Kate's POV
It's Monday and work again. I just arrived at my desk when Carla suddenly appeared.
"Good morning, Kate!" She greeted.
"Mornin!" I chirped.
"Marc wants to see you in his office." I suddenly felt nervous. Why would he call me? Is it because of the time spent in the farm?
I regained my composure and walked to his office. I knocked and waited for the signal.
"Good morning, Kate. Please, sit." I just smiled at him and sat down.
"I guess you're wondering why I wanted to talk to you."
"Yes...did I do something wrong?" I asked shyly.
"Oh no, in fact you did the opposite. Many people were emailing me and they wanted to meet you. They loved your designs." I just nodded. I'm really happy that people liked them.
"And that is why I want you to come with me to France and Italy. Mr. Cruz and Ms. De Limo wanted to meet you. I think they wanted us to export it and sell it to them."
And just like that..I'm going to Europe. I don't know whether to be excited or to be nervous.
Friday night...
Kate's POV
Here I am, waiting for Marc in the airport. I keep calling him because I'm really anxious about the flight. I've never been in an airplane and I don't know how to check in my luggage. I was about to call Marc again when someone shouted far from behind. I turned around to see Marc walking towards me.
"Marc! Thank god you finally came! I didn't know what to do!"
"Sorry. Come, let's get our luggages checked in."
We boarded the plane after an hour of waiting. I was happy that I was going to Europe. I actually messaged Zara and Josh two nights before. Zara was happy for me and wished she could go with me. Josh at first was protective since he knew that I was with Marc but I convinced him that it's just business. Eventually he let it go.
Here I am sitting on the plane. I'm really nervous. This is my first time and I heard about plane crashes. The thought of it made me scared. It's too early to die.
"Kate, don't be scared. Just breathe. I'm beside you, don't worry." Marc said while looking at me.
"I can't help it. I've never been in a plane before." I said sheepishly. Marc held my hand and caressed it.
"Just sleep, it'll help. I'll just fill up the forms given."
Marc's POV
I was filling up the forms when I noticed Kate's head was already bobbing. I chuckled and finished the forms before giving them to the attendant.
She looks so sweet and so fragile. She puts up her strong side but inside, she's hurting. It's one of the reasons why I extended our stay. I wanted to cheer her up. I want her to forget the pain and just be happy. Kate's head was starting to fall on my shoulder so I just took her in my arms. I watched her sleep for a while before I fell into a deep sleep.
"We're arriving in Paris in ten minutes." The pilot said. I looked at Kate and she's still asleep so I decided to wake her up.
I gently shook her arm and whispered, "Kate, wake up. We'll be landing." She shifted closer to me and her eyes fluttered open. She moaned and looked up.
"Hi there.." I said while smiling at her.
"Hi.." She whispered. She then froze and moved away from me and said, "Oh my god..I'm sorry..I didn't mean to lean on you. Did I drool on you? Did I-" I cut her off. "It's fine. And no, you didn't drool. In fact, you look cute when you're asleep." She blushed. I like it when she blushes.
"Welcome to France. Please enjoy your trip." The pilot said. The plane landed minutes ago. Now, I'm helping Kate get her luggage down the compartment.
Kate's POV
We just landed and I'm really excited to see Paris. They say it's a beautiful place. And it's the city of love. Too bad I don't have a boyfriend. Marc and I went out of the airport and my eyes went wide. The place was wonderful. It's better than the pictures I saw from the Internet.
"Wanna go grab something to drink or eat?" Marc asked.
"Yeah sure...where are we staying anyway?" I asked.
"The hotel near Mr. Cruz's office." He said while looking for a taxi.
"Let's go to the hotel first before grabbing a bite." He said.
We arrived in front of the hotel. It looks beautiful. We went inside and I looked around. This place is so big and the decorations are exquisite.
"Welcome to Paris France Hotel, how can I help you?" The lady at the reception asked with a French accent. She's basically eyeing Marc from head to toe. She looked at him with lustful eyes.
"We want two rooms." Marc said.
"Oh I'm sorry, but there's only one room left. It's peak season." The lady said. Marc then looked at me.
"Are you okay with that?" He asked.
I just nodded and he took the keycard. We went up to our room. The room wasn't that big. It's as big as my living room. There was a sofa and a bed. I plopped onto the bed and took my shoes off.
"So, let's meet downstairs in fifteen minutes?" Marc said, making me sit up.
"Yeah sure." Marc turned around to leave but I stopped him.
"Wait. Where will you sleep?" I asked.
"You sleep on the bed, I'll be sleeping on the couch."
"But you're the boss. I should be the one on the couch."
"You're a lady." I was about to protest when he cut me off.
"Would you prefer both of us sleeping on the bed?" He asked smugly.
"No!" I said immediately.
"That's what I thought."
I went down after I took a shower and found Marc sitting on a chair in the lobby. He changed into his long sleeve and jeans.
"I called Mr. Cruz that we had landed already. We're meeting him tomorrow morning at ten." Marc said when I was in front of him.
I just nodded and Marc and I grabbed some bite while leisurely admiring the view.
I can see the Eiffel Tower. We walked to a park and sat on a bench. I was munching on bread and I moaned. Man, French bread tastes good.
We went to different shops and food stalls. It was late already so we decided to go back to the hotel.
"Better get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day." Marc said while preparing himself for bed.
"Good night, Marc." I said while tucking myself in bed.
"Good night Kate. Sweet dreams." Marc said softly.
I jerked up from another dream. I was sweating. These dreams keep coming back. I don't know why. I looked at the clock and it's six am. I decided to take a long hot shower. I changed into my white blouse and blue pencil skirt. I got out of the bathroom and noticed Marc wasn't on the couch. I then suddenly heard Marc say, "Good morning!" I was surprised and I suddenly lost my balance. I was half prepared to fall flat on my face when I felt strong arms wrapped around my waist.
I was then turned around so I was facing Marc. Our faces were so close that my heart rate increased. He stared at me and then at my mouth. He looked at my eyes again. A part of me wanted to push away but the other part wanted to kiss him. What the hell was I thinking? I vowed never to fall in love. Oh stop with the vow thing and just kiss him. A voice said.
Marc leaned a bit closer so our lips were only inches apart. Marc closed the gap between us. At first I stood there frozen but later I kissed him back. Our lips were in sync. I felt Marc's hand travel up my neck and slowly rubbing in circles.
Marc was about to deepen the kiss when the alarm rang. That snapped me out of my clouded thoughts and I pulled away. We catch our breaths.
"I'm sorry..I shouldn't..." I trailed off and just turned away.
"You're a good kisser." Marc stated. I blushed furiously. I could feel my body heat up.
"I'm going down to eat breakfast." I said, trying to hide my face.
He just smirked and went inside the bathroom.
We were waiting for Mr. Cruz in the conference room. Marc and I haven't spoken since the incident this morning. It was really awkward.
Mr. Cruz came and we started the meeting. The meeting was quite long. It was an hour.
It was nearly lunch when the meeting ended so we decided to eat at the restaurant near the building. We went inside and a man approached us and said, "Bonjuor, Monsieur, Madame. Bienvenue in Le Bouillon Chartier." (Hello, Sir, Ma'am. Welcome to Le Bouillon Chartier.)
"Table for two, please." Marc said to the man. He smiled and led us to the table.
"What would you like to order, sir, ma'am?" He asked with a French accent.
I just looked at the menu and my mind was blank. The food they have were expensive. And then, I heard Marc order something so I just set the menu down. I really don't mind what food he ordered. The waiter left us, leaving us in utter silence.
I was about to talk when Marc said, "So...did you enjoy the first day of the trip?"
I smiled and said, "Yeah..I actually wanted to come here when I was a little kid."
"Where do you want to go other than France?" He asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to know since I wasn't able to ask you last time." He said, smiling at me.
"Well, I wanted to go to Italy, Greece, and Iceland."
"Oh..I've been to Greece once when I was a teen. My family went there for vacation. As far as I remember, the beach was beautiful."
"Is it true that the sea is blue? Like really blue with wonderful corals and fish?" I asked.
He chuckled and said, "Yeah...you should go there."
The waiter came back with our food. It looks delicious. "Wine? Sir, Madame?" A sommelier asked, holding a bottle of red wine.
"Yes please." Marc said.
I took a bite of the food and I moaned. Man, this thing tastes good.
"I know right." Marc said. Did I just say that aloud?
"Yes, you did." I looked at Marc and he smirked.
"Kate, Ms. De Limo said she'll be in Paris tonight. I told her we could meet her at her hotel. She's here with her sister." Marc said before shoving the food in his mouth.
"What about the tickets to Italy?"
"Well, we will go there so they won't go to waste. We'll go there as tourists."
I just nodded but inside, I was screaming. I can't believe I'm going to Italy and it's not business anymore. I wanted to scream but I couldn't. I'd be a crazy person if I did that in here.
"Scream it all out. I know you want to." Marc suddenly said. I stared at him. The hell...
We finished eating and the waiter approached us. "Dessert, Sir, Madame?"
Marc didn't even bother to look at me and ordered something. Ugh. Such an arrogant bastard!
"So, what would you like to do after? We still have the whole afternoon and tomorrow before we leave for Italy." Marc asked while staring at me intently.
"I don't know. Maybe go around Paris and just admire the view." I bluntly said.
Later that night, we had dinner and went to bed. I was tired so the moment I reached the bed, I quickly flopped onto the bed.
"You're gonna be mine again, Kate. You've always been mine." Troy said before crashing his lips onto mine.
I woke up from another dream. Why am I having these dreams? It was still dark outside. I heard a groan beside me. I turned my head and saw Marc pulling me closer.
"You had a nightmare again..." I heard him mutter. He then slowly opened his eyes.
"It's not a nightmare, just a dream." I said.
"You had a nightmare. You always wake up at a time like this. What was it about?" He said while holding my waist. I was starting to feel weird. All these emotions were swirling inside me.
"It's nothing."
"Tell me." He demanded.
He looked at me seriously. I don't really have a choice, do I? I sighed.
"I dreamt about Troy." He immediately got up and said, "You what?!?"
"I dreamt about Troy. He said I'm his and have always been his." The thought of it just made me want to throw up.
"That bastard!" I got shocked. I didn't expect how Marc would react to my dream.
I was a bit glad when Marc's arms weren't around my waist but at the same time I felt sad. I don't know why. You like him that's why. A voice said inside me. I ignored it and got up. "I need a cold shower." I said.
Italy
Marc's POV
Here we are sitting in a cafe in Venice. We could smell the strong aroma of Italy's coffee. I was staring at Kate. She was eating her muffin and reading the brochures on the table. She really is beautiful.
Someone cleared his throat. Kate looked at me and I awkwardly looked at the waiter. I felt my cheeks heat up. "I would like a glass of water. Cold. Very cold." I said.
"So, where are we off to next?" Kate asked, smiling.
"Maybe we could go boating. And then stroll around the city."
We arrived at the boating area. I heard Kate gasp. "Wow! Venice is really beautiful. Look at the blue water!" She said amusingly.
She then tugged me and looked at me with those blue eyes. "Can we ride the boat?"
I just nodded. I paid the man and we hopped into the boat. When we were far from the dock, Kate looked at me and said, "Thank you. I owe you, Marc."
I took her hands in mine and said,"You don't have to pay me back. I owe you because you did a great job in increasing the company's sales." My hand traveled to her chin. We stared at each other for a while until the boatman cleared his throat. Kate blushed and looked away.
"Grazie." I smiled at him.
We went to Rome. We strolled around the street and tried the food. Kate suddenly pulled me to an ice cream store.
"Buon pomeriggio, Signore, Signora."
Kate went to see the flavors of the gelato. There were many; chocolate, raspberry, chocolate mint, mango, and many others.
"Can I have that one please?" Kate asked while pointing to the cookies and cream gelato.
She then pulled out her wallet but I paid first.
"Marc! I'm paying!" She said and turned to the girl. "I'm sorry but we already punched it in." Kate glared at me.
"I'm paying you back." She said before taking her order and sitting down. I just smirked at her.
She'll pay me back by surrendering herself to me someday.
I watched her eat a bowl of ice cream. She looked at me and asked, "Want some?" She handed me a spoon. I, on the other hand, didn't take it. Instead, I grabbed her spoon and ate the ice cream on it.
She gasped.
"Ew."
"Why, you wanted to share, remember?"
"I didn't say you could take my spoon."
I just smirked while Kate continued eating the remaining ice cream.
Kate's POV
Wow. I can't believe I'm here looking at the Colosseum. It's much prettier in the night. Someone grabbed my hand and said, "Come on, let's go see it up close." I smiled at Marc at his eagerness. We went inside and took pictures. "Can I borrow your phone?" Marc asked.
I handed him my phone before looking back at the ruins. It's really beautiful. And then I heard a click. My eyes went back to him and realized he took a picture of me with my phone and his phone. I charged at him and he kept taking pictures of me. He then reversed his camera to selfie mode and took a picture of him smiling and me charging at him.
I was trying hard to get my phone back but it's hard. He was tall and masculine. I was so close that made him stop moving. Our faces were so close. I could smell his minty breath already. He leaned closer and stared at me then at my lips. I was about to step back but I heard the camera click again. That made me step back. Marc was laughing and I took my phone. "That was fun." He said amusingly. I blushed.