Jessica was prepared. She’d done her research, she’d read all the articles, she knew the right things to say. Her dad had taught her well and she was finally ready to buy her first car on her own.

It was something every person did eventually, and after Jessica’s beloved 1989 Mustang finally died, she knew she had to bite the bullet and go out and buy a new car.

She gathered her paperwork and headed out, ready to face the sleazy salesmen. She knew they wouldn’t take her seriously just because she’s a woman, but she was ready for them. As a VP of Marketing at a major retailer, Jessica knew how to handle not only men in general, but men that thought they were smarter than the women in the room.

At the dealership Jessica headed right for the car she wanted. She knew one of the salesmen would come out to her and try to get her to buy up. She’d done her research though and knew exactly what she should pay and what they would attempt to talk her into.

Jessica circled the vehicle and smiled to herself when she saw someone walking out of the dealership and head straight toward her. He walked toward her with a confidence she knew he would have. She turned away from him, smiling to herself as he approached. She was ready for whatever he threw at her.

“Excuse me, can I help you?” he asked.

He was close. Close enough that he didn’t have to shout. With a serious look on her face, Jessica turned around and looked up into the brightest green eyes she’d ever seen. Instead of condescending, he looked open and honest. Or maybe it was just that he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.

The sun was behind him and he almost seemed to glow, like he was an angel sent down to her. She knew it was nuts and she shook her head to clear the fuzzy thoughts. She blinked a few times then focused on him again. He was just as gorgeous as she’d initially thought with rich brown hair, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and endless legs. She had to look up at him to see into his sparkling blue eyes, and from her 5’9″ height, that was impressive. She figured he was about 6’3″ of solid muscle and it left her mouth watering at the sight.

“Uh, are you okay?” he asked, reaching out to her. She watched as his hand stretched toward her. Softly, his fingers touched her arm and she felt a spark light up her entire body, alerting her nipples and her core that something was happening that they needed to pay attention to.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jessica finally said, shaking her head. “I’m, uh, interested in this car.”

“Okay, great, let me go get the keys and we can take it out for a drive. I need to get a copy of your license.”

Jessica handed it over and watched as he walked away, wondering why he didn’t give his name. As he jogged back to her Jessica let her eyes roam his body, finding her own body heat as his eyes travelled over her. A smile teased his lips and she clamped down on her lip to keep from smiling back at him.

“By the way, I’m Cal. I’ll take you out. If you’re interested.”

Jessica didn’t miss the open ended statement. She didn’t think he was just talking about the car, and judging by the look on his face, he hoped she wasn’t thinking about that. “I’m definitely interested,” Jessica said softly, reaching for the keys.

Their fingers brushed and Jessica sucked in a breath. Her eyes met Cal’s and she saw his widen with desire. She felt the same spark. Almost like a shock, but different, something that coursed through her body and settled low in her belly, drawing heat between her legs.

Cal stepped over to the driver’s door and opened it for her, closing it once she was securely inside. He jogged around to the passenger side as Jessica started up the car. She pulled out of the lot and headed toward the interstate, ready to test out the handling of the car at higher speeds.

They drove in silence for ten minutes or so, Jessica not knowing what to say to the Adonis next to her. She wanted to come across as smart and confident but one look at him and she felt like a bumbling fool all over again. She struggled to come up with a coherent thought with him so close, his spicy scent wrapping around her and hypnotizing her. She wanted to pull over and christen the car, but knew it would be a mistake. The last time she’d taken a chance on a guy she’d regretted it. He would have to make a move if he was interested.

“Take the next exit,” Cal said, pointing to the exit sign coming up. “We can turn around and head back to the dealership.”

As Jessica pulled into the parking lot she knew he wasn’t going to ask her out. The serious work of negotiating on a price was about to happen and once he saw how stubborn she was, Jessica knew it would be over before it began.

She followed Cal to his office and sat in the chair across from him, waiting as he pulled up the details on the car. Jessica knew she was as prepared as he was about the car, and that she could handle whatever he threw at her. He printed out a sheet of paper and studied it before spinning it around to face her.

“Okay, here’s the list price. This is what we can do. It’s a decent price, but here’s the thing… This car has been sitting on the lot for a while. They’re pretty desperate to move it. It’s in great shape and really could bring in a much higher price, but this is the lowest I’m authorized to sell it for. What were you thinking?”

Jessica stared at him, trying to figure out what his game was. She was prepared to haggle with him until he walked away with his balls shriveled up inside. Instead he was offering her a price way lower than she thought she’d get. What was the deal?

“Listen,” Cal said, his voice low, “I can’t sit here and screw you over. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and I want to make sure you get a good deal. This is a good deal. I know this car because I’ve thought about buying it myself. I know this is crazy, but I really want to take care of you, and getting you a good car is all I can do right now.”

“Why do you want to take care of me?”

“Have you ever met someone that you feel like you’ve known forever? It sounds like a Disney movie, but it’s true. I want to know all of you, and while I hate making you pay anything for this car, I can’t just give it to you, but I can sell it cheap. Hopefully giving you a really good deal will be enough to convince you to go out with me. What do you say?”

 

Will Jessica say yes?