The plane landed so smoothly she did not wake up. Taylor had to physically wake her. This led to her having to see his smile which caused her face and ears to heat up and turn red. She quickly stood up and he had to duck back fast or their heads would've collided.
Taylor laughed as he went to get their things. He put her bag on his shoulder first and then picked up is own. He then proceeded to hand her purse to her. She just stared at him blankly then she sucked her teeth and snatched her purse from him.
He laughed again. "Check. Never wake Jill from a sound sleep due to cranky levels." He kissed the back of her neck and she spun on him ready to spew a long line of curses but she saw the stewardess smile at them.
Jill could not school her expression well so all she could do was apologize. "I'm sorry love. I… I guess I really do get cranky."
"It's okay." He kissed her forehead. "I shouldn't tease you when you are on edge."
He smiled at her and she wanted to rage. Why was he acting like they truly were married? Why was he confusing the situation so? There are millions of un affectionate couples in the world. This was totally unnecessary.
She took her phone out and answered some emails. She was playing the role of an heiress but she was actually running the company now. When the board heard of their marriage they evoked a clause of the will. And they asked her to step in as the CEO of the entire company.
She almost said no but was given information on company assets and subsidiaries and saw the company needed help.
By the time she was done with her emails they were in customs. They moved through so quickly her head swam a bit
The weather was warm but a dry heat and it felt more comfortable than she thought it would. Taylor had his arm around her waist and gently guided her through the crowd.
She nodded as she saw that they moved rather efficiently through the crowd. Then she noticed them. Two people, a man and a woman.
She looked toward the luggage claim and squeezed Taylor's hand.
"I see them. We will get our baggage and find our people." He kissed her hand when he was finished. She could hear the smile that he must be showing the world but she also heard a line of tension that let her know he was stressed.
They casually found their bags and then found their car and driver. They had rented a house, that came with a car and driver, at the edge of the city. The drive there was pretty uneventful until they both noticed their driver looking in his rear view mirror way more than necessary.
"I really want to see the city tonight. I found a restaurant and jazz club let me make a reservation."
"Don't forget that you said you had work to do. I know how the VP is always following your work. I think she is trying to get your job."
Jill laughed loudly. She clearly understood the warning in Taylor's words.
"Let her try. We are only going to be here a few days. I need to see as much as I can as soon as I can. As a matter of fact… driver! Driver! Please take us to the best shopping district and you can take our things to the house. I will call you to tell you where to pick us up."
The driver quickly nodded and changed their route.
"Wait sir."
The driver looked into the rear view mirror and scanned Jill's face. When she said nothing he continued to the shopping center.
Taylor looked at her with a smirk but when he spoke he injected annoyance into his voice.
"Jill we have an itinerary honey. We need to follow that."
Jill razed a finger to Taylor as if to say be quiet.
"Yes My name is Jill Bridges and I would like to make a reservation for two for tonight. Around eight please. Yes. No. Thank you so much."
She hung up her phone and immediately began speaking to Taylor.
"The itinerary seems so boring. I want to actually experience the city." She slid over to him and put her hand to his chest and her thigh and knew on his lap. "I want to experience the city with you. We can work later."
The car pulled over and the driver was quickly out and opening the door. They got out and never looked back. They didn't look but they knew that the car had followed them there.
Taylor kissed her neck and Jill's eyes opened wide.
"Very good work Jilly! You are a natural at this. Now that we are here you know a billionaire heiress needs to spend some money."
"Of course and I will. Do we need to…"
"Don't worry about them they are just observing for now. I still have people trying to figure out who they are with."
They continued through the shops arm in arm speaking softly to each other. Every now and again Jill would stop excitedly and make a fuss over an item. She bought things for them, her mother, her grandmother, and her brother.
The things for the family she had shipped to the main house in the states and their things she had sent to the house they were staying in.
All of their things except for an exquisitely carved work bench that she found for Taylor. That she had shipped to the penthouse. He had been flabbergasted and she had waved him off.
Finally they found what Jill had been looking for. This would be their first attempt to find a clue from her brother. If it were not here he had named two more countries on the African continent or on the waters next to the continent.
She began by looking at women's watches, now she was looking at men's watches. She found one and told the salesman that she wanted it and she told him an inscription she wanted.
"To my dearest Darren. Never fly too high or swim too deep. Your rainbow is always at your feet"
The man wrote it down and repeated it to her twice to make sure. Jill and Taylor never looked at each other.
"Jilly why do you keep buying Darren watches that he never wears? Now these black diamond platinum cufflinks are just what he would like."
Jill looked at the watch in disappointment and then looked at the salesman with pursed lips.
"Can I please see those cufflinks?"
The man's eyes sparkled as he nodded hurriedly. The cufflinks were probably three times more expensive than the watch. But who wanted a watch with that nonsense engraved on it. When the salesman and no one in the store acknowledged them in any way they both knew that the clue was not there.
In the restaurant Jill was quiet. She looked at her food with interest but she had not eaten.
Somehow the restaurant found out that she was a billionaire heiress and she had been given an exclusive private room. It was very beautiful, situated at the top of the building with a spectacular view of the vast city, a portion of Desert and the tiniest portion of sea out in the far distance.
"You and I never thought we would be that lucky."
"I know. That would have been crazy luck to find something on the first try."
They had already agreed not to say they were looking for a clue in public.
Taylor reached out and touched her hand.
Jill looked up and handed him a small box.
"You keep the cufflinks. They are more your tastes anyway." She smiled a knowing smile.
Taylor took the cufflinks and looked at them for a long time. Everything he had her buy was for her or her family. First the desk and now this and he was feeling like he was looting a castle. He hesitated.
"They are for you so just put them away."
He looked up at her and saw a frown on her face and her food still uneaten. He put the cufflinks away. He would figure out what to do with them later.
"Calm down and eat. Enjoy our honeymoon."
She frowned and pursed her lips but she also ended up popping some food into her mouth and her eyes went wide in shock. She looked down to her food.
It was absolutely incredible.
'it's pretty good isn't it?"
"It's frigging phenomenal!"
Taylor began eating his food in earnest but he could not help looking at her as she ate. His mother's words floated across his mind.
"She is a good catch. Don't hurt her or yourself."
He purposely looked down at his food. Not wanting to see her for a moment. He believed that he may have already hurt himself. Now he had to make sure that she was never hurt.
He carried her into the bedroom with a slightly inebriated smirk on his face. She had almost won their drinking contest but almost was not good enough. He laid her across the bed and looked at her for a moment. She curled into a ball and he realized they had left straight from the plane and done all this today. He needed to take better control over the situation but she was so distracting.
He shook his head and whispered to himself. "you're helping a friend you drunk fool. She is not a part of your plans."
There was a soft knock and he told the maid to enter.
"Please help her into some sleepwear. I am going to take a shower."
"Yes sir."
He needed to get his head in the game. His best friend hell his only friend's life depended on it.