all the free porn. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, but I wanted you to have something to tide you over until our dinner. By the looks of your body, I also considered that you might be a health nut. So there’s some fresh fruit and protein bars in your bedroom if you’d prefer. Help yourself to the minibar. It’s all on me.

  I’ll see you tonight.

  Hopefully at the show.

  -Henry

  Wow. It had only been an hour since I’d last seen him. His assistant, no doubt, must have been busy in that time. Although, with references to both porn and my body in only one paragraph, I knew for certain Henry had penned the note. Or at least dictated it over the phone. I laughed at the idea of the poor front desk clerk having to transcribe that onto a card.

  Tugging my tie off, I moved to the first bedroom and found a covered dish containing enough fruit to feed a squadron. I inspected the massive bowl before using my fingers to pick a piece of kiwi from the corner and then pop it in my mouth. I moaned before snagging a second piece and heading to the closet while shrugging off my white uniform dress shirt.

  After hanging my shirt up, I decided against exploring the rest of the suite and instead opted for a detour to the massive glass shower with four ceiling-mounted heads that would no doubt make me feel as though I were in the middle of a rainforest. Yeah, I could get used to this gig.

  I was dripping wet with a plush, white towel wrapped around my waist when I padded across the heated floor of the bathroom. I looked at the clock, and it was nearly eight p.m. Henry’s concert would be starting soon. The idea of seeing him in his element on stage was definitely intriguing, but Nikki hadn’t answered when I’d returned her call earlier. She met her girls for drinks every Thursday after work, so I figured she’d be calling back any minute.

  I wasn’t sure what the hell I was going to say to her. Nothing had changed. But I was still desperate to talk to her. The way we’d left things was actually weighing heavily on my mind. Ya know, when I wasn’t thinking about Henry. I groaned to myself. What the hell was wrong with me?

  Unfortunately, it would have taken far longer than a night to truly figure out that. Settling on the bed, I stared at the ceiling and shook my head, trying to clear my mind with no success.

  I’d begun to doze off when my phone started ringing.

  I immediately snatched it off the nightstand, but I couldn’t make out the caller’s name on the broken screen.

  “Hello?”

  Nikki softly whispered across the line. “Hey.”

  I sat straight up and rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes. “Hey.”

  “How’s it…um…going?”

  I sighed sadly at the nervous shake of her voice. “I’m good, Nik. How ’bout you?”

  “Honestly? I’ve been better.”

  I collapsed back onto the bed. “God, I’m so fucking sorry.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry for, Evan,” she whispered.

  “I know. But I still feel like I need to be apologizing. I hate that you’re hurting.”

  She laughed without humor. “You always were a good guy.”


  One corner of my mouth hiked. “Not good enough or we wouldn’t be here.”

  “Oh, come on. I’m not sure I’m going to have many more compliments for you in case you’re fishing for them.”

  I chuckled. “No fishing. I swear.”

  We sat in awkward silence for several seconds.

  “Evan…” she trailed off.

  “Right here, Nik.”

  She sucked in a deep breath before whispering, “When did you know?”

  I closed my eyes in defeat. I knew exactly what she was asking. It was the same question I’d asked myself every day since we’d broken up. I just didn’t want to tell her. I also didn’t want to lie to her anymore.

  “Your birthday.”

  “Yeah. I figured.”

  Fuck. The defeat in her voice was slaying me.

  After pushing to my feet, I began to pace the room. “Listen, Nik, it has nothing to do with you. Nothing,” I swore. And it was the God’s honest truth. “It’s me. You’re amazing. I’m just not built to be in a relationship.”

  “With a woman, you mean.”

  I froze midstep. “What…what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Evan, just because you call him Shannon doesn’t change the fact that he’s a man.”

  Her verbal blow caused me to physically stumble.

  I’d made no secret about the fact that I was bisexual with Nikki. It had even been her idea to invite another man into our bed a few months earlier on her birthday. It was a night we had both thoroughly enjoyed. It was also the night I realized I didn’t mind sharing her. I would have died a slow, torturous death before ever allowing another human to touch Shannon. I did not share what was mine. But, that night, I’d sat on the bed, drinking a beer, and watched a guy she worked with named Neil repeatedly take her.

  I’d laid down ground rules before we’d started that I wouldn’t be sucking Neil’s dick or bottoming for him. Fucking around or not, I wasn’t anywhere near ready to expose myself like that to a man—and I feared I never would be again. My rules hadn’t seemed to hinder anyone’s enjoyment though. They’d both seemed to love it when I’d taken his ass while he’d been fucking her. And my dirty little secret was that, while I’d been inside him, Nikki, a woman I’d thought I saw a future with, had ceased to exist.