by Claire, Ava
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 anyone else. 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 whispered, 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, even though I already knew 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 contagious?
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 studied him, 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 belly of the jet. He flashed me a final guarded look. After I’d just poured my heart out, it stung like a slap to the face.
“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 glared at 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 land-side 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 as I slowly unbuckled 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 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. He embraced the older woman and spun her in a circle.
She was Allegra...and I’d never been so relieved in my life.
Allegra was about Jacob’s height, her frame curvy yet muscular. 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 an
d 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 my name 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.
Allegra's dark brows furrowed. "Surely she 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 gave me a nod. "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. 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. Cars, mopeds and buses zipped by us. The water was 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 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 settled with snapping 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 at 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 a visitor here. It’s no problem.”
I was grateful to have my hands free when I stepped inside the lobby because I could spin around and take the extravagance in. Everything glittered and looked both classical and beautifully modern. The marble statues that stood sentry at a small waiting area and beside the front desk were like something out of museum. I turned toward the desk, meaning to check in, but Allegra steered me toward the elevators instead.
“You’re already checked in,” she explained, punching the ‘up’ button. “Jacob had your clothes and a few other things sent over.”
We zipped up to the third floor and I followed my guide down the pristine hall. Allegra parked my suitcase in front of a door near the end, pulled out a slender card and handed it to me.
“Your key.” She gave me a quick smile and moved to go. “You probably want to unwind, take a nap, yes?”
“Nap?” I said, shaking my head furiously. “I’m in Venice—I can nap back home!”
“We will get along famously.” She chuckled, approving of my excitement. “What to do first...” She scratched her chin, mulling it over. “Maybe you get settled, change into something a bit more comfortable, then join me for an early dinner, drinks in the ristorante?”
“That sounds great!” I smiled after her, feeling a little guilty that I’d pouted at the thought of not having Jacob bring me to my hotel. I would have been on pins and needles with him. With Allegra, I felt like I could finally relax.
I pushed into the room, flipped the light switch and gasped. The room was gorgeous, filled with antique touches without feeling too stuffy. A four poster bed was the focal point, but it was the vanity near the door stole my heart. I gravitated to it, oohing and aahing over the workmanship. I ran my hand around the dips and curves of the wood, fingers tracing until I saw the small stack of items sitting neatly in the center.
A small white bag was on top, filled with exotic scarves and odds and ends like Chanel no 5 and other toiletries. Beneath it was a white box with the signature Apple logo on the front.
I frowned, lifting it up and using an ivory handled letter opener sitting on a tea table to break the tape. Packing peanuts spilled out, quickly followed by a sleek, white box with a picture of the latest iPad gleaming up at me.
“He got me an iPad?” I screeched, my voice echoing up to the vaulted ceiling then back down as I pulled it out of the case.
Before this job, I’d just settled on pinching pennies until I could find a used one on Craigslist.
I walked over to the bed, sinking into the awesomely soft duvet, already imagining how I’d capture the city with my new gadget when I caught sight of a slender white envelope on the bedside table.
I let out a bitter chuckle, coming down from cloud nine. What did Jacob want me to do now? Strip down and send him an XXX video with the tablet?
I ripped open the side of the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. There were only two words, written in gentle cursive instead of angry slashes like the first.
Be patient.
My mind went a million miles a minute as I read it over and over. ‘Be patient’? Did that mean that he wanted to open up to me? That my confession on the plane hadn’t made things worse after all?
I brought the piece of paper to my lips and pressed a kiss on his words before putting it back on the bedside table. I folded my arms behind my head and looked up at the ceiling, letting myself believe that wherever Jacob was, he was thinking about me too.
****
I donned one of the few casual outfits hanging in my closet: a sheer black blouse, crimson colored skinny jeans and slipped my black flats on before I exited the room. My cell beeped to life at my side and I read the text. It was Allegra, letting me know that she grabbed a table for the two of us in the hotel restaurant.
To be honest, I was looking forward to learning more about Jacob as much as putting some food in my belly, though as soon as I stepped on the first floor and got a whiff of freshly baked bread and basil, the playing field was even.
"Buona sera,” the host standing at the front of the restaurant said brightly. “Tavolo per uno?”
When I let out a flustered laugh, wishing I'd been more concerned with Rosetta Stone than trying to figure out what was going out in Jacob's head, he repeated it in English with a sympathetic smile.
"Good evening. A table for one?"
I shook my head, peering over his shoulder. I scanned the lively crowd, stopping when I saw Allegra's bowed head. "I'm meeting a friend."
I maneuvered in and out of the tables, my curiosity peaking as I heard her tearing into someone on the phone.
"Non essere ridicolo. Anyone can see you care about this girl. Why do you fight it? You confuse her and you confuse me-"
My heart stalled in my chest. Was she talking to Jacob about me? "A-Allegra?"
She smiled up at me, gesturing at the seat in front of her.
"We will discuss this in the morning. Unless you will join us tonight?" She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Understood. Ciao."
She snapped her cell phone closed and gave me the once over, clucking her tongue with app
roval. "Leila, you look lovely."
"Thanks," I grinned, relaxing slightly. "You do too." She traded her outfit from earlier with a sleeveless flowered dress that softened her muscled exterior.
She picked up a bottle of red wine. "Do you drink?"
"Absolutely!" I said, probably a little too enthusiastically.
She let out a musical laugh that made her eyes twinkle then poured the ruby red liquid in my empty wine glass. "All a bit overwhelming, huh?"
I brought the glass to my nose and inhaled deep, breathing in the vibrant body of it before I took a hearty sip. It was like caramel going down and I savored it before I answered. "I'm still pinching myself every second."
"You haven't been working for Jacob very long?"
"Right," I said, taking another swallow. "Almost four days now."
She let out an impressed whistle. "You must be very good at your job."
I turned bright as a tomato and dropped my gaze, eyes locked on the starch white tablecloth. How could I tell her that my ‘personal’ interview with Jacob had probably got me the job?
She placed a wrinkled hand over mine and when I dredged my eyes up, I saw that she already knew. Of course she did...I was far from Jacob's first assistant.
I opened my mouth, the red of embarrassment turning to shame. "Let me explain-"
"That is unnecessary," she cut in. "This is carriera, your career, yes?"
I bit my lip and nodded.
"And I imagine you have plans that exceed being an assistant?"
"Definitely," I said without hesitation. "Not that all of this isn't great, but I want more." I let it all out, finally feeling like someone understood. "I want my own clients, my own agency....my own name over the door."
She gave me a long, pensive look then her face cracked into a grin. “Difficile? No. You got your foot in the door. You'll get no judgment for doing whatever you needed to do to meet your goals."
I reached for the bread basket, my stomach making a gurgle of hunger. "So since we're talking about doing whatever one needs to do to get ahead, do you mind if I pick your brain about Jacob?"