Saltwater Kisses (The Kisses 1)

“You work for Jack?” Saying his name seemed to invoke some courage within me.

“Yes. He sent me here to come get you.” Rachel smiled, looking professional and calm. I, on the other hand, felt like a nervous wreck.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” I said slowly. Rachel guided me onto the threadbare couch. It looked very drab compared to her nice suit, but I collapsed into the chair anyway.

“Due to the publicity surrounding your ‘wedding’, the Saunders family would like you to come out to New York until the dust has settled. Mr. Saunders sent me to personally escort you.”

“But I can’t go to New York. I have work tomorrow,” I said. Rachel patted my knee gently.

“That has already been taken care of. Your employer was very understanding.”

“But how will I make rent? I can’t go. I don’t have enough saved up and—” Rachel cut off my panicked sentence, her voice full of patience.

“You will be compensated for your time. Besides, you are now the wife of a billionaire. I’m afraid this is non-negotiable.”

My mouth hung open for a moment as I took in what she was saying. I was going to have to leave again, but I was going to get to see Jack! A thrill went through me at the idea of seeing him again, followed quickly by a burst of fear. We had said our goodbyes. He had fallen for vacation me and I was now back to regular me.

“Oh. I guess I should go pack then,” I said, standing. I wanted to go into my room and pretend to put things in a suitcase to give myself a moment to think. The world was spinning too quickly and I needed a minute to catch up.

“That won’t be necessary. I have already packed your bags with clothing I deemed appropriate,” Rachel said matter-of-factly. She inclined her head toward a small handbag by the door. It was only about the size of a plastic grocery bag. “The rest of your attire will be purchased for you in New York.”

“I guess that’s one way to avoid baggage fees,” I murmured looking at the small bag. I sat down again, overwhelmed. This was a lot to come back to after a long flight and the way things were looking, I had more travel time in my future. “Are you the secretary that went on vacation with him?” I asked, my brain skipping like a stone on water. I could barely keep two thoughts from running into one another.

Rachel’s dark brows pinched with disgust. “No. That was his secretary, Brandy. I’m his personal assistant.” She made sure to enunciate the words as though there were a very clear difference and that a personal assistant was much more important.

“Oh. Are you sure I have to go to New York?” I asked, suddenly feeling very nervous and tired. As much as I wanted to see Jack again, the idea of New York City was a bit terrifying. I really wanted to sleep for a little bit. This was all happening so fast. Rachel looked at me as though she were waiting for a child to realize that her parent’s decision was final.

“Yes. Here, Mr. Saunders asked me to give this to you. He said he promised you a copy,” Rachel said, handing me an envelope. I opened it carefully to find a 4x6 photograph. It was the wedding photo he had taken on his phone. I looked so happy, and he was so handsome. It was much better than all the tabloid photos. I touched his face and could almost feel his strong arms around me. For a brief moment, the joy of that moment surrounded me. I could do this. I could do this for him. I turned to Rachel and smiled, drawing strength from the photograph.

“When do we leave?”

Chapter 11

It wasn’t easy, but I convinced Rachel to let me take a quick shower, begging her to let me get warm before hopping on another plane. She finally relented and even had a PB&J sandwich ready for me when I got out. I felt better after scrubbing the travel grime out of my hair, but she had me out the door and into a dark SUV before it was even dry.

We didn’t go back to the Des Moines International Airport, but instead to a small local private airport. I had driven past it a million times on my way to work, but never thought I would ever take a flight from there. We drove right up to the plane and security barely glanced at us before stepping onto the luxury jet. I sat down cautiously on an oversized leather seat that looked like it belonged in someone’s living room rather than on a plane. Rachel spoke to the pilot for a moment and then sat across from me in a matching oversized chair as she powered through something on her phone.

We sat in awkward silence as the plane taxied to a runway and the engines powered up. I felt like a creature under a microscope as Rachel tapped on her phone and yet somehow watched my every move. I could tell she was evaluating me, weighing and measuring me to see if I was fit for her employer. I felt like squirming, but I held still and instead observed her.

She was tall, and not from the heels she was wearing. She had dark brown hair and infinite dark brown eyes. I guessed her age to be mid-forties, but she had an agelessness to her that made it difficult to guess. She set down her phone on the console next to her chair and pulled out a file from a bag leaning against her chair. Her face was unreadable; I decided I should never play poker with her. My lips suddenly felt very dry and I struggled not to lick them.

“I looked into you, Emma Jane LaRue of Ankeny, Iowa. Your father is a dentist, your mother his assistant and you have applied to eight veterinary schools in the past month. You won the vacation through a random call into a radio station and you have no ties to any large business.” She listed off the main points of my life as though they were nothing more than a simple report. I gulped hard.

She held up the file and I could see my name stenciled neatly on a corner as she flicked through it. I wondered what the other pages could possibly contain considering how boring my life was.

“You live alone and work as a veterinary technician at the local vet. You are not currently in a relationship and it has been some time since your last one. I know that you met Mr. Saunders on the beach during an emergency and that you handled yourself well.” She paused and closed the file, setting it on her lap. “What I want to know is your intentions with my boss.”

“I don’t have any intentions,” I answered truthfully. “I had intended to never see him again.” Except maybe in my dreams and fantasies. “I had intended to never tell a soul what happened on my vacation. This was supposed to be a secret for the two of us—something that was supposed to be only ours that we never had to share. I have no idea how anyone got those pictures and I have no clue what I am currently doing or what I intend to do.”

Rachel pursed her lips and leaned back in her chair. She settled the file back into the bag.

“Good. You are honest. I like that. He said you would be, but I wanted to see it for myself.” A small smile slowly crossed her features. “I’ve actually never seen him smile as much as he does when he talks about you, Ms. LaRue. He gets a light in his eyes that twinkles straight from his soul.”

I could see that she cared for him, like an older sister looking out for a younger brother. A little nervousness left me as I realized that she wasn’t a romantic threat.

“I will be watching you Ms. LaRue, or I suppose it should be Mrs. Saunde

rs. If you try to hurt my boss, know that I am worse than a mother lion. There will be nothing left of you. Do you understand?” The smile turned predatory. No, not a romantic threat... but still a threat.