Bride 2 Be

Chapter Four ~ The Past

Chapter Four
The Past

ON THE FLIGHT TO Vegas, Calvin surprised himself by enjoying Lisa's company. Somehow, his earlier assumptions about her turned out to be inaccurate. Usually, when he pegged a person's character, it was right on the money. She made him realize that sometimes he could be wrong, and that fact didn't bother him like he expected. Calvin never liked to be mistaken and prided himself on never apologizing for making mistakes, but when he did, he could man up and admit it, at least to himself.

After two glasses of wine, she became talkative, asking personal and professional questions nonstop. He felt she knew most of the answers she sought about the business. She seemed interested in getting to know him as a person, not the son of a powerful business owner or the next in line to the Grayburg fortune. Only a few people he came across regularly did. When she dozed off in the chair, he found a blanket and covered her. Deep in sleep, he was drawn to Lisa, staring at her and watching her more attentively than usual. He even took the liberty of touching her hair, finding out what it would feel like against his hand. The silkiness that met his skin made him want to thrust both hands into the thickness of that mane and pull her close.

Needing some distance before doing that, he moved about the cabin and headed to the cockpit to spend time with Max.

"Cal, what's with the unexpected flight?" Max asked, peering at him out of the corner of his eye.

"We are tracking Edward to stop him from making a huge mistake."

Max whistled. "What kind of trouble is old Eddie in now?"

Calvin laughed, always loving the way Max called his brother Eddie. "He's eloping."

Max roared and threw his head back, shaking his broad shoulders and unruly brown hair. "No way. Who's the unlucky lady?"

"Penny Green, a business associate. You know how much my father frowns upon those relationships. Never mix business with pleasure."

Max nodded, "I remember well, but Edward never did anything John suggested. He always walked to the beat of his own drummer."

Now, that was an accurate statement. "Very true, which always gets him into trouble. Wish he would realize the destruction he creates when he rushes off on impulse. I believe he found out about the board seat my father intended to give me on my wedding day."

"Ah, a power play."

"I'm afraid so. I am still determining what he hopes to gain by getting married. There is no guarantee that my father will give him a board seat because he eloped. Especially if it's loveless, and I'm sure he doesn't love that girl."

"And Lisa? Why is she tagging along?" Max asked, looking at him for a long moment as if he could read Calvin's mind.

"Don't even go there. It's not what you think. Penny and Lisa are sisters."

"Are you sure that's all there is to it? She's hot."

Calvin had trouble fighting the smile that began to emerge and take over his face. "She's attractive, but again, there's the issue of mixing business and pleasure."

"Well, my friend, you could have some fun. You look stressed out. How many times should I tell you? All work and no play…"

Calvin raised his hands and palms toward Max, "I know, I know, please do not say it again. You pulled that on me at least once a week in college."

"It got you to lighten up, which you desperately needed." Max laughed. "Do you remember that double date I got you to go on with me? You were such a mess, so stiff, couldn't even speak to that poor girl."

Calvin groaned, hating that memory. He acted like an awkward fifteen-year-old, all hands, instead of a man of twenty with some reserve. "Would have helped if you didn't tell me she was a sure thing."

Max laughed. "Sorry, buddy."

"You're forgiven. Guess I better wake up the sleeping beauty."

A bright smile erupted on Max's face, and he stared at Calvin as he rose from the co-pilot seat. "You like her."

Calvin shook his head, denying the charge. "We are in business together. That's it. If we fail in stopping Penny and Edward from marrying it will create problems for Anna's Originals, Green's Boutique, and Grayburg Corporation." Calvin headed to the door, needing to get away from Max before he saw right through the lie.

"I saw Jules last week."

Calvin stopped dead in his tracks, his hand on the doorknob, unable to move. Two months and it still made his heart feel raw to hear her name. He never loved her as he should, but he never expected her to leave him. They had a great friendship, established at the age of ten, so being without his confidant hurt. "How is she?"

"I think she's well. She looked good and asked about you." Max sighed, giving Calvin the impression that there was more he wanted to say.

Calvin turned around, leaned into the door, and waited. "What did you tell her?" He hoped that Max would act as if Calvin had moved on, for Julie's sake. She deserved a man who loved and cherished her in a way he never could.

"That you were doing good, occupied by the business. Told her that it was for the best because you both should be happy," Max relayed.

"Thank you for that, Max."

"I love you both, but you must admit that it would end in disaster if you married. You could be friends again after the dust settles. She did the right thing; we all see that. Might hurt like hell, but don't kid yourself into thinking a marriage to Julie would even come close to that of your parents."

Calvin winced as if punched in the gut, knocking the wind right out of him. That statement hit home, and he couldn't deny it; knowing that Max knew him so well made Calvin glad their friendship was the one positive thing he could always count on. Max never pulled any punches and spoke the truth, whether Calvin wanted to hear it or not, which he usually didn't. The man got him through college and saved him from becoming the most giant nerd on the planet, and that was a debt he could never repay.

"Ouch," he muttered.

"I've never held the truth back from you before; there's no sense in starting now," Max said. He remained focused on flying the plane, acting like the conversation hadn't shifted into a serious mode. "Which reminds me. Sleeping with Liz Beth is not one of your brighter ideas."

Calvin stared daggers at the back of the brown head. "Who the hell told you about that?" he demanded. The only person he mentioned Liz Beth to was sleeping in a chair a few feet away, which was only a few hours ago.

"Liz Beth has a big mouth, which you should know by now. The woman looks at you as her next big conquest, her windfall. Better be careful."

"I noticed that; it's all under control."

"Good. We're landing in twenty minutes; better go buckle up," Max said.

Calvin fled the cockpit, his mood somber. He found Lisa's shoes on the floor while she curled up in the seat with the red blanket still covering her. He touched her arm and gave her a gentle nudge.

"Lisa, wake up, we're almost in Vegas." Calvin rested his hand on her shoulder, shaking her, watching her eyes open.

She looked up at him, her eyes dancing, a pink blush rising to her pale face. "How long did you let me sleep?" Lisa sat up, raising her arms above her head, and stretched, the blanket falling to her waist.

From his vantage point, he clearly saw the lacy black bra beneath the blue shirt. At that moment, all he wanted to do was strip her out of the shirt, feast his eyes upon her bare skin, and remove the encumbering garment. He could almost picture what she would look like without the shirt, the bra, her firm breasts pressed into his naked chest. Calvin turned around, shaking the vivid image from his eager mind. They were getting ready to land and had to spend their time and energy concentrating on chasing Edward and Penny around a city filled with people on every corner.

"Where do I put this?"

He sighed, got a hold of his senses, and spun around to see what she meant. Lisa stood, her bare feet on the carpet, the pink of her toenails so pale he almost missed it. The folded blanket she held in a neat bundle. He reached out, smiled down at her, and tugged.

"Thank you. I didn't realize that I was even tired."

"Probably the wine," Calvin commented. He moved to the wall cabinet and placed the blanket back inside. He had to get a grip on these sexual feelings for Lisa. The seatbelt sign chimed on, giving him the distraction he needed. He moved to his seat, keeping his eyes averted from her. It might ruin everything if she noticed him staring and seeming interested in her. A friendship with the woman he could handle and would welcome. Becoming romantically involved would spell disaster for both, including all three companies. Besides, they were on the hunt to stop their siblings from this very thing.

By the time the plane landed, Calvin had his bearings back, resigned to figure out their next move and forget about the lingering thoughts in his head. A car should be waiting for them, and he hoped that once they got off the plane, he would receive word about Edward and Penny's whereabouts.

Lisa handled the landing much better than the takeoff. He couldn't help smiling, remembering what it was like to see her panicked, with a death grip on the chair that made her hands turn as white as a sheet of notebook paper. He never expected to see the lady lose her cool, and he had a feeling that it didn't happen very often. Wonder what it would be like to see her lose control in bed. Shaking the thought from his head, he removed the seatbelt and stood, ready to get the show on the road. They would track down the lovebirds, talk some sense into them, and be back in New York for the start of work tomorrow.

Max appeared and moved to the door to lower the stairs. "Call me and let me know when you think you'll be ready to depart."

"I will; thanks again for coming on such short notice."

"Very nice to have met you, Miss Green, I hope you enjoyed the flight."

Calvin took her hand firmly and led her down the staircase before she could answer.

The warm air floated over him as they continued toward the awaiting car. The driver stood beside the vehicle, dressed in a suit, looking bored out of his mind. Calvin preferred the older drivers; their maturity level was something he appreciated. Young twenty-somethings never seemed to care that it was their job to look after the people they drove around the city. He expected their jobs to be priority number one, which meant the client they chauffeured from one destination to the next should matter. He hated it when it didn't work out that way and became vocal to the companies' owners.

"Can you slow down just a bit?" Lisa asked, her free hand resting on his forearm.

Deep in thought, he didn't even realize how fast he moved towards the car. He slowed his pace, turned, and looked over his shoulder at Lisa. Her eyes sparkled, lit with excitement as they looked up at him. He wondered if he saw something there or just wanted to. The pout of her mouth called to him, almost begging for a kiss. His cell phone rang, saving him from doing something impulsive, something he knew he could regret later.

Reaching into his front pants pocket, he grabbed the phone and hit talk. "Calvin Grayburg."

"I took the liberty of contacting an old acquaintance. He should be calling you soon with an update. Good luck, Sir," Jenkins, the New York PI said.

"There is a PI here tailing them, and he will be calling with an update," Calvin said as they continued toward the vehicle.

The driver opened the door for them, and Calvin released her hand, letting her enter the car first. As she ducked down to climb inside, his eyes focused on her behind, encased in the tight jeans. He felt a tightening in his pants, cursing himself for the lack of control he had within her presence. She will end up in my bed before this night is out.

He followed close behind, ensuring he sat beside her, leaving a little room between them. For the moment, he just wanted to see where this would take him. He could push business aside and have some fun for a change, at least to a certain extent. Lisa even seemed willing to relax, let go, and have a good time, from how it appeared to him. Finding their siblings didn't have to be an ordeal; they could afford some leeway in the process.


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