Page 24 of The Tycoon

Chapter7

The jet landed in Houston at four-twenty-seven in the afternoon.

She made her way to the door.

Cole followed.

Paul had the door open.Stairs had been rolled to the plane so they could disembark.

Ava said goodbye and then went back to the kitchen.

The first thing that hit her was the heat.Houston was hotter and more humid than Denver.The humidity was something else.The air felt heavy, almost like after a good rain, when she felt like she was breathing in more oxygen than usual.She stood at the top, looking around for anything or anyone who could be a threat.Not seeing anything, she went down the stairs first.

At the bottom was a handsome, dark-haired man in a black suit and tie.He smiled and held out his hand.“Ms.Phillips, I’m Sean Brannon.I’ll be your driver while you’re here in Houston.”

Regan shook it.“Call me Regan.”

He smiled, and he was even easier to look at.

Cole walked forward.“Sean.Good to see you.”He held out his hand.

Sean shook it.

“We’ll head to the penthouse first and get cleaned up.Then we’ll be wanting to go to dinner.”Cole looked at the waiting SUV.

“Yes, sir.T.J.’s Steakhouse?”

Cole nodded.“I’ve been wanting a really good steak for a while, and you can’t get any better than T.J.’s.”

Paul walked over with both Cole’s and Regan’s luggage.“Here you go, Cole.Will there be anything else?”

“No.We’ll be back in a few days, maybe as soon as tomorrow, to return to Denver.”

“I’ll make sure the plane is ready.”

“Thanks.”Cole turned back to Sean.“Let’s go.I’m hungry.”He looked at Regan.“I bet you are, too.”

“I’m starved.Steak will definitely hit the spot.”

Sean opened the back driver’s side door.

Regan waited for Cole to climb in before sliding into the car beside him.

Sean picked up the luggage and placed it in the back before sliding behind the steering wheel.

She buckled up.

Cole did the same.

Sean drove them to downtown Houston.He entered a parking garage under one of the tall skyscrapers.He stopped at the gate, entered a code and then drove until he reached a bank of elevators.After stopping next to them, he killed the engine and exited the vehicle.He opened the door for her to exit the SUV.

Regan unfastened her seatbelt and got out.Standing next to the door, she glanced around to check the safety level.She could count on her hands the number of parking spaces.Each was very wide and long, as though they had been made specifically for limos.In fact, two of the spaces were taken up by limos—one was a standard white model and one was a black SUV style.

For just a moment, she wondered why Cole hadn’t had a limo, but then, she realized that Cole probably didn’t see the need for one.They’d taken a limo the night at the theater, but then it was expected for the event.She remembered many others had arrived in limos that night, too.

She walked around the back, just as Cole did the same, arriving when he did.

Sean pulled the bags from the rear hatch and handed them to Cole.“I’ll park and wait for you.”