“We know.” Jacob shook the two men’s hand and headed into the plane as Josh headed to the hanger to get someone to bring out the tanker truck to the jet.
Jacob began preparing the cabin for Carrie’s arrival. He made sure that the champagne was chilled and that the roses we
re placed on a special-made table for such decorations so they wouldn’t turn over. Then he started looking through the songs on his iPad for just the right one. He had brought the cord to plug it into the jet’s sound system. He wanted tonight to be something very special for Carrie, something that would keep her smiling. He knew in his heart that he would never forget this evening with her, just like with their horseback date and picnic or the moment she’d stepped out of the car at the barn when they’d first met. Nothing he could do or say would change how he felt about her.
Josh came into the cabin. “Looks nice, Jacob.”
“Thanks, but I’m having trouble picking out the right music.”
Josh nodded. “Let me see if I can help.”
He handed his iPad to him.
“No. No. No.” Josh flipped through the list quickly. “How about this?” he asked, holding out the iPad for him to see.
Jacob looked at the screen. “Good job.” Wolfe Mayhem was Destiny’s local band and their latest CD was of romantic ballads, featuring Kaylyn singing lead. “Kaylyn has a great voice. These songs will be perfect for our date tonight.”
“I agree. Jaris and Chance definitely found their match.”
“They sure did.” He plugged in his iPad to the plane’s cord to the sound system. “And you know, Josh, maybe we have, too.”
“You might be right. I sure do care for her a lot already.”
“Me, too.”
Josh nodded. “I thought so. I always thought we’d end up with one of the local women, one that was fully immersed in the lifestyle. I doubt Carrie even has a clue about BDSM.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t. But in time we can introduce her to it.”
“What if she doesn’t respond to it like we do, Jacob? What then?”
“Then it won’t matter to me. I would choose her over the lifestyle any day.”
Josh smiled. “Sounds like you’ve fallen for her completely already.”
“Yeah, I didn’t realize it until I answered your question. What about you?”
“Same answer, though I suspect she has a submissive streak. I believe she would enjoy BDSM as much as we do.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait to find that out. For now, vanilla all the way.”
“Especially tonight. We need to win her, Jacob. I don’t want to lose her.”
“I don’t want that either. Still, I sense there’s more pain underneath her surface than she’s shared with us.”
“More than what she told us about Willie?”
“I think so. What it is, I’m not sure. It’s only a feeling I get. I could be wrong.”
“I’ve learned to trust your feelings,” Josh said. “We just need to wait until she’s ready to tell us everything.”
“I agree.” Jacob placed his hand on Josh’s shoulder. In his terrible childhood days, Josh had been one of the bright lights of hope. Same with Aunt Melissa and Uncle Hiro. Deep down he knew that Carrie still needed light to shine into her darkest places. He wanted to be that light for her, that hope, just like Josh had been for him. “We better head back to town to get ready for our date.”
* * * *
Carrie looked at her reflection in the mirror. The red dress fit her body perfectly. “What do you think of this one?”
Rylie, the sales associate, smiled. “You look stunning.”