“People like me…” I sputtered as I stormed back to him. “What doesthatmean?”
“Frantic,” he explained, gesturing up and down my body. “Messy. Disorganized.”
“Are youkiddingme?” I hollered at him, causing a few people passing by to slow down to watch. “None of this is my fault!”
He chuckled, which only made me angrier. “Which one of us was tearing through the terminal like a rabid velociraptor, hmm?”
“That’s it, I’m taking back my thank you,” I fumed. “And replacing it with a ‘fuck off, Harrison.’”
He tipped his head and winked at me. “Works for me. Safe travels.”
I wanted to say something about hoping his private jet would end up in the ocean…but I’d already made enough of a scene. I didn’t like that I’d let him bring out the worst in me. Normally, I could keep my emotions in check. My work in public relations required a cool disposition and a level head, and Irockedat my job. I wasn’t going to let this poltergeist from my past rattle me any more than he already had.
“Whatever,” I said. “Good luck with the Rushies coming after you. No other fandom carries a grudge like them, so expect to be enemy number one for alongtime.”
I doubted he caught my reference to one of the singer’s most popular songs, “Enemy Number One.” The woman could write a phenomenal revenge song.
“I’m not worried about Scarlet Rush and her minions,” he responded. “That’s being taken care of.”
I laughed in his face. “Minions? You better watch yourself. If word gets out of you talking like that, it’s only going to piss them off more. And from what I’ve heard, you’re already in deep shit with them. First you screw up her flight, then you insult her entire fandom.Messy.”
His expression hardened as he glared at me. “Like I said, it’s being taken care of.”
I bit my tongue to keep from asking if he was smart enough to hire a PR firm, because he definitely needed one. I had a ton of ideas for how heshouldbe dealing with the Rushies, but I’d be damned if I wanted to share my opinion with him.
“I was so wrong about you,” I muttered, half to myself.
Harrison stalked closer to me. “How’s that?”
We glared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
“The person I met in Aspen was a facade. And what’s funny is that I had my suspicions. I should’ve known you were too good to be true.”
Based on the micro-expression that flashed across his face, I could’ve sworn I’d struck a nerve.
“That was a fantasy,” I continued. “A vacation fling and nothing more. TherealHarrison Ashford is a rude, self-centered jackass who deserves every bit of hate he’s getting.”
“Huh.” He smiled at me, all teeth and no warmth. “Seems you’re not the only one who misjudged character in Aspen.”
“Wow, we actually agree. First and last time. Goodbye, Jetliner Jackass. Watch me as I disappear. I’d say you might learn something, but you don’t need to, do you? You’re alreadyreallygood at that.”
I turned on my heel and walked away. Harrison Ashford had already messed up my brain once before. I wasn’t about to let him throw me off my game again.
I didn’t consider myself a true Scarlet Rush fan, but as I walked away from Harrison, one of the lines from “Enemy Number One” kept swirling in my head.
Me and my enemy, we go way back. Every time I think of him my heart turns black.
Yeah, the woman had a song for every stage of a relationship, from the first blush of attraction to the mess after everything blew up. I’d listened to her masterpiece breakup albumDreams and Despairon repeat after Aspen, and as much as I tried convincing myself he’d meant nothing to me, it had taken a while before my memories of Harrison faded.
Shockingly, I was glad I’d run into him today, because now all of the soft-focus happy thoughts werecompletelyerased and replaced by the man he really was.
The Jetliner Jackass, my very own Enemy Number One.
2
HARRISON
If only every problem could be resolved as easily as the personnel issue that had dragged me to LAX.
