by Melody Anne
He knew the minute she entered the cabin, even though his head was leaned back against the seat and his eyes were shut. He could not only smell her aroma, which would stay with him the rest of his life, but he could feel her.
“How did I get back there?” she asked, as she took her seat across from him.
“I carried you, you were out cold,” he replied without looking up.
“Oh, uh, thanks,” she mumbled. The flight attendant walked in, breaking up the awkward silence.
“Would you both like some breakfast?” she asked.
“That would be great,” Trenton said. Jennifer was starving and glad he’d said yes.
“What would you like to drink?”
“I would love some coffee, extra sweet and also a big glass of milk,” Jennifer said.
“Black coffee,” Trenton added and then the flight attendant left to get their orders. She returned quickly with their drinks and some pastries, which Jennifer gulped down. Trenton watched her with a smile on his face.
“We have a few days before the meetings will start. We purchased some land over there about a year ago and are developing a new resort. Everything was fine until about a week ago, when some companies threw a few last minute wrenches in the works, trying to say there are environmental factors to consider. We did our research long before we ever bought the land and it’s all smoke screens from people trying to get more money out of us. This could take a while, but I have a feeling it will be solved quickly,” Trenton informed her.
Jennifer felt a shudder travel down her spine at the look in his eyes. She wouldn’t want to be his enemy, or on the wrong side of a business deal with him. He hadn’t become the corporate shark he was by backing down. She didn’t know what to say, as she didn’t even really know how she’d gotten the job in the first place. She was greatly lacking in the coldness factor required for her type of position. She couldn’t bluff her way out of anything - she’d end up losing a company millions by caving in on issues.
“So what are we going to do?” she finally asked.
“We’re going to meet with my attorneys, who have been working on this non-stop and then put the plan I’ve created into effect. I’ve been going over the complaints all week and there are many holes in the claims and we should be able to come to a mutual agreement,” he told her matter-of-factly. He didn’t seem to be in the least concerned.
“Why did you need me to come?”
“There’s a lot of work to do, Jennifer. You were told there was a lot of travel involved when you were interviewed,” he reminded her.
“I know,” she snapped. Luckily, the flight attendant appeared with the rest of their breakfast so she was able to break the glare he sent her way. He may be her boss and she may have a horrible crush on him, but he’d soon find she wasn’t easily walked on.
They finished their meal and before long the captain was announcing they’d be landing soon. Jennifer hated landing worse than taking off. It was especially bad when the aircraft bounced on the runway.
She gripped the armrest on her seat and started panting. She was fighting to not panic when Trenton moved seats to the one right next to her. He didn’t say a word, but his hand gripped hers and she felt the panic ebbing and she could breathe again.
It amazed her how the simple gesture was able to comfort her so much. She didn’t take her hand away, or even acknowledge it was there. She simply let the touch relax her. The jet touched down more smoothly than she’d ever experienced before, and she let go of the breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding.
“You have nothing to worry about, you know,” Trenton said with a chuckle and she looked at him with surprise. She’d forgotten he was there for a moment.
“I know a person is far more likely to die in a car crash than an aircraft accident, but there’s something terrifying about being so high up in the air in something weighing so much,” she said with a self-depreciating smile.
“There are many people afraid of flying, I’m just so used to it, I don’t even notice anymore,” he told her.
“Lucky you,” she said, not meaning it. She’d prefer to stay on solid ground at all times if she could get away with it.
“As soon as we get to the terminal, we’ll head to the hotel. We have a lot to get done before the official meetings start,” he told her, back to business.
“I’m ready,” she answered, though she felt she was in over her head.
They got off the jet and were whisked to a beautiful hotel. He’d rented a huge suite with multiple bedrooms, a large living room, and full-sized kitchen. There was a table set up for them to work on, so they immediately sat down and pulled out boxes full of papers.
She spent the rest of the afternoon typing up notes and filing things until she felt her brain was completely fried. She wondered if the man ever called an end to work. When her eyes felt like sand bags had spilled directly into them, he still seemed wide awake and raring to go. He finally looked up, and noticed her exhaustion, and decided to call it a night.
They worked just as hard over the following days. His attorneys came in and out, bringing more paperwork and picking up pages they’d modified. Jennifer quickly stopped trying to figure out what they were talking about and simply did her assigned work.
She looked longingly out the windows of the gorgeous suite, wanting so badly to explore the city she’d never thought she’d ever get to visit, but with Trenton’s work schedule she didn’t have the time. She hoped she’d get at least one day before they had to head back.
She’d been paranoid about them sharing the suite but he hadn’t seemed the least bit interested in sex, so her paranoia was for nothing. As a matter of fact, she started to feel a bit frustrated as she laid in her own room, nightly, feeling achy, like she was missing out on something.
“Jennifer, we need to leave,” Trenton snapped her out of her reverie.
“I’m ready,” she answered, gathering the files they’d need. It had been torture spending so much time alone with Trenton and it would help to be in a room full of people. She had zero doubt it would go his way because he didn’t miss anything in his quest for perfection. There wasn’t a single ‘t’ which wasn’t crossed, or an ‘i’ not dotted. He seemed to be flawless.
They arrived at the meeting place and it was apparent in a matter of minutes who was in charge. Of course, things ended up going his way, and the schedule immediately got back on track. He walked out of the meeting in a better mood than she’d ever seen him in before.
“That will wrap things up for a few days, but there are some other issues needing completed before we head for home. The next meeting is Wednesday,” he told her as they headed back to the hotel. It was late and she was exhausted but she was also excited. She was going to get to explore the amazing country.
Chapter Six
She had three days, three precious, wonderful days in which to explore all she possibly could. She wanted to see everything and knew she was going to be the typical, annoying tourist, but she didn’t care. She’d never been out of the country before and she couldn’t wait to explore the beautiful country of Austria.
The day began as a crisp, cool morning with clear skies. She was enjoying a divine fresh breakfast at the luxurious hotel, prepared by the staff. It was the standard European selection of fruit, yogurt, granola, various meats and cheeses, bread, eggs, sausage and hot tea full of cream and sugar.
Jennifer figured she was going to end up gaining at least ten pounds on her trip because the food rivaled anything she’d ever eaten before. Normally for breakfast she was lucky to have a slice of toast and about five cups of extra sweet coffee.
She didn’t know what it was about a vacation, slash work, that made her want to eat so much, but with the tastes of the original foods put before her, she didn’t care, she just kept eating and told herself she’d work out extra-long when she got home.
Jennifer talked to the staff the night before and found out she was lucky to be there in th
e winter. The region was certainly beautiful any time of the year, but there was a magical transformation in the late autumn. The land transformed into a fairytale setting right off the pages of a children’s storybook and there was magic everywhere you looked. She finished her breakfast and went to her room to dress. She couldn’t contain her excitement and had to quickly get going before Trenton could change his mind and end up making her stay in to work instead.
Jennifer dressed extra warm in wool slacks, a heavy sweater and large coat, along with the beautiful white boots Trenton had given her for the trip. She’d badly wanted to tell him where he could stick his gifts, but she knew she needed to dress appropriately as his employee on a business trip and out of everything, she’d fallen head over heels in love with the boots. They were gorgeous and comfortable and she absolutely refused to find out how much they cost him because then she’d feel too guilty to wear them. For just once, she decided ignorance was definitely bliss.
She stepped out of her room and stopped in her tracks, telling herself she had nothing to feel guilty about. She hadn’t been sneaking around - he’d told her they couldn’t do anymore work for three days so there was nothing wrong with her leaving. He wasn’t her father and she didn’t have to inform him of her every move when they weren’t working.
Trenton was standing in the living room glaring at her, though, and she felt like she’d done something wrong. She glared back at him, upset he could make her feel bad, especially when he hadn’t said a single thing to her, yet.
“Where are you sneaking off to?”
“I wasn’t sneaking anywhere, you said last night we were at a standstill for a few days so I’m leaving to explore the city,” she said defensively.
“Do you have any idea where to go?”
“Oh yes, I talked to the hotel staff and they gave me a map and told me some must see's while I’m here,” she said excitedly, forgetting she was irritated with him in her excitement over exploring.
“Were you planning on just leaving and making me worry about you?” he said in an exasperated voice.
“There’s no reason for you to worry about me. I’m a grown woman and you’re cutting into my little amount of time, so you can rant at me when I get back. I want to go, now,” she told him and walked toward the door. She heard him growl something under his breath and then she was pushed up against the door.
“You’re so damn frustrating,” he said before his head lowered and his lips devoured hers. She pushed against him, terrified by the instant heat ignited in her stomach. He had her pressed against the door and within seconds she lost the will to fight him.
Her hands, which had been pushing against his chest, suddenly gripped his shirt tightly, pulling him even closer to her. She’d never wanted a man like she wanted Trenton, which should worry her, but there was room for nothing else but passion as his lips worked their way down her longing body.
He pulled away from her, just as quickly as he’d grabbed her, and took a step back. They were both breathing heavily as they stood by warily, both trying to get their breaths under control.
“I didn’t mean for that to happen right now, you just push me further than any other person. We got off on the wrong foot this morning. I’d like to personally show you the area. I’ve been here many times before and feel you’d be safer with me,” he said, quickly getting himself under control.
Jennifer looked at Trenton with suspicion. He hadn’t exactly apologized, but he did seem genuine. She couldn’t understand why he’d choose to take her around to tourist spots. Besides the kiss, he hadn’t shown much interest in her in a while. She’d have a better time with him, though, so decided to accept his offer.
“If you really don’t mind,” she began and he nodded. “Well in that case, I’d love to have a guide, but no more kissing,” she said firmly. He gave her the first real smile she’d seen from him in quite some time. It took her breath away with its brilliance.
“That will happen later,” he promised. Her eyes widened, but she quickly got herself under control. She knew he was a typical male and had to get the last word in so she let it go. She didn’t want there to be any chance of her touring getting ruined.
“Well, if you’re going to be my guide, then I want to do things right. I don’t want the rich guy’s experience. I want to really tour, like any ordinary person. I want to ride the subway and take the busses. I refuse to be chauffeured,” she said. He immediately stiffened as if she was asking him to commit some sort of crime.
“There’s no way we can do that. There are security issues, and it’s just plain stupid,” he snapped.
“Well, then have a nice day, I’m going on my own,” Jennifer said and turned toward the door. She’d much rather spend the day with him, but she refused to give in on her last point.
“Fine, we’ll give up the chauffer, but I insist on having two security men accompany us. You won’t even know they’re there. The guards come, whether you go with me or not,” he said as he blew out another breath of frustration and ran his hand through his hair. She noticed he rumpled his hair a lot around her. She found she liked getting under his skin. It made her feel powerful in a way she’d never felt before.
“Okay, we better get going, then,” she said, beaming a huge smile his way before opening the door and practically skipping outside. He quickly caught up to her and wrapped her arm through his. He was right, she quickly forgot about the security men as they stepped onto the very cold streets. She was so excited she threw her arms out and twirled, causing several people to turn and look at her as if she’d lost a couple marbles.
They quickly found the subway and rode it to the Vienna City Center. Jennifer was practically bouncing in her seat and refused to acknowledge Trenton’s grumpiness next to her. It seemed he didn’t like riding the subway. She found it exhilarating. She knew it was a great place to see the real locals.
“See how amazing this place is, they actually trust each other. They know you aren’t going to steal a ride and don’t have to lock you out,” she said, pointing out the honor system of the subway. There were no turnstiles to keep them out, you simply bought your ticket and got on the tram. If someone came through and asked to see your ticket and you didn’t have one, then there would be serious consequences, but they didn’t ask on every ride and a dishonest person could take the risk.
Trenton was finding Jennifer’s enthusiasm hard to resist. She was excited about the simplest things and though he was less than happy to be riding on the subway, he was glad to be with her, and finding her joy was contagious. She smiled at every person they passed and they were quickly smiling right back. He was glad he’d decided not to let her leave his sight, or she may have ended up getting whisked away by a very smart local man.
“Oh, this is our stop,” she said and jumped up to head out the door. He barely had time to grip her hand. He looked over his shoulder at his guards and gave them an exasperated look. One of them actually had the nerve to smile, before he was able to straighten his lips.
Trenton knew it was probably a joy for his guards to watch him literally be led from place to place by a wisp of a woman, who was like a tornado on feet. He glared at them one more time before chasing after Jennifer. He heard a chuckle behind him and thought there was no way it was one of his guards - they wouldn’t dare.
“This is the largest Christmas Market in Vienna, Madge told me about it, so hurry, I don’t want to miss out on anything,” Jennifer said, as they made their way out of the subway. There was a huge open air market sporting all kinds of booths.
“This is the Rathus Christmas Market and it opens about a week before the others. She told me to go to a Punsch stand and I can get a special souvenir mug to take home,” she said.
“Why would I need to take one of the mugs home?”
“Because it’s something to remember the trip by,” she answered. He bought them each a hot drink, which had the kick of alcohol he desperately needed to make it through the day. He obediently
kept his mug instead of turning it back in for the miniscule deposit. He’d let her have the mug so she could have a set.
When he handed over the mug, she acted as if it were a true treasure. Hell, he’d given diamonds, with far less appreciation. He couldn’t understand how something so simple could excite her so much. He found he liked her enthusiasm.
She started dragging him from place to place and surprisingly, he was enjoying himself. She was so happy it was impossible not to catch it from her. The market had a variety of foods and craft booths and she seemed determined to stop at every one.
She purchased Christmas ornaments, candles, toys, foods, and gloves. She told him she had to get a lot of souvenirs for people at home. She wasn’t spending an enormous amount of money, but he was soon carrying several large sacks. He looked over to his security men and when they approached, he handed them over. She was going to protest but he told her the items would be stowed in the car, where they were safe and that seemed to appease her.
He was getting burned out from the market and started leading her toward the exit. Of course, she had to ooh and aah over the trees lining the streets with packages hanging from their branches, along with thousands of brightly lit lights. He’d have loved to have seen her as a child on Christmas morning. Hell, he thought she most likely still got just as excited.
“I have something to show you I think you’ll like,” Trenton told her.
“Sounds great to me,” she agreed, sure he’d know more than anyone the exciting places to visit.
“Do you know anything about the famous Hapsburgs, who were the royal family of Vienna?” he asked.
“I haven’t heard anything about them,” she told him, starting to get more excited. There was nothing like a royal family.
“Well then, let me show you their palace,” he said and quickly led her there. She joined a tour group and found herself enthralled as they went from room to room.
