Crushing on Royalty (The Cuttings #1) [To Be Reconstructed]

Chapter 19 | Surprise Surprise!

"I swear to God, by the time we get there, I'll be dead!"

"That is not true."

"Liar! Look how fast you're going!"

Michael looked at the metre and shrugged. "I'm only going ninety-five miles an hour. You should see how I really drive --"

"Oh God, no. Don't even attempt to -- Michael!"

He began going on a hundred and twelve.

"Whaaat?" he asked, glancing at me with a wicked smile.

"STOP! SLOW DOWN!"

I gripped my seat tighter, deluding myself that if I held on firmly, I'd be safe.

I thought I ripped the cover.

Michael sighed dramatically, slowly releasing his foot from the gas and the other from the clutch. "There, my little buttercup. All better now?"

I glared at him menacingly. "You'll be the death of me, Cutting."

"That won't ever happen; not until I see you wear your whole Sesame Street underwear collection in front of my very own gorgeous, silvery eyes."

For twenty minutes we'd been bantering through the trip. From the busy and noisy streets of London, to the serene and colourful countryside. Michael said we were going to Canterbury, Kent, so it'd take thirty-four minutes till we get to the grand ducal estate of the Duke of Rossington, i.e. Michael's father -- whom I'd yet to meet when we got there.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't actually thrilled to meet the guy. Meeting his mother was too much for me to handle already, thanks. Maybe he was like his mother, for all I knew! Or maybe he was as arrogant as his son Speed Racer here, driving hell wheels on fire.

Lord Rossington never showed up to any of the soirées Michael and I had attended. Not even once. Even his daughter Emerson, too. Now, I was about to meet them in a few minutes.

This didn't ease my nerves upon meeting them because really, I'd been dreading the day I'd meet his grace, the Duke of Rossington.

"I hate you," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

Michael smirked. "You can keep on saying that, love, but from what we've done in the living room back at my flat, I rather reckon you feel quite the opposite for me."

"Well, not now I don't!" I hissed. "And don't remind me of that incident."

"Incident?" he echoed. "That wasn't an incident. It was the grand happening of the century! A total explosion of sparks and pure romance!"

"Shut up."

"No, I will nooot," he sang gleefully, pounding his palms on the steering wheel. "Say, who's your favourite out of all the Sesame Street characters?" he randomly queried. "I really prefer Dory. Fish are a total bore, because they just swim round like complete looneys, but I care deeply for Dory. It's rather depressing really, seeing her all the time on television when I was a kid. She doesn't talk at all!"

I stared at him blankly.

"I thought of adopting her to my household -- I was only about eight -- demanding they give her to me personally." He sighed, placing one palm close to his heart. "But then I realised something different: Big Bird appeared differently to my eyes, seducing me with his worldly birdliness."

Woldly birdliness? Was that even a word?

I gaped at Michael. "Okay...okay...you have officially gone insane."

He winked. "All the more seductive, I hope?"

"Not in the least! Men like you are not worthy of any woman's respect. Your kind of men should be condemned, burned, exiled or whatever."