Waters of Oblivion

Chapter 9.3: The Car Wash

With nothing better to do and still worn-out, Reine headed back to bed. She woke up several hours later with a stiff neck. A walk outside would surely do her good. Pulling on her shoes and finding her jacket draped over a chair, she opened the bedroom door just as Mikey and two female companions walked by.

"Hey, beautiful," He said, winking at her even though he had his arms around the mini skirt wearing girls.

She smiled and used the same greeting he did earlier. "What's up."

"Just showing my guests around." He led the giggling girls to the room one door down from hers.

"Have fun," she said as she headed for the stairs, knowing exactly what was going on and not wanting to hear the rest.

As she stepped out the front door, she heard sounds coming from nearby. They turned out to be from an adjacent six-car garage. All three of the double-wide doors were open, and Reine had a clear view of the vehicles inside.

She already figured out that Max had very refined and expensive tastes, and the silver Porsche, white Mercedes, and two red Ferraris tucked into the pristine space just confirmed it.

A convertible Maserati – unmistakable with its trident logo – was parked on the asphalt, still dripping wet from the spray of the nearby power washer. However, instead of a member of his household staff doing the cleaning, Max emerged from the garage.

Reine took a step backward at his unexpected presence. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my house," he said as he walked over to the side of the car and began to wipe away the water droplets with a yellow rag.

"Of course it is." She cleared her throat. "I meant, I thought you were at work."

"I decided to give myself the morning off."

She crossed her arms. "Why didn't you let me know you were still here?" she asked.

He momentarily looked up from his task. "You were sleeping, and I didn't want to disturb you. I thought you could use the rest. Frankly, you still look . . . tired."

Reine frowned. Max probably just used that brief pause to find a better description for her current state than what must have immediately come to mind: like hell. His attempt at softening the truth was sweet, but the excuse for not telling her about staying was quite weak.

She watched in silence for a few minutes as he alternated between wringing the water out of the cloth and continuing to dry off the car. More for breaking the silence than for expecting a meaningful answer, she gestured toward the vehicles.

"Why do you need all of these?"

He straightened up. "Don't you like them?" he asked back.

"Sure, they're beautiful," she said with a shrug.

His eyes widened. "They're more than just beautiful. These are some of the greatest machines in the world. I mean, driving an average car for a real man is like having his dick cut off."

Reine raised an eyebrow at the metaphor. "I'll have to take your word for that. But you didn't answer my question."

"It's simple," he said as he rubbed his nose. "I have them because I want them."

"So you're saying that you don't really need these things, but since you like them and can afford them–," but he cut her off before she could continue.

"No, not at all. For me, wanting and needing are the same thing. If I want something, then I also need to have it."

She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "You sound like a spoiled brat."