The Billionaire Princess (8 page)

Sara looked down and he got the impression she'd forgotten about the papers. "Yes. They were emailed to me late last night. For the most part they're good, but I thought we might want to tweak a few lines."

"We have time now. Why don't we go over them?” Christopher said coming to his feet. Before Sara could agree or disagree he moved to the other side of the table and sat down next to her. "May I?" He leaned closer and reached for the papers. As he did he caught the slightest smell of her perfume. A light flowery fragrance, it was the same one she'd worn in Hawaii and at the fundraiser. Normally, he didn't remember the smell of a particular perfume. Having grown up in a house with four sisters he had constantly been around it, but he couldn't tell you which sister favored what fragrance. Somehow though he knew the one Sara wore now was the same one from those other nights.

Sara released the papers. “I marked the sentences that I think need work."

It didn't take long for him to read over the material and commit it to memory.  Just one of the benefits of a photographic memory, and he had never been more grateful for it than he was now. Sitting so close to Sara with her perfume teasing his nose destroyed most of his concentration.

Christopher shifted in his seat in an attempt to put more space between them.  “I agree this sentence needs work.”  He pointed at a sentence underlined in red.  “Do you have any ideas?”

Sara reached for the papers and her hand brushed against his. “I wrote some ideas on the back.”

He looked up and his eyes immediately zeroed in on her lips.  The memory of how perfect they felt against his made his body ache to hold her close and taste her again. How would she respond if he kissed her now? Would she push him away or wrap her arms around him?

“How do they sound?”

Her question intruded on his thoughts.  He hadn't heard a word she'd read.
“Sounds good.” He dropped his eyes back down to the papers.  If he stopped staring at her mouth maybe he'd get some work done. “This line here, I like already.” He pointed to the next underlined sentence on the page.  “But let’s work on this last one here.”

***

The sound of wheels hitting the ground jolted him awake. Stretching both arms over his head he tried to work the stiffness out of his shoulders and neck.
How long have I been out?
Christopher glanced across the plane expecting to see Sara sleeping as well. Throughout their time working on the script, she kept yawning. Instead he found her sitting, her body rigid, gripping the armrests of her seat.

"Hey are you okay?" he asked, getting out of his seat and moving toward her.

"I dread the landings," she admitted. "I'm not a big fan of flying in general, but I really hate the landings."

He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. Since he knew she traveled a lot he couldn't imagine her being afraid of flying.

"I know. More people die in car accidents than plane crashes, but I still don't like it.” She released the death grip she had on the seat. "And I've done it so much you'd think it wouldn't bother me anymore, but it does."

Obviously, she'd had this conversation before. "At least you don't let your fear stop you." So many people refused to try things because of their fears. The fact that she didn't let her fear interfere with her life, told him a great deal about her.

"Not when it comes to flying anyway."

Her comment made him wonder what other things she feared. It certainly sounded as if she had others, although he couldn't picture her fearing much. She, like everyone else in her family, came across confident and sure of their place in the world. Not the type of person who shied away from things because they were scared.

Maybe she's afraid of snakes
. His mom and sisters were petrified of snakes. They wouldn't even look at the snakes behind glass. "Sorry, I fell asleep. I didn't intend to."

Sara unfastened her seat belt. "It's okay. I read a book. I started it a month ago and still haven't finished it. Just don't have enough time."

What type of books did she enjoy? Did she lose herself in mysteries like his sister Caroline? Or did she prefer romances like his mom and sister Rachel? He didn't see her enjoying a horror. Then again over the past month he was learning that his previous view of her was far from accurate.

"A few extra hours in a day would come in handy some time." During the week he routinely worked eighteen-hour days but on the weekends, he left work behind whenever he could. Since he owned the company, he could do that. Sara didn't have that luxury, her schedule revolved around the senator's.

Gradually, the plane rolled to a complete stop and the flight attendant opened the door. Outside the window Christopher saw the limo he'd arranged to pick them up. Despite the fact that they'd been on the plane for hours, he didn't feel any immediate desire to rush off. During the flight their conversations covered several topics and he found he liked talking to her. He didn't do that with many women. Sure he talked to other women, but not usually about anything of consequence unless they were family members. Since becoming friends with Jake and then later making his first million, women tended to throw themselves at him but none really provided an intelligent conversation.

In the beginning they hoped to get to Jake through an association with him. Later they started to come because of his new wealth. Sara didn't need either and unlike many of the women who chased him she had a brain. He could carry on an intelligent conversation with her and use words with more than one syllable.

"Our meeting with Bruce Gordon is scheduled for ten o'clock tomorrow. You look tired. You should take the rest of the day off and relax," Christopher said, standing up. Without a second thought he reached for her leather briefcase on the floor by her feet. He couldn't stop himself from letting the back of his hand skim across her bare calf as he picked it up. Her bare legs had been taunting him ever since she'd stepped on board. His body started to respond at the touch. How could such a simple touch affect him so much? He barely touched her, yet his heart lurched with excitement and his pulse pounded.

"Are you ready to go?" He looked at her as he straightened up, prepared to tell her he'd carry her briefcase for her, yet the look on her face stopped him. A pale pink covered her cheeks. Her slate gray eyes were filled with desire and focused on his mouth.

Gratitude surged through him. It felt good to know the attraction he felt wasn't one-sided. Without stopping to think he bent toward her, intent on kissing her lush pink mouth. Halfway to his destination he stopped himself. Once already he crossed the line with Sara. Doing so again wasn't a wise idea. So instead of kissing her, he held out his hand to help her up.

During the ride from the airport to Sara's hotel both remained silent. While he didn't know what thoughts kept Sara quiet, he knew what bothered him. How was he going to maintain a professional relationship with her as they worked? Just being around her in Washington and then again today on the plane, his thoughts had continuously returned to their night together. Each time they'd gotten together since then he'd wanted to repeat that night.  He'd managed to hold himself back so far.  Could he continue to do that as they worked closely together though? Not that he had much of a choice in the matter. Sara sat across from him facing the window. He'd seen the desire in her eyes when he touched her, was it possible she wanted to pick things up from Hawaii as much as he did?

The limo turned onto Santa Monica Boulevard and came to a stop in front of the Sherbrooke Plaza Hotel. Sara turned away from the window and looked at him. "After I email the script changes to Senator Healy the first thing I am going to do is sit in the hot tub."

The mental image her words created almost caused him to groan out loud. With the state his mind was already in, he didn't need an image of her soaking in a hot tub floating around. "I'll leave you to it.” Rather than a hot tub, he needed a vat of ice.  As soon as he got to his apartment he planned to take an ice cold shower.  "I thought we could have dinner together tonight. If you're too tired we can skip it."

"After some time in the hot tub and some tea, I'll be fine. Dinner sounds lovely." She gifted him with one of her real smiles and he forgot how to breathe for half a second.

"Then I'll be by around six." Without waiting for a reply he slipped out of the car and extended a hand to help her out once again, thankful for all the proper etiquette instructions Jake had given him years earlier. One slender leg peeked out of the door, immediately catching his attention. When Sara's other foot touched the pavement his eyes made a trail from the coral nails poking out of her open-toed heels to the bare thighs her skirt revealed.

It's going to be a long night.

"You're not staying here?" Sara asked as she adjusted her skirt so that the hemline once again brushed her knees.

"I have a place in Los Angeles." He expected her to question him further but instead she took a step away.

"I'll see you tonight."

He stood next to the open car door and watched her walk away.  Her strides were fluid and graceful as her long slender legs carried her toward the door.  A quick glance around told him he wasn't the only male present who watched her either.  When she disappeared into the hotel, Christopher climbed back into the limo.  Yep, the next few days were going to be hell.

Like many great plans, hers sounded perfect in her mind but the execution of it proved difficult. After checking into her room, she sent the suggested script changes she and Christopher made the senator and Bruce Gordon. Unfortunately, that was as far as she got in her grand plan. Before she could even change out of the clothes she'd traveled in, the Secret Service agents responsible for her security detail insisted she sit down with them and review her schedule for the next several days—a task that took much longer than necessary. In all honesty, she thought the agents over-planned by insisting that they cover every possible contingency no matter how improbable. She always kept her views to herself though. They were doing their jobs.  So she always handled their presence and views with a proverbial smile.

By the time they finished there hadn't been enough time for a relaxing soak so she had to settle for a shower. Somehow she managed it in record time and ten minutes later she stood in front of the closet studying her clothes.

Would Christopher mind if they stayed in and ordered room service? She could call and ask him. If she called he might assume she needed an early night and suggest they not get together at all. As tired as she was, she didn't want to spend the entire night alone in her hotel room watching television. She wanted company. Okay maybe she didn't want just anyone's company. She wanted Christopher's. She enjoyed their conversation over dinner in Washington and today on the plane. He didn't speak to her as if she was some ditzy blonde like many men did or flatter her the entire time with some secret agenda in mind. Over the years both types of conversations had become almost the norm for her, even with some of the people on the Hill. Christopher, though, asked her insightful questions and challenged her views. He even managed to make her laugh, something she rarely did anymore.  At the same time he always offered information about himself.  During their last few conversations in fact she'd learned more about him than she'd learned in all the years he and her brother had been friends.  And he didn't just share the information one could read online either.

Selecting a pair of designer skinny jeans and a pastel pink top, Sara carried them both back to the bed. If Christopher insisted they go out instead she could change. For now she planned on staying in for the evening.  Pulling the top over her head, she buttoned the two buttons near the neck and then slipped the jeans on.  After pulling her hair back in a ponytail, she sat down at the desk to tackle some work.  If she kept up as much as possible while in California, when she returned to DC there wouldn't be piles of work waiting for her.

Less than half an hour later a knock at her hotel suite door pulled her attention away from her emails.  She'd only been away from the office since the morning yet her in box was full. Closing the browser window, she came to her feet. Knowing that Secret Service would have only let Christopher up, she pulled open the door without asking who it was.

"I mentioned dinner right?" Christopher asked closing the door behind him. Dressed in a dark blue suit he looked like he’d just stepped off the cover of GQ magazine. "Or do you need more time to get ready? I can change our reservation time."

"You did. I thought we could stay in and get something sent up." After telling him her hopes for the evening she realized how they may sound to Christopher. While she meant them in a purely innocent way, he might think she wanted something more than just dinner. Especially considering their night together in Hawaii.

Sara moved to stand next to the table. "I'm a little tired and would rather stay in. Maybe get a movie," she said in an attempt to clarify her intentions for the evening. "If you really want to go out, we can. It'll only take me a few minutes to change."

Christopher reached for the knot in his red tie. "We can stay in." He slid the tie off his neck "I'd prefer that. I just assumed you'd want to go out." After taking off his jacket, he draped it and his tie over the back of a chair. Then he pulled his phone out and canceled their dinner reservations.