by Anthology
Once Chase found a seat and placed his order – the French Dip sandwich paired with the Tree Hugger Porter – he called Meg’s cell and settled in for a good ass chewing. “Megan Teresa Baker, I’ve got a bone to pick with you!” Chase barked into his cell. “Better yet, I’d like to beat you with it.”
“Why, good afternoon, my dearest, most favoritist brother in the whole wide world. How was your flight to Portland?” Meg gushed over the phone.
“Good afternoon, my ass, Megan, and favoritist isn’t a real word,” Chase growled at his sister. “I just can’t believe you hate me so much that you’d want me dead.”
“Oh good Lord, Chase, I had no choice because I needed to get you there quickly. It’s just a tiny freaking airplane. What’s the big deal? God, get over your fear of them already!” Everyone knew Chase was a white-knuckled flyer on the big jets, but to say that Chase hated the smaller airplanes was a gross understatement. His first flight on a private Gulfstream resulted in a panic attack so bad that the MacLanes, who were close family friends, banned Chase from flying on their jet - forever.
“Hey Meg, spiders are just tiny freaking creatures. What’s the big deal? God, get over your fear of them already!” he mimicked back. Anyone who knew Meg knew that her arachnophobia was pretty damn severe. She couldn’t even look at pictures of spiders without freaking out, much less be near an actual live one. Screaming and running in the opposite direction was the normal reaction for her, and once she even peed her pants.
“That’s not funny, you asshole!” Meg screeched.
Yeah, she was now beginning to think that maybe not telling Chase about the tiny plane was a cruel thing to do. And now she was also thinking of spiders. Shit! But what was she supposed to do? She knew if Chase found out he’d have to fly in a tiny plane, he would have called off the trip. So Meg played the bitch card, and did what she had to do. “Jeez, just get some large quantities of alcohol in you and you’ll pass right out. Or take a damn Benadryl instead, you big baby.”
“You do realize that if I survive this, I am so going to kick your ass when I get home, right?” Chase warned.
“Good luck with that one,” Meg giggled. “Gavin, Logan, and Danny will protect me.”
“We’ll see about that,” he laughed an evil laugh. His server had placed his pint of beer in front of him and he took his first sip. “Oh, sweet baby Jesus,” he proclaimed after he took another sip, “That’s some damn good beer.”
“See? Maybe this won’t be so bad after all,” Meg mused. “And hey, you could always pray for a freak thunderstorm to hit the area. That would buy you some more time since Cessna aircrafts fly lower than the jets. They would be grounded until the storm passed.”
“If I were only that lucky,” Chase laughed. “Meg, tomorrow’s our birthday. The only one who ever has a good day is you.”
“You never know,” she replied optimistically.
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, my food’s here, so I’m gonna let you go. Oh, but if you don’t hear from me by five, check with the FAA to see where my flight went down.”
“God, Chase, you are such the pessimist,” Meg groaned.
“Nope, just pragmatic.”
Chapter 3
Chase could not believe his luck! Had he misheard the announcement? Perhaps the birthday gods had finally decided to take pity on him, and make up for the last nineteen years of shitty birthdays they’d given him. That or he was drunker than he realized.
“Ladies and gentleman, I’m sorry to inform you that flight number 3316, non-stop to Pendleton, will be delayed due to a very unusual thunderstorm in the surrounding area,” the woman at the gate announced. “Our aircraft cannot take off into an approaching thunder storm, so until it passes, the flight is grounded.”
The other five passengers bitched and moaned about the delay, but not Chase. He wanted to jump up and do a happy dance, but he was nicely buzzed, and would have likely fallen on his face. When another passenger inquired about how long a delay they were facing, the woman explained that it was quite a large storm, and that it all depended on how quickly it moved past. Chase used that time wisely – by drinking more beer.
However, by five o’clock, he decided there was no way in hell he’d fly in the dark, even with the generous buzz he’d maintained. Pulling out his cell phone, it took him two tries to unlock it, and four tries to hit Meg’s number in his contacts list. She was about to earn the second of her many ass chewings.
“Meggie!” Chase cried when she answered.
“Chase? Oh my God, are you drunk?” Meg asked sternly. “I was only joking!”
“Not yet, but I’m working on it!”
“Did you reach Pendleton already then? she asked optimistically.
“Noooope,” he slurred, slightly. “I’m still here in Port-land,” he chuckled. “Flight’s still delayed, and no matter how drunk I get, I’m not flying on that plane in the dark. Sooooo work your magic, baby sister, and find me a room here in Portland for the night. I’ll figure out how to get to Pendleton tomorrow.” The more Chase drank, the more he realized that flying wasn’t the only way to get to his final destination. “You can deal with my bed and breakfast reservation too.”
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do. Just don’t drink anymore beer, for God’s sake. You need to sober up, you ass.”
“Yesh, ma’am,” he replied, as gave her a salute…which she couldn’t see.
It took Meg about twenty minutes to call him back, but when she did, she wasn’t sure if he was going to like what she had to tell him. “Okay, so I managed to find you a very nice hotel, to make up for tricking you, but…you’re not gonna like that there’s an event going on there,” Meg explained to Chase in one, hurried breath.
“I’ll take it,” he cried enthusiastically. “But what kind of event? Please tell me it’s a cheerleader convention!” he quipped.
“Sorry,” Meg replied.
“Oh, then please tell me it’s a stripper convention and that I’ll see lots of nekked women!” he shouted.
“Uhhh, I can’t even…no you pervert, no strippers! It’s a romance writer’s book signing,” Meg explained.
“Bummer,” Chase replied sadly.
“But I was told there were some cover models there in attendance, so I guess there’ll be some hot women,” Meg added saccharinely, trying to soften his disappointment. “And good news for you, the hotel has a shuttle on route, as we speak, to pick up your sorry ass. Yay!”
“Whoop-ie,” Chase deadpanned, focusing only on the event. “If it’s romance novels, all the models are probably dudes, duh. I’ve seen your secret stash, Megan.”
“Oh, um, I…I don’t know what you’re talking about. But, uh, maybe I should fly up and you know, join you? Just to make sure you don’t get into any trouble, of course” Meg replied eagerly.
“Ha! You wishhhh!” Chase slurred slightly. “Just gimme the name of the hotel, and where to meet the shuttle, and I’m there.”
“Fine,” Meg sighed, “It’s the Crowne Plaza. And remember, it’s a little more upscale than you’re used to, so don’t go making an ass out of yourself when you get there,” Meg warned.
“Pfffft, as if,” Chase muttered. Too bad Meg didn’t know about his connections to some trendy, upscale San Diego restaurants through their brother, Danny. He totally knew how to act among the rich and famous…kind of.
“Well then at least take pictures of any authors you see! I’ll text you the names and pics of my favorites, and maybe you can even get their autographs for me!” Meg exclaimed.
“Again, as if!” Chase chuckled. “Paybacks are a bitch, little sister.”
Once Meg gave Chase the directions to get to the shuttle pick-up, she wished her brother more good luck, and told him to call her tomorrow so she could make his new flight arrangements. Screw that, he told himself. I’ll just drive. Duh.
Chase’s shuttle van driver was from the Caribbean, according to his accent, and while his accent that made him hard to understand a
t times, he had a wealth of information to share. Because of the Friday rush hour traffic, the shuttle driver took side streets, rather than the freeway, and Chase got a good look around Portland on the trip to the hotel. When the conversation turned to food, Chase mentioned he always had biscuits and gravy for breakfast on his birthday. The driver told Chase he had to eat at Pine State Biscuits, “Best biscuits in Portland, no doubt.” Chase jotted down the name and made a note to look it up later.
Once they arrived at the hotel, Chase was quickly checked in. As he waited for the elevator to his tenth floor room, the long day, and copious amounts of beer began to take their toll. The elevator chimed, the doors opened, and a large group of women bolted for freedom, startling the hell out of him. A few were dressed for a night out, and the rest were wrestling with suitcases and odd sized rectangular bags.
Wham! “Son of a bitch!” Chase yelled.
“Oh my gosh,” one of the women blushed after one of those odd sized bags hit Chase right in the nuts as she exited, and he entered the elevator. “This is my first signing as an author, and I’m still not licensed to carry this stupid banner stand! Sorrryyyyy!” she yelled as the doors began to shut.
“Ssallright,” Chase winced as the doors shut. And then he cupped himself, “Holy shit that hurt,” he breathed out. Unfortunately, because his eyes were shut tight, he hadn’t noticed that he wasn’t alone in the elevator.
“If I had an ice pack on me, I’d offer it to you,” a soft, but very sexy voice chuckled from over his left shoulder. “Lucky for you, there are ice machines on each floor.”
Chase winced again in pain. Getting nailed in the nuts was shitty enough, but then having his dick stand up and say, Hello, because of a voice like that was almost enough to kill him. While he appreciated a toned body, pretty eyes, and a great rack, Chase was easily unhinged by a sexy voice. Her voice could make a mint as a phone sex operator, Chase thought, and he was curious what the rest of the package looked like.
He took a quick peek over his shoulder and…Holy shit! Smoking hot brunette! Not wanting to engage in a long conversation with her, because he’d make it known that he’d much rather engage in other things with her, he kept his response nice and neutral. He was a gentleman after all, and it was rude to ignore a beautiful lady. “Yeah, lucky me. But I’ll live. It’s not the worst hit the boys have taken.”
The elevator chimed as it stopped on the sixth floor, and the doors slide open. He smelled a light citrus scent as she moved next to him and whispered, “Too bad I’m not really into one night stands. If I was, I’d totally offer to kiss them and make them better.” Chase’s knees almost buckled, and he had to grab onto the bar inside the elevator to keep from landing on his ass as she breezed past him. So much for neutral.
He quickly recovered and stuck his head out the doorway to get a better look at her, but the doors closed all too quickly, and slammed his head in between them. “Shit!” he cried out, and could have sworn he heard her laughing, as the doors bounced open. He quickly pulled his head back inside the elevator car, and mumbled as he rubbed the sides of his face, “I am so fucking done with this day.”
Chase easily found his room, and dumped his bag on the bed. Hearing the other guests in the lobby raving about their views of the Willamette River, he opened the curtains to take in the view…of a parking lot and a warehouse. “And the universe really does still hate me,” Chase grumbled. He decided it was safest for him not to go out, so he ordered room service and watched some TV while he waited. Once he was done stuffing his face, he dragged himself into the bathroom to take a shower and then crashed into bed…where he tried really hard not to think about one, sexy as hell, petite brunette.
Chapter 4
Leigh Beckman had quickly squeezed her way past the large crowd coming out of the elevator, and settled in the back of the elevator car. The whole bachelorette party weekend wasn’t really her thing. Since it was putting a major dent into her savings account to pay for this weekend, she was going to damn well enjoy the amenities – like using an empty gym for a nice, long work out.
Leigh had only wanted to get up to her room, order room service, and kick back. But then he tried stepping in…and got nailed in the nuts. It took everything she had not to burst out laughing as he leaned against the side wall and cupped himself. His front side was just as impressive as his backside (Wrangler butts drove her nuts, after all), and had she been another type of woman, Leigh would have been more than happy to kiss his injury. Feeling a little bit brave, as she exited the elevator, she told him so.
Since she got off on the sixth floor, Leigh had no way of knowing what floor he was on and she gave herself a mental butt kick because she forgot to look at the elevator buttons. As she heard the doors swooshing shut, there was an angry, “Shit!” from behind her. She finally lost the fight and burst out laughing. She didn’t have to see it, to know that the doors had closed on the poor guy’s head. “Serves him right for trying to ogle my ass,” she chuckled as she let herself into her room, and tossed her key card on the dresser.
She took a nice long shower, and then ordered room service. Her friends were heading to dinner tonight and then on to a pub crawl. Pass. Darcelle’s was on tap for tomorrow night, after drinks, but she just wasn’t feeling that either. Especially since tomorrow was her birthday, and it was yet another birthday she had to share celebrating something other than herself.
In the past few years, she’d allowed herself to be steamrolled by her shallow friends whose job promotions, or life events, were more important than her own special day. “I doubt they even know it’s my birthday, or care,” she sighed. “I really do need to get new friends…and new parents while I’m at it.” Even her parents had stopped calling a few years ago, because obviously it was too hard to remember your only child’s birthday while traveling the world.
Leigh’s parents had decided to retire early, sell their home, and use that money to travel. Only they hadn’t told Leigh their plans, nor did they invite her to join them. Leigh was just twenty at the time. She lost her home, and eventually had to drop out of college to work full-time in order to pay for rent and all the pesky things that came with adulthood. For the very first time in her life, she was all alone.
Being an only child had its perks when she was little, but when her parents left, her support group did too. Her parents’ ‘hippie lifestyle’ and ‘wild ways’ hadn’t sat well with either of their conservative families. When the young couple moved to Oregon and embraced Portland’s laidback lifestyle when Leigh was a baby, the two sides cut all ties with Leigh and her parents.
That meant Leigh never had grandparents, or other relatives around to dote on her as she grew up, and once her parents abandoned her, she quickly floated from one relationship to another. Until two years ago, when she was introduced to Ryan at the chiropractor’s office where she worked as a massage therapist. Dr. Steinbeck had just finished adjusting Ryan’s back, and suggested he speak with Leigh about getting a massage to help ease his back pain. The two quickly bonded over their love of craft beer and food trucks, because after all, Portland did have a plethora of both. Their friendship rapidly turned into something much more.
Ryan had filled the void her parents made when they left, but he broke up with her eight months ago, because she wasn’t “spontaneous enough.” Obviously, the need to work for a living was lost on Ryan, who had his daddy in his back pocket. He always wanted to up and leave at a moment’s notice to go do something new, and would get pissed off because Leigh had clients who were important to her.
After Ryan left, she’d had no desire to do anything but work. But even that wasn’t going to be much of a distraction after next month. Not only had she been dumped by the guy she thought could maybe, hopefully, possibly be the one who could love her forever, she was also going to be out of a job when Dr. Steinbeck retired. His office housed the room where Leigh worked as a massage therapist, and without that room, her business would be gone. The new chiropractor w
ho was taking over had his own staff, and made it clear that Leigh and her business would not be welcomed.
Leigh couldn’t blame Dr. Steinbeck for retiring, but his timing sucked. She had just enough in her savings to pay the next few months of rent – as long as she didn’t want to, say, eat. If she didn’t find a new office to work out of in the next month, she was screwed, because living in Downtown Portland was nice, but expensive – and her lease would be hard to get out of. In retrospect, losing Ryan had hurt, but it was probably because he had only been in it for the crappy sex. Losing her livelihood, however, was going to hurt even more.
The knock on her hotel room door made Leigh jump. Looking through the peephole she saw it was her dinner, and quickly opened the door. “Good evening, Ms. Beckman, here is you order,” the employee said as she pushed the cart into Leigh’s room. Leigh tipped the woman, and then settled down for a wild and crazy night in. “Here’s to my last night of being a quarter of a century old!” she said as she dug into her dinner, and turned on the TV. Once her food coma hit, she drifted off to sleep thinking very naughty things she’d like to do with one sexy cowboy.
