Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
I buckled up and Elio took the seat beside me. The man driving had black sunglasses on, and I met his gaze in the rearview mirror. I gave an awkward wave, unsure if I should say hi or not, and he just nodded in return, his eyes back on the road as he adjusted the mirror.
I shrugged, buckling in just as Elio had.
“The airstrip isn’t too far,” Elio reassured me as we pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. I spent my time scrolling on social media and checking my email and soon enough, we arrived at the airstrip.
The moment I got out, my jaw dropped to the ground.
I’d never seen a private jet before, except for in movies, but this one was absolutely stunning. It was much bigger than I thought it would be but nothing like a regular airplane. They had rolled out a red carpet up to the stairs and while I was staring in awe, Elio nonchalantly grabbed my duffel.
I spotted a few men loading our other luggage onto the plane and Elio grabbed my hand, tugging me up the carpet. I carefully went up the stairs, even more shocked once I saw the interior.
It was like a fancy hotel crammed inside of a long hallway, with fancy recliners with large pull-out tables. There was even a whole ass couch, and from what I spotted in the back, a bathroom with all the amenities.
“Impressed?” Elio smirked at me, as I took in the jet with wide eyes.
“Absolutely!” I said excitedly.
He chuckled, helping me to one of the seats. He stuffed my duffle above us, locking the compartment with a key which he tucked into his jacket. “My dad always owned his own jet, so I’ve been flying in them for a long time. I was obsessed with planes and jets when I was a kid, so that’s how my dad got into models. He used to build a new model plane with me every year on his birthday.”
“That’s sweet.” I grinned, taking a seat.
Elio took the one next to me, taking the moment for us to get comfortable.
“Yeah, well, he could be sweet when he wanted to be.” Elio chuckled. “After Mom and Dad left Italy and the family behind, Dad became kind of a stay-at-home dad. He still had the company, but he mainly worked in the evenings and late after hours, meetings and all that. Mom did all the work at the company herself.”
I gave him a bright smile, happy to hear about part of his childhood. He gazed over at me, his cheeks burning as he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.
“Sorry, I said too much,” he mumbled.
“No, I’m happy to hear about it.” I grabbed his hand, beaming. “You know almost everything about me, so it’s nice to hear when you were a kid and weren’t as well put together as you are now.”
“Well put together,” he scoffed, grinning. “I’m still an absolute mess. That’s why I love you so much.” He laced our fingers together, keeping his heated eyes on me as he pulled my hand to his lips, delicately laying a kiss there.
“Flirt,” I smirked.
“Only with you.”
The preparations for the jet finished up and the same guard who had driven us there climbed in, folding the plane door closed behind him. He took his seat toward the front and Elio helped me find the seatbelts. Once we were ready, the jet started to move and I clutched his hand tightly, nervous and excited as we took off into the sky.
I spent the few hours of the ride trying to guess where we were going, and Elio passed out a few hints with a grin, letting me curl around in my chair as I could lay my head on his shoulder, watching the clouds pass by out the window.
“Is it sunny there?” I guessed, softly. “Like LA is? Could it be Florida?”
“Nope. It’s actually snowing there this time of year.”
“What are they known for? New York’s known for pizza, right? Is it New York?”
“It’s not New York.” He chuckled. “But they do have a lot of good food.”
“And it’s not too far away? We’re not heading to Asia, are we?”
“The flight is only an hour and thirty minutes, real short, and we’re not leaving the country, I promise.”
“Minnesota.”
“I said it’s snowing this time of the year, not all year.” He laughed.
Despite my best sleuth skills, I couldn’t figure it out in the short flight. Soon enough, we were touching down and right as the jet came to a halt, the speaker lit up.
“This is your pilot speaking. Welcome to Lake Tahoe.”
I gasped, immediately climbing to look out the window but all I could see was the gray of the airstrip and a forest of trees around us, each covered with blankets of white snow.
“We’re in Nevada?” I asked with sparkling eyes.
“On the border, but yes.” He laughed.
I beamed, practically bursting with excitement as we made our way from the jet and to the car waiting for us. Our luggage was carried with us, and I stared out the window as we started the long drive to the north side of the lake.
Lake Tahoe was beautiful, with snowy, forested fields with no sign of the large, towering buildings I was used to or the mansions on every street corner. It was simply perfect.
“Cat, there’s the house we’re using. We’ll also have a private chef.” Elio pointed out toward the vacation villa sitting just off the side of the lake, built right into the mountainside. Under all the snow, it was almost hard to see if not for the unusually bright colors of the painted exterior—bright blues and blacks among the white and green.
“Is there skiing? Swimming? Water-skiing?” The visions of my imagination bounced in my head.
Elio chuckled, throwing an arm around my shoulder and pressing a kiss to my temple. “Later. First, we’re going to the spa. You’re probably stiff from the flight and the car ride, right?”
“I am,” I smiled, snuggling into his chest. “But then you teach me how to ski.”
“Deal.”
*Caterina*
I had to admit that Elio had picked the perfect vacation spot. Elio took me to a luxurious couples’ spa, and I swear to god the masseuse had hands of gold. She managed to target every spot of tension on my shoulders and back, rubbing them away until I was a pile of naked melted humans on her table.
I didn’t even remember what kind of nonsense I had spouted out, but Elio told me afterward that he nearly died from holding in his laughter. But I couldn’t have helped it even if I tried. Years of anxiety had poured from me like a snake shedding its skin and I felt brand new.
The charcoal lift mask was amazing, leaving my whole face baby-bottom smooth, and the foot scrub had been delightful. I was ticklish on the bottom of my feet, but luckily my masseuse was careful and very gentle as she got rid of all the calluses and dry skin.
I had been too nervous to do the hot stones, but Elio appreciated them very much, though I did get a bit jealous to hear how much he was moaning from the black little stones.
After the spa, Elio kept his promise as he took me up to the mountain. I had never seen so much snow in my entire life, the forest blanketed with blinding white. After so many years in LA, I had virtually no immunity to just how cold it was going to be.
I could get cold on a summer day, but the top of the mountain was below freezing. Elio helped me into my new snowsuit, double packing until I stopped complaining and the cold was bearable.
When it came to skiing, we learned I had virtually no talent. It took me several tries to even stand on the skis let alone move on them. My sense of balance was way off being strapped to the wooden sticks on my feet, so I kept falling straight into the snow.
Elio was patient with me though, helping me get back up every time, and with his encouragement, I was able to brush myself off and try again. After a few hours, I was able to travel down the baby slopes by myself and without falling.
Elio told me it was a major improvement for only one day of practicing, but I was pretty sure he was just trying to be nice. There was a five-year-old girl who skied past me several times after only an hour of practice.
I was ninety percent sure I just sucked, and maybe ten percent wary that the little girl was just a future Olympian. Elio took me back to the villa for lunch and made me what he called his specialty hot chocolate.
With a cinnamon stick, a mound of whipped cream, and chocolate shavings, not to mention a roasted marshmallow on top, it was in fact the most delicious hot chocolate I’d ever had, and also the biggest sugar rush.