Boost by Vi Summers

 

Chapter 19

-Greer-

 

 

A knowing smile spread across my lips as soon as his hand touched down on the small of my back. I’d taken his words, twisted them and threw them back.

And what do you know? Rafael was an air of confidence and chivalry as he guided me through the tables and pulled out my seat.

“I’ll play your little game, mamacita. For now,” he murmured out of the side of his mouth, just loud enough for me to hear above the attendees’ applause as Colton took the stage.

The smile I threw over my shoulder faltered. I expected to see humor in his expression. The signature smirk on his mouth. Not the darkened glower or the sharp angle of his eyebrows. Maybe I’d pushed him too far. Cornered him when I should have known better.

The tense set of his jaw and shoulders reminded me that I hardly knew him. Men like Rafael had hardened edges that were shaped by their upbringing; ones that couldn’t be smoothed off, no matter how hard anyone tried.

He reluctantly slid into his seat opposite me and angled away from the media lining the walls. For a guy who thrived off attention, he sure was uneasy around the cameras.

I looked around the crowd as the applause dampened so Colton could start his speech. Tuxedos and expensive gowns, champagne in crystal flutes, million-dollar smiles. The view exuded money and wealth. Exactly what we intended when collating the exclusive guest list.

I gave Raf a reassuring smile, only to receive a stoic glare in return. Barely resisting the urge to reach across the table and touch his forearm, I forced my attention back to Colton at the microphone.

“Good evening all. Thank you for being here tonight, and for the generous donations we’ve received so far. I’m Colton Donavan, and it is my absolute pleasure to officially launch the Colton Donavan Boost Foundation for street racing youths.”

More rapturous applause broke out as Colton fed off the electrifying atmosphere in the large room. Rylee wore an adoring smile, and I swear if heart-eyes were a real thing, she had them. A pang of longing cut through my chest. I was yet to find a man that made me want to look at him the way she looked at hers.

Colton continued his speech, capturing and holding the attention of every pair of eyes in the room. I zoned out momentarily and let my mind wander until the mention of Landon-Michaels PR snapped me back to the present.

I stood and gave a little wave as Colton introduced me as the foundation’s PR manager, and the instant heads turned my way, Rafael bristled. He hissed a curse under his breath and dipped his head until the attention was redirected.

While I didn’t fully understand his compulsion to keep a low-profile, I recognized that he was different from every other man and woman in this room, myself included. Being thrust unwillingly into the spotlight emphasized those differences as if he was under a microscope. The only man with an ear-piercing. The only one with tattoos decorating his neck and hands. The only man itching to leave before the gala had started.

My heart unexpectedly ached for him, and I found myself respecting him for his loyalty to Colton and his commitment to the hopes and dreams of young racers. Tonight, Rafael earned that respect from me, and a subtle shift happened within.

With Colton’s speech concluded, the first round of the charity auctions was about to start before the seated dinner. Raf glared at me from across the table. While his expression gave nothing away, his eyes spoke the emotions that were audibly withheld. I saw them though, loud and clear; impatience. Sufferance.

Those emotions dispersed the instant he unexpectedly pushed back from the table and set me in his sights. His expression morphed into one of pure devilishness. The look alone made my breath hitch as he rounded the circular seating plan and arrived at my side. Desires and unspoken demands. Possession and defiance. They were all right there beneath the surface of his darkened irises.

“You’re mine now, mamacita,” he drawled while reaching for my hand.

I warily rose to my feet and wove my arm through his, allowing him to escort me toward the rear of the room without causing a scene.

However, instead of stopping near the bar like I assumed we would, he set his free hand over mine and kept walking toward the door.

My steps slowed. “Where are we going?”

“Date night.”

I began to resist and tug. “We can’t just leave!”

“We can, and we are,” he clipped, gesturing to the valet for his car.

“But my clutch-”

Raf clicked his fingers at the woman on the desk and was straight-up rude to her. “Get Greer Landon her belongings.”

I shot her an apologetic look. Once she was out of sight, I roughly pulled out of Raf’s grip and slapped his upper arm.

“What the hell was that? You’re being an ass.”

He made a flippant hand gesture. “That was me getting shit done. And this-” He made a circling motion between us. “Is me taking charge. I’ve played by your game, Boss Lady, now you play by mine.”

I could have wiped the cocky smirk off his face. Folding my arms across my chest, I pursed my lips and glared hard when his eyes dropped to my cleavage.

When they finally returned to my face, there wasn’t even a hint of wrongdoing.

“Finished?” I snapped.

One corner of his mouth tugged. “Not nearly.”

The receptionist came back with my clutch and handed it over. I thanked her sincerely, and then turned back to Rafael. “Colton won’t be happy.”

He scoffed. “Colton won’t give a fuck. In fact, he’s probably counting down the minutes before he can escape too.”

“It’s the launch of his own foundation,” I exclaimed, throwing my arms wide.

Raf simply shrugged off my comment and looked toward the exit. When a gorgeous, sleek, dark-emerald car pulled up, he splayed his palm on my lower back and urged me forward. Warmth spread over my skin, reminding me of his lust-laden words earlier.

“There wasn’t a spark between you and him just now. Not like the one between us.”

“This is yours?” I asked in awe.

“Yup.”

The purring rumble of the engine idling sent a wave of goosebumps rippling over my shoulders. It was sexy.

I wordlessly slid into the passenger seat when Raf held the door open for me, and the heavenly scent of leather made me sigh. It smelled like a thousand new handbags, and enough to make my fingers itch to run over the smooth surfaces around me. The rich caramel shade of the interior leather contrasted gorgeously with the dark emerald exterior paint and left me impressed with Rafael’s taste in cars.

Raf rounded the hood and paused at the driver's door to shuck off his tux jacket. He smiled as he slid behind the wheel and tossed the jacket into the back seat.

“It’s nice, eh?”

“It’s divine,” I agreed, then hummed. “And that smell!”

He chuckled as I ran my hand across the dash, almost in a scent-induced trance.

After fumbling with his bow-tie and all but tearing it off, Raf flicked open the top two buttons on his collared-shirt, and then worked on each wrist. I watched him roll both sleeves, exposing more of his inked forearms, two inches at a time.

“Buckle up, baby,” he murmured, once he was done.

I gave him a wry look as I clicked the seat-belt into place. “No more costume changes?”

If looks could incinerate, I would have turned to ashes on the spot. “Maybe later, mamacita, if you play my game right.”

“Good luck with that, slick,” I deadpanned.

With a grin on his face, Raf put the car in drive and smoothly coasted forward.

“I never took you for a Porsche man.”

He scoffed and gave me another glower. “This ain’t just some run-of-the-mill Porsche, Greer. One look around will tell you that. And while we're on the subject, what kind of car man did you take me for?”

“Well… more like what you raced the other night,” I replied honestly. “What was it?”

“Toyota Supra RZ. And to be honest, I have a wide taste in cars. What I drive depends on my mood, or what I’m doing at the time.”

I nestled back into the seat and rolled my head his way. “You have many contrasting sides, Mr. Ortiz.”

His smile wavered at the corner before he got the reaction under control. While his demeanor stayed relaxed, tension pulled at his usually smooth voice.

“Everyone does, mamacita. But it’s the people who are most broken who are best at hiding it from the outside world.”

“I’m sorry if I touched on a sensitive subject,” I said softly.

He shook his head and reached across to squeeze my hand. “Never be sorry for speaking your truth. It’s part of what I admire about you.”

“You admire me?” I laughed lightly.

“Sure.”

“What else do you admire about me, then?”

Raf chuckled. “Now you’re just fishing for compliments, Boss Lady.”

I giggled under my breath and held onto the edge of the seat as we wove through the streets.

“So, since you’ve basically kidnapped me, where are we going?”

“We’re going driving, of course,” he replied happily, dancing a hand through the air to indicate that it should be obvious.

My pulse spiked. “Are we going racing?”

Rafael did a double-take in my direction, then his face split into a wide, perfect-toothed, grin. “So, there is a little rebel in there, huh?” He laughed loudly when I playfully slugged his arm.

“You have no idea,” I retorted with attitude.

His heated gaze raked up and down my entire body in between fleeting glances at the street ahead. “Oh, I think I do, baby girl.”

I squirmed under the building temptation. Impulsive thoughts crashed through my mind, all of which involved giving into the buzz of tonight, the darkened night around us, and the lust-laden lure that Rafael so effortlessly exuded.

He seemed unaffected by whatever it was between us, so I tried to push the illicit ideas to the side while looking out of the passenger window.

His voice eventually cut through the silence. “You’re curious, aren’t you?”

I whipped my head around. “About?”

Another half-cocked smile created a fresh wave of heat between my legs. “About racing. Why? What were you thinking I meant?”

I coughed a little. “Racing, of course.”

“Ah huh, and that’s why you’ve got bedroom eyes on right now?” he drawled.

Embarrassment roared through me. “Okay, it seems that you abducted me just to ridicule me. Take me home,” I demanded.

The irritated outburst helped to hide my discomposure. Rafael had me completely out of my depth from the moment I met him, and tonight was emphasizing it.

“Oh, you don’t mean that, mamacita. We’re just about to get to the fun part.”

I became suddenly apprehensive. “Which is?”

His eyes shone with excitement under the streetlights as we headed for the freeway. “Driving fast. You wanna see what this Porsche can do?”

“You may as well put your money where your mouth is, slick, because so far all I’ve got from you is talk.”

My body was propelled forward from the force of Raf breaking hard, then pinned back against the seat by his outstretched arm as he swerved to the curb.

“What the hell?” I yelled, panting heavily to catch my breath after the unexpected adrenaline rush.

His usual dark-brown eyes were almost black and wild. “You’ve got a way of provoking me, Greer. It’s a dangerous game you’re playing.”

I swallowed thickly and forced a smile. It wavered thanks to the intensity of Rafael’s expression and imposing body language.

“I thought you liked games?”

A wicked little chuckle escaped. “Oh, I do. You’re yet to fully understand how much. Start counting down from three, then back up after you reach go.”

My eyes flared. “Why? What are you up to?”

“On paper, this car can do zero-to-sixty in three-point-six seconds.”

“And in practice?” I asked, as nerves erupted in my stomach.

His smirk widened. “A shade under four.”

I gulped as he checked the rear vision mirrors. “Start counting, Boss Lady.”

“Rafael, I don’t think this is a good idea-”

He cut in. “Three… Two… One.”

The breath was knocked from my lungs and my head thrown back against the headrest from the force of the acceleration. Within the space of two inhales, we were peeling onto the freeway at a speed that blurred the outside world. Raf wove in and out of the minimal traffic and accelerated harder, the car responding instantly to his demand for more.

Within those single few moments, the surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins consumed me, and I wanted to experience the kick all over again.

Rafael’s crazed laughter cut through the haze that created a lust-like ache low in my belly. “Doesn’t it make you want to fuck, Boss Lady?”

The rush and his cocky question rendered me intoxicated and speechless.

Another snigger came from the driver’s side. “I take your stunned silence as a yes, then.”