Test Drive (The Bachelor #1)

by Avonlea Cole

  Her eyes seemed relieved when she said that, and I wondered what else might have gone on prior to her leaving.

  "Do you fly much?" my mother asked.

  "Not unless I have to. I’ve seen too many bad endings to flights."

  My mother and father both laughed at her confession. "Well, Andrew down there is afraid of heights. How odd is it that you both work for a company that does nothing but fly people from place to place?"

  They continued laughing, and Beth and I sat looking at each other. I shrugged and said, "That just goes to show you how good we are at our jobs." I winked at her.

  She reached for her goblet of freshly squeezed lemonade and took a big gulp. My mother slid her chair back and excused herself from the table. She was only gone for a moment before she returned with dessert. "My goodness, Mother, this looks incredible." In her hand was a perfect loaf of the lemon pound cake with gooey blueberry sauce dripping down the sides. We all oohed and ahhed over the dessert, and I wasn’t shy when I sliced off a huge piece for myself.

  I watched as Beth took her first bite. She locked her lips over the bite and slid the fork out of her mouth before closing her eyes and massaging the food in her mouth. It was sort of a fetish of mine to watch someone taste something that I knew was good. Not like a freaky fetish, but it did give me some insight to their personality. My mind roamed to what else she might have that reaction towards.

  Damn, I had to get this search under control. I had already "test drove" some new people, and from what I could tell I was beginning to be too picky for my own good. I still didn’t know what or whom I wanted. Thankfully so far I had been able to control this task to what my brain was thinking instead of what my body was feeling.

  After lunch was over, Beth and I offered to clear the table and join my parents on the patio for cocktails. We made a pretty good team. I scraped the food into the trash, and she stacked the plates in the dishwasher. We boxed up the leftovers and cleaned up around the kitchen. We didn’t really speak, but I did accidentally bump into her a time or two.

  This different side of Beth was very attractive. She seemed to be unimpressed with my money or stature, which was a good thing I guess. I wasn’t sure how she felt about me to be honest. Maybe she didn’t feel anything.

  I grabbed a beer out of the fridge, and we headed outside. The day was beautiful, and the sun beating down on the glistening pool was like an invitation to go for a swim. I took off my shirt and sat down at the table where my parents were talking about going to the Bahamas. I knew they wouldn’t. My father never left the company for more than a day or so. It bugged the hell out of my mom that he didn’t spend more time with her.

  "It is sweltering out here," Beth said, fanning herself with her hand. "I wish I had brought my bathing suit." She laughed, but the idea had crossed my mind several times already to get her into a swimsuit.

  "Actually, darling, we have a few swimsuits that might fit you. We had bought them for our niece, but she hasn’t been by to use them.

  Beth sucked in a deep breath. It was obvious she was just making conversation, but you couldn’t say "no" to my parents' hospitality.

  "Yeah, I will show you where they are. I would like to take a swim myself." I stood and motioned to the pool house across the pool. She lifted her eyebrows and slowly stood. Mother headed back inside to get another pitcher of sangria, and we headed off to change.

  The pool was beautifully decorated with plants and trees lining the walkways. The palms leaned over the pool creating a nice area of shade from the beating sun. The pool house wasn’t huge, but trying to move around the floats and lawn chairs was tricky. I reached into the cabinet housing the swimsuits and grabbed a few for her to choose from. I was instantly excited to see the options. One was a black two-piece with silver pieces linking the top together. Another was a beach scene string bikini in a sunset color pallet. The last was an olive green halter-top bikini. I could see her smooth tan skin in that one the best. I held it up, and she reluctantly grabbed it. We stood in the steamy room standing face to face. She looked kind of shaken up. She was much shorter than my towering six foot two frame. Her face only came up to my shoulders. I could picture her laying her head down on my chest and me wrapping my arms around her.

  "Are you going to give me the room to change?" Her words slashed through my little fantasy like a knife, and I quickly turned to leave the room. If she were a different woman, any other woman for that matter, I would have laid a kiss on her that would have left us both spinning, but she was different.

  Untouchable.

  I stood so long trying to replay the whole encounter in my head that she beat me out of the dressing room. I slid the trunks on and hurried out the door in time to see her dive off the diving board and into the cool blue water. Without shoes the concrete burned into my feet so I hurried over to the board and stood waiting for her to surface. I could see her lean body shimmering through the bottom of the pool, and when she came up for air, she was all the way across the pool.

  I dove into the freezing cold water and made my way to her on the other side. The water felt so good on my sun burnt skin. I opened my eyes underwater, and I could see her getting closer. I resurfaced inches from her face, and she squealed, "Oh my gosh!"

  "Sorry," I said, rubbing the water off my face. She dipped lower in the pool and drenched her hair in water. I didn’t step back and neither did she. "This feels so good," I said.

  "Yeah, I needed to cool off . . . from the sun I mean." She turned around to look back at my parents. When she saw their eyes on us, I knew the moment was over. She waded to a shady spot on the edge of the pool and started talking to my parents about how nice the water felt. My mother offered her another glass of wine, and she willingly accepted it. I dunked my head under water, and my eyes resurfaced with the heavenly sight of Beth coming out of the pool. The olive green bikini clung to her curves, and her hair slipped over her shoulder revealing a very tan, very smooth back. So many dirty thoughts ran through my mind.

  Beth hurried back to the water to escape the burning cement with two glasses of wine. The sweet liquid went down easy. I tried to pull off a toast, "To a hot day and a cool pool." But she responded with an eye roll and continued to sip her beverage.

  Okay, I get it. She didn't really know me. All I am is the boss’s lazy son, but I could be different. Hell, I was already changing, and maybe if I could show her, I might actually interest her.

  Beth gulped down her drink and set the glass on the side of the pool. She made one last trip to the diving board, and I watched her gracefully dive in. She swam underwater to the other side of the pool and exited without so much as another glance at me. I covered my chest with my hand signaling the sharp knife had penetrated my chest, but she continued to walk in the opposite direction towards the shack housing her clothes. I could see through one of the windows as she dried her hair with a towel and patted the soft cloth on her shoulders and face.

  Her eyes darted over to me, and once again I was busted. What can I say? I am not the type to hide my attempts to woo a woman. I want whomever I am with to feel like she is the only one I could be staring at. Beth, however, glared at me like some peeping Tom and shut the wooden blinds blocking out any view. It wasn’t like I was watching her change.

  Rejected! Nice, Drew. My losing streak was starting to get to me.

  I hopped out of the pool and went over to my parents' table carrying the empty glasses with me. The water dripping off my arms splattered onto the table as I reached for the picture of wine. "Honestly Andrew, have you no manners? You couldn’t have changed before showering us with your pool water?"

  I reached for a handful of the chips and salsa my parents were sharing and said, "Beth is in there right now. Not like we can both change at the same time."

  "That’s right," my father said sternly. "Beth is a very nice girl and a hard worker. Don’t you go messing that up." He snapped the newspaper back open and disappeared behind the gray shield.

 
"And how would I do that, Father?" I knew what he was thinking already, but my father had a way of spinning things that had happened in my life into something I caused instead of something I had to work through.

  "Boys, I won’t have you fighting in front of company," my mom said in a stern voice, cloaked in a wide smile she was flashing to our guest. Beth was coming out of the pool house in her beautiful sundress. Her wet hair crinkled into loose curls, and I wondered if that was her natural hair type.

  "Beth, will you be joining us for dinner? We are so happy to have you here." My mother swooned over our guest. I would love to be able to say that my mother’s sugary sweet personality was fake and that I didn’t constantly roll my eyes when she spoke, but that wasn’t the case. My mother was the most perky, loving person I had ever met, which must be why I am so irresistible. Okay. Well, I thought I was until I met this assortment of women who kept resisting my charm.

  That daunting reality smacked me in the face like a sledgehammer every time my eyes met with the unimpressed, uninterested Beth. You know what that meant? Challenge accepted.

  AFTER BETH HAD TURNED down my mother’s dinner proposal and politely left the premises, I realized my date with Claire was this evening, if she managed to clear her schedule. I sent a text message to find out where and if we would be seeing each other this evening.

  Claire responded, "Yes, I am free for dinner tonight. I was wondering how you’d feel about coming to my place for dinner? I have a few recipes I want to test on you. ;)"

  The winking smiley face at the end hit the mark. My thoughts had been diving deep into the gutter thinking about all the things I’d like her to test on me. "Sounds great! Just send me the address and what time you want me there." The words in my head sounded so different from the words I quickly swiped on the screen.

  She sent me the address and said eight thirty, which gave me some time to chill for a minute before I finished getting ready. "What to wear to her house?" I said aloud. My closet was full of suits and dressy clothes, but this was just to hang out and eat some, probably amazing, food.

  I settled on jeans and a gray fitted T-shirt from Abercrombie. I checked myself out in the mirror a few times, before deciding that, "Yeah, I look good!"

  I bounded down the stairs and out the side entrance hoping to escape any further questioning by my parents. My father hadn’t let the fact that I had obviously found his secretary attractive and that I was bound to screw up a good thing for the company. Thanks Dad!

  When I arrived at Claire’s apartment building, I found it a little sketchy. The neighborhood was really quiet, void of street lights or any lights for that matter. There was an eerie glow coming from the building’s entrance. I almost developed a fear of the dark just sitting in my car deciding whether or not to get out. I began to wonder if the power was out. I checked the address again and it was exactly right.

  Jenna’s daunting words echoed in my head, "Don’t be such a girl, Drew." I argued over whether this was a valid fear, before saying out loud, "Maybe she shouldn’t live in such a creepy neighborhood."

  It was time to man up, so I got out of the car fully ready to run like a little girl into the building if I saw anything creepy. But I managed to make it to the door without incident, and Claire was waiting at the top of the stairs when I burst through the doors.

  She was wearing a navy blue wrap dress that landed about knee length. It was very simple but elegant, and her black flat shoes hinted that her profession made her very aware of her comfort levels. Claire’s hair was hanging in loose curly locks around her shoulders. The front was pushed back with a pin. She looked comfortable.

  "I was wondering if you were going to come inside," she said.

  "Yeah, I wasn’t sure I was in the right place. Your street is so dark," I said, ascending the stairs two at a time.

  "Oh I know! The electric company is rewiring the stop light up the road, and we haven’t had streetlights for days now. It is kind of creepy." She rubbed her shoulders when I got to the top. I didn’t quite know whether to hug her or just follow her into her apartment.

  You could smell the food cooking from the hallway, and my mouth instantly watered. "How do these people live in the same building with you?" I said.

  "Excuse me?" She was obviously confused by my statement.

  "I don’t think I could sit down the hall, smelling this mouthwatering food and not raid your apartment." We both laughed, but I was serious.

  I followed her through the hallway, and the apartment building transformed into a luxury condo. Recess lighting and modern decor graced the entranceway. The kitchen was fit for a chef and was probably the big selling point for Claire. Granite countertops and a gas stove topped a large island in the kitchen and a smooth cream-colored set of cabinets lined the whole back wall. Her array of fresh fruits and vegetables were splayed out on the countertops beneath the cabinets and a spice rack that would make any chef proud took up one whole shelf in the pantry.

  "This place is spectacular." I made a lap around the open concept living room, and I could see there was a loft bedroom up a narrow flight of stairs lining the back wall of the living room. "How long have you lived here?" I walked over to the large, floor to ceiling, windows, which were tinted to avoid anyone from seeing in. There were a set of automatic blinds that could be lowered at the push of a button. This place was the perfect bachelor pad or maybe couple’s pad?

  "Um, I have lived here for about six months now. I really love the layout of the apartment, and the people here keep to themselves." She was mixing something delectable in a bowl. I could smell a hint of seafood, and I could barely wait to taste whatever she was making.

  "What’s for dinner tonight?" I leaned over the counter towards her. She didn’t seem nervous at all.

  "Well, I have wanted to try this stuffed mushroom recipe . . .” she said as she slowly mixed whatever ingredients were stuffed into the powder blue mixing bowl.

  "Yum!" I interjected bringing a smile to her face.

  "And then there is this chocolate lava cake with a caramel sauce for dessert."

  "Oh my God, Claire, stop." I laughed. "You had me at chocolate, anything after that is going to turn me into a drooling fool." I wasn’t kidding. You ever hear that a way to a guy’s heart is through his stomach? Well that is bullshit, but what is true is that if a girl can cook then she gets major points in the "could be my wife" category. So I can see the misconception, but there is a real difference.

  Claire giggled but continued mixing her concoction. "So what all is in there?"

  "Umm, it has some lump crab meat and mayonnaise with a whole bunch of spices. There is cilantro and Italian loaf bread crumbs. I am getting ready to add in a cup of grated cheddar cheese, and then I am going to stuff those portabella mushrooms and top them with more cheese." She listed off the ingredients like she was giving instructions to her staff.

  "Sounds delicious! So what can I do?" I rubbed my hands together signaling that I didn’t mind getting my hands dirty.

  "Actually if you can just open this bottle of wine that would be super helpful."

  I poured a few glasses and we toasted to a wonderful evening. I was a little bummed she didn’t want my help in the kitchen. I hoped she wasn’t one of those control freaks that wanted to conquer the world by themselves. Being independent and motivated was good, but not to the point where you shut your family out. I realized that was the definition of my father, which had been what sparked the resentment between us.

  Claire and I talked seamlessly for another hour as she flitted around the kitchen pouring this and baking that. I felt like a lump on a log just waiting for her to get done. When dinner was finally ready, we sat down at her mahogany bar style table, and the night continued without a hitch.

  The conversation between Claire and I flowed. Although I didn't feel any sparks, I thought we paired nicely. It's not that she wasn't beautiful because she was, but I felt like I was having dinner with an old friend instead of a new love. Dinne
r was spectacular. After, we sat down on the sofa, and she pulled her legs tightly up under her.

  We talked for hours about food and movies. I learned a lot about her past dating history, and I selectively picked through the details of my life. I didn't want to risk being called a liar if I ever told her the truth.

  "Wait a second," she said and popped off the couch.

  "Okay?" I laughed.

  Claire bounded into the kitchen almost spilling the wine sloshing around in her glass. She set down the glass and opened the fridge revealing a small plate with several square pieces of chocolate on it.

  "Oh wow! What is that?" My mouth instantly watered, and she approached me with the sugary confections.

  "These are my last surprise, if you can shove one more thing down your throat."

  We both laughed, and I responded saying, "Are you kidding me? I can feel the pounds stacking up. I’m going to have to leave here and head straight to the gym."

  "If you spend any more time at the gym, you won’t be able to walk out in public without being mauled by a dozen women."

  "So let me get this straight. Are you saying that I am borderline irresistible? Are you trying to hit on me? Because if you are, I’m flattered."

  Blushing, she took a small piece of the chocolate and held it out. "Eat the chocolate, Drew." She didn't appear to be placing it in my hand, so I opened my mouth and she laid the chocolate on my tongue. She popped the other half in her own mouth and let it melt on her tongue.

  "What do you taste?" she said. Her eyes lit with excitement.

  "Hmmm!" I let the chocolate roll around in my mouth. I could taste some heat, but I couldn't quite place what flavor it was. "Is it some kind of chili flavor?" It was a wild guess, but I could definitely taste the spice. I sipped some wine to wash down the thick sludge leftover.