Page 72 of Greed

“We can do both of those things in Venice. Minny, I don’t want this to sound like I’m an egotistical ass, but this trip is no more elaborate than a dinner here in New York for me. I have the luxury to do this.” She lifted an eyebrow at him, not even sure how in the heck to respond. “You must have wanted to see more of the world at some point in your life?”

“When my dad was alive, we made this pact to see a new place every year. We were going to start with a city or part of the world that started with A and then move on to B and so on. He got sick much faster than the doctors thought, and we never made it past Boston, but we got to take in a baseball game at Fenway Park.” She looked away from Riker, wiping away the tear sliding down her cheek.

He grabbed her hand, and his felt so warm and secure, it settled her instantly. Riker laid his lips on her knuckles, those amber eyes burning into her own. “Would your dad approve of you seeing Venice?”

She couldn’t deny that he would, just maybe not with this particular man. But, from the time she was old enough to walk, he would point at places on the map in his old study and tell her a fact or story about each place.

He’d say, “One day, Minny, my girl, I hope you get to see the world and fall in love with every one of those places.”

Locking eyes with the most intimidating person she’d ever met, she took a leap of faith. “Alright, let’s do this.”

I was trying hard not to eavesdrop on my little bird’s conversation. Those amazing blue eyes flicked up to me, a pink hew spreading across her cheeks. As she turned her head away, I quickly adjusted myself. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I’d been having trouble controlling the urge to ravage her, feel her body under her sexy little dress, and hell, I even wanted to kiss each of her dainty toes. I stared at the strappy heel she was wearing and pictured how good she’d look bent over one of the jet’s seats in nothing but those.

“Yes, Penny, I know,” she said. I could hear Penny say to be careful.

Like Penny could talk, she wasn’t exactly known for being a straight arrow. There were good reasons for her being kicked out of Heaven, and in the many years since she’d been on Earth, she’d partied almost as hard as me.

“So you are okay to look after Toby for a couple of days? I don’t want to put you in an imposition.” Minny bit her lip, and I gripped the tablet in my hands, hard to keep from lunging across the short space. She had no idea what she was doing to me, and that was part of her allure. She genuinely wasn’t after my money or what I could do for her sexually. It was strange, and I wasn’t sure how to handle her behavior.

“Thank you, Penny. I owe you big time. I’ll be sure to text and send pictures, yes, I promise, but I really have to go, the plane is starting to move. Okay, bye.”

Minny smiled as she hung up from the call, and I watched as she dutifully switched her phone to airplane mode and then slid over to the window in the large seat that she was dwarfed by to watch us take off. I’d long ago lost the ability to be impressed by such mundane things—maybe I’d never been impressed because I could fly myself after all. Humans were generally archaic, yet I was fascinated by her excitement and interest in every little thing. She had an appreciation for life that was addicting.

She’d giggled when I showed her the mini bar that was stuffed full, and I thought she was going to faint when I held up the bottle of champagne and told her to order off the extensive menu for lunch. She’d decided to try a few of the appetizers and then blushed as she asked if I’d like to share with her. How could anyone resist that face?

“Riker? Would you hold my hand for the take-off?” Minny asked. Her hand was clutching the armrest in a death grip. Sitting the tablet aside that I’d been working on, I switched sides and sat down beside her. How many women had asked to hold my hand, and I told all of them to fuck off?

Yet, here I was, purposely holding out my hand for this unassuming human girl to hold. As her fingers laced with my open palm, I could feel sweat forming on the back of my neck. My pulse picked up as I stared at her profile—her lovely neck was begging to be kissed as her sweet peach perfume stirred something inside of me that I didn’t think even existed since my fall. I quickly pushed the disturbing sensation away.

“Oh my.” She sucked in a sharp breath and gripped my hand hard as the jet picked up speed. The nose of the jet tipped up and then pushed off the ground in a rush. Even her fear was endearing. “Oh my god, look at the clouds, and everything is so small.” She smiled and peeked out the window. A child-like glow shone back at me as she pointed out things as the plane accelerated further into the air.

As soon as the plane was at cruising altitude, I stood and walked to the back of the plane to place the lunch orders, but I didn’t return to her side. It was more unnerving than I thought it would be to be alone with the strange human temptress. Maybe Skye was right, and this girl was playing with me. I was most certainly not acting like myself. I sat down and picked up the tablet, not really seeing the latest growth projections.

“You said you have a winery. Have you been to Venice many times?” Minny asked.

“Yes, most of the time, it’s boring now. I end up coming a few times a year for business and pleasure when it fancies me.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wanted to take them back, the smile slipping a little on Minny’s face. She clammed up and simply stared out the window, the hurt naked in her eyes.

Fuck.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t do work when I’m trying to enjoy myself,” I lied. I held up the tablet and then turned it off and sat it aside. “I really am excited to take you to Venice.” She nodded but didn’t say any more. I opened my mouth a few times to say something, but nothing ever came out. This was new and weird, and I was at a loss for the first time ever in my existence.

The chef stepped out of the kitchen and nodded toward me.

“Lunch is ready,” I said. Minny gave me a small smile, but it no longer reached her eyes. I didn’t know how to fix this. Who the hell was I to try and soothe a woman’s feelings?

You once knew how.

My inner voice berated me.

The chef pushed the silver cart down the aisle and spent a few minutes setting up a table before laying out the foods under their little silver domes.

“Everything smells delicious. Thank you for going to so much trouble,” Minny said to my chef.

“It is my pleasure to cook for you, madam,” he said and smiled. He looked shocked that she’d spoken to him, and frankly, so was I. “If you need anything else, just ask. I am happy to make anything you like.”

“No, this is already too much, thank you.” He gave her another smile before heading to the back of the plane. I didn’t think I’d ever thanked the man for his work. I hadn’t seen the need. I paid him to do the job after all.

“May I,” Minny asked, pointing to the domes.