“Are you like a millionaire or something then?”
“Why?” he asked, grinning. “Are you a gold digger? Because if you are, the answer is yes.”
I burst out laughing. “No, I’m not but that’s a good option to know.”
We carried on chit chatting for the rest of the drive. When we turned down a little country lane with brand new red brick buildings lining the road, my anxiety shot through the roof. What the hell was I doing? Why had I agreed to do this?
Luke parked right outside the front door, right next to a brand new Porsche. I nearly choked. “You can’t park here,” I whispered.
“There’s a parking space, Cat, so yes, I think I can.”
“Oh my God, I want to crawl in a hole and die,” I said, shrinking in my seat.
“Lighten up, have some fun. Come on.” He pointed at the open roller shutter door. “There’s a whole warehouse of them in there. Let’s go have a look.”
He opened his car door, and I couldn’t help but squeak. “Don’t, Luke. Let’s just go home.”
“Oh, get your big girl knickers on. You’re supposed to be some badass witch, right? Prove it.”
I frowned. “I’m not entirely sure how I’m supposed to do that when we’re car shopping.”
“Just get out the car, Cat.” He took the keys from the ignition and pushed himself out of the small opening. “Chicken.”
I sucked in a deep breath and got out of the car. I glared at him over the roof and said, “You’re gonna get downgraded to matey in a minute.”
He grinned. “Fine by me, Captain.”
“What?”
“Matey is a pirate term.”
I grinned. “You know you forgot to open the Captain’s door again? You’re seriously lacking, matey.”
“Get inside, wench.”
We headed inside the immaculate showroom, chuckling away like a pair of teenagers. When I took in the sight in front of me, I had to stop and take a moment. I’d never seen such a collection of prestige cars.
Row after row of shiny sports cars. Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, even some names I didn’t recognise. I couldn’t imagine the money’s worth sat in this one place.
“See anything you like?” Luke asked, casually strolling along the first row of cars.
“Yes, but this isn’t my car. It’s yours.”
“I think having an outside opinion would be beneficial.”
“My outside opinion would be as long as I don’t have to travel in that rot box ever again, buy whatever you fancy.”
He laughed. “She’s a classic. You leave old Jessie alone.”
“Jessie? You named that thing?”
“Yes, it’s the law. A man has to name his toys.”
I pointed a bright blue Porsche. “That’s a toy. Not that thing out there,” I said, jerking my head towards the door.
“How very dare you. Poor Jessie.” He skimmed his fingers over the gleaming paintwork on a white car I didn’t recognise. “This is…well, Jessie wouldn’t come close to this, I have to say.”
“What even is it?” I asked, looking at the weird red mark it had for a logo.
“This is a McLaren. The new GT if I’m not mistaken. Brand new out this year.”
“It looks expensive.”
“That’s because they are expensive. You can kiss goodbye to the best part of two hundred grand for one of these.”
My jaw dropped. “I could buy a house with that!”
“Hi there.”
I turned to see an older gentleman in a grey suit striding towards us. His grey hair had been slicked back with gel and he walked with an air of arrogance I instantly took a dislike to. His beady green eyes were scanning us up and down already.
“Hi,” said Luke, holding out his hand.
The man looked at it and pressed his hands together. “I’m sorry. Bit of a germ freak. My name is Owen. Can I help you?”
I glanced at Luke with a wicked glint in my eye. He gave me the smallest of nods. “Hi, Owen. I’m Caitlyn.” I put my finger on the McLaren and walked down the side, sliding my finger across the smooth paintwork. “We really like this car.”
He scratched his head and coughed. “Please don’t touch the paintwork, Miss. That’s a very expensive car.”
“Oh, I know. I have a choice of what car to buy. A gift from my darling boyfriend.”
“Well,” he said, coughing and clapping his hands together. “Why don’t I show you our selection of second-hand cars out the back? I’m sure they’ll be at a more comfortable price point for you.”
“I’m sorry?”
Worry filled his little piggy eyes. “Just…you know,” he said, motioning his hand over us both. “I’m sure these cars are perhaps out of your league.”
I looked at Luke and smirked. “Did you hear that, darling? This car is out of our league.”
Luke nodded and looked at the man. “Maybe you’ll just indulge my girlfriend’s desire to appreciate nice cars?”
“Yes, of course,” Owen said. “But please no touching.”
“Hands in pockets,” I said, grinning and shoving them into my jeans.
“Enjoy,” he said, before retreating back to the office.
“Wow,” I whispered to Luke. “Can you believe that? You were right though. That was fun watching him twitch as I touched it.”
He laughed. “Told you. The best bit hasn’t even started yet.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Watch and learn, Cat. Watch and learn.”
Chapter Nineteen
We wandered along the rows of cars for ages. Luke paid particular interest in a blue BMW and a black Audi. As he stood back admiring the two, a green Range Rover pulled up outside the shutter doors. A young man jumped out of the drivers seat, his black hair carefully styled into a quiff. He also wore a grey suit but his smile and general energy was nothing but warm and friendly.
“Hi there, folks. I’m Ryan. Can I help you?”
Luke offered his hand. “I’m Luke. This is Caitlyn.”
Ryan didn’t hesitate to shake Luke’s hand. “Nice to meet you both. Have you seen anything you like?”
“I’m quite taken with these two to be honest,” Luke said. “I was debating a Range Rover, I’m not a small guy, but I like the sleek look these two have.”
Ryan walked over to the Audi. “This is an excellent choice if I may say so myself. It has an air of sophistication to it which I can tell is something you appreciate.” He then went to the BMW. “This is sporty and a world of fun. You strike me as the type of gentleman who likes to get the most from his cars.”
“You would be correct.”
“Why don’t you take them both for a test drive? Swap over halfway so you both get a feel for them?”
I glanced at Luke, excitement bubbling inside me.
“That would be fantastic, thank you,” Luke said.
“I’ll just go get the keys.”
As he marched back to the office, I resisted the urge to scream. “I can’t believe I’m going to drive them!”
Luke narrowed his eyes. “You better not damage them or there will be trouble.”
“Hey, matey, I’m the Captain. I ace being in charge of powerful expensive cars.”
“Cat, I’m serious.”
“Oh lighten up, Frodo.”
He raised an eyebrow and laughed. “What did you just call me?”
“Frodo.”
“As in the hobbit?”
“Yep.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Do I look like a hobbit to you?”
“You don’t look like one but you’re definitely acting like one. Are you going to turn all Gollum on me?”
He laughed. “I’m not going to even dignify that with an answer.”
“That’ll be a yes then.”
“Here’s the keys for you,” Ryan said, striding towards. “Who wants to take what first?”
“Audi,” I said, my eyes lighting up.
Luke
pulled a face at me and snatched the keys for the BMW. “Is there a set route or anything?”
Ryan gave him directions for a ten-mile round trip as I opened the door on the Audi. I looked up to see Owen scowling at us through the window of the office. I glanced down at my crusty muddy trainers and struggled not to laugh. Without a doubt, he’d definitely be twitching now.
I sat down in the black leather seat and swallowed the moan of pleasure that rose in my throat. It had ‘RS’ stitched into the seat and had amazing honeycomb padding. Solid but soft, comfortable but hugged my body, I could fall asleep in this seat and wake feeling perfectly refreshed. The steering wheel had all sorts of buttons and controls on it and the touch screen in the centre of the dash looked awfully high-tech.
“Are you ok with starting it?” Ryan asked, coming over to me. “Double tap the engine start button, put your foot on the brake, and then press it again.”
I looked down at the dash and spotted the engine start button. When I double tapped it, the dash in front of the steering wheel lit up in a beautiful digital display. I bit my lip to stem the excitement building up in me.
Once I started it, the roar of the engine made me heart backflip. It sounded powerful, to a scary degree. Luke pulled in front of me, already good to go in the BMW, and put his thumb up. I nodded, moved the gearstick into drive, and eased the car out of its space.
When we were down the little lane, well away from the garage, I let out a scream of joy. I couldn’t believe I was actually driving a car like this. I had well and truly fallen in love. We turned left at the top of the lane, going into what looked like more country roads. As Luke turned the BMW left, he accelerated at such a speed, he left me covered in dust. Part of me wanted to follow his lead but the sensible side of me kept the plodding along. I couldn’t risk losing control of something like this and crashing it.
Luke tore off into the distance, seemingly enjoying the curves in the road as he threw it around the twisty bends. I chugged along at the speed limit, desperate to try its power but more mindful of my life and Luke’s reaction if I damaged it.
A few minutes later, Luke pulled over into a field entrance. I pulled up next to him, realising he wanted to swap over.
“What do you think?” he said, jumping out of the BMW.
“I have no words,” I replied, grinning like an idiot. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
“See what you think to that one then.” He jumped into the driving seat of the Audi. “Don’t scratch it.”
“Hey, I didn’t scratch that one.”
“I just wanted to make it clear.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Meredith.”
His jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you just called me that.”
I slid into the drivers seat of the BMW and looked at him. “Believe it, pal, ‘coz it just happened.”
“Pal?”
I grinned and shut the door.
Frowning at me, he pulled off in the Audi at a ridiculous speed, kicking up dirt and tiny stones. I found myself shrieking and holding the steering wheel in a pathetic attempt to protect the car, then realised what a twerp I was being.
I carefully pulled off the field entrance and eased the car up to sixty. This felt so different to the Audi. Everything felt aggressive and urgent. It had two little red buttons on the steering wheel marked M1 and M2. They almost gave me heart palpitations at the thought of touching them. The digital dash also projected onto the windscreen, making it quite distracting from the road. I didn’t feel as relaxed and chilled in this; I felt like I was on the edge of racing at any point.
Luke seemed to be enjoying the Audi though, giving it the same treatment he had done this. They were both absolutely stunning cars though. My pick would be the Audi; I felt safe and comfortable in it. Whilst the BMW was just as gorgeous, it seemed to be aimed more for the people who enjoyed speed and living life a little closer to the edge.
As we turned back down the little lane to the garage, Ryan stepped outside, a big smile on his face. Luke pulled up behind the Range Rover and hopped out of the Audi, heading straight to Ryan. I brought the BMW to a stop and switched it off, breathing a sigh of relief. It scared me but this wasn’t my choice of my car. I had a feeling which one Luke had his heart set on.
I got out of the BMW and headed towards Luke.
“What do you think?” Ryan asked.
I was surprised he wanted my opinion but also impressed he cared. “I prefer the Audi. The BMW is too ‘racy’ for me.”
He chuckled. “A lot of women say that.”
“I think the BMW is more of a driver’s car. It’s raw and ready to go,” Luke said, looking at them both. “The Audi is refined and sophisticated but still delivers power when you need it. Although it is markedly less than the BMW.”
Ryan nodded. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. The Audi RS5 was built to compete with the BMW M5 but BMW have hit the nail on the head every time with the M series. They never fail to deliver a driver’s car. If that’s what you’re looking for, there is no comparison.”
Luke sighed. “Ideally I’d take bits from both of them and build my own perfect car. I need the engine from the BMW in the Audi.”
“If its raw power you’re after but with an Audi badge, have you considered an R8?”
Luke chuckled. “I don’t think that’s my kind of car. I’m not in a mid-life crisis just yet.”
Ryan laughed. “We have one if you want to take it for a test drive.”
“I couldn’t picture myself with one of those but thank you for the offer.”
“Is there anything else that caught your eye?”
Luke pressed his lips together. “If I was buying for the sake of buying, then the McLaren, but that’s not practical. These two have the capability to be everyday cars as well as something a bit special.”
“I agree. Do you want to talk it over with your girlfriend, or go away and think about it?”
When Ryan said ‘girlfriend’ my heart somersaulted. Part of me wanted to jump in and say ‘hey, we’re just friends’ but another part of me wanted to let it go. I decided on keeping quiet. Now was not the time to address our complicated friendship.
“No,” Luke said. “I think I’ve decided.”
Ryan nodded. “A man who knows what he wants.”
“Yes, indeed. I’ll take both.”
I gasped and stumbled backwards.
Ryan faltered for the slightest of moments before holding his hand out. “An excellent choice. I’ll go and sort the paperwork.”
As Ryan hurried back inside the building, I walked over to Luke, my heart racing, and said, “What the hell?”
He grinned. “I love them both. I couldn’t decide. This way I’m not going to wonder if I chose right because I’ll have the two of them. And change to spare,” he said, winking.
“How are we getting three cars back home?” I asked.
“I doubt we’ll be taking these today. They’ll need to prep them and stuff.”
“Please don’t tell me I’ve got to get back in that rot box after being in these?”
Luke grinned. “You leave Jessie alone. She’s a good old girl.”
“You know what you’ve done, don’t you?”
“What?”
“You’ve taken me to the Ritz for a starter and to McDonalds for the main course.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. When he looked at me, he burst into more laughter. “What an analogy.”
“It’s true. I feel cheated. I’ve had fifteen, maybe twenty minutes in complete luxury, and now I have to slum it for an hour and a half back home.”
“I am quite hungry actually. Do you fancy a McDonalds?”
I smirked and narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m sure I remember Joanna telling me that when her first boyfriend upset her, she put a spell on his…you know…and turned it green. I wonder if she’d teach me how to do that?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
I grinned. “Is that a challenge?
”
“No!” he shouted. “It certainly is not.”
“Do you still fancy a McDonalds?”
He pouted. “No. And I was looking forward to a Big Mac.”
I smiled. “You can have one if we’re not in that death trap.”
He frowned. “Let me get this straight. I can’t have a greasy burger in a rotten old car, but I can have one in a car that’s cost a hundred grand. What makes you think that makes sense or that I’d even allow food to be eaten in either of those cars?”
I thought for a split second before replying, “Because I’m the Captain, matey. And what I say goes.”
He turned away from me, muttering under his breath.
“What was that?” I asked, smiling.
“I said I need to ring the bank.”
I giggled to myself. I felt mean but not mean enough to apologise. Luke had been right about one thing though—this had definitely been fun.
Chapter Twenty
An hour later, we were heading towards McDonalds. The best bit was old Jessie had been left behind. Result. As we turned onto the main road, I couldn’t help but grin at what had just happened.
When it came to paying, Luke called his bank and instructed them on the amount, which nearly made me choke, and to send it as a faster payment so we could take the cars with us there and then.
Ryan had not been sheepish at all when he told Luke the amount—one hundred and seventy-nine thousand, two hundred and five pounds. Luke casually nodded and called the bank. I felt like fainting.
However, when Luke instructed the bank to send over two hundred thousand pounds flat, I actually sat down on the nearest chair I could find. Ryan’s jaw dropped and Owen looked like he’d just been tasered with the shock on his face.
After Luke ended the call, he looked Owen straight in the eye and said, “The extra is a tip for this young man. If I find out he’s not got every single penny, I’ll be coming to pay you a visit.”
Owen just nodded, he looked too shell shocked to say anything.
Ryan had tears in his eyes. “I can’t thank you enough. My wife and I are saving up for a deposit on a house.”
Luke smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Well you use that as you see fit. You deserve it. Thank you for your attention today.”
Love, Lies and Blood Ties: A young adult paranormal romance (Love, Lies and Ties Book 2) Page 15