Slider (The Core Four #2)

“Mhmm, that’s what makes them so fun.”

I got out of the car, refusing to let her keep arguing with me. I knew this was an unconventional date, but something told me, she needed this. I’d picked up on some of her discomfort when it came to pushing boundaries. Annabelle may not know this, but I’ve been watching her. I learned her parents died in a car accident but I still don’t know if she was in the vehicle with them. She told me about the house, but I wanted to know more. I needed to know more. My little rule follower was going to step out of her shell for a day.

Coming around to her side I opened the door. She took my hand, and immediately released it when she stood on her own. It’s okay, I planned on getting closer than hand holding later.

Annabelle stayed quiet as she followed me inside the building, and I led her out to the track where a gorgeous racecar sat fueled up and ready to go. A pit crew was off to the side and suits hung on a line near the car. I snagged one and held it out to her. She stood with her long strawberry blonde hair blowing in the slight breeze, and her arms crossed over her chest. Did she realize when she did that it pushed her breasts up on display for my viewing pleasure? I felt my dick stirring in my pants as I shifted on my feet to try and readjust. Didn’t work.

“Throw this on. You want me to drive first or do you want to go?” I asked.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder in pure defiance. “Turner, you can’t be serious.”

I hid my smile and pegged her with a hard stare. “I’m very serious. Put the suit on.”

Her mouth dropped. “You’re awfully bossy, you know that?”

“Yes, I do. Now put it on so I can show you how to do this.”

She wanted to argue with me, but I was leaving no room for it. I took my suit and pulled it on. She hesitated before she mimicked what I was doing. I could have sworn I heard her grumbling under her breath. It was kind of cute. Once she was set, my old buddy from years back approached us.

Reaching out I took his hand and shook it. “Evening, Richard.”

“Turner. You ready to go for a spin?” He looked at both of us.

Annabelle was wringing her hands in front of her. I wanted to soothe her and tell her it was going to be okay, but I wanted to get her alone and in the vehicle first.

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright, well, the track is all yours. Pit crew will be waiting on the side ‘til y’all are done. Have fun, and burn some rubber.” He chuckled.

When he walked away, Annabelle leaned over to me. “Burn rubber?”

I couldn’t hide my smile this time. “Yes, ma’am. That was my friend, Richard. Known him for a long damn time. He closes the place down sometimes when I want to come get some aggression out.”

I swallowed. “Sounds ominous.”

“Nah, come on.” This time I did grab her hand. “This is an old NASCAR Sprint Cup race car. She was driven in the Brickyard 500 two years ago and then she was retired. Pretty sure I’m one of the few that still drives her, other than Richard.”

She watched as my free hand tenderly caressed the hood of the car. “And uh, is she yours?”

“No, I wish. Me and a bunch of buddies tried to buy her when they wheeled her in, but apparently money can’t buy everything.”

“Sounds interesting.” She wasn’t in the least bit interested. Annabelle was too busy trying to prevent herself from a total freak out moment in front of me.

I needed to get her in the car. She needed to get a feel for it and see there wasn’t anything to be afraid of. Besides, I hadn’t planned on letting her go much over one hundred miles per hour. She had no experience behind something with this much power before. I pulled her around the car to her side and told her she needed to climb in through the window. Annabelle was less than impressed.

“You’re little, you can do it. Imagine being my size squeezing in there.”

She giggled. “Okay you got me there.” She slipped in easily. When she was in her seat, I poked my head in and strapped her into her harness. Her blue eyes were watching me intently, moving with every motion of my hands. I was careful not to linger when I got to the buckles around her chest. I didn’t want her to think I was copping a feel, although I wanted nothing more than to see how she fit in my hands. Instead, I pulled away when I was done and got in on my side and buckled up.

“Okay, you ready for your lesson?” I asked.

“Doesn’t look like I have much of a choice. I’m kind of trapped in here.” Her side glance, and the idea of her being at my whim was more of an aphrodisiac than it should have been.

Giving her some peace of mind I told her, “You want out at any time, just let me know. If I’m going faster than you’re comfortable with, let me know. If you need anything just let me know, and I’ll stop.”

She brought her bright round eyes to mine. It was a moment, connecting and building a sense of trust in a matter of a couple second. She nodded giving her approval.

“So for starters, I’m going to pull up to the start line. When you’re in this seat, you’re in control of everything. The car will not move unless you are in gear and you are the one pushing on the gas. It’s just like any other vehicle other than there is an engine in it that has 900 horsepower. It’s powerful Annabelle. I want you to understand that.” She was listening to my every word with rapt attention. “This vehicle can get up to 200 MPH. We are in a roll cage and are quite safe, but you have to know how to handle this thing around the corners. You shift it just like any other car. Have you driven a standard before?”

She slowly shook her head.

I grinned. “No, no big deal. Alright, you ready? I’ll take the first lap slow. After that I’m going to open her up.”