Chapter Five

  Because some people had cancelled their flight and made other arrangements, Tony and Mike were able to change seating assignments to sit next to each other.

  They also upgraded to first class on Asher Insurance’s dime.

  Because, fuck yeah, that’s why.

  That meant relaxing, chatting, and both of them ordering drinks for the flight home. Tony hated flying anyway, but it was a necessary evil.

  “I can’t wait to get home,” Mike said. “Why’d I let you talk me into going back out there to supervise them?”

  “Because you love me?” Tony joked.

  “I guess.” Mike snickered and dropped his voice. “I’m not wearing a butt-plug for you, though. Even if you tell me my ass is gorgeous.”

  Tony chuckled and they gently “clinked” their plastic cups together. Tony wasn’t worried about driving when he got home, because Shayla would be doing that.

  So he allowed himself three cranberry juice and vodkas, while Mike had wine.

  Day-drinking, FTW.

  Excitement filled Tony and inflated his cock more than a little as he thought about what he wanted to do to Shayla when they got home. Blowjob first, because fuck yeah, that’s why.

  He smiled to himself and sipped his drink. He kind of hoped Jenny was going to come get Mike. That meant he could nail Shayla in the parking garage before they even left the airport.

  Or maybe have her pull off at one of the Skyway rest areas and get a blowjob from her there.

  Tony somehow suppressed his evil giggle.

  I am an excitable boy today.

  Fuck, he was a horny man now that he was so close to home he could practically feel Shayla’s sweet mouth around his cock.

  Maybe this even worked out better. Sure, going out tomorrow to buy a car would be a pain in the ass, but this way they could get home sooner so he could bend his wife over and spank her, fuck her, spank her some more…

  He sighed. And then collapse in bed, naked, and zonk out.

  Work knew not to call or text him before Monday morning unless something was literally on fire, or the whole system went down and they’d tried everything possible to get it up and running first.

  That disturbing him before then for anything less than those criteria would not result in a pleasant experience for the disturber.

  I really need a new job.

  Then again, he had seniority, a decent 401k plan, good health insurance, and trying to find another job that not only paid as well as he was currently making and had all those benefits—in the Sarasota-Bradenton area—would likely be nearly impossible. He was well-compensated for his work, that wasn’t in dispute.

  To be fair, it normally wasn’t this shitty, either.

  Even his own boss admitted Tony had gone above and beyond, and the VPs and higher in the corporate food-chain were impressed by his performance now that they knew everything he’d had to overcome to get the project finished.

  Darren had also told Tony that, in addition to Tony’s upcoming vacation, he would work with him on coming in late and leaving early for a while, if he wanted, to make up for all the extra and basically unpaid hours he’d put in while in Denver.

  Tony would be at work on Monday, work through the week, and then take two weeks off the following week. It’d been tempting to start his vacation immediately, except he had some loose ends to tie up first in the wake of his absence, and he wanted to be available in case Denver had any issues.

  With the way his luck had been running, he’d head out on vacation just to spend most of it on the phone in conference bridges while trying to remotely diagnose system problems.

  No, thank you.

  They were on final approach to Tampa and Tony was still happily buzzed from the three drinks. Plus now his stomach was growling, since they hadn’t eaten lunch before the flight. His foot started tapping as his impatience and excitement grew. He could imagine the smile on Shayla’s face when they emerged from the monorail chute into the main terminal.

  How he was going to grab her and lay the biggest kiss on her he ever had. Fuck whoever was watching.

  He hoped she was wearing a cute little sundress so he could grab her ass while he kissed her.

  He closed his eyes and smiled.

  Next to him, on the aisle, Mike had stowed his Kindle in his carryon tucked under the seat in front of him. “I don’t know about you,” Mike said, “but I’m stampeding as soon as that fucking door’s open.”

  Tony held a fist out to bump with him.

  They landed on-time—relatively speaking—and as they started taxiing to the gate, both Tony and Mike unbuckled their seat belts and grabbed their carryons from under the seats. They both had bags in the overhead bins, but they were seated toward the rear of first-class, so they were close to the exit.

  Tactical advantage, yo.

  Tony didn’t even bother switching his phones on. Why bother? He’d have a flurry of e-mails he didn’t need to pay attention to yet on his work phone, and he knew he’d have a text from Shayla telling him she was waiting for him in the terminal.

  He noticed Mike didn’t bother turning his phone on, either.

  As soon as the plane bumped to a stop, they stood, and Mike grabbed their bags from the bin. They pushed into the aisle and waited for the door to be opened, and were the fifth and sixth people off the plane.

  Both of them practically ran down the jetway to the terminal, and they dodged around people as they followed signs to the exit to get to the monorail for the ride to the main terminal.

  As they waited for the next monorail to arrive, Mike wore as wide a grin as Tony did. “When we get there,” Mike said, “how about I head straight on to baggage claim and stake us out a spot while you and Shayla say hello?”

  Tony laughed. “Dude, you are the best friend ever.”

  Mike shrugged. “Just thinking practically. I doubt Jenny drove up when Shayla said she was bringing us home. Maybe I should check my phone though.”

  Mike waited until after they’d stepped onto the monorail to pull his personal phone out of his pocket and switch it on.

  Tony left his in his pockets. He didn’t give a shit about work, and all he wanted to do was see his wife.

  The monorail ride felt like it lasted forever, even though it was less than a minute. Both of them were ready when it stopped and the doors began sliding open, the men practically pushing through them and heading for the exit.

  Tony was already looking for Shayla and raced ahead of Mike, who was looking at his phone.

  Excitement quickly started fading, however, when he didn’t immediately spot Shayla.

  “Where is she?” he said, looking around, sure he was just missing her. Maybe she’d gone to the bathroom. Maybe she—

  “Tony, turn on your phone.”

  He didn’t like the tone of Mike’s voice. Not like it was horrible, just resigned.

  Tony turned. “What?”

  “Phone.” He gestured with his. “Jenny said Shayla might be running late. Flat tire.”

  Groaning, Tony pulled his phone out. “Motherfucker,” he muttered, impatiently waiting for it to turn on. Meanwhile, they stepped out of the way as, all around them, people were reuniting with their loved ones.

  He didn’t have a text from her.

  He had two.

  “Shit.” He scrolled to the first one that had arrived after he’d turned off his phone.

  I’m sorry, Sir, I might be a few minutes late. When I went to leave had a flat tire. Couldn’t change it myself, had to wait for AAA. Love you!

  And another.

  Skyway closed. Accident. ETA unknown. ;(

  Tony sighed and showed Mike.

  “Motherfucker,” he said.

  “Yeah. Let’s head to baggage claim.” While on the escalator heading downstairs, Tony called Shayla.

  She answered, sounding like she was near tears. “Welcome home, Sir.”

  He took a deep breath and made sure to gentle his voice. “How you doing, pet? Where are you?”

  She sniffled. “I’m stuck on I-4 between the State Fairgrounds and Ybor City. I turned around and headed up I-75, but now there’s an accident at the interchange by downtown, and traffic’s backed up. According to Waze, traffic between here and the airport is at a standstill. It’s estimating it’ll take me over an hour to get there from here.”

  Tony silently groaned. “Can you get off the Interstate and come a back way?”

  “I don’t know where to go! I don’t know Tampa!”

  She was definitely crying now.

  “Shh, pet, it’s okay, sweetheart.” He followed Mike, who he assumed had read the signs about which baggage belt they were supposed to go to.

  “I’m sorry, Sir.”

  “Honey, this isn’t your fault.”

  “I know, but I wanted to be there to meet your plane, and the donut sucks, and I thought I could take I-4, and…” She devolved into tears.

  He took another deep breath. “Pet, I need you to calm down, sweetheart. I don’t want you getting in an accident. Hang up, take the next exit, pull over at the first gas station, or a shopping center parking lot, or somewhere safe, and then call me back. Okay? Right now. That’s an order.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you, Sir.” She ended the call.

  Mike was watching him. “Do I even want to know?” he drawled.

  Tony started telling him. Despite trying to keep a straight face, when Mike started laughing, Tony did, too, until the two of them were nearly howling as they stood there waiting for the luggage belt to start up.

  “Jesusfuck,” Mike said. “Maybe I should just take an Uber home and expense it back to Asher. I think you’re the one that’s jinxed, not me.”

  Tony nodded, still laughing. “God, I’m a horrible husband. Don’t you dare tell her I laughed. She’s really upset.”

  Mike grinned. “Between that and the butt-plug story, you’re going to be infamous.”

  An older woman standing close by shot them a disgusted look.

  Both men burst out laughing again.

  * * * *

  Shayla exited I-4 and found a McDonald’s to pull into. After shifting into park, she took a deep breath and called Tony back.

  “You safe, pet?”

  “Yes, Sir. I’m at a McDonald’s.”

  “Okay. Put the phone in speaker mode and then use Waze to find another route to the airport.”

  “Yes, Sir.” She did, feeling overwhelmed when she saw the map of the area.

  She’d forgotten how relatively small Sarasota was in relation to the Tampa Bay area.

  “Find an alternate route, honey. Take your time. Find 60. It might be called Adamo Drive where you are. That goes all the way over to Westshore, I remember that much.”

  She found it and pulled it up as a route. “It looks pretty clear.”

  “Okay, baby. Take that route. We’ll get our bags and go back upstairs to a restaurant to grab a snack and wait. When you get here, pull into the cellphone lot and call me, and we’ll head down to arrivals and you can pick us up there instead of having to park.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Love you, pet. You’re doing fine, baby. It’s okay.”

  It took her almost forty-five minutes, but she finally found her way to the airport and the cellphone lot. “I’m here, Sir.”

  “Good job, sweetheart. I think I’m actually sober now, so I can drive us home.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Mike and I drank on the plane.”

  Shit. “No, I’ll drive, Sir.”

  They agreed where to meet and she gave them a five-minute head-start by taking a moment to run into the bathroom there in the parking lot.

  Then she followed the signs and slowly picked her way through airport construction to make it to the arrivals side, where she spotted the two men standing with their luggage.

  She nearly sobbed in relief. She pulled up, threw it into park, hit the lock switch to open the passenger door and back hatch, and jumped out to go hug Tony, slamming the door behind her.

  “Love you, sweetheart.”

  “Love you, too.”

  “Hey, Shayla,” Mike said.

  “Hi.” She didn’t want to be rude an ignore him, but…yeah.

  She closed her eyes, aware Mike was heading to the SUV to load his luggage.

  “Um, Tony? What’s the trick to opening this thing,” he called out.

  “Just open it. Pet, honey, we need to get moving before we get in trouble.”

  She kissed him once more and stepped out of his way, circling around the back of the SUV to get the hatch, where Mike still hadn’t figured out how to open it.

  She tried it. “I know I hit the switch. Let me go unlock it.”

  Tony dragged his suitcases around to the back hatch while she returned to the driver’s door and tugged on the handle…

  Fear settled inside her as she walked back to the rear hatch. “Um, Sir?”

  “Pet, unlock the car. We can talk inside.”

  She swallowed hard. “Do you have your keys with you?”

  “My house keys. Why?”

  She couldn’t help it. She burst into tears right there.

  “Pet, what’s wrong?”

  When the airport police officer walked up to find out what was going on, she didn’t blame him for bursting into laughter at her plaintive wails while Tony explained she’d accidentally locked her keys in the vehicle.

  The running vehicle.

  Which was now blocking traffic.

  At one of the busiest airports in America.

  Chapter Six

  Tony gave thanks that the TIA police were apparently used to drivers accidentally locking their keys in their vehicles in the pick-up and drop-off areas. It only took them five minutes for an officer to appear with a slim-jim to open the door for them.

  Shayla was too distraught to drive, and while Tony felt okay to drive, he wasn’t sure he should yet. So he got them out to the cell phone parking lot, parked, and sent Shayla into the restroom to wash her face and blow her nose.

  She no sooner walked into the bathroom, and Tony had moved from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat, than the two men burst out laughing again.

  “I’m sorry,” Mike said from the backseat, “but the look on her face when she realized she’d locked the keys inside it…” He howled. “You can’t seriously expect me not to tell this story to our friends.”

  Tony hoped he could stop laughing before she emerged from the bathroom. “I’m beginning to think maybe we shouldn’t go anywhere on vacation. Two weeks safely locked in our bedroom and ordering groceries from Amazon sounds like a damned good idea.”

  “You guys are freaking cursed,” he said. “The anniversary, her car, and now all of this?” He grinned. “Dude, you do not get to accuse me of jinxing us.”

  Tony sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Shh, here she comes.”

  Bless her heart, she was so upset, and he didn’t blame her.

  Now that he was home, he could see how hysterical this was. He suspected she would, too, with a little time and perspective.

  And after a few orgasms.

  Okay, maybe after a lot of orgasms.

  She slid behind the wheel and adjusted the seat and mirrors and steering wheel.

  “Are you all right, sweetheart?” he asked, struggling to keep a straight face.

  She nodded, and the sorrow in her eyes helped him rein in his amusement and not start grinning. “I’m sorry for the clusterfuck, Sir.”

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Honey, the tire wasn’t your fault, and the traffic wasn’t your fault.”

  “Locking your keys inside was your fault, though,” Mike teased.

  Goddammit. Tony couldn’t help laughing again, even though Shayla started crying.

  He leaned in and held her. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry, but this is funny.”

  “I know!” she wailed, making Tony and Mike laugh that much harder.

  It took him a few minutes to get her calmed down again, and he was able to give her a proper hello kiss. “Are you going to be okay to drive?”

  She nodded, wiping her tears away. “Yes, Sir,” she muttered, sniffling. “This isn’t how I pictured today going.”

  “Well, me, neither,” he said, “but we’re together, we’re going to get Mike home, and then we’ll go home and snuggle.”

  Her breath hitched. “I hope whoever has our voodoo dolls is having fun, because this fucking sucks.”

  “Deep breaths, pet.” He kissed her once more, then settled back in his seat and buckled his seat belt. “Check your traffic on Waze, and then let’s head home.”

  She did, found the southbound Skyway was open and fine, and off they went.

  They delivered Mike without incident and made the short trip from there to home in less than twenty minutes. It was nearly dark by the time Shayla pulled into their driveway and parked where she usually parked, and then shut the engine off.

  They both breathed a sigh of relief.

  And then Tony laughed.

  Shayla giggled, which quickly grew into howling laughter of her own as they laughed together to the point of tears.

  “Keys out, sweetheart. I’ll take the car keys. You get your house keys out.”

  She did, smiling.

  “Good girl,” he said. “You unlock the house, I’ll get my luggage.”

  * * * *

  If I didn’t have bad luck…

  Shayla got the house unlocked and disarmed the alarm without incident, injury, or a cat escaping.

  Once Tony dragged all his luggage inside and had locked the front door behind them, he leaned against it. “Greeting, pet.”

  Shayla immediately sank to her knees and knelt, touching her head first to the top of his left sneaker, his right, then the back of his left hand, his right, finishing by nuzzling her face against the front of his jeans.

  Where she now felt the hard outline of his cock pressing against the zipper.

  “Good girl.” He pulled his shirttail free and started unbuttoning his shirt. “Normally I’d tackle you into bed, but I want a shower first, and some food, and I’m not entirely sure I might not fall asleep on you.”