Her brow’s set in a straight line. ‘In. Your. Dreams.’
Worth a shot.
‘I can also tell you what he’s like. We go way,wayback.’ I should probably write this down so my story’s consistent. ‘What he likes in a woman, what he eats, what he?—’
‘I get the picture.’
She’s impossible to read, standing there with a face like thunder. Even her bun looks unimpressed. She listened to my spiel, at least. I thought I was compelling AF.
‘All you’d need to do in exchange is repair my reputation, on the DL,’ I add for good measure. ‘It’s a win-win.’
This shit’s in the bag. I knew it on the flight back from Bahrain when Isa casually observed that Jules has normally locked down her man by now. She’s struggling, and I’ve served up a silver-plated solution.
‘No,’ she says.
‘Wait, what? Why?’
‘I don’t make deals with psychopaths.’
‘Did you not hear my speech? I’m not a psychopath. I’ve been dealt an unfair hand.’
‘You fail to realise you’re where you are exclusively because of your actions. It’s not a “hand” you’ve been “dealt”. I’d heard of you before I followed F1, and it wasn’t because of your racing.’
I nudge her with my elbow. ‘I must’ve been doing something right then.’
‘You’re beyond help. You’re arrogant, impulsive, and entitled.’
‘Hey—’
‘You think with your dick, and your team’s made up of people who have absolutely no experience in their roles.’
Now she’s getting personal. You don’t criticise my family. I’d bet on my mom’s life she’s an only child. ‘I’mloyal.’
‘Even if I wanted to – which I don’t, I’d rather pull my hair out one strand at a time – I couldn’t help you. Not with an attitude like this. Goodbye and good riddance.’
Should I…? No, I couldn’t.
But…?
What’s the worst that could happen? She already thinks I’m an asshole, and rejected me to prove it. What’s a little more loathing?
‘You know,’ I say to the back of her head, ‘I could always walk in there with you, and make that room of Instagram-loving Gen Zs think you chose me.’ She stops, and I stifle a smile. ‘After all, you’ve been to all my team’s events. You’ve been seen speaking to me more than?—’
She turns on her heel so fast I jump. ‘Are you threatening me?’ Her voice is like boiling water. Angry Jules is hot, but also a little scary. It’s an intoxicating combination.
‘No!’ I lay my hand over my heart in mock offence. ‘Threaten’s such an extreme word. I prefertwisting your arm.’
She’s very still. Not even blinking. I’m about to confess I’m kidding when her expression softens.
‘Mending your reputation in exchange for time with Tom…’ She mulls slowly.
Oh my god I didn’t think that would actuallywork.
‘You have leverage, I have leverage,’ I supplement.
‘A mutual trade.’ She looks up. ‘You know what, I do have one request, and then we can forget about the past and move on.’
It’s so close now. I can feel it. She’s coming around. ‘Yeah, what’s that?’
