Reeve’s eyes lit up as he sneered. “How about try it and find out.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to see about that.” Though, it sounded like it might be kind of fun. Except what did it matter if he wasn’t around?
Admittedly, I was slightly pouty when I asked, “Is that all your rules and regulations, Mr. Sallis, or are there more?”
He put his arm on the back of the seat and angled his body toward me. He studied me with an expression that said he was trying to figure something out. Finally, he said, “I don’t think you’re as bothered by my rules and regulations as you pretend to be.”
I clamped my mouth shut. That wasn’t what was bothering me. But the things bothering me were inappropriate considering our relationship, or lack thereof, and ridiculous considering my personal reasons for being on this trip.
So I ignored his comment and concentrated on what I needed to know for my self-appointed mission. “Are there places that are off limits to me?”
He grinned, as if my lack of answer was an answer in itself. And of course it was. “No. You can go anywhere you want. My office is kept locked unless I’m there, but if you want computer access, there’s one in the library in the main house. The ranch is very beautiful and I’m sure you’ll want to explore, but it’s twenty thousand acres of wilderness and prairie, and phone reception isn’t always great. So if you do go out make sure you take a radio. You can get one from Brent. If you’d rather not go out alone, Brent can set you up with someone to show you around the property or take you into Jackson.”
He hesitated, his expression suddenly hard to read. Returning his focus back to the front window, he added, “If you’d like to borrow a car to go anywhere on your own, Brent can arrange that for you as well.”
“Okay,” I said quietly, wishing Reeve was offering to show me around himself. Then I was wishing that I wasn’t wishing that. It was petty and unreasonable and, like the concern over his time away, a sign that I’d developed some romantic notion about us at some point. That had never been a problem with me and other men.
Or maybe I was just insecure and sensitive right now with all the emotions of the last couple of days. Yes, definitely that.
“What’s wrong?”
I turned toward him, a bright smile pasted on my lips. “Nothing at all.” In case he might press, I jumped to another topic. “Will there be any… social events… while I’m there?”
“What do you mean? Like parties?”
“I was thinking more like gatherings where the guests play pool.” Yeah, I was still stewing about that. Might as well address it while I had the chance and hope it wasn’t considered starting an argument.
He simpered. “There’s no pool table at the ranch, Emily.” He leaned in and continued in a low, rumbling voice. “But if there is any occasion where the staff might get together, you’d be invited – no, expected – to attend.”
It was an improvement, but not everything I wanted. “Will there be other girls fawning over you on these occasions?”
He swept the back of his fingers across my cheek in a tender gesture. “Only girl fawning over me will be you.”
It was the right thing to say, and made me feel all mushy and swoony inside. Naturally, I had to play it cool. “Oh, so you expect me to fawn?”
“No. I don’t expect that,” he said. “But you’re certainly invited.”
At the airport, we met up with Anatolios, a second bodyguard I hadn’t met, and the men who’d been Reeve’s guests the night before. He presented me as his girlfriend, which was surprising and endearing. Brent, I learned, was the ranch manager and Reeve’s right-hand man. He’d been the one wearing cowboy boots. The two dart players were Charlie, who oversaw the cattle, and Parker, who ran the stable.
After introductions were made, Reeve’s attention went fully to his men and I became ornamental, hanging on his arm while we walked through the terminal and boarded his private jet. Anatolios and his assistant took a seat in the cabin nearest the pilots while Reeve and his men sat around the table in the next cabin. Ginger, the buxom blond stewardess – Reeve definitely had a “type” – greeted me and escorted me to a seat near the men.
Though I had no reason to be jealous of Ginger, I was pleased when Reeve gave his attention to her only long enough to order a drink. Then he went back to talking to his ranch hands. I did find myself wondering if he’d ever slept with her. Found myself studying her curiously, looking for any sign that she might know him on a more familiar level.
Then, when I’d found none and she’d continued to be nothing but gracious to me, I wondered how many women she’d attended to on these flights while Reeve was preoccupied with business. Had she known Amber? Had Amber befriended her or ignored her?
If I’d had the chance, I would have struck up a conversation with the stewardess. But as soon as she’d served everyone drinks, Reeve dismissed her to the front cabin with Anatolios.
The men stayed wrapped up in their discussion long after we’d left the ground. I listened for the first half-hour or so, but soon grew bored with talk of horseshoeing and feed crops and calf tagging. So I pulled out my Kindle and got swept away in a book.
We’d been in the air for an hour or so when I heard a word that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck – “Michelis.” I’d missed what had brought his name up or who had said it, but the inflection had seemed to suggest it was a question. My ears perked up, and while I pretended to be lost in my e-reader, I eavesdropped instead.