First Class Sin

“Well, I’m a frequent flier,” he explained, thick elbow resting dangerously close to hers on their short armrest.

Juliana swiveled, surprised. “So am I, but I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that level of service.”

“Yes, but I’ve got eleven million miles, give or take.”

Juliana barely prevented her mouth from dropping open. “Eleven million?” She did a rough calculation in her head. “That means if you traveled fifteen years, you’d need 733,333 miles a year.”

His mouth quirked up in an amused smile. She was relieved he didn’t act surprised, or say, Wow, you’re really good with numbers, like some men who seemed genuinely shocked that a woman could do math in her head.

“Yes, give or take that. I’ve been traveling regularly for twenty years, though, so really it’s just about 550,000 miles a year.”

“Still... That’s...mind-boggling.” Juliana struggled to process the staggering reality. “I thought I travel a lot, and I just hit 200,000 miles last year. What do you do? Are you a pilot?”

He chuckled, voice low. “No, but I wanted to be. I have a special kind of color-blindness. I mix up blues and greens, so I can’t fly.” His stark blue eyes never left hers. It was hard to imagine anything being wrong with them. “I wanted to fly fighter jets but couldn’t, back when I was twenty.” He shrugged one fit shoulder. She got a whiff of his cologne. Something subtle but earthy. She liked it. She found herself leaning in a bit more. “So instead of going to the Air Force Academy, I went to Wharton. And...here I am.”

“So what do you do?”

“What do I do for a living or what am I passionate about?”

Juliana considered this. She knew many folks who might not be so focused on their careers as their passion. She understood that. It wasn’t like consulting was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She’d much rather someday run her own company, call her own shots. That was what she’d like to do. Be the boss.

“What are you passionate about?”

“Charity and innovation.” Law’s eyes grew a brighter shade of blue. This really was his passion. She couldn’t help but be surprised. Something about his take-no-prisoners attitude didn’t seem to fit with a nonprofit. “I just started a charity. It helps encourage entrepreneurs from all over the world. I think we need more innovation, and sometimes big companies can hinder competition.”

“So what does the charity do?”

“We give out grants to small business owners, but from all over the world, whether that’s Uganda or New Jersey.”

“That’s great.”

He grinned, a blinding flash of white. She met his amused stare and found herself forgetting everything she wanted to say. Those eyes. So blue. So amazingly clear. Those firm, muscled arms on display through the thin cotton shirt. Juliana mentally shook herself. What was she doing? Drooling all over the passenger in 34H? Seriously? She wasn’t some teenager crushing all over the new boy in class; she was a professional woman with responsibilities. Besides, he was probably married. Her attention wandered to his left hand. No ring. Not that that meant anything. He could still be attached. Probably was. With that strong chin and accent? No doubt.

Law gently nudged her elbow and all thought of the past fled her mind. His arm was warm and solid and strong. She wondered what it would feel like wrapped around her. “What do you do?”

Juliana swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Focus on something other than his lips, Juliana. Geez.

“Business consultant. Mergers and acquisitions.”

“That can’t be easy.” He looked impressed.

“I don’t like easy. There’s no challenge in it.” She grinned as she delivered her signature line, the thing she said to strangers on planes, in hotels and at conferences. With all her travel, she’d become very good at summarizing her life in a few easy-to-digest lines.

Law chuckled a little. Juliana liked making him laugh. She wanted to do it again. But here was the part of the trip, no doubt, where he’d pull out his book or magazine or e-reader. He’d tuck his nose into his distractions and she’d answer her email on her phone and they’d become strangers again.

Juliana waited for it. After all, a man like this wouldn’t talk to her the whole flight. It just didn’t happen.

Her mother always thought she’d meet someone on her travels, a likely prospect for a husband, or heck, even a boyfriend, but it just didn’t happen. Maybe Juliana was too focused on her work, too eager to pull out her laptop and block everything else out. But she also wanted to tell her mother that it was next to impossible to make real connections with people as she crisscrossed the country, spending her time in tin birds and hotels that all looked the same.

“So, what do you like to do for fun?” Law was still looking at her. He made no move to pull out his phone to check his messages one last time, or reach for the onboard magazine. He still seemed interested. Odd.

“Oh, fun is usually work,” she said. “I like to run 5Ks when I can find a spare Saturday but normally, I’m working. Pretty boring life, I guess.”

Here’s the time he grows bored. Looks away. Finds something else to do. Men always get bored with her, especially good-looking men. She waited. But his attention didn’t waver.

“I know what you mean,” he said. “I spend most of my time working, too.”

Juliana’s smart watch dinged. She glanced down and frowned. Garrison again.

When you get back, let’s meet. I want to explain.

She ignored it. Garrison needed to get over himself. She mentally rolled her eyes. Couldn’t the man take a hint?

The flight attendants walked the aisles, shutting overhead compartments. They were getting close to takeoff. Juliana felt her blood pressure rise as sweat broke out on the small of her back. What was going on? She’d spent her entire life as a fearless flier, so what was up with her sudden nerves?

She took a deep breath and exhaled. Juliana didn’t know if it was because she’d researched airline crashes so much during her recent project or what. She sucked in a breath. Stop being silly, she warned herself. This is one of the safest planes in the fleet. Still, her heart thudded harder. Just get through takeoff. She knew most accidents happened during takeoff or landing. More things could go wrong, because the plane was closer to the ground and moving slower... And... Deep breath, she told herself. Take a deep breath. Think of something nice. Like your favorite glass of wine. Like lying on your favorite beach...like...

“Nervous flier?” Law asked, his sharp eyes missing nothing.

“Not usually.” Juliana laughed weakly. What was wrong with her? Was she coming down with something? Food poisoning, maybe? “Actually, never. I don’t know why, but suddenly—” she shrugged “—I just feel a little weird about it.” Light-headed, scared, even. This was so embarrassing...an airline consultant...afraid of flying. She’d spent countless hours on flights this month and didn’t blink an eye. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Maybe I’m coming down with something.”

Maybe it’s the stress. Blue Sky was a tough project, no doubt, but she’d had worse.

Her phone pinged again. Garrison one more time.

You take off yet?

She silenced her phone. No wonder she had a case of the nerves. Garrison wouldn’t leave her alone.

Take the hint, she mentally begged him. Just seriously, take it. Not interested. Never will be. Don’t make me spell it all out. Let’s just pretend none of it happened and move on.

Garrison was a heavyset, barrel-chested married man in his early 50s. Just thinking about Garrison’s stout body made her wince. Garrison might find her attractive, but the feeling was not mutual. And he was married, she reminded herself. He had a wife and two kids in the ’burbs. But then again, it was usually the married men who pursued her. She didn’t know why. Did she give off some kind of vibe that told men she was desperate enough to consider someone already taken? She wasn’t sure, but it happened more than she liked to admit.

She focused on the passenger next to her. She wanted a distraction, badly, and he provided the perfect one. Look at those blue, blue eyes. Yes, something about his face made her think he’d understand her. What was she thinking? This man cared? He was a stranger. And he’d grow bored with her soon enough.

“No reason to be embarrassed. Everybody’s scared of something.” She doubted the Aussie next to her was afraid of anything.

“Thanks. I really don’t know what’s wrong.” She fanned her face and gave herself a mental shake.

Law cocked his head. “Well, you’re flying on the world’s safest airline. Blue Sky has the lowest accident rate of any airline in the world. That’s why...” Law paused. “That’s why I fly so much with them.”

Juliana knew about Blue Sky’s lack of accidents, of course, but hearing it again and from one of the airline’s most frequent customers, made her feel a bit more comfortable as some of the tension left her shoulders. She liked talking to this stranger. It felt oddly freeing somehow.

“I’m glad of that,” she said, and grinned.

The flight attendant announced the plane would be leaving the gate, and just as she clicked off the PA system, the plane rattled to life beneath them, slowly backing out. Juliana saw the ramp agents far below on the ground, walking with orange-capped flashlights, leading the plane away from the jet bridge. She thought about how they would soon be off the ground, and felt more sweat pool between her lower back and shirt. She looked about the cabin for a distraction and saw a woman wearing a “just married” sweatshirt, cuddling up to her new husband. So sickly sweet, so...silly. She frowned at the happy couple. She wondered if that husband would be Garrison in a few years, sending inappropriate texts to his staff member.

Law followed her gaze. “You don’t like newlyweds?”

“I just think love is a waste of time.” She waved her hand, feeling the futility of it all. Garrison was hardly the first man she’d met who believed monogamy applied to other people. When Juliana was just fourteen, her own father ran off with a younger woman. Her mother had spent most of her adult life hammering home the fact that career was more important than family. Families break up, but a good résumé never does, her mom would always say. Her mom had spent fifteen years as a housewife, and when their father ran off with a younger woman, she found herself having to go back to school, learn new skills, as she was woefully underprepared for the workforce.

“You think falling in love is a waste of time?” Now Law looked incredulous.

“It’s a distraction,” Juliana said as the plane rolled out to the runway. She tried not to think about the fact that in a few scant minutes, they’d be airborne. She still didn’t understand why she felt so uneasy out of the blue. She’d flown thousands of times. Why should this time be any different?

“People think it’s this wonderful thing, this great thing, and yet most of the time it doesn’t work out. It causes pain and heartbreak. Who needs it?”

Juliana thought of Garrison. Just one more reason not to waste time running after a happily-ever-after. Save those fairy tales for her three-year-old niece, Evie.

“What about love making the world go around? What about all the songwriters and poets?”

“They’re wrong.” Juliana shrugged. “Give me a glass of wine and a cat. I’ll be fine.”

Law laughed, his eyes, blue like the ocean, crinkling with merriment. “I don’t see you as a crazy cat lady.”

“Oh, I could get into the role. Believe me.” She grinned and he chuckled again.

“Seriously?”

“Why not? I don’t need a man to be happy.”

Law laughed again. “Well, of course not. Usually, we’re more trouble than we’re worth.”

The hint of the Aussie accent hit her ears and felt rich and layered, like a European espresso. Now it was her turn to laugh. She loved a man confident enough to poke fun at himself.

“That’s what my mom always said. She put career first and taught me to do the same.” Juliana was unapologetic about that.

“You don’t want kids?” Law asked.

Juliana shrugged. “I practically raised my younger sister, so I feel like I’ve already had one. Kids, marriage...they’re a waste of time.”

Law’s blond eyebrows arched so high on his face she thought they might leap off. He clearly didn’t agree with her assessment. Well, this was why some of the men in her office secretly called her an ice queen or ballbuster behind her back. It was why many of them kept their distance. She made it perfectly clear she didn’t need a man. Didn’t want one.

“Well, take the emotion out of it, and look at the facts. Half of them end in divorce. More than half of men and almost half of women cheat.” Juliana shrugged and folded her arms across her torso, trying not to look out the plane’s window as they taxied down the runway. Her stomach leaped. They’d take off soon. The plane rumbled down the tarmac, and then, suddenly, took off. She gripped the hand rests, her knuckles turning white. What’s wrong with you?

“What about dating? Relationships, then?” Law asked her. The cabin shook a bit as the plane fought the earth’s gravity. She was suddenly glad for the distraction of his deep voice. “So you don’t want the legal entanglements, then wouldn’t you want...companionship?”

The way he said it implied he might have more than a passing interest in the answer to this question. Law’s elbow grazed hers as his shoulders seemed to take up all the oxygen in the cabin. He shifted his long legs, stretching them out beneath the seat in front of him.

“It’s not my top priority,” Juliana admitted. The shuttering of the cabin finally eased. Thank goodness. She loosened her grip on the armrests. “Men can be needy. And they don’t understand my work schedule.” She shrugged, thinking about the last time she’d tried a relationship. She’d dated the man eight months, but she’d been traveling at least half of that time. She returned after a particularly hard project in California, only to discover he’d put up his profile on dating websites without telling her. When she confronted him with all the Facebook photos she’d found of him hanging with other women, he’d told her it was all her fault. She needed to pay attention to him more, as if he were a toddler in need of supervision. “Even when I do, I don’t have time for needy men. My work comes first. What about you? Do you want to get married?”

“Oh, yes. I definitely want to get married someday,” Law declared. “And have a gaggle of kids. And find my soul mate.”

“Oh, no. You believe in soul mates?” Now Juliana forgot entirely about her unease about being thousands of feet above the ground. “Like one person in a million, just for you, that kind of soul mate?”

“One in four billion, actually,” he said.

Juliana couldn’t believe it. This man, this smart, successful man, believed in the kind of fairy tales usually reserved for children. Did he arrange tea parties for his stuffed animals, too?

“You think there’s just one person. One, for each of us?” The plane rumbled up its ascent, barreling up to cruising altitude. But she was so intent on their conversation, she barely noticed.

Law shrugged. “Maybe.” This man, this reasonable, successful man, was a romantic. Juliana couldn’t believe it. He might as well have told her he believed in unicorns.

He shifted a little and his elbow touched hers. She didn’t move her own arm. She let the contact stand. He shifted again so his whole forearm touched hers. She felt the warm press of his arm against her, every hair on her forearm standing at attention. She might not be a romantic, but she certainly understood physical attraction. That seemed a much more reasonable idea: two people wanting to mate, barely different than animals, really, except that people liked to pretend it was something else. Like romance.

“I think it’s very possible we’re on this planet to find the person who’s made for us,” Law said, sounding like a cheesy Valentine’s Day card.

“Oh, geez. I think that’s a cop-out. It kind of implies you don’t need to do the hard work of getting to know someone. A person just shows up on your doorstep and—bam!—instant love.”

“It might work like that.” Law grinned. “It could be fate. Do you believe in fate?”

“Fate implies we don’t get a say in our own lives.” She shook her head. “I bet you buy a woman flowers on the first date. And insist on paying.” Juliana rolled her eyes. She felt the plane beneath them level out a bit. Cruising altitude almost reached.

“What’s wrong with flowers?” Law asked, puzzled.

“They’re pretty for a half second and then they die,” she said. “A waste of money.”

Law barked a laugh. “Well, then, I’ll make a mental note not to buy you flowers when I pick you up on our first date.” He pretended to scribble on an invisible notepad.

Juliana laughed. “Who said we’re going out?”

“We’re not?” Law challenged, eyes fixed on her. Did he feel the little snaps of electricity running back and forth between them? A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and she knew then he definitely felt it. And the way he was looking at her now told her he had no plans to ignore that electric current. “Are you sure about that?”

CHAPTER TWO

LAW KNEW HE was playing with fire. What was he doing, flirting with Juliana Hart? He’d had one goal, and one goal only, to evaluate the independent consultant working for AM Air, trying to figure out if she knew her stuff or if her work could jeopardize the sale of Blue Sky to AM Air next month. Law, the reclusive majority shareholder at Blue Sky, and acting CEO, wanted very badly for that sale to go through. He’d spent nearly fifteen years in the airline business, and he was done. He was ready to focus on his charity, and spend the rest of his forties enjoying life a little, maybe even starting a family. He’d spent his whole adult life up until this point working seventy hours a week, and that had to change.

That all started with the sale of Blue Sky, and the only thing potentially standing in the way was this little independent report, commissioned by the board of AM Air, to prove the merger would be beneficial. That report would be written by this troublemaker sitting in 34G.

She smiled at him, pink lips inviting as they broke to show him the hint of her perfect smile. Nobody told him the woman would be drop-dead gorgeous. That little detail had been left out of all the meetings when his senior VPs had cried into their beers and wrung their hands about the hard-charging consultant who didn’t take no for an answer. She even had a nickname: the ice queen. Distant, hardworking, demanding. He could see why so many of his colleagues were intimidated by her. Though, looking at her now, he couldn’t for the life of him understand why anyone would think she was cold. He’d known she was whip-smart, because she’d run circles around his entire management team. She intrigued him, and he was here to find out more about her.

“Give me one reason I shouldn’t ask you out right now.” He couldn’t help himself, actually. Apparently, he liked flirting with danger.

“Because I’d say no.” She grinned, softening the blow.

“Ouch,” he said, splaying his fingers across his chest. “That hurt.” He faked a cough. She’s tough and doesn’t need every man’s approval then, he thought. I like that.

“Come on. I’m sure you get turned down all the time.” Juliana’s smile grew bigger, her light brown eyes teasing. He was so intrigued by her. He suddenly wanted to know everything about her. The nearly three-hour flight seemed too short suddenly. How was he really supposed to get to know her during such a short time?

“Hey! Are you trying to make me feel better...or worse?”

“Worse,” she admitted. He had to laugh. She was surprisingly quick, and she kept him guessing. Few people managed to surprise him, but Juliana did.

Above their heads the seat belt light flicked off. They’d reached cruising altitude. She looked far more relaxed than when they’d begun takeoff. His mission to distract her from the ascending plane had worked, clearly. He’d been worried there for a minute. She’d been wound so tight, he thought she might burst. That little chink in her armor took him by surprise. She was afraid of flying but had taken on the report from AM Air, anyway, knowing that she’d have to crisscross the country on Blue Sky flights for months. He admired her more in that moment. That took nerve.

“Besides, I don’t date random strangers I meet on planes. Especially ones who believe in soul mates.” She rolled her eyes again. He had to laugh at her disdain for all things romantic. Still, what was her beef with true love? He’d never met a woman so insistent that it didn’t exist. It made him want to figure out just why she was not a fan of love. Broken heart in her past, maybe? Or was it a defense mechanism? Lord knew he’d spent a lot of his professional life not wanting any personal entanglements. He thought they got in the way, until he realized one day that he had an entire airline empire but no one to go home to at night. He wanted that now for the first time. But he realized that to get it, he’d need to scale back his work, make room for a woman in his life.

“You are the least romantic woman I’ve ever met,” he managed, not quite keeping the surprise from his voice. He actually didn’t know they existed. The women he’d dated were always clamoring for commitment, to settle down. Maybe that was because they knew how much he was worth, he thought sourly. Juliana didn’t know who he was. As far as she was concerned, he was just another business traveler, a stranger. She didn’t know how many zeroes he had in his bank account. Too many, really, when he thought about it. Growing up middle class, he’d never imagined he’d have this much wealth at his disposal, that he’d own one of the world’s biggest airlines. Yet here he was.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and he admired the slimness of her neck. He loved how quick she was, how smart. He admired that she had strong opinions and stuck to them. He found himself wanting to ask her personal questions: does she have a family? Does she ever want kids? But those questions weren’t the ones he was supposed to ask. He ought to be focusing on her consulting work for AM Air. This is business. Just business. Don’t make it personal.

He doubted Juliana would ever guess she was sitting next to the man who ran the company she was evaluating. Law didn’t like the spotlight, and shunned social media, so few outside Blue Sky even knew what he looked like. He knew it was unfair to keep Juliana in the dark, but he’d been tasked with evaluating how competent she was, and that was what he’d do. He’d never had a problem keeping his professional life separate from his personal one before. He wasn’t about to start now.

Then, out of nowhere, the plane hit a serious and unexpected patch of turbulence. He clutched his armrest as the nose dipped. Without warning, they seemed to fall ten feet and Law felt his stomach leap to his throat.

Whoa, what was that?

Law knew turbulence could pop up unexpectedly but there was barely a cloud in the sky, and weather forecasts had been clear almost all the way to Chicago. His mind instantly clicked into survival mode: assess the danger, form a plan, act. But of course, there was nothing he could do. He was wearing his seat belt, and Juliana had on hers, and someone else was flying this bucket of bolts, and all they could do was wait and hope for the best. He glanced at Juliana, who’d lost all the blood in her face, looking a shade paler than the tray table stowed in front of her. He reached out and clasped her hand. She let him, glancing at him with fear in her eyes. How he wanted to tell her everything would be okay, that she shouldn’t be afraid, but the hairs standing up on the back of his neck told him maybe that was a promise he couldn’t make.