Take My Breath Away

As Matthew kept going on her, Erica wasn't sure if his feelings toward her had changed, or if he was just drunk. Either way, his advances weren't welcome. Between his kisses, she tried to remember and to name all the women who were close to him. "Matthew, stop! Don't forget about the girl you really love! It's Paige, right?" The man didn't seem to hear her.

Erica remembered another name. "Phoebe Su?"

That did the trick.

Matthew slowly drew back, and his scent went with him. The desire in his eyes faded away, and his look turned cold. Clearing his throat, he hastily said, "Phoebe is Nathan's love. Don't talk nonsense about me and her!"

"Oh, I see. I guess I was mistaken," Erica replied. In her own thoughts, however, she thought she had little reason to believe his words.

After he let go of her, Erica quickly got off the sofa and put a few paces between Matthew and herself. "Can you walk?"

"Of course I can. Let's go." With that, Matthew practically sprang to his feet, and they headed for the door.

As they neared the black Emperor, Matthew hovered by the door to the passenger seat with his hands in his pockets. Signaling to her with his eyes, he said, "Why don't you open the door?"

"Okay!" Erica obediently opened the door for him, then closed it after him.

Just then she paused, glanced at the car keys in her hand, and suddenly realized something serious. "Are we going to drive home?" she asked awkwardly.

"Of course!" Matthew didn't look up. He was still fumbling with his seat belt.

"Then shouldn't we switch seats? You drive the car and I'll take the passenger seat."

Matthew rubbed his eyes as if nursing a headache. "I can't drive after that wine I drank," he answered. "It's dangerous and against the law. Don't you know that?"

Looking somewhat baffled, Erica began, "Of course I know! But..."

"But nothing! Stop wasting time and get in the car!"

"Fine, then!" Erica's heart thundered as she took the driver's seat. 'This is your order, ' she thought gloomily. 'I hope you won't regret it.'

She completed the first step on her own; she started the engine. A moment passed as it idled in a low, constant grumble, and sweat began to roll down Erica's forehead. Sounding as casual as possible, she said, "Matthew, which pedal is the accelerator and which is the brake? Also, do I need to put the car into gear?"

Though he felt groggier than before, Matthew nevertheless answered her questions patiently. When Erica began to show confidence and asked nothing else, he leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes.

Three minutes later the black Emperor was humming its way down the road, and for the first time in his life, Matthew knew what fear meant.

For a while he kept his eyes shut. Around him he could feel the vehicle crawling along; there was no way Erica was anywhere near the speed limit. Yet every few minutes, somehow she kept needing to slam on the brakes or lurch from one lane to another, and Matthew would hear another car or two screech past.

The moments dragged like hours as this incident repeated itself at least twenty times. By then Matthew was fully awake, though no happier for it. Taking a deep breath and trying not to

r window a moment ago. He was well-dressed, and his hair was obnoxious—obviously dyed blond and a bit messy on purpose—but he seemed relatively soft-spoken. "So you're the driver of the Emperor?" he asked, looking her up and down. "Well, I've just bought this Mercedes Benz, but I think you're probably rich enough to afford it. I'll just give you this car, in fact, provided you buy me a new one."

Erica's heart sank. 'Buy him a new one? Two million...'

Just then, another man stuck his head out the window of the Volkswagen Phaeton. He looked to be in his fifties, and his manner was much less pleasant than the other driver. "Lady, why'd you slam on the brakes all of a sudden?!" he barked. "If you don't know how to drive, stay home and don't put other people's lives in danger!"

Erica sighed and tried to be conciliatory. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen. I was just trying to pull over..."

The middle-aged man leaned farther out of his car window, clearly irate. "Well, why didn't you turn on your turn signal if you wanted to pull over?! How did a crazy lady like you ever get a license?"

Frustration began to boil up in Erica's heart. This wasn't entirely her fault. Matthew had insisted that she drive, but now she was getting all the blame.

She took a deep breath and said, "Okay, look. I'll pay for your car to be fixed, but stop yelling at me. I've already apologized, and if there's anything else I can do, just tell me. But if you keep treating me like this, I won't pay you for the repairs!"

Wide-eyed, the middle aged man withdrew back through his car window, opened the door, and scrambled out. "Just listen to you, woman! This whole mess is your fault, but now you're making demands. Who do you think you are?"

"No, who do you think you are?" Erica shot back, losing her composure at last. "I'm trying to talk peacefully with you, but look at your attitude. Is this the right way to settle a matter?"

"You wrecked my car and now you want me to have a peaceful talk with you? In your dreams!"

As the two continued quarreling, Matthew finally emerged from the black Emperor and drew near.