Zack held onto the handle attached to the seat behind him instead of her waist. A few deep breaths later and she took off, a little faster than before, and headed out of her street.
It took a while before she felt completely comfortable but eventually she began to relax and enjoy the sensation of riding a motorbike, not as a passenger but as the driver. It was infinitely less scary than sitting behind Zack. She felt totally and completely in control now, even to the point where she accelerated to the speed limit. Well, almost.
An hour later and she'd done a full circle after cruising along the beach, feeling superior and cooler than any of the bikini-clad girls strutting their stuff along the foreshore. None of them had a gorgeous hunk willing to show them how to ride his most prized possession.
Finally, she eased the bike back into her street and parked outside her building. Zack got off first and she switched the engine off.
"Well?" he asked, beaming down at her. He looked like a proud father.
She shrugged. "It was okay."
"Okay? Ha! You loved it, Babe, I could tell."
Babe! He'd called her Babe! What did that mean? And did it have anything to do with him seeing her naked butt again?
Zack's good humor was infectious and she finally conceded that the ride had given her a real buzz. "Did you see everyone stare at us?" she asked, leading the way inside. "They thought I was so cool."
"Next time, you go on your own. You need more practice before Dug-E arrives but I think you'll do great. And just so you sound like you know what you're talking about, I'll be giving you a pop quiz in a few days."
She groaned. "This is worse than high school."
They stopped at her front door, and she suddenly felt awkward.
"You coming in?" she asked tentatively.
"You inviting me in?"
She paused. "You going to walk in on me naked again?"
"Maybe."
She thumped him lightly in the chest and they both grinned.
Inside, she headed for the fridge while Zack avoided the yapping Snoopy. She produced two beers and handed one to him.
"I think he likes you," she said.
"I think he wants to hump my leg."
"You're lucky. Usually when I bring a man back here he wants to bite their, um, you-know-what off."
Zack placed the beer bottle in front of his groin. "I feel privileged. So what's with the beer?" He pointed to the bottle in her hand. "I thought you only drank wine."
"I'm practicing. Besides, I figured it was a bit wimpy to drink wine after riding a motorbike."
He nodded and maneuvered carefully past Snoopy to sit on her sofa. "Mind if I turn on the TV?" he asked as he turned on the TV.
"Sure, treat this place like your own?"
"There's a game on."
"Even better," she groaned but sat beside him anyway. "Basketball?"
"Baseball."
"Lucky me."
"Don't like baseball?"
"Can't say I've ever sat and watched a whole game. It looks pretty boring."
"Maybe I'll take you one day," he said, settling into the sofa.
"I'll look forward to it." Maybe she actually would. She'd sit through a hundred boring ball sports if Zack took her. "I didn't realize you liked sport."
He frowned at her. "What gave you that idea?"
She shrugged. "I thought you'd be too, ah...busy."
The frown deepened. "Something tells me you were going to say too rich."
"No! No, no, no. And there's no such thing as too rich in LA anyway."
He looked at her for a long time. "Right."
Right? It didn't sound right. He sounded annoyed. What had she said to offend him? "Same as being too famous, or too attractive," she persisted. "Or too weird."
He grunted. "Cocky little thing, aren't you?"
"Takes one to know one."
He grinned slyly and turned back to the TV. Nothing much seemed to be happening in the game but he was glued to the set. Annie sat back in the sofa beside him and watched, trying to work out the appeal of baseball. From what she could see it was a bunch of men dressed in funny pants spitting on the field. It was kind of disgusting really. She sighed. How long did a whole game go for? An hour? Two? All day? She tapped the beer bottle with her fingernails and glanced around the room, looking for something to do.
Zack sighed. "Relax and enjoy the game."
"No offence, but baseball is boring."
"Then just sit and enjoy peace and quiet."
"Huh?"
He shrugged. "Just think your own thoughts for a while. You don't have to be doing something every waking moment. Get some down time."
"Down time? Are you crazy? Who's got time for down time? I've got dishes in the sink, the floor needs sweeping and Snoopy smells." None of which she usually cared about but it was too late to take it back now.