Chapter 5

During a gap between clients the next day, I perched on the edge of Amantha's desk.

“Hey, sugar tits.”

“Hey, salty balls.” She looked away from her computer monitor, her hazel gaze settling on mine.

I smiled and raked my teeth over my bottom lip. I liked our banter. This friendship thing was nice. Maybe it would work out.

“Busy today?”

She nodded. “Absolutely. Phones are ringing off the hook, and a ton of mobile requests came in. The advertising push really brought in customers. You guys are booked solid for the next two months.”

“Good.” I grinned and nodded. “Guaranteed jumps for the next two months. I like it.”

Amantha smiled softly and shook her head. “Thrill seeker.”

I winked. “Don't act like that's a bad thing.”

She said, “I would never yuck someone's yum.”

A small smile turned up the corners of my lips. “You're definitely a romance reader.”

She shrugged and said, “Don't act like that's a bad thing.”

I smirked, using her own words on her like she did to me. “I would never yuck someone's yum.”

A smile touched her lips.

She looked beautiful. Her pink hair framed her face and her blue blouse hugged her.

Automatically, my hand reached out and cupped her jaw. My thumb brushed over her bottom lip.

“Zion,” she warned.

Realizing what I'd done, I quickly pulled my hand away. “Sorry.”

She smiled at me sadly. “It's okay.”

I cleared my throat. “How was your date last night?”

Her eyebrows creased. “Date?”

“Yeah. You had somewhere to go after work. I thought it was a date.”

Understanding crossed her face. “No date. How was dinner?”

I frowned. “Dinner was good. It would have been better if you were there. Where did you go?”

She shook her head and gave me a look that feigned innocence. “I have to keep a little mystery. Can't have you getting bored.”

Bored? The thought never occurred to me. “Impossible, Ms. ... I don't know your last name.” I laughed.

“It’s...” A devious smile spread over her lips. “I ought to make you guess. Like the Queen had to do in Rumpelstiltskin.”

I laughed. “I could ask Joey, you know.”

“But where's the fun in that?”

I made an affirming hum in my throat. “What do I get if I win?”

“What do you want?”

What did I want? Hmm. Almost immediately, I knew.

“Skydive with me.”

Her eyes widened. “I don't know how to skydive.”

“That's okay. You can't jump alone at first, anyway, so it would be a tandem dive. You'd be strapped to me.” I bit my lip and trailed my eyes down her torso. I liked that idea.

“If you win,” she said.

“When I win,” I corrected with a smile.

“What about if I win?”

“What do you want?”

She pursed her lips in thought, then a beautiful smile broke across her face.

“If I win, you can't skydive for one full work week. You have to sit here with me and answer the phone. With an accent. You work, what? Three days? So for three days. No adrenaline rush.”

That little demon. That would be torture for me. Evil.

Whatever. It didn't matter how evil her “punishment” was. It didn't matter because I was going to win.

“How long do I have to guess this name?”

She thought for a moment. “Today's what, Wednesday? I’ll give you two weeks. That's six work days for you. So not next Wednesday, but the end of the workday the Wednesday after that.”

“You're on.”

Her eyes flashed devilishly. “Good. The bet starts now.”

“Good. Johnson?”

“Nope.”

“Miller?”

“No.”

“Peters?”

“No.”

I continued to guess, receiving no after no. Eventually, Amantha started working on a spreadsheet while I guessed, answering me absentmindedly.

When the next set of customers came in, I stood from her desk. “Be ready to lose when I come back,” I warned.

She smiled. “Good luck.”

I mock saluted her and walked to the hangar. I didn't want to admit it, but I was running out of names. Pretty soon I'd have to turn to the internet.