Drive Her Mad (THE BILLIONAIRE AND THE POP DIVA VOL. 3) (5 page)

It was true, he’d googled her this afternoon while he was waiting for his ESPN interview to commence. The media had gone crazy on them. The entire world was abuzz about them.

He didn’t regret crashing her presscon and putting her on the spot. He was a scandal’s child in Europe and he’d never given a rat’s ass about the press. He lived by his own rules. The press hated him for his intolerance toward them all these years. His fans in the racing world expected nothing less than badass attitude from him and they were as unapologetic as he was in their admiration for his notoriously difficult public personality. He was worse in private. Nothing and nobody was allowed in his innermost sanctum.

Valenna had a kind of celebrity so different from his. While he was a subject of awe and reverence, it was mainly through his abilities in the race track and never his character. Valenna, on the other hand, was adored by her fans the world over but not only for her talents. She was incandescent. Her personality was sunny. Positive. Inspiring.

Unlike him who was born with a business empire that could feed a small country, Valenna started with nothing. Her parents were simple folks from Alabama. Her father was a country singer who had taught her music the moment she could pronounce a word.

Based from the articles, she’d had a happy childhood, her parents, still together after twenty six years of marriage. She had a younger brother and a black, adopted sister. She had a decent, supportive, close-knit family. Something he could never say about himself.

He didn’t care what the press will say about him but he did care about what they’d say about her.

It was strange to care that much for a woman he just met two days ago. But he was getting more information about her in the last two days more than he’d cared to get to know all the women who’d passed through his life in the last decade. And he was genuinely interested, too.

He had in his hands a twenty-four-year-old over-achiever who happened to be as exciting in the sack as she was on stage.

Dio,
that badass thing she did with the windshield will be etched in his mind forever. He was getting hard again just thinking about it.

He hugged her, molding his body around her warmth.

She moaned in her sleep.

He buried his nose in the softness of her thick hair, inhaling her scent.

One week.

One week was all he had.

One week was all he’d allow himself of her.

How can he make the most of it?

UNCONTAINABLE

“WHERE ARE WE GOING?”

“To see my racing buddies on the other side of this property.”

“Racing buddies. They’re visiting?”

“Yes. We meet up to do this every year.”

“Do what?”

“Another kind of racing.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll see.”

Valenna’s heart was lodged in her throat.
She was barely breathing as her eyes followed the car navigating the rugged track like a rampaging four-legged animal. Dirt flew all around it as it swerved at dangerous angles, even doing a 360-degree turn!

The driver had a death wish!

She was not a motorsports fan but she’d seen the formulas on TV. Apart from the fact that the cars were super fast, watching the races could actually become boring, just cars going round and round for almost an hour. Except for the last lap where the top three placers give it their all to win the race.

Off-road racing was something else. She’d seen a few on TV while scanning channels but not long enough to get fascinated. She thought drivers who participated in extreme sports like this were insane. Adrenaline junkies. But to actually see one live…

Oh God!

She might just die of a heart attack when this was all over.

The car disappeared for a while, and she was so scared she grabbed Jonas’ arm beside her. “I can’t see him! Where is he?!”

“He’s rounding the bend for the grand finale,” Jonas replied, so relaxed, as if he was watching the race on TV with popcorn and beer.

“Grand finale? What’s that?”

“Watch.”

Seconds later, the car appeared again, fast climbing the hill.

The hill?! What the frosh...?!

“Where’s it going?!”

“To the finish line.”

“Why’s it climbing the freakin’ hill?!”

“That’s where the finish line is.”

Valenna failed to get why the finish line was up the hill. But she found out seconds later.

The car suddenly lurched upward. It flew a few meters high, landing hard on its wheels. It bounced then it was eating up the slopes, dirt swirling violently around it like the base of a tornado funnel.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” she chanted, barely breathing. She was going to pee in her pants any moment.

She watched in suspended terror as the driver drove the car up the face of the hill at an impossible angle. The car toppled to the side, rolling over.

She screamed.

The car rolled over thrice, landing on its wheels again and remained still.

She scrambled over the wooden fence, about to dash toward the hill.

Jonas grabbed her arm. “He’s okay!”

“Okay?! He’s not moving! Call an ambulance, quick!”

Jonas laughed. Why the fuck was he laughing?! His boss could be seriously hurt!

“Somebody help him!” she shouted at the people facilitating this lunacy.

“Hey, relax. He’s okay. Look,” Jonas gestured to the hill.

The car lurched. To her horror, it resumed its climb.

She was going to pass out.

But her eyes were wide open, watching the car trying to conquer the very dangerous slope. Who in their right mind would try to drive up that hill? It was so steep it was meant for climbing on foot, not on wheels! The car’s engine was roaring like a huge beast, tested to its limits.

The car advanced a few meters up. Gravity would absolutely pull it down she was sure but the car was like a spider, its wheels sticking to the soil, its engine roaring to a deafening intensity, mingling with the rush of blood in her ears and the heavy slamming of her heart.

The car suddenly flew up in the air.

She closed her eyes tightly, covered her mouth, trapping her scream, feeling nauseous. In her mind’s eye the car was tumbling down the hill like a rolling bottle. Fast.

But the spectators, mostly males, roared and clapped.

She opened her eyes.

The car had disappeared from sight.

She was running toward him.

Her breasts jiggled behind her white shirt as she jumped over the craggy crevices of the track.

Her hair flew all over her shoulders, her long, shapely legs, displayed in some sexy denim skirt and boots, eating up the ground fast. So fucking sexy.

Giane felt himself harden. Adrenaline was still pumping in his veins and it spiked up his arousal. He wished he can really fuck her like he really wanted to but he knew he would have to wait another day until she was considerably healed. For the nth time that day, he cursed his big cock. It was depriving him of a much needed pleasure within her sweet body.
Dio
, he missed being inside her. It felt like an eternity had passed when it was only a few days ago when he’d popped her sweet cherry.

He smiled at her, his chest expanding with that indescribable sensation that immediately affected his breathing, making his heartbeat accelerate like shit. That strange feeling had been afflicting his usually immovable disposition the past few days. He had never felt like this in his entire life.

He was a person who thrived in control. He detested change, except where his business interests were concerned or the variety of women he fucked. In his personal life, however, he liked steady, solid, stable, flat. He couldn’t afford to lose control in any way.

Valenna was making him lose control —

No, not that. The bigger part of him immediately rejected the mere notion.

You’re just enjoying the week, getting your money’s worth. After this, you know it’s back to black and white business. As it should always be.

Right.

The moment she reached him, she banged her fist on his chest.

He gasped in surprise.

She landed another blow to his abdomen.

“Oww!” His breath pushed out of his windpipe like a flush flood.

Another blow to his chest.

“Valenna! What the fuck…!”

Then she jumped him and kissed him hard. Her tongue went past his teeth, pushing in like a little conqueror, aggressive, frantic.

His erection accelerated from 30 to 60 mph in less than two seconds, like his Z engines.

He grabbed her ass to bring her closer to his body as he devoured her lips.

She pulled back, her eyes blazing.

“DON’T! EVER! Do that again!” she hissed in his face.

She was breathing hard, her eyes dilated and moist. He could feel her heart banging hard against her rib cage.

Then he understood.

She was very scared.

His insides melted. “
Piccola…
”

They heard the hoots and cat calls from the spectators some meters away.

He grinned at her.

She slid down from his frame. “You’re such a jerk, you know that? You didn’t even warn me!” she shouted, spitting mad.

Cara
…”

“Off road! THIS!” She gestured to the hill, “is insane! You,” she jabbed her fingers hard on his chest, “are insane! No, beyond insane!”

“
Cara,
it’s a sport.”

“It’s a stupid, stupid sport! Whoever invented this is a moron! You could have killed yourself!”

He was amused by her reaction but he dared not show it. She looked truly pissed. “I’ve been doing this for years,
cara,
” he added gently.

“Hey, Giane! Vigo is on! Get out of the fucking way! Get a room, dude! ” the speakers blasted.

Hoots and laughter from the crowd.

“Okay, we’re disrupting the competition,
cara
. C’mon.”

He held her arm and lead her toward the throng of spectators who were mostly Australia’s off-road aficionados. There were hardly any female in the audience. Maybe it was a mistake to bring her along. Poor baby was scared shitless, he could tell now by the slight chattering of her teeth.

“Giane, I wanna go home.”

“
Cara
, don’t be mad.”

“Mad doesn’t even begin to cover it!” she said through gritted teeth. “I said I wanna go home.”

He stared at her. No female who knew him by reputation would ever dare use that tone on him. It was the exit door. Plain and simple. He was a man who didn’t like complications.

But the door was the farthest thing from his mind as far as this woman was concerned. At the moment, at least. “Okay, let’s say goodbye to my friends over there.”

She dug in her heels. “No, let’s go to your car. Now.”

“Valenna…”

She wrenched her hand from his grasp and marched toward where his Zoldatti was parked.

He inhaled air deep into his lungs silently. He called his chief mechanic. “Jonas, I’m leaving. You guys take care of my car. The front axle is busted.
Grazie, amico.
I’ll see you later tonight at the house for dinner. You guys take charge.”

He quickly followed Valenna. She was leaning on the side of his car, her arms crossed in front of her chest. She wasn’t looking at him.

He fished out his keys and pushed the remote control button, unlocking the car.

She opened the front passenger door and climbed in, slamming the door closed.

He sighed again and rounded the car. He thought she would enjoy the day. This had been part of his activities every time he was in Oz. Maybe he’d overestimated her adventurous nature.

He entered the car and sat beside her. She remained silent.

He didn’t know what to say. This was alien territory. He’d never cared enough for any woman to be bothered by her mood swings. This was a first for him and he was clueless.

He turned toward her. “
Cara…
”

She burst into tears.

He stared at her, feeling helpless. Handling a woman in tears was not one of his strong suits.

She was heaving, as if she couldn’t breathe.

Shit. He didn’t know how to deal with situations like this.

“
Piccola
…I’m sorry. Hey…” He reached for her but she slapped his hands away.

“Do you even watch yourself in videos after you do those stupid stunts?! Do you have any idea how scary it looks?! Do you?!”

He winced.

“You were flipping off a mountain! You fell off the fucking mountain! Rolled over thrice! You could have died!”