The Champion

by Shey Stahl

  But this time, against the tree, I briefly thought to myself, “Well, this is the second time in your life you’ve been fucked against a tree.” And then I thought, “Hot damn, this is the second time I’m being fucked against a tree.”

  Focusing on the moment, my dirty heathen pressed his forehead to mine, one hand wrapped around my right thigh and the other holding onto a branch above my head. My eyes darted to his arm beside my head watching the way the thick muscles flexed as his hips moved. My eyes traveled over his shoulder and then to his face watching the way his brow knitted together in concentration, the way his lips parted slightly as he let out soft grunts of pleasure. His eyes were closed but when I breathed his name, he opened them for me just about the time we fell.

  I don’t mean fell into our rev limit either. I mean actually fell.

  “Son of a bitch!” Jameson shouted, trying to break our fall as his knee slammed into a log.

  We must not have had good leverage or something because regardless, we fell.

  “Get over here,” Jameson roughly grabbed me by my hips and placed me on all fours, on the ground, in the woods.

  If that wasn’t hot I’m not sure what was because I completely lost it and found my rev limit and then some.

  I’m not sure what it was that made it so hot and sent my temps rising but I’d like to think it was because of the way he manhandled me and shoved me on all fours to satisfy his need.

  “That’s right.” Jameson said in a rush of winded words and a cocky nod when I finished moaning and turned to look at him.

  He looked so hot with chips of wood in his hair, polished body from the humidity and working up fast time.

  Removing myself from him, I threw his shirt at him.

  “Someday you’ll need your own country to house that head of yours.”

  I left him sitting there in the woods and began to make my way back to camp when I heard Tommy yell, “Hey look, it’s a cougar.”

  I knew he was joking but I’d never seen Jameson run so fast. He flew past me and was standing by the fire before I even made two steps. Probably not that fast but it seemed that way.

  “Hey asshole, thanks for caring about your wife!” I shouted at him and then tripped over a log and face planted.

  When I made it back to the fire Jameson was wrestling with Tommy and a bottle of pink hair dye.

  Apparently, Tommy was trying to replace Jameson’s shampoo with pink hair dye when Jameson caught him.

  I, for one, could have cared less about the hair dye or who got their hair dyed when I returned.

  I had some many cuts, bruises, splinters, and abrasions that I needed a first aid kit and a few words with Jameson and Tommy.

  Tommy ran from Jameson when he kicked him in the shin and realized he shouldn’t have but instead slipped and smacked the back of his head on a log.

  Tommy laid there for a moment before he panicked.

  “Oh god, please tell me I don’t have blood coming out of my ears! Please tell me!” he groaned pushing his hands through his orange hair and down his face roughly.

  “No,” Jameson kicked him in the side, still without shoes on. “You don’t have blood coming from your ears dumb shit.”

  Pushing Jameson aside, I knelt next to Tommy pretending to check for blood. “Nope, no blood. But you do smell like piss and Tequila and you’re missing your eyebrows.” And then I smacked his forehead. “Don’t ever do that to me again!”

  “Do what?”

  “Threaten a cougar sighting. We take that shit seriously in this family.”

  “Oh please, it was a joke.” Tommy curled into a ball with his log. The sun peaking over the trees revealed his pale face. “If I never see Tequila again, it will be too soon.”

  Justin laughed hanging on Ami, his own face just as pale. “He said that last week.”

  Still sitting next to Tommy in the dirt, he looked at me, with wide blood shot eyes. “I sometimes think that my ideas will work on Jameson.”

  “Fire crotch,” I shook my head rubbing his back softly. “I sometimes think that I could have been a professional dancer and then reality sinks in and I say to myself, that’s a pipe dream.”

  He looked concerned. “Are you saying I’ll never get him back?”

  “No. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

  Tommy moaned and fell back into the dirt. “Did they really brand my chest?”

  I nodded with a smile. “Yes, that really happened.”

  “Are my eyebrows missing?”

  “Yes, that really happened too.”

  Before heading back to our tent, I looked at the campsite and cringed at what ten adults were able to do in one evening.

  We had no beer left, no hard alcohol and most of our food was now gone. Not to mention we almost set the picnic table on fire, successfully discovered how to make a bomb with Pepsi and Mentos, made a beer bong with Ami’s breast bump, gave Tommy a tattoo with a branding iron Aiden had made on his chest that said “I’m your bitch” and lost Ryder. Actually lost him.

  It was time for bed.

  Jameson, who used the kids as a defense device when I found him in the tent, had nothing to say for himself until I showed him the cuts on my back from the tree.

  “I’m sorry?” he offered playing with Arie’s curls as she slept on his chest.

  “Sorry he says.” I repeated shaking my head before zipping myself up to my nose in my sleeping bag.

  Pit Board – Jameson

  “Daddy, daddy!”

  I groaned, opening my eyes to the blinding light coming in through our tent. I got very little sleep with all the bugs and everything that happened last night. Oh, and when I finally did reach the tent, Arie wormed her way in between us.

  I tired numerous times to put her on the other side of Sway but no, every time she found her way back to me and my sore back.

  After about the tenth time of Arie saying, “You awake?” that morning, I opened my eyes to find her staring at me.

  “Finally,” Arie sighed. Her big emerald eyes gleamed with brightness. “Get up,” she ordered pointing her tiny finger at me.

  For being nearly three, she was demanding. I blamed Emma and Alley for that.

  “Flowers,”

  Oh, right. I promised her we’d pick flowers today. How we were going to find flowers here was beyond me. So far, all I’ve seen is red clay mud, water, and bugs.

  “Daddy!” she yelled jumping on me. “Up.”

  “I’m up sweetie, I’m up!” I turned over to see Sway was still sleeping. “Just let me make some coffee first. And don’t wake up mommy. She’s mad at me.”

  She seemed to contemplate this for a moment. “One mimmut,”

  “You are so adorable.” I grabbed her chubby cheeks in between my hands kissing her nose. “So adorable,”

  “No me not.” She said sternly frowning as she pushed against my chest.

  “Oh yes you are.” I tickled her ribs as she cackled, continuing until she was screeching loud enough to wake Spencer and Aiden.

  I let her up after that so she could catch her breath. For the first time I noticed what she was wearing and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. She obviously dressed herself this morning. The outfit started-off normal enough, with a t-shirt and jeans but the jeans were tucked into bright yellow boots. Along with those she was wearing a pink ballet costume over the shirt and a tiara that was slightly askew from our tickling war, on top of her head.

  Chuckling the words out, I muttered. “Ten minutes. Yes ma’am.”

  Even though my little angel couldn’t tell time, I knew as by the way she stomped from the tent, she’d be back in less than two minutes.

  Sure enough, Arie came stomping back, this time with a life jacket around her and a bucket in hand.

  “What’s with the life jacket?” I knelt down to adjust the straps to fit her snuggly.

  She glanced over her shoulder at the boys having an early morning water fight by the lake.

 
“Aunnie Amee,”

  I saw Ami wave at me. After last night, she must have known the boys get a little crazy at times because she strapped life vests on Arie, Alexis and Lily for their safety.

  Sway woke up with all the screaming from Spencer when Aiden threw a snake at him he found in the lake just before Arie and I left to pick flowers.

  I heard her grumbling about the bugs and her cuts when she yelped as she unzipped the tent.

  “Oh son of a—”

  “Say good morning to mommy Arie!” I said loud enough for her to hear.

  I did this for two reasons. I didn’t have any money on me to hand over to Arie for Sway’s cussing and two; Arie was like a goddamn sponge. Anything you said, she repeated and at the most inconvenient times.

  “Good morning sweetheart.” Sway smiled at Arie who lunged for her and looked at me with a glare and then smiled. Her smile was somewhat concerning though. It was one that had me wondering what I was missing “Did you sleep good?”

  “Yeah,”

  Sway looked over her outfit. “Did daddy dress you again?”

  “No me.” Arie pointed to herself.

  Sway kissed her chubby cheeks.

  “You did good. You look beautiful!”

  They spoke for a few minutes until it was time for Casten to eat, he didn’t like to wait.

  “C’mon sweetie, let’s go get mommy’s present.” Arie popped up from Sway’s arms and followed me. I smiled back at my wife but she glared.

  Being out in the backwoods of Alabama, we didn’t find any flowers. Found a few snakes and quite possibly the largest spider I’ve ever seen in my entire life, but no flowers. That depressed my little girl to the point of tears. You can imagine how this made me feel. I didn’t like Sway crying let alone our adorable little spaz children.

  I didn’t deal well with the crying so in turn, I was now making a s’more at eight in the morning for her to keep the tears at bay.

  On the way back, I did indeed promise a s’more when Arie looked up at me and grinned. “Daddy, why your hair pink?”

  I shook my head remembering Sway’s smile. “Oh, because daddy has assholes for friends,”

  “Assholes?”

  “Never mind.”

  Sway came walking up to the fire. “Sucker,”

  “You’re one to talk.” Slowly, I turned the marshmallow to keep from burning. “You went to get coals yesterday and bought half the goddamn store.”

  “Whatever.” She sat down beside me with Casten in her lap. “Nice hair.”

  “Yeah, I think the color goes nice with my skin.” I gestured to all the bug bites.

  “That it does sweet cheeks.” She kicked my ass and almost landed me in the fire head first.

  “Nice.” I said brushing ashes from my shirt.

  Arie came bouncing over to me with chocolate all over her face. “Where’s my massmello?”

  “Marshmallow?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Here you go princess.” I handed over the marshmallow and smiled at Sway.

  It never failed. We gave into the adorable spaz children, no matter what. But when your kids become part of your pit board, you’ll do anything to keep them happy and running just as smoothly as you are.

  Sway and I also knew this would backfire someday. Some may even call them spoiled. Spoiled maybe, but not with possessions, with love. That may sound a bit cheesy I know, but it was the truth. I strongly believed we couldn’t worry about the future right now. We had to live for each pit stop and discover who they really were within the race. Even if that meant bribing them at times and making s’mores at eight in the morning.

  16. Crush Panels – Jameson

  Crush Panels – Metal panels that are inserted around the bottom of the driver’s compartment and wheel wells to keep fumes and intense heat away from the driver.

  It was early, too early for my liking to be leaving for the airport, but I was. It took me a good hour to actually get out of bed this morning because Sway not helping my attempts by giving me pouty lips and showing me her boobs, which is why I was running late to pick up Justin in Martinsville. Wes, on my time clock, was late as well when we landed to pick him up.

  Justin and I were racing in the World of Outlaws race at Skagit Speedway on Friday night and then I would fly back to Richmond in the morning for the cup race. Tyler and my other driver, Cody Bowman, were already there in Washington.

  “Jameson, I need to drop you off here.” Wes told me when we landed in Martinsville Indiana where I met Justin. “I need to get to Jacksonville to get Jimi. He needs to be in Alger tonight as well.”

  I’m sure my expression was something similar to “What the fuck!” I didn’t say this.

  Instead, I said, “You mean I have to fly with other people?”

  “Yes, your no fly order was lifted.” Wes chuckled. “I think you can handle it.”

  “So Jimi is more important?” I scoffed annoyed. I was already late because of Sway and her magic boobies.

  “He pays the fuel for this thing. So yeah, I think he’s more important kid.”

  “That’s bullshit Wes.” I slammed my bag down and pointed at him. “If I get arrested, I’m blaming this entirely on you!”

  My threat just washed right off him, as I’m sure he laughed all the way to Jacksonville.

  An hour later that morning, I missed the flight Alley booked for Justin and me.

  “What took you so long this morning—we could have been there by now?” Justin asked as we walked through the airport.

  I smiled and went to say something when he shook his head and held his hand up. “Never mind—I don’t want to know.”

  We finally found the ticket booth, got new tickets for the next flight only to discover it’s departing right now. In our mad rush back to the gate, Justin dropped his ticket so we had to back track. Once we found the ticket, we made it to the gate to see the door closing on us.

  “Fix this asshole.” Justin said virtuously.

  Once again, I hardly thought this was entirely my fault. “You lost your goddamn ticket.”

  He pushed me toward the ticket booth in front of the closed door. “And you were late this morning.”

  Looking from an angry Justin to the woman at the counter, I knew my option.

  It was time to unleash some charm. Taking in a deep breath, I stepped forward.

  “Excuse me miss...” She immediately turned to face me, her cheeks flushed. She was young, nineteen or twenty maybe.

  That’s right, you still have it.

  “I’m Jameson Riley and my friend...” I motioned behind me to Justin—he flashed a charming smile of his own. “Well, we really need on that plane.”

  “Oh sir...I’m sorry I can’t. They are securing the cabin,” she said hesitantly.

  Her eyes glanced fugitively around the airport, avoiding mine.

  C’mon, just look at me. I knew if she looked at me, it was over. I know that sounds cocky, but I was well aware of the affect I had on women these days and knew the ways to get them going.

  I smiled my most seductive smile and leaned against the counter. My forearm gently brushed against her fingers that were clinging to a clipboard. At the contact, she inhaled sharply.

  “The problem with that is,” my eyes that were focused on the counter met hers. “I need to be in Alger later this afternoon for a race.”

  She looked confused for a moment and then comprehension flashed across her face when her eyes finally met mine. “Are you Jameson Riley the NASCAR driver?”

  I winked for good measure. “That would be me.”

  She then laughed and started rambling on about racing and getting the doors to the plane open. Justin and I both gave her autographs and took a couple pictures with her before they finally allowed us to board the plane.

  Yet another reason I preferred to fly with Wes. I didn’t have to flirt with him.

  “You’re lucky your charm worked.”

  “It always does.”

  M
aintaining eye contact, Justin shook his head and stared at me as I took a drink of his coffee and maintained eye contact.

  “Sway was right,” he said sourly. “your head can get bigger.”

  We made it to Skagit without any more problems. That was until we got inside the cars.

  It was hard to believe that three years ago my little girl was brought into the world at this very track. Those thoughts made me think of my family who were at home this weekend.

  With the cup schedule, I could only make one night of the racing and then it was on to Richmond Saturday morning for the race and then back to Mooresville to celebrate Arie’s third birthday on Tuesday with our family.

  It was one destructive night of racing and by the time the main events rolled around, I was wondering why in the hell I even came up here. All I could think about was how much money this was going to cost me this week to get these three cars ready for Cottage Grove Monday night.

  I never went very long without racing on dirt. If I did, I went through withdrawals, which was exactly why I was out here for one day.

  So there we were, sometime after the hot laps looking over our cars lined up beside each other in the pits.

  Justin leaned back on his rear tire, pushing his fingers against the rubber. With the lower psi, the rubber flexed under his touch, “It’s crazy out there tonight.”

  And it was. The track was slick with only one groove making it hard to pass anyone. Tyler’s car was flying but Justin and me; far from flying.

  We were hanging on to dear life hoping like hell we didn’t wad it up in each turn. I loved racing Skagit, a relatively flat track made for the good slide jobs in the corners but with only one groove working tonight, it was pretty much impossible unless you hung it out there and prayed to fucking god you didn’t end up in the wall. With a wife and three kids now, that wasn’t an option for me any longer.

  As it turned out, none of us had a good night, including Tyler who broke the track record during qualifying.

  “How’d ya do?” I asked Justin pulling down my suit to my waist.

  Justin frowned. “Broke a lower control arm,”

  “Hell, my right front tire could be in Seattle by now.” I flipped the car six times on the backstretch when I got tangled with a local guy halfway through the A-feature.