I let him be, hanging up his coat. I checked on my other two passengers, who sat in the last row of first class. I sent an unmoved James a glance as I walked back into the galley to prepare two Jack and cokes.

He kept his eyes tightly shut even on takeoff. I watched him, my brow furrowed. Stephan glanced between the two of us.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

I gave my little shrug. “I don’t know. He doesn’t like me being friendly with Damien and Murphy. But I am, and I’ve only known James for a week. I don’t understand him at all.”

Stephan sighed. “I told Damien that you were involved with someone. He took it well, but he was obviously bummed about it. You know he’s always liked you.”

My eyes widened. “He always likes every woman he meets. What does that have to do with anything?”

Stephan gave me a meaningful look, then shook his head. “Never mind. Once James realizes just how unreceptive you are to any interest on Damien’s part, I’m sure he’ll be more reasonable.”

I rolled my eyes. Reasonable did not seem to be part of James’s repertoire, so far as I had seen.

At ten thousand feet I rose and began my service promptly, in spite of the fact that it would only take minutes, and then I would have hours to kill.

I stopped by a still unmoving James, debating whether to ask him if he needed anything, or just to pass him by, pretending he was sleeping. I knew he wasn’t by his hard mouth and clenched fists.

I decided to tend to the other passengers first, easily putting off the decision on how to deal with him.

I served the couple two more cocktails, and two waters, heading back to James. I sat in the empty seat beside him, but he still didn’t open his eyes. I touched his hand lightly, then his arm.

“Mr. Cavendish?” I asked him quietly.

“Didn’t I warn you what would happen if you touched me in front of other people?” he asked without opening his eyes.

I looked around. “No one can see us, so I don’t think this technically counts.”

He grabbed my hand, quick as a snake, placing it firmly against his rock hard cock. He was so ready to go. I was shocked. Just sitting here on the plane, fully aroused…

“Are you always hard?” I asked him quietly, almost more curious than anything else, though I was far from unmoved by his ardor.

He smiled, a pained smile. “Of course not. Just most of the time, lately.”

He moved against me slightly as he spoke, and I gripped him without thinking. He groaned.

I pulled back and stood, realizing what I’d been doing and where. And how fast it would lead to something more. I couldn’t believe my lack of control.

“I need to get back to work. Can I get you anything?”

He just gave me an ironic, arched look, his arousal obvious where he lounged, hands on his armrests now. “I don’t need a drink, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I left him hastily. Things were quickly getting out of hand.

I hand served the snack since I only had three passengers. James nodded that yes, he wanted the snack, then didn’t move. I had to open his tray table for him, something I did often. But folding it open on top of his impressive arousal was definitely a new experience for me.

He gave me a very heated, heavy-lidded gaze as I moved on.

Damned temperamental, arousing man, I thought in agitation.

I served the pilots next, then served the couple several more rounds of cocktails. They looked about ready to pass out, but still spoke quietly to each other and drank heavily.

As I re-entered my galley, I nearly jumped, my hand going to my heart.

“Damien, you startled me,” I told the pilot. Stephan was helping in back, and I hadn’t expected to find anyone behind the curtain when I’d swung it open.

He just smiled. “Sorry, beautiful. How’s it goin’? Are you bored out of your mind with an empty cabin?” he asked, knowing that I liked to keep busy.

I nodded, smiling. “I may have to cut off the couple in first class. They’re slurring their words, but show no signs of stopping. That’ll add a bit of excitement, if they’re the usual disgruntled drunks I’m used to dealing with.”

He flexed an arm. “Lemme know if you need a hand. I’d be happy to throw my weight around for you,” he joked.

I just laughed. “That won’t be necessary. They’ll probably just send me nasty looks for the rest of the flight, if I’ve judged them correctly.”

“So Stephan tells me that you’re actually seeing someone now. I thought you didn’t date… And he told me it’s pretty serious. Is that true?” he asked. That line of questioning is inappropriately personal, I thought. And it came out of left field.

My eyes widened in dismay at a number of his comments. I thought it was possible James could hear us from his close seating. I didn’t want him to think that I was telling people falsehoods about our purely sexual relationship, so I was quick to correct the Captain.

“Serious? No, of course not. I’ve only known him for a week. We’re actually not even dating. It’s…complicated.”

Damien looked way, way too happy with my explanation. An explanation that I never would have given Damien if I didn’t want James to be sure that I would correct any false assumptions about what we had going.

Damien was the type of guy I could be friends with, but he wasn’t anyone I would have confided in about a rocky relationship. I felt like I had revealed way too much, by his reaction. He positively beamed at me.

“Ah, I see. So you’re not gonna break my heart by going off the market, before I’ve even had a shot?” he teased, giving me a harmless smile.

I gave him a slightly stern look.

“You’re incorrigible, Damien,” I told him.

“It’s a fact,” he said, winking at me as he went back into the flight deck.

I moved into the bathroom almost the second he left. I started to shut the door behind me, but a hard body got in the way, pushing me farther into the bathroom.

James shut and locked the door behind us, his eyes wild. He grabbed my hands, placing them around the handle to the right of the mirror so that I was angled at the mirror with a clear view of myself with him behind me.

I gripped it automatically.

“Not serious?” he asked roughly, shoving my skirt up to my hips.

He pressed against me, hard arousal lined up against my cleft from behind through his slacks and my panties. He rocked against me slightly as his hands moved to the buttons of my blouse.

I’d removed my vest, so it was just my shirt he had to contend with. He tugged on my little neck tie, but left it intact. He unbuttoned my shirt just enough to grip it open, exposing my bra. He undid the front clasp, freeing the heavy globes of my breasts. He fondled me roughly, pinching the peaks into hardness while those wild eyes watched every move.

“You have a strange interpretation of the word serious, Bianca,” he growled at me as his hands and cock worked me to a fever pitch.

He moved one hand away from my breasts, and I felt him fingering my sex around my panties. He abruptly yanked, ripping my thong off in one brutal motion. He tucked the offending garment into his pocket, then went to work freeing his impressive erection with one hand.

He pushed against my entrance for just a beat, then thrust into me hard, and it felt so exquisite that my eyes closed as I moaned in pleasure.

“Open your eyes! Does this feel serious to you?” he asked me. He jolted into me.

I just moaned and moved against him. He moved faster and harder, thrusting in and out, until the pounding was jarringly intense.

“Answer me. Does this feel serious to you?” he asked again.

It was an effort to get the words out. I didn’t know how he did it. My mind was in a hazy disarray that didn’t allow for clear thinking.

“It feels like ser-serious f-fucking,” I told him as he continued to ride me mercilessly from behind.

He growled like an animal and pulled my hair until the back of my head was forced to his shoulder. It made my back arch impossibly back. He bit my neck hard enough to leave a mark.

I came so hard that I thought I may have blacked out. He was still riding me when my vision cleared, though his pace had slowed.

“If anyone asks, you’re off limits. I thought we made this clear from the start,” he told me coldly, never pausing as he fucked me senseless.

“I-I-,” I tried to speak and couldn’t. He was rubbing my clit now, building me towards another mindless release. “Wha-wha-,” I gave up speaking after that.

He was merciless, bringing me to orgasm again and again, thrusting endlessly.

He’s punishing me with pleasure, I thought through the haze.

“Please, no more,” I told him finally, coming back down from another drugging spell.

“Tell me who you belong to,” he ordered, no hint of softness in his tone.

James wasn’t home. Only Mr. Cavendish could be this callously possessive.

“I’m yours, Mr. Cavendish. I was a virgin when I met you. Don’t you remember? You took my hymen. If I’d wanted someone else, I wouldn’t have been untouched.” I didn’t keep the desperation or the exasperation out of my voice.

He came with a growl, eyes still impossibly wild.

His cock twitched inside of me for long minutes after he finished, and he gave these impossibly sexy, involuntary thrusts as he rubbed out the rest of his long orgasm.

“If you are having trouble understanding, let me spell it out for you,” he told me harshly. “This is serious, Bianca. I’ve never been more fucking serious in my life.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Mr. Affectionate

James began to straighten my clothes before he’d even pulled out of me. He fastened my bra, adjusting my breasts inside of the cups as though he did it every day. He buttoned up my blouse, straightening my tie and then my collar. He smoothed my hair, and then his own.

I noticed that he looked perfectly composed. His hair was perfect and even his tie was straight. Whereas I looked like someone had just tried to fuck my brains out. I said as much.

He laughed. It was a rich, dark sound.

“Not quite. I was more likely trying to fuck the serious into you,” he said, obviously in a much better mood.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a moody son of a bitch?”

He looked a little sheepish, and then thoughtful. “Not quite like that, but I can hardly argue with it.” As he spoke, he pulled out of me. It was a drawn out process, and he watched me the entire time.

I shivered. “I need to get back to work,” I said as he started to clean me, reaching around me to use the tiny sink.

He kissed my neck as he wet a paper towel.

“I want to fuck you again, Bianca,” he murmured against my skin, but made no move to do so. “But I get to show you the 4th floor tomorrow, so you’re safe until then. I would hate to ride you too hard before then and then have to take it easy.”

My look was a question. “The 4th floor?”

His tone was off-hand as he cleaned me. “That’s the location of our playground, Love.” He straightened my skirt, smoothing it down. I shivered.