Storm seemed to wake up on his way to the airport. With the glass partition down there was nothing to stop him from carrying on a conversation with her and for the first time since they’d met he seemed to take a genuine interest in her.
“So Danny, you’re a school teacher, huh?” Storm asked.
She nodded but she didn’t turn her head. “Yes. I teach preschool.”
“So you teach in the daytime and moonlight as a chauffeur at nights and on weekends.” He grunted. “When do you have time for fun? A young kid like you should be out partying with your friends.”
Dani almost laughed out loud. What friends? She hardly even had time for herself let alone to socialize with friends. She didn’t say any of that, though. “I get by,” she said and left it at that.
For some time there was silence and Dani had begun to wonder if Storm had succumbed to his sleepiness when she heard his voice again.
“So, do you have a girlfriend?”
“Um, no…not right now.” He'd caught her off guard. Where in the world was he going with this?
“I don’t blame you, fellow. It’s good to take a break from women sometimes. They're something else, aren’t they?” He laughed softly, as if they were co-conspirators of some sort. “They're the most confusing creatures on the planet. Today they love you like you’re the only man in the world and tomorrow they can’t stand a bone in your body.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” she said, trying to sound like she knew what she was talking about.
“Trust me, don’t be fooled by all the glitz and glamour that some of them bring to the table,” Storm said with a snort of disgust. “The best thing you can do is find one who’s honest and real. If you find a woman like that, hold on to her for dear life. That kind of woman is precious and rare.”
Dani didn’t have an answer for that one so she said nothing. Thank goodness he didn’t press her. He fell back into silence and a glance in the rear view mirror told her that he’d leaned his head back and closed his eyes. To her relief he remained like that for the rest of the journey.
Now what had come over Mr. Billionaire to make him confide in her like that? He’d practically presented his life philosophy on the female sex. She chuckled to herself. If he only knew…
Storm did not open his eyes again until they arrived at the airport. He probably hadn’t been sleeping as she’d thought because he knew exactly when to sit up and he seemed fresh and alert. At his instructions she drove through a separate gate and then was directed to a ramp at the end of which sat an impressive private jet. There were a couple of immigration officers in the area ready to process Storm so that he could head out.
He hopped out of the car and while he was speaking to the agents Dani popped open the trunk to get his luggage. The carry-on bag and the smaller of the two suitcases came out easily enough. Then it was time for the one with the dead body. Using all her strength she hauled it toward her then she bent her knees as she’d been taught, grabbed the handles and lifted the massive weight out of the trunk.
And that was when it happened.
The suitcase tumbled out and fell to the ground with a thump, dragging her down with it. She started to pitch forward and only had time to let out a yelp before she was falling, face first, toward the tarmac.
In a microsecond Storm was there grabbing hold of her before her face slammed into the ground. He’d grabbed her by the collar and the back of her jacket and as he hauled her back upright her chauffeur's hat fell off and her mass of dark brown hair tumbled down her back and covered her face, hiding it from view.
“What the-” Storm’s hold on her slackened and she almost fell back to the ground. Then his hands tightened on her and he dragged her to her feet.
“Who are you?” His voice was full of outrage.
She pulled out of his grasp and pushed the hair away from her face. And found herself staring into the flashing, dark eyes of a very angry man.
“You’re not a guy. You’re a girl,” he said, his voice incredulous.
“I think I know that,” she said, deliberately keeping her voice light. Maybe they could both laugh this off. The situation was actually quite funny.
“Yeah, but I didn’t,” he bit out as he glared down at her. “Why didn’t you tell me? Was this supposed to be some kind of joke on me?”
Now she realized there was no hope that he’d laugh it off. Where was his sense of humor? “Look, I’m sorry I deceived you but it was for a good reason.”
“Like?” he demanded then he glanced at the men who were staring at them. Storm grabbed her elbow. “Come over here. You have some explaining to do.”
He marched her over to the far end of the limousine where they were partially hidden from view and only then did he let her go. “Now talk.”
Okay, so it was like that, was it? He was going to play rough. Well, she could be tough, too. Dani folded her arms across her chest, lifted her face and looked him straight in the eyes. “There’s no need for you to fly off the handle. I told you, I had a very good reason to conceal my true identity.”
“So spill it,” he said tersely.
“I had a scare my first week on the job. One of my passengers tried to grope me. I had to fight him off. I decided right then that I wouldn’t put myself at risk again.” Her voice was bold and unapologetic. If Storm Hunter didn’t get it, then tough. “Ever since that night I’ve concealed the fact that I’m a woman. It’s a whole lot safer, especially during late night pick-ups.”
There was a flicker in Storm’s eye then the tightness in his jaws slackened - just barely. “Well you could have told me. I wasn’t going to grope you. And I talked to you like you were a guy.”
So that was it. It wasn’t just that she had deceived him, it was that she'd deceived him so well that he’d shared some private thoughts with her, thoughts he’d probably only have shared with a man.
“I know and I’m sorry. But I’d already started being Danny the guy when I met you.” She shrugged. “I couldn’t very well just abandon that. And anyway, Tony asked me to maintain the disguise. He thought it was safer for me and his business.”
Storm was still frowning at her, seeming unconvinced with her line of reasoning. Then he expelled his breath and shook his head. “So what’s your real name, anyway?”