***The next day***
Jonathan got up before Jennifer, and made some phone calls and arrangements.
She heard him on the phone during his last phone call and got up and came to see where he was.
"Morning".
"Morning. Have you been up long?"
"Just about an hour or so".
She sat down next to him and pulled her feet up and hugged her knees to her chest.
He finished his phone calls and then wrapped his arms around her.
"Jack said we can be wheels up at 4. So, if you want, we can go have a nice lunch somewhere and then head to the airport."
"Yes, please".
She got up and went and showered and got dressed. Jonathan slipped in the shower behind her.
In an hour, they were both ready to go.
He called the front desk and they sent up a bellboy with a luggage cart.
After they were checked out, they used the car service that Jonathan had reserved and headed towards the airport.
He found them a little café with a patio, and they grabbed a table.
They had just finished eating when Jennifer saw him.
"Uh oh. Trouble just arrived".
Elliott walked over to their table.
"Sweetie can I speak with you a moment?"
"No, Elliott. We don't have anything to discuss".
"Jennifer, come on. Don't be like that".
Jonathan stood up.
"I do believe the lady stated that she didn't want to talk with you. So, why don't you just go?"
"Jonathan-don't".
"Look pal, this is a conversation between me and my girlfriend, not the three of us. So why don't you mind your own business?"
"Elliott, I am not your girlfriend. I'm his".
"Jennifer, let the menfolk handle this, would you?"
Elliott turned back to Jonathan.
"Look, I don't know what you think is going to happen here, but she's leaving with me, not you. So unless you want to end up with a broken jaw, I suggest you sit down and don't interfere".
"I'm not going anywhere with you, and that's final".
"Shutup, Jennifer!"
Elliott moved to grab Jennifer's arm.
Jonathan reared his fist back and punched Elliott twice in the jaw. Elliott fell to the ground and laid there, stunned.
He pulled his wallet out, tossed a couple bills on the table and grabbed Jennifer's hand.
She stepped over Elliott very delicately and they headed to the car, and straight to the airport.
"How's your hand?"
"It'll be ok".
She brought it to her lips and kissed his knuckles.
"Did you mean what you said back there-that you were my girlfriend?"
"Every word".
They shared a few passionate kisses, and before they knew it, they were at the airport.
"Darling, which of these bags do you want on board with you?"
"That one". She pointed to the medium sized suitcase.
She made him an ice pack as soon as they were on board.
Jack came in to say hey.
"Hey! Jack, this is my girlfriend Jennifer Edwards. Jennifer, this is Jack Hamilton, the best pilot in the business".
"Hi, it's wonderful to meet you. Thank you for flying us".
"My pleasure, ma'am. If you need anything, just come on in to the cockpit".
Jennifer settled into the seat next to Jonathan.
"My me wants your you to stay at the Penthouse when we get back. Is your you agreeable to that?"
"Yes, my me is very agreeable to that".
She gave him a few kisses.
She looked around the plane.
"This is a nice plane you have here".
"Thank you. There's more to it. There's a bedroom back there with a full shower, and across from the kitchen is the media room".
She rested her head on his shoulder.
"It's also very private".
"How private?"
"Unless the cockpit doors are open, anything that is said, regardless of the volume, in the bedroom can't be heard in the cockpit".
"I see".
She fell asleep a short time later, and he just held her as she slept, so happy to have her back in his arms.
***A few hours later***
Jennifer woke up and stretched out.
"Have a nice nap?"
"Indeed I did".
She turned to him.
"How is your hand?"
"Oh, it's fine, thanks to your expert nursing skills".
"Any clue where we are?"
"Over the ocean, I'm sure".
"Darling, next week we have the Congressional hearing".
"Wonderful. I'm looking forward to telling them what happened and what you discovered".
"I am too".
"Darling, I've been thinking. Perhaps we should stay out of sight until the hearing."
"Probably a good idea".
"So, what if we go to Los Angeles and stay at my home? You'll love it. Plus this flight will be shorter, and then Jack can fly us back to NYC as soon as we need to go".
"I'm game if you are".
"I'll go tell him".
"I'm going to go lay down in the bedroom".
He went and asked Jack to fly them to LA instead, while Jennifer got comfy in the bedroom.
He came into the bedroom and pulled the curtain over the doorway closed. She was under the covers and he quickly stepped out of his jeans and joined her.
"I told Jack we were going to bed, so he won't be bothering us".
"Wonderful".
He took her in his arms and gave her the most perfect kiss.
"I missed kissing you".
"I missed holding you, and loving you and kissing you and hearing your voice, and seeing those deep blue eyes of yours and that wonderful smile".
He quickly pulled her top off and then pulled her on top of him.
He undid her bra and tossed it aside. She leaned forward to kiss him as she let her hair drag across his chest.
"I love it when you do that".
He pulled her nipples to his mouth and she played with his hair for a moment.
"You are so beautiful".
He moved his kisses to her neck, and rolled her onto her back.
She let out a laugh as he did that, and then pulled him closer to her.
He covered her chest in kisses as he reached down and pulled her thong down.
She lifted her legs so he could take it off her and he kissed her toes for a moment.
He leaned down and kissed her again, and she grabbed his cheeks with her hands as she kissed him back.
He moved his kisses to her jaw and earlobe.
"Talk to me…tell me what you want".
She gripped his shoulders with her fingernails.
"You, honey. I want you".
He swiftly penetrated her and buried himself inside of her over and over again.
"Oh Jonathan…Oh, Jonathan…"
He kissed her and quickened himself, bringing both of them to a frenzied climax.
He buried his head against her shoulder as they calmed down.
"Gosh, I missed that".
He pulled his head up and looked at her.
"Really?"
"Really. Not one single time".
He pulled out of her and went to the bathroom and then came back a few minutes later.
"Darling, where is our luggage?"
"In the closet".
She got up and went to the closet and started digging through her suitcase.
"Damn! Damn, damn, damn".
"What is it?"
"My nightgowns are in the other suitcase".
"Hang on".
He got up and opened the other closet and found some pajamas of his.
"I keep these on the plane in case I'm flying overnight. I'll wear the bottoms, you wear the top".
"Perfect".
She put his pajama top on and then climbed back under the covers.
As soon as he was back in bed, she nestled up against him and wrapped her arms around him.
"You're wonderful".
"Not as wonderful as you."
He gave her a few kisses and they drifted off to sleep.
Jack came on the intercom and woke them up the next morning around 9, telling them they would be landing in less than an hour.
"Morning, darling".
"Morning".
"We are landing in less than an hour".
"Wonderful".
She got up and showered and got ready. He showered and changed right after her.
They were both seated and buckled before they landed.
He called and reserved a car for them, and they headed to his house.
He had laced his fingers through hers while they drove.
He pulled them up to his house, a modern 2-story home that overlooked the ocean.
"This is it. 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a kitchen, a den, an office, and a patio with a private walkway to the ocean."
"It's absolutely lovely".
He grabbed her hand and walked her inside.
"Max? You home?"
"In here, Mr. H."
They walked into the kitchen.
"Hi Max. This is Jennifer Edwards, she'll be staying here with us for a bit".
"Hi, it's so lovely to meet you".
"Nice to meet you too, Miss Edwards".
"Mr. H, I thought you were in Tokyo".
"Well, I was. And then I went to Australia to get her, and we were headed to New York, but we need to lay low a bit, so we came here instead. We will go back to New York sometime next week".
"Sounds good, Mr. H. Miss Edwards, make yourself at home, and if you need anything, let me know".
"Thank you, Max".
He gave her a tour of the house.
"Max has his suite off the kitchen, and mine is back here on the other end of the house. Upstairs are guest rooms and a game room".
He walked her through the living room into his suite.
"You have an absolutely lovely home, darling".
"It's made even more lovely with you here in it".
She leaned up and kissed him, and wrapped her arms around him.
He leaned down and pulled her close for a very intimate kiss when they heard Max coming to find them.
"Mr. H.? There's a reporter on the phone for you. Says it's important".
"Take a message, Max".
"Now, where were we?"
He leaned down to kiss her again, but Max wouldn't let up.
"Mr. H., there's another reporter on the line for you. You're one popular man this morning".
He sighed.
"It's ok, take the phone call. We can pick this up later".
He walked over to the phone and picked it up, while she sat on the bed.
"No, that isn't true. No, I don't have a comment. Ok, thank you".
He hung up and grabbed her hand and led her to the living room.
They sat on the couch and he grabbed a remote and pointed it off into the distance.
A screen began to come down from the ceiling, and a little tray popped up with a few gadgets on it.
In a matter of minutes, he had several television channels going at once, and they were all talking about him and Jennifer.
"Jonathan, what is going on?"
"Apparently Elliott has made a statement to the press about you, me and him. So, I want to see what they are saying".
He picked a channel and added the audio to it and they started to listen.
Elliott was giving a press conference.
"She and I had plans, we were going to get married. And then he flies into town and kidnaps her and brainwashes her. She is the love of my life, and I will do anything to keep her safe and get her back. Jennifer, if you are watching, I love you angel. Come on home to me, ok?"
"I think I'm going to be sick".
Jennifer got up and bolted to the bedroom and headed straight for the bathroom.
Jonathan grabbed a legal pad and began to craft his response.
Jennifer came back a few minutes later, looking sheepish.
"Max, can you bring us both some ice water, please?"
"Thank you".
She sat down next to him.
"Honey, he and I didn't have any of those plans. He never asked me to marry him, I never said yes, I never would have said yes. We were never engaged".
"It's alright. I believe you".
Max brought them their waters, and Jennifer practically gulped hers down.
Through the other channels, they were able to put the press conference pieces together and get a bigger picture of what he was saying.
Jennifer began to write a statement.
"Darling, what do you say to us having a press conference?"
"I'm fine with that".
They both prepared their statements and then Jonathan called and made the arrangements for the press conference.
Two hours later, they were headed to his office.
They walked in and everyone was so excited to see him.
"Mr. Hart, the press has begun to assemble in the galley".
"Thank you, Deanne".
He and Jennifer headed down to the galley. She looked exquisite in a blue wrap dress and strappy beige wedges. He was incredibly handsome in his crisp grey suit and blue tie.
They stepped up to the podium, and the flashbulbs went crazy.
"Hi, I'm Jonathan Hart, CEO of Hart Industries. This is Jennifer Edwards. We called this press conference so that we can set the record straight. Elliott Manning stated earlier today that he and Jennifer were in love and then I swooped in and kidnapped her. So here's the truth. Jennifer and I have been in an on/off relationship for a few months now, and the off part is 100% my fault. So while we were off, she moved to Australia for work and met him. I cannot speak to their relationship, but I can speak to the fact that I did not nor would I ever kidnap her. I went to Australia with the intentions of having a conversation with her and nothing else. Due to her feelings, which she will explain in a minute, we decided to head back to the states, a decision that we quickly realized was the best one. So, there was no kidnapping, I would never do that to her or anyone else. He knows that, he's just grasping at straws. Now, Jennifer can tell her side of the story".
He moved to let her have the microphones.
"So, Jonathan was correct-he did not kidnap me. I moved to Australia for work a couple of months ago. Jonathan and I were not together then, but we were friends. I met Elliott, and we began to see each other, and over time I began to realize that he is very selfish, very controlling, and that he doesn't have the ability to compromise or think of anyone's feelings except his own. He can say whatever he wants to, but the truth is, he and I were never engaged, he never asked me, I never said yes, and I never would say yes. He and I broke up before I even knew that Jonathan was back in town. So, what Elliott is interpreting as Jonathan swooping in and kidnapping me, was in the beginning Jonathan being a wonderful friend and helping me out. I willingly ended my relationship with Elliott, and willingly flew back to the states with Jonathan. He has never, nor would he ever, hurt me in the manner that Elliott is describing. I am a big believer in letting the past be the past, so this is the final time I will speak about Elliott Manning. He's in my past, and Jonathan is in my future".
He leaned over and kissed her forehead and then they took questions from the press.
Jennifer didn't answer a whole lot of questions, she mostly let Jonathan do that.
He looked over and could see she was over it, so he ended the press conference.
"Thank you all for coming, drive safely. Any further questions can be directed to my office here at Hart Industries".
They walked back to his office.
Once they were inside and the doors were shut, he embraced her.
"Are you ok?"
She nodded.
"Thank you for doing that with me. I hope that he gets the hint and just lets it all go".
"I love you, that's all that matters. Let him say whatever he wants, you and I know the truth and deep down, he knows the truth as well. We can handle whatever he throws at us".
"You're right. I love you too".
Just then, Deanne buzzed his office.
"Mr. Hart, Miss Edwards' father is on line one. He says it's imperative that he speaks with her right now".