❦ Kate ❦

We landed at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, around 2 in the afternoon. Another Mercedes-Maybach was waiting for us on the ramp and Ben drove us to The Lavinia Hotel, where we were staying in for the next three days.

It appeared the top floor of the entire hotel was booked for us. Jason preferred his privacy. My suite was right next to his. After settling in, I texted Peter and let him know I had arrived. I wasn't on roaming, so I sent him my suite's direct telephone number in case he wanted to call me.

Jason gave me time to freshen up before we headed to his new hotel. It was located on beachfront of the golden sand of Kuta Beach and had 100 ocean view suites, 20 luxury water bungalows and 30 beach villas. It also boasted 5 restaurants and bars, three spas, two fitness centers, three sculptured pools and a helipad.

A group of architects were already present there and as Jason talked to them I walked around taking pictures from my Nikon. The rooms were bare and all the furniture had been moved out. I was suddenly struck by how huge this project was. I didn't have the experience for this, I thought panicking.

"You look pale." Jason stated as he walked up to me in the lobby.

"I'm just wondering how I can get all this done." I said waving a hand around helplessly. "This is too huge for me." My voice was hoarse and I turned to him in desperation.

"Breathe, Kate." Jason murmured as he took me by the shoulders. His touch was light but there was enough pressure to snap me out of my panic. "I know you can do this."

"How can you be so sure?"

He held my gaze and said softly. "I believe in you."

The four simple words overwhelmed me. No one, not even Peter had ever shown such faith in my talent as an interior designer.

"That means a lot. Thank you."

He looked as if he wanted to say more but we were interrupted by the head of the architect team.

I spent the day taking measurements of the rooms and recording everything on my camera and notebook. After the initial self-doubt, I was back to being my usual confident self that always came up when working.

We had lunch with the architects, which stretched into two hours as we discussed the plans we had for the project. By the time the day ended, I was brimming with excitement. I couldn't wait to get started on the layout and space planning when I got back to my suite.

❦ ❦ ❦

Jason and I headed back to The Lavinia Hotel late in the evening. After dinner, he asked me join him in his suite.

He did some paperwork while I worked on layout and space planning. Based on the measurements taken, I drafted several layouts and presented them to Jason.

"These are just rough plans. When I finish, you can finalize one and I'll start on the design concept." I explained as he studied them.

We discussed design concepts and he seemed pretty impressed by my ideas. I suggested that the rooms be designed with top quality materials like wooden floors, sculpted wooden furniture, Java stone and bamboo to give it a more traditional look. My whole concept focused on a mixture of elegant luxury and comfort.

"We have a meeting with the architects tomorrow morning. You can coordinate with them about the changes you want to be made." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He looked exhausted. We had been working for hours. "Do you want a drink?"

Warning bells went off in my head reminding me that I should leave. Working with him in his suite was okay but joining him for a drink so late in the night didn't seem like a good idea. Not when I was so aware of him. But he was looking at me expectantly and I couldn't say no.

"A glass of wine would be nice." I smiled at him. I guiltily thought of Peter but pushed it away. Jason and I weren't doing anything inappropriate. It was Peter who asked me to take this project and he knew I had to be alone with Jason most of the times. Having a drink together was not a problem. I firmly told myself.

While Jason was making drinks at the bar, the hotel line started ringing.

"Do you want me to get it?" I asked him.

"Sure."

I reached for the phone, which was on the coffee table. "Hello?"

"Who is this?" A female voice asked.

"Uh...Are you calling for Jason?" Duh, of course she was. Why else would she call his hotel room?

The woman laughed. "I am. May I know whom I'm speaking to?"

"I'm Kate. Jason's interior designer." I glanced at the bar but Jason wasn't there. Where the hell did he go?

"I wasn't aware he had an interior designer." She commented. Then she shocked me by asking if I was dating him.

"No." I blurted out quickly. Who was this woman asking such personal questions? "I just work for him."

"I apologize for being intrusive." She sounded sincere. "It's just that my son is very private about his personal life and I couldn't help being curious."

Son? Oh god, this was Jason's mom.

Before I could reply Jason was by my side. He frowned at the shock on my face as he took the phone from me. He handed the drink he had in his hand to me and I sat down on the couch.

I tuned out the conversation he was having with her and focused on checking my mail. When Peter didn't answer his phone, I had sent him a mail earlier. I sighed in frustration. There was no reply from him.

"What did my mom say to you?" Jason asked as he sat across from me.

"She asked me if I'm dating you." I grinned. "She also said you are very private about your personal life."

Jason laughed. "It drives her crazy. I keep my dates as far away from home as possible."

When I shot him a questioning look he continued, "I've yet to meet someone who I want to introduce to my parents."

I was surprised. "You mean in all these years you haven't met someone like that?"

He shook his head smirking.

"I don't believe that." I laughed. "What about that Greek heiress you were dating?"

"Delia Costas? We dated for two weeks. The media made a big deal out of it."

"Julie Andrews? Valerie Javier? Emma Price?" I fired off a list of famous people Jason was rumored to have dated over the years.

He raised one eyebrow. "Have you been keeping track of all the women who have been linked to my name?"

I rolled my eyes. "In case you are unaware, your dating life is front page news."

"Not everything the media publish about me is true." He said taking a sip of his drink. "Whenever I'm spotted with a woman, they assume I'm fucking them."

I was curious. "So, they are all rumors?"

"Not all of it." He flashed me wicked smile. "I'm no saint, Kate."

"Believe me, I'd never use that word to describe you."

He laughed at that and I watched him mesmerized. His face was relaxed and his eyes were dancing with amusement. I had a feeling I would never get used to his killer smile and smoldering good looks.

Swallowing a gulp of wine, I asked him the question that had been playing in my head. It was a personal question but I couldn't help being curious. "What about Cheryl Black?" She was the most sought after model and actress in the world currently and voted this year's sexiest woman alive by Times Magazine.

Over the years, I had seen Jason, Cheryl and Nathan photographed many times. In fact, just over a month ago, I saw her pictured with Jason at the premier of her latest movie.

The media often speculated whether they had a secret relationship. Her name was always linked to either Nathan or Jason. I had caught an interview she did for The Tonight Show, where she addressed the rumors and said they were just friends. But still the tabloids never stopped from speculation.

"What about her?"

"You know what the media says about you both."

"She's just my best friend."

That surprised me. "I thought Nathan was your best friend."

"Well, yeah. They both are." He smiled. "I met Cher about six years ago, at a charity event that my parents dragged me to. We became fast friends and before college we went backpacking in Africa along with Nathan."

"That sounds like a fun trip."

"It was. We had the best time of our lives. And after the trip, we moved to Oxford for college and lived together for three years." A smile touched his face and I knew he was thinking of those times.

He glanced at me. "What about you? I'm assuming you and Hal are pretty close."

"Yeah. He's my best friend." I told him about how we met during college and he listened intently. The conversation flowed between us as we sipped on wine. He shared more about his backpacking trip with Nathan and Chery and their life in Oxford.

By the time we were on our third glass of wine, the topic had turned to cars.

"What's your favorite car?" He asked me with interest.

"Oh, the list is endless. But I would really like to own a LaFerrari one day." I sighed wistfully. "But that's an impossible dream."

"There's no such thing as an impossible dream."

"For you may be." I teased. "People like me just have to live with the fact that there are somethings that will remain a dream forever."

"I beg to differ. Anyone can achieve their dreams if they work hard enough for it." He said with a smile.

We continued talking until I realized it was past midnight. If I was being honest with myself I was enjoying being with him like this, joking and laughing, and I had completely lost track of time. He was not only wildly gorgeous but was so witty and so likable. And the way he treated people was another attractive quality about him. It would be so easy to fall for a guy like him.

Instantly my mind warned me that I was heading into dangerous territory. I shouldn't be thinking about him like that. Blaming it on the wine, I got up. "It's late. I should get back to my suite."

He walked me to the door. "Good night, Kate. I'll see you tomorrow morning at 6."

"Six?" I groaned. "You're cruel."

He grinned. "The earlier we start, the sooner we can finish."

"Fine." I sighed. "Good night."

I was getting ready for bed when the phone in my room started ringing.

"Where the hell have you been?" Peter said as soon as I answered the phone. "I've been calling for hours." He sounded annoyed.

"I was in Jason's suite, working."

"All this time? It's almost 1 in the morning there, Kate."

I looked at the bedside clock guiltily. "I stayed for a drink after we were done." I said honestly. I didn't want to lie to Peter.

He was silent and then he exhaled sharply. "Did anything...?

"No" I cut him off suddenly feeling tired. "Nothing happened, honey. I told you I wouldn't lie to you."

"I'll call you tomorrow then." He said abruptly and hung up.

I stood there holding the phone for a while. I wanted to talk to him about my day. I wanted to tell him about my work and share my excitement with him. But I knew it would take time for him to get over the pain I caused him.