22

Christian

I was folding a linen shirt, ensuring the creases were in the right spots, when my phone rang. Stepping away from the luggage on the floor, I walked over to the nightstand to check who it was.

It was my father.

"Hey, Dad," I said, surprised to hear from him. "How have you been?"

"I'm good, Son. How's everything on your end?"

"We caught Hailey's stalker, so everything's real good."

"Yeah, I heard about that." He didn't say anything further, so I checked the time. Hailey and I had to leave the house for the airport in an hour.

"How's Mom?" I asked, wondering how much longer I had to make small talk until I could end the call politely.

"She's fine." Again, he was silent.

"Hey, Dad. You know I'd love to catch up, but I'm heading out to Puerto Rico with Hailey in an hour. I'll call you on Monday."

"This can't wait until Monday."

I placed a hand on my hip, wondering what he was talking about. Was it bad news that he had to share or was I misinterpreting the tension on the other end?

"What is it? Just say it."

"What the hell are you doing getting mixed up with that girl?"

What?!

Surely, I hadn't heard him correctly. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard from Daryl that you two are dating now. I can't believe you would cross the line with a client."

I sighed. He had this all wrong. "It's not like that, Dad. I'm not just fooling around with her. I care about Hailey."

"You care about her? So, are you going to marry her? Is she going to live in L.A. and you in New York?"

"We haven't discussed the logistics yet. We're taking it day by day."

"Day by day? Have I taught you nothing? You don't just let life happen, Christian. You plan for it, damn it. People who plan for success achieve it. People who let opportunities slip by, watch their lives happen."

I shook my head. This felt like a lecture and I had no time for one.

"I appreciate the advice. But Hailey and I will discuss this when we're ready. The two of us. No one else needs to get involved unless we ask them to. So, if there's nothing else, I'll talk to you on Monday."

"You're going to let everything we worked hard for go down the drain? Your business with your friends? For what? To follow some pop star around like a lovesick teenager? I raised you better than this. How can you be so stupid?"

"Goodbye, Dad."

I hung up the phone and shoved it into my pocket.

No matter how many assignments I completed, or how much wealth I accumulated, it would never be enough for him.

But it was enough for me.

Stepping back in front of my linen shirt, I finished folding it and then moved on to the next one.

I checked the time. We had about forty-five minutes to get to the airport. It was only twenty minutes away, but L.A. traffic was unpredictable.

I walked into Hailey's bedroom. While I kept my clothes in the guest room, I slept in this one. Hailey's head was buried underneath her bed with her butt sticking out. I wondered if she'd done that on purpose.

I smiled. "I was thinking we'd wait until we got to Puerto Rico, but if you insist." I grabbed her waist, and she pulled her head out from under the bed and wiggled out of my grasp.

"I was trying to get a pair of socks that rolled underneath my bed."

"How the hell do socks roll?"

She pushed back her hair, looking frustrated. "They do when you roll them into a ball."

My lips twitched, but Hailey's face was void of any amusement. I picked up a pair of white socks, pressed them together, and folded them flat. "There. Now you can pack them."

She grabbed the socks from my hand. "Sometimes your neatness is irritating." I bit back a chuckle at the genuine annoyance on her face.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, she checked her watch. "I need ten more minutes to pack one more bag."

Staring at her three suitcases by the bed, I frowned. "We're only going for the weekend. I think you'll be fine."

She put both hands on her hips. "You think so?"

I held back a grin. She looked quite serious about the question. "Yes. You'll only need a couple of things." I kissed her lips slowly. "I plan to keep you naked most of the time."

She smiled, and my heart applauded my success in changing her mood. It always felt like such a win whenever I could make her happy.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and moaned into the kiss.

I wished I could stay here and kiss her until we were both moaning, but I knew we didn't have time for that. There would be plenty of time, however, in Puerto Rico. With a groan, I pulled away. "As much as I'd love to finish what we've started here, we have to go."

She pouted, but stepped out of my arms. "All right. I think I'm done then." She zipped up the suitcase closest to her, and I closed the other two.

On the way to the airport, a sense of contentment and peace washed over me. I reached for Hailey's hand and caressed her soft skin with my thumb while I maneuvered through traffic.

Hailey hummed a tune and closed her eyes. I knew she felt at peace, too, and that made my heart soar.

Arriving at the airport, I parked the car inside the hangar. "Don't worry, it'll be safe here for the weekend."

She nodded, looking off to the side, distracted by the jet in front of her, looking not the least bit concerned about her car.

"I've never been inside a private plane before," she said.

"I'm surprised, considering who you are."

She turned back and smiled at me. "Who I am ? I'm from a small town, that's who I am. I just want to make music. I was never in it for the lifestyle."

I kissed her cheek. "I know. It's one of the reasons why I love you so much."

One of the crew members opened the plane door and I helped Hailey up the steep steps.

Her hair blew every which way, hitting her sunglasses and getting stuck in her lip gloss.

She wore tan linen pants and a white shirt. She looked gorgeous, walking up that staircase. I'd never been struck by the glamor of it all until I saw her climbing into my private jet. She may not have wanted this lifestyle, but she was meant for it.

"Wow," she said when she entered the cabin. Taking off her sunglasses, she looked around. Since my brothers and I used the plane for business, we had several tan leather seats facing each other with a table in between them. There was a small area in the back with a bed for trips overseas.

"Now this is first class," she said, running her hand across the leather armrest.

I pulled her close to me and kissed her just below her jaw. "If you've never been on a private plane before, does that mean you've never…?"

She pulled back, affronted by the question. Then she smiled. "I never said that."

My mind reeled at her confession, and it tried to picture maneuvering in those tiny washrooms.

She giggled. "I'm just kidding. I can barely squat in those bathrooms."

Laughing, because she had caught me trying to picture it. I pulled her back into my arms.

"You are the funniest, sexiest woman I've ever met."

She wiggled her eyebrows. "I like the sound of that."

Finding her hands, I interlaced my fingers with hers and led her toward the back.

"Where are you taking me?"

Looking over my shoulder, I grinned. The door was closed at the back, but it was always unlocked. She smirked when she saw the large bed. Turning to face me, she crossed her arms, but I wasn't deterred.

I slammed the door closed with my foot and smiled. "Welcome to the Mile High Club."