He led her across the tarmac to the back of the helicopter and helped her step into the machine. Inside, it wasn’t like the interiors she’d seen on the television. This was like a small living room that included beautiful leather chairs and even a small table. There was enough room for several people and half of Rais’ body guards stepped in behind them, moving to the back of the machine.
When the rotors started moving, Joline gripped Rais’ hands harder and looked around. “Why isn’t there a bunch of noise?” she asked, thinking about the films she’d watched where the actors seemed to be screaming over the noise of the helicopter.
“This one is sound-proofed. We won’t hear the noise from the engines or the rotors. And it’s significantly smoother than the ones you might know about from the movies.”
As the helicopter lifted off, she was amazed at how smooth the ride actually was. “Wow!” she whispered, looking out the window, amazed at the speed they were moving across the water. The boats beneath them were small as they raced over the water and, before she was ready, the helicopter was landing at a private hangar of the airport. “Oh my,” she told him, her smile beaming up at him. “That was not nearly as bad as what I was expecting.”
Rais squeezed her hand that was still gripping his. “You’ll find that most of your concerns aren’t as bad as the reality.”
Joline wasn’t so sure about that, but she wasn’t going to argue with him either. The man was used to this kind of lifestyle. He knew what to expect. To her novice mind, changes were coming at her left and right at speeds that were making her confusion intensify. And he wasn’t helping a great deal. But she couldn’t blame him completely. He was so used to his life and all of the aspects of being a royal person that it wouldn’t occur to him to warn her that something was going to change.
When he led her onto a large, private plane, she was shocked at the size of it. This wasn’t one of those six or seven passenger jets that celebrities used. Nope, this was more like the plane that the U.S. President flew around the world on. It was enormous!
She didn’t have much time to look around. Rais led her to a set of chairs on the upper level and told her to strap herself in. He then disappeared, conferring with the pilot who looked very official in a smart uniform, leaving her alone. The plane took off and she still had no idea where Rais had gone.
He finally returned several minutes after takeoff but she didn’t have a chance to question him about anything since he was on the phone talking in a language she didn’t understand.
Joline watched him with growing resentment as he pulled out documents, working on whatever big business issue was underway in his business empire. Meanwhile, Joline realized that she hadn’t been given the time to gather up her own work. She’d simply been rushed out of his penthouse and transported to this plane. She had no makeup, no change of clothes even though he’d told her that someone else had packed a bag for her. Maybe they had, but she hadn’t been able to select her outfits! She hadn’t been able to figure out what she might need and pack for herself. And she wanted her computer! She wanted to work and dive into the issues needing her attention. Not to mention, she was irritated by his lack of communication on what was happening and the way he’d ignored all of her other concerns.
During the flight, she flipped through one magazine after another, not really seeing any of the pictures or able to concentrate enough to read the articles. All she knew was that Rais was going about his business as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Meanwhile, she’d basically been kidnapped!
When the plane finally landed and he shut off his phone, she was more than ready to start snapping her complaints at him, wanting him to understand how frustrated she was. But there was so much going on all of a sudden and she didn’t have a chance for a private word with him. They were ushered off of the plane and into yet another waiting limousine. She didn’t see her luggage, had no idea where her purse had gone since that had disappeared the moment she’d stepped onto the plane and she was still without makeup and a change of clothes while Rais answered one phone call after another!
Joline wasn’t going to take this any longer! She felt shanghaied and confused, irritated by his attitude that he could simply take over her business and…well, she was just stomping mad!
In the middle of London traffic, she grabbed his cell phone and pressed the end button, tossing it across the seat then turning back to glare at him.
“Problems, dear?” he asked with both amusement and irritation.