Friday, August 17, 2012

Chapter 12


“What do I need to know about her?” I asked as we walked across the lot.  I had the key in my hand, my thumb stroking the curves on the plastic.  If I couldn’t release my sexual frustration the usual way, this was the next best thing.

“Not much.  She’s new, so no quirks.  The box is small and tight.”  He shifted his eyes at me, an impish grin gracing his face.  “Clutch is smooth.”

The click of the locks interrupted him as the parking lights lit up.  Looking at him, I smiled.  “She’s new.  I got it.”  I opened the driver’s door, slid into the seat, and closed the door leaving Dominic standing outside.

Smooth, black leather kissed my skin as I slid my hands over the steering wheel.  The shifter was wrapped in more leather.  I let my fingers trail along the lacing on the edges before gripping it.  A perfect fit.

The key slid home.  The engine purred to life.  I pressed the auto-down for the window and leaned my arm on the sill.

“Hey there, handsome.  You looking for a ride?”

Dominic’s smile glowed.  “You offering?”

“For now.  But I can’t promise I’ll take you where you wanna go.”

“What the hell?” he said as he walked around to the passenger side and climbed in.  “Let’s go.”

I drove around the empty lot to get the feel of the car.  New clutches could be tricky since you couldn’t always feel where they engaged.  They did, however, offer a bit more room for shifting.  This Mustang was built for me, though.  She slid from gear to gear effortlessly.

Once I had the feel, I stopped and turned to Dominic who sat watching me.  “Can I drift her?”

He seemed to think about it, but he knew I’d find a way to do it anyway.  “Two times,” he said.  “One each way, but not on the road.”

I answered with a smile, immediately tightening my grip on the wheel as I flew through the gears.  As we neared the curb at the end of the lot, I pulled the emergency brake and cut the wheel.  The rear of the car slid around, tires screaming.  I dropped the brake and rode out the fish tailing until the car was straight again.  Then I did it on the other side of the lot.

“Feel better?” Dominic asked as I rolled to a stop.  And even though he was holding the door in a white-knuckled grip, he was also grinning from ear to ear.

I smiled back, stroking the wheel and shifter with slow movements.  “A little, but I need more.”  With that, I dropped the clutch and peeled out of the lot.  

Once on the road, I drove at a respectable rate.  I didn’t want my drive dampened by an encounter with a traffic cop.  

Radio turned up, we drove with the windows down and jammed like we were eighteen again.  We cruised down the highway, where I felt more at ease pushing the speedometer up to eighty.  I took us north about thirty miles before exiting and taking the twists and turns of country roads home.  Speed and agility.  Oh yeah, it felt good to have that power at my command.

As we rounded a sharp turn with cow-dotted fields on both sides, Dominic turned the radio down to barely a whisper.  He didn’t say anything, but I was thankful for the respite from the blaring music.  I reached over and turned it off.  It was nice to just ride through the countryside with nothing but the sound of the wind blowing through the windows.

The clicking of the passenger seat drew my attention.  Dominic had reclined.  He laid there, a slight grin touching his lips, soft hair dancing in the wind, eyes hidden behind those dark glasses.  The fire the had engulfed me earlier--the one brought under control by the drive--flared once again.  

My eyes devoured him inch by inch as I was able to steal glancing while driving.  He knew what he was doing, but I was powerless to restrain myself.  A girl can look, after all.  That’s what movie stars are fro, right?  Innocent pleasure.  But this was far from innocent, and it had the potential to drop me deep into the bowels of treachery that I loathed in others.  I had to watch my step.

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