Chapter 20

«What am I doing?», Dominik asked himself for the fifth time in a row. He knew this was completely insane, but he was, none the less, delighted to be doing it. He went way past the limit of what he thought he could do for a woman. Point being, he had never done anything like this.

After Rodríguez managed to recover Samanta's number, Dom started sketching a plan. That afternoon he finally had some time to himself, rest and take his mind off his sports and advertising engagements, therefore he snuck Friedrich's ID while they were in his room, overlooking some documents Adidas sent him, in order to renew the contract they had going on. He used said ID to rent a vehicle after sneaking out of the hotel, he knew if he used his own, it would be a matter of minutes before the press would find and chase him.

Outside the airport, there was an impatient and very nervous Dominik, who, by whatever strange reason, did not understand how come this girl made him feel so good, so free … so him. It was no mere passion of the flesh. No. It was something deeper than skin. With her, every talk was fun and time flew by.

«I could spend hours upon hours talking to her and not once feel bored», he thought.

He could recognize Samanta coming from afar. She was wearing some worn out jeans, very figure flattering, Dom had to recognize she looked stunning, a yellow top with some light cleavage, black flat shoes and her brown hair up in a high ponytail. What he liked most was how natural the woman was, she was only wearing lip gloss and thin eye liner, making her beautiful amber eyes pop up. He couldn't help it, he wanted to touch that tan skin.

He smiled when she was near and noticed how short she was. She barely came up to his chest.

“Hey” Samanta greeted with a faint smile.

“Hello. How are you?” Dom's heart was racing.

“Great!” She answered, smiling even more.

“Shall we?” Dominik asked, making it obvious he was nervous.

She nodded and smiled again. She, too, was terrified.

They both went around the vehicle, Dom opened the car door and waited for Sam to get in, he then gently closed the door, went around the car to the driver's side, opened the door and got in as well.

The vehicle was utterly beautiful and Samanta acknowledged that immediately. It was a Ford Mustang Shelby Gt-500 in silver gray. She could not keep her freaky side on check, she was a huge car fan, she loved everything about them, car racing, Formula 1… That was all she could enjoy along with her best friend. Getting to ride this “beast,” was mind blowing.

Dominik closed the door, got the key in and got the car going. Sam let out a whistle …

“DOHC V8 5.8 engine, 32 valves, 662 horse power” she reached out and touched the dashboard. “Purrs like a kitten” she was fascinated. He seemed surprised.

“Wow! You know your cars, but… bet you don't know how many shifts it has?” Dominik challenged her.

“Six!” She answered matter-of-factedly. “It has 4 specialized conditions, depending on the kind of turf it's driven on, manual traction, Bilstein adjustable electric shock dampers … you can adjust them from here” Samanta pointed the button on the dash and Dom's eyes were open in awe. “Also, it has fine-tuned SVT suspension with springs” the woman concluded, staring at him with challenging eyes.

“One can definitely learn a thing or two watching Top Gear” he joked, laughing out loud. Sam laughed, too.

“What I know, I owe to my father” the mention of this word made Dominik squirm in awkwardness on his seat remembering his own. “I have been fascinated by cars since I was very little. Dad owned a mechanic shop, naturally, you can imagine I spent most of my childhood between tires, oil and bolts. Let's say it's one of my hidden passions” Sam made a pause and brushed her hand on the dashboard again. “I can die in peace now!” She concluded.

Dominik could not hold in his loud laughter.

“Just don't die in the car, please” he joked as he slowly hit the gas pedal, making such a perfect machine start moving.

For a long time, they stayed in silence. It was like they were at a loss for words. Sam looked all around her. She opened the glove compartment, touched the seats, inspected every little detail, every little button, pushing one or two, move her seat back and forth … Dominik was only watching her from the corner of his eye while he laughed. She was like a little girl, and seeing her like this filled him with tenderness, a feeling he was not all too familiar with.

“Have you been living in Los Angeles for a long time?” Dominik broke the ice.

“Samanta first arrived to this beautiful country when she was only 13 years of age” she said without even looking at him, she was still busy playing around in the car.

Dominik frowned from this peculiar form of speaking.

“Do you usually refer to yourself in the third person?” he inquired, taking his eyes off the road to look at her quickly.

“Did I do that?” Samanta looked at him with a concerned look. Dominik nodded. “I'm sorry. It's this kind of game we play with my best friend.”

“Okay” he smiled. “Tell me about Samanta” he tried to play along.

She smiled, giving him a side eye. It was much more fun doing this with a stranger, most people would judge her for talking like this.

“Let's see. Samanta was born on March, 27 of 1998, in Michoacán, México. Daughter of Eva Teresa Núñez de Andrade and Víctor Gabriel Andrade Villa…”

“Victor? Oh my! Talk about coincidences” Dominik interrupted.

“What do you mean?” Sam looked at him, frowning.

“My father's name was Viktor” he answered.

“Was?” Samanta let slip, she couldn't help it.

“He passed away 18 months ago” his voice quivered.

“I'm so sorry… I…” she mumbled, “I have no tact. I'm such a tool!” she muttered.