❦ Kate ❦

Andrea had informed me that Ben would pick me up at 6 in the evening so by 5 minutes to 6 I was downstairs waiting for him. I left a message to Peter telling him that I was leaving. It had been four days since he left and I hadn't heard from him ever since.

A Rolls-Royce Wraith pulled in front of my building and Ben stepped out of it.

"Good evening, Ms. Lewis." He greeted me as he picked up the single piece of luggage I had.

"Evening, Ben." I smiled and followed him. He held the car door open for me and I thanked him before getting into the backseat. I couldn't help admiring the interior of the car. The seats were made from the finest natural leather and there were soft wool carpets. The cabin had open grain wood paneling and I sighed longingly, leaning back in the comfortable seat.

I was so lost in my thought of admiring the car that I didn't notice it pulling in front of Perez Enterprises. I was startled when the door opened and Jason got in beside me. He was on the phone and sent a curt nod towards me before carrying on with his conversation.

Suddenly the spacious car seemed cramped to me. I took a deep breath and trying to calm my nerves. He was dressed casually in a white t-shirt and faded jeans. Despite how much I tried not to look, my gaze took in the way the sleeves stretched over his biceps.

I dragged my eyes away before he caught me staring. He spent the whole ride to the airport talking on the phone.

I was surprised when Ben drove straight on to a private strip of land. I realized it was a private airport and couldn't help rolling my eyes at myself. Of course, Jason wasn't going to fly commercial. There was a white jet waiting for us on the runway. It wasn't small like I had imagined private jets to be.

A handsome man dressed in a white uniform greeted us. "Good morning, Mr. Perez." He smiled at me, "Ma'am." I smiled back.

Jason led me up the steps and into the aircraft. The interior of the cabin was luxurious with cream and beige being the main color. The cabin was spacious with large windows, comfortable seating and all the amenities that you would only think belonged in a penthouse suite. There were five closed doors and I suspected them to be the bedrooms or office areas.

"Would you like a drink, Ma'am?" A beautiful redhead dressed in a uniform was by my side as soon as I got seated.

"No, thank you." I said with a polite smile.

Jason was on the ground talking to the pilots and a few minutes later he boarded the plane with Ben. Jason took the seat opposite on me and fastened on the seat belt. Ben choose a seat on the other side of the jet.

Jason's expression was unreadable as he glanced at me. "Put on your seatbelt, Kate. You can unfasten it when we have taken off safely."

He hadn't cracked one smile ever since Ben picked him up at office. In fact, I could see how tense his shoulders were. It was apparent he was in a dark mood.

The stewardess approached him but he waved a hand and she walked away. So this was how the rich and powerful operated. Everything was done with a flick of hand. I thought as I studied him from the corner of my eyes.

He didn't even look at me as he took a sheaf of papers from his briefcase. I was glad he didn't try to make conversation. The memories of our last heated moments were still fresh in my mind and I wanted to keep my distance from him.

When we were safely up in the air, Jason put his papers down and stood up. "Why don't you rest in the bedroom?"

He opened a door at the end of the cabin and ushered me into a spacious bedroom. A big bed occupied the middle with silk sheets and a big plasma television was on one wall. My luggage was on the cream carpet by the bed.

"If you need anything just press the intercom and you'll reach one of the stewardess."

"Thank you." I said giving him a smile.

He didn't return it. Instead he just nodded and left. I hated to admit it but his distance was getting to me. He used to be so approachable before but now it felt as if there was a wall between us. I knew I should be glad he was being so distant but still I was bothered.

I flopped on the bed and took my laptop and got to work. Jason wanted the hotel to have a cozy intimate atmosphere with antique furnishing and warm colors. I spent the next few hours putting together a presentation to show him.

I must have fallen asleep because I was woken up to a knock on the door. It was one of the stewardess. She informed me dinner was ready.

I was starving so I hurriedly freshened up and changed into jeans and a shirt. I found Jason seated in the front of the jet and he looked engrossed in work. His gaze was on his laptop screen but he looked up, as if he felt my presence.

"Sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you." I hated how polite we were being.

The stewardess appeared just then, rolling a cart of food. I sat across from Jason and watched as she arranged the dishes on the folding table between our seats.

"Where's Ben?" I asked clearing my throat.

"He's resting." Jason gestured to the chicken and mushroom dish in front of me. "You were sleeping so I ordered for you. Hope you don't mind."

"This looks great. Thank you." I took an appreciative sniff and added with a smile. "I love mushrooms."

"I know."

"You do?" I glanced at him surprise. "How?"

He hesitated for a brief second before answering. "I don't know if you remember but we had a movie night at my place and you wanted to eat mushroom pizza."

I remembered that day clearly. It was our third date. I was just so shocked he remembered it as well.

A smirk touched his lips. "I ordered five pizzas but you didn't want to share any with me."

"That is so not true." I said laughing. "You basically inhaled two entire pizzas before I could even finish one slice. I didn't want you getting sick so I refused to let you have anymore."

"Yeah, because you didn't want to share." His teasing grin was infectious and I found myself returning it.

It was the first time we both discussed anything about our past and a brief silence fell between us. It looked like he wanted to say more about it but seemed to change his mind and instead asked me a question about work.

After a while, the tension seemed to melt away as we continued making light conversation. After dessert and coffee, Jason led me to the small meeting room on the jet where we spent a couple of hours discussing the hotel project.

After that he disappeared into one of the rooms on board, taking in the paperwork he had brought with him. He didn't come out for the rest of the night and I saw the stewardess taking in coffee for him so I knew he was awake. He seemed to be keeping his distance again. After the friendly conversation we shared during dinner, I thought we were back to normal but I guessed I was wrong.

I spent my time browsing the internet, looking up suppliers and furniture places to match my ideas. The budget for the project was open, and Jason wanted me to use the best money could buy, so I was checking up suppliers who were known for their luxurious products.

I needed to see the hotel before I could do any more work, so I was getting bored being all by myself. Ben was around but after two attempts of trying to strike up a conversation with him I gave up. He only answered in monosyllables and it was like trying to talk to a brick wall.

So I gave up and went to bed. The next morning I was up by 7 and the stewardess served me breakfast. There was no sign of Jason so I assumed he was sleeping. A little over an hour later, the stewardess told me we were about to land in Ninoy Aquino International airport in Manila, Philippines to refuel.

Jason walked out of his room a few minutes later and I couldn't tear my gaze away from him. He had donned a charcoal grey suit and a light blue dress shirt that hugged his masculine physique perfectly. How could a man look so breathtaking? And why was he wearing a suit?

Wearing the jeans and the white shirt from the previous night, I suddenly felt self-conscious. He looked as if he belonged in a GQ Magazine cover while I was sporting a wrinkled shirt.

He strapped himself in his seat and sent a look my way. "Seatbelt, Kate."

Jerked out of my thoughts, I quickly clasped on the seatbelt.

"We'll be staying in Manila for a couple of hours." He was saying. "I have to visit my resort here and if you want, you can come with me."

"I could do with some fresh air." I said gratefully. After fifteen hours of being on the jet, there was nothing I wanted more than to get out. When the jet landed, I quickly swapped my wrinkled shirt for an ivory silk blouse.

A passport control agent boarded the jet and completed the immigration process in record time. I was impressed. When I travelled, I had to wait in line at the gate but it turned out when you fly private, the customs officials came to you.

There was a Mercedes-Maybach Pullman limo waiting for us on the tarmac when we disembarked the jet. After Jason and I settled in, Ben climbed in the driver's seat and started driving.

I was excited to be in a new country so I kept my face pressed to the window as I watched the beautiful scenery of Manila passed by. As usual, Jason was on his phone. I had thought Peter was the ultimate workaholic but Jason was a whole different level.

The Perez Resort and Hotel in Manila was a twenty-minute ride from the airport. Set against the scenic backdrop of Manila Bay, it was simply magnificent. While Jason went into a meeting with the manager of the hotel, I looked around. Ben followed behind me and I wondered if Jason had asked him to keep an eye on me.

After Jason finished the meeting, he spent the next hour mingling with the staff, talking and asking them about their work. I was surprised to see how down to earth and friendly he was.

He was a multi-billionaire but when he talked to his staff, there was no superiority in him. He treated everyone with respect and seemed genuinely interested in what they had to say. Before leaving, he even spent a good ten minutes talking to the doorman, asking him about his family and children.

By the time we were in the limo, heading back to the airport, I was viewing him in a different light.

He noticed me looking at him and lifted one eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Something's clearly on your mind. Tell me."

"It's just that you're different than I thought."

He looked amused. "Considering how much of a low opinion you have about me, I'm assuming I finally managed to do some good in your eyes?"

My mouth hung open. "I don't have a low opinion about you."

"If you say so." He said with a lazy smile. "So how am I different?"

"Well, you were so nice to everyone back at the resort. I didn't expect that. I mean not everyone treats their staff with so much respect."

"Just because I control their paychecks doesn't mean I own them." He said simply. "They are also human, just like me, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect and kindness."

Seeing the humble and kind side of him at the resort had made my heart melt a little. And now hearing his words made it melt a little bit more. I didn't know why he thought I had a low opinion of him. Yes, I considered him a notorious playboy but now I knew despite that little flaw, he was actually a wonderful person.