"Sofia, wait."

I turned around to see Ben making his way towards me from the back of the jet.

With a faint smile I waited for what he was going to continue with.

We had landed a few minutes ago, and our rides were waiting on the runway. The staff were waiting in the front of the jet, hidden from our view until we left the main area.

I felt completely floored by the rumpled, sexy, suited man wearing a tired and nervous smile. In his tall, lean and muscular glory he headed towards me, dark and intense gaze never leaving my face.

As much as it made me uneasy to admit it, I liked this man. He redefined Michelangelo's idea of perfection. Screw David when there was the option of Ben Capra.

"Sofia," he spoke again, steps slowing down as he neared me more, cornering me. I was now facing him completely, the closed door behind me.

His voice had lowered. It was like smooth bourbon; so elegant and intoxicating. It warmed my body up intensely, and I shifted on my feet as my smile faltered.

He was getting too close for this to be appropriate.

Before either of us could say another word, our lips met in hungry kiss, bordering on one full of passion and intense need for the relief from tensions that had been building.

For that moment, all the walls came down and a beautiful surge of intimacy washed between us.

I grabbed the collar of his dress shirt while his hands almost hesitantly moved to my hips. His hold on me tightened when he realised I wasn't going to push him off me.

"Ben..." I breathed out, my whole body buzzing with excitement.

A raggedy breath left his lips, before he pushed me against the door behind me and kissed me again; much harder this time, almost as if he was angry with me.

His front pressed against mine and I felt heavenly. Never had I felt like this just because of one kiss.

The smalltalk we had exchanged during our flight had made me feel more comfortable with him, but I hadn't expected things to end up like this. Of course, I wasn't complaining, but I knew we needed to calm down.

Ben's body was hard against mine, pinning me completely between him and the closed door. I felt his thigh between my legs, not touching where I needed to be touched, but maybe that was for the best.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself, sounding frustrated, before his lips trailed down to my jaw. When he began kissing my neck, a small and breathless moan slipped past my lips, absolutely adoring the feeling.

This was crazy; my heart was racing and my mind was drawing a blank on everything but him. Was this actually happening or was I having an extremely vivid dream?

I let my fingers tangle into his hair, not minding the rough way his fingers were digging into my body by my hips, grabbing me to pull me even more against him.

Suddenly everything stopped. He took an abrupt step back as if I had just burned him. He was glaring at me.

"That was..." I began with a breathless giggle, "unexpected."

"Why didn't you stop me?" His jaw clenched as he ran a hand through his disheveled dark hair.

I was breathing heavily, coming down from the high he had just given me. I was so confused. I had never felt like that before; not once for the time Tony and I had been together, or before.

"What?" A breathless laugh left my lips, hoping he wasn't actually angry with me.

Ben's hard gaze narrowed at me, before he sighed and looked away in defeat.

"You do realise I'm not going to let you leave, right?" He muttered lowly, eyes focused on one of the windows.

"Ben, what are you—"

He brushed me off and made his way past me.

As much as I tried to talk to him on our ride to the restaurant, he seemed to firmly keep his eyes on the screen of his phone, ignoring me in a very petty way.

__

I was having incredible trouble trying to concentrate on anything that Ryan Ford was saying.

I couldn't focus on anything but Ben sitting at the bar area of this dim restaurant, drinking slowly and watching me. I felt incredibly hot, and couldn't seem to find a comfortable way to sit on my chair.

"Is everything okay, Jade?" The businessman opposite me wondered.

My attention snapped back to him and I felt scared. Why did Ben make me feel so unorganised and nervous like this, suddenly? It wasn't good.

"Yes, everything's fine..." I assured him, at this point chugging down expensive champagne like my life depended on it.

Mr Ford excused himself to go to the restroom, leaving me alone at our table in the dim restaurant somewhere in Brussels.

Just as I had expected, once Ryan Ford had left his sight, Ben began making his way towards me.

I refused to break eye-contact with him, and instead stood my ground.

"How's everything going?" He came to kneel down beside me, taking me aback since I had expected him to sit on Ford's place.

This incredibly powerful man was kneeling for me. The symbolism behind his action boosted my ego through the roof.

Ben had cleared his throat and lowered his voice, blending in with the intimate setting. I felt his hand on my thigh, but ignored it and all the feelings that came along with it.

"I've almost got all the information you asked for," I told him softly, still keeping my eyes fully focused on his, "you look like you're going to propose to me, do you know that?"

A small fit of giggles bubbled up from inside of me at the strange thought. He blinked and processed what I'd just said, his hand moving an inch higher on my exposed thigh.

"You've had a lot of champagne.." he pointed out, and I nodded with a widening smile.

"Listen, Sofia," he cleared his throat again, shifting on his stance to get closer to me, "don't leave with him. You'll get all the information we need once he comes back and then—"

"What if he wants to leave and I don't have everything yet?" I frowned and shook my head.

Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "then you'll forget it, understand? I want to show you something."

"What, I...?" I was hesitating and growing extremely confused.

Without letting me stumble over my words further, while standing up he rendered me completely silent by leaving a kiss by my jaw. It was anything but innocent, and I felt myself heat up.

Without another glance at me, Ben confidently returned to his place at the bar. I watched him curiously as he ordered another drink, before he situated to be able to watch me again.

"You're not nervous, are you? Me being who I am doesn't mean I'm not a regular person, just like you," Ryan Ford began once he returned, a bright and smug smile on his face, "besides the fact that you're incredibly beautiful, though. You must get that a lot..."

I just smiled, and sipped my nth glass of champagne.

"You're kind," I vowed to myself to focus on what I was here to do and leave Ben out of my thoughts. It was hard, but I forced my focus to stay firmly on the man opposite me.

"Should we leave now? I promise you'll like my home, it's not far from here..." he was soon suggesting, very suggestively.

I had already received a lot of information from him. Thank God he was one of the many men I had encountered who loved to brag about his business.

"I'd love some dessert, though," I smiled sweetly, "I hear they have a lovely selection here."

"You're right, yes," he chuckled to himself, "look at me, rushing you. I have to admit the thought of being alone with you..."

I just smiled and nodded in agreement.

I was sure that after dessert I would have all the information I was to get, and could then go with Ben and find out what it was he wanted to show me.

__

"You don't mind that?" Ben broke the silence as we sat at the back of a black tinted minivan, being driven towards our hotel.

"Mind what?" I asked and turned my head to face him. The setting sun, which radiated from behind him, made him look all the more god-like.

"The men..." he shrugged, clearly not too comfortable to be saying what he now was, "you know... touching you and drooling over you like such perverts?"

A small smile tugged up the sides of my lips. I was already beginning to feel tired, and was glad he had insisted I not go with Mr Ford after the dinner.

"That's the way men are," I shrugged, holding back a yawn.

His brows furrowed, "no, we're not."

"Well, I mean, of course there are gentlemen," I began, "just in my experience, most of you are just horny for a pretty girl."

He frowned, studying my face closely. He was quiet for a moment, before surprising me by saying, "I'm sorry you've had to go through that and you think most of us are like that."

"I... it's fine."

"No, it's not. I'm sorry, Sofia."

I was confused. There was nothing insincere about what he was saying, and it really hit home. No-one had ever been sorry for the way I had developed and grown into the person that I am. His father had comforted me, sure, but never had he apologised and sounded like his son as he now did.

"What did you want to show me?" I cleared my throat, not knowing what to reply with.

He glanced out of the window and surprised me by abruptly telling the driver to pull over. My brows furrowed as I followed him out of the car.

Ben then patted the side of the car and it drove away.

"What's going on?" I laughed with confusion. I turned around to see him buttoning up the middle button of his suit jacket.

He looked up at me with a faint smile. People were looking at us; recognising Ben and also wondering why we were dressed so fancily in a small and secluded street.

"I want to show you the city, come," he extended his hand out for me to take, and after a moment of hesitation, I did.

I let him lead me towards the entrance of the metro.

"Ben, I—" I was hesitating. I had only been to Brussels once or twice before, for simple dinners, and had never used the metro here.

"I have one metro card, we'll have to share," he pulled a purple bus-card out of his pocket and waved it at me.

A small laugh left my lips, still so confused but loving how relaxed he now seemed. I stopped caring about the fact that people were staring, and instead let myself get lost in him and his sudden good mood.

We arrived at the place where you scan the ticket and step through the plastic doors that then open for you.

"Stand in front of me," he politely guided me to stand right in front of the plastic doors.

"Sure..." I did as he'd instructed, and glanced back to find him very close. Close enough for me to feel his chest brushing against my back.

I felt his hand hesitantly move to my hip, testing the waters to see if I would show any signs of uncomfortability.

I didn't, so he leaned closer to brush his lips against the side of my ear. A shiver rushed down my spine at his low and raspy tone.

"You need to move fast, alright, so I get through as well," he told me, and I nodded.

I heard the 'peep' sound as he scanned his card before the doors slid open in front of me. I rushed inside with Ben behind me.

I burst out laughing and turned around, "did we actually just do that?"

He shrugged with a light grin, "yeah. I used to do that all the time with my friends."