by Ella Jade
Chapter 5
Cat knocked on Drew’s door Tuesday morning after they returned from California five weeks later. She’d given Frank the benefit of the doubt for the first two races, but she’d noticed a pattern in the following three and decided it was time to say something.
Her car owner waved her inside his office. “I just went over the numbers from Sunday, and I’m impressed with your performance so far.”
Cat sat across from him, her blood still pumping after three top-tens in her first five races, though the seriousness of her concerns held her still. “That’s good news.”
“Yes, it is.” Drew leaned back and steepled his fingers on his chest, his blue eyes assessing behind his spectacles. “So, tell me. Why aren’t you bouncing off the walls right now?”
She shifted in her seat, not sure where to begin. “Sir, I’d like you to know that Chad and I have become more than just colleagues.”
Drew put up his hand, stopping her. “I don’t want the details.”
“Of course. I thought you should hear it from me instead of the gossip mill.” She squared her shoulders. “I mentioned it because of Frank’s behavior these last few weeks.”
Her boss’s bushy iron-gray eyebrows drew together. “What behavior?”
“Every time he came near me he’s had to touch me.”
Drew opened his mouth to speak, but Cat held up her hand.
“Please, let me finish. I’m not accusing anyone of anything. Not yet. The reason why I brought it to your attention is to make you aware of it.” She met his gaze with hers. The intensity she saw sent shivers down her spine. “I get that a certain amount of contact is necessary, as it’s inherent to the sport, especially with Victory Lane celebrations. But Frank’s crossed the line a few times, and I felt it was time to speak up.”
Drew said nothing as he studied her with a shrewd look. Cat curled her fingers into the chair beneath her, the fabric soaking up the perspiration from her palms.
“I’ll take a look at the video,” he said at last.
She exhaled the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Thank you, sir.”
“Just keep this thing between you and Chad under wraps. If it messes with the chemistry of this team in any way, I will replace either or both of you.”
“Understood, sir. I would expect nothing less.”
“As for Frank and Handy Electronics, they’ve agreed to a one-season contract. I had hoped to cajole them into more.” Drew shifted in his chair. “However, if what you’re suggesting is accurate, I need to have more than just your word against his. I’ll watch the film carefully. If I find anything, I’ll say so.”
A measure of relief curled through her. “Thank you.”
“But if I don’t, we nip it in the bud right here. Not another word about it.” He gave her a hard glare over the rim of his glasses. “Understood?”
Cat didn’t wither under his scrutiny. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” He sat forward and leaned his elbows on his desk. “You’re a good driver, Catalina. You have the talent to race in Cup for many years.”
She cringed inwardly, anticipating his next statement.
“But you risk bringing a potentially great career to a screaming halt,” Drew continued. “I’ve been working on this sponsorship longer than I’ve been considering hiring you as a driver. If you’re wrong, I will cut you loose.”
Chastened, she chose her next words carefully. “Thank you for looking into it. If it turns out to be nothing, I’ll apologize for my mistake.”
“Go see Deanna.” Drew waved his hand, dismissing her. “She wants to discuss this week’s schedule with you.”
Cat left her boss’s office and headed for Deanna’s on the second floor.
“Hey, girl. Come on in,” Deanna greeted her, hanging up the phone. “I just talked to Drew. Mind telling me what’s up?”
Cat sat across from her PR guru. “I told him about Frank.” Deanna’s posture demanded open honesty. “He’s been pawing at me since Daytona, and I’ve finally had enough.”
Cat relayed the details to her publicist about the patterns she’d noticed in her sponsor’s behavior, and why she’d waited so long to come forward.
Deanna, like Drew, was silent for a moment before reiterating what her boss had said about Cat’s word against Frank’s, and to be careful of what she said to whom. “Now that that unpleasant business is over, what’s going on between you and Chad?”
Her lips twitched. “Nothing since Daytona.”
“What happened in Daytona?”
“We made love in my motor coach.” Heat seared her face. “Right before driver intros.”
“Damn!” Deanna squealed. “I was wondering where he’d gone.”
“But we’ve been circumspect since then. We haven’t even so much as kissed.” And she’d been craving his touch like mad ever since.
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
Cat leveled a direct look at her PR director. “I wanted to get the situation with Frank out in the open first, and I don’t want the team to think Chad and I are sneaking around.”
“Good move. If Frank tries anything else, you immediately file a complaint.”
“Of course.”
Dee switched topics again, going over Cat’s promo and personal appearances schedule for the week. A copy of her itinerary in hand, Cat returned to her office, heaving a sigh as she plopped into her chair.
“Rough day?” Chad asked from the doorway.
“You could say that.” Her lips twisted wryly as she waved him inside. “Close the door.”
He obliged, taking a seat opposite her, the desk between them. “This can’t be good.” His tone was light, but his jade eyes clouded over. “What’s wrong?”
Cat took a deep breath and held it a moment before exhaling on a sigh. “I talked to Drew.”
“Without me?” His eyebrows shot up. “Why?”
“I had to talk to him about something else.” She held his gaze. “I told him that you and I might be starting a relationship. He understood, but warned me that if we messed up, either or both of us would be gone.”
Chad leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs. “Where do you see us going?”
“I’ve been thinking about Daytona.” She couldn’t forget how she’d made him lose control. “I want to keep seeing you off-the-clock.” She held up her hand to stop him from speaking. “But not at the expense of either of our careers.” She paused, letting that comment perk.
“I can’t get you out of my head either,” he murmured. “The feel of you clenching around me as you came still haunts my dreams.”
Her body flooded with heat at his bold words. “I’ve dreamed of you too, and that’s why I would love to see where this thing goes between us.”
His lips twisted. “Are you going to let me talk?”
“Maybe.” She sent him a teasing wink. “Maybe not.”
“Then I’ll have to find a way to shut you up.”
Cat stood, flattened her palms on her desk, and leaned forward slightly. His gaze dropped to her chest as her V-neck sweater billowed slightly. “I’d like to see you try.”
Chad also stood, his work shirt spreading the breadth of his chest. Her mouth went dry.
“I’m sure I could come up with a few ways,” he drawled. “If you want me to do it here.”
She smelled coffee and mint as he leaned into her over the desk, their lips mere inches apart. “As much as I’m dying to kiss you again, there is another matter we need to discuss first.” She straightened. “Please, be seated.”
He followed her request. “Cat, what’s going on?”
She strode to the mini fridge behind her desk, tossing him a bottle of water. She twisted off the cap from hers and drank deeply, not relishing what she had to say next. She watched his expression carefully as she recounted what she’d told Drew and Deanna, his expression changing from concern to angry by the time she’d finished.
“I h
adn’t noticed the contact, but I’ve seen the look of lust in his eyes.” Chad opened his water and took a swig. “Has he really been fondling you?”
Cat sat on the sofa along the wall opposite from her desk. “Under the guise of work, but it still feels wrong.”
Chad joined her on the sofa, close enough for her to feel the heat of his body, but not touching. “What does that have to do with us?”
“Something tells me that if I refuse his advances, he’ll pull his sponsorship.”
He bolted upright. “That son of—” Energy rolled off of him as he paced her office.
Cat walked to the corner of her office out of view of the window and crooked her finger at him. He wasted no time in joining her. She forked her fingers into his hair. “I just made you come with one finger,” she whispered into his ear.
His answering growl sent a shiver down her spine as he covered her mouth with his. He tasted divine. He was her own personal addiction, and she’d been hooked from their first kiss. She kissed him back, their tongues twining. She moaned in her throat, her hands still buried into the silky strands of his dark brown hair. He finally broke away, both of them panting.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, his voice gravelly with unspent passion.
Desire skated down her spine. “I’ve missed you too.”
He cupped her cheek. “Spend tonight with me?”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Yes, I will.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven.” He gave her a wolfish grin. “Your place or mine?”
He’d phrased it as a question, but somehow she heard the…well, not a command, but close enough. Not that she minded. They had waited long enough. “Mine.”
Chad left her office a few minutes later, and Cat contemplated their evening as she went over her email and the itinerary she’d brought back from Deanna’s office.
Chapter 6
Cat was on pins and needles waiting for Chad’s arrival. He buzzed her intercom promptly at seven. She let him in, and five minutes later he knocked on her door.
He kissed her hello, then looked around her condo. “Wow. This is quite the place.”
“Nice to see you too,” she murmured when he broke away. “Let me show you around.”
Cat led him through the foyer and into the living room, the floor-to-ceiling windows facing southwest. The sun had set an hour ago, and she could just make out the lights of Charlotte in the distance.
Chad stood at the window next to her, his hands in his pockets. “Incredible view.”
“I think so too.” She slipped her hand through his arm. “Let me show you my home.”
She took him into the spacious kitchen, which gleamed with stainless steel appliances and polished oak floors. Next she led him up a flight of steps to the second level.
“There were three bedrooms up here, but I had two converted into one with its own bath,” she explained, opening her bedroom door. The bed was made, but the blankets had been tossed haphazardly and were half-falling off the mattress, which reminded her of the aftermath of a couple making love.
“The roses look like they’re glowing,” he said.
She blinked. “What?” She’d been distracted by the image of them sharing her bed.
“Your blanket.” He gave her a look that said his thoughts mirrored hers. “The roses look like they’re glowing.”
“Oh. Right.” Get a grip, Cat, she chided herself. Her inner devil smirked. Oh boy, does he have a lot to grip. She gave herself a mental shake.
“We better get going,” Chad said, interrupting her thoughts.
“Yes, of course.” She closed her bedroom door and they made their way back downstairs. She grabbed a light coat from her foyer closet and they strode to the elevator.
The descent to the lobby was quick, and he ushered her to his car in the visitors’ parking lot, a late-model street-legal version of her racecar. “How does sushi sound?”
My favorite. “Love it.”
“Good.” Starting the car, he drove through Kannapolis, heading north.
About twenty minutes later they arrived at a sushi bistro in Salisbury. He guided her into the restaurant with one hand on her waist. The warmth from his touch seeped through her clothing and into her skin, spreading through her entire body.
“You look amazing.” His breath fanned her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
Heat seared her cheeks as the hostess seated them in a booth near the emergency exit at Chad’s request. She sent him a curious glance. “What was that about?”
“In case of emergency.”
Cat nodded, following his reasoning. She was still trying to get used to the celebrity that came with racing in NASCAR’s top level, especially since she was a woman. “Like if we get mobbed and need to make a quick get-away.” She leaned forward, flashing her cleavage.
“Exactly.” His reply came out on a whooshed breath.
Knowing she affected him as much as he did her caused desire to pool between her thighs. She offered him a big grin as she opened her menu. The waiter filled their water glasses and took their entrée selections then melted into the background, once again leaving them alone.
“So what’s your strategy this weekend?” Cat took a sip of her water.
“I went over some of the notes from last year’s race,” he said, referring to the driver whose ride she’d taken over when he’d retired at the end of last season. “You and Patrick have similar driving styles, and I think his set-ups might be able to help you.”
Cat had met with Patrick Waterson several times as Drew was finding his replacement. He’d been the one to recommend her to the team owner, and so far she’d been able to avoid trouble. She was confident going into Bristol. She’d cut her racing teeth on the short tracks, and loved the bump-and-bang action of such close-quarters competition.
Cat’s fingers trembled as she reached for her glass, and she quickly folded them into her lap.
Chad cocked his brow. “Everything all right?”
“Fine.”
He studied her across the table as the waiter served their food. Breaking the tense silence, Chad steered the conversation away from work as they ate, asking about her family.
“It was just me and my dad,” she said wistfully, gripping the wooden chopsticks between her fingers. “Mom died when I was three, and he never remarried.”
“Why not?” He ate a bite of maki. “Surely you needed a mother-figure.”
“Mom’s sister helped out.” Cat stuffed a piece of yellowtail nigiri into her mouth and chewed. “Apparently, she was independently wealthy, so she watched me while Dad was at work. He’s a diesel mechanic for a freight company.”
“How did you get into racing?”
“Through him.” She smiled at the memory. “He bought my first go-kart when I was seven. I caught the bug, and I’ve been racing my way up through the ranks ever since.”
“Impressive.” Admiration shone in his green eyes.
Cat shrugged. “Not really. A number of drivers have similar backgrounds to mine.”
“Yes, but not all of them have made it to the top.” He reached across the table and took her left hand, running his thumb over her knuckles. “The fact that you’re only the twentieth woman in the history of the sport to make it this far speaks volumes for your talent.”
She blushed from the praise. She still sometimes had to pinch herself just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
His eyes smoldered with passion. “Eat. You’ll need the energy later.”
Heat intensified and spread throughout her body, pooling between her thighs. Her breasts tingled, her pebbled nipples chafing against her lacy bra. They finished their meal in near silence, arousal zinging between them. He signed the credit card slip and they walked to his car.
“Excuse me? Catalina?” A female voice halted their trek across the parking lot. “Can I get your autograph?”
Cat turned, her lips curving upward. Will I ever get used to fans being so familia
r? The woman was tall and slender, but Cat couldn’t tell her hair color beneath the yellow halogen lights in the parking lot. “Sure.”
“Thank you.” The woman passed over a pen and a small notebook.
She scrawled her name across the page and handed it back. Shaking the woman’s soft, manicured hand made her cognizant of her own rough, calloused palms. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” The woman shoved the book into her oversized handbag. “You’re an inspiration to women everywhere.”
Cat still wasn’t used to the status of being a role model, nor was she used to hearing the praise. Her last boyfriend, Kevin, had turned into an overbearing jackass. I hope I never get used to it. I don’t want to end up like him.
Don’t worry, Cat, the angelic voice said from her right shoulder. I won’t let you.
We might get you into mischief every now and then, like tonight with your stud, the cheeky voice chimed in from her left shoulder, but we won’t let your head get too big.
Don’t include me in your shenanigans, scoffed the angel. And I won’t bail you out.
Cat giggled at the argument between the two voices as she and Chad walked to the car, his hand on her waist.
He gave her a funny look. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head, improvising. “I was just thinking about that practical joke Jacob played on Mark this weekend. The huge spider in his motor home.”
Chad laughed as they climbed into the vehicle. “Yeah, that was pretty funny.”
“So, Catalina.” His voice imitated a reporter as he turned onto the highway. “What does it mean to be a role model for women?”
“Well, Chad,” she replied in the same tone, “it scares the hell out of me, but I’ll do my best to keep inspiring them by eating copious amounts of junk food and having as much sex with my crew chief as possible.” She giggled at his startled expression. She’d clearly blindsided him.