Beyond Control Read Free

highway.
    The traffic on the highway was nonexistent, which made the commute a breeze. I grabbed my empty flute back from Brandy and filled it halfway up as the nausea subsided. Our car glided onto the ramp of the 520-floating bridge, and I took a triumphant gulp of the fizzy stuff as we made our way across the water. I prevailed.
    “This place is always so beautiful in the summer,” Brandy replied, looking out the window.
    She was right. The calmness on the one side of the bridge allowed for the sun to dance off the glistening water, whereas the other side of the bridge presented the choppy whitecaps, which bounced off the worn cement of the bridge. I always wondered why there was such a difference between the two sides. There was always the calm side and always the choppy side, kind of like my life.
    The car began to slow again and my stomach tightened. Just as I was about to take another sip of champagne, my entire body lunged sideways onto Brandy’s lap as our limo hit whatever was in front of us. I braced myself for a vehicle to crash into us from behind, but thankfully it was only the one hit as the sound of brakes and tires squealing behind us stopped. Bernie immediately rolled down the partition and looked panic stricken, checking us for injuries.
    “You girls, okay?” he asked, breathless. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.” His face was ashen and his brown eyes wide.
    I hoisted myself out of Brandy’s lap and straightened up to see out the windshield.
    “We’re okay, Bernie. Are you?” I asked.
    “Yes, ma’am,” he muttered, clearly shaken.
    “Not a drop spilt,” Brandy offered, trying to make him feel better with her usual dose of humor.
    I shook my head and looked through the windshield. It looked like we’d hit some sort of white utility trailer. I couldn’t see what kind of vehicle was towing it, but judging by the size of the trailer, it would have to be something beefy. All I knew was getting in an accident on the bridge was every commuter’s worst nightmare. Bernie quickly opened his door and jumped out. I hoped they could quickly trade information and we could move on.
    “Whoa. Sometimes things are meant to be,” she sang, squeezing my elbow.
    “What are you talking about?” I asked. There was nothing worth getting in an accident over, especially as the horns blared behind us.
    “ That’s what I’m talking about,” she purred, yanking on me to look outside. “Did you know such perfection was possible?”
    Clearly the bubbles had already gotten to her.
    I craned my neck and saw Bernie hustling over to someone, and that’s when I saw him. I didn’t believe my eyes. Men like this didn’t exist in Seattle. We were a city full of hipsters and techies, but here he was… standing right next to our car. I felt as if my world had done a pause. Just the mere sight of him made my heart flutter like I was back in grade school waiting to open my very first Valentine.
    This was crazy!
    As he exchanged information with Bernie, I watched his every move. From his dark hair that the breeze mussed up slightly to the lopsided grin that he wore, I simply couldn’t look away. There was something so intriguing about him. I mean there was no denying it. The guy was completely built, but there was something more.
    It didn’t hurt that his smile was out of this world, but any guy who just got rear-ended and had the decency to smile about it was unusual. The dark shadow along his jawline signaled a morning without a shave, which complimented his rugged appearance and I just…
    “You stopped breathing,” Brandy mumbled and all I could do was smile.
    He was dressed in a pair of ripped jeans, and his shoulders were broad, filling out his charcoal t-shirt. As my eyes fell back down to his jeans, my insides clashed madly as I glimpsed bronzed skin where his shirt had tugged up slightly. I looked over at Brandy who was in the same zone as me.
    The way the sun was setting, I didn’t think he