Quickie

6

The hours on the plane go by quickly, and all too soon we’re landing at JFK. We’re all a little tipsy from the bottomless champagne, but I don’t think there would be a better way to end this trip than tipsy. After all, being drunk was kind of the theme. We exit down onto the tarmac, and our baggage is being taken to black cars that are there to meet the plane. Will comes down after the rest of us, the look on his face not a happy one. He was on the phone for most of the flight, and when I asked him what he was doing, he barely had time to tell me it was business calls.

Not surprising. Running Emerald Hotels can’t be a small endeavor. But he looks unhappy and upset now, and compared to the carefree Will I’ve seen in the past day, it’s a harsh contrast. He meets me at the bottom of the stairs and tucks his arm around my waist. Even in my heels I have to look up to meet his eyes. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” he says, but it’s not convincing. “Just some unpleasant business decisions. I’ll be able to tell you soon, but it’s too involved for out her on the tarmac.” He sighs. “I thought I was going to be able to take you home, but I have to go straight to the office. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Okay.” I’m surprised by the confusion I feel. After being so close to him, the idea of going home to my empty apartment seems daunting. But this is also good. We’re not jumping straight into living together, which I think would be too much. Why can’t I have a single straightforward feeling?

Will cups the back of my neck, tilting my face up to meet his as he kisses me in a way that leaves me absolutely breathless. Without him having to say it, I know he’s kissing me in a way I’ll remember all night long. He is entirely successful. I’m not quite steady on my feet when he lets me go, and he presses a small kiss to my hands before he heads to his car and driver.

Naomi comes over, waving her hand by her face like she’s hot. “Damn. That kiss was straight out of the movies.”

“I think that was the point,” I say, the memory of the kiss swimming up into my chest and making me feel light.

“Where is he going?” Elizabeth asks.

“His office. Apparently all the calls were some kind of problem.”

Anna smirks. “Too bad, guess night one of the honeymoon won’t be as hot as either of you hoped.”

I blush, and she laughs. “I’m kidding, but not that much.”

A man in a sleek suit comes over to our group. “Mrs. Herrington?”

It takes me a moment to realize that he is, in fact, talking to me. “Right. That’s me.”

“I’ve been instructed to take you home, and each of your friends has a car as well. Just let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

“Thank you…” I trail off, not knowing what to call him.

He nods his head in a kind of salute. “Simon, Ma’am.”

“Thank you, Simon. I’ll be right there.”

As Simon heads back towards the car, I look around at my friends, my eyes wide. “Holy hell, I have no idea if this is going to work out, or if tomorrow I’ll wake up and realize how stupid this is, but it might be fun while it lasts.”

“I say enjoy it,” Naomi says. “Best. Revenge. Ever.”

Anna makes a face. “That’s true, but if she’s only doing it to get revenge on Wyatt, that’s not a good enough reason, and not fair to Wilcox.”

“Do you really like him?” Elizabeth’s voice is quiet.

That now familiar confusion and attraction rise in my gut. “I think I do. And I don’t think there’s any harm in just getting to know each other for a few days. We can always undo it.”

She nods her head, and we’re all quiet for a moment. “Well,” Anna says, glancing at the setting sun, “I’m exhausted and I need a vacation to recover from my vacation. So we should all get some sleep, and maybe meet up on Wednesday for our normal drinks?”

“Sounds good to me,” I say.

“We will expect a full report on Mr. Delicious,” Naomi says, emphasizing her words. “A full report. No details left out, just like we would have asked you if he hadn’t shown up this morning.”

I’m laughing now. “Fine.”

We all disperse to our separate cars, waving like princesses and giggling like maniacs. Simon is holding the door open for me to the giant black car, and he helps me into it. It takes him a second to get around to the driver’s seat, and he asks “Where are we going, Mrs. Herrington?”