A girl chasing her dream. A boy looking for the light.
When Florence Nyx started her internship at a Formula 1 paddock, she expected a lot. Fast cars. Exclusive impressions most people could only dream of. An entire array of skills she'd acquire...
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The entire room fell silent, and even though Cem was trying very hard not to show it, I could see how tense he was. His lifted shoulders and straight posture helped, but didn't hide how he subconsciously bit the inside of his cheeks.
Florence seemed to pick up on that as well, the power that'd been oozing off of her for the past five minutes increasing exponentially.
She sat up straight in her chair, legs crossed as she leaned her elbows on the desk. Nonchalantly, as if she wasn't even really listening to him, she rearranged the picture frame on her desk, which showed a young version of herself — at maybe fifteen or sixteen years old — hugging a girl that seemed strangely familiar. They stood in front of an old pickup truck, Florence in overalls and her friend wearing a white apron that contrasted her dark skin.
"My time is very valuable, Mr. Alir," Flo said, ripping me out of my thoughts as she interlaced her fingers and looked up at the two men. "Why should I give you any of it?"
Cem seemed caught off guard by her remark, his eyebrows raising as he shifted from one foot to the other.
"I think it's best if we talk about this in private, Ma'am."
"Don't call me Ma'am, please." Flo rolled her eyes. The way she carried herself made you think she was the boss of the entire Formula sport, that's how self-assured and uncompromising her aura felt.
"Of course, Miss Nyx. I'm just saying it's best if we discuss this alone." His gaze flicked to me. "With just the two of us."
Florence didn't respond. Instead, she turned and looked at me, her eyes evolving into that woodsy shade of green-blue that made my heart stop. The emotion in them was overwhelmingly poignant, and paired with the smile she shot me... it took my breath away.
"He's with me," she finally said, her gaze switching to the pony-tailed man in front of the door. "Whatever you need to say to me, you can say to him as well."
Connor's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets, though I only had little attention left for my rival. I set my sight straight on the woman at the other side of the table, still processing the words she'd uttered.
Every fucking day did she mesmerize me, her actions and words playing together like a well-rehearsed choreography, not once straying from her course. It was hypnotizing to watch, and even more magical to experience it first-hand.
"I don't think you understand—"
"You must not have heard me, Mr. Alir." Florence's hands folded on her lap as she turned to face the man properly. "You've already wasted..." She glanced at her watch. "...Four minutes and thirty-six seconds of my time. Free Practice starts in Thirty-one minutes, so you have exactly sixty seconds to convince me that I should give you any more of my time than you've already gotten."
All men in the room went silent; me included. The three of us just stared at her, watching how she took control of the situation with ease.
"Clock's ticking, Cem." Flo tapped her smart watch, where a timer of one minute started going backward. "Literally."
