Page 28 of Crash Course Omega
Jacob shakes his head. “You need to do something to impress them, because your personality isn’t doing the job.”
“No. Fucking. Way. I don’t want anything to do with your sister. I can’t believe she was even an option for this.”
He stares at me again, and I sigh. I learned a long time ago not to fight with Jacob when he looks at me like that.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Do you really think my father is going to pay to produce a film about a female omega in Formula 1 and not use his own daughter? This movie was made for her, Maddock.”
I pause. When I really think about it, it’s completely obvious. If I had just taken a second to consider anything except winning at least one Grand Prix this year, I would have realized what I’d signed myself up for.
After the terrible championships last year, where I ended in seventh with Jaxx in fifth, I was happy to agree to anything as long as it meant I could stay in a F1 car.
And that includes looking after bratty little actors.
“I’m not a fucking babysitter. I’m in with a real shot this year, and I don’t have time to take care of them.”
“The ones who can have already begun training in our VR simulators, and I’m impressed with their progress. After the Texas photoshoots, they’ll return to the UK and train at Silverstone in real cars while you finish the season. They are all up to date on the basics. And it’s going to be great publicity for us.”
“We don’t need any more publicity. Especially from an actress who—”
He cuts me off with a hiss, his face dark.
Even if he’s my friend, she’s still his sister, scandal or not.
Which makes me wonder as well. She got accused of stalking that pretty boy co-star of hers. Her turning up for one of the most important races of my life—was it really a coincidence?
“If you and Jaxx don’t teach Harmony and the other actors when they need it, then your public image is done for. All we need is to get some good shots and media coverage of all of you working together. That's it. Even your glare as you stood on the podium earlier made you look like an ungrateful piece of shit. How are people going to like you if you can’t even smile up there?”
I grit my teeth as my eyes drop to the carpet.
Jacob is completely right, but how am I supposed to be happy when my scent match is so close but I can’t even touch her? I don’t know whether I want to shout at her or hold her. I just need to be next to her and scent her again to find out if she’s still mine.
It doesn’t matter how fucking furious I am, it won’t change anything. Because I’m the one who asked her to wait for me.
She was desperate to bite and become mates the moment we matched, and I told her we needed to finish the season. Then I had to train for the next one, and finish the next one, until it drew out too far.
But I tried to do it the proper way. I needed her dad to accept us before we could bond. And he wouldn't accept me until I was a champion.
And that was my own fucking fault.
She left me without a reason, but did I give her a reason to stay?
Still, if I have to wait until Texas to see her, I'm going to go crazy.
“We don't have time for this. We have our own races to prepare for,” Jacob says.
I was so distracted in the space of an hour that I couldn't even celebrate something I’d been working toward my whole life. How the hell is that going to work for the next two months?
“Plus, there are certain brands that want her as an ambassador. And they will definitely sponsor us if they know that she’s racing with us.” He clicks his tongue, looking annoyed and proud at the same time. “Some sponsors use us solely because it gives them access to her, so how many people would like to see their logo on the car that she’ll drive in the movie?”
I narrow my eyes at him because I know what’s coming. This is how he always gets me.
“And more money means faster cars. Faster cars, and suddenly we’ve got Maddock Harrison standing as the World F1 Champion.”
I sigh heavily and glare at him as his grin spreads, because he knows I’m in.
“So, what do you say?” he asks as he holds out his hand to shake. “Do we have a deal?”
