“Right,” he says, his eyes flickering to mine before looking back at the road, where rain falls heavy, the windshield wipers moving in over drive.
He looks like he was made of the Earth, like he is dug up from this land.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little bit of a pitter-patter while watching his swift movements. But there is no room for quivering lady bits and heart fluttering at the moment.
I’m about to have sex with a stranger and that’s plenty to be thinking about.
I try to focus on the hotel room I’m headed to. I plan on pouring a glass of champagne, and then putting on the ridiculous lingerie I bought for my first sexual encounter.
I figure the guy paid for me, I might as well give him his money’s worth.
I bought virginal lace and a pearl necklace. We’re talking a satin thong and a floor length robe.
I want my highest bidder to get his end of the bargain, and a virgin in white is the kind of fantasy a man willing to pay five million dollars to get me deserves.
But now my mind is also on this man driving me to my high-priced night.
“So you’re a limo driver?”
He looks aback in the mirror. “Obviously.”
I sigh, feeling slightly unnerved by him and when he doesn’t say any more, I’m honestly a little disappointed. Not knowing what to say, I close my eyes, trying to memorize the details of the auction. The story is going to look so good in print. And I know HAHA is going to be gaining so much traffic to their site.
I smile, opening my eyes, realizing we’ve been driving for a while and that we’re snaking away from the downtown streets and are heading north toward the highway instead.
“I think we’re going to the Landmark Hotel,” I say, frowning. “I’m not from here, but I think it’s the other direction.
The driver doesn’t say anything. He just nods his head and keeps his eyes fixed on the road.
Five more minutes pass and now I know we’re definitely leaving town. Anchorage isn’t a massive city, but it is a city and we’re no longer in it.
I unbuckle and lean forward. The partition between us is down making it easy to talk.
“I’m sorry, I know we met earlier, but I don’t actually know what your name is. And I’m not trying to be a backseat driver here, but I’m supposed to be at the Landmark Hotel. And I don’t know where we’re headed at the moment.”
Still, he says nothing.
“Um, did you hear me?” I ask.
“I heard you. It would be best if you sat down, though.”
“No, you need to turn this car around,” I tell him.
He shakes his head, puts on his high beams and starts driving down the dark empty highway, where the rain continues to pour.
“What the actual fuck are you doing?” I ask, incredulous at this man who got me all excited back at the bar... but who is now ruining everything.
I fumble around for my phone and then realize he must’ve put my purse with my luggage in the trunk. Shit.
“Are you taking me somewhere?” I know my voice is high-pitched and anxious but that’s because I am anxious.
He takes a minute before answering, “I am.”
I may have been turned on by him earlier—with his sexy cheekbones and perfect nose and strong-arms but those mushy feelings are long gone.
Now I am just plain confused.
“Pull over. I need to get my phone.”
“That’s not gonna happen,” he tells me.
“That’s not gonna what? I’m Justine Van De—”
He cuts me off. “I know who you are, remember?”
“Okay, then do you know I’m supposed to be at The Landmark?” I try to unlock the car doors but they’re locked and I can’t open them.
This is not happening.
He nods, clucking his tongue.
He literally clucks his tongue at me.
“You’re not going to The Landmark tonight, darlin’.”
“Do not darlin’ me,” I screech. Reaching through the partition I try to grab at him.
Not exactly sure what I’m going to grab onto. Grabbing his hand could cause him to spin the wheel and take us off the road. I could strangle him to death and then what? He might crash into a massive pine tree.
The ideas are terrible, but they don’t even matter because he just uses a lever and pushes up the divider, my hand getting caught between it. I’m not stupid enough to get my hand chopped off by some lunatic limo driver, so I pull it back and listen to the partition move up into place.
I tried to use the switch on the door to open the divider but it’s locked. So are the back windows.
I bang on the partition shouting at him to let me out. He does nothing.
And I can’t even see him because it’s a blacked out window.