Qualify: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World)

by TL Mayhew

  “I hope your silence means you’re reconsidering the idea and not that you’re jacking off to the thought of you and her… fuck, I can’t even finish that sentence, otherwise, your ugly mug will be the source of my late-night nightmares.”

  We both chuckle at his light humor.

  “I’ll let you know how it goes,” I tell him. “Just don’t expect pictures.”

  At that I disconnect the call, making one other call to Alicia, telling her to have Berkleigh meet me in the service garage when she’s through with lunch and to find out where my clothes are.

  Letting out a breath, I lean back in the office chair, tuck my hands behind my head, and allow my mind to drift back to the way it felt in the car on the track today. It’s the only thing that will get my mind off her so that my dick softens before I make the long trek from my office to the garage.

  Chapter 19

  Except for Kye crashing the facility tour in the simulation room, and trying to get under my skin with his suggestion of me sitting in the same car I experienced a moment like no other in, my first day has been…uneventful.

  Eric has been an amazing guide. He’s funny, knowledgeable, and very… easy on the eyes.

  He was the only one I hadn’t met at my surprise party. I thought it none of my business why he wasn’t there or why his teammates nor Kye hadn’t mentioned him, so I was glad when he’d introduced himself.

  As I understand it, Eric is the fuel man. Or that’s at least one of the hats he wears in the pit. He’d said they’ve been known to alternate positions but, as of late, they’ve been sticking with what they’re most skilled at.

  While putting fuel in a car doesn’t sound all the difficult, there is a science to it, add to that the fact you’re filling a vehicle that has just been around a track topping at 200 mph or more, which builds up heat.

  “One misplaced drop of fuel and BAM! Explosion,” he’d said, flicking his fingers in my face and making me jump.

  It’s funny now but I can tell you my heart was beating a thousand times a minute when it happened.

  “So what made you decide to become a mechanic?” he asks, just as I’m shoving a forkful of salad in my face.

  I cover my mouth with my hand, chewing rapidly, then swallow the leafy greens down and just hope there’s nothing in my teeth as I explain.

  “I kind of grew up around cars. My dad was a pit crew chief and my five brothers…”

  He leans back in his chair as though my words were some invisible force. “Five brothers? Holy shit.” He clears his throat. “I mean, wow. Bringing boyfriends home must’ve been…traumatizing. For them at least.”

  I furrow my brows at his mention of boyfriends. There weren’t many, maybe for that very reason. But I don’t dwell on his odd response, instead I shrug it off and continue to tell him about my childhood and teenage years.

  “Impressive. So, you’ll be the resident expert on stock cars then,” he states, leaning forward and shoving a much too big bite of his sub sandwich in his mouth.

  I sip on my water and look around the cafeteria, so I’m not focused on the bulge in his cheek as he chews.

  The space is large. Its max capacity, one hundred employees. It makes me wonder if there’s even that many people working here. I mean, most of the halls seem empty as do the rooms we’d visited. And glancing around the tables I’d say only half are occupied.

  There are a few others lined up to order food.

  I’d had a choice of a salad bar or selecting a made-to-order meal. My stomach is still twirling with anxiety so I felt a salad would be the safest option.

  Glancing back, I realize he’s finished his meal and is now staring, at me. “I have to admit you are the hottest mechanic I’ve ever seen. Except for those pinup models dressed like mechanics. You know… the calendars?”

  I choke out a cough. Easy on the eyes or not, he’s quite forward. I’m not interested in taking that conversation further, so instead of a reply I decide to put him on the spot. “What about you… How’d you end up here?”

  “You mean at Kingston’s?”

  I nod.

  “Long story, short. I was a driver, but the racing team I drove for went under when the sponsors began leaving one by one. Something to do with the owner laundering money or something. I don’t know all the details. I just know that I was out of a job until Grady heard about what happened. It wasn’t what I had been doing but maybe if I did well, I could work my way up.” He piles his empty food wrappers on a tray and pushes it off to the side before leaning in. “Now that Kye is switching to stock cars, I’m hopeful they’ll have a position open for an Indy car driver.

  “Was that what you’d driven before, Indy cars?”

  He nods and opens his mouth to say something but clamps it shut when he glances over my shoulder.

  My first thought is Kye is standing behind me and is infuriated we’ve sat here for longer than the allotted hour, but when I turn around Alicia is there. “Miss Shaw, Kye… I mean Mr. Kingston would like for you to meet him in the garage when you’re through with lunch.”

  Her use of his first name still has me puzzled. I wonder again if they had a thing at one time. The same twinge of jealousy tightens my chest, but it passes quickly. If they had a thing it’s really none of my business.

  “Thank you,” I tell her, glancing at my half-eaten salad and then to Eric. “I guess I’m being summoned.”

  He smiles. “I’ll come with you.”

  “Actually…” Alicia cuts in. “Mr. Kingston would like for you to do an inventory of how many wheel bearings we have in stock. All the parts with the stock number he texted you will need to be destroyed. I can show Miss Shaw to the garage.”

  He glances from me to her and then back, rolling his eyes before standing. “I guess that’s my cue. I’ll see you later.” With a wink, he’s grabbing his tray, dumping his trash in the bin, and heading for the door. Not giving Alicia a second glance.

  There’s an awkward silence between the two of us as I clear the rest of the table. Something seems different from the first time I’d met her. There’s almost a coldness toward me now. I haven’t really talked much with her since she’d given me what I needed for my first day.

  I shrug it off as she’s probably just having a bad morning.

  We exit the cafeteria, pausing just long enough to dispose of my lunch containers, and weave our way through the building.

  “Is everything all right?” I ask, unable to stand the uncomfortable silence any longer.

  “Fine, why do you ask?” she says, staring straight ahead and keeping her quick pace down the hall.

  Increasing my own pace, I match hers. “It just seems like you’re upset about something.”

  “No, not at all,” she replies, but her words don’t match her sour expression. “Just a busy morning I guess.”

  I should leave it at that. Let the awkward silence seep in once again but I can’t. “Is there anything I can help with?”

  She stops on a heel and pins a hard stare on me, one I don’t notice until I stop two steps ahead and then turn around. “There’s nothing wrong and there’s nothing you can help do. As you so eloquently put it in the cafeteria, the boss has summoned you. Which means he must have something for you to do. I suggest you worry about what that is and not about me.”

  She takes off again and I’m left standing with a gaping mouth. Having no clue what has gotten into her.

  “Well, are you coming?” she says with her hand on the knob of a door. I break into a jog to catch up but once I’m there, she waves me inside.

  “You’re not going in?” I ask nervously.

  She scoffs at my question. Her only reply, the arch of her perfectly plucked brow.

  I take a tentative step over the threshold. My heart rate kicks up a notch. It’s clear keeping our relationship professional is going to be harder than I’d thought, because the thought of being alone with Kye has my body spinning into betrayal mode.

  But he’s nowh
ere to be found.

  While there’s so much to see, the first thing that draws my attention is the fifteen service bays, five of which are occupied by Formula One cars. They sit atop a polished floor that is a patchwork of black-and-white tile made to resemble a checkered flag.

  Even those not a fan of racing would find this setup impressive.

  My thoughts instantly go to Josh and the modest garage at Dragoo’s. I suspect he’s been here before but if not, I will definitely be making the suggestion.

  “Impressive, isn’t it?” Kye asks, his warm breath skating across my skin.

  I clamp my mouth closed and take a step farther inside. Distancing myself from the heat of his body and the spicy scent of his cologne, I close in on the car nearest the entrance, running my fingers over its smooth surface.

  “It is,” I respond absentmindedly. Lost in my own visions of what it will be like working here. “I’ve never been in a space so… clean.”

  He chuckles as he passes by, headed toward one of the tool cabinets.

  I chance a glance at him when his back is turned and almost choke on my own gasp. He’s in one of his racing fire suits. One that has appeared to have been tailored to fit his body perfectly.

  Formfitting around his shoulders but not too tight to restrict his movement. The way it tapers in at his waist and finally the way it fits like a glove over the distinct curve of his ass. A drop of drool teases the corner of my mouth.

  It’s in that moment I realize if I don’t look away…

  Too late.

  He turns before I have a chance to.

  Our eyes lock. His hazel to my brown. It’s a staredown of epic proportions. Neither of us giving in… Nor taking what we both clearly want.

  He lets out a deep sigh and leans against the tool cabinet. “Berkleigh, there’s something I want to get out of the way before I tell you why you’re here.”

  He pulls out one of those old-fashioned metal stools, the one where the top is vinyl and it has an image of a car make stamped on top, waving for me to have a seat.

  I do, then wonder why he seems so… serious.

  “I’m just going to cut through all the bullshit, right here and right now, because I don’t know when we’ll get the chance again. What you were saying at Josh’s place about my being your boss and all, I respect that. I do.” He stands and walks to the end of the car, running a hand through his hair. “Hell, if I’m being honest, staying away was my intention as well, but there’s something about you. Something that draws me in and makes me want to get to know you more.”

  With just a few steps he closes the distance between us, gripping my chin lightly and tipping my head up. “I want to get to know you in every way possible. And it’s fucking killing me,” he says before his lips collide with mine.

  I don’t pull away… not at first. Instead, I lean into him, allowing him to give and take what he needs while I match his pace, even though my mind is reeling, swirling with mixed emotions of now and memories from my past.

  It’s all too much and I push him away. “I can’t, Kye. I’m sorry.”

  Jumping off the stool, I turn away, intent on heading toward the exit, unsure of what my future might hold now, but he grips my arm. “Stay, please.”

  I’ve fallen down the very rabbit hole Josh warned me about, and I’ve fallen hard.

  I must take too long to answer because on a long breath, he turns me to face him. “If that’s what it will take to make you stay, I promise I will at least try to keep my hands off you,” he says, a bit of mischief dancing in his eyes.

  I glance at his hands on my arms and a smirk teases his lips as he raises his hands in surrender and even takes a step back.

  As much as I know I should, I can’t tell him no and I decide to let it go. Changing the topic to the other reason I’m here. “How about you tell me what you brought me in here for. The tour wasn’t over, was it?”

  He chuckles, lessening the tension in the air. “I’m not sure the tour is ever over. There’s a lot to see here.” Swiping a tablet off one of the tool chests, he heads back over to me and waves to the stool once again.

  I eye him suspiciously.

  “Go on, have a seat,” he says, leaning an elbow on a nearby bar height table. “I’ll keep it professional from here on out.” Turning a screen of a tablet in my direction, I glance at the screen and on it is a MP3 file.

  “This is a recording of my test drive on the track today. It’s a list of what I’d discovered while taking our new stock car out for a spin. I’m hoping you can give it a listen and let me know where we should start.”

  I take the tablet but before pressing play my eyes meet his. “We?”

  “Yeah…You and me,” he says, turning his lips up in that smirk I love so much. The one that is easily becoming the bane of my existence.

  There are so many things I want to reiterate but decide to refrain, because the more I’m around him the more my walls break down. In a way, I think I’m enjoying his persistence. Plus, I’m way too excited to delay listening to the track footage any further.

  Glancing back at the screen, I tap the triangle and the recording comes to life.

  It’s starts off with the roar of an engine. A grin spreads across my face, and I steal a glance in his direction. He offers a wink, then nods, directing me back to the tablet. He’s revving it up, most likely listening for any inconsistencies before he lets off the gas and the engine drops to a rumbling idle.

  It’s purring like a kitten and he’s on the track just like that.

  The sound is like music to my ears.

  As he’s heading down the straightaway and then into the curves, he’s describing everything he feels in the car to his crew chief, Robert. I pause the sound bite. “Do you have a pen and piece of paper?”

  He nods, scrambling through drawers and even heading into the back rooms before returning with the things I’d asked.

  Rewinding the sound, then playing it again, I take notes with each thing he says. I imagine they’ve already done this, but it helps me remember if I write it myself.

  The longer they speak the more I get lost in his smooth tone. I find myself rewinding again and again just to hear him in his element. When I finally end it and hand the tablet back to Kye, his quizzical expression tells me I’ve been caught.

  “Hear something you like?” he asks, his brow raised.

  “Yeah, the car purrs like a kitten at an idle,” I retort. “How about you show me to her so I can have a look.”

  He narrows his stare on me, leaning in as if to call me out, but he doesn’t. “Follow me,” he says, and I do. The anticipation of seeing the car, his car, up close and personal, is biting at my heels.

  She sits at the end of the row.

  With her glossy ultramarine blue paint, black racing stripes, and sky-blue accent colors, it’s a sight to behold. There are sponsor names affixed to the hood, roof, and trunk while the sides are reserved for the Kingston name, logo, and the driver’s number. In this case, Kye’s number, sixteen is shining bright in white.

  I make a wide circle around the expensive piece of machinery, taking in every little detail and storing it away in my memory. I can feel his stare on me the entire time. Normally, it would make me uncomfortable, but I’m too caught up with excitement at this moment to care.

  “Do you want to take a look under the hood?” he asks, as if there was a sliver of doubt in his mind I wouldn’t.

  “Absolutely,” I tell him, rubbing my hands together excitedly.

  Once the hood locks are disengaged and he raises the hood, I admire the potential power that lies beneath. The design is pretty much a mirror of my brother’s car, and I feel right at home as I lean in and pull the dipstick.

  When I turn back, I catch Kye staring at my ass. He knows I can see him but doesn’t make any move to avert his eyes or apologize for the typical male response.

  Shaking my head, I go on with my normal routine of checking all the fluids, just like I would if
this car were an everyday ride. Once everything looks in order, I drop the hood and focus my attention on him. “She’s a beauty, that’s for sure.”

  “She sure is,” he says, but his eyes aren’t on the car.

  Unable to ignore his undertones, I place my hands on my hips, and lift my chin defiantly. “Is this what it’s going to be like, working with you? I do all the work while you stand there ogling from afar.”

  Without a word, he pushes off the car and stalks toward me. Those hazel eyes darkening a shade with every step he takes. They’re almost brown by the time he has me backed up against the hood of the car.

  I place my hands behind me to keep from dropping to a seated position on the glossy paint and he takes advantage of my position. Cupping my face and placing his lips gently on mine.

  His touch is tentative, as though he’s gauging my reaction. I pull back and, although he tries to hide it, I hear his groan of frustration. And fuck if that doesn’t set all my nerves on edge.

  This man and his constant proximity does things to me.

  Searching his eyes, my thoughts bounce between agreeing with the ache building between my legs, and allowing him to assault my mouth with his soft lips and wandering tongue, or stopping this, knowing that giving in goes against everything I’d told him.

  I’m thankful when my decision is made by the group of voices echoing through the room.

  In an instant, I’m shoving Kye off me and leaping to my feet like a teenage girl caught with a boy in her room. I make sure my coveralls are in proper alignment before stealing a quick glance at Kye. Suddenly wishing I hadn’t.

  The mischievous grin on his face tells me he’s enjoying this.

  Of course, he is, why wouldn’t he be? He’s the boss and almost getting caught making out with your employee on her first day must be a nice change from the normal monotony that is the life of a race car driver.

  He grips hold of my coveralls on each side, shaking them, and making my body twist while he tries to straighten the backside.