Trading Paint (Racing on the Edge) (76 page)

Racing on the Edge

Detent Torque

Jameson Riley

June 2003

Detent Torque – Described as torque that is present in a non-energized motor.

The North Carolina sun was just beginning to rise over Lake Norman as we pulled in. The silver light reflected off the wrinkles in the water. For being early, it was already hot, with temperatures expected around a hundred. Thankfully, I wasn’t racing today. It’s never good when the weather reaches one hundred because you always knew the inside of the car was at least thirty to forty degrees warmer.

But today wasn’t about racing. It was what I did when the world wasn’t looking.

We were at my property testing out my toys on a
much
needed day off.

I could smell the sun block the girls were using mixing with the heat from the wooden planks of the dock as it burned my feet. Inhaling a deep breath, I threw a couple tubes inside the boat and then hiked back up the embankment towards the cars to help unload the rest of our stuff.

We got out to the lake early and planned to camp out here for the night before we headed to Michigan.

Spencer and Aiden were carrying a cooler full of beer as Tommy watched, laughing. To my left, Justin and Tyler were hauling a grill through the grass while Kyle and Mason had a few rafts slung over their heads. Ryder and Cody fought over the handful of jet skis we had and then over which one was faster.

I smiled to myself that we would finally have a day to ourselves with no racing and no obligations besides having fun.

Bobby and his girlfriend Kelly were trying to carry bags of food. I jogged over to help Kelly.

“Thanks Jameson.” She smiled shaking out her arms. “Bobby must think I’m buff or something.”

“Sorry babe, I wasn’t paying attention.” Bobby said sheepishly reaching for the remaining bags in her hand.

I already had them and smiled at him before tossing my other arm around Kelly.

“He told me the same thing in Bristol when he slammed me in the wall on a restart.” I winked at her.

Kelly giggled and flushed, avoiding my smile.

“Hey!” Bobby punched my shoulder. “I said I was sorry. Now stop hitting on my girl.”

“I wasn’t hitting on her.” I laughed. “You’d know it
if
I was hitting on her.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bobby looked confused.

“Oh Jesus Bobby, he was kidding!” Kelly interrupted still giggling. “He has a girl,” her eyes briefly met mine briefly as if she was nervous at the assumption.

I offered a smile and another wink.

“That I do.” I mumbled softly, my eyes focused now on Sway who was holding a long piece of grass, tickling Tommy’s ear as he carried another case of beer towards the dock. She could hardly stand up straight as she laughed when he threatened to kick the shit out of her if she didn’t stop.

Bobby sauntered over to the lake leaving Kelly and me walking slowly behind.

“I didn’t mean to um...crap I’m sorry.” Her cheeks flushed. “I just saw you two the other day...kissing outside your motor coach.”

“Like I said Kelly...
don’t
worry about it.” My eyes moved from Sway to the ground watching the way the grass parted as we walked through it. “I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t something there.”

Kelly was quiet for a moment before sighing.

“She loves you...you know that, right?”

A small smile tugged at my lips, praying she was right, and praying she was wrong. I didn’t say any more to her. I was surprised at myself that I spoke as much as I did to someone I’d only met a handful of times. Kelly was sweet though and perfect for Bobby.

The sun was glaring in my eyes and I squinted trying to make out the figure coming closer to see Sway approaching me—her long wavy hair pulled back in a bun. My tube was floating next to the deck, bumping up against the boat as waves from other boats rippled along.

She shifted slightly to the right, her face blocking the sun and she smiled. The sun broke through strands of loose hair, highlighting the mahogany.

“Does that thing fit two people?”

“We could make it fit two people.” I held my hand above my eyes, blocking the sun. She hesitated glancing around. “Since when have you ever cared about what others thought?”

“Since we started sneaking around,” She replied with a smile.

“Fuck what anybody else thinks.”

Sway seemed to consider this for a moment before slipping down off the dock into the waist deep water. “How do we lay together in this?”

“Just climb on top of me.”

“I haven’t heard that one before...”

“Oh but I
have
.”

Sway is quicker than I gave her credit for. She had me flipped over before I could comprehend what she’d just done.

When I came up out of the water, she smiled.

Returning the smile, I shook the water from my head as my smile took a darker turn. She noticed all right. “Don’t...”

I lunged at her splashing the dock and boat by us with a wave. The tube glided further out towards with the surge. Our water fight soaked the wooden planks and steam rolled in waves.

Sway stood steady on her feet, pushing her hair out of her eyes, drops of water ran off the tip of her freckled nose.

“Okay, that’s enough.” She warned with her hands out in front of her. “Now grab that tube. I’m determined now to fit two people on it.”

So I did. Turns out you
can’t
fit two people on it without being extremely close but we didn’t mind.

I let us float out to the middle of the lake, alone. I was a good swimmer and confident I could get us back if needed.

Sway sat in between my legs and leaned back against my chest.

My arms were in the water, moving us around and hers rested lazily against my thighs as the heat from her and the sun caused our bodies to sweat profusely.

“I think I need to get wet.” Sway whispered tipping her head to the side to look at me.

Reaching between her legs, my fingertips danced across her bikini bottom. “I think that can be arranged.”

“You’re such a pervert.”

We spent most of the afternoon in the tube, just us. We came close to having sex out there but decided against it when the tube flipped us over. Something about it just didn’t seem safe.

Also, Sway couldn’t tread water for shit and kept falling under the water.

Just when I was thinking we should get back, Sway would sigh and I put it off, wanting to spend as much time alone as we could. And just like the slow, steady, rocking of the waves created from the nearby boats so were the changes occurring between us, pure and natural, just like her.

I wasn’t sure how any of this would turn out but in moments like this, I didn’t care. All I cared about was that after eleven years, I was more than just a friend to her.

Trailing my fingers lightly over her collarbone, I thought about how easy it was to be like this with her. Trying to be everything can make you lose your mind at times, but at the same time, she brought me back just by being around me. When I’m with her, she had a way about her that I didn’t feel like the Jameson Riley who thousands knew as the NASCAR driver or even the sprint car driver. All she had to do was smile and I was right back to that eleven-year old kid who was alive and full of fire.

“We should get back honey.” I murmured kissing her shoulder. “I’m getting hungry.”

I felt her sigh. “Hungry huh?” she turned her head to look back at me with a coy smile.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Why?”

I touched my fingers to her lips.

“Because, when you bite your lip like that, all I think about is...” I chuckled, her body moved with the movements. “I’m fairly certain you know what it does to me.” I hinted pushing my hips up. There was no way she couldn’t feel my arousal.

“Like I said...you’re a pervert.”

“I don’t hear you complaining when you’re screaming my name.” Moving my hands from her hips, I started to paddle us toward the dock. I could see Aiden and Spencer setting up the fireworks with Tommy and Justin.

“Screaming? I was
not
screaming your name.”

“Oh yes you were. I think it was something like,
Oh Jameson, you’re so good,
yeah—it was that all right.”

“Wow,” she said exaggerating the “w” at the end.

“I’m pretty sure you said that too.” I added a wink when she stared at me in disbelief.

After another water fight, we were back on the dock and no longer touching.

It didn’t take long before Tommy and Sway were involved in a water fight to the point where she slapped him across the face—he in turn pushed her off the dock, fully clothed, into the water.

Spencer was talking about the campfire while my eyes were focused on Sway as she peeled her wet t-shirt off revealing her bikini—I looked away before my attraction was noticed by everyone.

The night passed by quickly once we were drinking and eating and it was nice to have everyone enjoying the summer day but I also couldn’t wait to be alone with Sway again.

Slouching in the wooden lounge chair, I watched her with Emma, Kelly and Alley. My baseball hat was pulled down low so no one could see my face to know I was watching her, mesmerized by the way her hips swayed to the low beat pumping through the speakers settled next to me.

She danced around the fire like a child, carefree and innocent as the girl I met at Elma. She didn’t know her father was dying, or that her life would be changing so drastically. Like I said, she was innocent in all of this. I was so afraid to love her but more afraid not to.

Once the others slipped away to their tents and soon fell asleep, Sway and I stayed by the fire listening to music.

Approaching her from behind, my hands lazily snuck around her waist, pulling her against my chest. Resting my chin on her shoulder, she continued swaying her hips in time with the beat. Turning my head toward her neck, I inhaled; the sweet honey, sun screen and coconut that mixed with the smoke from the fire. My lips moved slowly to the tender spot below her ear. She sighed contently leaning in to me. Her small hands covered mine moving them from her hips to wrap around her completely. Bringing our intertwined hands to her lips, she kissed along my palm.

Turning her body around, I placed my hands on her hips again and hoisted her up so her legs wrapped around my waist—moving backward until my legs touched the chair as I then sat back down in the chair.

I let out a shaky breath when she straddled me and her hands moved leisurely until they found my hair.

Our mouths met, hungry, desperate for the contact as she moved her hips against mine. I couldn’t take much of the making out before I was begging her for more.

“I need you honey.”

“I need you too.” She whispered against my lips. The setting sun provided a cool breeze to blow through and as the air hit her, she shivered in my arms.

Under the stars, I gave her everything I had trying to show her just how much I needed her and to make her realize there was an undeniable emotion there.

When we woke the next morning inside the tent, tangled together, I wanted her again. I couldn’t get enough of her and knew that would never change for me. When she was near, I was oblivious to everything else around me.

ATMO Engine

Ashley Conner – FOX Sports reporter

March 2002

ATMO Engine – This is an engine that uses natural air flow as opposed to forced airflow. NASCAR, Formula One, and NHRA Pro Stock cars us “ATMO” engines while Indy and NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car engines have forced air induction.

“You want to go back to my hotel room?” I asked writhing around on his lap at the bar we were at. I knew the only chance I had at Jameson Riley going home with me was to find him drunk.

After the Nashville Busch race, my prayers were answered.

You see my job was to get the story. Jameson was the story and I wanted it all the ways I couldn’t. Not to mention in a world of roughed up drivers, Jameson was easy on the eyes.

Jameson and his buddies were living it up in a bar not far from the track.

He didn’t respond to my question, just bent his head forward resting against my shoulder.

I knew by his low breathing he was moments away from passing out. The thought of taking advantage was there; it’d be easy, so I tried again. All I needed to do was get him in my hotel room and if he passed out then, even better.