Mile High (Up in the Air #2)(88)
I studied his face, but saw no hesitance or embarrassment there. He just smiled happily. “We aren’t into the BDSM stuff, if that’s what you mean, but I’m his top. We don’t switch, not ever. It doesn’t appeal to either of us.”
He had explained the top/bottom thing to me a long time ago. He only ever topped. I had known that. I just hadn’t connected his preference to a dominant/submissive relationship so clearly, though it obviously was just that.
Stephan cleared his throat. “You and James are into the BDSM stuff, aren’t you? He’s your dominant.”
I nodded, meeting his eyes squarely, though I couldn’t bring myself to smile, like he had. “I know it’s not…normal, but I’ve found that it’s just the way I’m hardwired. And he mostly only acts that way in the bedroom. He really doesn’t boss me around outside of it, though he does manipulate the hell out of my life.”
He stroked my hair. “You don’t have to explain your preferences to me. I want whatever makes you happy, and I see that James does that, when you let him. You weren’t even slightly interested in men before you met him, so he obviously gives you something you need. I’m glad you found someone who seems to compliment you so well.”
I nodded, sighing in relief. I had been half-afraid that he would be mad at James if I told him about our strange sexual preferences, and it was good to know that he wouldn’t judge us. I knew better, and as always, Stephan deserved only my blind faith.
We finished out the night watching a few episodes of New Girl, the three of us laughing and eating ice cream. Stephan walked me home around ten o’clock. My security was waiting for me, of course.
I called James, and we spoke for nearly an hour before we reluctantly said goodnight. It hadn’t even been a day since we’d parted, with just one more to go, but as I tried to fall asleep that night, it felt like forever.
CHAPTER FORTY
Work the next day was beyond busy, but still managed to feel like it took ages. We were actually running early on our hour layover in DC. I called James but he didn’t answer. He had told me he had some important meetings that day, so I wasn’t surprised. Just disappointed.
Stephan was speaking excitedly to Javier on his phone in the galley just before we boarded. He beamed at me as he hung up the phone. “The JFK flight is delayed two hours. If we keep running on time we can actually take the redeye flight tonight. Javier is going to meet us at the airport with my overnight bag. James has things for you at his place, right?”
I nodded, feeling suddenly light and happy. If everything worked out just perfectly, I would get to see James a good eight hours earlier than I could have hoped for. My day was looking up.
When we finally arrived back in Vegas we deplaned with efficient and single-minded purpose, still hoping to catch the flight to New York. “Javier says it’s D39, the gate next door. He’s waiting there now. He’s all checked in, and we’re listed. We just need to get there in the next twenty minutes.”
And we did, rushing off the plane at the first possible moment, barely saying goodbye to the rest of the crew. Stephan left his paperwork with Jake, who would drop it off for him.
Javier grinned when he saw us running up to the podium.
We got on the plane, if only barely. It departed not ten minutes after we got on board. I only had time to leave James a brief text telling him that we were on our way, and what time we would arrive.
Stephan and Javier fell soundly asleep in the back row of the plane, but I got up to help the main cabin crew with drinks since I was in uniform, the flight was nearly full, and the people were downright cranky with the delay. As though a sleep wand had been waved over the passengers, they all seemed to fall asleep right after they got their drinks. I was prying empty cups out of the hands of sleeping passengers when I caught the flight attendant I’d been helping studying me with a strange intensity.
I’d never met her before, but she’d seemed friendly enough when she realized that I was going to help her with their service, no strings attached.
She was a very small, very nondescript woman in her early twenties. She was hispanic and had long black hair and eyes so dark they looked black.
We were back in the galley, just the two of us, when she seemed to get up the nerve to ask the question that was obviously on her mind.
“You’re that flight attendant who’s dating James Cavendish, aren’t you?” she asked. Her tone wasn’t hostile, merely curious. In fact it was a little too curious for a complete stranger, something in her voice suggesting that she knew something about him, or even about me. I shouldn’t have been so surprised by it, but it was the first time I had experienced that sort of strange interaction with a co-worker.
I sighed. “Yes, I’m dating him,” I finally said.
She didn’t smile, just gave me that fascinated stare. It was unnerving. “It must not be serious. I’m right, aren’t I? You wouldn’t still be working here if he were serious about you.”
I felt myself getting instantly defensive about my job. “I like my job. What’s wrong with working here?”
She gave me a stare that was way too direct for a stranger talking about my personal life. “Come on. He must make more money than this just brushing his teeth in the morning. I’m just saying that if he wanted to live with you or marry you or whatever, it would be beyond pointless for you to be spending all of your time making peanuts while he makes billions. If he was serious, he would let you quit.”