The Sextet - Entanglements [The Sextet Anthology, Volume 4] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (28 page)

Craig shouted as he stood up. “She’s the one that just tore into me for no reason.” Shaking his head he huffed out a breath. “I’m a little late for a meeting. What’s the big deal?”

Rusty stood tall and pointed at Craig. “You and I both know you were late on purpose, and don’t try to deny it.”

The corner of Craig’s mouth lifted slightly.

“God, Scotty’s right. You are a prick!”

Craig was just about to say something when his phone beeped. Picking it up, he looked at the display as he read his new e-mail. “I don’t believe it.” Shaking his head, Craig looked at Rusty. “Fuck! Have you seen my schedule while we’re at Bristol? She’s got me scheduled with so many appointments I’ll be lucky to find time to drive the race!”

* * * *

Sitting at her desk, Lindsey grew more and more upset with herself and how she’d allowed Craig to almost roll over her. She worried about how she’d handled him.
After all, he is the driver, and he’s probably used to people kissing his ass and not tearing into it.
Leaning back in her chair, she sighed.
Damn him.

After a moment she sat up and began to type an e-mail. The click of her fingers on the keyboard was the only sound in her office. Pausing, she realized something. He hadn’t given her a chance, or even made an effort to work with her, while she tried to save
his
sponsors. It was obvious that he was going to make things difficult, but she was used to difficult, and she wanted this job more than anything in the world, so she would make it work. No matter how much Craig was beginning to remind her of her old boss.

“I need a Diet Coke.” Sighing, she reread the e-mail that she’d just written to Craig that contained his schedule for Bristol and hit send. “I’m sure this will make things worse.” She rubbed her temples, hoping to stop the pounding in her head. She needed that Diet Coke in the worst way, and she needed it now.

Walking down the hall, she stopped at the vending machine, dropped in her coins, and waited for the clunking sound of the bottle to be released. She took a long drink, then another. Feeling the caffeine enter her body, she walked back toward her office, passing a couple of assistants, who were giggling at their desks.

“What’s so funny, Abby?”

“Um…” Abby paused, obviously unsure what to say. “It’s…well…” She looked down nervously. “Craig just tweeted something about you.”

Lindsey felt her smile fade and her blood begin to boil. Quickly, she sat down at her desk and pulled up her Twitter account.

Just had a run-in with my new marketing director. She might have some nice curves and a sweet ass, but she chewed mine out. Ouch!

“Son of a bitch!”

Lindsey stormed out of her office, heading downstairs for what was sure to be a war between her and Craig. Reaching the door to the garage, she paused and took a deep breath then slowly let it out. Calmly, she walked into the garage where she spotted Craig standing next to one of his cars with Scotty and Rusty.

With a counterfeit smile plastered on her face, she walked up to them. “Can we talk a moment in your office?”

Her eyes were locked on Craig as he led the way through the doorway and sat down at his desk. Lindsey didn’t bother to shut the door. She walked over to his desk, placed her hands firmly upon it, and leaned in close. Her smile disappeared as she glared at him. “Tweet about me again, and I’ll sell a major sponsorship to Tampax with a special paint job of pink tampons on your car. Are we clear?”

Craig sat silent, but Lindsey could have sworn she heard a snicker from behind her. Not moving a muscle, her gaze never wavered from Craig’s deep blue eyes as she waited for him to answer her.

Anger filled his eyes as he swallowed. “Clear.”

“And you
will
be at everything on that schedule in Bristol.”

“Fine,” he muttered, his tone contrite.

“Good. Glad to hear it.” With a nod, Lindsey pushed away from the desk. Turning, she walked out the door, past Scotty and Rusty, who were both grinning.
Please don’t let them see how bad I’m shaking.

When she reached the elevator, she waited for the doors to close and fell against the wall as she lowered her head. She was already partially regretting her threat to Craig, but when she remembered the shocked look on his face, she couldn’t help but laugh a little.
Maybe I can do this.

Chapter 4

It was late Monday morning when Lindsey dragged herself into the office. Her legs ached from all of the walking she’d done while at the track. Actually, every muscle in her body hurt.

Bristol had been a whirlwind. Four longs days of constant running, smiling, shaking hands, and talking up Craig. While her time at the track was exhausting, it was also exhilarating. There was an energy at the track that was different from Daytona and the Brickyard. Maybe it was because this time she wasn’t a spectator but someone working behind the scenes, seeing it all. Or maybe it was just the track itself.

Craig qualified well and even behaved for her at the meet and greets. He had the sponsors eating out of his hand with his charm, and she had to admit, when he had his game face on, he was mesmerizing. Away from the clients, things were still tense between the two of them, but there was a definite thaw happening as they got to know each other better.

The race had been amazing to watch. By the end, there wasn’t a car in the field that hadn’t traded paint with another car or received body damage from a crash. Craig found himself involved in near misses and a couple of wrecks, but each time he was able to make his way back up to the front. He was leading the race with twenty laps to go when Johnson hit him from behind, sending him into the wall.

Lindsey shuddered as she remembered the incident. Craig’s car smashed hard into the cement barrier. The front end was messed up, and the sheet metal was torn away, exposing part of the engine. Luckily, he was able to stay in the race, but he had to settle for twelfth place.

She closed her eyes and sighed, thinking about the past weekend. It was more fun than she ever thought possible. Part of her was still amazed that this was actually her job. Sitting forward in her chair, she grabbed a folder and grinned. Finally she had a job she
loved
.

Now, she had a lot of work to do. She’d met with several sponsors over the weekend, and it was her turn to dazzle them with proposals for some of the upcoming races. First, she needed to put together recaps for each sponsor who was at Bristol, not to mention one for her boss. Staring at her computer, she sighed.
It’s going to be a long day and night.

* * * *

Jud leaned back in his chair as he spoke. “I’ve never heard Sid so happy. I don’t know what Lindsey did, but he loves her—and you.”

“Yeah.” Craig smiled. “He told me the same thing when I was doing the meet and greet with his key salesmen on Sunday before the race.” Rubbing his finger over his lips, he raised his brow. “Sid said I’d better take care of her or he’ll steal her away from us.”

“I don’t doubt that he won’t try.” Jud laughed loudly. “Something tells me she’s going to have that kind of effect on most of our sponsors.” Craig and Rusty nodded. “She’s got a lot of ideas to help market you, Craig.”

He squirmed in his seat, a little nervous. “She’s mentioned a couple to me.” He thought about the threat she’d made about tampons and shuddered.

“Good. With her creative ideas and your talent, I think we’re going to have a great year.” Jud twisted in his chair, eyeing Craig. “You two are gettin’ along, right?”

“What? Yeah…of course we are.” He looked over at Rusty, who was trying not to laugh. And failing.

Grinning, Jud leaned forward in his chair. “Well, Rusty and I need to cover some business…”

“Right.” Craig stood up. “I’ll just get out of your way.” He smacked Rusty on the back of his head when Jud wasn’t looking and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.
Idiot friends of mine.

Since it was well past seven, the office was empty, except for a lone light coming out of one of the offices down the hall. As he got closer, he realized it was Lindsey’s office. Hearing music, he stopped in the doorway, surprised she was working this late. “Wouldn’t take you for a country girl.”

Lindsey looked from behind her computer screen and smiled. “That’s how little you know about me.”

That smile. That damn smile that won over everyone she’d come in contact with over the weekend. Those luscious lips that he’d thought of far too much.

“So what are you doing here?” she asked.

“Just had a meeting with Jud. You?”

“I’m finishing up on some proposals.” Her mouth quirked. “You know, for Tampax.”

He rolled his eyes as his head fell back, and he stepped into her office. “Okay. Okay.” He sighed. “How about a truce?”

She eyed him curiously. “Truce?”

Craig sat in the side chair by her desk and crossed his right leg over his left knee. “I think I owe you an apology for giving you such a hard time.” He paused. “You did a great job this weekend with our sponsors. Hell, I think Sid’s fallen in love with you. He just gushed about you for almost an hour to me and Jud.” He watched Lindsey blush, and damn if the rosy color on her cheeks didn’t stir things inside of him.

Lindsey shrugged. “I was just doing my job.”

Craig grinned. “Well, you’re good at it.” He paused as he took in her calm posture, her softly curled brown hair, and deep brown eyes. “I should let you get back to work so you can get out of here before it gets dark outside.” He stood and turned toward the door then stopped. “So…” He nervously laughed and stuck his hands in his front pockets. “Do you really have a proposal for…”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

Her grin was pure evil, and it made parts of him ache, and that scared him more than driving his race car or a new paint job with feminine products. Pursing his lips together, he said, “Never mind…”

Chapter 5

It was early in the NASCAR season, and while Craig finished near the top at most tracks, he’d not won a race yet. At Martinsville, he’d finished third, and then crashed at Texas when he blew a tire. Talladega was next on the schedule, and hopes were high that Craig could avoid getting caught up in a big accident and get a win.

Of course there was more at hand than just the race. There were several clients who wanted time with Craig, one being Dirk MacKenzie from Spotless Shine car wax. After hanging up the phone with him, Lindsey sighed. “He’s a piece of work.”

Turning back to her computer, she put the finishing touches on Craig’s appearance schedule for Talladega and printed it off. Deciding she needed a break, she grabbed the paper from the printer and took it downstairs to Craig, hoping to talk with him about Dirk and the favor she needed.

“Just the person I wanted to see.” Craig’s voice caused Lindsey to turn as she walked into the garage area.

“Really, because I wanted to talk with you, too.”

“What’s up?” Craig asked.

“Two things. First, I just finished your schedule for Talladega.” She handed him the paper. “I tried not to overbook you, but Dirk MacKenzie is pushing for more time with you.”

Craig closed his eyes briefly and let out a frustrated breath. “Great. What else?”

Nervous, Lindsey looked down while twisting her fingers. “It’s not really for me, and I’m not trying to use you.” She watched Craig cock his head as he stared at her. “I volunteer at the children’s hospital a few times a month,” she continued. “There are a couple of little boys who are going through chemo, and they’re huge fans of yours…”

“I’ll do it.”

She was surprised when he answered so quickly. “Really?”

“You bet. For kids, I’ll do anything. Just let me know when and where.”

“How about an Oreo-and-milk party next week at the hospital before we head to Charlotte for the testing?”

Craig laughed. “I think I can handle that.” He looked at Rusty, who was standing next to him, then back at Lindsey. “Now my turn. We need a favor.”

His smile filled his face, and she could swear she saw his eyes sparkle. God help her, but when he turned on the charm and looked at her like that, it made her nervous. Or maybe it was the way he made her feel that made her nervous. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

Rusty smiled. “Today’s Paul’s birthday, and we’re going to surprise him with a little party since he’s turning forty.”