Page 7 of Fast & Reckless
“Some of you have known our other newcomer for years,” Paul continued. “Others met her today as she toured the facility. I’m delighted to have my daughter, Miranda Wentworth, joining us to replace Penelope for the season. Mira,” Paul said, pausing to smile down at her, “welcome aboard.”
More applause greeted that announcement, but Will barely heard the cheers. Miranda Wentworth.MiraWentworth. Paul’s daughter. The team principal’sdaughter.
Fuck.
Oh, fuck.
Now that little inside joke Mira—Miranda—and Violet had exchanged earlier today made total sense. He’d offered to help her understand Formula One when her father was practically a living legend in the sport. They’d been laughing their asses off at him. And he’d entirely deserved it.
Then, as if insulting her intelligence regarding racing weren’t bad enough, he’d asked her out. Her reaction to that made sense, too. Who the hell did he think he was, coming on to the team principal’sdaughter, for fuck’s sake? No wonder she was so pissed off.
It was all he could do to keep a polite smile glued to his face while everyone at the table toasted both of them. His eyes flicked over to her, and as if she could sense his gaze on her, she stole a glance at him. Her grin remained fixed, but there was something in her eyes and the slight cock of her eyebrow that was knowing. She was enjoying this moment. In no smallpart, he imagined, because she’d just proven what a giant ass he was.
He wanted to disappear from the restaurant, find a bar, and drink until the embarrassment of the day faded from memory. But that was out of the question.
Paul had given him a chance to drive—his last real chance. If he blew it, an F1 world championship would likely stay forever out of reach. He’d spend his career like he had the last three years, bouncing around Indy Car, Formula E—every place but the top spot at a top Formula One team.
He shot one more look down the table at Mira, her profile outlined in gold from the candles dotting the table. She smiled up at her father, a bigger smile than she’d aimed in his direction, and a dimple appeared in her cheek that he hadn’t seen before. That simmering attraction bubbled up a little hotter in his chest.
No. She was Paul’sdaughter. Anything involving Miranda Wentworth would be a mistake. From here on out, there would be no screwups. Will Hawley would be a model citizen and dream driver. Anything less could wind up costing him everything.
5
When her dad finished the introductions, David Weber, the head of engineering, got up to talk a bit about the new car. Mira chanced a look down the table at Will. He was listening to David with perfect professional interest. There wasn’t even a hint of that smooth-talking seducer from a few minutes ago. He’d had no idea who she was, and in the split second before he’d recovered, it was obvious the news had shocked him. Good. Maybe that would scare him away once and for all.
“Super hot, right?”
Mira startled and looked at Violet. “What?”
Violet rolled her eyes. “Please. You’re allowed to look. Everybody does. I mean, he’s not my personal flavor of hot male. I like them a little scruffier and a lot more emotionally damaged. But I will concede, objectively, he’s a snack.”
“So what’s his story anyway?” Even though she’d done her own research earlier, PR always knew the real dirt.
“Story?”
“I looked him up. The hashtags are … enlightening.
Violet sniggered. “‘F1fuqboi’ is my favorite.”
“Aside from that, it seems like people think he’s the biggest talent the sport has seen in a generation … or he’s a walking train wreck.”
“He’s both, maybe?”
“Come on, Violet. Spill.”
“You never heard about him?”
“I kind of stopped paying attention to racing while I was in college.”
The truth was, it had hurt too much to follow racing while she’d been in exile. As much as she was digging for info on Will, she hoped Violet wouldn’t pry into her reasons too much or go snooping for answers. Her mother had spent a fortune on some specialist to scrub the internet of most of the mentions of her, but stuff was still out there. And people had memories. Ask around and someone was sure to have gossip to share, true or not.
“Glad you decided to stop living under a rock.” Violet laughed. “Okay, okay, Will showed up three years ago driving for Hansbach. They recruited him right out of their junior program. His first test-drive was legendary. For months, all anyone could talk about was this kid, Will Hawley, possibly the best driver the sport had seen since Senna. But he managed to blow it all up in a single season.
“So what’d he do? Drugs, partying, and women?”
“Mmm. Not the drugs, as far as I know. But definitely the partying and the women. You know how these guys are.”
“Yes, I do,” Mira muttered under her breath.Boy, did she know.
