Slippery When Wet

By Tiffany Hayward

In Slippery When Wet, the Sequel to Too Hot To Handle, the sizzling romance of Luke McCahan and Jasmine Brittany continues. Luke has become a NASCAR superstar. For a season, he was on the Cup Tour, the ultimate, where he and his crew toured cross country for 10 long months, some 40 weeks where he raced nearly 30 races on 16 different tracks across the nation. Alas, throughout Luke’s illustrious success there lie one major issue that decided a turn of events in his life. A troubled marriage. Their long, lonely separations created an almost insurmountable rift between the dynamic young couple. At the end of his first Cup season he decided to return to the Northwest Tour. Luke’s brother and crew chief, Mitch, was very displeased with his decision to drive in a region of the country that would not be the nonstop thrill ride the Southeast Cup Tour had been with world class competition and unbelievable wealth and fame. In practice for the upcoming season, Luke experiences a hellish crash that would change the course of his life. Jasmine witnesses this horrific event in which her husband somehow cheats the grim reaper. Something she is absolutely certain will haunt her dreams for the rest of her life. Will Luke stay in racing? Will he stay on the Northwest Tour? Find out in this brand new spellbinding contemporary romance, Slippery When Wet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664160033

Tiffany Hayward

I was born in a tiny Midwestern town called Greenfield, Indiana. I spent time in both Florida and California and will always hold them both dear. But most of my life I have spent with my one true love of 40 years in the uniquely beautiful state of Maine. Together with my 3 hunting dogs, Bo, Penny and Sunny I enjoy the change of seasons on a serene lake where I pursue my one true passion, writing.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Luke McCahan had started racing seven years ago at Redding, California’s third mile oval every Saturday night. He was a natural at race car driving and did exceptionally well. With his brother Mitch as crew chief, more often than not Luke instinctively knew what was needed to run with the front of the pack.

Save faulty equipment or lack of finances, Luke McCahan was unstoppable and became a local hero. Luke eventually left the Northwest with the aid of sponsors to join the Southeast Cup series where some of the biggest names in racing would become his competition. He quickly became a NASCAR superstar gaining the respect of many of his racing brethren.

40 weeks make up a racing season in the big league and during that time, 28 races are run on 16 different tracks across the nation. Teams, fans, officials and sponsors travel cross country and back starting at Daytona Beach Florida. They run on different types and sizes of tracks from the Northeast to the Midwest to the Southwest and back to the East coast.

Join Luke at each exciting event including exhilarating short tacks, road courses and breath taking super speedways. Experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

Alas, throughout Luke’s illustrious career there lie one major issue that decided a turn of events in his life, a troubled marriage. At the end of his first Cup season he decided to return to the Northwest. He and his wife Jasmine still reside in Redding, California. And it was for her love that he had chosen to do so.

At one time the two had endured a lengthy separation during their marriage in which Jasmine had given birth to his child. At that point, she and his new little baby girl encompassed Luke’s entire world with a love so powerful he felt that he needed little else in his life to satisfy him.

At times throughout he and Jasmine’s 6 year long love affair it had indeed been a fire and ice relationship wherein they shared a one hundred percent combustible chemistry.

His gut wrenching dreams of her each night the two were separated fueled his determination to keep the one and only woman that so completely commanded his mind, body and soul for all eternity. She had even given him a child.

This is the continuation of their story.

Luke’s brother Mitch, however was very displeased with his decision to drive in a region of the country that would not be the nonstop thrill ride that the Southeast Cup Tour had been. With world class competition and unbelievable wealth and fame.

Thus, Mitch had been at season’s end searching for another team to join to remain on the East coast. And he did in fact find that well known crew to be a part of. His next plan would be to convince his brother Luke to return to the Cup Tour in this blustery month of February.

Presently, Luke and part of his old crew were renting the local Redding California track to practice for the upcoming season. Mitch stood watching his brother as he drove the car deep into turn four and then headed down the front stretch. As he entered turn one the engine exploded.

The force drove a connecting rod through the engine wall creating a gaping hole for the oil to leak out. In an instant the surface under the car was slick and Luke lost control of the car. Before he could regain control, the 3500 pound vehicle slammed into the wall. Indeed, the track was Slippery When Wet.

In a matter of seconds, a handful of days at the track and countless days work back at the shop were wasted. The very same second the car had met that impenetrable barrier Jasmine had screamed. Her heart seemed to leap to her throat as she imagined the worst possible outcome.

Could her husband survive such a hellish collision? She had never witnessed the like even when she had toured with he and his crew for a few months the previous year.

She started for the wreck when one of Luke’s pit crew protectively held her back. She deliriously fought him to no avail. The other crew members including his brother Mitch ran as fast as they could toward the totally incapacitated vehicle.

Not a Cup car with the latest in regulation safety Luke had been knocked unconscious with the unforgiving head and neck jolting impact. Tommy Ames and Ronnie Packard freed him of his harness and pulled him out of the wreckage. Mitch aided the two in laying Luke gently down on the asphalt.

Oh my God! Luke! Jasmine’s palms cupped over her mouth as tears streamed wantonly down from her lovely brown eyes. Arnie Woodhall held her tightly, shielding her from the sight of Luke’s still body. He had immediately dialed 911 on his cell phone. The ambulance made it there within moments.

The EMTs quickly checked Luke’s vitals and found them relatively normal. They inspected his body for obvious injuries and broken limbs. Miraculously and due to what safety devices the vehicle in fact had Luke came out largely unscathed.

They did however load him up into the ambulance and proceeded to take him to the nearest hospital for further evaluation. Jasmine rode with Luke as well as did Arnie. He regained consciousness on the ride to the hospital. Jasmine gingerly held his hand as Arnie amicably greeted him.

Hey, buddy! Welcome back.

Arnie was not only an irreplaceable member of Luke’s pit crew but a very dear friend to both, especially close to Jasmine. The three weathered many storms together during Luke’s illustrious career and he had stayed by both of their sides through the good times and the bad.

Arnie Woodhall unabashedly loved Jasmine and Luke was well aware of that fact. He was protective of her and Luke was appreciative of that. It was in part due to Arnie that their marriage had gotten back on track.

You clocked that wall good.

Feels it. Luke groggily rubbed the back of his neck. The car?

That’s all she wrote.

Luke focused on Jasmine’s dark, soulful eyes shining with a mixture of intense relief and devotion and momentarily lost the ability to speak as she lightly squeezed his hand with cool, trembling fingers.

You sure I haven’t died and gone to heaven? He remarked somewhat huskily.

Jasmine acknowledged his comment demurely, knowing what he meant as he often called her Angel.

Not this time. Arnie laughed, trying to lighten the somewhat tense mood knowing full well that Jasmine actually saw no humor in the extremely horrifying event in which her husband had somehow cheated the grim reaper. Something she was absolutely certain would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

Chapter 2

I was headed into the first corner and the engine let go. I really had no warning that anything was wrong. Something came through the bottom of the engine and we lost all the oil. That’s all I remember.

I knew we never should have bought that junk. A member of Luke’s crew named Chris responded. Not to mention it not being all set up like it should be. He was referring to regulation safety. You’re lucky you walked away dude.

The two were talking privately as Jasmine had left the hospital room for a few moments. It wasn’t long before Ronnie, Tommy and Mitch joined the two.

Luke was surprised to see his brother Mitch knowing that he had been back East trying to secure a position on a new team. He wondered if he had some interesting news.

Hey bro… Mitch went up to Luke and fervidly grasped his hand in a shake that lasted longer than most.

Hey, what’s happenin’? Luke responded casually with a handsome smile.

The two shared a common heritage. They were one half Native American, specifically, Apache. Both were dark and very intense. Luke especially. Six foot tall with thick, raven hair that fell to his collar. His features were seemingly chiseled. He was boldly male with glittering, obsidian eyes that would take many a woman’s breath away upon first sight.

In fact, many of their knees would weaken as there was something wild about Luke McCahan that outwardly shown. Perhaps that something that made him an outstanding race car driver indeed worthy of wealth and fame.

Never mind that. What in the hell were you thinking buying a piece of shit like that? Jesus Christ, Luke. You have to almost get killed to see the light? Why aren’t you building your own with all that loot you won in Cup? Hell, two or three?

Luke chuckled, knowing well his brother’s straight shooting style. Crude more oft than not they made a great team when it came to racing.

I bought a couple of high end shops for Jasmine.

Jasmine had become a very successful high class fashion store owner. She had her own designer and she would make routine trips to San Francisco and L.A. to purchase famous maker brands to grace the racks. Her goods were well known all over the state of California and her clientele at times included models, celebrities, Hollywood actors and actresses even a rock musician or two.

Jasmine, herself, had the looks of a torridly hot Swedish blond supermodel with a 38,22,36 long legged frame that would make an x-ratedly sexy expose for Fredericks and would rake in millions for the legendary lingerie company. Together, the dynamic young couple had a sizzling magnetism with looks that could literally stop traffic.

Mitch frowned. He had never liked Jasmine from the very beginning of she and Luke’s seemingly illfated relationship. His brother veritably lost focus on everything else that mattered. She merely needed to step into the room.

It was because of her that Luke had once attempted suicide before his joining the Cup Tour, his race car the instrument with which to do away with himself. Mitch thought of her as ‘Bad Medicine’, an old Native American term and he cursed the ground she walked on.

Luke inconspicuously threw Mitch a nod and glance to mean the approach of Jasmine down the hallway. He knew that Mitch wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.

Hey bro, I’ve got big news. Buy you a drink tonight at Louie’s?

Yeah, sure. I could use one. Luke laughed wholeheartedly. I’ll bring the boys. He made his pit crew inclusive.

The more the merrier. Mitch slapped palms with him before exiting the room.

Tommy and Ronnie excused themselves as Jasmine and Arnie entered. Arnie had dealt with Luke’s demolished race car and hauled it back to the shop. Mitch deliberately forcibly brushed by Arnie on the way out making Arnie return him a glare of mutual dislike. Mitch hated Arnie’s doting over Luke’s wife like she was his own real estate. In truth, Arnie had once thought to ask for Jasmine’s hand himself.

Jasmine instantly went to Luke’s side having just entered the room. When she bent down to kiss him, his eyes stole a glance down her luscious cleavage exposed by her expensive, lowcut dress. His nostrils flared at her scent as she wore Red Door, his favorite perfume. Her feathery, white gold tresses provocatively brushed his cheek. He suddenly wondered what day it was. What week? Jasmine was well aware of the power she held over the exceedingly handsome man that was her husband. She blushed becomingly.

We have to talk. Jasmine murmured with a hint of sadness glimmering in her soulful brown eyes.

Luke instinctively knew it would be about his racing career. Would she finally make him give it up because of what happened today? He already had misgivings about the Northwest Tour.

There would be basically very little competition in comparison to what he was used to, small purses, limited sponsorship funding. These things had already begun to nag at him.

What’s more, the long separations they had had during his Cup Tour made for absolutely mind blowing sex and overwhelmingly intense reunions that he had admittedly been addicted to.

Jasmine, on the other hand, in past seasons had difficulty dealing with Luke’s lifestyle and had turned to drugs to cope with the heartbreaking lonliness until recently.

But she was ridden with guilt knowing that he had basically given it all up for her, that he would be sacrificing so much. That he was reduced to purchasing inferior equipment that had very nearly cost him his life today.

She was certain that with Jenny, their new baby girl in her life and the spectacular success she had with her clothes stores she would have more than enough to occupy her time.

She felt that she was way beyond using drugs as a crutch now. And she couldn’t wait to tell him. Today’s horrifying event gave her a sense of urgency. It was all she could do to keep it from spilling from her lips.

Arnie interrupted her thoughts as Luke’s jack man addressed him.

Hey, man, I hauled what was left of her back to the shop. She’s pretty much scrap.

That bad, huh? Luke didn’t remember anything after hitting the wall.

Yeah, that bad dude. I’ll start snooping around some shops for another one. We’ll have a replacement before the season starts, I guarantee it. The young friend that very amazingly resembled a young Bob Dylan rubbed his chin.

You do that, Arnie. Luke answered with a hint of disheartenment that made Jasmine feel a distinct pang in her own heart.

She hinted at what she wanted to talk to him about.

"Things will be different this