ALICE Ch 305

Viv blows into the FUTA motorhome after dark exactly as Annette feared she would. She’s already gotten into some champagne, and by the look on Meri’s face, she’s already dipped at least a toe into her usual sexual harassment of any young females that are handy.

It’s only now that Annette realizes that she really needs to have a few men on the staff for this situation. To her relief, Glynda holds it together.

“Welcome,” Glynda says from behind the bar.

“Thank you! Wow,” Viv says, looking around as she sparkles her way across the room. She makes quotation marks with her fingers. “I’ll be in my trailer. Ha! You really move these things all over the world? Wow.”

“Would you like a drink?”

“You don’t have to be my bartender. Did you know that girl was president of CCL?”

Glynda looks lost. “CC what?”

“Don’t **** her,” Annette says, stepping in. “Glynda doesn’t care about CCL.”

“Glynda doesn’t know how to have fun. Is that ginger ale?” Viv asks, eying the glass in Glynda’s hand. She leans over and sniffs. “Oh! It is not. I’ll have what she’s having. Holy shit, with a rack like that, I could’ve had so many secretary slash mistress roles. Hey, where’d she go?”

“Who?” Annette asks.

“The little cutie that brought me here. She said she was going to introduce me to your mechanic. They were gonna tell me CCL stories. So, uh, so, uh, so, uh, what’s going on here? Why do we suck so bad?” Viv leans over the bar to peer at the bottles underneath. “Where’s the good stuff?”

“Just give it to her,” Annette tells Glynda.

Glynda puts her purse on the table and takes the flask out. She pours a little into a juice glass and gives it to Viv.

“Fuck yeah,” Viv says. “A toast to meeting you in person. You’re prettier up close.”

Annette winces. “Don’t flirt with her, Viv. She’s too old for you.”

“Shut up,” Viv says, putting her arm around Annette and bringing her in. “You have some too. Come on, Glynda. Just tell me what’s going on. People are saying some funny things.”

“Since when do you care this much about business?” Annette demands. “Wait a minute. You don’t. You’re just here to get laid. Did you come here to fuck our pit crew?”

Viv’s gasp is dramatic enough that Glynda and Annette both stiffen. The moment stretches, the tension thick. Then Viv bats her eyelashes.

“Is that an option?” she asks coyly.

Annette rolls her eyes. “You better ease up. Glynda’s not gonna put up with your shit.”

“She will, though.” Viv tosses her drink back. “She will. Because I’ve been paying attention. We’re gonna get this Mio Mido out of here. We’re gonna get Faye Darcy back in that car, and then we’re gonna make a marketing push like you’ve never seen before. I’m a romantic, remember? You got one of the hottest drivers in the sport and no doubt the sweetest too. This is a new storyline. One that F1’s never seen before. Nobody in sports has ever done this, and I know a good script when I see one. But I need to know,” Viv says, holding Glynda’s gaze. “I need to know what is going on around here.”

“You could have asked on the phone,” Glynda says.

Viv winks at her. “I like to be hands-on.”

“How does your wife feel about you flying out here to try your luck getting your hands on my people?” Glynda asks.

“Aubrey?” Viv waves a hand. “Don’t worry about her. And trust me, sweetheart. Luck’s got nothing to do with it. I know you’re lying to the board,” she adds to Annette.

Annette bristles. “And how do you know that?”

“Because I’m a fucking actress. Acting is my life. It’s just your hobby.” Viv taps the bar for a refill. “We can keep this between us. We all have something riding on this.”

Annette glares. “Even with the car running like shit and Alice melting down every five seconds, this brand has more value than we thought it ever would. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Viv.”

“When is a gift not a gift, Annette?”