Chapter Ten
"Sir, please put me down," she breathed holding onto his shoulders in case she fell.
Jaxon stared at her face, so close to his that he could just stretch a little and kiss her. "I will, tell me you've forgiven me, " he whispered, his eyes drinking her in.
"Yes," she said, looking straight into his eyes too. They were a light hazel with golden specks, the most beautiful she'd ever seen. He was sinfully gorgeous, there was no doubt about it. Her fingers could feel the sinewy strength of his shoulders and forearms as he carried her to a soft bed, still holding her gaze.
"You will sleep here," he said softly and she looked away, breaking eye contact with him.
"Can you put me down now?" She asked and he sighed and gently placed her on the bed.
"Where will you sleep?" She asked him shyly. His eyebrows shot up at her question.
"There," he pointed at another bed beside hers in the same room. Carmella's cheeks colored with embarrassment. She would have to share the same room as her boss?
"I-I mean, there's only one bedroom on this jet?" She asked and he laughed.
"Go to sleep Carmella," he said, drawing a white curtain all around her bed giving her privacy.
He went to his bed and she could see that he opened his shirt and discarded it on a chair. Then he undid his belt and looked at her, watching him. She closed her eyes. Will he sleep naked or in his boxers? Her cheeks turned beet red and she went into the duvet and unclasped her bra to sleep.
She opened her eyes to check what Jaxon was doing and blushed to see him lying down and watching her. He chuckled and turned around, his back towards her to sleep. He found her antics adorable and it always brought a smile to his face, a song to his heart. He wished he could always have her near.
He lay awake imagining her in his arms. It had felt so good when he had held her close to his heart. It seemed that she belonged there but he was scared, after all, she was a woman. He could hear her even breathing which meant that she had gone off to sleep.
He turned towards her and stared at her through the sheer curtains. Her words rang in his ears,
I'm not your type and believe me I have no wish to throw myself at anyone.
He knew that he didn't have any particular type of woman who he liked. He didn't like women in general but Carmella was so different. Would she turn out just like the others whom he had met? No, but still he needed to be careful. He wouldn't give her the power to hurt him. He would never be able to confess his feelings for her for fear of being taken advantage of. So actually it was no use taking this attraction further as he could never trust her.
He sighed, it was better being ruthless and rude, at least your vulnerability didn't show that way. This was a bad idea since ever since Carmella came into his life, all he suffered was heartbreak, longing, sleepless nights, and lack of concentration. He would have to change that now.
If he didn't control his urges around her now, he would drown deeper and deeper and there would be nothing but heartbreak in store for him. Carmella didn't like him back one bit after he had hurt her with his harsh words, so what was the use of this one-sided attraction. He ultimately went to sleep thinking about her.
The next morning Carmella woke up early before Jaxon and tiptoed towards her luggage. She took out a new top and undergarments and went to freshen up. Afterwards, she sat outside in the sitting area fresh and ready. Images of Jaxon's body, his eyes came into her mind. It felt so good in his arms that she was disappointed when he placed her down. She couldn't imagine what it would feel to kiss him. Chiding herself for her wayward thoughts, she concentrated on the coffee the air hostess brought for her. She was busy sipping coffee and checking her emails on her tablet when Jaxon came out of the bedroom, wearing fresh clothes and ready.
He sat opposite her and the air hostess got him a cup of coffee. He thanked her but just said a curt, "Good morning Ms. Parker," to Carmella.
"Good morning, sir, " she answered, her voice showing her disappointment. So he was back to Ms. Parker again? She really failed to understand his mood swings. Every time she felt that he was melting and maybe cooling down and becoming more agreeable, he went back to square one.
They reached Paris by 9:30 in the morning. A car was waiting for them to take them to their hotel. Throughout the time, Jaxon typed on his mobile, completely ignoring her. Carmella was confused by his behaviour. Now, what had she done last night to make him so distant and cold towards her? She answered her emails and messaged her mom that she had reached Paris. Then she looked out of her window and watched the view outside.
They reached in ten minutes. It was a huge five-star luxurious hotel at Dôme de Paris, where a conference was about to be held at twelve o'clock sharp. She had received an email from Jaxon about it and intended to go through it again to be fully prepared. He walked straight into the hotel and Carmella followed him as the reporters crowded all around them, asking Jaxon questions about his last designs which were quite a sensation. There were bodyguards everywhere as they tried to rush inside.
Carmella was horrified by so many people hounding him as well as her when he expertly avoided them. She was saved by the bodyguards and guided to the safety of their hotel.
She found Jaxon nowhere inside. Where had he disappeared without her? She went up to the reception and showed her identity card and procured her room keys and went to her room. It was an executive room overlooking the lawns and the swimming pool at the far end but she didn't have any time to enjoy the views. She ordered breakfast for herself and showered and got ready.
Then she sat at her laptop and prepared for the meeting. At around 11 o'clock there was a knock on her door. She opened it to see Jaxon, ready in his designer suit, angrily glaring at her.
"We don't have all day to laze around and sleep," he growled and Carmella rolled her eyes.
"I wasn't sleeping," she said, picking up her stuff to follow him out.
"Whatever," he said walking away to the elevator. So they were back to growling and barking. Fine with her. Only professional relationship then.
The next five hours were the most grueling and hectic. It was an all designers meeting with The Fédération française de la couture and was the most publicized one too with reporters all around, recording a live update. There was no scope for mistakes and Carmella, although was the youngest, did her part with utmost sincerity. She knew how important this meeting was for Jaxon and she didn't want to get insulted by Jaxon in front of everyone.
At last, it was all over and they returned to the hotel by evening. Carmella went to her room and locked herself inside, stretching her tired legs and changing into her pajamas. She didn't expect anyone and she knew she wouldn't go out. She lay down on her bed and watched a recording of today's event on the TV in her room.
After a while, she went to her balcony to breathe in some fresh air before ordering her dinner. The sound of a sudden splash made her look towards the swimming pool. Her jaws dropped seeing Jaxon in the pool, swimming with fierce but elegant strokes, covering the entire length and breadth of the pool. He looked magnificent like some water God fighting with the demons at sea. She couldn't look away even if she wanted to. He swam towards the edge and pulled himself up with a powerful swing of his glistening body. Her breath hitched at the view. He was the most gorgeous creature on earth, covered only in a pair of sexy black trunks. He looked up at her wide eyes staring at him. He already felt aroused at her hot stare taking him in.
Suddenly a woman clad in a skimpy red bikini appeared out of nowhere and squealed upon seeing Jaxon. She flung herself into his arms and they started their hot wild making out session right in front of her eyes. He looked at Carmella while she kissed him wildly.
Carmella didn't know why she felt so hurt to see him making out with another woman. He was just her employer and surely he had a girlfriend but still, her heart broke.
She went away from the balcony inside her room, closing her balcony door behind her.
It pained her to know that she was nothing special to him. That he was just playing with her. A tear slipped from her eye at the thought although she had no idea why.
