My breathing stuttered as my reflection came back into view and I realized I’d never thought of myself as sexy until now. Auburn curls tumbled over my shoulders and brushed my breasts.
I’d never been turned on by my own reflection. Until now.
Keeping my focus on why I was actually here was essential if I wasn’t going to lose my way, or lose my heart again and screw this up.
Within minutes I’d pulled myself together and put on the Alexander McQueen. I took a few more minutes to admire how well the dress fit over my curves and how incredibly gorgeous it looked on me. The intricate crystals woven into the material proved this was worth at least three months’ salary for me.
I used the counter for balance to slide into the high heels that were surprisingly comfortable. I opened my handbag and found my lipstick and dabbed my lips with a soft pink.
I went in search of Tobias, hoping he’d be pleased at least with the way I looked. I found him texting on his phone in the foyer.
When his gaze rose to mine he viewed me like something he’d created; his back stiffened as he stood taller.
A flash of excitement burned in his eyes.
Despite the fact that he was a virtual stranger, I somehow trusted him. This alluring enigma that was Tobias William Wilder was seductively hypnotic.
I loved being around him, and never had I met anyone as exciting as him.
I wanted, no, needed his approval. “Will I do, Mr. Wilder?” Searching his face for any sign of attraction to me, I forced a confident smile.
He merely held a fixed, stern expression and blinked my way.
I broke his gaze. “I’m afraid my handbag doesn’t match.”
“Do you have your magnifier?”
“Yes.” Rummaging through my bag, I felt for my miniature magnifier.
He stepped forward and took it from me. “Thank you.” Tobias tucked it into his jacket pocket. “You don’t need your bag.”
“But my phone—”
“Please—” He gestured for me to set it down on the table near the stairs. “You won’t need it.”
With each step toward it I questioned the sanity of leaving my phone behind and my credit cards, but his glare edged me on.
“Good.” Tobias gave a reassuring smile.
Staring through the glass window, I caught sight of the helicopter. “We’re really going in that?”
He gestured for me to follow. “Of course.”
Following him out into the crisp night air, I said, “I feel like Cinderella.” I giggled at my cuteness.
“I’m not sure what that makes me.” He smirked as he opened the passenger-side door of the helicopter and beckoned for me to get in. “Cinderella, we have to get you out of there before midnight.”
“Out of where?”
“Blandford Palace.”
My heart fluttered with joy.
We were heading to one of England’s most beautiful estates and seeing inside it had been merely a pipe dream. The manor was closed off to the public, and its rumored impressive collection of artwork was inaccessible, until now.
I vaguely remembered reading that large country estate was owned by one of the wealthiest siblings in England—the Blandford twins, their empire merging old money with the new from a thriving news corporation.
Tobias shrugged off his jacket and turned to face me, placing it over my shoulders. The warmth was welcoming. Until now adrenaline had made me forget the chill. I pulled his jacket around me and snuggled into it.
Focus, Zara, be professional.
The dashboard was all black leather and shiny controls.
When he wrapped his fingers around the central phallic control I had to look away to hide my blush.
Tobias handled his surroundings like his toys, with a focused intensity. That, and the way he broke into a relaxed smile had an addictive quality.
I counted myself lucky to be merely a professional colleague. God knew what kind of damage this man could do if you let him get under your skin.
A few equipment checks later and a brief chat into his headphones with air traffic control, we lifted off smoothly. Gravity forced us into our seats as we made a fast ascent.
With my heart in my throat and my knuckles white from gripping the seat belt too tightly, we banked left, and Tobias’s home shone brightly like a beacon below.
Within minutes we were flying over countryside, homes, farmland, and the city lights shrunk beneath us.
* * *
As I scanned the flickering lights below, it was easy to forget we were suspended merely in a machine, and now and again I braved a glance over at Tobias, who seemed lost in his own thoughts too.
We landed in the middle of a field and, after the blades stilled, we made our way over to an Aston Martin parked beside a deserted barn. This trip had been well thought out apparently.
We sped off into the night.
Large oak trees lined the driveway, arching above as a wooded tunnel and grandly welcoming visitors with its dramatic forest. Onward through the surrounding acres, their landscape shielded by darkness. When we drove over a bridge there came the view of two great lakes.
“They won’t let us land close?” I was forced back into my seat—Tobias accelerated around a corner.
“No-fly zone over the house,” he explained.
The drive up to the mansion was no different to the flight here, with Tobias quiet and our conversation lacking. With him focused on his speed I was happy to let him concentrate.
I could only assume my meandering back at his house had lost us time and he was trying to make up for it.
My breath caught at the sight of the monumental seventeenth-century Baroque palace that dominated the horizon. It was truly the most striking home I’d ever seen. Vast stone pillars towered at the entryway, and before it spread out a splendorous courtyard.
“Wow,” I said in a rush.
“You’re starting to sound like an American,” he said playfully. “We can’t have that now, can we?”
I was too exhilarated to stop my giggle and slapped my hand to my mouth before I embarrassed myself any further.
We parked left of the house, his Aston Martin fitting in perfectly with the other high-end Bentleys, Ferraris and Mercedes-Benzes.
He leaned right and his arm brushed mine. He opened the glove box and reached in and removed two masks. One black and simple, masculine, and the other, which he handed me, was beaded with shiny studs and delicate feathers rising from the top.
“Put this on.” He gestured for me to turn my head so he could help me secure the ribbon behind, his fingertips moving against my hair and making my scalp tingle.
I couldn’t wait to share my adventures back at the office. Elena was going to freak out when I told her about what kind of mission Adley had unwittingly sent me on.
After repositioning my mask to fit perfectly, I pulled down the rearview mirror. My reflection was that of a mysterious sultry siren.
Tobias of course looked gorgeous in his and when he caught me staring at him flashed a grin. “Ready?”
“Yes, I’m excited.”
“You look beautiful.”
I was grateful he’d already gotten out of the car