Equity (Balance Sheet #3) (5 page)

The staccato beats of my heart were no rival for the turbulence of my emotions as I watched Kalen walk out the door, barely looking at me. Matt followed him. When I found Turner’s brown eyes, my heart wasn’t put at ease as it had been in the past.

I licked my suddenly dry lips before biting the lower one, unable to come up with words. Thank goodness he easily read me and enfolded me in his embrace. In his warmth, I let out the torrent of emotions I hadn’t been able to free with all the people that had surrounded me since I’d been freed.

It took a long time for me to surface from the fear that had drowned me.

After accepting his gentle strokes of my hair and murmured words filled with love, I finally stepped out of the circle of his arms. “I’m sorry I got your shirt wet.” I sniffled and turned to find the bathroom to blow my nose.

“Bailey,” he called out to me, but I kept walking.

The sounds I made blowing into the tissue were certainly not pretty. However, I caught Turner standing with his forearm against the molding on the door, waiting for me.

A noiseless crumple of tissue dropped in the trash did nothing to break the silence as he waited for me to say something. What could I say? There was so much, yet not enough that could explain the chaos in my heart.

“I’m here whenever you’re ready.”

I nodded and waited until he stepped back, giving me space to move into the main room. I dropped to sit on the bed, unable to stand with the weight of everything on my shoulders. Would he be angry if I told him I wanted to go with Kalen? Could I stand to be on a plane with Kalen, knowing he hated me?

Slumped, I sat with my hands folded in my lap and studied the pattern of the carpet.

“Should I go?” he asked quietly. He wasn’t referring to Kalen’s offer.

My head drifted up to meet his weary eyes. In them, I saw the pain I was inflicting on him by shutting him out. I shook my head.

A quiet smile barely curved his lips. He sat next to me, only to wrap an arm around my shoulder and lean us both back on the bed. I curled into a ball and he curved around me.

It wasn’t until the light that streamed through the picture window began to dim that I stirred. Turner wasn’t there, but I heard the shower running. I shifted my legs over the side of the bed and raked a hand through my loose, tangled hair before I stood.

The sight in the mirror was far from pretty. My eyes were still puffy and bloodshot. Locks of hair jutted this way and that in a sleep mass. I pulled the band from around my wrist and twisted my hair to tie it back from my face. When the shower stopped, I turned towards the door and caught sight of an envelope that had been shoved underneath from the hall.

Slowly, I picked it up. The hard square I felt piqued my curiosity to open it. Inside was a black credit card and a note.

 “What’s that?”

Startled, I brought the letter to my chest and gasped. Turner stood with nothing but a white towel slung about his hips. It was hard not to remember what lay beneath. I pivoted in the opposite direction, feeling the burn in my cheeks.

“A note from Kalen,” I replied.

There was silence before I heard Turner move into the room.

“What does he want?”

The jealousy in his tone was like a knife.

“He and Matt think I shouldn’t use my credit cards to buy anything. He’s given me access to a credit card to buy clothes next door at the mall.”

The bed creaked as he sat. I moved to face him and leaned against the desk with my hands folded behind me.

He actually glanced away from me. “I hate this,” he grumbled. “I don’t have a credit card. Never needed one.”

“I know,” I said patiently.

“I don’t have a plane, or the money he has to offer you,” he continued.

“And you think that’s what I want?”

There was desperation in his eyes as if he already read my thoughts. And maybe he had.

“I don’t know what you want,” he confessed.

My mouth opened and then closed. I wanted to deny and rail at him for not accepting the gift I’d given him by sleeping with him the other night. But he was right. I was still conflicted. I’d wondered, not for the first time, if I’d had sex with Turner out of guilt.

Deflecting, I said, “I want to get away from here. I don’t want to become a media sensation.”

“So go with him,” he said. His face was impassive.

“Turner,” I began.

He held up a hand. “You should go. I can’t go.”

“What?”

“I don’t have my passport on me.”

I thought about my passport in my purse. When I left New York to go home, I’d had no idea how long I would stay or what I was going to do. I’d brought my passport just in case. My purse along with the small bag I packed had been waiting for me in this room.

“You could get it and take a different flight.”

“I could,” he answered, sounding doubtful.

“I need you to come be with me.”

Finally, his gaze met mine. “Really?”

“Really,” I said. I did need him. If nothing else, he was my best friend. I needed him to get through this.

“Okay,” he said, sounding happier. “I could drive back and get my stuff.”

“And Violet. Could you get Violet to New York and take a plane from there?”

He nodded and we began to make plans. After confirming with Kalen through Matt, I ended up begrudgingly taking Kalen’s card to the mall next door and doing my best to buy things on a budget. I had every intentions of paying him back. The problem was that the mall next door was a Galleria filled with high-end stores. Thank goodness there was a Macy’s. Even though this Macy’s carried higher-end things, they still had some moderately priced items. Frustrating Turner, who had accompanied me, by searching sales racks, I was able to get enough things to make it through a week and a half before I would need to do laundry. Maybe by then, I’d be able to come back and use my own things.

Not long after, the lawyer had stopped by with a video camera and a witness. I spent a little over an hour going through questions I hadn’t wanted to answer. It was done and I was cleared to leave, at least for a while.

I was packing my things in my new clearance-priced suitcase when Matt showed up.

“Bailey, you be safe, okay?” Matt breathed after giving me a hug.

“You too.” I gave him a warm smile. I missed him and our time was so short.

“I plan to.” His face held a gleam that made me wonder what he was up to. “Kalen’s letting me drive his sweet ride back to New York after stopping to pick up Turner’s stuff and Violet.”

If I could have, I would have showed my enthusiasm for him staying around to help my sister out of her situation. It was just all too much to think that she was also in danger from her husband. “Tell Lizzy I’ll pay her back for whatever Violet needs to buy for clothing and stuff.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Matt said shaking his head. “I have a trust fund the size of Texas and no girlfriend to spend it on. I’ll take care of your sister.”

I glanced at Turner who averted his eyes. I knew this was yet another blow to him for not being able to take care of me and Violet like he thought he should be able to.

“Thanks Matt, but I am going to pay you back anyway.”

He surprised me by smacking his lips to mine. It was quick, but I felt the blush creep on my face. Turning to face the other guy in the room, he said, “Sorry, Turner, she’s like a sister. And I have a feeling that’s the last time I’ll be able to do that.” And he ducked out the room with a grin on his face.

Surprising me, Turner said, “He’s a nice guy.”

“He is,” I agreed.

“It sounds like you found good friends after leaving… us.” I heard the hesitation before the word
us
and knew he wanted to say
me
.

“I was lucky to find Lizzy and Matt. But I’m luckier still to have you.”

He closed the distance and gave me a sweep-me-off-my feet kiss. I melted against him. It didn’t matter that my feelings were confused. I was still very much attracted to him, and I loved him. It was hard not to.

“I’ll see you in Scotland,” he promised.

Those were his parting words as the door drifted shut and I was left to finish packing for a trip on a plane alone with Kalen.

I shifted in my seat of the town car, trying to adjust my hard-on. My dick had a mind of its own and didn’t care that the woman next to me had betrayed me in every way.

Changing my focus, I mentally went through the checklist of things I’d done and still needed to do. Getting my plane to Virginia from New York hadn’t been a big deal. I’d made trips to the area before and had an arrangement with a private airport in the area already. The plane was fueled and would only need to be topped off before our overseas flight.

I’d selected the meal for the flight and felt comfortable that Bailey would like my choices. After a few more e-mails to my assistant to adjust meetings and set up video or teleconferences, my dick had finally settled down. It wasn’t like she was in a skirt and I could see her long legs. Instead, she’d taunted me by wearing jeans that fit her like second skin. She’d known my rule about such things, but I guess that was the point. My rules no longer mattered.

We said nothing to each other. She barely glanced my way, nor I at her. It was a bit foolish, but for now it was for the best. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to keep my temper from flaring and she didn’t need that. She had been through a rough ordeal already. It wasn’t the time to talk about how she’d crushed my heart.

When the car came to a stop, the driver helped her out and I got out the other side. I needed air and space between us. We would be on a flight for about eight hours with little distance to put between us.

As it was a private airport, the driver pulled us very close to the stairs we needed to climb to enter the plane. I strode towards it not, waiting for Bailey. The flight attendant was waiting for me.

“Mr. Glenn, it’s good to see you.” Her red painted lips said a lot more. And I considered it for a second. I gave her the once over and her navy skirt and pale blue shirt gave me an excellent view of what she had to offer. There was a bedroom in the back of the plane…

My trance was broken when I saw the blue eyes of the stewardess in front of me turn her attention to my other passenger. I didn’t wait. I walked up the stairs, knowing the driver was bringing our bags and the stewardess would handle Bailey.

After a quick chat with my pilot, I went to the back. Bailey had chosen a seat. My seat. It was the seat I normally sat in when flying. I gritted my teeth and seriously considered asking her to move. She wasn’t my girl.

I bit back the words and I turned to sit in the opposite seat across the aisle. It was just a seat for Christ sake. No big deal, plus, I didn’t really want to make conversation with her anyway.

“Kalen,” she said. Her voice was soft and pained. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I faced her. “If you don’t want me here, I can fly commercial somewhere else alone.”

Guilt was like a sledgehammer. I was being an arse. “I asked you to come, remember.”

“You haven’t said one word to me. I feel like I’m a burden.”

“What do you want me to say?” I asked humorlessly.

She shifted. Was it guilt that had her face the seat in front of her? The flight attendant broke up any opportunity for Bailey to answer my question.

Her glossy lips asked for my before-the-flight drink order. “A double scotch please,” I replied, tossing her a flirty grin. I gave her my undivided attention as she straightened after giving me a dose of her cleavage. I seriously considered what those red lips framed by blonde hair would look like wrapped around my cock. I decided that maybe that was what I needed to distance myself more from the red haired beauty next to me that continued to stalk my dreams.

However, it was Bailey’s soft words as she asked her where the restroom was and her sweet arse as she got up out of her seat, that finally made my dick jump in my pants. It had to be karma that laughed in my face. I leaned my seat back as the door finally closed. I thought about the pilot beginning the final flight check to reverse my growing erection.

“Here you are, Mr. Glenn. Do you think your girlfriend would like a neck pillow before we prepare for takeoff?”

The woman was smooth. I knew what she was really asking. So I gave her the answer she wanted. Plus, it was the absolute truth. “She’s not my girlfriend. You’ll have to ask her.”

A huge smile that showed all her pearly white teeth played across her mouth. I had to wonder if her mouth would open wide enough so that her teeth wouldn’t graze my dick. “Well, then,” she said. Her voice took on a sultry cadence. “Is there anything else I can offer you then?”

I found myself truly grinning for the first time in hours. Or was it days? I was just about to answer when Bailey sat in her seat and made a chuffing sound as she did so.

The flight attendant glanced at her, but Bailey ignored the both of us. I scowled. Why should her disapproval bother me? “Maybe later,” I answered.

After the woman departed, Bailey spoke. I turned to watch her, but she never looked at me when she said the words, “Don’t let me stop you.”

“You don’t have to worry, sweetheart. I know I don’t need your permission to do anything. You made that all too clear.” I swallowed my drink in one gulp. I set the glass down and closed my eyes. There was just nothing else to say.

Sleep had been non-existent for what felt like days. And it eluded me until after dinner was served. I’d closed my eyes only to wake later to sniffles. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the low light of the cabin. It had been set for optimal sleeping. When I was able to see, I turned. Bailey had a hand covering her mouth with tears streaming down her cheek. I fisted my hands at my sides, wanting to go to her but knowing I couldn’t. There was no way for me to touch her and keep it at some insane friend level. I had no desire to be her friend. I fortified my heart and continued to be a dick. I pretended not to notice her need for comfort.

The next time I opened my eyes was when we touched down. It had been many months since I’d been home. This part of the trip, I was looking forward to. After taxiing to our resting spot, I tossed the blanket and pillow I used in the chair next to mine.

My red lipped stewardess came by. “I have a short layover if you aren’t busy.”

Bailey huffed and stormed out of her seat to head for the open door. The stewardess frowned. “Are you sure that’s not your girlfriend?”

“It’s not.”

“Your wife?” she asked, looking miffed, like I had allowed her to be fooled earlier.

“No.”

She perked up. “Later then?”

“I wish I could. But I can’t. I have to get her settled, and I think the flight is headed back to New York to pick up someone else.”

She sighed. “Yes, and I’m not assigned to that one.”

“That’s too bad. Next time,” I said and headed out of the door.

As much as I’d been tempted, she would be on rotation for future flights whenever I took them. I didn’t need the complication if she wanted more than I had to give.

Bailey stood looking lost at the bottom of the stairs. I didn’t have a driver waiting here. I walked past her and into the small station to pick up my car keys. Once I came out, our bags were placed at the trunk of the car waiting just outside.

Wrapped in a metal box that was my vehicle with nothing but silence, we again found ourselves alone. Neither of us was willing to fill the gaps. By the time I pulled into the drive in front of the house, I was aching with the need to say something to someone.

The door to the house swung open before I could make it to the trunk to get our bags. And just when I got the thing open, a brunette jumped into my arms and planted a kiss firmly on my lips. “Kalen, I missed you.”