Page 31 of I See Red

“Depends, what’s the wager?” I bite, curious to hear what she has in mind. Knowing her, it’s going to cost me. A lot. Throwing her blonde hair off her shoulder, she comes alive, her mouth salivating at her own thoughts.

“Okay, so if Mercedes takes first, then I get a date in Boston with you. Something one hundred percent planned by you, but massages can’t be part of it, something fun and exciting.” She takes a long pause, and I can see her wheels still turning. She’s got more.

“And?” I ask, my hand grabbing through the hole in her jeans, squeezing her thigh, trying to pull her words from her lips.

“Andyou have to purchase me a Black Vintage 959 Porsche, black interior with red stitching.” A squeal releases from herlike she has already won. Normally, I’d find that noise exiting a woman unattractive, but from her, it’s the most beautiful noise ever, and I can’t help but file it as a perfect memory, never to be lost.

“I already bought you one in red.”

“Exactly, this one would be black, it’s completely different. ”

“Okay, and if I win?” I question, curious what my end holds.

She leans into me, her lips skimming across my ear as she whispers, “What do you want, Mr. Bergess?” The bulge in my pants grows with her words as I think back to the jet and all her mouth did to me. I’m starving for her. I had planned on keeping her naked and wet in this suite all weekend. After two days of holding my restraint, my self-control is running thin. Separating my two heads, I try to think of what it is I truly want. I’d love more than anything to say the truth.You. I want you now and forever. I choose you. I always have, and I always will. You are my entire fucking world. I want to blow our worlds up; I want to break the rule. I want you every day of the week, every season of the year, and to watch every rainstorm holding you. I want all of you, the good, bad, ugly, and indifferent. I want you to be the first thing I wake up to every morning and the last I lay my eyes on before I sleep. I want to forever share our successes and failures together. I want to start building a life together. The life we were always supposed to have that time, consequence, and a fucking pact robbed us of. I want to laugh with your laugh and hold you when you cry. I want to feast on your body every moment possible. You… I fucking want you. All of you, here, now, fuck—forever.I want you to ask me to choose.

I let the thought pass as quickly as it came. It’s pointless to say, or maybe the fear that it may be pointless drives my lack of speaking my true feelings. But it doesn’t mean I don’t daydream,just as they do. I’m a man, yes, but I’m a fucking man in love in such a fucking way I can’t understand. Pure fucking torture.

“Okay, so if Ferrari wins, you have to commission me a Singer DLS in oak green metallic with a cognac interior. Deviated green stitching as well as carbon and magnesium accents. Secondly, I want you to wear nothing but a red bow and matching heels upon delivery, little flame.”

The image alone chisels away at the restraint I’ve been trying to contain.

“Okay, deal, shake on it?” She giggles, holding her hand out.

I pull her into me, our lips crashing as my tongue invades her soft, red-stained lips, my hands running through her hair, yanking down with just enough pressure, her lungs releasing the air trapped within her last breath. My lips trailing across hers gently, biting her lower lip, forcing her to suck in a gasp. Her eyes lock on me.

“My love, this isn’t business. It’s personal. The only thing your hand should ever shake is my fucking cock.” I release her, taking a sip of my drink, a grin tainted across my face. I can feel her stare as I patiently await her witty response.

“Well, it looks like you just put your money where your mouth is. I hope your wallet can handle what your mouth has been afraid to claim all weekend.”

My eyes darken looking onto her. Her confidence is sexy. I’ll give her that.My turn.“I’m not afraid, my love. If it wanted to claim anything, I could have. We both know that. To deny that simple fact would be pure blasphemy.”

“Oh, real-”

“I’m not finished,” I bite, shutting her down.

“Everything is about impeccable timing, and when I fuck you and taste that sweet little pussy of yours, it will be exactly as it should. No more, no less, and that fucking kills you, which makes my dick hard. That, little flame, is the power you handedover to me years ago, and I will do with it when and as I please. It drives you fucking insane, and insane is my favorite version of you.” I lift my beer up cheersing her, not allowing her the chance to reply before I continue.“Race is starting. I hope you have a bow company in that Rolodex of numbers on your phone, little flame.”

“As a matter of fact, I do, Mr. Bergess. I’ll send you the contact card when you’re making arrangements formynew Porsche.” Fuck, I love her. She’s fucking relentless. Here’s to hoping Leclerc pulls in this win for me, ‘cause damn, I need her in that car naked and wet for me.Fuck, making it through these next one-hundred and twenty minutes is going to be brutal.

“Lap 28 is officially underway. Mercedes is leading with a .003-second lead over Red Bull, with Ferrari trailing in third. Haas still holding at fourth with .34 seconds they need to make up to position themselves in third and the possibility of putting themselves on that podium for the first time in history here at their home circuit. There’s still a lot of race left, Bill, and it’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out.”

“You’re exactly right, Ryan. This will be a race to remember. Leclerc has a lot resting on his shoulders after his teammate, Sainz, was taken out of the race earlier on lap seventeen. If Ferrari wants a spot on the podium, Leclerc is their only hope. He’s holding steady, though, and it would be an amazing win for Ferrari if he can pull it off. Let’s hope the errors already made here today are repeated.”

“Coming out of turn eighteen, Magnussen is pressing Leclerc, pulling on the inside, looking for his window to slide past; if he pulls this off, that will place Haas in third, and if he can hold it—Leclerc closes the gap, and there’s been contact. Will Leclerc regain control? Oh my god, Magnussen has lost all control and is mid-air. This is not good, Ryan. There’s too muchsmoke, the red flag has been deployed, and the safety cars are maintaining control and setting the pace.”

“No, Bill, it’s not, and unfortunately for Haas, this severely lowers their chances of a podium placement today. That is minimal, considering. I think I speak for everyone here today and watching; we’re all just hoping Magnussen will walk away from this.”The medics and firefighters begin making their way to him. I think we are all holding our breath, waiting to see movement from his car. The stadium has drawn quieter than I have ever seen it. I think we’re all praying for a miracle right now.

Red and I stand in complete disbelief. I’ve seen quite a few crashes, but this one is among the top three worst. Although I am not a Haas fan, I’m a race fan, and the safety of all drivers is important regardless of the team they represent. Our breaths are both shaky waiting to see something, anything. Fuck, that wreck was bad.

“Tayden, I don’t see anything,” she gasps, her hand rubbing her neck as she always does in times of stress.

“Me neither. It doesn’t look good,” I respond, wrapping her in my arms as we both look down onto the track. The commentary from our suite T.V. falls quiet, just as all in attendance today. For a moment, she seems fearful and vulnerable. For a moment, I feel I’m peering behind the stone she has built herself from.Not often does she allow anyone to see the empathy she feels for those in her life, much less a stranger. She doesn’t hide it as well as she thinks though. I have the front-row seat to it right now, and it’s breathtaking.

“We have movement. Magnussen has been removed from his vehicle, and he’s—Ryan, is he waving his helmet in the air? Oh my god, this is the craziest thing I have seen. We are getting reports that he was trapped and that, as far as they can tell, he’s going to be okay. The medics are loading him to be takenoff for precaution; however, it looks like he will race another day, Bill.”

“That’s correct, Ryan. Let’s replay that and see exactly where it went wrong while they get the track cleared, and hopefully a green flag waving soon. We still have a lot of race left today.”

“Oh my god, what a fucking wreck. Jesus fuck, what an adrenaline rush,” she bursts out, her hands shaking at her sides as she goes over to pour herself another drink.

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