no control

• forty four •

gladys

I didn't realize we were already outside until Elijah firmly stopped me on the curb. He reached around to open the car door.

My focus was so scattered from all the sexual tension and desire that I failed to take in the vehicle.

Only as I gathered my dress to slide through the door did I notice the vehicle's shape was strange—unusually long and polished perfectly.

My hands flew to my mouth. "A limo?" I gasped, eyes flying to Elijah's smug expression.

"Only the best for my angel," he said.

My face scrunched in what I knew was about to be an all-out ugly cry. I'd never been in a limo. Hell, I'd never even been in the general vicinity of one.

Sniffling, I ducked my head and slipped into the back of the limo. The interior was all black leather. A disco ball spun from the ceiling and some kind of upbeat jazz blared through the speakers.

I settled onto a seat with a big smile. Across from my legs was a silver bucket nestled into the back of the seat. I reached over to pull a bottle of champagne from the ice.

"Didn't take you long to find that, did it?"

I smirked and worked on removing the foil from the cork. "You let me have champagne last time," I reminded him.

"That was a social event."

He took the bottle from my hands and twisted the cork off in one deft motion. It popped loudly, causing me to jump in my seat.

Elijah flashed an unrepentant smirk at my shaken expression.

"This is a social event. It's a—um, you know . . ." My gaze narrowed on him. "Actually, what is this? Is this a date?"

Elijah shrugged and poured the bubbly pink liquid into two flutes.

I tried not to look too excited as I accepted one of the flutes and admired the alcohol inside. I mean—pink champagne? Pretty fucking cool if you ask me.

"You can consider it a date," he finally said.

"What do you consider it?"

He smiled a bit but turned his face away. "We won't be riding in a limo for every date."

I rolled my eyes, snorting. "Well, I dunno. You've gone and set my standards high now." I lifted my flute and added, "Thank you for my pink champagne, by the way. Who wants boring normal champagne when you can have pink?"

"You really like it," he chuckled.

I shrugged and sipped on my sweet beverage.

His hand claimed my thigh where the dress skirt split around my freckled flesh, his touch warm and rough.

I shivered.

"So." I cleared my throat, running my eyes over his sexy tuxedo. "Can I at least know if there will be other people involved?"

He choked on his champagne. "There will never be other people involved, angel."