"I hope one day you sweeties will consider coming out to Detroit," he is saying to them. "My treat of course whenever you wish. I'll send the jet to get you and you can stay at my hotel. Maria has my number so she can call me directly."
"She does?" I ask in surprise and glance at his guilty face of Maria.
"Yes, she does. Now say goodbye to your friends."
He lets go of my hand and I embrace Maria. "You traitor," I whisper in her ear. "You've teamed up with him."
"It's for your own good," she returns. "I like him."
But I don't. Hugs aside, the three girls walk us out to the porch with us and I hug Maria again while James stows my suitcases into the trunk of the car.
"Be safe now," she cautions me. "And live a little."
"I'll call you when I get to Detroit," I promise and walk towards the car where James has the door open for me. He waves to the girls once more and slides into the back of the car alongside me.
Too much to hope he would ride upfront with the driver. Only one man is with him today and he could have sat in the passenger seat but who am I trying to kid? If James isn't trying to make me uncomfortable he isn't happy.
"Alone at last," he says, the charm he had displayed to the ladies dropping.
I hope the warmth that I feel has to do with a physical ailment and not because of the heated look he is giving me.
I am not certain how to react to Emmy's blatant disregard for the luxury jet and the wealth and power it shows of my status. Most working-class women like her would be agog and besides themselves with excitement at being treated to such luxury.
Other than the widening of her eyes at first, she does nothing other than to take the seat along the first zone where I point out that she should sit.
And yet I'm impressed with her poise. By observing her, one would never guess this is her first time being on a private jet. I am not partial to women and I have to say she's one of the very few ladies who have ever flown in my jet and not gush about it.
It confirms my suspicion of her, that she isn't the kind of woman who is taken by material things. I find this as beautiful as I find the rest of her.
As the plane takes off, I observe her, wondering what is it that's so special about her that she has my ass backwards. It's not that she's extremely beautiful though she is very pleasant to look at.
I've dated women who were more beautiful, hotter and with more vivacious personalities. Yet none of them has ever occupied my thoughts the way Emmy does.
And I almost blew it. She seems pissed at me as she stared out through the window and ignore me. She hasn't spoken one sentence to me since we left her friends. I couldn't say I blame her either.
I'm aware of the way I've been bossing her around but I am not sure what else I can do. All I know is that that first day we met, the only thing on my mind at the time was taking over Cather's and wondering if I was doing the right thing in assuming responsibilities of a failing publishing company.
Then I'd run into this woman and the second I lay eyes on her and saw her cheeks flush, I knew something was different about her.
I enjoy parrying words with her, even intimidating her a little for her to do what I want. If she only knew I wouldn't do any of the things I've threatened to do. I would have let her go from her contract but I have a need I didn't understand fully to keep her around.
Attraction is there of course. Definitely after that scorching kiss in her kitchen the day before. I'd wanted to lift her onto the couch and sink my manhood into her body but it was too soon. I had to know if she's as special as I think she is.
Or would she turn out to be money hungry? Her actions indicate she isn't or she wouldn't have run away to Birmingham, putting thousands of miles between us.
The day I'd walked by her desk and seen the website for Southwest Airline, I hadn't been able to resist getting a closer look. I'd noted the dates she had selected and the airport and had been furious that she was still planning to leave even after the way I'd threatened her.
I could have stopped her from then but I tried telling myself that her leaving was probably for the best anyway. I couldn't afford for distracted by a new company to run.
Two days later I was still trying to convince myself as I looked through her personal file and found out just who she had in Birmingham. I'd been relieved it wasn't a boyfriend but her friend Maria listed as next-of-kin on her file.
I had the exact address where she was staying and I hadn't been able to resist going after her.
I acknowledge the madness of my actions in leaving the business without a head of authority but the employees seemed to know their tasks. I'd left the interior decorator to design the office exactly how Emmy had envisioned it and took the private jet out to see her.
If she was thousands of miles away and I couldn't stop thinking about her and those cute blushes of her, then I'd sooner have her around where I could keep an eye on her.
"Emmy, do you want a glass of champagne?" I ask her, to break the silence between us.
She shakes her head but doesn't answer.