Kelley’s nose cone was replaced quickly and his tires replaced as well since he was already in the pit and he was off like a shot, but Mario was right there with him. They rode spread across the track as they caught up to the field and the race resumed for them.
“Go harder! Go harder!” Robert called to Kelley over the intercom.
“I know what to do!” It was a dead heat the remainder of the race but in a moment of courage, or stupidity Kelley saw a chance and took it. He rode up on the back of Mario in the last lap, they jostled and played with one another but in a split second that Mario hit his brakes too soon Kelley pounced. He hit the DRS and shot past him, his tail swinging out, almost losing control, leaving Mario in the dust. That was enough to lock up the race and the points for Kelley and just like that Cooper racings season started strong.
Kelley managed to clinch the first two races by the skin of his teeth but was confident that he could keep Mario in his place in the next. The rest of the field was so far behind already it looked as if it was going to be the season of their rivalry. As we headed for Russia and the next Grand Prix the newspapers covered Kelley and Mario like flies.
The press had gone wild for the Cooper Racing team at first, just as Kelley had predicted after the teams were revealed at Zoom. They speculated on the car, the technology and the kismet of Dale Love’s daughter coming back a decade after his death to drive his famed, long thought lost car. It was a racing fairy tale until it got boring and they moved on.
Makayla labored to make herself appear as uninteresting as possible and stayed in the background while Aidan pushed Chase to the front. As the crush of the season closed in, this was preferred. She had forgotten, or perhaps never really understood how much pressure Dale had really been under, and how there were always people in the world, especially in the world of sport who would wish you nothing but hard times. Cutthroat was a massive understatement, but Kelley gave them nothing so they looked for nothing. It was good, and she was thankful that they had decided to keep it a secret as she could see the water churning around Kelley, see the madness that flowed between him and Mario.
Their rivalry was deeper than the track; it was what juicy sporting news was made of. It was bone deep and they were both determined to make the other feel it. Yet no matter how hard Kelley drove it was going to be an uphill battle. Cooper was young in effect, still building, having only one driver would make it impossible to win as a team this year against a team so established and proven as Mercedes, and Mario had Kelley in his crosshairs, he was not going to back down or make it easy by any means.
Mario and Kelley had always been rivals, the press made sure of it. The year Kelley took his first podium Mario was right next to him. And the next year it was Mario, with Kelley next to him. It was a battle neither of them could win. As drivers, they were equally matched. Both fierce competitors with a streak of courageous ego that served them well and made them both impossible to deal with. It was the ego of a driver, inflated and tender, and they fed each other; voraciously fed on each other. Race fans ate it up, it was good for business and much to Kelley’s dismay Mario reveled in playing the baddie. He loved to provoke and boast and force Kelley’s hand and even though Kelley knew it…he often fed into it. This was their dance and they had been doing it for years. This season would be no exception, rather, this season would be exceptional.
Three races into the season and they were neck and neck, their points tied and horns locked as we prepared for Sochi. Kelley was completely preoccupied and outside of the track the only time I was seeing him was when I was beneath him, but still we were hiding, in plain sight.
***
I walked into the garage and the air was stagnant and heavy. The men stood face to face a few feet apart and the tension between them hung in the air, their eyes locked like the horns of two stags. I stopped, stunned and overcome by the energy in the room. Kelley was in a standoff….with Mario. Mario looked to me while Kelley’s eyes never left Mario.
“Ah, good.” He said with a greasy accented purr that made my skin crawl. “Come, Ms. Love, join us.” I had never met Mario, only knew what I saw in the press and what Kelley said, which was less than friendly. I already knew didn’t like him.
“No,” Kelley snapped, “Makayla, this has nothing to do with you.” He said quietly, still not looking in my direction. “Leave.” I fell back at his harsh tone and saw his jaw twitch, his gaze not moving from Mario.
“Stay,” Mario’s eyes were locked on me, “This has everything to do with her.” His tone was cool looking back to Kelley. I slid to his side and took his fisted hand, coaxing his fingers open. He looked down to me for a moment before his face softened and his grip tightened before he turned his attention back to Mario.
“I have been making new friends in London and it seems I have stumbled across the best-kept secret of the season,” His eyes moved between us, “and I for one hate secrets.” His smile was twisted and arrogant and set my blood cold. “See, it struck me as interesting this year when we saw the young Miss Love at the Cooper table, I thought to myself, why bring on someone so inexperienced. Then it occurred to me what her name can do for our Kelley here,” he turned his eyes from me to Kelley and a wicked grin spread across his thin lips. “After expo weekend it became clear that you had something in her,” he pointed to me, not looking away from Kelley. “I have to admit it made me wonder. Wonder where this girl has come from. See, outside of your tragic childhood,” he stepped closer and bore into me with his eyes, not an ounce of empathy shining through his hot gaze. “It was all very sad, but where have you been? What have you been doing?”
“Do you have a point?” Kelley demanded.
“Oh, I am getting there.” He returned his attention to me and Kelley’s body went stiff, his hand tightened around mine, and Mario didn’t miss a beat. His eyes moved from me to our hands, to Kelley, then back to me. “Yes,” he muttered his eyes a light. “Isn’t it nice that you have such a ferocious protector, someone so concerned with your safety? Concerned with your good name.” Kelley lunged at him as Mario chuckled, but I refused to lighten my grip on his hand, holding him to my side. “And he is fearsome, isn’t he?” He asked mockingly, his mouth twisted in an ugly curve. “I wondered how all of this could happen so fast. I mean, where has she been for the last decade? What has she been doing that qualifies her to drive for Cooper, other than her name? A little digging revealed that she has been part of the team for quite a while. An undeclared part of the team. I believe, if my sources are correct, that she was doing development for you.” He stopped pacing and looked at Kelley, then moved his dark eyes to me. “Without your knowledge. Do I have this right so far?” He asked, not waiting for an answer. “And,” he paused with his finger in the air, “in direct violation of development guidelines. Tsk tsk, Ms. Love.” His grin was so wide now all I could think about was knocking it off his face, but if the tension coming from Kelley was any indication, he was ready to rip Mario’s whole fucking head off.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kelley replied coolly, pulling our clasped hands behind his back, tugging me out of the line of fire.
“I thought you would say so, so I went ahead and took the liberty of bringing proof. See, simulator transcripts say she was driving for you. Track schedules show her logging hours of track time, yet you,” he looked up at Kelley and then back to the papers, putting his finger to it.
“Your signature is nowhere to be found. So I am thinking one of two things happened here. Either you were sanctioning illegal training and development in which case your entire team will be disqualified this season or, you were not aware. In which case, you can save your season, and perhaps a shred of your reputation, but you will have to fire Ms. Love. I think the industry would like to know what kind of woman Dale Love’s daughter has become.” His eyes slid from Kelley to me. “A cheat.”
Kelley’s body went rigid and he dropped my hand and stepped closer to Mario. Mario
didn’t balk, even though Kelley was a head taller than him and certainly more robust. Mario had the upper hand. Fuck! What have I done? His voice was so low when he spoke it was like a different frequency, laced with anger and a violence I had never heard.
“Take your idle threats and shove them up your ass, little man. Nobody walks into my garage and threatens my team, and I sure as hell won’t stand for you threatening Ms. Love. I don’t know who your ‘ source’ is but you have been woefully misinformed. I dare you to go to the press, dare you to go to the FIA, they will laugh you out of their offices”
“I don’t think you understand,” Mario said with a grin that I feared was about to be wiped clean off his face. Kelley stepped closer, swallowing the gap, pressing in on Mario.
“No, I don’t think you understand. You have ten seconds to get the fuck out of my garage or we will both be disqualified, and that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.” Mario smiled, not showing any sign of intimidation, yet inching towards the door all the same.
“What is the old saying friend?” He asked Kelley as he backed him out of the garage.
“Don’t shoot the messenger? I am not the cheat, I am merely the conduit through which information can be disseminated. I didn’t tie your hands, but I will gladly watch as the public sets you to the flames.” He winked at me and it turned my stomach before he turned and strode from the garage.
I was frozen to the spot, my leaden feet anchored, rendering my body useless. I could feel my heart in my throat and all those moments on the track flashed in my mind as I watched Kelley. Anger hovered around him like a halo, his aura glowing an angry red and I wanted to hide. Hide from that anger, hide from his disappointment. Fuck, I wanted to hide from him, from all of this. He stood watching the door for a moment before he turned on me and I could swear he was vibrating, ripples of angst just rolled off of him and came for me.
I opened my mouth to say his name and snapped it right shut when his eyes met mine. Afraid to break the silence, it was the only thing keeping him on this side of his rage. I shook my head and watched him, trying to tell him with my eyes how sorry I was. I wanted him to feel my remorse, to feel my shame, even though I knew there was nothing I could do to make this better.
It was all my fault, and I had no idea how to fix it. He was going to hate me, I could see it growing in his eyes already as he stood there silent, staring at me. I wanted to run to him, I wanted to disappear; I wanted, no, I needed this moment to end before it completely swallowed me. He was still, but his mind was working and in a flash, his legs were working and brought
him to me. Two long strides and he swept me into his arms and buried his face in my neck, mumbling angrily into my flesh.
“He can’t have this.” He squeezed me so close I could hardly breathe, his arm wound around me like a life jacket, a life jacket I desperately needed. “It’s not his to take.”
He took me home and we rode in silence. He didn’t bring it up again. Three days prep for Russia and no mention of Mario. The tension hung in the air, but I didn’t dare breach it. I could see it weighing on him. I considered talking to Robert but decided against it. I had already caused enough trouble and had no desire to make it worse. I would just have to ride it out and trust that Kelley had a plan.
Chapter 23
Perestroika
Kelley, Russia
She looked sideways at me with mischief in her smirk and I saw what had her excited, the gap was beginning to close. She wrapped her lips around her teeth to stifle the grin, turned her eyes back to the road and dropped her foot. We roared up on the back of a truck as a van came riding up on her right side, she banked and slid right between them, shooting the closing gap, proceeding to weave in and out of Sunday drivers and career commuters. She slid to the left and hit the gas, passing a line of cars before she slid to the right and she found her straight. It was so smooth it made my cock hard and I couldn’t fight the smile as she proclaimed “Yessss” lingering on the ‘s’ with her fist in the air as we left the rest in our dust.
The road opened up before us and she sank into the seat, comfortable and I watched. She was beautiful but it was the ease with which she controlled my car that was more than I could fight and I wanted her now. I reached over and slid her skirt up her legs, my fingers resting on the inside of her thigh. She glanced in my direction with a small smile.
“Eyes on the road,” I commanded as I continued to move ever closer to the fire between her legs. She shifted slightly, spreading, letting me in as she drove. I took my time, running my fingertips along the seam of her panties, pulling at her flesh making her eyes grow, but she kept those eyes on the road.
Her legs were smooth and soft and her thighs were warm. Warm from the sun beating through the window, warm from being so close together, warm from her want of my hand on her pussy. She shifted again, pushing herself against my hand as I played and I knew she was ready.
I slipped my hand inside her panties and she gasped, her foot falling hard on the gas as we lurched slightly. I cupped her wetness and felt the throb, the pounding of her blood as it all rushed between her legs to meet my grasp. I had her full attention, in the palm of my hand.
“Pull over, baby” She looked at me already flushed, her eyes hooded, mouth slack. She pulled off the road as soon as the opportunity presented itself, put the car in park and spread her legs, letting her head fall back against the seat. She watched me as I ran a finger through her wet and found her clit sitting at attention, waiting.
“Oh, Kelley, “she mewled softly as I strummed along the skin on either side, driving her wild but not touching the flame. Watching her was mesmerizing, the way her face twisted, her tiny intakes of breath, and my god the wet. She was so fucking wet and ready for me it was insane that I was still sitting here. I cupped her pussy and gave her a directive
“Get out of the car.” She didn’t miss a beat, didn’t even think about it. She killed the ignition, opened the door and exited the car, her skirt still hiked up around her upper thighs and fuck, it was fabulous. Her pale ass peeking out in the sun of the late day, her bold defiance in the face of oncoming traffic, I had her, she didn’t give a fuck about anything but me, having me, and I felt exactly the same way. I didn’t care who saw, what happened, I just knew in that moment I needed to be buried deep in that wet pussy, she was my drug, I needed a fix.
“Put your hands on the hood,” I quietly demanded at her ear, sending a shiver down her spine so powerful it rocked her body, bucking as she turned to place her hands on the hood. I stepped up behind her and admired the arch of her back as her hands anchored her to the hood of my car, the curve of her ass as she stuck it out for me. I pressed my front to her back and wrapped my hands around her. I started at her throat, my hands loosely wound around her graceful neck, sliding down her heated skin, leaving no inch left untouched. I slid my hands under her shirt and cupped her pendulous breasts, their fucking heft as they swung above the hood of my car was enough to undo me, fuck she was perfect, so soft. I let my hands run down her belly to her hips and around before I closed my fist around her my warm, wet panties, her pussy already pulsing for me.
“My girl is ready,” I whispered, lips pressed against her ear. Her knees buckled and she leaned forward on her hands, not wanting to falter. I took a step back and flipped her skirt up over her ass, running a hand down between her trembling legs. My fingers sought out the wet and I couldn’t fight a guttural groan as I tore down her panties. They didn’t make it past mid-thigh before I was pressed against her, pushing her down on the warm car. I admired her with her ass and pussy bared to the Russian countryside. I knew we hadn’t seen another car in a while but the thought of someone driving by at the very moment, watching me fuck this beauty on the hood of my car sent my heart into a state and I closed my eyes, taking a deep cleansing breath and focused on the feel of Makayla’s greedy pussy as it pulled me deep.
She couldn’t seem to get enough. I had one hand tightly woun
d around her breast the other strumming that pussy like a guitar and the music she sang was bone rattling, every cell was humming and I knew she was full. I thrust deep and stilled for effect, as a triumphant
“Yes” slid through my gritted teeth at her ear. I pulled back and thrust into her again, over and over at a punishing rhythm, losing the battle of control, I fucked her on the hood of that car. I fucked her so hard and fast that she couldn’t catch her breath. The thrusts grew focused, controlled and more intense as I inched closer and pushed her closer to the edge we were chasing together, she cried out. “Kelley!” and it was the death of me. I emptied myself with a guttural groan, lips vibrating stiff against her neck.
“Fuck, Makayla.” Her legs were quaking and she could barely hold on for sliding off the hood into a crumpled mess, a deliciously used heap of jelly on the dusty ground. I caught her just before her bare ass hit the dirt. Still bound by her panties at her thighs it was hard to find balance, her whole body pulsed as I bent and helped to free her from her satin restraint.
“I don’t think you’ll be needing these,” I whispered shoving them into my pocket as I smoothed the skirt down over her ass, cupping her and pulling her close. “Get in the car,” I whispered in her ear before I kissed the base of her throat and pushed her towards the passenger side, tucking my cock in. “I’m driving.”
The Curve Page 18
