Driven to Temptation: Road Trip Romance

by Ava Catori

  His words caught me off guard. I was…speechless. Blown away…even a little breathless. Normally I have an answer for everything. Maybe I’d judged him all wrong. Maybe there was another side to Nick I’d never run into before.

  Chapter 6 – Nick

  She was so ready to jump on me, so certain I was going to put her down. Why do chicks get so insecure? Her curves are damn nice; it’s not like I’d have issue with them. It’s more about the swath of paint she covers herself in. Doesn’t she get it? Fresh faced in the morning, after a hot romp in bed, that’s the sexiest a woman can look.

  I’m not saying a touch of make-up is a bad thing, but when it’s all you can see, you stop seeing the girl in front of you. Sure, painted up and trashy can be hot in bed for a fantasy, but that’s a one-night kind of deal. She’s the kind of girl you bend over the kitchen table and bang hard. She’s the one that does the walk of shame with her shoes in hand, her bed-head hair, and make-up running down her face come morning. That’s the kind of girl you fuck.

  Amanda wasn’t that kind of girl. She was the kind you took home to meet your parents. While she could be a bitch, I knew that underneath it all, she was sweet and meant well. I busted her stones a lot, but knew she was the real deal. Brody wouldn’t have been interested otherwise. He wanted a girlfriend, a wife, a mother to his children, and he wouldn’t waste his time on one-night bimbos like I do. Eh, sometimes the idea of commitment freaks me out. Nobody sticks around anyway. Hell, my mom went through two divorces, and my dad certainly didn’t stick around. Trashy, tacky women were a good time, and right now, that’s all I needed in my life – a good time.

  Chapter 7 - Amanda

  Back at the hotel, we got ready for bed. This time I changed in the bathroom. Going to the tavern ended up being a good idea. It did help me relax and calm down, only now I was worried about Brody all over again. Dealers? What kind of stuff did he get involved in, and where did he meet them? My brain raced. I pulled back the soft, down comforter and climbed into bed. After shuffling my pillows, I snuggled in, securing the sheets around me like a cocoon. “Night, Nick.”

  “Night, Panda,” he answered from the confines of his own bed.

  I didn’t correct him that time. It didn’t bother me so much right now. My mind was busy. Part of it was wrapped around Brody’s situation, and I knew sleep would come slowly. The other was on the conversations I’d had with Nick. When we first started this trip, I thought he’d be the world’s worst companion on the drive, but I kind of liked talking to him when I gave him a chance. There was more to him than met the eye…and he did smell good.

  I stared at the ceiling, my mind too active. I needed to get on with sleep already. Nick rustled his sheets. I waited for him to stop tossing and turning. He finally seemed to find a position that worked for him. I closed my eyes, hoping for sleep.

  Something caught my attention…a sound. There was a noise. Weird, what was that? I listened carefully, trying to figure it out. The slow, steady sound of…oh my God! What the hell? He is not doing that…not here…not now…not with me in the room, right? A small moan quietly pierced the air and confirmed my suspicion.

  “Nick! Holy shit, are you masturbating? Right now? With me here in the room?” I was horrified. Couldn’t he wait? Or use the bathroom? Or… just not do it? Who does that? Oh, apparently Nick.

  He was agitated and goaded me. “I was about to finish, thank you very much, until you ruined it for me. Now I’ll never get to sleep.”

  “I ruined it for you? Umm, hello, I’m right here. I can’t believe you are, were masturbating with me in the same room!” Did he not see how crazy this was…disturbing, even? Sick bastard.

  “Right, what’s your point? I’m over here, not touching you, not bothering you. What’s the problem, Princess?”

  I huffed. What else was there to do? “What’s the problem? Could you please refrain from…?” I stopped myself. From what, touching himself, stroking his cock, moaning? Crap. I had nothing left to say.

  I thought we’d put the moment behind us, but nope. He started up again! I slapped my hands over my ears. No, no…don’t listen. Argh! The slow steady sound of his hand sliding up and down his shaft was freaking me out as the sheets shifted with each movement. How could he possibly – aww, fuck.

  Nick groaned and finished. Well, I guess he’s done now.

  I bit my tongue. There were so many things I wanted to say about the vulgarity of the entire situation, but I knew once I started the barrage of comments, I wouldn’t stop. It took everything inside of me not to wallop him with my angry words.

  “Sorry, Princess. I couldn’t stop thinking about that sweet ass of yours,” he said, then rolled over and went to sleep.

  I about died, right on the spot. It was the absolute last thing I expected to hear. I stared at the ceiling, speechless, nowhere ready to sleep. It was going to be a long freaking night.

  Chapter 8 – Nick

  What’s the big deal? I wasn’t bothering her. The room was dark. I was in my own bed. Not my fault that she swayed her hips when she walked and her lush, curvy ass jiggled with each step. Not my fault she chose a pair of pants that highlighted those curves and were tight and clingy. Yoga pants, God bless yoga pants.

  I could have done without the interruption, but there was something kind of hot knowing that she heard me. She listened to me stroke my dick. She pretended to be horrified, but she could have just ignored it. She wanted me to know she was listening. I think she liked what she saw when I got out of the shower earlier, and now doesn’t want to admit it. Arrogant, maybe, but with good reason.

  Her loss. I’d sleep like the dead now that I took care of those matters. I smiled as she tossed and turned, rustling her sheets with angst. Night, baby. I’ll be snoozing, soon.

  Chapter 9 - Amanda

  Long night was an understatement. After the incident, I’d barely slept. I prayed a hot shower would give me the strength to carry on. At least it would wake me up. The sooner we were on the road, the better I’d feel.

  Brody was tangled up into something bigger than he’d expected. It’s not just that he was there in a bad situation, but he was nervous about leaving too soon. They knew we were coming to pick him up, and if he bolted – they’d be suspicious. After all, the generosity was one thing, but a snitch was quite another. Every possible ugly scenario rampaged through my head. The last thing I needed to do was to play head games with myself. I drew in a deep breath, turned on the shower and stepped under the water.

  I could barely look Nick in the eye after my shower. He shot me a schoolboy grin and acted like nothing happened; freaking dog. Once I got over myself, I sucked it up and dealt with my feelings quietly. We had a long way to go, and being irritated wouldn’t help anybody. I let this one slide, even though I was furious he’d pulled that stunt. I swallowed my pride and pretended it didn’t bother me.

  After the awkwardness fell away, we were able to laugh and talk again. With another long drive before us, company made the time go faster. There was something about him that got under my skin. Settling back into the car, ready to hit the road, I hated noticing his masculine profile. Why was his nose chiseled perfectly, like an Adonis? And why did he have to be sexy and look good in a towel…and have a big dick? Asshole.

  We grabbed a hot cup of coffee for him and a Diet Coke for me before leaving. With a cold bottle of bubbly in my hand, I took a big sip and sighed. Diet Coke was my morning salvation. Another sip and I felt human.

  Back on the road…

  I couldn’t help lingering on the fact that my job wouldn’t be there when I got back home. I had no idea what to do next. I suggested a topic to get my mind off of it. “So, tell me about the poker game and how you won the car.”

  He double checked with me before starting. “You sure you want to know? You said before, not to tell you.”

  “Yeah, I know, but we have a lot of time to kill, so why not?” I encouraged him. It would take my mind off of the fact that I’d barel
y slept and was overtired and cranky. And, quite honestly, anything would be better than thinking about my job or replaying what happened at the hotel over and over in my head.

  Nick laughed before he started. He’s a good storyteller, I’ll give him that much. He gets into it, doesn’t just spread the facts on the table, but gets fully engaged. It was fun to watch him fill with excitement, like he was back in time, reliving the experience. He sprang to life on the drop of a dime.

  “I knew my mark before I started,” he said, setting the lay of the land.

  I’m a little freaked out that he even had a mark. Out of habit, I wanted to make a snide remark, but refrained. Why do I do that? I always needed to get a word in, snarky and uppity, like I was faster, smarter, and wittier than my opponent. I forced the idea from my head and focused on the story.

  Nick continued. “He was one of those rich guys. You know the type, the jerk that’s always waving his shit in your face. Look at all of my cars, my big house, and my trophy wife. I have a successful business, and I’m better than you. The guy is an idiot. Anyway, I know him because I’ve worked on his cars. Turns out, he’d recently learned that his daughter, the one he wants better things for than some two-bit mechanic, is hot into me. We’d gone on a few dates, but that chick is all silicone and nip and tuck. Good for a fast ride, but not one to keep around. Of course, he doesn’t know that. He knows that I keep showing up at his house to pick up his daughter. She’s a grown woman who still lives in the comfort of Daddy’s mansion. With her own wing, she hardly has a reason to move out anytime soon.”

  Nick drew me in with his animated words.

  “Anyway, I play poker with some of the guys I work with. You know I fix cars, but I work on a lot of exotic cars, along with regular stuff. Our bread and butter is our exotic work. My boss has been in the business for a long time and has a lot of great contacts. Anyway, this douche wants in on the poker game and has a proposition for me. I stop dating his daughter, and he’ll make things interesting. I hear him out. Only, I turn him down flat when he makes his offer. He thought I’d cave easy, but you can’t play a player, and I already was ahead of him by a mile.”

  I needed to hear more. That fast, and I was already sucked in. “What did you do?”

  “Well, I reach into my pocket when I held a good hand, and pull out a small, velvet jewelry box. It was a high end box, black with a gold rim. It’s padded and fancy looking. I open it up to show him a sparkling diamond engagement ring. It was a fake, but a high-end simulated one, not some cubic zirconia that’s easy to tell from the real thing. Nah, I went for something better. There’s these white sapphires and something called Zircon that’s different than the cubic zirconia most people know about. It’s called zirconium silicate and can be hard to tell apart from regular diamonds without an education or a jeweler’s loupe. He wasn’t up on diamonds, so it made the deal a lot easier,” he continued.

  “How do you know about that stuff?” I was fascinated. There was more to him than I realized.

  “Hustling,” was all he said. He went back into his story. “I take out the ring from my pocket, open the box up for effect, and tell him I was going to ask his daughter to marry me. I’d fallen fast and hard, and I was pretty sure she was as into me as I was into her.”

  Wait, what? My jaw dropped. Did Nick even live in the real world? What about the girl’s feelings?

  “Old man just about had a heart attack,” he said with a laugh. “His face dropped and he tossed his keys on the table. He was feeling pretty sure of himself, regardless. Had a full house, kings and sevens, and took the gamble, his car against my promise that I’d walk away from his daughter.”

  I was stunned. Is this shit for real? “Wow.”

  “I sat and thought about it, then tossed my ring into the pot. I held four queens, and was feeling pretty confident myself. Anyway, that’s how I got this beauty. She runs like a champ. And, yes, I should have done a quick oil change, but I was caught up in the moment. We’ll stop at a dealership along the way. Look one up on your phone for me, would you?”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to find a quickie-oil-lube place?” I was sure there were dozens of those around, but not as many Cadillac dealers.

  “Whoa, whoa, no…please tell me you don’t use those. Most of those guys are just out of school and are all about trying to upsell you. They talk a good game, but you don’t know who’s working on your car. Caddy dealer if I can’t do it myself.”

  I pulled out my phone and did a quick search. I found one not far from where we’d stayed. “Cadillac of Roanoke is over on Franklin Road. I can punch the address into your navigation system.”

  “Perfect,” he said, pleased I’d found an answer so quickly and close by. Thankfully, we hadn’t been driving too long, so backtracking wasn’t a big deal.

  “Wait, what about the girl? You won the game.” Something was missing.

  Nick smiled at me, like a mischievous child. He wore a Cheshire grin and then spoke. “I wasn’t going to marry Crystal. She was all show and pony, no sustenance. I took her out for a ride a few times, but a few times was already more than enough. So, when he shows up with the title the next day, and signs the car over to me, keeping his deal, I let him off the hook…a little. I told him I’d walk away from his daughter, since he held up his end of the bet. He could have walked away, but he followed through. That’s why we still bump into each other. The new deal was that he’d keep bringing his cars to us, which he had many, and I’d break it gently to his daughter that our relationship was over.”

  “I don’t even know what to say. It’s like something you see on a television show or movie or something. Stuff like this never happens in my life,” I said. To be honest, I’m grateful. It was fun to hear about it, but it was way out of my lifestyle. I was known as a good girl, never mixing it up or getting into trouble, but I was okay with that. How Brody and Nick had turned out so different, growing up in the same house was interesting. Of course, with different fathers, different genes, and different interactions with said fathers – there were probably a million different reasons.

  Nick laughed and then winked. “He thought he’d scored, and it kept me in his good graces. I’ve got another story about him later.”

  Chapter 10 – Nick

  I laughed thinking back on it all. Man, Crystal was nice to look at, but she had rocks in her head. You couldn’t have a real conversation with her, and that grows old fast. Chicks think we’re all about the sex, and sure, while sex is good, I want a girl I can talk to. I want to go out and do things together, have a best friend to laugh and talk with. Fucking someone is one thing – companionship is another. I want the best of both worlds. Do you blame me?

  Anyway, it all turned out okay. One of my buddies was hot for her, so she took up with him. Me, I’m still looking for the right girl. I guess for now, nip and tuck will have to do. Saline boobs, bleached hair, and an ass stacked high isn’t such a bad thing to look at from time to time.

  Chapter 11 - Amanda

  Sitting in the Cadillac service area, we waited for them to fit us in. They were kind enough to do so at the last minute.

  With time to kill, I begged for the rest of the story on the guy we’d spoken of earlier. You couldn’t make this stuff up, and it was good fodder. In the circle of people I interacted with, none of this stuff happened. We were all pretty mellow, boring, and maybe played it too safe. In truth, it was exciting to hear the stories, but if they happened to me, I’d bury my head under the sand and panic. I finally convinced him to tell me.

  “Okay, so one day I’m at the shop and guess who comes in? He’s got a deal for me. He knew I did a little drag racing, mostly on the streets and had been busted, but I had a reputation for being damn good. He wanted me to step in as a ringer. There was a specific race he wanted me to drive for. He’d done his homework, and one of his acquaintances had a gorgeous refurbished car he’d set his sights on. Found out I’d been the one who did most of the work on the car, and that
caught his interest. He figured I’d know if there was a weakness or something.”

  I nodded, following along with the story.

  Nick continued, “It was one of those cars from his youth that caught his attention, nothing like a Model T or anything. Either way, he wanted it. The car was a Plymouth Road Runner, a 1969 with a 426 Hemi in it. One of the big wigs with money we know has a private drag strip at his home. His property is massive, like freaking huge, and the guys get their shits and giggles out there, waving around their dicks and fast cars, feeling like big men on campus. The guy created a replica track.”

  The receptionist called Nick over to let him know it would be a few more minutes, and then apologized that there was a longer wait than she’d first expected. He was gracious and came back to finish his story.

  “Anyway, so the guy asked if I knew of any weaknesses in the car and if I’d consider driving his entry in the competition. He was putting up his 1972 Olds 440 W-30 on a quarter mile speed race. I happen to know that the one place where the Road Runner was lacking was in the tires. The owner went with pretty boy tires over heavy grip and friction tires for racing. I didn’t know if he’d swap them out, but you need some heavy grip at the get-go to get off the block.”

  “Don’t most tires grip?” I asked. “Rubber is rubber, right?”