Risk: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World)

by Harlow Layne

  Turning in my seat as best as I could with my seatbelt on, I reached across the narrow space that separated us and took her cold, trembling hand in mine, trying my best to distract her. “How long have you lived in Spain?”

  One eye slowly opened to peek out at me. “For a little over a year.” Her words were rushed as she spoke.

  “Have you always wanted to live in Spain?”

  “No,” was her simple one-word reply. I definitely wasn’t as good at this as she was. I knew if I got Aspen to start talking, it would take her mind off of the fact that she thought we were going to crash and die.

  “What made you move there then?”

  “A man.” She shook her head, infinitesimally. Was that the real reason why she hadn’t wanted to leave? Was she leaving her boyfriend for the next seven months? “It wasn’t a smart move, but I was in love and thought we’d be together forever. His visa was expiring, and I thought…” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “I thought if I moved, he’d propose.”

  I felt elation followed immediately by knowing I was an asshole for feeling elated at the mention that her boyfriend was out of the picture.

  “What happened?” I coaxed her.

  Aspen opened her big brown eyes, only for me to find them glassy with emotion. “Everything was fine for the first three months, or so I thought. He was even more affectionate once we got to his home country. He would go out searching for a job for a few hours a day, so I would explore my new home. I was also in contact with a few people so I could start practicing.” She let out a humorless huff. “Alejandro didn’t like the fact that I got a job before him or that I hadn’t mentioned I was looking.” She looked bleakly over at me. “I wasn’t hiding the fact that I was going to work. He knew all along. He’d been with me when I’d spoken to one of my colleagues before I left, and she had a contact in Spain who was going to be retiring soon. It was pure luck. One that made my decision to go with him all the easier.”

  The guy sounded like an asshole.

  “What happened?” I asked quietly, hoping she would continue her story. This was the first time she’d opened up to me, and the information she was spilling wasn’t what I expected.

  “He tried to act as if me having work didn’t bother him, but I saw what he was trying to hide. When we met, it didn’t bother him—or at least he was better at hiding it then.”

  “I’m sure it takes a lot to get something like that by you.” She was able to read me at every turn.

  “Have you heard the term ‘love is blind?’ It was definitely true in my case. He started picking fights with me about every little thing. Many men do not like it when a woman is more successful than them. At first, he said he didn’t mind, but…” She turned and looked out the window, but quickly looked back to me. The storm outside was indeed becoming a little unsettling.

  “I understand.” I saw how difficult it was for her to talk about what this man had done to her and wanted to give her an out. “He started to resent you. I can promise you I would never feel that way toward my partner.”

  Her eyes lit with laughter as she rolled her lips to keep from laughing. “The only way I see that happening is if you’re planning to marry a princess. You probably have more money than you know what to do with.” She giggled.

  She was right about the last. “Still, I wouldn’t care if you were the main breadwinner in our home.”

  “Callum,” she chastised.

  I held my hands up in surrender. “I’m merely stating a fact. Take it how you will. I sense there’s more to your relationship with this asshole.”

  Her lips twitched at the word asshole. “It’s a boring story that I’m sure you don’t want to hear.”

  “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know.” Plus, it was keeping her distracted.

  “I was fooling myself with our relationship. After traveling to a country where I only knew my boyfriend, I had no one else and had signed a contract for one year. But when I discovered he’d been cheating on me, I couldn’t pretend any longer. I caught him at work in the back office at a rental agency, but he didn’t see me. And by the time he came home, I’d moved out.”

  There was the smart woman I was getting to know.

  “Surely your year is up by now. Why did you stay?” Why had she stayed if she had no one?

  “Life is an adventure, and I love my clients, so I thought, why not stay?”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to inform you the storm has cleared and we’re thirty minutes out from landing.”

  “You’re most definitely on an adventure now, Doc.”

  As we pulled up to the marina, Aspen shifted in her seat in the back of our car and then smoothed her hands down her dark skinny jeans that hugged every sinful curve. “Is this normal?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I can assure you there isn’t this much grandeur at each stop during the season. Monaco is special for many reasons, and this is one of them. The days before the race, there are parties day and night. I don’t attend any of them, but unfortunately, I am required to attend sponsorship dinners, and tonight’s is on one of those yachts out there. Probably the largest one. It’s a big pissing contest out on the water if you hadn’t guessed.”

  “Why don’t you go to the parties?” she asked quietly with her voice full of awe.

  “Because I need to stay in tip-top shape, and that doesn’t include drinking, drugs, or living off of very little sleep. I eat healthy and work out five days a week in order to be the very best driver out there at each and every race.”

  I swore I heard her say something along the lines of ‘it shows,’ but I wasn’t sure, so I let it go. Attraction wasn’t a problem between us–the fact that I was her patient and the half a million dollars she was being paid to be my on-site therapist for the rest of the season was.

  “Why am I here?” Her big brown eyes looked at me with confusion. “I could have stayed at the hotel and unpacked.”

  I didn’t have a good excuse as to why I’d asked her to come with me. Only that I didn’t want to part company with her quite yet. “You won’t find any better food than these sponsorship dinners.” I leaned close until my lips were only a couple of inches from her ear. “And it’s free. You can’t get any better than that.”

  Leaning her head back on her headrest, she turned to face me. She looked worn out, and I almost felt bad for dragging her with me. “Even though I’m sure I’m going to feel out of place, thank you for inviting me. I think I’m too tired to navigate a foreign country.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be your own personal tour guide. I know all the best restaurants.”

  The car came to a stop, and before the driver could open Aspen’s door, I jumped out and held my hand out to her. Slowly she extended one leg out and set her black stiletto heel on the pavement and then repeated the action with her other leg.

  It was a simple moment and yet the hottest thing I’d ever seen. When she walked out of her hotel room, I couldn’t tell her that her footwear was inappropriate for being on a boat. She looked too damn sexy in those heels, her tight-as-sin jeans, and her black halter top that showcased her breasts in the best way possible.

  I knew that if I asked her to change her shoes, she’d probably end up coming up with an excuse and stay back at the hotel while I suffered through this boring as hell dinner.

  Holding my elbow out for her to hold, I kept my steps unhurried as we followed the line of people making their way to the yacht owned by Galaxy energy drinks, which was the main sponsor for our team.

  “You should have told me these were not boating shoes,” Aspen hissed as we walked up the ramp onto the boat.

  “And miss how hot you look in them? Not a chance.” I smirked down at her by my side. “But if you need to take them off, I’ll carry them since I didn’t tell you to change.”

  “It’s the least you can do since you failed to mention how difficult it would be for me to walk.” She narrowed her eyes at me but then gave me a sh
y smile. A smile I found way too endearing and wanted to see more of.

  “How was I to know how hard it would be? I’ve never worn a pair of heels in my life.” I laughed at the annoyed look on her face.

  Aspen’s hold on me tightened as she muttered. “Why are they looking at me like that?”

  I took my gaze off her and turned to notice that almost everyone was looking our way. “Probably because I’ve never brought anyone to one of these.”

  “Never?” she questioned with tight lips.

  “Why would I? I’m not into prostitutes or escorts, and I don’t have time for a girlfriend.”

  Stepping into me, Aspen whisper-yelled, “Are you saying the women here are prostitutes?”

  “Some.” I placed my hand on her waist and was about to pull her closer when I saw Colton staring at me from the other side of the room. Taking a step back, I answered, “It’s pretty common for the guys to hire a woman for the night at events like these.”

  Aspen looked down at herself and then at a few of the women that were affixed to their men. “These heels were definitely a bad idea,” she mumbled to herself. She chewed on her bottom lip before she narrowed her eyes at me. “They think I’m a prostitute,” she gritted out.

  “That’s not it. It’s all me. They think it’s funny that I don’t have any friends, and now here you are on my arm.”

  “You can’t know that,” she said with a downturn of her soft pink lips.

  Lifting one shoulder, I responded with my own frown. “That’s what I think. All of these guys are assholes, and they’re always trying to get a reaction out of me. Don’t pay them any mind.”

  Placing her hand on my arm, Aspen looked up, and her eyes searched my face. “Neither should you, you know.”

  Someone rang a bell and announced it was time to eat. It was then I realized I hadn’t offered to get Aspen a drink. I mentioned I wasn’t going to have anything, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want something. Hell, if I was her, I would most definitely want a drink or three.

  “Do you want a drink before we sit down?”

  “Oh no,” she hid a yawn with the back of her hand. “If I have anything to drink, I’ll likely fall asleep at the table. I’m sorry I’m such a party pooper.”

  She was far from what she described. Aspen would be what made my night tolerable.

  We sat down at a table next to each other with Colton and Rylee across from us, and a couple of others I didn’t know. Luckily, Udo and Eduardo were at a different table.

  “Ms. Belle, I’m Rylee Donavan.” She leaned over the table and shook Aspen’s hand with a wide smile on her pretty face.

  “It’s nice to meet you. Mr. Donavan, it’s good to see you again as well.” Aspen nodded formally at her new employer.

  “It’s good to see you as well,” he answered back and gave me a nod.

  Aspen

  Rylee stood and moved around the table until she was behind Callum. “Would you mind trading seats with me for a moment while I talk to Ms. Belle?”

  He looked at me questioningly, and it made me appreciate his kind heart even more. I gave him a small nod and nervously waited as Rylee sat down beside me. She moved her chair closer and gave me a reassuring smile.

  “These things can be a little intimidating when you first go to them, so I applaud you for coming. Especially on your first night here. Was your flight good?”

  A bitter laugh bubbled out of me. “It had to be about the worst flight I’ve ever been on.”

  “Oh, no!” She placed her hand on my arm. “I’m so sorry to hear that. What happened?”

  “There was a terrible storm through most of the flight, and I thought we were going to crash. Callum, though,” I tilted my head toward him, “he was a trooper and believe it or not, helped me through my panic.”

  “It’s not hard to believe if you know him. Most of the teams and drivers, ours included, think he’s an asshole, but once you get to know him, you’ll find out that he’s a real softy. And a charmer.” Her red lips grew. “He’ll definitely keep you on your toes.”

  I didn’t want to mention how he’d flirted with me. Maybe that was his personality, but I didn’t want him to get reprimanded, nor did I want to hear about how I was supposed to be the doctor helping him, and he was my patient. I knew that fact very well and didn’t need the reminder.

  “What I really wanted to come over here for was to thank you for essentially dropping your life to help Callum. Racing is his whole world, and for that to be taken away from him would have been heartbreaking.”

  Her eyes darted toward said man and her husband. When their eyes locked, my heart both swelled in my chest at seeing the love they had for each other and ached because of my lack of love life.

  “I’m happy to help. I can’t really say much to you because of confidentiality, but after what he’s been through, he’s done amazingly well.”

  “I’m shocked as well. I’m a counselor, and I’ve seen how long it can take someone to have a breakthrough. Hell, even to get help.”

  I nodded, agreeing with her one hundred percent. “If it was anyone else and someone who wasn’t as dedicated to their craft as he is, I’m not sure they would have done nearly as well.”

  “I’m just so glad we found you, and he opened up to you. I was worried that he’d be out for the rest of the season or permanently. Sadly, we can’t attend most of the races.” Her face fell, and her eyes started to sparkle with tears. “When I found out the entire crew packed up and left without visiting him, it broke my heart.”

  It broke my heart, knowing he was alone. That he was by himself while he traveled the world year after year. If anything happened to me while I was in Barcelona, I’d have no one. Maria would probably come to visit me out of obligation, but that’s not the same as having a friend or a loved one being there to worry or to make you feel better.

  Servers poured into the room and started to place our plates in front of the guests.

  “Again, thank you. He’s special to us.” Her eyes strayed to their other side of the table. “In a way, I feel like he’s one of my kids.”

  “It’s my pleasure. I had no idea I’d be going to events such as these. I’ll have to buy more clothes if he insists I attend.”

  She stood and placed her hand on my shoulder. I hoped Callum knew how lucky he was and was grateful to have them care about him as much as they did. This wasn’t a typical boss/employee relationship. “Good luck, there’s a lot of great shopping here, along with a few other legs in the season. I wish I could join you, but we’ll be heading back to California once the race is over. And don’t let the guys on the team intimidate you. You’re one of us now.”

  “Thanks,” I gave her a tight-lipped smile. The crew hadn’t given me the time of day the little I’d been around them. The same could be said about Callum.

  Callum sat back down next to me, sipping his water. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, she was saying how happy she is that you’re racing and that I’m helping. I told her you’re doing well, but that’s it. I would never tell her about our sessions.”

  He shook his head, making a lock of hair fall onto his forehead. I wanted to push it away but stopped myself. “Never crossed my mind.”

  A roar of laughter to our right had me turning to see two men with their heads together snickering in our direction. Callum’s body tensed, but his face remained impassive to everyone else. He growled ‘asshole’ under his breath as the servers came out with our salad plates. I wanted to ask him what that was about but didn’t feel like it was professional.

  He must have felt my gaze on him, though, because he answered my unspoken question. “The guy with the pornstache is my teammate.” He spoke out of the side of his mouth. I giggled at the mention of said pornstache. It really was bad. I wasn’t sure why a young man would let such a thing grow on his face. “The other guy is our replacement driver. My replacement driver. While I was gone, they seem to have hit it off, and I’m the butt
of all their jokes.”

  Instinctually, I wanted to ask him how that made him feel, but in that moment, I wasn’t his therapist. I was his…I didn’t know what. We weren’t friends exactly, but more than acquaintances. Two people who were going to spend an immense amount of time together—unless he decided he wanted to set out solo at all of our locations.

  When I remained silent for too long, he frowned at me. “I ignore them. All of them. It’s better that way. I can’t let them get in my head.”

  I was sure he was more determined than ever not to let them get to him when he was already having problems driving.

  “I bet you didn’t think there would be this much drama, did you?” He laughed out.

  Taking a bite of my salad, I chewed before I spoke. “When I agreed to come, I hadn’t really thought about it. My decision was based on helping you, and not traveling around the world, attending yacht parties, or if the crew would like me or not.”

  “I’m sure they’ll love you unless they dislike you because of me.”

  “It’s not my job to be liked. Not even by you. It’s a perk to get along with a client.”

  “Client,” he hummed. “I’m sure the money doesn’t hurt either, does it?” His tone was clipped.

  I was shocked at his demeanor change but let it go. I understood he was under pressure, and I was sure it was hard to have your teammates laughing at you from across the room.

  Aspen

  Monaco

  Strong, warm arms enveloped me from behind and picked me up off my feet. “You did it, Doc.”

  Turning to look over my shoulder, I laughed. “I beg to differ. It was you who did all the hard work.”

  Setting me down, Callum looked down at me with a smile so wide, it looked as if it might split his face in two. “If it wasn’t for you, I never would have been able to drive, let alone get first place. The track here is one of the hardest and…” He shook his head, speechless.