by Megan Lowe
Chapter Two
Cole
I’m a pretty chilled guy. Nothing really bothers me, or ever really worries me. It’s why I’m so good at racing: I just go fast. It’s just my bike, the track, and me. I find it easier this way, less stress, less worry, more fun. I guess you could say my attitude was handed down from my father, who also happens to be my manager. He’s always been chilled, never giving a shit about the consequences of his actions, which I’ll admit has gotten him in trouble before. But that’s him, not me. I’m not here to ruffle feathers. I’m just here to ride my bike and, for tonight, look good in a suit to raise money for charity.
Rocking Racers is held every year, and I go every year like the good boy I am, but this year is different. This year I don’t go as just another rider; this year I go as the reigning Supermoto champ, and it feels fucking amazing. I worked hard and raced harder this season, and tonight I fully intend to soak up the praise and admiration that will be lavished on me. Hopefully the bulk of it will come from the lovely ladies in attendance. My excitement goes up a notch as I realise I’ve been paired with McKnley Rhodes. McKnley and I used to hang out way back when. No, not like that. Geez, get your mind out of the gutter. I mean, I’m good with the ladies, but I wasn’t pulling them at five. We lived next door to the Rhodeses until, well, we didn’t. The Rhodes girls are beautiful, the stuff of dreams. McKnley was the youngest when we left. I was five and so was she, but her birthday was a few months before mine, something she never let me forget. Blake was the oldest at eleven, then Ashton at six. Quinn and Sloane came after we moved.
All five of them are beautiful, from what I see in the gossip rags. Thick black hair, brown eyes, and legs for days. Naturally my attention was always on the girls next door. As it turns out, Dad’s attention was also captured by a Rhodes, Helen Rhodes, McKnley’s mum. Too bad he forgot about McKnley’s dad. Yeah, that put an end to Melbourne for the Matthewses. Which was both good and bad, I suppose. Good because we moved to Booker, where I learned to ride and developed into the Supermoto championship winner that I am today, bad because I never got to try my luck with any of the Rhodes girls. The McKnley I remember was fearless. Even though she was one of the youngest in the neighbourhood, she was the leader. I can see now that the wildness, the free spirit within her, called to me. She was magnetic; everyone wanted to be around her. I’m guessing by the popularity of Places that she hasn’t changed. Not that I can blame anyone for wanting to be around her; she’s totally bewitching. The more I think about her, the more I’m excited to see her again, to see how the girl so full of life grew up, to see if maybe whatever spark was between us all those years ago is still there.
Tonight just got a whole lot more interesting.
Chapter Three
Knley
I know it’s illogical to blame Cole for the breakdown of my parents’ marriage when in reality he had nothing to do with it. No, it was all his horndog of a father, but sometimes anger isn’t logical and I’ve had twenty-two years to stew. My anger is slightly lessened, no matter how much I don’t want it to be, by the sight of Cole in a suit. My God, can he wear a suit. Before he ruined my family, he was just the tall, skinny, blond boy next door. Now he’s still tall—I’m going for six foot—toned, a hunk of motor racing muscle. But he could use a haircut; his blond hair is curling as it laps at his collar. His blue eyes twinkle when he sees me.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t little McKnley Rhodes,” he says as he swaggers to the table.
“If memory serves, Matthews,” I practically spit, “my birthday is actually three months before yours.”
He smiles what I’m not going to describe as a panty-dropping smile, even if it may happen to be just that.
“You remember, that’s good in your old age.”
“You…,” I sputter. He chuckles and takes his seat next to me, throwing his arm along the back of my chair, his legs stretching out underneath the table. My skin tingles where it comes into contact with his and my choice of a red and black bustier suddenly isn’t such a good idea. I tug it up and only succeed in forcing Cole’s gaze to my boobs.
“Hey!” I click my fingers and point to my face. “Eyes up here.”
He shrugs. “Just checking. This is a fundraiser for breast cancer after all.”
I scoff and cross my arms, pushing my boobs up even more. Realising what I’ve unintentionally done, I uncross them and hunch over the table. I’m saved from more conversation as the rest of our tablemates finally grace us with their presence. As fans of both Cole and me, they’ve paid a lot to spend the evening with us and thankfully dominate the conversation.
Our entrees have been cleared and we’re awaiting our mains when a disturbance a few tables over gets our attention. The guy I eyed earlier on the red carpet looks like he’s about to throttle two guys visiting his table. One of them is escorted away and Cole gets up and goes over. He chats for a bit before coming back.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, the Ryans and Hunter Davis don’t get along too well.”
“Ryans?”
“Yeah, that’s them at the table. They’ve got a few additions though. Reed has a fiancée, which is crazy, but Bria seems cool, so I’m happy for him.”
“You do realise I have no idea who any of these people are?” I say as Cole begins to shovel in the steak that was just placed in front of him.
He shrugs and continues to eat. Remembering I don’t care either, I dig into my own meal.
I’ve just finished my crème brûlée that I probably shouldn’t have had when a hand appears in my vision.
“Dance with me?” Cole asks.
Without thinking I take his offered hand, and he leads me to the dance floor. I resist his attempts to pull me closer, and keep a respectable distance between our bodies.
“What’s the deal, Knley?” he asks.
“The deal?”
“Yeah, yours, what’s up? Why are you acting like I ran over your dog or something?”
“We never had a dog, or a cat for that matter. Blake’s allergic.”
He gives me a look.
I sigh. “I don’t like you.”
“Why? What could I possibly have done to you? We were five when I left Melbourne.”
“And why did you leave, Cole?”
“Ah, so it’s not so much me you don’t like, it’s my family.”
I don’t say anything, just continue to sway to the music.
“Here’s a newsflash for you, Knley, I’m not my dad.”
“The apple never falls far from the tree.”
Cole shakes his head. “So does that mean you’re your mum?”
“Huh?”
“If the apple never falls far from the tree and I’m my dad, then you must be your mum, and here’s something else for you, Knley.” He sneers as he says my name. “It takes two to cheat. My dad fucking himself didn’t tear your family apart.” With that he drops his arms and storms off.
I’m left standing in the middle of the dance floor, kind of in shock to be honest. How dare he speak to me like that! I storm back to the table, gather my things, and head up to my room. Once I get inside, my agitation forces me to pace. The arrogance of the man! I can’t believe he compared me to my mother. I’m nothing like her! I stop dead. Oh. That was his point, wasn’t it? If I’m nothing like my mother, then it’s not so unbelievable to think he’s nothing like his father.
I flop onto the couch and hold my head in my hands. My parents’ divorce was a confusing time for me. It happened about six months after my fifth birthday. I knew Mum and Dad fought a lot, but being so young, I didn’t know that wasn’t normal. Then one day we got up and Dad wasn’t there. Mum sat us down and told us Daddy wasn’t going to live with us anymore, and that was the end of that. We rarely saw our father after that. Whether that was his choice or something forced upon him, I don’t know. On top of the pain of losing my father, my best friend at the time—Cole—had moved away suddenly. I felt so lost.
Luckily, I had my mum to fill the void left by both men. She’s been filling that and so much more ever since.
Chapter Four
Cole
Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t take long for word of my conversation with Reed and the possibility of me signing with Ryan Racing to get back to my dad. He always could smell a deal, or the hint of a deal, and signing for Ryan Racing, Reed’s family’s racing team, would be a big deal. I haven’t even gotten back home after the gala when my phone starts to ring. I pull into my driveway and sigh when I see Dad’s name on the screen.
“Dad, fancy hearing from you,” I say in greeting.
“You know I’m always there when you need me,” he says, his voice rough from years of abusing it with the best bourbon whatever widow he’s attached himself to can buy.
I scoff. “Business-wise.”
“What other ways are there?” he asks, in total seriousness.
I shake my head and remember who I’m talking to. “There is no other way.” I sigh. To describe my dad and my relationship as strained would be like describing the sinking of the Titanic as a minor accident. Of course, if you ask him, he’ll tell you we’re best mates.
“So I take it from the fact you’re calling that you heard about my conversation with Reed tonight?”
“I did. Good job with that.”
“It was just a friendly chat, nothing more.” Even though I’d kill for a ride in the National Racing Series, I’m trying not to let myself get carried away. For all I know, Reed could talk things over with his pop and decide they don’t have the ability to expand the team. Or they might take a look at my stats and decide I’m not the rider they want and go with someone else. There are too many variables for what was just a comment in passing.
“Nonsense,” my father says. He’s never been one to look at things rationally. I have no doubt that in his mind my signing with Ryan Racing is already a done deal.
“They haven’t offered me anything yet and they may not.”
It’s Dad’s turn to scoff. “Reed Ryan is your best friend. There’s no way he would get your hopes up like this only to dash them. I knew it was a good move you becoming friends with them. It was a master stroke on my part, probably one of my best ideas.”
I want to tell him that you can’t force the kind of friendship Reed and I have, but I don’t. It’s better to let him think he controls things than argue with him.
“Yeah, Reed’s a good guy.”
“Who cares if he’s a good guy. All I care about is what kind of package he puts together for you,” is what he says. What he means is “I want to know what kind of commission I get as your manager and what other perks I’m able to get so I can big note to everyone else in the industry.”
“I’m sure you’ll be quick to remedy it if it isn’t to your satisfaction.”
“Damn right I will, can’t have my moneymaker treated like a second-class citizen, now can I?”
I know in his mind those words sound endearing, but to me they perfectly encompass our relationship. He’s not really my dad; he’s the manager of a rider who just won a Supermoto title and I’m nothing more than the guy on the bike who’s going to make him a shitload of money.
“Right, thanks,” I say.
“No need to thank me, son. This is what I do, what I live for.”
“How could I forget?” I ask. It seems like my whole life my dad’s been in the background waiting to pounce on whatever success I had and turning it into a deal for him, something to make him look good.
“Any other connections you made tonight that may have slipped under my radar?”
My dance with Knley flashes through my mind. “Nope, nothing I can think of.” Even though she made her feelings towards me crystal clear, I refuse to give up on her. I know what you’re thinking, that I’m not giving up on her because I like the thrill of the chase or some shit like that, but it’s not that at all. No, there’s something sad about Knley. When we were little, she shone as bright as a star. Now she still shines bright but it’s forced. It’s the way her smile is a little too big, her answers a little too enthusiastic. I can see it clear as day, which makes me wonder why no one else has caught onto it.
“Right, well if that’s all,” my dad says, bringing my attention back to the present.
“Yep, pretty much,” I tell him.
“I’ll keep an eye out for that Ryan Racing contract then.”
“You do that.”
He huffs. “This is everything we’ve been working towards, Cole, everything we’ve ever wanted. You might show a little bit of enthusiasm.”
The fact that he includes himself in that sentence doesn’t escape me, even though it was mainly me putting in the hard yakka. He just came along and took the credit.
“Sorry, long night.”
“Well get some rest. You need to be at your best to compete in the NRS.”
“Yep.”
“And, Cole?” he says, as I’m about to hang up. “Don’t fuck this up.”
“I’ll do my best not to.”
“Your best won’t cut it, not in the NRS. You’ve got to do better.”
“Copy that.”
He huffs like he knows I’m going to stuff up and ends the call. No “see you later, Cole” or “I’m proud you’ve gotten yourself in this position,” just a dial tone. I shake my head. What did I expect? Hearts and flowers? My father doesn’t have a loving bone in his body; why on earth would he start now?
I go inside and get ready for bed. A great thing, two great things happened tonight, and I’m letting my father’s shitty parenting skills ruin them. In the darkness of my bedroom, I let my mind wander. I imagine what it would be like to stand on the top step of the NRS podium, Australia’s greatest motorbike racer, with sponsors clamouring to sign me, to make me into the next Mick Doohan. My mind shifts slightly to who I’d like to share that moment with and Knley’s face pops into my mind. The underlying sadness in her eyes and the weight that’s dragging her shoulders down is gone and all that’s left is love and pure joy. My dick twitches at the thought. I’d give anything to put that look on her face. What’s more, I know I can if only she’ll let me in. Eventually sleep claims me, but not before I resolve to find the real Knley, the one I knew all those years ago.
Rocking and Rolling at Rocking Racers
Have you recovered yet, Mongers? I know we haven’t. It’s safe to say this year’s Rocking Racers gala didn’t disappoint.
Bria Adams, soon-to-be Ryan, was rocking a cute baby bump, a possessive and protective Reed Ryan never far away.
A confrontation between Hunter Davis and the Ryans resulted in an arrest and more charges laid against the Devil Racing star.
Business connections for Supermoto champ Cole Matthews, who just days after the gala signed with Ryan Racing but more importantly, a possible romantic connection with bad girl rocker McKnley Rhodes. The two were paired together and even shared a trip around the dance floor. While it didn’t last long, we have a feeling it may have been enough to ignite interest.
Stick with us, Mongers, we’ve got you covered!
Chapter Five
Knley
“It takes two to cheat. My dad fucking himself didn’t tear your family apart.” The words swirl around in my head. They have been since Cole said them to me two weeks ago. In all my anger, I’d never owned up to my mother’s part in the infidelity that broke my parents apart. Looking back now, I feel foolish that I didn’t ever consider my mother’s role in it, but it’s clear to me my parents’ marriage was over long before Daniel Matthews came along. Quinn is proof of that. Technically she’s my half-sister, and her coming nine months after my mother met her second husband, which was just days after she and Dad split, should’ve been a huge fucking clue something wasn’t right in that relationship. But at five you don’t see these things, you just hear Mummy and Daddy fighting all the time and Mr Matthews’s name being hurled around.
For twenty-two years I let anger stew towards him a
nd his family, and in twenty-two seconds Cole Matthews obliterated that and put me in my place. I’m embarrassed it took me so long to wake up, and ashamed at my behaviour towards Cole, but more than that I’m angry my mother never took responsibility for the breakdown of her marriage to my father and every other relationship since. I know she did her best to fill the void the lack of a permanent male presence left in our lives, but maybe instead of trying to fill the gap she should’ve looked at the reason there was a gap in the first place.
For our entire lives, our mother has been the controlling influence, the captain of our ship. She’s been the be-all and end-all. It’s always been her in charge, and we’ve been content to let it be that way. Too content perhaps? Maybe. I sigh. It’s the life I lead unfortunately, a twenty-seven-year-old woman whose mummy still runs her life. Fuck. Me.
Despite my bitching, I do live a good life though. It seems everyone, at least in Melbourne, wants my fabulous self at their event. Art exhibitions, fashion shows, media parties—I’m invited to them all, and at every single one of them in the two weeks since that shitshow of a gala, Cole has been there. I have no idea how on earth he managed to get invited, but somehow he’s there. Luckily the events are big enough that I can avoid him at all costs, but I still know he’s there and he’s watching me, a smug smile on his beautiful face. Each time I see him, I’m reminded of his parting words for me at the gala, and each time I find myself wondering if he had a point.
Once again his face pops into my head and I feel my heart flutter. For fuck’s sake! I don’t want to feel this way. I don’t want to admit he’s right, that my mother has been in denial all this time about the way things went down back then. While it’s no secret my mother isn’t my favourite person in the world, she’s still my mum and has sacrificed a lot for us. Ugh. I tug my boots off and throw them at the wall in frustration.