“One day, I’ll be rich enough to afford a Ferrari Portofino convertible.”
“You know your luxury vehicles,” Dom says.
“I’m a car fanatic.”
“Want to take it for a spin?”
“Are you shitting me?” he asks skeptically.
“Definitely not a good idea,” I protest. “What if he totals your car?”
“Pepper, you’re killing me.” Patrick turns puppy-dog eyes on me. “I’m responsible for my age.”
“I’ll pay for any damages incurred.” Dom winks at Patrick.
“Can I put the top down?”
“Knock yourself out.”
“Sweet!” Patrick jumps into the driver’s seat.
Dom slides into the passenger seat, and I climb in the back. “No speeding.”
“Oh, I’m putting the pedal to the metal.”
I flick his ear. “Hey, I mean it.”
“Okeydoke, sis, no need to get your panties in a bunch.”
“Whatever, just chill on the cowboy stunts.”
“Record me driving.” He hands me his cell phone. “My friends are going to freak.”
“Will do, Your Highness,” I say, starting the video.
Patrick starts the ignition. “Listen to that baby purr.”
“Ease on the gas slowly,” Dom says.
“Got it.” He maneuvers into the flow of traffic.
“Do you know where Midnight Café is?”
“Yeah, I’ve been there before.”
“That’s our destination.”
“Ten-four.”
Dom isn’t the awful person he has everyone believing he is. His generosity towards Patrick is confirmation. Not many people would trust a seventeen-year-old behind the wheel of their expensive car. Patrick’s joviality is contagious, and I find myself beaming like a Cheshire cat despite my lack of faith in his driving abilities.My gaze collides with Dom’s in the rearview mirror. My smile disappears at the potency in his amber depths. An elusive entity lurks there, awakening my desire. Some people underestimate the power of a look. In actuality, eyes are the windows to the soul and have the capability to make a person feel invincible, sexy, loved… but in the next instant evoke the opposite emotions, decimating a person’s confidence. His is a punch to the gut. It raises my body temperature, accelerates my breathing, and causes liquid heat to spill onto my panties. He thoroughly penetrates my mind, psychologically making love to me. Patrick chatters nonstop, unaware of the shifting atmosphere. I should despise Dom. He takes without asking, demands without compromising, and offers no apology for his behavior. My life is in an uproar due to his actions, but to hate him is to hate myself. What a conundrum. Our mental connection grows stronger by the day. At summer’s end, it’ll be forged in steel. Dom will require a blowtorch to separate us, and when he succeeds, I’ll be reduced to a catatonic state from which escape is futile. Half of him will be forever embedded in me. Maybe I’m distorting what we have into something it’s not. Maybe this is infatuation… lust, as Dom said. Sex is new to me. Could it be I’m confusing the sentiments? Can love and lust not be mutually felt for the same person, or does one cancel out the other?
“Hellooooooo.” Patrick’s annoyed voice interrupts my inner dialogue.
“What?” I ask, a bit irritated.
“We’re here.” He regards Dom and me as if we’ve lost our marbles. “Are you two cool?”
“Of course, why?”
