His Off Limits Best Friend - Vivian Wood Page 0,38

place was stuffed with his friends. To this day, I don’t think I can eat another blueberry and strawberry whipped pie.”

She couldn’t help but let out a little laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Nothing, sorry,” she said. “Your dad’s a piece of work, but you have to give him credit for taking advantage of absolutely any situation.”

He laughed with her. “He worked it, alright. You know Trezor quadrupled the number of political clients because of my father using me as an example?”

She eyed him closely in the soft light. “Do you feel a lot of pressure? Because of that?”

He looked surprised. “I suppose so. I never really thought about it.”

“I dated someone, very briefly, who was an up-and-coming politician. I mean, very low ranks. Very young, of course, for a politician, but I think he had promise. But already he knew the importance of security.”

“Are you talking about Alex?” Connor asked.

“How—how do you know about him?” she asked. “How do you know his name?”

He smirked. “You think I didn’t do my homework? Although I have to admit, I was surprised to see someone without a background in modeling pop up in your dating history.”

“You dug into my background?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he said, but knocked his leg against hers to let her know he was teasing. “James did. There were quite a few who were strangers to the catwalk! But, admittedly, a very generous sprinkling of models, too.”

She blushed. “I doubt you’re one to talk.”

“I’m not denying that. Let’s see, there was Samuel the medical resident, Alejandro the entrepreneur who made it on the Forbes list. Brett, Hunter, Colin, Andre, Jalen and Sourav were models. Then there was—”

“Okay, okay! I get it,” she said with a laugh. “I get around.”

“Yeah, you do!”

She flushed a darker shade and looked down. If he only knew, she thought to herself. What would he think? What would he say if he knew with all those guys, I hadn’t done a single thing with any of them? Would he be disappointed?

Or would that turn him on?

17

Connor

Connor sat on the family plane and waited for Sam. He had to give her credit for her response for his last-minute invitation to Monaco. She rolled with the punches a lot easier now. Sure, she may have secretly flipped out, but her reply was fast, smooth and professional.

What do I need to bring? she’d asked.

He peered out of the Cessna 680 and caught sight of her being escorted by James. She ran surprisingly well in heels while James carried her leather duffel bag and white roller bag. Sam wore white linen pants and a matching breezy shirt with heavy, colorful beading at the neckline and oversized sunglasses.

She no longer looked like a hot girl he’d hired to play a certain part. Sam looked wholly natural.

“Hey,” she said when she entered, just slightly flustered. “I made it!” She smiled warmly at him and pushed her sunglasses up and back to act as a headband.

He appreciated that, her smile. Although he’d do the same if their roles were reversed, he realized. She didn’t have to, since there was nobody around who mattered. James tucked away her luggage and gave him a nod before he departed. The hired attendant briskly brought out a mimosa for her.

“So, why the sudden getaway?” she asked as she sat next to him and clinked glasses.

“Why not?” he asked. In reality, he figured he might as well make the most of the family plane before his rights to it were pulled. He still planned to leave the company. Connor just couldn’t deal with being made the model figurehead in lieu of an actual, relevant leader.

But why bypass the perks while they were still within reach?

As the plane took off, she gazed out the window at Reagan’s signature flight strip below. He felt the slightest pull at his chest. She looked like a kid in awe during her first flight. There was an innocence to her beauty he rarely noticed. Or maybe she’d just never let her guard down before. “You act like you’ve never been on a plane before,” he teased.

She blushed and looked away. “I didn’t realize private planes use major airports,” she said, and sipped her morning cocktail.

“Sometimes,” he said. “I prefer the services at major airports over the smaller ones. Even though, as you saw, even with the private parking facilities it can still be a bit of a pain to get here.”

“It was fine,” she said with a shy smile. “I’ve never been to Monaco.