He nodded. “Okay. It’s something to build up to.” He leaned in close and pressed a sweet kiss to my lips.
“We leave tomorrow, right? I should probably go home and pack.”
He shook his head, kissing me again. “Not necessary,” he mumbled against my lips. “I already packed a bag for you.”
I laughed. “Really? It’s probably nothing but frilly panties and maybe a sex toy, knowing you.”
“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.” He kissed down my throat, roaming over to the side of my neck to nibble at the skin below my ear, and I shuddered involuntarily, forgetting all about packing.
10
Emmy
After a six-hour flight to Los Angeles we boarded a twelve-hour flight to Fiji. Luckily I slept most of the way with my head resting on Ben’s shoulder. My neck was stiff and sore when I finally awoke. Sparkling turquoise water as far as the eye could see greeted me out the window. Ben leaned over to look with me. “Wow. It’s so pretty.” He kissed my temple. “I haven’t received my schedule for the shoots yet but hopefully we have time to play.”
I turned to face him. “As your assistant should I be emailing someone to find out your schedule?”
He shrugged. “Sure. If you’d like.”
“Ben,” I scolded. “I’m not okay with being your assistant in title only. I will work hard for you. We should actually discuss all this—your expectations, needs, what my role will be.”
“Baby, I’m not worried about it. Just having you with me helps me.”
I clamped my mouth closed. I could see that it would be up to me to determine my role as an assistant. He wasn’t going to boss me around or give me any direction. I pulled out my cell phone and powered it on while the plane taxied to the gate.
“What are you doing?” Ben asked.
“Checking if I can get a Wi-Fi connection here.”
“You should near the airport, in the populated areas, and at our hotel, but I’m not sure about the rest of the island. Why?”
“Does Fiona know I’m your assistant?”
“Not yet.”
Oh boy. “She’s about to.”
Ben smiled at my confidence.
Seeing that I had cell phone service, I quickly typed out my message.
To: Fiona Stone
From: Emmy Clarke
Subject: Fiji Shoots
Fiona,
Can you please send me Ben’s schedule of all bookings while we are here in Fiji? We’d like to know what is planned for the duration of the trip.
Thank you,
Emmy Clarke
Assistant to Ben Shaw
Ha! That ought to give her something to think about.
“If you’d like me to manage your social media presence, like Gunnar used to, I’ll just need your passwords for the sites you’d like me to help with.”
“Sure. That’d be great.”
I could post behind-the-scenes pictures of his shoots. His fans would appreciate seeing snippets of those.
“Excellent.” I felt more in control and confident about my role already.
Stepping off the plane, I realized I was in desperate need of a shower. I wanted to wash my face and my limp, greasy hair and change out of the rumpled jeans and T-shirt I’d been wearing for a solid eighteen hours. After collecting our luggage Ben and I moved toward the airport exit where I spotted a uniformed driver holding a sign that read Ben Shaw. I poked him in the side with my elbow and pointed.
“Fiona must have arranged a pickup. I was planning to grab a cab.”
Oh, Fiona. How lovely. God, I was really going to have to keep my temper in check. I was here in my own right this time, and she couldn’t just send me packing. I straightened my shoulders and followed the driver and Ben.
Once outside the humidity smacked me in the face. My hair instantly increased in volume. I blinked against the sunlight and took in our surroundings—a tiny little airport surrounded by massive palm trees.
I slid into the white limousine, which was really quite ridiculous for two people, while Ben assisted the driver with placing our bags inside the trunk.
This was my first visit to the South Pacific and I was in awe of the idyllic setting, crystal-blue waters, brilliant blue and cloudless sky, tropical flowers and plants, and rolling hills in the distance. Everything was lush and green. Vibrant, and so pretty.
The driver stopped in front of a pink-and-white stucco hotel. It was charming, but somewhat understated, letting the natural beauty of the island stand out.
We headed inside and I felt out of place in my jeans and T-shirt, which would’ve been fine back home. Here I felt homely and anything but sophisticated. The lobby was little more than a large, thatched roof pitched over marble floors. It was open on all sides, allowing the ocean breeze to lift strands of hair from my neck and providing a breathtaking view of the beach beyond.