Big Shot(13)
Yeah, nice fantasy, Sinclair.
Unlike the silk blouses she favored for her business attire during the day, tonight she was wearing a formfitting black tank top that molded to her full breasts and was tucked into a pair of black skinny jeans that looked just as tight. The neckline of her top scooped low enough to tease him with a glimpse of the soft upper swells of her breasts and the cleavage in between—which was probably her intent. Her unbound glossy hair shone in the overhead lamplight, and a few long silver necklaces accentuated her outfit and bounced against her breasts with each step she took toward him.
But it was the bright red strappy heels on her feet—the one pop of color against all the black—that piqued his imagination and prompted all sorts of filthy, dirty thoughts to take up residence in his head. Mainly, her wearing nothing but those shoes as she wrapped her legs tight around his waist while he f*cked them both into oblivion.
He wiped that arousing vision from his mind just as she came to a stop in front of him. Oh, yeah, there was a rebellious spark in her gaze, and he was about to provoke her a bit more.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re late.”
She lifted her shoulder in a casual, unapologetic shrug. “I couldn’t find a parking spot.”
At nine p.m. on a Wednesday night? He highly doubted that. He hadn’t had an issue with parking, and that had been only fifteen minutes ago. “Make sure it doesn’t happen again. Not without good reason.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, saluting him as if he were a sergeant, just to rile him in return. “What are we doing here, anyway? Are you planning on making me walk some kind of plank off the pier?”
He chuckled. “Nothing so dire, I promise.”
Saying nothing more, he grabbed her hand in his and headed toward his destination, surprised when she didn’t attempt to yank her arm back. He’d take that small concession, because a bigger one was coming up that would undoubtedly test her fortitude.
Even before he’d won the bet, he’d decided that this adventure would be their first battle of wills, and there was no doubt in his mind that she was going to do everything in her power to wheedle her way out of this challenge. But he wasn’t backing down. Her acquiescence would set the tone for the next two weeks and would make her realize who was in charge.
Him.
They walked by restaurants, shops, and some of the major attractions on the pier. When they passed the iconic Ferris wheel and it finally dawned on her where he was going and what they’d be doing, she stopped in her tracks, and with a hard pull, she extracted her hand from his. Expecting nothing less from Natalie considering what awaited her, he turned around and prepared himself for the fight.
“What the hell, Wes? We are not getting on that thing.” She pointed an offending finger at the Centennial Wheel, which was like a luxurious, enclosed Ferris wheel that reached heights of over two hundred feet.
The high, aerial ride was like a throwback to their youth. It reminded him of a childhood incident, and the one and only time he’d ever seen Natalie give up on something she wanted so badly, and that was to join him and her brother in the tree house that her father had built in their backyard. At ten years old, she’d made it up the ladder only once, because one look down and she’d nearly hyperventilated. Her father had to climb up to rescue her and carried her down while she kept her eyes squeezed shut.
Wes and Connor couldn’t have been happier that she never again attempted to scale the ladder, because it made the tree house the one place they knew for certain they could escape to without Connor’s pesky younger sister tagging along and annoying them. It had been their hangout, boys only, and Natalie had hated that she couldn’t join them.
“You’ll be fine,” he said with a persuasive smile. “I paid to have one of the VIP pods all to ourselves, so there will be plenty of room inside.”
Her pretty blue eyes glared daggers at him. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“Because I’ve always wanted to go on this ride,” he said, which was the truth. Partially. “Oh, and because you lost the bet and I’m asking you to.”
She narrowed her gaze, which did nothing to conceal the apprehension etching her features. “You’re such an *, Wes.”
He laughed, not the least bit insulted. It wasn’t the first time she’d called him a derogatory name, and he had a feeling it was her defense mechanism kicking in. “This is your chance to prove to me that you’re going to uphold your end of the deal for the next two weeks, no matter what I ask.”
Her chin lifted, that feisty, stubborn vixen taking over. “If I throw up all over you, it’s going to be your own damn fault.”
“I’ll risk it. It’s all about mind over matter.”
A huff of breath escaped her pursed lips, but before she could say anything more, he grabbed her hand once again and led her through the line to the modern-style Ferris wheel. Since he’d purchased VIP tickets, they were immediately ushered onto one of the gondolas, and seconds later, the glass doors closed after them, giving Natalie no time to protest or give in to her cold feet.
“Jesus,” she said in a horrified voice as she sat down in one of the chairs and covered her eyes with her hands. “The floor is made out of glass!”
He looked down as the wheel moved upward to load the next cab, and sure enough, he was able to see everything below them. “Cool.”