At the pinnacle of her career, orthopedic surgeon Ava King conquers the lucrative medical field of London.
A wild and intimate night with competitive Formula One driver James Ellis ends with Ava being stood up. The rejection leads her straight into...
So this is the uncut/extended version of the opening chapter of Downshift and is about 6 months before James meets Ava.
I am not sure if I'll ever get around to writing Downshift, so I wanted to share this chapter with you. I'll most likely slot the few chapters of Downshift that I have in my drafts into Asylum when I eventually edit it, too.
Much love, Nadia A.
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The joy and elation of the win is unlike anything I've experienced before. The black and white checked flag, the roar of the crowd over the obnoxiously loud whine of the V6 engine of my racing car, the flags in the stands and the cheers over the comms in my ear.
I'll be bold enough to say it... in the moment it's better than sex.
Once my car is safely parked at the spot demarcated for the race winner, I leap out of the cockpit, balancing precariously on the sides of the diminutive frame, hoisting my arms into the air, practically thanking the heavens.
The one race that's eluded me, my home race, the only one on the circuit I have never won! Silverstone is mine, baby!!
After diving into the sea of team engineers and management staff, all smacking my helmet, singing and laughing and draping my shoulders in the Scottish flag, I turn to Dad and Charlie, who both hug me tightly.
"So fucking proud of you, lad!" Dad cries into my ear. Even through the muffled sounds of my helmet, I can hear the pride in his voice. Over his shoulder and in the crowd, I spot Gianna's tall frame, which stands out blatantly as she gives me two thumbs up and my eyes flutter to the woman on her left, who she chats to casually.
I'm not sure if it's the adrenaline rush, but my stomach jolts uncomfortably as her gaze meets mine; unnaturally bright green eyes shift to mine before she turns to look up at Gigi, but they continue talking like I didn't just have a mild anxiety attack.
"You alright, bruv?" Charlie chuckles and I quickly snap out of it, squeezing my baby brother's shoulder as he joins in with the rest of the crowd chanting and singing, "Sweet Caroline".
I finally have a chance to remove my helmet after a quick weigh-in on the side and down the bottle of water given to me by one of the stewards.
My dad and Charlie wait patiently around the corner of the main building. Dad's blue eyes, just as mine, are gleaming with tearful pride. We do a quick little celebration dance before I kiss Sandy on her cheek, and she looks genuinely elated. It's sometimes awkward, but I should probably give her a chance. Dad looks happy.
I'm relieved to see Gianna, and the mystery woman waiting for me, but as I edge closer, my trainer, Alex congratulates me and as I turn she disappears, leaving a trail of rose water and vanilla in her wake.
