Chapter 15: A Coincidence or a Set Up?

Natalie knew she must be close to the hotel when her surroundings transformed into a desert-like landscape. But she couldn't stare too long out of the window since she had to pretend to read the romance novel she brought along—an attempt to avoid becoming a part of the driver's constant grumbling.

Her efforts to ignore the driver's temper reached their end when the taxi started struggling to move forward. She internally promised that she was going to tip him well to compensate for all of his trouble.

"That's as far as I go, lady," the driver announced with unhidden resentment.

Placing the book inside her purse, she met his eyes in the rearview mirror.

"What do you mean that's as far as you go? We haven't arrived at the hotel where you were supposed to take me."

"Lady! Judging by that book in your hand it's safe to say that you are capable of reading! How about you read the sign over there?"

Pushing the insult aside and reminding herself that the man was old enough to be her grandfather, she did as he said and followed the direction his index finger kept pointing at. There were many signs for mini jeeps or some desert vehicles she couldn't even name, but what she cared about most was that none of those signs indicated that a taxi was prohibited from moving forward.

Meeting the driver's gaze through the rearview mirror again, she narrowed her eyes at him.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"You're supposed to give me my money and be on your way," he said as he pushed a button that printed out a receipt, tore it out, and then handed it to her.

You're so not getting any tips for your rude behavior!

Resisting the urge to engage in a pointless argument, she accepted the receipt from his hand, pressed the money into his palm, then exited the car and closed the door with a bit too much force.

It took her less than a minute out in the open to realize how inappropriately dressed she was for this region. But then removing her jacket would mean the hassle of carrying it, so she chose to leave it on her shoulders and seek someone to ask for directions to the hotel.

"What a coincidence," said a calm voice from behind her. The tone used was slightly more amused than she would have liked in her current situation.

Turning around, she felt her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets when she spotted the last person she expected to see. Walking toward her with designer sunglasses and just the right light clothes for the weather, Alonso Valois smirked at her.

No way...

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out.

"I'm here for a business conference. And you?"

She flushed, uncertain about the honesty of his statement. "I'm here for work too."

Alonso nodded then gestured backward with his thumb toward the road signs behind him.

"This road ends here for normal cars. That's why I arranged for an all-terrain vehicle; it's parked right over there."

It wasn't hard to spot the vehicle he referred to — a bright red one that was parked right next to his Audi. It was too expensive for a non-VIP person to rent and the comparison between their financial situations left her feeling like a fish out of water.

She nervously looked back at him as he stared into the distance with a reflective expression on his face. Her nervousness transformed into butterflies in her stomach as she observed how he continued to thoughtfully rub his lips with his thumb.

"It seems like you could use some help," was his conclusion. "There's space for one passenger behind the driver in the all-terrain vehicle I'm taking. I'd be happy to drive you to the hotel if that's fine with you."

She eyed his smile beneath his sunglasses suspiciously, was this encounter a coincidence or a setup after all? It certainly felt like a trap, but would someone go that far for a woman he did not know? That didn't make much sense to her!

"Will you ride with me?" Alonso asked again confidently.

His confidence was irritating.

"No, thank you. I can manage on my own."

"All right then, have a nice day."

Without insisting further, Mr. Moneybags turned around and walked in the direction of his rental vehicle passing the taxi driver who was still parked there for some reason. The old man had his index finger tapping on the side of his head, clearly calling her stupid.

"Wait!" Natalie exclaimed.

Alonso stopped and turned around to face her with two raised eyebrows over the sunglasses.

"…Fine, I will ride with you. But only because it's the fastest way for me to get there."

He flashed a charming smile and pointed to the bright red vehicle which had an open top. "Then I hope that you're ready for a little adventure!"

She eyed the vehicle sceptically. "Adventure, or a course in desert survival?"

Chuckling, Alonso ushered her towards the car then opened its single door and reached behind the driver's seat picking up a lone helmet.

"Safety first." He said, handing the helmet over to her.

Natalie raised an eyebrow when he didn't seem to have another one.

"What about you?"

"Nothing is more valuable than you are."

The earnest manner in which he spoke caught her off guard. She wanted him to have the helmet but hesitated to return it. If he truly was the man he presented himself to be, he wouldn't wear one while leaving her without any.

"...I'm not made of cotton candy, you know?" She quipped as she placed the helmet on her head.

A mischievous smile appeared on his face as he reached out and made sure the helmet was properly placed. "We'll have to put that to the test."

Though his words could have been interpreted innocently, the sexy grin on his face before he turned around and started the engine made Natalie's heart flutter.

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