Nicholas’s limousine waited at the kerb and a chauffeur jumped out and opened the doors for them.
It was luxuriously fitted out inside and extremely comfortable. If it hadn’t been for the situation, Cat might have enjoyed the drive. But she was intensely aware of Nicholas in every way—his cologne, the light touch of his arm against hers, even the silence seemed loaded with tension.
She kept her gaze averted from him and searched for something to say—something that would break this feeling.
Clearing her throat, she made an attempt at business. ‘Have you thought any more about what we discussed this afternoon?’
He glanced over at her. ‘All in good time, Cat.’
He was infuriating, she thought. ‘Don’t forget that you did promise to give me an answer before the end of the evening,’ she felt compelled to remind him. She didn’t want him stringing her along. Men were good at that and she wasn’t going to be walked over.
‘Oh, I haven’t forgotten anything,’ Nicholas assured her. ‘But, until we actually get to the hotel, there is little new of value that we can discuss—businesswise, that is.’
Their eyes met.
‘So I suggest that we relax,’ he continued smoothly. ‘The flight will take about two hours so we may as well use the time to relax, get to know each other a little better … hmm?’
His words and the way he was looking at
her held a provocative power that made her temperature sizzle.
With difficulty she tried to dismiss the feeling. ‘Actually, there is a lot we didn’t cover this afternoon,’ she said firmly. ‘I thought we could go over some of the ideas for the follow-up adverts.’
‘I think we need to walk before we can run,’ he contradicted silkily.
He really was maddening but she couldn’t think of a suitable reply because the way he looked at her made all her thoughts run riot. She fell silent and for a moment their eyes held.
Hurriedly she glanced away from him and out of the window. They were on an airfield now and she could see a private jet ready and waiting with the steps down.
It wasn’t too late to turn tail and run, a little voice told her insistently.
And how would that look in the office on Monday morning? she asked herself sternly. She was being ridiculous.
They pulled to a standstill within a few feet of the aircraft and their driver came around to open the passenger doors for them. The noise from the aircraft filled her eardrums as they stepped out into the warmth of the sunlight.
‘Good evening, Mr Zentenas.’ The man waiting for them had to practically shout to make himself heard. ‘Everything is ready for you, sir, exactly as stipulated.’
What had Nicholas stipulated? Cat wondered. But there was no time for further conversation; Nicholas waved her to go ahead of him up the steps into the aeroplane.
She was amazed when she stepped inside to find that it was unlike any other aircraft she had ever travelled in. Deep leather seats faced each other across a desk. There was a state-of-the-art office to one side, and through a door at the back she could see a double bed.
Had Nicholas been thinking about that bed when he had suggested using the flight time to get to know each other? The thought filtered through her and with it a deep burning swirl of pure desire.
Fiercely she tried to maintain a sense of perspective. Yes, Nicholas probably wouldn’t mind amusing himself with her to pass a few spare hours, but did she really want to be used as some millionaire’s plaything for a few fleeting hours of short-lived pleasure? This was an important business trip. She wanted him to treat her seriously—not as some sex kitten.
Nicholas joined her in the cabin and immediately the door of the plane was closed behind him with a heavy clunk that almost matched the slam of her heart.
‘Everything OK?’ He smiled over at her.
‘Yes, thank you.’ She put her briefcase in an overhead compartment and then selected a seat so that her back was towards the bedroom. She really didn’t want to be reminded of that for the entire journey.
Nicholas took off his suit jacket and put it away in another compartment. The white shirt he wore was open at the neck; she noticed the wide muscular width of his shoulders, the lithe hips, the very taut line of his buttocks—before quickly looking away again.
He took his place in the seat opposite and a few moments later the engine noise increased and the safety belt sign was illuminated.
‘The pilot doesn’t believe in hanging around,’ she said lightly, trying to stem the rising feelings of apprehension.
‘We’ve got a clearance slot from air traffic control for takeoff and if we don’t take it immediately we could be hanging around on the tarmac for another hour.’