Undeniable Rush

by S. C. Stephens

  Dex tilted his head, thinking, then he nodded. “Oh, yeah… I’d mentioned how I’d been helping you out with the business side of stuff a little, and he said he was proud of me for kind of following in his footsteps.” Dex let out a brief laugh as he shook his head. “He’s never actually said those words to me before—I’m proud of you. I have to admit, it stunned me a little.”

  Hayden and I shared a look. Then I tentatively asked Dex, “You don’t happen to know what condition he was talking about, do you? With the new sponsor he lined up?”

  Rodney’s eyebrows lifted. “Dex’s dad is finding you sponsors? Fuck, don’t tell Keith that. He’d schmooze that guy like he’s trying to get in his pants.”

  Felicia smacked his knee, and he looked her way with a confused expression. “What? You know it’s true. Keith is a whore for sponsors.”

  She frowned, then sighed and nodded. “Yeah, that’s actually true.”

  Dex laughed at them, then shifted back to me. “Sorry, Kenzie. I have no idea what he was talking about. He never mentioned any conditions to me. But I’m sure it’s nothing major, just some trivial fine print.”

  I gave him a smile, but in my experience, fine print was generally not trivial.

  The rest of the night was surprisingly…fun. Hayden and Rodney did their best to include Dex in the conversations, and with them sitting on either side of him, forcing down his natural flirtatiousness, he didn’t say or do anything that made them mad. He even made them laugh a time or two.

  When Hayden and I were driving home together, I felt oddly…optimistic. If somehow Rodney, Felicia, Dex, Hayden, and I could all hang out together, then certainly everything else in the universe could work itself out in a favorable manner. Who knows, world peace might even be possible.

  Since I was in such a positive mood, I attacked Hayden the second we stepped into my living room. Hopping into his arms, I wrapped my legs around his waist and murmured into his ear, “Take me to bed.”

  Hayden laughed, but did what I asked and took me to the bedroom. Setting me down, he began stripping off my clothes. Just when he was about to undo my bra, my phone started ringing. “Ignore it,” he said, his breath fast.

  “It could be Nikki. Or Izzy. Or someone equally important.”

  He sighed but let me go. Fetching my phone from my bag in the entryway, I glanced at the screen, frowned, then answered it. “Richard…hello. This is a surprise.”

  Also frowning, Hayden mimed disconnecting the call and walking back to the bedroom. Then he made a movement with his hands that made it all too clear what he wanted to do to me after that. With great difficulty, I managed not to laugh.

  “Kenzie, I’m sorry for calling so late. I wasn’t sure what time you’d be home, relaxing after a weekend like that.”

  “It’s fine. I was just…watching TV.”

  Hayden raised an eyebrow, then made that motion with his hands again. I had to cover my mouth that time.

  “Yes, well, I just wanted to go over the small request the new sponsor had. If now is a good time?”

  All the humor left my body. “Now is great. What do they want from me?” Closing my eyes, I counted to ten. Please don’t let this be something unreasonable, something that will make me say no. I need this to go smoothly.

  “This company, well, they feel their dollars would be better spent on something more visible than stickers on a bike.”

  I cracked an eye open to see Hayden staring at me, inquisitiveness on his face. “What are they thinking?”

  “Television. They’d like to do some cross-promotional ads with Cox Racing. More specifically…with you.”

  “Commercials? They want me to do…commercials? They know I’m not an actress, right? I mean, have they seen my interviews?” While I was getting better at them, I was far from polished.

  Richard laughed in my ear. “They have, but still, they think you’d be a perfect representative, and I happen to agree with them.”

  “All right… I suppose that could be…okay.” Furrowing my brow, I said, “You haven’t mentioned the company. Who exactly is our new sponsor?”

  There was a very long pause from his end, then he said, “Ashley’s Intimates.”

  I felt like he’d just socked me in the gut. “Underwear?” Hayden’s eyes were fire-red hot after hearing me say that. It matched the inferno in my belly. “No, nuh-uh, not on your life. I’ve worked too hard to prove myself as an equal in this sport. I’m not giving all that up to prance around in my skivvies for the camera.” Heat flushed my cheeks as I remembered the humiliation of prancing around for Keith. Never again.

  Richard merely laughed at my outburst. “It’s a tasteful company, and their plan for the commercial is to flaunt your strength, not your body. Trust me, no prancing will be involved. And before you completely reject the offer, I feel I have to remind you…they are one of the most recognizable names on the planet. Right behind those…male underwear people. You know, the ones who only hire A-list actors to promote their stuff?”

  I knew what he was doing—using the fact that men sold sex all the time and it didn’t demean them in their profession. But still…this was against everything I stood for. But God…it was a massive sponsor. I couldn’t flat-out turn it down without looking at every angle. Inhaling a deep breath, I told him, “Before I agree to anything, I want to see—in writing—the outline of the entire ad. Every single second of it.”

  “Done,” he said. “You’ll have it by the end of the week.”

  I hung up the phone, already regretting my decision.

  ***

  CHAPTER 14

  I dropped my phone into my bag, then turned to face Hayden. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw clenched tight…he did not look happy about what he’d just overheard. “He wants you to do an underwear commercial? Underwear? Why are you even considering this, Kenzie?”

  A long sigh escaped me. “Because it’s Ashley’s Intimates. That’s huge, Hayden. And he said it would be tasteful, not a body parade.”

  Hayden’s jaw clenched. “Right. Just like Keith’s job for you was tasteful? I didn’t like what Keith did to you back then, and I don’t like this now.”

  His comment about Keith made me cringe, but I understood the similarities. I felt them too. “I know you don’t.”

  “You know I don’t. But you’re gonna do it anyway.” His eyes narrowed as he studied me.

  Shaking my head, I told him, “I’m not going to make a decision until I can see the complete picture. If it crosses a line, I’ll tell them no. If it’s empowering and thought-provoking, well…then, I just might tell them yes.”

  Hayden rolled his eyes. “How can underwear be thought-provoking?”

  Holding out my arms, I twisted back and forth, showcasing the underwear that I was currently wearing. Underwear that just happened to be from Ashley’s Intimates. “This doesn’t inspire any provoking thoughts?” I asked, my voice low.

  Hayden’s eyes snapped to my body. His expression grew heated, like he just now remembered what Richard’s phone call had interrupted. His lip twitched in amusement. “The thoughts they inspire are more…primal than provoking.”

  “Hmmm,” I said, tapping my finger on my lip. “You might need to show me the difference.”

  Hayden growled deep in his throat, then jumped over the couch to sweep me into his arms. I laughed the entire time he carried me—over his shoulder—to the bedroom.

  * * *

  The next morning, Hayden still wasn’t sold on the idea. He told me not to do it, no matter what the outline said. I left him stewing about it at the house, while I grabbed my board and caught some waves before work. It was so nice to be back on the water, almost as satisfying as being back on my bike. After spending far too long enjoying the smell of the sea and the sound of the surf, I headed home to change for work.

  Hayden was still there, fretting. “Kenzie, I really think—”

  “Can we put a pin in this argument? At least until we see the outline?”
<
br />   He frowned but nodded. “Fine. But don’t think you can distract me with sex again. From here on out, I’m immune to your charms, Twenty-two.”

  God, I really wanted to test that proclamation, but unfortunately, I’d spent way too much time giving my stress to the ocean, and I was massively late for work. Hayden too. So, all I did was smile as I speed-walked to the shower.

  I could tell Hayden wanted to bring it up again. Every time I saw him, he just had this look on his face—this I think you should say no look. Whenever I ran into him at work, whenever he came over to my house, whenever we met up at the track, he’d give me The Look. In response, I’d pointedly raise my eyebrow, silently telling him to wait for the outline, then he’d roll his eyes and let it go. Until the next time. It was our new “thing.”

  And by the end of the week, other people had picked up on it. “Kenzie…don’t get mad at me if I’m overstepping, but…is everything all right between you and Hayden?”

  I was in my office, going over paperwork with Dex. With his help, I’d whittled the stack that had been haunting me for months to almost nothing. We were even starting to prep for next year. Life was so much easier when there was money coming in. Kind of. Some things didn’t change no matter what your bank account looked like.

  “Uh, yeah, we’re fine.” Dex’s face fell at my answer, like he’d been hoping I’d say the exact opposite. “Why do you ask?” Please don’t say because you love me or something equally flowery and heartfelt. Don’t make me the bad guy, you know I’m not available.

  Dex chewed on his lip, then shrugged. “Just…it seemed like you were…fighting or something, that’s all.”

  “We’re not, not really. He’s just…not thrilled about a request the new sponsor made.”

  “Ashley’s Intimates,” Dex said, his voice quiet. His cheeks flushed with color, and his pale eyes looked anywhere but directly at me. What he was thinking about right now, was exactly why Hayden didn’t want me to do this.

  With a sigh, I nodded. “They want me to do a commercial for them, but Hayden thinks it’s a bad idea.”

  Dex met my eyes, surprise on his face. “Oh… I didn’t know about that. I think… I think you’d do great.” His eyes briefly flicked down my body. Yeah, I bet he thought that.

  My smile tight, I told him, “I haven’t agreed to anything. I’m waiting to see the proposal. I won’t be made to look like a…meaningless sex object.” I’d worked too hard to be taken seriously. In this case, the money wasn’t worth it.

  Dex’s gaze softened as he stared at me. “I don’t think you’d come across that way, Kenzie. I think… I think even more people would look up to you. Admire you…” A soft smile lifted his lips, and his expression grew dreamy.

  Frowning, I said, “I don’t want to be admired. Not for my body. The only thing I want people commenting on is my skill on the track.”

  Dex frowned, his brows drawing together. “That’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean…just your body. A commercial is like a window, and regardless of what you’re promoting, it will show people your fire, your passion, your…soul. That’s what I meant by people would admire you. They’ll admire your spirit.”

  His eyes had gotten that wholly-absorbed look again, and I felt like I couldn’t let this one go. “Dex, that’s really sweet, and it actually kind of makes me feel better about saying yes, but…you know that I’m…that Hayden and I are still…”

  Turning his face from me, Dex nodded, “Yes, I know. Happy, in love, destined to be together forever… I get the company newsletter.” He looked back at me, a sly smile on his face.

  A small laugh escaped me, then I sighed. “Okay. I just wanted to make sure, because sometimes…”

  “Sometimes what?” he whispered.

  “Sometimes it seems like…” You’re hopelessly in love with me. Shaking my head, I forced a smile to my face. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

  Dex looked thoughtful as he nodded, and an awkward tension grew in the room. Thankfully, it was disrupted by a knock on the door. “Yes,” I answered.

  Myles poked his head in. “Hey, Kenzie… Dex.” Walking forward, he dropped a padded envelope on my desk. “Delivery guy just dropped this off.”

  I stared at the package, knowing what it contained: the dreaded outline. “Thanks, Myles.” He started to walk away, and I looked up at him. “Hey, Myles, give that little girl a kiss for me, okay?”

  He gave me a dopey, in-love-with-the-world grin. “Yeah, sure thing. I’m going there tonight after work.” I figured he was. Nikki said he was there every night. He even stayed sometimes, sleeping on Hayden’s bed, since Hayden was rarely there. Myles really should just move in with her…and Hayden should move in with me. Were we ready for that? Yeah… I finally felt like we were.

  Depending on what was in this envelope, of course. With a forlorn sigh, I ripped it open and pulled out the stack of papers. Dex hovered over my shoulder, trying to read it. “So? Clothes or no clothes?” he asked.

  I frowned at him, then continued looking through the outline. “Well, damn,” I said. “Your dad was right. This is really tasteful. Kind of powerful even…” I looked up at Dex, shock and surprise on my face. “I think this could work.”

  He grinned, then tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Of course, it will work,” he tenderly said.

  I instantly took a step back and raised a finger at him. He sighed, holding his hands in the air. “I’m just being supportive, and you were about to eat your hair.”

  Grabbing the papers, I smirked and told him, “Next time let me eat it, okay? I’m heading out. Lock up for me?”

  He nodded, looking both wistful and amused.

  Later that night, I showed Hayden the outline. He had a scowl on his face the entire time he read it, even when he set it down on the coffee table. “Oh, come on,” I said, “What’s wrong with that? I’m not even in underwear. I’m on a bike, Hayden. Fully clothed. It’s kind of awesome.”

  Frown still on his face, he said, “I know.”

  I straddled him on the couch. “Then why do you look like that?”

  With a sigh, he looked up at me. “Because now I have to let you go away to film this. And that sucks for me. If you hadn’t noticed… I kind of like having you around.”

  “And I like having you around, too…all the time.” I bit my lip, wondering if now was a good time to talk about officially moving in together.

  Hayden studied my face, then his eyes dropped to my lips. As I felt his need growing beneath me, I decided that maybe that conversation could wait until later…

  * * *

  Two weeks later, I found myself driving to L.A. to begin filming the commercial. I would be gone for an entire week, a fact that filled me with dread. I’d never left the business for that long, and I was a little worried that everything might fall apart while I was away. But then I remembered that I had a great team, and they could hold down the fort while I was away. For a short time.

  John had everything dialed down in the garage, and he would make sure my guys were still training. Not that they wouldn’t—every rider had their own motivation to improve. It was usually more difficult to get them off the track than to get them on it. Left to their own devices, riders would blow through every tire and drain every tank of gas. Me included.

  Dex was taking care of the day to day business stuff for me. Something that had Hayden—and my father—on edge. They both seemed to think he was going to empty my bank account and skip town or something. Well, that was what Hayden thought. My dad thought Dex was going to change the locks and hand the keys over to his father. Okay. Hayden thought that too.

  But I’d been watching Dex for weeks now, and all I saw when I looked at him—besides adoration for me—was the desire to help Cox Racing.

  Once I checked into the hotel Ashley’s Intimates set me up in—a swanky place with expansive marble floors and crystal chandeliers everywhere—I headed to the studio where the commercial was being filmed. It was an i
ntimidating place, with rows of massive warehouses, people ambling about, and an armed guard at the gate. I felt completely out of place once I stepped inside, but I pushed the feeling to the back my mind. All the people here were just doing their job, same as me.

  My first day at the shoot was spent meeting people and getting prepped. After being introduced to the entire Ashley’s Intimates publicity team, I met the director, the stylist, the coffee guy…everyone. Then I was whisked away to wardrobe, hair, makeup. Everything was a discussion—the outfit, the bike, the makeup, the hair…they wanted it all to be perfect. I appreciated perfection, but the entire time they worked on me, my mind was split between worrying about work, and worrying about being on camera. I hated being filmed.

  But we ended up wrapping for the day without filming a single frame, which was sort of a relief, sort of a frustration—the sooner we finished, the sooner I could get back to the track. I trudged back to my hotel room, exhausted for absolutely no good reason. I called Hayden, but he didn’t pick up. I called Nikki, but she didn’t pick up either. Myles either. Feeling lonely, I debated calling Dex. But then I decided that was an exceptionally bad idea, so I turned out the light and went to sleep.

  The next day we started filming, but it was all racing stuff, so it didn’t actually feel like I was acting. They had me with a group of guys on a track, and all I had to do was stay ahead of them. Since the guys they hired weren’t professional riders, it was easy. Almost pathetically easy. I kind of felt bad for them.

  When we called it quits for the night, I again called my boyfriend. This time, he picked up. “Hey, you,” he said in my ear. “How’s it going?”

  “For being half-naked all day, it’s going fine.” Dead silence answered me, and I laughed. “I’m kidding, Hayden. Fully clothed, remember?”

  He laughed, but it sounded hollow. “Not funny. At all.”