"I'm sorry sir--"
"No more 'sir', Melanie. Please just call me Alex."
"Thank you sir -- I mean Alex. But I have regular flights all week--"
"Canceled. Reassigned." Mitch said.
This was a disaster. Her mother was in real danger of being evicted.
"Is there a problem?" Alex asked. He sounded so kind. Melanie just couldn't put the two pictures together. The charmer on the Columbus flight followed by the manipulative billionaire. Then the crass asshole at the check-in counter this morning followed by the magnetically charming hunk from her dreams who stood before her now.
"I'd love to go." She stammered, "It's just that...."
Mitch glared at her, willing her to shut up. He knew that no one ever said no to Alex Drummond, Jr.
"There's no problem Mr. Drummond," he said. "Her schedule will be absolutely cleared; I'll see to it myself."
Screw you. A flash of defiance ran through her. Mitch was trying to run her life again, even after she had broken up with him. You're not in charge here. Although a little overwhelmed and star struck in the presence of the tall handsome billionaire, she was still a woman and sure he liked her. He had offered to pay her mother's medical bills for God's sake. She decided to lay it on thick to get a little revenge on Mitch. God knows he deserved it. She dropped her head demurely and then looked up at Alex with coy little girl eyes.
"Mr. Drummond," she said, and then flashed him a shy smile. She saw his pleased response, which he tried to cover up quickly. There really was something there.
Mitch stood there fuming, just visible from the corner of her eye.
"It's just, well, my roommate left suddenly and I'm short on rent this month..."
"Stop right there." He said. "Mitch will take care of that, won't you Mitch?" He turned his commanding gaze to the stooping manager with a look that threatened doom if disobeyed.
"Of course, Mr. Drummond." He said.
"Mitch will give you the details before we board the flight. Don't worry Melanie; I consider this a special service so you won't be out-of-pocket. Mitch will make sure that your rent is covered and then some. Isn't that right?"
Mitch nodded unhappily and gave another sharp look to Melanie as if to say he would get even with her for this indignity.
"Any other problems, Melanie?"
She searched her mind for something to say other than the problem with her mother. She didn't want Mitch to know and she didn't want this Drummond guy to somehow use it against her again. She was somehow still looking for a reason to escape. Was she really going to be a serving girl for this guy with his huge sense of entitlement? Didn't she have a say? After all, he was still a virtual stranger and here she was suddenly changing all her plans and getting ready to spend nine hours on a flight with him and then eight days with him on Tahiti.