The Australian Affairs Collection. Margaret Way

any way, shape or form.

      After letting out the breath she’d been unconsciously holding, she started scanning the numbers on the post boxes, soon realising that the number she was looking for would be on the left and right down the end of the street. Truly, what else had she expected? The son of a billionaire wouldn’t be staying anywhere but the best.

      The sun was just rising as she approached a block of apartments which carried the right number and which, yes, of course, overlooked the beach. A man was already standing on the pavement outside the building. Beside him sat a black travel case on wheels, across which was draped a plastic zip-up suit bag.

      Jess tried not to stare as she pulled into the kerb beside him. But it was difficult not to.

      He wasn’t short with a receding hairline and flabby body. Hell, no. He was anything but. He was very tall and slim, with broad shoulders and the kind of well-chiselled face you saw on male models in magazines advertising aftershave or expensive watches. High cheekbones, a strong, straight nose and a square jawline. His hair was a light sandy colour, cut short at the sides and slightly longer on top, brushed straight back from that oh, so handsome face. His skin was lightly tanned, his eyes blue and beautiful. His clothes were more what she’d been expecting. Sort of. Dark-grey trousers and a long-sleeved blue business shirt which was open at the neck and which had a pair of sunglasses tucked into the breast pocket.

      Jess dragged her eyes away from him, switched off the engine, then climbed out of the car, her thoughts somewhat scattered. Who would have imagined he would be so good-looking? Or so young? He couldn’t be more than early thirties. Maybe even younger.

      ‘Mr De Silva, I presume?’ she asked as she stepped up onto the pavement less than a metre from him. Up close, he was even more attractive, if that were possible.

      ‘You can’t possibly be Miss Murphy,’ he returned, the hint of a wry smile teasing one corner of his nicely shaped mouth.

      She bristled at his comment. ‘I don’t see why not.’

      He shook his head as he looked her up and down. ‘You’re not what I was expecting.’

      ‘Oh?’ she returned stiffly. ‘And what were you expecting?’

      ‘Someone a little older and a little less…er…attractive.’

      Jess thanked the Lord she wasn’t a blusher. For if she had been she might have gone bright red under the openly admiring gaze of those beautiful blue eyes.

      ‘That’s nice of you to say so, Mr De Silva. I think,’ she added, wondering if she’d sounded old and ugly on the phone.

      ‘I told you to call me Ben,’ he said, and smiled at her, a full hundred-watt smile which showed perfect American teeth and a charm which was just as dazzling.

      Oh my, Jess thought, trying not to be too dazzled.

      Not without much success, given she just stood there staring at him whilst her heartbeat did the tango and she forgot all about Fab Fashions.

      ‘Perhaps we should get going,’ he said at last.

      Jess gave herself a mental shake. It wasn’t like her to go ga-ga over a man, even one as impressive as this.

      ‘Yes. Yes, of course,’ she said, still far too breathlessly for her liking. ‘Do you need help with your bags?’ she added, recalling what he’d said about having a banged-up right shoulder.

      ‘I can manage,’ he returned. ‘Just open up the back for me.’

      He managed very well. Managed the passenger door without any help either.

      By the time she climbed into the driving seat and belted up, Jess had taken control of her wildly dancing heartbeat, having told herself firmly to get a grip and stop acting like some awestruck schoolgirl. She was twenty-five years old, for pity’s sake!

      Taking a deep breath, she reached for her sunglasses and put them on.

      ‘Would you mind if I called you Jessica instead of Miss Murphy?’ he said before she could even start the engine.

      Jess winced. She hated being called Jessica. ‘I’d rather you call me Jess,’ she replied, and found herself throwing a small smile his way.

      ‘Only if you promise to call me Ben,’ he insisted as he snapped his seat belt into place.

      Jess suspected that women—no, people in general—rarely said no to Ben De Silva. His combination of looks and charm were both seductive and quite corrupting. Already she wanted to please him. Yet she wasn’t, by nature, a people pleaser. Jess had always had a mind of her own and a mouth to match. Suddenly, however, all she wanted to do was smile, nod and agree with everything Ben said. Already he was Ben in her head.

      ‘Okay. Ready, Ben?’ she said as she reached for the ignition and glanced over at him again.

      Dear heaven but he was gorgeous! He smelt gorgeous too. She did like men who wore nice aftershave.

      ‘As soon as I put these on,’ he replied, pulling his own sunglasses out of his pocket.

      They were very expensive looking. God, now he looked like a movie star, a very sexy movie star, the kind a girl fantasised over in the privacy of her bedroom.

      Jess’s susceptibility to this man was beginning to annoy her. Next thing she’d know, she’d start flirting with him. Which wasn’t like her at all! Gritting her teeth, she checked her rear and side mirrors, executed a perfect three-point turn, then accelerated up the street. Neither of them said anything for a full minute or two, Ben being the first to speak.

      ‘I must thank you again, Jess, for doing this for me.’

      ‘You don’t have to thank me. You’re paying for the privilege.’

      ‘Still, I can see you probably had to put yourself out to do this. I would imagine a girl as attractive as yourself would have better things to do over the weekend than work.’

      ‘No, not really.’

      ‘You didn’t have to break any dates?’

      ‘Not this weekend.’

      ‘That surprises me. I would have thought you’d have a boyfriend.’

      ‘I did,’ she bit out. ‘Till recently.’

      ‘What happened?’

      She shrugged. ‘We were going to go on a road trip together around Australia. That’s why I bought this four-wheel drive. Anyway, at the last moment he decided he didn’t want to do that. Instead, he took off backpacking around the world with a mate.’

      Jess felt, rather than saw, Ben’s startled look. When driving a client, she rarely took her eyes off the road.

      ‘He didn’t ask you to go with him?’ he quizzed, his shocked tone soothing Jess’s still lingering hurt over Colin’s defection.

      ‘No. He did ask me to wait for him, though.’

      ‘I hope you said no.’

      She laughed as she recalled her quite volatile reaction. ‘I said a little more than just no.’

      ‘Good for you.’

      ‘Perhaps. Colin said I have a sharp tongue.’

      ‘Really? I find that hard to believe.’

      Was he mocking her?

      A quick glance showed a perfectly straight face. A perfectly straight, very handsome face. Jess decided he was just making conversation, which was better than sitting there saying nothing all the way to Mudgee.

      ‘He also said I was bossy and controlling.’

      ‘No!’

      He was mocking her. But not unkindly.

      She sighed. ‘I suppose I am a bit controlling. But I just like things to be organised.