Alien Romance: Interview with an Alien (Football Paranormal Invasion Abduction Alpha Sci-fi Romance) (Fantasy First New Adult Contact Science Fiction Mystery Sports Alien Short Stories) (36 page)

*****

Tick roared off down the track, showering the crew with dust. It hadn’t rained in weeks and the skidding tires had struggled to find grip.

“Does that always happen?” Suzie asked.

“We sometimes sneak around with a brush,” the chief said. “If we get enough warning of a stop, we can sweep the area clean inside of a minute. But it builds up quickly during a race.”

The six-man crew stood outside the roller shutters, lined up in two rows of three, exactly as Suzie had suggested earlier. At a signal from the chief, the front row took one step to the left, and the back row stepped forward.

“Nep-toon!” the single line called out. They exploded into life; four of the men collected wheels from the stack outside the garage. Bob lifted a lightweight car jack, and the remaining crewman seized a fuel dump can.

“Go!” They marched forward to the cement wall that protected the pit from the track. The four wheels were set on the wall in two pairs. The other two crewmen stood between them, waiting for their driver to arrive. 

“Team Neptune ready, Boss.” At that moment, the roar of a Nascar engine cut through the air. Suzie stared as two of the wheel-men leap-frogged the cement wall, landing in a crouch. A moment later, the other two wheel-men followed, landing beside their colleagues, who were already rising and turning. Wheels were snatched from the wall and carried to the far side of where the car would stop. The other two wheels were dropped to the ground and leaned against the wall. The jack-man laced his fingers together, and the refueller put a foot into them, stepping up and onto the wall. The wheel-men closest to the wall reached up and lowered the refueller to the ground. Bob, who had carried the car jack to the wall, sprang up and performed a somersault, landing with his arms wide. The wheel-men lifted the jack as Bob spun, to place it in his hands.

Suzie glanced at the chief, who was nodding and smiling. The whole performance had taken less than ten seconds.

Bob the jack-man turned to face the oncoming car as Tick roared toward them. Suzie was startled by the car’s speed, even though she’d seen tire changes a thousand times. Her eyes widened as Tick roared into the space bracketed by the four tires, and stopped exactly on the money. Bob went to work, hoisting over three thousand pounds of car into the air inside two seconds. Suzie watched in awe as two wheels were pulled clear and two fresh ones were fitted. The car hit the ground, the crew scampered around to the other side, and the process was repeated. She counted out fourteen seconds before the rear wheels were spinning and the lime green Nascar was roaring away.

“Nep-toon!” the crew yelled as they jumped clear. Tick threw her a casual wave as he passed, blasting her with noise and dust. Suzie pressed a hand to her forehead as the car dwindled to a toy, then swept left around the banked track and out of sight.

“That’s our first routine,” the chief said.

“Your
first
?”

“We have other ideas. If we can develop them quickly enough, the public will never see the same one twice.”

“Looks like the guys had fun.”

“They were getting bored with the same old scrambling-about. This has given something to get their teeth into.”

“Bravo!” Suzie clapped her hands, and the crew grinned. “Who knew we had our very own cheerleading team?”

The pit crew hurried the tires back to the garage, stacking them in readiness for the next drill. Suzie leaned closer to the chief.

“How’s the cooling system performing these days?”

“Still eight degrees’ advantage over the standard design.”

“More horsepower?”

“The output varies, but yes, it makes a noticeable difference.”

“Forty grand well spent,” Suzie said. “But I’m curious to know how McNamara heard about it.”

“It didn’t come from me. And none of the crew know about it. I connect the hoses personally, so no one sees the inner core.”

“We still have a mole in the system, Chief.”

“I’ll let you know if I hear anything, Boss.”

“Thanks.” Suzie fell silent, relishing the roar echoing back from the banked track as Tick gunned the Neptune car around the far side.

“Nep-toon!” the crew called, and the carefully-choreographed circus act rolled out of the garage once again.

The second pit stop was a full second faster as the crew warmed up. It seemed the play-acting was good for their reactions. Suzie made a note to encourage them whenever possible. As Tick roared away and the crew scrambled to retrieve the changed tires, the chief pressed a finger to his ear.

“Tick?” Suzie asked. The chief nodded, then headed for the garage, leaving Suzie alone in the hot afternoon sun. He returned less than a minute later, barely ahead of the performing pit crew.

“Here.” He handed her an open-face white helmet.

She stared at it as her hands moved automatically. “Ah… what’s this for?”

“You put it on your head!” he yelled over the approaching roar.

“I know that, Chief. I mean what—”

“No time to explain. When he stops, get in the other door.”

“
What?
”

“It’ll be good for you to see things from the other side.”

“Hey, wait. I can’t—”

“Here he comes!”

“Chief!” Suzie protested, but he was already ushering her to the passenger side, even though Tick was still moving at close to a hundred. The crew crouched, tensed and ready. Tick parked the Nascar perfectly, and the passenger side was lifted. Wheels were pulled off, and replacements were pushed into place. The buzz guns whined, and then the car was dropping. The crew melted away, leaving the way clear.

“Awww…” Suzie moaned. She was still trying to fasten the open-face helmet. The chief pulled open the flimsy door, exposing the sturdy tubular cage inside.

“In, in…” he urged. Suzie squeezed past the steelwork and dropped into the deep seat. The car rocked from side to side as the jack-man worked to raise the driver’s side. Tick glanced across as the chief connected the six-point harness and tugged the straps tight. A raised thumb hovered in front of Suzie’s face. Too shocked to do anything other than raise a hand, she watched as the chief retreated and closed the flimsy door, locking it securely.

The car hit the ground, bounced once, and a huge hand pressed against her chest as the garage blurred into streaks of color. The noise was staggering. Not an ounce was squandered on luxuries such as soundproofing, or cushioning. She was strapped into a Kevlar bowl, trapped in a steel-and-fiberglass box, propelled forward by seven hundred fifty horsepower.

She screamed, but it was completely lost in the harsh noise. She’d nothing to hold onto except the straps across her chest. The track slid across in front of her, climbing steeply to her right, falling away to her left. The car tilted over as they hit the first corner. G-forces pushed her down into the seat, and she suddenly understood why Kevlar was used. Her weight doubled, and she would have crushed ordinary cushioning, altering her position drastically. Not too bad for a passenger, but problematic for a driver.

The V-eight roar echoed back at her from the wall, which was getting closer and closer. She gripped the belts tighter, hoping Tick knew what he was doing. Abruptly, the corner ended, and the car hurtled down the bank toward the yellow line at the left side, closing to within a few inches of the penalty-earning zone. But Tick kept his wheels on the correct side, teasing the edge as he hit two hundred. If he was practicing for race day, some poor official was likely to get a headache watching for a transgression. Suzie glanced across to see Tick grinning at her.

“The road!” she yelled. “Keep your eyes on the road!”

“There’s nothing coming!” he yelled back.

“Forward! Forward! Forward!” she howled. She wanted to point at the windshield, but she was too afraid to let go the belt. Fortunately, Tick nodded and turned his attention to the next corner, which was already looming, a gray mountain streaked with black. Suzie was squashed down into the seat again as they roared around, climbing to gain height so he could trade it for speed on the way out.

And then they were back on the flat, facing the long straight which would take them back to the pits. Suzie was shocked to realize they’d completed most of a lap—in the space of a few stunned breaths. As Tick pulled over to the left, and closer to the pit wall, he yelled across to her.

“Now do you see why I love this?”

“You’re all crazy! The whole damn lot of you!”

“I know, right?” He grinned. The car maintained an insane speed. Suzie glimpsed tiny, dark figures ahead. They grew larger very quickly. At the last minute, it seemed, the car shuddered to a halt, and her side rose into the air faster than an elevator.

“Can I get out now?”

“Take a look around,” Tick shouted over the unsteady grumble of the engine. “Tell me what you see.”

“Not a damn thing,” she replied. “Except what’s ahead.”

“That’s all there is. Sometimes you get a glimpse in a mirror, or see another car alongside, but only from the corner of your eye. The focus is on what’s out
there!
” he jabbed a finger at the windshield.

Suzie’s side of the car hit the ground. “Can I get out now?” Dark figures darted past the hood. Tick’s side rose into the air. Buzz guns whined and screamed.

“One more time around the block,” Tick called. His side hit the ground and a huge hand squashed Suzie back into the most uncomfortable, yet strongest seat known to man.

She screamed.

*****

“How was it?” the chief asked. Suzie trembled from head to foot as he unfastened the helmet’s chin strap.

“I think I might go throw up somewhere.”

The chief patted her shoulder. “Have a glass of milk. There’s some in the chiller.”

“I had no idea the ride was so insane—and so damn loud. I mean, it’s noisy enough out here.”

“But now you have a better idea of how hard he works.”

“How hard you all work. How does that thing…” She indicated the car. “…not shake itself to pieces?”

The chief tapped the side of his nose. “Know-how, Boss. And over sixty-five years of racing stocks.”

Suzie frowned. “You don’t look old enough to have been around that long.”

“History, Boss. Stock cars have been around since 1949. They looked a little different back then, though.”

“I’m sure they did.” Suzie pressed a hand to her mouth as her stomach turned over.

“Milk. Chiller.” The chief ushered her toward the garage.

“Sure, sure. Urp…” Suzie pressed a hand to her mouth and hurried inside, unsure if she was going to make it to a sink in time. The milk would have to wait.

****

“Are you feeling any better?”

“Hmm?” She lifted her head from the pillow and tried to focus on the speaker. The trailer rocked as he stepped inside.

“Sorry I made you ill.”

“Oh, it wasn’t you…” She let her head fall back. “It was the noise, the smells, the vibration…”

“The G-forces? The speed?”

“All of the above. But don’t mention anymore. Right now, I’m visualizing a crystal blue Italian stream.”

“A calming influence?”

“Water always soothes me.”

“I’ll need to remember that.”

“What? Why?”
What are you planning? A seduction?

“Because some of the oval tracks have restaurants beside rivers, or lakes. You’d like them.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Can I sit down?”

“Why?”

“Because these trailers weren’t designed for people over six feet tall.”

“Oh, okay. Sure.”

“So are you hating me now?”

“Hating you? Why would I?” Instead of answering, Tick indicated Suzie’s prone body. “Oh. I see. No, I don’t hate you. I’m annoyed at my own weakness.” She cringed, hating herself for admitting her feelings to an employee. How was she supposed to create respect when she talked that way?

Tick clasped his hands together and sighed. “I used to be pit crew. Not a very good one, but I had a place on Team Carlson.”

“I don’t think I heard of—”

“They fell apart a dozen years ago. But I had a few years with them. One day I made some smartass comment about how easy the drivers have it while we did all the work.”

“You said that?”

Tick nodded. “Next thing, I was being strapped into a Nascar, just as you were today.”

“They took you for a run around the block.”

“Ten blocks. They made me endure ten fucking laps. I was sick on the third time around. And again on the fifth. And the seventh…”

“They should have stopped.”

“Nope. It taught me a valuable life lesson.”

“Never shoot your mouth off in front of the boss?”

“Nope. I still do that today.”

“So what was the lesson?”

“Never eat a fried breakfast before a drive.”

Suzie nodded as she considered his words. “Good advice.”

“I didn’t set out to make you sick.”

“It was a bonus though, admit it.”

“Nope. I’m sorry, really. I only wanted you to taste real excitement.”

“I got a different taste in my mouth right now.”

“I should leave you to rest.” He stood up.

“How did the pit drills go?”

“You better ask the chief that. I only saw a blur. I’m sure they shaved a couple seconds off their first time.”

“I thought so.”

“The car was singing today, though.”

“That’s great,” she managed.

“Okay. Maybe see you later, then?”

“If I can heal myself.” She forced a weak smile onto her face as he squeezed her shoulder. A peculiar tingle warmed her chest as he moved toward the door. “Tick?”

“Yeah?”

“That was a great ride, by the way.”

He smiled. “That comment is loaded with innuendo.”

“I know. Now get out… please.”

****

The next race was a huge success - not least for the pit crew. Their routine went perfectly. They managed to forward-flip over the wall without mishap as they raced to service Tick’s car. Once complete, they helped each other back over the wall as if they were marines on an assault course, ending their show with a victory dance on the top of the wall. The crowd roared approval as they forward-flipped off the wall and back into the safety of the pit area. The chief was convinced the track officials would have something to say, but he was having too much fun to care. Team Neptune’s tire change had made the other teams look clumsy and disorganized.

“Someone’s gonna get hurt if your guys keep clowning around,” Alec McNamara complained. Suzie ignored him. Instead she cheered as Tick passed Team Dysart and kept climbing until he reached fourth place, finishing eighteen seconds behind the third-place driver. Given another thirty laps, Tick would have caught him. He’d simply run out of time.

“Maybe I should get myself an illegal cooling system,” McNamara muttered.

“It’s not illegal, Alec,” Suzie reminded him. They simply haven’t imagined the design to be possible.”

“Still shouldn’t be allowed. How’s it work, anyway?”

Ah-hah!
Suzie struggled not to smile.
He doesn’t know anything about the design.
“It’s pretty standard, Alec. If it was radical, the scrutineers would have already investigated it.”

“So it’s hidden inside something legal, then?”

Oops.
Suzie realized she’d already said too much. “It’s pretty standard, like I said.” As McNamara walked away, Suzie knew a potential leak had been eliminated. If the engineering company had told McNamara about the new cooler, they’d have also told him how it was put together. McNamara had heard a rumor, nothing more.

Tick walked into the garage, his arms thrown wide. Suzie stayed back as he was mobbed by the pit crew. Several man -hugs were exchanged. The chief offered a firm handshake, then stepped back.

Tick grinned at Suzie. “Do I get a hug from the boss?” He nodded at her lime greens, still emblazoned with ‘The Boss’ across the back.

“Not where the photographers can see us.” She offered her hand. But he threw his arms around her instead. The pit crew cheered and clapped as she tried to free herself.

“Get
off!
” she yelled. But Tick held on for another few seconds before releasing her. “You idiot!”

“What? I did good today, right guys?”

“You know what the press have been saying about us, about our so-called relationship!”

The chief cleared his throat. “Okay, boys. Let’s go clean up.” He ushered the pit crew out of the garage.

“I don’t care what the press says,” Tick said.

“But don’t you care that it bothers me? That the only reason I brought you into this team was to
sleep
with you?” 

“And did you?”

Suzie stared in disbelief. “Why, you thick-headed, half-witted Neanderthal!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

“I’m not! Don’t you see how much it hurts me?” She narrowed her eyes. “And don’t you see what it says about
you?
”

Her words touched a nerve. “What does it say about me?”

“That you’re only here because you have a dick. Not because you’re any good at driving!”

“I have balls. You said so yourself.”

She pressed a hand to her head. “Fucking hell, Tick. Don’t you get it?”

“Not really.”

She sighed. “Because sleeping with the lady-boss is okay for the guy. But it makes me look cheap and manipulative.”

“Really?” He frowned.

“Yes, really.”

“I’m… sorry. I didn’t look at it from your point of view.”

“Of course you didn’t. You’re just a guy. A…a—”

“A thick-headed, half-witted Neanderthal?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

He considered her for a moment. “It’s a good thing I’m too stupid to understand an insult like that.”

“I know you’re not stupid,” Suzie said. “But you have no idea how awful the rumors make me feel. Even the CEO made a comment…” Her throat tightened, strangling her speech. She drew her hands down her face. Tick opened his arms and beckoned her into his embrace. After a moment’s hesitation, she gave in and let him hold her.

“There, now. Is it really so bad?”

“No,” she admitted.
I feel safe here, even though I shouldn’t have given in to him.

“I’ll keep the nasty rumor-mongers at bay.”

“How, exactly?”

“I’ll tell the world I’m gay.”

She stared up at him. “You seriously expect them to swallow that? After all the women you’ve had?”

Tick sighed. “Can I let you in on a secret?”

“Sure. Of course.”

“I didn’t sleep with ninety percent of the women I’m reported to.”

“As if I believe you. You have a great reputation as a womanizer.”

“And where did you read about this ‘great reputation,’ might I ask?”

“In the papers?” The statement, started with confidence, emerged as a question once she realized her error.

“The same papers that have you down as cheap and manipulative?”

“I see your point.”

“The media is easy to fool. Give them a juicy rumor and they run with it.”

“I bet you enjoy your fake reputation,” Suzie murmured into his chest. “Hey, you said ninety percent! What about the other ten?”

Tick shrugged. “I was young and foolish.”

“So you haven’t had another woman since… when, exactly?”

He frowned as he searched his memory. “Seven months, I think. Maybe eight.”

“But they must be throwing themselves at you!”

“They’re throwing themselves at a fantasy. Sure, I have needs, but most days I’m too damn tired to bother. You’ve seen how hard I drive.”

“It was intense,” she admitted.

“Imagine how it sounds with forty cars around you, all pushing and shoving with their engines screaming.”

“I feel sick thinking about it.” She grabbed a handful of his t-shirt and pressed her face against the material. His skin was hot against her cheek.

“You’ve seen pictures of me with lots of different women, but the truth is…” he glanced around, then lowered his voice. “Most of them go home disappointed.”

“Only most of them?”

“Yeah. The others get autographs, or a peck on the cheek.”

“I’m curious. Where do you put these autographs?”

“I could show you, but you’d need to undress first.”

She lifted her head from his chest and stared into his soft brown eyes. A snarky comment formed on her lips, but she held it back. She couldn’t blame him for having some fun. Who the hell was she to judge him anyway? She didn’t own him; he was a grown man, free to sleep with whomever he chose. So what if he signed a few boobs or butts? As long as he turned up sober in the morning and raced as hard as he could for the team, his private life was none of her concern.

But the thought of him drawing his pen across bare breasts sent a warm tingle through her body. A crazy impulse seized her, and she tried to remember if she had a Sharpie in her purse. Wouldn’t it be refreshing, just for once, to let go of her dignity and get him to sign her body? She started to pull back, ready to expose her chest to him, when the reality of her daydream hit home.

What if the chief, or one of the crew walked in? What if a sharp-eyed camera caught a glimpse of their activities? No, she decided. It was a stupid idea. But the crazy notion set her heart hammering with excitement; her ears were hot and her breaths erratic.

“Okay, okay, calm down,” she murmured.

“What was that?” Tick asked.

“Nothing. Just a crazy thought.”

“Really? As crazy as ‘Okay, Tick. If you finish third in the next race, I’ll let you sign my boobs too’ sort of crazy.”

She stared at him for a long moment before speaking. “Third?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You really think you can grab third?”

“I could if my mind was being driven crazy by the thought of you saying yes to my proposal.”

“You really think I’d stoop to something like that?”

“You might. Imagine how good you’d look in the boardroom.”