I like blue. And I think it’s just right!” She protested.
He raised his eyes to the heavens. This might be a lot more difficult than he had anticipated. “Car shopping…it’s a game. And we’re going to win.”
She looked at him playfully. “And will we win…a new car!” She acted as both model and master of ceremonies. She was practically bouncing up and down.
“This is never going to work unless you follow my lead. Will you work with me here?” He implored. He was seriously concerned that he would never be able to work a deal for her. And he was notorious for making deals. He would practically stage a sit in if need be. This was a game that he liked to win. The object was to get the lowest possible interest rate, the best trade in, and the longest warranty available. To date…he had won three times…twice for himself, and once for Finn. She wasn’t nearly this fun at a dealership. It was boring. She was bored. There was nothing to do, not enough people to talk to, and everything took too long. Then there was Marti, his little Energizer Bunny. It was impossible to be seriously angry with someone that cute.
The salesman had apparently been watching their interaction. He was walking over, while adjusting his tie. He had on his big salesman smile and held out his palm to offer up that strong salesman handshake. Joe shot her a look that reminded her to be quiet. She did her best to look disinterested and demure.
“I see you were eyeing the Escape. Care to take it for a test drive?” He grinned.
Joe looked at Marti. She looked at him. She sighed and shrugged. In that one moment, he wasn’t sure he ever could have been more proud of her. He imagined it was taking every ounce of self-control on her part. He almost laughed. Almost.
“So, babe,” he said. “Are you interested in this car or not?”
She took a step closer, a small, hesitant step. He could have reached out and kissed her. Damn she was good.
“I don’t know. It seems pretty basic. And that looks like a lot of money for a really basic used car.” She walked around it slowly as if she was trying to detect every flaw. “And I always wonder with these vehicles that are only one year old, but sitting in the used car lot. I suspect that they were once rental cars and that they have been used hard, mistreated, and handled like the proverbial red-headed step-child.” She nodded in his direction. “No offense, of course.”
“Of course,” he agreed. He, too, walked around and nodded. “I assume you have a report on the previous owner? I wouldn’t want my girl driving around in a vehicle that is unsafe. She travels back and forth to Vermont a lot.” He nodded at the Vue. “See, that’s a vehicle that we can trust. She just is tired of the color.”
He glanced over at Marti as she ran her hand over an imagined imperfection in the paint. “Babe, what do you think of this color?”
She made a face. “It’s fine. You know…nothing special.” She shrugged and turned as though to walk away. “I just don’t know if I’ve found anything that really strikes my fancy. I mean…it’s not like I have to get a new vehicle. We can just go…”
If she didn’t stop it, he was going to throw her on the hood of the nearest car and have his way with her. He had never been so taken with a woman in all his life. Damn, she was sexy when she bargained. Crap. She caught him looking. Play it cool, Joe. Play it cool… “Babe, do you know what I’m thinking?”
She smirked and walked over to him. “I think I do. And I would much rather be doing that than car shopping. I just don’t think we can get a good enough deal to make it worth our while.” She walked into his arms and he crushed her against his chest. “Shall we?” She asked in a voice so seductive that he was convinced, and so was his penis. The way her eyebrow arched just then…suggested she knew it, too.
She backed away just a bit, and he was glad that she kept him covered. In fact, she turned around and wrapped his arms around her so that she was hiding him still. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I love you.”
Throwing her head back,