He nods.
“Yeah, we did some similar stuff for amusement parks, so we want to see if we can expand to county fairs. Why not? But the trick is making the apps easy to set up and take down. A lot of amusement parks have an IT team, but county fairs? Not so much.”
“You’ll figure it out,” I say reassuringly.
“I hope so. Listen, why don’t you hit me up? We could work on an app for Keystone together.”
Dom hands me a business card and I pocket it, nodding. There are a few things we could probably use him for, so I’ll have my tech guys get in touch with Dom.
“That sounds great. It was nice seeing you.”
“You, too. Take care, and enjoy your day.”
“Try not to work the whole time!” I add ruefully.
Dom laughs, flashing bright white teeth. “You know that’s not possible. Work calls, and I answer.”
I do know. It’s hard for me not to turn on my phone right now, and my finger literally twitches a bit by my side. But I don’t want to risk getting pulled into some work issue that’ll keep me from seeing Pepper.
Suddenly, a gentle voice interrupts my thoughts.
“Travis?” Pepper asks. “Hi!”
The curvy girl is ten minutes early and looks fabulous. She’s wearing another mini skirt that leaves little to the imagination while highlighting those long legs. Her top shows off her generous cleavage, and I’m tempted to drag her into a nearby booth and have my way with her, but I won’t. Today is about getting to know each other’s personalities, and I want to keep it that way to show that I honor her as a person, not merely as a sex partner.
Besides, she’s already on my good side. I like punctuality in a woman and it drives me nuts when my dates are always late.
“Hi, Pepper,” I greet. I hug her quickly and harden at the feel of those big breasts against my chest. She does this to me without even trying.
“So how have you been?” I ask.
She giggles.
“Good. You?”
I grin.
“I’ve been re-living our interlude in the barn every night, sweetheart. That was the highlight of my year.”
She giggles.
“I know, me too! It was so wrong! In front of Big Black too. I bet he was scandalized.”
I chuckle.
“That horse certainly got an eyeful, that’s for sure.” Then, I decide to change the subject to something entirely PG instead of X-rated. “So how was your week?” I ask.
She smiles.
“It was fine. I didn’t do much. My friend and I lounged by the pool a bit and Leslie actually wanted to tag along today, but she had to work.”
I smile.
“That’s good because I want more time with you, sweetheart, without the distraction of a group thing. No offense to your friend or anything.”
She giggles.
“No offense taken. Shall we look around the fair a bit?”
I nod, hold out my hand, and Pepper takes it without hesitation. Her small palm slips into mine so easily, and it feels one hundred percent natural. Slowly, I lead her away from the rides and towards the craft booths. There are all sorts of craft-y things including homemade wreaths, pumpkin ceramics, and even some quilts. The colors are fabulous and I smile.
“My mom loves this part of fairs. She can never leave without buying a few things to add to my parents’ house.”
“Do they live in Kansas?” Pepper asks.
I shake my head. “They used to, but they retired to Florida a few years ago. Still, my parents have managed to fill their brand-new house with all sorts of knickknacks in a very short time.”
Pepper sighs.
“OMG that sounds nice. I’ve never been to the beach before and I bet Florida is beautiful with the ocean and sand. That’s one of the downsides of living in the middle of the country. It’s too far to the nearest beach, and my parents hate traveling.”
I shoot her a sideways look.
“You could always go someday. Make a vacation out of it.”
She smiles gently, enjoying the sunshine on her skin. “Yeah, maybe. I’d like to see the ocean at some point in my life, and maybe some coral reefs and fish too. Of course, I don’t think I’d ever move out of Kansas since I love it here, but a vacation wouldn’t be so bad.”
I want to say I’ll take her. I’ll help her put stamps in her passport, and even squire her to the North Pole if that’s what she wants, but it’s way too early for that. After all, we’ve only known each other a week and I don’t want to scare her away by being too forward.
“Do you have any siblings?” I ask. She smiles.
“No. The closest thing I have is Leslie, my best friend, and we basically grew up together. How about you?”
I nod.
“I have a younger sister, Carol. She’s a veterinarian.”