Flying the Dominant Billionaire

Lady in Red

Leo

He smiled to himself knowing what the look on Kelly’s face would be like. He enjoyed the girl’s chirpiness and humour. It felt like a breath of fresh air in his otherwise dark, twisted life.

“There! we cheated death one more time!” Her voice floated through the earphones. Kelly effortlessly landed the A-star at the West 30th Street heliport.

He almost laughed out loud when he heard her words. Cheeky b*tch! He couldn’t believe his ears. Some sense of humour.

His deal had gone well with Kimano Studios, and Uncle Romano’s team had come up with some great ideas for marketing. To top that, Kim had to stay back with her dad, so he did not have to tolerate her touchy advances anymore. He was in a good mood.

No… he was in a great mood, especially when he stepped onto the helipad on top of Romano Towers and saw his A- star hovering with Kelly in the cockpit.

When she asked about his companion, he got a sense that she might be a little jealous. For some strange reason, he did not want her to be jealous. He would like to know the carefree girl better.

Maybe they could be friends or something like that in the future.

As he walked towards his waiting Bentley, he realised he had strong, not- so- innocent feelings for her but wasn’t sure if he should act on that impulse. He had a strong urge to look back and see Kelly emerge from the cockpit.

Doc Oc had mentioned that he was all good now and could start dating, but he was still sceptical. He could not trust himself just as yet.

Kelly was so different from both Petra and Eleanor. These innocent women had suffered terribly because of his idiosyncrasies.

Kelly looked stronger than them both, but he would never want to hurt anybody, especially her. He had followed Eleanor’s treatment, and the news hadn’t been very promising. With her trust broken in men, she was still struggling with mental health issues. She wasn’t able to return to normal life and had become a recluse.

He had to control this urge of wanting to know Kelly better. Women would tend to suffer if he liked them too much. He had to stay aloof and out of bounds.

A tiny voice in his head murmured. “You could be friends.”

Yup, they could be friends. His spirit lifted. The iPhone sang out with its iconic ringtone, and he got sucked into his work, completely forgetting his resolve for the pilot lady. Kelly kept peeping into his thoughts at odd hours, and he enjoyed that secret rendezvous.

Later at night, in his shower, he would remember her and find relief in his dark thoughts.

****

Next couple of days he avoided interacting with his pilot. His feelings towards her did not change, which made it all the more necessary for him to take a step back.

He couldn’t really avoid travelling in the chopper. His work had to continue, and he was at the top of it all, taking over the projects and managing the relations that his dad had been handling till now. He had to live up to his family's reputation and continue the legacy of his great grandfather.

He pushed Kelly out of his mind and replaced her thoughts of her with his ambitious plans.

Finally, the weekend approached and although he would have loved to finish another piece of work before his Monday morning meeting, Olliver pulled him out for a party. He was celebrating becoming a partner in the Hamilton & Lachlan law firm, one of the top 50 law firms in the US.

Ollie had worked hard to reach here and now that he had finally achieved the Great American Dream, he wanted to party. It had been a gruelling 10 years of only work and very little play, in which he had also lost a few pounds. Leo agreed to join in his best friend’s celebration. Ollie promised it was going to be a blast, a night like no other!

They headed off to their friend Alan Knight’s nightclub, the Knight's Lounge. It was a posh discotheque in the Upper Manhattan area. After Alan took over his father’s business and converted it into a lounge, this had become their favourite haunt.

Alan had maintained the exclusivity of the night club and kept the high profile VIP area at the top. This was for the celebrities and the billionaires. It was separated from the common party goers lounge below by a glass enclosure that kept the noise out. The railing too had a high glass wall from where they could observe the crowd and hear the music.

This area was used for informal meetings to discuss business deals, for private parties and for informal hangouts. It had numerous private coves which were expertly separated using modern interior design instead of partitions. Since Alan was at MIT Sloan too, most of their group hung out here. It was an unspoken code amongst them. Support each other's business and grow together.

Sometimes Gabby and her friends would also drop in at Knight's. Alan’s sister, Michelle, was Gabby’s friend.

They stood at the high glass railing. Alan liked to keep an eye on the crowd and this was his favourite spot. Over the last few years, he had gotten to know the regulars.

Friday nights were usually crowded, but they were in early and the club hadn’t filled up yet.

Soon people would be dancing and jostling on the dance floor. That was one of the reasons Leo did not want to go there, yet there he was, clinking beer bottles with Oliver perched on a tall bar stool at the counter. “To the quintessential arguer!” Leo raised a toast.

“Thank you,” Oliver’s laughter boomed before he and Alan started draining their beer.

Alan whistled. “Hey look! We have a celebrity here. Isn’t she the one who testified against Alex?” Alan asked Oliver. He had a special interest in the dealings of the cops.

Oliver and Leo both looked at the raised entrance of the lounge below and Leo choked on his drink.

Through the dark entrance, Kelly walked in wearing the most seductive red bandeau dress, trotting on her impossibly high black pencil heels. Her red lips screamed for attention and the red fabric stretched on the firm round butt which appeared more pronounced due to the heels. She had left her hair open and done something with her face that made her beautiful skin glow. He had no idea that his plain pilot lady could look so glamorous. The hem of her dress sat on her thighs and a slit by its side exposed her entire leg. The off- shoulder dress did not hide the swell of her large breasts and her deep cleavage. Many heads turned and people stopped dancing to look at her as she went down the flight of steps into the crowded dance floor of the lounge below.

Thankfully, Ollie and Alan ignored his spluttering and coughing as Ollie exclaimed. “I know her! My firm handled that case. But the guy has strong connections in the bureau. He will be out soon only with a restraining order. The girl is ballsy. From what I heard, she took him on fair and square and did not get intimidated by his mates in the police force.”

“You know I like balls in my girls,” Alan winked and shoved Ollie in the ribs, playfully. “Come on! Let’s go downstairs. Introduce me and your drinks are on the house. Let’s make the most of the night!”

The conversation was slowly raising Leo’s irritation levels. Felt like Ollie and Eleanor all over again. And now Alan was joining in, too.

“You didn’t need to bribe me, but the offer is welcome. I don’t mind introducing you. She is a friend.” He quipped, winking and both Alan and Ollie grinned. They turned to him and Ollie asked, “Aren’t you coming? We need to give in to our urges! Pun intended!”

“You guys should see this,” Leo asked them to look at the entrance again. A largish guy walked in behind Kelly and snaked his arm around her waist. Kelly held his hand and looked really comfortable with his presence around her.

Leo furiously glared at the guy who seemed to know Kelly very well. In all his fantasies, he had never thought that she might already be engaged. Even his private investigating agency had mentioned that she had an altercation with her boyfriend and was single now.

So who was this dude who was drooling all over her? The f*cker even hugged her and made her laugh. She f*cking laughed! He knew what her laughter would sound like, although he couldn’t hear it right now. It did not help with his rising temper.

Another couple entered after Kelly and the beefed- up dude. They appeared to be here in a group.

“Oh, dang! The girl is already taken. Fast mover! I thought she would wait for the matter with her ex to settle.” Alan said, sipping his beer. “I don’t think someone who looks like her can be single for long. I heard she resigned from her NYPD job. Any idea what she was doing with the coppers?”

“She is a pilot or a driver or something. Not sure. I did not handle her case. My colleague did. Apparently, women work better with women in such cases.” Ollie shrugged disinterestedly and asked for another beer. “Come on. I am getting bored. Put up some good music and let’s get me-self a good dance partner.” Ollie would use old English phrases when he had something exciting coming up.

Alan chuckled. “I know someone who can match your steps. And guess what, she is here tonight. Come…” They headed towards their regular seating space and settled on the couch close to the railing, while Leo continued to stand where he was, at the bar.

Thankfully, Ollie and Alan had stopped talking about Kelly. Leo relaxed, but he could not take his eyes off Kelly. She looked gorgeous, and he wanted the hulking guy far away from her.

In fact, he wanted her alone in his own room, at his mercy. He wanted her in bed, tied down.

He called out to the bartender who was closest to him. This time he ordered a whiskey on the rocks. His feelings needed his favourite drink to serve as a distraction. He asked for a Mitcher’s. At Alan’s place, a bourbon that was priced over 10000 dollars a bottle wasn’t hard to get.

***