Throttled: Dirty Air (Book 1)(76)

He mutters a curse before speaking. “Hmm. Adriana Lima?”

If glares could kill, this man would be dead on the spot.

“If anyone from the VS fashion show is listening in, please invite these guys. It’ll make their year.”

My brother chuckles while Noah keeps quiet, pleasing me.

“Favorite F1 team besides Bandini?”

My brother strokes his chin as Noah takes it away.

“McCoy for me. I like the guys and their work ethic. They’re great competition, always pushing us to do our best.”

“I like Kulikov. That’s a given from our previous history. There’s no bad blood since I left. And the guys hustle.”

I move on. “Name five things you look for in your dream girl.”

“Attractive, smart, into F1…” Santi pauses. “Oh, family-oriented, and nice.”

Noah takes a few seconds to come up with an answer, his intense gaze warming me up inside. I become fascinated with picking at the label of the tequila bottle.

“Beautiful, both inside and out. Funny enough to get my asshole sense of humor. Someone who wants to have a family and likes me for me, rather than for fame. And a girl who will travel around the world with me because this job is constantly on the go.”

I think my ovaries explode but it’s hard to tell. Moving on.

“Best sex story?” Did the camera catch my cringing? I’ll have to re-watch later while I edit.

My brother takes a breath before talking. “Well, there was this one time—”

My elbow hits him in the ribs. Hell. No.

Noah winks at me before knocking back his shot like the Champ he is. Oh, what a simple wink can do to me. My lips tip up in a telling smile.

The game keeps going with questions taking a turn away from sex and love interests. Bless.

For the first time since Santi started at Bandini, he and Noah get along. It gives me hope that they can be friends after Noah and I come out about our relationship.

But you know what they say about the best-laid plans…





32





Noah


Maya tells her brother she wants to sleep over at Sophie’s suite tonight. But in reality, we planned an all-nighter together after her Tequila Talks vlog, lying naked in the hotel bed.

“You know I don’t want to get with Adriana Lima, right? I needed to say a name.”

She sighs. Not exactly the reaction I want.

“Yeah. But you’ve been with models like her. That’s a lot to compete with when I’m nothing like those girls.”

My bad decisions rear their ugly heads again. Except this time, I want to banish them forever, no longer proud of my shitty past. Pack them away in a cardboard box along with my bad memories.

“Have you googled me?” I roll on top of her. My hand softly grips her chin, stroking her soft skin.

“Maybe. I was curious.” Her eyes look up toward the ceiling.

“Google will be the death of me. Don’t look at that shit. It’s not worth your time or energy when people spin stories to make money.” My lips softly peck at her cheeks between words. “You’re. The. Most. Lovely. Woman. To. Me.”

She giggles at all of the kisses I plant on her face. My lips find hers, my tongue caressing her closed lips, wanting access. I fucking hate when she closes herself off. I slide my hands down her body, wanting her to respond to me. My hands stroke the entrance of her pussy and tease her into giving me what I want.

She moans when I dip a finger inside of her, my dick stirring at her arousal. I deepen the kiss, wanting to show her how I crave and want her. Desire and desperation swirl inside of me. My knee pushes her legs apart and I roll my hard cock against her center. Her groan makes my cock pulse against her smooth skin, her arousal coating my dick as I grind into her. Lust makes my head cloudy, but I need to prove my point.

“I really like you, Maya. I want to spend every day with you, both in here and out there once you let me. Will you be my girlfriend? Officially?”

The way she smiles at me makes my heart skip and my dick ache. She pulls me down for another kiss that speaks volumes because who the hell needs words when their body does the talking?



I struggle to stay awake at the sponsor event, another gala where lots of old men open their big wallets. A dime a dozen around here. With age comes less willingness to attend these events, wanting to ditch the moment I arrive because I have no interest in kissing ass. Not to mention how I can’t even have my girlfriend by my side since she hangs out with Santi.

So I do what any horny male would do. I text Maya to meet me in the empty ballroom next door.

She shows up ten minutes later, the darkness of the ballroom cloaking her as she stands near the double-door entrance. Low lighting makes her shape undistinguishable.

“Do you have a public fetish I should be worried about? This is becoming a common occurrence for us.” Her voice sounds low and husky.

“Why don’t you come over and find out.”

She strolls toward me, moving around piles of stacked chairs and empty tables spread throughout the room. My lungs welcome the scent of her shampoo mixed with a light floral perfume. I could get high off the smell of her alone.

She tugs on my bow tie, loosening it.

“I love seeing you in a tux. It’s one of my favorite things.”