Fast and Loaded: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (3 page)

A
s I made
my way to the starting line, I looked around at the competition. Every one of them, in turn, looked at me. I knew that they were wondering how well I would fair and if any of them had a chance at winning. It wasn’t a train of thought that I would ponder though.

Just as I reached the line, they called for the track to be cleared. I heard Glen’s voice coming over the speakers, introducing the racers one by one before the start.

I let my mind wander; it would take him at least ten minutes to make the introductions that were a tradition at every race. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking back over the past few years since I had entered the racing scene.

It had taken me so long to find my calling, now it seemed so obvious. I had more speeding tickets and driving infractions than any one person should be allowed to have. Still, once I had found my calling, everything seemed to fall together. My father had left me Theresa; I just never knew what she was capable of until the night I met José.

I had been younger and wilder back then, just a stupid kid wanting to race cars. I was entered into a local half-mile race, but I wanted more. After I had pushed my car as hard as I could and still lost, I was ready to toss in the towel.

I could remember the moment as clear as day, I was ticked off and kicked my tire, “Stupid car. I should just go buy a hotrod and set you on fire.”

“Easy friend, that’s not the way to talk to a classic like that, it’s not the car that’s the problem,” said José.

I spun around and glared at him, “Excuse me?”

“It’s the driver,” he said, unfazed by my temper.

“I don’t need help from you,” I muttered.

José had smiled, “I think you do. Otherwise, you will just keep losing, you’re running her all wrong.”

After that, we had become instant friends, and José had taught me the basics of racing. I hired him on as my mechanic and for the past two years, we had been a damn near unstoppable team. The only hitch in our plan was Chambers; he seemed determined to bring me down.

It didn’t matter to him that he was cheating. The only thing that he cared about was the glory that came with winning. Unlike him, I wanted people to know me for my racing, not my dirty tricks.

Theresa roared to life underneath me as I tapped the gas. Glen was finishing up with his speech, and we were about to get started. I knew that this part was probably the easiest of the three days. Particularly with the modifications that Amber had made to the car.

I looked up and saw the man waving the checkered flag, and Glen called out the start of the race just as the flag dropped. With ease, I pushed Theresa forward, and she zipped to the front of the pack. I smiled as I passed Chambers and he glared at me the entire time.

* * *

“
T
here you have it
, folks. The first leg of the three-part race is just wrapping up with Desmond Keys taking the first place trophy. One more win, and he’ll take home the gold. I tell you what; anyone who’s watched this man’s racing career could see the difference in his race today. He managed to shave crucial, winning, seconds off his time,” said Glen over the loudspeaker.

I knew that I was going to keep hearing about the improved car for days to come. Glen had taken a liking to Amber right away. It wasn’t surprising since she was one of the few women I knew who didn’t fawn over me constantly. Most days, Glen seemed to like reminding me that I was still only human.

He was a good guy, but he did get a little jealous when it came to the woman who liked me. I saw him waving from the corner of my eye as I once again pulled into the winner’s circle. Strangely enough, I caught myself wanting to go and see Amber, to see what she thought of the race.

I shook my head, freeing the idea from my mind altogether. I knew she had been tracking the time when I saw her off to the side with an analysis dashboard. In my opinion, I couldn’t think of any way she could possibly make Theresa run any better. I was already stunned by her speed. I did the usual round of press announcements before quietly stepping away. My car was already back in the garage, no doubt one of the staff had taken it.

When I walked in, shaking the hands of the crew, I saw that Amber was already underneath Theresa, wrenches working diligently.

“Don’t you ever take a break,” I asked playfully.

The noise didn’t stop, “Sure I do, and I will, once we win all three races.”

I laughed, “You are dedicated, and I’ll give you that. There’s no way you can make her faster though. I had the best time out there.”

“Never say never, you had a couple of lags. I just want to see if we can get them out,” she replied.

I shook my head, “Okay, fair enough. However, you work for me right now, and I insist you stop.”

Right away, the noise died down, and I watched as she slid out from under the car. She was glaring at me, but I didn’t mind. Once again, her raw beauty struck a chord inside of me. I couldn’t believe she was so talented and so attractive at the same time.

“I don’t want to stop,” she muttered.

“Too bad, we just won the first part of the largest race in the United States, I think that deserves a drink,” I said with a smile.

She sighed, “Do I have a choice?”

I shook my head, “Nope, I think you’ll have fun anyways.”

“Can I at least change first?” she asked.

I replied, “Sure, I’ll wait for you right here.”

“Great,” she muttered as she walked away.

I knew that she would try and get out of coming if I left. Instead, I didn’t budge. It only took a few minutes, but when she came back, my jaw dropped. Gone were the stained overalls, in their place she had donned a pair of skin tight jeans. The low cut, red, shirt that hugged her chest was enough to make a sane man go insane. I quickly closed my mouth and cleared my throat, looking away to find anything to distract me from her beauty.

“Ready?” I asked with a smile.

“Sure thing boss,” she said with sarcasm.

I laughed, “Come on, you’ll love this place.”

We walked through the racing grounds and went out a back entrance, unseen by the press still lingering around the area. Less than half a block from the track, a little building came into view. The noise and neon signs called it the “Racerback Dive.” It was a favorite among drivers.

In the years that I had spent attending the race as a spectator, I had never known about it. It was a well-kept secret. I pushed open the door, and the crowd started to cheer. I smiled and laughed as we walked through, shaking hands.

The rest of the pit crew was already there waiting for us, I looked at Amber, and she shot me a confused look.

“You didn’t think I would just ask you out, did you?” I said with a grin.

She smiled, “Of course not.”

When the cheers went up again, I looked up and saw everyone’s favorite announcer making his way through the crowd, he joined us at our table.

“Wow man, they really like you tonight,” he said to me before giving his full attention to Amber. “I don’t think we’ve officially met, my name is Glen Cooper, I’m the announcer.”

Amber smiled, “I know who you are, and you are a legend in the racing world. You call races better than anyone in the last twenty years.”

I was stunned; I couldn’t believe how well Amber knew racing. Glen looked shocked too before he started to blush. I quickly began to talk, covering for my friend’s awkwardness around woman.

“Yeah, Glen and I go way back,” I replied.

Amber raised a quizzical eyebrow, “You two seem like a bit of an odd pair.”

I smiled, “We are, but we came together through a common interest, and we’ve been best friends ever since.”

“Racing?” asked Amber.

“Woman,” I replied with a sly smile.

She rolled her eyes as I continued, “It was a few years ago, right after I started to become known on the race track. I was celebrating in a little bar outside of SoHo when I looked across the bar and saw this goofy fella chatting up some blonde. She was bored out of her mind and about to leave, but I just couldn’t let that happen.”

Glen stepped in, “So this guy here comes over and out of nowhere, he starts talking to me. I’d never met him before in my life, but he’s talking to me like he’s my best friend. Telling me what a great job I did and telling the girl how lucky she was to be with me and everything else.”

“Hey, it worked didn’t it?” I asked.

Glen laughed, “That it did, she was my date for the rest of the night, and a good night it was!”

We both shared a laugh, I looked over at Amber and saw her roll her eyes, but she was smiling. I could tell that she was having a good time. The more drinks we got in us, the more the three of us talked. I was surprised by how easily Amber and Glen got along. They seemed to have some things in common.

“You know,” said Glen, a little drunk at this point, “Desmond here is quite the ladies’ man too. He always seems to have a new one on his arm.”

“Now Glen,” I interjected, hoping to change subjects, “I don’t think Amber wants to hear about that.”

“Actually, that sounds like a pretty interesting topic,” she replied.

“Oh boy,” I muttered.

I was somehow saved by the music though as someone behind the bar turned it up, killing any change of conversation. I rose up and held out my hand to Amber, a silent request for a dance. To my surprise, she smiled and took it right away. Our palms touched, once again sending shocks through my body. Once we were on the dance floor, the music changed to something slow, and I couldn’t stop myself from pulling her close to me.

Her body pressed against mine, making my stomach clench in desire. She had a stronger effect on me than any other woman I had ever known. I looked down into her eyes and saw that my own desire was matched by hers. Without thinking, I lowered my head, and tenderly kissed her lips. Her soft lips melted into mine, joining us together and sending shocks through my body.

Suddenly, I didn’t want to be in the crowded bar, I wanted to be alone with her. To touch her, hold her and share my world with her. She wasn’t like the others, she was different. As she broke away from me and smiled, telling me goodnight, I stood there in stunned silence as she walked from the bar. Amber had a grip on me unlike any I had ever felt before and it was terrifying.

I
t had been
three days since my world started to spin that night in the bar. I kept blaming it on the alcohol but in my heart, I knew it was a lie. Since then, I had done everything in my power to stay busy and avoid Desmond. I didn’t want to become another notch on his belt. Plus, no one would take me seriously for the next few weeks if I slept with my boss.

I needed to keep my head in the game and steer clear of him and any chance of complications. Each time that I saw him, I repeated to myself, “I’m here for my shop,” over and over again in my head until I was able to calm down my burning desire for him.

Today was no different, between each press release he would come in to see how the new improvements were coming. Each time he came in, he seemed more determined than the last to pull my attention away from the car.

I was starting to lose my battle of wills against him. I wanted to spend time with him, but I wouldn’t risk my reputation to do so. As the shop door opened, I braced myself for another round of banter.

“Can I help you?” I said in a friendly tone when the man who walked in wasn’t Desmond.

The man grinned, “I bet you can. I just came to meet this famous mechanic Desmond has.”

I smiled, “You must be looking for someone else then, I’m just doing my job.” I said politely.

I knew who he was, he was Luke Chambers. I also knew that Desmond despised him above all other racers. He was attractive, but not like Desmond.

“I don’t think so,” he said politely, “I believe you are more than what I have been looking for.”

“Boy, you know how to charm a girl, don’t you?” I asked playfully.

He smiled, “I wouldn’t know a thing about that. I just call it as I see it; beautiful, smart, and talented. Desmond is a lucky man.”

“I’m just doing my job, but thank you,” I replied.

“That’s a shame, if I had you on my team, I would treat you like a queen,” he cooed.

My senses were tingling, “He treats me just fine, thanks. Is there something I can help you with?”

My temper was starting to show. I didn’t like Luke being in the shop or around the car. He seemed a little too interested in me and my skills for my liking.

“Oh now, there’s no need to get upset. You never know, after this race there might be a future for us,” he said slyly. “Professionally, of course.”

I didn’t believe that he meant only professionally, and in any case, I didn’t want anything to do with him in either way.

“Sorry, but I have my own shop,” I replied as I started working on the car again.

I could see how interested he was in what I was doing, but I also knew that he wouldn’t be able to tell what was happening for the most part. He didn’t strike me as they type to work on his own cars or even to know how they were running. When the door to the shop opened for the second time, I looked up and let out a sigh of relief. Desmond was back, and he looked angry.

“What the hell are you doing in here Chambers,” he said, without even looking at me.

Luke smiled, “Now Desmond, I was just coming to meet the mechanic that I have heard so much about. No harm in that.”

“With you, there’s always some harm,” replied Desmond, glaring at the man.

“Now, that’s not very good sportsmanship Desmond, I was just paying a little professional visit, for now,” replied Luke with a wink to me.

I could see the anger building up inside of Desmond and knew that this wasn’t going to go anywhere good.

“I don’t think that drivers are allowed to be in the competition’s tents Luke, you should go,” I interjected, hoping to avoid bloodshed.

He smiled at me again, “You’re right. I should go. Hopefully though, I will see you around after the race Amber. I would love to spend some time with you, professionally, of course.”

Luke turned and headed for the door before I could reply and tell him I wanted nothing to do with him. One look at Desmond though, and I knew that it wouldn’t have done me any good. He was jealous, and it was a little flattering to me.

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling a little bit. I wondered how often a handsome man like Desmond got jealous over women. No doubt, when he hooked on, they stayed by his side for as long as he wanted.

“Desmond, he was just saying hello,” I said, hiding my grin.

“Bullshit, he was up to no good. I didn’t like the way he looked at Theresa,” he muttered.

“Oh. You didn’t like the way he looked at your car, huh?” I asked him, a little surprised at his response. I knew that there was more to it.

“Yeah, that among other things,” he replied.

I could see him starting to get nervous, and I couldn’t help but goad him a little bit. It was too funny not to.

“Sir, are you getting jealous that another racer was talking to me? I didn’t realize one little old mechanic was so important to you.” I said with a smile.

He looked at me but then quickly looked away, clearing his throat, “I just know Luke, if he was in here, he was up to no good. He is a dirty racer. I know that he tried to sabotage my car last time and this time he will do it again. He thought that he could get in here and mess something up with José out of the way. I just hope that you are as good at seeing through his crap as José was.”

I noticed that he didn’t deny being jealous, but I couldn’t help but be a little bit offended by him. “You don’t think I’m smart enough to know he was trying to do something?”

Desmond looked at me, “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry.”

I smiled at him, “It’s okay.”

“It’s just, Luke gets under my skin. He’s just an all-around bad guy,” said Desmond.

“I sort of got that vibe from you earlier. Do you think he will try to come back? Knowing it’s against the rules?” I asked him.

Desmond nodded his head, “He doesn’t give up credence to rules. If he does come back, tell him to leave right away. If he even so much as sets foot near you or Theresa, call the race police in here. I won’t have him near anything of mine.”

I raised an eyebrow. I knew that he was talking about Theresa, but I also got the feeling that he meant more than just the car. I wasn’t sure if I was okay with that or not but I had to admit that his words sent a chill down my spine.

I couldn’t help but let my mind wander; thinking about what it would feel like to be owned by Desmond Keys. To feel his body, naked, underneath me. I shuddered before shaking my head, bringing myself back to reality.

“Right,” I said, clearing my throat, “I will make sure he doesn’t come back. I think I should go over the car now. I didn’t pay attention to him while he was in here, he could have done something without me noticing.”

Desmond looked angry all over again as he spoke, “I think I will stick around and help you. If that’s okay?”

I smiled, “It’s your car remember?”

“We are running out of time, the next leg starts in a few hours.” he said.

“Right,” I replied, now I was in the zone to get started on checking the car over.

With Desmond at my side, we began to comb over every inch of Theresa. I was surprised when I realized that he had a lot more knowledge about cars than he had originally let on. As we worked, we talked, and he told me about how he and José first met and how much the older man had taught him.

When I asked about his family and parents though, he shut down on me. After several minutes of awkward silence, they called for the racers to head to the starting line.

“I haven’t come across anything, have you?” I asked him, hoping the race would pull him out of the bad temper he now seemed consumed by.

He shook his head, “No. All I can do is hope that he was just in here to hit on you.”

I flinched, “Listen, Desmond, about your parents.”

He shook his head, “No, don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have snapped like that. Look, it’s a long story and one that I would love to share with you. Right now, though, I have a race to win. Maybe we could pick this up over dinner later?”

I gazed into his eyes, unsure of how to answer. I didn’t know if it was a good idea to have dinner with Desmond. For all I knew, it was just a ploy to get me into bed. He had one hell of a reputation to go up against and I wasn’t sure I wanted to gamble like that just to find out. Looking at him, in that moment though, something was different. My heart told me that he didn’t want to hurt me, that maybe I really was different.

“Okay,” I whispered.

His entire face came to life as he smiled at my answer. They made the final call for all racers, and his celebration was cut short as he jumped behind the wheel of Theresa. Shooting me a smile, he fired her up and headed out of the garage. My heart was pounding in my ears from the thrill of the upcoming race and now the pending date with Desmond. Things seemed like they were looking up.

My only hope, as I made my way out to the viewing area, was that I hadn’t been wrong about Luke. Maybe he had just run out of time to sabotage the car. Either way, I was grateful that he hadn’t had the chance to ruin anything, yet.

Next time I would make sure to be more careful when he came into the shop. Something told me that he would try again, I hadn’t seen the last of Luke, and I prayed that next time I would be ready for him. As Glen called out the start of the race, I silently crossed my fingers for another victory.