Less than a week later, Bradley Allen was no longer President of the United States. The accusations shouted by the now former First Lady live on the air were broadcast to the entire world, and there was no way to recover from that. In one fell swoop she had told the entire planet that her bible thumping husband was having an affair, with a man, who was attempting to murder her, and that their marriage was a sham. During the preliminary investigation, Doctor Murray sang like a canary, telling the Feds everything that had been going on and Allen’s plan to have his wife die tragically from an illness, thus garnering him a second term out of sympathy.

I had miscalculated slightly, however. When I had secretly eliminated the poisonous substance from Pamela’s body, I removed the most obvious evidence against the plot. Had the good doctor not rolled over as easily as he had, or still had a vial of the poison on him, things might have gone differently, but I doubted it. Allen had gotten himself elected by touting the bible and claiming that he’d bring God’s country back to the top of the world again. Finding out he was cheating on his fake wife with a man would’ve destroyed his credibility anyway. So he was gone, and Pamela Allen was now back to calling herself Pamela Ward.

Before I had left the White House that day, Pam had taken the opportunity to thank me, and asked if there was anything she could do to pay me back for saving her life. I had told her that I needed no payment for that, but I may need to ask her for a favor in the future. She gave me a business card and told me to contact her there anytime, the information on there was still good. Clearly she had planned on bailing on Brad eventually and had maintained a backup plan. Someone who planned ahead. I could use someone like that.

During that week, I paid a much quieter visit to Russia, where the president there assured me that arrangements were being made for his withdrawal from the seat of power. He’d watched the events in Washington D.C. and wanted no part of that. After that I popped on down to Riyadh. The king had also seen a recording of the events. He was quick to assure me that everything was moving according to plan, and that he and his family would be gone by the specified date. I told him I’d be keeping an eye on him.

Which brings us to today. I was currently engaging in a little afternoon delight with Hannah, because who wouldn’t want a piece of this every chance they got? She was a woman who had no leash on her passion, giving just as hard as she was taking. I’m not sure if was a unique talent of hers or a quirk of her species, but the things she could do to my member while it was buried deep within her were like no experience that could ever be duplicated on Earth. Su was amazing because she had more experience than anyone alive. Hannah was amazing because she had abilities no one on Earth could even fathom. Partially because of this I decided that she was definitely part of my inner circle. We’d taken the time to get to know each other a bit in the last week in between bouts in bed.

Hannah wasn’t her birth name, naturally. You wouldn’t expect anyone from a region near Barnard’s Loop to have such a human name. Apparently, her race, the Dalayins, has a tradition of adopting names more regionally appropriate when they travel. Only those of their family know their birth names and revealing their birth name outside of that tightknit group was only reserved for their intended mate. Dalayins seemed to fuck whoever they wanted until it was time to settle down. After that all of their devotion was centered on the new family unit they wanted to create. They weren’t loyal to one person specifically, but to those they chose to form an emotional bond with, which was their version of marriage. Hannah was already emotionally bonded with Su and seemed to have intentions on adding me as well. I wasn’t opposed to the idea, but when it came to thinking about any kind of marriage, I was still a little stunted from my divorce. As long as I continued to think of all this as just a bit of fun, I was fine. It was when I started to think about feeling more, especially with Su, who’d been a regular companion for months, that I felt a little panicked. Considering our exceptionally long lives, I knew there was no reason to rush anything, but my little bronze vixen here may force my hand far sooner than I had intended.

I remember thinking she looked about 20 when I first saw her outside the ballroom a week ago, and it turns out that I wasn’t too far off the mark. For her race, she was the equivalent of that age, being only 200 of their expected thousand year lifespan. Her family had hoped that she’d settle down before reaching 300, but still wanted her to spread her wings a bit. They’d arranged for her to work under a notable Agneles in a remote part of the galaxy to both protect her from the hustle of the more populated regions, where she’d likely be chosen as a wife by some high ranking official just looking for eye candy, and to discourage her from wanting to explore and not come home. Apparently, Earth was the equivalent of being posted in North Alaska during the winter. They wanted her to be so bored that she begged them to let her come home at the end of her hundred year contract. She was only halfway through it, however, and had already found a wife and now had her sights set on a god. Something tells me their plan backfired in a big way.

We collapsed in a heap on the bed, breathing heavily. I generally had a wealth of stamina at my disposal, but this girl could push me to my limits, seeming to suck the very life from me. I gave as good as I got though, and soon the rhythm of her breathing steadied as she fell asleep. I got out of bed and took a shower, relaxing under the pounding hot water and getting lost in my thoughts.

When I got out a little while later, Rhia was waiting for me.

“Enjoying your afternoon?” she asked, glancing over at the bed where Hannah was still sprawled out, snoring softly. She’d apparently kicked the sheets off her and was now visible for all the world to see. Just as well that we were on the moon, I guess.

“Very much so,” I said, admiring the bronze hills and valleys on display. Rhia grimaced, then rolled her eyes.

“Come on, lover boy. We’ve got an appointment, remember?”

I hadn’t forgotten at all. When you’ve got that Dalayin wrapped around you, however, you just don’t care. The entire world could go up in a fiery inferno and it wouldn’t matter at all. It’s an addiction, really. One I had no intention of ever seeking counseling for.

Nevertheless, Rhia was right. I had a schedule to maintain, however flexible it was. President Wang was waiting for us, and I had no intention of leaving her hanging. I snapped into my business attire. I didn’t have to snap, obviously, but I liked to. It was part of my showmanship mentality. Rhia was, as always, wearing her business woman outfit. Come to think of it, I’d never seen her wear anything else. Always the height of professionalism, that one.

We appeared in Shu’s office precisely at the scheduled time. We did that out of respect for her busy schedule. As we had previously arranged, she had a state run news crew with her. We settled down for a discussion of my plans, and what she could do to assist, all recorded for posterity. A lot of what we discussed was the peeling back of generations’ worth of restrictions placed on the Chinese people by previous committees and presidents seeking to solidify their hold on the population. China was essentially a capitalist country these days in everything but name and a few practices kept around by paranoid party members. The birth restrictions put in place to control the population growth were abolished. Website restrictions were lifted, allowing for more freedom of expression by the citizens and granting them a far broader sense of the world.

In the space of an hour, plans were made for the dismantling of the Great Firewall of China, and the eventual result would be the fall of the communist regime. In the next few years, the People’s Republic of China would cease to exist, and the United Provinces of China would be born. The newly formed democracy would then form lasting partnerships with its surrounding nations, to include Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Russia, Mongolia, and Korea, equaling and then surpassing the United States in terms of influence on the world. They even gave up their claim on Taiwan, recognizing it as its own nation, and entered into trade deals with them. The East Asian Alliance, as it came to be called, soon led the world in technological research and clean energy development. This was all still years to come in the future, however.

After we said our goodbyes we zipped over to Chicago to pay a visit to my third favorite lady from the night of the dinner party, after Hannah and Shu. Ms. Nelson’s secretary nearly jumped out of her skin when Rhia and I popped into existence right in front of her desk. Probably should’ve at least called ahead and warned the poor lady, I thought. Rhia agreed with a small grunt next to me before walking over to soothe the secretary.

“We’re terribly sorry about that Mrs. Wilson. Are you alright? My Lord tends to act without thinking sometimes… all the time, really.”

“Hey!” I protested. “Not all the time!”

Rhia ignored me, continuing to calm the poor woman down. I could see a faint glow coming from Rhia’s hand that was rubbing Mrs. Wilson’s back. Whatever she was doing, it was working. Mrs. Wilson seemed recovered, then gave her a sheepish smile before adopting a more professional demeanor directed at me.

“I’m terribly sorry about that, Mr. Zekken. You caught me completely off guard. No one’s ever just appeared out of thin air like that before, and few people show up without an appointment.” I could hear a faint touch of disapproval in her last statement. Great, first Rhia bad mouths me to the secretary, and now I’m getting lectured? Did everyone forget I’m a friggin’ god?

“Ah! Big Z! You decided to stop by? Wish you would have called first. I could’ve set something up, like lunch or a tour.” Yep, apparently everyone forgot I was a god. I turned and smiled at Linda as she was entering the outer office and heading towards hers.

“Linda! Sorry for dropping in like this. We were just-”

“Scaring the shit out of my executive assistant. I see that.”

Mrs. Wilson grabbed some papers off her desk and followed the still moving Linda into her office, motioning Rhia and I to follow. She gestured us to a couple seats by Linda’s massive paper strewn desk and then started handing her even more papers, telling her about missed calls and reminding her of her scheduled appointments. She then turned to us and told us we had ten minutes before a scheduled conference call and left, closing the office doors behind her.

I turned to Linda after her secretary, I mean executive assistant, left. “She does know I’m a god, right?”

Linda chuckled. “I don’t think there’s anyone on the planet that doesn’t know. She just doesn’t care. Schedules and appointments are her religion. Lucifer himself could walk through her door smelling of brimstone and death and she’d still ask if he had an appointment. Anyway, what can I do for you? You really did come at an inconvenient time.”

“And here I thought my status as the most powerful person on the planet would count for something,” I sulked. Rhia rolled her eyes.

“Not in the business world. That panty dropping smile of yours won’t get many CEOs’ attention unless there’s a payday that comes with it.”

“How about yours?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Oh, you’ve already got my attention, since the lawyers are starting to hammer out the details for the payday you helped set up with Japan. Once that’s complete, we can discuss the effects of that smile in more detail.” Her eyes sparkled briefly before Rhia cleared her throat. Linda must have seen something in Rhia’s expression that I missed, for she was suddenly all business. “So, what brings you here today. Nothing urgent I hope?”

I shook my head. “Nothing like that. We were just in the neighborhood and wanted to see how things were going. I may have a soft spot for HorizonTech these days after the support I was given the other night.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re just after my Company, and not my company?” I could actually hear the capitalization in her words.

I was about to eagerly take the bait, but Rhia cleared her throat again, this time standing up as she did so.

“I believe we’ve taken up enough of Ms. Nelson’s time, My Lord. Perhaps we should get a move on, so she can get ready for her call?”

Linda checked her watch and sighed in agreement. “Unfortunately, she’s right. Shame. You know, I did say I owed you the other night. Are you busy later? It may not be as life changing as what we had at your place, but I do hold a standing reservation at a nearby five star. I’d be delighted if you would join me.”

Before I could answer, Rhia did it for me. “I’m afraid he’s got plans for this evening.”

“I do?” I asked, not quite able to hide my surprise.

“You do. I apologize, but I’m afraid Ms. Nelson will have to take a raincheck,” she answered, not looking at all apologetic.

A small smile ghosted Linda’s lips as she met eyes with Rhia. I suddenly felt the hair on the back of my neck raise up. “I guess it can’t be helped then. Hopefully his other plans are as enjoyable as what he’s going to be missing.”

“I’m sure there’ll be no comparison. He’s been eagerly awaiting this night for months, and I’m sure he won’t be the least bit disappointed.”

I wasn’t so stupid as to not understand exactly what was happening here. I’d suspected Rhia’s feelings for a while now but was keeping my distance out of respect for her, since she was clearly feeling conflicted about them. Linda, apparently, had managed to push just the right combination of buttons, and now I was watching a faceoff that could end in more blood than the Stanley Cup Final. To my mind, the more the merrier, and Rhia was perfectly aware of my nightly (and daily) activities with Su and Hannah, so that obviously wasn’t the issue for her. What I was witnessing was Rhia establishing her place in the pecking order, and making sure Linda knew it too. Being a god was supposed to come with infinite wisdom, but this bit I learned back when I was a normal human: never stick your nose in the middle of a catfight. I wandered over to the massive windows in the office and stared out at the Chicago skyline until I felt a pull on my elbow.

“It’s time to leave, My Lord,” said Rhia defiantly, although not quite meeting my eyes.

I nodded, then turned to Linda, who had a smirk painted on her face. “A raincheck, then?”

“A raincheck,” she nodded. “Please enjoy yourself this evening. I do hope it’s everything you’ve been hoping for.”

I gave a nod and smiled. “As do I. Please, have a good day.” I glanced at Rhia, who was still avoiding my eyes, and then popped us back to my room on the moon.

Rhia started to walk off, but I called out to her before she got too far.

“So… what plans did I have tonight?”

Her back was still to me, but it looked like she had taken a couple deep breaths. She then turned around and looked me square in the eye.

“You’re taking me out on a date.”

*

I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I went out on a date. Probably when I first started dating my ex-wife. Money was tight for me back then, so it was just fast food and a movie. A bad movie, as it turned out, but she wanted to see it, and I was just hoping for a piece of ass at the end of the night. I didn’t get any, but I did get a text message from her the next day saying she had fun and wanted to go out again sometime, so I chalked that up to a win. Whatever happened later in the relationship, it had a successful beginning, so there was no point in altering our history to reflect the outcome. That was many years ago, however, and I’ve been out of the loop since then. After the divorce it was just finding one night love under neon lights at a bar or hooking up with friends of friends. After the Event it’s been Su and Hannah keeping me too distracted physically for me to even think about anything emotionally. Rhia was on a different level though.

She had also compounded the difficulty level for me by demanding it be “an earthling date,” whatever the hell that meant. Somehow, I doubted my previous “Wendy’s and a disaster movie” tactic would work. I supposed I could do the fancy dinner and a romantic stroll thing, but that just didn’t seem like enough. As I was pondering all this, I climbed into the shower. It wasn’t necessary, but it helped me think, and who didn’t shower before a date?

“My, you’re really putting some thought into this, aren’t you?”

I jumped and spun around to face Su, her flawless blue body on display as she soaked in the hot water pouring down. I never even noticed her climb in with me.

“I am,” I nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a date, and I’m not sure how to set the mood properly for her. She’s always so proper and professional.”

Su smiled as she pressed her body up against mine. “I wouldn’t bring up the ‘long time since you’ve had a date’ part, if I were you. It may have been a few years for you, but it’s been centuries for her. The last man she showed interest in never returned her feelings, and she’s only now accepting her feelings for you.”

“Way to pile on the pressure,” I groaned.

She giggled. “Stop overthinking it, My Lord. You’re acting like you have to convince her that you’re worth the effort. She’s already decided that after watching over you for the last half a year, and you’ve done an amazing job. She’d been pining over Inton for a couple hundred years before The Event, ever hopeful that he’d come around, but knowing he never saw her that way. You managed to help her get over that feeling. She still misses him deeply, but she also knows that everything he wouldn’t give her you can. So quit stressing about it so much. You’re gonna get the girl, hero. Just go out and have fun.”

I looked at Su with a new-found respect. I shouldn’t have been surprised that someone as long lived as her had such a deep understanding of emotions, but I’d fallen into the trap of seeing her as more of a playmate than anything. That was something I was going to rectify. Physical intimacy was a good thing, hell, it was great, especially with her and Hannah, but it wasn’t everything. I needed to appreciate these girls on a deeper level. Of course, I thought as I grabbed a firm handful of her ass, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to miss an opportunity when it presents itself.

Or was I? Su pulled my hand away, looking up at me regretfully.

“Not today, stud. I’m not going to take away from Rhia’s night. You’re going to give her all of your attention. She deserves it. Although,” she continued, with a mock pouting face, “this means I lose my number one spot in bedroom hierarchy. Can’t be helped though. Come on, keep scrubbing. I’ll tell you her key spots, so you can drive her wild later on. We’ve known each other a long time now, and I’ve explored every inch of that fine body of hers when she got lonely or frustrated.”

After Su helped me clean up and had verbally drawn me a map of Rhia, we exited the bathroom to find the woman in question waiting for us, with a raised eyebrow and a tapping foot, arms crossed. Su quickly made her way over to her side.

“Relax. Nothing happened. I was just giving him a pep talk. Our poor Lord was worrying himself to death. Let’s talk about this outfit, though. Is this really what you’re going to wear on your first date in centuries?”

Su was disdainfully picking at Rhia’s business attire while Rhia blushed.

“I- I didn’t know what to wear. I don’t know what we’ll be doing.”

A problem just occurred to me, and I wasted no time in voicing my concerns.

“Um, how are we going to do this without getting mobbed? I can change my appearance at will, but Rhia still has that cult following, and everyone knows what she looks like.”

Both Su and Rhia sighed.

“Really, it’s like you haven’t been paying attention to my lessons at all,” Rhia said. “Ryo! Come here, girl!”

Ryo’s head popped up over the back of the couch she’d been sleeping on, then eagerly bounded over it. She trotted up to Rhia and sat down, tail wagging, waiting to find out what she was called for. Rhia kneeled next to her, softly stroking her back, then looked at me.

“Ok, I want you to imagine Ryo as any other color than black.”

I raised an eyebrow, then did as I was directed. Suddenly, where my beloved black furred friend sat, a white version did. Then a red one. Then a yellow one. Ryo was completely oblivious to all of this, in the way that most dogs are when all they’re concerned about is food, belly rubs, and attention in general. I returned her to her black state and then looked at the girls.

“So you want me to change your hair color?”

The girls looked at each other.

“He still doesn’t quite understand what ‘omnipotent power’ means, does he?”

“I think it’s cute. It’s better than him running wild with that power, right?”

“I suppose, but I’d like him to realize just what he’s capable of.”

I held up a hand to get their attention. “I’m standing right here, you know.”

““We know,”” they both answered in unison.

Rhia stood back up and stepped forward. “John, you’re still thinking too small. Yes, you’ve learned you can create anything you’re thinking of. You can travel anywhere instantaneously. You’ve even learned you can adjust your physical appearance. Has it not occurred to you that you can do that to others? I’ve told you before, you can literally reshape the world.”

Su chimed in with her own input. “Have you ever looked at a woman and thought about how hot she’d be with bigger tits, or a smaller waist, or with a different eye color? You know you can make that happen, right? Go on, give it a try on me.” I had to hand to her. She knew how to speak in my language. It was difficult to find anything on her I wanted to change though, since she was perfect in my eyes, but I tried anyway. A couple thoughts later and it was done.

Su looked down, admiring the extra inches I gave her bust, but it was the second change that really had her attention. She looked back up at me, questioningly.

“Did you just…”

“Don’t get me wrong, babe, you’re amazing from top to bottom. I’ve just always wondered how it would be if you were a snugger fit. We’ll have to try that out another day, though.” I winked at her, then turned to Rhia. “Ok, neat trick. So, what or who would you like to look like?”

She smiled, and then asked me to make the changes as she described them, watching my progress in a mirror. We were almost done when I realized her mind reading had come back to bite me in the ass once again.

“Oh no,” I said. “You are not going as my high school girlfriend. That’s just… creepy.”

“You had such pleasant memories of this one though, although it seems your skills weren’t up to par back then.”

“It was my first time! Anyone that claims to know what they’re doing the first time is lying!” I shifted to my high school looking self, skinny, pale, thick glasses, acne, and messed up teeth. “Is this what you want? The high school geek that never saw sun, dentist, or the inside of a woman until she came along?”

Rhia looked away quickly, stifling a giggle, but Su was immediately in my face, examining me closely. “Oooooh. I’m getting ideas for roleplay now. The geeky, introverted student, the sexy classmate, and the strict teacher! I’ll be the teacher, naturally. I’m going to have to talk to Hannah about this later.”

“Su!” Rhia barked.

Su held her hands up in surrender. “Right. Your night. I’m sorry, Mistress. Ok, My Lord, please do exactly what I tell you.” She then proceeded to reshape Rhia through me, and the end result was pleasant to look at. She looked similar enough to Rhia to say they could be sisters, but different enough that no one would say it’s her. Her black hair was now brown, her golden eyes a dark blue. Su gave her an extra couple inches on her already long legs and perked up her tits a bit. Su declared her perfect, then grabbed Rhia’s hand and jetted out of the room, calling back over her shoulder as they left.

“I’m going to get her changed into something cute. Think of somewhere to take her while we’re gone.”

I exchanged glances with Ryo as the door closed, then walked over and flopped down on to the couch. Ryo jumped up and curled up in my lap. As I was petting her, I started thinking out loud.

“So, where does one take an 800 year old woman who hasn’t been on a date in centuries? What the hell is an “Earthling Date,” anyway? What do you think, Ryo? Where would you go on a date if you could?” Naturally, she wasn’t very talkative, and just licked at the hand that was absentmindedly stroking her.

“Dinner and a movie? Too bland, and movies suck for dates anyway. Bowling? Mini golf? I’m sure she’s never even tried those.”

Ryo stopped licking and stared at me.

“Right, bad idea. What about, hmmm, an amusement park?”

Ryo yipped at me. Then she barked.

“Oh? You like that idea? Alright, we’ll go with that. Hopefully she’s reading my mind enough to know to wear comfortable shoes.” I snapped my fingers and a well-known black titanium card appeared in my fingers. It wouldn’t do to show up without any money.

A few minutes later the door to my room opened up, and the girls entered. Su looked mighty pleased with herself as Rhia entered behind her, looking everywhere but at me. She was wearing jeans, a blue t-shirt, and some comfortable walking shoes. She topped off the look with a short leather jacket and her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail. It was a simple look, but holy hell did she pull it off spectacularly.

“Well? What do you think, My Lord?” Su asked, as if she hadn’t seen my slack jawed expression.

“Beautiful,” I said.

Rhia looked at me, still blushing. “Do you really think so? It all seems so… plain.”

It amazed me that this woman could act so much like a nervous teenager. Then again, I guess her last date predated the Hundred Years War, so it shouldn’t surprise me that she’d be nervous about it.

“The plain clothes simply illustrate just how gorgeous you are, Rhia. I’ll be the envy of every guy we pass tonight. Speaking of which, we should get going if we want to enjoy some of the attractions before dinner.”

“Is that the look you’re going for, John?” Rhia asked, eyeing me doubtfully. I looked in the mirror to see what she was talking about, only to realize I was still in my gawky teenager look. I immediately shifted, taking on my pre-god look, minus the spare tire, adding some definition and darkening my hair and beard. I also kept my clothes just as casual as Rhia’s. In reality, it was just what I normally wear, just of a higher quality. Not quite Wall Street casual, but much higher than the Wal-Mart look I generally had.

“How’s this?” I asked them.

I got approving nods, and then held out my elbow for Rhia. She walked over, took my arm, and we disappeared from the room, off to enjoy the first of hopefully many dates to come.

*

Rhia was terrified. Nervous wouldn’t even begin to describe how she felt. She was actually still getting over the fact that she had gotten that jealous watching John and Ms. Nelson flirt back and forth. It wasn’t like she was opposed to other women being with him. Su and Hannah were with him quite frequently, and the only issue she had with that was that it had a way of derailing any schedule she had set up. The very idea of claiming him for herself alone never even crossed her mind. Monogamy wasn’t exactly practiced in the races she knew of, including hers. It confused her why so many human religions advocated it so vehemently. It went against the base nature of most living things.

The only reason Rhia could think of as to why she acted like she did was because she felt she was falling behind. She’d known how she felt about John for a while now but was afraid to take the next step. The pain of Inton’s death was still fresh, and she couldn’t deny that it still hurt when she thought of how he had rebuffed her time and time again when she tried to tell him how she felt. With those scars lingering within her, she was afraid of experiencing the same pain again. Su had opened her eyes a little last week, during John’s circus act at the White House, but it still hadn’t been enough. It took another woman staring at her John like a steak on a platter, ready for the feasting. Rhia would be damned if she’d let that woman get there first. Something snapped, and she’d blocked the advances Nelson was sending. Of course, she had to explain herself when they returned to the moon, but that was when she’d finally made up her mind. She loved John. She’d watched his growth as a deity. She’d seen inside his head. She knew he wasn’t a saint, but he was a kind man who’d go to the ends of the Earth to help those who needed it. She knew how he felt about her, but the idea of him changing his mind still scared her. Still, she pulled on the few strings of courage she had and demanded he take her on a date.

And now they were here, at a major theme park in Florida. She kind of hoped it would have been Disneyworld, but the Islands of Adventure looked fun. She took a deep breath and looked at the crowds around her while John was at the ticket booth to get in. The teenager that was working there had called over his supervisor, and they were both fawning over John because of some black card he was holding. She didn’t care though. She was enjoying being able to walk amongst people without everyone trying to see her wings, which weren’t visible unless she wanted them to be.

“Rhia!” John called, waving her over. As she approached she heard the clerk talking to John.

“Rhia? Like the Raven Angel?”

“Hmm?” John responded, pretending to have only half heard. “Oh, no. Not at all. Her name’s Rhiannon, but I’ve been calling her Rhia or Rhi for a couple years now. Ever since those two showed up, though, I get asked that all the time after I call her by my pet name in public. It’s a bit annoying really. Are we good to go then?” Rhia shook her head at John’s over explanation. A simple “no” would’ve done just fine, she thought.

“Yes, sir! Everything is taken care of. Here are your VIP passes, and the other arrangements will be taken care just as you’ve requested.”

“Thanks, man. I know this is outside what y’all generally do, so I can’t say thanks enough. It’s my girl’s first visit here, and I want to make it the most memorable one she has.”

John then took Rhia’s hand and together they walked through the gate. When they were out of earshot, John leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“Okay, from now until I say otherwise, no mindreading. If you know what’s coming, it’ll ruin the fun.” He flashed her a huge smile.

She couldn’t help but smile back as she agreed. She then gripped his hand tighter and pulled herself closer to him as they entered the park.

Hours later, long after the sun had gone down, Rhia and John exited the park. She was tired, but happy. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d just relaxed and let the moments take her away like this. She gazed lovingly up at John, whose arm she was once again wrapped around. Her earlier fears were long forgotten. She would devote herself entirely to this man. He looked down and met her eyes, then gestured with his head for her to look in front of them. She did and saw a limousine pulling up, then a uniformed chauffer got out and held the door open for them.

“Good evening. I’m Thomas, and I’ll be your driver this evening.”

“Pleased to meet you, Thomas, I’m John and this is Rhi. We’ll be in your care this evening. Could you take us to a nice restaurant? Not too stuffy, but not some tourist attraction either?”

“I believe I know just the place, sir. If you’ll please get in?”

Rhia looked at John. “There’s more?”

“There’s always more. There isn’t enough to do in this world that equals time spent with you.”

The chauffeur had driven them to a small restaurant where they had shared an intimate meal together. They spent the time talking about the fun they had at the park and making plans to visit other parks in the future. They talked about everything but work and responsibilities. Rhia never wanted this night to end. As they were getting into the limo again after dinner, John had spoken to their driver briefly. He then got in the back with her and they were off again. She was intensely curious about where he’d take her next but was keeping her promise not to poke around in his head. She liked being surprised sometimes, and he was doing a very good job so far.

When the limo stopped again, John swiped his card in the chauffeur’s handheld reader, and then punched in a substantial tip. Any chance he gets to show off a little, she thought, chuckling. She looked around as the driver thanked John profusely. It was a huge building by a lake, obviously a five-star hotel. Ritz-Carlton­ a nearby sign read. She looked at John as he walked up to stand next her. He had a kind look in his eyes as he watched her examine their surroundings.

“What do you think?” he asked. “We can always go home, if you want.”

He’s still playing the gentleman for me, she thought. Like hell she was letting this chance slip away. She’d already waited too long as it was. She looked at him, getting lost in those hazel eyes, stroking his cheek with her hand before pulling him down into a kiss. The first she’d given a man since she came to Earth. Then she grabbed his hand without saying a word and started walking towards the entrance.