In some sort of stupor, I gaze through the porthole window. The plane smoothly begins its landing. I watch the ground draw nearer in the twilight, and a familiar, barely noticeable flutter of excitement slowly builds in my chest. It's not my first flight, but the feelings during landing are always the same.
I catch myself thinking that I could hardly ever get used to these processes, like the flight attendants do. They calmly observe what's happening and, after landing, professionally check if everything is okay, sweeping their keen glances over the passengers.
Finally, we approach the terminal building, and people begin to slowly stir, gathering their belongings and heading for the exit. We swiftly go through the necessary airport formalities, and here I am, waiting by the conveyor belt for my suitcase.
Soon, it appears. A burly young man helps me take it off. I thank him and pretend not to understand his subtle hints at wanting to get acquainted. Yet, this simpleton follows me to the exit, which is incredibly annoying. Perhaps I should have accepted Polansky's offer to meet me upon arrival. Especially since it's already dark outside. Oh well, my stubborn nature, as always, does its thing. So now, trying to ignore the stranger's breathing nearly on my back, I enter the waiting area.
I scan the meeting crowd with an annoyed look and am about to turn around and tell the bothersome non-suitor to back off when my eyes meet a watchful turquoise gaze, and I stop abruptly. The guy behind me bumps into my suitcase and mutters annoyed curses under his breath. But I no longer care about him. Something warm and trembling blossoms in my chest and envelops me.
He came after all. My rebellious self somewhere inside still tries to furiously protest that the boss did things his own way, but all protests are completely drowned out by a satisfied cat inside me that now purrs loudly with pleasure.
He slowly approaches me. A harmless half-smile plays on his sensual lips, but his eyes carry an unconditional predatory look.
" Sweetheart, I see you needed help, " unexpectedly whispers a strange voice too close to my ear, sending chills down my back. Disturbed by the unpleasant sensation, I turn my head away, and before I can utter a word, I find myself in a steel circle of arms, tightly pressed against his muscular chest.
" I missed you, " he murmurs above my head, and the brazen cat inside me stretches even sweeter. Then I feel his lips gently touch the hair on top of my head, leaving a brief kiss, while his bold hands caress my back. My breathing quickens, my pulse races.
Damn! It feels so good in his arms that I don’t even want to resist. I lift my head up. The turquoise gaze is laughing. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the unsatisfied face of the young man, who steps back, silently swallowing his fiasco, and heads to the terminal exit.
I realize it would be odd to stay in his embrace any longer, especially since I fully understand why he just did what he did: it was a perfect chance to both tease and help. But all my senses couldn't care less about his motives, because the masculine scent mixed with the pungent aroma of his perfume overwhelms my nostrils and confuses my mind. He affects me like a drug, from which I get high. Absolute madness. I take another greedy breath and reluctantly try to pull away.
" Not resisting? " His eyebrow arches slyly. " Is Madam in a good mood today?
He teases, devil! But my feelings, indeed, are a mess after his touches. I free myself from these sweet embraces, feeling awkward. Trying to hide it proves somewhat unsuccessful.
" Mm..., thank you for rescuing me from the annoying suitor, " I finally say.
My voice is hoarse from desire, and my cheeks are flushed. I turn away. I badly want to press my cold palms against the warm skin of my cheeks. I struggle to hold back. I silently start to drag my suitcase along, when his rough male fingers touch mine and release the handle from my grasp.
" This way, " he touches my back lightly, guiding me in the needed direction.
I still feel awkward. I can still feel the tingling on my skin from the touches of his palms. We approached his car. Polansky puts my suitcase in the trunk, I sit in front, and buckle up.
He opens the driver’s door, and cool air bursts into the cabin. The boss gets in, buckles up, and starts the car. A tremulous feeling still rages in my chest, so I decide to ask him something neutral.
" Thought you'd be busy all day today? – throwing a cautious glance at his sharp profile.
Polansky pays close attention to the exit and replies:
" I was, " his lips twist into a lazy half-smile.
" You look tired, " I can't help but note, nor can I look away from him. "Came home late yesterday?"
" Today, " he corrects me, "I spent the whole night at the border. Made it home only this morning. Managed to get a quick shower, change, and immediately rushed to work.
So he didn’t even sleep... yet still came to pick me up.
I gaze at him in surprise beneath my lashes.
" Ooh... I see, " I prolong. Pondering, then under a sudden wave of feelings, I blurted out: " Dinner?
A tense pause hangs in the car. Andriy shoots me a brief, surprised look. I grow even more embarrassed and fidget around. Then add, explaining:
" I’ll cook dinner. I owe you for rescuing me from that bloodthirsty admirer.
Polansky snorts. Then his strong hand casually unbuttons the top two buttons. Adam's apple moves up and down as he nervously swallows. For some reason, I find this insanely sexy. I catch myself on this thought and feel even more embarrassed. What the hell?
" Forget about dinner, " Andriy suddenly says, and something inside me snaps and plummets. He doesn’t want to... And then he adds, and a swarm of butterflies joyously flutters in my chest in an unruly dance. " It will be long and tiring. I’ll order delivery. Do you like Thai food?
I nervously swallow, and my lips stretch into a smile by themselves. I nod in agreement:
" Yes, love it.
" Well, great," he smiles and steers the car towards the roadside.
He stops and quickly dials a number. Obviously, he uses delivery services frequently. He places an order to the address of the apartment rented for my business trip and ends the call. Then the car starts again, and we smoothly merge back into the traffic flow.
" It will definitely be faster this way, " he says, flashing a bright white smile.
" Yes, you’re right, " I chuckle.
And twenty minutes later, the car is parked under an authentic five-story building.