Chapter 3 #2
Seeming to intuit he’s being a bit offhand with me, he flashes me an apologetic smile and turns his laptop screen momentarily towards me, showing me a dense-looking wordy document.
‘Sorry not to be able to give you my full attention, but I’ve got some incredibly boring, but unfortunately important, contracts to read before we land in the Maldives so I can fire back my responses before the wedding festivities start.
So if it’s not too antisocial, I’m going to get my head into it now and we can chat again once we’re at the hotel.
There should be a good selection of movies and shows to watch during the flight and if you want anything to eat or drink just ask one of the cabin crew.
In fact, if you want anything at all, just ask.
’ His tone is friendly, but authoritative, and I decide to keep my mouth shut about how it is actually a bit antisocial, considering I’m technically his guest. I can see he’s not in the mood to chat any more right now though and I’ll have plenty of time when we’re there to grill him again.
So, I give him an understanding nod and flick on the screen in front of me to choose the first show I’m going to watch during the flight.
* * *
The journey is uber-smooth the whole way and we land at Maarfaru private jet airport – which according to the pilot is about 200 km north of Male where most people fly into, so much closer to our final destination – a little over ten hours after we took off from London.
I’ve managed to get a bit of sleep in the surprisingly comfy recliner seat, but I’ve also chained nearly a whole season of a thriller show I’ve been meaning to watch for a while now.
God, it must be so great to fly like this all the time. It’s made it part of the holiday for me.
Such luxury.
I’m hit with a sudden and intense rush of gratitude towards Raffa for inviting me along and allowing me to experience all this.
Glancing over at him, I see he’s still working away on his laptop, even though the pilot has announced we can unbuckle and disembark.
Wow, the guy is a serious workaholic.
But then I guess you probably have to be to reach the heady heights of billionairedom.
After walking out into the balmy heat we only have moments to take in the impression of the white-sand beaches set against the navy ocean, only just visible in the dark of the night, before we’re hustled into a shiny black limousine and driven directly to the VIP lounge at the terminal.
The moment we arrive, our passports are processed, and we’re met by a representative from the hotel and guided out of the airport to catch a private luxury yacht to the island where our hotel is based.
Throughout all this Raffa is on his phone, speaking to someone from his office, so I take the opportunity to take photos of everything and do a quick video of myself talking to the camera about my first impressions of the Maldives.
Once aboard the yacht, we’re offered platters of sliced fresh fruit to snack on and ice-cold glasses of sparkling water or freshly squeezed orange juice to drink by impeccably dressed servers, which Raffa ignores in favour of continuing his call.
I try not to mind. I’m here to support him, after all, and he warned me he’d be working a lot.
It’s still a little frustrating not to be able to experience all this with him though. I want to talk to him and be excited about it, but he seems oblivious to what’s going on around us.
Raffa finishes his call as the yacht moves away from the dock but, to my frustration, he immediately makes another one, giving me an apologetic wave and a grim smile, before turning away to stare out to sea while he talks, so I spend my time staring at him while he’s not looking, whilst sipping my drink.
He’s tall, but only a few inches taller than me, with a perfect, masculine, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted figure, which he clearly keeps in good check with regular exercise.
I’m mesmerised, watching his muscles moving under his form-fitting T-shirt as he paces along the lamp-lit deck, gesticulating into the air around him to punctuate what he’s saying to whoever he’s speaking to.
This wild gesturing also has the pleasing effect of showing off the strength of his toned and tanned arms.
A low pull of desire, which started the moment I saw him in the airport lounge, deepens and intensifies as I continue to watch him move.
He’s a bit like a big cat: sleek and powerful and – sexy.
If you find cats sexy, that is.
Which apparently, I do.
Luckily, it’s a fast journey, only about twenty-five minutes, which means we whizz past the coral reefs as we sail by them on the gentle swells of the waters. I’m really tired now and looking forward to getting to the hotel so I can fall into bed.
We glide gracefully to a gentle stop right alongside the Vanaheim Grand hotel’s pontoon and after polite urging from the staff, I disembark, then turn to watch Raffa as he follows me a moment later, still speaking passionately into his phone.
It sounds as though someone hasn’t done something he’s expected them to do and I feel simultaneously sorry for the person on the end of his tongue-lashing and turned-on by his gruff forcefulness as an image of him using that same tongue to do wicked things to me pops into my head.
Shaking myself out of that extremely inappropriate train of thought, I smile at him as he joins me on the white sand where we’re about to be greeted by a representative from the hotel, and he finally cuts the call and slides his phone into his pocket.
‘Okay, that’s done. Let’s check into our villa and crash,’ he says, flashing me a warm smile.
I nod, dazed with tiredness and still a little strung-out from my X-rated fantasy.
Thankfully, I’m saved from having to form a coherent sentence when we’re approached by a guy who turns out to be our own personal butler, who introduces himself as Ahmed, then welcomes us to the hotel.
He offers to guide us to our digs and promises us that our bags have already been unloaded from the yacht and are currently being delivered there ahead of our arrival.
Do I feel like a queen right now?
Yes. Yes, I do.
Our place for the next week is accessed from the hotel by walking along a long winding raised wooden deck, with eight separate villas branching off it, which are basically all sitting in the sea on wooden props.
We’re right at the end, in the largest villa, as far from everyone else as we can get.