She followed Ethan to the car and stepped up to the passenger door. There was no handle on the door anywhere, at least that she could see. She poked and prodded for just a second before Ethan was at her side.
“Here, let me show you,” he said, sliding his hand up the side of the car and then touching a spot just to the right of where a door handle should have been.
The car made a soft beep to his touch, and then the door began to open. It didn't open like a regular car did, though. Both doors slowly lifted out and upward, like the wings of a bird.
Ethan took Laura's hand and helped her into the passenger seat. Her comment about the Batmobile seemed even more fitting now than it did before. It felt like she'd just climbed into the real thing. Part of her wondered if it would have flames that shot out of the exhaust, too.
“This thing is amazing,” she whispered, as she touched the sleek dashboard, which had a giant touchscreen on it. Working for Carter, she'd seen lots of nice cars, but this one was definitely one of the nicest.
Ethan walked around the car and got into the driver's seat, closing the door behind him. He glanced over at her and smiled. He reached across the center console, took her hand and lifted it to his lips, giving her a kiss there just below her knuckles.
“I've got to be honest,” he said, still holding her hand. “You look incredible tonight. Seriously, this car looks ten times better with you sitting in it.”
Laura's cheeks tingled as she blushed. “I don't know about that, but thank you.”
“I mean it,” he said.
He released her hand and started up the engine. It roared to life, sending a vibration through Laura's seat. She watched Ethan smile with delight as he kept the car in neutral and began pumping the gas. The engine revved up, and the firing pistons became almost deafening.
“You're such a kid!” Laura said, speaking loudly over the sound of the engine.
Ethan let off the gas, and the car dropped back to an idle. He was still smiling with glee as he put the car in reverse and back out of the driveway.
“It's not a sports car if you don't rev the engine,” he explained.
“Oh, is that so?” Laura asked, playfully poking him in the side.
He nodded firmly. “It is. It's a proven fact, actually.”
Laura watched him push the gear shift up into first. Then he dropped the clutch and slammed on the gas. The Lamborghini peeled out on the pavement as Ethan went full throttle down the road. The sudden increase in speed caused Laura to get thrown back in her seat. She felt her body press into the leather.
“Whoa,” she said, giggling. “This thing is crazy.”
Ethan didn't respond. He focused on his driving. As soon as he got out of Laura's neighborhood, he pointed the car down the winding paved road and opened it up even more. They cruised along, taking the turns with the precision of a surgeon. Despite the fact that they were going over the speed limit, Laura wasn't afraid. She had full confidence in Ethan's ability to drive this machine. He did make cars for a living, after all.
They came to the end of the road, and Ethan's slowed the car down to a stop. Then he immediately accelerated away from the stop sign like he was racing in the Indy 500.
Laura was giggling and laughing the whole time. She had what felt like a permanent smile on her face. She was having so much fun already, and the date was just getting started.
When Ethan finally got onto the main road, he slowed down to a more reasonable speed. “God, I love this thing. I need to convince Carter to make a version for us.”
Laura's heart was still beating with the excitement of the ride. “It's pretty darn cool. You've got to let the kids ride in this sometime. It would make their day. No, scratch that, it would make their entire year.”
“I'd love to do that for them,” Ethan said. “I'll pretty much use any excuse possible to take out a Lamborghini. Let me know when there's a good time and I'll come pick them up.”
He pointed the car South down the highway. Laura still hadn't asked anything about the date and suddenly wondered where they were headed.
“So what's the plan for tonight?” she asked.
“We're going to Sandy's,” he said, with a playful smirk.
“Seriously?” Laura asked, her eyebrows rising halfway up her forehead. She had dressed a little fancy for Sandy’s.
“No, I'm actually just joking. I have something better.” Ethan pressed on the gas, and they sped up. He didn't say another word until they exited the highway a couple of miles down the road.
L
aura cocked her head to the side, immediately wondering if Ethan was lost. He'd just gotten off onto another winding mountain road, but this one didn't lead to anywhere except a few scattered neighborhoods.