Sitting down, he motioned for me to come sit next to him. There was no getting intimate on the bus when we were driving, unless we were in the bedroom. Hank sat just a few feet away from us as he sang along to something he was listening to.
I quickly got up and made my way over to Emmit. He pulled me down and across his lap as he kissed my nose lightly. “What if I told you I had another surprise?”
Lola lifted her head and looked at us. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I think Lola is really hoping it’s not another puppy.”
Emmit glanced over to Lola. “Calm yourself girl, no more dogs in our household.”
Lola seemed satisfied as she dropped her head to the floor and closed her eyes again.
My hand landed on Emmit’s broad chest as I traced the pattern on his T-shirt. “So are you going to tell me the surprise or am I going to have to tickle it out of you?”
Emmit lifted his brow and let out a gruff laugh. My mouth fell open as I looked at him in disbelief. “What? You don’t think I can tickle you?”
Jerking his head back like I had just said the most insane thing he’d ever heard, Emmit slowly shook his head. “Please, don’t make me laugh.”
I moved to adjust myself to where I was straddling him. One press against his hardening length had Emmit swallowing hard. I knew I only had one shot at this so I had to play my cards right. Leaning in, I sucked gently on his ear lobe as he grabbed onto my waist and pushed up. The feel of his hard dick against me had my inner sex goddess arguing with me on what action to take next.
One quick peek over my shoulder showed Hank totally focused on driving. Turning back to Emmit, I wiggled my eyebrows as his eyes widened.
Dropping his head back, he softly said, “Yes.”
I placed my hands on his chest and pushed harder into him as I slid my hands under his shirt and went for my attack.
It took Emmit a few seconds to realize what was happening. I busted out laughing at his confused expression. Trying to grab my hands, I pushed harder onto his dick as he laughed and then moaned.
“Not fair! You’re double playing me!” Emmit yelled out as he grabbed my hands and pulled them away. I didn’t even know what had happened before I realized I was thrown over Emmit’s shoulders as he tickled me everywhere he knew I was ticklish.
“Emmit! I’m going to pee my pants if you don’t stop!”
Slapping me hard on the ass, Emmit called out, “Good. You sneaky little thing.”
Emmit shut the door to the bedroom and dropped me onto the bed. I attempted to crawl away, but he grabbed me and pulled me back to him. “Think you can tickle me and get away with it?”
“It was a challenge I had to take!” I said as I laughed so hard it felt like I would pee my pants any second.
Lola jumped up on the bed and licked my face as I yelled for her to stop. “Lola! No girl! Get . . . Daddy!”
I thrashed my head back forth as I called out, “I can’t breathe! Emmit . . . can’t . . . breathe . . . going . . . to pee!”
Emmit stopped tickling me as he sat back laughing. “I love your laugh so fucking much.”
Trying to catch my breath, I sat up and shook my head. “You wouldn’t have loved it if it made me pee on you.”
The way he scrunched up his nose was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. My smile faded some as I looked into Emmit’s eyes. Every now and then I would think about the three years we lost. Those moments between us that we’d never had because of me caused my heart to ache. Looking away, I expelled a deep breath and shook my head. “Man oh man, it feels good to laugh like that.”
Emmit lay on his side and gazed up at me. “Yeah, it does.”
I reached out my hand and traced the tattoo that ran down his left arm. “So, are you going to tell me the surprise?”
Emmit shrugged as if what he had to say was no big deal. “Oh yeah. We got the date we wanted at LaLuna.”
I almost fell off the bed when I jumped up. “What? Emmit, are you serious?”
Emmit let out a chuckle. “Yeah, baby, I’m serious. You’re getting your Christmas wedding.”
The moment I started jumping up and down, Lola started barking. “I know girl! I know!”
I didn’t even care I was behaving like a child. I spun around and screamed like a little girl as Emmit stood up and grabbed me. With one pull, I was back in his arms. “Are you happy, Addie?”
My arms wrapped his neck as I fought to hold my tears back. “Oh, Emmit. I’ve never been happier.”
I stepped into the house and let out a sigh of relief. I loved being on circuit with Emmit, and I loved my job, but I loved being home too. We’d gotten in late last night and I barely had time this morning to take care of the last minute preparations for Emmit’s surprise birthday party. Robby had convinced Emmit to head to the garage to go over some pit strategies.
Lola ran past me and straight to the kitchen. With a shake of my head, I followed her and grabbed a can of dog food from the pantry. “You hungry girl?”
Giving me a bark, I opened the can and dropped the food into her bowl.
I spun around and headed downstairs to check everything out. Ashley had secretly flown in two days ago for the party. Her and Candace started decorating the downstairs area as soon as Emmit left this morning while I ran into town to pick up some food.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. Pulling it out, I saw Robby’s name.
Robby: Hey, is there any way you can come to the shop?
My heart sunk.
Me: Is everything okay?
Robby: Oh yeah sorry! I left the cake there. Stephanie asked me to pick it up and I had it in the refrigerator and Emmit and I just headed down to the track. If you could come now and get it, he won’t see you.
Sighing, I shook my head. I had a ton of things to do and this just threw a wrench into everything.
Me: Sure. I’ll just call Candace and Ashley and have them come over and start the food.
Robby: Cool. Thanks!
Hitting the home button on my phone a little too hard, I tried not to be angry. Damn Stephanie. Why in the hell did she ask Robby to get the cake? That was her job!
“Hey, sweetie!” Candace said in a chipper voice.
“Hey, Candace. Are you and Ashley busy?”
“No, why?”
I didn’t even care that I let out a frustrated moan. “Stephanie asked Robby to pick up the cake and he can’t bring it back here along with Emmit. I don’t want to call her, so I’m going to go get it. Is there anyway y’all could come over and start getting some of this finger food ready? The caterer will be here in forty minutes.”
“Of course, Adaline. Don’t even worry. You head on out, and Ashley and I will be right over.”
As I dashed back up the stairs, I let Lola out back to go pee. “Hurry up girl.” I called out as Lola did her thing and ran back in. Grabbing my purse and keys, I dashed out the door and headed to the shop.
Ten minutes later I pulled up and couldn’t help but notice Stephanie’s BMW. Narrowing my eyes at her car, I shook my head. “What in the hell? If she is here why couldn’t she get the damn cake?” I pushed open my door and quickly got out, slamming it behind me. The anger racing through my body was undeniable. I was going to give her a piece of my mind.
The door to the front office rang when I opened it. I could hear two voices talking as I made my way to the break room. I stopped in my tracks when I heard Emmit’s voice.
“What are you talking about? There is no way in hell I’m telling Addie. No, this has to be kept a secret.”
My heart sunk as I made my way closer to Emmit’s office. “Emmit, I think it’s for the best. She deserves to know the truth.”
“What do you mean, that makes no sense? Why are you even bringing this up, Steph?”
I slowly walked up closer and stopped. I could see through the reflection on the mirror in the hallway. I could have sworn Stephanie looked directly at me in the mirror. Looking away, she said, “I can’t hide it anymore, E
mmit.”
“Stephanie, you’re so over reacting. Addie is not going to find out. She’s not very good when it comes to things like this.”
My heart was beating out of control. What in the hell were they talking about? I took another step closer and turned the corner just in time to see Stephanie throw herself into Emmit as their lips met.
My mouth dropped open as I stood there for a second or two and watched my fiancé kiss his assistant. Turning quickly, I rushed out the door as tears streamed down my face.
By the time I reached my car, I was sobbing uncontrollably. “How could he do this to me?” I screamed out as I hit the steering wheel.
Quickly turning the car on, I drove off as fast as I could. The further away I got, the better.
My mind kept replaying Stephanie’s lips on Emmit’s. Shaking my head, I tried to make sense out of what I saw.
How could he do this to me?
To us?
I GRABBED ONTO STEPHANIE’S ARMS and pushed her away as I glared at her. “What in the fuck are you doing?”
Stephanie shook her head and took a step closer to me as I moved back. “Emmit, I can’t hide it anymore. I know there is a connection between us. You can’t deny it.”
I pushed my hand through my hair in frustration as I tried to figure out how we went from talking about a surprise birthday party for Adaline, to Stephanie leaping onto my body and kissing me.
“W-what are you talking about? There is no connection there, Steph, and there never has been. You’re married for Christ’s sake.”
Stephanie’s eyes dropped as she took in a shaky breath. “If Adaline was out of the picture, if she left you, would you want me then, Emmit?”
My eyes widened in horror. “What?”
“She’s going to hurt you eventually. One day she is going to get tired of this life and leave you. But I’ll always be here for you. Always.”
I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to wipe away everything that just happened in the last two minutes.
As I turned away from Stephanie, I reached into my pocket and pulled my phone out. Hitting Adaline’s number, I dragged in a deep breath. I had to tell her what was happening.
Voicemail.
I tried three more times, and each time it went right to voicemail.
My heart dropped. Adaline never had her phone turned off. I pulled up my mother’s number and hit it.
Stephanie walked up to me and put her hand on my shoulder as I took a step away from her.
“Emmit! How are you sweetheart?”
I didn’t have time for conversation with my mother. I needed to talk to Adaline. “Mom, can you go over to the house and see if Adaline is there?”
“Um—I um, well I can’t do that.”
“Mom, I need to talk to Adaline and her phone is going straight to voicemail.”
“What? Oh God, I hope she’s okay. She left a little bit ago.”
Something inside of me screamed that things weren’t right. Stephanie walked around and stood in front of me as she began to take her shirt off.
“What in the fuck!” I took her by the arm and pushed her out the door. Slamming it shut, I said, “Mom, some crazy shit is happening right now and I need Adaline.”
“Well, if I tell you I’m going to ruin the surprise, but it’s not like her to not answer her phone. Adaline has been planning a surprise birthday party for you. Robby sent her a text saying that Stephanie had dropped the cake off at the shop and that he couldn’t bring it with him because you would see it. So, Adaline headed to the shop just a few minutes ago to pick up the cake.”
Holy shit. This is not happening.
My legs about gave out on me as I turned and looked at Robby’s phone sitting on my desk. I walked over to the phone and pulled up his text messages. There was nothing sent to Adaline in the last thirty minutes.
“Mom, are you sure Robby sent her a text?”
“Or course I’m sure. She should have been there by now.”
My eyes closed as I replayed the last thirty minutes in my office. Stephanie had walked in and said Robby had left his phone. She had put it on my desk and we started talking about the party for Adaline I was planning. Everything had been fine until Stephanie started talking crazy about Adaline finding out about—“No,” I whispered. The front door, I could have sworn I heard the bell ring, but that’s when Stephanie started talking nonsense.
She heard Adaline coming in.
“Holy fucking hell. Mom, I’ve got to call you back.”
“Emmit! Emmit wait!”
I hit End and rushed to the door. Throwing it open, I screamed out Stephanie’s name. She ran out of her office and up to me. “Emmit, I’m still here.”
My hand came up in a motion to stop her. “What. Did. You. Do?”
Stephanie wore a confused expression. “What do you mean?”
I closed my eyes and counted to ten before looking back at her. “You planned it didn’t you? You arranged it so Adaline ended up here at the shop. Once you knew she was here, you put your little plan into action.”
Stephanie let out a nervous chuckle. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
My heart was pounding against my chest. I grabbed her by the arms and shook her as I shouted, “Don’t fucking lie to me! You are messing with my life, and I swear to God I’ll get the truth out of you somehow, Stephanie.”
“Emmit, we could be happy together.”
I looked at her with a stunned expression on my face. Where in the hell was this coming from? “I don’t love you! I love Adaline! I’ll only ever love her. Now tell me the fucking truth!”
Stephanie broke down crying as she said, “All right! I set the whole thing up. I saw her in the mirror in the hallway after I heard her come in, and that’s when I started to act like we were keeping a secret about us from her. I knew she would step into the room and when I saw her movement, I kissed you.”
My mouth dropped open. “How could you do this to me?”
Her eyes softened as she grinned slightly, “I love you, Emmit. No one will ever love you like I love you.”
How did I not see this coming? With a quick push, I stepped away from Stephanie. “You’re fired.”
“W-what? Y-you can’t fire me!”
I hit Robert Elliot’s number and glanced over my shoulder. “I just did.”
“Hey, Emmit my man, what’s up?”
“I just fired Stephanie. She has lost touch with reality and has seriously overstepped her boundaries. I need you to make sure she is cleared off the property as soon as possible.”
“Oh, um yeah, I’ll get on it right now.”
With a quick nod to no one, I said, “Thanks, Robert.”
Racing into my driveway, I jumped out of my car and ran into the house as I called out, “Addie! Addie!” I had to believe in my heart that Adaline knew I wouldn’t cheat on her. She had to know I loved her.
My mother and sister appeared from around a corner. “She’s not here, Emmit. What in the world is going on?”
My eyes closed as the reality of what happened hit me hard. My eyes snapped open as I said, “She’s gone. She left.” Turning, I punched the wall as I cried out Adaline’s name and fell to the floor.
My mother and Ashley ran over to me as they both fell to the floor next to me. “Emmit, sweetheart, please tell me what is happening.”
Not knowing how I was forming words, I blurted everything out. “Stephanie! She set it all up to make Adaline think she was walking in on us . . . kissing. She twisted our conversation around about Adaline’s party. She . . . she made it seem like we were hiding . . . an affair. When she saw Adaline step into my office, she threw herself at me and kissed me.”
A look of horror moved across my mother’s face as her hands came up to her mouth as Ashley mumbled, “That low-life whore.”
I dropped my head and cried. “I can’t lose her again, Mom. I can’t breathe without her.”
It had been a little over a week since Adali
ne disappeared. She’d called and left a message on her father’s voicemail during the last race. She knew he wouldn’t be able to answer it. The only thing she said was that she was fine and had sent Mr. Elliot an email giving her notice for personal reasons.
My mind was a blur. I couldn’t sleep, eat or think clearly ever since Adaline left.
“Emmit, you’ve got to stay focused. You’re all over the place.” Waldo’s voice said as it echoed in my helmet.
“Yeah well if that little fucker Newbury would stop bumping me, maybe I wouldn’t get loose. I’m going to pound his fucking face in when I get out of this goddamn racecar.”
“Okay, well I know you’re angry, but try to focus through the anger.”
The spotters voice was next. “Bumper, door, door, bumper, clear.”
I hit the gas and passed another driver. I’d never driven like this before. I was on a mission. I’d never won at Chicago and today I was going to change that.
“Emmit, let’s remember to conserve gas,” Waldo said as his voice invaded my thoughts.
“It’s the chase, Waldo. I’m going to win this.”
Not two seconds later, fucking Malcolm Wallace bumped into my right rear, causing me to slide up the track just enough for that ass hole to get past me. He was now in second and I was running in third.
“That motherfucker!” I shouted as I hit the gas and hit his bumper.
Waldo yelled, “Let’s calm down, buddy.”
“He fucking pushed me out of his way, Waldo.”
My spotter came over the radio again, but I didn’t hear a damn thing he said. All I could focus on was the rear of Malcolm’s car. If I couldn’t pay him back on the track, I’d do it after the race.
“There’s a caution, let’s see what everyone else does. We only have ten laps to go.”
“I’m staying out,” I said matter of fact.
The silence in my car would have been deafening two weeks ago, now I welcomed it.
“Emmit, you need to come in. With four fresh tires, we could take this thing.”
I watched Malcolm as we rounded the turn. Whatever he did, I was doing. Jerking his wheel to make it seem like he was pitting, Malcolm stayed out at the last minute.
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