Standby (Open Skies Book 4) by Becca Jameson (popular e readers .TXT) 📕

“When do you work next?” he asked as he sat next to her, his knees inches away.

She shifted to the other side of her stool to avoid the possibility of contact. “Tomorrow. Long day. Out and back. Sometimes this one gets delayed though, in which case, I get stuck overnight.”

“That sucks. Please tell me Richman isn’t the pilot.”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not scheduled to fly with him this entire month. When I put in my requests, I intentionally picked times and locations I knew were not any of his routes.”

“Good. I don’t like the idea of you flying with that asshole. Can you get out of it if you show up and he’s there?”

She drew in a breath. “Probably not, but it’s unlikely. His schedule for the month is set also. I’ve managed this for three months so far without ending up on the same plane as him.”

Jake nodded. “Okay. That makes me feel better. I guess it’s a large airline. Surely some employees never encounter each other.”

“Exactly.”

Jake finished eating and leaned back. “Now, tell me more. I’m going to spend some time on my computer today digging into Richman’s life. What did you leave out yesterday?” His expression was intense. He was worried. That made her feel both nervous and relieved. At least she’d finally opened up and had someone in her court. She wasn’t alone anymore.

She slid off the stool and took her coffee with her to his living room. She wanted to get comfortable on his sectional if they were going to have another serious chat.

Jake joined her, sitting a few feet away, gaze locked on hers. “What happened between you exactly, sweetheart?” His tone was so soft and kind.

She drew in a breath. “I’m not excited to discuss my previous relationship with the man I’m currently interested in.”

“I know, but it will be easier for me to help you if I know all the details, Shayla.”

She nodded. “It started with innocent flirting after flights. He asked me out several times, but I turned him down. I was nervous about dating someone I work with. Rightfully so. But we saw each other often. Dinner with other members of the crew on layovers. Drinks. Regular stuff.”

He was listening intently.

She found the courage to continue. “One night, we were the only two left in the bar and he slid closer to me and set a hand on my thigh, meeting my gaze and then confessing how attracted he was.”

Shayla set her empty mug down on the coffee table and drew into herself in the corner of the couch, feeling exposed—emotionally, not physically. “Anyway, he was very charming. In hindsight, I should have seen the signs, but hey, I’ve never been with an abuser before, so I didn’t notice he was grooming me.”

“Have you had counseling?” Jake asked.

She glanced at him. “Yes. After I left him three months ago, I realized I wasn’t going to be able to sleep if I didn’t get help. I was in over my damn head with no one to talk to.”

“Why didn’t you feel like you could share with your friends?” He sighed. “I don’t mean to sound like I’m blaming you for anything. I’m just curious. You all seem so close. Like sisters.”

“Because they all work for the same airline. It would have been uncomfortable for them to know that about a man they fly with sometimes. Besides, I was embarrassed for my stupidity. Still am.”

“I hate that for you. I hate that you’re taking the blame.”

She drew in a slow breath. “I’m not. Not as much as I was at first anyway. My counselor has helped me see the light and not give him my power, but it’s going to take time.”

“I get that. Go on. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts. “I don’t drink much when I’m on an overnight. None of us do. We can’t get on the flight the next morning if we do. One glass of wine is about it. Sometimes two if it’s early. So, I can’t even blame alcohol for my choices. Hawke asked me to dance. I said yes. We were in a lounge of sorts. A few people were dancing. Slow jazz.”

Shayla didn’t look at Jake while she continued, not wanting to see his reactions. She kept her gaze on her clasped hands in her lap. “It’s pretty simple. He was charming, I went to his room, we had sex. Something was not right though, not even that first night.”

“How so?”

“Let’s just say the man isn’t a giver.” Shayla shuddered, remembering how Jake had teased her with the visual of tying her up and going down on her. Polar opposites.

“I see.”

“I thought maybe he was just tired that first night, or it had been a while, or he was anxious to be with me. Whatever. I should have seen the warning signs and turned him down the next time. But a week later, we were at it again. Same thing. We ended up in his room earlier than the previous time. There wasn’t as much of a question as to if we would fuck, more like when.”

“And he didn’t take care of you?” Jake asked gently.

“Not at all. Weird as hell.”

“Jesus,” Jake muttered. “Go on.”

“You sure you want to hear all this?”

He nodded. “Yes. I need to know, sweetheart.”

“Okay… Well, we didn’t hook up again for a few weeks after that because our schedules weren’t the same. But he started calling and texting. He was usually pretty friendly. We’d chat a few minutes. He usually joked about sex or getting off thinking about me or whatever. We never really discussed anything important or shared about our lives. It was mostly just flirting. On his part.”

Shayla could feel the tension wafting off of Jake, but she ignored it. Any decent guy would hate listening to this. “The next time we were together, he drank too much.”

“Between flights?”

“God, I wish.