Chapter 2: Race 2
I arrived at the studio where my photoshoot ran and ran up to the receptionist. Suddenly, Danny
comes running.
"Red! Thank God you are here! " he said.
"Where were you last night? Why did you suddenly disappear? And now you have almost forgotten about your Photoshoot?" he added.
"C'mon Danny, don't lecture me now, I still have a hangover." I grumbled.
"Where did you go last night and you also disappeared from my sight?"I asked him too.
He didn't answer my question.
"Let's stop chitchatting, your father was still hot-headed because you kept the photographer waiting." He pulled my hand and took me to my own dressing room. "So if I were you, I would fix myself." He pushed me into the room and left me. "You better hurry!"he shouted from the outside.
I sighed and walked towards the mirror to check my make-up and hair.I took off the jacket that I had grabbed from the man's condo that took my virginity, as well as the clothes I wore last night.
My eyes widened when I saw the hickey marks surrounding my chest and my cleavage. They were very dark purple and red.I touched my lips to see how swollen my lips were. I couldn't help the blush that crept onto my cheeks.'Did the sex last night mean something to me?' I wondered.
It must have meant something to me, I mean, I can't just forget about it like that, it's just.. weird. It feels strange to know that someone else has done this to me. That I have been taken advantage of by a man, especially by a stranger. I am such an idiot !
And a knock of a door snapped me out of my thoughts,
"Red are you done?!" Danny shouted through the door.
"Just give me a sec!" I yelled back,
"Make it quick! "
I fixed my hair, my makeup and straightened my dress. Thank god I'm just wearing this racing suit or else they will see the hickeys on my chest. I opened the door and stepped out of the dressing room. Danny was standing outside the door, smiling proudly.
"That's the look I was talking about, Red. Now let's go!" he said, and we both left the studio together.
We arrived at the set and the photographers were already setting up. I went towards the photographer that was directing the shoot. We went through our normal routine and then it was finally time for the photos. I took my position sitting in front of the sports car with the lens of the camera placed right in front of me.
"Ready!"the photographer called out. I nodded and waited for the signal to take the first shot.
"Action!" I pressed the shutter button.The picture flashed in my eyes, I felt the camera vibrate slightly and a few seconds later.
"Take three more!" I heard one of the photographers say. I took another shot and the second one.
"Alright! Take 10, 20 and 30 shots each!" I heard the photographer say. I did as the photographer told me and took 10 pictures each.
"Alright Red! Let's end the session!" the photographer called out.I nodded and stood up from the spot.
Until my father's secretary came. "Miss Red! Mr Torres is waiting for you, he wanted to speak to you alone in his office. " she said,
"Thank you! Have a nice afternoon!" and she left me.I walked in the direction of my father's office. As soon as I entered and closed the door behind me, my father immediately spoke up.
"How was the photoshoot Red? Did everything go smoothly?" My father asked me.I nodded.
"Yes, everything worked out."I replied.
"Congratulations on winning yesterday's race. I'm so proud of you. That's my daughter!" My father smiled at me. I smiled and thanked him.
"I know it's hard for you to be the face of this company and a professional car racer. If only Randy didn't get injured, maybe you could enjoy your life better." He sighed.
"Dad...I'm happy to be here and do what I love but, I also love to work here. I'm also continuing what my brother started. We shared the same dream," I told him. My father was silent for a moment.
Randy and I dreamed of becoming a car racer together. We worked together and worked long hours, sometimes even weeks, but we never gave up. We always made it work and succeeded. Now, Randy has an injury from his last race 3 years ago , which caused him to retire. But, our dreams are alive and continue on without us.
"Your brother is a wonderful driver, Red. I remember the day we took him in. We drove around for hours looking for a suitable car for him. Your brother is also so talented at riding a bike. He knew how to operate the bike and even drive it, he knew what to do, everything that he had learned to do before he even became a driver. And to top it all off, he loved working on cars, so did everyone else in the family, and he was a great worker. And you, the young lady, I remember how excited you were about learning to ride a sports car. You were so passionate about learning to ride . "My father said.
"I guess you're right Dad." I smirked, remembering the times we rode that old car around town. Our passion for racing never dies away.
"And by the way, I almost forgot to tell you that your grandfather came back here in the Philippines, today." My father told me.
I gasped at what my dad told me. Our grandfather is the chairperson of our family company. He is more strict than dad, he has high expectations of both of us with Randy. But after hearing the news 3 years ago , Randy decided to leave for Manila. I couldn't understand what happened between them, but I know my brother was really unhappy at the time. After a while, I thought it was for the best. He came home 2 months later when our grandfather decided to stay in California to focus on the business there.
"I know you are gonna be under pressure from that old man. "My father chuckled.
"I'll try not to cause trouble for him," I assured him.
" Are you free tonight? Your grandpa is inviting us for dinner, " my father asked.
"Unlucky, yes." I chuckled.
"Better to wear formal dress, you know your old man, "my father laughed.
" Yeah, I know dad, this will be a great day. " I said sarcastically. I heard my father's giggles.
After a little talk, I decided to say goodbye to him. I called Danny to take me to the hospital where Randy is receiving therapy.
We stopped for a while at Starbucks to buy some coffee. But I bumped into someone coming out of the shop. I heard him quickly apologize to me. I stopped in my tracks when I heard the familiar baritone voice and the smell of his perfume.I turned to see the face of the man I bumped into, but he was already in his car.
I stood rooted where I was, trying to make sense of it all.
"Are you alright Red?" Danny asked me with a worried expression.
"Uhm.. yeah I'm fine. "I told him and hurried to the cafe.
Danny followed me to the cafe. When I got inside, I ordered a coffee as usual along with two sandwiches.
After we ordered, we immediately went straight to the hospital.
When we entered, we noticed that his session was already done. I ran towards him and hugged him.
"Randy!" I exclaimed. I heard his laughter.
"Hey Red. I missed you." He said, pulling away from the hug.
"Me too. "I said, giving him another tight squeeze.
"Congratulations on winning another race. You did well. " we separated from the embrace.
"Thanks, "he smiled, and looked at me.
"By the way, what's brought you here? " He asked curiously.
"Oh uhm, I just got the news that Grandpa is back here in the Philippines, he is inviting us for dinner tonight. "
"Oh yeah I forgot about that. The old coot, you must miss him." Randy teased me.
I glared at him playfully and punched him lightly in the arm.
"We both know that we hate him! " I grumbled. Randy chuckled and looked at the time.
"I think we should go out shopping. We are going to look for decent formal attire for you and for me too."
"Okay!" I agreed, I called Danny to help the nurses move Randy into his wheelchair.
We made our way to the mall, where Randy and I spent quite some time looking for clothes for dinner. After buying some stuff, we went to eat at McDonald's restaurant. After ordering, we sat in a booth in a corner of the restaurant eating our food. And spent our whole afternoon talking about anything and everything, until the time came to go home.
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