Race With a Heart
Chapter 223: What the…?

Chapter 223: What the...?

Martin drove down to the garage first and disoriented got out of his car. He took off his helmet and looked around at his surroundings trying to figure out what was actually going on. He wanted to ask someone, but there was no time to do so. All the mechanics were busy with his car or waiting for Paxton’s car, which was just coming off the track.

"Did something happen?" Martin asked a passing colleague, but the latter just shrugged his shoulders focused on his work.

Martin felt a sense of frustration. He was tired from the race, even though they hadn’t run the full schedule, but fatigue was nothing to the anxiety he was beginning to feel. Why had their competition been interrupted? Or was it something with Steve?

With his gaze he made his way through the crowd of mechanics to see the tall, slender figure of the driver getting out of the red-and-yellow car. Paxton was moving normally. He removed his helmet, showing dark, sweat-wet hair and a handsome, very masculine profile. Paxton’s black, penetrating eyes rolled over his surroundings as confused as Martin’s eyes. When their gazes met, Martin knew that Steve also didn’t have the faintest idea why their rivalry had been interrupted. And like Martin he, too, had no one to ask, since the Alston car had just appeared. Steve, however, didn’t seem too concerned and smiled at Martin with that provocative smile of his.

Martin swallowed his saliva with difficulty. All it took was one look from Paxton, one smile from him to make the knees soften under the young driver and something twitch in his pants.

Fortunately, Abe appeared and nodded to all three drivers. So without delay they headed for the chief mechanic’s cantina. Martin had the farthest, so he was the last to enter and closed the door behind them. While still holding his hand on the door handle, he heard:

"Good job, guys. All of you. You guys really did a great job. So much so that Karl has been able to learn enough about your current state and potential. What his conclusions are, I don’t know, but he already has some. I can only tell you about mine, and they are as follows. First of all..."

Abe began to talk about the technical aspect of racing, about the surface, tires, cars....

"Let’s leave that for later, shall we?" asked Steve strangely softly. "We’re in urgent need of a shower, so why don’t we save the technical details?"

"Well... In that case, an overall assessment of the three of you. I’m happy for all of you. Congratulations, it was a really good race."

The smile on his lips was warm and encouraging, but....

"Then why was it interrupted?"

Martin was surprised himself that he had asked this question. However, he seemed to have expressed the thoughts of all three of them.

"I don’t know why exactly Karl decided to stop the race, but I have already said that what he has seen so far was enough for him to know your current abilities. In my opinion, to let you go on would be a waste of money. Fuel isn’t cheap, you know, and the weather has also started to deteriorate."

"I don’t have a problem with that," announced Steve a little overly nonchalant and carefree. Martin knew him well enough to know that Paxton was pissed, but wouldn’t show it from himself. After all, he had a certain image to maintain. "Whether I’ll be able to take Martin, I can find out elsewhere," he said.

His gaze made a whole kaleidoscope of places and what they did in them stand in Martin’s imagination. He saw an auto repair shop and the hood of a convertible, a roadside overgrown with brush and his bed....

"In fact, you may meet again more than once at the track," announced Allen completely ignoring, or not even noticing, the tension, the sexual tension that had suddenly appeared in the small room. Don, however, knew perfectly well what Paxton was talking about, and blushing with distaste, he looked away as if to tell Martin and Steve to find a room.

Abe’s small office suddenly became even smaller.

"Abe, I’m glad you’re happy with us, but why don’t you let us finally go to the shower?" asked Martin feeling that he would melt from the heat in a moment.

"Okay, go ahead."

"Could I stay?" Alston surprised them with a question. "I have some questions that I’d like to get answered right now, in the heat of the moment. I shouldn’t take you more than ten minutes..."

"Good, very good," rejoiced Abe.

Martin opened the door and slipped outside. Steve slid past him.

"You heard him, we have ten minutes," whispered Paxton, and with a quick step headed toward the locker room.

Martin swallowed his saliva, and although he tried to look natural, he also quickened his step.

Ten minutes is seemingly not much, but it must be enough.

***

The corridor had never been so long for Martin before. It was as if the corridor had become twice as long since he had walked it less than two hours ago. Martin knew it wasn’t physically possible, but that was exactly the impression he got. They only had ten minutes before Don would show up and spoil their fun.

"Are you the driver here?"

Martin stopped surprised to hear a woman’s voice. He looked around and saw a dark-skinned woman with caramel-colored hair emerge from under the wall where the light of the bulb did not reach. The hair contrasted with her African complexion, but in a pleasant way. How did she get here?

"Yes, I am," he replied. "And you shouldn’t be here. This is a restricted area for outsiders."

"I’m looking for Steve," she announced, ignoring his instruction and looking at him with a gaze under which Martin felt like meat at the market. Assuming, of course, that meat at the market feels anything.

"I don’t know who you are, but as I said, this place is off-limits to outsiders. Please leave your name and go out the same way you came. I will tell him that you are waiting outside."

The woman moved impatiently and Martin got the unpleasant impression that she wanted to attack.

"You’re a mouthful for a driver," she announced while still looking at him like a piece of meat. This time, however, it was a juicy tenderloin about to hit the frying pan. "I might like you if it weren’t for Steve," she said.

"Excuse me?" Martin blinked his eyelids. At first he thought she was some kind of journalist, judging by her pleasant superficiality in some TV station, but her behavior now resembled that of a beleaguered fan club head who thinks she has the most rights to her idol. She may not have acted like she was crazy, but a red warning light immediately went off in Martin’s head.

"You have a shapely figure," the woman announced. "You are admittedly not tall, but that’s not a problem for a photo shoot. You also have very nice facial features. Even now, all covered in sweat you look quite appealing. And those eyes, big, green, so innocent and pure and yet enticing. You are Martin, aren’t you? Too bad."

Martin had no idea who this woman was. However, she was too confident, too bold to be just a fan. However, she was definitely someone to be wary of. At least, that’s what his instincts told Martin.

"I really don’t want to be mean, but this area is off-limits to outsiders, especially women, for very specific reasons. It’s a private place for employees..."

The woman didn’t say a word, turned around and moved in the direction Martin was heading.

"Hey, what are you doing!" cried the young man moving behind her. "After all, I said this place is private."

She, however, did not listen causing Martin to grow frustrated. The woman unceremoniously headed for the locker room, where Steve was just waiting for him, perhaps half-naked or already completely naked.

Of course, the exit was there too, right next to the locker room, but the woman didn’t give the impression that she wanted to use it. In fact, she ignored the signage pointing the way to the exit and chose to follow the one that indicated the locker room. She opened the door before Martin had time to stop her. Martin spotted Steve standing in just his underwear turning toward the entrance. He only saw him for a moment before the dark-skinned woman obscured his view by pressing her lips to Steve Paxton’s lips....

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.