Chapter 1
“Do you think I should pack more?”
Candice looked at the two stuffed suitcases in Alicia’s bedroom. “What the hell else are you going to pack? The last of your possessions? You look like you’re moving out!”
If Danica has her way, I might.How did one let a billionaire down? Cite the fact that they had barely been going steady for a week?“Sorry, Ms. Moreau, but we’re moving too fast. Just last week, I was letting you fuck me for the first time. Now you’re spanking me and asking me to marry you. Can we slow down a bit? I need some breathing room to catch up. Also, are there SparkNotes available for what’s happened so far? I’m woefully behind on my homework.”
“She said we’ll be in Chicago for a week. What if I must change clothes multiple times? I didn’t buy enough outfits when we went shopping!” Ms. Sarah Clayborn had appeared to take the girls for a day of shopping.I went to boutiques I had only dreamed of before.The finest fabrics and most stylish cuts were at the disposal of Danica’s credit card. Candice was along for theride, although Alicia tried not to buy her too much. Who knew what the hard limits were? Not even Ms. Clayborn could answer that.
“You bought half a boutique I hadn’t even heard of before.” Candice scoffed. “What’s wrong with some of the clothes you already have?”
“Oh, my God,” Alicia had an anxiety attack thinking of standing next to Danica Moreau, dressed in her torn jeans and a T-shirt she had kept from high school. “I could never do that. Are you nuts?”
“Right, right. Your clothes aren’t all Versace.” Candice sighed. “I might have some things that fit you. For, you know, downtime.” She kept rolling her eyes as if that was going to change Alicia’s opinion. “Can’t be caught dead in your private hotel room wearing nothing but designer wear now.”
“Candi, I’m dating a billionaire. The woman has standards even if she doesn’t realize it.” Danica once hugged Alicia while she was wearing her Blue Bird uniform. She couldn’t stop commenting on how “scratchy” it was.Unlike her fine clothes, of course.They were perfectly soft and great to wear. For anyone to wear. Including Alicia.I like to think about curling up on the couch with one of her jackets. Sounded like the perfect way to end a rainy day. “Thanks, though. I’d appreciate it. Can I borrow those really soft T-shirts of yours?”
“The white ones? Sure.”
“Thanks.”
Alicia was leaving for Chicago the next day. Well, technically, she was leaving for Chicago Midway Airport via Danica’s personal jet. One of the Clayborns was supposed to pick her up and get on the jet with her. The last thing Alicia wanted was to show up and be surrounded by perfectly dressed businesspeople without looking like she financially belonged there. All the better if Danica paid for her clothes.I’ve already picked out my outfit.A deep red cold-shoulder blouse she picked up at a boutique called The Ruby Peacock.I’ve driven past that place so many times, but knew I could never go inside.The cheapest thing in there had been a scarf for five hundred dollars!Sometimes, that’s the size of my whole paycheck.
Speaking of her paycheck… Alicia stared at her cell phone, realizing she had a rather important call to make.
No, she hadn’t cleared the next few days off from work. Scott even said something about bumping her up to dinners.I’ve proven myself there, a few blights considered. Yet…
She picked up her phone. No time like the present to throw away a career for a woman!
“Wow.” Alicia continued to stare out the terminal window while Ms. Clayborn spoke with a flight attendant. “You sure that’s it? You’re absolutely sure? BecauseI’mpretty sure that’s a commercial jet. It has to be!”
Ms. Clayborn looked over her shoulder. “That is Ms. Moreau’s jet. I assure you. I’ve flown in it many times myself.”
Of course she had. When someone was the personal assistant to someone like Danica Moreau, they damn well did fly around in a… what was it called again? Alicia glanced at her copy of the flight itinerary.Gulfstream.
She had only heard of those jets in passing. The sort of thing people liked to gawk over, but Alicia never filed away into any pertinent part of her brain. Why would she? The only time she flew was in Economy. Otherwise, she took the train, or the,ugh, bus.
All she knew about Gulfstreams was that they were super nice. And super, duper expensive.
“This way.” Ms. Clayborn gestured to the door leading to the tarmac. “We are to be in the air within fifteen minutes.”
The wind was plenty breezy outside, but not strong enough to delay their travel plans. If anything, Alicia received a boost to her personality as she followed the assistant onto the tarmac. Warm breezes. Warmer sunshine. Pretty people in prettier clothes rolling their expensive suitcases toward one of the nicest private jets in existence! Alicia felt like she was taking off for Hollywood, not Chicago. Her luxurious cold-shoulder sleeves flapping in the breeze as she pulled down a pair of thousand-dollar sunglasses and tossed her freshly trimmed hair into the wind helped matters considerably.I’m so spoiled. I could get used to being this spoiled. If only the people at Blue Bird could see her now!
She cringed. After all, Alicia had no job to return to.
“Welcome, Ms. Colbert,” greeted the sweetest flight attendant Alicia ever encountered. She wore a uniform of silky blue, a Hermes scarf wrapped around her throat. “We hope that you enjoy your flight.”
“I will, thanks!” Someone plucked Alicia’s carry-on from her hands and loaded it into the cabin. She followed, careful to step in her four-inch Louboutin heels so she wouldn’t go crashing down to the tarmac like the imposter she was.
Inside was even more luxurious. The perfect air temperature caressed Alicia’s skin as she walked in, greeted by another attendant who asked if she would like lemon water or champagne.Champagne!Was this how it felt to fly in the fifties? Once Alicia suggested that water would be fine, Ms. Sarah Clayborn directed Alicia to the front section of the plane.Yes. Section. As Alicia soon found out, this was a traveling apartment!
Beige leather beckoned Alicia to sit down in the fitted jeans she purchased at a boutique dedicated to nothing but jeans. Work jeans. Everyday jeans. Torn jeans. Deep-pocket jeans (forwomen!) Jeans that ranged in price from $20 on clearance to $900 designer jeans that came with a guarantee. Alicia had gone for a more humble $400 pair. The salesperson had come into the fitting room with her to see if any alterations had to be made. For a few seconds, Alicia truly felt like someone admitted to Danica’s world. Would she one day be fitted for a new wardrobe if she continued down this path to being her girlfriend?
“You’re here.”
That voice hit her in the back of the head like a well-pitched baseball. Alicia spun around in her armchair, shocked to find Danica standing in the doorway between the front section of the plane and the back. She gestured for Alicia to join her, who was still too dumbstruck to move.
“I didn’t know you were here,” she said. Eventually, she pushed herself up and grabbed her purse out of its wire basket.
