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“For how much longer?”
“I don’t know? Why do you ask?”
“The meeting with Leo ended early and I’m bored. You don’t want me to go to the hotel lounge to entertain myself, do you?”
“I don’t care, but Leo might.” The owner of his team put up with his antics to a certain extent, but there was a line between notoriety and bad press.
“Hurry up, I’m lonely,” he said pathetically.
“I’ll see you soon.”
Blake rolled his eyes as I set down my phone. “And how is Flynn?”
“He’s bored and lonely.”
“He’s definitely a lot of things. I can’t help but notice that you lied to him.”
I sipped more wine. A buzz was setting in. “You didn’t expect me to tell him where I was, did you?”
“I thought you might be brave enough.”
I wagged my finger at him. “I might be brave, but I’m definitely not stupid.”
“And I’m not giving up on you.”
I glanced at my watch. Where had the time gone? “I really should go. It’s been an enlightening evening,” I said, rising.
“Thank you for coming,” he said, kissing my cheek. “Think about what I said. I think we could be special together.”
If he’d arrived in my life a year ago, I may have considered it, but as far as I was concerned, I had a man I loved who loved me too. I was glad to have cleared the air with Blake. I didn’t even mind the idea of him driving for Perez, and if had to, I’d admit it was fun flirting with him. But this had to stop before I got caught because if we were discovered, I knew how it would all play out. Devin would be the victim, Blake would be the unsuspecting dupe, and I would be the supervillain. That was how it worked for women. I refused to be dragged down into it, and I refused to lose Devin.
ChapterEighteen
Luna
Montreal was a disappointment for both Devin and Rafe. Both were forced to retire: Rafe with a damaged gearbox, Devin after a minor collision with a Knight car. Devin couldn’t stop cursing the Knight driver and wanted to go to the federation and make a complaint. He was persuaded to change his mind by Davide, who didn’t want Devin to get himself into any more trouble. The federation officials had already seen and heard enough from Devin. The only bright spot was Pedro’s fourth-place finish. At least one Perez car had a good day.
Devin and I arrived in Dallas on Monday. Devin was scheduled for testing and team meetings. I kept myself busy with Rafe and then Alexander. We were in the car on our way to meet Alexander when I took the opportunity to chat with Rafe about Blake.
“You shouldn’t have kept me in the dark about this deal. I’m part owner of this team, and while I know I can’t block this move, I deserve respect and to be informed.” My voice had a sternness to it, and I liked that. I’d have to use it more.
“You’re right,” Rafe said without any opposition. “I assumed you wouldn’t care, but I was wrong about that.”
“I’m glad you figured that out by yourself. I’m not going to create any problems for you, and I’ve accepted that Blake is driving for us, but no more shit.”
“Agreed.”
We pulled up in front of a new Wheaton boutique that had opened in Dallas. Alexander wanted his two “kids” to sign autographs. It was his first boutique in Texas, and he wanted to coordinate the opening with the race weekend. Thousands of autograph seekers milled around, an even ratio of men to women. Most of the women wanted a photo with Rafe Perez. Even though he was my brother, I was well aware that he was good-looking, if not a little surly.
Still, I hadn’t realized that Rafe was so popular with the women. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that some of the men were there to see me and not my brother. I was more than happy to pose for photographs with men of all ages. A few even asked me for a date.
“I was wondering, ma’am, could I have your autograph?”
I’d been so busy signing my name all afternoon that I’d all but forgotten to look at some people. I wasn’t exactly proud of that, but the process had become so mechanical. However, this voice sounded familiar. I looked up and saw Blake Carlton’s smiling face. I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Of course you can. What’s your name?”
“Norma Jean.”
