Faster Dirtier (Take Me...#5) (A Team Ferrelli Novel) (11 page)

“Why don’t we all just take a breather here, yeah?” Bex
jumps in, grabbing hold on Charlie’s arm as he seemingly prepares to hurl
himself at Enzo. “Lots of things are changing this season. I think we all just
need a little time to...adjust.”

“I’m adjusting just fine,” Enzo says, slipping his arm
around my shoulder. The warm weight of his embrace makes me lightheaded at
once. “See? Look how good me and Ace are getting along already.”

“That’s one way to put it,” I mutter to him.

“Well that’s...very nice to hear,” Bex says, raising an
eyebrow at us. “I’m sure that Siena and the owners will be really relieved to
know that you two are playing nice.”

“Are we ever,” I smile with as much gusto as I can muster.

“Swell,” Bex chirps in reply. “Were you two done driving for
the day?”

“Sure were,” I reply, aching when I let myself consider what
we were about to do instead.

“Why is the car still out in the open then?” Charlie says
suspiciously, looking back and forth between Enzo and I.

“Sorry Dad. I’ll try and make sure I put my toys away next
time,” Enzo spits at Charlie.

“Anyway!” Bex breaks in immediately. “I thought I’d snag a
picture of you two for the Team Ferrelli Facebook page. A press release went
out this morning with a video of Siena’s announcement at the party. I’m sure
the Ferrelli fans would love to see another pic of you guys at the track.”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Enzo grins, tugging me closer to
his body. “Smile, Ace. The whole world is gonna know your face now.”

I offer up the toothiest grin in my arsenal as Bex snaps a
picture of Enzo and me with her phone. His arm slips down around my waist as
the shot is taken, and I have to swallow a little gasp of longing.

“Excellent,” Bex says. “Thanks, you guys.”

“No problem at all,” Enzo replies. “We make quite the pair,
wouldn’t you say so?”

I look over at him, wide-eyed. Is he
trying
to blow our cover? Who knows. I get the
feeling that discretion isn’t exactly one of Enzo’s strong suits these days.

“I guess we’ll let you two get back to...training,” Bex
says, tucking her phone away. I can tell that she’s onto us. Those eyes of hers
seem like quite the bullshit detectors to me.

“I’ve actually got to run,” Enzo says, letting his arm fall
away once more. “I’ve got a flight to catch.”

“Oh. Are we...done here?” I ask pointedly, searching Enzo’s
face.

“Done for the today,” he confirms casually. “You mind
grabbing a lift back to the villa from Bex and Charlie?”

“No,” I say flatly, crossing my arms, “No, that’s fine. But
where are you off to? I thought we were going to start some more
serious...training.”

“There’ll be plenty of time for that,” Enzo says. “Besides,
Charlie can start you out until I get back. Isn’t that right Chuck?”

“That’s right, Enzo old pal,” Charlie says, grinning wryly.
“By all means, you should get going. Wouldn’t want you to get a late start on
your next vacation.”

“Always the gentleman, this one,” Enzo says, giving Charlie
a jaunty salute. “See you cats in about a week.”

And just like that, he’s off. I stare after his retreating
form, dumbstruck in his wake. Bex and Charlie stare down at me from the stands,
head cocked identically to the side. I can see the questions brimming in their
eyes, but they don’t seem ready to voice them just yet.

“Why don’t we head on back to the villa, then?” Bex
suggests. “I think Camilla’s whipping up a light lunch for everyone. Wouldn’t
want to miss out.”

“Sure,” I say, unzipping the front of my jumpsuit. “Just let
me get out of this stuff and I’ll be right there.”

I hurry back into the garage, shucking off the jumpsuit as I
go. My hands are trembling, my head is spinning, I’ve lost track of which way
is up. What the hell just happened back there? Was I seriously about to come in
here and have my way with Enzo, just like that?

Taking deep, steadying breaths, I slip into my own clothes
again. Maybe it’s a good thing that Enzo is jetting off for the week. I could
use a minute to get my bearings around here without the constant distraction of
Enzo Lazio and his gorgeous, irresistible charms. But as much as I try and
shake him out of my head, I can’t forget the way he looked at me in that car.
For all his joking and teasing, there was something real in his gaze at that
moment. Something deep, and raw, and full of passion.

Or maybe that was just the adrenaline talking?

Clothed once more, I dash out to Bex and Charlie’s car.
Sinking against the back seat as we swing around toward the villa, I feel my
cell phone vibrate in the pocket of my jacket. I pull out the device and glance
at the text waiting for me. Probably it’s just Alec, checking in on me for the
millionth time. My brow furrows as I see that the message is actually from an
unknown number. I open the text and read:

Sorry we were interrupted
back there. Make no mistake, I was about to ride you hard and dirty, kid.

I feel the blood rush to my cheeks as I stare down at the
scintillating text. With shaking fingers, I manage to shoot back:

Me: Would this, by any
chance, happen to be my naughty professor’s number?

Him: Who else? How many
other men do you have sending you illicit texts, Ace?

I smile down at the phone and reply: 

Me: Wouldn’t you like to
know? I wish you hadn’t had to run off like that. I wanted to talk about what
went down back there.

Him: Trust me. If I’d had
my way, we would have had a lot more to talk about. I won’t be able to get you
out of my mind all week. You were incredible on the track for your first time.

Me: You’re just saying
that to try and get in my pants. I know how you boys work.

Him: I’m trying to get you
out of them. But my points stands that you’re a damned good driver. I can’t
wait to get to work with you.

Me: Are you talking about
training now, or something else?

Him: What do you think?

I still my fingers for a moment, trying to proceed with
caution. As wild as Enzo makes me feel, this is still a business relationship.
These things are notoriously delicate. Not to mention the fact that I met him
all of twenty-four hours ago. I can’t rush ahead. There’s too much at stake.

Him: I want to see you the
second I get back.

Me: Where, the locker
room?

Him: I’ll book us a hotel
room on Friday night. The rest of the team thinks I’m getting back on Saturday.
Lie and say you’re visiting an old friend in Rome. I think we deserve a little
quality time, don’t you?

Me: Enzo, I really don’t
know if this is a good idea. We have to think about the team. Our careers.

Him: Ace, let me tell you
a little secret about being an F1 driver.

Me: Oh, by all means,
Professor.

Him: The best part of this
job is getting to do whatever the hell you like, whenever the hell you please.
For fuck’s sake, we put our lives on the line every time we get into those
cars. Every race could be our last. There’s no time to waste in this life. So
you’re gonna meet me in Rome at the hotel of my choosing and let us have what
we both desperately want. Sound good?

We’re pulling into the Villa’s circular driveway as I try
and formulate a sufficient response. The rest of the Lazio and Davies families
are waving from the terrace, lunch arrayed on the patio table. I can’t be
sexting Enzo when I’m about to sit down to a picnic with his entire family,
that’s for sure. Sliding out of the car, I hastily shoot back:

Me: I’ll think about it.

Hell, I doubt I’ll be able think of much else for the rest
of the week that he’s gone.

Chapter Ten

My mentor may be off gallivanting who-knows-where, but my
Team Ferrelli training kicks into high gear all the same. For the next several
days, I work nonstop with Siena, Bex, and Charlie on everything from talking
points to driving to dealing with aggressive paparazzi. And while the workload
is totally overwhelming, my new colleagues make sure I have everything I need
to be successful on and off the track. In addition to my guest quarters at the Lazio
family villa, I’m also given a generous per diem, a private car, and all the
comforts I could ever dream of. It’s not exactly a conventional employment
setup, but the Ferrelli gang is determined to make this arrangement work.

To be honest, I think that Siena feels a little bit guilty
about the way Enzo reacted when this whole thing was announced. If only she
knew how my relationship with her brother has developed since then. By all
rights, I should be the one with the guilty conscience. In the days following
our little test track tryst, Enzo’s been texting me nonstop from wherever the
hell he is. He’s relentless about spending some “quality time” together in
Rome. I still haven’t given him a definitive answer, and it’s already Thursday
night. I’ve just arrived home from the test track to share a meal with the
Davies’, and the Spano’s, and Camilla. They’ve been nothing short of
extraordinarily hospitable to me, which only makes this romantic conundrum
trickier.

On the one hand, I’m insanely attracted to Enzo Lazio and
always have been. He’s gorgeous, talented, charming, and immensely intriguing.
He also does things to my body and my heart that no man has ever done before.
Spending a sexy, illicit night with him in the beautiful city of Rome seems
like a wet dream come true.

But on the other hand, he’s my mentor. My teammate. My
colleague. That means that any relationship we have is the entire team’s
business, including his family’s. I certainly haven’t asked Siena outright if
she’s cool with me boning her brother, my fellow driver. No one’s said that a
“workplace” romance would be forbidden, but I doubt Siena would be thrilled
about her two favorite Ferrelli drivers having their heads and hearts (not to
mentioned their more intimate parts) wrapped up in each other instead of in the
game.

Should I play it safe, or ask for forgiveness later instead
of permission now?

“Hey, I’ve still got a whole 24 hours to figure it out,” I
sigh, gathering my hair into a loose ponytail as I gaze out of my bedroom
window. “Plenty of time to come to a potentially life-alerting decision,
right?”

With my thoughts still churning, I head over the main villa
for dinner. As I’m crossing the terrace, my eyes alight on the very spot where
Enzo and I first gave into our desire for each other. A shudder runs through
me, remembering that night. It’s a sin that we might have to deny ourselves
that kind of delicious pleasure just for the sake of decorum. But hey, the
course of true love—or even lust—never did run smooth.

My mouth starts watering immediately as I step into the
villa’s charmingly rustic kitchen. The smells of roasted garlic, fragrant
herbs, and freshly baked bread wrap me up like a warm embrace. A wide smile
spreads across my face as I take in the scene before me. Alfie looks on eagerly
as Camilla cracks some fresh pepper over a family sized bowl of pasta. Bex
pours out generous glasses of wine for everyone as she and Charlie discuss the
events of the day. And sitting together at the long wooden kitchen table are
Siena and Harrison, quietly conversing with their hands clasped. If anyone
would understand an unconventional relationship, it’s surely this family.
Right?

“Ace! Look!” Alfie spouts, grabbing my hand with his chubby
fingers and tugging me over to the kitchen island. “I did dessert all by
myself.”

I spot a plate of sugar cookies on the counter, clearly
decorated by a child’s hand. Alfie surveys his work proudly, pointing out one
cookie in particular. It’s been garnished with the letter “A”, written in
sloppy icing.

“Is that an A for Alfie?” I ask, picking up the cookie and
making a big show of admiring his work.

“
Nooo
,”
he grins, wrapping his arms around my knees. “It’s A for Ace.”

My heart has been doing all kinds of crazy things this past
week, but now it threatens to burst all over the place. I’m so touched by Alfie’s
show of little kid kindness. I scoop him up into my arms and plant a big kiss
on his chubby cheek.

As if on cue, I feel my cell phone vibrate in my back
pocket. Setting Alfie down, I snatch up the device and look down to see yet
another message from Enzo.

Him: What are you wearing?

I roll my eyes, swallowing a laugh. This guy is going to be
the death of me.

Me: No dirty texts right
now. I’m sitting here with your entire family.

Him: How uncomfortable for
you.

Me: I mean it. No funny
business, Prof.

For one fleeting moment, I think he’s actually going to
listen, for once. But then:

Him: So I shouldn’t tell
you that I’ve been dreaming about those perfect tits of yours all day? How I
want to wrap my lips around your nipples and suck harder and harder until you
moan?

I grab onto the counter to steady myself as Enzo’s image
slams into my solar plexus.

Me: You’re the worst. You
know that?

Him: I think you’ll be
singing a very different tune come Saturday morning.

Me: You’re assuming that
I’ve accepted your offer.

Him: Haven’t you?

“OK everyone, dig in!” Camilla says, plunking a huge basket
of aromatic garlic bread onto the kitchen table. 

I slip my phone hurriedly out of sight and load up my plate
with the rest of the family. These training days give me a massive appetite,
and a face full of authentic Italian food will be a nice distraction from
Enzo’s lingering question.

“Ace, I just want to take a second to thank you for all your
hard work this week,” Charlie says, tipping his glass to me. “You’ve been
killing it!”

“I second that,” Bex adds, “We’re asking a lot from you
right off the bat, but you’re adapting like a champ.”

“Thanks you guys,” I smile, spinning a huge bite of pesto
spaghetti onto my fork. “There’s nothing in the world I’d rather be doing.”

Except
Enzo Lazio, that is,
I think before I can stop myself.

“I think we all deserve a little breather,” Siena says,
taking a sip of her red wine. “What do you say we all take a long weekend, starting
tomorrow?”

My fork clatters against my plate as I drop it in surprise.
What is this, some kind of sign from the universe?

“Looks like Ace is down for a day off,” Harrison smiles,
helping himself to another helping of pasta.

“Count me in,” Bex chimes.

“Fine by me,” Charlie agrees.

“It’s official then,” Siena smiles, “A long weekend for Team
Ferrelli it is. Ainsley, now you can spend some quality time with your
boyfriend.”

“S-sorry?” I sputter. How the hell did she know what I’m
thinking of doing tomorrow night? Not that Enzo is my boyfriend or anything,
but—

“Alfie, I mean,” Siena cuts off my wheeling thoughts. “Maybe
we can all hang out here and watch a movie together? If you don’t mind sitting
through
Frozen
for
the millionth time.”

“That ice princess is a babe,” Harrison teases, “Alfie’s
just got damn good taste. Don’t you, son?”

“Whadda babe!” Alfie babbles happily.

“Oh god,” Siena groans, “He’s a little Harrison in
training.”

A round of laughter goes up around at table. I sit there
smiling as I take in this group of exceptional people who have found their
happiness by following their hearts. Suddenly, I know exactly what I’m going to
do about tomorrow night.

“As much as I’d love to watch the ice babe do her thing,” I
tell the group, “I actually have plans for tomorrow night.”

“Oh, great!” Siena smiles, “What’re you gonna get up to?”

“I’m meeting a friend in Rome,” I reply, remaining as vague
as possible. A lie of omission is better than a straight up fib, I tell myself.

“I didn’t realize you had friends in the country, Ainsley,”
Camilla says lightly, pouring herself a glass of white. “That’s just lovely.”

Offering a close-lipped smile, I avert my gaze. Thankfully,
no one presses me for details about the friend I’m meeting tomorrow night. I
may have a talent for knowing when someone is lying to me, but that keen sense
of truth makes me a pretty terrible liar myself. A good poker face is not a
weapon I have in my arsenal. My parents always told me to speak my truth. And
right now, my truth is that I can’t wait to be alone with Enzo.

Stealing out onto the patio after the dinner things have
been cleared away, I whip out my phone to tell him just that. Unsurprisingly,
there’s another text from him waiting for me.

Him: All kidding aside,
Ainsley, I need you to meet me tomorrow night. I know I talk a tough game, but
if I don’t get to see you, all of you, I’m gonna lose it.

“He actually used my real name,” I murmur to myself,
delighted. I lean against the railing of the terrace, right where he hoisted me
up that first night. I take a deep, steadying breath and message him back.

Me: If we’re being serious
now, Enzo, all I’ve wanted since the moment we met was to spend the night with
you. I’ll be there tomorrow. I promise.

Him: You have no idea how
happy that makes me. I’ll make it well worth your while. If you could see the
things I’ve been dreaming up for us to do...

Me: I’ve been having my
share of dirty dreams, too.

Him: Christ, that’s hot.
Tell me what you imagine me doing to you.

I look over my shoulder to make sure I’m alone before
responding.

Me: I imagine what your
mouth would feel like all over my body. On my neck, my tits, even my pussy. I
imagine spreading myself open for you, feeling you lick me there.

Him: That’s exactly what I
had in mind. I want to know what you taste like. I want to run my tongue all
along your pussy, lapping you up as you come for me. Imagine my lips closing
around your clit. Sucking
hard
.

My knees begin to tremble as my sex throbs with wanting him.
I clench my thighs together, trying to contain the sensation building between
my legs. How can he be turning me on this much with just a few texts? I’m just
about to shoot back a long, detailed description of all the ways I would lavish
his gorgeous cock with attention when I hear the patio door swing open. With a
rush of panic, I pocket my phone once more and whip around. Sure enough, it’s
Siena who’s stepped out to join me on the terrace.

Good lord. She sure does have a keen sense of timing, this
one.

“It’s an awesome view, isn’t it?” she says, joining me at
the railing.

It’s a good thing lady boners aren’t visible to passersby,
or else I’d be in big trouble. I hope I look considerably more composed than I
feel.

“Must have been awesome, growing up here,” I reply.

“It was,” she smiles wistfully. “It’s a real shame my dad
couldn’t be here to meet you. He would have gone nuts for you, Ace.”

It’s official, then. I’m catnip for
all
Lazio men.

“His passing hasn’t been easy for us,” Siena goes on, gazing
out across the landscape. “But of everyone, I think Enzo’s taking it the
hardest. They really were inseparable, those two. Enzo didn’t just lose a
father when we lost Dad. He lost his mentor, his biggest fan, and his best
friend in one fell swoop.”

I blink away sudden tears, imagining Enzo’s heartache. I
know exactly what he must be going through, in the wake of his dad’s death.
Hell, my dad was my own personal hero, too. I knew there was something
understood between Enzo and me, something deeper than physical desire. But why
is Siena sharing all of this with me now?

“I know he can be difficult,” she goes on, and I can tell
she’s getting to the heart of what she came out here to say. “But despite his
temper, and his ego, and his penchant for leggy models, he really is a good man,
deep down. He’s been giving you a hard time so far, and that’s partially my
fault. I just want you to give him a chance. Get to know him. I’m not just
vouching for him because he’s my big brother. I’m vouching for him because he’s
one of my favorite people on the planet. He’s helped me through some of the
hardest moments of my life.”