Chapter 9
LUKE
I wake up feeling more energized than I have in a long time, and it has everything to do with a special brunette.
I take a shower, emptying myself to the thoughts of Jessica and our scorching hot kiss before getting dressed.
Today is race day, and my breakfast is already set up and ready when I move out into the kitchen area of my suite.
“Morning, Robert.” I greet my personal chef. He always travels with me during the season and ensures I receive the nutrition I need to perform at my optimal level.
“Morning, Luke. I must say, you look rather energized this morning.” Robert has known me for a long time, which means he is familiar with all my moods. He’s an old friend of my dad’s and used to work at top restaurants in Portland, where I grew up.
As my racing career advanced and our team expanded, I wanted to offer Robert the chance to join us if he was interested. He’s been by my side ever since.
With fame, it’s hard to know what people want from you, but those who have been in your life long before you earned any zeros in your bank account feel like family.
“Yeah. I’ve met someone quite special.” I tell him. I haven’t talked about Jessica to anyone besides Sebastian, since she’s so reluctant to be seen with me or even acknowledge me in the paddock.
Even though we didn’t speak directly about it last night, something tells me she’s hesitant to be seen with a driver because of her internship.
“Oh my, Luke Hastings has a crush. I have to meet this woman.” Robert smiles at me, and I tell him how we met and how feisty she can be.
He laughs at that but tells me she sounds like the perfect woman to keep me in my place.
“The last time I sent her flowers, it didn’t really end well, but I do want to send her something today to show her that yesterday was special to me,” I tell him as I think over what a woman like Jessica would appreciate.
“Maybe you need to look at it differently. It may not be the flowers themselves, but the meaning behind them that upset her. Maybe try to think of something that has significance to her and go from there.” Robert leaves to clean up the kitchen whilst I’m hit with an idea.
◆◆◆
When I enter the paddock, my focus is on whether Jessica has arrived yet. I’m almost sure she is here since reporters are usually early in the paddock, preparing for a long day of media and coverage.
I walk over to Star News, instantly feeling a smile on my lips when I spot her, with my gift in her hands.
I sneak up on her, lean down over her shoulder and talk low in her ear.
“Like my gift, princess?” She sighs and gives me the most breathtaking smile.
“It’s perfect, thank you, Luke.”
Taking Robert’s advice, I decided to gift her something she would hopefully appreciate more than flowers.
I called in some favours to make the perfect custom-made notebook for her. It may have cost me some extra money to get it ready in a few short hours; however, seeing her reaction makes it all worth it. Jessica casts a quick look around before quickly leaning up on her toes to kiss me on the cheek.
It may be short, but it sets my nerve endings on fire, nevertheless. I want to give her a proper kiss, but seeing her hesitation about me standing around, I give her a slight squeeze to the waist instead.
“I’ll see you later,” I say as I stroll away, towards my team bus.
As soon as I reach the bus, my agent calls me into our office, where we hold meetings and occasionally conduct interviews with magazines and other media outlets.
“Morning, Luke. We have some things we need to discuss before you get ready for the race.”
I can already feel the dread settling in my stomach. Whenever Andrea uses that tone, I know it’s going to be something I don’t like.
I sit down just as our PR strategist enters the room, making me even more nervous about what they’re going to tell me.
Did someone photograph Jessica and me last night? We were cautious, but sometimes it’s enough just to be out in a public space, and someone will spot me, immediately taking a picture, especially if I’m with a woman.
Perhaps this is related to her being a reporter. I honestly don’t see how it would be anyone’s business.
We are two grown adults who can do whatever we want, as far as I’m concerned.
“The McLaren team has approached us about a PR situation we think you should consider.”
Okay, so nothing to do with Jessica then. That’s good, at least.
“As you are aware, they are establishing a new league for the women’s side in F1. They have one of the most promising drivers on their team, you may have heard of her, Victoria Jensen, and their team suggests that you make some public appearances together to get the gossip going.”
I freeze, feeling like I’m going to be nauseous from what they just told me.
“You want me to date an upcoming driver just to make the paddock a bunch of gossip bitches on my behalf? Absolutely not,” I tell them, making it clear that this is not up for discussion.
“How exactly would that benefit me?” I add.
“Come on, Luke. You’re the golden boy of F1, but you will only stay that way if the media can write about something other than your lap times and the number of victories you’ve achieved. This would benefit your image, making you seem like the perfect boyfriend as well as the perfect driver.”
I shake my head at them in disbelief.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time they’ve suggested something like this.
When I first got into F1, I quickly learned that PR relationships were essential if you wanted the media to take a special interest in you.
When I was 20 years old, new to the celebrity scene, it seemed like a good idea, and I had a few PR stints to build my image.
Now, five years later, I’ve told my agent that there wouldn’t be any more of that, which is why I’m surprised they’ve sprung this on me.
“The answer is no.” I stand and walk toward the door, but stop when I hear the PR assistant call after me.
“I wish it were that easy, Luke. We already sent a hot tip to all the big media outlets; the paddock will be swirling already with the news that the golden boy has been swept off his feet.”
I gulp and think about how that statement isn’t so far off as they may think; the only problem is that they got the wrong girl.
Of course, they would have already planted some false information without even talking to me first.
This is the part of fame that I absolutely hate: the scheming and dishonesty they use to gain attention and money.
As soon as I step off the bus, I look for Jessica, but she’s not at the Star News site. I ask Steve if he’s seen her, but he says that she disappeared earlier and hasn’t come back yet.
I’m running out of time before I need to get ready for the race, so I’ll have to find Jessica later today, hopefully before the gossip reaches her.
Hopefully, it won’t be too late.