Fast Love (The Billionaires Club Book 3)

by Zoe Adams

  “Oh you are so much like your father, I just got déjà vu. You better be careful, I just don’t know what I would do…” Ellen let the rest of her sentence drop.

  “Mom, it’s all right. I’m going to be fine. Will you please give Dad the number?”

  Hearing a new dad referenced brightened the long distance call. “Sure. How much did you spend today?”

  Indiana gave out the tally in a whisper, and then covered her speaker this time when she held the phone from her ear.

  “Oh, child, I hope you know what you are doing.”

  “It’s all right. Things are going very well,” she said, and a beep cut the call short.

  It was Justin. He literally called her from his office.

  “What are you doing?” Indiana felt the smile creep up her cheeks.

  “Hey, it’s your fault, Indiana. If you want me to work in an office, I’m going to call every chance I get. I’m allowed at least one phone call purely for pleasure.”

  Indiana looked around for any sort of bearing. She agreed to meet him at the hotel for dinner.

  Indiana left the shop late. Rush hour traffic was a monster waiting to waylay any and all. By the time she got to her room, she sent a text to Justin that she would be at least thirty minutes late.

  When Indiana finally walked into the bar wearing comfort and style, Justin gave her all the attention she deserved.

  He raised his beer in a salute. “Wow, it’s nice to see you all dressed up, Indiana.”

  “Thanks, you too. Did you already eat?”

  “No, I thought I was going to wait another hour.”

  “Hour? I am only twenty-eight minutes late.” Indiana waited for him to set down his drink so they could go through the arched divide of the restaurant.

  “I have to date you.” Justin had started his quest before they even got to the table.

  “That is not going to happen.” Indiana sat down and adjusted her hair. “What type of relationship do you see us having?”

  “Well, you could race and I could manage, and we could be together.”

  “That is so not going to happen.” Indiana leaned back.

  “Just give me a chance.” Justin was on the list again with all of her great qualities.

  Indiana had to get off Justin’s merry-go-round. Dinner was done and she leaned forward very seriously. “Enough. I need a manager desperately, and you would be fine, but I am only eighteen. I don’t want to have a sexual relationship with you. Maybe later.”

  “What? You said you went to college already. Are you a prodigy?” Justin raised his glass.

  “No, I have to work just as hard as anyone else. I just started earlier.” Indiana’s food fulfilled one need, and exposed another.

  She couldn’t wait for bedtime. Then she remembered the bed from that morning. It already seemed so long ago. Richard snuck into her mind. Her face must have softened because Justin thought it was her courteous way of saying she’d be ready soon.

  “I can see you want me to fight for you, and I don’t mind.” He put his nose in the air and looked around.

  “No, really, just be yourself and we’ll see what happens.” Indiana shrugged. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to call it a day.”

  She stood up and he gave her a proper sendoff hug. The hopeful man sat back down and ordered another beer. In the lobby, Indiana found a real estate magazine and went upstairs.

  She sat on the cold bed and shopped for a home. Something close to work, small enough for one person, and with a garage. A few leads were promising and marked for her early morning check in.

  The next day started with the heavy strain of exhaust. There were no shortcuts across town. The monotone navigator cooled under the dash. The only exciting part was looking for real estate signs and venues of choice.

  Indiana liked Justin’s shop. It felt like an adequately maintained factory. Indiana tried to be part of the team. She had to be smooth and know what she spoke about. She was ready to partake in the exercises and kept herself in close proximity to the casing of steel.

  Indiana knew that to fully develop into a racing genius, she had to evolve. She got used to the super tight shift. The foot pedals barely moved, and the seat anchored her four inches from the ground. She became a constant fixture in the shop, and soon earned the respect that too much knowledge deserved.

  Chapter 21

  Indiana had her first official lap around a track. She drove slowly and jerkily—on purpose. She tested her reactions against the slickness of the tires and the touchiness of the wheel. The clutch felt too tight, and she pulled over to her waiting group of specialists for an adjustment.

  This time when she hit the track, it was with god’s speed. Indiana knew the sound of driving. She instinctively hugged the turns and sped through their outcomes. Her time was good, not great, but definitely above average. Ten laps into the pace, she started to feel better. The turns melted into butter, and the tires heated to proper flexibility.

  Indiana knew she would be good, but when the hours passed, everyone was beyond jubilant. Celebrations were in order as short contracts were to be signed in a few days.

  Indiana snuck out of the party after two shots of something hot. She didn’t want to hang out with that much testosterone in this much heat. She drove into the night and didn’t stop until she reached the little town teetering on the edge of the forgotten racetrack.

  The solace of the lonely house could only be enjoyed for one night. But it would be enough. The halfway point in the country caught her. It relieved the constant glare of city life. She enjoyed the home, and walked through every room. Things still needed unpacking and placing, but Indiana had plenty of time for that. As usual, she slept on the couch and saved the large master bedroom overlooking a valley.

  Indiana liked the center of the house. It was her most familiar space. The incessant questions from people ground to a halt. The blank out of her electronic leash helped her take deeper breaths. Indiana focused on a checkered future.

  The unevenness of her life could be chalked up to needing all the comforts of home, instead of a home for her comforts. Indiana paced the house with plans of what would, should, and realistically could be. Before the next afternoon, she drove back to the road for another fix of the race.

  Indiana went back to work bright and early, well before the rest of her clan. She checked out the shop. Everything looked great and well managed without her. She wiped her hands on a towel, trying to keep expensive clothes clean.

  Her shop had been rented. The bonus of being already stocked came with the downside of somebody else’s tools and memorabilia.

  Indiana looked around for a piece of herself. She at least needed a desk. She began checking rooms lining one side of the building. All of the offices were taken except one, and of course, it was the smallest one. It sat in the middle of the building. One overly large window would show a spectacular setting sun every night. With the door open she could see most of the goings-on in the shop.

  She cleaned out the room quickly. Soon it would be ready for its new feminine upstart. Indiana’s gallon of white paint was almost empty when her manager, Justin, arrived at the shop.

  His greeting was better left for someone else. “Hey, Indiana, when you’re done painting the closet, you can paint my office.”

  Indiana took of her headset and smiled. “Careful, there’s wet paint. Do you like my new office?”

  “Yeah, sure. Where’ve you been? I haven’t seen you since the racetrack.” Justin leaned against wet paint and hissed.

  “At my house. Why?” She dipped the brush in paint.

  She looked over carefully.

  “You could’ve told me.” Justin flexed and took off his spoiled shirt.

  “Didn’t you get my email?” Her brush recovered more paint in a delicate pursuit.

  “Yes, but you could’ve told me before you left. I could’ve gone with you.” He gave her his shirt. “Here, do you need a towel?”

  “Sure, tha
nks. Just throw it on the floor.” Indiana went back to painting. “I didn’t tell you I was leaving because sometimes I like to be alone. I’m sure you understand.”

  She smiled innocently at him. Her slow style of painting allowed her to remain completely clean. Justin stood behind her and complained about the room’s excessive depth and barely adequate width. Then he didn’t like the color that looked vaguely pink in the shadows.

  Indiana desperately wanted to flip the conversation to a more positive note. “So, is there anything new I need to know about?”

  She didn’t look his way for a long time and focused on turning the last corner. She ingested all the information from him she could, then told him to email the rest.

  Justin eventually shared his distress of the smelly paint, and ridiculous lengths women went to upset the natural order of a man’s environment. He excused himself when someone extremely important called his cell phone. Indiana almost slumped in relief.

  The week passed with all the furious speed that she hoped it would. Adjustments were non-existent for the race car readied in a day. The team hauled everything out to the racetrack a day early, just in case.

  Indiana’s debut race wasn’t in the league she wanted. Racing in the Sunday circuit was just one more thing to work toward. Indiana had been super successful in the preliminary placement laps. Starting in the race gave plenty of reason to celebrate. Indiana had procured a proud start in the middle tier instead of at the bottom of the group.

  The Saturday race dawned on a clear and bright morning. The racing community was comprised of all the usual who’s whos lifting their brows at the new girl. Indiana felt very self-conscious of her role. She had managed to avoid Richard and the other members she knew. She wanted to race as an unknown amateur. At least for her first time. She nervously deflected any more attention to herself.

  Indiana waited until the last minute to don the thick flame retardant suit. She wore her helmet for much too long as she circled the car. The team coached her up to the last nerve-racking moments.

  The big flag dropped, and Indiana paced out the first laps. She existed in a dream. She hovered above a tight steering wheel. The gas gauge dropped and the temperature inside the car soared past uncomfortable proportions. Indiana had patience and other keys to achieve the lead. Time flew before she pulled in for the first pit stop.

  The quick break in the pit gave her slight refreshment. The tingling sensation she had been enjoying was now a hammer in her joints. She felt dehydrated before the race was half over. She considered the plethora of sweat. She laughed, imagining a towel tucked into her headband. With her little giggle the car swerved up the lane. Indiana quickly corrected her frame and the car responded promptly.

  She finished the race in the inconsequential middle. Indiana didn’t need a blue ribbon to feel accomplished—the news reporter did that for her.

  “Now, folks, just to clarify, I’m standing beside racing’s youngest and one of its first females, Ms. Indiana Bernstein. How does it feel to finish your first race?” The beautiful reporter shared her microphone after the perfect question.

  Indiana beamed at the camera. “It’s great, Rachel. A few more good finishes, I can move up and buy a bigger car.”

  Indiana’s smile was an exact replica of her father’s. She hoped it would run off with the hearts of the population.

  “I have one more question for you. Why is your race car unmarked with no show of sponsorship?” The newscaster asked the buzzing question of the day.

  “Well, I’m not allowed to sign any contracts for the amount of races I race. Who says a lady has to advertise what’s under her skirt?”

  “Certainly not you. Your father is the late great King Bern-Out-Stein, so I guess that would make you a princess.”

  Indiana had been referring to the carbon fiber that covered her car. But a silent dropped jaw failed to answer the newscaster.

  Rachel turned back to the TV crews. “You heard it everyone. Ms. Indiana Bernstein is smiling from the top. Thanks, Indiana, we look forward to watching you.”

  The camera turned off, and Rachel didn’t drop her interest with the microphone.

  “Here’s my card.” She slipped it into Indiana’s hand. “Call me anytime you want to talk, on or off the record.”

  Indiana looked at the card with a paragraph of information.

  The newscaster said a plethora of words. “Call me anytime. I love surrounding myself with strong women.”

  Indiana finally understood and nodded.

  The reporter ensured the card made it to her pocket before moving on to other interests.

  A familiar burst of laughter carried over the lanes. Richard was there, surrounded by more beautiful people. Indiana lost her breath at the sight of him. Just the turmoil inside of her confirmed what she hoped wasn’t there. Feelings for him. He always seemed completely comfortable, even in a three-piece suit.

  His healthy entourage could’ve shamed any working-class person. Indiana blushed and ducked behind her crew. She left the racetrack before the lap car was even loaded up. Her Chevelle raced up the interstate to its windy plateau home. Indiana paced the driveway for nearly twenty minutes, trying to relieve some of the pent up emotions. Everything seemed far from being recognized, or even realized.

  In the stone house, Indiana slept like a rock and woke up early. She sat on the roof and watched the sun come up. Her morning meditation was a tradition in the making. The world turned without her. Little solace came from this visit. She left before noon, after readying the kitchen and house for its next drop-in visit.

  The cycles and revolutions of race tracks continued. Indiana’s experience budded like a prime rose. A few weeks after buying her first race car she already felt like a professional.

  Indiana would work hour after hour on anything to do with her car. She had to do so much. She wanted to design her own underclothes. Men had their style, women needed some too. She remembered her connection from her mother’s wedding.

  Indiana made it a point to tell her mother to get in touch with Lady Steele. Indiana had some great ideas. Sleep punished Indiana’s hard work. Some days she would completely sleep through her alarms. Indiana knew she would need to settle into a normal sleeping and healthy eating schedule. It just couldn’t happen. She would slave away all day to deny her human emotions.

  Justin continued to push with Indiana. He could have easily broken her phone with constantly streaming updates. He punished her lack of interest in him by setting up incessant business dates with others.

  Tonight would be her fifth night in a row playing dress up on the town. The last two evenings of meetings had been about issues that could have easily been discussed over the phone and not a two-hour dinner. Indiana growled into her full length mirror before heading to the restaurant district.

  All of the meetings were the same. Businessmen, reporters, and colleagues were eventually informed of their misunderstanding on the exact nature of her relationship with the ex-racer Justin Johnson. Indiana constantly warded off Justin’s intentions, and other people’s suggestive inquiries about the bad boy she appeared to have tamed. Justin beamed beside her, and agreed with the businessmen on Indiana’s worth. This meeting was different, though. They wanted her to be a model, and she had to think about it.

  “It’s millions of dollars, what is there to think about?” The tailored suits were shocked into leaning back.

  Indiana picked up the paperwork. “Thanks for your interest. I’ll call you tomorrow with an answer.”

  There were grumbles for having to wait one more day. Indiana took the opening. “If you have someone else in mind…”

  “No,” the most experienced voice at the table interjected. “That is why we want you as the face of Sherma’s, and we need a cautious woman who looks good in leather. But we want a winner and someone smart too.”

  Indiana’s vibrating phone clanked across the table with its needful presence. Indiana excused herself and said good night.
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br />   She checked the phone and a gasp of relief came out. It was Calvin. Finally a friend who didn’t require constant answers. She sighed and reread the visit alert from Calvin and Charley. Her heartfelt answer came quickly.

  Hi, CC. I can’t wait to see you guys. Call me when you are settled. Indy.

  With the sunny prospect of old handpicked friends in her vicinity, she left with a lighter step than she’d had all week.

  Indiana was still a newbie in town, but she had found a decent hotel with hot food and good proximity to the shop. The resting stop was good enough for now. The perfect rental house or condo had eluded her. Indiana was too busy to devote adequate time to a proper pursuit. She settled for the hotel instead of finding a private home. Indiana fell asleep reading the fine print of an extensive contract in her rented bed.

  The next day her visiting friends were the distraction she needed. Indiana gave them the tour of the shop, the car, and finally her office. Her stuff slid off crates and into piles on the floor. Two happy guys in the shop was a one-sided love affair. The mechanics didn’t like the pastels passing judgment on the macho environment.

  Indiana stood in her office and said, “All right, Charley, you see what I’m working with here. Make it great.”

  “Yes, your office definitely needs a few things. I can make it great. Let’s go shopping.” Calvin nodded mutely. As always he came along for the ride. Charley put his arm around Indiana and informed her it was going to be a long day.

  Indiana smiled and giggled. “You know, I still haven’t been to a mall since I moved here.”

  The day was set in stone after that—shopping, and lots of it. They came back to the exhaustive building with bags full of distractions, hot pizza, and cold beer.

  Everyone in the shop stopped what they were doing and started hovering over the food. They ate and drank in a circle and talked. Indiana desperately needed time off but was caught by her questioning manager.

  “Did you have a good day?” Justin had smoke coming from his dragon tattoo. The naked lady on his other arm glared up at her.