“Have a good look? Would you like me to stand, maybe remove some clothes?” he mocked her sleepily, causing her face to turn scarlet. She had been ogling him, though, and deserved his snide remark.
“I just…uh, well, I thought I saw a bug,” she said, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation of why she was looking at the juncture of his thighs.
“A bug?”
He could’ve been a gentleman and just let it go, but she was quickly learning that Damien Whitfield was the furthest thing from a gentleman.
“Yes, a bug,” she said with more conviction. It may be a stupid lie, but it was hers, and she was going to own it.
“Take a seat. I’ll have Amber bring out a menu,” he said as he stood. She was rooted to the spot when he reached his arms above his head and stretched, his hands touching the ceiling of the jet, his shirt pulling tautly against his torso.
The man should be on magazine covers, not sitting behind a desk.
“Is there another bug…Sierra?” he whispered as he stepped closer.
It took a second for his words to compute in her brain. She didn’t bother replying, just quickly scurried away and plopped down in a chair as far from his as possible.
It didn’t help her nerves when she heard him chuckling as he walked away to his private bedroom.
The rest of the flight went surprisingly fast. Damien ate dinner with her, or at least she was assuming it was dinner. Her body was already turned upside down with traveling through so many different time zones. After their meal of delicious food, and ridiculously polite small-talk, he went back to work and she watched a couple movies.
She wouldn’t have minded helping him, but she didn’t want to start the whole “job” discussion again. That could wait until they were on solid ground.
As they began their descent, Sierra’s eyes were glued to the window. She looked out, beaming with joy that it was daylight and the sky was clear. She had a perfect view of the famous Sydney Harbor. It was all she could do to stop herself from clapping with excitement. She didn’t want her new boss to think her too much of a child.
They landed safely, allowing Sierra to breathe a huge sigh of relief, and before she knew it, they were stepping off the jet. A warm breeze blowing against her skin was a welcome and surprising relief. It was the beginning of December, freezing back home, but here it was warm, sunny, and just about perfect.
She hadn’t thought about the season’s being reversed. She was itching to explore the area, but she’d wait and take cues from Damien. She didn’t know if they were going to immediately get to work or not.
“This way,” Damien said, placing his hand on the small of her back, leading her to an awaiting limo. The man sure liked his long cars. She found it humorous, but managed to somehow keep her laughter to herself.
They quickly traveled from the airport and she drank in as much of the bustling city as she could through the tinted windows of the large car. Too soon they were pulling up to a stunning hotel.
“Where are we?” she asked with awe. The seemingly endless building was stunning.
Her father was a wealthy man, wealthier than most, but she hadn’t traveled the world with him, hadn’t gotten to experience the same privileges her sister had. It was a real treat to visit Australia and stay in such a luxurious hotel.
“This is the Park Hyatt,” he answered her matter-of-factly. He seemed slightly bored. Sierra couldn’t imagine ever getting to a point in her life where coming to such a beautiful place would seem boring to her.
A doorman was instantly at their car, holding the door open for them. Sierra took his hand as she stepped from the limo, her eyes wide as she looked up at the impressive entrance to the five-star-hotel.
Damien joined her, then placing his hand on her back again, guided her inside. She looked around the incredible lobby, as she followed beside him. She didn’t hear his conversation with the staff, but soon they were riding in an elevator, and walking down a beautifully decorated hallway.
The bellman assisting them slid his card through the key card slot in their door and they walked inside a massive suite with floor to ceiling windows seemingly everywhere. She walked over to them and looked down at a perfect view of the famous opera house. Maybe she’d be able to attend a show. Oh, how she hoped so!
The room was spacious, with work areas, a kitchen, bar, luxury bathrooms, even a baby grand piano. She didn’t understand the need for such a large room for just the two of them, but she wasn’t going to complain.
Within minutes of arriving, Damien told her to order what she’d like for food, and then he disappeared into the office, shutting the door behind him. She stood there, feeling out of sorts.
Not knowing what else to do, Sierra ordered room service, then settled in on one of the comfortable couches to watch the huge screen television. She fell asleep not long after picking at her meal and setting it aside.
Chapter Eight
Sierra looked at the outside of the tall building and felt her stomach drop. What was she doing? She should just turn around and go back to their hotel suite. She had no business being there.
She was tired of sitting in the interminable room. She loved the suite, especially the deep tub in the bathroom, and twenty-four hour room service. The room was stunning, beyond luxurious, and she’d taken advantage of just about every spa service the hotel offered, but still, she wanted to explore, not stay indoors.
Damien had been gone constantly, telling her to wait for him, that he’d have work for her soon, but a week had passed and it was getting ridiculous. She was going to confront the man. He either needed to give her some work, let her act like a tourist, or else let her fly back home to the states.
There was no way she wanted to go back to her father’s empty home. The longer she was away, the more sure she was of that fact. She wanted to go and visit Bree, maybe even take her best friend up on her offer of a place to stay until she got on her feet.
The longer Sierra was around Damien, the more sure she was that his P.R. position was nothing more than a smoke screen. At least she was sure he didn’t want her as his mistress as he hadn’t made a single advance toward her since they’d arrived. She felt an odd pang at the thought.
No, she urged herself. She didn’t want to be any man’s plaything. But still, Damien was just so virile, it was hard for her not to want to run her hands along his incredible form. Only a blind woman could miss his flawless body, but loss of sight wouldn’t be enough to keep lust away in his presence.