Jennie
I'm still thinking about Jennie in my t-shirt when I walk into the office in the morning. My Ferrari was missing, so it seems my little Minx escaped before I got to speak to her. She won't be able to evade me for very long at all, and I doubt she even wants to. Jaehyun's words threw me off, and I know there's truth to what he said… but part of me wants to prove him wrong. Even though I know he's right, I can't stay away from Jennie.
I spot her the second I walk into the office. Her eyes find mine, and a blush spreads on her cheeks. She looks away, flustered, and I smile to myself. Whether she likes it or not, she's still affected by me. She's deceiving herself if she thinking she's in love with Mino. I walk up to her, and she brushes her hair out of her face, the movement almost… nervous.
"Morning," I murmur.
She looks up at me, and my heart skips a beat. This woman, will her beauty ever cease to faze me?
"Morning," she whispers.
I tilt my head towards my office, and she follows me, a hint of reluctance in her steps.
"Jaehyun and I are considering a new acquisition, and I'd like you to accompany me as I set the deal in motion. The CEO of the company I've been wanting to acquire has been hesitant to sell to me, but he's suddenly turned around and agreed late last night. I want to close this deal as soon as possible, before he has a chance to change his mind again. That means there's a lot of due diligence to be done, and it needs to be done now."
I tilt my head towards the suitcase in the corner of my office. "We'll be gone for three days. I would've told you in the morning, but you were nowhere to be seen."
Jennie's cheeks redden, and she looks away. I bite back a smile and look down at my shoes, unable to wipe my smirk off my face completely. She's flustered and affected by me, and she's failing to hide it.
"The client is in New York. Our flight is in four hours," I tell her. "We'll be going with a small team, but I expect you to take the lead on the legal aspects."
Jennie nods, a serious expression on her face. Her eyes flash with determination, as though she's intent on doing a good job, and I smile to myself. She's always been this way, even in school.
"I'll see you at the private air strip," I tell her, handing her a card with the address on it. "Have Graham, my security officer, drive you there."
Jennie nods and I lean back against my desk. Three days with her… I can't wait. Even four hours seems too long, and they pass at an excruciatingly slow rate.
By the time I pull up in front of my private jet, I'm antsy. Jennie is already there, her suitcase and Graham by her side. She's looking up at my jet in awe, and I smile at her when she turns to look at me.
Graham walks towards my car to retrieve my luggage for me and I walk up to Jennie. I place my hand on her lower back and tip my head towards the plane. "Shall we?" I ask.
Jennie blinks in disbelief. "This… are we taking this?" she asks, gesturing towards the plane.
I smile at her. "Well, I'm not walking, that's for sure," I say, and she looks at me through narrowed eyes.
I smile and let my hand slip down to find hers. I entwine our fingers and pull her along.
"Didn't you say we were travelling with a team?" she asks, and I nod. I walk her to her seat and take the seat next to hers.
"We are. They're flying commercial."
I see the unspoken question in her eyes, and I smirk as I lean over her to strap her in. As if I'd ever let her fly with the rest of my staff.
"Jennie, it's so good to see you again," I hear the air hostess say, but my entire focus is on Jennie. "Is this your secretary?" she adds, and I look up in annoyance, only to freeze when I realize she looks vaguely familiar. Damn.
Jennie grits her teeth and looks up at the air hostess, her eyes flashing. She glances at me, her brows raised, and I look away, unable to face her.
"Tamara, is it?"
She beams and then nods. The way she looks at me makes it obvious that we have history, and I can't help but cringe. I don't even dare look at Jennie, but I can tell she's tense.
"Can I offer you some champagne?" Tamara asks. I nod, and she turns towards Jennie, who is ignoring her.
"Please get both of us a glass," I say, and she nods before walking away.
I turn towards Jennie to find her staring a hole in her shoes, her jaw clenched. My heart sinks. She looks angry, but she looks hurt too, and I hate that I put that expression on her face.
I clear my throat awkwardly. "The flight won't take long," I tell her. "We'll be there soon."
She nods, avoiding my gaze. I grab her chin and turn her face towards me. "What's wrong?" I ask.
Jennie grits her teeth and forces a smile on her face. "Nothing," she says, her eyes flashing with anger.
I nod awkwardly and pull away when Tamara returns with two glasses. She glances from me to Jennie, disappointment evident in her eyes. She hands us our glasses quietly and then walks away, giving us privacy.
Jennie empties her glass in a matter of seconds and puts it down before crossing her arms over each other. I bite down on my lip, unsure what to even say to her.
She undoes her seatbelt and rises the second we're in the air. She turns towards me, an unreadable expression on her face. "Is there a bathroom here?" she asks, and I nod.
"Use the one in the bedroom," I tell her, my head tipped towards the door opposite us.
Jennie blinks, her eyes widening. "There's a bedroom here?" she asks in disbelief. She looks up, her eyes settling on Tamara, and then she laughs. "Of course there is," she says.
She turns and walks away, and I bury my hands in my hair in frustration. I hesitate for half a second before following Jennie, catching the bedroom door just before it closes.
She turns to look at me in surprise when I enter the bedroom, and I grab her, pushing her against the closed door. I take a step closer to her, my body flush against hers. Jennie melts against me, her cheeks reddening.
"It didn't mean a thing, Jennie. I won't lie to you and tell you I didn't try to fuck you out of my system, because I did. But it didn't mean a thing. No one but you has ever meant anything to me."
She looks into my eyes, and for the first time since she got here, I see rawness in them. I see her hurt, her jealousy, her longing.
She bites down on her lip and nods. Her eyes fall closed, and she drops her forehead against my chest. Jennie inhales deeply, and then she pulls away from me.
When she looks at me, her mask is back in place. She smiles at me, but there's not a trace of emotion in that smile. "I'm not sure why you're telling me this," she says. "I couldn't care less who you sleep with."
I smile at her and brush her hair out of her face. "I see," I murmur. "Okay. I guess you won't mind if I hook up with someone in New York, then?" I say, teasing her.
Jennie blanches, and I grin, shaking my head. I pull away from her and smirk. For the first time since she walked back into my life, I'm truly filled with hope.