Zero To Sixty (BWWM, Sports, Billionaire) (5 page)

Eight

              Denise watched as Ansel was swarmed by well wishers. It was mostly women, all of them on the prowl from the looks of it. But he was searching the crowd for someone.

              Her.

              She felt a jolt go through her body the moment he found her. If he could do that with his eyes, what would it feel like when they actually went to bed together? And they were going to bed together. She'd decided to stop fighting the inevitable.

              She was going to control it instead.

              He pushed through the crowd and stood in front of her. His grin was infectious. He was covered in soot and sweat. But he looked good.

              Really, really good.             

              "Congratulations Ansel."

              "Thanks."

              "Of course."

              He leaned in close to her ear and whispered.

              "No, I meant thanks for the kiss. Let's do it again. Soon."

              He leaned back just far enough to stare into her eyes. He was going to kiss her again. She knew it.

              "Now would would be a good time for example."

              "Not here Ansel. My job is important to me."

              His eyes flared appreciatively.

              "Not here doesn't sound like a no."

              Now it was her turn to smile at him. A secretive smile full of promise. She lifted an eyebrow.

              "It's not."

              She turned and headed back towards the trailer set up to house the crew when they weren't working. It was as good a place as any to figure out how to proceed. Her plan was to follow his lead, as long as he abided by her ground rules.

              Behind her she heard him let out a whoop. She smiled. He really was just a big kid. A big, manly, sexy as all get out, kid. Then he was beside her, opening the door to the trailer.

              "After you."

              She gave him a look and stepped inside. She couldn't help but laugh as he told someone that this was a 'private meeting.'

              Subtlety was not his strong suit.

              The door slammed shut with a bang. Denise turned to see Ansel staring at her. He was breathing heavily with his hands at his sides. The tight leather hugged his muscular thighs and broad shoulders. He looked like a bull about to charge.

             
He looked ready.

              "Hi."

              His lips twisted into a sardonic smile. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk. That was fine as long as they
did
talk at some point. Before they went to bed together…

              "Hi."

              She leaned against the dinette table on the far wall of the trailer and waited. Ansel took three long steps and he was on her, his body practically absorbing hers, his mouth inhaling hers.

              His hands were at her waist, pulling her even tighter against him. His hands were all over her, molding her breasts, sliding up and down her back and over her hips. Then he started to pull her shirt up over her head.

              "Ansel-"

              "Hmmmfff…"

              He was too far gone to hear her. She had to tap on his shoulder to get him to stop trying to dive down the v-neck of her top.

              "Ansel- wait- I'm not doing this here."

              He was breathing heavily but he nodded. Good. He was going to listen to reason after all.

              "Right. Okay so how about this."

              He pressed her back against the table, leaning down to kiss her neck.

              "We fly back to California- but not to LA. We go somewhere else- Big Sur- for the weekend. Nice little hotel, nice little rental car. Sunday we drive back to LA."

              With each phrase he paused to kiss her, sending shivers through her body.

              "Alright."

              His head jerked up in surprise. He looked thrilled. She smiled at him. Ansel looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

              "Really?"

              She nodded, running her hands over his chest.

              "But just this one weekend, Ansel. Promise me. That's it."

             
"What?"

             
"Just this once. After that it's back to business. Then you and I can both get this out of our systems and focus on the job at hand."

              Ansel looked dumbfounded. And if she was honest with himself, he looked hurt.

              Really hurt.

              That was a laugh. The man was literally swimming in women. Why would he care if she just wanted a fling?

              But he did care. She could tell. He wasn't just hurt- he looked devastated.

              "You want to make love all weekend and then pretend it never happened?"

              "That's exactly what I want."

              He stepped back abruptly, making her feel bereft.

              "Well, I want more than that."

              She never could have guessed what happened next. In fact, if someone else had told her the story she never would have believed them. Her jaw dropped as Ansel Philips turned on his heel and walked away.

              The horniest man she'd ever met had just turned down sex.

{}{}{}{}{}

              Ansel was fuming as he walked through the crowd to his rental car. For the first time after a win, he didn't feel like celebrating. He felt like punching something.

              The sooner he got to the airport and turned in his rental car, the sooner he could start drinking.

              He could not believe what he'd just done.

              He walked away from the one thing he wanted more than anything else in the world.

             
Her.

              He could have been having her all weekend. Her rules were ridiculous though. He was in this for the long haul. As she would soon find out.

             
Dammit!

              This wasn't the end of this. Not by a long shot. He'd show Miss Fancy Pants just what she was missing, even if it killed him.

              Even if it killed
both
of them.

              Hopefully it wouldn't come to anything that drastic. He did want to have a little fun with her, as long as it ended with him getting what he wanted.

              Her. In his bed. For as long as he damn well wanted her there!

              He had a feeling it would be a very long time.

              Ansel tore off in the rental car, zooming toward the air port. The sooner he could blot her offensive proposition out of his mind, the better. Sure, he'd relished one time sexual encounters in the past, but this was different.

             
He
was different.

              He was sensitive now. Still manly of course, but sensitive. And she was to blame! The least she could do was give this thing a bonafide chance to be something!

              Casual sex. He was still surprised as hell. But in retrospect, it was kind of funny. Obviously Denise was trying to play with the big boys. She'd just misjudged her opponent.

              She'd underestimated him in the extreme.

              He had an idea and started laughing. It was so diabolical… so extreme… he just had to give it a try. He turned on the speaker phone and called the owner of Black House.

              Teddy was a real racing enthusiast and a fan. Ansel just knew the old man would see his way of thinking.

              "Teddy! I have got a proposition for you!"

              Ten minutes later he was grinning ear to ear. He'd gotten the old whiskey baron to agree to his plan. Now he just had to sit back and watch the fireworks. And there were sure to be fireworks when Denise found out what he'd done.

              Meanwhile he better get the boys to clean the trailer… soon it was going to have a lady on board. For the duration of the season… actually maybe it was time to upgrade the old tank.

              Yeah, he'd have them get a new one. A bigger one. One with a big ole bed in the back...

              He was still laughing when he boarded the plane.

Nine

              Denise could not believe her eyes. She had barely been home for an hour and her email inbox was full of new instructions regarding the racing season.

              Apparently they wanted her on the road with the team.

              Literally
with the team.

              On Sunday night she would be taking a red eye to the east coast, where she would meet up with the team in Florida early Monday morning. Then she was to travel from race to race with them, finding and booking new promotional opportunities along the way. Given that the racing season had just started, this meant at least three months of living on the road.

             
With him.

              Three months…

              Denise didn't generally cuss but at the moment there was a long list of curse words on the tip of her tongue. She let them fly, the obscenities echoing around her kitchen. It was a good thing that her dad and step mom weren't around to hear them. She'd get a slap on the knuckles for sure, 25 or not.

             
He
had done this. To get even with her. Somehow, she'd hurt his feelings.

              Ansel freaking Philips.

              The bane of her existence.

              She called Sasha who found the whole situation vastly amusing. Her best friend was completely unsympathetic, which made Denise even madder. Sasha even went so far as to say that it might be a good thing for Dennie to get out of her comfort zone.

              Ha! As if!

              Living in trailer with seven guys wasn't even in the same solar system as her comfort zone.

              Denise had lost her mom early but other than that, she'd led a somewhat charmed life. Her father had married a wonderful woman by the time Dennie was five. Her stepmother had embraced the young motherless girl and a strong bond had formed. She'd grown up in an affluent suburb with lots of professional, well to do African American families. She'd lived in a beautiful house, taken music and dance lessons, and had all the new clothes, books or toys she wanted. She'd been insulated, protected.

              She was lucky. She knew it. She was also a bit spoiled and very, very particular about her clothes and surroundings.

              She'd been in that trailer. It was filthy. She got the shivers just thinking about it.

              Still laughing, Sasha promised to come over once a week and water her one plant. The daisies Ansel had given her. Then she hung up. It was late on a Friday night and now she had only twenty four hours to decompress and get ready for a three month trip.

              She took a long hot shower and made a cup of herbal tea, wishing briefly for something stronger.

              Much, much stronger.

              Like a mallet.

              Now there was little to do but pack.

{}{}{}{}{}

              Ansel paced back and forth at the airport. He'd arrived yesterday to make sure everything was ready. Now he was waiting for Denise to show up and begin her punishment for proposing that ludicrous plan.

              He grinned. She was going to change her tune real quick. Once she got to know the real him. She'd want to stay with him then. He'd make sure of it.

              Her plane had landed twenty minutes ago. Any second now, he'd get to see her. True, she might be ornery about the new arrangement but she'd come around. She had to.

              He saw her before she saw him.

              She was wearing those tight jeans that drove him crazy, with her tight leather jacket and a big soft looking wrap around her neck and shoulders. Her hair was pinned back and she had on big ole sunglasses, concealing her eyes. High heeled booties completed the look.

              She looked stunning.

              She looked resigned.

              She looked determined to be professional, hold him at arms length.

              Not going to happen sweetheart.

              He waved and she stopped in her tracks, clearly not expecting him to be picking her up at the airport. She started walking again, wheeling a small bag behind her.

              "Hey."

              She stared at him, completely inscrutable.

              "Ansel. I didn't expect to see you here."

              He smiled and took her roller bag and a shoulder bag from her.

              "Surprise. Should we wait for your stuff or do you want to get coffee first?"

              "This is everything. So, coffee."

              He looked down at her bags. It was enough for a weekend. Not three months.

              "That's it?"

              "I figured there wouldn't be much room on the bus."

              "There's plenty of room. Plus we won't be on the bus the whole time."

              She shrugged. She seemed… defeated somehow. He frowned. He wanted to prove a point, not make her miserable.

              "Well, we can always get you whatever you need."

              "Great."

              "Come on, the guys have been circling for a while. There's coffee on the bus."

              She nodded and followed him outside the airport. He could not wait until she saw the new bus. He hoped it snapped her out of her mood.

              Especially since it was his fault she was in the bad mood to begin with.

              "You have got to be kidding me."

              He looked to his right to see the tour bus pulling in to the loading area.

              "Come on, we better be quick. We're blocking traffic."

              She stared at the bus, not even sparing him a glance.

              "You think?"

              The door opened and he ushered her inside. He watched as her eyes grew wide as saucers. Sure there were seven people inside- actually eight now- but the place still felt spacious.

              "Take a seat and we can pull out of here."              Denise sat at the not-so-small dining banquette and immediately pulled out her tablet.

              "Do you need anything? Coffee? Bathroom? A nap?"

              She barely glanced at him. He watched as she pulled off her sunglasses. She looked tired. He felt like an ass suddenly.

              "Coffee would be great, thanks."

              He busied himself making coffee, ignoring the nearly silent ribbing of the rest of the guys. They were all sprawled in the super plush lounge chairs in the middle of the bus watching ESPN. At least they were being quiet. He'd warned them all that this woman was important to him.

              Which of course only made their silent pantomiming all the more gleeful.

              He brought her a cup of coffee along with a little bowl full of sweeteners and creamer packets. She didn't even look at him before taking a sip.

              "Thanks."

              "What are you doing?"

              "Arranging for hotels. I didn't have time yesterday."

              He felt a little guilty at the thought of her spending the whole weekend working. Of course, if that kept her from going out with other men, it wasn't an entirely bad thing...

              "We don't need hotels. We'll all stay at my place. Places, actually."

              She put down her iPad and stared at him. Finally he had her attention.

              "How many places do you have?"

              He grinned at her.

              "A lot."

              Her eyebrows shot up and he shrugged.

              "Grannie always said that land was the best investment. I just like mine with five bedrooms and a swimming pool."

              She nodded and went back to her iPad.

              "Be that as it may, I will be staying in a hotel on our overnight stays."

              He frowned. That was not the plan. Not at all.

              "I don't think that's what Teddy had in mind when he said 'twenty four- seven.'"

              She set her iPad down.

              "Is there somewhere we could talk?"

              "We're talking now."

              "Without being overheard."

              He grinned. He'd get to show her the deluxe master bedroom after all.

              "Sure thing."

{}{}{}{}{}

              Denise stared around the opulent bedroom at the back of the trailer. The bed was huge, a king at least. It had a dark gray cover with burgundy sheets and throw pillows. There were seats under the long windows along the sides as well as a closet and what looked like a second bathroom.

              She turned around and Ansel was watching her with a hungry look in his eyes. He raised his eyebrows at her. The trailer rumbled a bit as they went over a bump in the road. She put her hand flat against the wall to steady herself.

              Lord knows she needed all the help she could get.

              "You're really sure of yourself aren't you?"

              "Not sure. Hopeful."

              She rolled her eyes and sat on one of the upholstered benches. There were pot lights in the ceiling as well as bedside lights. She looked up and saw a TV mounted high above. It really was spectacular.

              "Ansel… I'm going to have to assume that you are doing at least part of this-"

              She gestured around the bedroom.

              "-because of me."

              He cocked his head to the side and stared at her as if she were an exotic bird.

              "Maybe."

              "I meant what I said Ansel. I like you- I do- but I'm not going to be bullied."

              "I'm not bullying you. I'm persuading you."

              She laughed. She couldn't help it.

              "Is there any way we could just forget about all this and go back to being friends?"

              He narrowed his eyes at her.

              "Friends?"

              She nodded firmly.

              "Friends who work together. And that's it."

              She looked up at him hopefully. Ansel looked annoyed with her for a second. And then he smiled. There was something about that smile that spelled trouble. He crossed the room and sat next to her on the bench, picking up her hand.

              "Do you think you could? Forget, I mean?"

              His fingertips were circling against her wrist, sending butterflies through out her body.

              "Yes. I could. Can you?"

              He slid his fingers up and down the inside of her arm. It was… incredibly erotic. She should tell him to stop. She should-

              "No. I can't."

              He leaned forward, his lips poised just above hers.

              "And you can't either."

              She sighed as his lips brushed hers, teasingly at first and then with the same urgency she felt inside. Then he was kissing her, his body sliding closer, angling so that her back was flat against the window and he was wedged between her legs. She was gasping for breath when he lifted his head a good while later.

              He smiled at her and started pulling his shirt off.

              "See?"

              She shook her head at him, trying to gather her wits.

              "I'm not doing this here Ansel."

              "Great. We'll be at my place tonight. Then I will make sure you never try to run away again."

              "How will you do that?"

              He grinned at her in that infuriatingly sexy way.

              "Wear you out. You'll be too tired to run."

              She didn't have a chance to answer him before he leaned in for another kiss.

              He had her where he wanted her and they both knew it.

              By the time he'd finished kissing her, she'd agreed to spend the night with him.