The Playboy's Crush By Deborah A. Olaleye

NINE

  Lara tried to rein in her excitement as the plane ran along the runway to take off.

It was her first time on a plane. She could never have anticipated being on a plane, let alone thinking of traveling overseas on it.

She balled her hands into fists, biting down hard on her lips as the plane gained ascent off the ground.

Shane looked amused as he watched her. "You will bleed your lips if you bite down that hard on it."

If she needed help biting harder on it, he would gladly fulfill her request if she did.

She flattened her lips, a deep flush painting her cheeks. She heaved a relieved sigh as the plane finally gained altitude. She wheezed out an exhale.

"There," she breathed, and she swept her tongue over her lips.

"Bravo!" Shane clapped, an amused smile on his face.

Lara resisted the urge to roll her eyes, clicking her tongue noisily in her mouth instead.

The takeoff had been terrific. With her life left at the mercy of a towering mass of metal ascending into the air, there was little she could do to keep her heart from jumping to her throat.

She felt embarrassed, however, that her fear had been so obvious. She bit her lips, pinched her nose, and hit her head against the head rest. Her eyes closed tightly.

"You don't have to be embarrassed about it. It's your first time, after all. And you're lucky your reaction to being on a plane for the first time is just take-off fright and not flight sickness."

"It's still embarrassing," She muttered under her breath, her eyes still shut, and her head leaned against the headrest.

Silence settled briefly between the two before Shane asked, "Is there any place you would love to see in Paris?"

"Pardon?" She sat up and looked at him, and then the question he asked registered in her head. "Oh!" She said this and leaned back against the seat. "I've not had the time to consider that, really. I've been occupied." She twitched her lips.

Shane nodded in understanding. "Occupied," he repeated. "Indeed." He nodded in agreement with her diction, inhaled, and let out an exhale. "We still have a few days ahead before our meeting. What do you say to exploring Paris?"

She looked at him, blinking twice, as she considered taking up his offer. She would love to explore the world in Paris with him, but she feared he might be trying to charm her.

And if he truly was, he was gradually worming his way through the barricades she had raised around her heart.

It was hard for her not to appreciate him. She couldn't have circumvented her growing attraction for him. As opposed to the rumors she had heard of him and her consequent evaluation of him as a bad man, he was sweet, genial, and attractive.

He was thorough and humble. She admired that about him. He made it seem effortless for everyone to relate to him, although he was on an entirely different level from her and his staff.

Her heartbeat accelerated as she realized what was happening to her. She was giving in to his charms.
Hell no, Lara. Take a hold of yourself. Keep a clear head.

She muttered repeatedly in her mind.

Shane could see the hesitation in her face. He sighed.

"Lara. My offer to explore Paris with you is not for personal reasons, if that's what you are scared of. Still business, but mixed with pleasure and fun. More like field research. It's an avenue to get to know more about the locals and the market we are targeting based on their opinions and expectations of the product we would be launching."