Say Please

Mile High

This company had me feeling spoiled, that's for sure. Our first class tickets were an unnecessary addition to the trip, but I was thankful nonetheless. Chan looked as if he was used to this treatment, a stark contrast from me. I fumbled with the boxed water that sat in the center tray, almost spilling the contents. I glanced at Chan's curious raised brow.

"First time?" He inquired.

"No, I've done this many times..." I coughed, "too obvious?"

"It's cute, don't worry. Just enjoy the flight. Don't worry about acting like you should be in first class or something. We work hard, and extra leg room and nice meals are our reward." He reached his hand across the seat and squeezed mine gently. I blushed at the unexpected, caring gesture and glanced out the window at the tarmac as I attempted to cool off the heat that pooled deep in my belly.

Chan and I hadn't spoken much since our brief debriefing the first day back at work after our kiss. I wasn't sure if he had let it go. I knew I hadn't yet. That kiss had fueled my dreams every night. I longed for the feeling of his lips on mine again. I wished for much more than that, but for now those fantasies were buried deep in my subconscious.

Thirty minutes into the plane ride, I had gone through my entire camera roll and deleted almost everything, deleted old message threads, and read a hundred pages into my most recent romance novel. My body wanted to inch closer to Chan, but my mind kept it busy with these meaningless tasks.

I closed my book after a particularly steamy scene between the main characters when the idea of them I had in my mind morphed into Chan and I. The warmth in my belly only increased when I read 'his fingers slid down my thighs with restraint' and glanced at Chan's grip on his phone.

"How's the book?" He turned toward me as I placed it in the compartment next to my seat. "Are they fucking yet?"

"Huh?" I sputtered at his bluntness. "What do you mean?"

"I've worked with that author before. This was one of her romance novels that Lyra helped with. I did help with the breakdown of the plot slightly."

"Oh," I grabbed the book and turned to the inside page and noticed the Cloudy Day emblem. How did I not notice? "Um, well, yes. I stopped right before."

"I see," he responded with a grin, "I can see it in your cheeks, so I just assumed you were there."

My blush deepened at his assumption. I needed to change the subject.

"Anyway, do you know where we're staying?"

He flipped open his texts and read one from Voss. "It says a Hilton downtown somewhere. I know Bri booked it for us. I'm surprised she didn't give you all the details already."

"Nope, she's been quite elusive about the entire thing." Nerves struck me suddenly. What was she up to?

"I'm sure it's nothing," he reassured me, "it was all pretty quick anyway. This trip wasn't well thought out." His hand reached for mine again, but stopped short as our flight attendant announced our food was available.

"Hi babes," she chimed, "here's your charcuterie, and here is your chicken, sir." She stood and nodded, pausing for a moment. "Is there anything else I can get you both?"

Chan and I glanced at each other and shared an awkward smile. "No, I think we're good for now, thank you," he responded gracefully.

"I'll check back in with you both in a moment. Also, I just want to say you two make a gorgeous couple." She turned and walked away before she could see my jaw go slack. Chan glanced at me with a mischievous grin.

"What?" I mustered.

"We do look like a beautiful couple, honey," he teased. "I'm just glad I can still make you blush like after years of marriage."

I slapped his arm—momentarily flustered over the firmness of his bicep—and laughed. "Oh, shut it." In response, he brought his hand to my face and brushed my hair to the side.

He winked. "Make me."

——

Our ride from the airport to the Hilton was relatively uneventful, other than the fact that I felt like I could burst into flames at any moment Chan's body interacted with mine: a knee falling against mine, a finger pointing to something on my phone.

The only thing I was thankful for was the space I would have once we checked in. If I had any hope of surviving this adventure intact—both mentally and physically—I would need to use the time in my room as an area of relaxation and make it an anti-Chan zone. A nearly impossible task, I know.

"Hi there! Welcome, do you have a reservation?" An overly-chipper blonde screeched from across the counter.

"Uh, yes. It should be under Voss?" Voss had at least mentioned that part of the itinerary would be under his name.

"Yes, here it is. I have you down for a suite on the twentieth floor for three nights, is that correct?"

A suite? As in... one suite? As in... rooming with Chan? My pulse quickened at the news.

"Are you sure it isn't two rooms?" Chan spoke from behind me. He must have seen my shock and stepped in. Blonde receptionist clicked and tapped away at her keyboard with an overdone frown on her face.

"I have you down for one. Is that going to be a problem? Unfortunately we are completely booked up this weekend due to a local convention."

I turned toward Chan with wide eyes, seeking guidance in this unfamiliar territory. His palm pressed against my back and he looked at the receptionist.

"No, that's okay. We will take the suite." Alarm bells went off across my brain. One suite. Two of us. A lot of Chan. Chan leaned in, once again noticing my shock.

"I'll sleep on the couch, don't worry," he assured me. I stopped myself from blurting out that I insisted we share a bed. The feel of his breath against my ear made me want to forget all my nerves and live the weekend up. How I was going to make it through without going completely insane I had no idea.