Chapter 10 ~ Carter ~
T his was finally an afternoon just the way I liked it. No appointments, no pointless meetings, no people boring me because they had nothing to say but still puffed themselves up endlessly. In short: People like Donovan Hayden Ellesmere didn't come near me. I wasn't even working. Although I enjoyed that too, there were still some better things in life.
For example, last night.
At the memory of sex with the passionate Isabella, my cock began to throb. I grinned. Damn, what a woman. The body I had first glimpsed during our accident had kept every promise it had made. And more. Isabella Abbott, whom I had jokingly passed off as my fiancée, was simply incredible. I already knew that last night hadn't been enough to satisfy all my needs. I had to have this woman again.
The pleasurable grin on my face grew even wider at the thought.
"What are you thinking about?" My buddy Don looked at me intently. We had just stepped out of my helicopter on Long Island. The flight here was short, but still faster than driving the Ferrari. It was in the workshop today anyway, where a cost estimate for repairing the damage was to be prepared. Besides, I liked sitting behind the control stick of the helicopter. More than anything else, it gave me the feeling of having control over myself, my life, and all the people around me.
The flight had seemed much too short to me. We had landed a few minutes ago, not far from the private and very exclusive motorsport club where Don and I kept our quads. I had been a member here since early childhood. Just like my brother Cameron. The thought of him wiped the grin off my face and I grimaced in contempt.
For as long as I could remember, Cameron and I had been competing for the club championships between us. Sometimes he won, sometimes I did. Last year, I had drawn the short straw. But this year had to be different. I wouldn't let Cameron win at any cost. The trophy belonged to me. I trained as often as I could and had commissioned some technical innovations for my quad, which I wanted to test today.
"I didn't ask what you were thinking about to make your grin disappear," Don said then. He had been watching me closely.
"It's got nothing to do with you," I assured him. "There are a few things I urgently need to take care of. For example, this crappy situation with Donovan Hayden Ellesmere. It's still not settled, even though we met just yesterday." At that moment, it irritated me greatly that Don's name and the name of the man who had already seen himself as my father-in-law were so similar.
The two people couldn't have been more different.
Don. My buddy, who sometimes got on my nerves, but whom I wouldn't want to miss for anything in the world.
Donovan Hayden Ellesmere. The father of my ex Abigail, whom I would have loved to shoot to the moon. Along with his annoying daughter and my brother Cameron.
"Didn't he respond to your arguments?" Don wanted to know now. We were standing next to the helicopter, waiting for Tony, the head of the Exclusive Long Island Motorsport Club , to pick us up in a caddy and drive us to the clubhouse. That's where our quads were. Today, we would finally go off-road again. I had been looking forward to it since the morning. Cruising around Manhattan's streets in the Ferrari was all well and good, but in the end, there was nothing like a real men's adventure.
"Yes, he listened to me and agreed with me. He thinks our products are technically superior," I recounted the beginning of yesterday's conversation.
"But?" Don asked. After a quick sideways glance, he said, "Abigail?"
At the mention of that name, I groaned loudly. "He's desperate to get us back together. Abigail's been doing badly since I kicked her out, and now I'm supposed to fix it."
"That's really not your problem," Don got worked up. It felt good to have a friend who took my side without hesitation and could understand my thoughts without much explanation.
"I see it the same way," I grumbled. "Women ALWAYS feel bad after a breakup. They're just different from us men. We break up and then get on with our lives. Women always have to analyze and discuss everything five times. And as you can see, it doesn't help at all. You just end up feeling bad about it."
"Well..." Don said. "Sometimes it might help to recognize your own mistakes and not repeat them with the next person. But anyway, it's not your problem if Abigail's doing badly. She has to deal with that herself."
"If I don't take care of it, I won't get the contract. But I have a completely different problem too: I need a woman!"
"Problem? You've never had a problem with that," Don grinned now.
I grinned too, but quickly became serious again. "Not that kind. A different one. Yesterday evening, my grandmother called me as well. If I don't get engaged by my birthday, Cameron inherits everything. I can't possibly let that bastard get everything. So I told Grandma Ruth that I'm bringing my fiancée to Cameron's wedding next week."
Don burst into loud laughter. He laughed so hard that he held his sides. Gasping, he blurted out, "Oh man, I haven't heard anything this funny in a long time. You and a fiancée. By next week." Don laughed and slapped me on the shoulder with his hand.
"Buddy, I've got it," he exclaimed. "Just get engaged to Abigail. Then all your worries will be gone at once." He laughed again, as if the idea seemed completely absurd to him.
"I've already thought of that," I grumbled, looking around irritably. "Where's that damn Tony?" I blurted out. At this moment, I wanted nothing more than to change the subject. Getting engaged to Abigail might be the most sensible thing to do and solve all my problems in one fell swoop, but Isabella Abbott's body was haunting my thoughts. Adventure, fun, passion, and eroticism - all things I wouldn't experience even remotely with Abigail. If I had to get engaged anyway, even if just for show, couldn't I at least have some fun with it? Besides, Donovan Hayden Ellesmere shouldn't think for a second that he could boss me around so easily.
At that moment, a loud squeal sounded from the other side of the helicopter, and moments later a golf cart with Tony at the wheel appeared in front of us.
"Finally! Where have you been for so long?" I grumbled. "We're paying a horrendous membership fee here. But certainly not to stand around waiting. I come to the Exclusive Long Island Motorsport Club to do motorsports."
"Sorry you had to wait so long." Tony sounded a bit out of breath. "This stupid cart wouldn't start. And the other one's in the shop for repairs right now." While Tony was speaking, Don and I had already climbed aboard. Tony hit the gas. The cart squealed and made other undefinable noises.
"You've got to be kidding me, right? We pay you a ton of money and you only have two decrepit carts that then decide to give up the ghost at almost the same time? You really should invest in some new equipment. What are you doing with all the membership fees? Lining your own pockets?"
"Now hold on a minute," Tony said angrily. "If you're mad because something's going wrong in your life, you can take out your aggressions on the track. I'm not the right address for that."
"I'm not taking out any aggressions! I'm just telling you what needs improvement here. You should be grateful for that! If you don't offer good service, you'll lose members sooner or later!"
By now, we had arrived in front of the clubhouse. Don, Tony, and I jumped off the cart almost simultaneously. Our quads were ready on the gravel area in front of the long wooden building. Don's blue one on the right, my black one on the left. At the sight, I grinned, reconciled, and looked at Tony.
"No threat, man. Like I said. You just might need to rethink your business strategy." I patted Tony on the shoulder. "After all, you want to attract new members, right? Every year, a bunch of nouveau riche move from Manhattan to Long Island. They're all potential customers for you. But they don't know you as long as I do, so they'll judge you mainly on their first impressions."
"Hm," Tony said thoughtfully. Then he changed the subject without further addressing my words. I knew him long enough to know that he would think about it and eventually follow my advice. Probably, we'd be picked up in a brand new cart on our next visit.
"Cameron was here yesterday," Tony said now.
I frowned. "Could he sneak away from his fiancée for a few hours?" I couldn't resist this question.
"His wedding is soon, but it's not long until the club race either. He trained hard on the track." Tony looked at me intently.
"And I'm going to do the same now! That's why we're here, Don and I." I straightened my shoulders. Tony surely wasn't trying to suggest that Cameron would win the club race? I wouldn't give my brother a chance here either!
"His time was pretty good." Tony wouldn't let up.
"Mine will be better," I countered. "Come on, Don!" With these words, I turned my back on Tony and walked towards my quad.
About ten minutes later, the silence on the off-road track was broken by the engines of our quads. Don and I had the track to ourselves, and THAT was really to my liking. The Exclusive Long Island Motorsport Club was now living up to its name.
"Wooohoowwww," I shouted loudly as I chased my quad along the narrow track between the closely spaced trees and took a hairpin turn at the greatest possible speed. Now came a hill that I just flew over. Then a long straight stretch. I accelerated.
But what was that?
Instead of the rich engine sound that I loved so much on my quad, I suddenly heard a squealing and screeching that rivaled that of the golf cart. Just milliseconds later, the quad's engine started to sputter, and I got slower and slower. Just before I came to a stop, I pulled over.
"What the hell is this crap!" I yelled angrily, jumped off my seat, tore the helmet off my head, and hurled it violently to the ground.
At that moment, Don appeared behind me. I had left him behind. He wasn't nearly as good a quad rider as I was. In the entire Exclusive Long Island Motorsport Club , probably in the whole state, there was only one person who could hold a candle to me. That was my brother Cameron. I desperately wanted to beat him. But with a quad that squealed and screeched like an old steam engine, I wouldn't succeed.
Don braked and stopped next to me.
"I pay a ton of money here to ensure the quad is always in top technical condition! And then this happens! I'm just left stranded! This can't be happening!" I hurled at Don. The vein at my temple began to pulse.
"Better now than during the race," Don replied calmly. "Just hop on the back of mine. I'll let Tony know so he can pick up the quad." With these words, Don opened his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. While he spoke with Tony, I picked up my helmet from the ground. But then anger overcame me again. Tony should damn well do his job properly! I needed to be able to rely on him! Once more, I hurled the helmet to the ground and kicked the trunk of a nearby tree with my boots.
"We'll wait here for Tony," I ordered when Don had finished the call. "I don't trust him anymore. I want to see him take care of the quad."
"Alright," Don replied. He knew me well enough to understand that any discussion with this tone would lead nowhere.
"What made you grin earlier?" he asked now. "It surely wasn't Abigail's father or your grandmother."
At this question, the anger suddenly left my body and a pleasant tension came over me.
"Oh... I had an accident last night," I explained to Don.
"An accident? And that makes you smile? That's at least as annoying as this." Don was understandably puzzled.
"Well, a pretty hot woman rear-ended me..." I licked my lips at the thought of Isabella.
"Aha!" Don grinned.
"Then I happened to see her again when I had the meeting with Donovan Hayden Ellesmere. To be precise, she crashed it. She just kissed me, and now Abigail's father is pretty pissed at me."
"She ruined your business deal."
"Yep."
"And you say that so calmly? Even calmer than the thing with the accident?" Don looked increasingly incredulous.
"Well..." I said.
"You spent the night with her," Don stated.
I didn't answer. At the memory of the past night, my cock began to throb slightly again.
"Was it worth it? After all, you lost a huge deal." Don persisted. He knew me well enough to know that normally under these circumstances, I'd be climbing the walls with rage.
"We're engaged," I grinned now.
"WHAT???? You swore you'd never get involved with a woman again!!" Don was now completely confused.
"Well, we're not really engaged. That was just a joke. But as luck would have it, I do need a fiancée now. I just told you about that."
"I don't understand anything anymore," Don said.
"Look, it's simple: Tonight I'm meeting Isabella Abbott. I'll offer her the chance to accompany me to Cameron's wedding. In return, I'll be generous in settling the accident damage. This way, I'll get rid of the trouble with my grandmother, and Isabella is really someone you can have a looot of fun with." My cock was now throbbing a bit stronger than before. It would love to have fun again right away.
"And after the wedding?"
"Isabella and I will just go our separate ways." I shrugged. What else could I say? I had sworn never to get involved with a woman again. I would stick to that. I wanted fun, not trouble.
"And your grandmother? What will she say when you suddenly show up without a fiancée again?"
"I'll worry about that when the time comes. I'll think of something. Isabella will have to go abroad for a while or something like that."
Don looked at me skeptically. As he was about to respond, Tony suddenly appeared on a quad between the trees. He stopped in front of us and jumped off the seat.
"Hey, I thought you guys were already on your way back. Let me take a look at it right away."
"We're heading back now," I replied and took a step towards Tony. "We just waited to make sure you take good care of the quad."
"Of course," Tony said casually. "That's part of my job."
"You should take it more seriously from now on. Cameron must not win the race under any circumstances, you hear! My quad needs to be technically flawless."
"We have plenty of time until the race. By then, this thing will run like a dream. It won't be the technology's fault if you lose." Tony grinned.
"I don't lose!" I growled, put on my helmet, and sat down at the controls of Don's quad. Don took his place behind me.
"Cameron won't stand a chance," Don shouted in my ear as I started the engine. "But you should be careful with this engagement. That can always backfire."
I accelerated and the roar of the engine prevented any further conversation between us.
There was nothing more to say.
Isabella would surely be happy to agree to the deal and play along. Cameron would definitely not get the entire inheritance. Just as he wouldn't win the championship. Nothing could go wrong.
Or could it?