Page 20 of One Night Stand After Another
Because nothing had ever felt more satisfying than closing a deal—until kissing Clara again.
He thought of the lightning that hit him when they touched, the way he’d always had to grit his teeth and plant his feet to keep from moving toward her when she entered a room back in high school, the joy he’d felt last night making love to her until neither one of them could move.
Not only was she probably relocating to the other side of the country, but she’d also issued him a hands-off, a clearyou were a one-night-standsignal if he’d ever heard one. He was glad they’d had last night, but damn—he would have liked to have more.
A sharp stab of disappointment made his hands tighten on the wheel. At least he still had the prospect of a new business opportunity, provided that hadn’t been a one-night offer, too. He might be getting a bigthanks-but-no-thanksfrom Clara, but there was one area in which he always excelled.
“Mind if I make a call?” He glanced over at Clara and saw she was fast asleep, head tilted, mouth softly open.So damn lovely.
Calling Jack could wait until Philly.
Chapter Seven
They were twenty minutes from Philadelphia International Airport, when an incoming call from Jack interrupted the quiet. Clara jerked and sat up, opening her eyes, so Zane answered. “Hey, Jack.”
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” Jack’s voice was scathing. “Roman Gallagher’s offering you a shot at a prime Venice Beach location, and you blew him off? At least have the goddamn decency to take his call, even if you aren’t interested.”
“Whoa—calm down, and watch your tone. I silenced my phone last night and haven’t checked voicemail this morning because Clara missed her flight. We’re driving to Philly right now. You’re on speaker, by the way. Did you give Gallagher my number?” He’d seen the recent missed call from an unknown number and the voicemail, but assumed it was spam.
“Yes, I gave him your damn number, and you didn’t answer his call. His broker wants an answer by the end of the week, so if you’re interested, you better get your slow ass moving.”
Excitement and relief buzzed through him. “Venice Beach, you said?”
“Yes—call him soon. They’re heading for the airport in a couple of hours.”
He felt a slow grin spread across his face.
He glanced over at Clara. “Did you hear that, Clara? I have a sudden and pressing need to check out a restaurant location in Los Angeles. What a crazy coincidence, right?”
If he’d needed a sign he was on the right course, he couldn’t have asked for a better one. “I’ll call Gallagher in a minute,” he said to Jack. “Thank you for chasing me down, but don’t you have better things to do on your honeymoon than bully me?”
“Yes—I do. So, tell me what happened last night, and I’ll get back to it. Clara, I assume from the way you two ran out of the reception, that you forgave him?”
Zane chuckled. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell, Jackson. You set us up. Now leave us alone while I figure out how to prove I’m worth more than one night.” He caught Clara’s wide-eyed gaze and winked. “Hopefully, she’ll make it easier on me than Lila did for you.”
“Fuck off.”
“You first.”
“Call Roman,” Jack said, then ended the call.
“He’s a charmer, isn’t he?” Zane asked. “What are the chances you want to check the app and see if Magna Air has another seat on that flight to LA while I call Gallagher? I mean, assuming you don’t mind if I hop on the same plane…”
He glanced away from the road to check her expression and found her staring at her phone, scrolling frantically. “You have got to be kidding me,” she said.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
She shook her head and put the phone to her ear, waiting so long he almost asked again.
Finally, she said, “The flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles was just canceled. I need to rebook.”
Immediately, he began running options in his head. He could afford to book anywhere, but she might be on a budget.
“I don’t want my money back,” she growled into her phone. “I need to get to California by Thursday night. That’s five days. You’re telling me you aren’t sending any planes to California in the next five days? How is that possible?” Another pause. “Another airline? It’s going to cost me an arm and a leg to book through another airline without advance notice. You’re sorry? That’s the best you can do?” A longer pause in which Clara started banging on her seat. “Flight vouchers? For flights that aren’t going to get me where I need to go, now or probably in the future, because you don’t have any flights and when you do, you cancel them?” Her voice rose.
Zane tried not to smile as an awesome idea ignited in his brain. “Take the vouchers, Clara.”
She turned to glare at him.
