The valet nodded and took off running. I’d never seen someone move that fast, but then again, I also wasn’t worth billions. Or even had a car.
“How many cars do you have here?” I asked, realizing that the valet made it sound like there were multiple.
“Three,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug.
“You have three cars in New York City?” I repeated, not quite believing him. “You don’t even officially live here.”
He shrugged. “I like cars,” he told me with a small smile. “Oh, I guess it’s four if you count the limo.”
“Oh, yes. You can’t forget the limo. How silly of you,” I said, smiling back at him.
“And a helicopter,” he added. “But that’s just to beat the traffic.”
“And who doesn’t need that,” I agreed with a giggle. I shook my head in amazement. I didn’t have a car. I didn’t even technically have a drivers license because I never needed one. The closest I’d ever been to a helicopter was receiving patients on the roof of the hospital, but I’d never actually even been in one.
His world of wealth was very different than mine.
A bright fire-engine red Ferrari pulled up to the valet station, and the valet hopped out. He handed Mr. Darcy the keys, and Mr. Darcy tipped him some money. It looked like a hundred dollar bill.
Mr. Darcy opened the passenger door for me to get in.
“Seriously?” I said, looking at the beautiful sports car. “This is your drive around New York car?”
He just grinned and held out his hand to help me in.
I took his outstretched hand, trying not to flush at the skin to skin connection as I settled into the leather seats. I looked around, trying to take it all in. It was the most beautiful car I’d ever seen. Everything was smooth lines and leather. It even smelled amazing.
I tried not to think about how much a car like this cost. It was probably worth a decade of my salary. I tried to sit with as little of me touching the car as possible so I wouldn’t mess anything up.
He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.
“Yup. Good choice me,” I said softly as I watched him pass the front of the car. “Don’t date the rich guy. Be awful to him. Call him names. That’s a good life choice.”
I could have had all of this. If I had said that I loved him back that night in the rain, or even just given him a chance, I could have had a helicopter.
But, I had to be all high and mighty. I had to call him names and act like a child. It was my own fault and I didn’t deserve his riches. Besides, I was never after his money. It was just that getting to see it was rather eye-opening.
Mr. Darcy sat down and turned on the car. It hummed quieter than I expected. Then he grinned at me and revved the engine. That was the amazing super fast, powerful engine sound I was expecting.
“Now you’re just showing off,” I teased him.
“What’s the point in having a car like this if you don’t show it off a little?” He asked, putting the car into gear and pulling out. The tires squealed as the engine accelerated. I laughed as I was thrown back into the soft leather and my insides were pushed down.
The car was damn fast.
And then, we hit traffic, because we were in New York.
I laughed as he came to a stop at the first traffic light. It didn’t matter that we were in the fanciest, fastest car. We still had to follow the flow of traffic.
“Thank you again for taking me home,” I said as we waited for the light to change.
He looked over at me and smiled, making my heart flutter. “Of course.”
“Do you want to tell me more about your buyout?” I asked. It was going to be an awkward drive home if we didn’t have something to fill the silence.
He looked over, evaluating me. “Do you really want to know?”
“I do.” I was actually surprised by the fact that I really did.