they died.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “It was nine years ago. Jose was only eight when they died.”
“You couldn’t have been that much older yourself.”
She flashed him a look. “I was nineteen. I had just started university.”
“So you had to care for him—there were no other relatives to help?”
She shook her head.
“Future plans?”
She leaned back against the side of the basket to look up at him. “He’s going to university,” she said with pride. “He plans to study physics. I think that’s why he was so interested in the how-to of flying this thing. He should be here, not me. He’d love it.”
“I can see Stefano’s rationale in having you partner me. If he knew me better, he’d know I’ll put up with almost anything to win. I’m sorry you are not enjoying the ride. But blame him, not me,” Rafael returned.
“Does that mean Teresa was a big help?” She was annoyed that even that society woman had outperformed her. At least Amalia felt she’d dressed more appropriately.
“Different situation, but she helped more than you’re doing.”
“So what do you need me for? You know how to fly this thing. I’d only be in the way.”
“You could talk to me to make the time go faster.”
“You want to hear about the exciting life of a personal assistant to a busy businessman? Somehow I doubt it.”
“Why not? It’ll be a novelty.” He liked the flash of fire she displayed from time to time.
He could tell his cavalier attitude rubbed her the wrong way. He should stop, but he was intrigued by the bursts of emotions that were quickly damped down. What would she be like if she let herself go with no restraints?
In a monotone she recited, “We get up and eat. I go to work, Jose to school. I come home and prepare dinner and we eat. He studies, I clean, do laundry or shopping. We go to sleep. How’s that for excitement?”
“You don’t mention a special friend.”
She shrugged. “Now is not the time to be dating. I have my brother to raise.”
“What happened to your parents?”
“They died in a boating accident.”
From what he could guess, money was an issue. Apparently the parents had not left their offspring comfortably covered in the financial realm.
“What would you do if you could do anything you wanted?” he asked.
She didn’t hesitate. “Be a Web designer. I would love to study more about graphic design, learn more about all the aspects of Web design and work from home on projects that I selected. Working hours I choose.”
He nodded slowly. He’d heard somewhere that a secretary’s job was very stressful because they had so little control over it. They were at the beck and call of the boss they worked for. He glanced across to the other balloon, still some distance away. He couldn’t see Helena clearly but wondered what she would do if she could do anything she wanted. He’d never asked. It probably would not be support all his endeavors.
The balloon spun around and began to waffle. Rafael quickly assessed the situation. There was an eddy of wind causing problems. Glancing around, he saw the other balloon also turning. Quickly opening the valve of the burners, he tried to rise above the turbulent air. Slowly the wild gyrations ceased.
Amalia had her eyes tightly closed and her hands clenched into fists, arms wrapped around her upbent legs.
“Are we going to crash?” she asked in a tight voice.
CHAPTER FOUR
“NOT today,” Rafael replied.
The balloon stabilized. Once the erratic motion ceased, Amalia opened her eyes. Rafael wished she could get over her fear and enjoy the trip. It would make it more pleasant for her, since she was essentially stuck with a week in the air. And easier on him as the hours stretched out.
Not that he should care. Stefano had known his PA wouldn’t be an asset—while Helena was so efficient, she had probably mastered the controls and was offering Stefano streamlined ways to do things. Still, it was Rafael who maintained a slight lead. If he could increase it over the next few days, he’d win the bet.
Giving another blast, he shut down the burners and went to sit beside his unwilling crew. The space was tight and his leg brushed against hers.
She shifted a couple of inches away and the action caused him to give way to the devilment that rose.
He reached for her hand, prying the fist open and interlacing his fingers with hers. She tugged, but he held firm.
“Let go,” she said.
“We need to get some ground rules established,” he said, ignoring her puny attempts to pull free. It gave him hope she really didn’t want to. It was so much easier to get things he wanted if women met him halfway.
“Like what?” she asked. He could hear the reluctant curiosity in her tone.
“Like, you can’t sit in this corner the entire seven days.”
“I told you I have a fear of heights.”
Slowly he traced the back of her hand with his thumb. Her skin was silky soft and cool.
“So don’t look down. Look out. Forget the space beneath us and enjoy the beauty of the flight. Together we can win this race.”
“You practically kidnapped me and now you expect me to help you?”
“I do. Make the most of the chance, as Jose said. And show your boss you don’t answer to him outside of work. He put you in this situation, not I.”
She thought it over a moment.
Rafael moved closer. He liked women, especially pretty ones with big brown eyes and windblown brown hair with streaks of gold. “Pretend—if only for a week—that this is what you want. If we win, the money goes to your favorite charity—which you have not yet told me. If Vicente wins, we get nothing and so all this effort would be in vain.”
She studied him with those large eyes, questioning, weighing.
“Maybe.”
Victory was close.
Leaning back, he continued to caress her hand, waiting. Maybe he needed to make the pot sweeter. “If we win, I’ll treat you and your brother to a week at a place of your choice.”
“Do you think you can bribe me, Señor Sandoval?’ she immediately said hotly. “It is enough to have the money
