This chapter is dedicated to isabo because she asked me to dedicate it to her 😂 enjoy!
Authors POV
Getting out of the restaurant was more embarrassing than Kimberley had imagined. Her cheeks were flushed a bright red as they left the kitchen. Cheryl had raked her hand through her hair and straightened her dress, and she looked fine. Kimberley? Her mouth red from Cheryl's kisses, and her hair was sticking up everywhere. She was pretty sure her jeans were dirty from where she'd tossed them on the floor, too, but she supposed that didn't matter.
Everyone was staring at them as if they knew exactly what they'd were doing.
The consultant turned to Cheryl. "The next employee on the list is Eva Davis."
Cheryl grabbed her jacket, barely glancing at the woman that stood nervously. "I've got another appointment to get to. I trust you'll be able to handle it from here?"
Kimberley studied her nails, positive that her cheeks were lit up like a string of Christmas lights. She peered at Eva's face, but Eva seemed relieved that she wouldn't be meeting with Cheryl after all.
Sarah was still staring at Kimberley, though.
"Everything's under control," the consultant said. "I'll send you my full report in the morning."
"Excellent," Cheryl said, slipping on her jacket as she turned toward the door. She paused, glanced at Kimberley, and turned back to the watching group. "I'll be taking Miss Walsh with me."
And there it was. The looks of the other waitresses turned from confused to knowing. Kimberley gave them all a hesitant wave and then bolted for the door as soon as Cheryl opened it. Everyone knew she'd just made a 'special' arrangement with the boss. Everyone. Her cheeks stung with embarrassment. Her earlier bravado about not caring what they thought vanished instantly.
"Well," she told cheryl as soon as they stepped out on the street. "That's going to make things awkward when I have to go back to work."
Cheryl frowned down at her, as if just now realizing what she meant. "Should I have the consultant speak to them?"
"What? No!" God, kimberley could just imagine how that conversation would go. "Let's just forget about it. I'll give it a few days to die down before I come back. I'll talk with the manager about clearing my schedule."
"I'm clearing it." She put a hand on the small of Kimberley's back, directing her to a waiting black sedan.
Kimberley stopped, looking at her. "For how long?"
"Indefinitely. I want you with me."
Kimberley's mouth opened, and then she snapped it shut again. Hadn't she been so excited to take a vacation? To get away for a few days? This was just an extended one, really. "And I'll have my job when I get back?"
"You will," cheryl agreed.
Of course, if she and Cheryl didn't work out, that would make returning to work doubly awkward. She tried not to think about that. "A happy life consists in tranquillity of mind," she reminded herself.
Cheryl moved to the door of the sedan and opened it for her, gesturing for her to enter. Kimberley eyed it. Black, shiny, and brand-new. It screamed money. Totally not her kind of ride. She pulled her keys out of her purse and jingled them. "I drove myself here."
Cheryl extended her hand, palm up.
Kimberley gave her a curious look. "You want to dive to my apartment?"
"No." Cheryl grimaced and looked at her watch, clearly torn. "I wasn't lying, Kimberley. I do have a meeting I have to get to in the city. We don't have time to go back to your apartment. I can have someone drive your car back safely."
Kimberley's jaw dropped. "You want me to go with you? Right now? I don't have any of my stuff."
A hint of a smile curved Cheryl's mouth, and she slid on a pair of sunglasses. "I need to go, but I'm not letting you out of my sight again. So, yes, I want you to come with me."
"I'll need clothes," she warned cheryl.
"I have credit cards."
Yeah, so did kimberley, but they were pretty much maxed at the moment. She crossed her arms and studied Cheryl. "So you're going to buy me a plane ticket, put me up in a hotel, buy me clothes, and pay me a salary, all so I can spend time with you?"
"That's right."
"That puts all the power in your hands, don't you think?"
"I didn't get where I am by letting others have control."
Yes, but what did that mean for a relationship, exactly? "I don't like being a kept woman."
"Think of them as necessary expenses for my new . . . philosophy consultant."
Kimberley snorted.
"All right," she grumbled and stepped forward, handing cheryl the keys. "But if you start picking out my clothes, I'm leaving."
Kimberley slid into the sedan, noticing the plush black leather seats. The windows were heavily tinted, the interior immaculate. A man in a black suit and sunglasses nodded at her from the driver's seat.
Cheryl slid in beside her and shut the door.
"Where to?" The driver glanced at the mirror, his gaze on Cheryl.
"Airport." Cheryl rested a hand on Kimberley's knee, the gesture intimate and possessive. She looked over at kimberley and that dimpled smile returned to her mouth. "Ever ridden on a private plane?"
"Never. You have one?"
"Two, actually."
"Naturally," she said. "Let me guess. Two, just in case the other needs an oil change?"
Cheryl chuckled.
That wasn't a no. Kimberley laughed and shook her head. She was impossible.
Soon enough, they were at the airport and crossing the runway to a large plane. Kimberley thought she'd have a tiny plane, but this seemed like a regular-sized one. Just for one person?
The interior was like nothing she'd seen before. Thick, beige carpet covered the floor. On one side of the plane was a wet bar of some sort. On the right, two enormous leather chairs sat across from a table and two additional chairs. A large flat-screen TV was set into the wall, and the entire back of the plane was closed off, with a door barring it. She gawked at the interior, clutching her purse close. This was so not what she was used to.
"Have a seat," Cheryl told her, brushing her fingers over Kimberley's lower back again. "If you're tired, you can take a nap in the bedroom after we take off."
"Bedroom?" Kimberley looked at her. "You have a bedroom on this thing?"
Cheryl shrugged. "Sometimes I have to take late flights. It makes things easier."
No kidding. She supposed having your own flying apartment did make things easier. Kimberley sat down in one of the chairs, trying not to seem too intimidated but she couldn't stop the feeling from creeping up on her. This wasn't her. She didn't do private jets. The feeling of self doubt continued to fill her thoughts.
