Driven by Ambition, page 26
“Relax, Freddy. No one is going to notice us.”
“We’ve been the talk of the paddock all race weekend.”
“Yeah, no. We haven’t. It just feels like that. Everyone is caught up in the latest silly season dramas, especially with Letherbarrow tweeting out that he’s in talks with four different teams.” Jaxxon knew exactly how to stop him stressing.
“Letherbarrow... He’s quick, but he’s an asshole. I’m not sure I’m keen to see him step up from F2 just yet.” Freddy breathed out and followed Jaxxon out of the ride share and into the restaurant.
“Hey, it’s my new favourite couple.” Socrates greeted them both.
“You damned old match maker.” Freddy grinned as he shook Socrates’ hand, while Jaxxon rolled his eyes.
“Let’s keep the focus tonight on our race winner.” Freddy glanced around the room but couldn’t see Paulo among the hoards of people.
“Yes. Come on. Time to toast Paulo; and yes, I’m not drinking tonight.” Socrates’ face fell for a second.
“Good for you. I’ve been cutting back since your accident too.” Freddy gave Jaxxon a gentle nudge to send him off to do his job. Before Jaxxon could move, there was a huge commotion at the front door of the restaurant. Paulo walked inside accompanied by a stunningly beautiful young woman.
“Is that Dalynda Cardoso?” Socrates asked.
“Who?”
“She’s a supermodel. Don’t you follow fashion?”
Jaxxon chuckled. “Freddy only cares about racing. I didn’t pick you for a fan of fashion, Socrates.”
“Are you kidding me? I have a certain dress standard to uphold. Besides, we have a sponsorship deal with the same fashion brand that she is an ambassador for. They do all our merchandise.”
“Paulo, come over here.” Jaxxon turned to his driver and stuck out his hand. “Congratulations. Again. Well deserved win.”
The soft blush made Paulo look even younger, and damned if that didn’t make Freddy feel old. He remembered being that young, the thrill of his first win, and the validation of being in the select group of S1 drivers who won a race. Socrates nudged him in the side.
“Congratulations Paulo. It was a solid drive.”
Paulo shook his head. “Not really. We gained the position through an undercut, taking the punt on tyres, then the leaders crashed. All I had to do was hold my position.”
“For over thirty percent of the race. Don’t underestimate how hard it is to defend for that long.” Freddy knew. He’d been in that exact circumstance. “Trust me. I know.”
“Thank you.” Paulo glanced between Freddy and Jaxxon. Was he uncomfortable with them as a couple? If so, he was in the wrong team. Gamble Racing was the most openly queer team on the grid.
“And are you going to introduce us?”
“Yeah. This is Delynda Cardoso. She’s a friend of my sister and we had a thing to do after the race, so I invited her to come with me.” It was an odd way to phrase having winner’s celebration sex, and Freddy hoped that Socrates didn’t...
“A thing? Like sex?”
Paulo’s blush made Freddy feel sorry for him. “No. Um, no one expected me to win today, or ever, I guess, so my father had booked a photo shoot for after the race while we were both in the same country.”
Delynda stopped looking around the room and paid attention to them. “Mr Sanchez has a new range of clothes that he needed us to model, and this was the only night my schedule aligned with Paulo.” She was dismissive and aloof, but not unpleasant.
“And now you get to spend the evening with a bunch of car racing enthusiasts.” Socrates winked.
“Arriving here for the celebration of Paulo’s win is good publicity for both of us.” Delynda shrugged one shoulder as if to say she’d rather be anywhere else than hang out with Paulo. Poor kid.
“I understand.” Freddy had done plenty of those types of publicity stunts during his own driving career. “Welcome and I hope you enjoy the evening, regardless. We’ll get some good photos of you and Paulo with the trophy that look—”
“Casual. Yes, that would be useful. Being seen with Paulo helps both of us.” Delynda’s statement showed a depth of understanding about celebrity life. Freddy would’ve said as much but Paulo cleared his throat.
“Is the trophy here?”
“You don’t have it?” Socrates asked in a tone that reminded Freddy of how long it’d taken him to find the missing trophies; and how he couldn’t have done it without a team.
“No. I gave it Monica to keep safe while I was working with Delynda.” Paulo’s race engineer was over by the bar, chatting to Theron and Ondrej and a few of the mechanics.
Jaxxon waved his hand. “It’s on the bar near her.”
“Come on, Delynda. I’ll show it to you.”
The model smiled—what a knock-out smile—and followed Paulo across the room. As she moved, almost everyone in the room turned to stare at her.
“She’s got real star power.” Freddy was impressed, not many people had the ability to turn heads like that.
“Yes. Nothing like Paulo, who still doesn’t seem to believe he belongs here. Even after a stunning race win like today.”
Jaxxon sighed. “It’s hard not to internalise the incessant comments on social media about how he bought his seat and how he’s the second driver for us. We don’t believe that. I’m just not sure how to make him understand our position.”
“It will come once he holds the trophy for longer. Now he has his first win, and he’s here with a beautiful woman, things will change. You’ll see.” Socrates said. “You two must be pleased with the result too.”
“Of course we are.” Jaxxon glanced sideways at Freddy with a ‘what is Socrates going to say now?’ look in his eye.
“A one-two for the team and having Paulo take all the attention by bringing a supermodel to dinner means almost no attention on S1 latest hot couple.”
“I didn’t plan for that, but I am happy not to be the centre of all the gossip.” Jaxxon smiled. “The focus should be on the team and our results, not our personal life. It’s called personal for a reason.” And just as Freddy’s doubt tried to seep in, Jaxxon slung his arm over Freddy’s shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m perfectly happy being Freddy’s boyfriend and I don’t need to hide my love for him.”
“I always knew you two would make a cute couple.” Socrates smiled widely.
Freddy laughed. “If I didn’t know better, I would’ve said you’d stolen your own trophies, just to push us together.”
Socrates shook his head. “I would never. I am smugly pleased that it all worked out, and that everyone is getting exactly what they’ve earned.” His quiet reference to Chester being denied bail didn’t make Freddy feel anything. Not even the slightest twinge of pettiness. Was that growth?
He leaned his head on Jaxxon’s shoulder. “Should we invite your boss to our wedding? Or will he be too smug?”
“That’s really up to him, isn’t it?” Jaxxon didn’t scare at Freddy’s mention of a wedding, although it wasn’t in their plan and they hadn’t discussed it.
Socrates cackled with laughter. “When you are ready... Let’s get tonight’s party started first.”
***
If you enjoyed this book, the next book in the series is DRIVEN TO PROTECT, featuring Gamble Racing’s other driver, Paulo Sanchez.
Paid to protect him ... But at what cost?
Paulo's father's money bought him a seat in a Series One car, and now he needs to prove himself. Unfortunately, after a spectacular crash he finds it hard not to believe all the bad press about him. He escapes hospital to go to a dodgy bar, thinking a secret hook-up might get this all out of his system. Then he meets Cohen.
Working as a security guard in a run-down gay bar as a trans man has meant Cohen has seen a lot of things. But none as shocking as when rich and famous Paulo offers him a new job. He can take the money and protect his boss without getting emotionally involved. Can’t he?
As the racing season progresses, they have everything to prove. Paulo needs to be the driver he knows he can be, and Cohen needs to show that he can protect the man he’s falling in love with.
***
Want a bit more sexy romance? Sign up to my newsletter to read the free series prequel: http://www.reneedahlia.com/books/gamble-racing/news/
Acknowledgements
I pay my respects to the Wangal people of the Eora Nation, who are the traditional owners of the land on which this book was written.
My kids, who are huge F1 fans, for working out the fake race season results for my drivers in this series and helping with other technical details. If you want to see the full spreadsheet, it’s an extra on my Patreon.
Thank you to Lina, the Word Makers, Rachel Reid and the Carina discord. You’ve all championed this series and your support has kept me writing during a difficult year in personal life.
Author Notes
The average cost of a heart transplant in the USA in 2019 was $1,382,400. In Australia, the cost to the individual at a public hospital is $0 (plus parking), and the average cost paid via insurance at a private hospital in Australia was A$150,000 in 2020. In the UK, a heart transplant done by the NHS costs $0 (plus parking) to the individual, and the average cost paid via insurance at a private hospital is £40,000 plus around £100,000 for the pre-surgery and post-surgery time in 2020.
McLaren drivers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost won the 1988 and 1989 F1 World Championship. In my fictional world, these two years went to Socrates Drayton. Senna won again in 1990 and 1991, while Prost also won in 85, 86, and 1993.
On average F1 drivers’ reaction speed is three times faster than the ordinary person. At the end of the 2021 season, there had been 770 drivers who had started an F1 race and only 111 (14.4%) had achieved a race win.
All Books by Renée Dahlia
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Contemporary Series: Gamble Racing
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Driven to Protect (mm)
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Show Up (ff with bisexual heroine)
Show Off (ff with bisexual heroines)
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Out of Her League (fm with bisexual characters)
His Buxom Beauty (fm)
Craving His Spotlight (mm)
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Betrayed (fm)
Forbidden (fm with bisexual characters)
Liability (ff)
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Making Her Mark (fm with bisexual heroine)
Two Hearts Healing (fm)
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Also by Renee Dahlia
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Strum Me Hard
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Love Wasn't Built In A Day
The Secret Life of Spinsters
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Gamble Racing
Driven To Distraction
Driven By Passion
Driven By Ambition
Great War
Her Lady's Melody
Her Lady's Fortune
His Lord's Soldier
Kapow
Out of Her League
His Buxom Beauty
Craving His Spotlight
Her Pregnant Rival
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Show Up
Show Off
Show Queen
Show Time
Show Dance
Standalone
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Renee Dahlia, Driven by Ambition
