Fuuuuck.
How can I leave her now?
I grit my teeth and hoist her bags over my free shoulder as she yammers on about her bionic hip.
Eh. This won’t set me back too much and hey, I need all the good karma I can get, especially with this new job hanging in the balance.
Speaking of which…I really need to binge watch some YouTube videos before I head over to the interview.
I’ve given good performances before, but this one will have to be the best one of my career if I can pull it off.
Dottie clings to me like Saran Wrap as I guide her through the throngs of people in the terminal. We sidestep men, women, wheelchairs, wayward kids, and rows of slot machines. That’s when I almost lose Dottie…and my mind.
I can tune out her nasally voice, but I refuse to chase her around the slots like a kid let loose in a goddamn candy store.
So I firmly place a hand over hers, keeping it stuck to my arm as we wind our way around the airport toward the luggage carousels.
I search the origin points for JFK International Airport. “There it is!” I exclaim. Carousel 3. And as luck would have it, the bags are already circling. Dottie really is a pretty slow walker.
Now is my chance to make a break for it.
“Dottie!” Another woman calls out from a neighboring carousel. I turn around to see another Estelle Getty lookalike waving her hands over head.
“Bette!” Dottie says in an excited voice. “Anya, look, it’s my dear friend, Bette!”
I smile and walk Dottie over to her friend. “It was such a pleasure to meet you. Best of luck for a fun weekend!” I say with a bright smile, backing away.
Thankfully, Dottie and Bette are already talking and laughing like I’ve disappeared into thin air, which is exactly what I’m about to do.
I swivel around and dash out of the first door I can find, a blast of dry heat pummeling me like a huge hair dryer that opened fire on humanity.
Holy shit.
My skin almost instantly pebbles with perspiration, making my clothes stick to me like I’ve just been dunked in a vat of water. I fan myself as I drag my carry-on behind me in search of a taxi stand.
I didn’t have a chance to schedule an Uber because I had Dottie to contend with, and if I need to wait out here for a second longer than necessary, I’m afraid I might just evaporate. I pick up the pace, ready to cross over to the other side of the street outside of the Arrivals gate when a cherry red Ferrari Testarosa squeals to a stop in front of me as I start to cross the street and I yelp, jumping backward.
“What the fuck, you lunatic?” I yell, flipping off the driver whom I can’t really see through the shaded windshield. “You almost hit me!”
The door opens and my spine stiffens as one long leg climbs out of the driver’s seat, followed by another.
My breath hitches when I see one of the most gorgeous men in my entire life smirk at me. Oh, sweet Jesus.
It’s Gio.
How the fuck?
And why? Here, now?!
“You saw the ‘no crossing’ light flash, didn’t you? I had the right of way,” he says in his low, gravelly voice. Good God, I remember that voice…it caressed my ears the way his mouth and hands caressed so many other parts of my body.
“Oh, so if I was lying on the ground in a bloody puddle, would that have been your defense?” I snap, so flummoxed that the memory of him has such a strong hold on me.
And maybe a little bit angry because he doesn’t seem to recognize me at all, which tells me he’s a total scumbag who didn’t see anything besides a hot piece of ass.
Of course, I am yelling at him sans accent, and I look completely different than I did last night.
Here I was, thinking he might have actually seen right through me if I gave him the chance.
What a fucking joke!
I slam my hand on the hood of the car, letting some of my pent-up aggression seep out and he snickers. How can he not recognize me? Are slutty clothes and makeup all he took away from last night?
I mean, not that I actually want him to recognize me.
It would just be nice to know that I left an impact on him.
The way he did on me.
“Rage,” he says with a wink. “I can sense you’ve got a lot of it.”
“You might feel the same way if you’d almost been bulldozed by an arrogant asshole who doesn’t even have the decency to ask if I’m okay!” I tug at my ponytail. God, something about this guy gets me so fired up…must be because he’s the devil with that mouth and body.
“Sorry, that was wrong of me.” He flashes his movie star smile and I swear my heart jumps in my chest. “Are you okay?”
“Yes!” I scream, stalking across the street because if I stand there for a second longer, I will launch myself at him like a wolverine, and that just would not be the persona I’m trying to adopt right now.
Besides, if given the opportunity, I might get arrested for assault, and Uncle Boris would not be happy about that. I’m also thinking that a rap sheet might prevent me from getting the job I’ve been sent here to do.
I take a few deep breaths, letting my eyes flutter closed as I get in line to wait for a cab.
“Can I give you a lift somewhere? It’s the least I can do since I almost killed you.”
My eyes fly open and I gasp at the delicious interruption. “What?”
“I asked if you needed a ride,” he says again, a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
“Are you serious?” I ask. “You’re a stranger!”
Not that that stopped me from letting you finger me at the club last night, but now, I guess I have limits.
“I am a stranger,” he says, acknowledging my words with a nod. “But I’m not the kind who’s gonna drive you to the middle of the desert and chop you up into a million pieces, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
I look at him like he’s grown multiple heads over the past few seconds, one more gorgeous than the last. “No. I don’t want a ride. I’ll be just fine, Your conscience is clear. Be gone!” I wave him away and turn my back toward him.
But I can still feel his gaze on me.
As if my body can stand to be flooded with any more heat right now.
“Anya!” I jump, startled to hear my name being called.
“Shit,” I mutter. It’s Dottie and her crew. I flash a panicked look at Gio and he folds his arms over his chest with a knowing smirk as they walk across the street.
“Friends of yours?” he asks.
“Not exactly,” I say under my breath, craning my neck to see if there is any salvation in the form of a cab for me on the horizon.
“Anya! I’m so glad we found you! We can share a cab together! Let’s get one of those fancy SUVs!” Dottie exclaims, clapping her hands together as her friends squeal with excitement.
I feel bad. They obviously don’t get out much, but I don’t really have time to be a tour guide right now.
I sneak a glance back at Gio and bite down hard on my lower lip.
He doesn’t know who I am and let’s face it, if he tried anything, I could end him in a hot second, even without a gun.
It’s what I do.
But before I can respond to Dottie, Gio appears next to me and snakes an arm around my waist. “Babe, I’m sorry I was late. Come on, your chariot awaits.” He grins at the older women. “Sorry, ladies. My car’s a two-seater, or I’d take you all with us.”
Lust beats out my better judgment and I let him lead me away from the cab stand and out of the sweltering heat.
His familiar scent wafts under my nostrils, and for a split second, it weakens my knees.
Until I remember why I’m here and what I have to do.
“Wait,” I say as we walk away. “If you only have a two-seater, how are you going to pick up whoever you’re here to pick up?”
“I’m not picking anyone up. I flew in and my car was waiting in short-term parking. I made a wrong turn and ended up in front of you.” He winks at me. “Lucky for me. And you since I was able to rescue you.” Gio puts my bags into the tiny trunk and pulls open my door, slipping a bill into the hands of the cop who is currently writing him a ticket for double-parking outside of Arrivals. The ticket disappears as I slide into the cool luxe leather bucket seat, and the cop tips his hat at Gio before walking back to his car.