Birthright

“Thank you! I hope his is all right. I wasn’t sure where we were going.”

“It’s perfect.” I should have worn the damn tie.

“Hey, Jessie! How are you?”

“I’m…I’m fine.”

“Nate, this is my neighbor, Jessie.”

“It’s a pleasure.” I reach out and shake the woman’s hand.

“Nice to meet you.” She stammers and she stares at me, still looking like her eyes are going to pop right out of her head at any moment.

“Are you ready, Miss Bay?”

“I am,” Cherry says.

She waves at Jessie as we head off down the stairs and to the parking lot. I gesture toward the passenger side of the car with a swoop of my arm.

“My God,” Cherry says breathlessly. “What the hell is that?”

“What? The car?” As if I don’t know what she’s talking about. I hit a button on the fob, and both doors rise above the vehicle like wings. “It’s a Lotus. Brand new hypercar model.”

“I have no idea what that means.” Cherry shakes her head and just stands there, looking at it.

“It’s all electric but stupidly powerful,” I say with a smile. I take her hand and help her keep her balance as she maneuvers into the low passenger seat, trying to keep her skirt straight at the same time. It doesn’t work, and the garment rises up her leg, exposing more of her delicious thighs.

Oh yes, this car was the perfect choice.

“This thing looks like it should be on a racetrack, not on the street,” Cherry says when I get in. “That steering wheel!”

“Well, yeah, this car certainly would be comfortable on the track. The shape of the steering wheel makes it much easier to control at high speeds.”

“How fast does it go?”

“Over two hundred. Two thousand horsepower and no harmful emissions!” I grin at her as I take the wheel and pull out onto the street.

She purses her lips and wrinkles her nose. I swallow hard, wondering if choosing this car was a mistake. She doesn’t appear to be impressed. In fact, she looks a little hor

rified.

Then I glance down at her half-exposed thighs, and I can’t regret my choice.

“It’s certainly quiet,” Cherry says. “I expect sports cars to be loud.”

“Not this one. It gets a bit louder when it’s going fast, but it doesn’t have all that combustion rumble you’d get with other cars.”

“Do you have to charge it all the time?”

“I really only take it out on special occasions,” I say with a wink. “I keep it charged when it’s in the garage. In theory, the battery is capable of a full recharge in under ten minutes.”

“Why ‘in theory’?”

“There isn’t a charger yet that can charge that fast.” I laugh. “This is actually a prototype model. These won’t be commercially available until later this year or next.”

“How did you get it, then?”

“I’ve got a friend.” I glance over, winking at her again.