I couldn't help but feel a sudden rush of excitement. Not only at going to Paris unexpectedly, but also at the thought of being flown there on a private jet, even if it was with a man I was trying to force myself to keep my distance from. Of course, there was the simmering attraction I still felt toward him, and the tantalizingly pleasurable memories that still popped into my head—uninvited—of the night we'd spent together, and of the memories I was currently trying to push back.
“Lilah?”
I snapped out of the sudden trance I'd fallen into. “Oh, sorry, I just drifted off for a second. I, umm . . . was thinking about everything I need to get done before Friday,” I stammered, hoping he didn’t see through my lie.
“No worries. Needless to say, you'll probably have to shift up a gear today and tomorrow. I expect all your tasks for the week to be complete before we leave for Paris. If you need to delegate some of the less significant ones to Jason, I think he’s up to the task.”
“Got it. Is there anything else?”
“That's all. We'll talk closer to the time but, obviously, make sure you bring your notebook, hard drive, and any relevant files with you.”
“Of course, I have everything backed up to the cloud, anyway.”
“Great. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
He turned away from me and started typing, staring coolly at his computer, and I walked out of the room feeling a strange mix of emotions swirling around my head.
***
“I think we're a lot clearer on Anton's aims for this campaign now,” said Asher to me as we sat in the back of the limo he'd hired for the weekend to transport us around Paris.
“Yes, I'm glad we came. Being on the ground here and taking everything in—and, of course, speaking to the executives at VIV—has definitely helped reshape a number of ideas I've had about the campaign.”
“Likewise. Well, we're done with work for the day. If you'd like, I can drop you off to meet Alicia and have the driver on call to pick you up and take you back to the hotel whenever you're done.”
It was strange, watching him act so cool and distant. I suppose it was exactly what I'd asked for, though. Even if deep down it wasn't really what I wanted. Still, I had no right to complain about it. I'd said that we had to put business and professionalism first, and he was honoring my wishes.
Regardless of what I’d said, I still felt an unyielding attraction to him. And beneath his calm exterior, I could tell he still felt the same for me. It was there in the fire in his eyes every time our gazes locked, even though it was always brief. However, it seemed that we had both silently agreed to maintain our strictly professional relati
onship. As much as I hated to admit even to myself, I couldn't help but feel a twinge wounded, a little rejected even, given that we were in the city of love and his demeanor hadn’t even broken once.
“Well, what about you? What are you going to do?”
“Me? After I drop you off I'm going to head over to the hotel gym, get a good two-hour workout in, and hit the hay early. We've got more meetings tomorrow. I don't think that I need to remind you that we need to be prepared for them.”
I nodded.
“Yeah, that's true. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then.”
“Bright and early,” he agreed with a smile. “Ah, and here we are—this is the restaurant where you're meeting your friend, right?”
I looked out the window and saw her waiting outside the restaurant for me.
“That's the one.”
“You've got the driver's number, don’t you? Just give him a call when you're done and he'll come and get you.”
“Thanks, Ash. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said as I climbed out of the backseat.
“See you then,” he called just as the driver closed the door and returned to his position behind the steering wheel.
***
After a lovely dinner with Alicia, I’d headed back to the hotel and crashed. The jetlag had hit me more than I’d anticipated. But, I slept nine hours straight and thankfully so. My wakeup call came in precisely at 6:00 in the morning and the day was non-stop from there.
In addition to the meetings and presentations, Anton had managed to squeeze in visits to two museums, in what he said was an effort to help us understand the essence of Paris. But when the day was over, we were back in the limo and Asher was starting to seem more like his old self—less rigid and businesslike. I had to admit, I was finding it harder and harder to maintain the cold, distant, and disinterested façade I'd had up over the past couple of weeks to maintain that distance I was trying so hard to keep.
“Wow. It's been a long day,” I remarked.