Driver: 10 Seconds or Less (a bad boy romance) (North Side Kings Book 1)

by Scarlett Winters

  Octavia looked ahead and there was nothing but a long straight stretch of highway ahead. She glanced over at the speedometer and saw he was at 140 miles per hour.

  “Ready!” he shouted as he raced up to the car in the right-hand lane.

  “Yes!” she said as her finger hovered over the button.

  “HIT IT!” he said as he passed the slow-moving car.

  Octavia hit the button and both of them were forced into the back of their seats. The nitric oxide kicked in and in seconds his car was over 200 miles per hour. Hunter had both hands on the wheel as he made sure the car was pointed absolutely perfectly straight on the long stretch of highway ahead of him.

  “Get ready. In about 10 seconds you will hit it again!” he said.

  Octavia put her finger over the button and waited.

  “Three, Two, One, HIT IT!” he said.

  Octavia pressed the button and the car began to slow down. She looked behind them and saw the cars were a considerable distance behind them.

  Hunter grabbed the parking brake and yanked it hard. The car drifted to the left as he exited the highway still doing over 80 miles an hour.

  He came to the end of the turn-off and had to slow down almost to a stop. There was much traffic on the merging road and he couldn’t speed his way into the traffic.

  “Fuck!” he growled under his breath.

  He looked in the rearview mirror and saw the headlights approaching. The last stretch of the race was the hardest. Always lots of traffic, and lots of cops. It was easy to pick the wrong lane and have someone overtake first as Hunter had pulled that maneuver many times in his long list of wins.

  He looked in the rearview mirror. The lights were getting closer. He spun the tires hard and cut into traffic. The car he cut off laid on the horn as he raced off into the busy street traffic. He pulled up to a set of traffic lights. He was on the inside right lane and waiting for the green light. He looked around and to the left, and spotted a cop cruiser. He had the luxury of being behind a pick-up truck that hid his Mustang perfectly. He would have to time the green light to the truck’s movements to ensure the cops did not see him.

  The light turned green and he matched the truck speed as they pulled into the intersection. Just then the truck turned left revealing his car.

  “Fuck!” he growled under his breath as he hit the gas pedal hard. The cops turned on their sirens and followed him. The two cars in second and third place were right behind the cops. Hunter hit 80 miles per hour. Then 90, then 100 and kept on climbing.

  “You’re going to get us arrested!” she said scared.

  “Not if they don’t catch us! Hang on!” he said, grinning wider.

  He grabbed the parking brake, yanked on it hard and hammered the gas pedal. The car drifted for at least 20 feet sideways before the tires kicked in and he started down a new road. His speed reached over 100 in a matter of seconds as the cops were just turning onto the road behind him. A couple of turns more and the cops were nowhere to be found.

  He came out of a road, back onto the main road, and speeding for the finish line. His speed reached almost 100 when he entered the single-lane road. He dropped to 70 miles an hour as he knew at this point it was physically impossible for anyone to pass him.

  He pulled into the parking lot where the hundreds of people were cheering and clapping. The other three cars were nowhere to be seen so he knew once again, he had come in first.

  He drove his car to the area where his crew was waiting for him.

  Hunter and Octavia got out of the car. His crew was high fiving him and congratulating him on yet another win. The tiny man came over to him and gave him the money.

  “Hunter! Congratulations on another win!” he said as he gave him the 4 wrapped packs of money.

  “Thanks, Ian!” he said as he took the money. “Liam, take care of this!” he said as he gave the money to Liam.

  “Yes, boss!” was all Liam said.

  Just then 2 cars entered the parking lot. The drivers got out and one came running over.

  “He’s disqualified! He cheated!” yelled the driver.

  “Fuck off I didn’t cheat!” he replied.

  “You went off course on the last stretch of the course!” the man yelled now in Hunter’s face.

  “The cops were on my tail. I took an extra couple of turns. If anything I added about 8 blocks to the race and STILL kicked your punk ass!” he fired back.

  “Is this true?” asked Ian.

  “I took a longer route, yes. I will show you the route I took so you can see it was not a shortcut as he is claiming.” He said.

  Ian snapped his fingers and one of the large men from before appeared with a map.

  They spread the map out over the hood of Hunter’s car and hunter drew the route out on the map. Ian pulled up his phone and using Google Maps calculated the distance of the route he took.

  “The route added almost a quarter of a mile to the race. It was not a shortcut – therefore it is a legal win!” he declared.

  The man walked away swearing and clearly upset by the decision.

  “Want to go for a drive?” Hunter asked Octavia.

  “At what speed?” she said with a laugh.

  “City speed limits,” he replied smiling.

  “Sure!” she said shyly as she looked at her foot.

  “Hunter, where you going?” asked Blake.

  “Going for a drive, I will bring the car by in the morning for you to look over. Don’t worry!” he said.

  Chapter 7 – Late Night Drive

  He slowly drove through the crowd and onto the street.

  “So how was your first street race?” he asked her.

  “It was awesome! I don’t think I have ever felt so alive in all my life. It was exciting!” she answered. “Do you always win?” she asked.

  There was a silence that filled the car before he answered.

  “Almost.” He said softly.

  “What happened?” she asked knowing there was much more to this story in the way he answered.

  Hunter turned off the main street and started down a much less traveled road.

  “I will tell you another time.” He said as his expression became sad and distant.

  Octavia thought to herself, about how sad he was and looking like a different person too, she figured it was best not to press for that story at this time. They drove for another 30 minutes talking about the race and how excited she was to have experienced it.

  Hunter took a turn to a winding hillside road. He drove up the winding road as he neared the top of the hill. One more turn and he parked his car in a small open area that overlooked the big city lights.

  “Wow, this is beautiful!” she said as she watched the lights of LA shine before her.

  “This is where I normally come to be alone or to think.” he said, calmly and slowly. “Here, come with me.” He added.

  They exited the car and walked to the edge of the hill where there was some safety barriers put up so no one would fall.

  They walked up to lookout over the cityscape, it was so beautiful. He walked up next to Octavia and leaned against the barrier.

  “My best friend was killed in a race a couple of years ago. I was supposed to race that night and couldn’t. My friend took my car to the race for me. He had raced hundreds of times before and was probably as good a driver as me, or better. Well, they got to the stretch of the race where the traffic was heavy.

  One of the drivers pulled into oncoming traffic to try and overtake him. There was traffic coming and he had to swerve to the right to let him in or watch him go head to head with a semi. He swerved, lost control and the car went top over bottom over and over again. The crash spread out over two city blocks.

  He was taken to the hospital in critical condition. I got there just in time to see him take his last breath.” He said somberly as he told his story. “I held his hand, told him to hang in there, it would be ok!” and a moment later the machines flat-lined and he was gon
e.” he said.

  Octavia wrapped her arm around his body, feeling his muscular physique for the first time.

  “I am so sorry.” She said softly.

  “I left the hospital and found the driver that pulled that stunt. I beat the fuck out of him. I beat him to within an inch of his life. He spent months in the hospital, and is paralyzed from the waist down by the time they did release him.” He continued.

  “I do not know what to say. That must have been horrible!” she said. “Makes my ex stalking me looks like nothing!” she added.

  “I almost killed a man that night.” He said continuing the story. “This haunts me to this day. Every race I think about my friend before I hit the gas, and in my mind, I always ask him to be my co-pilot.” he added.

  Hunter turned to look at her. Their eyes met one more time. Butterflies returned to her stomach as he looked into her soul. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. The kiss was passionate, his sweet tongue quickly finding hers, they explored each others mouths. The kiss was intense, like nothing Octavia had ever felt before. Butterflies filled her stomach and she was lost in the moment. Hunter gently broke their kiss, and smiled at her deeply.

  “I think we better get you back home.” Hunter said looking deep into Octavia’s eyes, she nodded in agreement. He knew if this continued he wouldn’t be able to control himself anymore. He’d have to have her.

  As they walked back to the car he held her hand, and then opened the passenger side door. She hopped in and he gently closed the door behind her. He jumped in the driver’s seat.

  “Do you work tonight?” he asked her as he pulled away from the parking area. It was well into the next day.

  “Yes! 6 PM,” she said.

  “The boys and I will be there for supper around 7. I will pick you up after your shift, you should come hang out with us at my club.” He said.

  “Are you asking me on a date?” She said as she smiled.

  “Definitely!” he said. “I’d like to spend some more time with you.” he smiled slyly at her. She blushed and fidgeted with her hands, not sure what to say to him.

  “I’d like that!” she said as she smiled at him.

  They arrived at her apartment just as the sun was rising. Hunter hopped out of the car first and opened her door. He took her hand to help her up out of the car.

  “Thank you for inviting me to the race. I had a really nice time.” She said as she looked dazedly at him.

  “You’re welcome!” he answered. “See you tonight!” he added.

  “Can’t wait!” she said. He looked deep in her eyes, swept her into his arms and gave her a gentle kiss. His tongue quickly summoned her mouth to open, and she instinctively met his.

  Their tongues danced as the kiss was long and passionate. They pulled apart and he let her go. She couldn’t speak just smiled, her knees were weak, and her stomach was full of butterflies. She blushed as he kept starring into her eyes, he commanded control just by his gaze. She walked up to her apartment and entered, locking the door behind her.

  She was exhausted. She had not planned on staying up all night. The excitement of the race definitely gave her the adrenaline she needed and then the drive after was fantastic. But her energy had run out and she didn’t even have the strength to undress. She plopped on the blow-up mattress and passed out instantly.

  Chapter 8 – The Night Club

  Octavia got to work at 5:45 PM. She dressed down as recommended by her boss. Form fitting jeans and a button up top with only one button undone. Although she could not hide her figure if she tried, she was stunning. All the men usually took notice but, she didn’t care for all the attention.

  “You’re back!” said Joe happy to see her.

  “You sound surprised!” she said, laughing to herself at his surprise to see her every day.

  “I’m just messing with you.” He said.

  Again the café was almost dead. It was not long before Hunter and his crew walked in. Her face lit up as they walked to the same booth. She walked over to them beaming to see Hunter again.

  “Let me guess, 5 coffees, 5 bacon cheese burgers with fries.” She said without even taking out her order pad. “Did I get that right Blake?” she added as she smiled at him.

  The guys broke out into laughter as she knew she was getting him back for the response of our usual from the night before.

  “That is our usual!” he said as he was almost blushing that she was calling him out on it.

  “I’ll be right back boys!” she said as she walked away.

  She returned to the table with coffee and water for everyone. The chatter was light and she quickly moved to other tables to be served.

  The evening was busier than it had before. She did not have much time to socialize with Hunter and his friends. She served their food and checked in on them, but that was about all she had time for. Once they were done Hunter threw $1,000 bucks on the table.

  “See you tonight,” he said smiling at her and left with his friends.

  Octavia finished her shift and Joe commented on what a good job she was doing.

  She walked out and Hunter was leaning against his car waiting for her. She ran up to him and gave him a big hug and kiss. Hunter wrapped his strong arms around her welcoming the hug.

  “Hi!” she said bubbly and happy to see him.

  “Hey Angel, how was your day?” he asked as he reached down and opened the passenger door for her. She loved how he treated her, she felt so special.

  They got into the car and he started driving.

  “So what type of club is this?” she asked.

  “It’s a night club. Our clientele is people with money.” He said.

  Octavia felt a little uncomfortable as she was not dressed to be mingling with the upper crust.

  “I’m not really dressed for that type of crowd!” she said as she looked down at her feet.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.” He smiled at her, he reached back and pulled out a gorgeous sparkly teal dress, with shoes that complimented the dress perfectly, and a necklace. Octavia gasped. “My girl will only have the finest things.” Hunter said, as she looked at him and smiled. “Your girl, aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” she said with a little rebellion in her eyes. “Yes, my Angel, my girl.” Hunter said softly, but insisting. They stopped at her apartment so she could change. Octavia asked Hunter to wait for down stairs. He smiled and she disappeared into the building.

  Octavia liked the dress and shoes, but she was really starting to like being Hunter’s girl. When she was with Hunter she didn’t feel like she needed to look over her shoulder. She slipped the dress on and shoes, it was gorgeous. She felt like a princess!

  Octavia quickly exited the apartment and appeared outside, “Stunning! You’re amazing!” said Hunter. Octavia smiled, and spun in a circle showing off her outfit to Hunter. He grinned and pulled her into him for a kiss, then opened the door for her.

  They arrived at the club and parked in a spot with a sign that read reserved 24/7. There was a long lineup outside the club of people waiting to get in. He walked to the front of the line holding Octavia’s hand.

  “Good evening Boss!” said the 300-pound black man standing at the entrance.

  He opened up the door and Hunter and Octavia walked in. The music was loud and the place was packed. The dance floor was jumping with people as Hunter pulled her to the side and up the stairs to his private area that had a view over the club below. The room had his crew from the race and a couple of very large men dressed in all black suits.

  There was a private bar in the room and the waitress came over and placed a glass of scotch on the rocks in front of Hunter.

  “What would you like to drink Angel?” he asked Octavia.

  “Wine?” She answered in a question.

  “Red or white?” asked the waitress.

  “White, please,” Octavia answered.

  The waitress retreated and a moment later returned with a glass of whit
e wine and placed it in front of Octavia.

  Just then another man wearing a black suit walked into the room. He went straight to Hunter and whispered something into his ear. Hunter pointed at the two large men and pointed to the door. The informant left the room with the two large men following him.

  Octavia took a sip of her wine nervously. She figured the two men leaving the room was not going to end well for someone. She was curious what that meant, but decided not to ask.

  “So this is your club?” she asked as she placed her wine back on the table.

  “All mine!” he said as he smiled. “So what are your goals?” he asked her.

  “I’m going to start college next month. I want to become a dental hygienist, but I really love to take photos.” She answered, “Maybe someday I can have my own studio or something.”

  “Nice! It’s good to have goals.” he said calmly.

  The two large men walked back into the room. Hunter looked over to them and the first man nodded at Hunter.

  Hunter stood up and walked towards the windows.

  “Come to the window Angel, have a look at the money below. Not one dollar earned honestly!” he said with a chuckle.

  Octavia sat in her chair and shook her head side to side.

  “I can’t. I’m afraid of heights, and that would freak me out!” she said nervously.

  Hunter came back to the couch and sat beside her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. She could feel the heat from her body, as her panties got wetter. Just being near him made her body quiver, a feeling she hadn’t experienced before.

  “Ethan, where’s the race tomorrow?” he blurted out.

  “Starts at the abandoned shipping yards.” He answered.

  “How much?” Hunter asked.

  “50 Large!” Ethan replied.

  “Who’s in?” He coldly asked.

  “Vinny!” replied Ethan.

  Vinny was a rival racer and a member of the south side Mafia. They were bitter enemies. Vinny drove dirty and would think nothing of killing Hunter if he had a chance.