The next item on the menu was much better. Maine lobster and butternut squash sauce. I devoured the cheery, orange-red lobster and sauce, marveling how buttery it tasted. Mentally, I was taking notes for the soup kitchen. Getting approval for lobster would be next to impossible. I looked at the menu eagerly for the third course: Princess cake with navel orange marmalade. What the hell was a Princess cake? Was it blessed by an actual princess or something?

I had fun taking pictures of all the courses with my phone, scribbling down in my journal what each one tasted like. Luke barely touched his plates, occasionally looking over to see what I was doing, and perhaps wondering why I got so excited over food.

Now that my anxiety over flying was mostly over, my brain boiled over how I would eventually be confronted with Luke’s friends and family. He counted on me to make this work, and to convince his father that this romance was real. I felt a rush of warmth in my cheeks as Luke looked up from his laptop and smiled at me. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he held me in his arms, his eager mouth and hard body. When he smiled at me, my heartbeat galloped ahead. It’s a little bit too real. I had to keep reminding myself to not get attached. When this was over, Luke and I would go our separate ways. Get a grip.

Luke returned to sit beside me when we started to land. “Why?” I asked.

“Landings are worse.”

Sure enough, the horrible free-falling motion made my guts clench. I clutched Luke’s hand and squeezed when the plane dropped. He snorted with laughter whenever I let out a high-pitched squeal.

“I’m glad you find my fear so amusing,” I hissed. “Didn’t you take an ethics class to become a proper gentleman?”

He tried to force his mouth into a neutral line, but failed. “No.”

I cringed as we plummeted what seemed to be a hundred more feet, bristling as Luke guffawed at my terror. As the plane made a right turn, London sprawled underneath us in a series of yellow lights. I’m really here.

After we landed, a Rolls Royce whisked us off the airplane and dropped at Heathrow’s main terminal. A gaggle of paparazzi stood in the lobby, elbowing each other as soon as they saw us. Luke’s guards fended them off, but this time the camera’s bright flashes exploded all around me. Clutching Luke’s arm, I walked out of Heathrow and inhaled my first breath of London.

I noticed the differences right away: the tiny cars, the black Hackney taxis, and a barrage of languages and English accents. I couldn’t wait to see it all.

Once the paparazzi cleared away, we entered into our car and sped towards our hotel. Luke’s hotel. We exited the car in a location that had an uncanny resemblance to New York’s Times Square. I stared at the screen that wrapped around a building in the middle of two streets, flashing colorful advertisements as a slew of people jostled me down the street. Luke tugged my arm and I looked up, staring at the giant letters over the hotel lit up like golden candles: PARDINI.

We entered the hotel, the beige marble floors polished so well that I could see my own reflection.

“Good evening, Mr. Pardini.”

The receptionists obviously knew him by name. Luke inclined his head and continued to the elevators. Oh, right. He doesn’t need to check in. Duh. I followed him into the elevator as the bellhop rolled our luggage inside.

The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor, and opened directly into the suite. My jaw dropped as we walked inside. There was a fully stocked stainless steel kitchen, a spa and indoor pool, a gym, and everything you could ever need. The king sized bed stood on a dais surrounded by glass, which overlooked the whole city. It was incredible.

Luke tipped the bellhop, and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets with an air of uncertainty once we were alone.

“It’s a beautiful room, Luke. I can’t believe this.”

“I’m glad you like it.” He rubbed his neck and swept back his hair. “I’m pretty tired, so I think I’ll go to bed now. I’ll just sleep on a couch and you can have the bed.”

“No way,” I protested. “It’s your place. I’d feel guilty making you do that. I should get the couch.”

He smiled wryly and shook his head. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

Arguing this with him was fruitless. He refused to violate his gentlemanly code of ethics.

“Well, maybe we could share the bed. It’s big enough for both of us.” My face grew hot at the idea of sleeping next to his inescapable heat. Maybe he would only wear boxers. Maybe he would be naked. A shudder ran through my body at the thought.

“As much as I’d like to sleep with you, I don’t think it’s such a good idea.”

The sound of his strained voice and the inevitable flicker of his eyes down my body made my toes curl in pleasure. I wanted this man more than anything in my life. My heart raced as his hand lifted to my face and pulled a stray strand of blonde hair behind my ears.

“Goodnight, Jessica.”

I tossed and turned on the too large bed as though constant movement might dislodge the burning feeling of Luke’s hands and lips from my mind. I was alone with no one real to talk to. Is this what he feels like? Am I just another one of his paid employees?

My eyes stung from being awake too long, I flipped open my phone and texted a message to Natalie: I got here OK. Have a great holiday. xoxo Jessica

Chapter 6

My eyelids cracked open to an unfamiliar ceiling and it took a few minutes for me to remember where the hell I was. Oh, yeah. I’m in London.

I leapt to my feet and gazed at the surrounding glass walls to my right. The city sprawled underneath. I never felt so young and alive. Soon I would descend to its depths and explore the city until my legs stopped working. I couldn’t recall a time when I experienced such bliss that I couldn’t stop grinning. Well, that wasn’t true. Some of the happiest times of my life were when Natalie and I hung out during summer vacation. I biked down State Street to her house every day so we could play in her big backyard and explore the woods behind it. There was an inexplicable joy that came with freedom from parents or school, with exploring the world on our bikes until the sun dipped below the horizon. I felt it now. My eyes misted as I remembered how wonderful it had been—I had completely forgotten about it until now.

It was five in the morning and a slow stream of cars and taxis were making their way down the streets. I squinted and tried to locate Big Ben or the Tower of London, but I couldn’t recognize anything.

After a moment of hesitation, I decided to find Luke. It was extremely early, but maybe he was awake. I found a robe with his name in the armoire and walked around the cool tiles barefoot. I wandered into the silent kitchen, looking outside to gaze at the panorama of the city. Was every inch of this hotel room bordered by glass? I continued walking forward, not really paying attention to where I was going.