We’re getting close to an hour and a half delay. I scribble a note to hand Jackson.
We’re nearing the close of our window to arrive before they shut down the runway. You’re so busy, why don’t we wait and go in the morning?
I knock softly and enter his office. He looks up at me. “Emerson, that’s fantastic news. Great. I’ll give her a call.”
I hand him the note. He glances at it, holds up a finger, and shakes his head.
I’m not sure what he means.
“Thanks so much for all your help.” He hangs up and looks at me. “Did you know I have a private plane license?”
“Yes, Mr. Graham. I did know that.”
“Did you know my Learjet 75 can fly almost Mach One? That’s really fast.”
“I can’t say that I’ve studied your plane’s capabilities.” I put my hands on my hips, ready to sass him.
“Well, what takes a commercial flight six hours will take us under five. I know Matt, and I know how he padded the time because he thinks I’m always late.” He stands, throws a few things into his bag, and picks up his dark cashmere coat. “He also knows I know he likes to fly fast.”
“He didn’t give me a drop-dead time to leave. I just felt I was putting pressure on him.”
Jackson swings the coat over his shoulders and looks more delicious than usual. A part of me can’t believe I’m going to Hawaii with him, but the little voice in my head reminds me I’m not going as his date but his assistant.
“How many times did you call him?”
I shake my head and smile. I’m caught. “Twice.”
“You’ve been a naughty girl.” He winks at me, and my insides melt. Maybe all the flirting we’re doing will lead to something. Would that be a good thing?
I can’t help myself. “I suppose I must be punished then.”
Jackson stumbles a bit and grins as he looks at me. “Ten spanks it is,” he says.
My heart beats fast. “Ten?”
“Yes. Five for each call.”
I don’t know why, but the idea of being spanked by him is very appealing. I bite my lip and try to control my breathing. I gather up my things under his watchful eye. The guys stand to escort us out.
I reach for my coat, which he holds for me, and as he slips it over my shoulders, he leans in and whispers, “If you continue to bite your lip, I might have to add five more spanks.”
In the elevator, our reflection shows he’s watching me. I chew on my lower lip, and I wish he’d step in and kiss me. I really do. I’m staring at his beautiful, plump lips, and I want to taste them. I want to feel them pressed against my lips while our tongues explore.
He stares back at me, and I think he wants the same thing.
As we near the ground floor, we continue watching one another, waiting for the other to make the first move.
When his phone rings, I close my eyes. I can’t let him see me disappointed.
“Mason.” He looks at me and shrugs.
Divine intervention, I suppose.
He’s watching me and ignoring Ben and Brian. I pull out my phone and scroll through my PeopleMover page. This is for the best. Maybe I can take care of myself in the bathroom while he works and get him out of my system.
Not likely.
Downstairs, we get in the back of the car and Brian heads for the private plane terminal at San Francisco International Airport. I pull out my Kindle and start reading a steamy romance, but it only makes things worse. I turn it off. I can’t believe how sexually frustrated I am.
Jackson jumps to another call. “Cheryl? I’ve spoken to the attorney, and I can offer you the two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar base pay with stock options that will vest over the next ten years.”
As he listens, he looks at me and winks.
Two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar base salary? Being an admin sucks wind. I make forty-six-thousand dollars a year. No wonder I can’t make ends meet. Fuck. It doesn’t surprise me. I know Jeremy made less money than what Jackson just offered Cheryl, but he joined the company back when we didn’t have all the funding secured.
“I can’t do twenty percent, but I can do fifteen in stock options—the same amount Jeremy had.”
I know I’d see all this eventually in the paperwork that crosses my desk, but hearing it is different. My sour feelings about all I do for the company and how little I get for it ruin my mood. Does Jackson think I’m a Barbie too?
We arrive, and Matt is waiting for us with a co-pilot that isn’t introduced to me. I’m invisible. It’s a stark reminder that I’m just the admin.
Jackson continues his call as I find a seat on the plane. It’s smaller than I thought, with only eight captain’s chairs, but it’s much more luxurious—pale leather seats that recline flat, plush gray carpeting, and shiny wood accents, each seat with its own screen.
I sit next to the window, and I’m shocked when Jackson sits next to me and winks as he takes his seat. Out the window, I catch Brian loading my giant suitcase into the back of the plane. I know I brought too much. I brought more than half of everything I currently own.
The plane taxis out onto the runway. The flight attendant gives me a quick rundown on safety, and I sit back and try to relax.
“Cheryl, I’ve got to run,” Jackson says into his phone. “My plane is taking off. Let’s talk on Friday. I should have
