In Flight (Up in the Air #1)(38)

He noticed the silver box I had thrown on my bed. He gestured at it. “What’s that?”

I grimaced. “A gift from James. I haven’t had time to look at it.”

He grabbed it, tossing it into my flight bag and slinging the bag over his shoulder.

“We can check it out when we get a break. Let’s go, Bee.”

I braided my damp hair as Stephan drove us to work. I put on the minimal makeup that I could manage in the car. I even had a moment to spare before we got to work.

I realized how sore I was as I finished my rushed makeup job. Every shift on my seat made aching muscles protest in unnamable places.

Well, he had offered to take it easy. Now I could see why, though I still couldn’t regret our enthusiasm. I doubted he would either, if he realized that every time I shifted in my seat today I would have to think of him.

The marks on my wrists had faded into the faintest of pink marks. My old watch covered the mark on my left wrist, and I didn’t think the exposed marks on my right wrist were enough to draw attention. But still, they were all reminders of himself that he’d left with me.

Part of me thought I wouldn’t see him again. He’d been intense and passionate, but that may be how he was with every lover. For all I knew, he’d already had his fill of me. I was already bracing myself for the possibility.

We checked in for our trip and headed for the crew bus.

“Should I check real quick and see if we can pick up a turn tomorrow?” Stephan asked me while we waited. “I wouldn’t mind taking the day off, either. We’ve been working so much lately, we are due for a little break. It’s up to you.”

I grimaced. “Let’s see how today goes. We could always check on the flip side.”

He just nodded. Neither of us were usually chatty in the morning. And I hadn’t even had a cup of coffee yet. I really need to remedy that soon, I thought.

I made coffee as soon as we got to our plane, downing a large cup fast enough to burn my tongue. But it helped. I felt like I could survive the day after that.

The first few hours of the flight passed by in a flash. We had a full flight, and we didn’t get a break to eat until we were only an hour and a half from DC.

No one had wanted the breakfast offering of greek yogurt, so we both ate that instead of our crew meals.

“Ok, open that box James gave you,” Stephan said immediately after he’d finished eating. “We have a minute, and I’m dying of curiosity here.”

I’d completely put it from my mind. I winced as he reminded me. I was dreading opening it. It made me uncomfortable to get a gift from someone whom I barely knew, and for no reason.

It’s better to just get it over with than to stew about it, I told myself.

I almost just told Stephan to open it for me, but I had the sudden embarrassing visual of him pulling a pair of nipple clamps out of that little box. I could well imagine James doing that. Or giving me something even more kinky that I wouldn’t recognize. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was likely that it was some sort of kinky sex toy.

We didn’t date. We had mind-blowing sex. If he was giving me a gift that he’d thought I would like, wouldn’t it have something to do with what he liked to do with me?

I definitely needed to give it a quick glance before Stephan looked at it. The picture I’d suddenly painted in my head would be mortifying in person.

I strode to my bag, pulling the box out and opening it slowly, tilted towards me, half-dreading what I would find.

Well, it’s certainly nothing kinky, I thought, stunned. It was a lovely, elegant watch. It looked like a very high end version of the one I needed to replace, silver in color and sporting a pale turquoise face. Of course this one’s blue face was circled by diamonds. Even the hour markers were little diamonds. I hoped for a moment that they were just cubic zirconia, but then I saw the label. I knew absolutely nothing about expensive watches, but even I recognized that label.

“Oh, god,” I said, a hand covering my mouth in shock.

Stephan took the box from me, giving me a puzzled look.

“Whoa,” he said instantly when he got a look at the gift. “Holy shit, a Rolex?” He grinned at me. I smiled weakly back, though it was an effort. “Somebody is smitten with my Buttercup.”

I didn’t think that was it. I suddenly had the horrifying thought that this was his parting gift, his ‘thank you for a good time’ gesture. Did he have a stack of these somewhere for all of his one night stands? I wondered morbidly. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.

“I need to use the restroom,” I told Stephan, rushing into the tiny lavatory.

I splashed water on my face, then had to carefully wipe the mascara from under my eyes.

I had known that it was coming, but I’d thought he’d stay interested for at least a few memorable nights. I told myself sternly that this was for the best. If I was this upset about him dumping me after a night, I couldn’t imagine what a week or a month would do. But I would return that damn watch. It was too much. I wasn’t sure how much a Rolex cost, but I was very certain that it wasn’t something I could have bought for myself.

I took a few deep, calming breaths, and went back out.

Almost at the same time, Melissa flounced through the curtain. “1A is a hottie. He’s built like a linebacker. He’s wearing Armani, too. That’s never a bad sign.” Oh lord, I thought to myself, more annoyed to see her than usual. She was trolling first class again.