She has tickets for us to go to Santa Barbara? What the fuck?
We had a few minutes before boarding and decided to retreat to a restaurant to have another drink before ascending in the air. I couldn’t resist, I had to ask, “Rayna…baby, where are we going?”
She laughed and with a bright smile she answered, “To dinner,” as if it were no big deal.
“Shit. There are hundreds of restaurants near this airport. Why would we need to board a plane to get to one?”
“Because I want to experience something new with you. It’s my way of making amends. Just relax. I’ll have you back in town before the night’s end.” Through a warm and seductive smile she assured me.
Against my comfort level, I went with the flow. In a short time we boarded the plane and in forty-five minutes, we were in Santa Barbara. There was a car waiting for us. We took a ten-minute ride to a colossal sized ranch. The sun had begun to retire as we were seated in an outdoor dining area overlooking splendid nature. A beautiful view of the terrain was at our feet. The balcony where we sat was covered in cobblestone. And there was soft music playing, blending perfectly well with the backdrop as we sat in the open air. There were only a few other patrons there. You could tell this was somewhat exclusive. It was nice…real nice. Her game was tight.
The waiter approached our table, and after introducing himself and informing us of the specials, he asked, “May I start you off with something to drink?” Before I could answer, Rayna ordered me another glass of brandy and a cocktail for herself. I felt cared for. I raised my brows in pleasant surprise.
“Hahaha! You like that, huhn?” she asked in a boastful manner. “I didn’t want to get you Patron Silver after you’ve had brandy. I’m not trying to get you sick and take advantage of you,” she teased.
As I brushed my hands in my lap I replied, “Oh, no, don’t do that.”
We both laughed. I could see her breasts shake through her halter top.
“So, what have you been up to during our hiatus?” she asked in an attempt to start a conversation.
“You know me: work, work and more work. Same shit new day. How about yourself?” I wanted to get into her head. I was still off kilter with this date we were on.
“Ummmm…I’ve been dancing, working, helping Michelle out with Erin.” She took a swig of her drink and I took note of her slanted eyes gazing upon me.
“Yeah, I’ve noticed you helping Michelle out a lot. Is everything okay?” Michelle didn’t look too well at my birthday party.
“Well, yes and no,” she replied before taking another sip of her Cosmo. “Michelle has breast cancer that has advanced to stage three. She’s been undergoing a much more aggressive form of chemotherapy. It’s depleting her energy and that has no competition for a toddler. So she needs all the help she can get,” Rayna shared.
“Oh, wow. I’m sorry to hear this. It’s fucked up…pardon my French. I didn’t know you had so much on your plate.” I was short of words and didn’t know where to go from there.
Rayna chimed in with, “There’s a lot that you don’t know about me, Azmir. Much of this is because I am not an open book. I have…major trust issues and it’s been a huge handicap for me over the years. But I’ve been able to skate passed it until now,” she disclosed.
I kept quiet to hear what she was trying to get out. It seemed a little painful for her but she was trying to get something off her chest and I was all ears. I stapled my eyes to hers agreeing to listen to whatever she was prepared to share.