Alex landed on my carefully laid trap. “Pay up, Prince Yummy.” The nickname burst out of my mouth as I mentally screamed in slow motion, trying to stop my lips from uttering the words.
“Prince Yummy?” He threw his head back and laughed loudly. When he looked back at me, there was heat in his eyes. “Care to explain that one?”
“Jess.” I shook my head, trying to not look embarrassed. I was going to kill her the next time I saw her. “That’s her nickname for you.”
“I’m liking her more and more.” He leaned forward again. “Looks like you agree with her.”
“There goes your ego again.” I narrowed my eyes. “If you hear something enough it gets stuck in your brain.”
“Hm.” He pushed the dice toward me. “That’s one explanation.”
“I’m going to kill her.” I frowned at the game board.
“Just make sure you hide the body well.” He chuckled, his hand reaching out to brush over my fingers. “I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a game of Monopoly this much in a long time.”
“I’m developing a deep hatred for it.”
“That’s because you’re losing.” He narrowed his eyes. “In fact, you’re losing so badly I’m starting to think you want to lose.”
“Har, har.” He was right. I was losing. Badly. “Maybe we should try another game.”
“Nope. You agreed to Monopoly.”
“That was before I realized you had some kind of Monopoly Jedi skills.”
“This is not the hotel you are looking for.”
“Shut it, Obi-Wan Cheater.”
Something shifted, and I began to take the lead. Alex looked miffed, and eventually frustrated. When he landed in jail I stood up and did a little dance in the aisle. He watched me with hooded eyes and it dawned on me I was shaking my butt in his face. I sat back in my seat but couldn’t stop smiling. He leaned his elbows on the table and stared at the board with confusion.
“I can’t remember the last time I lost.” He looked at me with a small smile. “I might lose more often if I get treated to your victory dances.”
“Oh, c’mon. I’m sure you’ve lost before.” I started putting the pieces back in the box. The captain had started the descent for Ireland. I wanted to watch out the window and try to catch a glimpse of rolling green hills. I’d always wanted to visit Ireland but hadn’t had a chance.
“I was distracted.” He smirked.
“That’s not my fault.”
“On the contrary, it’s completely your fault.” He gave me a slow smile that made me want to knock the rest of the pieces off the table and pull him on top of it. “You may have won this time, but I still think we won’t last as friends for very long.”
“Why? I have plenty of guy friends.”
He narrowed his eyes briefly. “There’s something here, Samantha. Deny it if you can, but I don’t think you’ll be able to for long.”
“Seriously. Your ego is at dangerous levels.” I bit my lip and focused on cleaning up. He took the stack of money out of my hand and sorted it into the right places.
“You can deflect all you want. It doesn’t make it any less true.”
“You said there were two options.” I didn’t meet his eyes.
“I have a clear preference.”
We lapsed into silence as we waited to land. Sarah woke Rose as we started the descent and I stared out my window. I pulled my feet up into my seat and leaned on the wall to try to see better. It was late in the day and the sun made the clouds glow a soft golden hue. It was beautiful, but I wanted to see all the green. As if listening to my thoughts, the sky split and I had my first hint. The greens were blurring into blues in the dusk and then we were over Dublin.
Fueling the plane didn’t take near as long as I thought it would and after a fast meal, we were back in the air. There was a renewed sense of energy in the plane. Sarah was making phone calls and Alex had opened up his laptop. At some point Duvall and Rebecca changed into suits that would blend into the background but still had a formal look. Rose went to the little area in front of the kitchen and pulled a curtain shut. She called for Sarah to help before coming out in a silver dress with a matching jacket. It was simple but elegant.
“We don’t have much longer if you want to go ahead and change.” Alex nodded toward the little curtained area.
I stood up and made my way to the alcove. I pulled the curtain shut and opened the tiny closet that held my garment bag. I quickly undressed and fought the dress out of the bag before remembering that I needed to put on panty hose. Cursing under my breath, I dug into the bottom of the bag. The plane hit a bit of turbulence and I bounced into the wall before almost falling through the curtain in nothing but my underwear.
“Holy crap!” I stood up and prayed I hadn’t knocked the curtain open.
“Samantha?” Alex’s voice was nearby and my eyes grew large. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine! What are you paying these pilots?”
A few people chuckled while I wrestled the panty hose up. Worried about more turbulence, I slid the dress on as fast as possible. Reaching behind me, I tried to grab the zipper but ended up spinning in circles like a puppy.
“Sarah?” I called for Rose’s assistant, giving up.
“I’ve got it.” Alex’s voice made me freeze. I heard the curtain whisper as he stepped into the area. “Zipper?”