In Love With My Personal Assistant(22)

"At least an hour," he replied curtly.

James frowned. "Well, that won't do." Jennifer watched him carefully.

"It can be a good way to pass the time," Jennifer offered a weak grin. James looked at her with a steady smile.

"I can think of better ways. Driver, can you head to Newark International? Should be about 20 minutes away, right?"

"15, sir. I can get there in ten," the driver started the car less than a  second later and revved the engine for good measure. James chuckled.

"Don't get caught and watch out for old ladies crossing the road," James  advised. He received a laugh in response, before the driver stepped on  the gas. Jennifer watched James curiously.

"What's at the airport?"

James glanced at Jennifer and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He began to scroll through a menu.

"A heliport."

Jennifer blinked. She struggled to keep a level of calm in her voice. "Like for a helicopter? That kind of heliport?"

Pausing, James met Jennifer's eyes again and nodded. His face was blank.

"Is something wrong with that?"

Jennifer shook her head quickly. "No, no."

James smiled brightly. "Good. It'll be about a 10 minute flight from the  airport to 34th street," as an afterthought, he nudged Jennifer and  joked, "you might even see a star or two."





Chapter Twelve

Glitter and Falling Stardust





The driver stayed true to his word. Within 10 minutes, they had made it  to Newark International, and within 15, they were being led to the  helicopter that would take them into New York City. Anticipation bubbled  within Jennifer. She eyed the helicopter suspiciously. It seemed big,  too large for what they needed it for. Still, James led the way and  chatted comfortably with someone who looked like an air traffic  controller.         

     



 

As they neared their destination, the blades began to spin, creating too  much noise to speak freely. They were helped into the cabin, and  Jennifer's draw dropped. Inside were two rotating leather chairs that  faced a back row of two more seats with a large console separating them.  There were two monitors, one facing each grouping of seats.

It looked like the inside of a limousine, but larger. She paused and  glanced to the left and right, checking to make sure it was still a  helicopter they were entering. James turned and laughed at her shock. He  gestured at her to make her way inside.

He chose a seat on the left and waited patiently for Jennifer to choose  her seat. She thought about sitting opposite him, but it was only for a  fleeting thought. Her body moved to slip into a seat adjacent to the  large console. Jennifer ran her hands over the leather. This was  arguably nicer than her own car, and that thing was a beast.

"What is this?" She asked finally. "I didn't even know helicopters could look like this."

James smiled at her. "It's a Sikorsky S-76D executive transport helicopter. It's supposed to make impressions."

Laughing, Jennifer looked around and eyed the champagne glasses secured to the back of the separating console between them.

"Is this a refrigerator or something?" Jennifer asked, looking at the  front of the console. She ran her hand down it and tried to pull. It  opened easily, sliding forward to reveal several bottles of wine and  chilled water bottles. She whistled. "How long did you say it takes to  fly into Manhattan?"

"About 10 minutes. It'd take even less if we used Air Pegasus or  Downtown Manhattan but," he shrugged, "I wanted to get in closer to  Midtown. I hate New York traffic."

Jennifer nodded. She wasn't sure she understood anything he said, or  grasped what difference it made. She was riding in a luxury helicopter.  She grinned wildly like a little girl in a candy shop and itched to  check out the wine. Her fingers toyed with the top of the glass bottles  while her eyes danced with James's teasing smile.

"Do you come to New York often?" She asked, trying to mask her excitement.

With another relaxed shrug, James took a deep breath. "Sometimes, but not every time I'm in Jersey."

Nodding, Jennifer looked down at the wine. She lifted a bottle and  peered at the label. It was a 1998 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame from  Champagne, France. Her mouth began to water. Wetting her lips, she  glanced at James. He watched her quietly.

"Can we have a glass?" Jennifer's voice sounded a little pathetic.

"What are you, a wino?" James asked with a playful smirk. Jennifer smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

"Maybe just a little."

"It's a 10 minute flight, Jenn," James said softly. His head fell into a  tilt. "There will be hardly enough time to enjoy a full glass."  Jennifer's face fell. "But, if you want to throw in a tour of New York  and extend the ride another 40 minutes, sure, I'll have a glass or two  with you."

Jennifer's mouth had fallen open again. James held her gaze steady. She could only nod.

"Yeah. Let's do that."

James grinned and nodded at length. "Whatever you say, Precious."

Her cheeks ran with heat at his words. Maybe sharing a bottle of wine  wasn't a good idea, but it was nothing she and James hadn't done before.  Then again, when they had semi-intimate encounters, there hadn't been  all the flirting either. All the pet name calling and goo-goo eyes. Back  then, it was just a touch of relaxation with a heavy emphasis on work.

Jennifer wasn't exactly sure what this was. She barely even remembered  what they were doing in New Jersey in the first place. She remembered  Melony and the sparkling eyes of her young daughter as she peered at  James and accepted his kisses to her forehead. It wasn't awkward though.  James was clearly a loved father figure to the young girl. That was  attractive in ways Jennifer didn't think she'd even care about.

After James contacted the pilot about the change of plans, they removed  two glasses and opened the bottle. The wine was smooth and warm going  down. It prickled Jennifer's cheeks and left her feeling richly toasty  in the cool, air-conditioned cabin of the luxury helicopter.

The jitters within her were finally starting to simmer. He took a thin sip of the wine and closed his eyes to savor the liquid.

"Wow," he breathed. "That's good."

"I've had better," Jennifer commented, adding in a smirk when James  faced her with a straight face. He seemed serious suddenly, and let his  eyes pour over her face slowly. He met Jennifer's eyes and raised a  brow.         

     



 

"But this is still really good," Jennifer added with a playful giggle  playing with her words. There was something about the way James held her  gaze that took her breath away. Heat returned to her face and she  swallowed. "This is a good, close second."

James nodded, his eyes trailing a path to Jennifer's lips. "I'm glad you like it." He met her eyes again with a thin smile.

They held the gaze for longer than what was appropriate between superior  and subordinate. Jennifer's left hand clawed its way to her neck and  she scratched, breaking their contact moments later. Her heart raced  within her chest. She wasn't sure when that started, the heart pounding,  but each beat felt like her body was shaking. The console was at least a  foot wide; that kept James at bay, but she honestly didn't know how  much longer she'd be able to keep him at a distance.

Looking around the cabin, she spotted her briefcase on one of the  opposite seats. James must have grabbed it for her because her purse sat  in her lap. Her fingers played with the thick fabric of her bag.

"You know, you're a really incredible man," Jennifer said softly. James  remained silent. "You and Melony seem like great friends. Her daughter  adores you," she looked to James again. He was smiling.

"I love her daughter too. She's an incredibly sweet girl," he spoke calmly with her, naturally. Jennifer nodded at his words.

"You and Melony are close?"

James looked over Jennifer again with a piercing gaze. He nodded at  length. "I was great friends with her husband," he paused, "but even  then, before they were married, I knew Melony from school. She was a  couple of grades below me but her brother and I were good friends."

Jennifer smiled. "I never knew you had friends like that."

With a chuckle, he responded, "I'm human just like anyone else."

"I know, but I thought men like," she paused and frowned. "Well, I guess  I thought wealthy men preferred their own kind, you know?"

"You mean other wealthy people?"

"Yeah," Jennifer nodded and took another sip of the wine. She wasn't  even focused on the spectacular view of the city. Maybe if they passed  the Statue of Liberty she'd glance outside.

"There's a little truth in that," James commented, after mulling over  the words and taking another swig from his glass. He leaned on his left  arm towards Jennifer and held the glass in his hands loosely.

"After 9/11 I kind of stepped in to help her," he said softly.  Jennifer's eyes widened. She thought again about what Melony said, how  she was widowed. Her daughter was just 13.