Inquisitive gray eyes looked into Sam’s green, while Addison thought about all that she was going to be put through soon. “I like you just fine for you to be a friend. There are probably a few things you could teach me I’m sure.” Addi laughed, leaning back and tilting her beer all the way back, finishing it in one long swallow before setting it on the table top with a small burp. “Excuse me,” she laughed. “But can I have a translator while I’m studying? I don’t speak anything other than English; I’d like to know what everyone’s saying to me.”
“Not a problem, I’ll make sure that someone is close by at all times, and if you want, I’ll get you some CD’s where you can learn at your own pace. And the first thing that I’ll teach you is not to guzzle your beer, unless you’re with a bunch of mechanics or alone with me, because then all bets are off.”
Addison looked down at the blonde still holding her hand, and marveled at the texture of her skin. She couldn’t help but trail a fingertip over the calluses on Sam’s palms that made it clear that she could wield a wrench just as well as Addison could. Blinking at the image of Sam leaning over her car with a wrench had the younger driver blushing with implicit thoughts she’d never had before. “Yes ma’am.” She looked up with a small grin.
Slowly pulling her hand away, Sam wiped it on her jeans, and swallowed. “So what exactly got you into racing?” The older woman knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from the younger woman’s point of view.
Feeling like a stupid kid with a teenage crush, Addison jerked her hand back as well and looked out at the ocean. “You get to do what every kid wants to do, live the American Dream. Live fast, die young, and stay pretty forever...no, the truth? I just like to go really fast where no one can stop me.”
Sam tilted her head to look at the girl’s profile. “Is that the only reason Addi?”
The F1 driver could see the girl shifting around the options in her head, deciding if she wanted to tell her it was her only escape from her father. He couldn’t touch her in a car, or on a bike for that matter. “Mostly yes, but for me driving, racing, it’s an escape. It’s just you and the car, and the road for miles.”
Softly, Sam asked. “Has he ever beaten you Addison?” She wanted the girl to trust her, and she knew that she might be pushing her to do so too fast, but she couldn’t stop herself.
Addison flinched away from the older blonde. “I-I-I I don’t know if we should be talking about this Sam. It will interfere with our relationship as employee and employer. I don’t want to change the way you look at me.”
“Do you want to know how I see you? I see you as a strong young woman who has the intelligence, the skills and the know-how to make it in a man’s business. Someone that has been through a lot, but who has not let it scar her. Someone I can be proud to call my friend.” Sam laid her hand on the bar next to the copper-haired girl’s. “Besides, in your own words, who am I to judge?”
The younger of the two flexed her fists tightly, turning her knuckles white. “Then to give you an answer to your question, yes he has,” she whispered turning away and pulling her hands back to her lap. When the bartender reappeared, she smiled as if nothing was wrong. “Do you think you could be kind enough to make me a double crown and coke please?”
The man nodded as he sat down the platters of food in front of the two women. Sam raised her eyebrow at the order, but said nothing until the bartender stepped away. “Good Lord! Did I really order this much?”
Addison smiled weakly and nodded, waiting for Sam to reach for the food first. Her father had been a stickler for everything, never speak unless spoken too, be seen and not heard, so many lessons. Addison waited on her drink, suddenly not so hungry anymore.
“Eat something Addi, especially if you’re gonna do doubles please. And remember, we have to be on the plane by noon tomorrow,” Sam reminded her.
“Next you’re going to be telling me you have your own G5,” she muttered with a smile. Addison could really get used to Sam calling her Addi, it gave her this little tingle at the bottom of her stomach, but she managed to finish off most of the food Sam didn’t eat.
“Daddy always said, why fly commercial when you can be comfortable, so yes I do. It’s a great tax write off,” Sam drawled.
What was it about this woman that could make everything sound like an invitation into her bed? “Neat, I’ve never been on a private plane before.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Addison smiled while Sam paid the bill. For some reason, Addison really didn’t want to go back to her trailer with just Deuce in it. “Um...do you want to go for a walk or something? I mean that is if your girlfriend doesn’t mind you staying a little longer hanging out with some kid?”
Sam stood up and jammed her hands in her pockets. “A walk on the beach sounds great, and I don’t answer to anyone...if I can help it. And Becca is no longer in the picture anyway.”
Addison leaned over, and took off her flip-flops and put them in her purse. When they got to the end of the pier she waited while the driver put her purse in the back of the limo. Then they started to walk down the beach together, Addison barefoot. “But I thought you two were happy. I mean....” Addison blushed horribly under the moonlight. “I saw her kiss you.”
“Let’s just forget that you saw that,” Sam retorted, and for the next hour or so, Sam regaled Addi with stories about herself growing up in Savannah with her dad while he started the racing business as a sideline to the auto and motorcycle parts stores that he owned. All three businesses had taken off, and she, being her father’s daughter, had fallen in love with racing. Her father however, knew that she had to have an education, and had demanded that she go to Yale business school before she would be allowed to race professionally. She had flown through the school in two and a half years and won her first race a year later, just one month before her father passed away from cancer.
“At least he got to see me win one.” The blonde smiled as she danced away from a wave.
“At the least the memories you have with your father are good memories.” Addison smiled, watching the blonde dance away, and escape without falling in the sand. Addi would have fallen, sprained an ankle, and then tore a ligament trying to get back to the car with her luck off the track. “Wow, Yale? What was that like?”
“Very intense. I was in a hurry to get through it. I’m always in a hurry.” Sam slid a sidelong glance at the young woman. “Have you ever thought of going to college?”
“I went to a college; NASCAR school was enough for me. The only girl for at least four hundred guys, the only other girls I saw besides myself were the instructors and delivery girls. I was glad I wasn’t allowed to date...those gorillas were horrible,” Addison admitted, putting her hands in her back pockets.
Sam smiled at the driver’s descriptions of her fellow mechanics. “Yeah, guys can be that way sometimes. You about ready to head back? It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow.”
“How long is the flight?” the brunette asked, taking her hair down from its ponytail. The waves in her hair were in no short supply as they tumbled over her shoulders like molten hot copper. “And yes to both; boys ALL of the time, and I do need to get to sleep.” Addison shuddered at the thought of any boy ever touching her; they were so...rough and scratchy. She almost gagged at the thought.
“Approximately ten to twelve hours, depending whether or not we have a head or a tail wind.” Sam loved the way the girl’s hair cascaded around her shoulders.
“Are you going to fly the plane too?” Addison smiled and looked at her boss while the driver opened the back door. She leaned against the trunk rolling up her jeans and brushing the sand from the bottom of her feet.
Snorting, Sam shook her head. “No, they won’t let me touch the controls ever since I strafed downtown Savannah. Daddy had to pay off big time for that one.” The blonde’s accent was very defined on that statement. Addison was noticing that it came out whenever her boss talked about her dad.
Everything about Samantha sc
reamed high class to Addison McCloud. From her accent, to her swagger, the girl was old money through and through, even if her daddy was a self-made man. Addison had no doubt the girl was probably at home on the racetrack, the catwalk, or any swanky nightclub around town or the world for that matter. Running a hand through her hair, she slid into the back of the limo yawning and closing her eyes. “Is there anything you can’t do, Ms. Dupree?” She smiled a minuscule little mischievous grin, even though she couldn’t see her boss.
“There are many things I can’t do Addi, but that’s a discussion for another night.” Sam sighed as she settled against the plush leather. The ride back to the track was spent thinking that overall, it had been a relaxing evening, and she realized how much she had missed having nights like that.
“So be ready by nine, and we’ll be here to pick you up, and head for the airport.” Sam turned to find that Addison had her eyes closed, and it looked like she was asleep. The blonde let her eyes caress the girl’s face and then move lower until she realized that she was staring. Quickly she turned to face forward.
When the car rolled to a full stop, the shift of momentum made Addison slowly open her eyes. By mere seconds, Sam had escaped being caught red handed, staring at the younger woman. Addison smiled sleepily. “I’m sorry I fell asleep,” she said sheepishly, a blush settling across her freckled cheeks. “What time do I need to be ready for you?”
“Nine....” Sam got out of the car and once more held out her hand to help Addison out. “Make sure that you have your passport and Deuce’s paperwork with you.”
“And they say chivalry is dead,” Addison dead-panned as she took Sam’s hand to get her sluggish body out of the soft limo seats. She would have made another retort, but it was stopped dead in her throat when Addison saw her father leaning against the side of her RV. He had leaned like that hundreds of times, always before she found herself on the receiving end of a really nasty slap or punch, even a belt. “I don’t want Sam to see this,” were her only thoughts, as she turned to look at her boss. “Nine it is. I’ll see you then.”
Sam had felt the girl go stiff and she turned to face James. “Evening James, Addison signed the contracts and will be leaving in the morning. Hope that you’ll be here to see her off.”
Addison dropped her boss’s hand, because if her father had an inkling of how close they were becoming, James would crush it like a gnat on a wall. He’d done it before, and tonight was no different...he smelled like a bourbon distillery, and she looked down to see the bottle of Jack in his hand. Whiskey made him a hateful son of a bitch, but it was nothing compared to a bottle of vodka. “Hey Daddy.”
“Don’t ‘Daddy’ me young lady, get inside. We need to have a talk.” He reached forward and grabbed her upper left arm in a vice-like grip.
The second he touched her, Addison felt her insides grow cold and numb. “No short sleeved shirts for me for a few days,” she thought, as she allowed her father to yank her forward. “Okay, I’m coming. Goodnight Sam.” She tried to rush, so her new friend would leave and not end up in this silly mess.
Sam swatted at the driver’s window, even as she was taking a step towards the older man. “Take your hands off her now.” The driver got out and stood calmly to the side. He was Ms. Dupree’s regular driver, and had been though a few altercations with her before. He knew to stand by until he was needed.
“Listen, you already have her in your ‘stable,’ Ms. Dupree, so back off. This is McCloud family business,” James growled, wrenching Addison hard to the side, causing her to wince and try to pull her arm away.
“Daddy, please calm down,” she whispered, trying to pry his grip off her arm.
“You’re absolutely right. She is in my stable, and I don’t allow my property to be manhandled. You either release her and be on your way or I’ll treat you the exact same way you treat her. Your choice.” The Southern woman’s voice dropped to a lower register, and it came across as cold as steel, “You wanna play with me Mr. McCloud?”
As soon as he let go of Addison, the former NASCAR driver grabbed the back of his shirt and tried to keep him back. James wanted to slap the insolence right out of Samantha Dupree’s mouth; this comment about his daughter being her property had him in a rage. He knew the F1 driver’s reputation, and his innocent daughter was not going down that road of sinful reprieve.
“Daddy!” Addison pleaded, trying to hold onto him.
“Back away Addi...this is between me and your dad,” Sam drawled. She had seen the fear earlier when Addison had talked about this man, and had felt the tremor when the girl had spied him leaning on the RV. It was time for the man to get his just rewards.
James growled at his daughter and backhanded her hard across her right cheek attempting to dislodge her grip on his shirt. “Addison, go inside,” he roared.
Addison yelped and fell to the ground, holding her hand against her cheek.
Without warning, Sam strode forward and repeated the man’s action to him, and then struck him on the opposite cheek. “That just cost you one million dollars James. Consider the check cancelled. Wanna go for broke?” She motioned to the driver, Drew, to get Addison out of the way.
The oldest McCloud dropped the bottle of Jack on the concrete at Samantha’s feet and grabbed for her shirt. He couldn’t believe this woman had actually hit him...his nose bloodied by a mere female.
The driver Drew gently grasped Addison under her arm and helped her stand. With one look from Sam, he opened up the RV door with the girl’s keys, and helped her inside without a word.
Sam danced back, and swatted at James’s hand, taking him farther away from the RV. “Now that was alcohol abuse, you dropping that bottle. Men like you shouldn’t drink.”
“Woman, you need to know your place,” James grunted as he hit the side of the limo with his misplaced swings. “I don’t know if I want my daughter cavorting around with some lesbian slut like you. Addison is a good girl; I’ve worked hard to keep her that way.”
“Your daughter is an adult and gets to make her own decisions. If you’ve brought her up to stand on her own two feet, that’s just what she’ll do, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let her be abused by you ever again. She doesn’t need that pain in her life.” Sam darted forward to hit him squarely in the solar plexus, knocking the wind from his lungs and forcing him to his knees.
As he collapsed on the pavement, Sam came up behind him and growled into his ear. “You touch her or any other family member like that ever again, and I’ll make sure that you’ll end up in a Georgia swamp, buried up to your neck in mud and surrounded by gators. Do you understand me?” the blonde asked.
“Yes,” James McCloud said, trying to gasp for breath, but it was so much harder than he thought. His alcohol-befuddled mind was telling him to get up and get the hell out of here, now. Pushing himself to his feet, he took off running and never looked back.
Walking over to the RV, Sam peered inside, looking for the young driver, but she was nowhere to be seen. Looking at Drew, she just raised an eyebrow.
“She’s in the bedroom with an ice pack on her cheek. It won’t bruise, but it will be a bit sore and puffy in the morning. I wouldn’t let her stay the night here with him around, just my opinion though,” Drew dead-panned, going back to the limo to check the stats on the Knick’s game.
“Thanks for getting her out of there,” Sam said, walking over to the divider and knocking softly.
Addison didn’t answer, and she didn’t talk either, so Sam pushed the divider open gently, to see the younger girl curled up in her bed with Deuce around her like a big, black body pillow. He lifted his head and growled, baring all of his teeth at the intruder. Addison stopped sniffling and looked at her boss. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” she whispered, keeping the ice pack against her cheek.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get your stuff and you’re coming to the hotel with me. I’ll get you a room, and you can get some sleep,” Sam smiled reassuringly at the young
woman.
“I don’t know if a hotel will let Deuce sleep in the room with me,” Addison lied, she didn’t want her boss to feel obligated to take care of her because her father was an abusive alcoholic.
“Not to worry, you just get your stuff and let’s head on over. Drew will help you out, while I make a quick phone call. All right?” Sam rubbed her hand on Addison’s back. “Everything is just fine.”
“Um...okay,” Addison mumbled and began trying to pack everything up. It looked like Arnie had been here trying to help put her things into boxes to take with her overseas. The only thing he’d left alone were her bra and panties, and she blushed, shoving them into duffel bags and picking a few things out of her boxes to take to the hotel. Drew, that enormous wall Sam called a bodyguard picked up her bags and began taking them out of the RV.
While Addison was packing up, Sam stepped outside to make her call. “Hey Nick, how did things go?”
“She’s trashing your room; I think she just threw your laptop in the fireplace,” her assistant cupped his hand over his blackberry trying to block out his words from the raging redhead in his boss’s suite.
“Please tell me we have that one to auto backup to the server? Anyways, get another room. Addison will be staying there tonight,” Sam instructed him. “We’re on our way.”
“Consider it done, Ms. Dupree. But what about Becca?” he asked.
“I’ll take care of Becca when I get there. Thanks Nick.” Sam turned to find Drew clomping down the steps of the RV, carrying some boxes and followed by Deuce. “Found a new friend I see.”
“We see eye to eye on a few things.” The bodyguard offered a bland smile as he loaded everything into the back of the limo. “I’m going to go ahead and put everything on the plane tonight so no one has to mess with it in the morning.”
Nodding her head, Sam agreed. “Good thinking, thank you.” She went back into the trailer to see if there was anything that she could do to help. “You about ready Darlin’?”
Fast Lane Page 6