Racing Hearts

Chapter Two- Tension

Kayla gripped onto the armrests of the passenger side of the car with each turn, cross of an intersection, and every time the gas was tapped until the vehicle rested in a parking spot with its cut engine. Although she had attempted to conceal her anxiety within a vehicle by placing earbuds into her auditory canals, Amanda knew her well enough to know that with each turning of Kayla’s head or adjustment in the seat, she relieved the day of that fateful accident. 

“We’re here…” Amanda explained as Kayla nodded as she released her grip on the seat belt wrapped over her chest and tried for the door before being captured by the hand of her friend. “I really wish you’d let me set up an appointment with Doctor Kruger...She is really good and-”

“Also entirely out of my price range...hell...complimentary is at this point…” Kayla explained with an attempt to joke before finding Amanda lowering her eyes with concern. “I’m better than a few years ago...at least I am IN the car this time…”

“I just worry about you...You’ve been through a lot and you deserve to get your stuff back..I just don’t want you to take five steps back, you know?”

“I don’t think getting my credit cards and ID back or going to affect that...Really, Amanda, I’m fine…” Although she was trembling from the inside out with her PTSD caused nearly twenty years prior, Kayla proudly pulled herself from the Kia before meeting with the solid ground; where she was now allowed to have a chance at a steady heartbeat once outside the vehicle. “See?” Kayla pushed her point further before turning away from Amanda and moving into the direction of the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. 

“Do you even know where he’ll be?” Amanda questioned as she showed her press pass to the front gate before a member of security suddenly made their way to the side of the booth. 

“Kayla Tonnisen?” A husky voice riddled with decades of smoking asked her as she slowly nodded before being motioned into a more private section of the raceway; even excluded to higher ups like Amanda. 

“He wishes to see you alone…” The voice spoke as Amanda attempted to follow but was seized by the man’s arm. 

“Wherever I go, she goes or I don’t.” She spoke defiantly as the man uttered something into a radio too low to be heard over the crowd making their way to and from the entry booths as he nodded and brought both of the girls into a private suite on the property of the raceway. It was a room positioned behind glass that overlooked the east side of the track; air conditioned, with a private bathroom, leather chairs that observed the pavement below, and a bar that took the majority of the room aside from a set of dining tables and elegant chairs to match. 

“This doesn't exactly seem like he’s mad at you…” Amanda commented as she became swept up in the luxury of this interest, whereas Kayla was focused on retrieving her things and leaving. “Can’t you just enjoy this for like five minutes? I don’t even get this kind of access and I’m doing a story on him.”

“What? I thought you were doing one on Marco Yerger…”

“Something got changed last night and they want a story about him instead…” Amanda shrugged as she took hold of a tail of a deceased member of shrimp pressed to the edge of a cocktail glass and doused the aquatic creature in sauce before the door to the room came open. A man standing nearly as tall as Devon with blonde hair pulled back into a cap wearing the NASCAR logo over the front, offered kind smiles to both of the girls before extending his hand to Kayla. 

“Dusty Hudgens...I hope you are finding everything to your likin’.” He spoke with a smooth accent that took Amanda’s attention instantly as she had a thing for the all-American southern boy types. 

“Where is Devon?” Kayla spoke rather rudely as the man c****d his brow for a moment before slowly nodding. “He wanted you to be comfortable-”

“That’s very noble…” She spoke while rolling her eyes to the side. “But I only came here to get what he took from me...So if you can tell me where to find him or bring him here, that would be fantastic…”

“He is actually getting ready for the race...You’ll have to wait until after.” Her eyes grew wide as she knew this could easily run three hours; if not longer, depending on the turnout of the race, interviews, and fans that happened to sneak some time alone with him. “Until then, if you need anything, just let one of us know.” Before Kayla could counter him further, he left her alone with Amanda once again, who had the tail of the shrimp between her teeth as she watched “Dusty” leave the room in a slow observation of his fit exterior. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” 

“In my eight years as a sports journalist, the nicest thing I’ve been given was between a thank you basket of expired peanuts and a hand on my ass...I am sure he’ll give it back...but there’s no harm in luxuriating in what he is offering...Come on, Kay...you love the little planters…” Amanda spoke as she carried a bag of peanuts to view before Kayla became frustrated. 

“He might be used to other girls fawning over this, but I just want my stuff and I want to go home.” Kayla spoke as she moved into the direction of the door and found it to open easily at her request. Unsure why she was so surprised, she began to leave Amanda behind before hearing her friend call out to her. 

“Where are you going?”

“To get my stuff back!” Kayla answered with an increase of her tone from annoyance before marching down the hallways that they were led through to begin with and making her way back into the harsh heat of this brutally humid day. She began to walk into the direction of the signs until finding Dusty lingering outside of a garage on his phone. When he spotted her, he immediately ended his call before giving her his undivided attention. 

“You lookin’ for somethin’?”

“I told you...I need to talk to Devon to get my stuff-or even if you could bring me it...I actually prefer to not have to see him.”

“Just give me a second…” Dusty brought his phone back to his ear and turned away from her as her eyes caught on a door left ajar by a member of a rival pit crew sharing the same space as the racers. Immediately, she slipped away once Dusty was distracted and made her way onto a set of steps that then led to a large trailer. 

“Did you get the ice-” Devon’s voice chimed throughout the air as he emerged from the bathroom entirely naked with a towel wrapped around his head as he was attempting to shake off the water remaining in his black hair now wild on his cranium. She blushed and averted her gaze almost immediately; but not before finding a set of tattoos on his nude physique that was bronzed perfectly. The first had been a tattered American flag intertwined with a checkered flag on his left shoulder while the one across the top portion of his ribs had been that of an SSC Tuatara, and the final had been a  rose just offset of his Adonis belt. Her eyes took in these details before forcing downwards as he looked at her with pleasure. 

“I knew you would come to your senses sooner or later…”

“I came here for my stuff.” She explained as she held her hand over her eyes and turned away from him at such an angle, where he was allowed to see her expression; which was present with clear annoyance. 

“So you deny my attempts to be nice and then break into my trailer...and look at me naked?”

“None of those were intentional-except maybe the first one…” She spoke quickly as she was now forced to look at him, her eyes lowering to his impressive manhood that he allowed to showcase without a single ounce of shame covering his expression. “For the love of God, can you PLEASE cover yourself up?!”

“Can’t say that I’ve had a woman complain before...especially when she knows what I can do with that.” Her cheeks blushed but her eyes remained steadfast in anger as a permanent glare was forced in his direction. But alas, she seemed to reign victorious as he wrapped his waist with the towel; folding it twice, before crossing his arms over his torso. She found it difficult to keep her eyes to herself as his muscles tensed and remained sodden from his recent shower; but she managed to, as she knew she would not supply him the pleasure in knowing he excited her in any way; especially sexually. 

“Where is it?”

“Where’s what?” He questioned with a smile as she grunted. 

“Please! I just want my stuff and I want to go home! I don’t know how many people that I have to say that to until they get it!”

“If I did, you’d be missing out...I could take you behind the scenes...shower you with a little attention…” He began to step closer to her as she remained in place, not allowing him the satisfaction in her moving a single muscle. “Maybe even let you get under the hood a little bit-”

“You BETTER be talking about cars…”

He shrugged. “It wouldn’t be as much fun if I was…” He now stood across from her with a smug look of self pride over his full lips that drove her to an uncontrollable anger. 

“You know what? Forget it. I’ll just go to the police and tell them that you stole it...I’m sure all of your little fan girls here will love to throw themselves at someone with a rap sheet!” Moving to leave, she took the handles of the steps leading downwards towards the door before he called to her. 

“Wait…” He let out an aggrieved exhale before moving to a cabinet at the top of the cabin, stretching his muscles out for her in one final attempt to show her what she was missing, before moving slowly to her with her cards and ID in hand. “It’s too bad you don’t want to stay...I could give you the ride of your life.” Kayla rose back onto the top step, bringing her lips close enough to feel his breath against her lips, before she pulled back. 

“In your dreams.” With this, she took possession of her items once again before forcing herself away from the trailer, where Dusty looked at her with disapproval but also a hint of having been impressed as she held up her belongings with a glare and a sneer. Now, all Kayla had to do was wait in the car for Amanda to have finished her interview with the famed driver she had come to hate more than anyone; but needed the keys to do this. With that in mind, she began to move into the direction of the racer’s suite, focused on the signs, and rammed into a couple broken apart by her quick step. 

“s**t!” A familiar voice spoke as she lifted her eyes to find Jeff standing in front of her with a beautiful red-haired girl on his arm-in a way that was clearly some form of romantic entanglement. 

“Sorry-” The words left Kayla’s lips before she had realized who was now in front of her. 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart...Things happen...like us...We are just celebrating our six month anniversary!” The woman hugged her way into Jeff who turned white as Kayla crossed her arms over her chest; considering the fact that she had broken up with this very man across from her just the night before; Jeff had some explaining to do.