The Taxi Ride

Chapter One: The Odd Customer

I knew my next customer was going to be odd, when instead of sitting in the back seat like everyone else, she smoothly slid into the passenger seat like she belonged there.

"Uh, you do know you aren't supposed to sit there, right?" I told her, giving her the most authoritative look I could muster. She merely laughed and tossed her head back briefly before fixing her eyes on me. And that was when I noticed the second odd thing about her. Her eyes were cherry red, two dots of vivid color on her otherwise really pale face. A face that was unbelievably beautiful with it's high cheekbones, arched brows, strong nose, and full lips painted in crimson. Her red hair cascaded in waves around her face and shoulders, tapering off somewhere down the middle of her back. It was perfection; smooth and silky yet ruffled up enough to show that she didn't care for it to be calm. She wanted it to be reckless and wild.

And the smell, god, the smell! She smelled so good. Like red wine and chocolates and late night candle lit dinners with a loved one. She smelled...of romance. As peculiar as that sounded, the phrase fit her correctly and it made my stomach twist pleasantly as I inhaled her scent deeply.

I realized I must have been staring a long time and opened mouthedly at that too, lost in my inner world of admiration, because the girl was smirking at me with an all knowing look on her face, as if she knew what she was doing to me. I immediately flushed as I pulled myself back to reality and reluctantly drew my eyes away.

"Surely you won't mind me sitting here. I hate the backseat. Can't talk as much to my driver that way," she cooed, fixing me a pointed look, and I gulped and turned my head away, tightening my grip on the wheel. Sweet Jesus, even her voice was a work of art, pitched just right, each word a caress on the ear drum. It made my heart beat more quickly.

Just who was this woman?

I really didn't like her sitting here at all as it was against the rules (typically passengers were to sit in the back seat only) and it was making me feel weird, but I sensed this was a woman who always got what she wanted and I wasn't going to argue with her and get in trouble for it.

I worked for a local driving company that my college had founded. It was called Friends with Wheels and the college picked out and paid students with really good driving records and who didn't drink, to pick up other students on the weekends from and to parties, or from the downtown area. This was to ensure that the students were safe and that the driver and passenger would be able to know each other better. A network of sorts. Drivers weren't allowed to pick up other people during their shift and students who requested a cab by dialing the special college number for it, had to show their ID to use the services.

"I'll need your ID," I told the girl woodenly and she took that as a sign that she could stay in my car and buckled herself up before she reached into a small black bag, all of this done in such smooth and graceful motion that I briefly wondered what her background growing up had been. Perhaps a lady? She even sat with her legs crossed daintily at the ankle. Again I wondered, who was she?

She pulled out her card with a manicured hand and I barely gave it a glance, only checking that it had the familiar logo of the school on it. Her picture looked a bit different from what I quickly garnered. It looked like her hair was brown in it. So she's not a natural red head I mussed. I handed the card back to her and she put it back into her bag.

"Where to?" I asked as I started the car.

"The Twilight," she answered. Twilight was a really popular club downtown. It had cheap drinks, an okay atmosphere, and relevant music, all a great combination for attracting college kids.

"Going to spend the whole night there?" I backed the car out of the parking spot carefully, cringing at my question. But I was never really good with conversation unless it was with people I was close to. And I certainly wasn't close to this customer, in fact she sort of made me nervous. There was an air around her that demanded she be pleased or else there would be hell to pay and I found myself rushing to do just that. The girl had said she wanted a conversation as we drove so I had to buckle down and give her one as much as I displeased to talk and drive. I preferred it to be me and the sound of the engine and the wind as it whipped across the shield.

"Yes, I'm meeting someone there," the girl responded with. She was certainly dressed for a night out. She had on a black mini skirt and a green top, both articles of clothing showing off more of the pale flawless skin.

"Friend? Boyfriend?" I inquired as we stopped on a red light. The woman laughed at this, a laugh that was rich and deep.

"You could say it's more of a hook up. A booty call, if you will."

Of course it was, with someone as attractive as her she was probably swamped with men. But I wouldn't really know as I never hooked up with someone before. The farthest I had ever gone was to second base with my then high school boyfriend Edward because the boy said he would not go any further unless we got married.

Marriage! Can you believe that! Who did that in this day and age? It wasn't that I was eager to get laid, it's just I wanted to try it out to see what all the other kids were talking about when they said sex was great. Sadly, in my two years of being in college that still had yet to happen. I didn't want to just hook up with anyone but I couldn't find the right guy to date so that left me alone.

"You ever hook up before?"

"Uh, no," I stammered, caught off guard by the blatant question.

"Why not? It's so much fun," the woman drawled as she pulled out lipstick from her bag and reapplied it to her lips.

"Not really my speed," I mumbled, growing a bit uncomfortable now. I didn't like my personal life to be discussed and dissected apart by beautiful strangers.

"I guess you've never had sex before then."

I turned beet red at her words but only focused on driving as I didn't want to dignify that with an answer. We had made it halfway through campus already and soon would be on our way downtown.

"Ah, your silence has proved me right." Her voice was amused, having taken my silence the wrong way. "But you should try it. The way it feels to be so intimately connected to someone, to feel their hot lips on yours and the way their blood pounds as they tremble beneath your hands ready to fall apart." Her voice was now low and husky and I felt a cold hand slide down my thigh and squeeze on the last word. I let out a yelp and nearly stomped on the brakes. Had she just grabbed me without my permission? But when I looked down the hand was gone and hers were neatly folded on her lap as she looked out the window.

No, I had to have imagined things as there was no way she had touched me and moved her hand back in point one second. It was crazy. And yet I could find myself slightly turned on. Her words had sounded like liquid gold and had sparked images of certain activities in my mind, the mysterious hand on my thigh only strengthening them. It all made me long for that intimate link.

"But you wouldn't know," she sighed as if this really troubled her and cast me a sad look.

I instantly became defensive, not wanting this woman to think I was a loser.

"You're wrong. I have, I just don't like talking about it out loud." This was a lie obviously. She looked at me as if evaluating the validity of my statement, and I, unable to meet her piercing gaze for too long, lowered my eyes back onto the road, worried she would see right through me.

She was quiet a moment and went back to staring out her window. I focused on my driving, grateful this topic was over. It was dark outside, the warm spring day having turned into a slightly chiller spring night. The type of night perfect for a group outing with friends. I would be out too if I hadn't had to do my driving duties today. I let out a sigh as I thought back to my friends, Angela, Mike, and Jacob, eating out at a restaurant right now without me.

"You know, you wouldn't have to try hard." The red head's contemplative voice brought me out of my reverie. What was she going on about this time?

"You have very pretty brown eyes, a nice rack, and absolutely soft hair." She leaned over in her seat to grab my hair tip and twirl it around her fingers. I stiffened under this gesture, finding it incredibly intrusive.

"And you smell really good. Like really good," her voice got lower at this, a touch of need in it, and I could see her cherry red eyes darken at this comment. Or was that a trick of the lightening?

Oh my god, she's flirting with me. She definitely is. Why? Why is she doing this? Doesn't she have a hook up to meet with in like ten minutes?

I was horrified and flattered by her attentions to me, so I stared straight ahead and ignored her. We were almost there. Just a few blocks more. I was tempted to up the speed at which we were traveling but it would not look good for my record as a safe driver so I grit my teeth and tightened the hold on my steering wheel once more.

"You know, I could teach you. You'd get all the guys. All you'd have to do is listen to me." She was still twirling my hair and had turned in her seat so as to better face me, her scent flooding me and infusing every cell in my body.

Oh, so that was what all this was about. She was pitying me.

"We're here," I said, my relief leaking into my voice as I pulled the car to a stop in front of Twilight. Something like disappointment flashed in her eyes. She gave me a lingering gaze as I unlocked the door for her to leave. Her hand dropped from my hair when it became clear I would no longer entertain her in my car. I locked my jaw and refused to look at her as I heard her fumbling with her bag and turning in her seat to untangle the seat belt, with her hand on the door handle, yet still not leaving.

Then she did the third odd thing of the night.

She quickly shot forward and kissed me on the cheek. My eyes and nostrils flared open and before I could say anything about it she was gone, my words dying on my useless tongue. What the fuck? I touched the kissed cheek, feeling my flesh heat up underneath. That was so weird. I shook my head, not wanting to dwell on it and my odd passenger, and pulled the car away off to take another call. Only when I had driven half the town away did I remember she hadn't paid me for the ride.

Well, fuck.

A/N: Sooooo, decided to dabble in a different ship for Twilight to broaden my writing skills. I've never written Victoria before as such a major character so it should be interesting to see how it works out for me. And as always, comments as welcome.