Chapter 3
Two
For the second day in a row, Piper was having an out-of-body experience. Yesterday it had been seeing her sister in her wedding
Moondance Bridal. Even though she wasn’t sure what today had in store, her gut said it was going to be a good day.
As soon as the thought filtered through her head, she spotted flashing red lights in her rearview mirror. Her vision darted
to her speedometer. “Dammit.” She turned down the radio volume. The sirens were blaring. Whoop. Whoop. Whoop. She pulled over to the side of the road and got out her license and registration. She’d done this a few times. She knew the
routine.
She rolled down her window just as the police officer walked up to her car. “Hello, ma’am.” She was petite, with dark hair
pulled back, wearing those reflective sunglasses preferred by law enforcement.
Piper handed over her documents. “Hello, Officer.” She smiled. She wanted to be as friendly as possible. She did not want
another ticket.
“Do you know why I pulled you over today?”
Piper debated whether to be honest or play dumb. She decided to go with the former. “I was pushing the speed limit a little,
but I’m worried I’m going to be late for a really special job I have today.”
“What’s the special job?”
“Believe it or not, dog sitting for a Formula One driver.”
“And you thought you’d prepare yourself by pretending to be one?”
Piper laughed quietly and peered up at the officer. “Do you like Formula One? Do you know who Emilio Baquero is? I’m dog sitting
for him.” Piper still couldn’t believe that was the case, but that was exactly what Isabel from Mega Racing had told her.
The mere mention of his name made an image pop into her head. Thick, dark hair with the slightest curl. Mysterious chestnut-brown
eyes. Full lips. Always had some five o’clock shadow threatening. Ridiculously symmetrical features. Honestly, Emilio looked
like a Disney prince brought to life. He also seemed serious to a fault, which she found both intimidating and intriguing.
The officer slid her glasses down her nose and looked Piper right in the eye. “You aren’t lying to me right now, are you?”
Piper vehemently shook her head. “No. I can show you my texts with my contact at Mega Racing.”
The officer handed Piper her license and registration. “He’s an excellent driver.”
“He is.”
“Unlike you.”
“I promise I’ll keep a better eye on my speed. I’m just nervous and I don’t want to be late.”
“You’d better get going, then. No speeding.”
“No, ma’am. Thank you. Have a good day.” Piper rolled up her window and blew out a relieved breath. “Holy shit. That was close.”
She waited for the cop to pull onto the road, then Piper rejoined traffic. Luckily, her navigation still had her arriving
on time. “Ironically, if I hadn’t been speeding in the first place, I would be late.”
Piper followed the detailed instructions given to her by Isabel. After being stuck in traffic for the last mile of her drive,
Piper entered the VIP parking lot. She’d never been a VIP anything in her life. That wish she’d made yesterday? For her life to open up just a little? She felt like it was coming true. And
Piper could hardly contain her excitement.
She locked her car and texted Isabel.
I’m here.
Her heart started racing so fast she felt lightheaded.
Great. Meet you at the swipe gates. I’ll be right there.
As she strode through the parking lot, Piper took note of who exactly qualified to be in the exclusive parking lot. There
were so many fancy, expensive cars. Bugatti. Porsche. Ferrari. McLaren. Beautiful people were climbing out of said cars, far
more stylish and worldly than she. But this was all typical for Miami, so it didn’t faze her too much, even though she felt
a tad underdressed in her jeans, sneakers and plain white tee. She’d thought about something more upscale, but the reality
was that simple, comfortable clothes were the only appropriate attire when caring for a dog. And that was the real reason
she was here.
“Piper?” A red-haired woman wearing a black Mega Racing polo appeared.
“That’s me. Are you Isabel?” Piper’s pulse picked up again, then calmed when Isabel smiled.
“I am. First things first. You’re going to need this.” She looped a lanyard and jumbo laminated Mega Racing pass over Piper’s
head. Piper held the plastic pass in her hand and ran a finger over it. The F1 letters glimmered in the sunlight. This was
all too surreal. Never had she imagined she’d have one of these around her neck. Never ever.
Still, she had to play it cool. It’d be a long time before something this exciting happened to her again, and it was of paramount
importance to be a professional. No matter what her mom thought, Piper took her job seriously.
Piper followed Isabel through the security scanner. “Welcome to the paddock. Team garages are along this side.” Isabel pointed
to her left. People wearing gear for the various teams rushed around in every direction. Piper was on the lookout for drivers,
but no such luck yet. “If you’re ready, I’ll take you back to meet Emilio Baquero.”
“I didn’t know he had a dog.” Piper didn’t merely follow Formula One as a sport; she was invested in the personal lives of
the drivers. She kept up with everyone’s wives and girlfriends, the WAGs as they were called. And, of course, she knew about everyone’s pets.
“So you’re a fan?” Isabel asked.
“Honestly, I’m a total nerd for F1. My dad got me hooked when I was little. We watch together.”
“Then you’ll fit right in.” Isabel led them inside a glass-and-steel building, then down a long corridor. She stopped at a
door and gave it two knocks. “This is Emilio’s driver’s room.”
“Come in,” a voice called.
Oh, shit. I know that voice. The out-of-body thing was starting to happen again. Piper’s heart fiercely thumped in her chest. Whump. Whump. Whump. A vision of Emilio after qualifying yesterday—him combing his sweaty hair back from his face after removing his helmet—began
to materialize in her head. Sure, she’d only seen him at a tiny scale on her phone, surrounded by poofy white satin and lace,
but she’d fully memorized the image. He’d looked so pissed off. So frustrated. And yet, he couldn’t have been sexier if he
tried.
Isabel opened the door and stepped inside. Piper hesitated for a moment, the nerves making her feet heavy. Her eyes struggled
to focus as the vision of the intoxicatingly handsome in-person Emilio before her slowly merged with the one that she’d been
carrying around in her head. He was 3-D now. Flesh and bone. Rugged and smooth. With thick, chaotic eyebrows and perfect bronze skin. And his lips . . . good God, those lips. They were so . . .
touchable in real life. They made her own lips tremble—they really wanted to hang out with his.
“You must be the dog sitter.” He moved closer to shake her hand.
“That’s me. I’m Piper.” As he touched her, the room started to spin. She had not been ready for skin-to-skin contact. His
hands were strong. Firm. “It’s nice to meet you,” she managed, feeling wistful when he took his touch away.
“I want you to meet Gus.”
At the mere mention of his name, the dog popped up from his spot on the floor and rushed over to greet her, tail wagging.
Piper recognized him right away, too. Suddenly, she put two and two together. “Oh, wait. I know Gus. I’ve seen him all over
social media. With uh . . .” She looked Emilio in the face and his expression soured. “Your uh . . .” His eyes narrowed. How
was she supposed to say this? She knew Gus because he’d once been a regular on the social accounts of Emilio’s stunning ex-girlfriend,
Victoria. Piper had assumed Gus belonged to her.
“You might know Gus from Victoria Bamford’s social feeds,” Isabel said, rescuing Piper from the gaffe she’d stumbled into.
“But Emilio is his owner.”
“Right. Great.” Piper saw Emilio’s expression soften. Crisis averted. Piper crouched down and raised Gus’s face to hers. He
went right in for a kiss, the big flirt. Piper fell back on her butt, laughing, which Gus took as invitation for a full-on
licking assault. “Okay, buddy. It’s nice to meet you, too. Aren’t you a handsome boy?” She hadn’t really planned on being
on her back, wriggling on the floor of Emilio’s driver’s room, but there she was.
“Oh. Gus. No. No. I’m sorry.” Emilio rushed over and offered his hand. “Let me help you.”
In a daze, Piper placed her hand in his. The second time they touched, there was a quantifiable spark. A sizzle of electricity
between them, although Piper was sure that he was delivering and she was receiving. He was too spectacular to think anything
of her. He effortlessly pulled her to standing, having no problem engaging his core. “I’ve been mowed over by plenty of dogs.
He seems super sweet.”
Emilio looked at her and their gazes locked. For an instant, he quirked half a smile, then he shook his head, his expression
dropped and he pulled back his hand. “I need to go.” He marched to the door. “Isabel can tell you everything you need to know.
I’ll see you after the race.”
“Good luck!” Piper called, but he was gone. “Did I say something wrong?” she asked Isabel.
“He’s like that. Intense. Believe me, he’s happy to have someone watching Gus.”
Piper leaned over and gave Gus a scratch behind the ears. She needed to focus on the positive. She was being paid handsomely
to care for a sweet dog while getting an inside look at her favorite sport. It didn’t matter that Gus’s famous dad didn’t
seem to like her that much. Even though it was disappointing. “The service I work for said you had a dog sitter quit?”
“Try four.”
“Really? He’s so sweet.” Sure enough, Gus was sitting at her side, patient as could be.
“It always starts off well, but he has a way of getting off leash and running away. I’m not sure why or how.”
“I’ll keep an eye peeled for any escape attempts.”
“Text me if you have any problems. And I’ll show you a good spot for watching the race. I assume you want to.”