Revved: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World)

by A. M. Mahler

  “Wow. Sounds almost too good to pass up.” Looking down, he picked at his chicken. The confidence he showed just a minute ago was not laced with insecurity. While I was sorry he was feeling that way, it was comforting to know I wasn’t the only one unsure about where we were going.

  “I guess, but I’ve passed each time he’s offered. I’m at my dream job, and I’m loyal.” Putting down the potato salad, I picked up a piece of chicken. “It’s not the job itself. I can do that anywhere, but it’s the company. Jimmy Reilly was a big part of my life growing up—until he died in a wreck during a race. He was such a great guy. My father worked for him. Just days before he died, he gave me his hat and told me to come work for him when I was old enough. I was just a kid at the time, but I was already working on cars with my father, and I think Jimmy kind of meant it. I still have the hat, and I still wear it. I know it’s a twisted kind of loyalty, but he was good to my family, so I wanted to return the favor, I guess. Is that messed up?”

  Simon considered his chicken before answering, “No. Your loyalty is your loyalty. It doesn’t matter why. It’s personal to you. But I liked that story, if that helps.”

  He seemed open to sharing crazy ideas, so I decided to share my craziest.

  “It’s just a question of whether or not my dream job will support my dream goal.”

  Simon picked up the potato salad and dug in with his own fork while I drank my shitty champagne.

  “And what’s that?”

  “I want to design and build a car to race at Le Mans.” Other than Jesse, who was working on the project with me, Simon was the first person I said that out loud to. I hadn’t even mentioned it to my parents. Neither had Jesse. It was something that up until now had been just between us. I took in a deep breath of the fresh night air. I felt relieved. I liked sharing a secret with him. It was a bit of a surprise that I trusted him that much, but there it was.

  “I think I’m supposed to be impressed, but I don’t know what that is. Isn’t Le Mans in France?”

  “Yes, though the races have been held in other parts of the world, like Le Mans of Daytona and such. It’s twenty-four hours of continuous racing, and it’s totally different. It’s for both speed and endurance. The winning car goes the farthest distance in the least amount of time. It’s considered the most elite race in the world,” I explained. I leaned back on my hands, comfortable in his presence and helping him learn more about the company he joined and the sport itself.

  “Well, if anyone can do that and win, it’s you,” Simon said with absolute conviction. And though he knew very little about cars and the racing world, his confidence in me meant more than I think anyone else’s might. “What are you going to do if Ryan doesn’t support it?”

  “I think he would,” I said, swatting away a mosquito. I’d like to think Ryan would support us. He paid me well and liked to keep me happy because he knew that I could go anywhere, only he didn’t know that I wouldn’t dare. He didn’t know why I came to him years ago. Only that my dad worked for Jimmy’s race team.

  “But if it’s your dream, you shouldn’t have to give that up. I mean, the only thing standing in your way is money, right?”

  “In theory, yes.”

  “So, what will you do if he says no?”

  “Go to Colton Donavan next,” I said. “I doubt Colton would say no. Not with me on the project. But I really want it to be Ryan and Jackie with me.”

  Simon was quiet for a bit. He closed the containers and returned them to the cooler before topping off our cups with the world’s shittiest champagne. Laying back on the blanket and propping himself up on his elbows, he said, “When Colton said he was going to leave with you, Ryan didn’t look the slightest bit worried. I think he’s confident in your loyalty, and I think to reward that, he’d help you reach your dreams. How much is it?”

  “Well, the car alone will run roughly a million and a half. The engines are usually leased.” His jaw dropped. “That’s without entry fees, travel costs, paying the drivers and crew, getting the car to France. It will be over two, easily, closer to three.” He closed his mouth and absorbed the information.

  “Be honest. Do you think you can win?”

  A low thrill started to roll through me, a tingling through my body that forced a smug grin.

  “I know I can.”

  Simon nodded then looked up to the sky. More and more stars were peeking out and showing themselves. I loved it up here. It was so peaceful and beautiful. The moonlight shined over him, and I couldn’t help but admire his beauty.

  “I’ll be one of your investors.”

  I was stunned by his words. I heard what he said, but it wasn’t processing in my brain. Just like that? He’d give me money just on ... me? “That’s ... wow, Simon. You don’t want to see anything first? The design? I don’t know, a business plan?”

  “I see you. What else do I need?”

  The thud just heard round the world there was my heart plunging to his feet.

  “I believe in you,” he continued. “You knocked the socks off Indy’s best driver. You’re brilliant, focused, determined. I’ve lived with my mother since I graduated college. I didn’t have a lot of expenses, so I have a large savings. I think my return on investment will make up for the risk.”

  I just ... couldn’t. I couldn’t anything. I couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t comprehend. That he believed in me so absolutely was just ... puzzling. Other than my family, I don’t think there had ever been someone that had that kind of confidence in me. But then it hit me.

  Jimmy Reilly did. His belief in me shaped my life. He saw what I was capable of at such a young age, and without knowing it, gave me the strength and power to accomplish my dreams.

  I looked over at Simon, illuminated by the stars and two camping lanterns, laying on a red plaid blanket. Right there in that moment, he was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and I wasn’t nervous. I didn’t feel awkward or shy or clumsy. I just felt need.

  Simon

  M

  y breath stopped when Maggie crawled across the blanket and straddled my hips. The moon shone in the background and gave her a vibrant halo. It was apt really. She was some kind of unearthly being—a perfect angel created for me when I really hadn’t done anything to deserve one.

  But who was I to deny such a gift? My parents raised me to be grateful for everything I was given, and right then, I was. Oh, so grateful. Even more so when she shed her hoodie and was topless in the silvery glow of a perfect evening. How was this my life now?

  Sitting up, I pulled my long-sleeve Henley over my head, then ran my hands along her snowy skin. Goosebumps raised in the trail of my fingers and she shivered, but maybe not with the chill that was in the air. There was only heat between us now. Like a child discovering velvet for the first time, I couldn’t stop feeling her. My palms slid over her back, and her hands rested on my shoulders. I snapped my fingers on the clasp of her bra and it fell away. She was still as I slid the straps down her arms and over her hands, tossing it somewhere on the blanket. Cupping her breasts, they fit perfectly in my hands. I was not surprised. Somehow, in some primal way I really didn’t know I possessed, I knew that our bodies were made for each other.

  Her arms loosely cradled my head and pulled me closer. I latched my mouth onto a rosy peak and swirled my tongue around. Her sharp intake of breath fueled me on. She dropped her head back and allowed me to explore this new terrain at my leisure. And I took my time. I explored every creamy inch of soft skin, the feel, the scent. She smelled of lavender.

  Tremors swept through my body when our chests touched. I knew she felt it too because she began to rock her hips in my lap making the sexiest noises I ever heard. I took a breath to just feel her. The skin-on-skin contact I craved. I buried my face in her neck for a moment as the friction she created began to take over my senses, creating a need so great that I felt like I might die if I didn’t answer it.

  “Maggie,” I panted. I was panting. She m
ade me pant. “I didn’t bring a condom.” I wasn’t even sure I had any at home either. When you weren’t in a relationship and you didn’t do one-night stands, it wasn’t really a necessity to have on hand.

  She grabbed my head and brought me up to meet her eyes, forcing my lips from her perfect breasts. “I’m on the pill, Simon. And I’ve never had sex without a condom before.”

  “Me either,” I said, glad we were on the same page here because though I’d do anything to protect her, at the same time I felt like there was no other way for us to do this. I needed to feel her. I wanted her to feel me.

  Tugging at me, she leaned back, and I followed her lead, perching over top of her. Maggie. Topless in the moonlight. Dear lord, my heart split right in two. Sliding her hand up to my cheek, she stroked it with her thumb, and I turned my head to kiss her palm. “You’re sure about this?” I asked.

  “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”

  All right then. Green light. Everything was a go.

  Leaning down, I took her lips with mine. Slowly, I ran my tongue along the column of her neck, and kissed along her collarbone, her breasts, her stomach, introducing myself. I dipped my tongue into her belly button, and she giggled and jerked beneath me. She was ticklish. I filed that away for later.

  You only have one first time with a person, and I didn’t believe in rushing it. Yeah, sure, I’d had blinding animal sex before when lust ruled. That was good fun, but the first time was for the learning and exploration—my body’s introduction to hers—and I wanted to make a good impression. My mission that first time was to leave her satisfied but wanting more. And for me to learn everything I could about her body—what made her scream, moan, sigh, giggle, go wild—and file all that information away to bring back out later based on our moods—assuming, of course, I got to have sex with her again after this.

  A light breeze blew over us, and an owl hooted somewhere in the dark distance. I wanted to remember everything about this moment. The feel of the flannel blanket beneath us. The sparkle of the night’s sky reflecting off the lake.

  But most of all, the woman beneath me—stretched out like a cat and about to be completely naked. I burned her image into my brain. Hooking my fingers in the band of her sweatpants, I eased them and her panties down her legs, over her ankles, tossing them hopefully in the same vicinity as her other clothes. After quickly shedding my pants, I sat back on my haunches and look at Maggie. This girl was about to be mine.

  Lifting one ankle up to my shoulder, my lips began a long, lazy trek up her shapely leg while my opposite hand glided along the other. Her breathing became heavier in anticipation of me reaching my final destination. When I finally settled in between her legs, she started chanting.

  “Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god.”

  I popped my head up to look at her, a little alarmed. “Should I not?” Not every girl liked this, and I didn’t want to do anything that made her uncomfortable. If she had boundaries, it was important I learned them in the beginning. I only ever wanted her to associate me with pleasure.

  Mind-numbing, soul-searing pleasure.

  “It’s good,” she said, looking down at me and breathing heavy, before she threw her head back to look up at the night sky. “It’s all good. Stay your course.”

  Yes, ma’am.

  With the first swipe of my tongue, she jackknifed off the blanket and cried out. I did that. I caused that intense pleasure. I leaned in and continued, taking note of her moans, pants, squirms. The taste of her drove me wild. My imagination of our first time together could not conjure anything better than the real thing. When she finally fell apart around me, I scrambled up to watch. Head thrown back, eyes closed, lips parted, awash in moonlight. She was magnificent. I was in awe, staring at her in wonder until she finally opened her heavy-lidded eyes. Smiling, she reached up her hand and snaked it around the back of my neck, tugging gently until I settled myself over her. Then she gave me a long and leisurely kiss. Her tongue took a languid exploration of the inside of my mouth before releasing me and traveling along my jaw.

  I positioned my hips in the cradle of her legs, poised and ready for my life to change. She raised her pelvis to reach mine. When I slipped inside her, a feeling of coming home unparalleled to anything I ever had before overcame me. It was as if I’d been searching for her, and I didn’t even know it. My eyes crossed in ecstasy as I stroked inside of her, long and deep. The silky warmth that surrounded me felt exquisite without a barrier in between us.

  Maggie moved beneath me, quickening the pace as her next orgasm mounted. I tried to study her so I could learn when she was getting close, but my brain was malfunctioning. All the oxygen was needed for other parts of my body right now. Pleasure coiled in me like a snake, and when she screamed my name, I finally let go and enjoyed the fall with her.

  Maggie

  S

  hower, shower, I need a shower.” I chanted as we hurried through the door of Simon’s apartment and ran down the hall, stripping my clothes off on the way. I was so fucking itchy I almost felt like I was going to burst out of my skin. Sex under the stars was romantic and all, but no one tells you about the damn mosquitos that will feast on your pasty white ass.

  “Note to us,” Simon said as he pulled back the shower curtain and turned the water on. “Bring another blanket next time we do that.”

  “Or we could just reconsider that,” I said, opening his small linen closet and pulling out two clean towels.

  He stopped and looked at me in true astonishment. “Reconsider sex?”

  “What? No. Why would we do that?” Sex with Simon was definitely the best I ever had. I wasn’t awkward; he wasn’t awkward; we moved together seamlessly. He also wasn’t interested in immediately bailing on me, instead inviting me back to spend the night at his place. Plus, that whole sex without a condom thing? Wowza! “I meant having sex outside at night in the middle of the woods. I think my translucent skin attracted every mosquito in the Great North Woods.”

  Simon visibly relaxed and stepped over the side of the tub before offering me his hand. Taking it, I joined him under the warm spray. The heat of the water felt soothing. Not only was it buggy as hell on top of the mountain, but it was chilly, too. Neither one of us cared when we were in the heat of the moment, but my body still seemed to notice because I hadn’t been able to get warm again since we got dressed.

  “We look like we have chicken pox,” Simon said, looking down at our bodies. And let me just say, for a guy that never talks about exercising, he was pretty fit. He wasn’t crazy cut like the guys you saw on the cover of romance novels, but he had definition, and there was nothing soft about him.

  “Everything itches,” I whined, running my nails up and down my arms. Simon grabbed his bar soap and lathered up his hands.

  “Let’s get you washed up,” he said, running the soap and his hands over my skin. “Once we’re clean, I’ve got one of those Off sticks we can use to put on each bite. As long as you can handle about an hour of uncomfortableness, the itch will go away.”

  “Ugh,” I groaned but closed my eyes when Simon began to massage my muscles as he soaped.

  Was this guy too good to be true or what? Why hadn’t some girl snatched him up yet? Are girls in Maine that stupid? Maybe they were turned off by the whole living with his mother thing, but he didn’t seem unnaturally attached to his mom.

  I was still blown away by the fact that he wanted to be an investor in our Le Mans car. I would have to talk to Jesse about finding a lawyer to draw up a contract so everything was official. I was starting to think approaching it like a business deal was the wisest course of action, but I’d talk it over with my brother. I hoped he didn’t object to Simon’s investment, though I couldn’t see why he would. Seemed like a no brainer. Simon didn’t mention how much money he had to invest, and I didn’t ask. We got busy doing other things. Speaking of ...

  “Turn around,” Simon whispered, and I obeyed. My back to his front. He stepped closer and his
desire was obvious against me. “Pay no attention to that. It’s just a shower.”

  “Mmm,” I hummed. “I don’t think this is just a shower.”

  With my words, Simon jerked me back against him, his hands gliding over my shoulders and down to my breasts. This definitely was not just a shower. I dropped my head back onto his shoulder and slid my hand up to his head. The water cascaded over us as his hands made a sensual tour of my upper body igniting my skin before slipping below my waist and between my legs. Dear lord, his fingers were talented. They slipped in and out of me and gradually increased in speed. My fingers gripped his hair and tugged. The faster he went, the harder I pulled.

  My eyes slammed shut when the sensation inside me began to crescendo, but before I could reach the peak, Simon spun me around and pushed me up against the wall of the shower. I cried out both from the heat of the moment and the loss of his touch. But before I could go into sensory mourning, he hiked my legs up, wrapped them around his waist, and filled me completely. He buried his head in the crook of my shoulder, but I pulled him up so I could latch onto his lips with mine.

  Up on the mountain, the sex was slow, sweet, and beautiful. But here now, it was fast, passionate, and desperate. Each powerful thrust elicited a guttural groan from me—a noise I had absolutely no idea I could even produce. Until Simon, I wasn’t a noisemaker during sex. In fact, my partner couldn’t always tell when I had an orgasm. I kept it to myself. But with Simon, they’d been explosive, and I couldn’t hide them if I had help from a Jersey mobster. When I finally reached the summit of euphoria, spots flashed behind my eyelids, and bliss took a joyride through my system.

  Simon’s body was heavy against mine as we recovered. When he was relatively composed, he tipped his forehead against mine. “Okay. I think I might be able to wash your body now without being overcome.”