Their Double Blessing

Sending the gifts was a calculated risk. She would either accept or refuse them. Hopefully without feeling pushed into wearing what he wanted. He just wanted her to feel a part of his world. If he only wanted to have a sexy lady on his arm, her sister would be the obvious choice. A woman learned in the art of fine dining and hunting men. Patricia was nothing like that and he was grateful. Rich men like himself were taught at an early age to be on the lookout. There were always people ready to use them for what could be gained.

His kitchen staff started working on preparing the cooked courses to be presented one Patricia arrived. He knew they were curious as to who was having dinner with him but only a select few were allowed to present meals to them. His servants were well trained and trustworthy. An important part of being from a rich business family who prided themselves on staying out of the tabloids. One bad servant could lose them millions. Whether in cash or connections that lost faith in them because of leaked secrets or terrible rumors.

The bodyguards were hired from a company his family co-owned for decades. All those employed through it were highly vetted and well-trained. Which was a must in order for them to do their job. One mistake was the difference between an assignment success or failure. That sometimes meant tangling with life or death. He had death threats and beat having close encounters thanks to great security. But his father had gotten shot in his thirties and it was a terrifying time for the family, making George never forget that life was full of dangers. Money could buy many things but it couldn’t bring you back to life once you were gone.

Being a billionaire was nothing to stick your nose out at. It afforded you many advantages in life and he was grateful for all of them. His legacy allowed him to have the world at his disposal, an advantage he never allowed himself to forget. Like most he went through a spoilt stage but grew out of it. Which was why being in activism was so important. It reminded him that there were those who needed help. That burying his head in the sand to enjoy his money would be irresponsible. Plus it lead him to the new love of his life.

The time for Patricia’s arrival was minutes away and he struggled to stay still. Pacing every few minutes with well placed guards watching his every move. The room suddenly felt claustrophobic. Would she feel the same way upon arriving? Perhaps it was his nerves but he wanted to impress her. A date was more than he could have hoped for. With it in his grasp all he wanted was to ensure Patricia had a great time. The restaurant was ready so it had to be his frazzled nerves acting up.

“Everything will be okay boss, she really seems to like you.” One of his bodyguards smiled as he sat down at the table again. Unlike a lot of rich men, he had a close relationship with his staff. They could speak freely and never feared being fired for telling him the truth. It saddened him that not all employers felt this was the way to treat their workers.

“You’re right, this old man just wants everything to be perfect.” George sighed. In all honesty with Patricia even willing to breath in his direction everything was already perfect.

************

Patricia walked into a building blindfolded. It took several minutes before she agreed to that. The nerve of the security waiting until they were in the underground parking lot to reveal this stipulation. She tried to wriggle her way out of it but George wanted the first thing for her to see was him inside the restaurant. Finally the bodyguard held up a cell for her to call the date off. Doing that would crush George who only wanted to make her happy. Hopefully, this one incident wasn’t a harbinger of things to come. She liked to see what was coming.

Love always had a price. Right now it was her trust. Though she was going on a date with a billionaire so most might think it was an overreaction not to wear a simple blindfold. But for someone like her it was more than that. After what she’d been through, entering a romantic relationship was difficult. Starting with her eyes covered was horrifying and a reminder that George’s life was worlds different. What he considered a fun surprise she saw as a move straight out of a horror movie. Even Mary might hesitate to comply with a move like this.

When the blindfold was removed she was in awe. The restaurant looked straight out of a movie with sparkling chandeliers and vaulted ceilings. All the tables were hexagon shaped, painted gold with white chairs. George sat in the middle with a huge grin on his face. There was no doubt he was proud of himself for setting this up. But then his face fell. “What’s wrong, Patricia? Why do you look so pale?” The concern on his face as he walked up broke her heart.

“She wasn’t a fan of the blindfold, sir,” one of the men escorting her revealed.

George’s face looked like a kicked puppy. She hadn’t planned on saying anything but there was no way of hiding the truth. “Sorry, I should have taken that under more consideration. I swear it completely flew past me that it might be an issue for you.”

Patricia put on a brave face. “I know, it was an accident. I’m fine, just not used to first dates going like that. Don’t worry George, I’m not going anywhere because of one snafu.”

“That’s good to know. I promise the food will be much better.” George pulled out her chair.

Patricia smiled and took a seat. Hopefully she could salvage this date. George looked so guilty it hurt. She wasn’t used to a date being so concerned about her well-being. It was more than just being raised right or rich. He genuinely felt awful for scaring her. A fact that made her feel a bit better. If he cared enough not to criticize her that meant he understood this was a serious concern and not a frivolous thing to cast away. “I’m famished. Thank you for the gifts, by the way. Hope I put them to good use.”

Patricia decided to wear the little black dress with the silver belt—she felt like a model in that outfit—along with the nude shoes, and adding a silver clutch and black chunky necklace from her own things. Helping her feel more like this outfit was truly hers. Combined with the hair and makeup she swiped from her sister. She looked like a total knockout and felt powerful. Not that she didn’t like how she usually looked in plain clothes, but this was a fun change.

George smiled and sat up straight. “I’m glad you liked them. Honestly, I wondered if it was too much sending them. I just wanted to do something nice for you. Probably been out of the dating game too long to know when to quit.” His bashfulness was sweet. There was nothing greater than a man willing to blush in the open. He looked at Patricia then down at his feet with a chuckle. “We’re coming off a bit of a rocky start but I think there’s still hope for the night yet. Perhaps I have too much enthusiasm but at forty I think I can shoot for the stars.”