Fall of Darkness (The Chronicles of Darkness) (11 page)

“So would I,” Kate sighed. “So would I.”

Unable to curb his excitement, Dominic
strode down the hall to Kate’s apartment. He couldn’t wait to see her. His entire
body thrummed with anticipation, every nerve ending sparking to life at the
thought of holding her again, of kissing and touching her. After ringing the
doorbell, he straightened the lines of his custom-tailored Armani suit. When
Kate opened the door, his chest constricted at the sight of her.

“Hi,” she said shyly.  He loved how
easily her cheeks filled with color when she looked at him.

“You look beautiful,” he breathed,
lifting her hand to his lips.

He drank in the rare vision of grace and
beauty that was Kate, savoring her like a fine wine as his gaze lingered on each
luscious curve and tantalizing inch of creamy skin. Lesser sights had brought
greater men to their knees. Dominic congratulated himself on remaining
standing, albeit on shaky legs. Kate was a captivating, mystical enchantress
sent to torment him with her untouchable perfection.

Her ebony tresses were piled high atop
her head in a mass of curling tendrils. A few glossy strands escaped the
coiffure to frame her face and to tumble down her bare back and shoulders. The
black satin against her fair complexion set her radiant emerald eyes afire. A
man could lose himself in those evergreen depths and never care to be found.

Drawing her into his arms, Dominic brushed
his lips to one cheek, then the other. She smelt divine. Like sunshine and
summertime.

Concerned she might take a fall in her
dangerously high heels, he offered her the support of his arm as they made
their way to his car. When they reached the Porsche, he tucked her into the
passenger seat and rounded to his side.

“So, where are we going?” Kate asked,
the minute his door shut behind him.

Dominic chuckled. “That,
cara
, is
for me to know and for you to find out.”

Her green eyes narrowed at him. “Do I
get a hint?”

Grinning, he shook his head. “It’ll ruin
the surprise.”

“Fine,” Kate sighed. “Am I dressed
appropriately?”

“You are perfect,” Dominic said, feeling
the sensations she awakened in him rising in a tidal wave of awareness. He liked
what she wore and how she looked in it a little too much. Those heels and
stockings filled his mind with fantasies of black lace and satin sheets, of her
naked in his arms as he explored every inch of her breathtaking body.

With great reluctance, he tore his eyes
from her to focus on the road and turned due west.

He hoped she liked her surprise.

“You own a plane?” Kate practically
squeaked, gaping at Dominic as though he’d sprouted horns and a tail.

            He
shrugged, straining the shoulders of his fancy black suit jacket. It probably
cost more than she earned in a pay period. “Sure. I use it for business.”

            Sure?
As in ‘sure, doesn’t everybody?’ Kate took a long, hard swallow of champagne
and tried to relax into the plush black leather of her seat.

            The
two of them lounged in what could be considered a private jet’s version of a
living room, complete with kitchenette and wet bar, cruising somewhere around
37,000 feet. Dominic’s private jet.

Kate had been a bit confused when they’d
arrived at the airport. Her level of confusion had only deepened from there.
She never imagined she’d find herself flying on a private jet, nibbling fruit
and cheese, sipping Cristal, and wondering what else she might not know about
the man she was dating.

            “Is
this my surprise?”

            “No,”
Dominic laughed. “Our destination is the surprise.”

            “Where
are we going?” Kate asked.

            “Oh,
don’t worry. I’m not smuggling you out of the country or anything. I wanted to
take you somewhere special.”

            “Oh.”

            “Relax,
cara
. You’ll like where we’re going, I promise.”

            Kate
took another generous swallow of the high priced champagne, unsure if she even liked
the taste, but attempting to relax as he said. Worrying was pointless. She
trusted Dominic. Surprises weren’t her forte. They usually ended badly.   

“What do you want to do while we wait?” Dominic
asked, in an obvious attempt to distract her. She could think of quite a few
things they could do to occupy their time in the friendly skies, but none of
them were appropriate pre-date activities. Although, ‘join the mile high club’
was number one hundred and sixty seven. The thought of reaching that milestone
with Dominic was distracting enough to keep her mind completely occupied for
the rest of the flight.

             “Well
that depends on how long the flight is,” she said, ignoring the impulse to
suggest they make good use of whatever time they had.

            “About
two hours, give or take.”

            “Let’s
see. About two hours… that means we could be headed to Boston or Niagara Falls
or… ” she trailed off. Maybe she could wheedle their destination out of him.

            “Kentucky
for all you know,” he grinned. “Stop trying to ruin your surprise.”

            “Fine.
I’ll be good,” she promised. “Not another word, but since we have all this
time, why don’t you tell me everything else you might have failed to mention
when you forgot about your private jet.”

            “Hmmm,
okay, where to start… I hate popcorn. It gets stuck in my teeth… and I can’t
swim in the ocean because I’m deathly afraid of sharks,” he averred, the
picture of solemnity.

            Kate
laughed, “Really?”

            “No.”
He grinned, his eyes bright with laughter. “You know what, let’s play cards
instead,” he diverted, producing a deck from a drawer on the wall.

            “Okay,”
Kate agreed. “But it’s my deal.”

            “I
wouldn’t have it any other way.”

            In
no time at all, the plane was making its descent into whatever city Dominic had
chosen and Kate had thoroughly trounced him at every two-man card game
imaginable. Speed, War, Poker, Bull Shit…

            “I’m
not going to keep playing with you if you keep letting me win,” she teased.

            “And
here I was about to say I wouldn’t play with you anymore if you didn’t stop
cheating,” he laughed.

            “Not
me. This is the face of an angel,” she protested, drawing a halo over her head
with her finger.

            “Alright,
angel. Winner takes all. What do you claim as your prize?”

            “You.”
Kate inched forward. The earth and sky moved as their lips met. Or at least it
felt like it. The plane hit a nasty patch of turbulence, rocking Kate’s world
and jarring their noses together.

            “You
may have to accept a rain check. I don’t think turbulence and kissing are the
wisest combination. Someone is bound to lose an eye.” He rubbed his nose with a
rueful smile.

            “That’s
okay. You’re worth the wait.”

            “As
are you,
cara
, as are you.”

            They
held hands as the plane jostled its way down to the landing strip and touched
down with a final jolt. A few minutes later they stood ready to deplane. Dominic
draped his suit jacket over Kate’s shoulders and brushed his lips against her
cheek. “You may need this out there.”

            Kate
smiled up at him. “Thanks.”

            “Will
you do something for me?”

“Anything.” Jump off a cliff, move to
Antarctica, give up chocolate…

            “Close
your eyes,” he said. “Don’t open them until I say to.”

            Kate
squeezed her eyes shut as the cabin door opened. Dominic took her hand and led
her to the opening. A chilly breeze kissed her face.

            “Okay,
but stilettos, stairs, and I are never a good combination. If I break my neck
climbing down those stairs, I know exactly who I’m coming back to haunt,” she
joked.

            Dominic’s
lips brushed her ear. “I won’t let you fall,
cara.”
Without warning, he
swept her into his arms and carried her down the steps to the tarmac.

            Kate
heard the sound of a car door open. Dominic set her down on a plush velveteen
surface. The rumble of male voices, low and whispering, and Dominic took a seat
beside her. The slamming of a car door, the hum of an engine, and they were in
motion.

            “Can
I open them yet?” Kate begged, fighting the temptation to peek. Curiosity
killed the Kate.

            “Not
yet. No peeking either.”

            The
ride continued in much the same manner. Every few minutes Kate would ask if it
was time yet and Dominic would answer to the negative. She felt like a small
child on a road trip. Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

            “Now?”
She asked, knowing the answer was likely to still be to the contrary.

            “Okay,
open them.”

            Kate
opened her eyes and blinked. Beyond the plush interior of the limousine in
which they rode, lay an enormous city of gleaming lights, its trademark skyline
even more famous than Chicago’s.

            “New
York,” Kate breathed. “It’s so beautiful.”

            “Do
you like it?”

            Kate
nodded.

            “I
wanted to take you somewhere you’ve never been. I figured we’d check something
off that list of yours.”

            “Ooooh,
which one? Are we going base jumping off the statue of liberty? Because, I
think I’m a bit overdressed for that.”

            “Base
jumping off the statue of liberty is on your list?” Dominic asked, his brow
furrowed. “I’m not sure they allow such a thing.”

            “No,”
Kate laughed. “But base jumping is number eighty six… and you should see your
face.”

            “You’re
too much, you know that?” The affection in his low voice warmed every inch of
her.

            “Maybe
for weaker men, but not you,” she disagreed, interlacing her fingers with his
and resting their joined hands on her lap. “So what are we doing in the Big
Apple?”

            “What
number was ‘see a Broadway production’ on your list?”

            “Fifteen.”

            “Well,
cara
, prepare to check it off.”

            “Ooooh,
what are we seeing?” Kate couldn’t contain her excitement. Chicago had great
theaters with rotating professional troupes, but she’d always wanted to see a
show in a real Broadway theater in New York.

            “How
do you feel about Aida?”

            “It’s
one of my favorites.” She couldn’t have picked a better one, if she’d chosen
herself.

            Dominic
flashed that million dollar smile, sending her heart into a spastic jig. She’d
see anything, so long as he smiled at her like that.

            “It
is one of mine as well. Although, I must confess, I’ve only seen it in Italian
at the opera,” he said.

            Kate
shrugged. “Well then this will be a new experience for both of us. You’ll have
to let me know which you like better.”

            “It
will hardly be a fair comparison.”

            “Why
is that?” Kate asked.

            “This
one is already infinitely better, because I am seeing it with you.”

Kate’s heart soared, performing barrel
rolls high in her chest. Under ordinary circumstances, she would find it
difficult to believe he was real. But nothing was ordinary when it came to
Dominic. Fine by her. Ordinary was severely overrated. She’d take his kind of
extraordinary any day.

“You really know how to make a girl
blush.”  Not that it was hard to make her blush lately. Ever since she met Dominic,
she lived in a constant state of heat-flooded cheeks.

“I like it when you blush,” he said,
pressing a kiss to her temple. “I would never have thought it possible, but it
makes you even more beautiful.”

“Now you’re talking crazy talk,” Kate
said. “When I’m embarrassed, I look like I have Red Man Syndrome after a
reaction to Vancomycin.”

“Agree to disagree,” he countered,
giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “You can tell me all about this red man
later. For now, we have a show to see.”

The limo slowed to a stop, the door
opened, and Kate stepped out into a world she’d only dreamed of. Towering
buildings lined the streets, their facades plastered with colorful billboards
and gleaming lights.

The city around them bustled with night
life. Taxis zigzagged in and out of the congested New York City traffic.
Throngs of pedestrians maneuvered through the interweaving crush of bodies,
rushing toward their various destinations.