❦Jason ❦

When Ben pulled over in front of Kate's building, I texted her telling that I was outside. As I waited for her, my mind went to the envelope that I had received the previous night.

This time it wasn't a note, but contained photographs of Kate and I. Some of them were of the two of us in the Caribbean and the others were taken in Bali. It was clear that whoever was following me had been doing it for a long time.

And by sending the photographs, he was making it clear that he was not only threatening me, but Kate too. He must have seen me with her enough times to figure out that she was important to me.

As soon I received those photographs, I had called Nikolas Valiente. He was the owner of Valiente Securities, one of the leading private security and investigation firms in the world. He handled the security of all the Perez hotels and casinos including my personal security details.

Alex was one of the best men in Nik's firm and I had arranged to have him appointed for Kate's security. After seeing the photographs and understanding the silent threat behind them, I didn't want to take any risks with her safety.

I didn't want to involve the cops because I didn't want to take the risk of anything leaking to the media. Besides, I trusted Nik more than them. If anyone could find out who was following me, then it was him.

My phone rang just then and Nik's name flashed on the screen.

He didn't bother with a greeting and went straight to the point. "We checked the security camera feeds outside your office building as well as inside the lobby. The man who delivered the envelope to the reception knew where the cameras were located and he made sure his face was hidden from them."

He paused then continued. "I'll need to talk to your front office staffs. Also, I need the names of all your business associates, your main competitors and a list of your staff who knows your schedule."

"Okay. I'll arrange all that and have Andrea call you."

We talked for a while and just as I ended the call, I saw Kate stepping out of her building. Ben got out of the car and held the door open for her. She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white crop top that flashed a tantalizing glimpse of her toned midriff. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail.

When she got into the car, a whiff of her perfume hit me. It was something floral with a hint of citrus and the smell suited her. She looked so fresh and so damn appealing that I wanted to reach out and touch her.

"Morning." She greeted me casually and only then it was that I noticed the tired look on her face. The usual shine in her eyes was lacking too.

"Are you alright?"

"I didn't get much sleep last night." She said fumbling with the latch of the seatbelt. "It's stuck." She grunted and I couldn't help chuckling. She really wasn't a morning person.

"Here, let me." As soon as I leaned over to help her, I noticed that she held her breath. Her body stiffened and I bit back a grin. She was obviously affected by my closeness. I secured the seatbelt easily. "There you go."

She released the breath she was holding when I moved back. "Thanks."

Ben was now cutting through the traffic as he drove to the airport. I called Andrea and instructed her to call Nik and provide him with everything he needed. I didn't want Kate to know about the photographs because the last thing I wanted was to get worried. I was going to do everything in my power to protect her.

After finishing the call I glanced at her. She was looking out the window, lost in her own thoughts. She didn't look relaxed, in fact her back was a little too straight and she was sitting stiffly in the seat. I could literally see the wall she had carefully built around herself.

My gaze dropped to her clasped hands and immediately zeroed in on her ring finger. It was bare. She had taken her engagement ring off. But then I remembered that she didn't wear it on the cruise because she was afraid of losing it. Maybe today also she had taken it off for the same reason.

Unaware that I was watching her, she raised a hand to tuck a wispy tendril of hair behind her ear. She suddenly turned her face towards me and caught me looking at her. A ting of pink stained her face and I was fascinated by how easily she blushed.

She cleared her throat. "I-I wanted to ask you something."

I raised my eyebrows in question.

"I'm thinking of visiting my mum for a week. If that's okay with you."

"Why would I have a problem with that?" I asked even though I was already making a mental note to talk with Nick and arrange to have Alex go with her. I wasn't letting her go anywhere without protection.

"You're my boss so I have to make sure you are okay with it." She gave a teasing smile. Her work was flexible so she could work from anywhere so it wasn't really a problem.

"I don't mind. But Alex is going with you." I said bracing myself for her refusal. I wasn't disappointed.

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Is that really necessary?"

"We talked about this, Kate. I don't want anything happening to you." I wondered if should I tell her about the photographs. I contemplated. She had a right to know but this wasn't the right time.

She agreed reluctantly but the rest of the ride she was silent. She was giving me the cold shoulder. I was amused. I wondered how she would react if I dragged her to my lap and kissed that annoyed frown off her face. She would resist, I was sure but then she would surrender. My body hardened at the thought. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and was glad when Ben pulled in front of the airport. Another minute in the car and I would have acted on my thoughts.

❦ ❦ ❦

❦ Kate ❦

The jet landed at Palm Beach International Airport at noon.

I didn't know what I expected Jason's parents' home to look like but the big ocean front luxury mansion was not what I had in mind. The property was entirely walled and gated and the car drove through a drive way lined with palm trees alternated with fragrant orange blossoms.

Jason took my elbow as he walked towards the magnificent mahogany double front doors, which was already opened by a uniformed maid. She had a faint blush on her face as she greeted us. So there wasn't any woman alive who was not affected by his looks.

"Where are your parents?" I asked taking in the beautiful interior of the foyer.

"In Eritrea." He watched me admire the beautiful glass sculpture by the marble staircase and smiled. "Do you want a tour?" I was dying to see the entire house so I nodded enthusiastically.

He took my arm as he showed me around, patiently waiting as I admired each room we went into.

The ground floor boasted a grand hall with a stained-glass dome, a French country kitchen, a morning room, a garden room, a main service bar, library, cinema and an office. There were 10 bedrooms on the second level along with a spa, a steam room and a gym.

Even the outdoor entertainment area was impressive. It came with a built in barbecue station, a kitchen and a 60-foot heated swimming pool. The grounds covered a huge garden with olive, orange and Cyprus trees and at the end of the garden there was a tennis court and a helipad.

"If you want, you can rest a while and then we can go over the art collection later in the evening." Jason said as he showed me to my room after the tour.

"I'm not tired." I protested. "The sooner we get on with the work the better."

"If you say so. Why don't you freshen up then? After lunch, we can get started." He said stopping in front a set of oak doors. A maid dressed in a uniform appeared by our side and he touched my shoulders briefly. "Come down when you're ready."

After Jason left, the maid whose name was Molly, opened the doors and showed me the room. As expected the room was beautiful. It had a king-sized bed, large bath with marble floors and a private balcony with views of the bay and pool.

Molly smiled. "Would you like me to run you a bath, Miss?"

"That's okay, thank you." I said hurriedly.

"Very well, Miss. If you need anything, just press the intercom and I will be here."

"Thank you. And please, call me Kate." I said with a smile.

After she left I took a quick shower because I didn't want to keep Jason waiting. I promised myself that I would have a leisurely bath in the sunken tub later tonight. After getting dressed in a pair of white jeans and a yellow summer top, I went downstairs.

I found Jason seated at the outdoor dining table by the pool. He had changed into faded jeans and a white t-shirt and all I could focus on was how effortlessly sexy he looked.

He flashed me a lazy smile when I sat down across from him. "You're fast."

"I didn't want to keep you waiting."

"Oh, you have no idea how patient I can be." He smirked. I flushed as I realized the meaning behind his words. He was letting me know that he was still waiting for me to come to him.

He chuckled seeing how flustered I was. I was grateful when a maid came with the food cart and started serving.

"Have your parents lived here for long?" I asked Jason, as he poured me a glass of orange juice from the pitcher.

"My dad bought this place for mum as a wedding gift. They used to reside in LA but moved here after I took over the business. But they still spend several months a year in San Antonio too."

"Why did you go to high school in San Antonio?" It was something I had always wanted to know. He was the son of one of the wealthiest men in the world and he could have gone to any prestigious school he wanted.

"Well, dad was working too hard and he suffered heart attack. A small one. And mom forced him to take some time off work. So he put his second in command in charge of the business and decided to move to San Antonio for a few months. That's where he grew up." He smiled. "And of course, they wanted me to go with them. I put up a huge fight but they won in the end."

"What made you change your mind?"

He grinned. "He told me calmly that if I didn't do as he wanted, then I should forget about the car he was planning to buy me."

"The Porsche?" I smiled recalling the car Jason drove in high school.

"Yeah. He had to bribe me with that. I was spoilt back then." He said with an embarrassed grin.

"I don't blame you. It was a beautiful car." I teased, taking a bite out of my croissant. "I still remember the day you let me drive it on our first date. I was ecstatic." As soon as the words were out of my mouth I wanted to take them back.

Jason was buttering a piece of toast and he looked at me startled. I felt my face heat up. God, why did I bring up the past? He probably didn't even remember it and he must think I still relived those memories.

"You were so worried that you might crash it." He grinned. "In fact, you even said a little prayer before taking the wheel."

"You remember?" I was shocked.

He held my gaze. "Yeah. It was our first date. We were heading home after spending the afternoon on the beach."

I stared at him not knowing what to say.

"Why do you look so surprised? Did you think I wouldn't?"

I nodded trying to calm the fluttering feeling deep in my belly.

"I remember everything about you, Kate." His voice was low and his eyes dark. "I remember how you melted against me every time I kissed you. I remember every sound you made, your every little moan, and the way you screamed my name over and over again when I was deep inside you."

All the wind was knocked out of me and I gasped at his words. Why was he doing this? I didn't want to think about our that.

With all the strength I had, I met his gaze hiding the emotions I felt. "Funny, I don't remember any of that."

His eyes narrowed and he studied me silently. Then his face transformed into a lazy smirk. "Liar."

He lifted his brows, waiting for me to deny it again, but when I didn't say anything, he smirked in satisfied superiority.

Ignoring him, I calmly started adding cream to my coffee. But calm was not what I felt from inside. My heart was slamming against my ribs wildly and my stomach felt like an entire herd of elephants were stomping inside.

Why did he have to remind me of that one night I spent with him long ago? Of course, I hadn't forgotten it. If I was honest with myself, that was the most incredible night of my life but I wasn't going to admit that. His already over inflated ego didn't need any more inflating.

Fortunately for me, Jason didn't get to fluster me anymore because his phone rang.

❦ ❦ ❦

When Jason said his father had an art collection I thought he just meant a private collection at home. I was in for a surprise when he took me to the most well-known art gallery in the world, The Galleria.

"I didn't know The Galleria was owned by your family." I said as we got out of the car and headed to the huge three-story building.

"Dad opened it eight years ago because he wanted to share his collection with the world." Jason explained taking my elbow. "Now it has turned into a business."

The manager of the gallery was there to welcome us and he personally showed us around. I found out that Jason had instructed the gallery to be closed for the public that day so we were the only ones there.

The first floor of the gallery was used to display the art that were not for sale. I was shocked to see works of Van Gogh, Monet, Fra Angelico, and Gaugin. I didn't need to be an art dealer to know that the entire floor contained works worth billions of dollars. No wonder there were security guards around.

The second and third floor held works from different artists, some well-known, the others fresh talents. Jason waited patiently as I went about in selecting what I felt was the right ones to be hung in the Bali hotel lobby and penthouse suites. The manager of the gallery was there to answer any questions I had.

"I have to attend a charity dinner party at 7 tonight." Jason said on the drive back to the mansion.

I shot him a questioning look wondering what it had to do with me.

"I was hoping you would go with me."

What?

"It's not a date, Kate." He smirked seeing my panicked look. "It's not like you haven't gone to dinner with me before."

He was right. What harm would it do?

"I don't have anything to wear." I said finally. It was true. I didn't bring any evening dresses with me.

"I'll take care of that."

It was already five in the afternoon and there was no way he could find me a dress and shoes that would fit in less than two hours. But when I stepped out of the bathroom later, I was in for a surprise.

There were three boxes laid out on the bed. I reached for the black box, which had the name 'Oscar de la Renta' etched in gold. I couldn't help feeling a flurry of excitement. It was one of the most exclusive designer labels in the world.

I opened the box. And gasped. Nestled in fragrant tissue paper was an exquisite silk-faille dress. It was black with a deep V neck line and I immediately fell in love.

The second box contained an outrageously sexy pair of Christian Louboutin black suede pumps. In the third box, I found a beautiful black satin Chanel clutch.

I was impressed. I honestly didn't know how Jason managed to pull it off in just under two hours. And the more surprising part was, the dress and pumps fit. I wondered how he had gotten my size right.

After getting dressed, I took a look at myself from the full-length mirror. My hair was styled down and it tumbled in waves over my shoulders.

The soft silk fabric of the dress clung to my curves and rested a couple of inches above my knee. Since it had a deep neckline, I decided not to wear a bra. The four-inch pumps made my legs appear longer than they were.

Just as I was spritzing some perfume behind my ear, there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was Molly, I called out. "Come in."

"What do you think, Molly? Do I look okay?" I asked over my shoulder. Even though I looked good to my eyes, I needed another woman's opinion.

"You look absolutely breathtaking." Jason's voice came from behind.