Race to the Top: Book one in the Racing to Find Love series (7 page)

Anna skipped around her hotel room. Erik Jonasson had asked
her to dinner.
Her!
She delved into her suitcase, throwing all her
clothes onto the bed and surveying them. She needed something attractive but
not too attractive. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard.

She eventually settled on a fitted peplum dress with her
favourite knee-highs. She straightened her hair and applied her make-up,
concentrating on her eyes. Then she sat on the bed, watching the second hand on
her watch tick down until it was time to meet Erik downstairs.

He was already there when she arrived in the foyer, with his
back to her. She touched him gently on the arm, revelling in the thrills one
small touch sent running up and down her body. He turned and Anna was delighted
to notice his eyes travel up and down her body.

She was looking forward to an evening in Erik’s company –
and not just because he was smoking hot. She enjoyed his conversation. He made
her laugh, and she liked a man who made her laugh. Scott had made her laugh at
first, but that had quickly faded, so it was nice to be in the company of an
attractive man who made her brain sing, as well as her body.

‘Shall we?’ Erik said, starting towards the door. Anna
walked along beside him, wondering where they were going. Erik guided her
towards an expensive-looking car and a chauffeur popped out, doffing his cap
like something in a film. Anna giggled. The chauffeur opened the door and she
and Erik both slid into the back of the car.

‘You’ll love this restaurant,’ he said. ‘It’s Thai food, one
of my favourites.’

Anna nodded enthusiastically. She loved Thai cuisine.

‘It’s one of my favourites, too,’ she said. ‘Do you eat out
often?’

‘Pretty much every night when I’m away,’ Erik said. ‘I like
to cook when I’m at home, though.’

‘I’m an awful cook,’ Anna said, sadly.  She remembered the
time she had tried to make fudge, and had ended up with something so brittle,
she’d cut her thumb on it quite badly. That was her first and last foray into
the world of fudge-making.

‘I don’t know if I’m awful or not,’ Erik said. ‘I only cook
for myself so I’m the only judge. I like it though.’

Anna was tempted to volunteer herself up as a judge. Good
food
and
a gorgeous man, it didn’t sound like hard work to her. But she
knew that was a bit forward. They barely knew each other, after all.

They arrived at the restaurant and
Anna blushed when Erik pulled her chair out for her.

‘Wow, you’re a real gentleman,’ she
said, sitting down.

He grinned.

‘My mother would kill me otherwise,’
he said.

As they ordered drinks, Anna asked
about his parents, curious.

‘Do they ever come to races?’

‘A couple a year,’ Erik said,
tasting the bottle of wine the waiter had brought and indicating it was fine.
Anna always felt like a fraud doing that – she’d never send it back, she didn’t
know enough about wine – but Erik seemed completely at ease. She supposed he
was used to it.

‘My mother doesn’t like to travel.
My father would be at every race otherwise. He loves racing – he wanted to be a
racer himself and spent all his weekends messing about in some car he’d built
himself, but he was in a crash and my mom told him to quit or she’d leave him.
And he loved her more.’

‘That’s sweet,’ Anna said, sipping her
wine. It was delicious and she made a mental note not to overindulge and make a
fool of herself.

‘What about your parents?’ Erik
asked her.

Anna shrugged.

‘We’re not that close,’ she said,
sadly. ‘Not like you and your parents. They were disappointed when I split up
with my last boyfriend. He’s a lawyer and they thought he was a safe bet. I
haven’t spoken to them much since. I see them at Christmases and family
occasions.’

She felt envious of Erik. The way he
spoke about his parents made it obvious he had a very close relationship with
them.

They ordered food, and Erik changed
the subject. Anna was grateful – he could obviously tell that parent-talk made
her a bit uncomfortable.

‘When did you know you wanted to be
a writer?’

‘Oh, since forever,’ Anna said,
smiling. ‘I’ve always loved writing. I made my own newspaper when I was a
child.’ She laughed, remembering the silly hand-drawn illustrations and
articles about the next-door neighbour’s cat. ‘It had a circulation of two – my
parents. What about you and racing?’

‘The same,’ Erik said. ‘I started
racing go-karts as a child, and just went from there really.’

Anna wondered what it must be like
to hit the big-time, and suddenly be thrust into the eye of the media.

‘Was it strange,’ she asked, pausing
as the first course arrived. ‘Was it strange, suddenly being famous and worth
millions?’

Erik looked like he was considering
the question carefully.

‘Yes,’ he said eventually. ‘It still
is strange, really. It’ll always feel a bit strange to me that I get paid for
doing something I love so much. I’d do it for free, really.’

Anna believed him.

The food was excellent, and she was
glad Erik had chosen the restaurant. As they sat, waiting for coffees to arrive
at the end of the meal, she saw a small boy sitting with his parents, gawping
at Erik. His mother bent down and whispered in his ear and he averted his gaze
for a second, resuming gawping when his mother turned back to his dad.

‘I think you’ve got a fan,’ Anna
said, smiling.

Erik turned round and spotted the boy.
He waved, and the boy looked like he was about to faint. He looked behind him,
in case Erik was waving at someone else. Erik caught his mother’s eye and
nodded, beckoning them over. The little boy arrived at the table – he must only
have been about eight or nine, Anna thought – and was completely star-struck,
gazing at Erik with adoration.

Anna sat and listened as Erik talked
to him, asking him if he liked racing, and who was his favourite driver?

‘You,’ said the little boy, and Erik
laughed.

‘Good choice, kid,’ he said.

He reached into his pocket and
brought out a pen, signing a napkin with a flourish and handing it back to the
boy.

His mother thanked Erik, and the
pair went back to sit down again.

Anna wondered if Erik was actually
perfect.

Erik slipped into his racing suit and tried to focus his
mind on the upcoming qualifying session. This would decide what position he
would start the race, and it would make his life a whole lot easier if he could
start first. He had a feeling Devlin would race extremely aggressively now that
the team had given them carte blanche to compete against each other, and the
quicker he could get started and away, the less likely he was to have to try to
overtake him and end up off the track in the gravel.

His mind wandered slightly, back to the previous evening he
had spent with Anna. He’d had a really great time, better than he had imagined.
He hadn’t wanted it to end, and he thought Anna hadn’t either. They had
lingered a while in the foyer, drawing out the conversation, until eventually
she smiled at him and said she would see him the next day.

‘I’ll be the one with the “Go Erik” banner,’ she had said,
making him laugh.

He’d got back to his room and had felt quite turned on,
thinking about her in that little dress with her knee high boots. He’d want her
to keep them on during sex, that’s for sure.

It had surprised him to feel like that, but he savoured the
feeling. He had been tempted to do something about his arousal himself, but
instead he had turned off the light and went to sleep.

He hadn’t seen her in the morning – he had got up at the
crack of dawn and headed to the track for his pre-race routine. He had some
superstitions, that he knew were silly, but he didn’t want to risk not doing
them. Especially not this year, when he was determined to win the championship.

Practice three had gone well, and he had finished slightly
above Devlin – which had made his teammate furious, if the look on his face
when he’d got out of the car was anything to go by. Erik had seen him engaged
in a hissed conversation with his race engineer, Devlin gesturing furiously at
his car.

Now it was time for qualifying, and he walked through from
the back of the garage to get in his car. Devlin was already in his, just
driving out of the garage as Erik walked in. He watched his teammate pull away,
and then clambered into his own car. Mechanics buzzed around him, making
last-minute adjustments. He looked around and noticed Anna, standing off to the
side. She was holding something and he squinted.

‘Go Erik!’ read the small sign she was holding. He laughed,
she hadn’t been joking. He gave her a thumbs-up as he pulled out of the garage.

The track was dry but he still took it cautiously around the
first lap, getting warmth in his tyres to improve grip, and getting a feel for
the twists and turns. He knew the track like the back of his hand, of course –
all the drivers did. His race engineer, Sergei, came over the radio, telling
him the forecast was to remain dry. That was a relief. Anything could happen in
a wet race – you could go from first to fifth in the blink of an eye.

As he approached the start line for his first lap, he
prepared himself – he’d have to cross it at maximum speed to get the best start
for his next lap. He pushed the throttle pedal to the ground and the car
responded, its throaty growl familiar and comforting. He was at one with the
car now; they were a single entity, their fortunes intertwined.

By the time he had reached the final qualifying session,
Erik was feeling pretty good about his chances. He had finished top of the
previous two, Devlin just below him. He just had to keep it together, keep his
focus, and he would be starting from pole position.

He pulled out onto the track for the third and final
session, ahead of Devlin for once. He wanted a clear run, without anyone in
front of him holding him up. He took it easy round the first lap again,
mentally preparing himself. His race engineer came on to tell him Devlin was
out on the track. It was time, Erik knew as he floored the car, his gloves
gripping on to the steering wheel.

***

As was customary after a qualifying session, Erik called his
mother and father when he got back to his hotel room. As expected, both were
delighted to hear that their son would be starting on pole position. Devlin had
been furious, of course. It had been close, and Erik knew the race tomorrow
would be tough. If he got a bad start, Devin could easily take advantage and go
into the lead, and all Erik’s hard work today would be for nothing.

After he hung up with his parents, Erik stretched out on the
bed. He always liked to get an early night before a race, and after a couple of
hours of watching TV, he was just about ready for sleep.

He thought about Anna and her little banner she had made for
them. It was ridiculously cute – no girl had ever done that for him before.
Nikki hadn’t seemed particularly bothered with the outcome of the actual races;
she looked forward to the parties and the black-tie events where she could
drape from his arm and be photographed. But Anna seemed to really care. He’d
seen her after qualifying, although he hadn’t had time to speak to her. It was
always a media scrum and the reporters were particularly rabid due to the
closeness of Devlin and Erik’s lap times. He had managed a small wave, though,
as he was bustled away by his media handler, and she had beamed back at him. It
had been nice. Getting pole position was great enough in itself, but to have
someone there, rooting for you? Well that was just even better.

There was a nagging voice in the back of his head, though,
and he thought back to what he’d said to Anna during their breakfast
conversation earlier that week. About not having a girlfriend because he wanted
to focus on his racing. That was true, he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. It
wasn’t a good time – he needed 100% focus and dedication, or he would fail.
Devlin wasn’t held back by emotional concerns, and he couldn’t be either. While
it could make him better, he was also aware it could make him worse. And he didn’t
think it was a risk he should be taking.

He sighed, thinking about her gorgeous body and the smell of
her skin. Come on, Erik, get a grip of yourself.

Anna woke up early on race day. She
was excited; it felt like she had been waiting for this for a long time. She
laughed to herself. Just a few weeks ago she hadn’t even known what a grand
prix was, and now she was actively looking forward to going to one. She shook
her head. Life sure was funny sometimes.

She put on her race-day outfit – she
had bought a Willis Mechanical team t-shirt the other day from the merchandise
stall and she pulled it on, along with a pair of jeans. She packed her handbag,
making sure she had her notepad and some spare pens. She had to remember not to
get too caught up in the action today – she had a column to write, after all.
This would be her first of three – her next trip with the team would be to
Germany in just under three months. She felt a bit of a pang she would be away
from the team…well, Erik…for that length of time. She had felt something the other
night, and she thought he had too. Either that, or she was making a monumental
fool of herself. But he’d been the one to invite her out to dinner, hadn’t he?

She thought back to what he had said
when she had asked if he had a girlfriend. What was? He had to concentrate on
his championship? She felt a bit deflated, suddenly. She was being a fool – he
had pretty much said to her that he wasn’t interested. But she kept coming back
to the same question – why had he asked her out if she wasn’t interested? She
tried to ignore the little voice in the back of her head that was screaming
‘For sex, Anna’. Erik hadn’t struck her as being like that. She thought there
was sensitivity there; he wasn’t your run-of-the-mill alpha male. But then she
thought about it more – the guy was a millionaire, for god’s sake, he would
only date models, and pop stars. Not features writers called Anna Sawyer.

She wished she hadn’t started
thinking about him. She had been in quite a good mood, and now she was feeling a
bit sad. She looked at her watch. It was 11pm back home – maybe Jules would
still be awake.

‘Hello?’

Jules did not sound like she had
been awake.

‘Oh I’m sorry, Jules, I thought you
might still be up.’

‘Anna?’ Jules cleared her throat and
Anna heard her murmur something to Dan.

‘Sorry, Jules. Go back to sleep.’

‘No no, I’m awake now. Are you ok?
You sound funny.’

Jules sounded concerned and Anna
felt guilty for not only waking her sister up, but for burdening her with her
silly ramblings. Jules listened without saying anything, as Anna related the
last couple of days – the time she had spent with Erik, their meal out, and now
her thoughts about what he had said.

‘So I’ve just been kidding myself,’
Anna finished, miserably.

‘I don’t know, sis,’ Jules said,
sounding thoughtful. ‘I know what he
said
but his actions seem to be
saying something else. Maybe he just said that because he thought it was the
easiest way to explain why he doesn’t have a girlfriend? And maybe now he’s
getting to know you, he’s changing his mind?’

Anna felt a bit brighter – Jules
always knew what to say to make her feel better.

‘Just don’t stress about it,’ Jules
carried on, ‘If it’s meant to be, then it will be. I know that sounds hokey,
but I believe it. Just be true to yourself.’

Anna hung up feeling happier. She
had
been overthinking it. They’d only been on one date, after all, and she
wasn’t even sure it
had
been a date.

She grabbed her things together and
headed out of the hotel room – she had a grand prix to go to.

***

It was like a carnival atmosphere when she arrived. There
was a big stage with a band playing, and she wandered around, taking it all in.
She got extremely excited when she saw an actor famous for starring in a series
of superhero films, and scribbled his name in her notebook along with a brief
description of who he was with and what he was wearing. This really was a
glamorous sport. She was amazed by how many women were tottering around in
incredibly high heels and teeny skirts. She imagined she would be on her feet
all day – comfort was definitely the key here, she thought, although she was a
tiny bit envious of some the long-legged blondes and their designer garb. She
could just imagine Erik with one of them hanging off his arm.

Speaking of Erik… where might he be? The race didn’t start
for a while, and she wasn’t sure what the drivers did before. She presumed
there was some sort of routine. She wandered about a bit more, spotting a few
more celebrities. At this rate, her column would write itself.

She couldn’t believe the sheer numbers of people milling
about. Most of them seemed to be on a mission, and eventually she retreated to
the safety of the Willis Mechanical garage. She headed to the seating area that
Gary had banished her to in the days before, and sat scribbling in her notepad,
trying to think of exciting ways to start her column.

‘Hey there, beautiful.’

She groaned. Devlin Carter. She had managed to avoid him
yesterday – he had looked furious when Erik had beaten him to the top position,
and had stormed off, not even pausing to leer at her. He looked like he was
back to his usual cocky self, though.

‘Hi, Devlin.’

She carried on writing, hoping he would go away, but she
felt him sit down next to her. She sighed and put her notepad back in her bag.

‘Looking forward to seeing me win? Maybe I’ll split my champagne
with you. You’d look good covered in champagne.’

Anna shook her head in disbelief. Devlin Carter really was
unbelievable.

‘Last I saw,’ she said, ‘you weren’t starting first.’

Devlin shrugged.

‘It’s no biggie,’ he said. ‘I’ve overtaken Erik before, I’ll
do it again. How about if I overtake him you promise to come to my hotel room
for a little fun after?’

Anna scoffed.

‘In your dreams,’ she said, shaking her head.

‘In my
wet
dreams, sure,’ Devlin said, winking.

Eurgh, he really was gross. Anna was about to tell him to go
away when a shadow fell over them and she looked up to see Erik standing there.
He looked annoyed, and she wondered how much of the conversation he had heard.

‘Rob’s looking for you,’ he said simply to Devlin. Rob was
Devlin’s race engineer, and he stood up.

‘See you later, Anna. My room number’s 698, I’ll provide the
champagne.’

She shook her head as she walked away.

‘Eurgh he is such a
creep,
’ she said, as Erik sat
down next to her.

‘He’s used to getting his own way with women,’ Erik said.

‘I can’t imagine why,’ she said. ‘He’s awful.’

She thought she detected a smile flash on Erik’s
serious-looking face.

‘Are you ready for the race?’

He shrugged.

‘Ready as ever. I have to go and get changed in a second and
be weighed and stuff.’

They sat in silence for a few moments. Anna wanted to say
how much she’d enjoyed last night, but Erik spoke before she had formulated a
sentence.

‘I had fun last night,’ he said, looking at her intently.

‘So did I,’ she said. ‘Perhaps we can do it again sometime?’

‘Perhaps,’ Erik said, and he stood up. ‘I have to go and get
changed now. I’ll see you after the race, no doubt. Don’t forget to look out
for those celebrities.’

‘Be safe,’ Anna called after him as headed into the back.

She didn’t know
what
to make of that conversation.