by Kylie Walker
“Thanks,” she said. “Thanks for inviting me.” She let go of his hand and Shawn introduced her to the rest of the crew. Conrad had to force himself not to stare at her and he found it almost funny that the way the rest of the guys were looking at her bothered him just a little bit.
**
Conrad sat in the Camaro revving the engine and watching the black smoke the wheels spit out rise up from underneath it. He’d spent the last half hour trying not to stare at Samantha and as he sat behind the wheel now and looked out at the spectators, those crystal blue eyes were all that he could see.
“Fuck, it’s been too long since you got laid. Forget Samantha and concentrate before you kill your fool self.” He said all of that out loud. It was practically drowned out by the revving of his engine and the engine in the ’92 Honda Civic at the start line next to him. The guy driving was Conrad’s age. His name was An Bui and he was one of the most arrogant prick’s Conrad had ever known. This was his first race against him and another reason besides the seven grand that he was aching to win this one. The guy in the bright yellow shirt came into view and Conrad saw the car next to him lurch like a chained dog. He raised his hands and both cars wheels began to spin as they lay on the accelerators with one foot while holding it back with the other on the brake. As soon as his hands fell they both took off. Conrad’s car lurched a good car’s length in front of the other one. He stayed in first gear until the speedometer reached 40 mph and then he jammed it into second. He felt his head snap back and heard the tires squeal. The adrenaline flooded his system as the speedometer climbed, quickly reaching 100 mph. The Honda was struggling to keep up already. Conrad actually let him close in and to the on-lookers it had to look like he was about to be overtaken. That was when he reached for the orange button. He glanced over at An and smiled. An flipped him off and almost simultaneously pushed a button on his dash as well. Conrad had no sooner let his finger sink into his than he felt the rush of speed pushing back the skin on his face. He grit his teeth and gripped tightly to the wheel. His whole body was shaking with the car as it reached 160 mph. The Honda was dropping back and Conrad was more than a car length ahead of it when he crossed the finish line. He wished the track was longer as he eased up off of the accelerator and began to let the car coast. He waited until the speedometer was down below sixty and then in an arrogant move of his own he threw the parking brake and let the car spin to a stop. He was grinning from ear to ear when he climbed out and if the ride and knowing he was seven thousand dollars richer hadn’t been enough, the look on Samantha’s face would have been. She was smiling as widely as he was and as he slapped hands with the rest of the crew he was sorely tempted to wrap her up in a celebratory hug. He resisted the urge…for now.
CHAPTER 9
Sam hung out and watched the rest of the races. The girl Drew that Shawn had introduced her to ran the last one against a big Mexican guy in a Porsche. It looked like she was going to win right up until the last second when the big guy suddenly flew over the finish line with his wheels practically off the ground. Drew was still smiling when she got out of her car. Sam understood. Just the feeling of being behind the wheel was enough to put a smile like that on her face too, but then again, she rarely lost.
She glanced over at Conrad for the hundredth time tonight. When she first saw him she couldn’t help but notice how hot he is. His short brown hair looks like someone drug their fingers through it and those light green eyes practically send chills down her spine every time they land on her face. He was close to a foot taller than her and built more like an athlete than a race car driver, but watching him drive that Camaro tonight had been almost as sexy as the man himself. He was looking back at her now and she found herself wondering what those thick lips would taste like.
“So what do you think, Sam?”
“I can’t wait to get out there,” she said.
“What do you drive?”
“I’ve got a ’66 Mustang. She’s hot.”
Conrad’s eyes moved across her body as he said, “I’ll bet she is.”
Sam forced herself not to shudder. “My father and I are going to be putting a new engine in her this week. I burned up the last one in my last race.”
“You can let any of us know if there’s anything we can do to help. Beau is a genius at adding power and nobody can tear a transmission apart and put it back together as fast and efficiently as Stew.”
“Great, thanks. My dad is pretty good with engines himself, but I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’m going to collect my winnings and after we get the cars trailered we’re all going by The Island for a while if you want to join us.”
“What Island?”
He laughed. “It’s a bar, that’s the name of it.”
Sam’s face colored slightly. “There’s a lot of water around here so I wasn’t sure.”
“I guess it must seem like a lot to someone from the desert. How long have you lived in Arizona?”
“My whole life,” she said. Sam knew that his next likely question was why she was in California and she wasn’t ready to answer that one so she said, “I’ll check with Shawn and see if he doesn’t mind chauffeuring me back to this Island.”
He smiled at her and she felt tingles from her core on down. This guy was too freaking hot to ignore, but she never had sex with men she was going to have to look in the eyes the next day. She’d love to know if the image of him naked that she had in her head was accurate or not…but she needed this crew. Even for the hottest piece of ass she ever may have had, she wasn’t going to screw up her racing aspirations.
**
The bar was a lot bigger inside than it looked out. There was no one at the door checking I.D.’s so Sam slid right in on the heels of the rest of the crew. The place was decorated with palm trees and wooden Tiki statues and the bar that stretched out along the length of it was adorned with dried starfish, sand dollars and sea shells. It was loud, like hundreds of conversations in raised voices were trying to compete with the rock music that blared out of the old juke box in the corner. The crowd was mostly young and mostly looked like blue collar types. Samantha was grateful for that. She wasn’t crazy about spending time with the upper crust or the college crowd. She’d take a bunch of grease monkeys over that any day.
The crew took a seat in a large booth near the back, all except for Casey who disappeared back behind the bar as soon as they walked in. Sam slid into the booth first but ended up shoulder to shoulder with Conrad when he slid in from the other side. A server in jeans and a black tank-top came over and took their orders. Sam noticed the way her eyes lingered on Conrad. He didn’t seem to notice, but a guy that looked like him was probably used to women ogling him everywhere he went.
Sam ordered an iced tea. She didn’t want to take a chance on getting carded and kicked out for a beer that she didn’t even really want. Once they all had their drinks Conrad leaned in close so she could hear him. She once again had to resist a shudder when she felt the warmth of his breath against her neck and the side of her face. “So what brings you to Pasadena, Sam?” There it was, the question she’d been dreading. She took a drink of her tea and told the version of the truth that didn’t involve an abusive, murderous step-father and a mother overdosing on heroin.
“My mom passed away recently and I came out here with my brother to live with my dad until we can get a place of our own.”
Something crossed his face. Samantha wasn’t sure if it was sympathy or pain. He masked it quickly and said, “I’m sorry for your loss. That sucks.”
She gave him the smile she reserved for expressions of condolences. It was uncomfortable for her no matter who was offering it. “Thanks. It does suck. How long have you been racing Conrad?”
“I started the crew about five years ago, but I’ve been driving since I was fourteen. I had my first race at sixteen and by seventeen I could build my own engine. I’ve loved cars for as long as I can remember.”
Sam nodded, his stor
y sounded familiar. “Me too.”
“How long have you been racing?”
“Three years. I could build an engine by the time I was fifteen,” she told him with a sly little smile. Conrad smiled back.
“Impressive,” he said, raising his beer. “So have you been doing street racing or bank track?” he asked her.
“We had a dirt bank track we used and we did some street racing too when we could get away with it.”
“Do you win a lot?” he asked.
Sam grinned again, “Always.”
“I like your confidence,” he said, grinning back at her.
She took another sip of her tea and said, “I wonder if you’ll feel that way when you’re the one I beat.”
That time he laughed out loud. “I’m pretty sure we won’t have to worry about that.”
“Are you afraid of getting beat by a girl?”
“Not even a little bit,” he said.
Sam was surprised at how much fun she was having flirting with Conrad. She wasn’t usually flirtatious. Usually she targeted the guy she wanted to have sex with and straight up invited him to fuck her. She wasn’t one to play the kinds of games that other girls her age liked to play. With Conrad it didn’t feel like playing exactly, it just seemed natural and as strange as that was, it felt good.
Conrad spent most of the evening talking to her about the crew and the cars they each drove. He also told her about his cars and they talked about torque and horsepower and everything else. Sam knew a lot of guys in her life that knew a lot about cars. But Conrad was the first one she was also sexually attracted to. Hearing him talk about V-8’s and NOS was like an aphrodisiac and by the time she had to say goodnight her panties were already a little bit wet.
**
Sunday was another night at the race track. Conrad didn’t race so Sam got to hang out with him and he talked her through who the racers were and where they came from. Most of the people in his crew came from some kind of broken home and Sam got the feeling Conrad wasn’t just collecting a racing crew but wounded souls as well. She fit right in. After the last race Conrad said, “Shawn and me were going to order some pizza and just chill at the apartment for a while if you’re interested.” She was way too interested. As soon as he said, “chill” and “apartment” she pictured him naked and her on top of him.
“Maybe another night,” she said. “I have plans with my dad early in the morning.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. Tomorrow would be Sunday and she and Luke planned on starting on the car in the morning. Sam also planned on asking Luke if he could get her a job like he did for Aaron. She wasn’t crazy about the idea of having to ask him for money all the time. Even though it would all come from the same place, she would at least feel like she was working for it. Conrad looked disappointed but then he said,
“Okay, but how about hanging out with me tomorrow night? My Step-dad has a friend that lets me test my cars at Fontana once a month or so when nothing else is going on there. We’ll have the place to ourselves. I’ll even let you drive.”
Sam grinned. He had her at; we’ll have the place to ourselves. “Now that offer I can’t say no to.”
“Cool, I can pick you up.”
“I’ll just meet you somewhere…how about the Island?”
“Okay, sounds good, seven o’clock?”
“I’ll be there.”
Sam was so excited that she barely slept that night. When she finally fell asleep her dreams were filled with speed…and Conrad. Surprisingly one was as exciting as the next. She was almost breathless when she woke up on Sunday morning and for the first time in a long time, happy. After she showered and dressed in a t-shirt and jeans she found Luke in the kitchen.
“Hey kid, you ready to tackle that engine.”
She poured herself a cup of coffee and tried to wipe the goofy smile she knew she had on her face off. “I’m ready,” she said.
Luke raised an eyebrow and smiled. “You look like you’re ready, and happy. Things went well with this new crew your friend recommended?”
Still trying to suppress the smile without much luck she said, “Yeah, it went really well.” That was all she was willing to say at the moment and Luke didn’t pry any further, all he said was,
“Good. You want some breakfast before we get started?”
“Nah, I’m not much for breakfast.”
Luke stood up. “Me neither, something else we have in common.” As she followed him out the back door toward the shop she asked him,
“Is Aaron working today?”
“No, he’s sleeping in. He’s been doing really well though. He gets along with the guys and they say he’s picking it up fast.”
“That’s great. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him this weekend. I was wondering if you might have any more positions open in that parts store.”
“For you?”
“Yeah, I’ve never had a real job. I worked with my friend Troy for the last few years. But I would do a good job for you.”
“I don’t doubt that you would. Sure, I can find a position for you if that’s what you want.”
“It is. I appreciate everything you’re doing for us but I’d like to at least feel like I’m contributing something.”
He smiled. “Okay, I’ll take you by the store in the morning when I drop Aaron off.” As he was lifting up the rolling door on the shop he said, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.” Sam was looking at the sight in front of her and practically salivating. The walls were covered in color photos of classic and race cars and there were three stalls each with its own hydraulic lift, air compressor and a toolbox that took up the entire back wall. She imagined what she and Troy could have done with a set-up like this. She realized Luke was watching her and she tore her attention from the tools and equipment and said, “You wanted to ask me something?”
“I was just wondering, you and Aaron are so close, how is it that he doesn’t know more about cars?”
She had tried to get him interested over the years without any luck. “He just never had any interest in them, but I think it was mostly because he was just always looking for somewhere else to go but home. Even the garage or next door at Troy’s house was too close for him.”
Luke winced. “I’m not going to win any father of the year awards for sure, but I can’t even wrap my head around hurting any child…much less your own.”
“Darren is a monster and the more drugs he put in his system, the more twisted he became. He never deserved to be a father and Aaron deserved so much better. He’s really a good kid…or at least he wants to be.”
“I can see that. I also see that he’s damned lucky to have you.”
CHAPTER 10
Sam wasn’t used to praise and not very good at handling it. She cleared her throat and mumbled a “Thanks,” before asking, “You want me to back the trailer in here?” The Mustang was still on the trailer and the trailer was still hooked up to Luke’s big Ford F-250. He grabbed a set of keys off the wall and handed them to her. There were more than several other sets of keys so she asked, “What are all the rest of these keys for?”
“The cars in the back.” Sam looked around, confused. She hadn’t seen another building, although this one didn’t look quite as large from in here as it did outside. “Those out front are waiting their turn to get restored. I don’t have the kind of time or energy I used to do so it takes me a lot longer these days to fully restore one of them. Once they’re finished I park them in the back until I’m ready to show them or sell them or whatever.” Luke pushed a button on the wall near where he kept the keys. Samantha felt like she’d stumbled into the bat cave as she watched the back wall seem to fall away. She actually gasped out loud when she saw the cars behind it.
“Holy shit!” she exclaimed. “Can I look at them?”
Luke chuckled, “Of course.” They walked over closer. The one in the first stall was a 1965 Porsche 911F. It was teal with a lot of chrome and it
shone like it had just been painted yesterday. Sam looked in the window and saw that the interior was black and all leather. Luke opened the driver’s side door and popped the hood. Sam glanced under it and whistled. The V-8 engine was as clean as the rest of the car and it looked brand new.
“Wow…I’m speechless. You did all of this from scratch?”
“She was pretty busted up when I got her. I have before pictures I’ll show you some time.”
Sam was more impressed with Luke by the minute. It wasn’t about the money she could see all around her here, but about the sheer dedication, patience and love that he had obviously put into each one of them. Besides the Porsche there was a 1998 Aston Martin DR7, a 1953 Chevy Corvette and a 1967 Pontiac GTO. She almost forgot what they were in the garage for as she went from car to car with her mouth practically hanging open. “They’re amazing.”
Luke smiled. “I’m glad you like them. They’ll be yours someday when I die.”
Sam shuddered at the word, ‘die.’ It was too soon after losing her mother to even consider losing Luke. She’d just found him and she was just beginning to like him. “I’ll go get the Mustang.”
For the next several hours they worked side by side. Sam payed close attention to what Luke said and she actually learned a few things. She liked that, but what she liked even more was that Luke listened to her as well. He seemed to not only appreciate her suggestions, but respect them as well. It was a good feeling.
Later that evening while they all sat down for dinner together Aaron told her all about what he’d learned at the parts store already and for the first time Sam could remember he actually seemed excited about something.
“Did you know that Luke’s company manufactures engines used in professional racecars?” Aaron asked her. Sam glanced at her father and said,
“Yeah, I googled him.”
Luke laughed. “You Googled me? I would have told you anything you wanted to know. I just didn’t want to overwhelm you with too much information all at once.”
