"Thank you," I say, breaking the silence, and he turns to face me again.
"For what?" He knits his eyebrows.
"I forgot we're on a plane." I smile, hoping that it will break the ice between us.
And Jack smiles back again.
* * *
An hour later, we’re already at the Plaza Hotel, and it’s only now I realize how tired I am. I didn't sleep the whole night because I was completing the task Jack set for me. And today I drank two glasses of rum, one of which I finished before dinner.
"The grand penthouse is ready, Mr. Harden," a receptionist with the whitest teeth I've ever seen in my life says to Jack. "Please, follow me."
"I can handle it myself," he says, taking the key card out of her hands and rejecting her offer to escort us, and then he looks at me. "Let's go."
As we walk through the hall of the most luxurious hotel in New York, I can’t help but look around, amazed by the beauty that until now I’ve only seen in movies.
"Jack, they forgot to give me my card," I say when we enter the elevator.
"You stay with me," he says easily, as if it's not a big deal.
My heart skips a beat.
"We’re…sharing a room?" I ask, and I can hear that my voice is shaking.
Jack doesn't say a word; he only takes a step, looking at me from above. Then another step, until our bodies brush against each other. His eyes lock with mine.
I hold a breath. Is he…gonna kiss me?
I want him to kiss me. It's inappropriate, forbidden, dangerous. And no matter how many arguments I have against it, the only thing I want is those lips on my skin.
He studies my reaction. His deep blue eyes are glittering with pleasure. He enjoys his power over me.
"It's a two-bedroom suite, Ms. Wilson," he whispers, and he's so close that I feel his breath on my skin, "and I might be a monster, but I won't disturb you at night. At least, not today."
And then the elevator doors open and he takes a step back, holding out a hand, allowing me to exit first.
My cheeks are burning with fear and excitement.
I won't disturb you at night, at least, not today…
Chapter Six
Jack
I shouldn't have been so frank with her yesterday. It wasn't a part of my plan at all. I was going to spend the whole flight working, just like I always do. I should've ignored her, the way I do with other employees, exchanging only a couple of words about work during the flight, and even then not always.
I don't mix work with pleasure. No employee can become my friend because it's inappropriate. No one needs to know about my personal life. Private should stay private.
But then I saw her shaking out of fear, holding the armrests and praying. Something inside of me broke and made me come closer, made me start talking to her to calm her down, though my mind kept telling me it was a bad idea.
And I opened myself to her—a lot. Maybe for an average person, that would sound like a regular conversation, but not for me. I'm not that frank.
And I want her. Shit, I want her so much that I couldn't sleep last night, knowing she was only twenty feet away, in the same hotel room.
So close and so unreachable at once. Is that what turns me on? That a beautiful, smart woman is in my hotel room but I can't have sex with her?
No, there's something else. Something unusual to me.