Falling For My Enemy Read online

  Gregory’s black, bushy eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he stared at Tom.

  “What the hell? Giraffes? Are you fucking kidding me?”

  Tom made a rude noise.

  “Hell yeah, and not just giraffes on the ranch. You ever heard of oryx? It’s an antelope from the African plain. On the endangered list,” he smirked. “We just got two of those last week.”

  Wow. Was I really hearing this? Were my business associates actually smuggling endangered animals into the United States? Were they poaching animals from Africa and bribing customs officials? It had to be some violation of the Endangered Species Act, the EPA, the AST, the OBF or whatever mix of letters was appropriate. What was happening was probably criminal.

  Unfortunately, things only got worse. Because then these idiots started to talk about people, and the conversation took a turn into the depressing.

  “Yo yo yo, listen up, listen up,” tooted one dude. “I’m hitting the slopes in Gstaad. Nothing better than a snow bunny in one cabin and the wife in another!”

  The executives cackled and slapped each other on the back. They were seriously misogynistic. I mean, I’m no angel, but really, openly bragging about your mistress? Bringing both her and the wife on vacation? It’s lame, I tell you, and that’s why I’ve never been married.

  Because yes, I have pretty specific tastes. But I’d never be so crude as to bring my girlfriend and wife to the same ski spot while housing them across the hall from one another.

  Then again, this guy’s wife was probably okay with it, and the girlfriend too.

  I let out a sigh. In some circles, anything goes. So long as you have the cash, no one cares. No one will say a word as long the money train runs hard and fast.

  Suddenly, I was jolted from my ruminations as Gregory shot me a snide look and smiled.

  “So how about you, big guy? You got celebratory plans, Stone?”

  I thought about saying nothing. It’s my nature after all. But today was a day for celebration, and my nemesis, Nick Prescott, hadn’t been able to bust this deal, even though he’d tried. Seventy if a day, the guy’s been in the industry for ages, and you’d be a fool to underestimate him. He’s canny, with all the right connects, and a wealth of knowledge. Plus, the guy knows people in New York City, whether through money, family, or his so-called friends. And unfortunately, that counts in a city like this.

  But for now, I let the thoughts slide. I smiled a bit.

  “I just bought an airline,” was my comment. “Our maiden flight’s going to be today.”

  Stunned silence filled the conference room before a couple guys started hooting and hollering. But then Daniel broke in again.

  “You bought a plane? Or do you mean an entire airline?”

  My look was cool.

  “The whole airline,” was my harsh rasp. “Elite Air is now at your service.”

  The men froze. Gregory choked on his third champagne, making a sick gargling noise. You could hear a pin drop otherwise.

  Finally, Daniel spoke in an awed voice.

  “How did you get a whole fleet?” he choked. “What? How did this happen?”

  I smirked. The dirtbag was jealous. Serves him right. Who’s the big dog in the room now?

  But my face remained neutral.

  “Someone was selling, and I was buying,” was my curt reply. “Easy as that.”

  The look on that man’s face was pure envy. Seriously, the guy was growing devil horns and turning green at the moment. I thought about offering a wastebasket in case he vomited, but hey, I’m no Florence Nightingale. He can help himself.

  Suddenly, Charlie burst out with a yip.

  “Take us for a ride,” the man begged like a little boy. “I wanna check out your new toy. Come on Stone,” he pleaded. “Let us see.”

  No way. No fucking way. I could hardly stand these guys on land, so there was no way was I taking them five hundred miles up in the air.

  But the room was relentless.

  “Please,” chimed Marty like a teen girl, his eyes literally filling with tears. “I want to see it soooo bad. I love private jets.”

  “Yeah,” whined Ralph. “You promised! Remember last time you said you’d show us your Lamborghini and that never happened,” he sulked, crossing his arms over his chest petulantly. “So you owe us.”

  I didn’t owe them anything. But just to shut them up, I relented.

  “We’re leaving for JFK shortly,” came my drawl. “I guess you could come along and check the plane out.”

  Ralph’s frown turned itself upside down.

  “Oh really? Where to? I call shotgun!” he said with excitement.

  This guy was so stupid because there’s no such thing as shotgun on a private jet. But the other fools were on it in a moment, dissolving into a hubbub of excited chatter.

  “I say we fly to my ranch early and do it up big!” Tom grinned, toasting his champagne flute in the air.

  Daniel laughed. “Who the hell cares where we go? Let’s get wild!”

  I was tempted to put the kibosh on things immediately. Why the hell did I open my big mouth and invite them? I bought the airline in the name of privacy and comfort, both of which would be ruined by these fools.

  But now, the guys were acting like giant kids. A couple were literally running around the room, arms stretched out like wings pretending that they were planes, humming, “Oooh-weeee!”

  Really? This was a group of seasoned executives, and yet they were behaving like toddlers. But it was too late now. With a disgusted look, I called my secretary and told her to start making plans. The maiden flight of Elite Air was going to be in two hours, and we needed to get to the hangar stat.

  2

  Stone

  I stepped out of the car, and the heat of the sun almost burned my skin. As anticipated, my arrival sent the personnel into a frenzy like a startled flock of birds.

  My plane sat on the runway, gleaming like a sleek white eagle. But everything was all wrong. A ratty red carpet ran from the car to the plane, soiled and crooked. It looked like a wrinkled, dirty maroon-colored snake.

  Someone was getting fired, for sure.

  But it was too late to do anything about it now because the other cars pulled up and my buddies tumbled out like a bunch of overexcited puppies. They punched and tickled one another, heehawing with anticipation.

  God.

  Kill me now.

  Why did I ever agree to this?

  Ignoring their antics, I strode up to the gleaming white aircraft. The Elite Air logo was still fresh on one side, written in an elegant script in a classy gray. This was left over from the previous owner, but it was fine. I liked the logo.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Evans!” a supervisor practically panted, running up to me. “She’s all ready to go!”

  Nodding, I strode to the beautiful piece of machinery, ascending the steep metal ladder in a matter of seconds. The gaggle of men trailed close behind, still giggling like a bunch of schoolgirls. They whooped and hollered all way up, annoying me to no end.

  But upon entering the plane, everything changed. Because my headache dissipated upon seeing the luxury inside. There was a galley kitchen up front, complete with a full-size oven and refrigerator. Behind that were six wide, white leather chairs, glamourous yet comfortable with puffy, padded headrests. And behind that was a small door leading to a wood-paneled bedroom, complete with an en suite bathroom.

  Perfect.

  It was exactly what I needed to get away from the stress and chaos of a busy day. Except today, when I had these losers with me.

  Curses rose to my lips, but fortunately, they were stopped before any damage was done because the guys were like eager otters now. They strapped themselves in, oohing and ahing, barely able to contain their excitement. Gregory found a remote from somewhere and pushed one of the buttons.

  Shit. Wrong move.

  A latch on the floor flipped open, and an enormous plasma screen television rose from the ground u
ntil it nearly touched the ceiling.

  Holy fuck! Now this was luxury. It was sixty inches of pure heaven.

  But we were about to take off. Didn’t everything have to be in take-off position, bolted down and ready to go?

  Sure enough, a stewardess came down the aisle then. Or swayed down the aisle, more accurately. Because this woman was sex on legs. Curvy and ample, her uniform top strained under the weight of big Double D breasts. If I looked carefully, the buttons were even double-stitched to accommodate her heft.

  But this wasn’t your average stewardess outfit. Or maybe it was, except on this girl it looked sassy and hot because the close-fitting dress couldn’t hide wide hips and a giant, luscious ass, completing a perfect hourglass figure. A jaunty flight cap sat on her brunette curls.

  Holy shit, who was this?

  Our stewardess obviously. But since when do flight attendants look like Jessica Rabbit on steroids? I thought they were usually old ladies bent over while pushing the drink cart, rude and annoying.

  But this girl was different. She smiled shyly, lips curving into a genuine smile.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Evans.” Her doe-like eyes greeted me and heat boiled up from my shirt collar despite the comfortably air-conditioned cabin. “Gentlemen, welcome.” She nodded to each in turn. “My name is Morgan and I’ll be serving you today.”

  Of course, the guys were like lecherous dogs. Daniel whistled.

  “You can serve me any day, baby!” he jeered.

  Morgan flinched, but then her smile slipped right back into place.

  “No problem sir. I’m at your service,” she began.

  But immediately, the girl was cut off again.

  “What kind of service?” insinuated Marty, sticking out his tongue and wagging it around like a child molester. “Is it all-inclusive?”

  The woman’s cheeks grew pink. But she was saved because fortunately, we were interrupted.

  “Welcome on board,” droned the pilot over the intercom. “As requested, we’ll be doing a two-hour circle of the Tri-State area before landing back at JFK airport. Please fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.”

  Morgan took the opportunity to retreat to the stewardess jump seat. But not before Daniel lifted a big hand, trying to smack that delicious rump as she walked away. Fortunately, he missed and the stewardess escaped unscathed.

  Pathetic.

  Seriously, I was with such a group of losers. That ass was so big. How could he miss?

  But even worse, how could he touch my property? Because Morgan worked for me. No ifs, ands and buts about it. That heart-shaped ass belonged to me, and me alone.

  I shot the man a dirty look, but that idiot Daniel didn’t even notice. Instead, he sat back, looking like the cat that got the cream.

  “I’ll get it when she comes back,” he chortled. “Get ready for Big Daddy!”

  Lame. Real lame. But now the plane was in motion, so I stared out the porthole, hoping to ignore these losers.

  And frankly, the take-off was amazing. We taxied a bit on the runway, rounding several bends before coming to a stop. To my surprise, Air Force One was about two hundred feet off, parked on the tarmac.

  Holy cow, the President was in town?

  Must be. There are only a few private jets with the label “United States of America” on their sides, and this is New York City. Of course the President was here because everyone wants to come to the Big Apple.

  I nodded, eyes alert. And slowly, the big engines came to life, pushing us down the runway until with a jolt and a lift, we were airborne.

  Man, this was amazing. Flying never ceases to instill awe in my soul because we were two thousand pounds of tin coasting on nothing but air. Science and technology are mind-boggling, hands down. This was human ingenuity at its finest, thanks to the Wright brothers.

  Soon, we were flying the friendly blue skies. Eventually the plane leveled out, everything settling into a pleasant rumble. The men high-fived each other, already craning their necks looking for the pretty stewardess again.

  “Where’s the alcohol?” chirped Daniel. “We need some shots around here.”

  “Yeah,” added Gregory. “Because you da man,” he croaked, pointing a finger straight at me. “YOU DA MAN!”

  I was ready to punch these fools. Or better yet, to dump their bodies overboard without a parachute. But ever the professional, Morgan came wobbling down the aisle again, that curvy form so distracting.

  “Gentlemen,” she murmured from behind the drink cart. “Some Dom Perignon to quench your thirst?”

  WTF? We were serving Dom to these guys? They didn’t deserve it, but ever the gracious hostess, Morgan began filling the flutes and handing them to each man.

  “Um,” grunted Daniel, downing his in one gulp. “That was great.”

  “Yeah,” wheezed Gregory. “Can I have some more?” he asked, holding his flute up for another pour.

  Because unbelievably, in five seconds these guys had already guzzled their glasses. Morgan nodded sweetly, re-filling the flutes.

  “Would you like a cup of warm nuts to accompany that?” she murmured, holding out a white ceramic bowl to Tom. “It’s a mix of peanuts, cashews, pecans, walnuts, and hazelnuts.”

  Of course, these guys were like five year olds all over again.

  “Hey, Tom, you want some hot nuts?” Daniel razzed. “Get it? Hot nuts?” he cackled.

  Tom rolled his eyes.

  “No man, hardy har har.”

  But Morgan wasn’t deterred by their lame jokes. The brunette set the ceramic bowl of nuts on a small side table, adjusting the tin so that it was just right.

  Big mistake. As she bent over, Daniel reached over and squeezed one big breast with a lecherous expression.

  “If we crash, are these considered floatation devices, sweetie?” he smirked. “Can I get the left one?”

  “I want the right!” panted Gregory. “Me me me!”

  And Tom was the worst.

  “We’re flying the friendly skies,” he rasped. “What else you got, doll? Both your titties are taken. So show us what else you got.”

  Morgan flushed bright red in response, her eyes wide and liquid.

  “Excuse me?” she stammered, hand shaking. “I’m sorry?”

  But the guys just wouldn’t stop. They loved the fact that she was like a deer in headlights, scared and motionless. Oh yeah, these guys always go for the easy prey. They want to feel like Big Men on Campus, picking on sweet, naïve girls who can’t fight back.

  Daniel leaned forwards again, grabbing a big boob in a dirty paw and squeezing hard.

  “Ow!” she stammered. “Ow ow!”

  The loser didn’t stop.

  “Oooh, that was great,” he grunted. “A natural titty, just the way I like it. My current mistress is all plastic, and her boobs don’t feel like this at all.”

  But I’d had enough because this situation was sad, more than anything. You don’t pick on the defenseless, and right now, we had a crowd of dumb bullies ganging up on a sweet girl. The guys roared with laughter as Morgan tried to concentrate on pouring the next glass of champagne. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, chin trembling slightly.

  That was that. I wasn’t going to let these guys get away with it.

  “All right! Knock it off,” was my rough command. “Shut the fuck up and let her be.”

  All conversation stopped for a moment.

  “What’s wrong with you?” wheedled Gregory. “We were just having some fun.”

  Daniel joined in.

  “Get that stick out of your ass, Stone,” he giggled. “Seriously, she’s just the flight attendant. What’s it to you?”

  But that was the thing.

  This woman belonged to me.

  I bought the airline, and that included all the personnel. Morgan’s employment contract was part of the deal.

  “Shut the fuck up,” I growled dangerously, my blue eyes shooting pure fire. “You fuckers better keep it real.”

>   Willy wrinkled his nose. “She’s just a maid!” came his whiny protest. “Why does it matter? She’s going to take out the trash and clean this place up. No big deal.” Lasciviously, the pudgy man ran his eyes up and down Morgan’s curvy form, undressing her in his mind.

  And unbelievably, these guys still didn’t get the picture because Daniel leaned forwards then, flashing what he thought was an irresistible grin.

  “Why don’t you let us play with her a little, Stone?” he suggested, leaning forward to touch the beautiful girl again. “It could work. I promise we’ll give her back to you good as new.”

  Morgan froze as the men edged closer like a pack of slavering hyenas, panting and hungry.

  “Come on, little girl,” wheezed Tom. “You can take all of us at once. Count yourself lucky.”

  Meanwhile, Daniel casually poured himself a glass of champagne and replaced the bottle on the cart. He flopped back into his chair as his legs swung over the armrest.

  He patted his lap. “Best seat in the house, baby, and it’s yours.”

  “Ooh,” whistled Gregory. “Take mine instead.”

  Because sure enough, he whisked his blazer aside and there was a giant tent in his pants. Actually, giant isn’t the right word. The bulge was more like a tiny molehill, a little bit of nothing that was laughable at best.

  I shut it down quick.

  “No more in flight service,” was my statement. “Miss Morgan, thank you for your time. Please return to the front of the plane for the rest of the flight.”

  With a grateful glance my way, the brunette rolled her metal cart back up the aisle, giant ass swaying. Of course, the beta males whined upon seeing a beautiful female depart.

  “Really? That’s how you treat the help? Like princesses?” Steven sniffed, pushing his glasses up his nose.

  Daniel waved his hands, a child throwing a tantrum. “You pay her money. Why is this wrong? It’s not like she doesn’t get a salary for her trouble.”

  But at least Gregory had some sense.

  “Come on, Stone,” he wheedled. “We were just kidding around. Don’t take it so seriously.”