Dirty Fighter: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (17 page)

T
he night set
in without any more run-ins with my new boss. He did stay on my mind though as I lay in the small bunk that had been assigned to me during the race. Of course, none of the drivers stayed with their cars. They all either had elaborate RV’s or hotels near the track that they got to sleep in.

I was nothing more than a mechanic and a grease monkey. Plus, I was one of only a few women actually at the race, let alone working it as more than a beer maid. As I lay in my bunk, I thought about Desmond and how he had first reacted.

By then I should have been accustomed to men thinking that I didn’t know what I was doing. It was still irritating, though. I didn’t own my shop and get to where I was just because I was pretty. I got there because I paid attention to everything my father did and because I went above and beyond what I needed to do.

I had watched all the shows, read every book, and paid close attention to the latest trends when it came to new car technology. I was a woman in a man’s arena; I had to work twice as hard as all the others just to keep my head above water most days.

Desmond had changed his tune pretty fast, though, after he saw what I was able to do. That had been amusing to watch. As I thought about it, I considered taking him up on his offer of a drink. It was the last thing I needed to be doing, getting drunk with my new boss. Hopefully, I would make a good enough impression on him that the business would keep rolling in after the race. My phone began to vibrate, and I sighed as I looked down.

“Hello, Diana, what’s up?” I asked.

“Where in the hell are you?” she screamed at me. It was so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “I was just at the shop, and they tell me you left the state! What is going on?”

Oh Lord, I thought to myself. I told the crew back home not to let her know where I was going if she stopped by. I thought they would at least have had the common sense to make up some story like I was out buying parts or something. Leave it to that group of morons to be just vague enough to give her a heart attack. Now, I would have to tell her.

“Sorry about that, sis, they aren’t very smart. I didn’t have time to call before leaving,” I said before filling her in on where I was.

“What would make you do that? The pay sounds terrible!” she replied.

“It’s not much better than the shop for sure, and the beds are awful,” I said.

“Then why?” she asked again.

I sighed. “Because its publicity, Diana. The more people that see my name out there, the more business I can generate for the shop.”

“You have plenty of clients though, you’re busy all the time,” said Diana.

I flinched, I had told her that I was busy most of the time when in reality, I just didn’t want to visit with her and listen to her pass judgment on me. It was easier just to lie and say I was working. Most of the time, I really was too. I could probably find someone else to do the job, but time was money, and I loved working on cars.

“Well, we are still struggling to get by, dad had a lot of debt you know,” I said.

She paused. “I guess I didn’t realize that things were that bad.”

I hated to hear her sound so worried. Dad had always tried to protect her from the harsh realities of being a small business owner.

“They aren’t terrible, I just thought this would do us a lot of good. If my guy wins the race, it will be great publicity,” I replied.

“Oh,” she said, unsure. “Well I don’t know. I heard that good-looking racer Desmond Keys was going to be there. He seems like he has a good chance to win. Who is your driver?”

I smiled. “Desmond Keys.”

She gasped. “Oh my gosh! You’re kidding!”

“Nope,” I replied.

“Well in that case, have some fun while you are there! I can’t believe this. Is he as good looking in person as he is on TV? They say that he is a player though, did he hit on you? Have you met him yet? What’s he like?” asked Diana in a flurry of questions.

I laughed, “Slow down there, girl! He's nice, a little cocky. Very good looking but I’m not here for that. I am here to win.”

“You are so lucky, here I am stuck at work, and you are hanging out with a real celebrity,” she said.

“Right,” I replied, looking around the barren and dusty room of my quarters.

After another few questions, I was finally able to get her off the phone. Before she hung up though, she said, “Dad would be so proud of you Amber.”

Her words made me choke up, and I had to wonder if she was right. He always wanted the shop to be more than just what it was. He wanted to bring in clients that could pay the bills, just a few of them. The family atmosphere was one that he loved at heart.

I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about him. He had always loved racing; it was a passion of his. Each Sunday, you could find him catching up on the latest series of winners. He was the one who first turned me on to racing.

I could remember sitting in the shop, watching the race while he talked about what the cars needed to drive better. They were tricks that I still used on a daily basis. I had even used one to ramp up Desmond’s output, not that the cocky driver would know anything about that. He was arrogant enough that he probably didn’t know the first thing about the beauty of the car that he had. All he needed to know was that it went fast, and he could drive it.

Still, he was hot in a way I hadn’t expected. It had caught me off guard at first. The way his eyes followed me around the shop had made my body temperature rise. I wasn’t one to swoon over men. In all honesty, I just didn’t have time for a man in my life. That didn’t stop me from going out and having fun; I just didn’t generally call them back the next day.

It seemed like all men wanted one thing, a good night and an empty bed in the morning. That wasn’t my style to just go sleeping around with anyone though. I had needs though, so every once in a while, I would give in to them.

I never let myself get tangled up with someone at work though. That was just too risky, and this job was no different. There wasn’t a chance in hell that I was going to shack up with anyone there. That included Desmond. He was one hell of a gorgeous man, but he had girls falling all over him, all the time. I wasn’t about to be just another one of those foolish women.

I was here to prove myself and nothing else. The only thing that mattered to me was keeping my father’s shop. I didn’t need a boyfriend or a fling.

As the noise outside started to pick up, signaling a night of rowdy fun for drivers and crew alike, I reached for my headphones. I didn’t want to go out and spend time with the rest of them. In a group full mostly of men, I would be hit on left and right, and that was no fun when you had a car to tweak in the morning and an early start.

The rest of them would be regretting it in the morning. I laughed to myself as I set my alarm. Thinking about my father and how hard he worked, I wondered once again if he would be proud of me for what I was doing. I hoped so.

* * *

T
he next morning
, I wasn’t surprised to find that most of the crew was a little late, Desmond included. The night before was fun from what I heard as people walked by. Desmond went to the local bar of course and left with more than one beautiful girl. When he strutted into the tent, ready for the first test drive, I was a little annoyed to see he still had the charming smile on his face with no signs of a hangover.

“Good morning,” he said with a smile.

I nodded my head, barely looking up, “Morning.”

“How are things running today?” he asked me.

“The same as last night, I’ve made a few more tweaks which should pull a little more power from the back rods,” I replied without looking up to see if he was paying attention.

“Should I take her out for a spin then?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.

I rolled my eyes and stood up, wiping the grease from my hands, “You can do whatever you want if you don’t trust me, but I already took it out this morning.”

He looked stunned, “You drove Theresa?”

I raised an eyebrow, “Theresa? Who was that, your first girlfriend? Or one of the first girls who slept with you just for being a racer?”

I laughed at my own humor, but the smiled died when I saw him glaring at me.

He spoke softly, “Theresa was my mother, and no one drives my car. Got it?”

My face went pale. Suddenly, I felt like a huge jackass for what I had said. I stammered, looking for words, “I am really sorry. I had no idea, I shouldn’t have said that.”

He sighed. “Its fine, not many people know why I call her that. I forgive you for driving her.
This
time.”

I twitched, telling myself to let it go, but my fiery temper wouldn’t let me. “Actually, I didn’t apologize for driving your car. I apologized for insulting the name. I’m not sorry I drove the car. You were late, and I needed to know if it was ready.”

He looked at me, mouth gaping open. After a few seconds, his shock turned into a smile. “I don’t like other people driving my car.”

“Yeah? I don’t like waiting around for high browed drivers who are late for their test runs because they were out with some bimbo the night before,” I shot back.

He stepped closer to me, making my heartbeat skip. The enticing smell of his cologne filled my nostrils as I looked up into his eyes.

“Would you prefer if it was you instead of some bimbo next time?” he whispered.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, the crew started to walk in, and Desmond stepped away from me. The playful smile was still on his lips. With a wink that only I saw, he grabbed his headset and jumped into Theresa before pulling out of the garage. As I waited for my breathing to return to normal, I had to wonder if I was in too deep.

A
s I made
my way to the starting line, I looked around at the competition. Every one of them, in turn, looked at me. I knew that they were wondering how well I would fair and if any of them had a chance at winning. It wasn’t a train of thought that I would ponder though.

Just as I reached the line, they called for the track to be cleared. I heard Glen’s voice coming over the speakers, introducing the racers one by one before the start.

I let my mind wander; it would take him at least ten minutes to make the introductions that were a tradition at every race. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking back over the past few years since I had entered the racing scene.

It had taken me so long to find my calling, now it seemed so obvious. I had more speeding tickets and driving infractions than any one person should be allowed to have. Still, once I had found my calling, everything seemed to fall together. My father had left me Theresa; I just never knew what she was capable of until the night I met José.

I had been younger and wilder back then, just a stupid kid wanting to race cars. I was entered into a local half-mile race, but I wanted more. After I had pushed my car as hard as I could and still lost, I was ready to toss in the towel.

I could remember the moment as clear as day, I was ticked off and kicked my tire, “Stupid car. I should just go buy a hotrod and set you on fire.”

“Easy friend, that’s not the way to talk to a classic like that, it’s not the car that’s the problem,” said José.

I spun around and glared at him, “Excuse me?”

“It’s the driver,” he said, unfazed by my temper.

“I don’t need help from you,” I muttered.

José had smiled, “I think you do. Otherwise, you will just keep losing, you’re running her all wrong.”

After that, we had become instant friends, and José had taught me the basics of racing. I hired him on as my mechanic and for the past two years, we had been a damn near unstoppable team. The only hitch in our plan was Chambers; he seemed determined to bring me down.

It didn’t matter to him that he was cheating. The only thing that he cared about was the glory that came with winning. Unlike him, I wanted people to know me for my racing, not my dirty tricks.

Theresa roared to life underneath me as I tapped the gas. Glen was finishing up with his speech, and we were about to get started. I knew that this part was probably the easiest of the three days. Particularly with the modifications that Amber had made to the car.

I looked up and saw the man waving the checkered flag, and Glen called out the start of the race just as the flag dropped. With ease, I pushed Theresa forward, and she zipped to the front of the pack. I smiled as I passed Chambers and he glared at me the entire time.

* * *

“
T
here you have it
, folks. The first leg of the three-part race is just wrapping up with Desmond Keys taking the first place trophy. One more win, and he’ll take home the gold. I tell you what; anyone who’s watched this man’s racing career could see the difference in his race today. He managed to shave crucial, winning, seconds off his time,” said Glen over the loudspeaker.

I knew that I was going to keep hearing about the improved car for days to come. Glen had taken a liking to Amber right away. It wasn’t surprising since she was one of the few women I knew who didn’t fawn over me constantly. Most days, Glen seemed to like reminding me that I was still only human.

He was a good guy, but he did get a little jealous when it came to the woman who liked me. I saw him waving from the corner of my eye as I once again pulled into the winner’s circle. Strangely enough, I caught myself wanting to go and see Amber, to see what she thought of the race.

I shook my head, freeing the idea from my mind altogether. I knew she had been tracking the time when I saw her off to the side with an analysis dashboard. In my opinion, I couldn’t think of any way she could possibly make Theresa run any better. I was already stunned by her speed. I did the usual round of press announcements before quietly stepping away. My car was already back in the garage, no doubt one of the staff had taken it.

When I walked in, shaking the hands of the crew, I saw that Amber was already underneath Theresa, wrenches working diligently.

“Don’t you ever take a break,” I asked playfully.

The noise didn’t stop, “Sure I do, and I will, once we win all three races.”

I laughed, “You are dedicated, and I’ll give you that. There’s no way you can make her faster though. I had the best time out there.”

“Never say never, you had a couple of lags. I just want to see if we can get them out,” she replied.

I shook my head, “Okay, fair enough. However, you work for me right now, and I insist you stop.”

Right away, the noise died down, and I watched as she slid out from under the car. She was glaring at me, but I didn’t mind. Once again, her raw beauty struck a chord inside of me. I couldn’t believe she was so talented and so attractive at the same time.

“I don’t want to stop,” she muttered.

“Too bad, we just won the first part of the largest race in the United States, I think that deserves a drink,” I said with a smile.

She sighed, “Do I have a choice?”

I shook my head, “Nope, I think you’ll have fun anyways.”

“Can I at least change first?” she asked.

I replied, “Sure, I’ll wait for you right here.”

“Great,” she muttered as she walked away.

I knew that she would try and get out of coming if I left. Instead, I didn’t budge. It only took a few minutes, but when she came back, my jaw dropped. Gone were the stained overalls, in their place she had donned a pair of skin tight jeans. The low cut, red, shirt that hugged her chest was enough to make a sane man go insane. I quickly closed my mouth and cleared my throat, looking away to find anything to distract me from her beauty.

“Ready?” I asked with a smile.

“Sure thing boss,” she said with sarcasm.

I laughed, “Come on, you’ll love this place.”

We walked through the racing grounds and went out a back entrance, unseen by the press still lingering around the area. Less than half a block from the track, a little building came into view. The noise and neon signs called it the “Racerback Dive.” It was a favorite among drivers.

In the years that I had spent attending the race as a spectator, I had never known about it. It was a well-kept secret. I pushed open the door, and the crowd started to cheer. I smiled and laughed as we walked through, shaking hands.

The rest of the pit crew was already there waiting for us, I looked at Amber, and she shot me a confused look.

“You didn’t think I would just ask you out, did you?” I said with a grin.

She smiled, “Of course not.”

When the cheers went up again, I looked up and saw everyone’s favorite announcer making his way through the crowd, he joined us at our table.

“Wow man, they really like you tonight,” he said to me before giving his full attention to Amber. “I don’t think we’ve officially met, my name is Glen Cooper, I’m the announcer.”

Amber smiled, “I know who you are, and you are a legend in the racing world. You call races better than anyone in the last twenty years.”

I was stunned; I couldn’t believe how well Amber knew racing. Glen looked shocked too before he started to blush. I quickly began to talk, covering for my friend’s awkwardness around women.

“Yeah, Glen and I go way back,” I replied.

Amber raised a quizzical eyebrow, “You two seem like a bit of an odd pair.”

I smiled, “We are, but we came together through a common interest, and we’ve been best friends ever since.”

“Racing?” asked Amber.

“Woman,” I replied with a sly smile.

She rolled her eyes as I continued, “It was a few years ago, right after I started to become known on the race track. I was celebrating in a little bar outside of SoHo when I looked across the bar and saw this goofy fella chatting up some blonde. She was bored out of her mind and about to leave, but I just couldn’t let that happen.”

Glen stepped in, “So this guy here comes over and out of nowhere, he starts talking to me. I’d never met him before in my life, but he’s talking to me like he’s my best friend. Telling me what a great job I did and telling the girl how lucky she was to be with me and everything else.”

“Hey, it worked didn’t it?” I asked.

Glen laughed, “That it did, she was my date for the rest of the night, and a good night it was!”

We both shared a laugh, I looked over at Amber and saw her roll her eyes, but she was smiling. I could tell that she was having a good time. The more drinks we got in us, the more the three of us talked. I was surprised by how easily Amber and Glen got along. They seemed to have some things in common.

“You know,” said Glen, a little drunk at this point, “Desmond here is quite the ladies’ man too. He always seems to have a new one on his arm.”

“Now Glen,” I interjected, hoping to change subjects, “I don’t think Amber wants to hear about that.”

“Actually, that sounds like a pretty interesting topic,” she replied.

“Oh boy,” I muttered.

I was somehow saved by the music though as someone behind the bar turned it up, killing any change of conversation. I rose up and held out my hand to Amber, a silent request for a dance. To my surprise, she smiled and took it right away. Our palms touched, once again sending shocks through my body. Once we were on the dance floor, the music changed to something slow, and I couldn’t stop myself from pulling her close to me.

Her body pressed against mine, making my stomach clench in desire. She had a stronger effect on me than any other woman I had ever known. I looked down into her eyes and saw that my own desire was matched by hers. Without thinking, I lowered my head, and tenderly kissed her lips. Her soft lips melted into mine, joining us together and sending shocks through my body.

Suddenly, I didn’t want to be in the crowded bar, I wanted to be alone with her. To touch her, hold her and share my world with her. She wasn’t like the others, she was different. As she broke away from me and smiled, telling me goodnight, I stood there in stunned silence as she walked from the bar. Amber had a grip on me unlike any I had ever felt before and it was terrifying.