Part 6
~~~~~~~~~~
"Tonight's the night, I've waited for
Because you're not a baby anymore
You've turned into the prettiest girl I've ever seen
Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen.."
~~~~~~~~~~
William pushed open the back door and glanced
around. "Uncle Rupert? I'm going to pick up
something else for Buffy! I'll see you at the
party."
He was pulling the door closed when his uncle came
hurrying down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Do
be careful, William. I'm still not comfortable with you
driving such a powerful car."
"I'll be careful," William assured him. "Just because
the car CAN go from zero to sixty in 3.8 seconds, doesn't
mean I'll do it."
The older man folded his arms across his chest and
frowned. "I'm not as much concerned with the acceleration
as I am with the speed you may be tempted to drive at.
Your grandmother talked until my ears bled the night you
brought that automobile home."
William chuckled. "Yeah, I got a bit of that, too," he
said. "But I promised her I'd obey all the laws...and I
WILL he added, seeing the doubtful look on his uncle's
face. "I don't want to die, you know. And I'm certainly not
taking any chances with...my passengers."
By 'passengers', he was referring to anyone who might
ride in the car, but he was most protective of Buffy. There
wasn't a chance in the world he would take with the safety
of the girl he was falling for like a ton of bricks.
Uncle Rupert was still fretting. "She couldn't stop remind-
ing me that you are the sole heir to a considerable fortune, not
to mention a ti..."
"I know all that," William interrupted. "She reminds me of
it every time she writes." He checked his watch. "I have
to go now or I'll be late."
"William..."
"I'll see you at the party," he said again. "I'm going to
stop and get some flowers." Pointing to a small wrapped
package on the kitchen table, he asked, "Will you take
that over with you? I don't want it broken in the flaming
car crash I'm anticipating."
"That's NOT funny, William! You know, I may not be your
parent but I AM your guardian here in the states, and you..."
"Bye, Uncle Rupert," William said loudly, closing the door
on his sputtering relative and making a run for the driveway.
As he settled into the low slung leather interior of his
new car, he felt a surge of masculine lust that had nothing
to do with the fairer sex. It was, instead, a rush of pure
satisfied machismo that had it's roots in the thrill of mastering
a powerful V8 engine.
Although he felt comfortable in it now, he'd actually been
a little afraid of it the night he'd brought it home. He'd driven
cars before, but never one with the kind of muscle this one
had. Barely depressing the accelerator shot him fifty feet
down the road, and all you had to was breathe heavily on the
steering wheel and it would turn.
But he was in control of her now, and she drove like an
absolute dream.
As the car roared to life, he looked over at Buffy's bedroom
window. She was in her room, no doubt getting ready for her
party, but she came to the window when she heard the car
start. Leaning out, she smiled and waved.
Sliding his sunglasses on, he returned her greeting, then
threw the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway.
The sun felt good on his shoulders, and he leaned over
and cranked up the sound system.
~~~~~~~~~~
"What happened to that funny face?
My little tomboy now wears satin and lace
I can't believe my eyes, you're just a teenage dream
Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen.."
~~~~~~~~~~
The night he'd brought the car home, she had been in
her front yard watering the flower beds. When he had
pulled into the driveway of his uncle's house, she'd
dropped the hose in shock.
William had smiled at her as she approached, then
leaned over and opened the passenger side door. "Take
you for a ride, pretty lady?" he'd asked.
Buffy had squealed with excitement as she jumped in
to the car. He'd answered a string of questions as he'd
driven her the distance of the high school and back.
His new ride was a Ferrari 360 Spyder, with less than
2 miles on the odometer. Black as original sin, with a
paint job consisting of five separate coats, polished
to a mirror-like finish, she had a tan interior of buttery soft
leather, the highest quality sound system available, and her
speed topped out at nearly 200mph.
Though Buffy had loved the car on sight, her mother hadn't
been nearly as enthused when she'd seen it. It had taken
quite a bit of persuasion on his part to allay the fears
she had about her only child riding around in such a
powerful car.
He'd actually had to coax Joyce into the car herself, and
take her for a spin, swearing that he would never drive reck-
lessly with Buffy in his care, before she relaxed and gave in.
~~~~~~~~~~
"When you were only six, I was your big brother
Then when you were ten, we didn't like each other
When you were thirteen, you were my funny valentine
But since you've grown up, your future is sewn up
And from now on you're gonna be mine, so...."
~~~~~~~~~~
William stepped up to the counter, smiling charmingly
at the elderly lady standing behind it. "I'd like sixteen
long stemmed red roses, please."
"Baby's breath?" the lady inquired, tearing off a sheet
of green floral wrap.
He shook his head. "Queen Anne's Lace."
The saleswoman looked impressed. "I don't get that
request very often," she admitted. "So I don't usually
keep it on hand."
"I called ahead," William replied, extracting his wallet
from his back pocket.
The woman smiled. "I remember."
There were no other customers in the shop, so she
took extra care and made up a beautiful arrangement
of deep crimson buds nestled in small snowy flowers.
When the flowers were handed over and paid for,
William left the shop and headed for his car.
He was halfway down the street where he'd parked,
when a car slowed down beside him, the driver tapping
his horn.
Angel pulled a little closer to the curb as Cordy
lowered the passenger side window of the Trans Am.
"Need a ride?" Angel called out, a smug grin on his
face, perhaps expecting William to climb onto a bicycle.
William returned the smile. Oh, this was going to feel so
damn good.
"No, thanks," he said, pulling out his keys. "I've got my
own."
When he stopped next to the Ferrari and opened the door,
both Angel and Cordy's jaws sagged the exact same amount
at the exact same time.
With a casual wave, he started the car and pulled out into
traffic.
A small part of his mind chided him for being a show off,
for trying to upstage a creep who wasn't worth the effort.
But the larger part didn't give a damn. It was just enjoying
the view in the rear view mirror.
~~~~~~~~~~
"If I should smile with sweet surprise
It's just that you've grown up before my very eyes
You've turned into the prettiest girl I've ever seen
Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen.."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Happy Birthday, Buffy."
"Oh...thank you. They're beautiful." She accepted the
bouquet from him, cradling the flowers in her arms. Burying
her face in the soft petals, she sniffed deeply. "They smell
so good."
William smiled, enjoying the pleasure she was getting
from the roses.
"Come in," she said, grabbing his hand and hauling him
in off the porch. The party was just getting started, and
there were about a dozen people he recognized from around
the neighborhood. Several were adults, obviously friends of
her mother's.
The house was festively decorated, and there was a buffet
set up on the patio. All the trees and bushes had been strung
with tiny colored lights, and her mom had hired a disc jockey
to provide the music.
Buffy's eyes were absolutely sparkling with excitement, and
for a brief moment he wished he could be giving this party for
her at Black Oaks. She would look stunning in a white gown,
with the collar of diamonds his Great Grandfather had placed
around the throat of his grandmother on her sixteenth birth-
day.
Those diamonds were sitting in a vault with all the other jewels
his family had been amassing for the past five hundred or so
years, collecting dust. His grandmother never wore them any-
more and Aunt Susan was more interested in her horses and
her children, and couldn't be bothered with attending the sorts
of functions the jewels would be appropriately worn to.
Someday, he promised himself, he was going to take Buffy
to Black Oaks and cover her from head to toe in diamonds,
rubies and sapphires. He would drape her naked body in ropes of
pearls, and watch as they picked up the luster of her skin, then
make love to her in the tall, soft grass by the pond. He would
cover her with kisses, as his hands.....
Shaking his head sharply, he cut off that particular train of
thought before something embarrassing happened. His slacks
were far too snug to risk getting sexually aroused.
Instead, he redirected his attention on the birthday girl. Spot-
ting a small table in the corner that had been set up for her
gifts to be placed on, he pulled her across the room and located
the one his uncle had delivered for him.
Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, "I want to give this to you
now...is there somewhere we can go and..."
Buffy glanced around the room, pinpointing her mother's
location, then began leading him towards the stairs. "My
room," she said softly.
With his heart beating a wild accompaniment, he followed her
upstairs.
~~~~~~~~~~
"If I should smile, with sweet surprise
It's just that you've grown up before my very eyes
You've turned into the prettiest girl I've ever seen
Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen..."
~~~~~~~~~~
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