Escape From Reality (14 page)

Cheryl rose.
“Come. Dominick will walk you down to the dock.”

Leila followed Cheryl
down the hall to the front door. Dominick was waiting, holding her overnight
bag. Leila turned back.

“Cheryl, it’s
been an honor. Thank you again.” Leila extended her hand, but Cheryl ignored
it, drawing her into a hug.

She patted Leila’s
back briefly before holding her at arm’s length. “Dear, you’ll be just fine.
Work hard, don’t hold back…and be authentic, write the truth. That’s all I
ask.”

Leila held the
envelope and the card in her hands. Dominick opened the door, holding it for Leila.
She walked out into the bright morning sunlight.

They walked to
the dock in silence. At some point, Leila became aware of the drone of the
seaplane. She looked up, shaded her eyes, and watched as it circled the island,
dropping below the trees.

“She’s right on
time. You’ll have no trouble in Miami meeting your charter.” Dominick turned,
smiling. “Your return trip should be trouble free.”

They reached
the small beach. Leila watched as the plane came slowly toward them. Dominick
repeated his earlier performance of grabbing the strut and guiding the plane
against the dock. Joely cut the engine and Dominick opened the door to the
plane. He called to Leila.

“Ms. Connors?
If you’re ready?”

She wasn’t, but
it was time to leave.

* * *

She watched the
castle through the plane window as they circled the island. Then Joely turned
the plane across the ocean, and the island slid out of sight.

Leila was
silent as they flew toward Miami. She had no questions to ask Joely on the
return trip, at least none she could possibly answer.

They landed
smoothly. Leila thanked her and quickly climbed out of the plane. She was met
by Mr. Hayward, just as impeccably dressed as he had been when she first met
him. He escorted her into the terminal. Instead of the calm, ordered space
she’d seen last time, there was a noisy group occupying the waiting area.

“Welcome, Ms. Connors.
I trust you had a pleasant visit.” Mr. Hayward raised his voice over the noise
of the group, in particular a blonde girl with a loud voice, currently with a
cell phone held to her ear.

“I did, thank
you, Mr. Hayward.”

“Excellent.
Your charter is waiting.” He hesitated, his cheerful façade fading for an
instant. “There is, however, a small, shall we say, alteration in the plans.”

Leila frowned.
“Alteration?” She glanced at the group milling around.

“Just a slight
change. There will be a few other passengers on your flight to New York. It
seems there was a bit of confusion with their return flight and, well…” He
spread his hands.

“They’d be
stranded otherwise?”

“So you see the
dilemma. I do apologize. But I have no control over who flies on which plane. I
only check passports.”

“I see.”

Leila’s mood
deteriorated quickly. Mr. Hayward did what was necessary with her passport and
she was led to a much larger plane than she’d ridden in from New York. The
group she was with were noisy, the voluptuous blonde’s attitude almost larger
than life. She made it clear she was unhappy with the alterations to their
travel plans, although the rest of the group seemed to be taking the change of
plans in stride.

The group had
boarded the plane first, leaving Leila to take the last available seat near the
front of the plane next to a tall dark-haired guy who glanced up briefly as she
sat, then gave her a long lingering look and a smile that told her he was going
to be nothing but trouble on the flight home.

“I’m Jeremy.”
He held out his hand. Leila looked at it a moment, then shook it.

“I’m Leila.”

“Leila. Pretty
name. Little old-fashioned, but pretty.” He leaned on the armrest between them.
“Like you.”

“Jeremy, for
God’s sake. We’re not even off the ground yet.”

Leila glanced
at the man who spoke, a dark-haired, wildly gorgeous man sitting across the
aisle from her. He frowned at Jeremy before turning away.

Jeremy chuckled
and turned back to Leila, leaning on the armrest between them. “Ignore my band
mate. He’s just a little uptight from being away from his girl Kate for too
long.” He tapped his temple. “Thinks too much.”

Leila nodded
absently. “I see.” She avoided eye contact, hoping he’d give up the chase. She
watched the flight attendant make her way down the aisle, offering drinks.

 “You know
who we are, right? This here is Gage Stevens, international Rock God.”

 Jeremy
sat back as if it was a foregone conclusion Leila would know what that meant.
She shook her head.

“Sorry. I’m not
much on current music.”

“Well, then
tonight’s your lucky night.” Jeremy grinned. “You can come to the show, be my guest.
Backstage passes, after party. The works.” He leaned closer, his hand on her
arm. “I can make it an evening you’ll never forget.”

Before Leila
could answer, the engines of the plane revved and the plane started its taxi
down the runway. Excited murmurs rose from the other passengers, drowning out
her thoughts.

The flight home
seemed even longer, and far more tedious, than her trip to the island. Her mind
kept going back to the last time she’d been with Sebastian in the garden. Her
skin still tingled at the memory, a deep warmth lingering deep in her center.

But then images
from her dream crowded in: the man taking her so ruthlessly in her bed and how
much she wanted him. And then Sebastian’s face, filled with pain, filled with
betrayal. Her betrayal.

Jeremy kept up
a steady chatter in her ear, leaning closer, first resting his hand on her arm,
and then, to her astonishment, sliding his fingers down to her knee.

That was more
than Leila could stand. Her hand shot out, covering his. At first, Jeremy’s
eyes lit up, but then he frowned as she pried his fingers away from her leg.

“Stop, Jeremy.
Please. I don’t want to be rude, but…I’m not interested.” Despite trying to
keep her voice down, it rose above the other voices in the plane. There was a
beat of silence and then she heard scattered laughter from the back.

“Shot down
again, Jeremy? Your streak’s unbroken.”

Leila looked
up. A full-figured brunette stood in the aisle next to their seats, her long
brown hair tied back, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Dana Marshall.
So cruel. I’m not shot down…Leila just needs to spend a little more time with
me to understand my charms.”

“Leave the poor
girl alone.” Dana shook her head, walking back to her seat.

Jeremy turned
back to Leila, his next pick up line already on his lips, but he was
interrupted by the flight attendance’s appearance at the front of the plane.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re ready to start our descent into New York City. If
you’ll take your seats, please, and fasten your seat belts, we’ll have you on
the ground shortly.”

Leila busied
herself with her seat belt, relieved they were finally close to landing. Her
nerves were frayed, not only from sitting next to Jeremy, fending off his
advances, but with thoughts of Sebastian and the disturbingly arousing images
from the dream. She was ready for her apartment.

The plane made
a smooth landing at the airfield. Much to her relief, Jeremy became engrossed
in a conversation with a man with piercing blue eyes and what looked like
another rock star…Logan MacKenzie, she thought someone called him. When he
turned away to answer, she hurried down the steps, out of the plane, and onto
the tarmac.

She stopped
short. This was a different airstrip than where the helicopter taken her on
Sunday and where the smaller Learjet had left, bound for Miami. She was
momentarily confused, trying to get her bearings. Behind her, she heard Jeremy’s
voice calling to her. All she wanted now was someone to take her to the next
plane, or helicopter, that would get her closer to her apartment.

“Ms. Connors?”

Leila turned
toward the voice. A man dressed in a crisp limo driver’s uniform and hat stood,
hands folded in front of him, smiling.

“If you’ll come
with me, I’ll take you home.”

* * *

The ride was
surprisingly brief. Leila sat in the backseat of the long black limo, in
air-conditioned silence, watching New York flash past her windows. The limo
turned down her street, and then it pulled up in front of her building.

The driver
stepped out, walked around the limo, and opened the door for Leila. She
hesitated in the open door, looking up at her apartment building, then stepped
out onto the sidewalk. New York came rushing up to her, all the sounds and
smells, traffic noises, the diesel fumes surrounding her. Finally, she was
home.

Chapter
Ten

The elevator
stopped at her floor, the doors sliding open. Leila stepped into the hall, a
strange sense of déjà vu washing over her. Shaking her head, she walked down
the hall to her apartment door, half-expecting to find a note slipped under her
door, another adventure waiting for her.

But there was
nothing tucked under her door this time, and so she quickly unlocked it and
stepped inside. It smelled like dust and stale air, but otherwise, everything
was the same as she’d left it.

She sighed,
closing the door behind her. It felt as if she’d been gone for far longer than just
a few days. So much had changed.
She’d
changed. For one thing, she had a
completed first draft manuscript of a romance novel, and she’d been coached by
one of the best writers in the business.

For another,
quite possibly, she’d met the man of her dreams. And lost him.
If he ever
even truly existed.

She pulled the
manuscript from her bag and settled on the couch. Flipping through the pages,
she began reading her story. The words were vibrant, the story fresh, her
characters alive on the page. Certain scenes still made her smile, and when her
characters were torn apart, tears pricked her eyes.

At the end, she
sighed. Her characters were reunited, secure in their love. She set the
manuscript beside her on the couch. Certainly there were sections that needed
tightening, maybe a few scenes that could be expanded. And, as Cheryl had
advised her, there were places where she could give her characters more
emotional depth. A rueful smile tugged at Leila’s lips. There still was the
missing…physical description of her hero. Leila knew now exactly what to write
for those scenes and exactly how her heroine should feel.

The light was
fading when she heard noises in the hall. There was a thump, then a louder
noise, a man’s muffled voice. Her heart sank: Jordon Richards.

The knock on
the door made her jump. The last person she wanted to see was Jordon, at least
until she’d gotten a good night’s sleep, or three. Maybe if she ignored him…

The knocking
came again, louder this time. With a sigh, Leila rose. Jordon wouldn’t give up
until he’d at least talked to her or tried to make a move. Knowing him, he’d
been watching her from his door. She was surprised it had taken him this long
to make his presence known.

Leila looked
through the peephole then drew back in surprise. All she could see was the back
of someone’s head. Her hand trembled as she reached for the doorknob, slowly
opening the door.

“Can I help
you?”

The man turned
back to Leila. For a long moment, they held each other’s gaze, Leila finding
herself lost in the green depths. Her eyes widened: those beautiful green eyes,
the startling blue circle ringing the iris.

After a long
moment, the man spoke. “I’m sorry to bother you. I just moved in…” He turned
and gestured to the apartment across the hall. Turning back, she caught a look
on his face, a flash of recognition, maybe, or confusion.

Leila blinked.
The voice was the same, deep and masculine. The eyes, the hair…but did he know
who she was?

“I’m sorry. I’m
being rude.” He held out his hand and smiled. Leila’s heart sped up and she
suddenly found it hard to catch her breath.

“I’m Sebastian Phillips.”

She looked down
at his hand for a moment and then, as if in slow motion, reached out and took it.
His grip was strong, his skin warm and very familiar. Her hand lingered in his
for a moment longer. A fleeting look of bewilderment crossed Sebastian’s
features, matching hers. But Leila voiced her confusion first.

“I’m Leila Connors.
You’re moving in across the hall? But that’s Jordon Richards’s apartment.”

Sebastian shook
his head. “I don’t know who that is. I just moved to New York…a friend gave me
a list of places to check and this building had a vacancy. I called, saw it
Monday, and the landlord just called to say my references checked out. It’s all
mine.”