Page 8 of Retrograde
‘He’s had a fair bit, yeah,’ Marco replied.
‘As I was saying,’ Brett continued, his drink sloshing over the side of the glass, ‘all four girls have done a stellar job at figuring out ways of getting more young women interested in the sport, giving them opportunities and ensuring the longevity of their mission. I for one am glad we’re no longer letting the sport be dictated by old dinosaurs who have a one-track mind and only care about money and power. It’s about time we made changes, and made our industry a place of acceptance, empowerment and community. Cheers to the girls.’ He held his glass up, a quarter of the liquid now in a puddle at his feet which would have to be blue-rolled away in a moment. But regardless of his tipsiness, Lucie beamed up at him.
He breezed off the stage as the music continued andchatter filled the room once again, Bea being dragged away by a herd of team principals and Esme gravitating towards a rookie Formula One driver.
‘Thanks, Anderson.’ Lucie gave him a quick hug, only managing to sneak one arm around his waist before he was pulling her out to the rooftop garden.
‘I’m so proud of you, Sunny,’ he gushed, the door not even closed behind them before he let the enthusiasm take control of his body, arms flailing wildly.
‘I know. I’m feeling proud of myself, too,’ she smiled.
‘Nah, Luce. You’re fucking incredible. You’ve blossomed over the last few years, and I’m so grateful I got to witness it happen right before my eyes.’
‘Don’t make me cry, I look really good tonight.’ Her bottom lip quivered, watching her best friend gaze down at her with the London sunset behind him.
‘You do, and you feel good, and I’m so glad you do. You’re gonna have one hell of a season this year, Sunny. You know that? Girls Off Track is going to skyrocket.’
‘I hope so.’ She leaned on the railing, playing with her ring as Brett came up behind her, wrapping her up in his arms. She felt safe here, and she knew if she didn’t have people like him lifting her up all the time, reminding her what she was capable of and pushing her, she might not be where she was in her career. Might not have had the gall to go after what she wanted.
‘Love ya, Sunny.’
‘Love you, too.’
4
The Las Vegas Strip was magical. There was so much happening at any given moment, every time Lucie came to the city of sin it put her in a daze for a solid week. The lights, the constant buzz of excitement in the air as people gambled their life’s savings away. Lucie didn’t gamble, but she enjoyed watching Brett and Marco dabble. Julien was on a very strict budget now he had Faith looking over his shoulder, but in previous years, he had been just as bad as his teammates.
She tugged her dress down for the third time that night, feeling a little unsure of herself in the gold, sparkly ensemble she had borrowed from Bea. The zip had broken on Lucie’s original dress, and her friends had insisted she couldn’t outfit-repeat in a place like this, so wearing tomorrow evening’s dress twice was off the cards. But Lucie rarely wore short, fitted dresses, and her curves filled it out more than Bea’s petite figure, which meant that the hem sat a little too high on her leg for her liking. The yellow sapphire drop earrings Brett had presented her with on arrival weren’t helping to ease her anxiety, either. They were just as flashy and over-the-top, even more so when paired with her ring.
‘Will you stop fussing? The amount of second looks you’ve had walking down the Strip is insane. I watchedone girl trip over her own feet,’ Bea scowled at her disapprovingly.
‘I just sort of wish I was in my cowboy boots.’
‘You should’ve said! I had another dress they’d have worked perfectly with!’
‘Well, I didn’t know if Vegas was the place for them. Plus, you and the girls are all in heels so I’d have been the odd one out.’
‘No, Luce. You’d have been yourself.’ Bea shrugged like it was a simple answer, like Lucie was fully comfortable being herself in an industry where models swarmed the paddock.
They rushed ahead to join the rest of the group, who seemed to be on a mission to get to dinner. That was another thing she still wasn’t used to when travelling with the guys; they never reserved tables. Julien in particular could just walk into almost any restaurant and the staff would go to extreme lengths to make space. Brett’s influence had grown over the last couple of seasons too, but he and Marco didn’t like to use their power to feed their empty stomachs. Which was a surprise given how much they ate when they were bulking.
‘Are they going to make us eat sushi again?’ Esme whined. ‘We always have sushi. I want burgers, fries, shakes. Anything my body hates.’
‘You want burgers?’ Brett’s head whipped around like a dog hearing the word ‘walkies’.
‘Please. I am begging.’
‘Well, it’s my birthday trip, so burgers it is.’ Brett flung an arm around Esme’s shoulders playfully and steeredher in the direction of an upscale restaurant, famous for its vegan burgers which would keep Marco happy, and Lucie felt that unwelcome pang of jealousy.
‘I take it he’s paying for this,’ Bea whispered, ‘because I sure as hell can’t afford to drop ninety-plus dollars on a piece of meat sandwiched between two slices of bread. I’ve got a tiny budget for the casino later.’
‘You know what the guys are like, someone’s card will be waved around. If not, I can go halves with you,’ Lucie reassured.
She could count on one hand the number of times over the years that their friends had allowed them to pay for meals when they went out as a group, and while it meant they could save up for flights and hotels on their non-work-related travels, it still felt wrong. It was hard to process just how much money the guys had to spend from their Revolution contracts alone, let alone personal sponsorships and brand deals and all the investments they’d made.
‘How fucking much?’ Faith’s eyes nearly fell out of her head the second she sat down and opened the menu. That seemed to be her favourite phrase.
‘Shhh!’ Julien put a hand over mouth. ‘Babe, not so loud.’
