by Simone Elise
Kace’s eyes flashed with something, and then he took another step towards me and I immediately took one back, being blocked between the car and him.
His hand went to my cheek. “Come work with me.”
My eyes widened. No way. He can’t be serious. “You’ve got Prince.”
“Who isn’t nearly as qualified as you.” His hand continues to cup my cheek. “Gabe and I race similar.” He states a fact. “You’ve been the edge that got him over the line. Don’t let your season be over cause your brother can’t see past where he parks his cock at night.”
I don’t know what to say. A part of me wants to defend Gabe—out of habit. Another part of me wants to agree.
He then brushes his lip against mine. “Just give it some thought darling. You’ve got my number.” He glanced back at his house. “I better head in and help her. You managed to get her good.” And he smirked at that, giving me a wink—like I had done him a favour. He then turned and headed back inside. I got in the car but I was stunned. Did I want my season to be over? NASCAR was all I had—I didn’t have businesses like my siblings. I didn’t have billionaires of dollars behind my name. I just had my ability to control a race.
10
Ivory
Family dinners. I hated them. Yet I had about three phone calls from Lincoln I couldn’t miss this one. I had blown the last two off. As a result my older brothers were ‘worried’ about me. They didn’t do stress or ‘worry’. If they had an issue they would meet it head on. So that was how Lincoln got me to this dinner.
I was walking through the mansion known as my family home when I heard the low conversation from the dining room.
Pausing at the entrance. I didn’t want to face them. Gabe had told them about bailing out on the season. My other brothers reactions? Asher called, and so did Links. As for Elle, she turned up at my house. God they were acting like I would be suicidal or something.
I finally walked through the doors. And my eyes landed on my seat more importantly a person in it.
“Well Olivia it is lovely to have you join us.” Mom said from the top of the table.
I think I saw red.
“Ivory,” Links pushed his chair back and got up. “Come down here.” He gestured to the extra chair. I gritted my teeth. So Olivia takes another thing from me.
Walking down the long table, I slumped into the chair next to Links. Giving him an annoyed look. So much for a family dinner.
“Ivory darling, hows…” And dad paused.
“Things are great Dad.” I chimed back, finishing his sentence for him. “Honestly never been happier.” I stopped myself from pointing out there was a dog at the table with us. “How’s business?” I struck up a conversation with my dad, we rarely really talked.
“Good.” He smiled, like me making effort meant something to him. “Still got a position for you if you want it.”
The positions. I sighed. Dad had offered me one, Links had too and so had Asher and Elle she offered for me to be the face of one of her brands.
“All good dad I actually got something in the pipe lines.” I somewhat lied.
“Like?” Gabe piped up, and I glanced down the table at him. I can’t stop my eyes from sharpening at him. Okay, I wasn’t going to lie—I was glaring at him.
“Like none of your business.” I said back with a cold expression. I now noticed Olivia nose hadn’t really healed great.
Gabe was now glaring at me. It would be taking all his self control not to yell at me for what I did.
“You want to be immature?” He challenges me.
I scoffed but kept my response to myself.
“Gabe, please darling don’t.” Mom says. But we all knew the fight was coming.
“You punched Olivia, you are lucky you aren’t on chargers.” He roars up the table at me.
“Mind your tone Gabe.” Links goes to my defence.
“You defending her for acting like a feral?” Gabe fired at Links. “She was brought up better than that. She knows not to get physical.”
“Well what did you expect to happen?” Links threw back at Gabe. “You picked a woman over our sister.”
I was speechless, were my brothers really arguing over this? Link and I never really saw eye to eye but it was clear he didn’t like what Gabe had done.
“Links it’s fine.” I find myself saying, trying to defuse the situation.
“You were brought up better than that.” Link said to Gabe. “Family first.” And now I actually feel bad for Olivia cause it was clear she was unwanted here by not just me.
“You’re just pissed I sunk your investment.” Gabe snapped at him.
My eyes widened.
“It was over twenty million Gabe!” Links fired and the root of his issue came out.
“You make that in your sleep.” Gabe rolled his eyes. “Come off it Links.”
“Still doesn’t excuse what you did to Ivory.” Asher threw himself into the fight. “She lives for these races. She slaved over that car for you, and you just drop her for a piece of ass.”
Okay. This was getting awkward.
“Fuck this, we are leaving.” Gabe threw his napkin on the table. “Olivia come on.”
Asher and Links scoffed, but it was Elle that stood up. “She’s bad news Gabe. I’d drop her.” Elle shot a glare at Olivia. “We all agreed to not being with leeches.”
I never expected in a hundred years for my siblings to come to my defence.
“That’s enough everyone sit down.” Dad got involved. “Now!” And butts were back in the seats. “Olivia is welcome here.” My siblings but Gabe scoffed. “As for Ivory I’ve got her a new position.”
I shot my dad a confused look. “I don’t want to work at your firm.” Honestly pushing paper would be a nightmare.
“Not at the firm, at the track.” Dad said and Gabe’s eyes went to me. I knew nothing about it. “A young man was looking for a crew chief.”
I didn’t know one team that was down a crew chief with the rounds starting this week. And I knew a lot of teams.
“Kace Striking approached me. I said Ivory would be happy to help.”
And just like that shit hit the fan. Gabe started shouting—angrily towards dad. Kace and Gabe’s feud had always been between them two.
As for Links and Asher, they were grinning because in their eye this was the ultimate payback to Gabe for losing their money and picking a woman over blood.
“She won’t do it!” Gabe roared. “Will you?” he looked at me and perhaps he was looking for the loyalty that him and I had. But that loyalty was deluded when he picked Olivia. Still I knew nothing would hurt Gabe more then if I agreed to be working with Kace.
So I just shrugged my shoulders.
I was outside having a smoke. Tea had been served. Everyone was now waiting on desserts. The sliding door opened, and I saw my least favourite person come outside.
“Hey.” Olivia said, and I wanted to punch her again. “I wanted to tell you something.”
I turned to look at her. “There is nothing I want to hear from you.”
“It’s about Gabe.”
“Here I thought you were going to talk about Kace.” I butted my cigarette out. “Well then what is it that you want to tell me about my brother.”
She then raised her hand and I saw two rings on a very important finger.
“We eloped.” She smirked.
I was speechless. I eventually shoulder past her, heading back inside. And my eyes go to Gabe.
“I never thought you would hurt me on purpose. But that,” I just pointed to the door where Olivia was walking through. “Hurt me more than you know.” I then locked eyes with his widened ones. “You wanted to know if I’d work with Kace. Well the answer is yes. Yes I will.”
And then I got my jacket off the back of the chair, and while my family looked at me confused. Gabe knew I knew.
“Just to update everyone. Gabe eloped.” I say to the table and outrage spreads across their face.
Kace.
11
Kace
I cracked open a beer, looking at the missing furniture from around my house. Shouldn’t surprise me that she only took things that were money. Like the lounge suite. I highly doubt Gabe would want my lounge suite which I had custom made for this room, in this house. However I let her take it.
She had taken the oddest of things, right down to my bedside tables, but not the bed. I think Gabe drew a line there.
She had basically taken everything of value. And I let her. Because I didn’t want the shit here, knowing she had picked it and designed it.
I just paid for it. Olivia had done all the picking from colours to patterns of the curtain. Fuck I was lucky she hadn’t take the curtain, after all each blind was over twenty grand.
My doorbell rang and I wanted to ignore it. So I did. While I continue to look at the nearly empty lounge room.
Then whoever it was, thought they would start banging. Guess it was obvious I was here. Because the bike was in the driveway. I threw back a mouthful of my beer and went to the front door.
Opening it.
And my eyes landed on Ivory.
She was the last person I expected to be here. To be honest with myself I had done everything in my power to get her to come work with me, including asking her father. But her lack of calls and messages told me she wasn’t interested.
“Ivory?” I looked her up and down. She looks upset.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure if you don’t mind sitting on the floor.” I say and open the door for her. She walks in seeing my current problem. An empty house.
“You weren’t joking.” She mutters and frowns. “Did she seriously take the dining chairs but not the table?”
I just nodded my head and take a sip of my beer. “Anything of value she took. Surprised she didn’t pull the tiles I had to have imported from Holland for her.” I close the front door. “So what you doing here?”
She was glaring at the space were a couch should be at. “You need furniture.” She states and pulls her phone out.
“It’s alright darling. I’ll get some when I’ve got time.”
“No it’s not fine. She just goes through people and clears them out!” She turned to look at me with tears in her eyes. “She’s a leech. She’s a horrible person. Who the hell takes everything in a break up and come on, as if Gabe will let her keep a thing from you.” Ivory was getting more and more worked up. “Let’s face it. They probably had a bonfire with it.”
“Darling,” I put my beer down on the foyer table, which was lucky to still be there. And my hands go to her shoulders. “What has you this worked up?”
Her lips tremors. “They eloped.”
And that sent a punch to my guts. “Gabe and Liv?” I just wanted to get the facts right.
She nods her head.
“Poor bastard.” I muttered and never did I think there would be a day I was sorry for Gabe Henderson. “Well she ain’t my problem anymore.” I finally say and Ivory looked shocked.
“Why aren’t you heart broken? Wasn’t she meant to be the love of your life?”
I scoffed. “You want the truth?”
“No I want you to lie to me.” She rolls her eyes.
“She never fitted in with my life. She hates the track, she hates the club, she was only with me for the money and as soon as she found someone else that could pay for her expensive taste. She left.”
“If you knew all that, why did you stay with her?” She tilts her head, like I’m a puzzle.
“Come on Ivory. Look at me. No sane woman is going to want to be with me.” Can’t she see that. “What woman do you know that wants to be second to a lifestyle? Olivia was as good as I thought I could get.”
Ivory just stares at me and I think she was seeing my point till she took the remaining three steps to stand in front of me, I nearly jumped back as her hands cups my cheek.
“You asked what woman wants to be second to the lifestyle, well a woman that loves you Kace. That is who.” Her words wash over me, and I just scoff.
“Well that isn’t going to happen.”
“Why?”
I looked down into her eyes, and she looks really confused.
“Cause I’m not planning on letting another woman in. I did once, and it burnt me. I wasn’t good enough for her. I gave her everything.”
“Not every woman is like Olivia.” Her words had some annoyance to them. “Just because she burnt you, doesn’t mean you should cut yourself off from women.”
To be honest with myself. I was looking at the woman I had wanted to let in but realized I was just opening myself up to get hurt because Ivory would never want a man like me. She was a billionaire’s daughter. She was everything a guy like me can’t obtain.
“Not planning on cutting women off. Still got the club women.” I replied coolly trying to watch her expression, but she is a poker player and doesn’t give me a reaction. “You hungry?” I changed the subject.
“I just came from tea.”
“So that’s a no.”
“No it’s a yes. I didn’t eat. Couldn’t eat at the same table as a dog.” The words just come off her lips and her eyes widened like she wasn’t meant to be honest with me. I just smirk at her, not defending Olivia like I think she was expecting me to do.
“Fair enough. I’ll order in.” I said and pulled my phone out. “You don’t mind sitting on the floor though?”
“Yeah it’s fine.”
“Otherwise my bed is still here.” I cracked a smirk at her, and can’t stop myself. She smiles.
“I think you and I and a bed, would lead to things other than eating.”
“Not the case I can still think of something I can eat,” and her expression was priceless causing me to laugh. “I’ll order. Any requests?”
She was blushing and just shakes her head, so I ring up a standard order.
Ivory took a drink from her beer, she had loosened up and wasn’t as upset as when she arrived. I wasn’t sure if it was due to making inappropriate jokes or the food. Regardless, her mood has lifted.
We were sitting on the floor in front of an unlit fire. The summer was here with a vengeance.
“God it’s hot.” Ivory said, and she had already shrugged off her jacket. Why she was even wearing a jacket in this weather was a good question.
“Says the woman who came here wearing a jacket.” I muttered, not being able to stop myself.
She rolled her eyes. “I had a family dinner and my parents believe in one season. Winter. I swear the house is made of ice during summer. Every air conditioner is going and we are talking every room.” She explained. “Even during winter the house is cold.”
“Do you want me to turn the air conditioner on?” I hadn’t done it because I hadn’t planned on staying here long. But then she showed up and perhaps I was stupid to have left it off this long. After all I was hot.
“It’s fine don’t want to run up your bills.” She shrugged. “Plus I’m used to it. My apartment doesn’t have air conditioning at all.”
My expression drops. “You are joking?” I just stare at her. “You’re a billionaire how can you not have air conditioning?”
She rolled her eyes. “My parents and siblings are billionaires.” She took a bite of her food then cleared her voice. “Though if it makes you feel better my brothers hate that I live there, they are always wanting to put me in one of their investments.”
“Where exactly do you live?”
“Clove street apartment blocks.” She shrugged like she hadn’t just dropped the worst neighborhood in town. I knew it was bad because a few of the clubs junkies lived there.
I want to growl at her. Then immediately I want to strangle her brothers for letting her stay there.
“The pool is great there though. I swim at midnight to cool down.”
And just like that I was spe
echless. Till I gained control over my expression. “Didn’t someone overdose in it two weeks ago.”
She shrugged.
“Ivory.” I growled. “How can you still be in that place on a NASCAR wage?”
“Cause I investment my payments every year back into the car,” She says like it is no big deal.
“And Gabe lets you?”
“He didn’t really know. I ran the books.”
“Fucking unbelievable!” I put my chinese container down. What type of man was Gabe, clearly I had got him right when I called him a fucking pussy!
“Stop looking at me like that.” She shot me a look. “I’m fine. I like my life and my apartment.” She placed her chinese container down. “It’s my life and I’ll live it how I want to.”
I can’t stop the smile forming on my lips because that was something I would say when people were judging my life. “Well I’ve got a spare house if you are interested.” I can’t stop the words coming off my lips. I don’t know why but I want her to be safe.
“I’m good,” she smiles “but thanks Kace.”
“Well if I can’t interest you in staying here can I interest you in a swim?” I didn’t want her to leave and I knew deep down that she was about to say it was time for her to go. “Come on swim in a private pool you can’t turn that down.” I added to my argument.
“Don’t mind seeing me naked again?”
And my expression drops.
Which causes her to laugh. Now look who had the jokes.
“Show me this pool.” She adds and stands up, and I find myself abandoning my food to show her to my private indoor pool.
“I’m going to be all class and swim in my underwear, is that okay?” She says as she pulls her top off.
I nodded my head “Naked is fine by me too.”
She giggles. “Sure it is handsome.” She says with a wink and pushes her short down.
“Expensive underwear.” I noted and she frowns
“It’s my sisters friends label. We had a deal. I model his label, and I get a lifetime supply of them.”