“Addi...I need you to have the same faith in yourself that I have in you, because if you don’t, I won’t be able to keep you. Do you have the faith that we can make a good team?” Sam stepped even closer, looking down into gray eyes, her mouth going dry.
“I have faith in my abilities as a driver to block for you. It’s going to be an uphill battle, but I’m up to the task. You brought me this far, the rest is on my shoulders.” Defiant gray stared up into cool green. Addison crossed her arms looking more like a driver by the minute.
Wanting nothing more than to kiss the woman, Sam smiled instead. “Good, then you wanna take me for a ride on this thing?”
“Depends, can you hang on?” Addi grinned, walking by Sam back around her trailer to fetch a spare helmet and her old leather jacket for her boss to wear.
“That’s okay. I’ve got my own.” Sam jogged over to her RV and came out with a plain padded black leather jacket. “Besides, I don’t like to wear someone else’s leathers.”
Addison bit back the retort that came to mind and instead straddled her bike pulling on her jacket. She then pushed on her helmet and started the bike by kick-start before pushing it off the stand and waiting for Sam. “Ready to go for a ride?” She smiled pushing up the visor.
Pulling on her own helmet, Sam was glad that her face was covered as she let her eyes travel over the toned body that she would be straddling. “You are in so much trouble,” she thought to herself, even as she took her seat.
“Hold on tight Ms. Dupree, these little bikes require the riders to move together,” Addison advised her boss as she let go of the clutch and eased onto the gas, moving towards the exit road that left the school.
Sam slid her arms around Addison’s waist and tucked her head into her shoulder as they picked up speed. Both women shuddered at the feel of their bodies pressed so intimately together. For Addison, it was the culmination of months of watching her boss win race after race, but never being able to be near her. For Samantha, it was punishment she knew she couldn’t take for too much longer without doing something about it.
Addison drove them along the coast down to Monaco to a beautiful beach with a nice Italian restaurant overlooking the ocean, much like the location of their celebration dinner for her winning the contract months ago. It seemed like a different lifetime to Addison as she parked the bike and killed the motor.
Pulling off her helmet, Sam got off the bike and shook out her hair. “That was fun.” She unzipped her jacket and watched as Sven pulled up behind them.
Addison agreed as she pulled off her helmet and set it down on the bike in front of her, strapping it down. “Hope you’re hungry, this restaurant is amazing. I went here when I first got the bike running on Tuesday.” Addi grinned, checking her wallet to make sure she had brought her credit card.
“I am. So I’ll let you order then. I do believe that it is your turn.” Sam grabbed the helmets and took them over to the car for storing. “Do you want to leave your jacket or wear it?”
“Oh...umm, I guess I can take it off.” Addison secretly wanted to keep it on. Anything that Sam gave her she had begun to treasure like jewels, but she unzipped it and handed it to her boss. “My turn or not, you pay for it anyway. Remember, you sign my checks.” Addi chuckled, walking into the restaurant.
Addison looked up at the name with a smile. La Trattoria. She had no idea what that meant, but given enough time; she’d most likely figure it out. She held the door open for Samantha with a smile. “Ladies first.”
“Then we walk in together.” Sam linked her arm with Addi’s and pulled her through the door with her. She could pretend for one day that they were more than friends without actually going over the line.
The maître d’ frowned at their clothing, but his frown quickly changed to a smile when he realized who was standing in his restaurant. He normally didn’t like Americans, but the beautiful Samantha Dupree was an exception to the rule.
He quickly led the two women to the best table in the house, personally seated them, and signaled for the sommelier.
The younger woman looked wide-eyed at how she was being treated. “I guess being friends with an international superstar has its perks,” she heard the voice inside her head say. “Shut up!” she told the voice. “Let it happen!” Instead, she quickly tried to make herself look presentable.
Laying her hand over Addi’s, Sam whispered, “Quit fidgeting. You look beautiful.” Turning to the sommelier, she ordered a bottle of red wine, and two glasses of water. She kept her hand right where it was, rubbing her thumb over Addi’s knuckles.
Addison felt her heart rate triple from Sam’s touch alone, and she instantly stopped fidgeting, but that didn’t make her any less nervous. In fact, she felt her nerves jump up into her throat as she fought to remain cool under this kind of pressure. Her eyes dropped down to Sam’s thumb rubbing her knuckles and she blushed watching them trace circles soothingly. “Okay....” She smiled.
After ordering the wine, Sam turned back to her companion. “So, school is going well?”
The girl was more than aware that Sam hadn’t removed her hand, and Addison wasn’t going to tell her to do so. She wanted to pretend so badly that this was her...girlfriend? The thought shocked her into silence for a few seconds before she realized that her boss had asked her a question. “Um, it’s going great. Thank you so much for sending Sven, he’s already helping without realizing it.”
“Self-confidence can come in many forms. He can help you in many ways if you let him.” Sam watched Addi’s lips as she spoke, and imagined how soft that they would feel under hers. Licking her lips unconsciously, she slowly pulled her hand away under the guise of putting the napkin on her lap.
In turn, Addison felt her eyes zero in on Samantha’s tongue and she felt a chill travel up her spine. “Oh, it’s cold in here,” she muttered when Sam looked at her curiously. “But I agree, what I’m most excited about is not having to deal with unwanted admirers following me around for starters.” Addison did the same with her napkin as the waiter brought their glasses and a freshly opened bottle of wine he had let breathe for a few moments.
Taking a sip of the wine, Sam nodded her approval and turned her attention to Addison. “Have you been having a hard time with certain people? Anyone at the school?”
“Mostly the French and Italian boys.” Addison scowled at the tablecloth, not touching her wine; she wanted to drive her bike back. She’d enjoy it with dinner maybe. “They don’t know how to take no as an acceptable reply. They have ‘Russian hands’ and ‘Roman fingers’...if you know the expression.”
“I do, and I’m hoping that Sven’s presence will help out with that. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable or hurt at all.” Sam leaned forward and put her hand over Addi’s once more. “I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” Addison said so fiercely that Sam was forced to believe her. “You...you saved me from my father that night. No one has ever raised a hand to him when he’s like that, not even my little brother who’s seventeen now. I’m doing things I only dreamed of doing, and it’s all thanks to you.” Addi smiled, not moving her hand to shake Sam’s off even an inch.
“I am sorry that no one stood up to him before. That doesn’t say a lot for your crew. They could have said something to the law,” Sam growled. She still had nightmares about what Addison had gone through.
“Arnie stepped in once, spent a week in the hospital with a fractured wrist. It was so badly broken, it required surgery,” Addison mumbled looking down at the tabletop. “It’s my fault for never standing up to him, he’s been beating on me for years now,” she whispered.
“He will never lay another hand on you or anyone else in your family, Addi. I promise.” Sam squeezed Addi’s hand.
Lashes wet with tears framed Addison’s tortured eyes as she looked up into Sam’s face. “Thank you, I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve done for me, or for my family,” she whispered, squeezing back.
“Don’t worr
y about it. Let’s just concentrate on the present and the future.” Sam squeezed her hand before removing it to open the menu.
CHAPTER FIVE
Three weeks later and Addison had not only finished up her classes, but had graduated with honors. Now she and Sam were on the road together, which suited Addison just fine; the closer she was to Sam the better. They were now on their way going through the German countryside to race in the Singapore Grand Prix, which was sixty-one laps of grueling battlefields of pavement.
Addison was lying in the bunk next to the breakfast nook of her RV, watching a video about the track while she absently twirled a Rock Band drumstick between her fingertips as the road melted away beneath her. Her driver always made good time following Sam’s RV.
Sam’s voice came through the walkie-talkie that they had installed in the RV. “Hey, are you in the mood to stop and stretch your legs for a while?”
Addi rolled over in the bunk and pushed the button for the intercom above her head. “I could definitely do with some stretching of the legs, boss,” she replied. “I think Deuce needs to...use the little doggies’ room as well.” She laughed.
“Little nothing...there’s a field ahead that should suit him just fine.” Sam chuckled. “Tell him to hang on and we’ll stop.”
“Ma’am, yes ma’am,” Addison replied smartly, climbing off the bunk and putting on her boots. She then began trying to locate Deuce’s collar and leash while the RV slowed to a crawl and pulled into a rest stop.
Once her own RV came to a stop, Sam got out to jog to the one following and opened the door, seeing Addi bent over looking for something. She stumbled on the first step and ended up sprawling on the carpet. “Ow! Damn it.”
Addison turned around with a smile. “Careful, I think those steps are still wet from when we went through that storm earlier.” She smiled, walking over and helping Sam stand up. Addi made sure to brush all the imaginary dirt off her boss’s shirt before spying Deuce’s collar lying on the table. “Aha!” She smiled gleefully before putting it on her dog.
“Come on you beast, let’s go potty.” She smiled, looking at Sam. “Come on Grace,” she teased leaping down the stairs.
“Ha, ha.” Sam lagged behind for a moment, glancing down at her chest, making sure that her breasts weren’t giving away her attraction to the woman. “Good, behave girls,” she thought to herself.
After Deuce had relieved himself several times in the empty field, he began to bark and get excited about something. “What is it boy?” Addison laughed before she realized he was about to take off through the trees. A second too late, and Deuce was gone chasing after a squirrel into the forest. “Shit!” she cursed, taking off after him. “Deuce!”
Sam stood there laughing for a moment before she took off after her driver and her dog. “Hurry up and catch him. We need to keep to the schedule as much as we can to make our planes.”
The copper haired girl was trying to listen to her boss instead of watching where she was going, and tripped over a dead log, flying head first into an enormous half frozen mud puddle. “Damn it Deuce!” Addi yelled, climbing to her feet shivering. Deuce on the other hand trotted back happily as if nothing was wrong, walking right past her and back to the RV.
Turning around, Addison wrapped her arms around her soaking wet body and headed towards her own RV to change and turn the heater on. She was soaked to the bone; causing her teeth to chatter together like a cartoon, and her white shirt was completely see-through. Her copper hair was matted to the side of her face and her jeans stuck like a second skin.
Sam took one look at the shivering woman and made a decision, directing her into her own RV. “Get in there and get into the bathroom.” She closed the door of Addison’s RV, directing the driver to get ready to leave before she followed the freezing young woman into her motor home. “Start driving Larry.”
Going into the bathroom, she saw that Addi was trying to unbutton her jeans, but her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn’t. Reaching into the shower, Sam turned on the water until it was warm. Turning back, she gently pushed Addi’s hands to the side and unbuttoned the soaked jeans. Pulling them down, she ignored the shapely legs as they came into view. “Step out,” she instructed.
Shivering, Addison put her hands on Sam’s shoulders and slowly stepped out of her jeans. Once she had managed to get the jeans off her feet, she pushed and pulled at her shirt until it too came off. Looking down at her nipples straining to get through her Nike sports bra, Addi covered her chest with both arms chattering. “Cc-c-cold. H-h-h-ate G-G-Germany,” she stuttered through clenched teeth.
“It’s actually a beautiful country. We’ll come back when it’s warmer.” Reaching out, she pushed the young woman towards the shower. “Get in, and I’ll be right there.”
Quickly she pulled off her own jeans and longsleeve t-shirt and got in with the young woman, wrapping her arms around Addi, using her body heat to try to speed up Addi’s warming.
Not even caring how bad this could end up for the both of them, Addison slid her arms around Sam’s waist and buried her face in her neck until the shivering finally subsided, but now there was an ache in her body she couldn’t define. Looking up into her boss’s face, she smiled at the blonde. “Th-thank you,” she stuttered through lips that were slowly turning back to pink.
“Not a problem. Will you be okay for a few minutes? I want to get out and find some sweats for you to wear.” Sam looked down into shimmering gray eyes, trying without success to not notice how beautiful Addi was up close.
“Is it okay if I take off my panties and bra? They’re kind of muddy and I don’t want to get your sweats dirty,” Addison explained. “And I hate to ask another favor, but can I use your body wash and shampoo?” She smiled.
Without thinking, Sam turned around and her mouth dropped open at the sight of the young woman in her see through bra and panties. She felt her heart in her throat and heard her breath inhale. “Umm, sure help yourself.” She got out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry herself off.
After Addison watched Sam leave the shower, she looked down at herself curiously. “Oh great, lovely, just showcase those charms, McCloud...way to make yourself look slutty,” she groused, peeling off her bra, and then her panties; she wrung them both out and tossed them over the shower door onto the floor. Next, she lathered up with body wash and shampoo, cranking up the hot water.
Wrapping the towel around her, Sam quickly pulled off her own soaked underwear and tossed them into the sink. After drying off, she went into the sleeping area and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and another long-sleeved t-shirt before grabbing the same for Addison.
Heading back into the bathroom, she called out before she went in. “Are you decent?”
“Not yet, I can’t find any towels.” Addison stood up on her toes peering down at Sam over the top of the shower. Without realizing it, she had pressed her chest against the frosted glass wall between them.
Walking in, Sam skidded to a halt so fast that her feet slid out from underneath her, and for the second time that day, she found herself on her ass. “Um yeah, sorry. Hang on. I’ll get you one.” Stumbling to her feet, she reached into a cabinet and handed the young woman a bath sheet. “Here ya go.”
Addison chuckled, taking the sheet over the top of the stall and cut the water off. Rough drying her body, then her hair, she wrapped the towel around herself and opened the shower door. “You’re not so graceful are you today, Ms. Dupree?” She smiled, walking past her boss into the living area.
“Not really, especially when I keep tripping over my tongue,” Sam muttered to herself. She followed the young woman into the living area, and handed her the clothes. “Here put these on and get into bed. Would you prefer hot chocolate or some soup?”
The younger woman blinked at the idea of being in Samantha Dupree’s bed; how many women across the world would sell their soul for that chance? “Every last one of them you idiot.” The reply was quick from the sarcastic
voice in her head. “Um...can I have some hot chocolate; I ate before...we stopped.” She blushed, taking the clothes and going into Sam’s bedroom to change before climbing into her bed.
Going into the kitchen area, Sam put her hands on the counter and hung her head for a moment. “You’re going to go into dangerous territory. Be careful Dupree. Be careful,” she thought to herself.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed away from the counter and took the next few minutes to fix their beverages.
Addi dropped her towel, letting it pool around her feet before she unfolded the sweats Sam had given her. The YALE logo glared back at her from a V-neck long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, which she quickly shimmied into. “Great, I’m wearing her college sweats with no bra and panties,” she groused again before throwing back the covers and crawling into her bed.
Suddenly it hit her, the smell of Sam, the floral and peaches smell all over her hair, her body and now, in her bed. Addi shoved her face into a pillow inhaling deeply, feeling her spine tingle all over again and butterflies erupt in her stomach. “Be careful Addison, you don’t know what you’re doing or getting yourself into,” she whispered with a yawn.
Pouring a little bit of brandy into the steaming mugs of cocoa, Sam carefully made her way into the bedroom, stopping at the doorway at the sight of the copper-headed woman in her bed. “Oh, God please help me,” she muttered beneath her breath.
“Hey, sorry, your bed is really soft,” Addi said, explaining why she had spread out.
Licking her suddenly dry lips, Sam carefully handed Addison her mug before she herself sat on the edge of the bed. “Drink a little of that before I get in. We wouldn’t want to spill it on the bed and get things all wet.” The blonde hit herself on the back of the head mentally. “That sounded so smooth Dupree.”
Addi smiled and took her mug before taking a careful sip. “Mmm, the good stuff, Dutch chocolate and...brandy.” She smiled even wider. “Somebody’s got good taste in this RV.” She chuckled, scooting back. “Sam? You said we were friends once, right?”
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