by Ava Claire
My cheeks darkened as it sunk in. Of course he knew. That was the whole point. Making me uncomfortable. Reminding me who was in charge.
I turned quickly, swinging my bag over my shoulder. I was just going to the bathroom to splash some water on my face. I wasn’t, under any circumstances, taking off my bra and undies. I kept repeating it, over and over, even as I stepped into the stall and slowly pulled off my comic boy shorts. It would have been easier to pretend I wasn’t giving into his humiliating request if I could just magically remove my bra without taking off the dress. No such luck.
When I pushed out of the stall, my bra and underwear were a bundle of cotton and polyester in my bag. I held my breath as I rushed out of the lobby toward the loading dock, focusing on the tail end of the aircraft. I just needed to find the jet and get on board before a strong wind made a neon sign of my naked body.
“Miss Montgomery?” Maggie stood at the landing of a set of stairs leading up to the belly of a jet. “Are you ready to board?”
I couldn’t manage an actual response so I just took a step in her direction and hoped she took it as some sort of affirmation.
“I’ll take your bag.” She reached for the Frankenstein-like thing and did me a solid by not holding it gingerly between two fingers. “Mr. Whitmore is in the sleeping chamber and requests that you join him as soon as you board.”
Something in her voice told me it wasn’t a request at all and I couldn’t help but hesitate, lingering at the landing and wondering what he had planned.
She picked up on the awkward and leaned in, dropping her volume to a whisper. “You’ll be just fine.”
I knew she meant to make me feel better, more at ease, but I couldn’t help but think about the last person that tried to give me advice. Skye from Le Magnifique came rushing back with her wiggling eyebrows as she pretty much lumped me in with every other girl that cycled through Whitmore’s office and bed.
I didn’t say another word, holding my head high as I walked up the stairs. I said yes, but he didn’t own me. This wasn’t Pretty Woman. I had a degree. I was here to work, damn it.
My temper cooled as I stepped into the crisp body of the jet and took everything in. Gone were the cold, uniformed seats packed tight like sardines like on a commercial plane. In their place were four reclining chairs to the right near the window and a table to the left flanked by two more. The chairs weren’t made of the horrible pleather material, instead, a rich, mahogany cow hide that was soft to the touch. The walls were lined with wood paneling giving off the vibe and atmosphere of riding in a luxury car instead of a plane. Even in flats, I could feel the plush carpeting beneath my feet.
The sound of Jacob’s smoky, urgent voice floated from the back room and I swallowed hard before standing tall and remembering I was supposed to report to him. As I neared the divider that separated the back of the plane from the front, I caught pieces of his conversation.
“What else have you found out about Leila?”
There was a sliver of an opening and I peered in, watching him.
He paused, raking a hand through his ebony waves. “No boyfriend, no baggage I need to know about?” He paced back and forth. “Yes, I’m aware that she was given the same work up as the others.” He scoffed. “Driven? No, the others were driven. This one is different.”
I took a small step backward, the way he said ‘different’ lighting up every pore of me. This one is different. I let out a long, stuttering sigh. He had to have meant something else. He’d done this before. Could Jacob Whitmore be falling for me?
He glanced at the door and I heard something tighten in his voice. “Leila?”
My lips trembled and for a brief moment, I entertained the idea of ducking away. Maybe even booking it out of here, flagging a cab and going back to the real world where girls like me had to toil in mail rooms and cubicles for years before getting their break. Back to reality where a celebrity businessman wasn’t telling people that I was different with a decidedly romantic undertone. Because as excited as the prospect of being more to him was, none of the others got their happily ever after. They fell off the face of the earth as quickly as they entered it on his arm. I wasn’t willing to forfeit my career for romance. I couldn’t.
Done waiting for my response, Jacob pulled open the slider and gave me a long, hard look. “You can come in.”
I obeyed, stepping into the sleeping chamber and gulping as the divider shut with an ominous thud. The room had all the bells and whistles of something out of Architectural Digest with its sturdy furniture and statement pieces. It seemed impossible that so much luxury could be packed into such a small space.
He turned to a shelf lined with bottles of alcohol and ice and picked up a half full brandy glass. “You followed my instructions?”
My cheeks went hot, but I raised my chin and gave him a nod.
“I’m sorry,” he said tightly. “I didn’t catch that.”
“Yes sir,” I replied with military precision.
He cocked his head, giving me a strange look. “Sir?”
“If this is going to work, we should be as professional as possible.”
His eyes smoldered. “Is that right?”
“Yes sir.” Even I could feel the awkwardness of the word. This wasn’t boot camp. We were in a bedchamber and I was stark naked underneath my dress for crissakes.
His lips dipped in an unaffected curve. “I suppose that would be for the best. Professionalism.” He put down his glass and cut his eyes at me. “Do you have an issue with me checking for your compliance myself?”
“You’re the boss,” I said, weakness creeping back into my voice. God, just the nearness of him chipped at the wall I’d put into place. He smelled delicious; a dark, spicy aphrodisiac that broke me down, brick by brick.
His hands slowly worked up my body, starting at my hips. His fingertips dug into the fabric and clutched me with a need that made my core clench in anticipation. I leaned into his touch like a cat, yearning to be stroked and cared for.
No. Not cared for. Jesus--I had to stop using that kind of language. Need. Care. Different. Next was the ‘L’ word and that was a recipe for disaster.
He continued his circuit up and over my waist, pausing with his hands at the base of my breasts. “Is this okay?”
I glanced up into his azure eyes in shock. “Is this okay?”
He let out a hiss of air through his clenched teeth, like it was taking every ounce of control to not blaze right on through. “Yes.”
I managed a, “Yeah. If it’s what you want.”
“What do you want, Leila?” he asked firmly.
“Miss Montgomery.” I corrected. Professionalism. But my husky retort came out as anything but.
“Miss Montgomery,” Sex hung on every syllable. “What do you want?”
I want you to take me. Hard and rough. Right here. Right now.
I still couldn’t say the words aloud, even though my body was chanting it with every breath. “I want you.”
He rounded the curve of my breasts and my nipples pebbled against his touch. As soon as I let out a moan, his touch deepened.
“Miss Montgomery.” He let out a haggard breath, his put-together facade fraying at the edges. My nipples pulsed against his fingers, completely under his spell. “You’re gonna be the death of me, aren’t you?”
I answered him by finding my way to his crotch, running my hand along the defined erection probing at the fly of his slacks. He was solid and throbbing, the blood engorging him matching the roar in my ears. I’d never been so in tune, so matched with another lover. Nerves were barely on the radar. There was no room for anything except the consuming need to feel him inside me.
His mouth crashed into me, tongue thrusting past my lips. We swirled and flicked; we moaned and grunted as our bodies collided.
“Jacob,” I chanted, breaking the kiss only to take the tender skin of his neck between my teeth. “Oh Jacob.”
He brought his hands to the hem of my
skirt and hiked his hand under the material, finding the curve of my bare bottom and growling with approval.
“What?” I said playfully, kissing the bob of his Adam’s apple. “Surprised I followed your instructions?” I twisted my fingers in his hair, feeling my heart swell in my chest as my eyes bore into his. “I know I’m headstrong, Jacob. But isn’t that one of the things you like about me?” I traced his jawline with my pointer, the last bit coming out in a throaty whisper. “That I’m ‘different’?”
He went rigid as a plank.
I reared back, looking at him with surprise. “Jacob?”
The sound of his name shook him from his stupor and the eyes that were glassy with lust hardened to obsidian as he separated himself from me.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Of course.”
He turned away and when my fingertips grazed his back, he lurched forward, like my touch was toxic.
My mouth twisted in hurt and anger. What was up with the mixed signals? One second he wanted me, teased me, and the next he was recoiling like I was diseased?
He finally faced me, but he was completely closed off, like he’d flipped some switch and now there was a sign that read, ‘Keep Out’.
“Did I do something? Say something?” I pressed.
“Everything is fine, Miss Montgomery.”
I rolled my eyes. “So we’re back to that.”
“You were the one that wanted to keep things professional.”
I let out a groan of frustration. “You can’t tell me that being in the room with me, touching me, makes you think about business and mergers.” I looked at him hard, wondering how I could get back in. Maybe he needed me to take the first step. To open up.
I swallowed. Here goes nothing.
“I fought you at every turn before because I’ve always been in control. I’ve never had to not work for anything my whole life.” He was still as a marble statue, but he wasn’t bolting from the room, so I continued. “Even if you never noticed me and just kept walking in the lobby that day, I would have been the best damn research aide Whitmore and Creighton ever had. I would have kept my nose to the grindstone and eventually snagged a position as an aide to a PR specialist, and climbed my way up the ladder. But you had other plans.”
He finally took a step in my direction. “Leila-”
“Let me finish,” I said gently. “I don’t regret accepting your proposition. It was the right move for my career. But agreeing to the other terms? It’s a huge thing to me. Giving myself to you is not something I take lightly.” I took a step, and then another, looking up at him and fighting the urge to kiss him. I had to get out the last bit. “I held back in the stairwell, and in the office. But I don’t want to hold back anymore.”
There it was. All my cards out on the table.
And he didn’t say a word.
I felt my eyes water and kicked myself. Of course I was gonna cry. That would show him. “Are you having second thoughts about this arrangement?” A traitorous tear unhinged and spilled down my cheek. “Am I unsatisfying?”
Tears were like kryptonite to most men and I didn’t expect a hardened male like Jacob to be any different, but he brought his hand to my cheek, wiping it away.
“You’re far from unsatisfying, Leila. I-” His mouth hung open, whatever was to come next painfully unfinished.
He cleared his throat and broke contact. “I should check with the pilot and see if we’re ready to get in the air.” He turned his back to me again and I could have pummeled it with my fists, trying to force him to let me in.
He pulled the divider open and stepped back into the cab of the jet. He flashed me one last look. “Take as long as you need.”
****
I peered out the window, the sight of the downtown skyline of Venice taking my breath away.
"We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow prior to the start of the festival." His tone was purely business. "I suggest you get as much rest today as possible."
The city on the water was close enough that I could see and smell the blue. I'd always wanted to study abroad in Europe and now I was here. I was here—and everything that hung between Jacob and I kept me from playing tourist and bouncing with glee.
“A response, Miss Montgomery.”
I wrenched my eyes from the window and turned to him. "Fine."
Satisfied, he turned back to the tablet in his hand, his fingers gliding across the screen. "My liaison here, Allegra De Luca, will meet us landside and from there, take you to your hotel to get settled."
His fingers stopped sweeping but his attention was still on his screen. My attention was squarely on the roundabout way he’d let me know that we wouldn’t even be at the same hotel.
Questions rushed around in my head. My hotel? So we're not even staying in the same place? We're separating? I figured you'd need me. Don’t you need me, Jacob?
All of them were left unanswered as the plane came to a stop and the pilot announced that we were free to move about the cabin.
I stole a glance at Jacob stuffing folders into his briefcase, slowly unbuckling my seatbelt. "So you’re not going to drop me off at my hotel?"
"I have business to attend to. You'll not find a better companion than Ms. De Luca." He stood up and paused, allowing me to pass first. "After you."
I pushed my shades up to the bridge of my nose and clutched my bag, mumbling a thank you to Maggie as I exited the jet. Once outside, I turned in a slow circle, scanning the landing strip for Allegra De Luca. A name like that screamed jet black hair and a sophistication to match the beauty of the Italian city sparkling in the distance.
I gasped when I felt a hand on the small of my back then cheesed from ear to ear when I realized the hand belonged to Jacob.
Visible amusement colored his eyes before he slid his sunglasses into place. "Ms. De Luca is waiting."
I walked in step with him, his hand on me a gesture that probably meant nothing; but I couldn’t help but read into it. Maybe we still had differing views about what was actually going on between us, but there was no mistaking the intimacy as he made a slow circle at the curve of my back, right?
I tilted my head in his direction, wanting to bring it up while he was being touchy feely, but my mouth hung open in surprise as a deep, throaty laugh spilled from his lips.
No--it had to be jet lag, because Jacob Whitmore barely smiled and he definitely didn’t laugh. But another baritone volley erupted beside me and there was no mistaking the source. I stared at him in shock, a smile cracking through the stone. The hand was gone as he breezed toward an older woman standing beside a black sedan.
There was no time to be offended, even though it was obvious that this 'Allegra' person was behind his complete 180. I watched him embrace the older woman and spin her in a circle.
She was Allegra…and I’d never been so relieved in my life.
Allegra was about his height, but wider than Jacob. She staggered a bit when he finally released her, giving him a shove that sent him stumbling before he went back in for a bear hug.
Up close, I saw that despite Allegra's muscular physique, her face had gentle curves, intensified by bright, olive colored eyes and a lazy smile. She wore a gray blouse tucked into dark wash jeans but still looked efficient and professional. Her midnight colored hair was cropped short and specks of gray weaved throughout.
Her eyes shot to me as I got close. “Buongiorno.”
Jacob turned and eyeballed me, suddenly remembering there was a second in his party. "Oh, uh, Allegra, this is Leila Montgomery. My new personal assistant."
"Miss Montgomery," Allegra said warmly. Her thick accent wrapped around each word, turning even an introduction into something exotic. "It is nice to meet you."
I accepted her extended hand and shook it firmly. "It's nice to meet you too."
"Ms. De Luca will accompany you to your hotel while I take care of some other matters," Jacob said crisply.
All
egra's dark brows furrowed. "Surely Miss Montgomery would be better served by a familiar face? She's in a strange country, Jacob."
I bit my lip to keep from letting out a ‘Yeah!’, but decided I liked her. I had a feeling not many people questioned Jacob Whitmore.
"That may be true, but I couldn't think of anyone I'd trust with this more than you." He said, not budging an inch. He turned his attention back to me. "I'll see you in the morning.”
And just like that, he was walking briskly in the other direction. I cleared my throat and squashed the nerves that bundled in my stomach and squared my shoulders. I wasn't allowed to be nervous and most of all, I wasn't allowed to miss him.
Allegra didn't waste any time, promptly opening my door before she moved to the front of the car and squeezed behind the wheel. I found a small comfort in the no frills gray cloth interior of the sedan. It reminded me of home.
I looked out my window as we pulled away from Marco Polo airport, melting into the buzz of people, busses, and water peppered with wooden boats and larger ferries.
“There are two ways to get around Venice from Aeroporto Marco Polo,” Allegra said from the front seat. She gestured at the water. “If you prefer a more romantic experience, you could take ferry or water taxi. If you prefer to keep both feet on solid ground, bus, or if you’re lucky, me.” She smiled at me in the rearview mirror and I smiled back, her good mood contagious.
I turned back to the scene unfolding just outside my window, gazing longingly at scooters and mopeds, imagining how exhilarating it would be to experience all this without a barrier, with the wind rushing through my hair. Every building that lined the streets was more unique and vibrant than the last. I wished I’d brought my camera, but snapped a few pictures with my phone.
When we arrived at my hotel, I couldn’t believe that over an hour had gone by. I could have gone up and down those streets a million times and I’d find something new and amazing every turn.
Allegra parked at the valet station and hopped out, quickly grabbing my suitcase before I could get to it. When I opened my mouth to protest, she shook her head. “You are visitor here. It’s no problem.”
