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As we eat dinner, we catch up on each other’s news. I regale them with tales from work, which are always a hit.
“Speaking of weddings,” Jason says. “Connor and Jen’s wedding is this coming weekend.”
“Oh, cool. Are you guys going?” I ask. If I remember correctly, the wedding will be in Vegas.
Jason shakes his head. “We can’t, not so early in Brooke’s pregnancy.”
I remember that Brooke had problems with her last pregnancy in the early months. “Yes, it’s better to be safe and stay home.”
Jason reaches into his pocket and pulls out an envelope, which he pushes across the table to me.
“What’s this?” I say.
“Plane ticket,” Jason says. “You are going to Vegas in our place. “
“What are you talking about? “I say. “I can’t go to Vegas. I have a business to run.”
Brooke and Jason exchange a look.
“Do you realize that ever since we met, you’ve never taken time off,” Brooke says. “You’re always working.”
“That’s because it’s a new business,” I say. “I have to work ungodly hours for the business to succeed.”
“We understand,” Brooke says. “And you’ve done a wonderful job with it. We are all so proud of you, but now it’s time for you to have a little fun.”
“Does she even remember what the word fun means?” Jason says, his tone was sarcastic.
I stick out my tongue at him. “No one knows how to have fun as much as I do, Jason, and you know it.”
“Then go,” Brooke says.
“You have good people working for you, Marian,” Jason said. “They’ll hold the fort down while you’re away.”
It’s tempting; I have to admit. The thought of flying to Vegas and leaving my worries and responsibilities behind for two days sounds like heaven.
“You will, won’t you?” Brooke says.
Was I seriously considering leaving my business for a whole weekend of fun and merriment in Vegas? I thought about how hard I had worked for the last five years. As Brooke pointed out, I had never taken time off.
Surely, I deserved two days of fun. “OK then, I will.”
“That’s my girl,” Brooke says.
Chapter 2
Declan
I shuffle around before I find a comfortable position. My long legs are an advantage everywhere except on a plane. I relax back in the seat and let out a sigh as my muscles relax.
I’m looking forward to this weekend. The last few months have been filled with stress after stress from mounting debt to lack of capital, which I sorely need to expand the business.
A peppermint scent alerts me to the presence of another person near me. I turn away from the window, and when I look at the caramel beauty who slides into the seat next to mine, my breath hitches.
She smiles as she adjusts her body to find a comfortable seating position. The more I look at her, the more I think I’ve seen her before. “Do I know you?”
She gives me a cynical look.
“I promise it’s not a pick-up line. Honestly, I feel as if I’ve met you before.”
“It’s a big city,” she says in a voice that sounds like a race car. Throaty. Sexy. A voice that conjures up an image of her whispering into my ear, begging me to do dirty things to her.
I have to tear my gaze away. She’s gorgeous. My attention is momentarily grabbed by the flight attendant as she takes us through the safety briefing.
“I’m Declan,” I tell my seatmate a few minutes later when the plane is in the air.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she says. “My name is Marian.”
I bite my tongue from saying the automatic response that comes to my mind. I have a feeling that if I tell her she has a beautiful name, she’ll raise that cute eyebrow at me again.
“Are you from LA?” she says.
“Santa Monica, born-and-bred,” I tell her. “What about yourself?”
“I’m from a small town in Northern California called Arlen,” she says. “But I’ve lived in LA for almost six years now.”
The flight attendant interrupts our conversation as she wheels the drink trolley down the aisle. I settle for a bottle of water, as does Marian.
I still can’t shake the feeling that I know her from somewhere, but no matter how much I wrack my brain, it doesn’t come. Not to mention that I would have remembered if I’d met her. Marian has the kind of looks that you don’t forget. Not if you’re a hot-blooded male. She oozes sex appeal. From the length of her gorgeous legs, I can tell that she’s tall and curvy. I’m in full arousal mode, which goes to show how long it’s been since I’ve dated. The last year or so has been all about my business.
Marian is easy to talk to, and we flirt all the way to Las Vegas. We land in the afternoon, and when the plane comes to a stop and the ‘seatbelts off’ sign flashes, Marian and I smile at each other and shake hands.
