Not for you (FIN)

I never had any idea that any guy could be interested in doing so much shopping, but Roman was. We had long discussions about my clothing style and what he wanted to change about it. The items he first chose were all too revealing for my taste, at least when it came to everyday wear. Then, finally, we could both agree on some items: V-neck leather halter top in blue, matching leather chaps and shorts to go under the chaps.

After the shopping we went to a small restaurant, had dinner and took endless hours to talk; not about the others but about cars, as it should be on a good date - at least in my opinion.

We returned to the house very late that evening; it was past midnight. The lights were all turned off.

"See," I said, looking around in the living room, "they're not home yet."

"Yes they are. Listen."

I did and heard some snoring from upstairs.

"Wonder if they have taken the girls home?" I said.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. It's a pity, though - now we'll have to wait for the reaction until tomorrow." Roman said and walked towards the staircase, then, as I didn't follow, turned around. "You don't come upstairs?"

"No, I'll take the sofa." I said, sitting down on it.

"Thought you were sleeping in his room?"

"Well, I don't exactly feel like knocking right now, you see?"

"Why, because you might find something in there that you wouldn't like? Told you, woman - there is still hope." He grinned and evaded the pillow I threw by sprinting upstairs. A second later I heard his door closing.

Sitting on the sofa I sighed. Perhaps it hadn't been right to play that kind of game, but perhaps Roman was right and it was just what we needed. Damn, Dom had looked so good on the beach...

When I was just about to take off my new clothes about half an hour later I heard a knock on the door. Now who could that be, I thought. One of the guys being late, perhaps? Just wearing the shorts and the halter top I opened the door.

Three obviously very drunken and not really attractive unknown men grinned at me.

"Uhm - yes...?" I said, trying to close the door a bit, but one of them had already stepped in.

"Hi baby, glad you're still awake. We thought this thing had closed, but obviously it didn't."

Shit! I thought. Ex brothel, hmmm? Shit, damn, fuck...

"Uhm - it did close. Me and my friends just rented it." I said, taking a step back.

"Your friends are as yummy as you? Come on, baby, don't be so shy..." he walked after me and tried to grab my arm.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" I spat. "Out with you! You have no right to..." I stepped back further, the back of my knee got caught at the sofa table. A bottle that had been standing on it fell to the tiled floor, breaking with the loud crash of shattering glass.

The other two tried to approach me from the sides.

"If you don't leave, I'll call the police..." I said, not really wholeheartedly, thinking about Dom who slept upstairs. It never even once came to my mind to call for the others; this was one thing I could handle myself, I thought.

"But we won't let you!" The one in front of me grinned. When I tried to take another step back, the other two grabbed my arms, holding me between them.

"Let go of me!" I shouted, trying to kick at all three simultaneously which I didn't manage.

"Hmmm, little wildcat. I like that." The front guy said, trying to reach for my face. I leaned back, trying to evade that touch, and mentally prepared myself to bite into his hand.

"If you touch her face, I guarantee she'll kill all three of you." I heard a voice from the top of the staircase. Vince was leaning to the handrail of the staircase about half way down. I saw that he was a bit tensed, but grinning over it. He.

"And if she doesn't do, I'll do." Brian came up behind him.

The grip on my arms became stronger. The three didn't move an inch; the hand was still just inches away from my face.

"Why you alone? Roman laughed, leaning over Brian's shoulder. "Let me join the fun!"

"Who's having fun?" I heard Leon, who appeared on the very top of the staircase.

I took the chance to finally take the bite into the guy's hand. Hard. Not that he was tasty. Harder, I thought and pressed my jaws together.

He howled, took a good swing and his other hand, balled into a fist, came down crashing on my temple. The other two had let go of me the moment I had buried my teeth into their friend's hand, so I tumbled back towards the window, seeing stars.

"Beating a lady isn't nice." I heard someone growl from somewhere above. When I looked to the staircase Dom was just storming past the others, jumping over the handrail, sprinting towards the guy who had hit me and punching him towards the door.

Now he was standing between the door and the other two.

"You two better run, or he'll practice some more swinging." Vince commented.

The problem was just that the other two had nowhere to run as I noticed while my brain was obviously spinning. I was still seeing stars, and my vision became blurred.

I just saw Dom leaping towards the others, but I couldn't watch as I had to lean to the wall in order to not drop down. I reached to my temple and felt something wet. Looking at my hand I saw blood. Shit, I thought.

I tried to look up to the staircase but couldn't really focus. Something dark came towards me. "You okay?" Roman. That was definitely Roman.

"Feel a bit dizzy..." I said, slowly gliding down the wall until I came to sit with my back against it. Roman tried to stabilize me by putting his hands on my shoulders.

The noise around me from Dom and the two other guys went into the direction of the door, until it was finally slammed shut.

A split second later I saw that Roman was yanked up to his feet. "You should fucking protect her!" I heard Dom shout.

"Dom, stop shouting at him, those three came in after..."

"Yeah, sure." Dom barked. When I looked up I saw him fist landing in Roman's face.

"DOM!" I screamed, unable to get up because I was still so dizzy. Roman stumbled backwards, his hand at his chin, casting angry looks at Dom.

Another person appeared in my blurred vision. "You two stop fighting! Now who's getting in trouble over females, me or you?" Brian shouted at Roman, pulling him backwards.

"We're not fighting, I'm just demonstrating something." Roman suddenly grinned. "See?" He said; and while no one else understood it, I did.

"You just stop fucking demonstrating something with members of my team!" Dom shouted. "And why the hell did none of you get down here to help her? Or me, that is, to get rid of those three?"

"Well, why waste energy if one can do the job alone. Besides, before you stormed down the stairs, the situation was under control." Vince yawned.

"Under control? Whose control, Vince?" Dom grumbled.

I saw Brian pull Roman towards the staircase. There had to be something to keep Dom from going after him... "I think I feel sick." I said. It wasn't a lie, and I closed my eyes.

"Team, off to bed. I think we had enough demonstration for today." I heard Vince say.

It took a few more seconds until the noise of their feet on the staircase had vanished, then I felt my chin being pushed upwards and opened my eyes. Dom, who I had thought to have gone with the others, was still beside me, kneeling now.

"Show me that." He said. "Damn, you have a fine wound there. I guess you'll have a black eye in the morning."

"I don't care what I have in the morning. It's right now I'm worried about, and I feel sick."

"Hit you pretty hard, hm?"

"Well I bit him pretty hard, so I can't exactly blame him."

"How did these guys get in here, anyway?"

"Well, they knocked, I opened and they apparently thought this here was still a brothel..."

"Oh. Well, another reason to knock Roman over. Shouldn't have rented this house."

"Funny, last night you said he didn't have much of a choice..."

"Will just get something to wash that blood off. Minute." He disappeared.

If I had the ability to think at that moment, I would have done. But as I didn't, I just tried to will away the pain that radiated from my temple.

A cold wet cloth was pressed to the side of my face.

"Better?"

"Much."

"So..." he said, a bit hesitating, "I'll go to bed now. I assume you'll sleep in another bed?"

"No, I'll take the sofa." I said, not catching the obvious hint in his words.

"You're not sleeping with...?" He said.

"Told you I don't sleep with friends."

"But you and he..."

"...were having a bit of fun. So? Any problems with that?"

He looked at me for a long time, then finally spoke. "Well, there's no way I will let you sleep on the sofa with that wound of yours." I was picked up and carried up the stairs. Funny, I thought, just as if I would carry a jar of marmalade...

I think I was already asleep when I was placed in the large bed. Perhaps I also passed out on the way, I don't know.

When I woke up next morning I had the headache of my life. I looked around, groaning in pain.

There was no Dom next to me in the bed. Instead he was sitting in a chair next to it, sleeping.

"Dom?" I said. Ow! That head of mine was really painful...

"Hm?" He woke up, for the moment a bit disoriented. Then he looked at me.

"How are you?"

"Oh, I think someone is tap-dancing on my brain. Well, the full Riverdance cast is more like it."

"You stay in bed today. I need you at the race in two days."

"What the hell? There's a beach out there, Dom, I want to go there again!"

"Not with that face of yours, I guess." He grinned.

"What's wrong with my face?"

"Dunno, you take a look at the mirror and tell me?"

I sat up to look in the mirror over the bed. At first I thought there was someone else, a stranger, and a funny colored one at that, sitting there, but then I understood that this half blue and red face was mine.

"Oh shit." I groaned and dropped back onto the bed.

"Ya, oh shit. We'll have to get that pretty color off your face so the people at the next race don't think I'm too hard on my team."

"You are." Someone said from the door.

"Morning Roman." I said.

"Morning. Say, you didn't really sleep in that chair, Dom?"

"Just thought that she might need some more space in that bed with that injury of hers."

"Good grief! Dana, come to terms with what I told you. The case is worse than I expected."

"You better be useful and get some ice up here." Dom said. We have to get that swelling off her face."

When Roman got out, I found myself staring at him.

"What?" He said. "What the hell was that about, case worse than expected?"

"Oh, I don't think you want to hear this..." I said.

"Oh yes, I do."

"Well, see, he had the funny idea that you were in love with me."

"How might he have gotten that idea?" Dom said, smirking.

"Don't know. It's... Roman, you know?"

"Ya, it's Roman." Dom laughed. If I wouldn't have had that headache, I would probably have noticed the slight, desperate undertone in that laughter.

"Then he had the funny idea that you might be jealous when he goes out with me. Are you jealous, Dom?"

"Me? What should I be jealous of?"

"Well, that's about what I told him, too. So your anger last evening was not against him, hmmm?"

"No, against the tree others."

"Well, that's good. I think it would be useful if you'd go downstairs and talk to him. See, he might have the wrong impression; and I don't want another bloodshed by noon." I grumbled.

Dom got up, hesitating a bit.

"Now go! I promise I won't exactly die while you're gone. And bring breakfast with you, I'm hungry!"

So - that problem was solved. No Dom in love with me, nothing to worry about, I thought.

I spent the rest of the day in bed, sleeping most of the time, so I guessed that Dom had been right and I could need it. The team cared thoroughly for me, all taking turns; and by evening, they all were all sitting on my bed. We had some good conversations, until Dom shooed them all out, commanding me to sleep.

By the next morning the headache had become a bit less, but the swelling and coloring was still there. Dom decided that I should spend another day in bed, no protest could help that.

We had planned to drive off to the next race by afternoon, but just to give me more rest, I guess, they made up that they found they still had something to do and postponed the drive to the night / very early morning.

Whatever I had - or rather, they thought I might have had - with Roman, it was never mentioned again.

Dom woke me at four in the morning. "Get up, time to roll."

I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head.

"Up with you! We have to get to the race."

"Mercy, Fearless Leader. I'm injured, you remember?"

"And you slept two days because of it. Enough! Up with you, pack your things."

I was pushed out of bed.

When I had packed up, I went down to the living room where everyone was having breakfast.

"Morning guys." I grumbled. I wasn't exactly a morning girl.

"Look who can walk!" Leon laughed.

"Well if I hadn't been forced to stay in bed most of the time I would have walked earlier, believe me."

I made a sandwich and more or less hungry ate it. "This time of the night is for sleeping, guys. Shouldn't we all go back to bed and instead of racing enjoy some more days on the beach?"

"Oh, we'll have enough beach in Mexico. Come on, just two days of racing, the team can need the money." Vince mumbled past his breakfast.

"Fucking team." I said, suddenly noticing that one was missing. "Where the hell is Roman?"

"He won't come with us, has some business back in Miami." Brian said.

"You're shitting me?" I asked.

"Not really." Roman said, leaning to the kitchen door frame.

"Well, at least you know now that someone is finally going to miss you, Roman." Dom laughed.

"Many people miss me when I'm not there. Hey, everybody loves me!" Roman defended himself, grinning. "See? Even got that hickey on my chin..." He pointed at a dark discoloration, barely visible; but of course that was just because his skin was so dark.

"Ah, there's nothing like a night where your friends bestow something like this on you. Right?" Dom smiled.

"Right." Roman grinned back.

"Come on team - enough eaten. Let's roll. Brian, hand out the routes." Dom said.

"How far this time?" I asked.

"Just a bit over five hundred miles. But I already called in yesterday, so we don't have to race last. You race first, Dana; and at twelve o'clock; so we must hurry up a bit." Vince said.

We all got up and before leaving the house. I took a last look at Roman.

"Thanks for meeting you, Roman. Was funny." I said.

"Much so. If you ever get tired of these guys... come over to Miami; you could work in our garage."

"I'd love that." I replied.

"I'd love that too, otherwise I wouldn't offer it."

We stared at each other.

"Time to say goodbye, hm?" I said. "Will we meet again?"

"I hope so. Bye, Dana, and be careful with Dom."

"Huh? He's still not..."

"He is. Believe me, he is, otherwise I wouldn't have business in Miami now."

"Roman, what...?"

"Go. Hurry. And think about it."

He closed the door of the house before me, and I found myself standing on the porch staring at the closed door.

"You're finally coming? Or you stay here?" Dom shouted from his car.

"Coming." I murmured, walked to my car and drove off. But no matter how hard I thought about it, I didn't come to any conclusion when it came to what Roman had said.

Of course I took the wrong road at some point of time, as usual; of course Brian had to tell me the way over the cell phone again and I was wasting precious time.

At ten to twelve I rolled into the camp; at five to twelve I had found a place for my trailer, at two to twelve I drove to the starting line, the corner of my eye noticing where the others had made their camp and were still about to arrange the trailers and sunscreen.

I greeted them while driving by and continued to the starting line.

While waiting there for my opponent about a thousand thoughts still kept chasing each other through my brain and I kept staring at my steering wheel. What did Roman mean?

I heard my opponent before I saw him, but I didn't look up. I instantly had goosebumps on my arms and smiled to myself. Funny, I thought; almost sounds like my own engine with a different exhaust system. Wonder what kind of car this will be?

In the corner of my eye I saw something red rolling next to me.

Red? As in matte red?

Shit. No way can this be...

I closed my eyes, not really willing to turn my head to the right, but eventually, I did.

Interesting enough, looking at him, sitting in his car with that strange, faint content smile on his face still didn't make me believe that I was actually seeing him. Had the hit to my head been that hard that I had hallucinations now?