Fast Lane

by Jennis Slaughter

  “Three at the most. I figured that you would want to walk the track with Dennis at least the day before the time trials and that you would prefer to get there one day before that.” The assistant opened up his calendar application.

  Addison still hadn’t opened her eyes as the car began to relax her nerves. “I can see why Sam keeps you on her payroll.” She sighed, but finally leaned her head up and opened her eyes as she pulled out her phone and began to flip through pictures of the track. “If Sam wasn’t hurt, we would have been gone days ago, but I just feel torn about leaving. I know she’ll be fine; my mother will baby the hell out of her.”

  “I would love to watch that,” Nick snorted. “You might want to tell your mom to take it a bit easy on her. Sam has been on her own for quite a long while, and without a mother even longer than that. I don’t know how she’s going to take to being babied.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be a learning experience for the both of them. The moment my mother attempted to baby me at anything, my father had sharp words for her, and even faster hand for me,” Addison replied flatly as she read the email from the lingerie company.

  “Speaking of your father; while you are on the road, Sam would prefer if you went nowhere without Drew or another guard. I’ll be around also if you need anything.” He spared the young woman a glance as he finished writing himself a reminder.

  “Drew will be with me everywhere except a bathroom.” The blocker didn’t lift her eyes to look at Nick. “I’m not going to cause Sam any extra worry just because I might feel safe somewhere I’ve never been. But moving on to something else I’d rather talk about, where are we with Becca and Dana?”

  “Well, Becca is still in custody. The Australian police are going over things with the FBI, trying to decide if they will charge her here or just transfer her back to the States.” The young man took a deep breath before continuing. “Dana is still missing. There was a sighting or two at the airports, but by the time the police got there, he was gone. We think that he is still here though.”

  Addison’s grip on her cell phone tightened and her knuckles turned white. She looked up, eyes a startlingly light shade of gray, almost a stainless steel. “So not only is my father still out there, but he could meet up with Dana and have themselves a fantastic little picnic?”

  “I highly doubt that. From what I heard from Sam, they didn’t get along that well. You don’t worry about either one of them. We’ve got people out looking for them as we speak, so you, your family and Sam are safe.” Nick reached over to pat her hand.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way....” Addison tried not to flinch at a man touching her and did fairly well. “But until my father is either dead or behind bars, I won’t feel that my family is safe. And that family includes Sam. Dana wants me, and only me, that we know. I don’t know who my father wants....does he want me for abandoning him or Sam for taking me away?” The redhead ran a hand through her hair, frantically trying to think. “Can we hire more security?”

  “Sam is bringing over some of the boys from the farm that have done some bounty hunting on the side and they will always be nearby, but out of sight until they are needed. There won’t ever be a time that someone isn’t watching you or your family,” the assistant tried to reassure her. “These men are very loyal to Sam, trust me.”

  “If something happens to someone I love, Nick, I don’t know what I would do. It’s not like I’m some big bad assassin or crime lord, or some ageless monster...I’m just a girl.” She turned her head, looking down at her watch.

  “Please don’t take this wrong, Sweetie, but you are a young woman who watched her lover get in a wreck and had the presence of mind to pull her out of the wreckage before it blew up. If by chance, and I hope that it doesn’t, but if by chance something does happen, you will get through that just as well. It might take you longer, but you will survive,” Nick tried to reassure her.

  “Not helping, Nick,” Addison dead-panned. “I just want to get back to Sam, back to my family.” She let her mind drift to one of her favorite fantasies of Sam naked in bed barely covered only by a white sheet.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Clint chugged heavily on the bottle of water his bodyguard had handed him once he had finished skating at the park. It was nice to know that his sister loved someone who was as nice as Sam was. When his car pulled up at the house, he let the bodyguard out in front of him as he walked into the house, but made sure to take his skate shoes off and leave his board outside.

  Sam was still sitting outside by the pool under an umbrella sketching something and letting Maddie braid her hair. Not moving her head, she smiled at the young man as he walked up. “So did you have a good time?”

  Shaking his sweaty hair out of his eyes, Clint sat down across from Sam and watched them. “Yep, it was nice to get away for a while.”

  “Was the park challenging enough for you? I would imagine if you are anything like your sister that you want it as hard as it can be.” She winked at him as she went back to her sketch book.

  Clint grinned. “So you think I’m like Addison?” he asked curiously. He had always looked up to his sister. At first he had thought those cars were rough on her body, and it had been a scary reality to find out it was his father. If she could stand up to him, he didn’t think there was anything she couldn’t do.

  “Well, she says that you’re a great mechanic, and with the talks that I’ve had with your mother, it seems that you a very honorable and trustworthy; so yeah. I think that you’re a lot like Addi.” The blonde smiled at the young man. “Easy there Maddie...that one is a bit too tight.”

  “Sorry,” Maddie chirped, instantly letting go of Sam’s hair. Clint nodded to himself, happy with the compliment. “Samantha Jayne...” Neely called out from the kitchen. “In a minute I’m going to bring out your laptop. Nick said he wanted to video conference.”

  “Okay...Maddie, you can still braid my hair, it’s just that one was a little tight.” Sam turned to smile at the little girl. “Besides, I want to look pretty for when Addi gets back.”

  “You look pretty all the time, Addi says,” Maddie replied matter-of-factly. “She carries pictures of you in her jumpsuit and in her purse. They’re on her phone too.” The little girl of course had none of the tact an adult had.

  Clint blushed, thinking of how enamored his big sister was with the woman. “I’m gonna go take a shower, Neely said she still needed my help with the groceries.” He went inside while Neely came out with Sam’s laptop, setting it in front of her.

  “Did he tell you who this conference is with or is it just him?” Sam asked as she powered up the laptop.

  “Just him, but he said he knew you wanted to check some emails and then see what the board thought of Addison.” Neely handed Sam a glass of sweet tea as well. “Are you hungry? I’ll make you a BLT.”

  “With extra bacon, please?” Sam laughed before she turned back to Maddie. “Would you mind going inside with Miss Neely? I have some business to do and I don’t want you to be bored.”

  “Okies.” Maddie put a pony tail holder in Sam’s hair before taking Neely’s hand and skipping inside.

  Opening up the camera, Sam waited for Nick to come into view. She knew that she would be pleased with Addison’s run and was confident that the board would be also.

  “Hey Sam, ready to watch her run?” Nick leaned down into view so that Sam could see him but just over his shoulder she saw Addison in her favorite jumpsuit talking to Dennis.

  Sam nodded her head as she wiped her hands on her shirt. “Did she seem nervous?”

  “Very. Normally she’s all swagger on the concrete, but she’s spooked, without you here I think she’s lost.” Sam saw Nick look away nervously.

  “Did you tell her about the offer?” Sam knew that Nick would be surprised that she knew, but it was her company and she knew about almost everything.

  “Damn it woman, you make my job hard. Yes, I told her...what do you think about it?” Nick looked shocked,
his eyebrows arching up in surprise.

  “I would prefer that she not do it, but I can’t tell her not to. I don’t like her showing that much of herself to the world. I’m afraid that she thinks that I prefer models to someone like her, and it’s just the opposite.” Sam sighed and tried to run a hand through her hair, but the braids brought that to a quick halt.

  “Well let’s see. But you are probably right, she’s trying to shed the image of a little girl and become a woman. Let her enjoy her sexuality a bit.” Nick turned the lap top so that now Sam was looking at the track.

  “I would rather her not enjoy it in front of the world, Nick. There are people out there who will take advantage of her and eat her up alive.” Sam leaned closer to the screen. “I see that Dennis made it there safely.”

  “He did.” Nick smiled and moved out the way so that Sam could see everything behind him. “He and Addison seem to get along just fine. Let’s see how they drive together; she’s pulling out of pit row now.”

  The blonde watched nervously as the cars pulled out and headed around the track. The first lap was a bit slow as Addison was probably getting used to the track and in being out in front. “Nick, I want you to send me the lap times. I’m gonna call up the board and listen to what they’re saying.”

  He nodded and transferred the call upstairs to the board who were in the home office with a flat screen television to video conference with Sam.

  “Sam,” came the gruff but calculating voice of Trenton Spear, President of Dupree’s board of Directors. The man sat in a high backed leather chair with several men around him, all wearing expensive suits. His eyes weren’t on Sam, but on Addison’s car, circling the track. “She looks good. So far.”

  “She a good driver, Trent. I wouldn’t hire just anyone. She’ll be even better with time,” she responded, still watching for the lap times.

  Trent looked back at the screen, his eyes a little curious. He wanted to ask about Sam’s relationship with the younger driver, but he knew that would overstep some boundaries with the blonde so he stayed quiet. “What have the doctors said about your leg?”

  Sam sat up straighter. “Said it would be a few months, but I’m gonna be back within a month and a half. Don’t you worry.” She narrowed her eyes and looked at the man who helped run her company. “What do you wanna know, Trent. It’s not like you to pussyfoot around.”

  “I don’t know how I feel about you dating our reserve driver. This could end badly Sam. It’s not like you’re in it to marry the girl, so when are you moving on so we can know to look for another driver...?” Trent rubbed his forehead. He didn’t like the idea of their dating; Addison had far too much potential to squander it.

  “And just who are you planning on replacing, Trenton?” Sam leaned forward to place her elbows on the table.

  “Her, if it comes to it. Sam. I’ve seen how you go through women. You make George Clooney look like the poster boy for monogamy.” Trent lifted a piece of paper that had Addison’s previous lap times at other tracks.

  “She’s staying...as the backup driver and as anything thing else she wants. I’ve let you and the board run my life off and on the track for long enough. As long as our relationship doesn’t get in the way of our driving, you have no say in the matter. IF, and that is a very big IF it does, we’ll bring up the subject again,” Sam’s voice was a cold as steel.

  Trent smiled nastily but said nothing in response to Addison’s staying or going. “If WE see it begins to interfere, we will be the ones making the call, Sam. Remember that, but let’s move on to something a bit more interesting. We hear that Addison has had an invitation to be a spokesperson for a lingerie company...I don’t see why she shouldn’t say yes. It would bring in more fans to the races since the main attraction to Dupree Motorsports is on the mend.”

  “That will be up to her. I’m not going to force her to do something that she is uncomfortable with, and I would do the same thing if we weren’t lovers,” Sam shot back. “Remember one thing, Trenton. I own fifty-four percent of the stock and am allowing you to be the President of the board. I can just as quickly replace you.”

  “That depends on who you could find to take the job Sam. You aren’t exactly a treat to work for you know. We’ve already put a call in to Addison to video conference when she gets the chance.” The Board President took a sip of his water before setting the glass on the table. “But for the most part she looks fantastic in the car and on the track. I can see how you chose her not only for her looks, but for her ability. Get well soon Sam. We miss you.” And Trent ended the video conference call.

  “Son of a bitch.” Sam slammed her hand down on the table and went to pick up the laptop to throw it into the pool, but she saw Maddie out of the corner of her eye. She blushed as she put it back on the table. “Sorry about that Sweetie.”

  Maddie smiled up at Sam and reached up for her hand. “Ms. Neely says dinner is ready and for you to...to...to get your blonde-self inside.” The little girl was proud she had delivered the message correctly and smiled again.

  “Yes ma’am. If you will hand me my crutches, you can help get my blonde-self inside.” Sam pushed herself up from the table and grabbed the crutches the little girl handed to her one at a time. “Thank you Miss Maddie. Let’s go.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Maddie skipped inside, followed by Sam, who was able to enjoy a quiet dinner with Addison’s family and Neely. Clint and Maddie went to get cleaned up for bed while Neely and Charlotte cleaned the kitchen. After about thirty minutes or so, a very pleased looking Nick walked in the door followed by Addison.

  “Hey there, Darlin’...great job on the driving today. I knew you could do it.” Sam grinned from ear to ear and winked at her lover.

  “I had a really good teacher.” Addison smiled as she leaned over Sam’s chair and kissed her lips softly. Brushing her hair back from her eyes, she grinned a bit wider. “I love your hair....” Addi twirled the long braid of her lover’s hair.

  “Your sister decided that I needed a new look.” The blonde primped for a moment. “She wanted me to be sure to tell you to go say good night.”

  Addison lifted gray eyes and noticed the lights turned low and her mother not in the room. “My mom must be reading Maddie a bed time story. And Clint’s probably tired from the skate park. Looks like it’s just us on my last night....”

  “Whatever shall we do?” Sam whispered softly.

  “I can only imagine Sam...” Addison whispered, pressing her lips against Sam’s softly before leaning back. “Let me carry you to our bedroom,” she suggested as she gently pulled Sam to her feet, lifting her into her arms. “It’s my turn to be the strong one.”

  “Addi...put me down. You might hurt your back, and then what would we do. I love you for the thought though,” Sam protested.

  Knowing Sam was right, and that she couldn’t jeopardize the whole company just because she felt romantic, Addi set the blonde down gently and let her get her footing. “Sorry...I just wanted to literally sweep you off your feet.” She sighed a bit and opened their bedroom door. Once the blonde was comfortable, Addison began to get undressed for bed, yawning quietly.

  Leaning against the headboard, Sam folded her hands and asked. “Did Trenton call you? They were quite pleased with your runs.”

  “Nick said he wanted to video conference when I had the time to talk, which isn’t anytime soon that I can foresee. But he is President of the Board.” Addison smiled as she unzipped her jeans and shimmied out of them kicking them into her laundry basket. “But they were pleased?”

  “They were very pleased, Darlin’. You have nothing to worry about. I’ve told you time and time again that you’re a better driver than I am.” Sam grinned.

  “You may say that.” Addison blushed at the compliment, pulling her shirt over her head and depositing it where her jeans went. Her bra came next along with her panties before she began to look for something to sleep in.

  “What are ya lookin’ for, Darlin�
��?” Sam drawled, letting her eyes caress the toned body.

  Holding out her hand, Sam beckoned her lover to join her. “I’ll keep ya warm. I promise.”

  The toned redhead slid onto the bed beside Sam and took her hand with a small blush. “Please do, I’m already a bit cold....” Her eyes dropped down to her chest for a moment before looking up invitingly through her lashes.

  Sam eyes dropped to Addi’s chest. “Uhh yes, I see that you’re a bit chilled. Wonder what I can to do warm you up?”

  Leaning her head onto the pillow beside Sam’s, Addison’s gray eyes darkened. “I’m going to miss you, Sam. If it weren’t for this company of yours, I wouldn’t go....” Lithe fingertips trailed over Sam’s cheek.

  Sam wiggled so that she was flat on her back and wrapped her arms around her lover. Pulling a sheet over them, she reached over to flip off the light and sighed. “I want an honest answer and it needs to be what you want. Not what you think I want. Do you want to continue racing?”

  “You’ve asked me this before Sam and my answer remains the same: Yes, I want to continue racing. I love the sport and what it does to my adrenaline, but I was just saying I don’t really want to go without you,” Addison’s voice floated up from the blonde’s arms.

  “I can join you in a couple of weeks, hopefully, so you won’t be alone for long.” Sam pressed a kiss atop the head underneath her chin.

  “I would be okay with that, but I don’t want to see you in a race car until the doctor clears you for it,” came the sassy reply with a kiss to Sam’s lips.

  “Not to worry there. The insurance company won’t let me near a car until I’ve gotten a clean bill of health. They are sticklers for things like that,” Sam murmured against silky lips.

  “Mmm. I know you are the boss, but I just worry sometimes,” Addison whispered back as her hands undid Sam’s braid so she could run her hands through her hair.

  “Would you prefer if I wasn’t the boss, Addi?” The thought came to the blonde’s mind.