Page 3 of Kiss & Collide
“Yeah, Nice. It’s not far in an Uber and—”
“Iknowwhere Nice is. Why are you staying there?”
Violet was used to the elite world of Formula One and the Lennox championship team. She didn’t get how it was for some of the drivers on the lower rungs. Every dime his sponsors managed to cough up went straight to the team. It was the only way he could hope to hang on to his seat. That meant living on the cheap whenever he could.
“Me and some of the guys from the circuit got an Airbnb—”
Violet’s eyes went wide and she threw up a hand in protest. “Oh no. My days of hostel sex are over.”
“It’s not ahostel. It’s an apartment. I have my own room.” It was a tiny box. With a twin bed. And thin walls. But it was all his.
“I’m not going to Nice.” The stony look on her face made it clear the subject was closed.
“Okay, then.” Maybe theyweren’tdoing this. That was tragic, because right now he wanted her with a desperation that was almost scary. “I guess you’re staying here in Monte Carlo?” he asked hopefully.
She looked at him, her gaze assessing. He looked right back, almost pleading with her with his eyes. She caught her lush, red bottom lip with her teeth briefly as she considered.
Then she blew out a breath. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she muttered to herself. Then, to him, “Get us an Uber. We’ll go to mine.”
He did his best to suppress his grin as he pulled out his phone, but it was hard as hell.
Monte Carlo was pocket-sized, and in no time, their car had climbed into the hills and turned onto a dark, curving street.
“This is me,” Violet said when the car stopped.
Chase peered up at the tall, white, obviously expensive apartment building through the window. “You’re staying here?”
Damn, she really did swim in different circles than him.
“For the weekend,” she said. He was transfixed, watching as she opened the door and unfolded those long, long legs of hers. She straightened and turned back to him, a willowy goth goddess, all black hair and red lips, shimmery silver, and so much bare, pale skin. Hands planted on her hips, she scowled. “Well? Are you coming?”
This time he didn’t even try to suppress his smile. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
1Eldham, England
Violet stood in the main atrium of Pinnacle Motorsport, eyeing the water damage on the ceiling and the scuffed paint on the walls, and wondered if she’d made a mistake.
This was a significant step down from the Lennox Motorsport factory.
Had she really left the number-one team on the grid to come here, to the team that had ranked last for the past five years?
This move was strategic, she reminded herself. At Lennox, she was always going to be Simone’s assistant, and however great Simone was, Violet’s prospects were limited there. Now, somehow, she’d talked her way into head of PR at Pinnacle. That was a big deal, even if Pinnacle was the worst team on the grid.
Whatever. This was a huge step up the career ladder for her, one she could parlay into something even bigger in a year or two. This wasn’t forever. And in the meantime, she’d figure it out like she always did.
The double doors on the other side of the atrium banged open and a young girl with long, dark blond hair and a frantic expression raced through. She looked on the verge of tears as she scanned the atrium.
“Are you Violet Harper?” she asked in a trembling voice.
“That’s me.”
“I was supposed to bring you to meet Richard, but now he’s been fired and everybody’s cross and I—”
Violet’s chest gave a thump of dread. She’d interviewed with Richard. He was the reason she’d landed this job. “Hold on. Richard Clewes? The team principal? He’s beenfired?”
The girl—who, on closer inspection was older than Violet initially thought, just a bit younger than herself—nodded shakily, her pale blue eyes filling with tears. “Just this morning and …” She pressed her knuckles against her lips, letting out a muffled sob.
“Oh, don’t …” Violet shifted back onto her heels in discomfort. “It’s not worth crying about. Personnel changes happen all the time in Formula One.”
