Push the Envelope (12 page)

chapter
12

Things were going so well with Drake, and I was excited to make
another trip to Connecticut with him. I’d get to fly with my dad and then spend
time with Drake over the long holiday weekend. When we went last time, our
situation had been so different. I’d felt awkward being around his family since
we’d barely known each other, and everyone had assumed we were dating. Now I
really was his girlfriend, and I looked forward to getting to know them because
they were a huge part of his life.

It would be weird not spending Thanksgiving with Dad and
Aubrey’s family though. Dad got a last-minute request to do a charter for a
past customer whose plans had changed due to an illness in the family, and they
were willing to pay a huge bonus because they needed the flight so badly. Dad
felt bad for them because it might be the last Thanksgiving their kids could spend
with their grandparents, so he felt like he needed to say yes even though it
meant missing the holiday with me. I talked it over with Drake and convinced my
dad that it was perfect because it meant I could spend the weekend with Drake’s
family without feeling guilty. Luckily, his charter was on the East Coast, so
he could take us to Drake’s hometown first before heading up to pick up his
passengers.

Aubrey pulled dresses out of both closets and tossed them onto
the bed next to my suitcase. “You bitch. I can’t believe you are abandoning me
on Thanksgiving with my brothers! It’s a good thing for you that your boyfriend
is super hot, so I understand why you’re going with him instead of staying
here,” she teased. “But you owe me one! And I’m calling in my marker now.
Listen up! You absolutely must pack more than you usually do! I know Drake said
his parents didn’t have anything big planned for the weekend, but you need to
be prepared just in case. You got lucky last time being able to borrow this
from his sister,” she said as she held up the purple dress I had fallen in love
with when we were there. I’d brought it home and had it dry cleaned so I could
return it to Drea. I figured I’d get the chance to do it in person, so I didn’t
ship it back to her. I’d left the shoes in the pool house with a thank-you
note.

“Well, if you’re going to use up your ‘I’m abandoning you for
Thanksgiving IOU’ for this, then I guess I have to listen. What do you think
I’ll need for four days?”

Aubrey wagged her eyebrows at me in a suggestive way. “Four days
and nights, you mean.”

“At his family’s home! It’s not going to be like that.”

“That’s what you say now, but what do you think is going to
happen when Drake gives you that fuck-me look he gets when he’s looking at you?
Your dad won’t be staying with you this time since he has other flights booked,
so you’ll probably be in the pool house all by yourself. With only Drake to
keep you company at night. Go ahead and pack all granny panties. I’m pretty
sure you’re just going to end up naked anyway. Hell, you could wear a sack and
Drake would still want to strip it off and take you hard.”

“You are so bad, Aubrey!” I glanced down at the clothes I was
packing and pulled out some lingerie to throw into the bag.

“Bad? Who me? You’re the one who’s listening to my advice. Bring
these, too. I bet Mr. Alpha would really enjoy you looking all innocent while
he’s being naughty,” she said as she handed me a matching, white lace bra and
panty set.

I smiled, knowing she was right. He really would love the white
set. My bag now overflowed with clothes for the weekend. I should be prepared
for just about anything planned, but I was still a little nervous. Aubrey made
a good point
—
we’d
probably spend the nights together. Away from the house. And I wasn’t sure I
could survive another night alone with him without us having sex. He had proven
to me that he wasn’t in this just for the sex by insisting that we wait this
long, that’s for sure. But I was at the point where I might end up begging!

“Uh-oh, I know that look! Alexa Marie, you’re planning
something, aren’t you?” Aubrey asked in a sing-song voice.

I grinned wickedly at her. “Hmmmm, maybe?”

“Ack! What? Lemme help!”

“I think it’s time I make it crystal clear to Drake that I’m
ready to take the next step in our relationship. And the lingerie is going to
help me send that message.”

Aubrey clapped her hands together in excitement! “Yippee! Start
with the white set, but add these to it,” she said and grabbed an unopened pair
of sheer white thigh-highs from a drawer. “Throw these on and there’s no way he
won’t realize that you picked the outfit with his viewing pleasure in mind.”

I double-checked everything I had packed with a new goal in mind
—to
drive Drake wild.

****

Drake: Ready?

Alexa: Yup, all packed and ready to go! :)

Drake: Be there in 5 minutes.

I headed downstairs to wait for Drake so we would be at the
airport on time. Nothing made my dad crankier than late people. He had a full
weekend booked, too. He’d squeezed this flight in more for me than anything
else. I felt a little guilty that he’d be working all weekend while I would be
having fun, but he assured me that I worked hard enough between school and the
Mile High flights. He wanted me to take time and enjoy myself, too.

Drake pulled up in his truck, and I rolled my bag towards the
vehicle so I could put it inside. He hopped out and grabbed it from me. “No
way, baby. You don’t handle your own bags with me around.” I was used to his
ways by now and just gave him a quick kiss. “Hop in. We need to get moving.”

I got settled into the truck and smiled over at Drake when he
climbed back inside. “Thanks for picking me up.”

“Any time. You looking forward to seeing my family again?”

“Yeah, but I’m a little nervous, too.”

Drake reached over and squeezed my hand. “Don’t be. They loved
you last time and they only spent a couple hours with you at a crowded party.
They ask me all the time if I’m treating you right. Especially Drea.”

“You’re lucky to have her for your little sister. She seemed
really sweet, but I can easily picture Drea pestering you about me. She was
very excited by the idea of you bringing a girlfriend home.”

“Keep that in mind when she pounces on you. She can’t wait to
see you again. She’s threatened to tell you all sorts of embarrassing stories
about me growing up, so be prepared,” Drake warned.

“Does she have baby pictures to go with these stories? Ones with
your naked butt in them?” I joked.

“You don’t need photos for that. You can see my ass anytime you
want,” he offered.

I leveled a flirtatious glance his way. “How about now?” The car
swerved to the side of the road as he started to pull over. “No, wait! Save it
for later, lover boy. We don’t have time right now, but I definitely want a
rain check on that offer for tonight.”

“Like I said, Alexa. Any time you want.”

We arrived at the airport just in time for me to help Dad get
everything ready for takeoff. Drake brought our luggage onto the plane and
called his parents to let them know when we’d be there. As he talked to them,
he waved a hand in my direction and pointed at the doors before he walked
outside. We were just finishing up when he strode back inside with an unhappy
look on his face. I walked over to him to make sure nothing was wrong with his
family.

“Hey, everything okay? Has there been a change in plans on their
end?” I asked.

Drake roughly ran his hand through his hair as he pocketed his
phone. He gave me a reassuring smile and pulled me into a hug. “Not exactly.
Nothing’s changed with the weekend in Connecticut, but my mom offered to do a
favor for one of her friends. And you’re not going to like it.”

“Why? If we still get to hang out, then why would it matter to
me if your mom is helping a friend?”

“Her friend’s daughter wants to come home for the weekend, too.
When my mom mentioned that I was taking a charter home, she asked if there was
room on board for her daughter to join me.”

I pulled away from Drake so I could look him in the eyes. “No,
please don’t say it was Sasha’s mom.”

“Yeah, baby, it was. I am so sorry. I had no idea this was going
to happen, and my mom is clueless about what a pain in the ass Sasha has been.
I didn’t want to bother her with it and cause problems between our moms.”

I took a step away to pull myself together. Drake knew how much
I disliked Sasha because she was always such a bitch to me while she flirted
with him right in front of me. I didn’t appreciate the bombshell he’d just
dropped, but it wasn’t like it was his fault. Before I could answer, I heard a
car door slam outside and her voice call out for Drake.

“Yay! I’m so excited to go home with you this weekend, Drake,”
she cooed at him. She turned to look at me, acting like she didn’t recognize
me. “I have bags in the car that you can put on the plane. Be very careful with
them. They’re expensive.”

“Sasha, cut it out!” Drake snapped at her. “You can get your own
bags onto the plane.”

“But, Drake. They’re so heavy. Besides, having someone to help
with things like that is one of the perks of flying privately,” she whined.

“Well, it isn’t your flight. It’s mine and Alexa’s. And she
doesn’t need to help you with anything. You’re her guest on the plane. Tell her
thank you for letting you tag along and go get your stuff,’ he ordered in a
hard tone.

“Fine,” she huffed. “Your mom mentioned that they booked the
flight through her dad. I just figured she was working and was going to let her
do her job. But if you’re going to be that way, I’ll play nice.”

She didn’t bother with the apology as she stomped back to her
car and pulled out four suitcases. I watched her struggle with them and
realized that it was going to take forever if she had to get them on board by
herself. I nudged him in her direction. “This is ridiculous. Go help her with
the bags.”

Sasha practically squealed in delight when she realized Drake
was helping her. I could hear her chattering on about his muscles as he brought
three of the bags over while she rolled one of them beside her. I turned toward
my dad, who had joined me, and explained the situation. We needed to update the
flight plan since we had an unexpected passenger.

“Want to ride in back with them instead?” he asked as he watched
Sasha flirt with Drake.

I shuddered at the thought of being stuck with her for a couple
hours. “No way! I’ve had about as much of Sasha as I can take. Let Drake suffer
alone during the flight. It was his mom who invited her along.”

My dad chuckled as he walked away from me. I was glad someone
was enjoying the situation because I certainly didn’t find it amusing. It
wasn’t a great start to what I had hoped would be a romantic weekend.

I let my dad handle getting our passengers settled for takeoff
and just shook my head at Drake when I walked past him. We could talk about it
after we’d landed and she wasn’t there listening. There was no way in hell I
was going to let her know how much she irritated me because it would make her
too happy.

****

I wrapped up everything in the cockpit when we landed, allowing
plenty of time for Drake and my dad to help Sasha and her ridiculous amount of
luggage off the plane before I got off. My dad was heading farther up the coast
to pick up another booking, so I gave him a hug and took some time to chat with
him before heading outside.

“Good luck with that one,” he said as we were saying our
goodbyes.

“I won’t need luck, Dad. It’s not like I’m spending the weekend
with her. I just have to put up with her on the flights. That’s all.”

“I hope you’re right, but I expect she’ll do her best to tag
along as much as possible,” he warned before getting back on the plane.

When I walked outside, Drake was standing next to the limo.
Sasha wasn’t anywhere in sight, and he must have gotten our luggage into the
trunk already. The car doors were closed, and I didn’t see the driver either.