by Sara Noble
“I’m sorry to embarrass you, honey. Patty called me a few days ago to tell me that Connor invited you. I was waiting for you to say something. We both agree that you two should reconcile your friendship.”
Maddie wanted to explode. “Mom! I’m not discussing this with you!” She glowered at Grace, more perturbed than angry. “We’re done talking about it. I only told you so you know where I’ll be that weekend. Other than that, don’t ask about anything!”
Grace giggled. “That’s so cute. You have a crush on him again.”
Maddie faced the window and spent the rest of the drive to the mall in silence. Grace followed her from store to store despite the silent treatment she was giving her. If there was one thing Maddie hated, it was being teased about a boy. She loved her mother, but that was one topic that was off limits. She couldn’t help being so bashful.
Connor called Maddie each night, for the next couple of days, and always before bed. They chatted about each other’s day at work and about the forthcoming trip. She asked about how he did during the races and wondered what the weather would be like while she was there. He seemed just as enthused about the trip as she was when he described his own take on the upcoming events. Every night their flirtations grew more intense. Connor would speak so seductively and even divulged a little about what he had planned for their time alone together. His descriptions had definitely made Maddie weak in the knees.
Maddie’s heart swelled with emotions; she was falling hard and fast. The whirlwind romance was rapidly taking control of her life. Connor was all she could think about during her waking hours. At night she had vivid and sensual dreams about making love to him under the stars. She would often wake up drenched in sweat from her wild fantasies. And soon she knew her dreams were about to come true.
Chapter 6: Connor
Connor nervously drummed his fingertips on the glass top table while he sat in his team’s suite at the speedway in Indianapolis. He stared at the clock just to watch the seconds tick by.
“Shouldn’t you be doing something?” a voice asked, snapping him out of his trance. It was his mother, Patty, coming in the room with a stack of paperwork in her hands.
“Um, yeah. I’ll be down in the garage in a minute. I was just thinking for a bit.”
“Thinking of Maddie?” Patty asked as she set down the pile of folders. She occasionally acted as Connor’s assistant and handled a lot of the details of his loaded schedule.
“She should be landing soon. Do you think I did the right thing by sending a driver for her? Or should have I picked her up myself?”
Patty sighed and glanced anxiously at her son. “Look, Connor. I can’t tell you what to do with your life, but let me just give you this one piece of advice: do not, under any circumstances, try to balance your affections between Makaela and Maddie. You need to pick one or the other. The media will have a field day with this if it becomes known that you’re messing around.”
Connor gaped at his mother, completely shocked by what she just said. But he knew she was right; this could turn into a PR nightmare. Not to mention the fact that it could potentially hurt a lot of people along the way. Yet, he was torn between the two girls. Everything with Maddie was so new and fresh; there was no way he could give that up.
But he was engaged. He feared what could happen if he broke things off with Makaela, especially since they were in the middle of the season. The spotlight would surely be on him and the two girls. He didn’t know if Maddie could handle that.
“I’m going to be careful. Besides, Maddie is just my friend.”
Patty wasn’t being fooled. “Connor, I’ve seen the way you look at her and you’re completely overreacting about her coming here for the race. She means more to you than just a friend. I know you’re probably confused, but you do need to make a decision. If your heart is telling you to be with Maddie, then you need to cut Makaela loose.”
Connor rolled his eyes. “I bet you would just love that, Mom. I know you hate Makaela, but this is my life and you can’t try to sway my decision.”
Patty walked over to the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony. She stared out into the empty grandstand. “I don’t hate her. I just think she’s with you for all the wrong reasons,” she said into the glass instead of to Connor’s face. “You have almost zero compatibility with her, not to mention the fact that she is gone more than any other girl you’ve been with in the last five years. You need someone who is going to stick by your side, share your interests, and create a family with you.” She paused for a moment. “Maddie has all of those qualities.”
Yeah, she does, Connor thought, but he had enough of his mother butting into his business. “All right, I’ve got to get down to the garage. I’m not an idiot and I’m not going to screw this up. So no more pep talks, okay. Just leave me alone about the whole thing. This conversation is over.” He grabbed his keys off of the coffee table and was prepared to storm out just as Patty spun around to face him again.
“I didn’t say you were an idiot, Connor,” she said defensively.
Connor looked remorseful, with his foot hanging out of his mouth. He loved his mother more than words could express and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her feelings. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. It’s just frustrating when I have people up in my face, telling me what to do with my personal life.”
Patty put her arm around her son’s shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. “I just want what’s best for you, like all mothers do. I’m worried about what the press will do when they see you with another girl. Just watch yourself, okay? I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mom.” He squeezed her right back and then ran off to the garage.
Connor stewed over the conversation with his mother while he worked with his crew under the hood of his race car. He was starting to feel anxious about Maddie’s arrival and a tad paranoid about his feelings being exposed. There was no doubt it would be hard to hide his affections for her, especially since he was anticipating their relationship going to the next level. After that, it would be difficult for him to keep his hands off of her. Just the thought of being naked under the sheets with her was enough to cause him to drop a wrench out of his hand while working on his engine. About forty-five minutes into the tune up, his cell phone rang. His eyes lit up when he saw that it was his driver, Kirk. All of his anxiety had fluttered away in an instant.
“Hey, Kirk. Are you guys here?” Connor asked as he cradled the tiny phone between his shoulder and ear. He quickly set down his tools and began pulling off his gloves.
Kirk explained to Connor that Maddie was waiting up in the suite, like he had instructed. He even noted that he was on his way to take her luggage over to the hotel where she would be staying with the entire crew. Connor thanked him and ended the call just as fast as it had come in.
“I’m going to take a break. I’ll be back soon,” Connor called out to the guys working under the hood of his car. He grabbed his keys and began to head outside.
“Hold on there, buddy,” Casey said before Connor could get too far. “You just got down here. What’s your problem?” He set down his wrench and crossed his arms over his chest, clearly irritated.
Connor stopped in his tracks and faced his crew. “I’ll be back. I’m bringing down a friend to hang out and watch all the action.”
Jackson’s forehead crinkled under his mass of tangled blond hair. “Who? This isn’t show and tell time, Connor. We gotta win this weekend! We need you here and concentrating on this car!”
Connor smiled, but didn’t make eye contact. He knew he was going to get teased when he revealed his special guest. “It's just Maddie. She’s cool. She won’t get in the way.”
“Maddie? From Florida? Oh, great. You’re bringing your little side dish in here. Fantastic,” Casey muttered sarcastically. The rest of the crew stopped what they were working on so they could listen in on the spat.
“Side dish? Really, Connor?” Jackson asked. “I didn’t know you two were-”
> Connor threw his hands up in the air. “We’re not! She’s just my friend. She loves the sport, she’s a huge fan of ours, and I’ve known her my whole life. I’m giving her the ultimate fan experience, that’s all. Y’all need to relax. And she’s not my side dish, Casey!” He turned and glowered at Casey and then eyeballed the rest of the guys. They all stared at him in return, curious about this friend of his.
“You better not screw this up, Gray!” Casey demanded while he pointed his finger at Connor. “You don’t need any distractions.”
“Just relax. I’ll be back. Please be nice, okay?” Connor reminded the guys as he turned to jog back to the suites next to pit road. He was too excited to be upset with his crewmate’s caution about screwing up the weekend. Less than two minutes later, he flung open the door and there she was, sitting patiently on the sofa and gazing out of the large bay windows. Maddie turned to face him and smiled warmly. Connor tried to catch his breath, but she stole it right from him.
“I made it!” Maddie exclaimed and jumped up to hug Connor. She wrapped her arms around his back and squeezed. He could smell her perfume, sweet and spicy all at once.
“Hi,” he said as his heart swelled and butterflies swarmed his stomach.
Maddie released her grip and looked around the suite, her eyes still sparkling like precious jewels. “This is a nice place you have here. Is this where the owner sits during the race?”
Connor shoved his hands in his pockets. He felt like throwing Maddie down on the leather couch so he could kiss her all over her soft, tan skin. He was starting to think that was his favorite quality about her. “Sometimes,” he replied. “So, do you want to go see the garage?”
"Sure. Are you guys working on the car?” Maddie asked excitedly.
“Yeah, let’s go. Then in a little while we can go to lunch.” Connor took her by the hand and led her to the elevators. They both waited anxiously for the doors to open. Maddie would glance at Connor and then blush; he did the same.
The doors opened and they stepped inside. Connor quickly pushed the button and the doors slid shut. He couldn’t control himself any longer; he scooped Maddie into him and brought his face to hers. He kissed her delicately at first, and then softly bit her bottom lip when she began to respond. The elevator ride was short and so was their kiss. Flustered, the two of them walked into the lobby, careful to keep a little distance between them.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for over two weeks now,” Connor whispered, even though they were out of earshot of anyone else. He nervously glanced around to make sure that no one was staring at them.
Maddie blushed and looked at him adoringly. “Me, too,” she whispered back.
“We have to be careful, you know, about how close we get. I’m sorry, but until I have things fully figured out I just can’t be caught in a compromising position.”
“I understand.” An unsettling look painted Maddie’s face, but she would be patient with him. “I know I’ll get you alone sometime this weekend.”
“You can count on that,” he replied.
Connor spent the next few hours attempting to concentrate on his car. Maddie shadowed him, listening intently and asking questions every couple of minutes. Connor could tell she was trying just as hard as he was to occupy her mind with something besides hooking up. He could see in her eyes that she wanted him bad. Every once in awhile he would get sidetracked with thoughts of what was to come that night when they finally got to be alone behind closed doors. He imagined her warm skin pressed against his and dreamed of kissing down her chest to her hips.
“Connor!” Casey hollered, snapping him out of the fantasy.
Connor shook his head and blinked. “What’s up?”
“Your mom has been texting you. She wants to go to lunch with you and Maddie.”
Connor looked around. Everyone was staring at him again. Maddie’s eyes were stuck on him, as well, and he slightly grimaced as his face filled with chagrin. Her lips turned up into a coy little smile; she knew he had been thinking about her.
Embarrassed, Connor acted fast and shrugged it off. “Well, let’s go. Anyone else want to come?” he asked his bewildered crew.
“Oh, no. We want to give you and your friend plenty of alone time,” joked Jackson. He winked at Connor and then snapped him with a greasy rag. Some of the guys chuckled in the background, but Connor played it cool as if it didn’t bother him.
“Go on, Maddie. My mom’s waiting upstairs in the suite. I just need to have a word with my buddies here.” Connor motioned with a nod for her to start without him.
“Okay, see you in a minute,” Maddie said and then walked out of the garage. All the guys watched her attentively as she left them behind to head for the elevators.
“All right, listen, all of you,” Connor ordered and they all let their eyes move slowly toward him. “You all need to get out of your brains that Maddie and I are…well, you know. She’s just an old friend of mine and I invited her here because she’s never really traveled outside of Florida and she loves racing. She’s a nice girl and I don’t want any of you bothering her. Especially you,” he said and pointed to Jackson. Jackson frowned and shook his head.
“You might be able to explain this to us, but what if the press gets photos of you two together. What do you think Makaela will say? Does she even know about Maddie being here?” Casey asked. He glared at Connor as he waited for him to reply.
“I haven’t told her yet.”
“What? That right there says it all, Connor!”
“I just haven’t had the chance. It’s no big deal, really. That’s why I didn’t feel it was so important to tell her. I’m sure she hangs out with all her good-looking male model friends in Sweden. We have that kind of understanding with each other. We don’t need to know every detail of each other’s lives.”
“Whatever you say, boss,” Casey said unconvincingly as he rolled his eyes. He shrugged and went back under the hood of the car. The rest of the crew kept their mouths shut and did the same.
“I’m telling you, you don’t need to worry about it,” Connor insisted one more time before leaving the garage area. He jogged over to the same elevator that Maddie had taken up just a moment before.
“Crap, they know I’m lying. They better just keep their mouths shut,” Connor muttered to himself, as he made his way up to the suite.
Connor, Patty, and Maddie decided to have lunch at a café located inside the concourse of the track. Connor watched with amazement at how his mother fawned over Maddie. She never treated any of his old girlfriends, or Makaela for that matter, like she treated Maddie. It was as if the years of not seeing each other had been erased. Connor smiled as he listened to their conversations and occasionally jumped in with his own opinion.
After their lunch was eaten and the plates cleared away, Patty turned her attention toward her son. “Connor, you didn’t forget about the interviews tonight, did you? What were you planning to do with Maddie?”
Connor bit his lip out of frustration. “Shoot. I did forget. What do you think?”
Patty switched her gaze to Maddie. “No offense, hun, but it would probably be best if you didn’t come along.”
Connor felt otherwise. “Mom, no. Don’t be that way. She can come. I will keep my distance and focus on the reporters.” He turned to face Maddie while she absorbed the surprise details. “You’ll be okay hanging back with her, right?”
“I don’t want to cause any trouble. I can stay at the hotel. I’m sure they have movies on cable or something.” Maddie looked uneasy being caught in the middle of their discussion. “It’s no big deal, really.”
Connor disagreed. “No, Maddie. You’ll come with us. You’ll love it! It’s truly behind the scenes stuff of a professional driver. You’ll learn a lot. Maybe you can write an article about me someday.”
Maddie smiled timidly. “I don’t want to be in the way.”
“You won’t be! Please come with us. Mom, tell her it’s okay.” He could tell
Maddie wanted to please his mother.
Patty smiled warmly and patted her on the hand. “Yes, please come Maddie. You can hang back with me. I hope you can handle a lot of flashing cameras and bright lights.”
“Thanks, that sounds like fun. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Connor moved his hand under the table and gently patted Maddie’s thigh. Her expression perked up when she felt his hand on her skin and squeezed her fingers around his. He had a wild feeling inside of him that this was going to be the trip that changed his life.
***
Later that evening, Connor and his mom waited for Maddie in the lobby of their hotel. They stayed downtown, on the other side of the river, mostly to avoid over-zealous fans looking for autographs and photo opps. Most would assume that drivers would stay at the resorts close to the track and that’s why Connor always chose the more secluded hotels downtown. That one in particular had a beautiful atrium off of the main lobby that was filled with gorgeous tropical plants and flowers of every color. An antique Baroque style fountain was perfectly situated in the center of the room; the soothing sound of trickling water echoed off of the travertine flooring.
Maddie stepped off the elevator while Connor was busily looking over his notes for his interviews with the press. He tried to prepare himself as much as possible so he wouldn’t be caught off guard. Most of the time Patty had worked on his notes for him, which was part of her duties as his assistant. She always made sure he was well taken care of in that department.
“Okay, she’s here. Let’s get a move on,” Patty said, interrupting his thoughts.
Connor glanced up and admired the girl that strolled toward him. Maddie wore a short denim skirt with a black top that slinked down off her right shoulder. Her feet were strapped with chunky sandals that made her grow three inches taller. Her legs looked incredible and he let his eyes linger on them for a tad too long.
“Connor, seriously. Let’s go,” his mother said in a tone of exasperation. She had noticed his eyes glued to the young girl.