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“Sally, you need to take a step back and let Carter leave my office.” Phil nodded at Carter, and Carter turned to leave, never once meeting Sally's gaze or even glancing her direction. As soon as the door closed behind him, he could hear Sally's voice raising and hear her screaming at Phil. He felt bad for his friend and wished he could help, but knew that anything he did at this point would only make things more difficult for HR.
Instead, he walked quickly and purposely through his office, took the elevator down to the lobby, and headed out the front door. The thought of vacation was at the front of his mind as he thought about going home and telling Kaitlyn that they were going to pack and leave.
There was nothing holding them here. They could go anytime they wanted. She didn't have a job anymore. As long as she had cell service, she could take Fawn’s calls. With him taking time off work, they could go anywhere they wanted in the world.
Carter ignored the whispers as he left the office. Ignored people, stares, ignored the glances of pity and anger and headed for his car.
In no time at all, he stood in front of his door. Taking a deep breath, he walked inside and was immediately met by Kaitlyn's exuberant hug and a quick kiss on the lips. He couldn't hold back a smile as he murmured against her mouth. “I missed you too.”
Their relationship had deepened and now he couldn't imagine life without her. There was one thing he needed to tell her, but he hadn't figured out the right words. News that he knew would devastate her crush her soul. But for now, they need to meet one challenge at a time, and that challenge was his work. So instead of telling her what he'd learned, he hugged her and then lifted her off the ground and carried her to the couch.
She let out a startled squeak and clung to him.
He sat down, coming face to face with her.
“So how did it go?” she asked before he could speak.
Carter let out a chuckle. “Not well. Phil told me to leave for a while so they can get things under control, and then Sally showed up at the office, threatened me and started yelling at him. Anyway, I have a couple of weeks of vacation coming, so we're going to get out of here.”
Her eyes widened, and he wasn't sure which part of his statement she was reacting to.
“Would you like to go on vacation with me?” He figured he should slow down and ask and make sure that she actually wanted to go.
“I’ll follow you anywhere.” Her soft voice stirred something deep inside him, and she leaned in and pressed her soft lips to his, waking his body in a way that he knew would lead to one thing and one thing only.
He gently broke the kiss and pulled away slightly, unable to keep a happy smile off his face. “Where do you want to go?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Somewhere warm. Somewhere we can swim. Maybe someplace tropical? I have no idea.”
She might not have an idea, but her words gave him the answer. “Go pack your things. We'll leave as soon as you're ready.”
Her eyebrows furrowed and her forehead crinkled as she shifted in his arms, grinding on him in an intimate way that heated up his blood. “Don't we need to book a flight and do all that other stuff?”
He touched the tip of her nose with a fingertip. “Private plane, sweetheart. We're ready to go when you are.” There were still so many things about his life that she hadn't grown used to, despite living in his penthouse with him, despite all the things they've done. Although they hadn't gone on vacation yet, so expecting her to know about the plane seemed slightly unfair when he thought about it.
She seemed to take this information in stride and leaped to her feet before rushing off to their room. She could hear her moving around and couldn't hold back a smile as they settled back in his seat. Getting away would be good for both of them. One thing was for sure, Carter was tired of people threatening him.
Kaitlyn seemed unsure as she boarded the plane. She glanced around, then leaned in close to him to whisper, “I've never been on a private jet before.”
He leaned in, just as close to whisper back, “Most people haven't.”
While he wasn't shiny and new to this, he could bask in the fact that she was, and he took great pleasure in watching her experience everything the jet had to offer.
“I've never been on a plane before, so I'm not sure if I'm afraid of flying.” Her gaze met his as he sat beside her in one of the lush white leather seats.
“Would you like to have a drink to calm your nerves?” Carter wasn't about to tell her to do anything, but he would certainly offer solutions that might help ease her discomfort. Her rigid posture, the tension in her muscles, everything told him that she was uncomfortable or afraid as she scanned the inside of the jet. He didn't like that he wanted to help calm her down.
She nodded, and he gestured at the flight attendant.
Moments later, the woman brought two tumblers of amber liquid. Before he could say a word, Kaitlyn downed hers. Without hesitation, he offered her his glass, and she took it with a smile of thanks before tossing it back.
“I have a really bad feeling about this. Is that normal?” In spite of the alcohol, Kaitlyn’s voice seemed even more panicky.
“Just sit down and take some deep breaths. It's okay to be a little nervous.” Carter could feel her tensing up and relaxing as the plane started and they began to taxi down the runway. Moments later, they were in the air and she finally seemed to start to relax. Maybe the alcohol was kicking in, or maybe she'd finally realized that they were in one piece and in the air. They settled into her seat, peered out the window, the slight smile on her face as the world fell away.
Carter, used to sleeping on flights, settled in and relaxed.
“Carter?” She touched his arm, and he blinked, looking at Kaitlyn. The panic was back in her oversized honey-colored eyes, and he looked around, wondering what had her so upset. “Something’s wrong.”
