The quiet of the stairs hummed after the noise of the helicopter engine. I could feel my hands still shaking, but I tried my best to hide it from Rachel. I never thought I would ride on a helicopter, but I certainly thought I could get used to it.
The suited man who had opened the door escorted us to a large wooden desk with the DS Oil and Gas logo printed on the wall behind it. It was well after the end of a normal workday, so no secretary sat in the chair, but Rachel walked past it to a large doorway with two giant wooden panels. She knocked confidently once, and motioned me over. I stumbled over my feet, but made it next to her by the time a voice called out to come in.
Rachel turned and straightened my jacket, brushing several flyaway strands of hair out of my face before giving me a quick smile and opening the door. She stepped in confidently, and I followed, trying desperately to mimic her confidence. I suddenly realized I had no idea what I was going to say to him.
Jack sat at a large mahogany desk, papers and electronic pads scattered haphazardly across the large wooden surface. His back was to the door, a phone up to his ear as he spoke in a clipped voice. Every word oozed dominance and surety. This wasn’t the boy I met on the beach. That voice didn’t laugh and giggle, drinking margaritas in the sand. The man in front of me was cold and full of authority and power.
The phone conversation ended, and he turned abruptly to face the two of us, annoyance and fatigue painted on his face. However, as soon as he saw who had invaded his office, that smile I knew lit up his features. I could see the Jack I met on the beach in that smile, the business man banished to the shadows for a moment.
“I expect you two had an uneventful trip? Good,” he said as he stood and began to walk around the desk. “Thank you Rachel. I’m sure you have things that need to be taken care of.”
“Yes, Sir,” Rachel said formally. She turned, and as she passed me on the way to the door she said quietly, “I’ll be at the desk down the hall to the right when you are finished.”
I nodded shallowly, unsure of what was going to happen next, and I bit my lip as I watched her close the door carefully behind her before turning to face Jack.
“I’m sorry to have caused you so much trouble,” I said quickly. He stopped in his tracks, shaking his head and smiling.
“If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you. If I were a normal person, this never would have been front page news.”
“I’m still sorry that this must be a press nightmare for you. How did they get those pictures?” I asked quietly. He finished walking around to the front of his massive desk and leaned against it, crossing his arms and looking at me with dark eyes.
“My secretary. The one who came on the trip. She was angry and looking for a way to make me pay.” His eyes somehow darkened further, turning into deep pools with no bottom. “She is no longer in my employ.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked. There was a space between us. It wasn’t more than a couple of feet, but it felt like miles. We were two very different people. He was wearing designer pants and a button up shirt, the suit jacket carelessly hanging on the back of his chair. The jacket alone was probably worth more than my car. I stood in sale-priced shoes and a torn coat, wondering what in the world was going to happen next.
Jack sighed and his arms tightened. I wanted to touch those muscles again, but at the same time, he was so different from the man on the beach, I wasn’t sure if I could. He spoke easily, as though I were a client and this wasn’t our lives, but instead a business transaction.
“My father is furious. He feels that this celebrity status is distracting from business and distracting me from my work. He holds no animosity towards you, but this is not how he planned this transition to go. He wants to do nothing, to let it all blow over and focus on the transition,” Jack stopped and caught my eye. “But I couldn’t leave you to the mercy of the paparazzi hounds by yourself though. You will be staying with me in my home and under the safety of my security team. I heard the paparazzi were a bit rough with you at the airport.”
I realized I was playing with the torn pocket of my jacket and I quickly dropped it. “I’ll live. Thank you though.”
“This should all blow over soon. I want to make sure you are safe. I don’t want anything to happen to you, Emma.”
My name on his lips made my body go warm. Something uncoiled deep in the pit of my stomach, asking for more, but before I could decide what to do, the phone began to ring. Jack glared at it for a second before leaning over and answering it curtly. He listened for a moment and then told the caller to wait a moment as he pushed a button and set it on the desk.