I take a moment to debate which car to drive—something sporty or something more luxurious? Pops leans against the sleek black and silver Lotus Evija.
“Way over the top.”
“She’s into the environment.”
“Just because she wants to be a botanist doesn’t mean she’s an environmentalist.” I shake my head and look away, knowing my statement is rather obtuse.
“Do you want to impress her or not?”
“Not everyone is impressed by the same things,” I mutter.
Pops rolls his eyes and points to the door of the Lotus. With a sigh, I walk over to the wall, grab the key fob, and jump in the car.
I’m beyond nervous, and I’m not exactly sure why. Granted, it has been a while since I’ve actually gone on a date per se, but it seems like something more than that. I’m used to women coming to me, not me pursuing them. Women have always been drawn to my money and the power the Orso name brings with it, but Cherry likely hasn’t figured all of that out yet. Even when she does, I’m not sure it will influence her.
I want to impress her. I need to impress her, or all of this falls apart.
As I park in the lot for her building, I wipe my hands on my jacket. I can’t believe my palms are sweating, and it will hardly make a good first impression. I take a minute to collect myself and focus on my goal before I walk up the stairs to her door. The apartment doesn’t appear to have a doorbell, so I knock politely, but no one answers. I knock a little harder, and the apartment door behind me opens.
“Oh!”
I glance behind me to find a woman staring at me, wide-eyed and dressed in what can only be considered a house frock. I’m nearly blinded by the pink and blue flowers that cover it.
“Good evening,” I say with a polite smile. “Do you know if Miss Bay is at home?”
Her mouth drops open, but before she can reply, Cherry opens the door, and all thoughts of garish flowers vanish.
Cherry stands before me, hand still on the doorknob, wearing a slinky, dark red dress that swoops down her neckline and stops just above her knee. Hanging atop the slight amount of visual cleavage is a gold pendant decorated with a garnet and pearls. Though I know nothing about vintage jewelry, the necklace is almost certainly an antique.
She is absolutely stunning.
“Hi!” She looks at me cautiously as she blushes.
I glance up quickly, realizing that I had been unabashedly ogling her, and manage a sheepish smile.
“Hi there,” I reply. “You look amazing!”
“Thank you! I hope his is all right. I wasn’t sure where we were going.”
“It’s perfect.” I should have worn the damn tie.
“Hey, Jessie! How are you?”
“I’m…I’m fine.”
“Nate, this is my neighbor, Jessie.”
“It’s a pleasure.” I reach out and shake the woman’s hand.
“Nice to meet you.” She stammers and she stares at me, still looking like her eyes are going to pop right out of her head at any moment.
“Are you ready, Miss Bay?”
“I am,” Cherry says.
She waves at Jessie as we head off down the stairs and to the parking lot. I gesture toward the passenger side of the car with a swoop of my arm.
“My God,” Cherry says breathlessly. “What the hell is that?”
“What? The car?” As if I don’t know what she’s talking about. I hit a button on the fob, and both doors rise above the vehicle like wings. “It’s a Lotus. Brand new hypercar model.”
“I have no idea what that means.” Cherry shakes her head and just stands there, looking at it.
“It’s all electric but stupidly powerful,” I say with a smile. I take her hand and help her keep her balance as she maneuvers into the low passenger seat, trying to keep her skirt straight at the same time. It doesn’t work, and the garment rises up her leg, exposing more of her delicious thighs.
Oh yes, this car was the perfect choice.
“This thing looks like it should be on a racetrack, not on the street,” Cherry says when I get in. “That steering wheel!”
“Well, yeah, this car certainly would be comfortable on the track. The shape of the steering wheel makes it much easier to control at high speeds.”
“How fast does it go?”
“Over two hundred. Two thousand horsepower and no harmful emissions!” I grin at her as I take the wheel and pull out onto the street.
She purses her lips and wrinkles her nose. I swallow hard, wondering if choosing this car was a mistake. She doesn’t appear to be impressed. In fact, she looks a little horrified.
Then I glance down at her half-exposed thighs, and I can’t regret my choice.
“It’s certainly quiet,” Cherry says. “I expect sports cars to be loud.”
“Not this one. It gets a bit louder when it’s going fast, but it doesn’t have all that combustion rumble you’d get with other cars.”
“Do you have to charge it all the time?”
“I really only take it out on special occasions,” I say with a wink. “I keep it charged when it’s in the garage. In theory, the battery is capable of a full recharge in under ten minutes.”
“Why ‘in theory’?”
“There isn’t a charger yet that can charge that fast.” I laugh. “This is actually a prototype model. These won’t be commercially available until later this year or next.”
“How did you get it, then?”
“I’ve got a friend.” I glance over, winking at her again.
Don’t overdo it, Nate.
“How much did it cost?”
“You do not want to know.”
“Probably not,” Cherry mutters under her breath.
Fuck. I
