But he had told her that in no uncertain terms. And now she was hurrying through that airport, happy to get as far away from him as she could possibly get. It was the exact opposite of what he had hoped for. And besides, pursing some woman wasn’t a good look on him and he knew it. It could ruin his reputation!
He was about to leave it alone. Just leave her ass alone! But then he saw her looking up at the big board, and she seemed deflated. Was she alright? He had to make sure she was alright.
He began walking toward her, looking at the board too. It was then did he realize that her flight had been canceled. He still started to just leave. She didn’t want to be bothered with him, why would he want to bother her?
But there was something about Gloria that kept drawing him nearer to her, rather than pulling him away from her even as she was pulling away from him.
He couldn’t help himself. He went over and stood beside her as she searched the board, undoubtedly for the next flight out.
“I know you don’t want to hear this,” he said.
Gloria, shocked that he was beside her again, looked at him.
“But I have a plane,” he said.
Gloria had already cut it close. She’d already waited to catch the last flight out that would get her to Philly in time for dinner with her father. And Teddy couldn’t send a plane to her because their planes were grounded for maintenance. But if she missed that dinner, or was even a little late, there was going to be hell to pay. She already knew that. She was in an awful spot.
“I can have you in Philly in a couple hours. My plane’s already here. It’s ready for takeoff.”
Gloria considered him. “You thought all along I was going to ride with you in your limousine, and then on your plane. Didn’t you? You didn’t think there was a chance I’d turn you down.”
“It wasn’t quite that calculating,” Oz said.
“You figured I’d be happy to fly on your plane.”
“You’re Reno Gabrini’s niece. You’re not unaccustomed to flying on private planes, I’m sure. But yes, I thought it would be a winning gesture.”
“But I just called you a creep. Who gets on a plane with a creep?”
Oz smiled. “You?”
Gloria looked down. Panic set in for Oz. “Oh, dear, I did not mean it like that! I was just joking around! I joke about everything.”
Gloria looked back up and he realized she was smiling. “I know it was a joke,” she said. “A bad joke, but a joke.”
Oz relaxed and smiled too. “Let me escort you to Philadelphia. It’ll be my pleasure and I’m sure getting home is very important to you. I promise to get you safely there and back.”
“Just there,” Gloria said as if, in her mind, it was a compromise. “I can catch a flight back.”
Oz nodded. “Very good, madam,” he said, and took her overnight bag, leaving her with just her briefcase.
And they walked through that airport, to the VIP private planes section, and began heading across the tarmac to Oz’s plane.
When they got onto the plane through the back-side door, Oz began showing her where everything was: the bathroom if she needed it. The bedroom if she needed it. The lounge and dining area. It was a luxurious plane.
But when Oz got into the cockpit, and sat in the pilot’s seat and began putting on the headsets, Gloria stared at him. “What are you doing?” she asked him.
“Oh, I didn’t tell you?” Oz responded. “I’m going to fly the plane.”
Gloria was mortified. “Oh, hell no!” she decried loudly, and began running toward the back exit.
Oz broke into laughter, threw off the headsets, and began running after her. “Gloria, I was kidding! Gloria? Gloria!”
Oz was bent over with laughter at the way Gloria was running comically fast down that aisle, a look of terror on her face as she was knocking his crewmembers out of her way as she ran. She was fighting to get off of that plane!
“Eddie!” Oz was yelling to the pilot. “Eddie, come tell her!”
Gloria had run so fast that she was just about to run out of that side door when Oz caught up with her and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back in with a forceful thrust that rammed her against his hard body.
Gloria felt that thrust, and felt his hard body against her and his arm of steel around her waist. When she looked back at him, she realized he was smiling.
“I was kidding,” he said to her. “I was joking around.”
But as they both looked into each other’s eyes at that close a distance, they both suddenly felt something. And it felt so familiar when it shouldn’t have. And they couldn’t break the stare. Even when Gloria realized Oz’s penis had gotten hard against her ass, and was pushing into her, she still stayed where she was. Because of a feeling that she’d never felt before.
She only broke free from him when Eddie, the pilot, made it back there to them. “I am the pilot, ma’am,” he was saying anxiously to Gloria. “Mr. Drakos jokes around that way. I assure you, madam, he will not be flying any plane that I am on.”
Gloria laughed.
“You didn’t have to go that far,” Oz said to his pilot.
Eddie smiled, too, and headed back for the cockpit.
Oz was breathing heavily. And it wasn’t just because he had to run to catch Gloria. He realized how hard he was too. “Have a seat will you please?” he said to Gloria. “I’m getting too old for this.”
Gloria grinned. “It’s your own damn fault,” she said.
“I certainly grant you that,” Oz said.
Gloria looked at him again. Was he being a wise guy? When she saw that softness in his eyes, she took a seat. But as she did, she realized something profound. She’d never met a man who made her smile so much the way Oz made her smile. Never. She gladly sat down.
But as she was sitting down, she noticed that Oz was glancing out of the plane’s window. Then he leaned toward her. “Would you care for something to eat or drink?”
“No, I’m good,” said Gloria.
“Will you excuse me for just a second?” he asked. When she said that she would, Oz got off of the plane.
Gloria watched as he made his way across the tarmac to two men standing beside an SUV.
Oz walked up to that SUV where two of his men, Darkus and Stenos, were standing. “No complications, I hope,” Oz said.
“There’s been no blowback so far,” Darkus said. “But we don’t know what’s next.”
“Now that they know we have the capacity to strike back just as hard, they should want to deal. It’ll make no sense trading hits. But make sure everybody keeps their guards up.”
Stenos looked at Darkus. Darkus hated to go there, but knew he had to. “There’s another wrinkle, Boss,” he said.
Oz expected there was a problem or they wouldn’t have come to the airfield. “What is it?”
“We now think we know who’s the head of the Ghost Mafia.”
Oz was pleased. “Well alright then. About time. Who?”
Darkus glanced at Stenos, and then back at their boss. “We believe, although it hasn’t been fully confirmed, but we believe they may be affiliated with Mick Sinatra.”
Oz was floored. His heart dropped. “Sinatra? Mick the Tick Sinatra?”