remarkably well, without any incidences or panic attacks. Sitting in first class and being surrounded by luxurious leather seats while listening to a soft jazz station on the supplied headset, she’d been lulled by the comfort and security of being in a big, sturdy jetliner. But the moment she’d stepped aboard the Fantasies, Inc. commuter plane, an acute case of apprehension and claustrophobia had seized her, along with a flood of painful childhood memories that had a more profound effect on her than she’d realized.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…
Thankfully, the plane reached elevation and leveled out. Gradually, so did Alex’s erratic pulse, but she knew better than to open her eyes and look out the window beside her. She had no desire to see the vast blue ocean below, or think about the awful last moments her parents must have spent together before their own private Cessna airplane had plummeted, taking them to their watery grave off the coast of San Diego.
She settled back into her seat as comfortably as her rigid body would allow, determined to keep her mind on other, more delightful matters for the duration of the flight…like the fantasy she’d bought and paid for and would soon experience. Yet even that exciting diversion was encumbered with troubling thoughts when she recalled how she’d nearly cancelled this trip at the very last minute.
Yesterday afternoon, to be exact. Right after her company had been served with an unexpected and disturbing complaint alleging copyright infringement and seeking an injunction against Gametek. The plaintiff, Extreme Software, claimed that it owned the proprietary code she’d used in her game and was filing a lawsuit to keep Gametek from marketing Zantoid. A hearing had been set for the week after she returned from her vacation. Her lawyers assured her it wasn’t necessary for her to attend the proceeding, but she intended to go nonetheless and see for herself the parties who were suing her company—and trying to cash in on her success.
But until that court date, Dennis Merrick, the VP of her company, assured her that nothing would be gained by her calling off the trip she’d booked six months prior. He’d insisted she go, relax, and have a good time, and promised to handle the lawyers, investigations, and any legalities that might arise in her absence. As always, he made it more than clear that she could always count on him.
A wry smile touched the corner of her mouth. If Dennis knew the nature of the vacation she’d been saving toward for the past two years, ever since she’d read a magazine article about Fantasies, Inc., she was certain he wouldn’t have been so supportive of her decision to leave. In fact, he would have been downright appalled. But his opinion made no difference. She knew what she wanted and nothing could change that. She wanted to be swept off her feet and seduced by a sexy man, no strings attached, and return home pregnant with the child she’d desired for years. A baby who would love her unconditionally and give her the sense of family she’d never really had.
Dennis would have gladly volunteered to fulfill her fantasy. Except she didn’t want the complication of mixing their business relationship with something more intimate. There was also the important fact that she didn’t connect with him on a physical and emotional level.
She’d known for years that Dennis harbored feelings toward her, but she’d always been careful not to lead him on or give him the wrong impression. She adored him as a friend, trusted him as an employee and respected him as a man. Dennis, for all his loyalty and obvious affection toward her, didn’t make her feel breathless with excitement. No man ever had. Then again, she wasn’t the type of sensual, sophisticated woman who inspired a man’s intense, sexual interest. And since she’d recently come to the conclusion that she’d probably never experience the kind of passionate, impetuous, devoted relationship her own parents had shared, this fantasy would be her last chance to embrace all those lush, uninhibited, thrilling pleasures she’d been denied before she settled into motherhood. Alone and on her own.
In the meantime, with an attractive, enticing stranger picked out for her sole enjoyment and gratification, she’d wholeheartedly indulge in the feeling of being desired and desirable. She planned to drench every one of her five senses in the luxury of being romantically pursued.
Alex released a calm breath and shifted in her seat. Because of the personal, intimate nature of Alex’s request, Ms. Weston had assured her that she’d do her best to make sure that her fantasy man would possess the same physical characteristics as she—black hair and blue eyes—so that there would be a much greater chance of conceiving a baby with her same traits.
Obviously, there was no promise that she’d leave with a child—only Mother Nature, not a paid fantasy, could guarantee that. But in five more days she’d be at her most fertile, and she planned to make the most of that opportunity.
Without warning, the plane hit an air pocket, and the cabin shook from the unexpected turbulence, jarring Alex out of the tranquility that had settled over her. She sucked in a sharp breath and her hand automatically shot out to grip the armrest between her seat and another passenger’s. Instead of cushioned upholstery she came into contact with the firm, sinewy muscle of a man’s arm. Hair roughened and incredibly warm and inviting, his skin disturbed her more than the aircraft’s brief change in altitude.
Chagrined that she’d latched onto a stranger, a very masculine, athletically built stranger if that strong arm was any indication, she immediately snatched her fingers back and settled her balled up fists in her lap.
“Sorry,” she murmured, keeping her eyes tightly closed, as if that could conceal her acute embarrassment. She might have been able to hide her eyes but there was nothing she could do to disguise the obvious heat spreading up her neck, across her cheeks, and all the way to the tips of her ears. The burning sensation made her feel restless in a way she didn’t fully understand.
Before she could contemplate her startling reaction, long fingers grazed lightly across her clenched knuckles, and her pulse skyrocketed. Someone, the man she assumed was sitting beside her, picked up her hand, drew it across the armrest separating them, and slowly and gently unfurled her fingers. She swallowed, hard, as he flattened her hand between two incredibly large palms, engulfing her in a strange mixture of heat and soothing comfort. She’d been alone for so long, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d experienced such a tender gesture.
He swept his thumb along the veins in her wrist, then pressed it against her rapid, erratic pulse. “Your heartbeat is unsteady. Are you okay?”
His voice was smooth and rich, like the decadent Amaretto truffles she indulged in on occasion. Spirals of awareness curled through her, wreaking havoc with the feminine nerves that had lain dormant for too long. Unable to speak for a variety of reasons, most prominent of which was her response to him, she nodded jerkily.
“Then open your eyes and look at me so I can see for myself that you’re okay,” he coaxed in that deep, delicious tone.
For the first time since boarding the seaplane, she lifted her lashes…and stared into a dark, velvet blue gaze that made her own blue eyes pale in comparison. Her stomach dipped, and this time being thrown off balance had nothing to do with the plane hitting an air pocket, and everything to do with the man sitting next to her.
He was big, solidly male and gorgeous in a way that made her feel extremely self-conscious of her own ordinary features. For the sake of comfort during her long ten-hour trip to Florida, and admittedly, out of routine, she’d twisted her hair into a French braid to keep it neat and tidy, and had worn a comfortable loose skirt and blouse to travel in. Never in her entire life had she been more aware of her appearance…and how frumpy she must look.
“That’s better.” A charming grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “At least now I’m assured that you’re not going to pass out on me.”
No, but she was feeling a bit light-headed from all this attention. She struggled to find her voice. “I’ll be fine…just as soon as we land.”
“Which can’t be soon enough for you, I take it?”
She shook her head and laughed, the sound strained with nerves and the kind of tantalizing awareness she wasn’t used to feeling. “No. The sooner the better.”
His hair,