Page 46 of Degrees of Innocence
“I asked them to take our bags to the plane,” he says, noticing my look of surprise.
“Thanks,” I say, wondering why in the world someone would go to the trouble of unpacking everything just to repack it several hours later.
“We better get seated. We’ll be lifting off soon,” he says, guiding me back to a table with two leather seats across from each other. I look out the window as the pilot turns the plane and we are soon taxiing down the runway and airborne, gaining altitude and flying high above the multicolored sea. At this distance it’s easy to see the patterns of white sand, which create the lighter turquoise reflection in the ocean.
It is not long before the stewardess brings each of us a glass of wine and a tray of crackers, cheese, and smoked fish. I find myself nervous, twirling the stem of my crystal glass, contemplating reaching the States, the public scrutiny, and my mother. I take a long sip of wine, but the thought of food does not appeal. I take another long sip of wine and look up, drawn by the magnetism of Chase’s eyes locked on mine.
“Katarina you’re so very quiet. Tell me what’s wrong, Baby,” he urges.
“It’s just your lifestyle is so different than mine. I don’t even fly first class. I purchase my airline tickets online and change layovers just to get the best price. You have your own airplane, excuse me… multiple jets and your own pilot. It’s more than a little intimidating.”
“Katarina, I am the same man you were attracted to before you knew who I was. I don’t know how to react to your feelings about the money. I’ve never dealt with someone that saw the money as a negative,” he says, concern registered on his face.
“I think it’s just hitting me that when we get stateside things will change. You have absolutely no privacy. Are they going to plaster our pictures all over the tabloids? I’ll have security around the clock. What are they going to call me, the latest girlfriend, and another conquest? I don’t even know how to explain our relationship or what to expect when we land,” I say, aware that I am now rambling.
He puts his drink down and lifts my chin across the table, so I have no choice but to look at him. “Katarina, I should have known you were going to be worried about this. What do I want to call you? You excite me on a level that surpasses anything I’ve ever experienced and I’m not about to let money, security or anything else come between us. I don’t have all the answers, but I know that I want to call you mine,” he says, coming around the table and guiding me to the nearby sofa.
“I love that answer,” I whisper as he pulls me into his arms. As he holds me close, my anxiety about moving our personal relationship from a private island to front-page news starts to subside a little.
“When we get to the airport we’ll travel from the plane to my home on the outskirts of the city. If we go to the condo, we’ll attract more attention. I’m hoping that by arriving this late, we’ll avoid the press until tomorrow.”
“Chase, are you sure you want me to stay the night with you? I can take a cab back to Jenny’s and meet you at Prestian Corp tomorrow, if you like,” I offer.
“Katarina, first I am not worried about what the press thinks or writes about me. My only concern is for you. There were enough people on the island with stateside connections and word about us could have gotten out. Jay has men set up at the airport and they will let us know what we can expect in the way of paparazzi before we land. Secondly, I want you to stay with me tonight, at least until we can get a lead on the incidents in Aruba and finalize a security plan that we can both live with. We’ll check out a few apartments in the morning and take it from there.”
“Chase, we need to be realistic, too. I told you I can’t afford the apartments in your neighborhood.”
“The money is of no concern, Katarina. You require security because of your involvement with me and I will pay for the apartment.”
“Chase, I can’t let someone I have known for less than two weeks pay for my apartment,” I insist.
“Katarina, we’ve been through this already. You can’t afford the level of security I want you to have and you only need it because of your relationship with me.”
“What if I still say no?”
“I will renegotiate the contract for Torzial Consulting to state all project consultants will be required to live in an apartment provided by Prestian Corp Monday through Friday.”
“I’m not sure how to feel about that, Chase. Do you always get your own way?”
“If I'm honest, most of the time I do. I can learn to compromise about some things, but surely you understand the need for security after the last few days, Katarina?”
“I appreciate their protection, but right down to planning out my running routes? It just seems a little much.”
“You could always run on a treadmill, Baby,” he counters.
“That’s not going to happen, Chase. I love running outside!”
“Katarina, you can map out your own running routes, they just need to know them so they can have security in place and Jay wants you to switch it up so anyone watching patterns doesn’t get a fix on you. That doesn’t sound unreasonable to me.”
I sigh. “Chase it’s not unreasonable given the situation. You just seriously need to give me some time to acclimate to all of this,” I say, finally starting to relax a little.
“We should talk about how we’re going to approach work since I’m sure it weighs heavily on your mind,” Chase says.
“I have been giving that a lot of thought,” I admit.
His eyes are intent, waiting. “Things are happening fast, but I want to be with you and don’t want to sneak around. I don’t think you would intentionally hurt me, but sometimes things change. I need your assurance that if you wanted to end our relationship you would do it in a way that would not impact my career,” I say.
“Katarina, you have my word. When I said I want you to be mine, I meant exactly that. I want to take care of all of your needs, not just the physical ones. If anything happened to our relationship, your career would be of my utmost concern. I would never do anything to damage your reputation, Katarina. In fact, we’re most certain to run into the paparazzi either tonight or tomorrow. If you like, I’ll let you handle them however you see fit,” he says, gauging my reaction.
