Page 10 of The Pretender
When I turn to find a seat, Balt is walking in front of me, but his head is down, his eyes trained on his phone. A pang of worry hits me. Is he hiding a significant other? That would be messy as hell. I have no right to know about his personal life, but if he’s gonna be around my family, maybe I need to.
“Balt?”
He startles, almost dropping the phone as he turns to me. “Yeah?”
“Um, are you, uh, cheating on someone?”
His brow creases as he pulls his head back slightly. “What?”
“You’re being kind of weird with your phone.”
“Oh.” He chuckles, powering down the phone and slipping it into his messenger bag. “No, I’m not cheating on anyone. I don’t have anyone in my life right now. That’s my work phone and I was checking my messages.”
I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “Sorry. That was rude of me to assume.”
“It’s a fair question. I’m a lot of things, but a cheater isn’t one of them.”
I nod, finding a chair. “Everything okay with work?”
Balt’s expression darkens and his jaw clenches for a brief moment. “Not really. That’s why I needed the sabbatical. Just some… office politics.”
“Your boss is a dick?”
He chuckles as he takes the seat next to me. “To put it lightly.”
“I get it. It’s kind of one of the reasons I decided to go home. At least working in the family business, I’d mostly be my own boss once I get my feet under me.”
“That’s ideal. I was self-employed for a long time until I took a job full time with one client. Big mistake.”
“Rich prick? They can be the worst, right?”
Balt nods, murmuring, “The worst.”
Boarding starts just a few minutes later. At least I might get a decent meal in first class. My stomach is rumbling so loud I’m surprised everyone can’t hear it.
Balt stands, picks his bag up off the chair and starts walking swiftly in the direction of the gate, before pausing and turning to me. A sexy smile spreads across his face.
“Come on, love.”
“Love?” I grab my bag and hurry to catch up to him. “Is that my pet name?”
“I had an English client a few years back. She called everyone ‘love’ and I thought it was endearing. Does it work for you?”
I nod. “Sure. It’s not too cheesy or syrupy.” As we line up, I glance at him. “What should I call you?”
“Whatever you like.”
“Schnookums?”
He blanches. “God, no.”
I laugh, playfully pushing his arm. “Kidding. I’ll come up with something worthy.”
Our conversation stops as we pass our boarding passes to the gate agent and walk down the ramp to find our seats. We’re in the second row, and Balt offers me the window seat. What a gentleman.
I notice how he looks at every person boarding, as though he’s expecting to recognize someone, and once again my curiosity about the man is piqued. He could be anything or anyone and I wouldn’t be the wiser. I’m trusting him not to be a maniac. When my nonna meets him, she’ll tell it like it is. She can read people like a book.
The flight is a little over two and half hours, which gives us time to chat and build on the chemistry. This might be the wildest thing I’ve ever done, but I can’t stand the idea of my family’s pitying faces when they see me. At least I can make it seem like this is a change I really want and I’ve got a gorgeous man on my arm who supports me. Sounds legit.
