"Somehow I'm not surprised," I said dryly, though a chuckle underlined my tone.
"After my first time in a cockpit, bossing people around stopped being my first priority."
"Besides flying planes and bossing people around, what is it that you actually do?"
"Mostly I buy and sell airplanes. My company also sells parts, does title searches and generates daily aeronautic reports. That kind of thing."
"I can't imagine having enough money to buy an entire airplane. A seat belt, maybe, but not much else."
"I always make back double my initial investment, so it's no hardship."
Yeah. No hardship. I could hear the buyer/seller interaction now:
Buyer: You only want a million for the plane?
Seller: Yeah. I paid four mil, but I just don't like the thing anymore.
Buyer: (Chuckles) Well, do you take checks?
No hardship. Yeah, you can bite me.
"Are you purchasing a plane anytime soon?" I asked.
"There's a SJ30-2 I've had my eye on. In fact, you can fly to Florida with me at the end of the month and check it out."
"No thanks." I meant it with every fiber of my being.
A slow grin lifted the corners of his lips. "I might just decide to hold the party in Florida. Then you'd have to go."
"That might put you on my Must Kill list."
His grin became wicked. "I'd rather be on your Must Seduce list."
He was. He was the only name on that list, but he was on it. Not that I'd admit it out loud. "This is a milestone for me, you know. I don't even like to stay in a hotel room that has a balcony. I've never understood my fear of falling, but I've learned to live with it. I'm proud of myself right now. This is the first time I've ever done anything so…scary."
"Except for the fact that you've almost squeezed my wrist off every time the plane jostled and left me with a bloody stump, you've done great."
I snorted.
Soon afterward, we arrived at a private airstrip on the outskirts of Eagle Airport. Thankfully, the plane landed with no complications. Had anything gone wrong, I felt certain I would have done serious damage to the inside of my cheek instead of simply biting it raw. I think I'd already lost enough blood to warrant a transfusion.
With stiff limbs, I stepped out of the death trap and onto the ground. Thank you, God! Royce grabbed my bag, threw it over his shoulder. He shuffled me inside a waiting limousine.
"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He settled in beside me.
"It was quite enjoyable, actually."
A smug gleam lit his features.
"If I were a masochist," I added.
"Ha, ha." Grinning, he shook his head. "We've got a half hour drive ahead of us. The cabin has already been stocked with everything we'll need. All we have to do now is relax."
"Is the cabin isolated?"
"Technically, no. It just seems that way at times. It's about a mile from Mountain Lodge. A resort," he clarified when my expression turned questioning.
"What's the square footage of the cabin?"
"Two thousand."
"Hmm." I pictured his guests squeezed inside that amount of space, one standing on top of the other. "Forget the cabin for a moment and concentrate on the lodge. Does it have any areas designated for large gatherings?"
His eyes narrowed, blocking out the sudden, suspicious darkening, but he answered me anyway. "Yes."
"Well, the lodge sounds better suited for a party than the cabin does. Let's go there."
Now he frowned. "I prefer the cabin."
We were safely on the ground and my thoughts were clear, focused. So I wasn't taking his crap. "Still," I said, "I'd like to view the resort first, if you don't mind."
"I do mind."
"I didn't want to fly here, but I did. The least you can do is stop at the lodge."
"Damn it, Naomi."
Silence.
I wasn't backing down, wasn't going to rescind my request.
"Damn it," he said again. "We'll stop at the lodge." He massaged his neck and gazed up at the car ceiling. "I don't know why the hell I'm putting up with your bossiness. I'm in charge here. You work for me."
"I work with you. There's a difference. And just so you know, you're seriously starting to piss me off."
"Well, just so you know, this is the last time you're getting your way."
Jeez, what a sore loser.
"So, what do you think?" Royce asked.
I regarded him for a moment. We were in a secluded corner of a smoke-filled bar, drinking wine and listening to the hum of a saxophone in the background. The area was dim, lit only by candles. We had finished our tour of the lodge only a short while ago.
I didn't want to argue with him, but realized I might have no other choice since the information I was about to give him wasn't what he wanted to hear. "As lovely as this place is," I said, "it simply won't do."
"Have you already made a list as to why not?" Amusement glinted in his eyes. He wasn't angry, at least.
I exhaled a relieved breath. "As a matter of fact," I told him, "I have."
"This, I need to hear."
"This building isn't large enough, for one, and the cabin, which is smaller, won't be, either."
"And two?" He tried to cover his smile with his palm, but I caught the action.
His levity should have ruffled me. After all, if he truly wanted the party here, I had no other choice but to comply. Instead, I felt strangely at ease. The wine, perhaps? Or the company?
"Two," I said, "this is too rustic for our Arabian Nights theme."
"So we'll make it Arabian Nights meets Urban Cowgirl."
"Three," I said, acting as if he hadn't spoken, "I don't want the party held here."
"That's not a reason."
"It is to me. What about flying the guests here?"
"They'll love being flown in my jet, I promise you. And my mother will adore the clean mountain air."
"You can't fit three hundred people in your death trap of a plane."
"We'll cut down the list. Make it a small, private gathering."
He had an answer for everything.
Loud, raucous laughter suddenly rang out. A thirty-something man with long, wavy brown hair stood onstage, tapping on a microphone. "It's time for the karaoke entertainment hour," he said, his voice booming throughout the bar. "I know we've got some eager beavers out there, dying to get up on this stage and belt out a few tunes. Well, tonight's your lucky night. We've got a great selection."
The crowd cheered. Several people even raised their glasses.
"Who's first?"
One young man stumbled to his feet. His constant swaying and glassy-eyed expression made it obvious he'd had a little too much to drink. "I'll do it." His words were slurred, almost unrecognizable. The girl at his table giggled hysterically, urging him on. "I want to sing a sappy hong."
More giggling.
"Anyone else. Please," the man onstage begged, an edge of desperation evident in the tense profile of his body.
Silence.
I looked around and noticed that everyone else was doing the same. An instant later, I heard, "I dare you."
I whipped around, staring over at Royce. Surely he'd misspoken. He wouldn't have said-
"I dare you." He gave me a devilish smile.
I wasn't someone who usually responded to dares. I mean, who wanted to run outside naked screaming, "The sky is falling?" I also knew Royce didn't think I'd accept his dare.
My own devilish sense of humor-or maybe the simple desire to prove to him that I truly did possess an inner Tigress- rose within me, insisting I leap out of my seat and pole-vault onto that stage.
I tapped a finger on my chin and regarded him intently. "What do I get if I take you up on your dare?" I asked.
He held out his arms in invitation. "Me."
I should have expected such a reply. Smiling, I shook my head. "Good try. But that prize doesn't appeal to me." Lie. "Name something else."