“Perfect. I imagine this will take about an hour, but I'll call you when we're done,” Marco said, before turning to face Sabrina. “Are you ready, Sabrina?”
She looked over and shrugged. “I don't really know where we are or what we're doing, so I'm not sure how to answer that.”
“You just need to trust me,” Marco said, hopping out of the back seat of the cab. When he got to Sabrina's side, he opened the door for her and took her hand to help her out. “It's a surprise. But I do believe that you're going to love it.”
A rush of energy surged through him as he admired Sabrina in her yellow summer dress. The thin material clung tightly to her, accentuating her womanly curves. His eyes were drawn to her hips and then back up to her supple breasts. He looked quickly, trying to make it seem more like a natural glance than a sexual stare. He didn't want her to think of him as some kind of sex-crazed man, but he was having a difficult time keeping his desires in check, especially after the amazingly passionate kiss that they had shared in the alley way just hours before.
The driver left, and the two of them stepped onto the sidewalk. Marco looked around and then pulled out his phone to double check the address.
“I believe it's around the corner,” he said.
Marco was surprised at how quiet the little neighborhood was. They were in lower Manhattan, in an area called 'Greenwich Village.' It wasn't how he had imagined it would be, though. It was calm and peaceful, with very little foot traffic and just the occasional lonely car driving down the road next to them. It was quite a bit different than the other areas of New York that he had seen up to that point.
“So, can I get a hint as to where you're taking me?” Sabrina walked alongside him as she spoke.
Marco broke his gaze from his phone and looked at her.
“I can give you a hint, but I'm afraid if I do, you won't want to accompany me,” he said.
She stopped in her tracks. “Marco, I thought you said I was going to love it.”
“You will.” Marco insisted. “Once we get there, you'll love it. But if I inform you as to what it is, you might overthink it and not want to go.”
Sabrina looked at him suspiciously. “How about a hint then?”
“It's a tour,” he said, taking a few steps forward in an effort to encourage her to do the same. “Please trust me, okay?”
“Okay, I'll trust you,” she said, following Marco once again.
They walked around the corner and toward a small group of people who were gathered in front of one of the old apartment buildings. There were maybe five or six strangers, but they all had their cameras out and were snapping pictures of the building in front of them. Marco knew he was at the right place.
I sure hope she enjoys this, he thought. If she doesn't, I suppose we could always try to find something else to do in the neighborhood.
The two approached the group. Marco cleared his throat as they got close.
“Excuse me, are all of you here for the tour?” Marco asked. “I'm sorry to interrupt, I just need to confirm that I'm in the correct place.”
“Indeed,” a tall man in a black t-shirt responded, stepping out of the group and extending a hand toward Marco. “I'm James. I'll be leading you on the ghost tour. And you're just in time. We were about to head inside.”
“Ghost tour?” Sabrina looked at Marco, her eyes widening.
Marco shrugged. “Now do you understand why I couldn't tell you?”
“Ghost tour, really?” Sabrina repeated.
“You're right, it's a silly idea,” Marco said. “We should go find something else to do.”
“What? No, Marco. This is an incredible idea!” she said, her lips curling up into an excited smile. “Honestly, I've always wanted to do one of these kinds of tours. This just wasn't what I was expecting. Seriously, though, I love it.”
“Are you certain?” he asked. “You don't have to agree to it just because it's something I want to do. There are plenty of other things we can do today that would be fun as well.”
“Yes, I'm completely sure,” she said, her face beaming with joy. “This is going to be amazing.”
It delighted Marco to see her happy and he was so glad that he had made the decision to buy tickets for the tour.
This is going to be good, he thought.
James, the tour guide, was still standing in front of them. “If you guys are ready to go, let's get started.”