Page 21 of Dating the Billionaire
Instead of being offended, Teo chuckled at the American’s frankness. As well as sounding American, the man sounded young, too, so his sister was probably young as well. His ego was more than a little bruised from Savannah ghosting him, so Teo didn’t want to deal with another woman he might find too fascinating. Not only had she chosen to enter a predominantly male field, but she also might try to kick his ass.
He’d already just had it kicked. Savannah had knocked him back. He’d never had as enjoyable a night as he’d had with her, and that wasn’t just the sex. He’d enjoyed dinner and dancing, too. And the sex...
Hell, just thinking about it—about her—had him tense and edgy. Apparently he had been the only one who’d enjoyed their date enough to want to repeat it. His ego would not take another beating, so he needed to avoid this man’s sister like he intended to avoid his own for a while.
“I need a flight from Milan to Madrid,” Teo said. He glanced at his watch. “I have an appointment in Madrid at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. I’ll pay twice your going rate for the flight, if I can be guaranteed a sober, male pilot.”
“It’s your money,” Grant said.
“You will meet my conditions?” Teo asked, double-checking as his heart rate quickened at the thought of flying again. Being driven in a car didn’t bother him, but something about flying made him feel out of control. And he hated being out of control.
Perhaps it was a good thing that Savannah had not called him. She’d made him lose control that night, over and over again. Making love with her had been a lot like flying—like hurtling through space with no ability to stop himself from falling.
But he couldn’t fall for a ghost.
“Blair would personally kill any pilot who tried drinking on the job,” Grant assured him.
“Blair? Is that your sister?” Teo asked.
“Yes.”
“She sounds fierce,” Teo mused.
“She is,” Grant said. “A former fighter pilot, one of the first female ones to actually experience combat.”
Teo was impressed, but he couldn’t afford that right now. He’d already let Savannah distract him too much from his business. He had to focus on it again—because she had made him remember what it was like to be hungry, to be a kid begging on the streets.
He wasn’t going to beg her or any woman for her attention, though.
“Any other former fighter pilots on your staff?” he asked.
“Several,” Grant said. “Blair personally recruited all our pilots.”
“Send me one of the male ones, please,” Teo requested.
“Blair is the best,” her loyal brother insisted.
“I’m sure she is,” Teo said. “But not for me.” Not right now. Not when he was still so damn raw from not hearing from Savannah.
Grant sighed but agreed to send him a male pilot. Then he set up the flight time and airport location. But after they disconnected, an uneasiness gripped Teo. He’d counted on Miranda Fox and Liaisons International to find him a woman he could trust not to play games, and he’d been disappointed. He would survive the bruise to his ego, though.
But if the pilot he was sent wasn’t as good as he was promised, he might not survive the flight.
