Free The Price of Success by Maya Blake

mention that if I drink more than one glass of wine I get a raging headache. As for thoroughbreds—I couldn’t tell you which end of the horse to climb if you put me next to one. So, really, you’re way better off without me in your family. The spa sounds nice, though. A girl could always do with a foot rub after a hard day’s work—although I have a feeling the amount of grease I tend to get under my nails would frighten your resort staff.’
    A tiny tic appeared at his temple. ‘Are you always this facetious, or do you practice?’
    ‘Normally I keep it well hidden. I only show off when asked really, really nicely,’ she flung back. Then she stood. ‘From the unfortunate downturn of this conversation, I take it the offer of a tour is now off the table?’ She tilted her chin, determined not to reveal how deep his barbs had stung.
    ‘As much as I’m tempted to reward your petulance with time on the naughty step, that will only prove counterproductive.’ Wiping his hands on a napkin, he rose to tower over her. ‘You’re here to train. Familiarising yourself with the race track is part of that training. I’ll leave the naughty step for another time.’
    Wisely deciding to leave the mention of the naughty step alone, Sasha relaxed her grip on the back of the chair. ‘Thank you.’
    Sasha followed him into the villa, staunchly maintaining her silence. But not talking didn’t equate to not looking, and, damn it, she couldn’t help but be intensely aware of the man beside her. His smell assailed her nostrils—that sharp tang of citrus coupled with the subtle undertones of musk that shifted as it flowed over his warmth.
    Against the strong musculature of his torso his white polo shirt lovingly followed the superb lines of a deep chest and powerful shoulders. All that magnificence tapered down to a trim waist that knew not an ounce of fat.
    Judging by his top-notch physicality, she wasn’t surprised Marco had been the perfect championship-winning driver ten years ago.
    ‘Why did you give up racing? You resigned so abruptly, and yet it’s obvious you recovered fully after your crash.’
    She saw his shoulders tense before he rounded on her. The icy, forbidding look in his eyes made her bite her lip.
    Nice one, Sasha
.
    ‘That is not a subject up for discussion, Miss Fleming. And before you take it into your head to go prying I caution you against it. Understood?’
    He barely waited for her nod before he wrenched open the front door.
    Outside, two golf buggies sat side by side at the bottom of the steps. She headed towards the nearest one.
    ‘Where are you going?’ he bit out.
    She stopped. ‘Oh, I thought we were going by road.’
    He nodded to the helipad, where a black and red chopper sat gleaming in the morning sun. ‘We’re touring by helicopter.’
    It was a spectacularly beautiful machine—the latest in a long line of beautiful aircraft.
    ‘Any chance you’ll let me fly it?’
    He flashed a mirthless grin at her. ‘I don’t see any pigs flying, do you?’
    ‘Wow, this is incredible! How long have you had this race track?’ Marco glanced up from the helicopter controls, then immediatelywished he hadn’t. It was bad enough hearing her excitement piped directly into his headphones. The visual effects were even more disturbing.
    When he’d offered her an aerial tour of the race track he hadn’t taken into account how she was dressed. In most respects, her white shorts could be described as sensible—almost boyish. He’d been out with women who wore far less on a regular basis. Her light green shirt was also plain to the point of being utilitarian.
    All the same, Marco found the combination of her excitement and her proximity …
aggravating
. Even more aggravating were the flashbacks he kept having of her leaning back on the bed in her hotel room, her T-shirt riding up to reveal skin so tempting it had knocked his breath clean out of his lungs …
    Her naked ambition and her sheer drive to