Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Royce
RACE DAY
I wake early, my alarm slowly growing louder and it takes me a moment to realise where I am.
I’m curled around a warm body, my cock hard and within seconds I bolt upright.
Panic covers my skin in a clammy sheen; I blink through the sleepiness and let my heart calm itself down.
A soft moan passes her lips as she rolls onto her front, curly hair splayed behind her cute shorts and vest.
Oh, yes.
I didn’t plan to stay here… it just kind of happened. It’s not a big deal, we’re fake dating… it would be weird if we didn’t share a room. The idea is there and already circling before I can have a chance to ignore it.
Grabbing my phone, I message Nora saying going forward, Athena and I are to share a room. I explain that we had a close call with a fan last night who was questioning why we were sleeping separate. Not a hundred percent the truth but not a huge lie either.
She replies almost instantly telling me to fuck off and she’ll deal with it later today.
Hopping up from the bed, I grab my clothes from last night and pull them on. Standing at the side of the bed, I glance down at Athena. I needed to wake her but at the same time, I don’t want to.
Sighing, I slip my watch on and tuck my phone into my trousers. Pacing round to her side of the bed, I lean down, delicately brushing her hair over her shoulder.
“Athena,” I whisper, but nothing. “Athena.” I trail my fingers down her arm, and she moves ever so slightly. “Kid, I need you to wake up.”
She moans as she rolls and fuck, it sounds so good. Her eyes flutter open, landing on me. Pillow crease sits against her cheek, hazy sleepy eyes, and God, I would do anything to climb back into bed and hold her against me.
“Morning.” I beam.
“Morning.” She stretches up and I have to stand tall, turning slightly as her tiny vest slides up her body.
“We need to leave in twenty,” I mutter as I walk out the room. I need out of there.
I hear her spring from the bed and slam the bathroom door.
Sitting in the small chair that hugs the corner of her small room, I see her notepad resting on the sideboard.
I reach for it; I flick through the pages and my heart warms at her notes.
I place it back down, because I didn’t want to snoop and open my phone to search her author name.
A list of books come up, and I raise my brow as I scroll on my phone and seeing how many she has actually published.
Glancing over my shoulder, I click on the first in a series by the looks of it and add it into my basket. I needed to speak to Nora or Ana?s or… I glance at the time, then open my messages to Rue.
Me
Hey, you okay? When will we all see you again? I know the girls are missing you. I have a question. If I want to read a book, but can’t get a physical form, how can I read it? Royce
It sends and I slip my phone away. I have no idea how long I am waiting, but Athena emerges from the bedroom looking completely put together. The trainers, skirt, and tee combo is pretty similar to what she wore yesterday, but it’s perfect.
“This okay?” she asks, giving me a small swirl.
“Babe, you could wear a black bag, and I would still say you look good.”
She stumbles, catching herself and staring at me.
“You look good.” I smile, but I know it’s because I said babe.
She smiles back then rushes to grab her stuff, dumping it in her backpack.
“It’s going to be a long day. Do you have everything you need?” I find myself asking and she nods. “Okay, cool. Let’s go up to my apartment then our day begins.” My hands find the small of her back as I follow her to the door.
It seems as soon as we’re out in the hallway, my phone starts pinging non-stop. She closes the door and I usher her towards the lift. Whilst we wait, I pull my phone out seeing multiple messages from Nora.
What the fuck?!
Below them is a link. I didn’t even have to click on it to know what it was.
“Athena,” I mutter as I push behind her and into the waiting lift. “We have a problem.”
Sitting in my apartment, the video is on loop and Athena looks white as a ghost.
“I’m so sorry, Royce,” she whispers, tears teetering on her bottom lash as Nora sits opposite her.
“Don’t be, it’s fine.” I shrug it off. I have had worse.
Nora glares at me and I wince.
“Athena.” Her voice drags Athena’s attention from me.
“Royce is right, annoyingly. Still, it’s not ideal but…
” She smirks. “It isn’t bad press. Maybe you shouldn’t have screamed you were going to, and I quote, fuck his brains out.
” She sniggers behind her hand and Athena drops her head into her hands.
“It’s going to be okay. You may find you get a little viral hit from this too,” Nora says, trying to make Athena see the silver lining.
“Oh my God,” she whispers, fishing for her phone in the bottom of her backpack and pulling it out as she goes onto her social media.
“I’ve got over ten thousand new follows.
” She clamps her hand over her mouth, hysteria slipping past her muffled lips.
“My inbox is full of messages asking what it is like to be with Royce Lexington.”
“You’re welcome.” I wiggle my brows and Nora looks at me in disgust.
“I’ll get Ana?s on your social media today, tidy it up a bit, make it more professional looking.”
“I have loads asking where to buy my books too… What the hell is happening?” she whispers almost in disbelief.
“You’ve gone viral,” Nora says and Athena just stares at me.
I give a knowing nod. You’re welcome, kid.
We walk into the paddock, hand in hand. It feels weird but at the same time it doesn’t. Her palm fits perfectly in mine, fingers linked and locked. I’m dressed in my Saint Onyx polo, black cargos, and trainers. The cameras flash and Ana?s’s apprentice is near us taking shots and videos.
Athena keeps her eyes forward. She gives me a small squeeze of my hand now and then, but I reassure her. Stepping into the Saint Onyx trailer, I move her in front of me and head straight down to the café.
“Breakfast?” I ask as I pull my backpack off and dump it at my feet as I grab us a table.
She sinks herself down. We’re not alone long when Ana?s bounds over like an excited puppy.
“Hello, love birds.” Her elbows rest on the table, hands pressed underneath her chin. “How was the sex?” She giggles. “Only joking.” She winks at Athena and I scruff her hair up. “Hey!” she shouts at me.
“What do you fancy?” I ask Athena.
“Latte, oat milk, vanilla, and some whipped cream.” She kind of winces as she says it.
“Food?” Even though that coffee sounds like a meal in itself.
“Just some toast, or cereal, I don’t know.” She shrugs and Ana?s smiles.
“I normally get egg on sourdough, or smoked salmon and poached egg.” She twists around to look at the busy counter. “They can pretty much whip up anything.”
“Okay.” Her voice is small. “I’ll have poached egg on granary, please.”
“Not a problem.” I sit next to her and wait to be served.
She looks at me confused. “Why did you ask for my order if we’re going to order at the table?” The corners of her lips curl.
“I just wanted to get you out your head. You’ve got this.” I place my hand over hers and bring it to my lips as I press a soft kiss on the back if it.
“You’ll get used to it, the cameras, the reporters, life in the paddock.” Ana?s swirls her hand around in the air.
“Yeah?” Athena asks, a little hesitant.
“Yeah.” She beams back just as Julietta walks over and takes our order.
Athena is standing next to me, my arm wrapped around her waist as I hold her against me.
I’m dressed and ready. My suit is half up, hanging around my waist. My underwear is plastered with our logos and the sponsors.
My dad is giving us a pre-race talk, and the nerves are already biting at the base of my neck.
“This is it, the new season.” His voice is loud “I honestly think we have the car and the drivers.” His eyes skate between me and Cowan.
“But we need to remember we are a team. We follow orders and listen to what our radio engineers say.” I sigh, heavily.
“You know how this works, let’s not fuck it up. ”
The garage claps and everyone is fired up. My dad comes over to me, giving me a pat on the back before moving to Cowan. Staring, I watch as they laugh and joke and it gets my back up instantly.
“Eyes on me.” Athena’s voice pulls me from my head.
I do as she asks. I let my blues sink into her ambers.
“You pulled me out of my head earlier, let me get you out of yours.” She smiles as her body peels away from mine and I instantly miss it.
Pulling on my suit, I zip it up and fasten the Velcro strap around my neck. She walks over and grabs my crash helmet. Reds, white, and silvers wrap around, with a visor which is slightly tinted. She holds onto it as I place my radio in and slip my balaclava on.
“You all good?”
“I’m all good, kid,” I say softly and have to stop myself from kissing her.
She passes me my crash helmet as I balance it on the top of my head.
“I’ll be watching.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” She winks and my heart booms in my chest.
Pulling the helmet down, I move towards the car, fingertips trailing across the halo before I climb in.
My hands curl around as I slide down into the tight space of the car.
The mechanics hand me my steering wheel and I lock it on, then they pass my gloves.
They match my suit—dark grey, light grey, and yellow stripes which run up the side and across the shoulders.
They fix my water straw in and double check with me that everything feels okay. This car is made for me, and I need to make sure it is perfect at all times.
“Radio check.” Marcel is in my ear again.
“Gotcha.”
“Let’s go get them,” he says just as we’re rolling out to the grid.
The same words float through my mind at the beginning of each race or qualifying.
This.
This is what it’s all about.
This moment, just as you’re lowering yourself into the cockpit of the car.
Your mechanics are rallying around you, keeping the tyres warm and finishing their final checks. The engine vibrates under you, your fingers tingle as they lock around the steering wheel. You wait for this moment for what feels like forever.
This is where I was born to be. I’m free as a bird when I am tucked in here. No outside noise. No distraction.
Just me and the car.
Pulling into my spot, I sit tucked just behind my start line. I watch as the driver in third, Griffin, rolls forward slightly.
“Griffin has rolled off his start line,” I mutter into the mic.
“Noted.”
“Formation lap, Royce.” Marcel says as I push forward and follow the cars in front.
On the first straight, I swerve left and right slightly to keep my tyres warm, weaving around to get heat in the rubber. Filtering back to the grid, I feel the sweat prick at the back of my neck. My fingers tighten around the wheel before I flex my fingers.
“Okay, Royce, it’s a short sprint down to the first corner. Focus, eyes to the lights.”
I don’t respond. I never do on this radio message. It’s pretty much the same at the start of each race.
Inhaling deeply, I watch as each light turns red and I count down in my head. My heart stops. My fingers tighten. My breath goes shallow.
Foot to the floor, I pull away and get a good jump on Griffin, sliding down the outside of the track. I cautiously move across and up to third as I take the corner.
“Up to third,” Marcel confirms.
I shift down out of the corner and into sector one, gaining speed on Landon who is ahead of me. I stay steady, close to get a tow, but not close enough to make the overtake.
I fall back into fifth, but only momentarily until the two cars ahead of me pit. Gliding over the apex, the back end of my car gives out slightly, sliding but I catch it and I internally want to kick myself. It’s the same corner from qualifying.
When I’m driving, it’s as if I have tunnel vision. Everything else around me blurs, and I only focus on the car in front of me.
My eyes drop to my steering wheel, and I see I am already on lap fifteen. Checking my mirrors as I break out of sector two, the car glides around and pick up the pace on the straight.
“Great pace, Royce. How are the tyres feeling?” Marcel asks.
“Starting to wear.” There’s a slight pant to my voice.
We started on softs. Now, I’m not sure if it was the best move.
“How far is Griffin behind me?” I ask, taking the corner a little harder than I would have wanted. “Fuck, check for damage. Felt like I hit the bottom of the car out of that turn.”
“One moment, Royce.” The silence builds and it feels like a lifetime before Marcel begins to speak again. “Car’s fine.” His tone is curt. “Griffin is three-point-four seconds behind you.”
I go silent as I move down to the grid line.
“Box, box.” Marcel makes the decision.
I just hope we can get out just ahead of him. If not, it’ll be just behind. But every cloud and all that. I’ll be on fresher tyres. He still needs to pit.
“Just heard that Marques is going to retire the car. Power unit issue,” Marcel tells me.
I pull in and slow down to the correct speed for the pitlane, my crew rushing out. All four tyres are changed in record time and my back wheel spins as I pull away and crawl out of the pitlane. I manage to nestle myself just in front of Griffin.
“Excellent, Royce,” Marcel praises me and I smile.
“Now, let me drive.”
I shut him out and focus on the track ahead of me. I know I could get on the podium, but I need to lock in. A certain amber eyed beauty slips into my conscious and in the end, she is all I can picture.
Maybe she’s my lucky charm.