You Deserve Better (Book 1)

Chapter 21 - Phase 1: Fortification

" We will fight
Fortify
We wont crash into oblivion
We will climb
Undeny
We will draw our own conclusions
From this time. "

'Phase 1: Fortification' - 30 Seconds to Mars

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Emily had said goodbye to James and he was now on his flight making his way to LA. He had phoned to let her know that he was about to take off and would message her later on when he had landed and Emily had said that she would let him know when she was on her flight out to LA later that evening.

Pulling out a suitcase from her walk-in wardrobe; she suddenly got flashbacks to the previously incredibly dark period in her life, where, with every waking minute, her body was flooded with adrenaline; not knowing when the next hit, kick or spit of venom would be coming, before pausing to then reflect on how far her life had come since that time and how she was now sharing her life with the kindest, most thoughtful and most respectful man she could have wished for.

Rummaging around amongst a bunch of different clothes, she eventually tossed an armful onto her bed and began to sort through them, deciding what exactly she should take with her. She had no idea what they would be doing even though she knew she would be staying at James's house, for a few days, so decided on packing a couple of pairs of trousers and a few sundresses. She threw in some strappy tops and a navy chunky knit cardigan for good measure.

Taking her time with choosing her underwear, she carefully selected some pieces trying to decide on what she would wear underneath her dress at the Award Show before agreeing on a nice forest green, satin and lace set. The bra was strapless, which she decided would work no matter what her dress was like, whilst the panties left little to the imagination, but they would be for James's eyes only so she didn't really care.

Eventually she only had her washbag and carry-on to pack. Tossing in her phone charger, sunglasses, earplugs, along with her toothbrush and toothpaste to freshen up a bit on the plane, she zipped up her bag and retrieved her passport from her bedside table.

Her watch said that it was about 10 past 4, so she decided to cook herself a quick snack as she would be leaving for the airport soon and had no idea when she'd be able to grab something to eat once she arrived in LA.

Emily landed at LAX at around 10pm LA time. The flight hadn't been all that long, but it had been draining, and all Emily was wanting now was a hot steamy shower, a comfortable bed and a good nights' sleep.

She picked up her suitcase from the arrivals carrosel and made her way through to the pick-up area where there was a driver in a suit waiting for her holding a sign with 'KAPINSKI' written on it, so she made her over to him.

"Miss Kapinski?" He questioned.

"Yes. That's me." She smiled up at him.

"My name is Michael. James had his assistant Jess arrange for me to pick you up and take you to the Fairmont where you'll be staying this weekend." He smiled. "Here. Let me take your case from you." Michael reached out to take the handle of her case from her and wheeled it in the direction of the Exit/Pick up area.

Emily followed after him through the airport, carrying her coat as it was decidedly warmer in LA than it had been when she had left Anchorage just over 5 hours ago, but she had been grateful for it on the flight down. He led out to a huge, black SUV, with tinted windows parked waiting for her and helped her to climb in.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to invest in a pair of steps to get into this thing." She told him jokingly.

"You won't be the first to say that, or the last." He chuckled getting into the drivers seat and buckling himself in. "Alright Miss. Are you ready?" He looked at her in the rear-view mirror.