“Do you have other women?—”
“No. There’s no one else under my employ that I’ve fucked.”
She lifts her chin, and I want to fuckingapplaud.
“Good. That’s a new rule of mine. If you’ve touched a woman, she no longer has access to you.”
“I’m more than happy to live by that rule, sweetheart.”
Within fifteen minutes, another woman boards the plane and comes right over to us. She’s in her thirties, dressed in her black uniform, her hair pulled back in a tidy bun, and smiles kindly but not inappropriately.
“Hello,” she says, addressing Natasha first. “Mrs. Stavros, Mr. Stavros. I’m Chloe. I’m happy to be part of your crew today. Can I get you a refreshment before we take off?”
“I’d like a ginger ale,” Natasha says with a genuine smile. “Thank you, Chloe.”
“The same for me.”
“Of course, I’ll be right back with those.”
She walks away and Natasha nods.
“That’s more like it.”
“How are your nerves now?”
“Better.” The engines start, and she lets out a little squeak. “Maybe not.”
“Those are the engines. Nothing that’s happening is out of the ordinary. Soon, we’ll taxi to the runway and take off. We’ll be flying at about thirty thousand feet, and the flight lasts less than an hour.”
“Okay.”
Chloe sets our glasses in front of us, then walks away, and Natasha gazes around the plane.
“It’s fancy,” she says. “And really pretty. I’m afraid that I’m going to spill something and ruin the leather.”
“You won’t. And if you do, who the fuck cares? It can all be replaced.”
“It’s expensive.”
“I can afford a hundred of these jets, Natasha. You can’t do any harm. Besides, I want you to remember something. Are you listening?”
“You’re three feet away, of course I’m listening.”
“I fucking love your sassy mouth,” I growl at her, making her smile smugly. I love that the light has come back to her eyes over the past few weeks. “You’re the boss here. Yes, they all answer to me, but you’re my wife. You’re a Mafia queen, Natasha. If you don’t like something, or someone, you say so, and it changes immediately.”
“I just snap my fingers and?—”
“And whatever you want to happen, happens. Jessica’s gone. You want steak and lobster for the ride over? Done. You want the color of the leather changed to bright fucking orange? It might not happen today, but I’ll arrange it. This is your empire too.”
She blinks at me, obviously stunned, and then nods slowly. “Thank you.”
“Remember that when you start to get nervous because you’re in new territory. You don’t need to be afraid or worried that you’ll say or do the wrong thing, because you’re at the top of the food chain, Natasha. Don’t forget that.”
She presses her lips together and then nods again. “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll work on it. Now, what are we doing in LA?”
“I have work. While I take care of that, you’re welcome to enjoy the spa at our resort, or go shopping, or sit by the pool. You can do whatever you want.”
“A facial and a mani-pedi sound really good,” she admits.
