Page 35

Ready for Takeoff

T hursday ended up being pretty damn good, all things taken into account. The hour-long chat with the topless beauties certainly helped, as did the pictures they both sent him once they’d separated. Naturally, Avril went a little further, giving him an audio file of what she did a little later into the evening.

On Friday, Liam completed his final midterm. After exiting the exam hall, he stretched. He felt pretty good about how he’d done and could check just how well in a few days. However, he probably wouldn’t remember to do so because he would be in Fiji with four dreamy women in a few days. The last thing he’d be thinking about was his test results. A single look at any one of them in a bikini would ensure that.

He drove back home, possibly more excited during this drive than any before it. He could feel his palpable excitement thrumming into the fingers gripping the steering wheel, racing up his arms. He quickly ceded control of his speed to cruise control, not trusting himself to drive at a safe speed. It was almost all-consuming, his need to make it back to Tess, Anna, Avril, and even Victoria.

On Saturday, he helped the last of those with her gardening. After she finished mopping the grounds around her pool with him in chess, of course. Over the course of about an hour, they cleared out the old, paving the way for the new to arrive once they made it back from Fiji. As he owed her a few days already and expected to owe her more and more as time passed, Liam asked about what they’d be planting.

Victoria discussed her plans, the flowers she wanted to purchase soon, both old favorites and a few new ones. She was clinical and detailed, clearly having put plenty of thought into how she wanted her spring garden to look. She also mentioned the possibility of her helping Tess with her garden, and Liam leaped to the occasion and volunteered to help then, too, if he could.

“We’ll ensure it’s on a weekend,” Victoria promised.

Thanks to his activities at Victoria’s, then being invited out to dinner with Avril, then returning his second home and practicing his massage technique one final time before the trip, Saturday remained engaging enough for it to feel quick. Finding sleep wasn’t as easy, but he gladly spent more time with Tess, then texted the others until he was finally tired enough to saunter into his dreams.

It passed over to the day of the trip, though that didn’t mean much—not when he woke up, anyway. With the plan to make it to the airport at 11:00 pm with Tess, so the plane—which waited on Avril’s pleasure—could get wheels up around midnight, there was plenty of time in between.

“Everything’s packed?” Tess asked at around one, right before she shunted him out of her bedroom and completed her final bit of suitcase stuffing. Although disappointed to be denied a glimpse of her plans, he understood fully that it meant there was a surprise or two for him to expect once those wheels that had gone up came back down.

“I’ve got everything I think I need for a beach holiday with billionaires,” he said.

“Just the one,” Tess reminded him. “You and I fit into the same socio-economic group. We wouldn’t live right next to each other otherwise.”

Liam nodded. He’d packed it all. Clothes, including a couple of nicer sets, which the outfit he’d worn to the New Year's Eve party was among, options for shoes, the electronics, and toiletries he wanted to bring along. He had his beach gear too, and he’d even located the snorkeling gear that his parents had used maybe only once or twice since they’d gotten it. He knew it was guaranteed to happen at least once on the trip, and although he expected plenty of availability for that type of stuff in Fiji, he wasn’t packed all that heavy, so why not bring it along? It could finally end up in a place where it might see usage.

“Kind of nice that we don’t have to worry about lines or luggage,” Liam said. Avril had made sure they knew they could pile it all in, regardless of whatever they wanted to bring along. However, she was speaking to four pretty responsible people, so Liam didn’t expect to see a comical number of suitcases loaded into her jet’s carry space at midnight.

“Incredibly nice,” Tess agreed. “Compared to Avril, Anna, and Victoria, this will be one of my only times on a private jet. Even if we plan to sleep through most of the trip, the first hour or so might be fun.”

Liam nodded again. From what he’d been told, the ride should be rather smooth. This wasn’t a light, flimsy aircraft, but the kind that the wealthiest people used for comfort and speed. He wasn’t worried about himself, but Anna, who had her issues when it came to falling asleep. According to Avril, her jet came with a special chaise, which would be laid down and turned into a bed. Hopefully, that would allow Anna to sleep at least a little bit during the flight.

There was also a private suite near the plane’s rear, which had a couch. He wasn’t sure who would claim that, but he knew he wouldn’t need it. Because of his visits to his brother in South Korea, he had some practice at sleeping on long flights.

“Are you excited?” Tess asked a little later.

“How couldn’t I be?” He was practically overflowing with it, to a degree where he might start shaking in anticipation at some point today. “I’m about to go on an exotic getaway with you.”

“Not just me,” Tess reminded him. “America might be called the land of opportunity, but it seems that Fiji will be it for you.”

Liam’s face slightly reddened, but he met Tess’s eyes. Their brilliant depths gleamed without worry, hesitation, or regret.

“I’m hoping it will be,” he said. “This is your first vacation since… you know. I’ve got every intention to make it unforgettable.”

“I don’t doubt it will be,” Tess said, leaning in to kiss him. “Also, I have good news for you. Victoria is bringing along her chess set. So, you can watch us play, maybe even on the plane ride over, and then you can try and beat us before the vacation ends. Hopefully, you’ll at least make a pass or two at taking me down. Compared to how many recent matches you and Victoria have had, we’ve barely played.”

“We played a few matches last night. You stomped me. Like always.”

Tess smiled, her face still near his, vibrant lengths of brunette hair tickling his skin. “Confidence is half of the battle, Liam, you know that. You have to expect to win, even against insurmountable odds. Otherwise, your success might stall.”

Heart racing, Liam felt drawn in by gravity. “I’ll try and keep that in mind.”

Smiling, Tess let him kiss her, wrapping her arms around him. It was a constant flow of euphoria, being with her. Loving her, holding her, just having her nearby. He never wanted that to end, so he took every lesson she provided as if it were gospel.

At around five, Avril texted him. The message was concise and to the point.

Don’t forget to bring the jar.

You really want me to lug that along? It’s glass, so I don’t know if I can bury it in my suitcase.

Just stick it in a duffel bag or something. I’m sure Tess has an extra one if you don’t. It’s not like it's contraband.

So, Tess is allowed to find out about it?

Why wouldn’t she be? We’re comparing times as we suck you off every week. What’s she going to do when she finds out I gave you a secret Christmas gift, fold her arms and pout?

Sighing, he caught Tess’s attention. A little while later, after retrieving the fortune cookie jar that he’d received on his doorstep three months ago, Tess held it in her lap.

“This is a surprising amount of effort, and I’m not sure the reward is worth it. She could have simplified and streamlined this kind of gift in so many ways.”

“Simple and streamlined, the Avril Knight motto?”

“Touche.” Tess looked at the myriad fortune cookies, colored red, green, and blue, for a little longer, then set the jar aside. “I’d like to send a message back to Miss Knight.”

“What’s that?” he asked, expecting her to reach for her phone. Which she did. But then she handed it to him.

“Oh. Oh!”

Lips curling into a captivating smile, Tess began to work his cock free. Recently, the competitive women had decided to make only a single attempt a week. That kept the current time to beat, currently sitting at 6:39, Avril’s most recent time, from spiraling too low too quickly. Technically, no one had made an attempt yet this week, which officially restarted on Sundays. And since their plane wasn’t set for take-off until midnight, Tess was the only one who’d get to make an attempt this week.

With his toes pulling in and his body burning up, Tess brought the time down to 6:26; they were still clearly pacing things, trying not to leap too far ahead. After he finished pouring his seed down her throat, gasping for air as he leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, Tess took back her phone. It was the first time she’d used it, not his, for the recording. Regardless, she texted it to him seconds later, in case he ever wanted to review that match of willpower.

Chess seemed a whole lot easier, in retrospect.

“You have a deck of cards in your suitcase?” she asked once he’d reined in his breathing.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, heart still pounding.

“So do I. So, I imagine, does every woman going on this trip. So, don’t forget about that. I’m sure you could wrangle us into a game that favors you.”

With her uttering those words, and so sinfully seductive in the way she delivered them, Liam’s pulse didn’t come back down for another few minutes.

“It’s been on my mind,” he promised. “Some new games, some old games. If I get tired of you and Victoria flogging me, I know how to get in a win or two.”

Beaming, Tess whispered into his ear that she couldn’t wait to see him in action. Several minutes. His pulse didn’t smooth out for several minutes.

At the planned time, following a later dinner, they finally got on the road, heading for the private airport that held the personally owned jets of numerous incredibly wealthy individuals. Along the way, he caught Tess smiling to herself a few times. He was sure he ended up doing the same thing.

Every moment of the following week was remarkable, even the drive over. Before leaving, they’d confirmed via a group text that everyone was good to go. Now, they all just needed to meet outside of Avril’s plane. Everything else was covered, handled, resolved. They were good to go until they touched down in Fiji and went through customs.

After about forty-five minutes on the road, passing thousands of cars that weren’t heading toward their own private jet, a category of drivers Liam and Tess had been among right up until this very night, they reached the airport. After parking, he and Tess gathered their things and went through an eerily ghostlike passenger terminal. They still had shops, cafes, and so on, and a couple were still manned at this time of the night, but it was still slightly unnerving. After all, they didn’t see any other passengers.

Not until they linked up with Anna, who’d already handed her baggage—and her best friend—over to the plane’s captain, who’d met them outside the terminal. She’d elected to stay behind so that Tess and Liam, who weren’t used to this kind of flying, and Victoria, who might have forgotten a thing or two, wouldn’t be left in the lurch.

Victoria arrived shortly after, and the four of them progressed through security in about a minute. No bags were checked, and his fortune cookie jar, which sat inside a drawstring bag over his shoulder, didn’t receive a glance. They didn’t end up staying in any of the plush lounges that the airport offered, which looked like the exact kind of place where high-life socialites would gather to relax before boarding their private jets. As they skipped that step, it was simply a matter of allowing both their luggage and their selves to be loaded onto a shuttle, and then they were on their way to Avril’s plane.

Briefly, Liam wondered what the driver thought of their party. He was the only guy, and he was clearly younger than at least two of the women in their group. But then again, what did he know about what went on in private airports? Based on what Avril had said, her brother only wanted to use this plane so he could bring along a bunch of women. Maybe this was the norm, though he doubted he gave off a billionaire’s aura.

Parked on the runway, the Bombardier Global 6500 awaited them. Its door was already down, but Liam focused on the exterior a little longer. Even in the darkness, he saw it. Past the plane’s exceptionally long wings and its sleek body, it was right there. A Bandits logo, smack dab on the plane’s rudder. Maybe Rory Knight wasn’t quite the subtle minimalist Liam had made him out to be. He was proud of his team, at least.

After handing off some of their luggage, that which they didn’t want to bring onto the plane with them, to their driver and one other man who’d been waiting by the plane’s cargo hold, Tess climbed inside first, Victoria following, and then him—at Anna’s motioning. Stepping out of the darkness, Liam climbed aboard his first private jet.

As was so often the case, Avril was correct. It’d be hard to downgrade. Climbing aboard, being greeted by captain, copilot, and Avril Knight herself, he looked down a straight line of obvious expense. It began with a kitchen filled with state-of-the-art appliances and a couple of seats, where the wait staff, if Avril had elected to have any for this trip, could make them meals and drinks, then relax when not needed. A door could close this cabin from the rest of the plane should its passengers want privacy from the staff and pilots.

Much more of the plane belonged to the galley, the place where he and four gorgeous women would spend many of the next eleven hours. It was by far the cleanest plane he’d ever stepped into, both by sight and smell. He was accustomed to flying in business class when he and his parents made the long trip to South Korea, so he wasn’t immediately found weeping on the floor and kissing the clean carpet, but it was still a step up from his prior experiences.

The walking space was more expansive than he’d expected, and there were eight comfortable-looking seats—Avril had gone on and on about their comfort—in this first area. He spotted the plane's chaise near the open doorway leading to the private suite on the far side of the cabin. On the other side of the aisle from it were four cabin chairs facing inward toward a square table, which a single pillar rising out of the floor supported. That was where he initially figured he’d end up watching The Sandlot; he’d even rented it on his laptop. However, Avril, swiveling in a nearby chair like a James Bond villain, popped up to her feet, tapped him on his shoulder, and pointed past him. Glancing back the way he’d come, he spotted a flatscreen buried in the wall beside the entryway he’d passed.

“Did you forget?” she asked.

“No, I even have a viewing buddy,” he said, loud enough for Victoria, who’d nearly reached the private suite, to overhear. “Victoria and I are going to watch it together.”

“Oh, then you all can set up in the private suite for it,” Avril said, pointing past the tallest woman in the group. “It’ll be on soon enough. Maybe I’ll join you.”

“Maybe I will too,” Tess said. “What are we talking about?”

“Liam’s never seen The Sandlot, ” Victoria said. “Avril intends to fix that during this flight.”

Chuckling mirthfully, Tess reconfirmed the possibility of her joining them.

“How about you, Anna?”

As Anna gave a noncommittal answer, Liam noticed that there was actually a sixth passenger on the plane. Sitting in one of the four chairs by the table, he spotted a familiar stuffed figure. Sammy the Sloth was also coming along, ready to go international. Hopefully, the squishy stuffed animal would help Anna get some much-needed sleep during the flight.

It would be around five in the morning when they touched down, following an eleven-hour flight. When that happened, he hoped they’d all be rested enough to go out and enjoy Fiji's pleasures, sights, and sounds right away.

As everyone found their seats, which proved as comfortable as Avril had sworn them to be, the pilot announced that they’d be ready to take off in fifteen minutes. Everyone looked around, meeting eyes that brimmed with excitement and anticipation. It wasn’t just him. It was all of them. Even Victoria. Every single one of them was ready to be Fiji-bound.

END BOOK 4