Throttled (Dirty Air 1)

Never have I been so thankful for a friend. Sophie and I stumble out of the party hand in hand, leaving behind sucky decisions and bad boys.

16

Noah

I’m into Maya. Like really into her. She scrolls through her phone, unaware of her surroundings, or of me checking her out.

I want to hash it out, test the physical connection to its maximum. See how explosive the sex is. Fuck her against every hard surface in my apartment and show her a good time. The idea of exclusive fuck buddies for the rest of the Championship can be on the table if our sex proves to be as good as I imagine. Never had a permanent fuck buddy before, but I think we can be that great together.

Liam jerks me out of my daydream. He nudges my side and looks toward the cameras and reporters in front of us.

“I wasn’t paying attention to the question. Can you repeat it?” I offer a sly grin.

The group of reporters snickers at my honesty. Maya glances at me with lit-up eyes as her chest shakes from withheld laughter.

“What strategies have you taken to defend your undefeated Monaco Prix title?” The reporter stammers out his question again.

“Uh, well I usually get in the car and practice. Try to go my fastest. You know, the basics.” I play the jokester today. Stifled laughs carry through the crowd while a couple cameras click, taking photos and videos.

Everyone knows I hate questions like these. This reporter is probably new and unaware of my preference. Viewers eat this up, loving the way I act and how I present myself. They’re fans of mine for a reason.

Reporters drone on. Not wanting to make myself look

like a total idiot before a race, I make sure to pay attention to them this time. Sponsors may assume I partied too hard in Monaco. I even listen when they ask Santi how he feels about his second-place qualifier.

“Pretty good. It’s nice when my hard work pays off. Last year I retired early from Monaco after an engine failure so I’m excited to get back out there and compete against people I’ve looked up to for years.”

I nod, impressed with his answer. It seems like he’s been working on his PR skills.

Once the press conference ends, I stroll off the stage and head straight to Maya. “Funny, I never saw you again after the fashion show. Where did you disappear to?” Both my dick and I are curious where she and Sophie ran off to.

She keeps scrolling through her phone. I push one finger down on it, revealing the screen. She’s ignoring me for Instagram?

I press the auto-lock button on the side of her phone. The dark screen taunts her to look up at me, and she plays right into my hand.

I don’t like how her brown eyes intensely stare into mine, guarded and unexpressive.

“I spent time with my brother and Sophie before calling it an early night.” Her eyes dart to the side while answering.

“Funny thing because I ran into your brother five minutes after you left. He was surprised when I asked if he was able to get in contact with you. He tried to call you, but you didn’t pick up. We ended up spending the rest of the night talking with sponsors.” I shrug, trying to come off unfazed. In reality, it ticks me off how Sophie dragged Maya away. How messed up. Sadly, I had to whack off in the bathroom after Maya left to relieve the raging hard-on I had. Embarrassing as fuck. Sophie’s the worst cockblocker ever, taking Maya away right when she gave in to me.

The pink shade of her cheeks deepens, revealing enough to me.

“Would you look at the two of you, all cozy and shit. What secrets are you discussing? How to beat me tomorrow?”

I roll my eyes at Liam’s interruption before I run a hand down my face. Can Maya and I not get a second alone?

“I’m spying for my brother. My loyalty is always to him.” Maya taps her Bandini hat. The brim shows an embroidered seven on it. What would it be like if she wore my number twenty-eight? I envision her in a shirt with my name on it instead of Santiago’s.

She screws me all up inside, making me want ridiculous things.

“I better get going anyway because Santi and I have a lunch to go to. Good luck tomorrow, Liam. See you later, Noah.” She scurries away.

“Bro, you don’t want to tap that. She’s your teammate’s sister. Not worth it.”

Liam telling me to not hook up with someone is unheard of, the equivalent of him telling me to throw a race. It just isn’t done.

“Seeing as you tap anything with two legs and fake boobs, why are you giving me advice right now?” I struggle to cover up my annoyance. That came out rough, even for my standards.