BenjiA raindrop landed in the middle of my windshield when I came around that final bend in the road and the finish line came into view. Another drop of water struck, and then another and another, and I slammed my foot down on the gas to charge forward as the Lancer, all beat up on the one side from where he drove into me, screamed along beside me.We were neck and neck.I wouldnât give him any ground. No fucking way.I dropped down a gear and pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor. The front end of the Hellcat shot upward and I gained a good couple of feet on the Lancer. I shifted up into top gear and the car roared forward. The Lancer was no match for me and there was nothing he could do to catch upâunless he had other tricks up his sleeve.But as we closed in on the finish line it became clear that he did not.He was going to lose.The crowd was moving like a giant wave as everyone on either side of the road jumped up and down and cheered. I tried to spot Charlie and the o
BenjiWhen I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees blood dripped from the tip of my nose onto the grass, creating a dark wet stain beneath me. I took a few steady breaths to try to orient myself and then lifted one leg. I wanted to get the hell away from the Lancer in case he tried to do anything else.As I got to my feet I steadied myself with one hand on the cement barrier. I used it as a guide to put one foot in front of the other to make my way down its length and around the side. By the time my boots struck the pavement I was able to lift my head and look up.The headlights of the Lancer went off and the driver took his foot off the gas. Finally. The prick.I wavered on the spot and leaned more heavily on the barrier.Thatâs when I heard someone yelling my name.I looked out across the road to the other side.Charlie was running toward me. She was hauling ass. Her arms pumped by her sides and I could hear her boots striking the pavement. She shot a look over at the Lancer as t
CharlieâWhy the hell did you have to have this race out in the middle of fucking nowhere?â Rick roared as he slammed his door closed behind him in the Jeep and started it up.Harley, who was sitting in the passenger seat, flinched under the anger in his voice. âThe last race has to be far away. I needed open road. And this is whereâââIâm so fucking done with this shit. And with cleaning blood out of my seats. For fuckâs sake, get out of my Goddamn way!â Rick slammed the heel of his hand into the middle of his steering wheel. The horn of the Jeep wailed and the people milling around on the street leapt out of the way.Mason and Laina were in the car behind us. She had wanted to ride in the Jeep with us but there wasnât enough room. I was in the backseat with Benji who had not yet regained consciousness. Laina was freaking out and we couldnât have her in here with us. If we needed to act fast in case something else happened, she would be in our way.Luckily Mason came to the same conc
CharlieâRick?â I asked nervously.âJust sit tight, Charlie. Weâll get him to the hospital in time.ââItâs not just a bruise, is it?âRickâs jaw clenched. âNo. Itâs not.âI knew it was internal bleeding without having to ask. The way the skin seemed to be growing more and more purple by the minute suggested there were dangerous injuries we couldnât see. I swallowed back my fear and bit down on my tongue.The tears became harder to keep at bay.Rick and I locked eyes in his rear view mirror. A second later he said, âWe need to get our story straight. The doctors will want to know what happened and lying about the accident itself could be detrimental to Benjiâs surgery.ââSurgery?â I asked.âWith bleeding like that heâs going under the knife, Charlie. The doctors need accurate information. We have to give them the details of what happened without mentioning the street race.ââRoad rage,â Harley said simply.Rick glanced at her.She nodded and gained more confidence as she continued spea
BenjiI was warm. Really warm. And there was a steady beep coming from somewhere nearby.It took some time to open my eyes. They were incredibly heavy and the temptation to drift back off to sleep was strong.As soon as I managed to get my eyes open, I found myself staring up at a white tiled ceiling. I remembered everything that had happened. The race. The Lancer. The blood. The pain. All of it.It came raging back with a dizzying vengeance.I closed my eyes again and waited for the storm to pass. It did. Then I looked around my hospital room without turning my head. I was incredibly stiff.To the right was the door that led out into the hallway. The lights were all off so it must have been night time. At the foot of my bed was a food tray on wheels. A pale blue plastic tray sat on top of it, along with a matching water jug. A puddle of water had formed at the base and I assumed it came with ice that had melted hours ago.I continued to cast my gaze around the room until I turned my
BenjiâAre the cops getting involved?â I asked.Rick shrugged. âWeâll see. Theyâre going to have questions for you, Iâm sure. But we said we wouldnât be filing any charges. We didnât get the plate number and the rest of us didnât see the crash. We just arrived at it.ââAnd you gave them the race location?â I asked.Rick smirked. âNo, man. How daft do you think I am? We told them we were turned around out there in the dark. Had no idea what cross streets we were at. Hopefully itâs enough to cover our asses. If not weâll deal with it when the time comes.ââSome of us have friends in high places,â Harley added with a wink.Mason leaned up against the foot of the bed. âAt least youâre five hundred thousand dollars richer now.ââFive hundred?â I blinked.âYeah man. Kevin felt so shitty about what happened that he wants you to take all the winnings. Heâs well off as is. He doesnât need any more cash. But youâwell, you could use it. Especially with this medical bill theyâre going to hit you
CharlieTwo Weeks LaterIt had been two weeks since the final race of The Streets series. Two weeks since Benjiâs accident, and ten days since he was released from the hospital. On a sunny warm Tuesday morning I found myself sitting by the window in a cozy coffee shop, waiting for Harley to join me with the coffee drinks she was ordering.I watched the pedestrians wander by outside and thought about how much had changed over the last six weeks. Ever since meeting Benji, my entire life had done a one-eighty. He had become my priority, whether I was aware of it happening or not, and even now he was all I thought about.Harley dropped into the seat across from me, passing me a coffee with an inch of foam on top and a pretty leaf design poured through it. I wrapped both hands around it and inhaled the rich scent of coffee and caramel.âSo,â Harley said, getting comfortable and crossing one leg over the other, âhow is Benji doing? Is he getting back into the swing of things?âI took a sip
Book ThreeRickA parade of scantily clad women sauntered across the road in front of me. Their eyes, lined with black and long fluttering lashes, traced the lines of my car, a Saleen S7 twin turbo in midnight blue. The paint reflected the sun and dazzled as brightly as the glittering crop tops and strappy heels the women wore.The underground street racing scene out here in Los Angeles was a lot flashier than The Streets back in New York City.Where New York was all sharp contrasts and edgy fashion at the race tracks, LA was bright colors, boob jobs, meaner drivers, and faster cars.And it was the place that had saved me from my own downward spiral.One of the women at the front of the herd, a blonde with cherry-red lips and a pair of high-waisted skin-tight denim shorts, pulled her sunglasses down her nose to look at my car. Then her gaze flicked up toward me over the top of her frames, and she ran her tongue along her upper lip before pushing the glasses back up and continuing her
HarleyâI canât believe it, man,â Rick said.âI couldnât for a while either,â Mason said. âBut this is something weâve wanted for some time now. Now itâs happening. You picked a good time to go away. I was going to ask for your help building the crib and setting up the nursery.âRick chuckled. âWell, you have Benji for that.âThe men looked at Benji. His shoulders slumped. âYay.âEveryone laughed.âAre you going to find out the gender, or let it be a surprise in the end?â I asked Laina.She lit up like a light bulb and instinctively put her hand on her belly, even though she wasnât showing yet. âI think weâre going to wait.âI smiled. âBeautiful.âWithin the next half hour, everyone migrated to the dining-room table, which Laina had set beautifully with a white tablecloth, gold chargers, and white plates. The candles were in gold holders, and even the cutlery was gold. She had an eye for detail.While we devoured the spaghetti and meatballs, we talked about life and babies and all the
HarleyTwo Months LaterâCareful,â I said as Rick took a sharp righthand turn and drove the Jeep into Mason and Lainaâs driveway. The appetizer Iâd thrown together slid across the backseat and bumped into the door panel. I scowled at him. âI slaved over those for fifteen minutes. Donât ruin them before we walk in the door. I want to knock everyoneâs socks off with how much of a homemaker Iâve become.âRick killed the ignition and arched an eyebrow at me. âA homemaker? Really?âI lifted my chin. âWhat?âHe snorted and got out of the Jeep. âNothing. I just doubt anyone is going to think âhomemakerâ just because youâre showing up with a plate ofâwhat do you call these?â He opened the back door and picked up the plate covered in three layers of saran wrap.Wrapping the plate had been more difficult than whipping up the food.âTheyâre caprese salad skewers,â I said.Iâd spent the fifteen minutes before we left sliding cherry tomatoes, bocconcini cheese, and basil leaves onto toothpicks. I
RickThe corner of her mouth twitched, giving away the beginning of a smile. âA trip, huh?âI nodded. âWe can narrow it down to some destinations and start mapping it out. Thereâs no better time than now, right? We can get out of the city, figure out what we want, and make up for lost time. Just you and me and beaches and sand andâââLots of sex?âI chuckled. âThatâs not what I was going to say, but I assumed it was part of the package.âHarley nodded. âThat sounds like a plan to me.ââGood,â I said. âNow stay still.âShe opened her mouth to ask me why but promptly shut it when I ran my hands over her shoulders and then to her breasts, which I gently massaged, loving how they felt all lathered in slippery soap.âYouâre such a guy,â she said playfully.I snickered. âI know.âShe let me lather her entire body in the shower. Then we switched places, and she did the same for me. Having her run her hands all over me was heavenly, and it helped me forget about the tight pain in my bruised r
RickAll the aches and pains that had plagued me on Saturday night were still with me when I woke up on Monday morning. I was lying on my back, and Harley was tucked into my side. Her cheek was on my chest, and her left leg was draped over me. Her breathing was deep and slow and soft, and I didnât open my eyes.I just lay there and listened to her. And felt her closeness.Yesterday had been dedicated to recovering and covering our tracks from Saturdayâs race. I hired a tow-truck driver to come get the Saleen and bring it back to my place, where I got it in the garage so that if the cops came looking for it, the car wasnât sitting out somewhere. It needed a lot of work, and the downside of street racing was obviously that it didnât have insurance. I couldnât claim a hit and run when the car was beat to shit on both sides and the rear end.Fucking Torq.But it was just a car, and I liked working on vehicles. The Saleen would be my project for the next year or so while I figured out what
HarleyHe watched me like a hawk as I started going down to my knees, pulling his boxers down as I went.His cock sprang free, teasing and taunting me as I got comfortable below him. I gazed up at him and took his shaft in one hand, working him over softly and warming him up. His gaze was dark and heavy as I ran my tongue from the base of his shaft to the tip and then swirled it around his meaty head.I drew him into my mouth, suctioning my lips around his thickness. I worked him slowly at first, taking my time, easing him into it. I knew he was hurting, and I wanted to be gentle with him.If heâd let me.He had a way of taking over halfway through and showing me who was boss. Not that Iâd be mad if that happened.I swirled my tongue around his length before taking him deep in my throat and holding him there as my mouth filled with saliva. Then I bobbed my head, sucking him off hard and fast and fitting as much of him in my throat as I could take.He let me suck his cock for a long ti
HarleyIt was a wonder that the Saleen had even started back on the track, and it was even more mind blowing that it made it back to my house without losing several more pieces along the way.I parked at the back of my building in the private parking lot. I didnât want to leave it on the curb in case any police drove by. It would be easy for them to link the Saleen to the scene down by the docks, and then weâd be done for.After parking the car, Rick had to climb out of the passenger window again. Every move he made was gentle and controlled. I knew he was hurting and hated that there was nothing I could do to take the pain away.Once he was out of the car, I climbed across the console and slipped out too. He offered me his hand, and I took it but didnât lean on him for support. I was pretty sure he wasnât in much of a position to be offering it in the first place.We walked soundlessly across the parking lot, our footsteps drowned out by the sound of rain pinging off the metal garbag
RickâFuck me fucking sideways,â I said.I couldnât afford to waste any time. Either I was getting his ass out of the car, or I was bailing.âYou owe me, motherfucker,â I said as I leaned in through the driverâs window and reached up to unclip his seatbelt.Torq crumpled to the ceiling of the car, landing across my arm beneath him. Shattered glass from the windshield bit into my bicep and forearm, but I gritted my teeth against the burn and worked to drag Torqâs ass out of the car. He was a heavy motherfucker.He started groaning.I stumbled to my feet and hauled him backward. âWork with me you fat bastard. Iâm getting you out of here. Your asshole buddies bailed on you.âHe mumbled something incoherent.âYeah, I know. Theyâre your friends, not mine. I guess thatâs what you get for being a piece of shit.âI collapsed when I had him clear of the car. I struggled to catch my breath, and my side screamed with pain. I tucked my arms under his armpits, stumbled back to my feet, and kept dr
RickI landed heavily on the wet pavement after managing to climb out through the passenger window of the Saleen. My right leg was tender and bruised from Torq driving into me, and my chest ached from the seatbelt and being jostled around roughly as Iâd lost control of the car.But I was alive, nothing was broken, and there was no blood. So, overall, things were pretty good.Aside from the approaching police.I used the car to push myself to my feet, slicking my wet hair off my forehead as I rose. Then I stood and waited for the dizziness to pass. I didnât think Iâd hit my head at any point, but it sure felt like I had. Maybe it was just severe vertigo from whiplash.It didnât matter. I could figure that out later. I had to focus on getting the hell out of there and making sure Harley was safe, too.She had a lot to lose if this race got busted, and so did I. She was everything. If I lost her, I would lose my damn mind. After all this time, we were finally together, and there was noth
HarleyBenji and Mason took off for the registration table. I swung my attention toward Rickâs car. The whole passenger side was busted up. The damage looked pretty bad, and I had no idea what sort of injuries he might have acquired. I leaned forward to look down the road.The last drivers were only twenty or so seconds away. Maybe less.âI think his door is jammed,â Laina said, nodding at Rickâs car.I narrowed my eyes. She was right. He couldnât get out. His car was too crumpled and too fucked up for him to get the door open. I wondered if it would still run.If we had to leave it behind, it was a sure-fire way for the cops to trace the car back to Rick. Then all our dreams of starting a new life together would be over. Heâd be in jail for a long time.Charlie shook my arm. âWhat do we do, Harley? Tell us what to do!âI swallowed and took a deep breath. âOkay. Okay. We need to clear the area. Rick can handle himself. Help me get people the hell out of here. Send them off in differen