26. PENTHOUSE PARTY #2
“Try to stay on the track this time, bro, or else beating you won’t be any fun.” His wild laugh crackled over the speaker.
“Sorry, what was that?” I made a muffled sound into the mouthpiece. “You’re dropping out… thanking me for the head start, hey?”
Bursting into laughter, he blasted ahead.
To get the feel of the track and the car’s performance, I cornered conservatively on the first lap before deciding to ramp it up a notch. “Let’s see what this baby’s made of,” I muttered under my breath.
“Let’s go then!” Dyson laughed.
With each lap I added more speed, closing in on Dyson.
He maintained his lead by a sliver, right up until the last straight. I slipped around him on the inside line and thundered past him, taking the lead as the final corners rushed toward us.
“Whoa!” he said, startled, accelerating to reclaim the lead. “Welcome to the party.”
I sped up, and at that moment I was flying. Nothing could touch me.
Gravity slammed me back against the seat as I gripped the wheel tighter and rocketed toward the finish line. As I blasted over the line, with Dyson hot on my tail, my laughter met his groans.
With a yelp of pure joy, I pulled off the track. The Ferrari followed, stopping beside me as our doors flew open. As I ripped off my helmet, revealing my full-toothed smile, Dyson’s curses cut loose.
“I had you right until the end.” He shook his head. “I’ll get you next time.”
“Oh yeah? Good luck with—”
Three drawn-out claps echoed through the air. We turned to find a striking woman leaning over the safety barrier, a helmet tucked beneath her arm.
She was petite, with tousled pink hair the color of cotton candy spilling over her shoulders.
“If you boys have finished playing ‘Need for Speed,’” she said drily, throwing up air quotes, “I believe it’s my turn.”She swept a lock of hair back over her shoulder.
“Hi.” Dyson arched an eyebrow. “And what are you driving?” He flashed a smile.
With a stony expression, she pointed at a shiny pink Lotus parked alongside a handful of other cars.
“Whew.” I let out a low whistle. “Nice.”
“My birthday present,” she said casually. “I’ve been wanting to test-drive it. And you boys hit some decent speeds out there. But I can do better. I have a track at home, but I need to race away from my father’s watchful eye.”
“First, happy birthday. I love your hair,” Dyson said smoothly. “Second, you think you can beat the raw power of a Ferrari?” He chuckled.
“My car has plenty of edge.” One corner of her mouth curled upward. “Just for starters, it’s lightweight with plenty of agility. That’s how it achieves superior on-track performance compared with other cars.”
“Oh, really?” Dyson’s chin lifted slightly. “So, you’re calling yourself a lightweight?”
“Let’s race, Brown Eyes. Then we’ll see who the lightweight is.” She checked her watch. “Ten laps, at the stroke of the hour. That’s in four minutes. If the challenge is too much, there’s no judgment here.” She raised her chin.
“Brown eyes, hey?” Dyson’s voice dropped lower. “Okay, Cotton Candy. It’s on.”
She gave a curt nod before her eyes fixed on me. “You will be the timekeeper.”
I straightened. “Understood.”
“Name’s Dyson,” he said, leaning against the side of his car. “And you are?”
Her eyes sparkled. “If you win, which you won’t, you’ll get a name. Otherwise, no names.”
“Cotton Candy it is.” He leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head, watching her every move.
She turned away, strutted toward the Lotus, then climbed in.
“What the fuck just happened?” Dyson asked, blinking in disbelief. “She’s gorgeous. And quite possibly the coolest person I’ve ever met.”
“Good luck.” I chuckled, my gaze drifting toward the pink car. “That Lotus is nothing short of atomic. She seems very confident… and she has her own racetrack.” I cracked up. “Shit, bro, my money’s on you getting your ass handed to you on a platter.”
“Not going to happen.” With a spring in his step, he walked away.
I settled against the barrier and raised my phone to time the race. The engines roared to life as Dyson lined up beside the mystery driver. She revved the Lotus, pink hair spilling from beneath her helmet as they exchanged glares through the windows.
“Go!” I shouted, slicing my arm through the air.
They launched off the line and disappeared up the track in a blur of speed and engine noise. Dyson weaved aggressively, trying to shake her, but she matched every move like she could read his mind.
He fought hard for the lead, zigzagging across the circuit, but she surged ahead, taking the lead.
Dyson was usually the one being chased. I smirked when on the final lap, the pink Lotus surged ahead and crossed the finish line first. Grinning, I checked my watch. Time was running short for our flight home.
The mystery driver climbed from the Lotus and pulled off her helmet, shaking loose a cloud of pink hair as Dyson tore around the bend.
He crossed the line, spun the Ferrari into a dramatic set of donuts, then pulled up beside her.
Jumping out, he tugged off his helmet and dipped into an exaggerated bow. “Congratulations. You’re one hell of a driver.” He grinned. “So, what’s your name?”
“No names,” she replied with a smile. “That was the deal.”
“Then how am I meant to take you to dinner?”
She studied him for a moment. “Start with zero five and read my number plate. Then you can call me.”
Dyson frowned. “But your plate just says LOTUS.”
“You’ll figure it out.” She blew him a kiss, climbed back into the car, then sped away.
A laugh escaped him as he typed into his phone. “Okay… that’s actually brilliant.”
“Thrashed twice in one day,” I said with a smirk. “That’s gotta hurt.”
“Nah. Best loss I’ve ever had.” He grinned. “I’m definitely calling her.”
We headed back into the clubhouse, grateful for the blast of cold air. Dyson tossed me a drink from the cooler. “Do you think it’s too soon to call her?” he asked immediately.
“For normal people, yeah. For you? Probably not.”
He laughed and planted a playful kick against my thigh before we made our way to the airport. After handing over the keys at departures, we cleared security and split off toward our gates.
“See you soonish,” Dyson said, pulling me into a quick one-armed hug.
On board, I shut the suite doors behind me and let the hot shower steam the exhaustion from my body. A short while later, dressed in airline pajamas, I collapsed into the recliner and fell asleep almost instantly.
Hours later, I wandered up to the lounge bar and wrapped my hands around a fresh drink. A smile spread across my face as I took a sip.
Every second that passes takes me closer to Ivy.