Page 16 of What Happens in Paradise

That sounded interesting. I thought it was just because she was rich. Jasmine was always very elegant. The way that she dressed and carried herself suggested that she was used to having money. Not just because her job at the hotel paid well. I got the impression that she had a fancy lifestyle before then.

‘So you used to organise trips for rich and famous people?’

‘Yes. I would create personalised holidays for them based on their interests and budget, so basically organising the flight, which could be a first class seat on a commercial flight or arranging a private jet, choosing the best hotel, booking the chauffeur, helicopter or yacht, suggesting the best restaurants – basically taking care of all the logistics so that all they needed to do was just turn up and enjoy their trip.’

‘Wow.’ My eyes widened. Private jets, helicopters, yachts… that was a whole different world. ‘That is why you are so great at your job at the Love Hotel now.’

‘My experience certainly helps.’

A flight attendant came to check we were comfortable and shortly afterwards, the pilot announced that they would be preparing for take-off.

I was disappointed that our conversation had been interrupted because I was enjoying finding out more about Jasmine. But it was a long flight. There would be other opportunities to talk.

At least that was what I thought.

Soon after take-off, food was served. Of course, it was not as good as the food I liked to make, but we were on an aeroplane so that was to be expected.

After she had finished eating, Jasmine put on her headphones and watched TV, then lowered the chair into a bed, put on her sleep mask and went to sleep.

Whilst she slept, I watched multiple films. I could not sleep. Somehow, knowing she was so close to me was a distraction.

It was like there was a magnet drawing me to her. I wanted to know more about her. What made her smile. What she liked to do for fun. And whether she was single. Not that it really mattered. I was just curious, that was all.

But she was guarded. I could sense there were things she was hiding.

I knew that Jasmine had secrets.

And I had them too.

7

JASMINE

Thank goodness for business class, I said to myself as I slid off my sleep mask, then selected another film to watch.

The door on the fancy suite, plus the seat that reclined into a bed, provided me with the perfect way to avoid engaging with Alejandro more than was necessary.

And judging by the way I’d shamefully flirted when he made a joke about it being his ‘first time’, the less I interacted with him, the better.

I couldn’t believe I’d said out loud that I’d be gentle with him. At first, I was impressed that I’d even remembered how to flirt with a guy; after all, I’d been single for three years and I hadn’t been on the dating scene since I was in my early twenties. But then I realised I was flirting with a colleague and was mortified.

Thankfully, Alejandro was okay with it, but I was lucky. Imagine how creepy it’d be if a male boss said to a female employee that they’d go gentle with them.Ugh. I had to do better.

That was why the minute we’d finished eating, I’d put on my headphones and watched a film, then slid on the sleep mask and pretended to doze off.

If I’d dozed off for more than a couple of hours, I’d be surprised. My mind was too busy replaying every moment with Alejandro since we’d met up earlier. How good he looked when I first saw him today, our conversation whilst we queued, the look of awe when he walked into business class, the way his biceps bulged as he lifted my suitcase in the overhead locker. And the way he seemed genuinely interested when I told him a bit about my past.

I could be wrong, but I got the impression that he thought I’d grown up in the lap of luxury.

Yes, I’d flown business class before, but this was actually only my second time.

You’d think that, considering we worked in luxury travel, I would’ve experienced it a lot more than that, but whenever there was an opportunity for that kind of travel, Kane always took it.

We’d met when I was working at a local travel agents in London. He was one of my customers. When he first asked me out, I was in awe. He was nine years older than me and seemed so sophisticated.

He wore a fancy suit and his shoes were so shiny, you could do your make-up in them. For our first date, he took me to a posh restaurant in central London. At the beginning, he wined and dined me and treated me like a princess.

When I told him how well the travel agency I worked at was doing, he became very interested. He explained that he was a successful businessman with his fingers in many pies and said that he was interested in breaking into the travel industry. He asked, if he set up a luxury travel agency, whether I’d like to come and work there and help him out.

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