Heart Racer: A Billionaire Love Story Read online

  “But Jacob sounds so distinguished,” Kendra purred. She stepped closer, sidling up to him and ran a finger down Jake’s chest suggestively. I frowned.

  Jake laughed nervously and stepped back. He glanced at me and then back at Kendra.

  “So, do you live in Vegas?” he asked politely, spreading his hands through the air in a lazy shrug.

  Kendra nodded. “I’ve been here for a few years,” she said. “But I’m actually from Texas.” She wrinkled her nose. “Not the fun part, either. Outside of Dallas, but not close enough for anything fun.”

  “I’m from Oklahoma,” Jake said.

  “Neighbor!” Kendra touched Jake’s shoulder flirtatiously. He smiled shyly at her when all of a sudden, she gasped. “You absolutely must dance with me.” She grabbed his arm and led him to the center of the room where other couples were grinding to the music. She lifted her arms in the air over her head and swiveled her hips in his direction.

  I watched on in horror. A murky, ugly feeling of jealousy twisted my gut and I bit my lip to keep from frowning. What the hell was going on? Why was Jake letting this little snake flirt with him? I was right there! Did they not see me?

  I walked over to where they were dancing and grabbed Jake’s hand and said loudly “We’ve got to go.” I didn’t wait for either of them to respond as I led him away. Kendra stood there alone on the dance floor, looking shocked.

  “Uh, yeah, I guess.” Jake looked at me. “You alright?”

  Cool relief blossomed in my belly and I gave him a weak smile. “Yes,” I said.

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “Anywhere but here.”

  Just then as I was beginning to cool off a bit, Kendra came over. She ignored me and leaned an elbow on Jake’s shoulder and whispered into his ear, “But, you just got here!” She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. Kendra obviously didn’t get the hint. I just stood there frozen in place as anger welled up inside of me again.

  “Please, can’t you stay? I promise you won’t regret it.” Kendra winked at Jake and lowered her voice. “Besides, James has some great blow, he’ll probably break it out if we stay.”

  Jake shrugged and leaned back a little. “Can’t,” he said with a shy grin. “Gotta pass the drug test, you know. You have fun, though. It was nice meeting you.”

  After that, Jake and I left the party in silence. On our way out, we walked past several couples feverishly groping each other and a guy dry humping a woman right there on the sofa.

  There was a raging mix of emotions inside of me that I couldn’t figure out. What the hell was wrong with me? Why had I acted like such a wench back there? Why was my heart suddenly so hell-bent on making sure Jake never even flirted with another girl?

  “You okay?” Jake asked in the elevator. “You’re being quiet.”

  “I’m fine,” I said wearily. Part of me wanted him to acknowledge what happened with Kendra. I wanted to see if he’d say anything. But the other part of me knew that bringing up stuff like that wasn’t a good idea. After all, we were just having fun. This was just a fling. There was nothing serious going on between us. Wasn’t that the deal?

  “You sure? You don’t look fine,” Jake said. “Can I do anything for you?” He looked at me with such transparency and earnestness in his blue eyes that my mood lifted. “I want to make sure you’re having a good time,” he added softly. “Are you having fun, Liv?”

  I nodded slowly. “Sure,” I said. “But you know what I really want right now?”

  “No. What?”

  I grinned. “A greasy burger from a diner!” I said quickly changing the subject. “But if we go dressed like this, we’re going to look mighty out of place.”

  Jake glanced down at his expensive suit, then at my cocktail dress. When our eyes met, we burst out laughing in unison. I decided not to bring up my jealousy…or whatever that weirdness had been. No use ruining things, I thought. I just need to keep reminding myself that this is all fun and games.

  “This is perfect.” Jake said as he draped his arm over my shoulder.

  Chapter Four

  Olivia

  I squirmed in my seat, trying to get comfortable. Jake twisted around. “You okay? You got ants in your pants?”

  I rolled my eyes but I couldn’t help smiling at his juvenile reference. “I love First Class. This is awesome. I never want to fly coach again.” I said, yawning and stretching. “But God almighty, how much longer is this going to take?”

  Jake checked his watch. “About two more hours to go,” he said. “Try to sleep some, Liv. It’ll be nine in the morning when we arrive in Paris.”

  “Okay, Mr. Globetrotter Fancy Pants.” My back ached and I shifted again, groaning as a sharp pain pinched right between my shoulder blades. “This sucks.” I added. “I can’t imagine how much worse it would be back in Coach.”

  Jake nodded. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with mischief as he grinned at me. “Hey,” he said. He shot a glance over his shoulder and lowered his voice. “I got an idea. You want to get up and stretch?” he asked.

  “Desperately.” I took a long drink from my bottle of mineral water. “I’m dying to move around.”

  Jake leaned over and kissed me. “Meet me in the First Class bathroom in five minutes,” he said. “I’ll keep the door open for you.”

  A thrill shot through me. We were going to join the Mile High Club! I stared at Jake with wide eyes and raised my eyebrows.

  “Are you serious?” I hissed. “Won’t the flight attendants be pissed?”

  Jake snickered. “They’ve been asleep for an hour. Plus, we’ll be quick. Before you know it, they’ll be serving breakfast, and then we’ll be in Paris.”

  “I’ve never done it in a plane bathroom before, have you?”

  I didn’t really want to know and thankfully Jake didn’t answer. He winked and kissed me again, this time letting his soft lips linger against mine. I shivered, like I always did when he touched me. Despite the fact that we’d been sleeping together almost every night for the past couple of months, I still turned to putty at the slightest hint of attention from him.

  I blushed as Jake got out of his seat and sauntered down the aisle toward the tiny bathroom. I counted to one hundred and slouched down in my seat and did my best to look normal. The minutes ticked by ever so slowly. I checked my phone what felt like close to sixty times before I realized it was my turn.

  My heart was pounding as I walked unsteadily down the aisle. The other passengers were sleeping—one was even snoring a rhythmic, loud grumble. I still felt like my face must’ve been riddled with guilt.

  Look normal, look normal, I thought to myself as I gripped the door and pushed it open.

  Jake was standing there with a cocky grin on his face. “Took you long enough,” he said quietly.

  I darted inside the bathroom and Jake closed the door behind me. I was pushed up against his body, barely able to move. He leaned down to kiss me and I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning against the wall as Jake nuzzled my chin and neck.

  “Baby, you smell so good,” Jake purred. He nipped at my neck and I sighed softly.

  Suddenly, the plane lurched to one side. I cried out in surprise as I crashed against Jake. Thankfully, there wasn’t enough room in the bathroom for us both to fall over. But now I was leaning awkwardly against him with my legs splayed.

  Jake burst out laughing. “Bound to happen sooner or later,” he said. He winked. “Ready to keep trying?”

  I nodded. Jake slid his hands under my shirt and into my bra, gently rubbing my stiff nipples. Pleasure exploded in my belly and I moaned softly, biting my lip to keep from making too much noise. I traced my hands down Jake’s firm body until I reached his cock. He was already hard and stiff through his jeans, and I locked eyes with him and licked my lips as I rubbed his cock.

  The plane lurched again and I squawked as Jake fell forward, trapping me against the wall. I giggled and tried to pull my arm free but the plane jostled and bounced, sendin
g my head crashing into the low ceiling of the bathroom.

  “Ow,” I groaned, rubbing my forehead.

  Jake smirked. “You’re gonna have a goose egg there,” he said softly, pulling me close and gently kissing my forehead.

  “One more try,” I said, wrapping my arms around Jake’s neck and kissing him. Jake slid his hand down my back and squeezed my ass before fumbling with my jeans and tugging them down my thighs. I moaned softly as he slipped a hand inside my panties and gently rubbed at my clit. It felt incredible and I spread my legs as much as I could with my thighs still trapped in denim.

  “You’re soaking wet,” Jake murmured huskily in my ear. “You wanna come for me, baby?”

  I could only moan softly in response. Jake fumbled with his belt with his free hand, rubbing me all the while. As his jeans fell down around his ankles, he grabbed my hips and turned me around until I was facing the wall.

  “You have such a great ass,” Jake whispered. Using my hips as handlebars, he pressed into me from behind. I felt his hard cock poking at my butt. I squirmed and shifted, trying to make it easy for him to enter me. I was hotter than ever, but my heart was racing nervously—somehow, the fear of being caught made the act even more exciting!

  When Jake slid inside of me, I let out a moan. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and tugged at my scalp as he buried his cock inside of me. Groaning, Jake pressed his body close to mine. His breath tickled the back of my neck as he started thrusting in and out.

  I gritted my teeth and hunched over, trying to make it easy for him to stay inside of me. But the plane was shaking again, and I was having a hard time keeping my pose while making sure I stayed upright. Jake braced himself with a hand against the wall and grunted, thrusting deep inside.

  Pleasure filled my body and I moaned, bracing my feet on the floor. Jake wrapped an arm around my body and held me close. He slipped his fingers between my legs and started rubbing my clit. The stimulation made me cry out and I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against Jake’s shoulder.

  “Bend over, baby,” Jake whispered. He stepped back and I moved with him, leaning over. My face was pressed right to the wall of the bathroom and I tried to bend my neck and keep my forehead out of the way. But when Jake started thrusting again, the plane jolted and I lost my balance, slamming against the wall.

  The door to the bathroom popped open and I tried to move my feet. But my jeans around my thighs kept my legs bound together and I fell forward, spilling onto the floor of the plane with my bare ass in the air.

  “Oh my God!” I shrieked, rolling over and trying to wriggle back into my jeans. Jake burst out laughing, then reached down and grabbed me. He pulled me into the air with ease and pulled me back inside the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

  “I am so sorry,” Jake said. He buried his face in his hands, then sighed and pulled his pants up.

  My cheeks were burning bright red with embarrassment. “I can’t believe I fell out of the bathroom!” I groaned. “That’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me!”

  Jake laughed. When I glared at him, he sobered up.

  “Sorry, sorry,” Jake said. He chuckled. “You have to admit it was kind of funny, babe.”

  I rolled my eyes. “We’re lucky we’re still ten thousand feet in the air,” I grumbled. “At least they can’t throw us off the plane.”

  “Yeah, but we’re still in the bathroom,” Jake said with a smirk. “I bet they’re not gonna be happy when we come out.”

  I sighed. “Well, too bad,” I said. I burst out laughing. “This is ridiculous,” I added. “I can’t believe that just happened!”

  Jake and I spent a frantic moment trying to compose ourselves. When it came time to open the door, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

  “You’ll be fine,” Jake said. “Just flash that beautiful smile of yours at anyone who says anything about it.”

  I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. When I walked back out into the main cabin, I sighed with relief. Thankfully, the other first class passengers were still asleep.

  Jake got back to his seat just a few seconds later. He eyed me nervously. “How did it go?”

  I giggled. “They’re all still sleeping,” I said. “I think we got away with it!”

  Jake grinned. He reached for my hand and brought my fingers to his lips, kissing them lightly.

  “It’s because you’re so lucky,” he said. “You get away with everything.”

  I rolled my eyes, but inside, the compliment left me glowing.

  The rest of the flight was fairly uneventful. The flight attendants served a tepid breakfast, but I was too excited to eat. It was hard to believe that in just a few minutes, I would be in Paris, France! Rio had been wonderful, but it had left me craving more. As soon as Jake had won his races in Brazil, his team had offered him the chance to drive in France.

  Pinch me, I thought, peering out the window at the vast scape of white clouds. This can’t be real!

  When the plane touched down, it was chaos. All of the other passengers woke up, and I glanced around, trying not to smile too smugly. All of you missed the chance to see something very funny, I thought as I pulled my new high-end designer carry-on bag down from the overhead bin. And thank God you didn’t notice!

  As Jake and I left the plane, I noticed everyone seemed to be smiling as we walked past.

  “Look, they must recognize you,” I whispered to Jake, poking him in the ribs.

  “It’s always nice to see fans,” Jake said. He smiled back.

  A cute little old man, the one who had been snoring loudly, walked up to Jake with a smile on his face.

  “Excuse me,” the old man said. “Could I ask you something?”

  Jake grinned and fumbled in his pockets, pulling out a pen. “Do you have a piece of paper? I love signing autographs.”

  The old man’s smile faded and he looked confused for a second. “I was just going to ask you, do you think that next time, you and your girlfriend could lock the door?”

  Chapter Five

  Jacob

  “Hey, Liv,” I whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

  Liv nodded drowsily in my arms, then rolled onto her back. Her long brown hair fanned across the pillow, making her look as beautiful as a sleeping princess. Her tan skin, which had only gotten more golden with each race, looking radiant against the pure white sheets.

  I hated leaving her, even just for a few minutes.

  As quietly as I could, I pushed open the balcony door and stepped out into the summery Parisian air. Paris was having a heat spell—which meant temperatures in the comfortable low eighties Fahrenheit, well below what I was used to during the summer. Growing up in Oklahoma, I’d spent the better part of the year sweating. And when I hadn’t been covered in sweat, I’d felt like my balls were about to freeze off.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket, groaning when I saw that I had six missed calls from Andy, my manager with the Laconick team. Shit, I thought as I hit ‘redial.’ Who the hell lit a fire under him?

  “Hello?”

  Fuck. This is bad. “Hey,” I said. “It’s Jake.”

  There was a long pause. “Where the fuck were you this morning?”

  Well, I stayed in bed with Olivia until eleven after a late night fucking, and then we went out for crepes. Then we came back and fucked again, I thought. I gritted my teeth.

  “I was, uh, out,” I said. “I slept in and got breakfast.”

  “Happen to forget anything?”

  I frowned. “Like what?”

  “Like the fucking photo shoot and interview!” Andy thundered. “You and Nick were supposed to be at the Grande Hotel at nine in the morning! He had to lie, and say you were fucking sick!”

  “Oh, shit,” I muttered. “I’m sorry, Andy. I…” I bit my lip, not wanting to admit that I’d forgotten.

  “Let me guess,” Andy said sarcastically. “You forgot.”

  “It won’t happen again,” I said sincerely. “Andy,
I really am sorry. It’s this jet lag,” I added, fully aware that I sounded lame. “It really got to me.”

  Andy huffed. “It better not fucking happen again,” he said. “You know this wasn’t supposed to happen, right?”

  I groaned. “Yes Sir,” I said. “I’m well aware of that.”

  “Six months ago, you were just a mechanic,” Andy threatened. “And if you don’t shape up, that’s exactly where you’re gonna be again.”

  “I know, Sir” I said.

  “You’re just lucky you’re good,” Andy warned. “And just remember that Nick is ready to take your place if you fuck up again, you got that?”

  I sighed.

  “What?” Andy demanded. “What the hell is this attitude? You’d better cut this shit out, Teller,” he said. “I ain’t gonna put up with this from you.”

  “I’m doing really well, Sir,” I said, trying to sound assertive, but not like an asshole. “I’ve gotten sponsorship offers, Andy.

  From a couple of really big companies—did you know the cell phone carrier wants me to do a commercial?”

  Andy groaned. “See, you’re already thinking about yourself,” he said. “You need to think about the team, Teller. Laconick is your home. That’s where you belong and where you’re gonna stay.”

  I didn’t want to argue with him, so I just kept my mouth shut.

  “There’s another interview tomorrow at ten in the morning,” Andy said. “If you’re not there, you’re fired. Don’t bother coming back.”

  I was about to reply that I wouldn’t miss it, but Andy had already hung up and I was left alone with a weird buzzing in my ear.

  I tucked my phone away. I knew Andy wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t have to be such a hardass all of the time. I shouldn’t have forgotten about the interview and the photoshoot. Those things were crucial to my success, and I knew no one liked a cocky asshole who thought he was too good for shit like that. But at the same time, it was incredibly frustrating. I was doing so well on my own that I was getting offers for million-dollar deals. And if I had to stay on the Laconick team for the rest of my life, well, I could kiss my newfound fame and any chance for a future goodbye.