Page 71 of Greed

“Honestly, I did wonder. Though I think I should know if my friend and my…date used to sleep with one another, it would ruin the first course if it came up, kind of thing,” she said.

Riker stepped closer, and as he did, she had the urge to step back. His aura seemed to charge the air was with a potent electricity simply by being in the same room. Just as when she’d first met him, her body was alive with what felt like small electrical currents running under her skin, and she took a deep breath as he stopped a few inches away and stared down at her. She watched his hand like a worried animal as he lifted it to run his thumb across her cheek—something he seemed to enjoy doing. She bit her bottom lip to keep from fidgeting.

“No, Penny and I did not sleep together, my little bird.”

“Why do you keep calling me that,” she whispered.

“One day, I will tell you.” His lips briefly touched hers, and she was tempted to tell him to screw dinner and drag him upstairs. He had a very carnal effect on her body, and destiny or not, she couldn’t deny being drawn to him as a man. “You look ravishing,” he said. “That should’ve been the first thing I said.” He gave her cheek a soft kiss and then her neck, making her knees wobble.

Penny made a throat-clearing noise. She’d forgotten all about Penny standing in the same room. “Thank you for the compliment. You look very handsome, but don’t we have a reservation to keep?”

Riker sighed but smiled as he took a step back. “Indeed we do. Come my little bird, our night awaits.”

She waved at Penny as Riker escorted her out the door, making sure to call out Toby’s food and schedule one more time. Penny gave her a thumbs up before closing the door. A distressed feeling settled in her stomach as she caught sight of the car. This was really happening. She was going on a date with this man, this archangel, this god-like demon, all alone. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat as Riker opened the door to a car that looked like a spaceship.

She slipped into the sleek silver vehicle and sat on the seat like it might bite her. She was terrified to touch anything because it was so clean. There was not a speck of dust on the dash nor a fleck of dirt on the floor. She was tempted to take off her shoes and hold her feet off the floor.

“Are you okay?” Riker asked. “You look like you’re in pain. Are you still sore?”

“I’m all good.” She was still a little sore, but that wasn’t the issue. Minetta slowly slid back in the seat and put her seatbelt on as Riker pulled away from the curb. She quickly grabbed the door and the center console as he flew down the street, screeching to a halt at the stop sign. He whipped out in front of many lanes of traffic and then proceeded to exceed the speed limit by enough to make the world look like a blur.

She jumped as Riker grabbed her hand. “Relax.”

“Little hard when you are driving like… oh dear god!” She closed her eyes as he veered into oncoming traffic to maneuver around a group of slower-moving vehicles. A horn blared as they swung back into their own lane. “This!” She finished and closed her eyes. Riker laughed and squeezed her hand tighter.

“You’re adorable, little bird.”

“Thanks, but if it’s all the same to you, I’m going to keep my eyes closed,” she said, getting a deep, chuckled response from Riker. He turned on the music, and she focused on the smooth jazz sound rather than the violent jerks of the car, which made her feel ill.

“We’re here.”

Minetta opened her eyes as they pulled through the gates of an airplane hanger. “Umm, why are we here?”

“This is my airplane.” He pulled off to the side of the plane and parked. “So I need to be honest. I was already planning this trip to try and convince you to go on a date with me.”

She looked between him and the plane. “Okay, and where are you planning on taking us?”

He smiled wide. “We’re going to fly to Venice. I know the most amazing restaurant that serves spaghetti in Nero Seppia, Frittelle, and of course, it serves my wine. Did I mention I own a winery? It doesn’t matter. We will land, take in the sites of the city, have dinner, and then I’ve arranged for a gondola ride before we head to my villa. Tomorrow I have a full day planned before we fly back.”

“You thought that the flowers weren’t enough, so you were going to fly us to Venice?”

“Yeah, it’s really lovely, you’ll see.”

Riker smiled and went to get out of the car, but she grabbed his arm. “I can’t fly to Venice. I have a dog to take care of, and my boss called. I’m to go back to work next week, and I have no clothes, that’s really far to go, and….”

Riker stopped the runaway train in her brain as he leaned over and his lips touched hers. Cupping her face, he deepened the kiss. She moaned in his mouth. He tasted like rich nectar, sweet and thick on her tongue.

He broke the kiss and laid his forehead on hers—Minetta’s breathing was as quick as her heart pounding in her chest. “Everything you’re worried about can be dealt with. Now tell me, why are you really nervous?”

Turning her head, she looked at the large black jet with his company’s logo on the side. “I’ve never flown before, and to be honest, it just seems rushed that our first real, get-to-know-you-date is like some big romantic getaway.”

“I’ve never had a girl think anything I offered to do, be too much.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I guess I’m not like the other girls you’ve decided to impress by bringing them to your jet,” she said and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t really jealous of the girls that had come before her, of which she knew there were countless, but the way he looked her over was upsetting. It made her feel like there was something wrong with her.

“Yes, indeed,” Riker finally said. He sat back in his seat, and her heart sank that this was the end of their date. In one fell swoop, she’d ruined it. “Well, how about this? We will not share the same bedroom, and we can make arrangements for your work and dog while in the air. As for the clothes, that is the easiest fix. We can stroll the shops, and you can pick out a few new outfits. I’d planned that part anyhow.” She kept staring between the plane and the man, the two things both so foreign to her.

“This still seems pretty over the top, Riker, like a first date is usually a dinner and a walk along the beach or ice cream in the park.”