by Ella Jade
She jumped down and hugged Chad. “Thank you for believing in me. This is as much for you as it is for me.”
He released her, his eyes glinting in the artificial lights. “You’ve earned it, Cat. Enjoy it.”
The television network reporter shoved a microphone into her face. “Catalina, how does it feel to get your first career Sprint Cup win?”
Duh. That’s a no-brainer. “Fantastic!” she exalted. “My team is amazing. This is as much for them as it is for me. Drew Ivery, thank you for believing in me. Handy Electronics is one of the best sponsors out there. I couldn’t have done it without any of them.”
Once the television and radio interviews were over, Frank Handy stepped into the spotlight and swept her up into a hug. “I knew I was backing the best,” he shouted above the din, grabbing her ass with his bear paw.
Eew! She pushed at his shoulders, panic threatening to swamp her. “Let me go.” Her voice was low enough for his ears only.
“Gimme a kiss,” he said, his mouth heading for hers.
His breath was sour, a toxic combination of beer and whiskey. She wanted to gag. Unfortunately she couldn’t do much in such a public place, and the cameras were still rolling.
She wedged her arms against his chest again. “Let me go!” she warned. Frank tried kissing her again. “Chad!” she shouted.
“The lady said no.” Her crew chief took control, grabbing Frank’s shoulder.
Don’t make me do something unladylike, she pleaded silently. Who was she kidding? Kicking Frank square in the nuts would give her no small amount of satisfaction.
Frank and Chad finally came to an understanding, and Frank released her. His eyes glinted with lust. “We’ll celebrate in my hotel suite. A private party. Just you and me.”
Her smile became brittle. “I don’t think so.” She turned to Chad. “Thank you.”
Drew hugged her next. “Congratulations, Catalina. That was an awesome race.”
“Thank you, Drew.” Cat returned his hug. “But tell Frank to keep his hands to himself.”
Drew’s bushy iron-gray eyebrows snapped together. “We’ll talk about it later.”
Deanna stepped in, keeping the celebration moving forward with her customary control. All through the hat dance Frank stood by Cat’s side, grabbing her ass in one picture, or grazing the side of her breast with his arm in another. By the end she’d had enough.
When it was time for the team to pack up and clear out for the drive home, Cat turned to Drew. “Can I talk to you and Deanna in the conference room, please?”
Neither Drew nor Deanna said a word as they strode to the front of the hauler. To her dismay, Frank insisted on joining them. Maybe it’s just as well, she thought as she closed the door behind them.
“What’s the matter, Cat?” Deanna asked.
“The problem is in this room.” She flashed a loathsome glare at Frank. “From now on keep your grabby mitts off of me.”
Frank smirked, a lewd gleam in his black eyes. “I was just congratulating my driver.”
“You can do that without touching me,” she fired back.
“Cat,” Drew said, standing up. “Frank’s still our sponsor.”
Umbrage raged from her soul. “That doesn’t give him the right to grab my ass!”
“I demand that you show me respect!” Frank howled, slamming his fist on the table. The echo resonated like a gunshot.
“You want respect?” Cat glared at him, blazing with anger. “Show me some first!” She had a feeling that she was wasting her breath.
Frank swayed on his feet, like he’d drunk more than he could hold.
“You may be footing the bill for my car, but that doesn’t give you the right to grab me.”
“Catalina,” Drew warned.
She reined in her temper. “I mean it, Drew. If he treats me again like he did in Victory Lane, if he so much as puts a hand on my shoulder, I’ll file a sexual harassment complaint.”
“By rights I could pull my funding over this, young lady,” Frank threatened, wobbling a little as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. “I still might, unless your attitude changes.”
“Changes how?” Cat rounded on him, her ponytail nearly swatting her face. “By letting you paw at me like I’m a piece of meat? Or by taking you up on the offer of that ‘private party’ at your hotel?”
Frank’s face flushed a mottled shade of puce. Cat couldn’t tell if it was from anger or the alcohol he’d consumed.
“Is that true?” Drew asked Frank.
“I meant everyone,” he blustered. “The whole team.”
A small measure of relief filtered through Cat, knowing Drew wasn’t immediately dismissing her claims. Before she could say anything else, Chad burst into the conference room.
“You bastard!” he shouted, lunging at Frank.
“Chad, no.” Cat stepped in front of him before he could take a swing at their sponsor.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Deanna spoke for the first time. “We’re trying to get a clearer picture of what happened in Victory Lane.”
“I’ll tell you what happened,” Chad roared. “Frank got too grabby with my woman, and I had to drag him off of her.”
“Your woman?” Frank scoffed. “She’s been coming on to me since the first cocktail party. That whore will open her legs for any man who flashes enough cash.”
Cat gasped in outrage as Chad’s fist connected with Frank’s face. The blow was glancing, calculated to send a message but not draw blood. She quickly dragged him away from her sponsor, who was ready to lay a drunken punch of his own.
Drew held his hands in the air. “Please. Remember we’re all adults here. Cat, tell me again what happened.”
She relayed the events of the evening from an objective standpoint, refraining from coloring her commentary with her own personal feelings. Drew said nothing for a few moments, and then asked Frank to give his interpretation of what happened.
Cat discovered that Frank had no issue with adding his opinions, placing the blame squarely on her shoulders, labeling her as a harlot. As much as it galled her, she bit her tongue.
He finally wound down, and trepidation skittered down her spine when he pointed at Chad. “I want him fired, effective immediately!”
She gasped, but before she could protest Drew held up his hand. “Given that they just won their first race together, termination is too hasty.”
Frank puffed up his chest, spluttering. “But he attacked me! You’re all my witnesses!”
Drew remained eerily calm. “He did no more than I should have. I asked Gabe to keep an eye on you. I’m siding with my driver.” Drew cut Frank off mid-protest and met Cat’s gaze. “I’m sorry, Catalina. I should’ve done this when you approached me on Tuesday.” He laid a hard right-cross to Frank’s jaw, holding nothing back. “That’s for giving the rest of the male race a bad rap.”
Cat was speechless. She hadn’t imagined Drew taking her side, let alone laying out the man funding her season. Frank went down, blood dribbling from his lip and nose, though Chad and Gabe made sure he didn’t hit the table. A broken jaw was warranted; a concussion was not.
She smothered a giggle. Deanna hissed a warning, and she quickly sobered. Then she remembered Chad’s claim. Equal parts elation and annoyance swept through her. Elation that he’d claimed her—not that she’d had doubts any longer—and annoyance that he’d done it in front of their team.
“Frank,” Drew said, drawing Cat’s attention back to the ruckus. “It’s best that you leave.”
Frank stood, clutching his jaw as he flexed it. “This isn’t over!” He shoved his way to the door. “You’re done! I’m no longer your sponsor!” He pushed past the rest of her team on his way to the exit.
She saw red and nearly chased after him when he heaved Larry into the tool cabinets lining one wall of the galley.
Deanna grasped her arm. “He’s not worth it.”
Cat leaned against the wall, ca
lming her anger from boiling to simmering.
“Chad.” Drew took control again. “Technically, this is a firing offense. However, given the circumstance, let’s make it a one-race suspension and a fine.”
“Thank you, sir.” Chad shook Drew’s proffered hand.
Drew fell silent again. Cat’s eyes locked with his as he surveyed the room. “Press conference on Wednesday. That’s it, folks. We have a plane to catch.”
The rest of the team filed out, but Cat held Drew back, anxiety churning in her gut. “Is everything okay?”
Her car owner smiled. “You’re good to go for the next two years. After that, well…” He sighed. “I’ll try finding a sponsor for you.”
She hugged him, tears stinging her eyes. “Thank you.”
“Go,” he said in her ear.
Cat searched the track for Chad as her team loaded the car into the overhead storage compartment. She spotted him heading toward pit lane.
“Chad, wait!” Mindful of the haulers already leaving the infield, she sprinted after him.
“You don’t want to be around me right now,” he bit out when she caught up to him. He stopped short, and she plowed into his back.
“Oof!” She gasped at the impact.
He spun, capturing her in his arms. “Easy.”
“Stay with me,” she pleaded, searching his eyes in the waning twilight. “I need you now more than ever.”
He held her tight. Her throat clogged with emotion as tears pricked her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. The bright colors blurred as the haulers exited the infield.
“Not how you imagined your first win going down,” he said over the whine of diesel engines.
She snorted. “No, it isn’t. Thank you.” She met his gaze. “For everything.”
He cupped her face in his palms and gave her the most perfect kiss. “Always.”
About CJ Bower
Reading and writing have always been a huge part of CJ’s life, and she’s been creating stories since childhood. For as long as she can remember, she’s been putting pen to paper and creating complex characters in rich settings. With the support of wonderful family and friends, she finally decided to make the big leap into the world of professional publishing.
CJ lives in Western Wisconsin with her husband. They have only one child of the four-legged and furry kind. When she’s not working or writing, she enjoys baking, having picked up her first piping bag at fourteen. She started decorating full-time at age twenty-three and spent four years in her family’s bakery before returning to school. She also enjoys volunteering at the local animal rescue shelter and advocating for those who are unable to speak for themselves.
CJ’s Website:
www.cjbowerauthor.wordpress.com
Reader eMail:
[email protected]
More Beachwalk Press Titles by CJ Bower
On Track with Icing
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Hitting It Out of the Park
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
About Ella Jade
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Jab
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
About A.K. Layton
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Soccer Mum
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
About Lisa Knight
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Second Time Around
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
About Olivia Starke
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All You Wanted
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
About Lisa Huffman
More Beachwalk Press Titles by Lisa Huffman, writing as Sidda Lee Tate
Love in Victory Lane
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
About CJ Bower
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