“What are you going to do about the job? Because we both know you are going to need to spend more time practicing.”
That caught Jonica’s attention and she pushed forward. “Damn, I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Sorry.” Maggie blushed.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t think I should quit. I mean what if this racing thing doesn’t work out? I’m going to need a job to pay the bills right? Ugh.”
Maggie laughed. “Well I guess you can put in for time off.”
“But the qualifiers are two and a half weeks away and the big race isn’t long after that. I can’t take off over ten weeks—they frown on things like that.”
“Hmm, okay, go to work in the mornings, and then race in the evening to practice. And use your weekends—it won’t be as much as your competition, but it will be something.”
Jonica lifted her glass to her lips. “Why is everything so much harder because I wear a skirt?”
Maggie laughed. “Well I’m thinking our maker decided, if we can give birth, we women can do anything. But don’t worry about it. I have some time off coming up, I can come with you to the tracks and time you if you’d like.”
Jonica reached over and hugged Maggie tightly. “I’d appreciate that. I really want to tell you who my sponsor is, but I’m scared it will get out. If it does he might run—you know? And besides, I feel like if I say it out loud, I’ll jinx it—stupid I know.”
“Don’t worry about it, Jonny. I’m happy you finally have the backing you need for this. There’s nothing worse than watching your best friend’s dream die. Sometimes I wish Fire Ants was doing better and I could have sponsored you. But business hasn’t been doing that well especially with this damn recession.”
Jonica smiled. “Thank you, Maggie, really—don’t worry. Fire Ants can be my qualifier sponsor. I’m pretty sure that won’t be a problem. You won’t have to pay me for it, just get the stickers for my bike and my back and we’re square.”
“Really? You’d do that for me?”
“Come on, Magz.” Jonica frowned a bit offended she’d ask that. “You’ve had my back for—well since forever. I’ll talk to the sponsor and see what he says. You may have to do something for him too since it’s business, but it shouldn’t be a stretch.”
The two women sat side by side in silence, sipping their wine. Jonica was absolutely gushing she was so happy. She never thought life could be as good as it was at that moment. It seemed in her life she had given up on every dream she ever had. She dreamed of going to university, but gave up on that when she found out how much it cost. Instead, she settled for community college. She dreamed of owning her own business, but settled for working in an office. She wanted to have a husband and perhaps a child by twenty- nine, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards. She hadn’t dated in almost two years. Maggie often times joked. “I swear you have cobwebs in the coohie by now.”
Jonica hid a smile by lifting her class to her lips and shook her head. It was a joke, but she was pretty sure it was true. But what would she have to offer a family? She was twenty nine, still worked as a secretary in a medical office and her dreams crashed and burned around her. There is no way she could have told her child to follow his or her dreams since she allowed hers to simply melt away.
“I think I’ll have shirts that say Team Jonny on the front.” Maggie interrupted her depression. “Or, sock it to me Jonny.”
“That’s over-kill, don’t you think?”
Maggie pouted and folded her arms. “Not a chance. I’m proud and as the best friend it is my duty to wear outlandish clothes with your name and corny lines to embarrass you. I shall take my duty seriously.”
Jonica laughed. “Oi vey. But I have to say this, when you finally find out who my sponsor is, you’re going to think the same thing I thought when I saw him.”
“And what’s that?”
“Can I please jump over this table, strip you naked and have my way with you right here?”
“That sexy huh—damn.”
Jonica nodded and emptied her second glass of wine. “You have no idea. This man has these eyes that are just—and his hair? I could tangle my fingers in it and do things to that man that shouldn’t be legal. Let’s just say I would do things to him in the dark and with the lights on.” She stopped and sighed. “But, alas, I have to keep my hands off—having sex with the boss is a sure-fire way of losing it all.”
“That fucking sucks.” Maggie pouted. “The good ones are always taken or the ones signing the checks.”
Jonica rested her head against Maggie’s shoulder and sighed. “Here, here.”
Chapter Three
A week later the contracts were back on his desk, signed by both parties and ready. He smiled, shuffled the papers and hit the green button on his phone. Instantly his secretary’s voice replied to the ring.
“Could you come into my office please?” he told her.
He turned his attention toward the window, ignoring the mountain of unsolicited scripts that were on his desk. Normally he wouldn’t even bother looking at them, but after a while the whole thing about never looking a gift horse in the mouth dawned on him. Once in a while he would go through some of them to see if he saw anything interesting; So far nothing.
“You wanted me, boss?”
He spun from the window and offered Bella a smile. Her long black hair was tied back, exposing a proud nose, a sensuous mouth with bright eyes. Each time he saw her he had to smile. She was always happy. She always had a kind word for anyone. He liked that about her and so did his other employees. She made their days less of a bore. When she flopped into the chair across from his desk, he picked up the contracts and handed them over. “File this contract for me,” he explained. “Arnold already has a copy.”
She took them and browsed the document before looking at him with an arched brow. “You don’t know anything about motorcycle racing.” She pointed out. “Just because you watch the races—”
Derrick chuckled. “I know, but I also know a good thing when I see it and this woman is a good thing.”
“Is she pretty?”
Derrick felt his cheeks heating and turned to look out the window again, “I haven’t noticed,” he lied. “She did her audition lap faster than I’ve ever seen anyone do it. If she can pull that off during qualifiers then my business risk will pay off with that alone.”
“You’re not sponsoring her for qualifiers?”
Derrick shook his head and turned to face her. “No. She asked to use a friend’s publishing company on the bike and I can’t say no to that. I get the big day, and afterward so what’s helping a small company grow, right?”
“Is this one of those times where you remind me someone gave you your first shot and you want to return the favor?”
He laughed. “Yes. I believe in karma, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Bella Santiago stood up and pushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear. She tucked the folder under her arm. “I’ll have them filed now. You ready for lunch or are you going to just skip that strange human habit?”
Derrick chuckled. “I’m having lunch, but I’ll be going out. Is Jason in yet?”
“No. It’s his day off, remember?”
He moaned. He forgot. Nodding he smiled at her. “Okay. I might stop by his place tonight, thanks, Bell.”
“Not a problem.” She grinned. “I’ll see you later.”
After she left and the door closed behind her, Derrick peered at the clock. He had to leave in a few minutes. Picking up the next script, he fought to focus on it. He would rather be in the studio, overseeing production and being on set—but someone had to finalize paperwork. Inhaling deeply, he ploughed away at the script and was so caught up he hadn’t realized it was time for lunch until Bella stuck her head into his office to mother him again.
“Derrick Bridger—you do know humans eat, right?”
“Sorry, forgot.” He pressed the script close and stuck it into a file folder to finis
h reading it at home. Grabbing his keys and cell phone, he left his office and handed her letters to be mailed. She took them and fell into her chair while pointing to the door.
“I’m goin’.” He chuckled. “See you in a couple of hours.”
“Couple of hours? Have some plans?”
“I sure hope so—oh, could you call Jason and ask him to come by my place tonight? I have something I’d like to discuss with him.”
“If he’s back from his breakfast date—never heard of that one before.”
Derrick chuckled. “You know, Jay—he likes to stand out from the rest.”
Giving Bella a final wave, Derrick walked to the elevator and pressed the down button. He tapped his foot impatiently with thoughts of Jonica invading his mind. He felt it the moment his cock twitched and began standing at attention. During the past week, the sexy images of Jonica pretty much dissipated. They would fly through his head and with some thought or a cold shower, they would disappear. Sometimes he didn’t feel like fighting them, but knew if he didn’t things could get out of hand. For a couple of days after leaving her at the track he walked around in a constant state of arousal. He knew from the sex enhancement commercials being hard for so long was not healthy, but he couldn’t help it. It was a salute to a woman who he was sure could do things to his body to leave him mindless and breathless.
Always remember, son, looks can be deceiving.
“Come on, Dad,” Derrick muttered. “Gimme a break!”
He stopped to speak to the security guard before exiting the building and stepping into the mid-day light. Balder was known for its record breaking heat-waves. The moment he stepped outside he was smacked in the face by the change in temperature. Derrick hated the heat. He was a winter guy— he would rather a blizzard, snow on the ground or below zero temperatures. The heat drove him nuts in the summer. The moment his bum touched down in the car, he turned on the ignition and cranked the air conditioner. Soon he was speeding through the streets for the Balder Race Track.
* * * *
Jonica finished her lap a little slower than she had the day Derrick watched her. She parked her motorcycle. A few men were staring at her. She knew the looks they had on their faces—the looks ranged from what is she doing here to you’re kidding, right?
Her determination burned within her even more and she smiled before hunching down beside the pink and white cycle while Andrew peered into the spokes pensively. She hated when he did that, but he was good at what he did.
“Your lap was slow,” he spoke finally.
“I know,” she admitted. “It was dragging a bit to the left through three. I really need a real mechanic, Andrew. I appreciate having you, but there’s something wrong with my baby and I don’t think you can fix it.”
“I know. What you need is a whole crew. Have you spoken to Derrick about that yet? Maybe he can bring someone in who’d blow these jokers out of the water.”
“Forget blowing them out of the water—I want them to turn green with envy.”
Andrew grinned boyishly at her. “Well, let’s call it a day. I need to figure out what is wrong with the cycle. Why don’t you take off?”
Jonica hugged Andrew tight and stood up to walk off before stopping. “Oh, before I forget. The Fire Ants logo and stuff for the belly of the cycle is in my locker. Can you put it on for me at some point today? I need to go get the suit from Maggie later.”
“I got your back, babe.” Andrew waved. “Get outta here.”
With a smile and a final wave, Jonica jogged up the path, shoved by a group of men who decided to whistle at her. She didn’t let that bother her, simply lifted her chin proudly, swung her ass like a woman on a mission and entered the building. She was heading toward the locker room when saw him. She couldn’t help the smile that crossed her lips. He looked so damn sexy, leaning against the women’s locker room door.
The thought of having a whole locker room to herself since she was the only female racer crossed her mind, but it was gone in a flash. Derrick Bridger was smiling at her and when he did that she couldn’t do much—like breathe and think.
“Mr. Bridger! To what do I own this visit? Checking up on your investment?”
“Derrick, please. And no—if I thought I had to check up on you I wouldn’t have signed a contract with you. I came to see if you racers eat.”
“You asking me out?” She wiggled her brows at him and was rewarded with a laugh. It sounded real and caused his whole body to vibrate. He tossed his head back sending his lovely black hair bellowing down his back.
“No, Jonny. I thought we should celebrate.”
Oh, I want to celebrate all right—you plus a counter top—damn!
She managed a smile. “Gimme a minute to change and I’ll be right with you.”
That was the quickest minute she ever had, but soon she rejoined him.
When he rested his hand against the small of her back to guide her out the building ahead of him, Jonica could not fight the shiver that splintered through her. She offered him a smile as they walked toward the parking lot.
“Did you drive here?” he wanted to know.
“Yes,” —she pointed to her older model car. “It’s not much, but it’s mine.”
“Could I drive you to lunch and then return you to your car? I also have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?”
“Yes—trust me?”
“Ah—of course.”
Jonica didn’t like surprises. From her experiences each time someone had a surprise for her the moment always ended in tears—her tears. She forced a smile to her face and allowed him to lead her with his large hand against the small of her back to his beautiful sports car. When he opened the passenger door for her, Jonica was shocked. Other men hadn’t treated her like a woman since she became a rider. They usually walked out the building ahead of her, and then allowed her to open her own door to get into the car. With Derrick, she felt like a woman and that was something she would enjoy while it lasted. But she wasn’t a fool; she made a mental note not to get used to this.
“What’s this surprise you have for me?” she pried when the beautiful silver bullet was zooming through the streets.
She stared at him, and he quickly glanced at her before looking back at the road. He had a smile on his lush lips. She wanted to reach across and kiss him. She settled for biting her lower lip.
“The reason it’s called a surprise,” Derrick replied, “is so I can remove my hands from your eyes and say something like tadaa!”
Jonica nodded. An uneasy feeling pulsated through her, but she said nothing else. She knew he wouldn’t tell her even if she begged from now until the end of time. She crossed her legs and watched as they bolted by cars. She wasn’t used to a speeding car—she was used to feeling the wind by her as she sped around a track. Shrugging, trying desperately to ignore what was going inside her, her mind switched gears on her.
Derrick’s blue gaze roamed over her body—her naked body. He licked his lips and her gaze followed his pink tongue. With a groan, she reached forward, sliding a hand down to the front of his pants while seeking his mouth. She allowed herself to be kissed—for him to take his fill of her. Tasting him was like tasting fire, and each time his tongue flowed over hers all she could do was whimper. Suddenly, he flipped her against her back on the kitchen counter, lifted her legs over his shoulder and let his tongue sink into her heated, wetness.
“Jonica?” Derrick’s worried voice broke through her daydream.
She shook her head and faced him with a concerned look. “You all right?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“Why?”
“You groaned. Are you in pain?”
Jonica’s cheeks heated up.
Only the best kind—
“No,” she lied. “I’m fine. I allow my mind to wander back to tracks I’ve raced on from time to time. I tend to—wander too far.”
“I see,” he answered, but didn’t look too co
nvinced.
She smiled at him and looked around to notice they stopped. He hopped from the car and hurried around. When he opened her door and she climbed out, he covered her eyes with one hand.
“Can you see?” he questioned.
“No.”
“How many fingers am I holding up?” he asked.
Jonica laughed. “I promise, I can’t see.”
He was leading her forward and even then she stuck her hands out as though she was in a dark room and scared to crash into something.
“Trust me, Jonny.” His voice was close to her ear now. She bit back a moan. “I won’t let you crash. I would carry you, but then that would defeat the purpose of the surprise.”
“Now there’s an intriguing idea,” she admitted before she could stop herself.
He chuckled softly behind her, continuing their walk. There was a slight creek of a door and soon cool air brushed over her skin.
“Mr. Bridger! Welcome back.”
“Thanks, Kenny. Is it ready?”
“Yes, sir, since yesterday.”
They stopped walking and there was a silence. Jonica felt the urge to rip his hands from her face just to see what was going on.
Why are they so quiet? What are they doing?
“You ready?” Derrick’s lips moved against her ear.
“Yes—” her reply was breathy. She was turned on.
He removed his hand and she blinked a few seconds to get her eyes accustomed to the room’s light. She looked around at the strange face and assumed it was Kenny. When she looked before her once more, her racing suit hung there. Her lips parted in a soft gasp as she rushed forward. It was black with occasional splashes of dark red. She peered at the back and Maverick Productions with the logo of a shooting star was neatly there. She glanced at Derrick, fighting back the tears that threatened to topple down her cheeks. Tenderly as though the suit would disappear, she touched it with her fingertips. When it didn’t vanish, she held it tight. With that sinking in, she turned, darted across the room and without thinking flung herself into Derrick’s arms.
She crashed into his hardened body and his arms instantly found their way around her hips.
Fast Girls Are True (Panty Droppers) Page 2
