“Uh huh.” Addison laughed picking up the soap and beginning to wash Sam’s feet. “Tell me what you talked about,” she protested.
“Babe, I asked her if she was interested in moving to Georgia, and she said that she would think about it.” Sam groaned at the feeling.
“My mom has wanted out of Arkansas all of her life, she just wants to make sure it’s right for Maddie and Clint,” she explained.
“Well, there’s enough time between this race and the next one that they can come to check things out and make their decision. I don’t want anyone to feel forced into anything.” Sam placed the glass on the floor so that she could wrap her arms around her lover and pull her closer. “Your family’s happiness is just as important to me as yours.”
Addison sighed happily in Sam’s arms. “I love you so much. I don’t know where I would be without you,” she whispered, turning her head to kiss Sam softly. “You mean the world to me Sam.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dana Tatum checked the area one last time before he fitted the baseball cap low over his head. His track clearance badge had been given to him by Becca, Sam’s ex. Without her influence and beauty, he’d never get close to a racetrack again. It was time for revenge against that blonde bitch. First, she gave McCloud his job, and then had him carted off by the police.
He’d show her. It took him a moment to jimmy open the warehouse door before he slipped inside, locking it behind him. Tatum carefully checked which car was which. The Dupree number two car was the one he needed to work on, it had to be Addison’s, what with the fast lap time in qualifying, which he had watched from the sidelines behind a pair of sunglasses.
Carefully shimmying under the car, he attached the small electronic device when at the right moment; would short out the brakes and lock the wheels. Addison was going to get more than she bargained for in Australia, he thought nastily, sliding out from under the wheelhouse to climb to his feet. Making sure to pull the tarp down over the car, Dana stood up with a nasty smile. “Payback’s a bitch, bitch,” he growled, leaving the warehouse just as quietly as he’d come.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Addison tossed and turned all night after Charlotte had come to pick up Maddie, saying that they deserved time for themselves. She couldn’t explain it, but there had been some feeling chewing at the back of her mind, and she felt nervous, tense, and worried. Instead of ruining Sam’s morning ritual, Addi slipped out of bed and tied a robe around her body before exiting the bedroom to order them breakfast.
Sam knew that the younger woman had a hard time sleeping. She had felt every toss and turn, and as much as she wanted to ask her what was wrong, she didn’t want to push the redhead.
She waited until Addi left the room before she opened her eyes and sat up to swing her legs off the side of the bed. The blonde stared out the hotel window, not seeing the view of the harbor, but was mentally going through each turn and straightaway on the track. This was one of the trickier courses, and she knew that the French and Italians were gunning for her.
Standing up, she stretched her arms over her head and twisted until her back popped, before she started her race day ritual.
Out on the balcony, Addison leaned against the railing in her white robe, peering over the edge straight down at the world below. She’d come so far; it wasn’t hard to remember when she was trying so hard to get a pro contract as a scrawny thirteen-year old kid. The sooner she got away from her father the better, she thought.
Once again the girl was humbled by how things had changed in her life as she dialed the number for room service. She ordered a specific kind of omelet with all of her favorites. Mushrooms, bell peppers, eggs along with onions and bacon. Her love of bacon was another new change, normally she hated greasy foods, but she couldn’t resist.
Walking out of the bedroom wearing black sweat pants and a white tank top, Sam had her hair pulled back into a pony tail and was barefoot. “Morning Sunshine...are you ready to put on a good show for your family?” She walked over to kiss her lover.
Addison tilted her head back, intercepting Sam’s lips with a soft moan as they embraced. Her arms slid around strong shoulders, bringing the blonde’s mouth down to her own. “Yes I am. I’m still in awe you spoke with my mother in advance and I never knew,” she whispered, breaking the kiss reluctantly.
Holding the younger woman close, Sam stared down into gray eyes. “Well, a girl has to have some secrets. Did ya order enough bacon for the both of us?”
“That depends, if we fuck before the race, no. If not, then yes I ordered enough bacon. The hotel doesn’t have enough bacon in stock for us in the mornings after you put those hands on me.” Addi smiled wickedly, wanting to see Sam’s reaction to her language, just to see if she could shock the blonde.
A golden eyebrow arched, but the blonde remained silent. Kissing Addi’s forehead, Sam walked back inside to finish getting ready.
Taking the silence as a no to swearing, Addison reminded herself that maybe Sam didn’t like vulgarity in a lady. The redhead shrugged and scratched her head, but was saved by the knock on the suite door from room service. She devoured her breakfast greedily, including the milkshake she spoiled herself with, before covering Sam’s so it would stay warm while the blonde finished drying her hair.
Addison went into the living room to stretch silently, her back was a bit sore from tossing all night, but she was soon a bit more relaxed than when she’d woken up. Taking time to pick out her outfit took Addison more time than she liked, so her shower was quick, not the normal leisurely time she usually spent in the shower on a race day. Addi dried her hair quickly, donning a tight-fitting, navy blue sweatshirt with a cashmere feel, worn blue jeans and a pair of white, Gucci pumps picked out by Nick the week before, applying light make up and leaving the bathroom to join Sam who was about to leave as well.
Sam smiled at her lover. “You look nice. I’m gonna have to make you the poster girl of Dupree sports. I’ll be able to sit back and just watch the money roll in.”
A hot blush suffused the short redhead’s cheeks and upper chest as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Thank you,” she whispered. Sometimes when Sam paid her compliments she felt like the first time they had met...giddy and reckless with excitement, her emotions making her into a quiet teenager once again instead of a Formula 1 car driver.
“You’re welcome...now let’s get today over with. I’m sure that tonight we’re gonna be celebrating a Dupree victory.” Sam held out her hand, waiting for her blocker to take it.
Addi took her hand, sliding her other arm around Sam’s strong bicep as she leaned her head against it, her eyes closing but for a moment. Sven could never make Addison feel nearly as safe as Sam could with just a few words and a small gesture. “Tonight, I just want you to hold me,” she sighed with a smile.
Even though they were getting rushed for time, Sam wrapped her arms around the younger woman and held her close. “I’ll hold you anytime that you want, Darlin’. Anytime at all. I love you, Addison.”
“Can you promise me that?” came the quiet reply as Addison’s face burrowed into Sam’s neck. The smell of expensive perfume and body wash rushed over her so quickly she almost swooned in the blonde’s arms. “You told me you couldn’t promise me you wouldn’t hurt me, but can you promise to hold me anytime at all?”
“Yes...no matter what. I’ll hold you anytime that you want,” Sam whispered into strawberry blonde hair. She ran her hands over Addison’s back.
Addison didn’t move or breathe, instead she stood perfectly still in Sam’s arms, trying to keep the moment forever. “I love you Sammie,” she whispered back against the pulse point beneath the woman’s ear, and then kissed it briefly. “We’re going to be late, but I just wanted to have a quiet moment with you before the frenzy.”
“Okay, no problem. Now let’s get this show on the road. I don’t know about you, but I plan on seeing the Italians and the French in my rearview mirror.” Sam kept one arm around her
lover as they walked out of the room and headed towards the elevator.
Inside the elevator, thankfully Sven and Nicky were faced forward and not behind Sam and Addison, the latter of whom was enjoying her cheap feels of Sam’s perfectly-sculpted ass. Her hands went from sliding into the back pockets of the snug jeans she wore to dipping into the back of the jean material to toy with the sensitive skin of her lower back. “I know they enjoy the view they get of you just as much as I do,” Addi whispered in her girlfriend’s ear right before the elevator doors opened.
“I doubt that they enjoy the view of the rear end of my car, but they’re gonna see it today.” Sam kissed Addi briefly before they walked out into the lobby and headed towards the limo.
The limo ride was silent; both women deeply immersed in their iPod Touches, Addison listening to Florence & the Machine while checking weather conditions. Sam was listening to 80’s music, and doing a crossword puzzle. They separated as soon as the limo stopped, each of them exiting a different side of the luxury automobile. Sam made a straight line for her RV while Addison took the time to pose for pictures with young fans of the sport as well as the always-present middle aged man who wanted a keepsake for his wall or his bed side table.
As soon as Sam walked into her RV, Creedence Clearwater Revival went on and she grabbed a hot Coca-Cola. Chugging it down, she pulled off her clothes and folded them neatly, placing them in a stack at the end of her bed.
Standing in the middle of the RV, Sam began to stretch out, making sure that she was as loose as she could be, because as much as she loved driving, she hated being cooped up in the cockpit for hours on end.
Noticing the time, she braided her hair and pulled on her suit, and then her boots. Stomping them down, she grabbed her helmet, and her fire hood before heading out to her car.
Addison didn’t flow into her normal routine. Instead she spent almost twenty minutes with her hands folded on top of one another sitting at the table in her RV. In her jumpsuit which she had left undone were two pictures. A worn old picture of her family minus her father of course, along with a picture of Sam before they had gone to the zoo.
A loud rap startled her out of her daydream of Sam and her tangled up in their sheets later tonight. Not sleeping well made her almost drowsy now, so she opened the door and smiled at Nick. “Hey Nicky....”
“What’s up little girl? You look like shit.” Nick stood there with his hand on his hip.
“I know, I didn’t sleep well,” Addison explained, shaking a Vitamin Water Energize and then moving on to make one of Sam’s protein shakes to wake her up.
He walked in and made himself comfortable on the sofa. “What’s up? Why didn’t you sleep?”
“I just have this feeling something about today is off, I had all of these nightmares about my car crashing and Sam standing at my funeral. I’m scared Nick,” she explained rubbing her face. “Sam must have lied when she said she wanted to make me Dupree’s poster girl. I really do look like shit.” Addison laughed.
“Little girl, don’t kid yourself. Even on a bad day, you’re a beautiful girl and you’ll be fine. You just follow your routine and drive like Sam and I know you can,” the assistant reassured his young friend.
Addison sighed and nodded before slowly gulping down the protein shake with a grimace. She tucked her vitamin water under her arm with a yawn and let Nick hand her the helmet along with her gloves and fire hood before they left the RV together.
The young redhead kept her eyes away from Sam’s lithe body as she bent over her Formula 1 car, inspecting it herself like she normally did. Instead of checking her own car, today Addi just leaned against the divider and tried to keep her focus on the race instead of her nightmares of her own funeral.
Looking up, Sam noticed that Addison wasn’t inspecting her car, so she stopped what she was doing and walked over to her lover. “Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?”
“Just the lack of sleep and some bad dreams. That’s all Sammie.” Addison gave her a weak sleepy smile. “I’m sorry, but I swear we’ll win, I don’t care what it takes,” she promised.
Reaching up, the blonde let the back of her knuckles caress a silky cheek. “You just drive careful. I want you safe more that I want to win. Now go ahead and get in, I’ll check your car.”
Stormy gray eyes closed as Addison leaned into Sam’s soft caress, her eyes almost closed, but she nodded firmly. Tugging on her fire hood and her gloves, she donned her helmet and slid into her seat.
Holding onto Addison’s hand, Sam made sure that she was securely buckled in before she started her inspection. Carefully she went over every square inch, making sure that everything was in the right spot, and when she was satisfied, she gave her lover a thumbs up for she walked over to her car and slid into the cockpit.
“Looks like a nice day for a drive, don’t you think Mack?” she asked her pit boss.
“I don’t know. Looks like rain Dupree.” The man smiled, handing Sam her own helmet.
“Nah, just another drive in the park. Let’s go and have some fun.” She wiggled her eyebrows before she pulled on her fire hood, and then her gloves. She took her helmet, buckled it up, and held up her arms so that Mack could strap her in. As Mack stepped back, he realized that she hadn’t given him the usual response, and hoped that it wasn’t a bad omen.
Normally Addison would quickly start chattering away in Sam’s ear, but today, there was just the soft buzz of the radio and Arnie’s voice occasionally mentioning to Addison everyone’s lap times. Finally, Addison spoke up, “When we’re done today, I just want to take a real vacation.” She laughed softly.
The officials gave the signal that the race was about to start, and Sam flipped the switch to start her engine. She closed her eyes and listened to the roar. She could mentally see each part of the motor, and by the sound, could tell that it was perfectly tuned. “Just another day in the park Mack.” She then keyed her mic. “Addi, you get to lead today, and I’ll follow.”
There was a brief pause and Addison quietly replied, “Yes boss.” She was in shock Sam trusted her that much to win a race. Addison flipped the ignition switch as the car whined to life and she left pit row to take her place right in front of Sam on the track.
Pulling behind the redhead, Sam had to chuckle. “Nice view from here.”
“If we win. I’ll let you enjoy any view you want,” Addison quipped with a smile as they began to line up behind the pace car and the green flag was raised to start the warm up lap.
Sam smiled and kept the smart remark that was on the tip of her tongue to herself as she began to concentrate on the race. One of the Italian drivers pulled so close to her car that she could see the whites of his eyes, so she held her line, letting him get closer.
The young redhead kept silent, having to concentrate on the Swede’s annoying little rat of a driver. He kept trying to cut her off every time she went around him. Things had been switched around in Addison’s world; normally she was the road block. Grunting in annoyance, she sighed into the mic, “Remind me again why I gave up Americans for Europeans?” She laughed, knowing the answer was in a car a few lengths behind her.
“Hey! Hang on a sec. I’ll come up and get in front of him and block.” Sam surged up to come alongside her lover. “Drop back a bit and let me charm him.” She chuckled as the rival driver swerved.
“As always, I defer to your expertise Sammie.” Addison blew a kiss to her boss before she down shifted and let the blonde take the lead from her.
Sam angled her car to make sure that the Swede was blocked in. “Go, Addi.” She made sure that the man couldn’t move without hitting her own car and smiled as the younger driver pulled away.
It didn’t take long for Addison to weave around the Swede and Sam; her back tires caught the pavement in time as she swung inside a turn almost too soon to avoid hitting them both. The next hundred laps weren’t any different; Addi felt off, worried, scared and just tense the whole race. She wasn’t enjoying herself
at all. Addison let her mind slip to Sam and of the blonde’s face when she woke up early in the morning to her kisses.
“McCloud! Get your mind on the race,” Sam called as Addi’s car drifted to the side. “We need to win this.” She swore under her breath as she tried to keep the Italian’s from getting around her.
“FUCK!” Addison cursed as the car slid sideways ever so slightly and she almost lost her lead. Though she was in front by a few inches; that didn’t equal anything special in her book. Addi clenched her teeth and shifted up another gear, nudging the Germans off her tail in the process. This was the last lap. This was it. “COME ON!” her mind screamed.
The German car swerved over in front of Sam, and she had to slam on her brakes to avoid hitting him and the Italians. She glanced down at her dashboard as a red light lit up and her brake pedal was suddenly on the floor. “Fuck...this is gonna hurt,” Sam swore and her eyes went wide as the accelerator joined its mate on the floor. “ADDI...GET OUT OF THE WAY!”
Out of instinct, Addison wrenched the steering wheel to the side and watched helplessly as Sam kept accelerating towards a very sharp turn. “Sam! BRAKE! SAM, HIT THE BRAKES!!!” she screamed into the mic.
“No brakes...” Sam didn’t waste words as she quickly gauged the angle that she needed to be at so she could safely maneuver, but her tire caught the edge of the track, and blew. She wrenched the steering wheel but lost control and she swore as the car began to spin and tumble over on its side, over and over again. Her body went limp as her mind knew the more relaxed she was, the less she would be hurt. “Addi...sorry.”
Addison’s car swung so hard to the left, and it filled the turn with smoke as she let her car slide into the area where Sam’s racer had landed in a smoking and slightly flaming heap. All Addi could hear was someone screaming as she pushed her body out of the car and tripped, trying to get to Sam’s car. “SAM!!” she screamed, not even bothering to yank her helmet off.
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