MARIA

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SALLY PLACED HER HANDS on her hips and stared at me. “Are you really going to give up so easily and hide in the kitchen crying all night?”

I pushed a strand of hair away from my face. “I’m not crying and anyway, what do you want me to do?”

“Goodness, girl. It’s not about what I want you to do it’s about what you want to do. Do you want Fin or not? It’s really that simple.”

I sighed. “I’m not sure what I want.”

“Oh come on, you can’t be serious.”

“But I am. Fin is my boss. I crossed a line I shouldn’t have crossed and I’m afraid that things are going to be different between me and him now. I may have to leave. He may ask me to leave.”

“Stop being dramatic and pull yourself together. You think you are the first woman in history to fall for her boss?”

“I haven’t fallen for him.”

“And I’m still a virgin.”

I laughed.

“Hey, now, it wasn’t that funny!” Sally said.

“I still am,” I said.

“Still am, what?”

“A virgin.”

“No way. You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“Holy heck. Why? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“To be honest, I don’t know. It’s not like I didn’t have opportunities. But as soon as things got too heated, I’d back away. Maybe something is wrong with me.”

She gave me a hug. “Nothing is wrong with you. The right guy just hasn’t shown up yet. He will. And when he does, you’ll know it. It might be Fin or it might not. Either way, you’ll know.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“I’m here whenever you need me. Now are you going to enjoy yourself tonight or are you going to stay in here and mope?”

I felt better. I was lucky to have a friend like Sally. She was there for me and I was always going to be there for her. Friendship was important to me.

“I’m going to enjoy myself. After all, Fin asked us to mingle with the guests so that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” I picked up a tray of champagne.

“Way to go!” Sally said and gave me a gentle slap on the back as I walked through the kitchen door on my way to rejoin the guests.

“Where have you been? This party is horribly boring without you,” Rockwell shouted to me from across the foyer.

My presence had been missed which made me smile. I decided I was going to be strong. Determination rose inside me and I held my head high as I walked to Rockwell.

I would do my job, but I was also going to have a little fun and I was most definitely not going to let Fin’s girlfriend, or whatever she was, spoil my evening.

“How can you possibly be bored?” I asked Rockwell.

“Fin sure does know how to throw a party. You missed the fire breathers. They put on a marvelous show in the garden,” he said.

“I was busy in the kitchen.”

“I’ve been wondering. What would make a girl like you look back at tonight and remember it as a great evening?”

“That’s quite the question,” I said.

I thought of Fin and our earlier conversation in the kitchen.

“Well, what’s your answer?”

Without thinking, I looked straight into Rockwell’s eyes and said, “A ride in a Ferrari.”

Rockwell frowned as if he wasn’t sure what to think of my answer. But then he smiled and said, “Your wish is my command. Let me make one quick phone call.” He took out his cell phone from the pocket of his pants and walked outside. A minute later he was back in, a huge smile across his face. “All set.”

“What do you mean, all set?” I asked.

“You wanted a ride in a Ferrari, right?”

I nodded.

“Well, your ride will be here in a few minutes.”

I was stunned, rendered unable to speak.

Sally was always telling me how it was possible to get men to do absolutely anything if you knew how to push the right buttons. Maybe Sally could get men to do whatever she wanted but I never could until tonight.

If only I could do the same with Fin.

Minutes later, a Ferrari roared up the driveway.

“Looks like your ride is here,” Rockwell said. “I’m too drunk to drive you myself but my friend will take you for a spin in her Ferrari.”

A redheaded woman stepped out of the car and came around to open the door for me.

I beamed with excitement. I was about to slide into the passenger’s seat when I saw Fin and his blonde lady friend emerging from the Marquee tent where the rock band was playing. She whispered something in Fin’s ear.

Fin glanced at me but I looked away.

I wasn’t going to miss out on taking a ride in a fabulous car so I practically jumped into the seat before Fin or his girlfriend could stop me.

Maybe what I was doing could be seen as inappropriate and maybe I was risking getting fired. But at least I was taking a risk on something. I couldn’t remember the last time I had taken a risk.

I had always been too scared to try anything. I didn’t even make it through one semester in community college because I let one professor get to me. He pushed me to work harder because he said I was better than the work I had been handing in and that I needed to focus if I wanted to stay in his class. I gave up and fled school and that was that. I figured I was destined to follow in my Mama’s footsteps. Mama didn’t agree but she left me alone.

Tonight was different. I was different.

“You ready?” Rockwell’s friend asked.

“Yes!”

Just before she pulled away, I glanced back and caught Fin’s eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was angry. His face expressed no emotion.

His girlfriend, however, looked upset, swinging her arms in the air and stomping her feet like a child. She was Fin’s problem not mine.

The Ferrari sped down the driveway.

“Hang on, we’re just getting started!” she said, putting her foot down on the gas pedal.

“This is incredible!” I shouted.

“By the way, my name is Shirley.”

“I’m Maria.”

“I know.”

We headed for the highway and soon we had an open road ahead of us. Shirley put her foot down on the gas pedal with the determination of a racecar driver and for the first time I really felt what the Ferrari was capable of. I was too afraid to look at the speed gauge. There was something incredibly intoxicating about the knowledge that we were faster than anyone else on the highway.

All my life I had been stuck in the slow lane and now it felt as if I was powering my way over to the fast lane.

There was a long night ahead of me and things were definitely looking up.

“Whoohoo! Let’s go all the way!” I shouted.

Shirley nodded approvingly.

“All the way it is then,” she said and swiped her long red hair over her shoulder with one deft stroke of her left hand as we continued speeding down the highway.

Shirley slowed down a bit because she didn’t want the ride to end with her getting pulled over by a cop.

We headed back to Fin’s house and I felt like a new person, as if something powerful had awakened inside of me.