Telling Chi about the new development, I was nervous. I wasn't sure why; Chi had been the one to encourage all this in the first place, but more with the objective of me moving on from Olivia.

But going home with Axel on his private plane was serious. It went beyond the steamy one-night-stand with a sexy stranger. It was a potential relationship with a well-known, wealthy CEO that I'd just finished working for.

"Ah," Chi said, watching me as I frantically tossed my clothes into my suitcase, shoving my makeup into my bags. Chi was departing the next day. "Leaving with him, huh?"

"We're taking separate cars," I specified, recalling my request for our situation to remain a secret, for now. I didn't want Violet or Estelle noticing me getting in a car with their big brother and happening to board his plane. "But yes, leaving with him." I set my hands on my hips and squinted at my friend. "Do you think I shouldn't? Is this too much?"

Chi knew all about the Olivia situation—her relentless pursuit of fame, in detriment to her relationship with me. And Chi had been there for me after the break-up, they'd covered for me at work when I struggled to get my gigs done and organized. They'd been there for me during this trip, watching me come apart whenever I was within a few feet of Axel, and hyperventilating at the faintest sight of lightning striking the sky.

"Not too much, but it might be too soon," they said, studying their nails, one leg jiggling over the other. "I won't tell you what to do, but I will remind you that the money shit was why things didn't work out with Olivia. Granted, Axel is different, but...be cautious."

"I know." I discovered a lip gloss that had rolled under the bed. "So I told him I wanted to take things slow, that I didn't want to date date him yet. It's too soon, for sure." I bent down, grabbed the lip gloss, and groaned as I straightened up. "You pushed me into his arms, but I know you didn't mean for this to happen."

"I only meant to help you loosen up, Vivi." Chi stood in front of me and set their hands on my shoulders. "And you did, with him. He did something to you, and it feels...different. So maybe it'll be different. Maybe it'll be good for you. Temporary or real or a horrible idea, who knows? Go for it." They swept a finger over my cheek, then smirked as they pinched it. "Have fun, let go, and remember there are no more restrictions. But use condoms, please."

I was packed and prepared for all eventualities as I waited outside for my car. Not a hotel shuttle, this time, but one of Axel's private vehicles.

Standing out in the hotel's courtyard, I kept peering left and right and behind me, worried I was being observed. Guests seeing me entering one of Axel's very distinctive luxury automobiles was one thing; but if Violet or Estelle caught me, or worse, one of the catty bridesmaids, I feared what would happen. Would they be able to tell Axel had sent the car for me? Would they guess that Axel and I had been hooking up before they were allowed to?

And would any of them be as cruel as to tattle on me?

The vehicle pulled up; a sleek Audi with tinted windows, no logos on the doors. The driver sported sunglasses, and didn't remove them as he got out of the car to load my luggage into the trunk. He opened the back door for me, closed it once I was in, and settled at his seat in silence.

The ride was quick—the local St. Tropez airport was nearby—but I fidgeted, unable to get comfortable on the rigid leather seats. I still checked behind me often, wondering if other cars followed us, if I was being trailed, spied on. Was my subconscious preparing me for the paparazzi that would pursue me if I was ever known to be affiliated with Axel Levine?

"God, I hope not," I muttered to myself, as the car passed through the airport's entrance.

We bypassed the general off-loading area, instead taking secretive side streets that led behind the airport, directly onto the tarmac. In the distance ahead, I spotted a smaller-sized plane, like those one would take for a one or two hour trip; a Reno to Vegas type flight.

A figure stood before it, waiting. I couldn't tell from afar, but something about the posture and the glimmering copper hair told me it was Axel.

He'd gotten there before me, and waited to escort me onto his plane. His plane—a privately owned flying machine that he'd purchased, that belonged to him, that he didn't have to share with anyone. I couldn't begin to imagine how much it'd cost, how much money he spent to maintain it, refuel it.

As the car rolled up to the plane—yes, it was indeed Axel standing there, waiting for me—I pinched myself. Though I'd dated a wealthy woman before, I'd never been on someone's private airplane. Olivia hadn't reached that status quite yet when we ended things. She'd been able to buy a penthouse in some swanky quarter of Los Angeles, and had been browsing online catalogs for new cars.

But Axel had several penthouses. Pads, he'd called them. And he owned multiple cars, hundreds of hotels around the world, and, apparently, airplanes.

Heat flooded my face as the driver opened my door. What Axel offered me was no small deal. Riding on his airplane was likely something he didn't offer just about anyone. He hadn't flaunted his wealth in excess the whole time I'd been with him at the hotel. But here, now, the truth of his upbringing, of his fortune, smacked me hard, unbalanced me.

How had I not paid attention to this beforehand? Yeah, I'd seen his flashy watches, I'd spent several nights in his opulent suite that was basically a small apartment, I'd witnessed his interactions with staff, I'd seen him operate his own damn helicopter, for crying out loud. Yet it was all hitting me now.

He was loaded, and getting involved with him could be a dream come true—or a nightmare.

"Hey," he said, as I approached him, slightly hunched, still drinking in the realness of it all. The plane loomed behind him, bigger up close than I'd envisioned from the other side of the tarmac. A set of sturdy stairs swung down from the plane's door, and a man in uniform waited in the threshold.

"Hi," I said, sounding more timid than I'd meant to.

He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. "Are you nervous? Oh." He released me and stiffened. "Wait, are you afraid of flying? Do you not like airplanes? I didn't even think to check with you. Here I am wanting to get to know you, and I...failed to ask you the simplest of questions."

I pressed a hand to his chest, easing his heart—it thumped into my palm, pushing past his layers of skin and clothes. "I love flying. But I am nervous." I waved at the plane, the car, the driver dragging my suitcase and carry-ons towards the stairs. "This is...a lot. More than what I'm used to."

He smiled as he led me to the first step. "It'll be fun. No one can see us, no one knows we're here. I'm sure your assistant will cover for you if anyone asks about you?"

I gulped, nodding at the recollection of warning Chi to maintain that I'd left early, on my own. "Yes."

"Then let's get moving. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little homesick."

He guided me up, patting the uniformed man's back as we passed him, squeezing into the aircraft.

I whistled once inside—the interior was an understated white and beige, with black carpeting. Posh chairs and mahogany tables sat against windows, and a fully serviced bar was near the cockpit. A plush sofa rested to my right, by the door, with small bookshelves of colorful titles on either side of it. At the end of the space was a door opening into what looked like a hallway, and when Axel took me to it, I lost my breath.

A tiny, completely equipped kitchen lay beyond the doorway, with its own chef and wait-staff. A bathroom to my right—pretty decadent compared to most airplane closet-like restrooms—and straight ahead was another room with a bed.

I couldn't stop staring at that bed, at its golden blankets, at all the opportunities it offered. A bedroom on an airplane? I licked my lips, wondering if I'd join the mile-high club during this journey.

A delicious cherry on top of one hell of a weekend.

Axel, following my train of thought, nudged me. "Oh, we'll get to that later, once we're at a safe altitude. It's all secured, upgraded, and ready for us." He leaned close to my ear, his breath hot and heavy on my skin. "I didn't get to fuck you last night, like I'd hoped. After tasting you in your room, and finger-fucking you on the dancefloor...you left me hanging. Literally."

My heart skipped a beat and a pulsation in my lower half had me hurrying back into the main area, to sit down and buckle my seat-belt. "Are we good? Are we leaving yet? We need to hurry and get into the air, because we have things to do."

***

After taking off, and once the airplane was high enough for everyone to be moving about, Axel gave me some champagne; the same we'd had together the night we met.

"Cheers," he said, clinking his glass to mine, and angling over to press his lips to my lips. He was warm, coated in a film of ChapStick, his touch urgent.

It was nice to not have to look both ways, to not fear being watched—Axel's staff didn't care about our semi-public displays of affection. But it was...off-putting, too.

It took everything within me to not open my mouth wide and welcome his tongue inside. I shivered at the contact of his lips, an awkward bubble growing in my belly from having kissed him in front of other people.

He must have sensed my discomfort, because he stood up, taking my glass, and jutted his chin towards the bedroom. "Let's have a private moment, yeah?" When I hesitated, he narrowed his gaze. "That bed, didn't you want to try it out?"

I did, oh, goodness, I did; but I was still unsettled by indulging in this fantasy while others were there, lurking nearby.

"The door closes and locks," he said, grinning at me like a boy about to unwrap a present. "And the room is soundproof."

I lurched up from my seat and followed him into the bedroom.

I'd only just sat on the mattress—firm and comfortable—when he spread my legs and squeezed between them, getting to his knees. His face was a smidgen lower than mine, but close enough that when I slanted forward to kiss him, our lips met at a perfect angle. This time, I opened my mouth to let him in, and the taste of the bubbles on his tongue made me dizzy with desire.

We twirled tongues for a few minutes before we were too hot to continue without removing some clothing. I shrugged off my top and pants; he removed everything but his boxers.

As he perched before me, I sighted his erection, thumping, calling my name.

He looked down, his eyes glowing, dripping with delight. "No pressure, but did you want to play around with it before I fuck you? Because when I get started," he bit his lip, "I won't stop."

I jolted to action, drawing myself to the edge of the bed, millimeters away from his cock. I rubbed over the fabric of his boxers, feeling the girth, the throbbing. My mouth watered.

"God, yes, I want to play with it."

Without further ado, I gripped the waistband of his underwear and pulled, exposing the deliciously pulsating member in all its glory.

It had only been a day or so since I'd last seen it, and yet I felt like it'd been forever. I caressed it, taking in its smoothness, relishing in Axel's gentle moans as he awaited my attack with fevered anticipation.

As he arched his back, I took hold of the penis and began to stroke it. He watched me, licking his lips, letting out sounds of pleasure, eager for me to do more. So I did more—I ran my tongue along his dick's edges, then the tip, before sliding the whole thing into my mouth. Up and down, up and down, I thrust it inside of me, moaning as my tongue tasted every inch of him.

"Shit," he said, lightly placing his hands on the back of my head, his fingers tangling into my hair. "Your mouth is so hot." He lifted me by my chin, breaking my rhythm, pulling my mouth away from his cock with a pop! "You are so hot. Let's get you out of that underwear and bra. I need you now."

I obliged, growing too wet to control my urges. I wanted him, badly, more so as I admired his skill at rolling on the condom while I stripped off my undergarments. And when he tried to grasp my hips and throw me onto the bed, I instead shoved him, forcing him to sit on the edge.

"No," I hefted myself up to straddle him, "I'm riding you, Mr. Levine. Let me rock your world, for a change."

His eyes widened in interest, and his head fell back as I proceeded to rub his cock against my wetness.

"Fuck, even with this thing on, I can feel how soaked you are."

I let out a raspy breath. "You're about to feel it even more." With that, I dropped onto his member, taking my time, letting it fill me up at a slow, insanely sexy pace. Never did I break eye-contact with him, praying for him to read my thoughts, to send me soaring into ecstasy.

I bounced atop him over and over and over; so much I lost all sense of time and space, forgetting I was on an airplane, thousands and thousands of miles above the sea-level. If the plane experienced turbulence, I'd never know, for I was causing turbulence of my own.

I was literally on cloud nine. Everything with Axel was intense, pleasurable, a fairytale. How he treated me with fairness, with kindness; how he blew my mind when he fucked me, when he did all in his power to make me come. And I did, every time.

If I bypassed all my fears of his status, if I stopped comparing him to Olivia, could I be open to dating this incredibly perfect man?

☼☼☼