Ridin' Dirty (Beautifully Dirty #2)

by Paige Steele

  Before I know it, we are suiting up. My phone beeps, but I choose not to look at it right now. Nothing is going to distract me from this race, not even the one person holding the thirty second board. So, whoever is on that phone is going to wait. I walk over and give Jesse a fist bump. We got this if we get a good enough start, one of us can come out on top. We get a pat on the back from our managers, and then we are riding to the starting line. We pick our gates, and there we sit for a bit, while everyone else lines up. Our mechanics go over everything one more time.

  We are all leaning forward, elbows up, and eyes straight ahead until the board reads ten seconds, then I count it down in my head as my eyes are down watching for the gate to drop. I get a handful of throttle and go. There is a long straightaway before the first turn, as long as I get through that, I have a chance of making a run for it. I can see Ryan in front of me, off to the left side. He gets the inside line and the holeshot. I know I am sitting in the best place I can be in, second. Now, I need to watch his lines, figure out if he makes mistakes in certain areas of the track, and take advantage of any I see.

  I see an opening and I go for it, though Ryan quickly covers the line, almost taking me out. I haven’t seen this in him before, not with me anyway. I know that there is a lot at stake, so I’m really not too surprised. I try taking a different line in the whoops section, but I am bounced everywhere, so that doesn’t pay off. I see, ‘ride smart’ on the pit board my mechanic is holding out for me to see as I go by him. That is exactly what I decide to do; I follow behind him, not by choice but because he keeps picking up speed with every lap that goes by. I try to maintain his speed, but he is just a clean, fast rider. Ryan has this championship in the bag, as long as he keeps it on two wheels.

  Fourteen laps later and the white flag is flying, showing us there is one lap left. Ryan has a three second lead on me so unless a lapper, a racer that he’s passed and is now a lap down in the race, gets in his way or something major happens, he’ll have the number one plate by the end of the night attached to his bike.

  The last lap goes by in a flash, and the next thing I know we are getting the trophies for the night. Ryan is being congratulated by the director of Supercross and is handed the red plate. I stand off to the side, watching his mom and dad go over to him and give him the biggest hug ever. I am about to head in that direction, when I am stopped dead in my tracks as Ansley comes into sight. She runs over, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek, which makes me want to turn and make my way to my tent. I decide in the end to show the friend I’ve had for my entire life the respect of shaking his hand to congratulate him.

  Once in the trailer, I throw my helmet across the room, as well as my gloves and jersey. I’m done with the two of them, all together. Just then, my phone vibrates, letting me know there is a message for me to listen to. I hit the play button without even paying attention to who it’s from. My vision is a bit blurred.

  “Cooper, it’s Ansley . . . umm, I just wanted to tell you good luck tonight. Stay safe.”

  That’s all I heard before I chucked it across the room, shattering it in a million pieces. I’m glad I didn’t hear this before I went out to ride. My mechanic comes in and tells me to take a chill. I rode well and kicked ass for my rookie year, he said and he reminded me, I still have the East/West Shoot Out in Vegas to show everyone what I am made of. Little does he know my anger has nothing to do with the fucking race, but everything to do with Ryan and Ansley. To think I was going to tell him congratulations and shake his hand.

  With everything going on, I never see or hear where Jesse ended up tonight. I don’t feel like I am being a good friend to him, worrying only about myself. I walk out in just my pants, looking for him. He is standing off to the side with his grandparents, who are hugging him. Now I feel even worse.

  “Hey, bud, how’d you finish up?” I ask, as I grab a Hyped energy drink out of the cooler.

  “I ended tonight in fourth, but I finished right behind you in points. Congrats on second tonight and for the whole season,” he says, walking toward me.

  “Well, third is pretty incredible, too. Who would have thought, two rookies killing it this year?”

  “Not me, there are a lot of killer guys this year; it was anyone’s to win.”

  “No kidding. Well, I will let you get back to your grandparents. I’ll see you back at the hotel.”

  “K, sounds good.”

  We hug it out and I go back inside the truck to grab a few things.

  I am back at the hotel bar, having a drink by myself until a Rockstar Energy Girl walks in.

  “Can I join you?”

  “What’s your drink of choice?”

  “Are you on the menu?”

  “Could be after a couple more of these,” I say, raising my glass at her.

  “Sounds good to me.” She pulls out a barstool to my left and sits down.

  After about four more rounds and a few shots, I can barely walk or remember what I was drinking to forget, but we take our party of two up to my room. As soon as we enter my room, my tongue finds her neck and with one big swipe, I go from base to earlobe, before I stop and nibble just a bit. She tastes of sweet berries, and I want to eat her up. I slowly unzip the back of her leather pants. That’s right they zip in the back, straight up the crack of her ass. Gliding those pants, inch by inch, down her legs until she steps out of them, leaving on her “take me from behind” heels, is HOT as hell. She goes to remove her tiny, yellow leather vest, with the big black R framed with a star on the back of it for Rockstar. I stop her. I am going to unwrap this present myself.

  After an hour of playing, we’re both hot, tired and in need of a shower, but I want mine all to myself. So, this one needs to find her own room soon; normally I wouldn’t be such an asshole, but tonight I need to be alone. Giving her a kiss and thanking her for a great night, she leaves carrying her shoes.

  I wake up the next morning with one hell of a headache. As I walk in the bathroom, I’m hit with the realization of what I did last night, there sits the wrapper on the counter. I barely remember the night after I entered the bar; it was just one drink after another, and the image of her hugging Ryan stuck in my mind. Pissed off at myself for letting last night happen, I decide it’s time to head for home. Jesse called my room this morning to let me know he’ll just ride back with his grandparents. It really must be nice to have someone that gives a shit about you, I think to myself. I mean, I’ve heard from my mom off and on throughout the season, letting me know, that they’ve watched the race on TV and I did well, which really shocked me, but they have yet to come to a race.

  Before leaving the hotel, I call my cell company, letting them know I need another phone. The lady on the other end of the phone chuckles a little, asking me if it’s a habit with me when I’m pissed, because it seems to be the first thing to go flying. I kinda laugh back, because she is right, it is. I am going to swing by there and grab it, before going home.

  Once I pull into my driveway, I take a long breath. I head inside, drop my bags and go to the gym out back. I want to clear my mind. Wrapping my hands, I start out with kick boxing; the poor dummy in the corner takes a beating. I move around the room, working different body parts and busting my ass until I am soaked with sweat and ready for a shower.

  Walking back in the house, I down a bottle of water from the fridge, shoot the shit for a few minutes with the guys that are there, and then make my way to the shower. It’s about seven at night and I really need something to eat, so I throw on a pair of shorts and go to the living room to see who wants to grab a bite. They ordered in some pizzas, so I just hang out with them for the night. We talk about the upcoming Vegas race. They keep telling me I can take it, as long as I start out front. So, I am going to be hammering on my starts for the next two weeks.

  A couple days pass and I’ve been concentrating during practice on the things I need to improve on. Any errors I know of, I correct. Sitting down to relax for a bit, I de
cide to give my mom a call to invite her and Dad, once again, to another race. I explain to her that Vegas is a big deal. It’s where all the guys come together to line up against each other, for the first and only time during the Supercross season. She says she’ll talk to my dad, but I’m not holding my breath that they will come. I’ll probably be dead before it happens.

  Lying in bed, I can’t fall asleep, so I just lay there thinking. I’m secretly hoping my parents come on Saturday, though I’ll never admit it to them. I will never beg them, but just once I would like them to see what I do and what I know I’m good at. I want my father to be proud of me for becoming something other than what he wanted me to be; that would be a feeling of accomplishment. I want him to see I’m actually succeeding and making damn good money in what he thought was a complete waste of time. I’m sure he’s paying attention to the accounts he set up for me; the ones he puts money in every week, noticing that I haven’t touched his money, but only added to it. Only time will tell, I guess.

  Ansley

  I AM PACKING FOR VEGAS as Kenna walks in, sitting on the edge of my bed. She is dressed in a grey sweatshirt that hangs off one shoulder and a pair of cute pink shorts.

  “What’s up, girl? You all packed?”

  “Almost, I’m waiting for a few things to finish drying, then I will be.”

  “What time is the flight again, tomorrow?”

  “We need to be at the airport by eight for a ten o’clock flight.”

  “K, sounds good. I’ll be ready. Is Maddie packed?” I ask, kinda joking around. Maddie is never packed until the last possible minute. But she is always out the door first.

  “No, you know her.”

  “I do and I don’t know how she does it. She’s never organized but she’s never late either.” We both laugh out loud

  In walks Maddie and we both try to stop but can’t.

  “What are you two laughing at?”

  “You!”

  “What do you mean ME?” she asks, pointing to her chest.

  “I asked her if you were packed to go tomorrow.”

  “First of all, smart asses, there isn’t much to pack. We have to attend the launch party tomorrow afternoon for the bikini line at the pool, so we have to bring our bikinis, then we have to all wear the same outfits for the Supercross and then we fly home on Sunday, so I’ll bring shorts and t-shirt for that. See, I’ll be packed in five minutes.”

  “Umm, don’t forget the clothes for tomorrow night after the launch party, we have to go to a private party for the company,” I inform her.

  “Oh, yeah, I’ll throw in a dress or two, in case anything else pops up, but really, girls, I can pack in about five minutes. No need to worry about me.”

  “Girl, one day you are going to forget your bra and undies, as well as your toothbrush,” Kenna says laughing at her.

  “Well, if I do, I’ll go without, undies are overrated anyway.”

  “Oh my God, Maddie.” I can’t believe she said that.

  “What?” She knows she will get a response from me on that one.

  “Gross!”

  “Are you telling me you’ve never gone without undies before?”

  “Maybe once or twice when I couldn’t wear them because of an outfit, but not because I just didn’t want to wear them.”

  Kenna sits there, laughing at the both of us. While this conversation goes on for ten more minutes, I finish packing and am ready to fly out tomorrow. Maddie says she’ll go throw things together to make us happy, and Kenna grabs what she is waiting for from the dryer.

  We are checking our bags in when we are told that, the owner of Hyped Energy, upgraded our tickets to first class. As we are all doing our happy dance, Ryan and the guys walk up.

  “Hey, you!”

  I jump when I hear a male’s voice directly behind me. Turning around, I swat his arm. “Holy shit, Ryan, you scared the crap out of me.”

  “I can see that,” he says, smiling at me.

  “Oh, shut up.”

  “What are dancing around for, ladies?” he asks, looking at Maddie and Kenna.

  “We were upgraded to first class by the owner of Hyped Energy this morning,” Kenna says, looking directly at him.

  “That is a reason to celebrate, huh?”

  “Yes, it is!” Maddie shouts out.

  “Well, maybe one of you will be sitting with me, as I’ll be there as well,” he says, smiling in Kenna’s direction before glancing over at me.

  In the end, we figure it out so that Kenna is sitting next to Ryan in first class. She asks me if I want to switch, since as she puts it, “He’s your best friend.” I assure her it is fine. We all board about quarter to ten and the flight takes off, right on schedule. It’s is a quick trip, so we are up in the sky and back on the ground in no time at all.

  We all give Ryan a hug goodbye as we get in the car that is waiting for us from our hotel. He is being picked up by the MGM Grand Hotel, where he is staying. We are staying at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, since the release party for Hyped Energy’s new bikini line is being held poolside there.

  When we arrive, there are six-foot posters and banners with the three of us on them. Then as we round the corner, there are three life-size posters, one of each of us. We squeal like little girls.

  “Selfie time! Let’s all stand in front of our posters and snap the pics at the same time.” Maddie yells.

  We do and then decide they’d be much better pictures with each of us standing next to our own.

  “Go get by yours, I’ll snap the pic. Give me your phone, quick before anyone sees us standing next to ourselves,” I say, trying to find my phone in my purse and laughing at the same time.

  “No kidding. We’re going to look ridiculous.” Kenna drops her bags and pulls her phone out.

  “Fuck it, who cares? Look at us, ladies. We look hot as hell.” She rubs her hand up and down the poster, trying to act like Vanna White.

  “Maddie, stop dropping the F bomb in public,” I tell her, looking around. She says it all the time, as if it’s just a normal word in the English language.

  “Oh, chill out, Ansley, we are in fucking Vegas, baby,” she says, turning around in a circle with her arms out wide.

  I start laughing at her; she’s right, after all. The Hard Rock is known for their crazy Rehab pool parties, so I am sure it’ll be a little crazy out there today.

  “Let’s go to our suite, we only have a little over an hour, and then we need to be down here showing off our assets,” Kenna yells over to us to get our attention.

  “This is going to be amazing!” Maddie is dancing around every hallway we turn down as we make it to our room.

  “Wow, this is beautiful and look at that view!”

  “Who cares about that, Ansley? Look at this table full of goodies and the large poster above it of us!”

  “Maddie, you crack me up.”

  “Well, there is a basket full of tiny bottles of alcohol, snacks, and there is a bottle of champagne chilling with cheese and crackers. Let’s pop this fucking top!”

  Kenna grabs the bottle from the ice bucket and works on it for a moment, before it pops open and the cork goes flying across the room and the champagne bubbles over. She quickly pours it in the glasses for us. We each pick up a glass, as Maddie gives the toast.

  “Here’s to us, ladies and our rockin’ bodies that got us this cool gig,” she says and we clank our glasses together.

  “Wait, I have another toast for us, no drinking until I’m done . . . There’s good ships and there is wood ships and then there are ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships and may they always be.” And now we finally down our glass of champagne while laughing at her. Geez, she has a way of saying things like no other.

  We start getting ready immediately; we don’t have long before we need to be downstairs. Slipping into our tiny bikinis and heels, we’re dressed, but still need to get our hair and make-up done. We start pulling out enough hair products, curling
irons, flat irons, and make-up for ten people. It is just about time to walk out when I turn to the girls and tell them to stop for a moment.

  “I want to tell you girls, that I couldn’t have done this job without the both of you, thanks.”

  “Aww, girl, come here.” Maddie gives me a huge hug, followed by Kenna.

  “Now, let’s go kill it out there.” Kenna swats us on the ass and walks out the door. Both Maddie and I look at each other in shock, then start walking out right behind her, giggling. We get downstairs and outside, where we are shown to our private cabana. It’s a huge roped off area with a direct line to the stage that will be used for announcing us and where the DJ is set up, too.

  The party starts off great, then it turns a bit rowdy as the night comes. There are more and more people coming in, which means more and more alcohol is served. The guys there try, a few times, to get touchy feely with us but our bodyguards don’t go for that too well, so a few are escorted off the property. The three of us look out for each other, making sure no one is left alone or drinking too much. We have a full day tomorrow at the Supercross, so none of us can afford to be wasted tonight. Kenna and Maddie both decide tomorrow night is our night. The season will be over and we can relax and let loose.

  It’s about eleven when we head back to our room. My feet are killing me and I’ve had enough of wearing this bikini, as nice as it is. I want a t-shirt and shorts and this make-up off.

  I had more drinks spilled down my arm today than I ever have in my life. Every time someone came to get a picture with us, they were holding a drink, which meant half of it went on me. Climbing into my bed after a shower never felt so good.

  The hotel car takes us over to Sam Boyd Stadium, where the season finals are held tonight. Getting there shortly before ten, we have about an hour before people will be flocking in. It’s about to get crazy. The music in the pits is up and every person associated with the sport is here; a few stars and pro athletes that love it are here, as well.

  Our large black tent is more in the middle of the pits today and I like it, as we can see more of what is going on around us. We are diagonal from Ryan’s truck and Cooper’s is one row over. At every race, I look around for both of theirs right away.