My phone rings and brings a smile to my face. Kelex has been checking on me a lot the last few days. We’ve become the closest over the years. It’s probably because he’s a mirror of me in a lot of ways.
“Hey, pretty boy,” I sing into the phone.
“What are you up to, gorgeous?”
“Getting my moisturize on. You know she has to keep them thighs shiny and smooth,” I tease as I tuck the phone between my face and my shoulder and go to pull on my silk pajama shorts.
“Don’t tease me. It’s not polite.”
“As if I’m your type,” I scoff.
He’s silent for a few moments. I stand and make my way to the mirror. My unit is lifting, so I get some alcohol from my things to remove it.
“You do know in another life and if I weren’t so screwed up in the head, I would have shot my shot a long time ago, right? Like, the night we met,” he says.
I smile. “Really? I don’t know. I can’t see model Kelex trying to hook up with me.”
“I wasn’t as shallow as everyone made me out to be. You’re smart and beautiful. I would have totally been into you. And you’re as crazy about cars as I used to be.”
My heart pings. I understand why he hates cars now, but I couldn’t imagine not having that love anymore. It would be like cutting off a hand.
“If you say so.”
I smile to myself in the mirror and place him on speaker so I can take down my braids. Maybe I’ll go to the race tomorrow without a unit. I mentally laugh at myself. Never going to happen.
“I say so. However, there’s also the fact that I never had a chance. You’re already in love with one of my other friends,” Kelex says with a grin in his voice, tugging me from my musings.
I suck in a breath. Kelex called me on my feelings for Pit years ago. He’s the only one I’ve ever told about my crush, but that was before I saw Pit for who he is. I don’t think he’ll ever be the type to settle and be happy in a relationship.
“It’s not like that anymore,” I whisper.
“Are you sure? I have eyes.”
My heart twists. Am I attracted to Pit? Hell yeah. He oozes sex and this magnetism. We vibe when we let our guards down. Which usually takes a few beers.
Our trips with the crew are always more fun when we’re both there. We come up with pranks that leave me in stitches from laughing. Yeah, we’re older and probably should cut the crap, but its times like those that allow me to breathe.
“You’re thinking too loud.”
“Josh?”
“Ut-oh. What’s up, princess?”
“Who did you mean that night? You said you can’t lose me too. Who have you lost?” I say cautiously.
“I’m not ready, Ven. I’m trying to breathe. When the time comes, we’ll talk.”
I walk back over to the bed and sit down. I want to push, but I don’t. I understand not wanting or being able to talk about something.
“Okay, you know my phone is on anytime for you.”
“You say that now. I don’t know how Pit will feel about that when you’re popping out his babies and washing his drawers.”
“Oh, grow up,” I laugh. “That’s never going to happen.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty wealthy too. You guys can afford a maid.”
“Good night, Kelex.”
“Glad I could make you laugh. Night, baby.”
I hang up smiling. I can hear he’s hurting, but he’ll talk when he’s ready. The fact that he can joke lets me know he’ll be okay.
I go to place my phone on the nightstand to charge, but I freeze. The panic attack is instant. I start to scream my head off as I jump from the bed.
Pit
* * *
I come out of the shower and wrap a towel around my waist. I’m in a shitty mood. It would have been so simple to just go out to dinner with Skittles. I was hungry and New York is always more fun with someone than on your own.
Ox and Roman went out to hook up with some chicks they have here. I’m not in the mood for a warm nameless body. The woman I crave is fucking one of my best friends.
Seeing Kelex and Skittles walk into the bathroom of my club together killed something in me. I’d doubled back for my phone and walked into the back room right as she leaned into him and they disappeared behind the door.
I guess our agreement is dead. Which means I have no idea why I’m here or why I’m spending so much money on this shit. Yes, she’s offered to reimburse me, but the money isn’t the issue.
You know why you’re here. It was never the money or races. It’s always been her.
I go to spray on some cologne. It might be time for me to go out and clear my head. Knowing Skittles is only across the hall has my mind turning to her every five seconds.
I go to place the bottle back down when screaming fills the air. I’d know that voice anywhere. Without a second thought I get my Glock from the table by the bed and rush from the room.
“Mayven,” I shout as I bang on her door. “Mayven.”
Just as I’m about to kick the door in, she tears it open and jumps in my arms. Her entire body shakes as she wraps her legs around my waist tightly. I hold one hand to the back of her head as she buries her face into my neck.
Her tears are soaking my skin. Moving into the room, I hold my gun out looking for the threat. Finding no one, I coax her to quiet her cries so I can find out what the heck is going on.
“Shh, baby. What happened?”
She slides from my waist and scurries behind me. I try to turn to face her, but she moves as I move, peeking around me toward the bedroom area. I’m growing frustrated.
I cock my gun and storm into her bedroom to get my own answers. Still, I find nothing as I look around. Her phone is on the floor between the nightstand and the bed.
“Did you get it?” she whispers as she stands outside the bedroom door bouncing from foot to foot.
I look at her in confusion. “Get what?”
“The spider,” she breathes and wrings her hands.
If she weren’t trembling so hard, I would laugh. I vaguely remember Kelex once killing a spider and joking about it being a good thing Skittles wasn’t around. I thought nothing of it at the time.
“You were screaming because of a spider?” I ask in disbelief.
Mayven Skittles Jennings, the same chick that has beat countless girls and guys down for breathing wrong looks like she’s seen a ghost because of a damn spider. I shake my head and run a hand through my wet hair. I mutter to myself, fix my towel around my waist and start for the door to go back to my room.
When I feel her on my heels, I spin on her. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m not staying in here. I’m coming with you.” She looks at me with wide eyes like I’m the crazy one.
For the first time, I take her in. This is her real hair. Wow, I didn’t think she could be more beautiful. No makeup, no wig, and she’s stunning.
I tap my gun against my thigh. It’s clear she’s freaked out. A part of me wants to tell her it’s her problem. The other part of me wants to hold her until she stops shaking.
She crosses her arms over her middle and shifts from foot to foot again. I suck my teeth and brush past her, going back to the bedroom. I grab her phone off the floor.
When I stand, I see a spider run across the wall. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumble when I see the little ass thing. It might be the size of a dime.
Moving the phone to the hand with the gun, I then grab the notepad from the nightstand and smash the thing. Muttering and shaking my head, I head back out to the main area. She’s still frozen in the spot where I left her.
“I killed it. You should be fine.”
“No,” she says and shakes her head.
She’s serious with this shit. Sweat lines her upper lip and brow. Her arms are covered in goose bumps. Her toes are curled into the carpet under her feet. Her eyes have this glazed over look that informs me of how real this is.
&nbs
p; I nod to myself and hold out her phone. She takes it with a shaky hand. Without another word, I scoop her up and she wraps around me with ease, her face buried in my neck again.
Thank God, in my rush to her room I had sense enough to pull the stop on my door. I push our way in and let the door slam shut behind me. Skittles flinches in my arms at the sound.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur and tighten my hold on her.
I enter the bedroom and round the bed to put my gun down. She’s still in my arms when I sit and scoot back against the headboard. I feel like a bastard when I start to get hard from the heat of her pussy hovering over me.
There are only three major types of brandy. A DWAI will get you a three hundred to five hundred dollar fine.
“When I was kidnapped, the room they kept us in was infested with spiders,” Skittles breathes against my neck, pulling me from thoughts of anything but her sexy ass in my lap. When her words come out, I don’t need any other help for a distraction. The rage that fills me as she continues does it perfectly.
“I tried to be brave, but my cousin, Shawna, she freaked out. Then one bit me. I had an allergic reaction. My mom stormed in just in time. I was in the hospital for a week after it was so bad.
“I’m not afraid of jumping out of planes, gliding off of cliffs, or jumping from a bridge, but I’m terrified of spiders. I’m sorry if I seem crazy to you now,” she says.
“You have always been crazy to me.” I kiss the side of her head and start to rub her back.
“Thanks, Will,” she yawns, and her body relaxes against me.
It doesn’t even faze me that she calls me by my given name. I go to tease her about me seeing her real hair, but her soft breaths of air against my skin tell me she has passed out. I crane my neck so I can look down at her.
I can’t help myself. I brush her full hair out of her face and stare. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Even with her scar on full display. It’s larger than I ever knew, but it doesn’t take away from how perfect she is.
“Sleep tight,” I say and kiss her forehead, right over the scar.
I close my eyes and wonder what it would be like to wake like this every morning. Skittles in my arms, none of the barriers and guards between us. I snort at my crazy ass and fall asleep before I have anymore stupid thoughts.
Chapter 11
First Place
Pit
* * *
“I like your real hair better,” I whisper in Skittles’ ear as I walk up behind her.
She looks up and I swear I can see her cheeks glow. She was gone this morning when I woke. When it was time to leave for the race and I caught her coming out of the room next door to mine instead of the one across from me, I didn’t tease her about switching rooms or the spider.
Although I was disappointed as hell to see she was wearing one of those colorful wigs and not her natural brown crown. Yeah, that’s exactly what it reminded me of. A crown.
Night has fallen, so it’s showtime. I look around at these chumps. I can smell the fear on them. A team gets cut tonight. It won’t be mine.
“Let’s finish this shit.”
I wink at her and tug on my driving gloves. Suddenly, the embarrassed look fades from her face. She frowns and all that sass comes out.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she says as I zip my jumpsuit.
“I’m about to win this race.”
“No, you’re not. I’m driving. We need to make the next round.”
I scoff. “I don’t see the damn problem. I’m driving. We’ll make it.”
Ox and Roman groan and walk off. I ignore them and home in on Skittles. She’s serious with this.
“You do know I know how to drive? It’s the reason you asked me to do this.”
“As a backup driver if I wasn’t able to drive,” she says pointedly.
“Oh, you got me fucked up, Mayven. I’m no one’s backup. I’ll run circles around you and everyone else here,” I seethe.
“I built the car. I know how it handles. I’m smaller than you. It’s better for the aerodynamics. It makes the car lighter when I drive,” she snaps getting all nerdy on me.
It’s hot that she can build a car from the ground up. I know she knows her shit, but I’m driving. I’m not sitting through what happened last time.
“I’m driving,” I bite out.
“Will,” she growls.
“Mayven,” I return, mocking the way she says my name.
I walk off and get into the slick black car with the bright colors on the back end. Before I know it, she’s seated in the passenger side. I look at her like she’s crazy.
“Weren’t you worried about the weight in the car? By the way, what’s with the passenger seat?”
“The earlier races are single passenger. In the later races we have to ride as partners. We won’t have time to trade the bodies and I didn’t have time to design a third car, just the two required and they had to be identical according to the rules,” she says in exasperation.
“Good, so you built it to handle two people. We’re good.” I shrug and set my phone up.
“You’re not listening. They don’t have a second body in their cars now and I’m lighter than all of you.”
“Not with all that ass, baby. That shit has to be fifty pounds by itself.”
She growls at me. I go to tell her to get her ass out of the car, but it’s too late. They’re waving for me to pull up to the starting line. We’ve been arguing too long.
“Put your seat belt on,” I say in frustration.
I pull into my spot and turn on my music. Skittles is vibrating with anger next to me, but I tune her out and focus on what I’m the best at. I work this track like some good pussy I’m about to put to sleep.
My heart pounds to the beat of Method Man and Redman’s “Da Rockwilder.” This race is not as cut and dry as the track race Skittles drove. We take this track for four laps before we hit the street course they mapped out and sent to our GPS.
It’s the reason this race is at night. There’s a chance we could have trouble with the police, but that’s what the club wants, to see how you handle those situations. I eat up the track with ease.
I’m closing out the fourth lap when I see them opening the gate to allow us to drive out. I’m out front, but there’s a car on my ass.
“Hold tight,” I say to Skittles as I fly past the gate.
Skittles
* * *
Oh my God. How does he make driving so sexy? I squeeze my thighs and it’s not because of the speed he’s driving at.
The car that’s been riding our tail tries to push us on the right and Pit growls. I mean, the sexiest growl I’ve ever heard. I bat my lashes because I think I may have come from the sound alone. I turn to him right as he shifts gears. The sight draws a shiver.
The control he has over the car is phenomenal. I can build a dream machine, but if the driver is crap, it means nothing. Pit drives this thing like its a toy.
The car purrs beneath him and bends to his will. We glide through the nearly empty Brooklyn streets of New York. I’m sure the residents in the area are wondering what the hell is going on.
That’s when it happens, a cop car pulls out behind the car that’s struggling to keep up with us. I turn to look out the back window. Sure enough, the cops are in pursuit.
“Pit,” I call. “We have a problem.”
“No, we don’t.” he says, before switching the music off and talking into the comm. “Rome, I need an out and a row of greens.”
“Got it,” Roman replies.
I chew on my lip. This is what my team is good at. We race in other clubs and have a routine. I’m not sure about Roman stepping in for them, but Pit insisted.
“Your three is dirty. Avoid it. You’re going to take a left in half a mile. There’s a through and through garage there.”
Pit nods as if Rome can see him. With ease he follows the instructions. Sirens blare ahead of us, causing Pit to stop o
n a dime as we pull into the garage.
“Hold your position,” Rome says.
We watch as cop cars race by. When the last one passes and we can’t hear more coming, I think I’m ready to pass out.
“We good?” Pit asks.
“Good,” Rome replies.
Pit floors it. Pulling back out into traffic, he moves like a bullet.
“Get us back on course. I’m finishing this race,” he barks.
“You’re going to take a series of lefts and that’s a clean dump back to the track but make it quick. There’s a car heading back fast.”
“These Brooklyn streets have nothing on me,” Pit grunts.
And they don’t. He rips through them and gets us back to the block that turns into the track. However, straight ahead is the other car.
Pit releases another of those growls and I know he’s about to blow this engine. I close my eyes and say a prayer. We can’t lose this race. First place is what I was told I needed tonight.
Everything will be for nothing if we don’t come in first place. When Pit roars, I open my eyes just in time to see him cut in front of the other car and cross the finish line.
“Yeah,” I yell and pump my fist.
I release my seat belt and lean over to grab his face and kiss his cheek. He pulls to a stop and turns to cup the back of my head. He stares into my eyes, searching.
“You said you need to win. I’m here to win,” he says and releases me to get out of the car.
I sit staring out the windshield at the smoking front of our car. “Yeah, I know how you feel, honey. He rides my thoughts hard and leaves me wet and smoking too,” I say to the car and pat the dash.
Chapter 12
Action
Pit
* * *
Pit: The A**hole Club Series Page 8