Page 6 of Rich & Decadent

“Where are we going?” Imani asked. They came to a crosswalk and he pointed towards a building.

“Over there. That’s the Palace of Fine Arts. I hope you enjoy artsy stuff.” His voice grew gruff. He probably should have asked. Some people didn’t appreciate or enjoy the arts. He had always had a soft spot for historical art stuff. When he was a kid he loved when his school would take them to the art museums. He had made mention once to his father that he liked looking at the old artwork and his father had laughed at him

“Art you say?” Alex had barked a laugh. His blood shot eyes landed on a young Will of nine years old. Will swallowed hard and wished he could take back what he’d said. He’d come home from school excited about their field trip they had gone on. Will backed up as his father stood from his recliner. He should have just gone into the bedroom he’d shared with his younger brother Niko. His heart began to race as he watched his father reach for his belt.

“Um, never mind, Papa,” Will whimpered.

“Those teachers are trying to make a sissy out of my boy,” his father growled. He advanced on Will who had tried to turn and run, but had been too late.

Will blinked back the horrors of his childhood. He didn’t want to go down that road. He and Niko had escaped that life. If it hadn’t been for their love of motorcycles, they might not have made it.

“I’ve heard of that. I’m so excited you brought me here. It was actually on my list of places to try and visit.” Imani smiled. Will relaxed just a little and smiled back. The pedestrian light turned, giving them permission to cross the street.

“Well, if that is the case, let’s go.” Will reached out and took her hand in his. He wasn’t sure why, but he did. He tried to tell himself it was the gentlemanly thing to do while they made their way over to the other side of the street. Imani didn’t pull away from him once they had arrived. They walked down the street toward the entrance of the venue. They would start outside and tour the breathtaking architecture and scenery. “You’re in for a treat.”

This was one of Will’s favorite spots to come and visit. Some days he’d come just to walk around the outside through the trails to take in the magnificent architecture that represented ancient Rome. With the large stone columns and arches built around a stunning lagoon, one could forget they what time period they were in. Will glanced over at Imani again, unable to stop sneaking peeks at her. She met his gaze with a smile and moved closer to him as another couple made their way down the sidewalk toward them.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” she said as they approached the entrance. Her eyes widened as the sight of the first columns came into view. Pure awe and wonder was reflected in her expression. Will remembered what it was like the first time he’dcome here. He had felt the same way. Her lips curved up into a sexy grin as he began to lead her down the first path.

four

Imani lifted her wine and took a sip. This had to be one of the best dates—days—she’d had in a long while.

This is not a date, she reminded herself.

Will had been a complete gentleman the entire time. She had been shocked that he’d taken her to the Palace of Fine Arts. With one glance at him, she wouldn’t have considered him to be an art and history buff. He was actually very knowledgeable of Rome. She had been thoroughly impressed by the history lessons he’d shared with her. He had been her own little tour guide through the exhibit. After they had left the Marina district, they had ridden his bike down to Pier 39, a popular attraction where she was able to snag some cool souvenirs for herself and her parents.

The views of the bay were breathtaking. Her favorite activity had been catching wild seal lions resting and sunbathing on the rocks. Imani had snagged tons of pictures and videos of the beautiful wild creatures.

“Are you sure I didn’t mess up your day?” She turned to Will who was sitting beside her in their booth. She positioned herself where she could see him. Their booth was a half-circle and allowed them to be near each other. This had to be the second or third time she’d asked him this question. He had been patientwith everything she had wanted to do and see. After they’d left the pier, he’d driven them down to a dive bar and grille. From the outside it hadn’t looked like much, but once they went in she could tell it was a local favorite.

He glanced over at her and took a swig from his longneck. She hated to think he might have had something else to do.

“I’m positive. If I would have had something to do, I wouldn’t have offered to chaperone you around the city,” he replied. His warm gaze met hers and she relaxed a little. Their food had recently come out and had confirmed that this was a place Imani would want to visit again. The portions were heaping and piping hot. “Tomorrow I’ll take you over to the bridge.”

Imani stabbed her fork into her chicken parmesan before gathering a little of her alfredo sauce drenched pasta with it. The flavors exploded on her tongue and had her holding back a moan. Chewing bought her a little time in responding to Will's offer to continue to take her around his town. She definitely wouldn’t mind continuing to see him while she was in town. They would have to go in the afternoon after her day at the conference was completed.

“Don’t you have to work?” She arched an eyebrow at him. She didn’t want to seem too enthusiastic about spending another day with him. The attraction between them was there. She could almost put her finger on it.

“Well, you see, when you’re the boss you can work when you want to and leave when you feel like it.” He smirked, leaned back, and rested an arm behind her on the booth. His t-shirt stretched out highlighting his muscular physique. Imani had already had a chance to feel that hard abdomen underneath her touch while on the back of his bike. Her core clenched at the thought of how the rest of him would look and feel—naked.

“Oh, you got it like that,” she chuckled. She quickly took another sip of her wine, needing to wet her suddenly dry throat.“It must be nice. For us regular people who work for someone else, we don’t got it like that.”

“Then you should start your own company.” He shrugged and took another swig of his beer. She rolled her eyes at that notion. She loved her job, but starting a company was not for her. She liked being able to go on vacations and not have to answer a phone. She had a high paying job, and a nice office, but being a boss was not something she wanted to do.

“So tell me all about you,” she said. She realized that all throughout the day she had spoken about herself and her family, but he hadn’t said too much about himself. She was curious. Who was therealWilheim Rusek?

“There’s not much to tell.” He reached for the last of his fries and popped them in his mouth. His entire demeanor changed. The sexy slight grin disappeared and his muscles tightened. Imani grew more curious than ever. He’d gone from laid back and flirty to now almost closed off.

“Did I ask something off limits?”

“There’s just me and my brother.” He flagged down the waitress and motioned for another long neck. Imani took another bite of her food, sensing that he was going to continue. “I started sweeping floors at the bike shop when I was sixteen to save money. I worked a lot of odd jobs, but bikes were my thing. I loved everything from the sound of the engine down to the feel of the oil on my hands. When I was eighteen, I got my own place and made technician at the shop.”

Imani remained quiet and continued working on her food as he went on to tell his story. His gaze grew distant as if he were reliving his past. She wanted to reach out and take his hand in hers. Something about the way he had closed off at the question led her to believe that he hadn’t had the best childhood.

“Niko moved in with me a few years later. He had started coming around the shop too. George taught both of us everything we know from the bikes to business.”

Imani sensed there was more to the story. Two young boys living on their own from a young age confirmed her suspicion about his younger days. She had been lucky to grow up in a loving home.. Looking at where he and his brother were today—they’d come a long way from their tough beginning. She was sure there were so many roads they could have traveled down, but it would appear they had chosen the right path in life.

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