She shrugs as she chews her roast beef. “Just a vibe you’re giving off. I can see you prowling around some fancy high-rise office, getting everything you want.”
“EverythingI want?”
I raise my eyebrow as I look at her. My billions can buy anything on the planet, but all I want is her. The universe is funny like that. You think you’re on top of the world and untouchable, and then your dream girl comes along and you realize you’re just as helpless and vulnerable as everyone else when it comes to love.
“Pretty much,” she says with a grin. “Am I wrong?”
My eyes drop to her luscious lips for a heartbeat and then I’m back to gazing into her gorgeous honey brown eyes. “Maybe not.”
“What’s it like to work for you?” she asks, tilting her head like she’s trying to picture it. “Are you all demanding and dominant?”
Does this girl even realize the words she’s saying? Demanding… Dominant… All the things I’ll be in the bedroom with her…
“I don’t think I’d last very long as your employee,” she says, chuckling. “Pretty sure I’d be fired within a week.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t fire you.” I tip my glass of wine towardher, watching the way her throat moves when she swallows. “I’d just find creative ways to keep you… motivated.”
She presses her lips together to hide a smile, but it still curls the corners. “That sounds suspiciously like sexual harassment, Mr. Boss Man.”
“Adrian,” I correct gently. “And it’s only called sexual harassment if you tell me to stop.”
Her cheeks flush again, and she looks down at her plate, trying not to smile, cutting her meat too carefully, pretending she doesn’t feel the heat between us. I could swear the air around us thickens with it, humming and alive.
“Maybe I should send you my resume,” she says, giving me a flirty gaze. “It sounds like I’d fit right in.”
“Like I said, I’m retired. But I can think of some better things to do with you.”
The flight attendant returns and refills our wine, giving us a knowing smile. She’s been watching us flirt this whole time. My girl takes a sip as she watches my glass getting refilled.
“Ready to give me your name?” I ask my dream girl once the flight attendant has left.
“Maya,” she says. “Maya Howard.”
I smile as I whisper it, just wanting to see how it feels on my lips.
“And what do you do for work, Maya? What brings you into first class?”
She laughs. “A free upgrade. I work for a non-profit, so this is out of the norm for me.”
I ask her about it and she tells me all about her meaningful work giving kids who might never have left the city throughout their childhood the opportunity to go to summer camp in the woods. They get to experience nature, lakes, hikes, canoeing, swimming, catching frogs, and campfires under the stars with spooky stories and s’mores.
“I know it’s not curing cancer or saving starving kids in Somalia,” she says with a shy shrug. “But I find it important.It’s so fun to see these kids’ faces light up when they walk through a real forest for the first time. It’s magical.”
She’s magical. I just stare at her in awe, wondering if she’s real.
“My job is to get funding and set it all up,” she says. “It can be hard. People often blow me off, saying there are more important things to donate to, and it’s hard to argue with that, but giving kids a nice childhood and a new perspective on the planet is important as well.”
“I think it’s amazing what you’re doing,” I tell her. “Those kids are lucky to have you.”
I make a note of the name of her charity and as soon as this plane lands, I’m going to call my accountant to write a fat check and send it over.
“You really retired at forty-two?” she says after a moment, her voice lighter again. “What’s that even like?”
“Quiet,” I say honestly. “Until about two hours ago.”
Her fork pauses. “Oh yeah? What happened two hours ago?”
I grin, letting my gaze linger on her lips. “You sat down beside me.”
