I’ve never been to any kind of racetrack before, much less an F1. I’m awestruck to see the fat black tires attached to flimsy bits of metal. It’s hard to believe people fucking sit in these and race around the track at such fast speeds.

I can’t imagine the thrill they get from doing that.

“Hey, Marco, how’s it fucking going?” a man asks, holding out his hand to Marco as we walk around the pit area.

All the drivers are working on their cars and getting ready for the big race.

“It’s going fucking great!” Marco shakes the man’s hand. “Are you ready for the race on Saturday?”

“Of course. You know I’ll fucking win,” the man says with a smile. “So, who’s she, Marco?” He thrusts his chin in my direction.

“Watch it, Luigi. She’s with me,” Marco growls. It’s a possessive, primal noise. “This is Sofia.”

The man shakes my hand. “You know I can’t fucking do that, Marco. Any hot chick in here is fair game.”

He smiles at me in a suggestive way, one that normally makes any woman weak at the knees. “You should watch him, honey. Call me later if you want a real man.”

“Which part of ‘She’s with me’ didn’t you fucking understand?”

Luigi slaps Marco on the shoulder. “Chill, man. I’d better get back to work if I want this car ready for Saturday.”

Marco and I walk a little farther in the pit area, looking at the cars as we go.

“Hey, Marco,” another man hollers as we approach.

“Hey there, Lando.”

“Who’s this fine-looking woman with you?” He holds a dirty rag in his left hand.

“This is Sofia. She’s with me.” Marco motions toward me.

Lando looks me up and down.

“Keep your fucking eyes in your head, Lando. She’s all mine.” Marco glares at him.

The man shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you, Sofia.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” I reply and wonder how wise it is to be here.

I can feel the testosterone bouncing off the walls all around me. If Marco starts a fist fight, I don’t know what I’ll do.

We pick our way through puddles of oil on the ground, compressors, and other machines I don’t know the name of. I’m sure my eyes are nearly popping out of my head.

“Hey, Marco!” a third man yells. “I was hoping I’d see you here.” He’s tinkering with a car under a tarp.

The two men shake hands.

“Hey, Carmine, this is Sofia,” Marco introduces me.

Carmine isn’t quite the fucking pig the other men are, but he gives me a quick look.

“Nice to meet you, Sofia.” He motions to his hand. “My hand is dirty, or I would shake yours. I don’t think you want grease all over you.”

“No, not really,” I say. “Nice to meet you, though.”

“So, why were you hoping to see me here?” Marco turns to Carmine.

“I need to talk to you about some shit. I know you’re busy right now, but could we talk privately?” Carmine wipes the grease off his hands with a rag and motions his head in a direction away from the mechanics and other people hanging around.

I can tell Marco doesn’t want to go too far away from me so they remain within hearing distance. I can hear almost every damn word they say so I’m not sure how private the conversation really is.

“Hey, man, I know I’m past due on the fucking money I owe you. And we talked about this the other day” Carmine looks around to see if anyone’s paying attention to what he’s saying.

I pretend like I’m not. I’m a badass agent after all. It’s in my fucking blood to listen to other people’s conversations, read lips, or whatever it takes to get the fucking job done.

In this case, I’m learning more and more about a guy who calls me his possession.

“Yeah, you’re like a week past due, but who’s fucking counting. And I already said it’s cool.” Marco glances over at me.

I look away quickly.

“Look, man, is there any way I could have some more time? More than we talked about?” Carmine asks. “Things have gone to real shit at home. I’m really fucking stressed about everything that’s going on. I’m barely able to keep up with our regular bills. And my wife is still really sick. And you know,” his voice trails off. I’m a little too far away but it almost looks like this tough racer might cry any second.

“No worries, man. You can have as much fucking time as you need. I don’t mind at all.” Marco puts his right hand on the man’s left shoulder. “I’ll even waive the interest.”

“That’s fucking great, Marco. I really appreciate it.” Carmine’s smile widens considerably.

He puts his hand out to Marco so the men shake hands again. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this fucking means to my family and me.”

I catch his eye so he knows I’m watching them talk.

The two men walk back to me. I see Carmine’s eyes are a little teary, like he’s on the verge of breaking down.

“It was so nice to meet you, Sofia,” he says to me again. He shakes my hand this time. “This guy is one of the good ones.”

I smile at Marco.

“Now, let’s talk turkey. Which one of theses babies can I take out today?” Marco says to Carmine before he turns back to me. “Carmine here will let me use one of his cars to take you for a spin around the course.”

“Oh, that would be awesome.” I can feel my heart beat a little faster at the prospect of squeezing into the tight cabin and feeling my leg against Marco’s.

“Just take the one you usually do,” Carmine says and slides back under his own racer.

Marco grabs my hand and, before I know what’s happening, I’m about to glide into a Ferrari.

“So, what’s up with that guy you were talking to back there? The conversation looked pretty fucking serious.” I pretend like I didn’t hear what was being said.

“Oh, Carmine. He’s got some personal shit going on.” Marco tries to brush it off.

“I thought you had this tough loan shark image to uphold, but that didn’t sound much like a tough loan shark to me.” I glance in his direction. It’s all about discretion.

He laughs. “I’m trying to change my image. I’m not as bad as you think. I’m actually a pretty reasonable guy, and I don’t mind helping people when they need it.”

“Wonders never cease then?” I try and keep my voice light.

“In fact, Carmine’s wife has cancer, and he has to have money to pay for her treatments.” Marco drives the car around the racetrack, keeping his eyes in front of him. “I like to help people when I can.”

I swallow, unable to say anything. I don’t even know what to say. Now I’m not sure what to think about Marco or either of his brothers.

Maybe I misjudged them? Maybe they aren’t the kind of guys I thought they were?

Marco peers over at me and grins. He takes one hand off the steering wheel, grabs my left hand, and guides it toward his cock. He puts his own between my legs.

I think I like the direction this is taking.