When I pulled the car off the track, I had a wide grin on my face. Nothing could hold me down or spoil my elation over my latest win.
Just like I always did, I left the car for Dean and his crew to pack up. I’d done my part as far as the sponsors were concerned. Before I’d even rounded the car, I had my phone in my hand to text Alyssa with my results. She didn’t really care about whether I came first or last, but she would still be happy for me.
“Declan,” Mum called out to me, but I ignored her to finish the text to Alyssa.
My phone was my sole focus after I hit send, certain Alyssa would text me straight back.
“Dec,” Mum said again. She sounded a little breathless with glee, which was odd.
Sure, I’d all but won the series, but that didn’t fully explain her excitement. It wasn’t like I hadn’t won a race before. Or a series for that matter. Mum was always thrilled when I won, but the tone in her voice was different.
I lifted my gaze to see a man standing with Mum. Despite the fact that he was shorter even than Mum, he had a presence which made him seem at least a foot taller. Beneath his red cap, with the logo I desired so desperately, his brown hair was clearly on the verge of giving up the fight to go grey. He looked at me with a wolfish grin on his lips, as if I was some prize pig, and my heart pounded at the sight. There was only one reason he’d be looking at me that way, and that was if he’d seen my potential.
My mouth went dry at the sight of him. It was as if my dreams had manifested themselves into reality in front of me. I’d hoped and prayed for the moment, but for it to be real, and really happening, was almost more than I could handle.
“Declan, this is Danny Sinclair,” Mum introduced him, completely unnecessarily. Her voice wavered as she spoke because she knew as well as I did just how big a deal it was for Danny Sinclair of Sinclair Racing to have come to this meet just to watch me. “He received your portfolio and wanted to stop in and watch you race in person. Mr Sinclair, this is my son, Declan Reede.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Reede.” He stepped forward and offered me his hand.
I didn’t hesitate to take it, but I tried not to think about how much of my future might be riding on a handshake and the conversation that would follow. “You too, Mr. Sinclair, and you can call me Declan if you’d like.”
“Impressive driving out there, son.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Our race strategist told me about the package you sent. It was very thorough and shows a natural talent for not only racing, but also race management.”
“It is my dream to drive in the ProV8 series, sir. It has been for as long as I can remember. I will do anything it takes to get the opportunity; if that means being thorough, well I’ll be as thorough as needs be.”
Mum nudged me, and I realised why. I wasn’t giving him the full details of my dreams.
“To be honest, sir, Sinclair is the ultimate destination for me. I would take any driving position, but your team is the crème de la crème and would be my first choice if I was given a chance.”
“That is what I am here to talk to you about. Our lead driver, Dane Kent, is retiring in the next few years. As a result, we’re undergoing a reshuffle in the ranks and might just have a position opening up in the production car series.”
I blinked, speechless. For all the dreams I’d had of getting a chance to go into the V8s, never in my wildest dreams had I imagined the head of a team would personally come to see me. Especially not Danny Sinclair. The man was a race legend in his own right, from back in the early days of Bathurst.
He led me away from the crowd, and Mum discreetly disappeared. While the afternoon sun dipped, I chatted with the legend. Our conversation covered everything from why I’d started in racing, why I wanted to race for Sinclair, different racing techniques, my goals in the short and long term, and whether I was happy to move to Sydney. By the time we wrapped up our chat, we were laughing and joking with one another. He seemed happy with the answers I’d given, and his relaxed smile made me relax.
With a final handshake, he told me about the contract he’d be willing to offer me. Even the starting salary was more than my father made, more than I could have ever dreamed of making straight out of school. To be paid so well for doing the one thing I loved more than anything else was almost unbelievable.
“I think you would make a great addition to our team, Declan. You would of course have to submit to the standard testing: personality, driving ability, psychoanalysis. If all of that comes back satisfactory though, you will be offered a contract in due course. With your looks and charm, I think you’ll be a bit of a sponsor’s delight.”
When I drew my hand back, I couldn’t stop the quiver that ran through me. In one afternoon, my dream had apparently become a reality. I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself—there were still lots of things to consider—but the door had been opened and all I had to do was walk through. “Thank you so much for the opportunity, sir.”
“SO, MY handsome winner, what spoils will you claim for your victory?”
I hadn’t told Alyssa about the conversation with Danny Sinclair or his conditional offer. Mostly because there were still so many steps to go through before I would even be considered for a contract, and there was no point stressing us both out unnecessarily if it didn’t work out.
Instead, I thought we’d enjoy our last weeks of school together. In a little over a month, we’d be having our formal and graduating high school. We’d work out what came next once we got there.
In the meantime, it was still vitally important to keep my nose clean and get good grades. One thing Sinclair had specified was decent results on my high school certificate. Not because I necessarily needed the math or English skills for the job, but because it showed dedication and commitment. In each conversation I’d had with their recruitment team, those words cropped up over and over, together with the word family. Apparently, Danny didn’t like to think of the team as anything less than a family.
It was why I tried so hard to concentrate on my algebra homework despite Alyssa’s desire to celebrate my win. She made it harder to focus on my work by looking so damn fine as she sat on her bed, her back against the headboard and long, slender legs extended in front of her. Each time I glanced at her, I kept thinking I would much rather study her bra.
“Well?” She looked at me with come-fuck-me eyes.
Even after almost two years, I wondered if she knew exactly what that look did to me. I was instantly hard and all thoughts of algebra, Sinclair Racing, and everything outside of her bedroom went out the window.
I climbed onto her bed and crawled over to her. With a teasing smile, she leaned back away from me as I moved to kiss her. Our dance—her retreating while I advanced—only stopped when she was lying beneath me. Releasing a contented sigh, I captured her mouth with mine. My legs straddled her thighs, my weight pinning her gently beneath me as I kissed her with every ounce of passion I felt for her.
After we were both breathless, I moved my mouth from hers and trailed small kisses along her neck, finishing at her collarbone. With teasing nips of my teeth, I sucked her skin into my mouth, marking her as mine with a purplish blemish. As I did, she ran her hands up along my chest, undoing the buttons of my school shirt one by one.
I knew Josh, Ruth, or Curtis could come barging in at any moment. Alyssa had a lock on her door, and always kept it locked when we were alone together, but all of her family knew the secret trick to opening it with a butter knife.
After all, they’d each had to break into her room at one time or another after she’d accidentally locked herself out one way or the other. The thought that someone might come crashing through the door at any second only upped the excitement factor for me. I ran my hands up her back and she arched to make room. I undid her bra in an instant and circled my hands around to cup her breasts. She moaned as my fingertips found her nipples and traced gentle patterns over them. I continued to trail kisses up and down
her neck and onto her mouth. Despite the risk of intrusion, we were in no hurry.
We’d been taking things a little further each time we’d been together. After the make-out session where we’d moved beyond dry humping to actually touching each other, things had continued to progress. We’d laid hands on, and in, very private areas and each time it had felt fucking fantastic.
She pushed me gently to roll me over so that I was the one on the bottom.
“Sit,” she said, and I didn’t hesitate to follow her instruction, leaning against her headboard. She sat back on my outstretched legs, gazing up at me. Her natural shyness battled with some desire brewing inside of her. The sight just about did me in. She leaned toward me again, but rather than kissing me, her lips brushed across my earlobe.
“I want to try something,” she whispered.
“Anything,” I managed to whisper back, despite being utterly breathless. My stomach tightened and my cock was rock hard. She had me straining for release already, and she hadn’t even touched me yet. The anticipation of her touch was driving me insane, which was clearly having an effect on her too. Her pupils were dilated, and her heart beat rapidly against her ribs. I could feel it pulsing against my palm as I caressed her breasts—it was a heady sensation.
Her hands trailed down my chest, over my stomach, and onto my shorts. She fumbled with the button, obviously nervous about whatever she wanted to try. She managed to pull down the zipper and then she tugged my shorts and boxers down a little, allowing her access to my cock. It was the most she’d do to undress me. Because of the easily unlocked door situation, we’d learned not to throw our clothes off entirely. It was impossible to know when someone might come in and we’d have to scramble to dress. It was far easier to just pull up a zip than to hunt down a pair of shorts.
Her hand closed around me and my eyes drifted shut. I didn’t understand why she’d asked permission to do that; it had been exactly what she’d done last time, and God, I wanted it. After a moment, I felt a shift in her position. The feel of her touch was heaven, but I needed to know what she was doing. I opened my eyes just in time to see her tongue come out and lick the tip of my dick.
Fuck me.
She caught my eye and smiled as she did it again, eliciting a moan from my lips. It was clearly what she’d wanted because she brought her whole mouth down around my length as soon as the sound had left my mouth. The sight and feel of her mouth around me, the sensation of her lips dragging down to my base, made me come on the spot. I clutched at the sheet as I exploded into her mouth. I expected her to be repulsed by the action, to jump up and make a run for the bathroom to spit it into the sink but instead she swallowed, then dragged her lips up to my tip again and released me with a smile.
“Fuck me, Alyssa.”
“Soon.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I kind of thought . . .”
“What?”
“Forget it. It’s lame.”
“I’m sure it’s not lame.” I pulled her closer to my chest, holding her in order to give her the courage to tell me what she’d meant.
“I just thought, rather than going to one of the after-parties, we could organise our own.”
“Why would we do that? There’s so much to organise and who’d come anyway with Blake and Darcy hosting theirs at her Dad’s apartment?”
Alyssa chuckled. “No, I don’t mean like that. I mean a private party. Just the two of us.”
My brain caught up with my cock. “Oh! Wait, are you sure?”
“Well, it’s only a month before the second anniversary of our first kiss. And two weeks before my birthday. Plus, it’s the biggest night of our lives so far.”
“That it is.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that together? Without the risk of interruptions?”
“It would definitely be special,” I said.
“And memorable.”
“Only if you’re sure though? It’s not something you can take back.”
“Dec, you’ve had most of my other firsts. There is no one I would rather share my first time with.” She brushed her hands through my hair. “I love you. You own my heart and soul, why not my body too?”
“Fuck, when you put it that way, Lys, how can I possibly refuse?”
She grinned. “You can’t. That’s what I was counting on.”
CHAPTER TEN: THE END OF INNOCENCE
THE NIGHT OF our high school formal finally rolled around.
Even before our pact and plan to share ourselves on the night, we’d spent ages planning for the perfect evening. After we’d both agreed to give our virginity to each other as a combined graduation/anniversary present, there were a few other things to organise, but they were easy final touches for me. When the day finally came, we were both ready for it—both to say goodbye to school with the dance and to take the next step in our relationship. In fact, during the two weeks before the formal, we’d had to stop ourselves a number of times before we took things too far.
I’d arranged for my dad to hire a hotel room at the Suncrest Hotel—where the formal was being held—ostensibly to “get ready in” but I knew I hadn’t fooled him and he knew the real reason. Thankfully, he kept it secret from both our mums.
For the better part of the afternoon, I was at the hotel setting up candles and rose petals around the room. I’d sourced a playlist of classical music and loaded it on my iPod for some atmosphere and set up another containing all of our special songs. I’d planned everything perfectly, and was sure nothing could go wrong. I’d even arranged for a bag of Alyssa’s clothes to be collected and left in our room so that she’d be able to get out of her formal dress and into something comfortable afterward.
After dressing in my tuxedo, I went to meet my best friend, Ben, in the lobby. We greeted each other with shoulder slaps before heading to the basement for my car so we could go get the girls back in Browns Plains.
Alyssa was at her house getting ready with Jade. When we arrived, I beeped the horn as we climbed out. Alyssa and Jade came out of the house together with huge smiles on their faces. I was floored when I saw the dress Alyssa was wearing. Sex on legs was too feeble a term to describe how utterly fantastic she looked.
Her dress was a bright electric blue, floor length and very low cut. In fact, it may as well not have had a top; the only thing giving her any semblance of modesty were the two flimsy pieces of material which rose in triangles from her hips and climbed over her breasts before meeting in the middle at the back of her neck. Everything else above her hips was on show, including her stomach, which had an opal belly-button ring residing in the middle. Her hair was swept up into a high bun full of curls with a few loose tendrils framing her face and neck. Her make-up was light and natural, but served to enhance her features perfectly.
As soon as I saw her, I wanted to put her high on a pedestal with a plaque that read, Property of Declan Reede, and that thought scared the shit out of me. After all, my contract for Sinclair Racing was already well into discussions. I’d already been told I’d passed the tests. It was really just a matter of the final terms of the contract.
After I’d finally nutted up and told Alyssa about it, she kept trying to be the voice of reason—telling me I should go to uni first and get back into racing after I finished, because that way I would have a fallback plan.
In my mind, I could already see where the uni path would lead. I would go to uni for three years. In that time, I would be so busy studying that I wouldn’t be able to race at all. Then when I graduated, I’d be rusty and not able to drive anyway. I’d have to settle for some lame-arse job that I would never enjoy. In that direction, my life was safe, boring. Signing off on a uni placement was akin to signing the death warrant on my dreams and that really scared the shit out of me. These thoughts flooded my mind almost the instant the pedestal ones left, and I wanted to run. Fast.
Alyssa smiled and wrapped herself around me and then nothing else mattered. All of that other stu
ff: race or uni, life in general, it all seemed so unimportant in the wake of us. Those details would sort themselves out later. Being with Alyssa, then and there, that was what was important. I smiled back at her and led her to my car.
Ben and Jade were already waiting alongside it. Ruth came rushing out of the house with a camera and we spent five minutes getting photos of us as a couple, us with Jade and Ben, just Ben and me, just Alyssa and Jade. Ruth would have kept going, except we finally escaped into the car and were away.
The dance itself went off without a hitch. We mingled with all of our friends. We headed to the dance floor for a bit of bump and grind—much to our teachers’ displeasure. We said teary goodbyes at the end of the night—even though we would all be back at school the following Monday for our final week.
Eventually, everyone dispersed, mostly to go to whatever after-formal party they had arranged to attend. As they filtered out, Alyssa and I waited anxiously by the elevator, casting nervous glances at each other. The hotel room key card burned a hole in my tuxedo pocket the whole time. We were both ready, but both nervous as hell.
When we finally stepped out of the elevator onto our floor I told Alyssa to wait there. I ran into the room, turned off all the lights and lit the candles. I noticed a bottle of champagne in a cooler in the middle of the room and a box of chocolates to the side of it. I put the key card down to read the note that sat on top of the chocolates. It simply read, Be safe, in my father’s handwriting. Underneath the paper was a strip of condoms.
After gulping down a breath, I threw the note in the bin and pocketed the rubbers. Alyssa would freak if she thought my dad knew what we were planning. Then I thought of Alyssa in that dress and I raced from the room to get her. I put my hands over her eyes as I led her down the hallway. I reached for the door handle to let us back in. Only the door was locked, and the key card was inside—right next to the chocolates and the burning candles.
Declan Reede: The Untold Story (Complete Series) Page 9