Page 2 of Driving Wild

“Great, I haven’t even done anything in months, and now I’m being called into the office with you. Thanks, man,” Ryan states.

“Hey, I haven’t done anything either. Well, not that I know of.”

“Yeah, tell that to the ring on your left hand. And why are you still wearing it?” Ryan points out.

Shit. Shaking my head, I follow him into Brad’s office. When the PR guys call you in, you always feel like you’re in the principal’s office because they usually only want to “talk” when you’ve done something to embarrass the company.

Walking into the office, Brad is at his desk, papers flooding it with stats, updates, image photos, and articles about the company. He’s reading the morning paper as we take a seat across from him, so it can’t be that bad if he’s relaxed enough to read the paper, right?

“Brad, you wanted to see us.”

“Yeah, I sure did. Just had a question for you both.”

Bracing for what’s to come, I look over at Ryan, who’s as cool as a cucumber. With the way the media’s been to him over the last few months, I’m sure he’s not even worried about what they could say anymore. He and his now girlfriend, Tinley, have been put to the test over the last few months by an ex-girlfriend who had claimed that she was pregnant, only to have made the entire thing up to get extra attention for her career.

“First, let me get one thing back from you, Matt.” Reaching his hand out, he says, “I’d like my ring. The wife didn’t much care for me coming home without it last night. But I figured you needed it a little more than me from the way that woman wouldn’t leave you alone.”

Staring at Brad for a few minutes, I try to wrap my head around the fact that he was the one who put this ring on my hand. Working the ring off my finger, I hand it back to him and sit back in my chair, breathing a little easier now that I know I’m not married to some stranger.

“Well, with that little bit cleared up, any chance you might be able to tell me anything else about last night? The last thing that I could make out was the brunette giving me a drink, and then nothing.”

“Well, that brunette was a reporter, and she was digging for information on the team. Things are starting to change around here, and I’m going to tell you both now. Starting next season, we are going to bring on a third driver, and it’s going to be a female; her name is Mila. So somehow, that has gotten out, and you would think we’re the royal family with how many phone calls I have received this week alone asking about it. The reporter must have thought she had a chance to get some answers out of you by getting you drunk. Luckily, Grace and Tinley happened to be coming for drinks at the same place and saw her putting something into a beer she bought you. So Grace stepped in and stated that she was your wife,” Brad tells us.

But I’m so lost in my thoughts that Grace did something to help me that I can’t begin to figure it out.

“So that’s why I called you both in here. The reporter has now taken the story of you and the little missus and run with it. It’s time for us to do some damage control.”

I sit up and lean over so my head is in my hands, trying to wrap my brain around the events of last night.

“Let me get this straight, just so I can make sure I heard you correctly, okay?

“First, I was talking to a pretty woman who happened to be a reporter.

“Second, she put something in my beer to get me to talk about something that I had no idea was even happening until just now.

“Third, you gave your ring to Grace, which she then put on my finger and acted as if we were married.

“Yet Tinley said nothing to you about this whole scene when she got home?” I look over to Ryan who’s just shaking his head like he has no idea what’s going on either.

“Fourth, the press now think I am married and have decided that it is the most interesting thing today because the real reality stars have done nothing overnight for them to report, so they’ve resorted to talking about NASCAR drivers?

“Did I get all that correct?”

“That about breaks it all down,” he confirms. “Now, I’m going to need some damage control from you. I don’t want to babysit you because I have enough on my plate with the new driver coming in,” Brad continues.

A knock pulls me from my thoughts.

Lifting my head, the woman in question walks in the door. I was raised to always be respectful and offer my seat to any female, but Grace has landed herself on my shit list. But of course, Ryan, being the good guy, offers her his.

“Okay, kids, I am going to say this once and then we are going to go about our day. Grace, I’m sure the team has caught you up to speed since you are going to be working here with our new driver coming in. Normally, the policy is that drivers are off-limits to date, but it looks like the little stunt you pulled to get the reporter away has now resulted in the press thinking you are married. So guess what we’re going to do now?” Brad asks.

What the fuck? I am going to make Grace’s life a living hell. She knew exactly why I had a ring on my hand. She was playing along with what happened, yet she said nothing. She let me spin out this morning, trying to figure out what happened.

“Back to my original purpose of calling you both in here. Mila will be coming in from New York in the next few weeks to get settled into joining the team. Also, she will be doing a few promotional things with the PR team. So I need you on your best behavior. I don’t need extra attention on us when we already have this announcement coming. And I don’t have the time nor the energy to get you out of the messes you seem to magically find yourself in,” Brad says.

“Brad, do you really think this is necessary? You don’t think the media will let it go, especially with the announcement coming about Mila?” Grace states.

“Honestly, I would love to say yes, that they will just move on, but I don’t want to take the chance with all that’s on the line coming up. I have spoken to the higher-ups, and they suggest we have you look like a model married couple for the next two months. That will give us time to put Mila in the spotlight and show that we are one big racing family. Since you're already a growing star within the sport, we also need to change the public opinion of you being a playboy. Time to grow up, son, and be a family man. Mila will need the help between you and Ryan coming into the male-dominated world. And Grace, with you working with her, this will be the perfect time for you to show that aspect,” Brad explains.

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