Page 67 of Endurance

“I think it’s pretty ironic that Kallie, of all people, is going to be working side by side with a motor oil company,” Gabby pointed out as we walked.

“Tell me about it. I was thinking about that when I shook their hands. I know it’s part of the business, but I’m going to have a hard time overlooking the fact that they’re one of the biggest culprits of air pollution. I’m going to have to make a sizable donation to Greenpeace just to ease my conscience.”

“Just remind me not to tell you what the gas mileage is for these babies,” Sloan said with a chuckle as he slid open the large metal doors. A parking lot opened up on the other side, revealing four large red trailers, three of them built around matching semi-trucks. They stood tall, sleek, and shiny, with the Kapton Motor Oil logo emblazoned in black and silver lettering along the sides.

“Fancy,” Gabby remarked.

“This is how we’ll get to San Antonio, Texas for the race. International races would have a different transportation system for obvious reasons, but U.S. races typically travel by road. That right there,” he said, pointing to a windowless trailer, “that’s the hauler. It’s how the car will be transported. The other three are totor homes for the top-ranking crew members. Most likely, additional haulers will be added for equipment, but these are to showcase.”

“Showcase?” I asked.

“The sponsors can go a little overboard with these things. It’s like there’s this unspoken competition to see which team can pull up looking the best. The drivers never mind because it’s to our benefit.” Reaching up, he unlatched the door to the totor home that had Tyler McDermott’s name written on the side, and I wondered if the name would soon be changed to Sloan’s. “Step inside, and I’ll show you what I mean.”

Climbing aboard, I looked around the surprisingly luxurious layout. There was a spacious kitchen and dining area, complete with smaller-than-average stainless steel appliances. Black leather armchairs and a couch occupied what could only be described as a living room, with a large screen T.V. hanging on the wall adjacent to them.

“Wow! You weren’t kidding about these being a showcase!” Gabby gushed, sliding her hand over the black and silver veined marble countertop in the kitchen area. “It’s gorgeous in here.”

“The sides pop out, which makes for more room. It can sleep up to eight, but the king bed in the back is reserved for the driver. That’s me,” he added with a wink.

I eyed him curiously, once again biting my tongue about whether or not he could even race, as I followed him toward the back. He sounded so happy and excited. I’d never seen him quite like this before—he was like a little kid on Christmas showing off his new toys. Who was I to kill his spirit?

When we reached the back room, a small master suite with a private bathroom came into view. The composite wood walls were painted a muted gray, and the bed was covered with a plush red comforter and black throw pillows. It matched the overall sleek and extremely masculine style of the upscale RV.

“I like it,” I said as I stepped past Sloan to get a better look at the room.

Moving to the left to make room for Gabby to enter, Sloan took advantage of the tight space by placing his hands on my hips. With minimal effort, he pulled me back, so the curve of my spine was against his hard chest. He leaned in, and I could feel his breath hot on my neck while he not-so-subtly slid one hand under the hem of my T-shirt to connect with the bare skin at my waist. I shivered at the contact but quickly pushed his hand down and cast a side-eye at Gabby to see if she’d noticed. She was looking around the room, seemingly unaware that Sloan was trying to feel me up right in front of her.

“I can’t wait to feel you naked in that bed,” Sloan whispered softly into my ear. I stifled a gasp as I felt his fingers graze under my shirt once more.

“Um,” Gabby said, making a loud show of clearing her throat. “I’ll just step outside and leave you two to it.”

“No, it’s fine!” I said hurriedly and slapped Sloan’s hand away. “Sloan just needs to learn how to behave.”

I angled my head to give him a pointed stare. He laughed and held up his hands in mock surrender.

“Hey, don’t blame me. I told you what I think about those shorts.”

“We should head back anyway,” I told them and stepped back out of the bedroom, away from Sloan’s wandering hands. “The apparel people will be here soon, and Gabby needs to get to the airport by—”

“Sloan!” yelled a male voice. Startled, I turned and saw Milo poking his head inside the door to the totor home.

“What’s up, Milo?” Sloan asked.

Milo looked right past Gabby and me as if we weren’t even standing there and motioned with his head toward the track.

“Stop fucking around in here. You can have a threesomeafterthe race,” he snapped. My spine instantly stiffened in indignation. “Ace Apparel just arrived. You need to go get fitted.”

“I’ll be right there,” Sloan replied.

“When you’re through with that, I need to talk to you. Meet me in the sponsor’s lounge.” Milo paused, his gaze quickly flashing to my face, before looking back at Sloan. “And when you come, come alone.”

Then he was gone, leaving the totor home door to slam closed in his wake.

“I really don’t like that man,” I murmured.

“I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual,” Gabby observed.

“Milo just hates it when his drivers are distracted by women,” Sloan rationalized. “I’m sorry, Kallie. I know he can be a real dick, but I can’t cut him loose now. I wouldn’t be here today if he didn’t land this opportunity for me. I’ll talk to him, though. He needs to cut that shit out. There’s no reason for him to be so rude to you.”

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