Around the World in 80 Men Boxed Set 31-35 (17 page)

In an hour and a half, Morgan landed in Brisbane,
Australia, and she immediately found the spot she would spend her
short layover. It was a comfy chair in the corner, away from
everyone. Almost, anyway.

“
Morgan?”

“
You've got to be kidding me.” She turned in
her chair to see John's handsome face, and her own face immediately
heat. “Really? Today? You're going to New Guinea
now
?”
Morgan almost laughed, but it sounded more like a huff of
disappointment.

“
Nice to see you too.” He took the seat next
to her, then asked if it were okay. “Do you mind?”

Morgan shook her head, and offered him a warm smile.
“I'm sorry. Just...a lot on my mind.” She wasn't upset.
Not like she should have been. In fact, she was almost used to people
keeping things from her, and that was the saddest part of all. “You
weren't on my flight here...”

“
I hate flying, so I try to avoid it as much as
possible.” He had half a smile, and with Morgan's confusion, he
explained more. “I drove here. You know...to knock out one of
the flights.”

Morgan giggled and nodded. It actually wasn't a bad
idea. “Well, you only have twenty minutes to go.”

“
Uh...” John shook his head back and forth
slowly. “You haven't seen it?”

“
Seen what?” John smiled again, knowing he
was going to be the bearer of bad news.

“
Flight is delayed...”

“
How long?” Morgan sat up a bit in her
chair, and put both feet back on the ground.

“
Four hours.”

“
You're serious? You can't be...” Morgan
stood and began walking around the corner when the first boarding
calls were announced. “You're a dick!” Both of them
laughed and Morgan walked back over to her chair, giving John a slap
on his shoulder on the way.

“
So, you said you were going back to work today?”
John asked as he followed behind Morgan to their seats.

She settled down into her chair and pushed her carry-on
under her seat. “Yep.” John took the seat in front of her
and turned around to talk to Morgan.

“
What kind of work are you doing there?”
John smiled, as he draped his arm around the chair and propped his
back against the window.

“
Sales,” Morgan answered quickly, then
turned to look out the window. “Excuse me,” she changed
the subject quickly and pulled her phone out of her pocket and went
to Angel's contact.
We need to talk. I'll be landing at
three-thirty in New Guinea. Figure out the time and call me then.

The subject
lingered between them as they settled in, and Morgan could almost
feel the curiosity coming from the man every time their eyes met.
“I'm going to try and take a nap.” Morgan smiled
briefly at John and closed her eyes. She was not very tired, but it
was her only option right then. Within ten minutes though, she was
sound asleep, and she stayed that way until the plane landed in Port
Moresby three hours later.

Gabriel had been waiting for more than an hour for
Morgan's flight. He paced the small lobby in front of a single row of
bright yellow chairs, then sat in the last seat on the very end. That
had been his pattern for more than half of his wait, and he was about
to stand and repeat the cycle when he noticed several people file
into the area. His heart raced, not knowing if Morgan was in the
group, and he stayed seated to wait it out.

His eyes moved to his boots. He instantly reached down
and ran his thumb over a small scuff on the toe. His gaze moved to
his jeans and he wondered if he made the right decision in dressing
casual for their first meeting. His light blue button down shirt,
tailored fit to show the natural taper of his upper body, was one of
his favorites. Still, he worried that it wasn't enough to impress a
lady who had probably met many men better than he thought he would
ever be.

He watched several feet pass by, and his eyes never
left the floor. His hands rolled into fists at his sides as the
pressure of what he was about to do nearly consumed him. It had been
three years since he'd used Julianne's service, and one year since he
had been with a woman at all.

Gabriel thought of Maria, and stood quickly to shake
her image from his mind. Her long black hair that fell to her waist,
her full breasts that would sway when she walked, and the smile on
her face that made his heart full of all that was good in the world.
“I can't do this.” He turned to the side and finally
looked up. The doors to the lobby opened and all he could see was
freedom from the torture he was feeling.

Gabriel left the lobby thirty seconds before Morgan
would have joined him, and his eyes filled with tears of sadness for
his lost love, and his seemingly pathetic life.

Morgan made her way straight to the conveyor belt of
luggage and patiently waited for her one large bag to make it's way
to her. It was nice to be back to traveling light, and a relief to
not worry about carrying four bags anymore. “Come on, come on.”
She wanted her bag before John had the chance to ask more questions
she didn't want her answer, but no such luck.

“I think that's yours coming up.” John
found his spot behind her, and leaned far around the bend of the
conveyor to see what was coming next. He was taller than Morgan, so
he saw the pink bag first. Morgan waited a few moments for it to make
it into her view and nodded quickly. She also managed to pull her
phone out and turn it on, then replace it in her pocket in only two
steps that she took towards her luggage.

“
Yep.” She walked around John in her final
step and leaned out far across the belt to reach her bag. It was just
out of reach and she stood on her toes for a better chance and just
as her fingers brushed the handle, the four inch heel on her shoe
gave out. “Shit!” The word fell from her lips as her body
flew forward. Her face was going to hit the belt. Morgan closed her
eyes tightly and braced herself...

“
Whoa, are you alright?” Hands came around
her waist and brought her back to her feet safely. John also grabbed
her luggage before she could even process what had just happened.

“
Yes, thank you. That could have been ugly.”
Morgan laughed and brushed the
dirt
from her shirt and jeans,
then looked down at her broken heel. “Guess I need to change
these.” Morgan looked around quickly, hoping her new client
hadn't already spotted her. The lobby had already cleared out for the
most part, and the dozen or so people remaining were not Gabriel. She
sighed a breath of relief and pulled both of the heels off her feet
and grabbed for her pink bag, then sat in the closest chair. “Thanks
again for your help. I'm sure I'll see you around.”

“
That's it?” John held his arms up in
question, as a smile lit up his face.

She didn't want John around to see her meet Gabriel, and
her client should be there any second. “I have to go to work.”
She nodded and offered a smile of her own. It sounded so good to be
back to work.

“
Do you need a ride? I have a rental car waiting
for me right out fro...”

“
No. No, I'm good.” Morgan spoke quickly and
realized how rude she probably sounded. “I...there is someone
picking me up.” She opened up her bag and pulled out a pair of
socks and her short black boots.

“
Are you sure? Do you want me to wait with you
until they get here?” John sat down next to her, already making
up his mind.

“
No, really. I'm fine. Thank you. They should be
here soo...” Before Morgan could finish her sentence, her phone
rang out from her back pocket. Angel. Morgan nearly forgot she had
told him to call her. “I have to take this. Excuse me.”
Morgan zipped up her second boot and stood, then walked several feet
away from John. “Angel!”

“
Stick, you can't be leaving me messages like
that. A bitch is freaking the fuck out over here! What's going on?”
Angel paced from PoPo's cage, to the bedroom window, then to the bed.
He had been worrying for hours.

Morgan stifled her laughter and took a deep breath
before answering. “Everything is okay, my Angel. I was just
wondering something. Do you know what happened with...” Morgan
looked over her shoulder. John was still standing there, so she spoke
quietly. “Carlos.” She didn't know how to explain the
situation without giving too much away. “Actually, do you know
if Tanner had any part in it?” That still wasn't good enough.
“Okay, I just want to know everything you know.”

“
Boo, take a mothafuckin' breath and calm your
tits. The only thing I know is Finny Dip and Antonio stayed behind
with the douche canoe after we found you, and I called Tanner to
ask him to send your bag when we were in Idaho. What happened before,
after or in between is none of my mothafuckin' business”

“
Anthony was there with Fin? But...Finlay said
Anthony wasn't involved.” Suddenly, Morgan was even more
confused than before and her heart ached with each lie that was given
to her.

“
Sticky Ass, you're safe and that's all that
fuckin' matters.” Morgan nodded. That was true, but she still
needed answers. She also knew Angel wasn't lying to her, and she was
disappointed in herself for even second guessing him.

“
I need to talk to you more, but I just landed in
New Guinea and,” she looked over her shoulder again. John was
at a stand buying a tuna sandwich. “Gabriel should be here
soon.”

“
Alright, Boo. I love you.”
“I
love you too, Angel. Thank you.” She hung up and within a few
seconds, a message came through on her phone.
Have fun with the
Guinea pig, Stick. Remember to call a bitch.
“Oh, Angel.”
She smiled as she tucked the phone back into her pocket, and turned
to see that John had finally left. “Well, that's one less thing
to deal with.” She took a deep breath as she walked back to the
chairs, and pulled her bags to her side before settling in. Gabriel
was still nowhere to be seen, but she was still grateful that he
hadn't been there to see her almost fall on her face.

Chapter six

Gabriel stopped only two miles from the airport at an
upscale gourmet bakery that had a line of customers at least twenty
people deep. He shook his head and went inside, feeling almost
strangled by the intense sadness that he'd felt for so long. The
sound of voices moved all around as he maneuvered through the crowd
and approached a narrow hallway. “Stop right there!”
Gabriel turned around to see his manager, and best friend, Ida. He
didn't want to hear anything that she had to say. “Walk away
from me and I swear, you'll be picking Biscotti out of your ass for
weeks!” Finally, a small smile tickled the corners of his
mouth.

“
I'm not in the mood.” She shook her head
and was at his side from behind the counter in seconds.

“Neither am I. Where is she?” Her arms
folded across her chest and her legs were spread in a stance that
told him that she was telling the truth. She wouldn't tolerate one
word of dishonesty. He leaned against the wall and allowed his head
to rest against the flat surface as he answered.

“I couldn't do it. I just... I'm not ready
to...,”

“Dammit! You left her there?” Gabriel
didn't answer, which was answer enough. “So help me, Gabe...
one of these days....,” she continued to scold him as she
walked away, and pointed a finger in his direction with another
warning that he had better not leave while she was gone. Something
about tying his genitals in knots was heard as she stormed from the
bakery, and to her car. Flour from her white apron puffed in her wake
as she stomped to the passenger side door, and a few more profanities
were spewed as she pulled away. Gabriel ran his hand over his face in
defeat. There was no way he would get out of it, not with Ida
involved, and he finally finished his walk to the back office where
he would wait to meet Morgan.

Morgan had waited for more than thirty minutes before
thinking that it was time to call Julianne. She also began to worry
that something had happened to her client. “Stop it, Morgan.”
She hated that she was still in the mindset that a terrible tragedy
must have taken place when things didn't go as planned. Morgan stood
and removed her phone, and began to move through her contacts.

“Are you Morgan?” Ida, standing nearly six
feet tall with thin broad shoulders, stood before her and waited.
Morgan nodded, not knowing what else to do. “Come with me,
honey.” She motioned with her hand for Morgan to follow.

“No.” Morgan didn't move, and the word left
her lips without warning. Ida stopped and looked her in the eyes.
That word was something that Ida wasn't quite accustomed to. Still,
the look of fear crossed Morgan's face, and it softened the woman
enough to offer an explanation.

“I'm sorry. Sometimes, I... well, I can be rude.
I'm Ida.” She offered her hand and Morgan reluctantly took it
briefly. “I work for Gabe, I'm here to pick you up.” That
was the truth, even if parts were missing from the story. Morgan
nodded and crossed her arms over her front.

“And why isn't he here?” Morgan had no idea
what was making her act that way. It wasn't uncommon for a client to
send someone to pick her up, but something wasn't right. Ida let out
a long sigh and walked over to the first yellow chair that she came
to. It had already been a long day, and she needed a moment to slow
it down long enough to make Morgan comfortable.