Speedway Girl

He had been busy in California at the shop. The auto manufacturer delivered the stripped down cars, the bodies not even bolted to the frame at that point. These would be for the development unit and then our ultimate race machines. Meanwhile, machine shops all around the country were building the parts and sub assemblies and Talbot recruited a team of mechanics that were going to do the builds. Suppliers and key people came out of the woodwork when they learned our team had special needs and openings.

As it turned out, Talbot already had everything designed, simulated, and optimized over the years that he was teaching. Don't know why that surprised me, I should have known he wasn't able to turn that part of his life completely off after he bailed on it. Bailed on me, actually. Whatever the case, he was able to distribute the CAD and specifications his first week back and so developing a new race car was happening real time, faster than I could have dreamed.

My problem was that I needed that car now, highlighted by these last 6 races. In Charlotte I was able to turn out a third place finish, I pulled off another fifth place in Nashville, three more being at the bottom of the top 10, with the worst finish being 12th. I did finish ahead of Jeffy and Dad except for that last one, Dad letting me know he was proud of me.

The press conferences were more of the same. I still wasn't being taken seriously. Despite being competitive on the track. I shouldn't complain, but I will. I want to fucking go faster.

That 12th place finish, the most recent, at Jacksonville, there were some factors that all worked against me. I had a good time trial and was 7th off the pole, but Sunday's race was rained out, then Monday's make-up race was too, we didn't race until late Tuesday to practically empty bleachers. Talbot had flown home on Sunday and missed the race, so no kiss, and no radio support from him.

It also meant I lost two days where I would have been in his proximity. That just made me a grumpy bitch when anyone tried to even talk to me. At one point, when we were in the infield garage waiting out the rain, Pop approached me, "Keep your head on the race, luv. This wetness shall soon pass, and then you'll see me boy." I didn't realize it had been that obvious.

*

I was up and at the shop early, even though I had all sorts of issues the night before traveling, not getting home until after midnight. As exhausted as I was after the race, I went right from the end of it to the airport and took a commercial direct flight so I'd get home faster, but multiple delays at the gate managed to get Dad's jet to beat me to Los Angeles. Talking to Talbot on the phone while sitting at the gate kept me awake, and made it a little easier to manage missing him though there was something about our conversation that was weird, like he was concealing something and he kept changing the subjects.

The large hangar doors of the shop were closed which was unusual, so I had to enter through the side door and I hadn't gotten ten feet inside before I stopped in my tracks. Dad, Pop, Jeffy, Talbot, and his intern were surrounding a plain white car, the same make and model as my race cars, situated in the center of the shop. They were all smiles and looking at me as if they had been waiting for me. I knew instantly what it was.

"Is that it?" I asked, feeling the giant grin on my face.

"Abso-fucking-lutely," my father replied enthusiastically. No surprise where I got my dirty mouth from.

"How fast is it?" I asked Talbot.

"On the track," he replied, "I don't know yet. We had it on the dynamometer yesterday and I can tell you it's strong and powerful. You wanted fast, this will be fast. Especially with your hands behind the wheel."

"My hands?" I looked at Dad.

He chuckled, "I talked it over with Jeffy, and we thought you should be the one to put it through its paces. If you like it. If it's everything you hoped it would be. You get the first one. It was your brainchild to bring Talbot here, you should be the one."

I hugged my father hard and thanked him. "Wait," I said, "this is just the development build."

Talbot said, "I know, but this one is ready. We've been beating on it for more than a week and it's solid."

Dad laughed out loud at my expression. "Jessica, darlin', what the hell are you waiting for? Get this magic carpet out on the track!"

*

From the moment I got it out on the big oval and started to accelerate, I could feel the power pulse from the car then through my body, and knew this was something special. It was a little squirrely through the first turn and the back straightaway, but it felt perfect through the second turn, like I was glued to the pavement. I later found out that Talbot had built in some self-adjusting features, designed to work within the rules and be legal, already vetted by the governing body of the syndicate.

I was on my fifth lap, getting used to the feel of the car when I heard Dad in my ear from over the radio, "Get on it, Jessica. Oh, and, um, Talbot asked me to tell you not to hurt yourself."

I chuckled and put my foot down. The car shot off and I could feel the acceleration like I was in a rocket ship. The thrill was almost overwhelming, the adrenalin rush, a drug.

Five laps later, I heard from Dad again, "Holy shit, kiddo. You just hit two-zero-five." Two hundred and fucking five miles per hour!

No way. "What was the time?" I asked.

"35 seconds," came Dad's reply.

I could have crapped my fire suit. I asked Talbot to take 3 seconds off my lap time, which was a lofty goal and didn't expect he could do it, I'd have been happy for close. He took 4.

I pulled into pit row and braked hard until coming to a stop right in front of our pit. I shut the engine down, undid my harness, helmet and window netting, and popped myself out of the window like a shot. I walked through my team that was standing around, watching my movements with intense curiosity until I got to Talbot and tackled him, as gently as I could so I wouldn't hurt him, and he went down onto a layer of tires with a grunt, leaving me straddling the stunned man. Not caring who was watching, I bent over and planted the wettest, sloppiest, most heartfelt kiss I had ever laid on a pair of lips and mouth.

*

There was a break in the racing schedule so we had a week and a half before the cars had to be in Ohio, the first of the midwest group of races. For the next couple days, Talbot was busy supervising the build out of the rest of the cars, while I practiced with my new beast, finishing each day with Talbot in the break room, on the very same couch we had thrown pistachio shells at each other. We'd have a couple beers together, ones that I actually liked and had hidden in the shop fridge. Then I'd get a quick kiss goodnight and he'd go home, staying in his childhood bedroom at Pop's, and I'd go to my lonely house in Pasadena.

I was doing yoga in my living room, my mind ping-ponging between my new car and how I was going to get Talbot to stay with me and not leave again when I noticed it was raining outside. Super unusual, it never rains here in the summer and certainly not in the early evening. I got a knock on the door.

The heavens above have a weird and twisted sense of humor. They had decided that the single most significant moment in my life was going to start off like a stupid Rom Com movie. Standing before me was Talbot, soaked to the bone, looking at me with pleading eyes and a pensive look on his face. Classic Talbot when he waged an internal struggle and didn't know what to do.

I didn't wait for him to say anything, I just stood aside and said, "Get in here, you doofus."

He looked lost while he took the yoga towel I had brought to the door with me, and wiped his head and face until he noticed me in my little yoga shorts and sports bra. I felt myself flush and all warm inside when he couldn't conceal his look of appreciation while looking at me.

He finally composed himself and got started on what he had to say right there in my foyer before I was able to ask if he wanted a beer or anything. "We've been dancing around this for weeks. Our feelings for each other are, um, strong. They've made me consistently inconsistent." He looked up, disappointed with his choice of words. "I decide to resist you and then I go on and kiss you. With every kiss, with every touch, with every smile, my resolve is melting. I don't think I can live a single more minute without you, but it's killing me. I can't do this, but I can't not do this."

"That makes no sense," I replied, holding back the tears. "But I know exactly what you mean. I love you too." I crossed the divide and kissed him and he kissed back until it was so passionate that the house almost burned down.

We broke the kiss but held on to each other tight. I could feel his clothes soaking the front of my yoga wear while I looked him in the eyes almost too close for focus. Everything I was hoping for, dreaming for, was there.

I let go and grabbed him by the hand, pulling him up the stairs and to my bedroom, "I should have done this the first day I brought you back. Now let's get you out of those wet clothes."

*

I was quivering with excitement. My body was tingling and I felt a wave of pleasure run from my head to my toes, and he hadn't even entered me yet. Our naked skin on naked skin as he rested on top of me, his elbows and knees keeping most of his weight off but still allowing full contact, feeling electric at the touch. I had wanted this for so long and it was actually happening.

He kissed me some more and then pulled his head back to study my face. "You are so very beautiful," he practically cooed at me.

He suddenly thought of something. "Are you still on...?" He started to ask with concern.

"Yes, don't you worry." I had recognized that look, it was the same embarrassed face he gave me when I explained what all the little red "x" marks were in my racing calendar when we were teens, using them to mind my cycle.

I was more than ready for him and moved to guide his erection to my entrance where he wasted no more time in finishing the move, coupling with me for the very first time. With a small gasp echoing my own, his eyelids fluttered in pleasure while I felt him shudder in the same way I was feeling, I could tell he wanted me for a long time too and now we were finally there.

Fully buried into me, he asked in almost a whisper, "You, OK?"

I breathlessly answered, "Oh, yeah."

I thrust my hips up at him, not that I could get him any deeper, but to get him going and he answered by starting to move up and down, slowly at first. His tempo increased until our rhythm was such a perfect pace that I couldn't help it when a groan escaped my lips. I could see through his eyes, almost into his mind, that he was in a very happy place. I hoped he knew that I was feeling the same.

I was thrusting back in time and our tempo increased until we were making slapping sounds from down below and we were both grunting. Thin sheens of sweat formed on our faces. He got a mischievous smile while I could do no such thing, my face pouting in the significance of the moment and the feeling of the warm friction and a million happy nerve endings.

He stopped and rolled over to my side. I rolled towards him, desperate for his sex to return into mine when we scissored our legs and he entered me again. His erection took on a whole new angle which felt blissful, but it gave him a free hand to make circles and wiping motions with his fingers over my button. I nearly lifted off the mattress and with a loud moan, I came hard. He was also there and burst off into me a few strokes later.

Both breathing heavily, he looked at me with concern, silently asking me if I was alright. Did he think he hurt me? I guess my moan was louder than I thought and could have been interpreted either way. My reaction to that and to the still occurring aftershocks of my climax made me giddy and somehow I started chuckling deliriously until my arms were around him. "Wow," was all I could say into his ear.

*

In my final week off, leading up to heading out for the next race in Ohio, he spent every night with me. We seemed to be making up for lost time inside and even outside of the bedroom. Like sometimes the couch. Or in the hot tub. Or even one time on my large granite kitchen island top, which was cold, ergo not one of my favorites places, but a happy conclusion and not something I would forget.

Talbot seemed to have changed and was acting more and more like the guy I remembered from back in the day. He seemed really happy and I fed off of his energy. We learned a lot about each other through our new intimacy. We cuddled a lot. Grabbed each other in naughty places when no one was looking, stole kisses whether anyone was looking or not. Everything I had ever wanted was now in place. All I needed now was to be winning on the track.

We headed for Ohio a few days before the weekend, flying commercial first class, hiding out in the airline lounge until the last minute before our flight. I was recognized at the gate despite my ratty hat and blue tinted glasses. There was only enough time for a few autographs and selfies, which I don't really mind but Talbot was seriously unnerved. In his mind he was playing the role of my bodyguard and hawking over my wellbeing, but I felt that I had more to do in looking after him.

In Ohio, we checked in at the garage and I saw my new car for the very first time all decked out in logos and my number 88 on the sides and roof. I got a thrill which was instantly tempered by Talbot's reaction as our arms were interlinked and I felt him go tense. He pursed his lips tightly and started inspecting the car, me and a couple of mechanics just stepping back and letting him do whatever he needed to do in his head.

We shared a suite at the Marriott and had dinner together in our room where the 'other' Talbot had reappeared, the serious and sullen one. I wanted to talk it through with him but he wasn't having it. He at least made love to me that night, only it felt somewhat desperate. As if he was loving me like it was the last time.

I woke at 3 AM to find him sitting on the edge of the bed, covered in sweat.

*

The second I passed the entrance to pit row, Talbot was in my ear as I expected. He was pissed. "Goddamnit, Jessica!"

"Just one more, Bolt," I replied, knowing that wasn't going to satisfy him.

"That's what you said the last two laps, now get your ass in. You have to get new rubber!"

I was all alone in front and had been for 62 laps. As I navigated through cars that had already been lapped, I didn't even know if there were any challengers behind me. This beast of a car was just crushing miles like it was nothing. Having won the pole position, beating the track speed record by a quarter of a second on Saturday in time trials, I pulled away from the instant the green flag waved. Only I didn't want to pit on green. Dammit, I need a yellow flag, half wishing for somebody to fuck up back there.

Talbot radio'd half a lap later, "If you don't pull in to pit when you come around this time, I'll run out on the track and throw the black flag at you myself."

He was right, of course, I had pushed my tires a little far. Dad and Jeffy had already pitted on green, I had no idea where they were positioned. Most of the field had too, so maybe I would have a good stop and my pit crew could put me back in front.

I got a fresh set of four and was back on the track. Only my pit stop wasn't as good as I had hoped, there was frustrating traffic in pit row, plus a tough merge through lapped cars. I swore as that asshole, Gus, nearly sideswiped me as he pulled out of his pit station, making me brake, swerve, and lose momentum. Things got sorted out and I was running fifth, Jeffy up ahead running second. All five leaders running single file tightly at the front, noses to asses by inches.

I felt myself smiling, I had horsepower and pavement grip to spare. I went low and pulled out from drafting the guy in front me, I actually wanted to set a line lower than the leaders were following anyway. I surged forward and gained ground, eventually retaking the lead. As I went by Jeffy, he dropped in behind me and drafted me all the way until we were 1-2. Only he couldn't maintain it and I pulled away from him. Soon enough he'd have his own beast of a car, but today, I owned this race.

*

I savored every moment. My victory lap, donuts in front of the stands, spraying champagne all over my crew in the Winner's Circle, the university logo in full view of the cameras. Dad made his way through the crowd and gave me a hug and I got the same from Jeffy behind him. Talbot, shaking off the champagne, was even smiling ear to ear, but I know it was only because he was happy for me.

When the circus died down enough, I made my way to the garage and Beth got my hair presentable. Dad had finished middle of the pack and wasn't going to the press conference, so I had Beth all to myself. She asked while brushing, "So, you have the fastest car on the track and you got the love of your life back. Which feels better?"

"I don't know, Beth. Both feel pretty great."

She replied, "Well I'm very happy for you, hon." She held me at arms length, checking her work and nodded to herself in approval. "You have about ten minutes before you have to be in the press room, so I'm going to guard the door for the next five." Then she turned me on my shop stool so I could see that Talbot was standing at the door. Beth paused and put a friendly hand over his heart and patted it on her way out, taking a giggle and a spring in her step with her.

We each took long strides towards one another, meeting in the middle and without hesitation, our lips were locked together. I got this tingly feeling running through my body and then an urge slowly grew into a very strong one to throw him to the ground and ride him right here and now. I got my senses back just in time.

"How do you feel?" He asked me.

I responded, "Fucking great. I want more of that kiss later, OK?" He just nodded. I asked cautiously, "How are you doing? Are you OK?"

"This day's about you, not me."

"Bolt! Are you kidding me, this day is about us. We did this together. Don't you see?"

He sort of grimaced at that and said, "OK, you gotta go. Get that cute but of yours to the press conference and hold your head high. You deserved this win today, and don't let those bloodsuckers make you feel any differently."

"I love you," I told him.

"I love you too. Always have."

I floated to the press room.

*

I gave my account of the race and how I won in front of the cameras with aplomb. I credited a fast car and thanked Talbot and the university for making it happen. I thanked my dad and my teammate, and my hard working crew. Then at the Q&A part of the program, I wasn't beat up too bad.

It was quite certainly the best day of my life. If I had only known that the events of the day, in only 10 short hours, would be in the distant recesses of my mind as I tried to pick up the pieces of my heart.

From the time the race was over to when I went to bed was mostly a blur. The sponsor, through one of our team managers, had a private ballroom at the Marriott reserved and catered to the entire team, for every person involved down to the truck drivers that drove the team's 18-wheelers. We ate like royalty and drank only the good libations. None of that was unusual other than I didn't touch any of the alcohol. My body was exhausted and Talbot would have had to pick my head up off a plate of pasta that I would faceplant into if I did.

I have no idea what time it was when he was able to steer me to our room where he managed to undress me and tuck me in. There would be no sex as I was completely spent, I hoped he understood though I knew he would.