“We’ve kissed once,” I mutter, scratching the back of my neck. Undoubtedly the hottest kiss of my life… right before she ghosted me and decided that hiding was preferable to facing me.
“Oh. Oh,god no.” Gio shakes his head, muttering rapidly in Italian. “You are never to see this girl, you hear me? She stays on whatever racetrack you found her. You will not communicate with her ever again, under any circumstances. Am I understood?” He laughs nervously to himself. “Unless she’s on the team, this will be easy. But you know better than to shit where you eat…” he trails off at my expression. “Asher!” he roars. “Do you haveany ideawho her father is? He’ll cast you out—or skin you alive!”
My eyes narrow. He thinks I’m withAmanda?I’m insulted that he thinksshe’smy type. I open my mouth to issue a denial, but he’s too deep in his rant to notice.
“How couldshebe the one to have you wound up? She must be excellent in bed, it can’t be the conversation that has you like this—”
“It isn’t Amanda!” I roar. “It’s the goddamnintern.”
Gio pauses, scowling. Slowly, his scowl recedes into a mild frown. “Ah, an intern. Then you need only avoid her for the season before she’s gone.” Something painful twists in my gut at the mention of Victoria leaving. Evennow, when she’s made it abundantly clear that I was nothing more than a mistake, I don’t want her to go. If I can’t have her, then at least I can keep her in my orbit. Keep anyone unworthy away from her.
“It’s the intrigue,” Gio decides, looking visibly relieved. “Everyone always lusts for the new girl—this is normal. This will fade. We can manage this. You’ll grow tired of having her around, and—”
“Iwon’t!” I snap. “She’s notlikethe other girls, Gio. She’s smart, and kind, and sofucking sassy. She holds me accountable and doesn’t put up with my shit. She demands my best, and sheknowsI’m better than what I’ve been showing the world for years. She’s developing a forecasting system that’s…” I shake my head. “Amazing.She’sfucking amazing, and shedoes—not—want—me. You want to know why I’m twisted up in knots? We kissed, the best damn kiss I’ve ever had—like drugs, only better—and then she fled and hid from me.” She turned her back on me before we could even talk about what this meant and metaphorically walked away, just like everyone else in my life has. My parents. My friends. Even mygrandparentswho entrusted me to boarding schools. Teachers, acquaintances, girlfriends who only wanted me for money or prestige… all of them.
Gio chooses that moment to dramatically drop his head to the counter and slam it several times. I roll my eyes at the theatrics. Fucking Italians.
“This is worse than I thought.” He sounds mournful as he peeks up at me, as if I’m a sailor who’s been permanently lost to the sea and who’ll never be seen again. “Youare far past being warned.” Another mournful thud of his head to the counter, and then he straightens. “Very well. You want this girl—what is the problem?”
“I just told you,” I grit out. “Shedoesn’t wantme.”
“Pfft. You’re rich, famous, and have an infamous last name.”
“That doesn’t matter to her.” Probably because she grew up with the Asters—or at least near them. I’m not sure about the specifics yet. “It’s one of the reasons I like her so much.”
Gio nods thoughtfully. “Your kiss—did she enjoy it? Was there reciprocation?”
All my blood rushes south at the thought of the kiss. Shemorethan reciprocated. She seemed to be caught in the same haze of lust and pleasure I was. There’s no chance that I misread herduringthe kiss. It’safterthe kiss that’s the problem.
“Yes,” I say, subtly scooting closer to the counter to hide my growing erection.Stop thinking about it, dumbass. “There was definitely reciprocation.” I take a sip of the disgusting smoothie to get rid of my hard-on. Thank god, that seems to do the trick.
“And then?”
“Andthenshe ran off.”
“You said she is intern?”
I crack my knuckles, trying to distract myself from thoughts of her. “Yes. I think she’s hoping to be hired full time at the end of the season.” And with the work she’s doing, there’s adamngood chance that’ll happen.
“Ah, there’s your problem.” Gio nods. “You are F1 driver—she is intern. You may forget that not everyone has the same contracts as you. New girl may be worried for job security.” He shrugs. “Or, she may have realized you’re an asshole, and that a nice, smart girl like her is better off without you.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” I say acerbically… but I also give his words fair consideration.
He might be right. No, he probablyisright, at least in part. Now that I’m thinking about it, only a stupid person in Victoria’s position wouldn’t be worried for their job, or for being seen as dating their way to the top. That is, if she’s interested in dating.
God, why do I care? Why do Iwantthat? Gio’s right; I’ve had plenty of experience fucking and chucking. I’ve never once considered dating someone in earnest since high school, and eventhenI was thinking with my dick. Historically, the notion of flowers, dinners, and conversation has held no appeal to me.
With Victoria, it does. I want to get to know her. I want to pick apart her brain. Even worse, I want to tell her about myself—willingly. Without her having to make threats or bargain with me.
Maybe shedoeswant that, as well. Maybe not. In either case… the least I can do is take care of her job concerns.
The press conference I’ve been wrangled into attending tomorrow just might give me the perfect opportunity.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Victoria
Itake Asher’s regression into being a douche with admirable nonchalance. He pointedly acts like an asshole every chance he gets, but at the very least, he respects the hard lines I set. He doesn’t belittle my work, knowledge, or act like a misogynistic jerk. He’s still a jerk in every other way that matters, but it secretly warms me that he doesn’t deliberately set out to press my sorest spots.
