Page 7 of Too Fast To Fall
As she strode through the parking lot, Piper took note of who exactly qualified to be in the exclusive parking lot. Therewere so many fancy, expensive cars. Bugatti. Porsche. Ferrari. McLaren. Beautiful people were climbing out of said cars, farmore stylish and worldly than she. But this was all typical for Miami, so it didn’t faze her too much, even though she felta tad underdressed in her jeans, sneakers and plain white tee. She’d thought about something more upscale, but the realitywas that simple, comfortable clothes were the only appropriate attire when caring for a dog. And that was the real reasonshe was here.
“Piper?” A red-haired woman wearing a black Mega Racing polo appeared.
“That’s me. Are you Isabel?” Piper’s pulse picked up again, then calmed when Isabel smiled.
“I am. First things first. You’re going to need this.” She looped a lanyard and jumbo laminated Mega Racing pass over Piper’shead. Piper held the plastic pass in her hand and ran a finger over it. The F1 letters glimmered in the sunlight. This wasall too surreal. Never had she imagined she’d have one of these around her neck. Never ever.
Still, she had to play it cool. It’d be a long time before something this exciting happened to her again, and it was of paramountimportance to be a professional. No matter what her mom thought, Piper took her job seriously.
Piper followed Isabel through the security scanner. “Welcome to the paddock. Team garages are along this side.” Isabel pointedto her left. People wearing gear for the various teams rushed around in every direction. Piper was on the lookout for drivers,but no such luck yet. “If you’re ready, I’ll take you back to meet Emilio Baquero.”
“I didn’t know he had a dog.” Piper didn’t merely follow Formula One as a sport; she was invested in the personal lives ofthe drivers. She kept up with everyone’s wives and girlfriends, theWAGsas they were called. And, of course, she knew about everyone’s pets.
“So you’re a fan?” Isabel asked.
“Honestly, I’m a total nerd for F1. My dad got me hooked when I was little. We watch together.”
“Then you’ll fit right in.” Isabel led them inside a glass-and-steel building, then down a long corridor. She stopped at adoor and gave it two knocks. “This is Emilio’s driver’s room.”
“Come in,” a voice called.
Oh, shit. I know that voice.The out-of-body thing was starting to happen again. Piper’s heart fiercely thumped in her chest.Whump. Whump. Whump.A vision of Emilio after qualifying yesterday—him combing his sweaty hair back from his face after removing his helmet—beganto materialize in her head. Sure, she’d only seen him at a tiny scale on her phone, surrounded by poofy white satin and lace,but she’d fully memorized the image. He’d looked so pissed off. So frustrated. And yet, he couldn’t have been sexier if hetried.
Isabel opened the door and stepped inside. Piper hesitated for a moment, the nerves making her feet heavy. Her eyes struggledto focus as the vision of the intoxicatingly handsome in-person Emilio before her slowly merged with the one that she’d beencarrying around in her head. He was 3-D now. Flesh and bone. Ruggedandsmooth. With thick, chaotic eyebrows and perfect bronze skin. And his lips... good God, those lips. They were so...touchablein real life. They made her own lips tremble—they really wanted to hang out with his.
“You must be the dog sitter.” He moved closer to shake her hand.
“That’s me. I’m Piper.” As he touched her, the room started to spin. She had not been ready for skin-to-skin contact. Hishands were strong. Firm. “It’s nice to meet you,” she managed, feeling wistful when he took his touch away.
“I want you to meet Gus.”
At the mere mention of his name, the dog popped up from his spot on the floor and rushed over to greet her, tail wagging.
Piper recognized him right away, too. Suddenly, she put two and two together. “Oh, wait. I know Gus. I’ve seen him all oversocial media. With uh...” She looked Emilio in the face and his expression soured. “Your uh...” His eyes narrowed. Howwas she supposed to say this? She knew Gus because he’d once been a regular on the social accounts of Emilio’s stunning ex-girlfriend,Victoria. Piper had assumed Gus belonged to her.
“You might know Gus from Victoria Bamford’s social feeds,” Isabel said, rescuing Piper from the gaffe she’d stumbled into.“But Emilio is his owner.”
“Right. Great.” Piper saw Emilio’s expression soften. Crisis averted. Piper crouched down and raised Gus’s face to hers. Hewent right in for a kiss, the big flirt. Piper fell back on her butt, laughing, which Gus took as invitation for a full-onlicking assault. “Okay, buddy. It’s nice to meet you, too. Aren’t you a handsome boy?” She hadn’t really planned on beingon her back, wriggling on the floor of Emilio’s driver’s room, but there she was.
“Oh. Gus. No. No. I’m sorry.” Emilio rushed over and offered his hand. “Let me help you.”
In a daze, Piper placed her hand in his. The second time they touched, there was a quantifiable spark. A sizzle of electricitybetween them, although Piper was sure that he was delivering and she was receiving. He was too spectacular to think anythingof her. He effortlessly pulled her to standing, having no problem engaging his core. “I’ve been mowed over by plenty of dogs.He seems super sweet.”
Emilio looked at her and their gazes locked. For an instant, he quirked half a smile, then he shook his head, his expressiondropped and he pulled back his hand. “I need to go.” He marched to the door. “Isabel can tell you everything you need to know.I’ll see you after the race.”
“Good luck!” Piper called, but he was gone. “Did I say something wrong?” she asked Isabel.
“He’s like that. Intense. Believe me, he’s happy to have someone watching Gus.”
Piper leaned over and gave Gus a scratch behind the ears. She needed to focus on the positive. She was being paid handsomelyto care for a sweet dog while getting an inside look at her favorite sport. It didn’t matter that Gus’s famous dad didn’tseem to like her that much. Even though itwasdisappointing. “The service I work for said you had a dog sitter quit?”
“Tryfour.”
“Really? He’s so sweet.” Sure enough, Gus was sitting at her side, patient as could be.
“It always starts off well, but he has a way of getting off leash and running away. I’m not sure why or how.”
“I’ll keep an eye peeled for any escape attempts.”
