Her foot is on the pedal and her head is in the stars. Joy was a Bettie Page styled hottie on a mission. After a chance encounter with Nick Joy finds a kindred spirit but is she just too much for him to handle?
Hang on tight, this girl drives as...
No real surprise the Maserati was pulled to the curb first. Joy casually moved to the car and as she passed the valet holding the door for her she smiled softly and mouthed the words 'thank you.'
She took the driver's seat and he closed the door for her. She handed him a ten dollar bill and waved as she pulled slowly away. It was an automatic, she was disappointed but it was so typical of even the most expensive sports cars these days. No one could be bothered to learn to drive a standard shift. The seat was stiff and the lingering smell of some exotic and spicy perfume filled the car.
"Ugh," she breathed out lowering the windows.
Joy adjusted the rear-view before she turned right onto busy Peachtree Road and smiled at her reflection, mirrored glasses and all. She merged into traffic and stopped. She plucked her phone from her purse and punched Nick's saved number. It rang only once and he picked up in a near panic.
"Relax boy, I have it. Get the hell out of there. I'm already in traffic. As soon as the light changes I'll be past you. This baby's a pig too," she said.
"We're meeting at the shop right?"
"Right, if you can catch me. I've got to get this thing off the street. The quickest way is down Paces Ferry. Yep, right past the governor's mansion. Head on back to the shop. I'll see you there."
"Any trouble and you call me," Nick said merging into traffic himself scanning the cars but not seeing her.
"Of course." Joy hung up and started forward.
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It took fifteen minutes to reach Paces Ferry and another five to begin the long drive down the stately oak lined street. Multi-million dollar mansions vied for attention the full length of the three and a half mile road. She held her breath only once as an Atlanta police cruiser passed her going in the opposite direction. That was it. After the cruiser passed she immediately felt more comfortable. The police were rather unsophisticated after all. A Maserati to them would look no different than a Toyota or Buick or any other car. At the next traffic light she put the automatic convertible top down and took the tie out of her hair, letting the braid untangle as she moved slowly with traffic.
Tuesday 6:20 PM
Nick had pulled into the parking lot of a Houston's restaurant. It sat high up on the hill Northside Drive climbed as it left Buckhead proper bound for Marietta. There was no doubt in his mind that Joy could make it on her own, she had for years before and this was nothing new, yet somehow he just could not let go of the urge to protect her. He would wisely keep it to himself. Even so he felt much better knowing for a fact she was okay. He could see every car turning from West Paces Ferry onto Northside Drive from his vantage point.
He could also see the onramp to the expressway a mile or so up the road. He had only been there about five minutes but was sure Joy was not ahead of him. He didn't feel comfortable phoning again. He would though if it took too much longer. It would be completely unnecessary. After checking his phone for missed calls he put it back in the console cup holder. He turned just in time to see the convertible Maserati turn right onto the heavily congested Northside Drive heading in his direction. It was a pretty color too. Even from his distance he could see the top down and her dark hair blowing carelessly in the wind.
