Sold As Is

by Holley Trent

  “Of course. I’ll go get the key. I guess we can forego copying your license. You’re not exactly a nobody.”

  “According to my mother anyway.” Aaron kept his gaze locked on her face until the door slammed behind Mike. Together, they started walking toward the sedan. “So, how did a stunner like you end up in a place like this?”

  Her brows shot up but she fixed her face before he looked down at her again. “I bet you say that to all the girls, Mr. Owen.”

  “Aaron. Call me Aaron.”

  “Fine. Aaron.”

  “So, tell me.”

  They stopped at the car trunk and waited for Mike to catch up. “It’s a long story and not particularly flattering.”

  “You mean selling cars isn’t your first choice profession?”

  She laughed a hearty, gut-clenching laugh and could hardly catch her breath. “No way. This wasn’t even a plan B. I double-majored in business administration and human resources. I thought that degree would keep me away from this place.”

  “Wow.”

  “Wow what?”

  He opened his mouth, but closed it without saying anything. Instead, he shook his head and held out an arm, indicating she continue toward the car.

  “Anyhow, I had a great job I loved back in Raleigh. I got fired three months ago.”

  “Over anything scandalous?”

  She shook her head as Mike hobbled over holding out the key. She took it and waved him away. “Nothing that makes a good story. Just corporate bullsh-uh … crap.”

  “Damn it!” Mike exclaimed from up the lot.

  They got into the car with Aaron in the driver’s seat and her at his right.

  “I’ve never really had a job to be fired from,” he admitted as he turned the ignition.

  “How’d you manage that?”

  He shrugged. “Rich parents. Or at least they were rich by the time I had any awareness of such things. I went straight from college to a service program. Dug ditches and built shelters in third world countries — that kind of thing. Did that for five years then moved home right when Dad was campaigning for governor.”

  “Let’s head south on 32.”

  He nodded and carefully backed the car out of its diagonal space into the driveway. “I wasn’t home for long when I started the Cars to Work charity. Actually, my mother urged me to do it. I was getting nagged so much by the national press because they couldn’t figure out what I was about.”

  She remembered the press’s interest in him. At the time, it hadn’t been because he’d done anything spectacular, but more so because he gorgeous and mysterious, and his father was being touted as a future presidential candidate for the party. No one knew anything about what made the man tick, and he always played coy with the press, leaving folks to think what they would. Just like Mandy had.

  “Still can’t, I guess.”

  “Right. Well, it was either I do something productive or take one of those offers to sign onto the cast of a reality television show. The charity seemed like the more fruitful endeavor.”

  “I tend to agree.”

  “Other folks did, too. Money started pouring in.”

  She turned in her seat so her knees were angled toward him and her back to the passenger door. “You’ve never worked for anyone other than charities, although you could probably land a pretty sweet job in any number of corporations due to your father’s connections — ”

  “And?”

  “And instead, here you are running the fastest growing NPO in the state. Do you even pay yourself?”

  He snorted and stole a look at her as he braked for a stoplight. At that angle his eyes looked straight green, although back at the lot there’d been a smattering of brown in them. “Yes, I pay myself, although my admin’s paychecks look a little better than mine. It’s been a wild ride, but it hasn’t been easy.”

  “Explain.”

  “I’ve got a staff of around thirty scattered all over the state and parts of Virginia. Caseworkers, certified mechanics, project managers, administrative and marketing folks, and so on. Everyone does their own thing and once a quarter or so my mother sends me some guy who makes sure I have all the board meetings on time and that I get all my paperwork in.”

  “I’m not hearing a problem yet.” As the light switched to green, she pointed right.

  “The problem is I never know where anyone is at any given time. I don’t want to be at my computer poring over schedules. I want to be out in the field talking to the people we help and, well, playing with cars.”

  “You should hire someone.”

  He cast his green gaze in her direction. “I’m working on it. So, hey, can we take this car out to open road? I want to put some stress on the engine.”

  “You got it. Swing a U and we’ll go barrel down Highway 17.”

  This was the kind of test drive she could get used to. He didn’t ask her complicated questions like when he should shift into all wheel drive or why there wasn’t an external antenna. He already knew.

  And maybe it didn’t hurt he was gorgeous. If she had to put her car-related idiocy on display, it might as well be for someone she could daydream about later.

  CHAPTER 4

  “So, Miranda, is it?” Aaron pushed the accelerator nearly to the floorboard after checking the mirrors for signs of Chowan County’s finest. “Isn’t Mandy traditionally short for Amanda?”

  He was curious indeed about her nickname, but not just for personal reasons.

  “Normally it is.” She leaned closer to the center console and turned off the country music station that had been programmed into the pre-sets by someone at the lot. “Mike started calling me Mandy right around the time our parents hooked up. It started as Mirandy as a tease. He used to sing it and dance around like it was a taunt, knowing he was pushing my buttons. It sort of morphed from there. Everyone in Chowan County calls me Mandy now.”

  “Which do you prefer? Mandy or Miranda?”

  She straightened up in her seat and turned her head to watch the forest as they raced past. “Slow down at that curve up there. It’s a speed trap.”

  He nodded and let off the pedal. Sure enough, hidden 10 meters down a wooded path was a highway patrol vehicle. He probably could have gotten out of any ticket, but he didn’t want her to know that. Besides, he didn’t like flexing those diplomatic muscles. It was nice to know they were there if he needed them, but he preferred not to advantage of political perks. He hadn’t earned them, after all. His father had.

  “I suppose it depends on who’s saying my name. Whenever Archie calls me Mandy I want to correct him, but I suspect that’s just me being contrary.”

  “And are you contrary? By nature, I mean?”

  She smiled. “Yeah. Unfortunately, I am. It’s one of my few major faults.”

  He laughed at the flatness of her voice while saying that.

  Oh, she’s cute.

  “What are your other major faults?”

  Be a little less obvious, will ya, guy? If you’re gonna do a job interview, how about you ask some questions you haven’t read off a list before?

  Superficially, Mandy seemed ideal for the job he had in mind. Between her education and her take-no-shit attitude, she’d fit in great with the CTW hooligans. But what he couldn’t decide was whether hiring her would be trouble. And, yeah, she looked a lot like trouble and sounded like it, too, with the way his cock constricted every time one of those throaty laughs escaped her throat.

  “I’m not sure if I can discuss those with a stranger,” she said finally.

  “Oh, I see. Well, we don’t have to be strangers.”

  “What exactly would the getting-to-know-you process entail? Hmm? I know your type, Mr. Owen. I bet you have a girlfriend in every podunk town in the state.”

 
“Call me Aaron, remember? And that’s just ridiculous. Let’s not play fishing games, sweetheart. If you want to know if I have a girlfriend, just ask.” Hell, he wanted her to ask. That way he could turn the table. A girl like that had to have someone she went home to. If not, something was wrong with the men in Edenton.

  She crossed her arms over those fabulous breasts and shrugged under her seatbelt. “I don’t care if you have a girlfriend.”

  “Oh, that burns!” He smiled and stole another look. Her jaw was tight and face otherwise devoid of expression. He must have pushed a button. Still, he figured one more little nudge couldn’t hurt. “Really? You have no interest whatsoever in the life of a pseudo celebrity?”

  She rooted through her purse and pulled out black-framed sunglasses that reminded him of a pair his mother owned. Mom had gotten them from Ermine’s before Ermine’s started going downhill. She’d been complaining for two months that the manager was a useless snot.

  The more he stared at Mandy, the more the purse seemed familiar, too.

  Must be spending too much time around Elly if I’m starting to recognize handbags.

  Instead of putting the sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, Mandy pushed them past her temples like a headband to hold her bangs back from her eyes. He appreciated the unimpeded view so he could better study her features. She had a high forehead and a bit of a widow’s peak that made her seem even more glamorous.

  “I may not be interested in you specifically, but I am interested in your charity. I think it’s a good cause — getting cars to poor rural folks so they can get to work. I believe in helping people help themselves. Beyond that — ”

  “Beyond that, you don’t find me interesting in the slightest bit.” He sounded wounded, and maybe he was. Thoughts of employment offers aside, he wanted to know why this one beguiling woman wasn’t interested in the guy the News and Observer had hailed as “The Most Interesting Man in the State.” Was she playing hard to get, or did he finally encounter an eligible young woman who didn’t want him?

  She crossed her legs toward the door and faced forward. “I don’t know what to make of you. This guy here behind the steering wheel seems profoundly different than the one the press likes to follow around. Which one’s the imposter?”

  Huh?

  “Well, they’re both me, more or less. Maybe we should hang out and you can figure it out for yourself.”

  “I imagine you have plenty of people falling all over themselves to hang with you.”

  “And?” He slowed the car and made a right turn down a dirt road.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Oh, just checking out the struts.”

  She gave him that same blank expression. He figured she wouldn’t know what a strut was, so it was a good enough lie for what he had in mind. Interview over. Damned woman. Yeah, he was pissed now. It actually bugged him the curvaceous runt hadn’t thrown herself at his feet. Maybe he’d taken for granted that when he’d find a woman he was interested in enough to pursue, she’d actually be into him.

  When they reached a dilapidated farmhouse and outbuildings, he said a little prayer to the god of debauchery and unfastened his seatbelt. “I’m just going to look at the radiator. Make sure it’s not getting too hot.” He pulled the handle and listened to the pop.

  She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once in front of the car, he hid in front of the open hood and brought up the messaging menu on his phone. “Okay, Tina. Here’s the first one. Her business card reads Mandy McCarthy. Legal name is Miranda. Check under both names, will you? Last address was probably in Raleigh.”

  Twenty seconds later, Tina buzzed back. “Do these people know you’re checking them out?”

  “Nope.”

  “Are you trying to get me in trouble?”

  “Look, I’ll take care of the consent stuff, all right? I promise. I’m not going to get you into any shit.”

  “How deep do you want me to check?”

  He rubbed the stubble on his chin as he thought about it. Normally, he only checked basic things like recent arrests, credit reports, and employment history. It didn’t seem like enough. He sent: “Just do all the basic stuff. I’ll find out the rest.” The rest had nothing to do with her qualifications and more about his ego.

  “And the others?”

  “There’s a tow operator named Frank Escondito. Originally from Long Beach. Definitely discontented and experienced in the way we need. Also, a Michael Leonard.”

  A long pause. “THE Michael Leonard? The motocross guy? That’s the eye candy?! YUM.”

  He felt his face scrunch up with his confusion. Who? “I have no idea. Save that one for last. He’s pretty charming and would be good in Chas’s position, but he might be handful.”

  A handful in a different way he expected Mandy to be — the kind of handful that would keep him from Mandy. Those two seemed way too chummy for his liking. He made it a policy to not hire siblings, but rules were made to be broken, assuming the rewards offset the potential hassle.

  “Got it. See you at two.”

  He forced a smile onto his face before slamming down the hood. Mandy was rooting around in her purse for something and the loud crash hadn’t prompted her to look up. The woman obviously had nerves of steel.

  Well, let’s make her a little nervous.

  He walked over to her door and pulled the handle.

  “Hey, Mandy, can you step out of the car for a moment? I want to ask you something.”

  She stopped rooting and raised one eyebrow. “About the car?”

  “No, sweetheart, the car is fine. I want to talk to you about your job.”

  “And we can’t do that from inside the car?”

  He shook his head. “Hey, I’ve got a brain. I need some space in case you decide you hate me and want to punch me in the nose.”

  “Oh, Jesus.” She rolled her eyes, but unfastened her seatbelt. After she’d gotten out and closed the door, he took a step closer.

  She eyed him warily.

  He took another step, close enough that he caught the scent of vanilla from her hair and the slight hint of musk that seemed ever-present on women during those hot Southern summers. One more step and they were toe to toe.

  She leaned back against the car door and crossed her arms after lowering her sunglasses onto her nose. “Do you always have business conversations standing this close to people?”

  “No.”

  “So how do I rate so high to get special treatment?”

  Honesty, flattery, or straight-up lie? Which would work on a satin-haired enigma? He decided to start with flattery.

  “I meant what I said earlier, Mandy. You’re stunning.”

  A little flush met her cheeks and made her olive skin seem like lamps had been turned on underneath. “Thank you. But what does that have to do with my job?”

  “We’re talking about two different things here.”

  “Obviously the first is my job. What’s the second?”

  Slowly, he brought up his hands and brushed her hair from her collarbone, barely grazing her skin with the tips of his thumbs. When she didn’t flinch or pull away, he put his lips where his fingers had been, grazing them along the satiny skin.

  Impelled by her intoxicating aroma, he moved his mouth over the pulse point of her neck and licked as he put his hands at her waist.

  “If you’re trying to get a discount … ” She sucked in some air. “You’ll have to take that up with Archie. And I don’t think this method works on him. He’s not really into carnal favors.”

  He pulled her against him, mashing his swelling arousal against her belly and stilling her lips by pressing his against them. When her lips parted readily, he traced his tongue around them, not giving a single da
mn about her lipstick. Then he held her back and looked at her slack expression.

  What a damned confusing woman.

  “I take it you don’t find me repulsive,” he quipped.

  “I never said I did. You didn’t ask the right questions.”

  He nipped at her earlobe with his teeth, being very careful to avoid the pearl stud. Her whispered moan sent a surge of blood into his crotch. “Oh. What should I ask?” He kissed back down her jaw and returned to her mouth, which he hovered over awaiting her reply.

  “Ask me if I’m attracted to you.”

  He felt the tips of her fingers digging into the fleshy part of his ass through his clothes. “Are you attracted to me, sweetheart?”

  “Yes. Now ask me if I want to be involved.” She traced her hands up his spine beneath his shirt, the softness of her palms making his gut clench.

  He thought he knew the answer, but asked anyway. “Do you want to be involved?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  He thought wrong. “Why the Hell not?”

  • • •

  Obviously not the answer he was expecting. Mandy straightened her clothes and used the side mirror to wipe her smeared lipstick off her chin. “We should be getting back to the lot.”

  “Yeah, we should. I’ve got paperwork to do and have a two-and-a-half hour drive to make a meeting, but I want you to answer my question. I can afford the time it’ll take for you to give me the answer.”

  She pulled her door open and fell gracefully into the passenger seat, crossing her legs toward the left and cocking her head to the side.

  He had his brow furrowed, and his face had gone all red.

  Poor baby.

  “Relationships always end abruptly for me, so I avoid them and anything resembling them.”

  “Are you kidding me?” He closed her door and jogged around the front of the sedan to the driver’s side. When he’d buckled himself in and started the ignition, he picked up his wearying investigation again. “What does that mean, exactly? You don’t even have sex?”

  She gritted her teeth and talked through her clamped jaws. “That’s a really personal question, Mr. Owen. Let’s stick to business.”