Page 29 of She is Mine

My Hot Ride

AN OLDER MAN YOUNGER WOMAN ROMANCE

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SHORT STORIES, 5

FLORA FERRARI

My Hot Ride

Taylor

I wasn’t expecting my dad’s best friend to be my ride from the airport. Now I’m going to have to spend an hour alone with the man I’ve always dreamed would take my virginity...

Ryker

She’s a woman now, and I’m spending the next hour of my life alone with her. How am I supposed to resist the woman I’ve wanted for the past three years?

*insta-everything standalone with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.

Chapter One

Taylor

I feel restless as the plane makes its descent, letting me know that I’m about to arrive at John F Kennedy International Airport. It’s always been my dream to come here and interview for jobs in the city, but now that it’s about to happen, I feel like a bundle of nerves. Even coming from a city like LA, I feel like I’m going to be out of my depth.

Still, at least my dad has organized to meet me here. He’s been working in New York City ever since I was a kid. It’s part of the reason I’ve always wanted to work here - to be closer to him. I’ve always been close with my dad, despite all the time he spent away from us when I was younger. Now, I’m finally going to get the chance to come to New York and be around him more.

And there’s more I want from this city, too. I guess I’m looking for something more. Only one man has ever set my heart beating faster, and he’s the one man I can never have. I guess I’m just hoping that someone will make me feel the way I feel for him again, though I’m not hopeful. From the moment I fell for the man of my dreams, I knew that my life would never be the same again. A love like this can’t even be replaced…

But it has to be. Because he’s my dad’s best friend.

I close my eyes for a moment and think of him. I can see him so clearly in my head, just how he was the last time I saw him. It was at my dad’s birthday dinner three years ago. His jaw was strong, his dark hair pristine and his dark eyes fixated on me. I shudder as I remember how it felt to have him watching me like that.

I knew Ryker was the one then. I knew from the way my heart rate sped up and my every thought became consumed by him. I haven’t stopped thinking about him since. But of course, nothing came of our glances at one another across the table. Of course, we left the dinner table without even saying goodbye to one another properly, going back to our ordinary lives without one another. And of course, he probably hasn’t thought about it since. Why would he? A man like him could have anyone, why would he pick his best friend’s daughter, someone half his age, someone with absolutely no experience.

As the plane lands, I shake off my ridiculous thoughts. Yes, some part of me was hoping to run into him while I was in the city. I know he lives here too because he and my father aren’t just friends, but business partners. But did I really think that fate would bring us together in a city this big? Did I really dare to dream that even if he and I came across one another that he’d suddenly fall for me and we’d live happily ever after?

I really do live in a dream world.

As everyone gets off the plane, I wait behind, not in any particular hurry. My interview isn’t until this afternoon and my dad is picking me up to drive me there. I switch on my phone, trying to distract myself from thoughts of Ryker.

As my phone blinks to life, I see that I have a message. It’s from my dad. Frowning, I open it and read what it says.

Hi, pumpkin. I’m really sorry, but I won’t be able to take you to your interview. Something urgent has come up at work. But don’t worry, I’ve sent a friend of mine to come and pick you up.

My heart goes into overdrive. A friend? Couldn’t he be more specific? Is it Ryker? I can barely breathe. If I’m going to be driving for an hour into the city with Ryker, then this day has taken on a new meaning entirely. If I spend an hour alone with Ryker, there’s no telling what I’ll do. I don’t think I’ll be able to control my feelings for him.

This is ridiculous. I haven’t seen him in three years. He probably barely even remembers me. I came here for a fresh start, not to give in to these feelings that have been plaguing me all day every day for three years. I shouldn’t be entertaining the idea of what I’d do if I was given an hour alone with my father’s best friend.

But I can’t help myself.

I finally get off the plane, feeling my legs wobbling as I walk. I text dad back, hoping he’ll give me more information about who is picking me up, but I guess he’s in a meeting because he doesn’t respond. I move through the airport in a daze, trying to figure out how to respond to whatever comes my way. If it’s Ryker, I need to control myself. If it’s anyone else, I have to try and be grateful and hide my disappointment. But every part of me is hoping it will be Ryker. Every single part of me wants it to be him waiting for me and for this day to take a turn for the better.

I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

Ryker