All Chapters of Driven by Desire: Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

4 Chapters

Chapter 1

Alexendra The roar flooding my ears is almost enough to drown out the pounding of my heart as I take my spot on the second podium level. So close, yet so far from that top podium once again. I paste on a thin smile, trying not to let the bitter disappointment show as I wave to the crowd.Then he appears above me, and any attempt at hiding my frustration evaporates. Marco Bianchi, my so-called "teammate", is absolutely basking in the adoration as they festoon him with the winner's wreath. As if his blinding grin isn't sickening enough, he aims it straight at me as the team rep presents him with the iconic trophy."You know Dupont, they don't actually give out trophies for second place," he leans in with a loud whisper, words dripping with mocking amusement.I grit my teeth, fighting the urge to reach up and wipe that stupid smirk off his handsome face. "Keep running that mouth and I'll make sure you eat that trophy, Bianchi."He barks out a laugh, his eyes crinkling infuriatingly at t

Chapter 2

Driven by Desire/Elixir Winters

Alexandra Chapter 2I grip the sweat-slicked steering wheel, chest heaving with each ragged breath. The high-pitched whine of the engine spooling down is barely audible over the pounding in my ears. I blink hard, finally releasing the death grip on the wheel as the adrenaline ebbs.My racing suit feels like a second skin, perspiration and brake dust mingling in the crease of my brow. God, that was too damn close. Slamming the car through that final chicane, Marco's ruby red machine filled my side mirrors, the duelling shrieks of our high-revving engines deafening.One ill-timed twitch and our carbon fibre masterpieces would have danced a devastating tailslide's tango of interlocked metal. Even the thought has my hands clenching the wheel again, knuckles whitening. But it also has my blood rushing hot for an entirely different reason.Despite Marco's entitled bluster, the arrogance dripping from every pore, I can't deny the sheer bravado of his balls-to-the-wall driving style. The po

CHAPTER 3

Driven by Desire/Elixir Winters

Marco"Run it again." My voice cuts through the hushed tension of the team trailer like a whipcrack. Ignoring the furtive glances between my engineers, I lean in close to the telemetry display, brow furrowed in scrutiny.The holovid reboots, and there it is once more - that damnable final lap rendering all my efforts into second-best futility yet again. I watch, jaw clenched, as the sleek lines of my ruby red machine knife through the corners in a flawless high-speed ballet. Every apex carved with pure indelible precision. Every turn-in point a masterclass of technical perfection.Yet no matter how flawless the choreography, Dupont's midnight blue missile filled my mirrors with each passing kilometer. Until at last, my harrying tormentor was but a fluorescent blur in the rictus, growing ever larger with every blink. Like the hounds of Hades were suddenly snapping, ravenous, at my heels.In the final mad dash to the finish line, she had closed inexorably. So near, I could have sworn

Chapter 4

Driven by Desire/Elixir Winters

MARCOI shake off the lingering unease from Luca's disturbing "prescription" and head back to my apartment, desperate for the comfort of solitude. The driver's lounge and garage suddenly felt overwhelmingly claustrophobic, like the walls were closing in intent on entombing me in my friend's insidious delusions.Delusions...or some darker introspection I've refused to acknowledge until now?Growling under my breath, I smack the heels of my palms against my eye sockets, as if I can physically dislodge the disconcerting thoughts gnawing at the edges of my consciousness. It's a fruitless exercise - if anything, it only seems to grant them more purchase.By the time I'm showered and changed back at my penthouse suite, the frustration has only compounded tenfold. I consider working out, or studying more race telemetry and data. Anything to occupy my mind and dispel this miasma of...of whatever fresh hell is unfolding around me.Instead, I find myself collapsing onto the buttery leather sofa