Chapter 1

Stephanie sipped on her glass of wine as she settled back in the seat. The plane was safely in the air and on the way to New York. Her eyes took in her luxurious surroundings and she smiled softly to herself. This really was the life and was something she could quickly get used to. Getting upgraded to first class had been a pleasant surprise but unfortunately it was a one-time deal only due to some mistake with her booking. Still she wasn't going to complain. It was better than travelling on coach with screaming babies and irritable mothers. She glanced around the plane and saw her fellow travel companions were mostly men in suits probably travelling on business.

Stephanie tried her best not to feel out of place and picked up the financial magazine beside her. She casually flicked through it balancing the pages on her lap. Her blue eyes settled on page 51 where it listed the world's rich and successful. She sighed in envy at the billions of dollars just on that one page alone. What she'd do with just a fraction of that fortune. It was quite sickening really. Here she was struggling to afford her small studio apartment in the city and these guys could buy and sell an entire country. Number 24 even sounded like he could afford at least two and he was only thirty four years old. Just seven years older than her and he was a millionaire and owned a successful PR company with several branches across Europe. He was based in Geneva. She'd always wanted to go to Switzerland. He sounded like he was French too. Paul Michael Levesque. It was a pretty name and the face was even prettier. The picture to left showed he was an extremely handsome man. Underneath it stated he was single. Stephanie frowned wondering why when this guy was clearly the catch of the century. Well, for someone who would be stupid enough to want to fall in love that is. Fortunately she was smart enough to know that romance and relationships were for idiots.

As Stephanie turned the page of the magazine, she became aware of someone sitting at the seat to her left. She lifted her eyes, shifting her body and almost spilled her wine when she saw who it was. She quickly glanced back at the magazine checking the page she had just been looking over. There was no doubt in her mind that it was him. As she lifted her eyes once more, she realized the small black and white picture didn't even do him justice. Paul Levesque was even more handsome in person. In fact, he was striking. It was his hair that caught her attention first. The long blonde strands sat on his shoulders and looked so straight and smooth. His frame was massive and he obviously worked out. The guy probably even had his own custom built gym for heaven sakes and the black suit he was wearing was definitely a designer brand, some expensive European label she would imagine.

As Stephanie moved her line of vision, she almost jumped in her seat when she was met with a pair of startling brown eyes. They were watching her curiously and she realized she must have been staring. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Stephanie quickly glanced away feeling her cheeks burn and took another quick gulp of wine.

"Nervous flyer?"

Stephanie looked up surprised to hear the deep American accent. His lips were curved up gently and she found herself smiling back at him. "Not really."

He glanced at the open magazine in her lap and his smile slowly crept further across his face. "Interesting reading." he commented.

Stephanie instantly blushed and quickly closed the magazine feeling a little embarrassed.

"You know, you shouldn't believe everything you read in those things. Damn journalists just write whatever they like. Half the time they don't even bother with the truth either."

Stephanie pressed her lips together. "Is that so?"

"All they're interested in is a headline or the next scandal." He raised himself from his seat and offered her his outstretched hand. "I'm Paul, by the way." His brown eyes briefly drifted to the closed magazine. "But I guess you already knew that."

Stephanie managed a tight smile as she took his hand. Paul's grip was firm and assured as he shook it gently. "I'm Stephanie." she replied.

"So you travelling on business, Stephanie?" asked Paul as he settled back in his seat.

"Yes."

"And what kind of business are you involved in?"

Stephanie paused for a beat before offering him a cool reply. "Headlines and scandal." She managed to contain her laughter at Paul's look of surprise. "I'm a journalist for a national magazine."

She watched with satisfaction as Paul's smile instantly faded.

"Oh." he replied simply.

"Enjoy your flight Mr Levesque." said Stephanie as she turned in her seat and deliberately looked in the opposite direction briefly ending their conversation.