Fast Lane

by Jennis Slaughter

  Kissing the driver hungrily, Sam moaned as their bodies slid over each other, melding perfectly.

  The redhead was quickly in Sam’s lap, her soapy arms around the blonde’s neck while their lips fused together. They kissed until the water ran cold and Addison had to drain it. She let Sam pick up the bathroom while she set the alarm for early in the morning to go running before the race. Then Addi slipped into her old Dupree racing shirt and a pair of blue panties while Sam turned down the bed. “So about the photographer, you want to go public with me?” she asked shyly.

  Sam had put on a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top, and now stood beside the bed. “I do, but I would like to have more time with just us for a while. I should tell you that I explained our situation to Nick earlier today, and I’m glad that I did now. He will keep on top of things for us.”

  She walked over to the shorter woman, pulling her into her embrace. “I don’t want you hurt, and I’ll do everything I can to prevent that.”

  Nodding, Addison sighed, wrapping her arms around Sam’s small waist. “I want more time for us too. So he knows huh? Explains the looks he’s been giving me all night.” She laughed softly before breaking away to crawl into their bed.

  Turning off the lights, Sam joined her, pulling Addison into her arms. “I think that in his own way, Nick approves.” She lightly kissed the woman before she continued, “I know that you have your race day ritual, and I hope that you won’t take offense if I seem a bit distant in the morning. I tend to keep to myself, listening to eighties rock and going over the track in my head.”

  “No, I won’t take offense. Every driver has their own rituals to go through and I’m sure I’ll be just as distant.” Addison smiled in the darkness as she pulled Sam against her, her legs tangling with one of Sam’s thighs pressed against her core. “We will just keep to ourselves tomorrow in different RV’s I’m sure.”

  “Just so you know that nothing has changed my feelings, I’ll be good.” Sam ran her hands along Addison’s back, enjoying the way that they fit together.

  “Why would your feelings have changed Sammie?” Addison whispered against the blonde’s neck, softly kissing the skin she found there. Sam still had a fragrance of their bubble bath on her skin as Addison took a deep breath.

  Sighing, Sam tried to explain, “In public, we can’t touch or even be close to each other for a while, and my PR firm may even suggest that I be seen with other women, but I want you to understand that I would rather be seen with you. You don’t need this type of publicity though. You’re just starting in this field.”

  Addison knew she couldn’t argue with Sam’s logic, and she did understand it. “I get it, I do, but just know none of those girls will want you like I want you,” Addi replied.

  “And none of them are you Addi. I’ve never cared for someone like I care for you.” Sam was glad that the room was dark so that the woman couldn’t see her blush.

  “And I don’t plan on going anywhere so get used to caring for me,” Addison quipped as she rolled Sam over onto her back in the dark, her hands cupping her face so that she could know where she was. “I’ll try to behave if I have to watch you with other women,” she promised.

  “I won’t kiss them Addi. I may have to be seen with them, but I won’t do anything.” She raised her head and kissed Addison’s lips unerringly. It was like she knew exactly where they were.

  A hand slid up under Sam’s neck pulling their faces together as Addi slowly opened her lips letting her tongue slide over Sam’s lips and into her mouth to toy with her tongue. “Mmm...” Addi groaned softly.

  Placing one hand in the small of Addison’s back, Sam moaned into the kiss until she needed to breathe. “Sleep Addi...we have a race tomorrow and I want you to win your first race. We need to introduce you to the F1 world.”

  The redhead rolled off Sam with a yawn before curling up against her side in her arms. “Mmm, I like the idea of you winning a race for me.” She chuckled, sliding a hand over Sam’s stomach slowly as her eyes closed.

  Waiting until she heard the woman’s breathing deepen and even out, Sam then whispered, “I will do anything for you Addi. I love you.” She then closed her own eyes and went to sleep.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Addison slowly opened her eyes with a yawn, stretching out before looking at the clock. The alarm hadn’t woken her so she knew it was even earlier than seven am. Groaning, she got up slowly and slid out of bed as quietly as possible so she didn’t wake Sam up. She knew she had time for a quick workout to keep her nerves at bay, so she slipped out of their room and went to change. After putting herself into some workout clothes, Addi wrote a small note and left it on Sam’s pillow before picking up Deuce’s leash and leaving the suite.

  When she got back, she saw Sam already eating breakfast with her iPod on playing some classic eighties rock. She nibbled on bacon, reading the paper. Addison made herself scarce into her own room, quickly showering and putting on jeans, a Dupree Motorsports t-shirt, and some flip-flops. Brushing her hair up, she put on her iPod, quickly dialing it to soft classical music. Her eyes closed as she raised her arms, pretending to conduct an orchestra instead of her own nerves. Deep breaths and calm melodies had Addison slowly relaxing as she walked out into the living area.

  Deuce was stretched out beneath Sam’s chair as the redhead sat down at the table and began to eat her bowl of cereal. She quickly moved onto bacon and eggs, followed by hash browns and toast. Burping quietly, she was thankful that Sam’s headphones were on tight.

  When the time came, Sam began flipping through photos of the turns on the track while Addison nervously flexed her hands on the way down the elevator. Each driver was in their own world, and the entire way to the track was silent. As they pulled up, that silence dissolved into noise, though each woman heard nothing but their music, as bodyguards and police ushered them through barricades of bodies and towards their own trailers.

  Stopping in front of Addison’s RV, Sam pulled out one earphone and smiled at the younger woman. “Have fun and see if you can keep up.” She winked to take any sting that the redhead may have thought she had heard.

  Addi stopped and gave Sam a mock glare. “My job is to watch your ass and make sure no one runs it off the track, Ms. Dupree. Enjoy how clear the way will be for you,” she retorted with a snort and a sway of her hips, before shutting the RV door behind her.

  Chuckling, the blonde headed inside her own trailer to crank up Pat Benatar as she got ready. Stripping off her clothes, she fixed a protein shake so vile-looking that one of her crewmembers had actually vomited when he first saw it. She wasn’t wild about the taste, but it did keep her energy up through the long race.

  After guzzling that down, she put on underclothes and then her protective gear, then finally her boots. Grabbing her hood and helmet, she jogged outside and walked towards her pit.

  She enjoyed the walk as it always afforded her the chance to see what other crews were doing to their own cars. Most drivers preferred to ride one of the carts, but Sam had learned much from the walks and today was no different.

  Upon arriving in her pit, she told her crew chief and Arnie what she had seen, and they took care of the rest. Walking over to take a seat in one of the director’s chairs that she preferred to have for her members, she closed her eyes, listening to her surroundings and getting into her own groove.

  After watching Sam jog to her own trailer, Addison turned around and stood in the hallway of her RV. She set up her iPod radio and flipped it to a video her little brother had made her a few days ago. It had popped up in her email with a note from her mom and siblings. The note told her that she could do anything she wanted, that they were proud of her, and that they missed her a lot.

  The redhead sighed and opened her wallet, pulling out a wrinkled photo of her family. Her mom, with red hair held her baby sister and had an arm around her shoulders. Her little teenage brother stood nearby, smiling at the camera. She ran her fingertips over their faces and s
ighed. This was the reason she’d raced all along, not for the money, not to get away from her father, but to get her family, her loved ones, away from her father.

  She heard the video play in the background, with the words, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. Beyond measure....” She sighed. Her brother, Clint, had made this video with quotes from Coach Carter, Rocky Balboa, and Muhammad Ali. She listened to Muhammad Ali talk about how great he was. How fast he was. Moreover, she believed herself to be that quick. Addison undressed, listening to Sylvester Stallone talk about how hard the world was to overcome, but that you could do it if you tried.

  Slipping her body into the jumpsuit, Addison closed her eyes, letting her body adjust to being confined now; she rolled strong shoulders moving up and down the aisle quietly listening to Muhammad Ali say he was faster than lightening and harder than thunder. Back home she had a family that loved her, that depended on her, that was proud of her. “I can do it, no one can know how great I am unless I show them,” Addi thought as she tucked the picture of her family into her jumpsuit and slipped on her sunglasses. She unhooked the iPod and pushed the buds into her ears.

  This once, she ignored the golf cart and walked on her own towards Pit Row. She sat down on the barrier and watched Arnie and the other mechanics do the adjustments to her car. She saw Sam out of the corner of her eye, relaxing in her chair, but Addison kept her mind on the track as she closed her eyes. She pushed the video aside and let some different music come into her ears now. Stevie Ray Vaughn serenaded her with raw guitars as Arnie waved over the back end of the car.

  Sam watched as Addison made herself comfortable on the barrier. She enjoyed being able to observe the young woman behind her sunglasses. There was no clear case of nerves or jitteriness, but the blonde expected none. McCloud was a seasoned driver and knew her stuff.

  The redhead closed her fists and let her knuckles hit each other chest level as she tilted her head back, staring at the sky. It was cloudy, but the sun was filtering through occasionally. She looked down at her iTouch and opened a web browser, looking for the weather. Satisfied that there was minimal chance of rain, she accepted her helmet from Arnie and set it beside her.

  Turning to look her car up and down, side to side, she slid off the barrier and circled her car, letting her bare hands caress the fiberglass. Taking a deep breath, the smells of the track assaulted her; gasoline, oil, sweat. The wind was soft on her face. Addison was ready to race. Removing her headphones, she traded Arnie for the headphones that linked her to the Dupree team, then pulling on her flame-retardant hood, and her helmet before sliding into her car. Still taking deep breaths, Addison closed her eyes, slowly pulling on her gloves.

  Sam stood slowly, watching Addison go through her own routine before she closed her own eyes for a moment to get herself into the space she needed to be. Turning to her crew chief, she smiled. “Looks like a nice day for a drive, don’t ya think Mack?”

  Looking up at the sky, the older man paused for a moment before spitting on the ground. “I don’t know, looks like rain to me.”

  “Well then, I guess that I’ll just have to outdrive it. Let’s get this over with so I can enjoy the rain,” Sam replied. She’d had the same conversation with Mack ever since she had started racing, and she wasn’t going to break with tradition now. Grabbing her hood, she pulled it on and settled it around her head before she pulled on her helmet and then her gloves. Keying up the mic that she had installed in her helmet, she did a sound check with her crew. Satisfied, she slid into her car and got situated, holding up her arms while a crewmember buckled her in.

  Addison sighed while Arnie buckled her in himself. “I’ll be watching out for you. You can do it, Addison. It’s just another race in another car.” She nodded while Arnie finished up and patted the top of her helmet playfully. The call came through for the drivers to pull out of pit row and begin the laps to warm up their tires.

  Sam followed the other cars and they were soon on the track. Keying her mic to Addison, she asked. “McCloud...you ready for a drive through the park?” She hoped that the young woman understood that others were listening.

  Gray eyes adjusted to the light in her eyes as her visor darkened. She saw Sam’s car leave pit row several cars in front of her and she followed dutifully, but she smiled when she heard Sam’s voice in her ears. “It’s now or never, Boss.”

  “Let’s show them how Southern women drive. Yee haw!” As soon as the flag came down, Sam floored it and was off like a bullet. She and Addison made their way through the pack, and Sam was impressed. The younger driver was more than holding her own, keeping the Italians behind her.

  “God damn, you think all that pasta and bread would slow them down,” Addison cursed as she rubbed wheels with the Italians yet again. She still had to combat with the German blocker on her tail, who was trying to swing past her.

  They were only a few laps from the checkered flag and she knew her own F1 racer looked like a junk heap by now. Addison was more than sure it had to do with her age and sex that she was being hassled so violently on the track. Gritting her teeth, she slammed the Italians back, happy when they spun out into the grass soon after.

  “Hey Sam, I have some bad news,” Nicks’ prissy voice filtered into Sam’s headset. “And it can’t wait, especially if you win.”

  “What’s up Nicky boy? I’m rather busy right now?” Sam was trying to stay ahead of a lone Italian racer.

  “The press knows about you and Addison, or at least they have an idea of what’s goin’ on, Sweetie.” Nick answered. “The photographer didn’t do it either; it was the private tour guide from the Zoo.”

  Swerving slightly, Sam swore. “Son of a bitch...I want that asshole fired. Shit...please tell me Nick, that you aren’t on Addi’s headset.”

  “No, the only one that can hear me is you.” Nick had to shout to be heard over Sam’s cussing. “Listen, I’ll take care of the press, but if you win, I’m going to sweep Addison back to the hotel. I don’t think you want her hearing it from the press, right?”

  “Damn it...I wanted her to enjoy her first win.” Sam concentrated for a moment on the opposing driver who was so close to the tail end of her car that she could tell what color his eyes were. With a twitch of her steering wheel, she faked him out and he spun off course. “Yeah, I guess that you had better, but at least tell her what happened and tell her I’m sorry. I’ll talk with her when I get to the room.”

  Nick sighed into the headphones. “I’ll make sure she understands Sam, but I know she hates the limelight, and that she would rather be in the hotel room eating ice cream than dealing with a media circus about her personal life. Win one for Dupree Motorsports and let’s call it a day.”

  “Deal....” With that, Sam headed for the finish line and the checkered flag, while keying the mic to congratulate Addison. “Great job there McCloud. Couldn’t have done it without you...thanks Darlin’.”

  “No problem. It’s a pleasure working for you, Ms. Dupree. See you after a while.” Addison smiled, listening to Sam and pulled into pit row. When she cut the motor to the car, Addi saw Nick waving frantically at her. It was all so quick, the way he rushed her out of pit row before she even had her helmet off. By the time she was pulling her gloves off, Nick was explaining everything to a crestfallen redhead while they sat in the limo that was speeding towards the hotel.

  Pulling into the winner’s circle, Sam killed her engine and popped the safety buckles and gloves before she unhooked and removed her helmet and hood. Accepting Mack’s help, she got out of the car and stood up on one of the tires to wave to the crowd.

  The crowd roared back at Sam, leggy supermodels walked over to the blonde with a trophy and a large bottle of champagne. The press watched closely as each woman kissed Sam’s cheeks.

  Thanking each of the women, Sam then thanked the officials and headed to her RV to shower and change.

  Once inside, the blonde deflated. The vict
ory was hollow now. Even though Addison had done an impressive job keeping cars from passing her, that wouldn’t be remembered. All that would be remembered was that there was a rumor going around that they were lovers.

  “Damn it Dupree...I thought that you didn’t mix business with pleasure. What is it about this little redhead that made you throw your resolve out the window?” she grumbled to herself.

  Sighing, she stripped off her clothes, took a quick shower, and dressed in sweats and a t-shirt before grabbing the trophy and heading to the hotel.

  When Sam finally got to her suite, she found that it was empty. There was a blinking text message on her cell phone though, from Addison that said, in short terms, that she’d gone shopping because she wanted to celebrate their win later that night with some dancing. And maybe some alone time.

  Kicking off her shoes, Sam called down to room service and ordered the thickest steak that they had, medium rare, a baked potato with butter, cheese and bacon, steamed asparagus, Caesar salad and a whole coconut cream pie with a pitcher of sweet tea. She was always ravenous after a race.

  After Sam ate and had relaxed for a while out on the terrace, Addison finally came into their suite more than subdued after what Nick had told her in the limo. “Hey Sam,” she offered, taking the garment bag and lying it over a chair.

  “Hey Darlin’.” Sam stood up and walked over to the young woman, brushing her hair away from her face. “Did ya find something nice?”

  Addi smiled a bit brighter now that she was with Sam. “Yeah, I found a few dresses that I liked.” She sighed. “How was the press? Nick told me everything.”

  “Not too bad. I actually got out of there before anything was brought up, so I’m sure that they will be hounding me later on. I’m really sorry, Addison. If I had just stayed away from you at the zoo, you could have enjoyed our first win. I promise to make it up to you,” the blonde swore as she cupped Addi’s face.

  Gray eyes twinkled when Addison heard Sam’s promises. “It’s okay. I’m not going to blame you for wanting to kiss me. I blame the idiots who want money and for people like us to never have any privacy,” Addison whispered, her hands resting on the blonde’s hips.