Deadly Infatuation

Chapter 11

Lily

The moment I see Max's red Aston Martin parked outside my shop, I falter. "This is your car?"

"I bought it a couple of months ago." He pulls out the keys from his pants pocket and unlocks the car. The headlights flash, confirming that it is indeed his. I go down to the hood and stroke the sleek, metallic surface. As Max comes to stand beside me, I close my mouth. "How fast can it go?"

He laughs deeply. "It can reach two-hundred. I take it down to an abandoned airstrip every so often and floor it as hard as I can."

"That sounds like fun."

"It is."

As I continue to gaze at the car, the wind picks up and my hair whirls around me. I clamp my hands over my hair to stop it from blowing in the wind and when Max sees my attempts at saving my hair; he nudges me with his hand. "Shall we get going?"

"Yes, please."

Continuing to hold my hair down, I walk to the passenger side and climb in. While Max makes his way to the driver's side, I take a few moments to take in the interior's magnificence. The seats are made of leather, which has deep red strips running through them, and it still has that fresh leathery smell. I stroke the car seat with my hand and rest my head against the headrest, thrilled that I am about to see how this car drives. "It's even better on the inside than I imagined." I murmur, my eyes darting around the rest of the interior.

Max chuckles softly. "I never took you for an Aston Martin kind of girl."

"Who isn't? You're so lucky that you get to drive this whenever you want."

"I also have a McLaren Spider at home," he says nonchalantly as he joins the road.

I pout jokingly. "That's so unfair. You have two sports cars, and I have none."

He turns in his seat and flashes me a smile. "If you're good, I'll let you drive them sometime."

"Deal."

He chuckles at my buoyancy and puts on some dark shades before he presses harder on the gas. I instantly feel the power of the motor, as my body is forced back into the seat as Max speeds away. I smile to myself, thinking about how my day has suddenly taken an unexpected turn and I like it. We travel for a few miles in silence, and I watch the familiar stores pass by. As he takes the next right, I realize he's driving out of the main town. "Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to the Tualatin Country Club."

I splutter. "The Country Club? I'm not Country Club material. For Christ's sake, I have a hole in my top." I point to the new hole on my shoulder I made earlier this morning from a precarious thorn from a rose.

Max quickly takes his eyes off the road and looks at the hole. "That hole is tiny, barely noticeable unless you point it out."

"Still, I'm under-dressed, my hairs a mess, and I don't belong there." I can feel my panic rising. At first, I was only nervous about sharing a meal with him. Now I have to make sure I don't make a fool of myself in front of all the elite guests and staff.

Sensing my discomfort, Max tries to calm me down. "I can always turn the car back around and find a quieter place."

I'm grateful that he will do that, but then I feel guilty for making him feel like he has to accommodate for me. I know on some level I'm overreacting, and I don't want to let my anxieties take over Max's thoughtful gesture, as he so easily could have never reached out to me again. "No, you don't have to do that. I was just in shock." I gulp. "It'll be fine."

"Trust me, you'll enjoy yourself. The food is amazing there."

I weakly nod my head in agreement and pull on my sleeve. For the rest of the journey, I keep quiet and look out of the window, staring at the clouds in the sky. I repeat to myself that everything is going to be okay, and I just pray it's true.