Chapter 19 – Otis
Four months later.
“Looks like someone was celebrating last night,” Marcus says, giving me a sly smile.
“Jasper knows how I like to celebrate.”
Since Japan, Jasper hasn’t been far from my side.
In fact all of the guys have been close, but strangely at every hotel since Japan, Jasper has managed to get the room next to mine.
Both of us have no idea how it keeps happening.
At first I thought it was Jasper but he promised me that it wasn’t him.
“You have to be looking forward to getting back to the UK?” Marcus asks.
“Yeah, I am. I’m looking forward to seeing Mum, too. Talking on the phone or video chatting isn’t the same as seeing her in person.”
“Is Kimber coming to Silverstone too?”
“I think so. Jasper was going to ask Vincent,” I confirm. “I know that Jasper misses her and wants to see her.”
“I think that will be good for Jasper,” Marcus adds.
“But even if she can’t get here we’re going to see her. We have an appointment with the private detective for some updates.”
When Jasper had come to me in Japan, my nerves had instantly calmed, and at the Grand Prix at Suzuka I had flown around the track.
Managing to get pole in qualifying and then was first in the race.
The press had gone insane. They had seen the difference in my driving from China.
Wanted to know what my secret was. There were some that were asking if it was getting back together with Marj.
“Has there been any more antics from Marj?” Marcus asks.
“No. Not for a while,” I say. “But I find that worrying. With me doing so well in the races, it makes me wonder why she isn’t posting more.”
“Yeah. Her socials have been on the quiet side, for about a month now,” Marcus adds.
Fair play to Marcus he has been watching all of Marj’s socials to see what she is up to.
For a while Marj had kept posting fake images of me, but the press was beginning to wonder why my face was never in them.
How we were never posted out together. A couple of times she turned up at the hotels we were staying at trying to get to me, but Vincent had hired more security and she had been banned from every hotel.
“I think that the press were getting tired of her,” I say.
“Do you really believe that?” Marcus asks.
“Hell no. She’s up to something, and I have no idea what,” I tell him.
“Well I will keep an eye out and if I see anything you will be the first to know,” Marcus states. “Now, I need to change the subject, how was last night?”
“Marcus, I am not talking to you about my scene with Jasper. You really do need to get laid. Stop living vicariously through me and Jasper.”
“You took my wing man,” Marcus whines.
“Oh come on. You are more than capable of going to the club yourself,” I tell him.
“Just not the same with Jasper not being there.”
“Horseshit,” I state, laughing over to him.
I have to admit that my friendship with Marcus has only grown over the last few months, especially with everything that has been going on with Marj.
I’m not sure what Marcus thought, but I’m guessing that he thought I would run off with Marj – that history would be repeating itself and Jasper would get hurt – when the opposite happened.
“Fine. I miss my best friend,” Marcus admits.
“I’m sorry. He has been more protective since Japan,” I say, and wiggle my arse, which causes a tinge of pain and I feel the smile on my face.
“Oh God,” Marcus states. “Was it really that good?”
“Yep,” I confirm.
“Sometimes I really wish you could’ve stayed straight. Just so that I don’t have to deal with this torture every time I see you.”
“No you don’t,” I say, “You secretly love having me in your life.”
“Like it more if you were in my bed,” Marcus adds.
“Marcus!”
The sound of Jasper’s voice behind Marcus causes him to jump and me to start laughing.
“I’m joking Jasper, you know that,” Marcus adds.
“I will tell on you to Lizzie, and just stand back and watch while she knocks you into next week,” Jasper adds with a smile.
Jasper comes over and sits next to me, and I feel his hand on my leg, squeezing my knee in hello.
He had started doing this since Japan, too.
After the night that we had used the nipple clamps for the first time.
That night something shifted between us.
Something that I could never fully explain, but I loved it.
I will never forget that night, Jasper was the strictest he has ever been and I think I have never been harder.
It was a night I will never forget, and one we have repeated a few times recently.
“You wouldn’t tell Lizzie,” Marcus adds.
“Hundred percent I would. She told you to stop trying to steal Otis,” Jasper adds, and I quickly look around the hotel restaurant to make sure that there aren’t other members of the team around.
“Jasper,” I whisper.
“Sorry, but there is no one here,” Jasper replies.
The team has been a little reserved with me over the last few months, especially away from the race tracks.
I know that it was linked to the headlines that Marj had been creating.
I hated the fact that Montague Racing was being affected, and I had been worried that this would spread to the garage on race days, but it never seemed to happen.
On the race days, we were just as slick as we always were.
“I know,” I mumble. “It’s just…”
“Otis, I know. I will be quieter. But the team won’t be down yet,” Jasper adds. “I’m sure that they’re going to make the most of the hotel till we leave this afternoon.”
“I am going to be so happy to be back in the UK and seeing Mum,” I add.
“Yeah I’m looking forward to seeing her too. I was thinking that maybe we could introduce her to Kimber,” Jasper says.
“You want to introduce Kimber to my mum?”
“Yeah, I would,” Jasper confirms.
“Well shit, you are getting serious,” Marcus states, looking over to Jasper.
“Oh fuck off,” Jasper replies, giving him a smile. “I just think they should meet each other. Otis and I have been together for seven months now.”
“What?” I exclaim. Has it really been that long? Some days it feels like we’ve been together longer and then other days it just feels like hours.
“We got together at the beginning of the year. Just after the Christmas break,” comes Jasper’s response.
“You seem to have taken a lot of notice on the date we got together?”
“Well, you tormented me enough, I had no option but to take notice,” Jasper states.
“How the hell did I torment you?”
“You walked past me. You smiled at me. You even said hello,” Jasper replies.
“I was being friendly.”
“Yeah, but most of the time I wanted to slam you up against a wall and taste you.”
“Oh he had it bad for you,” Marcus adds.
“Not helpful, Marcus,” Jasper retorts.
“Oh no. I need to hear more of the ‘had it bad’,” I say.
“Marcus do not say a thing,” Jasper demands, which just makes Marcus laugh.
The sound of my phone ringing has me digging into my pocket and digging out the phone, and I see David’s name appear on the screen.
“Hey David,” I say on answering the call.
“Have you seen Marcus?” David demands.
“Yeah, he’s with Jasper and I, in the restaurant,” I tell him.
“We’re on the way. Don’t move,” David says, and there is an edge to his voice that I don’t like.
“Is there something wrong?” I ask, hoping he will tell me.
“Yes,” comes his honest reply. “But we’ll show you in a minute,” before he hangs up the phone.
“What was that about?” Jasper asks as I hang up the phone.
“David’s looking for Marcus,” I tell them.
“Me? Why?” Marcus asks.
“David didn’t say, but it didn’t sound good,” I reply.
“If it’s Marcus then it has to be linked to social media. Do you think it could be Marj? Has she reared her ugly head again?” Jasper states.
“I have no idea, but there is a feeling in the pit of my stomach that says it is,” I say.
A few minutes later, David and Lars are rushing into the restaurant and David is holding an iPad in his hands.
Shit, this is not good. Why now? What scheme has she come up with now, and what the hell is going to be the impact on Montague Racing, and more importantly, what could be the impact on mine and Jasper’s relationship?
“Marcus,” David says, standing next to him, “Have a look at this?” and passes over the iPad.
“You have to be shitting me?” Marcus exclaims.
“What?” I demand.
“Look.” And Marcus hands the iPad over to me, and there on the screen is Marj, but she has her arms draped around another man.
“Surely this is a good thing?” Wondering why they look like this is the end of the world.
“We thought the same thing, but we aren’t sure. Montague Racing is tagged,” Lars replies.
Looking back at the picture, I look at the words underneath the picture and see that Marj has written ‘finding love where you least expect it’. Why would she write that and then tag Montague Racing and not me?
“I don’t understand,” I say, looking over to David.
“Can I have a look?” Jasper asks, and I hand over the iPad and watch as his face goes white, and his eyes widen.
“Jasper?” I ask.
“I know the man in the picture,” Jasper says so quietly.
“How?” I ask, but I think I know what he’s going to say.
“It’s Clive,” Jasper confirms.
“As in Clive, Clive?” I ask, which is a really stupid thing to say.
“Yeah, that Clive,” Jasper says, looking up at me, and I can see the worry clear in his eyes. “What the fuck is he doing with Marj?”
“I have no idea, but it’s not going to be good. Can he say anything about how he knew you?” I ask.
“Yes,” Jasper advises.
“What about Kimber? This could ruin her,” I say.
“If he mentions anything about Kimber’s place then he would be in so much hot water. Her lawyers would take him to the cleaners,” Jasper confirms.
“Why do I think there is a ‘but’ at the end of the question?” David says.
“There is,” Jasper confirms. “He might not be able to mention Kimber’s, but what would stop him mentioning that he paid me for sex?”