DASH (7 page)

TABATHA

I stand next to my dad as I watch Dash work his way through the sharp turns of the raceway. It makes me nervous. What if he wrecks? What if the bike runs over him? I don’t know much about racers on bikes, but I’ve seen crashes before on the internet—they are not pretty.

I smile like an idiot as I think back over our last two nights together. They were amazing. I just wish we didn’t have to keep it a secret. I don’t want to jeopardize his future. He thinks my dad won’t kick him off the team, and maybe he won’t, but there will still be consequences and I’m trying hard to prevent that.

I look over my shoulder when I hear a car pulling up, thinking it’s Jackie. She called me an hour ago and said she was coming up here with Blake. I frown though when I see a girl get out of the car who I don’t recognize. She has a tiny skirt on that looks to be three sizes too small and a shirt that a six-year-old would be seen dressed in with no bra on.

“Valerie,” my father says turning around to greet her.

“Hello, Mr. Knight,” she says walking over to us. “How is he doing?” she asks as her eyes look over the track.

“He’s doing great. Just like I knew he would,” my father responds.

I stand stiff as a board as my eyes move back and forth between them wondering who in the hell this woman is, and how does she know my dad?

Her eyes finally land on mine, and her smile drops off her face when she reads my shirt. “I didn’t know you already had shirts made,” she says looking back to my father.

“Hmm?” He looks over to me and then smiles. “Oh, I just realized that,” my father says with a chuckle but doesn’t respond to her question.

“I’m Tabatha,” I say reaching out my hand to her, trying to be polite, but I can already tell that I don’t like this woman. Maybe she is Dash’s sister? He did tell me that he was an only child, though.

Her smile returns, but it looks more evil than friendly. “I’m Valerie.” She pauses. “Dash’s girlfriend.”

I stare at her waiting for her to laugh or to say just kidding, there’s no way she is Dash’s girlfriend. He doesn’t have one. Does he?

“Girlfriend?” I choke on the word. Have I been sleeping with a man who was unavailable in the first place? If so, where the hell has she been?

“Yes, Sweet Pea,” my father answers as he looks down at me with a look of concern for my hearing. “This is Valerie. She was with Dash the day I picked him up.”

She laughs. “You mean the day you arrested us.”

“What?” I ask getting more and more confused. “When did you arrest him?” Her eyes narrow on mine as I have no concern that she was arrested, only Dash.

“It was no big deal. I had called in a favor from the cops,” my dad says, waving off my concern. “Dash was a hard man to get a hold of.”

She looks over to my dad. “He was so excited. He ended up throwing a party that night at his parents’,” she informs him, and I feel my heart stop.

Party? Parents? He had just been with her earlier that day and then with me that night. I think I’m gonna be sick.

“Does he know that you were coming up here today?” I can’t help but ask. They look at me like I’ve lost my mind. Like I’m asking questions that I shouldn’t be asking, but I need to get some answers ‘cause obviously Dash hasn’t been telling me the truth.

“He does,” she says slowly as she eyes me skeptically. “I’ve been out of town for spring break, and I text him early this morning.”

I swallow nervously. Early this morning? His phone only went off once before he told me he turned it off—he had said that it was Blake. Another lie!

“Will you excuse me?” I mumble before I lower my head and start to walk to my car. I’ve been sleeping with her boyfriend. Hell, I spent two days in bed with him, naked.

I take a deep breath as I run my hand through my hair. This can’t be happening! I feel my eyes start to fill with tears and my throat tighten. I’m not that type of girl. I would never get with someone who has a boyfriend.

I hear the sound of his bike nearing my father and Valerie as he finishes his last lap, and I angrily brush the tears off my face.

I walk around the concessions stand and make my way to the parking lot when I’m grabbed from behind and shoved up against the brick wall.

My eyes narrow as I look up to Dash. His forehead is covered in sweat and he’s breathing heavy. He’s still wearing his riding leathers, but he has them hanging off of his hips. “I can explain.”

“I don’t need any more of your lies,” I shout.

He looks over his shoulder to see if anyone is around to hear us before returning his eyes back to me. “It’s not what you think. She’s lying to you.”

I fist my hands down by my side. “So, my father is also lying to me?”

He takes a step back from me giving me some breathing room as he runs his hand through his long dark and sweaty hair. “He thought she was my girlfriend when he arrested us. I didn’t correct him,” he says angrily.

“Why was she even with you?” I demand. “Did you sleep with her that day and then sleep with me that night?” I take a step toward him and place my hand on his chest shoving him out of my way, not even caring to hear his answer. I already know it.

I walk past him, and he grabs my upper arm before yanking me back. “No,” he growls. “I didn’t sleep with her that day and you’re the only girl I’ve been fucking,” he snaps.

My eyes widen at his words then they narrow. “You are nothing but a lying son of a bitch,” I spit in his face.

“I’m not lying,” he shouts as his dark gray eyes bore into mine.

Lie. “So that really was Blake that text you this morning?” I already know the answer. Why would she have lied to me? She doesn’t have any reason to lie to me, but him…?

He lets go of me. He doesn’t say anything as he breathes heavily and stares down at me with narrowed eyes and tight jaw. His silence tells me more than his words can. He lied. It really was her. He really does have a girlfriend. And I really have fallen for him. ‘Cause, otherwise, it wouldn’t hurt this bad. The betrayal I feel wouldn’t cut so deep.

I wouldn’t be here fighting with him. I would have got into my car and left. I wouldn’t have wanted him to tell me that she was lying. He would have had an explanation for everything I just asked.

I hang my head and take a deep breath trying to calm my nerves. My chest is tight, and my eyes sting.

I watch as his black riding boots take a step toward me, and then I feel his hands in my hair. I swallow the lump in my throat and close my eyes as he softly pulls my head up so I will have to look at him.

“She means nothing to me,” he says softly.

And it makes my heart hurt even more. How can he treat her this way? She truly thinks that she is his girlfriend, and he has been stringing her along. How long will he do that to me?

“Please look at me,” he begs, and I slowly open my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers as he lets go of my hair and wipes away the tear that runs down my cheek. “I have lied to you.” He closes his eyes and exhales as if to admit that hurt him. He opens them and looks back down to me. “And that ends right now. I’ll tell you everything tonight. Please don’t leave like this. Mad at me.” He runs a hand through my hair. “I want to tell you everything. I just need one more chance.”

“I shouldn’t be giving you one more chance,” I say truthfully. I mean, I’ve known the guy for a week now, and he’s been lying to me.

He licks his lips nervously as he looks up and scans the back part of the parking lot. I know my dad is probably wondering where in the hell he is.

“I know.” He sighs looking back at me. “But I’m begging you. Just give me one chance to explain everything to you, and then if you want, I’ll leave you alone.”

What could there possibly be to explain? If she’s just an ex then why is she so important? Then a thought hits me and I freeze. “Do you guys have a child?” I love children. That wouldn’t push me away if that’s the case.

“No,” he snaps and then lets out a long breath. “I have no children,” he finishes through gritted teeth.

I nod my head, confused by his anger at my question. “I have to get back.” His eyes soften as he speaks. “Please don’t leave. Stay here. And I’ll make everything right.” He leans down and places his lips on mine. I stand totally still at first. But after a few seconds, I open up and allow him to kiss me. Once again, I fall into him and allow him to take what he wants from me. It’s different with him than it was with Rodger because I want it from Dash just as much as he wants it from me. I wanna lose myself in him.

He slows the kiss down and pulls away. “I gotta go, baby.” He lightly kisses my forehead and then looks down at me.

“Go,” I whisper. “I’m not going anywhere,” I say, and I give him a small smile.

RODGER

Done!

I smile after reading the text message. I once again hide in plain sight as I sit at the track. I watch Tabatha and that fucking idiot Erik Dashling kiss, and it makes me want to vomit.

He goes to walk away from her, but instead, he steps into her and kisses her one last time before finally pulling away and heading back to the track.

He’s been at it all day. Trying to figure out what the bikes needs in order for him to be Mr. Knight’s newest addition to the team. I don’t know what Johnny sees in the motherfucker! The guy is a legend. He has hundreds of men lined up to race for him and he picks up this sorry bastard.

Tabatha and I have been broke up for a little over a week now, and I’m tired of begging her to come back to me. She will fucking learn to listen to me. I could have killed her when I watched her with Dash the first night she met him. Batting her eyelashes and sticking her ass in his face while she kept pressing ignore every time I called, eventually just turning her phone off. She had no fucking clue I was even there at his party—but she only had eyes for him. I even got me some action that night and the next morning. The bitch was too hung-over to even know it was me fucking Valerie the following morning.

I was so pissed at her that I almost just said fuck it. But my dad had found out about her night with Erik and said it made me look like a fool. A failure. Made me look like my woman was going around town cheating on me. How would that make a future senator look? Especially since our breakup hadn’t gone public yet. He told me to get my shit together and do what a man needed to do!

In order to do that I had to allow them some time together. Tabatha was hard to crack the first time. But my father had never been prouder to see me take such a strong woman and make her fully submit to me. My dad once told me that my mother was nothing like that for him. She came from poverty. All my dad had to do was throw money at her and pamper her and she did whatever he wanted. Still does. I knew I was going to need leverage with Tabatha. And Dash is going to be that leverage.

She gets my attention as she hands him his helmet as they both now stand by his father and Valerie. He places it on before jumping back on the bike. The bike roars to life and he takes off down the track. She turns to her father and smiles brightly at him and I fist my hands down by sides. She looks so happy. It’s annoying. A woman like her needs to be kept under a man’s thumb. She’s beautiful, I’ll give her that, but women who know that are selfish and demanding. They need to be reminded that they need a man to survive. And I’m that man for her.

My eyes narrow as I see the shirt she has on. Written across the front is DASH in silver letters. It looks like she bought some glitter and made the damn thing herself. Things may be getting more serious with them than I thought. Good thing I had a very good reason for coming out to this track today. And that text message I got guarantees she will be crawling back to me. Just like I told her she would. Damn, I love being right!

I can just see the
Breaking News Report
while I lie in bed later tonight—
Track incident...
I’m not stupid. I can’t kill anyone. Then what leverage will I have? But every time she fights me, I will make someone suffer. And she will suffer as well.

I smile when I see the bitch look she gives to Valerie—another pawn I can use to get exactly what I want.

The end

Keep an eye out for book two. Coming soon!

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Shantel is a Texas-born girl who now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her high school sweetheart, who is a wonderful, supportive husband and their four-year-old little princess. She loves to spend time cuddled up on the couch with a good book.

She is the Amazon Bestselling author of the Undescribable series and is currently working on her fifth book Unpredictable, which is set to release in December. She considers herself extremely lucky to get to be a stay at home wife and mother. Going to concerts and the movies are just a few of her favorite things to do. She hates coffee but loves wine. She and her husband are both huge football fans, college and NFL. And she has to feed her high heel addiction by shopping for shoes weekly.

Although she has a passion for writing, her family is most important to her. She loves spending evenings at home with her husband and daughter, along with their cat and dog.