Chapter 6

With three martinis sloshing around my empty stomach, I manage to sleep throughout the rest of the plane ride...and through the landing. By the time the two of us make our way to the luggage vestibule, my temples are throbbing. Normally I can handle my liquor with ease, but hard liquor with no water? And no food beforehand? And on a plane?

That's a headache just waiting to happen.

Blake walks over when he sees my suitcase coming around the corner. He picks it off the belt and sets it to the side. His luggage follows only a few feet behind mine, and he hefts it off the belt as well.

"Our ride is here," Blake says handing me my luggage.

He leads the way without waiting for me to respond, and in all honesty I'm far too hungover to protest. The coolness of the air conditioning cuts off abruptly when I step outside the mechanical doors. In its place a sticky warmth clings to my skin.

Despite it being so late into the night, the Floridian heat is brutal. One of my buddies recommended we go here for spring break next year. If this sweltering heat is any indication of how it will be during the day, I'm going to give him a resounding 'hell no' when I get home.

"Welcome to Florida," Blake says.

He takes a deep breath, inhaling the moist, heavy air. A lone convertible is parked alongside the curb of the airport, and Blake waves his hand at the driver. The man immediately steps out of the car and comes over to greet us. He shakes Blake's hand in a respectful manner and takes each of our bags of luggage to put in the trunk.

"Safe flight, Mr. Benson?" the driver asks congenially.

Blake opens the passenger side door for me, pushing the seat to a forward position to let me through. I swing my backpack off my shoulders and step into the flashy vehicle. Blake gets in a second behind me and sets his carry-on luggage to the right of him. It forces him closer to me, and suddenly this spacious convertible doesn't have enough room in the backseat.

"It was wonderful, thank you Todd," Blake responds to his driver. "Todd, this is my assistant, Mr. Greene. Callum, this is my dear friend and one of my longtime employees, Todd."

Todd gives me a friendly wave from the rearview mirror. I give a curt nod in return. There's no reason for me to be acting like a prick, but I refuse to allow myself to enjoy the company or the conversation of anyone who seems to be under the 'Blake Benson' trance.

Todd turns off his flashers and flips on his left blinker to get the car away from the curb. "Where to, boss?"

"We have a reservation at the Hilton," Blake responds.

"The one in town?"

"Yes."

Todd pulls the car onto the main highway with ease.

"Need me to stop anywhere for a late dinner or a drink, boss?"

Blake turns to me and raises a brow, as if waiting for me to weigh in my opinion. I shrug and lean back into the leather seats.

"I wouldn't turn down a few slices of pizza," I admit.

"Pizza...?" Blake repeats slowly.

"Yea, pizza. You know – that shit that has dough with sauce and cheese on top of it? Sometimes people even go crazy and add a topping or two."

Blake chuckles and shakes his head. "Oh to have the metabolism of an eighteen year old."

"Nineteen," I correct him icily, though I don't know why the mistake bothers me so much in the first place.

"Todd, would you mind ordering up a thin crust pizza for Mr. Greene and me? Let's do half with green peppers and mushrooms, and the other half will be..."

Blake looks over at me, waiting to hear my topping preference. I slide my tongue over my teeth. What are the odds he likes the same exact toppings as I do? One in fifty? One in a hundred? I could make up a different set of toppings, but at the mere mention of my favorite pizza, my stomach growls with hearty approval.

"Green peppers and mushrooms are fine for my half too."

Blake looks surprised but finishes giving Todd the order anyway. The two of them amicably debate back and forth on where the best pizza is in town, and while they do so, my attention shifts to new sights coming into view. City lights are becoming brighter, casting shadows over the looming and tropical looking palm trees that line the sidewalks.

There are a few bars and night clubs we pass along the way. Each one seems to have drunken men and women stumbling out of the doors in search of a cigarette reprieve. The night life here looks fun. I wonder if Blake will let me go out for a night to try out my new fake ID at a club or two.

I frown at my thoughts.

I wonder if Blake will let me?

What kind of sappy shit is that? He doesn't own me. He's just my boss, after all, and I'm the one who rearranged all of my plans to be here in the first place.

"What time will we get done with work tomorrow?" I ask Blake once he and Todd settle on a pizza place.

"The latest would probably be around eight or nine," he responds. "Why?"

"Perfect. I'm going out tomorrow night. The night life here looks fun as hell."

Blake's nostrils flare at my announcement, and the heat behind his gaze is one I haven't seen before. There's a strained silence that settles throughout the car. Even Todd shifts uncomfortably in the driver's seat. Then I notice his eyes flicker to the rearview mirror. His gaze meets mine, and in a single look, I have the sinking suspicion that I'm barking up the wrong tree.

When Blake doesn't respond, I decide to push my luck even more.

"I hope you got us separate rooms," I say with a daring grin. "If I get lucky I'll need a place to fuck."

There's no reason I should be spurring on Blake's quickly downward spiraling mood. He's a professional guy, and I'm sure hearing me talk so casually about my sex life is yet another issue that'll bring me one step closer to being fired. Plus, Blake knows I'm straight. I'm sure picturing me touching another woman is making him cringe with gayness.

Blake's jaw works itself into a tightened clench. Wordlessly he reaches into his pocket, retrieving his cellphone and swiftly dialing a number. He puts it up to his ear and stares straight ahead.

"Luke," Blake snaps in a quiet tone. "What are the room arrangements at the Hilton?"

Silence.

"Call again please and cancel both of our rooms. Request the penthouse instead for the two of us to share."

Silence.

"Then book another hotel. Text me when it's done."

Blake hangs up the phone and stuffs it back into his pocket. Did he seriously just cock-block me? Just because I'm on a work trip doesn't mean I'm on the clock 24/7. There's no reason for him to prevent me from having a bit of fun just so long as during work hours I remain professional.

"What the hell - ?" I start to ask, but Blake cuts me off.

"Todd, our room isn't quite ready yet. I'm sure there's still a pizza place open at this hour where we could dine-in. Would you find one and drop us off for a bit?"

I stare at Todd incredulously. Surely he realizes how interfering Blake's behavior is and will have something to say about it. Instead, however, Todd nods at the request and keys in a new location on his GPS.

"Sure thing, boss," Todd says quietly. "Closest one is about fifteen miles away."

"Thank you, Todd."

I'm too dumfounded to say anything more. It's evident that Todd is not on my side with this one. Blake is always an asshole when it comes my manners and acting professionally whenever we're at the office, but this is a whole new level. He's never tried to play interference with my personal life.

What an uptight asshat.

Despite it being only fifteen miles away, the drive to the pizza place takes far longer than expected. Or maybe that's just due to the awkward silence that's continually permeating throughout the car. Either way, by the time Todd pulls up to the restaurant, I feel like an hour has passed.

"Thank you Todd," Blake says, opening the car door and climbing onto the sidewalk.

"'Course, Mr. Benson," Todd says. "What time would you like me back here?"

"Just a half an hour. This won't take long."

The way Blake answers Todd's question sends a shiver down my spine. I suddenly feel like a child who is about to be scolded. Todd pulls away from the curb a moment later and Blake watches him disappear into darkness. Ever so slowly Blake turns his focus to me.

"Mr. Greene," he says quietly. "I'd appreciate it if you joined me inside for a slice of pizza. I have a few things I'd like to discuss with you..."