“Get back to work!” came Magnus’ voice from somewhere, and they all scrambled to pick up their tools again.
“Can you do something for me?” I asked Theo. His breath hitched for a second, and I saw his eyes widen in trepidation. Despite the trust that we had built up alongside the love, it was still conceivable to him that I might ask the unaskable. “Not that, I promise. I will never compromise your race. In fact, I need to do the opposite. I want to give both of us a motivation.”
“What?” asked Theo.
“A bet,” I said. “It’s how we started. It’s how I want to end this tour.”
“And what are you suggesting, Mr García?” asked Theo.
“If you win…” I leaned forward to whisper in his ear, partially for dramatic effect but also because I did not want some lip-sync savvy photographer or journalist outside the garage catching what I was saying. “I will be your slave for the day. Full maid outfit, whatever you want.”
Theo chuckled. “Why is the thought of your furry legs in a frilly skirt so hot?”
“Because these furry legs aregorgeous,” I said.
“OK, and if I lose…” Theo started, but I put a finger on his lips.
“I have the most to lose here, so I will set the terms. If I win, you will head to my hotel room. You have a key, you do not need to wait for me. In my bedside drawer you will find exactly what I expect you to wear for me. You will wear nothing else.”
“No maid outfit though?” asked Theo. He sounded nervous, but I knew the uncertainty and risk turned him on. It always had, ever since we started these stupid bets.
“No maid outfit,Teodoro. But you may find yourself begging for it as an alternative.”
Theo pulled me closer, and I could faintly feel his hard length pressing against my thigh through heavy layers of fabric. I loved that I could do to him exactly what he did to me. That we both felt just as strongly for one another, in heart and in…other areas.
“Right, I better go,” said Theo. “I’d wish you luck, but…I don’t wanna.”
“You continue to drive me insane,” I countered. “Good luck,Teodoro.”
“Good luck, Sebastian.” Theo leaned in to give me one more quick, chaste kiss so as not to excite us again. “See you at the finish line.”
Theo
Ilowered myself into the cockpit as the crew essentially built the car around me. One of the under-appreciated things about the cars we used in Moto 1 was that despite the millions spent on R&D and the massive teams of mechanics, the cars themselves may as well have been built out of Lego. Once I had my helmet situated properly on my head, one of the team handed me the steering wheel so I could slot it onto the yoke and fix it in place. Once the tyres were all in place, they propped the car up on supports to wheel me out to the starting position.
I could feel the nerves building in me like never before. Sure, the European Tour was only half of the overall championship, but it would be my first trophy if I was lucky enough to win it. But the odds were against me, starting in third, and if I won then the love of my life would lose his career. It tainted the thought a bit. But I’d been dreaming of this day since my aunt and uncle paid for my first go kart.
“All systems go, Theo. Let’s win this,”said my race manager through the comms.
“Affirmative. Let’s fucking go,” I replied.
“That’s a hundred-pound fine right there.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Make it an even five-hundred and donate it to someone who needs it.” There was no reply through the comms. Good.
The formation lap only helped to amplify my nerves. Grandstands were set up around the track, and despite the fact that the engines drowned out most of the cheering, I could still hear it every time I passed a different stand. The British fans had turned out in force with grey and blue signs, life-size cardboard cut-outs of me and signs asking for my hand in marriage. Birmingham was my home race, and whether or not I won I wanted to put on a show for the crowds.
At the end of the lap, I pulled into my space in third, behind Sebastian and Max. Even though it hurt me to do so, I had to think of them both as my competition. And I knew how to crush competition, especially on my home track.
The first light lit.
Then another.
Another.
Red, red, red, red.
Red.
