It was nice to walk through the front doors of the museum—a small luxury I hadn’t been able to take since the pack of protesters had shown up. I unlocked one of the double doors and held it open for Gemma. She glided past me, just close enough for our body heat to mingle, starting a slow fire that would lead to a roar by the time the night was over.
“Wow!” Gemma breathed, spinning a complete 360 in the foyer. The sun was still out and bathed the museum in soft, natural light through the large paned windows all along the perimeter.
“I always like the way they look in daylight. You know, the way they’d look in a field, ready for takeoff, before an epic battle,” I mused, walking to run my hand over the shiny exterior of a World War Two Japanese Zero that I’d restored six months ago.
“It’s incredible, Aaron. I don’t know where to start,” she replied, her eyes scanning the room hungrily.
“Well then, it’s a good thing I’m the tour guide,” I said, tossing her a wink. I offered her my arm and she looped her arm through it, resting her hand on my forearm.
“A very good thing.”
I led her through the entire place, just as I would any other client, telling her about each plane, answering all of her questions, and then looped back around to show her the virtual reality booths where visitors could pay to fight an air battle taken straight from the history books. The technology was top of the line and incredibly realistic.
“Where did you get these? They’re amazing!” Gemma asked, pausing in the room where the simulators were stationed.
“A buddy of mine developed the technology after he got out of the Air Force. When he was testing it, he spent a lot of time here, taking notes on different planes, and because of all my help, he gave me a screaming deal on installing two of these babies. They became so popular that I had to add two more and I still have a waiting list most days. Each simulation runs for half an hour, some of them longer, and I charge fifteen bucks a pop. They’ve made back their cost tenfold in the last year. People love them.”
“Smart.” Gemma broke away and went to get a closer look. Each seat was a replica of an actual cockpit, with a complete instrument panel, and a large, high-resolution screen hanging in front, which, when in action, would project the images of the flight. She spun around and grinned at me. “Whatcha say, Rosen? You wanna play chicken?”
I laughed. “You sure you’re ready to take on the big boys?”
She nodded enthusiastically, her grin spreading wider.
“Okay. Wanna bet on it?”
“Hmmm. Depends. What’s the wager?”
“Well…we could bet clothing…” I drawled.
“Strip chicken?” She wrinkled her nose.
I roared with laughter at the combination of her expression and the odd title. “Let’s come up with something sexier than that…”
She giggled. “Well…I’m game…whatever you wanna call it.”
“Excellent.” Shivers of anticipation ravaged my body. I couldn’t wait to see that tight little body unwrapped from her clothes. “I’ll fire it up.”
With fumbling fingers, I loaded a scenario on two of the simulators. I got Gemma set up at her screen, even going so far as to lock her into the flight harness as though it were an actual flight. Mostly, it was an excuse to get my fingers on her. She shivered when my fingers ran across her thighs as I hooked the final belt. “You ready?” I asked, my voice low and husky.
“Yes, sir,” she replied, her voice just as throaty.
It took every ounce of self-control not to jump her right there. I pulled away and went back to my simulator, tapped in some controls, and took my own seat. “Okay, there will be a tutorial first, a practice if you will, so that you’ll learn to run the controls, and then it will start the battle.”
“Got it.” I looked over as she braced her hands on the controls and began to read the instructions flashing on the screen.
Within minutes, the battle was on, and the room filled with the realistic booms and pounds of the fight, as well as the curses and cheers from Gemma and me, depending on who was winning.
When it was over, I stared at the screen blankly. She’d won. And not only that, but she’d also kicked my ass.
I untangled myself from the belt and met her at her simulator. She spun her chair around to face me, an ear-to-ear grin lighting up her face in the dimly lit room. “Okay, missy, fess up. You’ve flown before!”
She shrugged innocently. “I may have taken a few lessons…you know…here and there.”
I growled.
She tapped a finger on her lips. “I think the shirt should go first.”
I chuckled. Oh, I was going to make her pay.