Page 59 of Beyond Expectations

“I think what she meant to say was we see you as family, son. And we wouldn’t want to see you taken advantage of.”

Despite being a man I grew up with, seeing him as almost a surrogate grandfather figure, and having always admired him, I now pitied him.

“As I have already told your wife, Serena is a very accomplished and successful woman. She has built up her law firm, which, to your surprise, we hired out, as our legal team was insufficient in doing the job themselves.”

With my blood at boiling level, I turned my full attention to the vile woman.

“I want to make myself very clear. Who I see or have a relationship with is of no concern of yours.”

“Your mother can’t be too happy about this.”

Anger blinded me even more at the mention of my mother.

“My mother has no say in who I share my bed, time, or feelings with.”

I turned to Mr. Fitzgerald, gave him a slight nod, and looked for Serena.

I couldn’t believe what had happened as I passed through the crowds. Despite how wrong those prejudices were, I might not be as surprised if we lived in the 1800s. The world had changed. It was a fucking joke that people dared to still have those opinions. How was this even a topic of conversation? I was so glad Serena wasn’t around to hear the terrible things from that woman’s mouth. As I searched through the crowds of people, I didn’t want to let what happened ruin my day.

By the time I found her talking to the owner of a beautiful 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso in the main tent, I’d managed to get control of my emotions.

“There you are,” she said. “I was about to send out a search party.”

I took her head between my hands and kissed her, needing to connect with her again.

“Sorry, I got caught up talking to an old family acquaintance. Did you catch up with the person you spotted?”

“Yeah, it was my dad’s best friend. We usually bump into him here as well every year. I explained why Dad couldn’t make it, and he told me how he’d brought his current girlfriend here to show her a fun day. Unlucky for him, she’s not too keen on cars. He’s been keeping her drink topped up instead.”

She covered her mouth as she laughed.

“Well, I guess I’m just the lucky guy whose date isn’t only sensationally beautiful but probably knows more about cars than I do.”

I took her hand and felt as she looked down at the gesture of it. We returned to the gentleman she had been talking with, and he gushed at Serena’s knowledge of this car.

A slight blush crept across her face, and she said, “It’s my favorite car. I’ve always loved it. I remember the first time I saw one. It was at a car show I went to in Chicago, and I instantly fell in love. I was only nineteen, but I knew I would own one, one day.”

I was somewhat taken aback.

“Why haven’t you gotten one yet? I know you could afford it.”

“A car like this can’t just sit in a garage. It must be properly looked after, driven, and enjoyed on the open road. You know how busy my schedule is. Unlike you, I’d struggle to have my dream car sat somewhere without being regularly driven by me.”

She gave me her devilish grin. She was right. It also gave me an idea.

We said our thanks to the gentleman and continued to look around. I was on my fourth drink now. I managed to nurse one for the first hour we were there. But after that encounter, I knew I had to seek refuge in alcohol. Serena looked terrific. Which was not helping me in any way deal with my lust for her. She wore a lilac dress that wrapped around her body, seamlessly melting onto her gorgeous curves. She wore wedges and had her hair down in long, flowing curls. She looked like the ultimate mix of her two worlds. The dress was elegant enough to wear in a meeting, but I loved that she wore her hair naturally.

Walking hand in hand, we went to where the auction was held. I got her to find us some seats and excused myself under the pretense of needing to make a call. Hurriedly, I put my plan into motion. I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face.

I made it back just in time.

Car after car got sold. As the auction went on, the price of each lot increased, and so did the atmosphere in the tent.

“So, are you planning on making any purchases today?” she whispered.

“You’ll just have to wait and see. I like a few lots here, but I’ll see how it goes.”

There were only a handful of cars left to auction off. They announced the next lot, and it was the Ferrari Lusso. I watched as she subtly leaned forward, looking around and watching the bidding progress.

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