Shio threw me into a chair, and it felt like I was on a rollercoaster. My eyes widened as I faced him directly. He leaned in to meet my gaze, and only then could I see how good he looked. His jacket was made of the finest leather, and beneath it, he wore a black designer shirt with a Jesus chain resting on it. His matching pants completed his outfit, and Prada bootscovered his feet. He looked like wealth dipped in chocolate and smelled just as good.
Instead of words, he glared at me, which had me cowering in my seat.
Taking in a breath, I squinted at him and leaned back in the chair. I was so turned on and knew it had everything to do with the drugs. His eyes shifted from my face to my lap before he snarled at me.
His expression was stone-cold. The emotion he’d shown earlier in the car was gone, and he looked at me as if I were nothing. That didn’t stop my body from responding to his touch, even though it hadn’t been one of affection. Just last night, Shio looked at me with eyes full of longing, lust, and care. Now, as I sat in the plush, leather seat, squirming and trying to get rid of the high, I saw nothing in his gaze.
Using his thumb, he flicked the tip of his nose, shifted his eyes, and stood in place, looking out the window at nothing.
“Shio…”
Shio didn’t spare me a second glance as he took the seat across from me. There were at least twenty other seats on this plane, and he chose the one closest to me. A part of me wanted to think it was because he still cared, but knowing Shio, he was probably for a reason I wouldn’t think of unless he told me.
“Buckle up,” was all he said in response, still keeping his gaze off of me.
I secured my seat belt at the same time as him. With his phone in his hand, he began typing, and I nearly broke my neck trying to stretch it to see who it was he was texting. When I couldn’t make it out, I pushed my back further into my seat and let out a breath. Just as quick as he’d ignited a flame inside of my body, it had been put out.
A baby? A family? Who is Bahati?
I had so many questions, and it was taking everything inside of me not to ask them.
“Mr. Cuppacio?”
I snapped my head toward a middle-aged black man dressed as the pilot. His uniform was crisp, and the pins on his white shirt confirmed that he’d checked off all of the requirements to be able to operate this plane.
“Yeah?” Shio answered as he stood to face the man.
“Without your passports being aboard, in order for me to safely get you into CDMX with everything going on between us here, in the States, and them… I need you both to sign this waiver before takeoff.”
“A waiver? I sent you pictures of both our passports,” Shio replied.
He had a picture of my passport?
“Yes, and I have them. They will do for us to leave, but I also need you to sign here?—”
“I’m not signing shit without reading it.”
Shio picked up the tablet covered in a black case. His eyes examined the iPad, and after a few minutes, he swiped the screen. A few seconds later, he signed the screen with his index finger. He tapped the iPad and flipped the screen so I could see it. The words were so small that they looked like a foreign language, which they were, since it was in English. I lifted my finger to sign, but Shio pulled the tablet back.
“Don’t sign shit without reading, Solana…”
“¿Otra lecciíon?(Another lesson?)” My attitude was there, but I was still in a semi-euphoric state, so it may have come out as a moan.
“Read the fuckin’ form, Solana.”
Rolling my eyes, I snatched the tablet from his hand, nearly dropping it, but it fell into my lap. I read as much as I could understand. It was something about customs and being a U.S.citizen, and a whole bunch of big words that I didn’t know, so after figuring it was safe to sign since Shio had signed it, I signed my name. Shio took the tablet from my lap, his knuckles brushing my thigh, and handed it to the pilot.
Taking his seat across from me again, Shio had his head in his phone as the pilot announced we were preparing for takeoff. Shio kept typing away, and since I couldn’t see what he was saying, I let my eyes wander from his hand to his neck. The diamonds in his necklace shone beneath the cabinet lights. Each time he moved a finger, the stones in his watch gleamed as well. Even though he was acting as if I didn’t exist outside his instructions, he looked so damn edible. His dark chocolate skin was glowing, his low haircut was freshly lined, and his facial hair was trimmed to perfection. As he clenched his jaw while giving his phone all of his attention, he was the finest man alive, and I’d bet my next high on it.
Looking around the empty cabin, since the stewardess had disappeared behind a curtain, my brows furrowed. My heart jolted in my chest, forcing me to reach up and rub it. My breathing shortened, and I could feel sweat forming at my hairline, possibly curling my baby hairs. I was leaving America. I was leaving a place I’d wanted to come to for my entire life. I was leaving Shio. I’d planned to do so anyway, to keep Shio and his people safe, but the thought of being forced to do something while I had no clue what we were about to walk into was frightening.
The thought of Shio hating me and his last interaction with me being one that was in a negative light made me want to vomit. I couldn’t breathe, or at least, I felt like I couldn’t.
“Shio…”
He paused his fingers but continued to look down at his phone.
“Shio,” I said, removing my seat belt.
