by Tara Quan
He checked his watch. “What took you so long?”
Not hitting him with her bag demanded a significant amount of self-control. “They’ve only just announced priority boarding. Why are you in such a hurry?”
He favored her with a disbelieving look. “Do you want to fight your way onto the plane with all the riff-raff?”
She bent her head down and massaged the bridge of her nose. “I don’t think I ever want to be seen in public with you.”
He grabbed her wrist and started marching down the hallway. “Too bad. I RSVP’d to an official event with you as my plus one. It’s tomorrow. I assume you own an evening gown.”
She tried to dig her heels in but found it impossible to counter his momentum. “You’re making this up. There’s no way you managed to make it to the business center.”
He continued to put one long stride after the other, moving fast enough she needed to jog to catch up. “I possess a device known as a smartphone. It sends and receives electronic messages. Have you not heard of them?”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. While she hadn’t wanted a casual fling, there hadn’t been enough time for her to think through what an actual relationship with Kal meant. “What makes you so sure I’ll go tomorrow?”
His progress didn’t slow. “Do you not own an appropriate dress?”
Her molars ground together. “I own plenty.” She’d be lucky to unearth one from her checked-in luggage. “That’s not my point.”
“What is your point?” He sounded perplexed.
She spotted their gate number in the distance and let out a relieved breath. She would soon have fifteen hours alone to sort out her garbled thoughts. “You don’t even know if I like you enough to warrant a second date.”
He stopped in his tracks, causing her to crash face-first into his solid back. She rubbed her forehead as he turned around to face her. “Ouch….”
“Well, do you?” His cocky expression tempted her to lie.
She batted her eyelashes. “You’ll just have to find out the hard way.”
Epilogue
Michelle yawned as she nestled into the small feather pillow. When she had tried to settle into her actual seat, Kal had grabbed her hand and dragged her to sit next to him. None of the flight attendants batted an eyelash. She didn’t know if this de facto upgrade was a good or bad thing. After this, flying coach would feel like a severe hardship.
Her seat lay in an enclosed booth—replete with a door, snack drawer, and entertainment system. As soon as she sat down, a chirpy flight attendant dressed in white arrived with a tall glass of champagne, almond-stuffed dates, and a selection of chocolate. He later followed up with an assortment of magazines and an explanation of the in-flight menu. She had such a pleasant experience settling in she almost didn’t notice the plane take off.
After she informed her personal “butler” she would like to take a nap before having dinner, he returned with Swarovski crystal-encrusted black pajamas and velvet slippers. Remembering all the naughty things she had done in her T-shirt and shorts, she couldn’t wait to change into fresh clothes. By the time she returned from the sizable bathroom, her seat had been transformed into a small, linen-covered bed. On top of her quilted blanket lay an additional piece of chocolate.
Recalling her meal back in the lounge, as well as the scrumptiously described five-course dinner she would be served later, she wondered how many pounds this trip would end up adding.
Startled by a sound resembling the electronic slide of a car window, she turned. A moment later, the screen dividing her booth from Kal’s lowered. With both their doors to the aisles shut, the space transformed into a sizable private pod.
“I have a confession to make.” He also wore black pajamas—only his sleeves and neckline lacked shiny embellishments. Too tall to fit the booth, he curled up on his side facing her.
Since her eyelids drooped, she pulled the blanket over her shoulders. “You can make it later. I’m all worn out.”
He bent his elbow and propped up his head. “This is important.”
She positioned the satin eye-cover just above her brows. “You’d better be telling me this millionaire Sheikh thing is a ruse and you’re actually an average Joe with a normal steady job.”
“God, no.” His expression reflected disgust.
She heaved a dramatic sigh. “That’s a bummer.”
He lifted his free hand and waved his finger in a circle. “What about all this luxury isn’t a good thing?”
Since she now sprawled completely flat on Egyptian cotton sheets while on a transatlantic flight, she had no choice but to admit, “This is quite nice.”
He looked so smug she didn’t feel sorry about bursting his bubble. “I just have a feeling things will get very complicated when we land.”
His Adam’s apple rose and fell. “On the topic of complications….”
She narrowed her eyes. “That is not an appropriate point in the sentence to trail off.”
He reached over the cup holders to pinch her nose. “You’re always so impatient. A moment ago, you told me to wait until after you had slept.”
She tried to smack his hand but missed by a significant margin. “Well, now you have to tell me. What is it this time?”
He cleared his throat. “Nothing much. I just omitted a minor detail when we were discussing our reasons for going to New York.”
Her mind zeroed in on the most obvious cliché. “You have some sort of life-threatening medical condition, and you’re going to the U.S. for treatment.”
He frowned and shook his head. “You either read too many romances or watch a lot of soaps.”
She did both. “Okay, you have me stumped.”
“I never intended to make you guess.” He paused for emphasis. “I was trying to tell you something.”
Rolling her eyes, she huffed out a breath. “Then get on with it so I can go to sleep.”
A long moment of silence followed.
She reached over and drummed her fingers on the plastic divider. “You have five seconds.”
His words came out in a rush. “I’m my country’s representative to the United Nations.”
Her hand froze. “You can’t be serious.”
He had the decency to look sheepish. “I’m afraid I am. I probably should have mentioned it.”
“You think?” She reached for calm and lowered her voice. “Now you’re telling me we work together?”
He reached over and patted her shoulder. “That’s not entirely accurate. The U.N. will be paying your salary. My government is paying mine.”
She scowled. “This not the time to split hairs. When were you going to tell me?”
He cleared his throat. “Well, according to my initial plan, we were going to spend one night together. It’s a big building, and chances were we wouldn’t meet again.”
She reached over and smacked his upper arm. “The building is not that big. Damn it, this sucks.”
Wincing, he massaged the spot. “Not in every way, I’m sure.” But even he sounded doubtful.
She flopped onto her back. “What possible upside can there be?”
It took him a moment to come up with an answer. “We can commute together?”
She sighed. “Office romances can turn nasty when they end.”
His hand closed over hers. She couldn’t bring herself to swat him away, the contact too comforting to pass up.
“What happens if they don’t end?”
She pulled down her eye-cover and turned to face him. “I can’t discuss this right now. I’m too tired.” Surrendering to the madness, she lifted his palm to her cheek and snuggled in. “Besides, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s just take things one meal at a time.”
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Tara Quan spent her college years daydreaming about becoming a romance author. After graduating with two degrees she never uses, she tried to pursue a traditional career at a law firm. But the stubborn characters in h
er head refused to be ignored. She now spends most of her time overseas, crafting fun quick reads heavy on fantasy, paranormal, and suspense. If you’re a fan of kick-ass heroines, alpha males, and a smidgen of kink, visit Tara at www.taraquan.com.
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