“How about champagne?” I offered.
She smiled and bit her lower lip. Christ, I wanted to kiss her and get her naked just from that. Well that and her simple, yet sexy outfit. A black skirt and a turtleneck have never looked so tantalizing. I especially liked the peeks of skin around her waist and just above her tits.
You’re her boss, showing her the city, I reminded myself. But hell, it might be hard not to touch her.
I reached for the champagne and poured her a glass. It occurred to me then that she’s only nineteen. I wondered about the odds of me getting arrested for serving alcohol to someone underage. She looked young, and yet at the office she proved her intelligence and maturity, so it was hard to remember he was so young.
I handed her a flute half-filled with champagne and then filled my own. I held my glass up. “To my new intern.”
She smiled brightly again, and it was hard to imagine she didn’t have a slew of boyfriends. At the same time, there was an innocence to her. As if she has been sheltered in life and was unworldly.
She sipped and her eyes brightened even more, if that was possible. “Oh, this is so good. It tickles my nose.”
I found myself envying her enthusiasm for life and all there was to discover. Clearly, I was spoiled and jaded. I wanted to give her a night filled with new discoveries.
“Charles, take us to Jet,” I told the driver, who up until that moment was taking us to one of Raven Industries most exclusive restaurants. Instead, I decided to take her to one of our clubs. It served food as well, so we could still eat.
As we wove through the city, I remained amused by her as she continued to discover all the features of the limo. At one point, she held out her glass for more champagne.
“Have you ever drunk before?”
She shook her head. “It’s a sin.”
My brow quirked at that. “Is it?”
She sighed. “Nearly everything that brings joy is a sin.”
“Then I’m going to hell.”
She grinned. She’d been sitting across from me, but moved to sit next to me. The car made an abrupt jerk which had her landing in my lap. Instinct had me wrapping an arm around her to keep her safe. The man in me held her there.
“Oh!” She held her drink out, but a little spilled on the lower part of my slacks. “Oh God, Mr. Raven—”
I groaned at the reminder that I was her boss and older. I helped her move to sit next to me. “How about you call me Chase tonight?”
Her hand was patting at my pant leg. “I’m so sorry.” Her face was completely absent any of the joy I’d seen before. She actually looked a little scared. Like she thought I’d be angry at her spilling on me.
“Hey, Sara.” I reached over with my finger to raise her head to look at me. “It’s fine.”
“I got champagne on you. I was clumsy and stupid—”
“That’s what dry cleaners are for. Accidents happen. Really. It’s okay.” Her reaction seemed over the top and it made me wonder about her history.
She was somber as she sat next to me and sipped the rest of her drink.
We pulled up to the club, and I hoped to bring back the exuberance I’d seen earlier. I helped her out of the car and lead her to the door. There was already a line outside, but as a part of the one of the owners, I didn’t have to wait.
“Mr. Raven,” one of the bouncers and card checkers asked.
I supposed he didn’t ask for Sara’s ID because she was with me. “Kyle, how are you?”
“Very good, sir,” he said letting us in.
The music was loud and lights were flashing all around. I took Sara’s hand to keep from losing her as we worked through the crowd over to a secluded table reserved just for special guests. The booth was separated by glass barriers to help cut down on the noise from the club.
Jet was the brain-child and pet project of my brother, Ash and his childhood buddy, Ben McAdams. Initially, they’d wanted to start and run it on their own, but a club like this needed money, especially since Ash needed financing to create the club’s most well-known effect, holographic dancers. Raven Industries funded the club, but left the running of it primarily to Ash and Ben. As the company has taken on more clubs, Ash has been in charge of their oversight as well.
I helped Sara into the booth and by the time I joined her and could look to see how she was doing, her smile had returned and her eyes were large as they scanned the club.
“Mr. Raven. What can I get you?” a waitress named Darla asked.