Page 19 of What's the time, Mr. Wolfe
“What is it you’re not sure of?” Tim asked.
“This has been thrust upon me all of a sudden,” I said and heard a low chuckle from behind.
“Tell him to leave, if you want to, Ruby.” The voice startled me. He’d leaned down, his mouth at my ear. He moved my hair and his breath ghosted over my skin. “Although I’d rather you didn’t.”
I swallowed hard; my heart was racing.
I nodded. “It’s fine. I’ll only be a couple of hours at most,” I said, aware my voice shivered. “She’s asleep and usually sleeps straight through. She’s not on any medication and she has water beside her. No glass, please. She’s... She’s fragile.”
He nodded. “Mr. Wolfe has my number if you need to contact me.”
I straightened my back. “Perhaps it might be best if you had mine, should you need to call, bearing in mind she ismyrelative and not Mr. Wolfe’s?”
That chuckle came again and hit me straight in my core.
“Absolutely.” Tim pulled out his phone, and as I was about to recite my number, Sebastian did instead. He knew my number off by heart. It irritated me no end.
“Shall we?” Sebastian said, pushing me gently forwards. I hadn’t even picked up a hoodie.
I walked down the path and hesitated at the front gate. There was no car.
I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. I then felt Sebastian place his jacket around my shoulders. He rubbed the tops of my arms. I didn’t look back at Tim but heard the front door close. I was worried, hugely, but also elated. It was a sense of freedom I rarely got that coursed through me. I’d walk in the rain if I had to. I was out at night. I wasn’t to or from work. It wasn’t my normal and it was exciting.
“This way,” Sebastian said, and when he placed his hand on my back to guide me, static coursed over my skin. Even through my clothes, I felt the shock.
He guided me to a black car. Not the same one he’d been driven in, but a sporty, low to the ground type. He opened the door for me, and I had to hold his hand to lower myself into the seat. Had he let go, I was sure I would have fallen on my arse.
I watched him walk around the car. He scanned his environment and I shivered. There was a predatoryelement to him that, even in the car, I could feel. But the strangest thing was, I felt protected. I wasn’t prey.
“Nice car,” I said as he got in. He stared at me, and then frowned. “What?” I asked.
“I was waiting for the quip, Ruby. Perhaps something about capitalism or being wealthy?”
I stared at him and then bit down on my lower lip. “I do that a lot, don’t I?” I said, quietly.
“You do. Now, buckle up.”
Sebastian didn’t drive to the office in the same direction that I’d been before, and considering it was within walking distance, I wondered where we were going. That was until he hit the motorway.
“Fuck!” I shouted, part laughing and part screaming.
Sebastian laughed and hit the accelerator harder.
He’d put his foot down and the car had shot off so quickly, it had taken me by surprise. I laughed, and whooped, waved my arms in the air, as much as I could with the low roof, and screamed to go faster.
When we finally slowed, I was breathless. “Oh my God, that was amazing.”
He laughed, and it was a natural one. His smile was broad. He whipped off his tie and threw it on the floor at my feet since there wasn’t a backseat. As he undid his top two buttons, I licked my lips.
“Can you drive, Ruby?” he asked, glancing at me and catching me staring at him.
“I can, but I haven’t for a long time.” I’d learnt when I was seventeen and passed my test, but could never afford a car and hadn’t driven since.
“Want to have a go?”
“Are you kidding me? I’d smash it up or kill us.”
He laughed again. “I highly doubt that.”
