Page 28 of Seduced By You

The train pulled into St. Pancras at five minutes after eleven in the morning. As we collected our luggage, I jerked my chin at Lee’s wedding gift. “Still in one piece.”

“Shame,” she said. “I’d enjoy watching Benedict slice open his hand on a jagged piece of glass.”

I winked at her. “That’s the spirit. Come on, let’s go.”

“How far is the car rental place?”

I shrugged. “No idea. But it’ll piss me off if the car isn’t waiting for us outside.”

She grinned. “Ah, you billionaires. Such spoiled creatures.”

“I can’t deny it.” I grabbed her suitcase and my own, leaving her with the garment bags and that awful fruit bowl. If anything sent a message of Lee’s disdain for Benedict, it was that bowl.

We weaved through the throng of people crowding the platform, emerging into torrential rain. “Gotta love London.” I took shelter underneath a canopy right outside the station. “You wait here. I’ll put these in the car and then come back for your stuff.”

“Where is the car?”

I pointed at the cherry-red Ferrari parked by the roadside. Lee shook her head.

“Safe to say my hope to make a quiet entrance is effectively ruined.”

“Meh. We don’t want you making a quiet entrance. This is a statement car, and we’re making a statement with it. One that says, ‘Fuck you, Benedict Prick-a-thon.”

A smartly dressed woman battling with an umbrella handed me a set of keys. I thanked her, then heaved our suitcases into the trunk. I opened the passenger door for Lee. Once I’d seen her inside, I sped around the hood and jumped into the driver’s side. My hair clung to my head, water dripping onto the leather seats. I flicked on the heated seats and turned up the fan.

“Here.” Lee handed me a tissue.

I gave her aWhat the fuck?look. “What do you expect me to do with that?”

“It’s all I’ve got. Take it or leave it.”

“I’ll drip-dry.”

“Look on the bright side. At least you don’t have so much hair to dry.” She chuckled.

“You’re quite the comedian, Alarie.”

“You know it, Kingcaid.”

I grinned at her, running my hands around the leather steering wheel. “What a beauty this car is. If I like her, I might have to buy one.”

“I was thinking the same thing myself.” She tapped her forefinger against her lips. “And to be clear, if you think you’re having all the fun, you’re mistaken. It’s a ninety-minute drive, so you get the first forty-five minutes, and I’m having the next forty-five.”

“That’s not fair. I have to drive out of the city. Can’t exactly take advantage of the powerful engine while negotiating London traffic.”

“Then you should have let me drive first.”

“Okay.” I reached for the door handle.

“Forget it. You picked a side. You’re stuck with it now.” Her grin widened.

“Goddammit.” I hit the steering wheel. “You duped me.”

“No. You duped yourself. And I suggest you get a wriggle on. A traffic warden is making a beeline for us.”

She pointed at the uniformed warden striding down the sidewalk in a determined fashion, her expression sour, her lips pinched. I started the engine, checked the mirrors, and pulled away. I could have sworn she looked disappointed as we passed.

I hadn’t been to London for some time. I’d hoped the traffic situation might have improved, but if anything, it was worse. It took thirty minutes to drive a mile. I glanced at Lee. “We need to renegotiate our agreed terms.” Before she could answer, my phone rang. “Can you get that? I haven’t connected my phone to the car.”

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